Bolo di kashupete (Aruban Christmas cake)

How did you enjoy Christmas day? I hope it was spent in the loving company of family and friends. As much as I enjoy the actual day of Christmas it's always such a blur of activity so that I look forward to the days after when I can laze about and relax with a fridge full of left overs so I don't have to cook. 

Here is a traditional Christmas cake from the Dutch Caribbean island of Aruba. I have been insanely curious about this recipe ever since I encountered it about two years ago. Essentially it's a pound cake soaked in rum with a fudge topping. The unusual frosting is what initially caught my interest. I stayed true to the recipe but decorated it a bit differently. 

I don't have that much of a sweet tooth so there was no way I could cover the entire cake with fudge. I think not doing that was a mistake because the cake was a bit dry and there wasn't much of a rum flavour. I am supposing that covering the entire cake in the frosting 'seals' it which would keep it nice and moist. In any event it was no hardship for me to correct my flaw by simply pouring a 'capful' of spiced rum over each slice before serving - problem solved.  

Traditionally, Aruban cashew cake is decorated with cashews and maraschino cherries. It is also sliced in half and covered and filled with the frosting. I did not have cherries so I substituted with dried cranberries which looked pretty. Also I ran out of cashews, so I used walnuts. The texture of the frosting is somewhat grainy (it's a fudge after all) and I found it a bit sweet for my tastes but no one else complained. Overall a very festive looking cake with lots of holiday flavour.

Bolo di Kashupete (Cashew Cake)

Cake

Ingredients

2 cups butter (unsalted)

2 cups sugar

4 cups flour

6 eggs

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp almond extract

1/2 tsp salt

Cashew Frosting

3 cups finely ground cashews (unsalted)

2 cups sugar

1 cup water

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

Topping

1/4 to 1/2 cup Rum *(I used a spiced rum but you could use Brandy)

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Method (Cake)

Prep: Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease a 10 inch springform cake pan with a hole in the centre. Dust pan with flour after greasing.

Make sure all of your ingredients are at room temperature  

Next sift together the dry ingredients ( flour, baking powder and salt). 

Beat: Using a stand mixture and a paddle attachment. Beat the softened butter at medium speed until it is light in colour. Add the sugar and continue to beat for about 4 mins longer. Scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula and with the mixer on low speed add the eggs one at a time. Beat for about a minute before adding the next one. Mix in the vanilla and almond extracts.

Add dry to wet: Add about a third of the sifted dry ingredients and gently fold into the egg mixture on low speed. Add another third of the dry ingredients and fold in gently. Do this once more and mix on low until dry ingredients are gradually incorporated into the egg mixture.

Bake: Pour into the prepared cake pan and bake at 350 F for 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted in cake comes out clean. Allow cake to cool in tin for about 10 mins before removing it from the pan. Stick holes in the cake with a skewer and pour 1/4 cup or more of rum over the cake. Cool completely before frosting.

Method (Frosting)

In a medium saucepan add 1 cup water with 2 cups sugar. Cook until the mixture gets to the soft ball stage (240 F) Once it reaches 240 F add the condensed milk, vanilla extract and the ground cashew. Remove from the heat and keep stirring until it becomes a manageable thick cream. (Cashew cream dries fast so make this the day you intend to decorate the cake. It cannot be made before hand as it will harden. Keep a bowl of water nearby to dip your spatula while spreading the cream)

Tamarind Ginger Spice Cake

Amazing cake but we'll get to that in a minute.

First a mini rant at the spouse who absolutely is NOT deserving of ANY cake at this point.

Some time last week, my husband was away from work and I had to use his car to drop our children to school.

Note to self:  Self, never borrow your  man's car without first checking for gas.

Children safely transported,  I was on my way to work, tunes happily cranked up way loud, and vibesing along with my boy Bunji. There I was singing along to this and thinking how glorious it was to be travelling in the opposite direction of morning rush hour traffic when I noticed that the gas indicator light was on. No worries because there are like five service stations between me and my place of employment. No need to flip out, right?

Wrong.

Just my bad luck there was a power outage that morning which meant no working pumps at any of those five gas stations. The car eventually ran out of gas...

again.

Yes this has happened to me with this car before. Therefore I was seriously annoyed at myself for allowing it to happen a second time. While waiting to be 'rescued' by my dad and brother, I texted the hubby.

Me: Bloody hell! You have no gas!
DH: What! No way, is the red light on?

*Because to a guy the red light means you still have a lot of gas left.

Me: Yes the red light was on but now it isn't cause I am shut down at the side of the road.
DH: Nah man, my car never shut down on me before when the red light was on.

Me: Rendered speechless by the absurdity of that response.  I chose not to reply and I am happy to report we are still happily married today.

Okay now back to cake.

There is nothing I love more that using a familiar ingredient in an unexpected way. When I saw this recipe over on Anh's food blog, it immediately jumped to the top of my "Recipes to Try" list.

Tamarind is already a star ingredient in many of my savory dishes and I was intrigued by the idea of it in cake.

 This cake is rich and moist, with a tender crumb. Here is what one of my taste testers at work said about it. "There was a flavour I could not put my finger on .....but it was good with a spicy warmth from the ginger and a hint of pepper" 

You don't actually taste the tamarind but you know it's there by the extra kick of flavour it brings. This was definitely a hit with my father who is not usually effusive about food. He never makes a comment beyond,  'Its good,"  or  "It's not good." to describe any dish. To him something either is or it isn't.

He had a slice of this and said nothing. Later he had another slice, but still no comment.
I was concerned. Two slices might mean it was good but why hadn't he said anything?

The next day I had my answer. Dad came home and placed a bag of crystallized ginger on the kitchen and said two words.

 "Make more."

Alrighty then.

Tamarind Ginger Spice Cake

3 large eggs, room temperature
3 tablespoons milk, room temperature
1 1/2 tsps vanilla extract
3 tablespoons Matouks Tamarind Chutney
3 tablespoons freshly grated ginger
1 1/2 cups (150 grams) sifted cake flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4  teaspoon salt
3/4 cup brown sugar
13 tablespoons butter (185 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature

Lime Glaze

1 cup icing sugar
Juice of 1/2 lime
chopped crystallized ginger

Method

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C). Place rack in the center of the oven. Butter a 9x5x3inch loaf pan. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper and butter the paper.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, ginger, tamarind chutney and vanilla extract.

Place the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, salt and sugar) in the bowl of your mixer and mix on low speed for 30 seconds. Add the butter and half the egg mixture. Mix on low speed until the dry ingredients are moistened. Increase the speed to medium and beat for one minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the rest of the egg mixture gradually, in 2 additions beating about 30 seconds after each add in. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf tin. Bake for 55 - 60 minutes until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

This is essentially a pound cake recipe albeit a slightly different method from a traditional pound cake. It is quite normal for there to be a crack down the center of this cake.

Remove the cake from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

This cake can be covered and stored for several days at room temperature or one week when refrigerated.

Make the lime glaze. Sift the icing sugar into a bowl and gradually add the lime juice. Stir unil you have a consistency that you like. Adjust consistency with extra lime juice or icing sugar as you wish. Cover cake with glaze.

Cook's Notes:
Matouk's is a Trinidadian brand of condiments that is well known throughout the Caribbean. It is available from various online sources but should you have trouble finding it you could easily make your own tamarind chutney.

Birthdays and beyond - A cake for all occaisions

Carrot cake is one of those classic homemade cakes that never seems to go out of style. Here is my adaptation of my father's favourite recipe for carrot cake which I made for his birthday.

Happy Birthday Dad.

Carrot Cake

2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
2 tsp Angostura orange bitters or orange zest
2 cups carrots, grated finely
8 oz crushed pineapple, drained
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
  
Cream Cheese Frosting
8 oz cream cheese
1/2 cup butter
1lb or 31/2 cups icing sugar
2 tsp vanilla essence

Method

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F
Grease tins, line with parchment paper and flour two 9" round cake tins
Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon. Add sugar and oil and beat until fluffy and creamy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well between additions then add the bitters. Add pineapple, carrots and walnuts or pecans.

Divide the batter evenly among the two cake tins use a spatula to even out the batter. Bake  for 35 to 40 minutes or until the tops just spring back when gently pressed with a fingertip and the cakes begin to pull away from the sides of the pan. Remove from the oven and let stand 2-3 minutes in the pans on a cooling rack. Run a small knife around the perimeter of the cake and invert the cakes onto a cooling rack and allow to cool completely.

