FONDANT AU CHOCOLAT: MELTED CHOCOLATE CAKE + WALNUTS

This fondant (melted, in French) is so easy to make, keeps well overnight so it's perfect to make ahead if you're serving it at a party, and - most importantly - it's unbelievably delicious! No need for special ingredients other than the very best dark chocolate you can get, no complicated techniques, no gadgets needed other than a whisk or a spoon, and takes no more than 45 min. from start to finish (once you have all the ingredients lined up... mise en place)!

In all the years I've made this cake, I can't believe I haven't photographed it until now. Enjoy!

FONDANT AU CHOCOLAT: MELTED CHOCOLATE CAKE + WALNUTS

makes: 1 8 in. cake, 6-8 servings

- 3/4 cup sugar

- 2/3 cup water

- 6 oz. dark chocolate, roughly chopped (I usually use 55%-65% Valrhona)

- 3/4 cup butter, diced

- 2 eggs, lightly beaten

- 1/2 cup AP flour

- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (or any other nuts, or none if you want a plain cake)

Confectioner's sugar for dusting (optional)

1. Combine the sugar with the water in a medium saucepan and heat until it simmers and the sugar is dissolved. Don't boil the sugar and water mixture! Add the chocolate and stir until melted. Add the butter and stir until melted. Remove from heat and let it cool for a few minutes while you prep the next steps. 
2. Put a deep baking sheet (or an oven-proof pan large enough to hold the cake pan) in the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven (with the baking sheet/pan in it) to 350F/180C. Grease an 8 in. cake pan with butter and line the bottom with parchment paper; lightly brush the parchment with butter. Boil 2-3 cups water.
3. Add the lightly beaten eggs into the chocolate mixture and whisk until mixed well. Mix in the flour and chopped walnuts (or whatever nuts you're using, if any). Pour the batter into the greased cake pan, set the pan on the rimmed baking sheet in the oven, and pour hot water into the rimmed baking sheet until it reaches a depth of 1/2 in. or so.
4. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the center is firm (but not too firm or else the sides will be overcooked). Let it cool for a while before turning it out onto a serving plate, and let it cool completely before dusting with confectioner's sugar.
5. Serve as is with coffee, or with whipped cream (the cake is sweet enough that we like it with unsweetened whipped cream). Or if you have an impossibly sweet tooth: serve with vanilla ice-cream.

EASY PUMPKIN PECAN CAKE (AND A CHURCH WITH A STORIED PAST)

This is an easy cake full of autumn flavours... the warm spices, buttery pecans, and gorgeous pumpkin colour make it irresistible! It takes almost no time to prep and makes the kitchen smell *amazing*! You can use walnuts or almonds instead of pecans.

Pecans are native to the US and Mexico, and are the only type of tree nut that grows naturally in the US. The thin-shelled variety that we all know and enjoy was developed in the mid-1800s by an obviously brilliant slave gardener in Louisiana, using grafts from a wild pecan variety with large, thin-shelled nuts. Pecan trees with large and small nuts are very commonly seen throughout the Louisiana countryside, even in parking lots! Free pecan picking!

I used Louisiana pecans that came from the tree in the photo below. I was back in  western Louisiana for a few days and went to one of my favourite places: the St. Augustine Catholic Church (behind the tree). It's a small church in Isle Brevelle, LA, a small town - mostly  Creole community - of descendants of French and Spanish colonials, Africans, Native Americans, and Anglo-Americans. The area is calm and extremely beautiful with tree-lined roads winding along the Cane River. The church was established by Nicolas Augustin Metoyer, a freed slave and son of former slave Marie Thérèse Coincoin (read more about her here), and is the first church built by and for free people of colour in Louisiana. After being freed, the Metoyer family went on to own their own plantation - now known as Melrose Plantation - and the church is on land that was then a part of the Metoyers' plantation. Behind the church is a cemetery with headstones dating back to the 1800s, and a handful of recurring last names including Metoyer.

