Showing posts with label Fruit. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fruit. Show all posts

Friday, September 2, 2011

Upside-Down Blueberry Pluot Cake

Last week my girlfriends and I were lucky enough to enjoy a Kappa Thursday dinner together!  Shannon had just won her SEVENTH dodgeball championship, so she got a Thursday night off, yay!  She grilled up some steaks, tossed a salad and made some perfect corn on the cob for us, Lindsey brought the vino and I tried a recipe from my "Cake for Every Pan" challenge.


The cake?  Upside-Down Blueberry Pluot
The pan?  8" Round Cake pan

The cake turned out yummy but I wouldn't say it was one of my favorites.  Martha has another recipe for pineapple upside down cake that uses sour cream and that one is to die for.  I really have no complaints about this one, I just don't think it's going to make any of my personal "top" lists.


The original recipe calls for plums and blueberries...I like pluots and think they are a prettier color (if you haven't seen pluots in your grocery store- it's a hybrid fruit, half plum, half apricot) so that's why I tried them instead.

Here are a few picutres and the recipe- if you try it for yourself, let me know what you think!

'Nite, sweets!

Look at the little butter heart, too cute!!
   



Upside-Down Blueberry Pluot Cake
(Adapted from Martha Stewart's Plum Blueberry Upside-Down cake in the September Everyday Food)

Need:

  • 10 tablespoons of unsalted butter at room temperature
  • 1 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1 large pluot cut into 10/11 wedges
  • 1 1/2 cups blueberries
  • 1 large egg, 1 large egg white
  • 1 1/2 cups flour
  • 3/4 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
Do:
1- Preheat oven to 375 degrees and spray your 8" round cake pan with non-stick cooking spray

2- Cut out a circle of wax or parchment paper to cover the pan and go a little bit up the sides; press it into the pan and into the edge so its snug

3- Melt 2 tablespoons of butter and then pour it into the pan, coating your circle of wax paper.  Swirl it around so the whole bottom is coated. 

4- Sprinkle half of your brown sugar (1/2 cup) in the pan covering the butter, then place your pluot slices on top, in any design you like. 

5- Add in the blueberries, try to fill in the gaps where your pluot is not touching so that the whole bottom of the pan is covered in fruit

6- In your mixing bowl, beat 8 tablespoons fo butter and the rest of your brown sugar together- Martha recommends 3 minutes of this, and it comes out perfect.

7- Beat in your egg and egg white to combine.

8- In a separate bowl, whisk your flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together.  Turn the mixer down to low so that you don't cover yourself in flour, and slowly add the mixture in.

9- Now beat in the buttermilk and vanilla, after it's incorporated, turn the mixer up to high and beat until smooth.

10- Pour your batter into the pan, and then tap it on a table or counter to get all of the air bubbles out.

11- Bake for 45 minutes or until the cake is nice and gold, you might see some fruit bubbles, and your test toothpick comes out clean.  

12- Let the cake cook on a wire rack for about an hour.  After the hour is up, run a knife around the edge and flip our pan over to release the cake onto your serving plate of choice.  

13- Enjoy!





Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Weeknight Treat - Fast Fruit Tarts!

Ever have one of those nights when you NEED a dessert, yet you dont feel like reallyyyyy baking, and you feel guilty for even thinking about sweets?

That is me, usually at least 3 times a week, HA!  I found a solution, a la my favorite, Martha Stewart - honeyed fruit tarts!




This treat is adapted from her Pies & Tarts book.  It's fast, delicious, and a little bit more healthy than a batch of brownies at least.  I used peaches and strawberries, because those are the fruits we had in our fridge, but this would be delicious with all kinds of fruits - pears, any type of berries, etc.  Also, if you are into specifics, Martha lists them in her recipe.  Me, I just read over the recipe, and eyeballed everything I had, so please excuse the vague recipe below.


Enjoy!


  • Chop up about 1 cup of up fruit (I used 4 big strawberries and half of a peach)
  • Put it in a bowl, drizzle over some honey (use as much or as little as you like), and squeeze half a lime.  
  • If you like zest like we do, zest your lime half and mix that in with the fruits.  Cover with saran wrap and stick in the fridge.
  • Take out two squares of frozen puff pastry
  • Microwave for 10 seconds to defrost
  • Brush with water, milk, egg wash, whatever you fancy
  • Sprinkle with sanding sugar
  • Bake for ~15-20 minutes, or until golden brown
  • When its baked and puffed, pull out the pastry and squish down the center to form a little well
  • Let cool enough so that it won't burn your mouth
  • Spoon honeyed fruits into the pastry well
  • Eat up, buttercup!