Brush any stray crumbs from the sides of the cakes wrap in plastic wrap and transfer the cakes to the freezer. until you are ready to frost the cake. Do not thaw the layers before icing. Freezing the cake ensures that loose crumbs will not ruin the look of the iced cake

When you are ready to frost the cake, combine butter , cream cheese, icing sugar and vanilla essence and mix well. Once the cake is completely cool you may frost and layer one on top the other.

Holy Cake and Ice-cream Batman!

©2010 All Rights Reserved

Oh bless! Mr. Tomato Eyes is 5 years old. Wasn’t it only yesterday that I was baking this cake for his 4th birthday? Due to time constraints I reluctantly decided to have someone else make the cake. This was no easy decision since I was and am totally convinced that I am entirely qualified to make this cake myself.

What are my qualifications? To be honest I’ve never worked with fondant before. Does rolling marzipan and playing with of Plasticine help? Go on, doesn’t it look like modeling clay, albeit tasty modeling clay. How about boundless enthusiasm for trying new things in the kitchen?

So anywhoooos, my entire mom universe depended on this cake being a success. Remember this is the child who thinks that I am omnipotent which is a good thing when getting him to bend to my will and pick up his toys and such. Not such a good thing when you try to suggest that your powers might be limited to a simpler cake.

Enter Twinkle Sprinkle. Sounds like a fairy is going to work some magic doesn’t it. Well that’s exactly what happened and the result was the lovely cake pictured above. The sprite responsible for this bit of cake magic is called Sarah. In the end I sure am glad that I left this sugared modeling clay project in her capable hands. Sarah’s marshmallow fondant was a hundred million times more delicious than the commercial stuff which I planned on using. Bleh! Here is a link to Sarah’s blog. Go give her some props and tell her how lovely you think her cake turned out. You can also leave a comment for her on her facebook page

©2010 All Rights Reserved

Cornmeal Rosemary Cake with Pine Nuts and Orange Glaze

This is me, trying my hardest to be a lovacore and not  succeeding! Eating  locally makes sense. It's a way to build a more self reliant  economy. It is also better for the environment since imported food uses  more fossil fuels to transport it to supermarkets than locally grown  produce.  For an entertaining yet thought provoking account of one family's attempt to adopt a lovacore or local foods only lifestyle, I highly recommend that you read the book Animal, Vegetable, Mineral by Barbara Kingsolver with Steven L. Hopp and  Camille Kingsolver. This book documents the Kingsolver-Hopp family's attempt to ONLY eat seasonal food that they   grew themselves or that was produced in their neighbourhood.

After reading this book last year, I immediately became a  convert to the church of Barbara. I fully embraced the idea of a kitchen garden. I wanted to make my own cheese, can my own vegetables and make jam.  I started by planting a herb  garden. I even bought a few vegetable seedlings and manure from the agricultural depot.  Yes. I was going to do my part  to prevent global warming and rising  food prices.

I started thinking.  Maybe I could also raise  chickens, start an apiary, rear cows  - no wait, I'm afraid of cows. How about goats?  They give milk from which I could make my own cheese. I shared these thoughts of a greener world with my other 'saner'  half who patiently reassured me that while it was indeed a noble dream, my utopia fantasy was somewhat flawed. First off we live in an apartment complex - not a farm. Also, I  already have a job which makes the business of rearing a family challenging enough without wanting to add goats to the mix.....Hmm, all valid points. Bummer, don't you just hate when  the voice of reason rains on your parade.

Still every little bit counts. I pressed ahead  with  my herb garden now dead dormant  because of the  current drought conditions.  I vowed no more purchasing of strawberries or  cherries. Easy enough, since they are too expensive to be anything more  than a rare extravagance in the same way that one treats oneself to an expensive box  of chocolates. But how do I wean myself off apples and grapes? We must have  survived before without them since I remember in times past that they were a special treat purchased only at Christmas time.

