Persephone's Winter Cake

There is a myth surrounding how wintertime actually came about.  Apparently Hades, God of the Underworld, stole someone's daughter named Persephone to keep her and make her marry him.  Her mother was Demeter, goddess of the harvest.

Once Demeter heard about her daughters fate, plants stopped growing.  The lack of food did take its toll on several people as well as animals.  Then her husband Zeus advised that as long as Persephone had not eaten any food in the underworld, she could go free.  Based on this, Persephone was released back to her family.

However it did not take long for a servant of Hades to arrive and advise the parents that Persephone did in fact eat.  It was only 7 pomegranate seeds, but it still was food.  The family was devastated, so much so that it was finally ruled that Persephone could stay with her parents 9 months out of the year. The other 3 months she would have to stay in the underworld.  As a result, plants would die during the 3 months, hence the season was to be called winter.  This cake does have some summer flavors, but the name reflects the tie in to the myth.

This particular cake has is a unique flavor combination, pomegranate and white wine. It came out very moist with a subtle tartness from the pomegranate.  The layers are filled with lime curd and the cake is frosted with sweetened whipped cream.  The curd really does give an extra pop of flavor against the subtle flavor of the cake. Also the whipped cream just pulls it all together in one tasty bite.  

Persephone's Winter Cake
by flourtrader

Ingredients/Lime Curd
1/2 cup sugar
3 eggs
2 tbs lime zest
1/3 cup lime juice
1/2 cup or 1 stick of butter, 1/4- 1/2 inch cubes


Ingredients/Cake
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup & 2 tbs white wine
1/4 cup & 2 tbs  pomegranate juice
2 tsp vanilla extract
5 egg yolks
red food coloring (optional)
2 tbs freeze dried pomegranate
1 tsp lemon zest
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbs baking powder
2/3 cups sugar
2 1/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
8 egg whites
1/2 cup sugar

Ingredients/Whipping Cream
1/2 tsp whipping cream stabilizer (I used Whip it brand)
2 cups heavy whipping cream
8 tsp sugar
3/4 tsp vanilla

For the lime curd, beat together eggs, lime juice, lime zest and sugar.  Pour into small saucepan and cook on low heat, stirring constantly until the mixture thickens and lightly coats the back of a spoon.  It should reach a temperature of about 160 degrees.  Then add about 3-4 cubes of butter and stir until it melts.  Continue with this process until all butter has been melted and mixed in.  Remove from heat.  Place a sieve over a heat proof bowl and pour the curd into it.  Make sure all curd is pushed through strainer, leaving the zest behind.  Let cool for about 5 minutes, then cover the surface with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator.

Prepare two 9 inch cake pans by greasing the interior with melted butter.  Then line the bottom of the pans with parchment paper and butter the surface.  Dust bottom and sides with flour.  Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

Sift together 2/3 cup of sugar, flour, baking powder,freeze dried pomegranate and salt.  Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat together yolks, water, oil, vanilla and lemon zest.  Stir in the wine and pomegranate juice.  Add the optional food coloring, being aware that the egg whites will lighten the batter color.  Mix until blended evenly.

Take out a mixer bowl and fill with eggs whites and cream of tartar.  Beat until it turns into soft peaks.  Then add 1/4 cup of sugar and beat for 1 minute and add another 1/4 and continue to beat until stiff peaks form.  Fold the egg white mixture into the pomegranate batter.

Pour the batter into the two cake pans, making sure each is filled evenly.  Put each pan in the oven, one on the top left and one on the bottom left.  Baked until tester comes out clean, which is about 25 minutes.  Remove pans and run a knife around the edges.  Place pans on rack and let cool for 10 minutes.  Then invert and peel off parchment and let cakes cool completely.

Once the cakes are cool, place in fridge for 15 minutes.  Then remove and trim domed tops to make each cake even and flat on top.  Then with cut dome side up, smooth the lime curd on top evenly.  Then top with other cake layer.

To make the whipped cream, place all ingredients in a small bowl and beat until soft peaks form.  Be careful not to over beat, you do not want it stiff, just thick.  Frost the top and sides of cake and pipe a border if desired.  Store in fridge until ready to serve.

