Bolo Pudim (Caramel Pudding Cake)

This post is per request of a reader! A few years ago, I mentioned Bolo Pudim but never followed up with the recipe. "Bolo" in Portuguese means cake; "pudim" is our version of flan. This recipe magically merges these two elements into one tasty dessert. You coat a pan (I prefer using a bundt pan) in home-made caramel, pour the flan on top, and then pour cake batter directly on top. Sounds like syrupy goodness to me!

The recipe for the pudim is a little different than our traditional family version. We don't us any sugar in our mix. Instead, use 2 cans of sweetened condensed milk plus 2 cans (instead of measuring cups, use the empty sweetened condensed milk cans) of regular milk. I like the thick texture it provides but hey- we're old school like that.

The creator of this delicious treat is David Leite and you can find it in his book, "The New Portuguese Table: Exciting Flavors from Europe's Western Coast." There are many versions of this cake; some use chocolate cake as the base! Once you get comfortable with this duo, the possibilities are endless. I'm already playing with the idea of using coconut or pumpkin pudim instead! I'll be sure to make this cake for Easter and will provide an update. The above picture is the bolo pudim- slightly burned- but made with lots of love by Olga a few years back.

Special thanks and lots of love to Susana and Olga for scanning this recipe and sending it over.

Obrigada!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

Some days, you just need a recipe that requires minimal effort but produces optimal results. On Super Bowl Sunday, I found myself pacing the kitchen like a lion. I was torn between making a grocery store run and using what was on hand. It was already the afternoon and we needed to drive down South to watch the game. In my heart, there were key lime bars! In the kitchen though... there was just enough goodies to make cookies. 

As my hands reached for the car keys, I felt Mike's challenging gaze from across the living room. It's like that awkward moment when two cats (God... I've become a cat lady and I'm still in my 20's) stare at one another for too long then one suddenly flips out. You cannot hear the dialogue- but you know sh*t is going down. The subtle ear twitch... tails swooshing at the slightest breeze... the dilated pupils. That gaze conveyed a myriad of valid points such as: 

1) Don't spend the extra dinero;

2) You're on a time budget;
3) Exactly how angry will you be with me when I say it's time to go and the bars haven't sat in the fridge long enough;
4) Are you going to cry in the car ride if the visual aesthetic is compromised in any way due to sharp turns, other drivers, or traffic;
5) You realize this is unnecessary stress- right?
6) If they don't come out picture perfect, I don't want to deal with a salty Michele; and
7) Just make cookies woman

Needless to say... I scurried back into the kitchen. Cookies it will be!

In keeping with the time budget, rolling out individual cookies and letting the dough sit in the fridge for a couples hours wasn't in the cards. Bars were the perfect compromise of flavor and sanity. Make the dough and slather it across a greased baking pan- done! I have made a Chocolate Cookie Cake in past, and though delicious, they do not fill out a 9x13 pan. The title of favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe still goes to Baked: New Frontiers in Baking. If only the came in a pan version! These bars needed to be chewy, soft, and thick. I didn't want cardboard sprinkled with chocolate chips. 

Then I saw The Cutting Edge of Ordinary and there stood the image of cookie bar perfection. 

These bars fulfill their promise and deliver a cookie-like bar. All the usual suspects are there: chocolate chips, brown sugar, butter, and vanilla. They were promptly attacked and enjoyed! Mike made sure a few snuck there way back to our house. As the recipe recommends  I strongly encourage adding nuts to the mix, even if it's a handful for added dimension. I added a drizzle of melted chocolate on top... just to be a lil extra evil. Next time, I may add a dash of almond extract because I am such an almond fiend. 

My sole gripe was they were not as thick I was wanted them to be. The Cutting Edge's versions looks so much more yummy because they're thicker and have a pillowy look. *drools* Maybe I needed to add more flour? Heck now that I'm re-reading the directions... I may have set the oven to 350 instead of 325! User error? Ohhhhhh darnnnn.... looks like I am going to have to make them again to check! (moo ha ha ha) 

For the full recipe, check out The Cutting Edge of Ordinary! 

Little Blueberry Breakfast Cake

I like to start each morning with something a little sweet. Nothing fancy or extravagant. It can be in the form of a biscotti with a cup of coffee; oatmeal topped with a honey and cinnamon; or a simple piece of fruit. On a whim, this teensey cake was created as a breakfast delight. 