The parking lot is lined with several mature pecan trees and pecan season is October through December. In November, I was in luck! There were pecans all over the ground under the trees... I enjoyed a lot of them while walking around near the river, and brought a lot back to CA. Something local, something natural, something edible: my favourite type of souvenir!

 

Easy Pumpkin Pecan Cake

makes: 12-14 servings

- 1 cup oil (any neutral oil: safflower, grapeseed, or other)

- 3 eggs

- 1 (15 oz.) can pumpkin puree (or 1-3/4 cups pureed roasted pumpkin)

- 1 tbsp. vanilla extract

- 2 cups sugar (I use demerara but any sugar will do)

- 2-1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

- 1 teaspoon baking soda 

- 2 tsp. apple pie spice (or an equal parts mix of allspice, nutmeg, cinnamon)

- 1/4 teaspoon salt

- 1/2 cup coarsely chopped raw pecans

1. Preheat oven to 350 F / 175 C. Grease one 10-in. bundt pan (or any other cake pan).
2. In a large bowl, cream together the oil, beaten eggs, pumpkin and vanilla. Sift the flour, sugar, baking soda, apple pie spice, and salt together.
3. Add the flour mixture to the pumpkin mixture and mix until just combined. Stir in the pecans and pour the batter into the prepared pan.
4. Bake for 55 min. to 1 hour, or until a tester (I use a bbq skewer) inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan for 5 minutes then turn out onto a plate and dust with confectioners sugar.
5. Serve plain or with ice-cream, whipped cream, or warm custard.

CARAMELISED PEAR UPSIDE DOWN CAKE

Barely adapted from here.

Caramelised Pear Upside Down Cake

makes: 8 servings

Caramel topping:

- 6 tbsp. (3/4 stick) salted or unsalted butter
- 2/3 cup sugar (I use Turbinado for everything but any sugar will do)
- 2 large pears, peeled, cored, sliced into 1/4 in. thick slices

Cake:

- 1-1/3 cups AP (all purpose) flour
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 2 tbsp. grated fresh ginger
- 1-1/2 tsp. powdered cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp. powdered nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp. powdered allspice
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 cup safflower oil (or any other neutral oil) 

- 1 tbsp. vanilla extract
- 1 cup coarsely chopped pears 

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease the sides of a 9 in. springform pan. 
2. Make the topping: Melt the butter and sugar and pour into the greased springform pan. Working quickly, arrange the pear slices on the sugar, overlapping each slice over the previous. 
3. Make the cake: Whisk the flour, sugar, ginger, spices, baking soda, and salt in medium bowl to blend. Whisk the eggs, oil, and vanilla extract in a large bowl to blend. Mix in the chopped pears. Mix dry ingredients into the egg mixture to make a batter. 
4. Pour the batter over the pears in the prepared springform pan and bake the cake until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 35 minutes. If the cake is not done yet, let it bake for another 5 minutes and test. 
5. Cool the cake in the pan for 15-20 minutes. Remove the springform side of the pan. Put a plate on the cake and invert the cake onto the plate. Serve warm, with or without vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

MOIST CHOCOLATE BANANA CUPCAKES

There isn't a whole lot to say about this recipe... except that it's fantastic! I adapted it from a recipe on the Joy of Baking website (link below, just before the recipe). I used a vanilla frosting, but the one on the website sounds delicious, and as are most recipes on the website, it's very manageable. Although this recipe says it's for cupcakes, it's my go-to recipe for a moist, delicious chocolate cake. This recipe makes one 8 in. round cake.

The hot water makes a difference because it activates the cocoa and draws out the chocolate-y flavour without being over-bearing. Also, butter, olive oil, or coconut oil are really the only fats I use for baking. Generally, if a recipe calls for oil, I use olive oil. I always have it at hand, and it's got natural emulsifiers that results in cakes with a moist crumb even after refrigeration. And no, you won't get an olive oil flavour in your cake at all.

I used *very* ripe bananas for the best flavour. Really ripe. Blackened skin ripe. Blackened skin, soft to the touch ripe. But really, even if your bananas have lots of black spots on them, they're fine to use. Don't bother using unripe bananas... won't work.

