White Poke Cake Made Two Ways

Photo: Tasteful Recipes from Facebook

I haven't made a White Poke Cake -- once upon a time called an Angel Food Cake -- in years but this one is perfectly festive as a Christmas dessert, plus with an alternate custard topping it's suitable for the rest of the year. Perhaps I like the poke cake because I love custard pudding!

The recipe for the Christmas version, which is circulating on Facebook, uses cake mix, however, I never, ever buy cake mix. In my home, the rule is if you eat cake, either buy a good bakery cake or make one yourself. Every cake that enters your piehole must be worth its calories!!

For sure making a cake from scratch is as easy as opening a box of cake mix:

Ingredients for the White Cake Batter

½ cup butter softened
1 cup granulated sugar
4 large egg whites, room temperature
½ cup milk, room temperature
1½ cups all-purple flour (I never buy cake flour, but you can.)
2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract

Directions:

1) With an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar.

2) Add the egg whites.

3) Pour in the milk and continue mixing.

4) Follow with the all-purple flour and baking soda.

5) Next pour in the vanilla and almond extract.

6) Bake in a prepared buttered 9-inch square baking pan in a preheated 350-degree F oven for 25 - 30 minutes or until the center is firm.

7) Remove the white cake from the oven. Let cool and remove from the pan while still warm. Next, sit aside to cool completely.

You could make a topping for this White Poke Cake any number of ways, but I'll give you two options. The first cranberry topping is festive for Christmas:

I. Cranberry Poke Cake Topping🎄🎁🔔

ingredients:

14 oz of cranberry sauce - either homemade or canned

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup sugar if it isn't already sweet (taste it and judge.)

Directions:

Simmer the ingredients in a stockpot on the stovetop until smooth and uniform in consistency. You'll pour the cranberry topping over your white poke cake (see #4 below).

The 2nd topping is for the rest of the year:

II. Vanilla-Almond Custard Poke Cake Topping🥛🥚🥛

Ingredients:

4 cups of milk

Photo: iStock

4 egg yolks

4 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Directions:

1) Toss the milk, eggs, sugar, and flour into a stockpot on the stovetop and whisk together. [FYI: I get a smoother custard by blending these ingredients cold.] Stir occasionally while the mixture is heating up.

2) Bring to a boil and on medium heat continue whisking while simmering until the mixture thickens into a custard.

3) Near the end, add the vanilla and almond extracts and stir. Turn off the heat.

4) With a fork poke holes in the top of the cake. Pour your topping of choice on top of the cake. [I've never combined the cranberry and pudding toppings, but if I did I'd use straight cranberry sauce without thinning it with water on top of the custard which I'd pour into the holes of the cake first.🐪🐑]  

At Christmastime, you can use your 4 leftover egg yolks to make my pecan cookies, which I linked, or save them for a breakfast omelet. Waste not, want not.

5) Finish the cake with a dab of real whipped topping if you wish. The sweet creamy goodness only improves the cake.

Bon appètite!

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Making Healthy Pie Crust

I had a jar of Grandma Hoerner's Pecan Pie Filling in my pantry. It has the bourbon, you add the eggs. I bought it at Whole Foods reduced for about $3 dollars before the pandemic ... it was time to use it! I should have made a traditional flaky pie crust but I didn't want to consume the calories of a stick of butter. Since I'd be the only person eating the pie, I decided to play around with trying to make a healthy pie crust. No visitors to worry about feeding it to! I can eat a less-than-perfect dish but have higher standards for what I serve guests.

I'm not unhappy with the results and yet I'm not quite there. What I produced was tasty and editable and I think if I add a little butter and a sprinkle of baking soda to the dough next time I'll get the missing flaky texture. The following is the recipe for the very editable, yet chewy crust with my next attempt's 2 additional ingredients: 

A Healthy Banana Crust For Pies

2 ripe bananas

2 cups whole wheat flour

I think these 2 additions will make a flaky dough:

2 tablespoons ice cold butter, finely diced

1/2 teaspoon of baking soda

 

1) Incorporate all the ingredients and press into a buttered or cooking-sprayed pie pan. I was fine with pressing it flat into a pan. If you wish to roll flat with a rolling pin, just add more flour to counter a sticky dough (and the rustic style:).

2) Bake at 325 degrees F for 15 minutes.

3) Remove from the oven and let it cool a bit before pouring in your prepared pie filling then return it to the oven to bake for the required time.