You've seen this guy in another carnation: Golden Syrup Cake. The appeal of this confection was the morning feeling of honey and convenient 6 inch round size. You could even swap the Golden Syrup for maple syrup! This time, there is no sugary frosting on top (as yummy as Golden Syrup frosting tastes). That's just too much to wake up to. Ease me into the day please!

Instead, I sprinkled walnuts on top about 10 minutes before the cake was done baking. The intent was to add dimension and nutrition. Walnuts are good for you because they pack a dose of protein and antioxidants. The other addition was some slightly warmed blueberries. Blueberries were never my fruit favorite until they became part of my morning mandate. They are perfect with yogurt, oatmeal, and smoothies. Plus, they are great for blood pressure.

Note: the first time I made the Golden Syrup Cake recipe,  I thought, "oh how cute is this rustic cake! it doesn't even ask for packing powder!" If a cake does not call for baking powder- throw the red flag- it's suspect. This time, I read all the comments in the original post from Always With Butter. The author forgot to specify in the ingredient list that the flour is "self rising flour." Self-Rising flour already has baking powder built in! Woops! Hey... in my defense, the version without baking powder is dense and delicious too! 

Be a little daring my darling and have a slice cake in the A.M! 

Little Blueberry Breakfast Cake

makes 6 inch round cake

Golden Syrup Cake

1 cup blueberries

2 teaspoons water

1 teaspoon sugar (optional)

1 cup chopped walnuts

1 tablespoon golden syrup (garnish)

Make the Golden Syrup Cake according to the directions. In the last 10 minutes of baking, quickly sprinkle the walnuts on top. Set aside and let it cool on the wire rack. Poke a few holes/slits on the top with a fork or knife so the blueberry drizzle will have an easier time soaking into the cake. 

In small sauce pan, heat blueberries with 2 teaspoons of water over medium heat. Sprinkle in a touch of sugar, about a teaspoon if you want to sweeten them a bit. Blueberries are done when they are slightly softened. 

Top the cake with warmed blueberries and garnish with a little more golden syrup. Best served warm, it creates a pancake like atmosphere. Heat in the microwave for about 10 seconds if you feel so inclined.

Plea for Penelope

You can imagine the distress when I heard Mike say, "babe, you better come outside. I think this cat has one eye." There she was, sitting on the sidewalk in front of our home eager to be petted. She ran up to Mike with no hesitation and as I came closer, it became clear that she did in fact have two eyes, one was just irritated to the point of being shut. 

We have no idea where she came from but left food and water out the next few days hoping her owners would reveal themselves. She was too friendly to be feral and had obliviously once enjoyed a more glutinous lifestyle as her excess tummy skin sagged from her frame. We put up flyers in the neighborhood, contacted the local shelters in Springfield/Alexandria, and posted her on craigslist. 

To my surprise, I received the sweetest voice message from a woman who had also tried to rescue this black and white kitty. She had spotted her in the sewer of the Walmart parking lot, about a mile down the road. She had tried to lure her out because her eye appeared infected but had no such luck. She was relieved to know that the lost lil soul wasn't so lost anymore; her kindness and empathy radiated through the speaker and it was hard not to cry.  

That was all the persuasion I needed to decree that the stray be moved indoors, specifically the guest room. If she had an owner, I couldn't bear to explain "oh yes we saw your cat... we just left it pass through." Heaven forbid Autumn was in such a situation (again) with nobody to take care of her. This is our plea for Penelope. 

And so. 

We ended up being a foster home. (Another again). After agreeing to do no such thing until after the wedding. Huh boy. Mike lovingly nicknamed her "Sewer Kitty" because that's where she was hiding out when they first met- the sewer next to our mail box. I felt that it didn't quite... suit her. That adorable pink nose needed something with a P and the name "Penelope" sprung to mind. As a compromise, her full name Penelope S. Kitty (the S is for sewer). 

After washing her eye for a week, the infection vanished and she was able to look at us with wide eyes. She has displayed no aggressive behavior and is very mild mannered. Penelope is not big on playing with others but gets all sorts of buck when left to her own devices and a mouse toy. She enjoys it when people speak to her and acts like she's following the conversation. I must say... she does have a bit of an affection for kitty cocaine (cat nip). It was a sad sight watching Mike and I try to giver her a proper bath. He did all the work while I was petrified that she'd suddenly flip out and turn into a demon cat. Thank God for that man. 

