Classic Yellow Cake with Yogurt Cream and Berries

I was looking for a simplified recipe for a classic birthday cake that didn’t require three different bowls and beating egg whites. This recipe fit my criteria and was delicious. I cannot bring myself to put 1 1/2 cup of sugar in a single recipe so I reduced to 1 cup and no one missed that extra sugar.

Classic Yellow Cake with Yogurt Cream and Berries
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Servings
10 servings
Servings
10 servings
Classic Yellow Cake with Yogurt Cream and Berries
Print Recipe
Servings
10 servings
Servings
10 servings
Ingredients
Cake
Yogurt Cream Frosting
Adjust servings: servings
Units:
Instructions
  1. Arrange a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 350°F.
  2. Brush two 9 inch layer cake pans with butter. Line bottom of pans with parchment paper; brush again with butter.
  3. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.
  4. Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat granulated sugar and butter in a large bowl, scraping down sides as needed, until light and creamy, about 5 minutes. Add vanilla and yolks in 2 additions, scraping down bowl after each. Reduce mixer speed to low and add dry ingredients, alternating with milk mixture in 2 additions, beginning and ending with dry ingredients and beat just until smooth.
  5. Divide batter between prepared pans.
  6. Bake cakes until light golden brown and a tester inserted into the centers comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, 30–35 minutes.
  7. Let cool in pans at least 15 minutes. Invert cakes onto racks, peel off parchment, and let cool completely.
Cream Frosting
  1. Beat the whipping cream with a mixed until the beater starts making tracks. Slowly add the powdered sugar while continuing to beat, add vanilla and beat just until cream is stiff.
  2. Carefully fold in the Greek yogurt with a spatula.
  3. Spread the 1/3 of frosting on the first layer. Cover the layer with berries (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries or a mix of berries).
  4. Place second layer, topside down. Spread remaining frosting on the top layer, letting it run down the sides. Place berries on top of the cake.
Recipe Notes

Modified from

Epicurious: Classic Yellow Cake with Chocolate Frosting

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Three Root Puree

Boost the flavors and nutrition of mashed potatoes by adding in other root vegetables.

This recipe is for 12 as part of the Thanksgiving 2017 Menu. You can simply make half the amount for a regular weeknight, but I think it is worth making the full recipe to use another night for Shepard Pie with left over chili. Or stir-frying vegetables left at the end of the week, toss with cooked lentils and use that as a base for “shepard pie”.

Variations

  1. Use turnips, celery root or cauliflower instead of rutabagas.
  2. Sauté one chopped onion (about 1 cup) in olive oil and mixed in to prepared puree
  3. Add 2 tablespoons fresh basil or fresh rosemary
Three Root Puree
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Servings
12 servings
Servings
12 servings
Three Root Puree
Print Recipe
Servings
12 servings
Servings
12 servings
Ingredients
Adjust servings: servings
Units:
Instructions
  1. In a large saucepan cover rutabagas with salted water. Bring to a boil and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes.
  2. Add carrots and potatoes, and cook another 15 – 20 minutes until the vegetables are tender.
  3. Reserve 1 1/2 cup cooking liquid, and drain vegetables well in a large sieve.
  4. Return vegetables to pot. Add butter pieces and mash with a potato masher to desired consistency (I like to make it somewhat chunky rather than baby-food-like).
  5. Add reserved cooking liquid, mix well, season with salt and pepper.
  6. It can be made three days ahead. Place in baking dish, cover and refrigerate.
  7. Place in a preheated oven for 30 minutes or until hot before serving.
Recipe Notes

Modified from Epicurious: Three Root Puree

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A Healthy Twist on a French Classic

I find bison a better alternative to beef, because bison are grass-fed and industry standards don’t allow the use of hormones or routine antibiotics, which are often given as growth promoters to cattle.

Meatballs are usually associated with spaghetti sauce, but this recipe takes them to another level, rich, hearty and satisfying.

My daughter eats just about everything, but she balked at the wine sauce, so here are two options to make it child friendly:

– Omit the brandy and replace 1 cup of wine with another cup of beef broth for a total of 2 cups of broth. It tastes much lighter. Some adults might prefer it this way too.

– Reserve some of the baked meatballs and serve them to children without the sauce.

My favorite way to serve this is with rice, but is also pairs nicely with roasted potatoes, or even noodles with poppy seeds in a goulash-like style.

