I too tried low fat ricotta. I used a 10" spring form pan and because Megan said the middle was soft, I baked mine for 1 hour. Because so many mentioned the lack of sweetness, I made sure I used all the honey called for. After I emptied the measuring cup, I put the cup into the microwave for about 8 seconds, then I was able to pour yet more honey into the mix.
I made a blueberry sauce topping with 1/4 c sugar, 2/3 cup fresh blueberries, 3 tablespoons water. Boil for 2 minutes, then add a mixture of 1 tablespoon sugar and 1 teaspoon of cornstarch, bring to a boil again and boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly during the whole process. Let it cool until the cake is finished, then after 15 or so minutes, spread it over the top.
The cake was really tasty. I would definitely bake it longer next time as the center was a little soft but still tasted good and with the blueberry sauce, there was enough sweetness. Another observation is that this would be a delicious brunch dish as when I ate it at night, it sat in my stomach all night and into the morning. I would make it again and if I served it at night, serve very small slices. It was lovely to look at and if I ever get my digital camera software on this computer, I will post pics. I can't wait to try next months recipe.
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
California Cake
Hello everyone - - Trevor here - So i made the cake on Saturday - but I've been too busy to get around to this post - but since the deadline is Sunday - i figure i needed to get to work.
First thing first for me was getting a the pan luckily - there was a Linen 'N Things still in it's going out of business sale here in Sacramento so i got a nine inch one for about $7.
I know it was too big but it was cheap. I'd rather spend money on the ingredients.
So to I decided to try to make a healthier cake - so i used low fat skim ricotta cheese.
I think i learned the hard way that cake (especially cheese cake) probably shouldn't be low fat.
I also didn't use a food processor - just smashed everything together till it looked creamy.
So i got to baking Saturday night - with a nice stiff drink - after cooking up some apricot glazed pork chops and mashed potatoes.
The recipe was pretty simple - and I didn't change much - except using the low fat ricotta.
While i thought it came out very dry -- the cake still went over well with my co-workers.
To deal with the lack of sweet - i cooked some apples and soaked them in rum and honey to make a glaze.
That helped sweeten it up.
My recipe is up next - While i may force you to make my now famous 'Bacon Chocolate Chip Cookies' - However i may also choose a more conventional/seasonable recipe.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Cake! Now With Less Gluten!!
Cheese, Gromit! CHEEEESE!!
Steve and I(Jess) decided to try our hand at the ricotta cheese cake last night. Neither of us had ever used ricotta cheese for anything, so there was some tasting to be done before actually putting it in the cake. It was kind of like eating whole milk; had that same kind of taste, just a different texture. Maybe that accounts for the not-quite-sweet-enough taste?
First order of business: Buy a springform pan. We ran down to the China Fair and found a very large collection. We ended up buying an 8x3 inch pan, not for any particular reason except that it was between the 7 inch the recipe called for and the 9 inch that seems to be the standard size. It worked fine anyways, and I think it's a good size.
Recipe Alterations
Lots of people had posted about the need for added sweetness. We made two main alterations to remedy that: White Rice and Tapioca Flour and Blueberry Sauce.
I think some of you know that I'm allergic to gluten, so I have to alter most baking recipes since they contain flour. After baking with gluten-free flours for a few months, Steve and I have found that a mixture of about 3 parts white rice flour to 1 part tapioca flour makes for a good fluffy baking flour that doesn't rise a lot, but has a sweeter taste than regular all-purpose flour.
For a glaze, we thought of using a blueberry sauce that Steve usually makes to put on pannukakku, which is a Finnish pancake. The recipe is pretty simple:
1. Mix 1/2 cup water, 1/2 cup sugar, and 1 tblspn corn starch in a small saucepan on the stove until boiling.
2. Turn down the heat and add about 1 cup of frozen blueberries.
We've had the sauce warm and cold before, and it's good and sweet either way. It worked extremely well, as it sank into the cake itself and helped to flavor all of it. Plus, something about the taste of blueberries and cheese is really good :)
We want cake! Where's our cake?!
Our food processor:
HULK SMASH CHEESE!
More batter shots:
In the pan (floured with white rice flour)
Just chillin'.
Our cake didn't rise at all, but I think that has to do with the flours.
