Cinnamon Cardamom Bundt Cake

Never have I ever gone to the grocery store to buy a week's worth of groceries. That is up until a few weeks ago. Honestly I wasn't even sure I knew how to buy food for at least a week's worth of meals. For someone who makes a trip to the grocery store every couple of days, or sometimes everyday, the sheer thought of limiting myself to a weekly visit was discombobulating. The idea of having to plan menus for a week not only seemed like way too much work (even for me), but borderline impractical. Between the frequent fluctuations in my food cravings along with being highly influenced by the daily bombardment of recipes appearing in social media, in magazines, and in the hundreds of cookbooks lining my sagging bookshelves, being unable to shift gears midweek validated why I saw this as some sort of insurmountable challenge. For those of you who have successfully and efficiently shopped weekly, you are probably thinking my approach to grocery shopping is some form of lunacy. Because who really wants to spend their limited discretionary time walking down food store aisles, waiting in line at the deli and/or meat counters, standing in checkout lines that never seem to move very quickly, or lugging bags of groceries in more than once a week? I guess I do. It's been my normal ever since college.

Growing up, my father (the one who did all the grocery shopping and apparently most of the meal planning) went on his usual three or four store stop Friday night food shopping excursion. Rarely did he ever venture out for a midweek stop at the grocery store after a long day at work. Unless, of course, we ran out of bread or milk. But those where back in the days when life followed more of a predictable schedule. Dinner at our house was always served at 4:30 p.m. Monday night dinner was generally the leftovers from the big Sunday afternoon meal. The idea of inviting people or friends over for dinner mid-week wasn't something I knew was even possible. Over the course of a couple of weeks, there wasn't a great deal of variability in what we had for dinner. Meaning I could probably still name the ten or so meals I consumed on a regular basis throughout my childhood. Baking only happened on the weekends and/or around the holidays. If you wanted some homemade chocolate chip cookies on a Wednesday, you had to hope there were some leftover over from the weekend (but usually not), wait until Saturday, or hide some in your room. Some of this may explain why I couldn't wrap my head around weekly grocery shopping way back when I first became responsible for preparing my own meals. The inconvenience of multiple weekly trips to the grocery store seemed to be a small price to pay for having flexibility. Thank goodness I only had to endure the throwback way of weekly grocery shopping for only a week.

There are so many incredibly great things about this Cinnamon Cardamom Bundt Cake I don't even know where to begin. And whatever your preferred approach to food shopping might be, you are more than likely to have everything you need in your refrigerator and pantry to make it on a whim. So anytime you get a craving for this bundt cake or want to surprise your friends or family, you don't have to wait until the weekend or make a special mid-week trip to the grocery store. Trust me when I say that once you taste this bundt cake, you will find multiple reasons to make it any day of the week.

If you are looking for a cake to serve as a luncheon or brunch dessert, a book club treat, or yes, even for breakfast, this bundt cake is for you. Or if you want to bring a cake to a meeting or to the home of a friend, this is the bundt cake you want to make. 

There are several things about this Cinnamon Cardamom Bundt Cake which make it different from all of the other Cinnamon Bundt Cake recipes out there. First, it is flavored with a combination of cinnamon and cardomom. Together these two spices work in harmony with one another. The cardomom slightly tempers the spiciness of the cinnamon, and the cinnamon leaves enough room for the flavor of the cardomom to shine through. Second, all of the ingredients are blended together. Which means you don't need to create any swirls in the batter. And lastly, the finishing touch is a butter and cinnamon sugar topping. One somewhat reminiscent of a sugared doughnut. No need to make a confectionary icing or sift confectionary sugar over the top. No, this Cinnamon Cardamom Bundt Cake begs to be finished like a doughnut.

Like most cakes, this one begins with creaming the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. It generally takes about 7-8 minutes for the butter and sugar to achieve this consistency. Eggs are added in one at a time and the vanilla is blended in before you alternately add the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and cardamom) and milk. The dry and wet ingredients are added in a total of five additions, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. 

The batter for this bundt cake has a smooth, thick consistency. Remember to carefully prepare your bundt pan before spooning this luscious filling into it. 

The Cinnamon Cardamom Bundt Cake bakes for approximately 55-65 minutes in a preheated 350 degree (F) oven or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. My baking time was closer to the 65 minute mark.

Allow the bundt cake to rest in the pan for 20 minutes before unmolding.

Brushing melted butter over the slightly warm cake and sprinkling with a sugar-cinnamon mixture, gives the finished cake a perfect sugary crisp edge.

