Black Sesame Pear Cake

Maybe you are looking at that there picture above and thinking "well, Liz, today are you going to show us how to make cement?", you know, all snarky like. Normally, my answer would be something along the lines of "No, silly! Because cement, you see, does not taste good". However, much to little ole' frowny face me, this cake did not taste good. Really, the only thing that distinguished this loaf cake from a brick sized chunk of cement was the fact that it was not hard, but actually quite moist. So maybe it's more like wet cement.

Ok, I agree, that was a truly terrible analogy. It's just that this little loaf cake here, it really disappointed me. I haven't even had time to read through the entirety of my March Bon Appetit (ok, ok, maybe it's because I can't put this book down. What? Sometimes I am a lemming. And it's good, I will so admit it, it's good).  But even so with the lack of time or whatever you want to call it, I decided this recipe was going to happen.  Which meant trips to 2 different grocery stores looking for black sesame seeds, a few minutes where I almost bought toasted white sesame seeds instead (in my defense, they were black) and an $8 dollar bag of almond meal.  So, it had to be good, right?

And then it wasn't.  It was woodsy.  With basically zero sweetness.  The almond meal, well, I lost it.  And all the pears sank to the bottom, all sad-like.  I almost felt bad that that was how they had to meet their fate.  It was the black sesame seed show all the way.  The cake was as deep brown as a rich chocolate cake.  Had you not known, it would have looked like a delicious chocolate cake.  I was going to bring in leftovers to work, but didn't want to be the person who inflicted non-chocolate things on people expecting a big mouthful of chocolate cake loveliness.  So I didn't.  Because that's just mean.  Instead, the majority of this cake ended up in the trash.  And that makes me sad.

I did learn a few things.  Black sesame seeds should be used sparingly.  Which also means that grinding up half a cup of them and mixing them into a cake is not a good idea.  And I learned... hmm, would you look at that.  Maybe that was the only lesson that I learned here.  But it's still a good one, right?

In defense of BA, this recipe and black sesame seeds everywhere, this recipe got good reviews, by food editors and other random internet personalities alike.  It just didn't by me.  So venture on below, but only at your own risk.  Me?  I'm going back to an oldy, but a goody...

Black Sesame Pear Cake
From March 2012's Bon Appetit

The magazine calls for 1/2 cup of black sesame seeds.  Really for me, it would have to be cut back to at most 1/4 cup.  But at the same time, I don't really see me making it again... so do what you feel.  And let me know your thoughts!  Maybe I'm awfully wrong here (it happens, just not often!)

1/2 c. (1 stick) butter
1 1/2 c. + 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 c. almond meal/flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
2 Tbsp. + 1/4 c. black sesame seeds
1 1/3 c. + 2 Tbsp. sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
3/4 c. buttermilk
2 medium "firm but ripe" Bosc pears

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Line a metal loaf pan with two criss-crossing strips of parchment paper.  Peel, core and dice pears into 1/4 inch pieces, toss with 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour.

In large bowl, whisk together flours, baking powder and soda, salt and 2 tablespoons black sesame seeds.

In spice grinder (or coffee grinder), grind remaining 1/4 cup of sesame seeds into a thick paste.

In large bowl of electric mixture, cream butter and sugar until fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.  Add sesame seed paste and continue to beat.  Add egg and egg yolk, beat until well combined and batter is pale and fluffy.  With mixer on low speed, mix in 1/3 of flour mixture.  Before it has all beat in, mix in 1/2 of buttermilk.  Repeat with 1/3 of flour mixture, then remaining buttermilk.  Ending with dry ingredients, mix until just combined.  Fold in pears coated with flour.

Pour batter into prepared loaf pan.  Sprinkle evenly with remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar.  Bake in 325 degree oven for 1 hour - 1 hour 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Let cool in pan on wire rack.

Spiced Pumpkin Loaf

Baking in Ben's apartment is both fun and frustrating.  Fun because I have someone in the kitchen with me, to talk and stir and crack the eggs.  Frustrating because things that I take for granted in my kitchen, like brown sugar, baking soda and vanilla extract, are never in his kitchen.  And I always forget that.  So making something spur of the moment never happens without a trip to our local Jewel Osco.

The other issue with baking and cooking at Ben's is the need to become a kitchen MacGyver.  I suppose this goes along with the taking things for granted bit.  For instance, to open my can of pumpkin puree, Ben tore at it with a church key until he was able to fatigue the lid enough that I could get a spatula instide.

(Look, Ma!  No cuts!)

I suppose this next one is my fault, I did bring whole nutmeg and no microplanar.  Time to bring the Parmesan grater into the game.

And I was going to MacGyver some vanilla extract by using french vanilla coffee creamer, but then I discovered it was actually hazelnut flavored and I admit it, I balked. 