Moist Chocolate Banana Cupcakes

Servings: 12 regular cupcakes, 24 mini cupcakes

Adapted from this recipe.

**See Notes for additional information on sugar, oil, and eggs**

- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup demerara sugar

- 1/3 cup cocoa powder, unsweetened regular or Dutch-processed

- 3/4 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 large egg
- 2 medium sized ripe bananas, mashed
- 1/2 cup hot water, not boiling
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 3/4 tsp vanilla extract

- 3/4 tsp almond extract (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 F/180 C.

2. Line 12 regular or 24 mini muffin cups with paper liners, butter each cup, or spray with your favourite non-stick vegetable spray.
3. In a large bowl mix well the dry ingredients - sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
4. In another large bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients except hot water - eggs, mashed banana, milk, oil, vanilla extract and almond extract if using.

5. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir or whisk until combined.

6. Add the hot water and mix. The batter will be quite thin but don't worry it's fine.

7. Pour or spoon the batter into the muffin cups no more than 3/4 full, and bake for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean.
8. Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack.

9. Frost with your favourite frosting - or serve plain with a side of whipped cream or ice cream.

Notes:

1. I always use demerara sugar, but you can also use any other unprocessed sugar like evaporated cane juice. White granulated sugar is heavily processed and I don't recommend it for anything but use it if you must.

2. Olive oil has natural emulsifiers that make cakes moister and softer, so I like using olive oil for baking rather than any other oils. Also, that's really the only oil I always have at hand.

3. I use organic free-range eggs for eating and baking but any eggs will do.

ORANGE CAKE

Orange Cake

makes: 1 loaf (9 inch pan)

Cake:

- 1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened

- 3/4 cup sugar
- 2 eggs

- 1/2 cup orange juice
- 2 tbsp. water or Cointreau (or other orange liqueur)
- 2 tsp. orange zest
- 1 tsp. almond extract

- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1-1/4 cups cake flour
- 1-3/4 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. salt

Whipped Cream Frosting:

- 1 cup heavy whipping cream

- 1/2 - 3/4 cup granulated or confectioner's sugar (not Demerara)

- 1 tsp. vanilla or orange extract  
Optional

- 1 tbsp. Cointreau (or other orange liqueur)

Cake:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F/175 C.

2. In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar.

3. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

4. Add the orange juice, Cointreau (or other orange liqueur or water), orange zest, and almond and vanilla extracts. Mix well.

5. In another bowl, combine the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder and salt.

6. Add the dry ingredients to creamed mixture. Beat for 2 minutes - resist the temptation to overmix!

7. Pour into a greased and floured 9-inch loaf pan.

8. Bake at 350° for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.

9. Remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

Whipped Cream Frosting: 

1. Whip the cream on a medium-low speed (3 on a hand-held mixer) for 2 minutes or until it thickens slightly.
2. Add half of the sugar and increase the speed to high (4 or 5 on a hand-held mixer) for 2-3 minutes.
3. Add the rest of the sugar, vanilla or orange extract, and Cointreau (if using).
4. Whip on high until the cream is thick and holds soft-firm peaks.

Frost the Cake: 
1. Trim the top of the cake to make a flat surface. Cut the cake in half and brush off crumbs from the sides and the halved surfaces.
2. Spread a layer of the frosting on the bottom half of the cake and place the top half (cut side on the frosting).
3. Spread a thin layer of frosting on all sides and the top. This is the crumb coat that helps keep the crumbs in place and off the rest of the frosting.
4. Finish frosting the cake with the rest of the frosting.
5. Decorate with a dusting of cocoa or fruits or both.

Notes: 
1. This recipe makes a cake with a more pound cake like texture rather than a soft spongy crumb.
2. Next time I bake this, before filling the cake with frosting I will brush the cut surface of each cake half with orange juice or a mixture of orange juice and Cointreau for a more moist cake.