Allow the cake to cool completely before slicing and serving. 

This Cinnamon Cardamom Bundt Cake is light, tender, moist, melt-in-your mouth delicious. In spite of its' sugared finish, it isn't overly sweet. It is nothing short of being one of the most heavenly cakes you will ever taste. And one easily satisfying your sweet tooth. 

The finished look of your Cinnamon Cardamom Bundt Cake will depend on the design of your bundt pan. This bundt pan from NordicWare is my absolute favorite as it turns the simple, humble bundt cake into one having an understated elegance to it.

If your summer plans include formal or informal gatherings, entertaining guests, trips to a VRBO, or weekend stays at the beach houses of friends, this simple to make Cinnamon Cardamom Bundt Cake might end up being your favorite go-to 'desserts' to make, take, and/or serve. Bring this cake as a hostess gift and expect to be invited over again. And while we tend to think of cake as a dessert, this one would work incredibly well served with some fresh fruit for a casual breakfast. What a feast for the eyes this bundt cake would be to wake up to.

Recipe
Cinnamon Cardamom Bundt Cake

Ingredients
Cake
3 cups (390g) all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 Tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cardamom
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt or fine sea salt
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups (400g) granulated sugar
3 large eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup whole milk

Sugar Coating
4 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions
Cake and Sugar Coating
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F). Prepare a 10 cup bundt pan using either a baking spray or butter and flour. Set aside.
2. Place the flour, cinnamon, cardamom, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk to combine. Set aside.
3. In a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (approximately 7-8 minutes).
4. Add eggs one at a time, until each is incorporated.
5. Blend in vanilla.
6. Add flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with milk in two additions. Begin and end with the flour mixture.
7. Pour batter into prepared pan. Smooth out top of the cake with an offset spatula or spoon.
8. Place bundt pan on a baking sheet before placing in the oven. Bake for 55-65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. Note: Midway through the baking process, rotate the baking pan.
9. Let the cake cool in the pan for 20 minutes. Place a cake plate or cake stand on top of the bundt pan and then turn upside down. 
10. Allow the warm cake to rest before before brushing on the melted butter evenly over the cake. Mix together the sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle liberally over the cake. 
11. Let the cake cool completely before slicing and serving.

Cocoa Banana Bread

Let me start out with a disclaimer. I don't write reviews of cookbooks (at least not yet anyway), I don't receive free cookbooks from publishers (but wouldn't that be nice), and my circle of friends doesn't include the food bloggers I admire (maybe someday). So when I make and write about a recipe I find in a cookbook, magazine, or on one form or another of social media, it's first because there was something about the recipe that spoke to me. However, even more important, is it has to be one I have a strong, unexplainable feeling about. Particularly the integrity of the recipe itself and the recipe creator (or adapter, whichever the case may be). Call it a recipe sixth sense. And yes, every now and then, I have been known to make something everyone is raving about. Who doesn't want to join a virtual gushing over, no formal invitation needed food party? Although I am a bit picky as to which party I want to go to. 

When I bought Alison Roman's cookbook "Dining In: Highly Cookable Recipes" a short while back, I didn't tab every other page the first time I went through it. On the first go round, I found more than a handful of recipes I thought were worth the price of the book. But after going back to the book a second and third time, I wondered how it was I initially skipped over so many others. For whatever the reason, the book started to talk to me. I ultimately realized this would become one of those cookbooks getting a significant amount of use, or rather overuse, in the weeks and months ahead. I wondered, could this be one of those cookbooks that could put my cookbook purchases on pause for awhile or curb them for an indefinite period of time? With the exception of a new Ottolenghi cookbook coming out later this year, I really think it could be.

If one has already shared not one, but two banana recipes on the blog, why would there be a third? Third time the charm? Well maybe. But when I read the recipe for the Cocoa Banana Bread, described as being more cake like than bread like, I was more than intrigued. Finding a recipe having the combination of chocolate and banana flavors was more than enough to motivate me to make it. What I did not know before making this Cocoa Banana Bread was how rich without being to rich, dense, luscious, moist, and beyond delicious it would be. If there were ever a decadent Banana Bread, this would be it. Definitely dessert worthy, but for those of us chocolate and banana lovers, a case could be made for having it for breakfast. And, even if there wasn't, there is always the 'life is short' rationalization.

No matter how many banana bread recipes you have in your life, you definitely, absolutely must make room for this one.

