Cherry Polenta Cake

This recipe is one I made up over lunch, sort of based off of a few other recipes. I won't be making it again quite like this (Scott actually called it my "disgusting cake") but the rest of us eating it thought it at least showed promise, given a few tweaks. I'll post the recipe as I made it here, but with the suggested changes noted to the side.

Cherry layer
2/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1 tablespoon water
1 1/2cups cherries (I used frozen...I think this was 90% of the problem. Using smaller, tarter, *fresh* cherries would likely have fared far better.)

Cake:
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup instant grits
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon fine salt

1/2 cup butter (1 stick), at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs
3/4 cup milk (the cake was a little dense still...next time I'd either mix in a bit more milk to moisten it and/or perhaps 1/4 cup egg white to fluff it up some)
1/2 sour cream
2 tsp vanilla

Preheat to 350 degrees F.
Butter a 9-inch cake pan, line bottom with parchment paper and brush the paper with butter (or spraying with Pam works too)
Cherry layer: Combine the sugar, corn syrup, and water in a medium saucepan. Stir over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Increase the heat to high, and continue to cook, without stirring, until the mixture becomes an amber caramel, about 5 minutes. Pour the caramel into the prepared pan and set aside to cool.
Drop 1 cup of cherries into prepared pan
Set aside while you make the cake batter.

Cake: In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, grits, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a large bowl, whisk together butter, eggs, sugar and vanilla extract until smooth. Stir in flour mixture, mixing just until no streaks of flour remain visible in the batter. Pour batter into prepared pan and spread evenly with a spatula. Sprinkle remaining cherries over the top of the cake. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean and the top of the cake springs back when lightly pressed. Cool cake for at least an hour before removing from pan and serving. Let cool completely before slicing if you do not intend to serve the cake while slightly warm.

Other notes:

1. I think you could also do this with other fruit and have it be better possibly...apples, peaches would do well, as would small grapes and maybe raspberries (with white chocolate perhaps?) too...

2. I also think a drizzle of a light glaze might be good, since it's not an overly sweet cake. Maybe 1 cup powdered sugar + 1 tsp almond extract (or vanilla depending what fruit you're using) + a few tbsp milk, mixed up and drizzled over top.

Caramel Peach Upside Down Cake

This is a recipe that I found from the food network and doctored up a bit per the user's reviews. I think it turned out well -- not overly sweet, and with a nice, rustic texture thanks to the addition of the grits in place of some of the flour. I thought it was especially delicious served warm and topped with a little bit of ice cream or cool whip.

Caramel peaches:

2/3 cup sugar

1 tablespoon light corn syrup

1 tsp allspice, optional

1 tablespoon water

3 large ripe peaches (about 1 pound)

Cake:

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup *instant* grits

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon fine salt

2 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup butter (1 stick), at room temperature

2/3 cup sugar

2 large eggs, at room temperature

1/2 cup sour cream, at room temperature

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.

Butter a 9-inch cake pan, line bottom with parchment paper and brush the paper with butter (or spraying with Pam works too)

Caramel peaches: Combine the sugar, corn syrup, allspice and water in a medium saucepan. Stir over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Increase the heat to high, and continue to cook, without stirring, until the mixture becomes an amber caramel, about 5 minutes. Pour the caramel into the prepared pan and set aside to cool.

Halve and pit the peaches, but leave their skins on. Cut each half into 3 wedges.

Arrange the wedges in concentric circles in the pan.

Set aside while you make the cake batter.

Cake:
Whisk the flour, grits, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.
Slowly mix the butter, vanilla and sugar in a large bowl with a hand-held electric mixer.

Increase the speed to high, and continue beating until the butter is light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs 1 at time.
While mixing at a low speed, add the dry ingredients in 3 additions, alternating with the sour cream in 2 additions, beginning and ending with the flour. Increase the speed to medium and mix briefly to make a smooth batter. Pour the batter over the peaches and smooth over.
Bake the cake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 40 to 45 minutes. Cool the cake in the pan on a rack, about 20 minutes.
Run a knife around the edge of the pan to release the cake. Carefully invert the cake onto a serving plate and remove the parchment paper. Serve warm or at room temperature with ice cream or whipped cream, if desired.

