Lemon Pudding Cake with Dad: Webisode #15

Lemon Pudding Cake with Dad from Kelsey Banfield on Vimeo.


What's Going on Today: Morning at the Farmer's Museum to enjoy the Sugaring Off breakfast, the celebration of the maple syrup harvest with lots o' pancakes and fresh local syrup!

Naptime Goals: Bake Lemon Pudding Cake with my Dad, an amazing home cook who wants a lesson in folding egg whites!

Tonight's Menu: Italian Meatloaf with Mom, green salad, Lemon Pudding Cake for dessert.

Parenting Lesson of the Day: Grandparents spoil their grandchildren, there is no stopping it so don't bother trying.

While I was home in Cooperstown last weekend my Dad and I did some baking together. He had recently picked up the new Cook's Illustrated Entertaining and discovered a recipe for an old childhood favorite, Lemon Pudding Cake. The only problem was, despite being a great home cook, he didn't understand the instructions on folding egg whites into the batter. I was surprised that he hadn't done this before, but he really is more into making Short Ribs and grilling steak then he is baking, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised.

In the true spirit of Naptime Chef-ing, the moment my daughter went down for her nap Dad and I set to work on our lesson. As you'll see above, we had a roaring good time and were rewarded with a delicious, silky lemon cake at the end. Obviously, given our family love of all things lemon, we couldn't bear to wait for our first bite. We had our first taste when it was fresh out of the oven, then another slice after dinner when we were joined by my Mom and daughter.

Given the success of this episode I've already put my Dad on the hook for another one, this summer we'll be showing you how we make his famous Bread and Butter pickles. As you can see, he is a doctor and a scientist, so his canning methods are very precise and quite successful. Stay tuned!

Lemon Pudding Cake

adapted from Cook's Illustrated Entertaining, 2010

1 1/4 c. unbleached all-purpose flour
2 t. cornstarch
1 1/4 c. sugar
5 T. unsalted butter, room temperature
2 T. grated lemon zest
1/2 c. fresh lemon juice
1 1/4 c. whole milk
5 eggs, separated, yolks in one bowl with whites in another

1. Adjust oven rack to center position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Lightly butter an 8" square baking pan. Bring several quarts of water to boil for water bath. Mix flour and cornstarch together in a bowl, set aside.

2. Cream the butter, 1 c. sugar and lemon zest until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Then, beat in the egg yolks, then flour mixture, mixing until smooth. Slowly mix in the lemon juice, then stir in milk. 

3. Set the custard mixture aside and beat the egg whites until they hold soft peaks. Then, add the remaining 1/4 c. of sugar and beat egg whites to stiff, moist peaks. Gently stir a dollop of the egg whites into the custard. Then, working slowly, fold the remaining egg whites in bit by bit until they are all incorporated, but not over beaten.

4. Pour the batter into the baking pan and fill the hot water bath until it comes halfway up the side of the pan. Bake until pudding cake center is set and springs back when gently touched, about 1 hour. Remove roasting pan from oven and let pan cool for 1 hour before serving.

Naptime Notes:

Naptime Recipe Suggestions: This really is a great cake for entertaining as the magazine suggests. We loved it with whipped cream but it would also be great with ice-cream or fresh berries.

Naptime Stopwatch: The batter takes about 15 minutes to prepare, then the cake bakes for about an hour.

Naptime Reviews: This is a cross between pudding and cake and is absolutely divine. I love the smooth texture and the lemon flavor with subtle vanilla undertones. Needless to say, so did everyone else.

Pear Butter Cake: Cooking with Tessa Kiros

What's Going on Today: My daughter is mad at me because I didn't make it to the store in time and they are sold out of sleds! (Hoping someone will let us borrow one when we get to the hill!)

Naptime Goals: Bake Pear Butter Cake, place chicken in the marinade - leave it in the fridge until dinner.

Tonight's Menu: Soyaki Chicken Thighs, Carrot Souffle, green salad, Pear Butter Cake

Parenting Lesson of the Day: You feel guilty when the reason they didn't get what they wanted is because you didn't try hard enough.