Mmmmm midnight cake. It took forever to bake and and cool and chill (and we ate it still warm because it was way too late) but I wasn't leaving without eating some cake!!
Steve and I liked this recipe. We did notice though that despite the nice light-fluffy-ness, it sat kinda heavy after you ate it. Like your body suddenly realized how much cheese you just consumed. But it might be the flours too; gluten-free cooking can turn out heavy. But I was really pleased with the way it turned out!
Steve and I(Jess) decided to try our hand at the ricotta cheese cake last night. Neither of us had ever used ricotta cheese for anything, so there was some tasting to be done before actually putting it in the cake. It was kind of like eating whole milk; had that same kind of taste, just a different texture. Maybe that accounts for the not-quite-sweet-enough taste?
First order of business: Buy a springform pan. We ran down to the China Fair and found a very large collection. We ended up buying an 8x3 inch pan, not for any particular reason except that it was between the 7 inch the recipe called for and the 9 inch that seems to be the standard size. It worked fine anyways, and I think it's a good size.
Recipe Alterations
Lots of people had posted about the need for added sweetness. We made two main alterations to remedy that: White Rice and Tapioca Flour and Blueberry Sauce.
I think some of you know that I'm allergic to gluten, so I have to alter most baking recipes since they contain flour. After baking with gluten-free flours for a few months, Steve and I have found that a mixture of about 3 parts white rice flour to 1 part tapioca flour makes for a good fluffy baking flour that doesn't rise a lot, but has a sweeter taste than regular all-purpose flour.
For a glaze, we thought of using a blueberry sauce that Steve usually makes to put on pannukakku, which is a Finnish pancake. The recipe is pretty simple:
1. Mix 1/2 cup water, 1/2 cup sugar, and 1 tblspn corn starch in a small saucepan on the stove until boiling.
2. Turn down the heat and add about 1 cup of frozen blueberries.
We've had the sauce warm and cold before, and it's good and sweet either way. It worked extremely well, as it sank into the cake itself and helped to flavor all of it. Plus, something about the taste of blueberries and cheese is really good :)
We want cake! Where's our cake?!
Our food processor:
HULK SMASH CHEESE!
More batter shots:
In the pan (floured with white rice flour)
Just chillin'.
Our cake didn't rise at all, but I think that has to do with the flours.
Mmmmm midnight cake. It took forever to bake and and cool and chill (and we ate it still warm because it was way too late) but I wasn't leaving without eating some cake!!
Steve and I liked this recipe. We did notice though that despite the nice light-fluffy-ness, it sat kinda heavy after you ate it. Like your body suddenly realized how much cheese you just consumed. But it might be the flours too; gluten-free cooking can turn out heavy. But I was really pleased with the way it turned out!
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Khabab's Writeup
Dear Readers,
This is a cake, unlike anything I've ever tasted before. Gail's description was dead-on. It's lighter than cheesecake, denser than a flour cake. Being a very inexperienced baker, I decided to play it safe and stick with the recipe, exactly as it was.
I shared this with my friends and co-workers and had them take a survey to give me their opinions. Everyone liked the texture and the use of peaches. On the other hand, everything indicated that the cake could be a little sweeter.
Sincerely,
Khabab
This is a cake, unlike anything I've ever tasted before. Gail's description was dead-on. It's lighter than cheesecake, denser than a flour cake. Being a very inexperienced baker, I decided to play it safe and stick with the recipe, exactly as it was.
I shared this with my friends and co-workers and had them take a survey to give me their opinions. Everyone liked the texture and the use of peaches. On the other hand, everything indicated that the cake could be a little sweeter.
Sincerely,
Khabab
Here's the finished cake with the peaches.
And now for the testimonials ...
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Megan's Ricotta Cake Report
I guess I am first.
Today I made Gail's posted recipe of Ricotta cake. The process was quite simple. I decided to make a few modifications, instead of using lemon I used almond flavoring to go with the honey flavoring. Unfortunately, I didn't have quite enough honey, but I did the best I could. I mashed up all the ricotta and eggs and flavoring and some sliced up almonds. Baking took a bit longer in my oven than the recipe said and Karen recommends that I buy a thermometer for inside the oven so I know the real temp.
