Peach Skillet Upside-Down Cake

This weekend I whipped up Rick Bayless' Peach Skillet Upside-Down Cake for a little fiesta I threw.  I love how rustic the cake looked, and it is a great way to use some of the season's last stone fruit.  I recommend using a non-stick skillet, but not a cast iron.  Don't forget you are going to have to flip the cake, so the cast iron might be too heavy.  You can use other fruit besides peaches, such as pineapple, apple, pear, nectarines, mango, or fresh or frozen raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, or pitted cherries.

LOVE LOVE LOVE

Photo taken from I Am Baker Blog.

OMG.  My jaw is on the floor.  Click here for the heart cake tutorial.  So pretty!

CSA Week Six

Here is what I got last week from my CSA:

-Cucumbers
-Swiss chard
-Half a head of cabbage
-Dill
-Beets
-Basil
-Lettuce
-Blueberries
-Cherries
-Peaches

My friend has been busy making pickled goodies with both the cucumbers and the beets.  I will share recipes soon.  I plan to make some pesto with the basil this week with some homemade pasta (it is really easy).  And even though it hard to resist just eating the luscious fruit, I actually turned on the oven this weekend and made some seasonal treats.  Sometimes I wonder how long it would take to bake something on my window sill - seriously.

I found this really delicious recipe for Dark Cherrie Crumble Cake with Cinnamon from a British food blog called Mowielicious.  I had to do some conversions from British to American measurements.  I don't own a food scale, but I tried to get as close as possible using measuring cups and spoons.  The recipe turned out great, but the cooking time took a bit longer.

Here is the converted recipe for Dark Cherrie Crumble Cake with Cinnamon from Mowielicious:

For the cake:
-14 tablespoons of unsalted butter, softened
-1 1/2 scant cups of granulated sugar
-1 teaspoon vanilla extract
-3 large eggs
-1 1/2 scant cups of all-purpose flour
-2 teaspoons baking powder
-1/2 cup milk (I used whole)
-1 1/3 cup cherries, pitted and stems removed, and cut in half

For the crumble:
-7 tablespoons of unsalted butter
-1/3 cup granulated sugar
-1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
-2/3 cup all-purpose flour

To begin preheat oven to 345 degrees and start making the cake batter.

Cream butter, sugar, and vanilla with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.  Add eggs one at a time and mix until incorporated.  Gently fold in flour and baking powder.  Do not overmix.  Add milk and stir until just combined.

Pour batter in greased and parchment paper lined 9"x12" pan.  I used a 12 inch spring form and it worked fine.  Sprinkle halved cherries on top of batter.

To make the crumble, combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, and butter with your hands.  Mix until it is about pea size crumbles.  Sprinkle on top of cake batter and cherries.  Place in the oven for 45 minutes or until golden brown.  Mine took about an hour, so just keep checking.  Serve warm or cold.  This lasts about a week in the refrigerator, although I don't know if it would actually last for that long.  It is so tasty.  For original recipe, click here.

Right after I finished the crumble cake, I set my oven for 375 and popped in individual peach-blueberry cobblers.  I didn't have another baking dish, so I just used my muffin tins.  These are very tasty too, I just wish I had time to make vanilla ice cream to go with it.  The recipe is from one of my favorite food blogs, Alexandra Cooks.  Click here to get the recipe.

Last year around this time, I made blueberry muffins.  Click here for the recipe.

Rat King

I just wanted to show you the Torta Barozzi cake I made while visiting my family over Christmas.  I decided to stencil on my version of the Rat King in honor of Christmas and my sister's new rats named Leche and Shrute (left and right).  Plus, I am going to the Nutcracker in a few days and I am so excited.  Click here for the original recipe.

A is For Amazing

This Italian flourless chocolate cake is called a Torta Barozzi. It comes from The Splendid Table: Recipes from Emilia-Romagna, the Heartland of Northern Italian Food by Lynne Rossetto Kasper. I made this cake several months ago, and sadly have not posted it until now because it is a rather lengthy recipe, but so worth it. It is the best chocolate cake I have had in my life. There is no need to goop the cake with frosting, the chocolate is so rich and decadent that only a small piece suffices. If you have a weekend afternoon I definitely recommend you make it for yourself or for someone special. It supposedly tastes best the first 24 hours, but I truly enjoy it the next day straight of the fridge. It keeps for up to three days in the fridge wrapped in plastic wrap, and in the freezer up to 2 months.