Posts Tagged ‘Whipped cream’

Mr.CBB’s Orange Ricotta Pound Cake Topped With Yogurt Amaretto Whipped Cream

Posted: January 27, 2013 in Mr.CBB's Easy Treats
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Mr.CBB's Orange Ricotta Pound Cake

Mr.CBB’s Orange Ricotta Pound Cake

I’m fascinated with baking cakes because my mum was brilliant at making them when we were younger and still is today although I don’t get to enjoy them like I once did. I  especially fancy a pound cake to see what flavours I can incorporate to create something new, fresh and different. In England we call the pound cake a Madeira cake although now that I know the butter pound cake in Canada is pretty much the same, I’m hooked. My wife looked at me gone out when I told her I fancied the Madeira cake so when I made it for her and she tasted it then laughed, “you mean a pound cake” to which I replied “ya, a pound cake,  I guess so”.  I kinda felt like an arse but I guess we give fancier names to cakes, what can I say.

When I make a pound cake I prefer to use either the loaf, tube or bundt pans for best results. My speciality is the cherry pound cake followed by the lemon pound cake both of which are dripping with love. I had this idea back a couple of years ago around the Christmas Holiday to poke holes in my pound cake and soak it with an alcoholic simple syrup. I did that with my cherry pound cake soaking it with an amaretto cherry simple syrup  reduction and it was simply amazing. I thought heck I’m going to try that with lemon so I made a lemon pound cake and soaked it with a lemon rum syrup reduction and I’ll tell you there’s nothing better. The cake is so moist once the simple syrup has absorbed, especially if you let it sit for a couple of hours. Back a couple of months ago I received some tangerines fresh from the tree here in Ontario and decided to make a pound cake and soak it with a tangerine coconut rum simple syrup reduction that burst in your mouth. The possibilities are endless and I’m sure that this is only the beginning of my alcoholic cake soaking experience.

Today I have for you an orange ricotta pound cake topped with yogurt amaretto whipped cream, soaked in an orange simple syrup reduction and served with blueberries and orange slices. We bought a load of oranges on sale at the grocery story this past week and we needed to start using them up. We also found tubs of ricotta on 50% off which is a spectacular price normally costing about $4.79 for 475 grams. I was going to make a ricotta dessert cheesecake but wasn’t in the mood for that but wondered if I could make a ricotta cake to give it a creamy texture. I made some alterations to my cake recipe even though I have made a cream cheese pound cake in the past and hoped for the best. Sometimes with baking you have to be careful with measurements as they are so precise sometimes.

The cake turned out amazing, fluffy, soft, buttery, perfect! Then I had this naughty idea to make whipped cream to lay underneath the cake when I served it but that was too boring for me. I started whipping my cream, added in a touch of sugar, vanilla, amaretto alcohol, and then it hit me, what about yogurt. I had a full tub of plain yogurt in the refrigerator. I slowly added in yogurt and it fluffed up beautifully and tastes simply divine. You get the flavours of the vanilla and amaretto but with a tangy fresh yogurt splash in your mouth. It goes perfect with this easy pound cake recipe and I threw in some fresh blueberries for colour and taste.

What is a Pound Cake? 

Traditionally an old-fashioned pound cake is made of  4 ingredients all measuring a pound such as butter, flour, sugar and eggs. Sound simple and really an easy pound cake recipe considering the difficulty of many other cakes. The issue with using a pound of each ingredients will be yield as it will make far more than you may need. Of course if you plan to make a couple of cakes then this would be fine but I alter my measurements to fit one cake pan. This pound cake is simple and very tasty when you pair it with fruits, glaze, frosting, or a simple dusting of icing sugar. Almost every country has a variation of the traditional pound cake which makes it way through recipe books and generations of families. The best part about the pound cake is its versatility when it comes to flavours. This one I’m making today I add in pure vanilla extract and Amaretto alcohol to bring out a bold flavour which is perfect with an afternoon cup of tea, morning coffee or evening dessert.

Slice of Orange Ricotta Pound Cake Mr.CBB

Slice of Orange Ricotta Pound Cake Mr.CBB

Pound Cake Ingredients: Note the alcohol is not in the picture.