My righteous,  sustainable, local-food supporting zeal was further tested when it came to making what has become a favourite cake of this family.  Pine  nuts are definitely not local. They aren't even sold here.  I acquired this ingredient in the usual manner via Facebook and my sister. I posted to her wall. the urgent message. SEND NUTS.   She was kind enough to mail them to me.  I justified my  weakness for this foreign import by rationalizing that the plane which brought the letter sized package of pine nuts was on it's way here with the mail anyway. Even  Ms.  Kingsolver is forced to admit  that there were some imported items, like coffee and  spices, which  she couldn't live without.

While I  may not be able to live as austere a lovacore lifestyle as did Barbara  Kingsolver, her book has given me much to think about as I try to be a more responsible citizen of this world.  She has made me take a good hard look at my shopping habits with a view to  making  improvements. So tell me, do you support the local food movement and is there any imported food that you  just can't live without?
 

Cornmeal Rosemary Cake with Pine Nuts and Orange Glaze
*  adapted from the Best of Fine Cooking (Fall) 2007

yeild: one 9 -  inch cake

The Cake
1 1/2 cups all - purpose flour
3/4  cup cornmeal
1/3 cup toasted, coarsely chopped pine nuts
1  Tbs fresh rosemary, finely chopped
1 TBS finely grated orange zest
1  tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2/3 cup cream cheese, at  room temperature
4 large eggs
1 1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2  cup (1/4 lb) unsalted butter, melted

The syrup
1/2  cup fresh orange juice
2-3 tbs sugar

the Glaze
1  sprig fresh rosemary
1 1/2 cup sifted confectioner's sugar
2  tbs fresh orange juice
1 tsp, finely grated orange zest


Make  the cake: Butter a 9 X 2 inch round cake pan. Line the bottom with a  round of parchment paper. Butter the parchment paper. Position rack in the center of the oven. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In  a medium bowl, mix the flour with the cornmeal, pine nuts, rosemary,  orange zest, baking powder and the salt.

In a large bowl, use a hand mixer and whisk the cream cheese to soften it. Add the eggs one at a time, beating at medium speed to combine. Add the sugar  and mix until smooth. Using a rubber spatula, fold half of the dry  ingredients into the wet ingredients. Then fold the rest of the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Mix until smooth. Still using the rubber spatula stir in the melted butter until blended.

Scrape batter into prepared tin. Bake for 40 - 45 mins until the cake is a nice golden brown or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out  looking a bit moist and the sides have begun to pull away from the pan.

Make the Orange Syrup
While the cake is baking mix the orange juice  and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat and cook until the sugar  dissolves. Use 1, 2 or 3 tablespoons of sugar depending on the sweetness  of your oranges and to your taste. Remove from heat.

Cool  cake in pan for 5 minutes before turning it out onto a plate. Remove  the parchment paper and invert cake again onto a cardboard round or  another cake plate. Poke ho;es all over the top of the cake with a  wooden skewer or toothpick. While the cake is still warm brush it with  the warm orange syrup. Give the syrup time to soak into the cake. Use up  all the syrup. Let the cake cool completely.

Make the Glaze.
Boil a small saucepan of water. Get a small  bowl of ice water ready. Put rosemary in boiling water for one minute to  blanch them. Remove with a slotted spoon and set them in the ice water.  Drain and spread them on a paper towel to dry.

In a  bowl whisk the confectioner's sugar  and orange juice until smooth and  then mix in the blanched rosemary and the orange zest.

When  the cake is cool transfer to a wire rack set over some wax paper. Pour  glaze over the cake. or glaze over the cake then transfer to a cake  plate. Sprinkle with orange peel and rosemary. Remove rosemary garnish before eating as the woody texture can be a bit sharp.

The texture of this cake is slightly grainy due to the cornmeal. I like the texture but make sure and use a finely ground cornmeal if you think that might bother you. This is a perfect tea-time cake. I love it with a cup of coffee. It's a perfect balance of sweet and tart with subtle,  almost minty notes from the pine nuts.

NB.  Most American cake recipes call for a lot more sugar than suits my tastes. I usually only use about  3/4 cup sugar where an American recipe would call for 1 cup. The original recipe asks for 1 1/3 cups sugar. I have left the original measurement because I know that many people prefer a sweeter cake. However,  I prefer to  use  just one  cup of sugar for this.

