teacake Archives - The White Ramekins

Swedish Visiting Cake

December 15, 2013 by TheWhiteRamekins

Last week at work had been terrible, too many things to deal with. And with the week ending, knowing that it’ll be way better next week and with Christmas just round the corner, I started feeling better. It was time to see parents and meet friends after one such boring week.

Yeah, one week I was totally cut off from my friends and family, work had totally engulfed me. It was such a drag that I felt happier watching it ending. And with only a couple of minutes spent in kitchen to bake this easy yet wonderful cake from Dorie Greenspan’s Baking From My Home To Yours, I felt relaxed.

All set to go meet parents. Baking this cake in a cast iron skillet was another homely feeling which I was longing for from long. A cast iron skillet was on my wish-list and finally I had bought one. I was in dilemma to buy or not to. But eventually I did.

It came pre-seasoned and it was a breeze to start cooking in it. Made fluffier omelettes for Sunday breakfast, pan frilled chicken, wiped it, again seasoned in my oven. And then finally baked this amazingly flavored, lightly sweet tea time cake with a lovely pan crust.

This cake doesn’t have any leavening agent, so this is kind a fudgy one with beautiful zesty flavor. And when you start rubbing the orange zest into the sugar, it starts feeling amazing starting right then. Batter takes few minutes to whipped up and the cake takes another couple of minutes into the oven, with home smelling great of the aromas from citrus and vanilla. You could easy bake it for a breakfast or afternoon tea. Taste great when shared with family and friends over a cup of tea.

Ingredients

1 cup sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
Grated zest of 1 Orange
2 large eggs
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
100 gm unsalted butter, melted and cooled
About 1/4 cup sliced almonds

Directions

Preheat the oven to 180 degree C and butter an 8 or 9 inch cast iron pan and set aside {you could use a round cake pan as well}.
In a bowl, rub the sugar with orange zest using your fingers, until the sugar is moist and aromatic.
Beat in the eggs one at a time using a hand whisk. Add in vanilla extract and salt.
Switch to a rubber spatula and fold the flour followed by butter into the mixture.
Pour the batter into the skillet or pan. Sprinkle the sliced almonds on top followed by some sugar. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until it is golden and little crisp on the outside.
Let cool in pan for 5 minutes and then run a knife around the edges of the cake to loosen it from the pan. Cut slices and serve warm or at room temperature.

Lemon Rosemary Ricotta Olive Oil Cake…To My Sister

August 21, 2013 by TheWhiteRamekins

For there is no friend like a sister in calm or stormy weather; To cheer one on the tedious way, to fetch one if one goes astray, to lift one if one totters down, to strengthen whilst one stands.

I have known her for 30 years now. And she’s been a constant of my life. However tough the times may have been and however difficult the paths may have been. It’s a bonding which we share, that’s getting stronger and stronger as the days pass by. And everything else is just secondary to that.

No matter how many arguments we had since childhood, she has always loved me from her heart and that love has have the strength of keeping us near, not by the distance, but by the hearts. She’s the one joy, dear God has gifted and I know this blessing will stay for ever.

She’s my best friend, who has helped me through my difficult times. Her comforting words have been my strength and I know, those words were meant to be nothing but the power to battle the tough times. And not just the strength to fight the world, those advises and caring words have filled my life with beautiful and sweetest of memories and those memories will always be eternal.

And when it comes to expressing my silliest of feelings or confessing my blunders or goof-ups, I know she’s the one I don’t have to think twice. Because she’ll keep my secrets and still be there to help me with a smile and no frowning. Almost like a cool shade of a big tree.

Having a sister is like having a best friend for life.

And this Raksha Bandhan festival, I am dedicating this post to my best friend for life, my constant support in life, My Sister! For those who are not aware, what Raksha Bandhan is, it is a festival which celebrates the relationship of brothers and sisters. This pious Indian festival is marked by the tying of a Rakhi, or holy thread, which comes in many colors, by the sister on the wrist of her brother. And brother vows to protect his sister from all the evils and odds in her life.

My sister enjoys a lot of my baking, so I baked her this wonderful moist and light Lemon Rosemary Ricotta Olive Oil cake. Another marvel from Smitten Kitchen. That got my sister completely smitten too! And this made me feel happier that she liked it to the last bit. This airy and light bake got pretty fragrant from the Meyer Lemons and fresh rosemary I got….some special ingredients for the most special person of my life…..happy happy I am!

I added some almonds flakes in addition to Smitten Kitchen’s recipe, which accentuated the flavors of lemon and rosemary and made the cake look all the more prettier! The only sad thing I did was, I halved the recipe. Now I wish I would have made the full recipe. And I know, this cake will definitely be a keeper in our family!

Recipe adapted minimally from Smitten Kitchen Cookbook

Ingredients

1/2 cup full fat fresh ricotta
40 ml olive oil
100 gm sugar
1/2 tsp freshly grated lemon zest
1/2 tsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped
1 large egg
100 gm all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp baking soda
pinch of salt
1/2 cup almond flakes
Confectioner sugar for dusting

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 180 degree C and butter an 8 inch spring form pan.
In a bowl, whisk together ricotta, olive oil, sugar, lemon zest and rosemary to make smooth paste.
Beat in egg and combine well.
Sift the salt, baking powder, baking soda and flour right over the wet ingredients and mix with a spoon until just combined.
Pour the batter into prepared pan. Top with almond flakes and bake for 25-30 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
Let cake cool in pan for 10 minutes and then loosen the sides of the pan and let cake cool completely on a wire rack with base of pan intact. Dust with confectioner sugar when ready to serve.

Plum Cake

August 11, 2012 by TheWhiteRamekins

Stone fruits have taken my attention lately, probably they are almost out of season or they will last a couple of weeks. They were on my checklist ever since they appeared first time in this season. But I am not sure, why I hadn’t tried anything yet except for this cherry cake. There was one thing or the other which would pop up to be picked up first and the poor stone fruit would make way for them.

But last week, when I went to my parents, my brother brought home a whole big carton of these red juicy sweet sour plums, and that was it. It caught my attention and the verdict was out. This time, no other thing. It had to be those plums only. Now that when I had decided, I had to look for a good recipe too. I looked through my tiny bookshelf, if I could found something there. There was a recipe for an apricot frangipane tart which enticed me initially, but then I hesitated a bit because of all that butter that would go into the tart shell and the almond filling. Whereas, I was looking for something which could be a decent tea time snack. And I saved that tart for some other day, when I would crave for something decadent and wholesome.

And then leaving the bookshelf behind, I moved onto searching through the web. Tons of thanks to this beautiful blog by Beatrice of la tartine gourmande. This was exactly I was looking for. I was impressed by the simplicity and the lightness of this cake, which it got probably because of less sugar and the less butter. A perfect snack for a perfect tea time.

Ingredients

2 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1 cup sugar {powdered}
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cup buttermilk
60 gm butter
zest of 3 lemons
8-10 plums thinly sliced
3 tbsp demerara sugar

Instructions

Whisk together flour, baking powder, powdered sugar and salt in a bowl and keep aside.
In a separate bowl, beat eggs and buttermilk. Mix in the melted butter and lemon zest.
Add flour mixture to egg mixture and stir until combined.
Spoon the batter into an 11 inch quiche pan and scatter plum slices on the top.
Sprinkle with demerara sugar and bake in 200 degree Celsius preheated oven for around 20 to 25 minutes until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean.