Honey Spice Loaf by Canadian Celebrity Chef Anna Olson

So, obviously, I'm now on a spice cake kick. And again, this recipe comes from my sister Penelope, although celebrity chef Anna Olson is the original source of the recipe. I think the honey in this recipe gives a nice flavour to both the cake and the icing. A friend is coming for tea this afternoon. We'll see how she likes it.

 No sugar or eggs involved, but lots of spices.
Ingredients:

• 1 cup (150 g) whole wheat flour

• 1 cup (150 g) all-purpose flour

• 2 ½ tsp (7.5 g) baking powder

• ½ tsp (2.5 g) baking soda

• ½ tsp (2.5 g) salt

• ½ tsp (1.5 g) ground cinnamon

• ½ tsp (1.5 g) ground anise seed (I did not have this so used ground cardamom)

• ½ tsp (1.5 g) ground black pepper

• ¼ tsp (1 g) ground nutmeg

• ¼ tsp (1 g) ground cloves

• 1 ½ cups (375 mL) 2% milk

• 1 cup (300 g) honey

• Finely grated zest of 1 orange

• ¼ cup (60 g) unsalted butter, melted

Honey Glaze:
1 Tbsp honey, 1 Tbsp butter, 1 cup  (130 g) icing sugar, sifted

Methods:
Preheat your oven to 350 ºF and grease a 9-x-5-inch loaf tin.
Measure the whole wheat flour into a large mixing bowl and then sift in the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and all of the spices. Add the milk, honey and orange zest and whisk until smooth, then whisk in the melted butter. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about an hour, until a skewer inserted into the centre of the loaf comes out clean. Let the loaf cool in its tin for 30 minutes and then turn it out to cool completely on a rack.

For the honey glaze, stir the melted butter and honey together and then stir in the icing sugar, adding water if needed to achieve a glaze consistency. I used more butter and more icing sugar to make more of an icing than a glaze, because that's the way I like it.

Summer Squash Spice Cake from The Victory Garden Cookbook

My sister Penelope is seen holding the very pretty, moist, and delicious birthday cake she made for my husband this summer.  The recipe was taken from the Victory Garden Cookbook authored by Marian Morash, 1982 edition. Edible flowers were used for decoration. Very whimsical. Tres fey.

Ingredients for the cake:

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon  
• 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp. ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp. ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 2/3 cup vegetable oil
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups grated summer squash

Ingredients for the Icing:

• 1/2 cup of melted butter
• 3.5 cups of sifted icing sugar
• a couple of tablespoons of oat milk (or any orther kind of milk)
• teaspoon vanilla extract

Methods:

Sift together the dry ingredients. Beat the eggs, sugar, oil and vanilla together.

Beat in the dry ingredients. Stir in the grated squash. Pour into a greased  8 x 8 inch pan. Bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 45 minutes.

When the cake is cooled, mix together the ingredients for the icing and spread evenly over the surface of the cake.

Notes from Penelope: I used medium brown sugar, grapeseed oil, and peeled and seeded a yellow zucchini before grating it. I used parchment paper to line the pan.

Strawberry Cake

My sister made this fabulously whimsical cake for a cottage meal a couple of years ago. I love the look of it. The vivid pink of that frosting comes from the addition of cherry juice to  an ordinary icing recipe.

The original recipe was published as a Canada Day recipe by Pat Trew in the EMC news. You’ll notice in the instructions below that she used whipping cream and fresh strawberries instead of icing; a completely acceptable and patriotic alternative, although not quite as riveting as that glowing pink blanket of sugar on my sister's cake. 

Ingredients:

• 1 super-moist white cake mix (enough for 2 layers)

• 1 package of frozen strawberries (or 2 cups)

• 85 gm package strawberry Jello, or other jelly powder

• 1/3 cup vegetable oil

• 4 eggs

• heavy cream for whipping

• as many fresh strawberries as you like

Methods:

Partially thaw the strawberries before you start everything else. Grease and lightly flour a 13"x 8" cake pan and preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.  In a large mixing bowl, combine the cake mix, Jello powder, oil and eggs. Pour off any juice from the berries and add this to the bowl. With an electric mixer, mix the cake batter for 2 minutes. Turn the bowl occasionally to ensure that the ingredients are thoroughly combined. Fold the partially-thawed berries into the cake batter, then spoon the batter into the prepared pan. Bake at 325 degrees F for 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean. Since it's easiest to serve this cake directly from the pan, cool it completely in the pan.

To finish the cake, whip heavy cream in a small bowl until it holds its shape. Spread this over the top of the cake. Arrange some fresh strawberries on top of the whipped cream with the tips pointing up. Keep chilled until serving time. Serves 12-14

Chocolate Guinness Cake from Nigella Lawson...thinking about St. Patrick's Day

This recipe for a moist chocolate cake containing that most famous of Irish stouts (Guinness) comes from Nigella Lawson. I love her description of the cake. Some might call the writing florid. I prefer to call it an example of an advantageous use of adjectives.

Nigella writes..."This cake is magnificent in its damp blackness. I can’t say that you can absolutely taste the stout in it, but there is certainly a resonant, ferrous tang which I happen to love. The best way of describing it is to say that it’s like gingerbread without the spices. There is enough sugar – a certain understatement here – to counter any potential bitterness of the Guinness, and although I’ve eaten versions of this made up like a chocolate sandwich cake, stuffed and slathered in a rich chocolate icing, I think that can take away from its dark majesty. Besides, I wanted to make a cream cheese frosting to echo the pale head that sits on top of a glass of stout. It’s unconventional to add cream but it makes it frothier and lighter which I regard as aesthetically and gastronomically desirable. But it is perfectly acceptable to leave the cake un-iced: in fact, it tastes gorgeous plain."

In the photo, you'll note that I have not removed the cake from the bundt pan in which I baked it. That would be the bundt pan with the defective non-stick surface. The cake looks like baked asphalt and smells a bit medicinal at this point. However, I know that this is an edible cake because my friend Jennifer made it for our bookclub meeting and it looked and tasted great. And of course, Nigella endorses it.

Ingredients Cake: 

• 1 cup Guinness 
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons of butter 
• 1/2 cup cocoa 
• 2 cups of sugar 
• 3/4 cup sour cream 
• 2 eggs 
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract 
• 2 cups of all-purpose flour 
• 2 and 1/2 teaspoons of baking soda

Frosting Ingredients:

• 8 ounces cream cheese 
• 1 and 1/4 cups of powdered (icing) sugar 
• 1/2 cup heavy cream

Methods:

Preheat your oven to 350° F. and grease and line with parchment paper a 9-inch springform pan, ( a smarter choice than a bundt tin). Pour the Guinness into a large saucepan and add the sliced butter. Heat until the butter is melted and remove from the heat. Whisk in the cocoa and sugar. In a separate bowl, beat the sour cream with the eggs and vanilla. Add the sour cream mixture to the Guinness mixture in the saucepan. Finally, beat in the flour and baking soda. Pour the batter into the greased and lined springform pan and bake for 45 minutes to an hour or until a toothpick inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean. Cool completely in the pan on a wire rack.
For the frosting, beat the powdered sugar and cream cheese together until well combined and creamy. Add the cream and beat again until it's a spreadable consistency. This may seem like a lot of frosting but don't skimp! Remember, Nigella's somewhat over-the-top vision is that the cake should resemble the frothy head of a pint of Guinness.

Kerry Apple Cake from the LCBO

The Liquor Control Board of Ontario(LCBO) has devised some pretty tasty recipes over the years to better sell its products. This apple cake is a case in point. Apparently, this cake pairs well with a semi-dry Riesling. 

Enjoy it for breakfast, and the top o' the morning to you.

Ingredients:

• ½ cup (125 mL) unsalted butter, at room temperature

• ½ cup (125 mL) sugar

• 1 tbsp (15 mL) grated lemon zest

• 2 eggs

• ¼ cup (60 mL) milk

• 1½ cups (375 mL) all-purpose flour

• 1½ tsp (7 mL) baking powder

• ½ tsp (2 mL) salt

• ⅛ tsp (0.5 mL) cinnamon

• ⅛ tsp (0.5 mL) ground nutmeg

• 3 large cooking apples, peeled and cut into ¾ inch (2 cm) chunks

• 1 tbsp (15 mL) brown sugar

Cider Sauce Ingredients:

• 2 cups (500 mL) hard cider

• 2 sprigs rosemary

• ½ cup (125 mL) sugar

Methods: 
Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Grease an 8-inch (20-cm) cake pan and line it with parchment paper.

Cream the butter and sugar. Add zest. Beat in the eggs and milk. Combine the flour with the baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg, then add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture. Stir until combined. Mix in the apples. The mixture will appear to have more apples than batter. Spread evenly into your pan and sprinkle with brown sugar.

Bake for 45 to 50 minutes.

Combine cider, rosemary and sugar in a pot over high heat. Bring to a boil and reduce for 20 minutes or until syrupy. Remove the rosemary sprigs and with warm apple cake.

Lemon Olive Oil Cake

This  is a slow-baked Italian breakfast cake that uses olive oil rather than butter as the fat. This cake has been described as "unctuous". That's a good thing.

Ingredients:

• 1 and 1/2 cups of flour

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 3 large eggs

• 1 cup of sugar

• 3/4 of a cup of plain yogurt (not low-fat)

• finely grated zest of 3 lemons

•  3/4 of a cup of extra virgin olive oil

Methods:
Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Lightly oil a 9-inch spring-form pan. Mix together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a medium-sized bowl. In another larger bowl and using an electric mixer, beat together the eggs and sugar until pale and thick (5 minutes). Add yogurt and lemon zest and beat to combine. Add the oil in a steady stream to the mixture using a medium speed on your beater. Reduce the mixer speed to low and gradually add the dry ingredients until they are all incorporated into the batter. Pour the batter into the oiled pan and bake for 40-45 minutes on the middle rack of your oven, or until the centre of the cake 'springs back' when touched. Let cool completely on a rack before serving.


The cake does not require icing, however if  you would prefer to have an iced cake, this is the way to do it.....

Melt a 1/4 cup of butter. Add a 1/4 cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice to the butter. With a hand held blender, add 4 cups of icing sugar to the lemon/butter mixture. Blend until smooth.

Wacky Chocolate Cake

Wacky cake is one-pot cake recipe dating back to the 1930’s or 40’s. The premise for its wackiness is the non-use of butter, eggs and milk to bake the cake. Apparently this was a popular recipe during World War II due to rationing of those ingredients. Everything can be mixed together in the pan, using only a fork. My sister iced this cake with dark chocolate and vanilla buttercream. So much for the lack of ingredients.

Ingredients:

• 1½ cups (213 grams) all-purpose flour
• 1 cup (198) granulated sugar
• 4 rounded tablespoons (22 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon white or cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 6 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 cup (240 ml) water

Methods: 

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.  Mix all ingredients well with a fork either in a bowl or in the pan you plan to bake in. Bake in a greased 9"x 9" pan for 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick placed in the centre of the cake comes out clean.