Black Cake

For most West Indians it's not 'chestnuts roasting on an open fire or Jack Frost nipping at your toes' that evokes feelings of Christmas but black cake soaked in lots of rum. It just wouldn't be Christmas without it. So much so that I have actually had to mail tins of this cake to friends and family abroad who craved a taste of home.



Black cake is also used for weddings. As per tradition I saved a layer of my wedding cake which we consumed in celebration of the birth of our first child - six years later! I confess to being more than a bit skeptical as I contemplated that well-aged slice of cake. Curiosity won out. I ate it and crossed my fingers that there wouldn't be any ill effects. My fears were unfounded. No one was poisoned and the cake tasted about the same as it did on the day of my wedding. Delicious.

This year's black cake was baked by November, wrapped, soaked in rum and put to cure for Christmas. Because of the hectic season, I am only now finding time to post this amazing, fragrant and boozy treat that we will be enjoying well into January.The New York Times has a good recipe for Black Cake.



My own cake is not the traditional black colour. Click here to see the colour that it should be. Some years I get it right, some years not. This year I chickened out and removed the sugar from the fire too soon. You'd be surprised how quickly the sugar goes from dark brown to a bitter charred mess. It takes experience and careful watching to get it right. If you have read about my struggles with custard then you will know that I am an an impatient cook. The lighter coloured cake is no less delicious than a dark one.

The NY Times recipe suggests that you brush the cake with rum. I don't know anyone who does that. Here is how we soak our cakes. Make small holes all over the cake with a skewer. Throw away the brush and drench the cakes in rum. Nothing less than a full bottle will do.

On Christmas Eve the caterers at my husband's firm served black cake. A co-worker decided that since it was the last day of work before a holiday there was little chance that the drug and alcohol tester would show up. Turns out he was wrong!

Here are some sites that talk about this cake

A fruitcake soaked in the tropical sun

Black cake - a dry run


Black Cake

Farewell My Love

My dad brought me a last bag of mangoes. I was so excited that I did not notice until the following day, he was limping. It turns out that he had climbed the mango tree to get the very last mangoes in the topmost branches. He quickly sought to reassure me that he hadn't fallen out of the tree but had only slipped. This was said with the cheeky grin of an impish boy. There was a twinkle in his eyes. Uhhmmm dad you are 72 years old! You are too old to be climbing trees! I scolded, I preached, I ranted at his folly. In my heart though I understood, for who among us can resist the lure of a mango's intoxicating perfume? Those cherub, yellow cheeks with just a blush of rose are so like babies' cheeks, just ripe for biting.

It's the end of the mango season. My heart is heavy as I prepare to say goodbye to my favourite fruit. I was cutting up and freezing some mangoes when it occurred to me that over the past several months I haven't done anything other than eat them as they are, or purée them for the baby. I know, I know, how terribly boring. But I am of the view that there is no better way to enjoy a mango than the way nature intended.

In the past I have tried various mango tarts and puddings. I can honestly say that I do not like the flavour or texture of a cooked ripe mango. The natural sugars concentrate into a cloying sweet mush - bleh! What I needed was something to offset the overbearing sweetness of the cooked mango. I decided on a rich chocolate. The cake is moist and brownie like. The cake looks so thin because I took some of the batter to make three individual sized cakes for snacking - this kept the DH at bay while I took the photos. In my opinion the only thing missing was to serve this with clotted cream to truly put this over the top. However the cake was done before I could run to the store and buy some.


Mango Chocolate Gâteau

Mango Topping
3 ripe but firm mangoes (sliced as you prefer)
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar ( I will use less next time)

Slice mango and sprinkle with lemon juice. Melt butter in a small saucepan. Add sugar. Spread the butter sugar mixture on the bottom of a non-stick round 9" cake pan. Arrange mango slices and pour cake batter on top.

Cake Ingredients

1 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (use a good quality brand)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup shortening (melted)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg


Instructions

In a bowl combine flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add milk, cooled melted shortening and vanilla. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed till combined. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Add egg and beat 2 minutes more. Pour over the mango slices into non stick 9" round cake pan.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and cool thoroughly on a rack.

The End.

There are no more mangoes.

Say hello to my new BFF, pomme de cythère, just coming into season.

What can I say? My love is fickle smile:-)