Lemon Bundt Cake with Chocolate Glaze and Candied Lemon Wannabe

Found the recipe.  It's from foodnetwork, Giada De Laurentiis' recipe collections.
This cake recipe was found just in time to use all the wonderful fresh lemons my co-worker gave me.  And I find it interesting to add candied lemons.

 

My kitchen temperature is 61'F.  Butter is not getting creamed.

 

Depending on your kitchen's temperature, your butter mixture may have a difficulty creaming.  Tip:  Take a small amount of butter - 1/4 C mixture into a microwaveable bowl.  Microwave it just enough to soften, but not melted.  Add it back into the mixer bowl.  And continue beating.  The warmth from the softened butter mixture would help the grainy sugar blend in more with butter resulting in smooth creamy butter batter.

 

After adding the cake batter into Bundt cake mold, smooth out the top, and tap the cake mold on a cushion to help release some trapped air in the batter.

 

While the cake is baking, make the chocolate glaze.

 

This recipe was found in foodnetwork's cake recipe collection.  I made a couple of modifications to meet my kitchen requirements. 

 http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/lemon-bundt-cake-with-chocolate-glaze-and-candied-lemon.html

Recipe courtesy of Giada De Laurentiis

Ingredients :

Candied Lemon:
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups water
2 lemons, sliced into 1/4-inch-thick rounds

Cake:
Nonstick vegetable oil spray
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups sugar
4 eggs, room temperature
1 cup Sourcream, room temperature    << Modified from yogurt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Zest of 2 lemons
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon fine salt

Chocolate Glaze:
1/2 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup whipping cream

Directions

For the candied lemon: Combine the sugar and water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Add the chopped lemon and simmer until tender, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to drain. Let cool to room temperature, about 15 minutes. Set aside.

For the cake

* Flour shifting modification from the original recipe:  Sift Flour 3 times and then measure our 3 cups of flour.  Add baking powder, baking soda and salt and shift again 3 times.  Set aside.   

In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or using a hand mixer, beat together the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

However, if your kitchen is as cold as mine in the winter – about 61’F, the butter remains likely in solid state even after a good mixing.  

TIP:

Take a ¼ Cup of the butter and sugar mixture out and microwave it to “SOFTEN”.  DO NOT MELT.   Then, return it to the mixer to continue mixing.  A slight rise in the butter mixture would help in smoothing out the rest of the butter and change the texture into silky smoothness.

Mix in the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. On low speed, slowly add the Sourcream and the vanilla. Stop the mixer, add the lemon zest and juice, and mix to incorporate. The batter mixture might look curdling.  Keep mixing, it will become smooth.

Preheat the oven to 350’F..

(Original recipe direction in mixing in flour - With the mixer on low, add the flour, one cup at a time, until combined.  Finally, add the baking powder, baking soda and salt. Raise to medium speed and mix for 1 minute, until the batter is fluffy and smooth. )

<< 

Stop the mixer and Fold the Flour into the mixture to prevent gluten development.

Mix in the chopped candied lemons.

If you have an aluminum Bundt Cake pan prepare it as usual with oil/greasing and flouring.  If you have a Teflon coated 'dark' surface Bundt cake pan, I don't recommend greasing and or flouring it.

With a spatula or wooden spoon, transfer the batter to the prepared Bundt pan and smooth out the top.  Tap the cake mold to release trapped air in the batter.  Set the pan on the middle rack of the oven and bake until golden and a cake tester comes out clean, about 50 minutes. Let the cake cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes before turning it out onto a plate. 

If greased and or floured Teflon cake mold is used, be watchful for the browning before the baking time is up.

Slide sturdy plastic knife all around to loosen the cake.

For the glaze: Place the chocolate chips in a medium bowl. Bring the cream to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Once bubbles have formed around the edges of the cream, pour it over the chocolate. Whisk the cream and chocolate together until smooth. (Optional:  Add a teaspoon of heavy corn syrup) Pour the glaze over the Bundt cake, using a spatula or spoon to push the glaze down the sides and center of the cake.

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/lemon-bundt-cake-with-chocolate-glaze-and-candied-lemon.html?oc=linkback

 The candied lemon gives an interesting burst of tangy taste.