I had to wait more than week for the bananas to ripen to that banana bread making ready point. More than once I have wished the grocery stores I frequent would sell overly ripe bananas, so I could make banana bread whenever the urge came over me. While all of the other ingredients in this Cocoa Banana Bread are readily accessible and probably already in your refrigerator or cupboard, this would be one of those plan at least a week ahead recipes. Unless, of course, you have a handy source banana bread ripe bananas.

If, like me, you generally buy demerara sugar and mascarpone cheese, nothing about this Cocoa Banana Bread ingredient list is unusual. If you don't regularly buy either of those things, this recipe might convince you they need to be your new staples. Other than recommending your mascarpone cheese should be room temperature, cutting the banana for the top of the bread while it is still in the skin, specifying a weight for the bananas to be used in the bread batter, and lining the pan with parchment paper, I didn't make any real substantive changes to the recipe. 

Mashing the bananas with a fork (or even a potato masher) will give you the coarse mashed banana consistency you are looking for. You want to see some of the banana chunks when you slice the baked cake. 

Honestly, when I saw the pan size recommended I didn't think it was right. But it was. So trust me when I tell you the pan size listed below isn't an error. Your pan will be almost full when all of the batter goes in, but there isn't a significant rise to this bread so it works. 

Of course I wanted my finished Cocoa Banana Bread to be as perfect and as beautiful as possible. Instead I had to settle for uniquely beautiful.

What I discovered too late was how to cut the banana lengthwise. Instead of cutting the banana while it was still in the skin, I had peeled it and then cut it. It took me two bananas to figure out it. Or one banana too late. So instead of two perfect intact halves gracing the top of the bread, I ended up with one perfect and one slightly imperfect one. It could have driven my perfection seeking Virgo self over the edge a few years ago, but nowadays if something can't be perfect, it needs to have character. And this Cocoa Banana Bread has character!

When I shared a photo of this Cocoa Banana Bread with some of my friends, a few thought it was topped with bacon! Slow roasted, bruleed banana halves might have some resemble to slices of bacon and I am certain someone, somewhere has combined the flavors of chocolate, banana, and bacon in a confection. But that would not be a flavor combination getting my attention. At least not at the moment.

This Cocoa Banana Bread has a kind of pound cake texture to it, although the crumb is a bit finer and the chocolate flavor is a bit more intense. But unlike a pound cake, there is an incredible crunchy, sugary, deeply flavored roasted banana top to this banana bread.

As I shared earlier, I really didn't make any substantive changes to this recipe. It was already pretty amazing. However, had I thought about it giving it a slight twist, I should have poured some Pecan Flavored Whiskey over the top of the bread as soon as it came out of the oven. But I didn't. And I can't even take credit for this idea. Because this absolutely brilliant idea came from one of the friends I had recently gone to a wine and spirits tasting with. A friend who also happens to someone who is a self-admitted non-cook and non-baker. But no one ever said one had to cook and/or bake to appreciate great desserts or great food. One just needs to possess good taste. With or without any Pecan Flavored Whiskey, and definitely without any bacon, make this Cocoa Banana Bread for all your friends having really good taste as it will send them to a place of euphoria they will not ever forget. 

Recipe
Cocoa Banana Bread (Barely a change to Alison Roman's recipe for Cocoa Banana Bread as shared in her cookbook "Dining In: Highly Cookable Recipes")

Ingredients
1/2 cup Demerara sugar, divided
1 1/2 cups (195g) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1/3 cup (67g) granulated sugar 
1/4 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 large egg, room temperature
1/2 cup (4 ounces) mascarpone, room temperature (Note: Could also use full-fat sour cream or full-fat yogurt)
5 extremely ripe bananas, divided (4 coarsely mashed and 1 sliced lengthwise) - See Notes

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees (F). Line a 9"x4" (or 8.5"x4.5") baking pan with parchment paper. Spray with non-stick spray and sprinkle 1/4 cup of the demerara sugar on the bottom and sides of the pan. Shake out any excess sugar. Set prepared pan aside.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
3. In the bowl of standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla on high speed until light and fluffy (approximately 4-5 minutes).
4. Add the egg and beat until it returns to the previous light and fluffy texture (approximately 3-4 minutes). Note: Initially the mixture will look slightly curdled, but it's texture will change after beating.
5. With mixer on low, add in the dry ingredients. Beat just to blend.
6. Add in mascarpone cheese and beat just until blended. Batter will be very thick.
7. Add in mashed bananas, beat until blended in (approximately 1-2 minutes).
8. Scrape batter into the prepared pan. Smooth the top.
9. Place the two banana halves, cut side facing up, on top of batter. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup demerara sugar.
10. Bake until the bread is baked through in the center (approximately 90-100 minutes). Note: My baking time was closer to 100 minutes.
11. Transfer baking pan to cooling rack. Allow bread to cool completely before removing from pan and slicing.