Orange Ricotta Pound Cake Ingredients

Orange Ricotta Pound Cake Ingredients

  • 2 cups of cake and pastry flour + 1 teaspoon to coat your baking pan
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 3 teaspoons of baking powder
  • 1 cup of softened butter (no salt) + nob of butter to grease your pan
  • 2 cups of granulated sugar
  • 2 cups of ricotta cheese
  • 4 large eggs
  • Zest of 2 oranges (keep the oranges for your syrup reduction)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract pure
  • 1 tablespoons of Amaretto
  • 1 teaspoon Almond Extract pure

Pre-heat oven 350 degrees

Preparation

  • Grease your 9×5 inch loaf pan or tube or bundt pan. I also toss about some flour to lightly dust the pan.
  • Add all your dry ingredients to a bowl, mix and set aside
  • In your stand mixer add in the butter, sugar and ricotta and mix until blended, creamy and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. If you don’t have a stand mixer you can use a hand mixer.
  • Add in your eggs one at a time so they get blended well into the batter.
  • Add in your amaretto, almond and vanilla extract and mix well
  • Add in your dry ingredients, little by little, blend until mixed about 2 minutes
  • Pour your batter into your prepared pan and bake for about 45 minutes to 50 minutes depending on your oven. Since oven temps vary I test my cake with a toothpick to see if it comes out clean then I know it’s done.
  • Let cool in the pan for 20 minutes
  • Flip over onto your hand and sit on a wire rack  lined with parchment paper underneath
  • Get a long skewer and poke holes gently all around your pound cake, even the sides
  • With a BBQ or cake brush coat the top and sides with the orange simple syrup reduction until it is soaked in
  • Leave the cake to sit for around 2 hours to soak up good
  • Serve with amaretto yogurt whipped cream and fresh blueberries and oranges
  • Enjoy
Glazed Orange Ricotta Pound Cake

Glazed Orange Ricotta Pound Cake

Orange Simple Syrup Reduction:

Need: 1 cup of Sugar and Juice of 2 freshly squeezed Oranges

  • In a sauce pan add in one cup of sugar and the juice of 2 oranges, stir on medium heat until it reduces to a simple syrup which takes about 10 minutes. I did not add alcohol to the sauce as I have it in the whipped cream and in the cake. 
Yogurt Amaretto Whipped Cream

Yogurt Amaretto Whipped Cream

Yogurt Amaretto Whipped Cream:

Need: 1 cup of plain yogurt, 1 cup of whipping cream, 1 tablespoon of Amaretto, 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar

  • In your mixer add the whipping cream and sugar then whip until you have soft peaks starting to form
  • Add in the yogurt and amaretto and mix until whipped cream has soft peaks.

 

Although Valentine’s Day is around the corner on February 14, I made a separate Valentine’s Cake treat for the love of my life so we could tuck into this lovely orange ricotta pound cake after dinner. You can certainly use this batter to make mini cakes like I did for an easy, frugal Valentine’s dessert for your loved one. She told me she loves me more today than she did yesterday… awe.

Mr.CBB's Valentine's Orange Ricotta Pound Cake

Mr.CBB’s Valentine’s Orange Ricotta Pound Cake

 

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Mr.CBB’s Mum’s British Lemon Fridge Cake

Posted: September 16, 2012 in Mr.CBB's Easy Treats
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This Lemon Fridge Cake has been passed down the ranks in my family from my grandma all the way to my mum and now us kids. She would make it for any special occasion as did my grandma and I distinctly remember the smell of lemon permeating our house. Most often it was made for Birthday’s, Christmas and Easter but we could devour it any time of year. Growing up one of 3 children my mum was a stay at home mum and was always mixing something up in the kitchen.

If you couldn’t find mum she was in the kitchen with her white apron tightly drawn around her mincing, rolling, stirring and testing something new. There were no boxed cakes in our house as my mum always wanted to create new recipes. Likely why I am so passionate about being in the kitchen. It was great to have my mum at home and I learned just as much from her in the kitchen as I did from my dad about repairs to the house and vehicles.

The tartness of the lemon in this cake will please the lemon lover in anyone. The whipped cream balances out the sweetness of the cake, the tang of the lemon giving it creamy taste in your mouth that’s hard to describe. Overall this Lemon Fridge Cake although came from me mum in Britain will now be served in our kitchen here in Canada. I hope you enjoy this simple yet delicate cake and the ease to make it.