I used fat free ricotta, almond extract, and sliced almonds to replace the lemon juice and lemon zest.
I did shut off the oven when the center still seemed "soft" but I think I could have cooked it a bit longer. The sides came out firm but the center was too mushy for me. Yassine loved it, so maybe it's more of a texture thing.
Oh, instead of poached fruit I made a chocolate/almond glaze for the top using semi-sweet morsels, a little butter, and milk. I then sprinkled some more sliced almonds to finish it off. I was glad I decided to do a chocolate glaze because the sweetness of the cake was lacking. Perhaps it was my lack of honey that caused this.
Overall the cake was easy to make, and I enjoyed the flavor combinations that I used to make it my own, but if I make it again I'll definitely cook it a bit longer to try to get the center to have a bit more form.
Lastly, before the pictures, I wanted to let everyone know that a batter nearly fills a 7inch diameter 3inch tall spring form pan. I was surprised at how big the batter became with the ricotta, eggs, and flour.
Okay, here are highlighted pictures, I posted a whole photoset on facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2212525&l=e9d27&id=5509449
Today I made Gail's posted recipe of Ricotta cake. The process was quite simple. I decided to make a few modifications, instead of using lemon I used almond flavoring to go with the honey flavoring. Unfortunately, I didn't have quite enough honey, but I did the best I could. I mashed up all the ricotta and eggs and flavoring and some sliced up almonds. Baking took a bit longer in my oven than the recipe said and Karen recommends that I buy a thermometer for inside the oven so I know the real temp.
I used fat free ricotta, almond extract, and sliced almonds to replace the lemon juice and lemon zest.
I did shut off the oven when the center still seemed "soft" but I think I could have cooked it a bit longer. The sides came out firm but the center was too mushy for me. Yassine loved it, so maybe it's more of a texture thing.
Oh, instead of poached fruit I made a chocolate/almond glaze for the top using semi-sweet morsels, a little butter, and milk. I then sprinkled some more sliced almonds to finish it off. I was glad I decided to do a chocolate glaze because the sweetness of the cake was lacking. Perhaps it was my lack of honey that caused this.
Overall the cake was easy to make, and I enjoyed the flavor combinations that I used to make it my own, but if I make it again I'll definitely cook it a bit longer to try to get the center to have a bit more form.
Lastly, before the pictures, I wanted to let everyone know that a batter nearly fills a 7inch diameter 3inch tall spring form pan. I was surprised at how big the batter became with the ricotta, eggs, and flour.
Okay, here are highlighted pictures, I posted a whole photoset on facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2212525&l=e9d27&id=5509449
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Monday, August 4, 2008
August Recipe Update: Finding a 7-inch springform
When I first posted this recipe last week, I didn't have a springform pan and naturally assumed I could just go out and get one. (It was going to be a good investment anyhow.)
Little did I know that the 7-inch springform pan called for in the recipe is not the standard size. Furthermore, I was not aware that finding one would be harder than finding a Nintendo Wii during the holiday shopping rush (okay, it's not quite that difficult). But I do apologize to everyone for adding an extra challenge to the first recipe.
On that note, Megan mentioned that Sur la Table has one that costs $8 (www.surlatable.com and there is apparently a location at the Chestnut Hill Mall). I also found various springform pan sets online at Target.com, that include a 7-inch pan.
Again, my apologies! I promise the next recipe I choose will use only standard-sized bakeware :-)
PS- I was gone all weekend, but hopefully will be able to post the cookbook picture this evening.
-- Gail
Little did I know that the 7-inch springform pan called for in the recipe is not the standard size. Furthermore, I was not aware that finding one would be harder than finding a Nintendo Wii during the holiday shopping rush (okay, it's not quite that difficult). But I do apologize to everyone for adding an extra challenge to the first recipe.
On that note, Megan mentioned that Sur la Table has one that costs $8 (www.surlatable.com and there is apparently a location at the Chestnut Hill Mall). I also found various springform pan sets online at Target.com, that include a 7-inch pan.
Again, my apologies! I promise the next recipe I choose will use only standard-sized bakeware :-)
PS- I was gone all weekend, but hopefully will be able to post the cookbook picture this evening.
-- Gail
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