The pecan pie I'm now eating is good without being too rich, or sickeningly sweet. The bananas do add a mild sweetness without sugar (or a banana flavor) which is a good thing.

 

🥧🥧🥧🥧🥧🥧🥧🥧🥧🥧🥧🥧🥧🥧🥧🥧🥧🥧🥧🥧🥧🥧🥧🥧🥧

Alternate Healthy Pie Crusts from around the web I think would work too:

🥧 Mix uncooked oatmeal and dates in a food processor

until it forms a ball, press it into a pan then add your pie filling. The dough can be eaten baked or unbaked.

🥧 Crispy cereal combined with peanut butter that gets pressed into a pan with no baking. Like a graham cracker and butter crust, it won't be flaky but still good.

I'm aware of almond and other nut or soy flours, but let's keep it simple with ingredients already in the panty. 

Does a healthy and flaky pie crust exist?

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Refreshing Lemon Squares

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Mini Pecan Pies A/K/A Tassies 

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Raspberry Cake With A Raspberry Filling

Photo: Bon Appetit 

Although inspired by a delicate raspberry chiffon cake from Bon Appetit, my recipe is tweaked into a different Raspberry Cake. Here's why: First of all, I never buy cake flour (I'm not against it, but I already buy all-purpose, whole wheat, and sometimes bread flour -- enough already😁); 2nd, I think the small amount of flour in the original recipe will produce a puny 2-layer cake; 3rd, whipped cream is delicious, but what a hassle to chill the ingredients twice as you make it. Plus, I've reduced the sugar and salt in the original recipe, and I bet you won't miss them! Enter raspberry oil and/or freeze-dried raspberries (that you grind into a powder). Either enhances the flavor of the cake, and a squeeze of lemon in the batter and frosting balances the sweetness. What I love about European pastries are their nuanced flavors in lieu of ultra-sweetness. Here's my recipe:

Raspberry Cake With a Raspberry Filling

Batter Ingredients:

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

2/3 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 eggs, room temperature, and separated

1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar (to keep the egg whites stiff and foamy)

1 cup buttermilk (+ a little more if needed)

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon raspberry oil (or 3/4 cup freeze-dried raspberries, ground)

a squeeze of lemon

Batter Directions:

1) In a mixing bowl, sift together the dry ingredients: flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, ground freeze-dried raspberries if using, and salt.

2) In a 2nd bowl, use a mixer to beat the egg whites and cream of tartar until stiff.

3) Next pour the wet ingredients into the dry and beat with the mixer: vegetable oil, egg yolks, buttermilk, vanilla extract, and raspberry oil if using.

4) Fold in the egg whites -- don't overbeat them. Fold them in.

5) Pour even portions of the batter into 2 - 9 inch buttered and floured baking pans.

6) Bake in a pre-heated 350-degree F oven for 30 minutes or until done in the center. After 5 -10 minutes of cooling, remove the cakes from the pans and let cool completely.

Filling Ingredients:

3 oz cream cheese

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

6 oz seedless raspberry jam or preserves

6 oz fresh raspberries, smashed

Directions for the Filling:

6) Mix the ingredients together and spread in the middle between the 2 - 9 inch cakes. You could carefully slice each 9-inch cake in half to get not one center, but 3 cake centers - spreading the raspberry filling on each center layer. It takes a daring and talented baker to not let the cakes break up into a crumbly mess! A single center layer works fine too and is safer.

Ingredients for the Frosting

5 ounces of cream cheese (+ condensed milk if needed, a little at a time for the right not too thick or thin consistency)

3/4 cup freeze-dried raspberries, ground, (or 1 teaspoon of raspberry oil)

A squeeze of fresh lemon juice

2 cups of confectionary sugar (Add more if needed.)

Save a few whole raspberries for garnish.

Directions for the Frosting

7) Using a mixer incorporate all the ingredients, adding in order.

8) Frost the top and sides of the 2-layer cake.

I like the idea in the original recipe of crushing some of the freeze-dried raspberries to garnish the top of the cake. Also, toss a few fresh raspberries on top. It's pretty!🎂

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Chocolate Mirror Glaze With Berry Mousse

Photo: Renee Robinson - So pretty!