Notes: (1) The four bananas used in the bread weighed approximately 1 pound 6 ounces (with their skins on). Recommend for medium sized ripe bananas for the bread batter and one smaller ripe banana for slicing on the top. (2) When cutting the one banana lengthwise, you will have more success keeping the slices whole if you cut it with the skin on. Carefully peel away the skin, trying not to break the halves (like I did). (3) For a subtle boozy flavor to the Cocoa Banana Bread, poke some holes in the top of the bread as soon as it comes out of the oven. Pour 1-2 Tablespoons of Pecan Flavored Whiskey over the top and allow it soak in.

Sea Salted Espresso Brownie Crinkle Cookies

We all have those days or weeks in our lives when life tests our physical endurance, emotional stability, ability to handle stress, and/or the belief in the power of prayer. Last week life tested all of those for me. With my husband undergoing aortic aneurysm surgery, one having a fair amount of risk to it, it took all of my energy and resilience, along with the incredible amount of love and support from family and friends, to help me to stay as grounded as possible through it all. And I wasn't even the one experiencing all of the hope, angst, and pain that comes with being the patient. At times like these, the fear of the unknown can take my mind to places I instinctively know are ones I don't want to spend any amount of time in. Mostly due to the fear of being swallowed up in them without either having the strength or a life line bringing me back to a place where I can breathe somewhat normally again. Trying to keep my thoughts positive took an inordinate amount of energy because rational and irrational worrisome ones continued trying to creep into my head. Particularly while waiting during the lengthy surgery. Sometimes these worries got in and lingered there for awhile. Draining me emotionally and physically. In spite of having prided myself on having a fairly high degree of resiliency over the years, this was a context it had yet to be vetted against.

As a caregiver you can't really lose sight of the emotions and levels of discomfort the patient is experiencing. Although there are moments when you are so consumed with your own anxieties it becomes hard to be compassionate 24/7. Even after your worst fears aren't realized (thank goodness for talented surgeons, skilled nurses, and medical science advancement), the ability to be remain steadfastly empathic fluctuates. At least it did for me. Fortunately these moments have been short lived. When you spend a significant amount of time in a hospital you become hyper aware of the everyone around you. Of the many observations made during the past week was how consistently attentive, kind, and yes, compassionate the medical professional staff in the hospital were. To the point where I was in awe of their ability to remain calm in the most chaotic of moments. Whether these are qualities they need to possess or not, doesn't matter. They are admirable. 

I wanted to, no I needed to, show my appreciation to everyone involved in my husband's care and recovery with more than saying thank you. Making food has always been one of the ways I show gratefulness to others. Only this week I couldn't even muster enough energy to make a batch of cookies. I tried to remind myself baking is cathartic. But even that truth wasn't compelling enough to get me in the kitchen. So instead I brought in candy from one of my favorite stores, doughnuts, baby bundtlets, muffins, and cookies. Everything was store bought. Nothing was homemade (by me). When you get immense pleasure from baking for others, bringing something made by someone else doesn't seem to carry the same weight of appreciation. At least it doesn't for the giving me. The weight of the world temporarily lifted from my shoulders when we both able to return home. My energy level began returning in calm, steady waves. For the couple of hours spent baking a new cookie recipe, I could suspend thinking about the temporary new normal and simply lose myself (and my stress). It was one of the reprieves my mind and body so desperately needed. 

In the last couple of weeks, I noticed the uncanny, almost simultaneous sharing of two brownie crinkle cookies on Instagram. Visually these two cookies almost looked identical to one another although there were variations in both the ingredients used and techniques applied. Judging the reactions these cookies were receiving, it appeared they were destined to be the second best cookie of the year. Several months ago the Salted Butter and Chocolate Chunk Shortbread, an incredibly delicious version of the chocolate chip cookie, had almost everyone across the globe declaring them to be the best cookie ever. Because I find cookies made with chocolate slightly irresistible, I too wanted to jump on this brownie crinkle cookie bandwagon. From my perspective, it seemed there was a cookie throw down in the making, but no one seemed to want to pit these two cookies against one another, including me. In spite of the fact both recipes had some similarities to my favorite Maida Haetter Chocolate Whoppers I still felt compelled to make them. Or at least one of them. Although, instead of choosing one recipe over the other, I decided to do a mash-up between the two of them with a little Maida Haetter thrown in for good measure. 