Tips and notes:
1. deflating the whites when folding in can make for a dense cake, so take care in this process
2. Straining out the zest in the curd is optional, you can leave it in for extra tartness.
3. The stabilizer does help whipped cream from being runny at room temperature for extended times. If you do not have stabilizer, it is best to use a version with gelatin but it will give it a more spongy texture.
4.  This is another one in which I did not like the taste of the cake the first day but on the second day the flavors had developed into something very tasty.
                   **LAST YEAR: Maple Pumpkin Bars**

Uncorked Blackberry Coolies

I have been reading on the net recently about the discoveries all the old cargo ships that were full of wine that have sunk into the ocean.  Needless to say the corks on the containers are long since gone as with the wine.  However, it does make you wonder just how much wine has been absorbed into our ocean waters.  Yes the ocean is vast, but at the time when all the corks came out of these bottles that area must have been like a wine fest!

Anyhow, my mother recently told me recently about a man from a small town in West Virginia that has gotten quite popular with his frozen lime cheesecakes dipped in chocolate on a stick.  I thought it sounded like a pretty tasty idea.

So, I went about deciding on what flavor I would want to make.  Blackberry came to mind. I had seen a lot of cheesecakes with berries in them.  However, because of the iciness that fruit takes on when frozen, I decided not to use fresh berries.  Then came the thought of blackberry wine, but it still needed something else. Then I added freeze dried fruit powder.

Once the first bite hits your mouth, the cheesecake starts to melt into just a cold creaminess.  It  tastes of blackberry with an undertone of wine and cinnamon.  The rich chocolate on the outside does tie everything together deliciously. I can remember when I first tried blackberry ice cream with chocolate chunks at the ice cream shop-I have been in love with it ever since. Also, I opted for using some granola on top for an added texture. The recipe below is for 12-14 coolies.

Uncorked Blackberry Coolies
by Flourtrader

Ingredients/Cheesecake
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tbs and 2 tsp cornstarch
2 tsp freeze dried blackberry powder
3 eggs
1 egg yolk
1/2 cup blackberry wine
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup sour cream
24 oz cream cheese
3/4 cup sugar
2 tbs melted butter

Ingredients/Topping
10 oz semi sweet chocolate chips (about 1 1/4 cups)
1 cup heavy cream
2 cups granola

Using the melted butter, coat the inside of 14 ramekins ( 3 inch in diameter).  Then line the bottom inside with a round of parchment paper.  Then butter the surface of the parchment paper.  Set aside.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Fill a large mixing bowl with the cream cheese, cinnamon, sour cream, sugar and fruit powder.  Then sift in the cornstarch.  At medium speed, beat ingredients until it has a smooth consistency.  Then add one egg and beat until blended.  Continue to add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition.  Then do the same with the egg yolk.  Add the blackberry wine and vanilla extract and mix until evenly distributed.

Pour the mixture into the prepared ramekins, filling to 1/4 inch below beveled edge mark.  Place all ramekins on baking sheet and put sheets in oven.  Let cheesecakes bake for about 10 minutes.  Then reduce heat to 225 degrees and bake for about 20 minutes more or until the center is firm and no longer shiny on top.  Remove the cakes from the oven and run a knife along the edge.  Chill uncovered for about 4 hours.  Then freeze overnight.

The next morning, remove the cheesecakes from the freezer.  Line a baking sheet with wax paper. Dip one of ramekins, placing it in hot water, measuring about 1/2 way up the sides of the ramekin.  Then invert onto baking sheet and remove parchment paper.  Insert one wooden stick into the side edge of each cheesecake to a depth of about 1 1/2 inches.  Cover with plastic wrap and place back in freezer.

For topping, pour cream into a small saucepan and put chocolate chips in a separate heat proof bowl.  Place saucepan on top of medium high heat and let come to a boil and then remove pan from heat.  Pour cream over chocolate chips and let sit for about 30 seconds.  Then stir until all the chips are melted and the cream is incorporated.