We have been on a pear kick in our house lately. Every morning my daughter and I slice up a Bosc or two and enjoy a big bowl of them while we wait for our oatmeal to cook. My husband loves pears too, however, he's usually gone by the time we wake up in the morning so I try to make sure there are some in the fruit bowl when he gets home.

The other day I was doing my weekly flip through Apples for Jam - I read it as regularly as I read the newspaper - and came across this recipe for Pear Butter Cake. Perfect, I thought, just the thing to make for a dessert after a hearty winter meal. Plus, it would be a really nice way to give my husband a nice pear dessert - his ultimate favorite and something I've definitely slacked on this winter. 

Like all of Tessa's recipes, the beauty of this cake it in it's simplicity. It's easily to assemble and has an almost rustic quality to it. The flavor comes from the citrus zest and vanilla and perfect layer of pears on top. While it bakes the sugar on top of the pears forms a syrup that seeps into the top of the cake, giving it a light pear flavor that enhances the soft spices of cardamom and nutmeg that have been gently folded into the batter. 

We were so thrilled with this cake in every way. It was light, flavorful and incredibly simple for me to bake while my daughter napped. Once I assembled the batter and started it baking I was able to put the chicken thighs into marinate and spend the rest of my time catching up on my to-do list. I highly recommend this to anyone who is looking delicious fruit dessert to make at a time when most fruits aren't in season. That said, after the debacle of not making it to the store in time to buy a sled for my daughter, I can't wait for winter to be over so I can stop thinking about snow activities. It is time for spring to be on it's way!

Pear Butter Cake

adapted from Apples for Jam by Tessa Kiros

13 T. unsalted butter, room temperautre
2/3 c. superfine sugar, or regular sugar blitzed in the food processor for 3 minutes, plus 2 T. for the top
1 t. good quality vanilla extract
1 t. lemon zest (Meyer lemon is preferable)
1/2 t. ground cardamom
1/4 t. nutmeg
3 eggs, room temperature
1 3/4 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 c. buttermilk or half-n-half
1 1/2 t. baking powder
3 ripe Bosc pears, peeled, cored and sliced thin in vertical strips.

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF and grease a 9" springform pan.
2. In a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Then, with the mixer on low add vanilla, lemon zest, cardamom and nutmeg and mix well. Next, add the eggs one by one, beating well after each addition.
3. Scrape down the sides and restart the mixer, adding the flour and baking powder alternatively with the buttermilk until the batter is smooth.
4. Using a spatula, scrape the batter out of the bowl and into the cake pan so that the surface is somewhat level. Bake for 20 minutes.
5. After 20 minutes carefully remove the cake from the oven and arrange the pears in a circle around the edge of the cake and add an additional circle on the top. Sprinkle remaining 2 T. of sugar on top and place back in the oven.
6. Bake for another 50 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Allow to cool before releasing from the pan, then serve warm.
*Note: Cake will keep at room temperature for up to 3 days if wrapped in plastic wrap with an outer layer of aluminum foil.

Naptime Notes:

Naptime Recipe Variations and Ideas: The next time I make this I am going to try apple slice on top, I bet they will be delicious. You can also place with the spices if you feel like it, add a little cinnamon or alter the amount of nutmeg.

Naptime Stopwatch: Assembling this batter takes all of 10 minutes. The longest part is slicing the pears, it helps to practice a bit if you want them to look really pretty on the cake.

Naptime Reviews: Everyone in our family loved this cake, including my daughter who was mesmerized with the idea of pears in baked form!

Perfect Pumpkin Bread with Chocolate Chips: Webisode #1

It seems that Apple Mania has given way to Pumpkin Mania this month. While I've been chowing down on apples, I've also been opening can after can of pure organic pumpkin puree. There is no limit to the amount of dishes I've been making with the stuff, everything from savory pumpkin penne, to pumpkin bars, to sweet pumpkin pudding cake.

I'll admit, after making all of these dishes I was pretty sure I had exhausted my pumpkin repertoire until my friend Jennifer, an accomplished baker herself, handed me her Aunt Margie's recipe for Pumpkin Bread with Chocolate Chips. Make it, she told me, you will love it. Apparently this bread is a legendary dessert in her family, which, as I soon learned, is for a good reason.