If you haven't noticed, but there has been a bit of a 'pounding of the cookie sheet during baking' phenomenon going on right now. Intentionally deflated cookies, particularly chocolate chip cookies, are now trending. Which might explain in party why this technique is now being applied to other kinds of cookies. Like these Sea Salted Espresso Brownie Crinkle Cookies. Rather than being the 'first one out of the gate' to use the deflated cookie technique, I would be one of many fast followers out there.

So let's talk about these absolutely super delicious, slightly addictive cookies. In addition to dark chocolate (having a cocoa content ranging from 62-70%), these Sea Salted Espresso Brownie Crinkle Cookies also have Dutch-processed cocoa as one of the ingredients. Instant espresso ramps up the intensity of the chocolate flavor in these cookies while also giving them an ever so slight hint of the taste of coffee. In my world it would be sacrilegious to leave out vanilla in any cookie involving chocolate. Even if only a half teaspoon of it is added in. There are two kinds of salt in these cookies: kosher and flaky sea salt. One is mixed into the batter, while the other is sprinkled on top. 

Normally I buy blocks or bars of chocolate, but for this cookie I decided to use chocolate chips. Especially since the chocolate was going to first be melted with the butter and then mixed into the batter. Whether you choose blocks, bars, or chips, use a dark chocolate, one having 62%-70% cocoa. Begin making these cookies by melting the butter and chocolate as the mixture needs to cool slightly before being added to the batter.

While the melted chocolate/butter is cooling, place the the eggs and both sugars in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Beat until the mixture has doubled in volume, has thick consistency, and appears to be a light caramel color (my beating time was 5 minutes). Mix in the chocolate/butter mixture and vanilla until incorporated, followed by mixing in the dry ingredients. Do not over beat the batter or it will begin to dry out while appearing to be wet, ultimately affecting the sheen of your baked cookies. 

Using an ice cream scoop helps to create uniformed sized, almost perfectly round cookies. I used one slightly larger than one inch in diameter. The sprinkling sea salt on most chocolate cookies definitely gives them a certain wow factor. And this cookie is no exception. Don't overcrowd the baking sheet as these cookies will spread to a little more than three inches in diameter. Would recommend baking only 8 to 10 cookies at a time.

Until most cookies that require no babysitting or fussing with until they are done, these Sea Salted Espresso Brownie Crinkle Cookies are a bit on the high maintenance side. If anything gives high maintenance a good name, these cookies do. Overall baking time is 11-12 minutes, however, at the 5, 7, and 9 minute marks, the baking pan is removed from the oven, tapped on the counter to help with the deflating process. Trust me when I say this one of those times when being a fussyterian pays off. 

The baked cookies rest on the baking sheet for five minutes before being transferred to a cooling rack.

I would tell you to wait until the cookies are cooled to try one, but having tasted one still warm I can't. If there was one reward you should give yourself for making these Sea Salted Espresso Brownie Crinkle Cookies for your family and/or friends, it would be to eat one of them while they are still warm. It will be one of your OMG moments of the day. 

These are definitely a cross between a brownie and a cookie. In other words, they are the best of two worlds. A tad rich, intensely chocolately and slightly fudgy, these are kinds of cookies you would really like to hoard for yourself. But you will experience a different kind of euphoria when you share them with your family and/or friends. These Sea Salted Espresso Brownie Crinkle Cookies are definitely ones I will be making again (and again and again). Yes, they are keepers. Not just because they are insanely delicious, but because they will always remind me of two things: (1) how much I value the people in my life who get me and still love me and (2) how much I get from baking. Especially when life tests my endurance, resilience, and strength all at once.

If it ever gets warm here, these Sea Salted Espresso Brownie Crinkle Cookies would make great Sea Salted Espresso Brownie Crinkle Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches. Vanilla or Mocha Chip Ice Cream would be my first choices. Although I wouldn't rule out Coconut, Chocolate Chip Mint, or Espresso ice cream as options. 