Set bowl aside to cool for at least 5 minutes.  Pour granola onto a baking sheet and smooth out evenly.  Take the cheesecakes out and dip halfway into the chocolate.  Holding upside down, let the excess drip off.  Then place upside down into granola, moving gently for the granola to adhere.  The coolie should be able to stand upside down in the granola by itself.  Continue with this process until all coolies are standing upside down in the granola.  Then place in freezer for 2 hours for chocolate to freeze and cream cheese to freeze up again. Then they are ready to serve.

Tips and notes:
The parchment paper will give the bottom side of your cheesecake a wavy look due to the dampness, so topside is best for display.
As with any dipping, there will be granola and chocolate left over, the quantities were used for the depth and ease in coating.
Without the fruit powder, your flavor will be subtle unless you opt for a citrus fruit in place of the wine.
Coolies can be placed back on their sides on wax paper after freezing to store.  Cover tightly with plastic wrap.
Removing the cakes from the ramekins may take a few taps on the baking sheet for them to come out.
           LAST YEAR:Lemon White Choc Lattice Cupcakes**

Sicilian Wine Cookies

In late 2010, I was looking at all the cookie contests on the net.  One of the largest postings was the one for the LA Times.  I believe they actually posted not just the winners but quite a number of the entrants, because they wanted the people to vote.  I was busy saving a lot of them.  Some of the recipes were good and others not so much.  This is actually one I had not tried yet, but the list of ingredients was interesting, so I went ahead and made them.

The cookies are a mix of wine, lemon zest, orange zest and chocolate which is rolled in white sugar and shaped into crescents before baking.  The two things I changed about the recipe was to substitute vanilla extract for anise and I used mini chocolate chips instead of chopping up a block of chocolate.  The recipe below is the original.

These are a crisp cookie that tastes of orange and chocolate.  The wine may be a key factor in creating the texture of the cookie, but the flavor did not come through.  However, for those that like the mix of orange and chocolate, this is the cookie for you. I was happy with the results, but I would probably include chopped nuts in place of the chocolate chips next time and dip half the cookie in chocolate after baking.  That would add another flavor and also improve the look of these.  This recipe makes about 3 dozen crescent cookies.

Sicilian Wine Cookies
adapted from LA Times 2010 Cookie Contest

Ingredients
1/4 cup Chianti or Marsala Wine
1/2 cup canola oil
1 1/2 tsp Anise extract
1 egg
2/3 cup chopped dark or semi-sweet chocolate
1 tsp fresh lemon zest
2 tsp fresh orange zest
1/2 tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup sugar, plus more for rolling
2 1/2 cups flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a small size bowl, beat egg for a minute at medium speed.  Then add the sugar and beat for another minute.  Set aside.

In another bowl, sift together the cinnamon, baking powder and flour.

Place both zests into the sugar/egg batter and beat for one minute.  Add the extract and oil, beating mixture until all is smooth and well blended.  With the mixer on low, slowly pour in the wine.  Once all wine is added beat at medium speed for 30 seconds.

Pour half of the sifted ingredients into the batter and mix using a wooden spoon.  Make sure no dry streaks remain.  Then stir in the chocolate.  Add half of the remaining flour and mix until smooth.  Add the rest of the flour, stirring until all is evenly distributed.

Shape dough into balls about 1 1/4 inch in diameter and roll in sugar.  Then shape into a thin, 3 inch long crescent and place on cookie sheet.  Cookies do not spread during baking so you should be able to place them about 1/2 inch apart.  I got a dozen cookies on one baking sheet.

Bake until edges turn golden brown, about 18-20 minutes.  Rotate pans at the halfway point to cook evenly. Let cookies rest on pan for at least a minute or so before transferring to rack to cool.

Mixology Cupcakes

With New Years right around the corner, I thought it would only be appropriate if I mixed up some spirits to make a cupcake treat.  This one has 3 types of alcohol in it, so I did not skimp on the mixer at all!  Even though I am not a certified mixologist when it comes to bar drinks, I think these are well worth presenting at a New Year's Eve party.

The base is a cupcake made with port wine.  Then, I poked holes in the top with a wooden skewer and brushed some syrup on top made out of Godiva liqueur.  It not only made the cupcakes have more flavor, it made them very moist.  Instead of leaving it at that, I frosted them with a fluffy Amaretto frosting.  The final touch was chocolate sprinkles on top.  The recipe makes 20 cupcakes.