This bread has been on my weekly Naptime Chef baking rotation all fall. I most often make it while my daughter naps, and it also proved to be a great mother/daughter baking project. It is a deliciously simple recipe that yields a perfectly moist pumpkin cake, rich with cinnamon flavor and dotted with sweet chocolate chips.

When I was talking about this the other week with my friend April at Babble she suggested I make this into a video for the Babble Nibblers blog. Why not? I thought. I've been writing this website for almost a year and you all must be sick of just reading, reading, reading. Maybe it would be fun to start watching, watching, watching! So, without further ado, welcome to my kitchen and my first how-to video for Aunt Margie's Perfect Pumpkin Bread with Chocolate Chips.

As always, I encourage comments, but please be kind to the newbie Naptime Chef's first web appearance!

Aunt Margie's Perfect Pumpkin Bread with Chocolate Chips (and a Gluten-free note)
4 eggs, room temperature
1 c. vegetable oil
2 c. sugar
3 c. all-purpose flour (for Gluten-Free use Pamela's GF Baking Mix)
1 14 oz. can pure pumpkin puree
2 t. baking soda
2 t. cinnamon
1 t. Kosher Salt
12 oz. semisweet chocolate chips
Yields:
36 Cupcakes or Two 9x5 Loaves or One Bundt Cake or Lots o' Mini-Muffins (use mini-chips for these!)

1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease and prepare the pan depending on bundt cake, muffins or loaves.
2. In a mixing bowl combine eggs, oil and sugar. Then, add the pumpkin and mix well. In a separate bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Slowly add this to wet ingredients until totally combined.
3. Mix in the chocolate chips with a wooden spoon and pour batter into prepared pan.
4. Bake according to pan size as follows:
Cupcakes: Bake for 25 minutes Two 9x5 Loaf Pans: Bake for 45-50 minutes Mini-Muffins: Bake for 12-15 minutes Bundt Cake: Bake for 60 - 65 minutes
5. Once baking is complete allow cake to cool for 10 minutes in the pan. Then, remove it on to a wire rack to cool completely. Slice and serve.

Naptime Notes:
Naptime Recipe Props: If you don't like chocolate chips you can certainly omit them, or substitute nuts. I promise, everyone will love this is if you add it to a buffet or serve it at a dinner party. I love that the recipe is so versatile, it's perfect for anything from muffins to cakes. Making this batter while my daughter naps is a snap, plus it is a fun baking projects for kids in the kitchen.
Naptime Stopwatch: As you can see, making the batter takes 10 minutes at the most. After that, all the remains is baking time.
Naptime Reviews: One of our friends, who does not like pumpkin, declared this delicious. She appreciated that it is not over-spiced. The pumpkin flavor is pitch perfect and contrasts well with the chocolate chips.

Napping with Cake Batter: Ice Cream #10

My friend from high school, Sarah, is an ace ice-cream maker. I've been running some of my flavor ideas by her on Facebook and she always has helpful tips. When I ran the idea for Cake Batter Ice-Cream by her last month she pointed out that there was no need to reinvent the wheel. She already had developed one. I quickly put her recipe to the test and loved it from first bite. So, Sarah, thank you for sharing your recipe with everyone. You are the best!

Sarah's Cake Batter Ice-Cream
1 3/4 c. of heavy whipping cream
4 egg yolks
1 cup sugar
1 vanilla bean
16oz of full-fat plain yogurt-strained
2/3 cup of white vanilla cake mix

1. In sauce pan heat up heavy whipping cream with vanilla bean until just before boiling point. Remove vanilla bean and scrape seeds out.

2. In separate bowl mix egg yolks and sugar. Once cream has heated add a laddle of hot cream to mixture and mix. Return mixture to sauce pan and heat until custard forms [stir constantly].

3. Let custard cool. Add the yogurt to mixture and chill in freezer for approximately 1-2 hours.

4. In separate bowl sift cake mix.

5. Add chilled mixture to ice cream maker and follow manufacturer's instructions. Slowly add cake mix as ice cream is mixing. Freeze ice-cream for 4-6 hours or overnight. Serve.