My favorite thing about Penelope, however, is her hellos. Some cats drool a little when they're happy. It's a great sign of love and affection. Penelope doesn't drool; she slobbers. We're talking dripping like a faucet sink, boundless ecstasy, funny as all get out, water works. The first time it happened, we were stunned. She's left alone all day in the guest room so when we do sit with her at the end of the day, it's a make out fest. She licks your nose, your hands, anything in her reach for a few moments. It is an incredibly endearing and entertaining trait. 

Please. If you or anyone you know is interested in adopting a sweet, loving companion, do not hesitate to contact us! She is going to the vet this week for a quick check up and will be posted on local foster sites soon. She deserves a loving home. Seriously, this is one low maintenance kitty!

For questions about adopting Penelope, please contact me at: misqrl@gmail.com. 

Special thanks to Mike for making the beautiful flyer. 

Chocolate Hazelnut Crepe Cake

*Does a little dance* So a funny little thing happened to my co-worker KJ over Christmas. She had a wish list on Amazon and one of the items was Smitten Kitchen's cookbook. Much to her surprise, she received two copies over the holiday. See what happened was one of her aunt's had it in her shopping cart and continued browsing for her other nieces and nephews. At that same moment, another aunt went online and saw that the book was still on KJ's wish list. Apparently, an item does not become unavailable if it's in another person's cart. Woops!

Much to my surprise, she bestowed the second copy as a gift. Thanks again KJ- you're always so kind and give the warm fuzzies! It's no secret that I'm a lover of Smitten Kitchen. I never knew about food blogs until my sister sent me two links requesting recipes from her site. The results were so impressive, I became a regular stalker reader of the blog. 

I wanted my first confection to be a thank you for the book... but I jumped the gun. Mike saw the Chocolate Hazelnut Crepe Cake and immediately commenced salivating. How convenient it was our friend's birthday weekend. Twist my arm why don'tcha!

Should you decide to make this cake, I strongly recommend making the crepe mixture (in a blender) and hazelnut filling the night before. Both elements require chill time. Plus, you're going to need the extra time to make all the crepes. I used a single 9 inch skillet and timed the crepe making: 1 hour to make over 16 crepes. That's about 1 crepe for every 3 minutes. To save time, I started building the crepe tower at about the 15 minute mark so it was slowly rising as new crepes cooled down.  

One cheat that I loved was to use a tiny 9 inch skillet. 1/4 cup batter is the perfect amount to make a perfectly round crepe without any hassle  Keep adding butter as you go so it doesn't have the chance to stick. As Deb says in her book, don't worry if the first few aren't perfect. There is a TON of batter and you will have a few left over in the end. 

My favorite thing about this cake's aesthetic is the ganache. Heaven help me I love ganache! We were introduced by Smitten's perfect chocolate cake recipe. It is great to work with because it's merciful and malleable. It has this amazing sheen and slowly solidifys into a sturdy coat of delicious. 

The end result is a stunning and posh dessert fit for royalty. It's an impressive structure that will no doubt break necks of those passing by.

As for the taste, it is exactly what it proclaims to be- a chocolate hazelnut crepe cake. Good heavens it's rich. You have to eat this in very small slices least you be overwhelmed with its decadence. If you're a hazelnut fan (hate to break it to you, hazelnut is not nutella), then you will love this cake. It's fun to eat because you slowly get to attack layer by layer!

However... I have to be honest about taste buds.

What do you get when you stack a bunch of crepes on top of one another? 

For me... it was a monstrous pancake. I wanted to push the ganache to the side and grab an equally monstrous bottle of maple syrup. It was very difficult not to think of breakfast as I ate this cake. All you needed was a side of eggs. That's my personal issue though. It's mighty yummy.

All that matters is this man knew that he was loved... in cake form. Happy Birthday Young! You are wonderful and I am grateful that we are still friends, years after college. 

One of my favorite moments we shared was right before our 2006 culture show in college. Yes, the silly picture above is from that night. I told him we found the bamboo used in the show by a local abandoned house. He immediately teased that it was a haunted house thus I was cursed to trip in all my performances. I shot back with a, "gee thanks" kind of look and he said, "don't worry, I'll catch you." Now that's a real friend.

For the full recipe, make the investment and purchase the Smitten Kitchen cook book! 

I love how it's written, you really can hear Deb talking to you in the kitchen. The pictures are big and beautiful. I had a small chuckle when I saw her trademark counter tops in the shots. I appreciate that she's no manic food stylist or food porn junky. Seriously... it may look beautiful but it's not practical. It's just over the top sometimes. Thank you Deb for keeping it real.