Recipe
Sea Salted Espresso Brownie Crinkle Cookies (inspired by multiple sources)
Makes approximately 22-24 cookies

Ingredients
7 ounces (200g) dark chocolate (at least 62% but no more than 70% cocoa) chips or a bar chopped
9 Tablespoons (125g)  unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
3/4 cup (150g) granulated or caster sugar
1/2 cup (100g) light brown sugar, firmly packed
1 cup (130g) all-purpose flour
3 Tablespoons Dutch-processed cocoa
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 to 2 teaspoons instant espresso
Flaky sea salt for sprinkling

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F) or 180 degrees C. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
2. Place the butter and dark chocolate in a bowl. Set bowl over a pot of gently simmering water, being careful not to let the bottom of the bowl touch the water. Allow the butter and chocolate to fully melt. Remove the bowl from the heat and allow to cool slightly.
3. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking powder, salt and instant espresso in a bowl. Whisk to combine. Set aside.
4. In a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the eggs and both sugars for 5 minutes.
5. Pour in chocolate mixture and vanilla, beat for approximately 1 minute or until incorporated.
6. Add the dry ingredients and mix only until just combined.
7. Using a 1" in diameter ice cream scoop, scoop out cookie dough and place on prepared cookie sheet. Allow at least 2 inches of space between each ball of dough (should be able to fit 8 to 10 cookies per sheet). Sprinkle the tops of each cookie with some flaky sea salt.
8. Bake cookies one cookie sheet at a time. The total baking time for the cookies will range from 11 to 12 minutes. After 5 minutes, remove the cookie sheet from the oven and tap the tray against a counter to slightly deflate the cookies. Return to the oven and bake for another 2 minutes, remove cookie sheet again, tapping against a counter to further deflate. Again return the cookie sheet to the oven for another 2 minutes. Remove and tap against a counter to deflate. Return back to the oven and continue to bake for additional 2-3 minutes. Cookies will be just firm around the edges and set in the middle. Remove from the oven and allow the cookies to rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to a cooling rack.
9. Serve cookies warm or allow to come to room temperature.
10. Store cookies in a sealed container. Cookies are best eaten before 3 days has lapsed. But more than likely they will not last that long.

Notes: (1) I used Guittard Extra Dark Chocolate Chips, 63% cocoa, for these cookies. (2) I used only 1 teaspoon of the instant espresso and the coffee flavor was only mildly detectable. Would increase to 2 teaspoons the next time I make them. (3) If using chocolate chips, the weight/grams convert to a little more than 1 1/8 cups. (4) The inspiration for my version of these brownie cookies came from recipes shared by food bloggers Butter and Brioche and The Boy Who Bakes. 

Triple Lemon Layer Cake

When we bought our house a little more than eleven years ago we did a significant amount of work to it. My long galley kitchen had gorgeous cabinetry but everything else was a bit out-dated. Beyond removing the wallpaper, repainting and doing some electrical work, we replaced the almond appliances with stainless ones, switched out the electric stove top and oven for a gas Wolf range, and had granite installed to replace the corian. At the time we were looking at granite samples, I thought marble might be a better choice. Not just aesthetically, but for its' timelessness quality. However, the granite contractor, who also happened to be a marble installer, talked me out of it. As much as I love the color and design of the granite we ultimately selected, it's a surface someone someday might consider out-dated. To this day I still don't know why I listened to the granite guy. In retrospect, the only plausible reasons were there were too many other renovation decisions to be made, I was getting tired of sleeping on an air mattress while being surrounded by a constant state of renovation dust, and my professional life at the time was beyond time consuming. In other words, the granite/marble contractor caught me at a weak moment. I haven't even dared to think about replacing the eleven year old granite counter tops as there are still some other house projects needing to be done. Maybe if I win the lottery, I might be able to convince a certain someone this would be a good idea. 

If I didn't have this food blog, I wouldn't constantly wonder what a cake, cookies, or ingredients would look like photographed on marble surface. Convinced by a certain someone a decent sized piece of marble or porcelain would not only cost hundreds of dollars and be almost too heavy for me to pick up, I gave up trying to find one a couple of years ago. But late last week I decided to see if those assumptions still held true or if I was intentionally being misguided. I went online and found there was a marble/granite supply company less than five miles from where I live. It didn't matter this was a supplier who sold primarily to the trade. I was on a mission. Besides, what could be the worst thing to happen if I went there? They could tell me 'sorry, we can't help you'. Well, in the grand scheme of worse case scenarios, this wasn't enough to deter me. So off I went. And guess what? The worst thing didn't happen. After being shown some smaller leftover pieces of marble (too heavy to lift) and porcelain (lifted with relative ease), they cut a piece of porcelain to the size I wanted and even carried it out to my car! Turns out it was one of those the stars were aligned kind of days on so many levels.