Napping with a Lazy Daisy

I am a go-getter by nature. Maybe it is the Virgo in me, but laziness has never been a problem of mine. I love days when I wake up energized and am able to handily complete everything on my ambitious agenda, ending the evening with a long list of accomplishments. In my ideal world everyday would be like this, full of productivity and excitement. Unfortunately, however, no matter how hyper-organized I am, this is not the case. Some mornings I wake up exhausted with dark circles under my eyes from being up during the night with my daughter. At these moments my priorities flip from plowing through another lengthy to-do list, to parring down my daily schedule and conserving my energy. Thus, when it comes to planning our meals on these occasions, I head straight for my go-to binder that is chock-full of recipes for emergency meals and simple baked goods.


Last week my daughter woke me up at 5am, for the day. You can imagine my delight at hearing her call my name ("Momma, Momma") from her crib so early. Desperate for more shut eye I tried everything I could to soothe her back to sleep, but she wasn't interested. The sun was rising, the birds were chirping and she was ready to embrace the morning. Reluctantly, I made breakfast and set about our daily routine, albeit two hours earlier than usual. Finally, after my third cup of tea, the fog in my head slowly began to clear and my thoughts turned to the cake I needed to make for a dinner party that evening. I hadn't decided exactly what to bake yet, but it was clear I had to choose a recipe that was delicious yet practical. I simply didn't have the energy or patience to make anything involving multiple layers or decorative frosting.


After a quick perusal of my recipe file I plucked out one of my standby cake recipes, Great-Grandmother Pauline's Lazy Daisy Cake. This is one of my favorite cakes for many reasons, it is a cinch to make when my energy level is sapped, and it is absolutely delicious. Also, I think the rhyming title is fun to say out loud. Preparing this cake requires little more than basic stirring with a wooden spoon and bowl. On this particular day, after my daughter went down for her nap, I assembled the simple batter in less than six minutes and popped it in the oven. When the baking was complete I immediately added the topping, put it under the broiler for a short 30 seconds, and the cake was done. That evening everyone cleaned their plates while praising it's moist, tender crumb, intense vanilla flavor and sweet crunchy topping. Several people remarked that it must have taken me over an hour to make. I graciously accepted their compliments, without letting on that I had secret. The cake had taken so little time to prepare that, when it was finished baking, I had taken a nap, too.

Naptime's Lazy Daisy Cake
adapted from Great-Grandmother Pauline's recipe
1/2 c. whole milk
1 T. butter
1 t. vanilla
2 eggs
1 c. sugar
1 c. all-purpose flour
1 t. baking powder
1/4 t. salt

Topping (also known as 'German Frosting')
5 T. dark brown sugar
3 T. butter
3 T. cream
3/4 c. walnuts, chopped
1/2 c. sweetened shredded coconut (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 375. Butter and flour 9-inch round cake pan.
2. Heat milk, butter and vanilla in a sauce pan until butter is melted. Remove from heat.
3. In large, heatproof bowl, add combine sugar, flour, eggs, baking soda and salt.
4. Slowly add milk mixture to flour mixture, stirring constantly so as to temper the eggs.
5. Mix batter until fully combined with no lumps.
6. Pour into baking pan and bake for 20-25 minutes.
7. In a separate bowl combine butter, cream and brown sugar until fully combined. Add walnuts and mix until nuts are fully coated.
8. When cake is finished baking immediately put on walnut topping and spread it around until it completely covers the cake.
9. Switch the oven to broil and move the oven rack to the top.
10. Place cake on top rack and broil for 30 seconds or until nuts get dark.
11. Cool and serve.

Naptime Notes:
Naptime Recipe Props: The vanilla flavor of this cake is not overly sweet and contrasts nicely with the crunchy walnut topping. I like to serve it with ice-cream, but it would be good with fruit on the side. This recipe could also possibly make a nice layer cake, you could make two of the cakes and use the walnut frosting between the layers and on top.
Naptime Stopwatch: Making the batter took 6 minutes, the baking took 22, and the topping took 30 seconds. So, from start to finish, this cake takes less than 30 minutes to prepare. You can't beat that time frame.
Naptime Reviews: This sweet vanilla cake is always a hit with my family or crowds. You will hardly ever find a person who can't resist eating their entire serving.