Yet, despite all of this and despite the fact that after making a trip to the grocery store for vanilla and baking soda, and then forgetting to buy vanilla, followed by also forgetting to add the baking soda we had just bought to the batter, we still managed to make 2 decent pumpkin loafs.  Maybe a little dense, but we did forget baking soda, so the fact that they rose at all is pretty exciting in and of itself.  Ben's mom sent us the recipe and I'm not sure where she got it from.  We're not even sure if she had tried it or not yet.  Ben's grandpa and aunts were our guinea pigs, and they may have just been acting polite, but I got pretty good reviews (and the pumpkin bread did too, haha).  It's a good way to welcome fall, which if you haven't noticed has been knocking on your door for at least a week now.

Happy November!!

Spiced Pumpkin Loaf

1 cup butter, softened

3 cups sugar

3 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder     

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoons ground cloves

1 1/2 teaspoons ground nutmeg

1 teaspoon allspice

1 (16 ounce) can solid pack pumpkin

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs; mix well. Combine dry ingredients; stir into creamed mixture just until moistened. Stir in pumpkin. Pour into two greased 9-in. x 5-in. x 3-in. loaf pans. Sprinkle top with cinnamon sugar.  Bake at 350 degrees F for 1 hour or until bread tests done. I didn 't have 2 loaf pans so I poured the batter into a Bundt pan. I had to bake it at 350 for an hour and twenty minutes.

Ben's Mom's Note (Which I did not follow because, alas, Ben does not have wax paper or parchment paper....surprise, surprise):  I lined the greased pan with wax paper. Line the bottom and sides of loaf pan with wax paper. You want to leave about 4 inches of overhang on the 2 opposite sides. These serve as your handles to remove the bread from the pan in 1 piece, so make sure that there is enough of the overhang for you to have a solid grip.

Zucchini Bread

 

It still bewilders me when someone says that they don't like zucchini bread.  I have discovered something though, if you keep asking and asking them about it, eventually they will admit to the fact that they have never actually tried zucchini bread.  Now, I'm all for hating on foods (hello clam chowder!), but come on people, at least try it first.  It's only fair.  So, if you are in fact one of these people who think they hate zucchini bread, beware, because I will find you and force feed you a piece my beautiful zucchini bread.  Just ask Ben.  Yep, he was one of these people.

I knew the moment I saw those beautifully, huge, firm green zucchinis last Saturday that zucchini bread was in my near future.  And I couldn't be happier.  Mom used to make this on a week night for the next morning's breakfast.  It rarely lasted the whole day, and she always did a double batch, making two loafs.  For making zucchini bread, the general role of thumb was that for each loaf you shredded a medium sized zucchini.  However, my zucchinis are some of the biggest I've ever seen.  That mammoth boy to the right there sufficed for two loafs all on his own.   He got shredded to the nub and combined with your basic quick bread ingredients.  Plus heaping teaspoons of cinnamon and freshly grated nutmeg and lemon zest.

This is the recipe my mom always used and I have no idea where she initially got it.  I hardly change a thing, except to add heaping in front of "1 tsp. of cinnamon".  That and I don't actually measure the grated nutmeg or the lemon zest.  But that's half of the fun of using a microplane, just grating and zesting right in to the bowl.  Have I mentioned my love affair with my microplane?  I actually want another one, mostly because I want more, but also because they come in multiple sizes!  Mine now is specifically for Parmesan, zest and coconut.  Obviously, I must have the one specific for nutmeg and cinnamon stick grating!

The recipe is so easy, I have yet to foul it up ever, and I've been helping make zucchini bread going on at least 16 years now.  You whisk up the dry ingredients real fast, then throw them all together with the zucchini, egg, oil and lemon zest.  There was always the option to throw in a half a cup of nuts or chocolate chips if you wanted, but it's so not necessary.  Two hints: one, as with all quick breads, don't over mix the batter, this will cause the loafs to be flat and not rise as much.  And number two, if you double the batch, make sure you check each loaf separately, mine were done 4 minutes apart.  They came out golden brown, with scraggly cracks across the tops, a sure sign from my childhood of deliciousness.  Yum.

So, if you are counting that does mean I am still left with one zucchini in the vegetable crisper.  All day I had been wondering if I could use this recipe and make muffins out of it, but I didn't have the guts to experiment with it tonight.  Any thoughts from any of you out there?  Can you magically turn quick bread into muffins?

And in case you were wondering, Ben is now a convert.  The boy who hated zucchini bread just asked me to save him some, and he won't even be here for another week.

Zucchini Bread

1 1/2 c. flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. (heaping!) cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. suger
1 c. shredded, unpeeled zucchini (about 1 medium)
1 egg
1/4 c. oil
1/4 tsp. lemon zest

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease bottom of loaf pan.

Whisk together the first 7 ingredients (through sugar).  Mix in shredded zucchini, egg, oil and lemon zest.  Mix until just combined and do not over bet batter.  Pour into prepared load pan and bake at 350 for 55-60 minutes.

Coal in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes.  Remove from pan and left cool.  Enjoy!