The cake recipes I publish on THE SAVVY SHOPPER are for cakes I tweak and bake myself with the exception of today's cake: Chocolate Mirror Glaze With Berry Mousse. I haven't gotten around to making it yet and therefore, I'll share Renee Robinson's experience as published on Facebook. The top image, ingredients and directions are hers. Renee's finished cake looks amazing! So away we go ... 🎭

Chocolate Mirror Glaze Cake with Cranberry and Blueberry Mousse

 

The Baker: Renee Robinson

Renee says, "I followed the recipe exactly as written [see link below] for the chocolate cakes layer, but have written it out for you, in what I think is easier to understand language." 

Ingredients for the Chocolate Cake:

1 ¼ cups all purpose flour

Photo: recepetineats

2/3 cup cocoa powder (it wasn’t specified, but I {Renee} used dark Valrhona cocoa)
½ teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 1/3 cups sugar
1 egg yolk
1 egg
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla
1 cup milk
2/3 cup hot strong brewed coffee

Directions for the cake: 

Grease and line with parchment paper two 7 inch cake pans. Preheat oven to 325°F.

In a medium bowl mix together flour, cocoa, baking powder, soda and salt.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment beat oil and sugar at medium speed until light and fluffy. 

Add egg, egg yolk and vanilla extract; mix. Gradually add flour mixture to oil mixture alternately with milk, in three batches, beginning and ending with flour mixture, beating just until combined after each addition. 

At the end add the hot brewed coffee and mix together only 30 seconds. Divide the batter evenly between prepared pans. Bake for 25-30 minutes (or longer - until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean). Cool cakes in pans for 15 minutes then transfer to a wire rack.

Cranberry and Blueberry Mousse

The baker says, "The original recipe called for fresh or frozen black currants. I don’t have access to either, so I substituted other berries and changed the amounts of other ingredients, as seen below."

Ingredients for the Mousse:

300 grams blueberries

500 grams cranberries

Juice of half lemon
Scant 1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons powdered gelatin
2 cups whipping cream
10 tablespoons powdered sugar

Directions for the Mousse:

Place blueberries, cranberries, and sugar in a saucepan. Place over medium heat and cook only until sugar dissolves and fruits burst. Let cool for a few minutes. Add lemon juice. Transfer to a blender and blend until smooth. 

Place 1 tablespoon of the gelatin in a small bowl and cover with cold water. Set aside for 5 minutes to swell. Gently heat softened gelatin in a double boiler or microwave and stir to dissolve. Add to half of warm puree and mix together. Whip half of whipping cream with half of powdered sugar until stiff peaks. 

Gradually add prepared half of berry puree and whip together.
Line the bottom of 9 inch spring pan with parchment paper. On the base – in the center of the pan, place the first chocolate cake and pour over black the berry mousse. Place in the fridge for ½ - 1 hour.

After this time make the second half of the berry mousse, repeating steps described above. Remove the pan from the fridge, place in the center the second sponge and pour over the second half of the mousse. Even the surface and place to the fridge overnight.

The next day carefully remove the cake from the pan. Place on a serving plate and decorate with mirror glaze.

Photo: mandarinpie

Here is the link to the original recipe for the cake.

https://sweetstyledhme.com/.../chocolate-cake-in-black...

Here is the link to the recipe used for the mirror glaze. Renee followed the steps exactly as written in the recipe. https://www.recipetineats.com/chocolate-mirror-glaze

And finally, what does THE SAVVY SHOPPER think? This cake requires more steps than a basic cake, since we must cook and cool things as we bake the cakes (the dreaded have jobs before you do a job syndrome!), and yet finished and plated, it should taste amazing. This summer I'll return here for the recipe to challenge myself by making this fancy, fussy, multi-steps cake, and now my dear readers, you can too! 

If looking to bake a less work homemade cake, try this buttermilk layer cake. There's no shame in an easy recipe as long as a cake is delicious!! I prefer them. As Jon Bon Jovi knows, "You do what you can."🎵🎂

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An Easy Coconut Cake

Photo: Food Network

The flavor of coconut in ice cream and cake is pure and simple like vanilla, only kicked up a notch. A coconut cake is a combination of rich tropical flavor, moisture and texture. Here's how to make it from scratch:

Coconut Cake

Ingredients:

1 1/2 sticks butter, softened
1 cup of sugar (If you like sweeter cake use 1 1/2 cups of sugar. With icing, I don't need such a sweet batter.)
1 cup buttermilk (You may substitute sour cream or yogurt.)
Pinch of salt
2 1/2 cups all-purpuse flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3 eggs (I use whole eggs and don't mind the ivory color of the cake. Usually coconut cakes require 5 egg whites [use only whites if you wish, save the yolks for custard or omelets] but most of the nutrients are in the yolks, so in my cake, the entire egg goes into making the batter!)
2 teaspoons coconut extract (You can substitute vanilla, or almond extract if you don't have coconut -- it will taste good -- but why then are you making a coconut cake?🙂)
1 1/2 cups flaked coconut

Directions:

1) Beat together the butter and sugar using an electric mixer.