Napping in the Rhubarb Patch

I was raised by two gardening fanatics. From a very early age I can remember my parent's spending hours rambling about our backyard pruning roses, staking peonies and scattering organic fertilizer in the ferns. When I was young I really didn't care much about their gardening activities, preferring instead to play on the swing-set next to the lilac tree. But now that I am older, and am feeding a family of my own, I have become more interested in their favorite pastime. When we visit my parent's nowadays my daughter and I spend time in their garden, walking between the flowers and vegetables pointing at curiosities like bumble bees and hummingbirds. Together we carefully clip flowers for the vases in the dining room and harvest sun-ripened heirloom tomatoes and peas for dinner. These seemingly mundane activities are fascinating for both of us, we simply stand in awe of the tasty delicacies that can be harvested in our own backyard. Naturally, as a result, after these trips I return to our apartment fantasizing about my dream garden. In my imagination I have already determined that I will grow zucchini, peas, carrots, tomatoes, sweet onions and eggplant. But, above all, I will grow my favorite, rhubarb.


My parent's have always had an enormous rhubarb patch in their garden. When we were young my mother made delicious baked goods from the fresh stalks almost weekly, priming our palates for a lifelong love of the vegetable. Our family's favorite was rhubarb fool, but we also adored her rhubarb crisp, rhubarb preserves, and, of course, strawberry-rhubarb pie. Luckily for me, a few years ago my mother gave me these recipes, along with her helpful notes in the margins. Since then I have made them all dozens of times, yet, despite my impressive cache of rhubarb recipes, I am always on the hunt for more.


My friend, and fellow rhubarb-addict, Barbara knew my history and guessed correctly that I would like this recipe for Rhubarb Almond Cake. It is has a delicious flavor, is child-friendly and takes a very short time to prepare. In fact, the preparation is so efficient that yesterday I Naptime Chef-ed the batter in just 5 minutes(!), leaving me the remaining two hours of my daughter's naptime to tackle other projects. I love this cake because the delicate almond flavor couples so nicely with the sweet-tart rhubarb. It has a tender, moist crumb and is perfect for pairing with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream, or, even better, fresh whipped cream. The best part is that this recipe is so flexible it defies seasonality. When rhubarb is not in season (or if you plain don't like it), you can substitute almost any chopped fresh fruit you want. In the past I have used apples, cranberries, blueberries, peaches, plums and blackberries. It is virtually fool-proof, you can't go wrong as long as you make sure the fruit isn't too watery, so it doesn't dilute the batter. Luckily for me I'll be heading back home soon to cut some more rhubarb from my parent's garden. I can hardly wait to get my hands on it, and to grow my own as well.

Naptime's Simple Rhubarb Almond Cake
-adapted from Barbara's recipe and Home Cooking by Laurie Colwin
1 c. sugar, plus more for sprinkling
1 c. all-purpose flour, sifted
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 eggs
1 t. pure almond extract
1 1/4 c. chopped rhubarb in 1-inch chunks or smaller (or any other fruit)

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Butter and flour 9-inch cake pan.
3. Scatter fruit evenly on the bottom of the pan and set aside.
4. Mix first five ingredients in a large bowl until fully combined.
5. Pour batter over fruit in the cake pan and sprinkle top lightly with sugar, this will make a nice crust.
6. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean.

Naptime Notes:
Naptime Recipe Props: I don't know if there is a simpler cake in the whole world. It is delicious everytime, no matter what fruit you use. It is also a great way to use up fruit that you have in your kitchen, nobody will protest when it is put into a cake!
Naptime Stopwatch: The batter of this cake takes about 5 minutes to prepare and about 40 minutes to bake. It is very efficient to make and requires only the easiest of stirring.
Naptime Reviews: My daughter loves this cake and can't get enough of it. Everyone I have served it to loves it as well, it perfect for a summer luncheon menu, or at a cookout.