So I now I have another surface on which to photograph food. Yippee! Learning curve, here I come! And hey, lucky you! You get to go on this journey of seeing how long it takes for me to capture the photos I have been seeing in my head for years! Let's hope some of the visual changes coming to the blog in the weeks and months ahead make us both happy and hungry!

As much as I love the flavor of lemon in desserts, I had never made a lemon cake before. Crazy, right? So while I am going to tell you this is the best lemon cake I have ever made, in full disclosure I have to tell you it's the ONLY one I ever made. However, if comparing the texture and crumb of this cake with the many other kinds of cakes I have made before, this one may rank up there as being one of the best cakes I have ever made. Being a Virgo with strong perfectionist tendencies I am more likely to render a bit of (self) criticism than to render effusive praise. Which means I don't throw the word 'best' around very often. 

There are three components to this Triple Lemon Layer Cake. The cake, the lemon curd, and the lemon buttercream icing. All of them are relatively easy to make. As with any new recipe, there are always lessons to be learned along the way. The biggest lesson was 'make the lemon curd hours, if not the night before making the cake' as it needs times to chill and further thicken. But if you too have someone in your house that could sit and eat an entire jar of lemon curd in one sitting, hide it the refrigerator, put a skull and crossbones on the jar, or come up with a threat they might take seriously. 

Instead of all-purpose flour, this cake is made with cake flour. And the lemon flavoring in the cake comes from lemon zest, not lemon juice. A total of 1 3/4 cups (350g) of granulated sugar is used in the cake. However, 1/4 of the sugar is combined with the lemon zest to create a lemon sugar. Ultimately all of the sugar is mixed into the cake batter, but it's done in two different additions.

After creaming the unsalted butter, the lemon sugar is beaten in until lightly fluffy. Then the remaining 1 1/2 cups (300g) are added. Again this mixture is beaten until it's light and fluffy. As with most cakes, dry and wet ingredients are alternately added in. This Triple Lemon Layer Cake is no exception. Beginning with the milk, the wet and dry ingredients (sifted cake flour, baking powder, and salt) are added in three additions. At this point you will have a thick, lush, creamy batter.

Whipped egg whites, carefully folded into the cake batter in four additions, help to give this cake an incredible lightness and texture. Instead of dividing the cake batter between two 8" cake pans (and cutting each layer in half), I divided the cake batter evenly between three 8" cake pans. Eliminating the need to attempt to evenly cut any of the layers in half.

In a preheated 350 degree (F) oven, the cake will bake in 25-28 minutes. After the baked cakes cool in their pans for 10 minutes, remove from the pans and carefully place on a cooling rack. It's important to let the cake layers cool completely or risk having your icing and/or lemon curd melt and/or weep. 

The amount of lemon curd the recipe below makes more than you need for the cake and the buttercream icing. So there is plenty to give to the lemon curd lover you guilted into refraining from indulging themselves in the lemony pot of gold calling their name.  

Instead of spreading the lemon curd directly on each cake layer, spread a thin layer of the lemon buttercream icing. It will make all the difference in the world to your finished cake. 

Almost all of the lemon buttercream icing recipes I had looked at called for using freshly squeezed lemon juice, lemon zest or a combination of both to give the icing its' lemon flavor. However, this icing gets it's mild lemony flavor from the lemon curd. Each part of the Triple Lemon Layer Cake has its' own deliciousness factor. But the Lemon Buttercream Frosting is in a flavor league of its' own. 

In addition to letting the lemon curd have a longer cooling time, I would have made a bit more icing. The recipe below will give you enough icing for thin layers on each of the layers, a thin naked look on the side of the cake and for all of the pastry bag created swirls on top. Next time I make this cake, I will definitely make more of the lemon buttercream icing.

The Triple Lemon Layer Cake is and was beautiful before the addition of the fresh blackberries and lemon curd droplets. As with most cakes, there are a multitude of finishing options. Including but not limited to, fresh berries (raspberries, blackberries, blueberries), edible flowers, candied lemon slices, etc. So whether you choose an unadorned or adorned look for this cake, you can't go wrong.

As a chocolate lover, I don't think I understood why so many were lemon cake fans. Then I tasted this Triple Lemon Layer Cake. Almost instantly I felt as if I joined the club I didn't even know I should have belonged to, let alone existed. Every element of this cake is swoonworthy. If like me, you haven't ever made or undervalued a lemon cake, make this one. For the lemon cake lovers in your family or circle of friends, make them this cake for their birthday. Or make it for them for no reason. But just make it. Because it really will be the BEST lemon cake you will ever taste!