2) Add the buttermilk.

3) Follow with the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, baking soda and punch of salt.

4) Next beat in one egg at a time.

5) Add the coconut extract and flaked coconut.

6) Pour the batter into two 9" buttered cake pans.

7) Bake in a preheated 350 degree F oven for 30 minutes or until the center is done. Remove from the oven to cool.

8) Wait 5 minutes and remove the cakes while the pans are still warm, so the cakes don't stick. Let the cake cool completely before frosting.

Coconut Frosting

Ingredients:

8-ounces cream cheese, softened
1 tablespoon butter, softened (adds taste and creaminess)
3 tablespoons milk 
1 teaspoon coconut extract
1 box of confectioners' sugar
1 bag of coconut flakes (Like the confectioners' sugar, you will use only as much as needed.)

Directions:

1) Toss the ingredients (except the coconut flakes) one by one into a mixing bowl. 

2) I don't measure the confectioners' sugar. I pour the liquids and flavors in first then add as much powdered sugar as I need. You want a creamy, yet thick enough frosting to spread on the cake and in-between the layers.

3) After you frost the outside of the cake, refrigerate it, then frost it a 2nd time like professional bakers do, if you wish.

4) Sprinkle as much flaked coconut on top of the frosting as you like -- to look like garnish or snow.

To make coconut ice cream from scratch, my dear readers, you're on your own!🙂 


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A fancy Vanilla Cake
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Homemade Monster Cookies

Search Amazon.com for baked new frontiers in baking

Saturday was a chilly and cloudy afternoon.  But the nippy weather was my motivation for turning on my oven to satisfy a cookie craving.  The recipe I chose to make comes from "Baked: New Frontiers in Baking," by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito.  Rightfully called "monster cookies," they are one part chocolate chip, one part peanut butter and one part oatmeal.  The next time I'm asked to bring cookies to a pot luck dinner or tea party, I'll make these again without altering a single ingredient.  Saturday's version was delicious too -- a tad healthier and less sweet -- and I certainly had no trouble eating too many of them.  But you just know that LOTS of butter and M&M's make cookies all the more divine.  You just know it!  Below is the original recipe, with my changes, outlined in blue notes.

Monster Cookies
-Ingrediants:

½ cup all-purpose flour


1 tablespoon baking soda


Pinch of salt 

5 ¾ cups rolled oats


1 ½ sticks cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes. [I reduced the butter (from 12 tbsp) to 2 tablespoons and used drops of water for moisture when mixing.]

1 ½ cups firmly packed light brown sugar


1 ½ cups granulated sugar


5 large eggs


¼ teaspoon light corn syrup  [I used honey.]


¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract


2 cups creamy peanut butter

1 cup (6 oz) semisweet chocolate chips

1 cup (6 oz) M&M's [I omitted the M&M's and substituted unsalted peanuts to make a peanut nutty batch that was less sweet.]

Directions (from the cookbook):

1. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together. Add the oats and stir until the ingredients are evenly combined.

2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter until smooth and pale in color. Add the sugars and mix on low speed until just incorporated. Do not over mix. Note: I mixed the ingredients by hand.

3. Scrape down the bowl and add the eggs, one at a time, beating until smooth (about 20 seconds) and scraping down the bowl after each addition. Add the corn syrup and vanilla and beat until just incorporated.

4. Scrape down the bowl and add the peanut butter. Mix on low speed until just combined. Add the oat mixture in three additions, mixing on low speed until just incorporated.

5. Use a spatula or wooden spoon to fold in the chocolate chips and M&Ms. Cover the bowl tightly and refrigerate for 5 hours. [I put it in the freezer until I could work with the dough. I didn't have 5 hours.]

6. Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

7. Use an ice cream scoop with a release mechanism to scoop out the dough in 2-tablespoon-size balls onto the prepared baking sheets, 2 inches apart. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through the baking time, until the cookies just begin to brown. Let cool on the pans for 8 to 10 minutes before transferring the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. [I scooped the dough in 1 tablespoon sized balls and was careful not to handle them too much.]

8. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.  Yields 40 cookies [or 70 smaller]. Enjoy!

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