Best Holiday Biscotti

Another great holiday Biscotti that I can always trust on for its best turnout.   Actually, this Biscotti is good for/with dipping in coffee, tea, hot chocolate, milk any time of the year.

The recipe can be found at:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/holiday-biscotti-recipe4.html
Chopped pistachio, chopped raisins, drained and dried overnight maraschino cherries-chopped.

 

After making the initial form of the dough between a saranwrap, transfer the dough on silipad on baking sheet.  Use your outer edges of your palms to form / mold the edges of the doughs to 'round' corner.

While they are still quite warm, about 3 minutes after coming out of the oven, transfer to a cutting board, use a 'sharp' serrated knife slice them.  Slice down evenly with blade moving horizontally back and forth.  Let the serrated edges do the work of slicing to prevent crumbling.

Place them side ways in the baking sheet and bake again.    Follow the recipe link's instruction above

If you do not want them baked dry crisp, then, serve them as is.

Homemade Fried Blooming Onion Flower - a flop!

Wow, I found this homemade fried blooming onion flower recipe, and I thought "Awesome!"  .... sadly mine turned out.... disappointing.  And of course, it has to do with my equipment, and also likely I was not following the direction totally.... as I lost the instruction part of the recipe and tring to do it through memory and my own frying experience of know how.   Anyways, ...
A few years ago, I tried to make one and flooded the mini-size electric fryer for the French fries.   I didn't 'think' that the oil would overflow out of the deep fryer as you drop down the battered onion flower.
This particular post is about my flopped fried blooming onion flower and what not to do and how I aim to do it better the next time.  Of course, follow the instruction will be a good advice fro myself.
I won't list the ingredients, as this is a flop and rather a troubleshooting blog.

1.  The instruction says to slice the onions open without cutting through the bottom.

2.  Coat/dust the onion flower in a bag filled with seasoning.
3.  Dip it in beaten egg mixture with seasonings in it.
4.  Dust with flour mixture again

 Open up the slices a bit and make sure the seasoned flours are in each layer.   Now I know, the original recipe says to put in a bag with flour and shake it.

5.   Dip in egg mixture again, then, refrigerate for 30 minutes.
6.   I placed it in a basket to ready to lower it into hot frying oil

 So far so good.  I added enough EVOO up to the marked MAX oil point in my fryer pot I use for Tempura frying.
But looks loke it could use a bit more oil, but that's okay, as I would turn the onion over in a few minutes.

7.  Turn it over after 7 minutes   (...after thought... obviously this is not long enough or the heat is not high enough 'Dry' or cook the onion through in the center.  The oiriginal instruction says medium high heat ... about 400'F.)

 6.  Fry for another 7 minutes   (... after thought... obviously this is not long enough also)

 7.   Transfer to a serving plate with 'tempura oil extracting sheet' that you can purchase or paper towel to catch excess oil.

 7.  Pry open and serve with your favorite dipping sauce.

So, why is this a flop?   I didn't like the taste of the onion.  They were still quite moist or 'wet'.   I was looking for a dryer crisper texture, I guess.

My method for next time would be - oven method?  and I don't know the measurement, yet, until I test it.
1.  Slice the onion without cutting through at the bottom.
2.  Place the onion in a large bowl of ice to flower it.
3.  Once the onion flower it, remove and turn it upside down in a strainer to strain the excess water.
4.  Beat the egg with milk or buttermilk plus some cornstarch.  Plus EVOO.  Add seasonings and spices.
5.  Coat/dust the onion layers lightly with flour using a shifter.   Because onion layer is slippery, the dusted flour will help egg mixtures to cling on.  Place the onion in a large plate with rim like a large soup bowl.
Preheat the oven to 425'F
6.  Pour egg mixtures evenly over the top of onion in a circular motion.
7.  Transfer the readied onion onto a baking sheet.
8.  Bake till brown.
Will it work?   I have no idea.   I am sure other bloggers have already mastered it, but may be this is another one of the snacks that should be enjoyed at the restaurant..... but it is such a low cost snack to make at home.... will see, how it will turn out, and I will report back on its result.