Recipe
Triple Lemon Layer Cake (Cake only recipe is a slightly altered version of cake portion of Fine Cooking's Triple Lemon Layer Cake recipe)

Ingredients
Lemon Curd
4 large eggs, room temperature
1 1/2 cups (300g) granulated sugar
2/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (from approximately 4 medium sized lemons)
Zest from four lemons
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter), room temperature soft
pinch of sea salt

Cake
2 1/3 cups (303g) cake flour
2 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 3/4 cups (350g) granulated sugar, divided
2 Tablespoons finely grated lemon zest
12 Tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup whole milk
5 large egg whites
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

Lemon Buttercream Icing
1 1/2 cups (12 ounces) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 pound confectionary sugar, sifted
4 Tablespoons lemon curd
4 Tablespoons heavy whipping cream

Directions
Lemon Curd
1. In a heavy bottom medium sized saucepan, beat eggs and sugar together.
2. Add lemon juice, lemon zest, butter, and sea salt. Stir until all ingredients are combined.
3. On medium-high heat, bring mixture to a boil (stir constantly).
4. Remove from heat, transfer to a heat proof bowl or jars. Place a piece of plastic wrap on top to prevent a crust from forming. Allow to cool before chilling in the refrigerator. (Note: Mixture will need to be well chilled before proceeding. Can make lemon curd early in the morning or the day before. Recommend giving the lemon curd at least four hours of chilling time before using.)

Cake
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F). Prepare three 8" cake pans with butter and parchment paper. Set aside.
2. Sift the cake flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium sized bowl. Set aside.
3. Put 1/4 cup of the granulated sugar and the lemon zest in a small food processor. Pulse until well combined to create lemon sugar.
4. In a large bowl, beat the butter and lemon sugar with a hand held mixer until light and fluffy (approximately 2 minutes).
5. Add in the remaining 1 1/2 cups of sugar and beat until smooth (approximately 2 minutes).
6. In a separate bowl or in a standing mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat egg whites on medium speed just until foamy. Add the cream of tartar, increase the speed to high, and beat until the white form stiff but not dry peaks. 
7. Add a quarter of the whipped egg whites into the batter. Gently fold in with a spatula. Continue to fold in whites, one quarter at a time until incorporated. Be careful not to over fold or completely deflate the egg whites.
8. Divide the batter evenly between the three prepared pans. Smooth tops with an offset spatula. Bake for 25-28 minutes or until a toothpick in the center comes out clean. Let cakes cool in pans for 10 minutes.
9. Run a knife along the inside edge of the cake pan, and carefully invert cakes onto a cooling rack. Allow to cool completely before assembling.

Lemon Buttercream Icing
1. In a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat butter until light and fluffy (approximately 3-4 minutes).
2. Add in half of the sifted confectionary sugar. Beat until partially incorporated. Add in remaining confectionary sugar and beat until fully incorporated.
3. Add in lemon curd and whipping cream. Beat until light and fluffy. Approximately 4-5 minutes. Note: If icing is too thick, add in additional whipping cream, one tablespoon at a time.

Cake Assembly
1. Place one of the cake layers (top baked side down) on a cake platter or cake stand. Spread a thin layer of the lemon buttercream icing over the cake. Spread a generous 1/3 cup of the lemon curd over the icing spreading to at least 1/2" from the edge. 
2. Add second cake layer (top baked side down) and repeat icing and lemon curd spreading.
3. Add final cake layer (top baked side down). Spread a thin layer of icing over the top and along the sides of the cake (for a naked cake finished look).
4. Put remaining lemon buttercream icing into a pastry tube, fitted with the tip of your choice and pipe on top of the cake.
5. Serve and enjoy. But if not serving immediately, store the cake lightly covered in the refrigerator. Remove at least 1 hour before serving.

Notes: (1) Can finish the iced cake with fresh berries (e.g., blackberries, raspberries, or blueberries), edible flowers, or candied lemon slices or not. The choice is yours! (2) If you would like the sides of your cake finished with a thicker layer of the lemon buttercream icing, increase the amount of icing made. Would recommend increasing the recipe by a quarter to a third to achieve that finish. (3) The recipe for the lemon curd makes more than you will need for the cake and the icing. Store in sealed jar in the refrigerator. It will last for a couple of weeks. It is great served on cheese platter, spread on ginger cookies or graham crackers, on a Dutch Baby, or simply eaten with a spoon.

Whidbey Island, Washington (June 2017)