Cinnamon Snacking Cake

This is one of my favorite cakes from when I was a little kid. Every Sunday we would cookout with our big group of family friends at the pool and after dinner it was time for desserts galore! This cake made frequent appearances throughout the summer, and having had a debilitating sweet tooth from a very young age, I remember rolling myself and my puffed-out bathing-suited belly home after each feast.
I love this cake because it is simple, seriously addictive, and I usually have all of the ingredients on-hand. Be sure not to over-beat the mixture, and be careful not to overbake either.

Cinnamon Snacking Cake

4 eggs
2 cups sugar
2 cups flour
1 cup water
1/4 lb. butter
1 tsp. vanilla (vanilla paste looks and tastes really good!)
2 tsp. baking powder

Topping
1 stick butter
1/2 cup sugar
3Tbsp cinnamon

1. Beat eggs, add sugar, and flour. While mixing, melt butter in water. Bring to boil. Add to beaten mixture and mix well. Add vanilla and baking power. Place in greased and floured 13 X 9 pan and bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes.
2. When done, poke holes in top of cake with a large serving fork. Melt stick of butter with cinnamon sugar and pour mixture over hot cake, allowing to seep into holes. If holes show through too much (or just for some added decadence), mix another 1/2 stick of butter with 1/4 cup cinnamon sugar and pour over top again.

Cilantro coconut rice

A super-easy but very good side dish (I made it to go with the Peanut Butter Coconut Chicken (last post):

Cilantro coconut rice:
1 bag microwaveble brown rice (well, ~2 cups any cooked rice works)

3/4 cup sweetened flaked coconut

1 cup chopped onion
1/2 tsp ginger
1 clove minced garlic
1 tsp garlic salt

1 cup packed fresh cilantro sprigs (I didn't have any and had to use 3 frozen cilantro cubes (got them at Trader Joes)...good...but fresh would have been better)

Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Spread coconut in a shallow baking pan and toast in oven, stirring occasionally, until pale golden, 10 to 12 minutes. Cool completely.

3. Sautee onions in skillet, add other ginger, garlic (and cilantro if not fresh)

4. Cook/microwave rice, and stir into onion mixture.

5. Just before serving stir in toasted coconut (and cilantro if using the fresh stuff).

Peanut Butter Coconut Chicken

This was dinner tonight, along with Cilantro-coconut rice (below). I sort of just made it up and was worried about it as I looked uneasily at the clumpy sauce consistency prior to cooking. However, Scott deemed it an addition to the "one of his favorite meals" list, and I have to say I thought it was pretty tasty too! (And naturally, I forgot to take pictures of any of it...we were too hungry and it disappeard too fast!)

Peanut butter coconut chicken

2 large frozen boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp garlic salt
a good pinch of cayenne pepper
1 1/2 teaspoon good spicy curry powder (as hot as you prefer)
a dash of ginger
1/3 cup Better 'n Peanut butter (http://www.betternpeanutbutter.com/products.html) (you can use regular PB too, but if you do I'd add a tbsp of brown sugar to this as well, as the Better 'n PB product is a touch sweeter than the regular stuff)

3/4cup flaked coconut (sweetened)
2-3 Tbsp butter

1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. Stir above together spices, and melt PB in the microwave ~25sec (don't burn it). Stir into spices.
3. Coat chicken with mixture as best as you can (it won't spread evenly but don't worry about it...it'll thin and cook evenly in the oven)
4. Coat chicken in coconut, drizzle 1-2 Tbsp of melted butter over each breast (you don't have to add this but it does make it quite a bit tastier)
5. Bake ~20-35 min (really depends on size of chicken breast, so watch carefully and take out when no pink is left inside)
Enjoy!

Clouds and Cake

Welcome to my blog, which is really just an online recipe box I'm creating for myself because I got tired of dealing with all of the other websites out there that offer to do the same. Enjoy and feel free to look around, but I don't pretend to make this at all fancy...much like most of things you'll find on here...it's just for fun!