Before I get to the recipe, I wanted to write a few thoughts about the coming of the New Year.  It is a time when the door is open to set things straight.  In other words, to get your house in order before 2012 gets here.  This may mean settling differences you may have with family or friends.  Or it may mean that you fix that door that has been creaking for the last 6 months. By doing that, the new year will be a fresh start.  Once your house is in order, then it is time to sit down and raise a glass to say goodbye to 2011 and hello to 2012! I wish all of you a happy New Year and that at midnight tonight, you are ringing in the New Year the best way you know how! Cheers!

Mixology Cupcakes
by fhourtrader

Ingredients/Cupcakes
4 eggs, separated
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup red wine
1 2/3 cup flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 1/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt, plus 1 pinch

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Prepare muffin pan by greasing the top edge of the cavities.  Then line with cupcake papers.  Set aside.

Sift together flour, baking soda and 1/4 tsp of salt.  Then whisk in the sugar.  Pour in 1/4 cup of vegetable oil and stir until all is blended.  Mix in 1/4 cup of red wine.  Then repeat the same, adding the two liquids in 1/4 cup intervals until all the wine and oil is mixed in.

In a small bowl, beat one egg yolk with a fork and then add to batter.  Stir batter with a wooden spoon until mixture is smooth and the egg is mixed in.  Continue with the same process for each of the egg yolks, so all is blended into the batter.  Set aside.

Fill a separate bowl with the egg whites and a pinch of salt.  Then beat at a high speed until the egg whites hold stiff, but not dry, peaks.  Fold the egg white mixture into the sugar/wine batter until no white streaks remain.

Then fill the cupcake liners with the batter. You can either pour it into the paper liners or use an ice cream scoop.  The cups should be filled evenly, about 3/4 full.

Place cupcakes in oven and bake until a tester comes out clean, about 20 minutes.  Remove and let cool in pan for 1 minute and then transfer to rack to finish cooling.

Once cool, take a wooden skewer and poke holes in the top of the cupcakes.  The holes should be about 3/4 the depth of the entire cupcake.

Ingredients/Godiva Syrup
1/2 cup Godiva Chocolate Liqueur
2 tsp sugar

Stir together ingredients in a small saucepan and place over medium heat.  Let cook and stir until sugar is completely dissolved.  Then remove from heat and let cool for 30 minutes.

Using a pastry brush, brush syrup over the top of the cupcakes and let soak in.  Continue with the process until no more syrup is left.

Regarding the frosting below, it cannot be made in advance.  It must be prepared and used immediately.

Ingredients/Frosting
adapted from Martha Stewart

1 1/3 cups sugar
1 1/2 cup plus 2 tbs of butter (room temp)
4 egg whites
3 tbs and 1 tsp water
2/3 tsp vanilla
pinch of cream of tartar
2 tbs Amaretto
pinch of salt

Place sugar and water in a saucepan and stir. Put over medium high heat and let come to a boil until the sugar dissolves.  Then let cook until it reaches the soft ball stage or 238 degrees.  This can happen very quickly and if your mixture turns from white or clear to an amber color, it probably has gone past the soft ball stage.  Once proper consistency and temperature is reached, remove from heat.  Then pour into a heat proof bowl to let cool.

In a medium size bowl, beat egg whites for 30 seconds.  Then add the cream of tartar and salt.  Then beat on medium high until stiff peaks form but mixture is not dry.

Once the sugar syrup has cooled to lukewarm temperature or cooler, pour 2 tablespoons into the egg white mixture and beat for 30 seconds.  Then add the rest of the syrup and beat for 3 minutes.  Set aside.

In another bowl, cream the butter till fluffy. Add 1/4 cup of the butter to the sugar batter and beat for 2 minutes.  Continue with this process of beating the butter into the sugar batter in intervals.  Lastly add vanilla extract and amaretto and beat for 1 minute.

Then cut the corner off a gallon zip lock bag and place decorating tip inside, sticking out of the corner.  Fill the bag with the frosting and then ice the cupcakes.  Lastly, top with chocolate sprinkles.
                              **LAST YEAR: Pink Champagne Cupcakes**