Bison Meatball Bourguignon
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Servings
4 - 6
Servings
4 - 6
Bison Meatball Bourguignon
Print Recipe
Servings
4 - 6
Servings
4 - 6
Ingredients
Meatballs
  • 3/4 cup oats old-fashioned
  • 1 1/2 pounds bison ground
  • 2 eggs large, beaten
  • 1/4 cup red onion finely chopped
  • 2 tablespoons parsley fresh, finely chopped
  • 2 tablespoons thyme optional, finely chopped
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt kosher
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper coarsely ground
Bourguignon sauce
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Units:
Instructions
  1. To make the meatballs, mix all the meatball ingredients—oats, ground bison, eggs, onion, parsley, salt, and pepper and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes or up to 4 hours.
  2. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 375°F. Lightly oil a metal roasting pan.
  3. Using your wet hands rinsed under cold water, shape the meat mixture into 18 equal meatballs. Arrange in the roasting pan and bake until lightly browned, 20 to 25 minutes.
  4. Transfer the meatballs to a plate.
  5. Meanwhile, start the sauce. Heat canola oil and butter in large saucepan over medium heat and add the mushroom and onion. Stir occasionally, until browned, about 7–8 minutes. Stir in the carrot. Sprinkle with the flour and stir well. Stir in broth, wine, brandy, tomato paste, and thyme and bring to a boil. As soon as it boils, reduce to low heat and simmer until lightly thickened, about 10 minutes, checking periodically to make sure it does not dry. Add a couple of tablespoons of water if needed.
  6. Return the meatballs to saucepan and cook another 10–15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
  7. Serve hot, sprinkled with parsley.
Recipe Notes

Adapted from Epicurious: Beef Meatballs Bourguignon

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Ambrosial Torte from Historic Cacao

Cacao was domesticated in Central America about 3,000 years ago. Linguistic findings suggest the word “cacao” is comes from the word kakawa in Mixe-Zoquean, believed to have been the language of the Olmecs, the oldest civilization of the Americas (1500–400 B.C.). The chocolate legacy passed from the Olmecs to the Maya, one of Mesoamerica’s most advanced civilizations. Drinking vessels elaborately decorated with chocolate illustrations discovered by archaeologists contain traces of ceremonial chocolate drinks dating from 250 to 900 A.D.

Cacao beans were so valued in ancient Mexico that the Maya and later Toltec and Aztec civilizations used them as currency to purchase small household items and pay for various services: a large tomato was worth one cacao bean, a rabbit 10 beans, and a slave 100 beans. Taxes levied against conquered tribes were also paid in cacao beans.

Typically Mexican chocolate is made with roasted and ground cacao nibs, sugar and cinnamon; other spices like nutmeg and allspice can also be added.

Chocolate and cinnamon
Mexican Chocolate Torte
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Chocolate and cinnamon
Mexican Chocolate Torte
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Ingredients
The Torte
The Glaze
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Units:
Instructions
The Torte
  1. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Butter an 8-1/2-inch springform pan and line it with a round of wax paper. Butter the paper and dust the pan with flour, knocking out the excess.
  2. In a small skillet on the stove top, toast the almonds about 5 minutes and let them cool.
  3. In a food processor blend together cooled almonds, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt until the almonds are ground fine.
  4. Add the chocolate, and blend the mixture until the chocolate is ground fine.
  5. Add the egg yolks and vanilla; blend the mixture until it is combined well (it will be very thick), and transfer it to a bowl.
  6. In another bowl beat the egg whites with an electric mixer with a pinch of salt until they hold soft peaks, beat in the granulated sugar gradually, until the meringue holds stiff peaks.
  7. Whisk about one third of the meringue into the chocolate mixture to lighten it. Fold in the remaining meringue gently but thoroughly.
  8. Pour the batter into the pan, smoothing the top, and bake in the middle of the oven for 45 to 55 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean.
  9. Let the torte cool in the pan. Run a thin knife around the edge, and remove the side of the pan. Invert the torte onto a rack, discarding the wax paper.
The Glaze
  1. In a metal bowl set over barely simmering water in a saucepan, combine the chocolate, the butter, and the cream.
  2. Stir the mixture until it is smooth, and let the glaze cool until it is just lukewarm.
  3. Set the torte on the rack over wax paper and pour the glaze over it, smoothing the glaze with a spatula and letting the excess drip down the side.
Recipe Notes

Source: Epicurious: Mexican Chocolate Torte

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