Although my mum told me to keep this in the refrigerator I decided to do something different. I put it in the freezer to not only speed up the process but to make it easier to handle and to help soften the biscuits. It’s best if you can leave this cake in the refrigerator or freezer for at least 12 hours so all the flavours come together and the biscuits soften.

The best part about this cake is that you can make it ahead of time and freeze it. When you have some guests coming over simply pull it out and whip up some whipped cream and away you go. You can also add maraschino cherries if you like  them as well. You can add cream cheese to the mix to make it even creamier or cottage cheese. You can dip your biscuits in espresso coffee, rum, coconut milk, or a lemon-grass mint reduction like I did. I’ve also thought about doing an orange-lemon mix or a lemon-lime mix. You can make this easy cake whatever you want it to be once you have the basic ingredients and fillings.

Prep Time : 30 minutes

Fridge/Freezer Time: 12 hours

Tools

  • Spring Form Pan
  • Hand Mixer or stand-up mixer
  • Chilled Mixing Bowl and Whisk (do this 1 hour before making whipped cream)
  • Knife to cut butter, lemons , lemon grass
  • Cutting Board
  • Spatula
  • Large bowl if you don’t have to Stand-Mixer bowls
  • 2 bowls one for yolks, one for whites
  • Strainer
  • Measuring Cup
  • Measuring cups/spoons
  • Large square serving platter for cake

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon Pure Vanilla Extract
  • 1 tablespoon Pure Lemon Extract
  • Juice of 2 lemons
  • Zest of 2 lemons
  • The leftover squeezed lemons for reduction
  • 2 Pieces of Lemon Grass ( I just chopped a couple pieces-see pic) for reduction
  • Handful of Fresh Mint for reduction
  • 1/4 cup sugar for reduction
  • 1 cup cold water
  • 1 carton of whipping cream 500ml
  • 1 pkg of Lady Fingers about 48 biscuits or a 400g package
  • 8 large eggs separated egg yolks in one bowl, whites in another
  • 8 1/4 teaspoons of lemon juice for egg whites
  • 1 cup cold cubed butter
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 2 cups chopped roasted almonds for topping
  • cake spreader
  • pan for roasting almonds in the oven
  • plastic wrap for cake

Preparation

  • In a small pot with 1 cup cold water, toss in the mint, 1/4 cup sugar, squeezed lemon rinds, and lemon grass and simmer until reduced then strain and set aside.

  • Cream butter and sugar until fluffy and white in the mixer
  • Beat/Add in egg yolks one by one then the vanilla and pure lemon extract, lemon zest, fresh lemon juice and mix together- set this aside

  • In another mixing bowl add the egg whites and whisk/beat. Start off slow then pick up the speed as you see the egg whites foam up. That’s when I start to put my lemon juice in and whisk/beat until stiff peaks form.

  • Fold the egg white mixture into the Egg yolk mixture and combine without mixing, just fold lightly
  • Get your spring form pan ready

  • Take the lady fingers and gently dip them in a bowl with the reduction and coat them lightly
  • Then set the coated fingers gently into the bottom of the spring form pan to make a layer.
  • Add the creamed mixture on top of this layer and spread it so it’s covered
  • Repeat this until you get to the top where you will end with one layer of lady fingers
  • Put plastic wrap on top, press down lightly and put in the fridge or freezer for 10 hours

  • Meanwhile you can chop and roast your almonds and have them ready
  • Make sure you put your bowl and whisk in the freezer to get chilled before making the whipped cream.

  • The next day pour your whipped cream into your mixing bowl and mix in the stand mixer with or with your beaters until you get a nice thick whipped cream. Try to not to go to far or you will end up with butter. ( if you want to add a 1/4 cup of sugar while mixing you can)

  • Once whipped take the cake from the fridge or freezer and invert onto your serving platter. Open the spring form pan to release your cake.

  • Spread the whipped cream around your cake and use your cake spreader to make the up and down design around the cake.
  • Top with roasted almonds and lots of them!

  • Serve and Enjoy!

It looks like a lot but this case is a very easy cake to make and won’t cost you as much as purchasing a standard box type cake from the bakery for a special occasion. Your family and friends will love this Lemon Fridge Cake.

Have you made a Fridge Cake before?

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