TWD: Blueberry Crumb Cake

Breakfast anyone? Brunch, snack, dessert, midnight snack?

This week's Tuesday with Dorie recipe is Blueberry Crumb Cake! And it's good anytime of day for any reason.





I was a little worried that it was going to turn out purple. Did anyone else have this problem. I knew it would still taste good, but still. Dorie's wasn't blue. Hers was perfect cake color. I think I know what happened. I used frozen blueberries and didn't thaw them, as Dorie instructed. I tossed them with flour and let them sit while I finished the rest of the cake. Maybe I'm too slow of a baker, because I think the condensation from the blueberries thawing while sitting and waiting their turn is the reason they colored the batter. Next time, I'll either use fresh blueberries (if they look good) or I'll prepare the blueberries right before I add them to the batter. In any event, no harm done.




Fresh out of the oven! I baked this this morning and couldn't wait to have a piece for breakfast. The house smelled of homebaked heavenly goodness while the cake baked.



So it turned out delicious and it doesn't look as bad as I feared. The cake part isn't as white as Dorie's, but at least it's not purple! It's just a little dingy.

Dorie scores another point for winning recipe! We have Sihan of Befuddlement to thank for picking this week's recipe. If you've liked what you've seen here on my blog and you don't own the book, Baking: From my Home to Yours, consider buying it. It's a treasure trove of baked goodies. You can also find the recipe at Sihan's blog. See what the other TWD bakers are baking here. There are about 250 talented bakers in this group!

TWD: It's a twofer!

French Yogurt Cake with Marmalade Glaze...



...is this week's TWD recipe. Dorie describes it as a cross between pound cake and sponge cake. I knew I was going to like it instantly. One of my favorite childhood memories is winning a pound cake in a cake walk at our school fair when I was seven. Between the excitement of winning, the anticipation of getting home to taste my prize and the simple, sweet flavor, well, I've been a pound cake lover ever since.



This cake is simplicity at its best. All you need is two bowls, a loaf pan, a whisk and a spatula. Oh and measuring cups. It's made with plain yogurt and canola oil, which makes for a very moist cake. I added some ground almonds which is optional. I like the added texture it created. And my top crust was a little crispy making a nice contrast to the moistness of the cake.

The recipe calls for a lemon marmalade glaze. I know I would love this, if only I could find lemon marmalade. I went to a specialty food store, but no luck. So instead I bought a French Pear Fruit Spread. Not the same thing, I know, but it sounded interesting and it was french, imported from France. It was good, but I know being the lemon cake lover that I am, I would prefer lemon. So the next time I make this (and there will be a next time!), I'll make a simple lemon glaze with powdered sugar and lemon juice. At least until I stumble upon some lemon marmalade. The cake would also be delicious with raspberry sauce drizzled over it just before serving and whipped cream. Yum!




Thanks to Liliana of My Cookbook Addiction for choosing this week's recipe. You can find the recipe on her blog and of course in the baking bible from which it came.

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I've been MIA the past few weeks due to internet connection problems and travelling. But I'm back and eager to get back to the baking!

The day I started having problems with my internet connection was the day I was going to post about the Devil's Food White Out Cake. I made it, I just didn't get to post about it in time.



This was another delicious cake. I was a little worried about it because one of the other baker's had referred to the frosting as a meringue, which I don't care for. But I found it to be more of a marshmallow-y frosting. All of my life I have disliked marshmallows, until my recent discovery that I like homemade marshmallows, but not store-bought. What can I say? I guess I have refined tastebuds.



I loved the combination of the light, marshmallow-y frosting pared with the rich, devil's food cake. When I first saw the picture of the cake in the book, I thought it was covered by oreo cookies or crushed chocolate wafers, but it was a layer of the cake crumbled! Genius.


I owe thanks to Stephanie of Confessions of a City Eater for choosing this recipe, and of course, Dorie for creating it.

Next week's recipe: Blueberry Crumb Cake!

TWD: Fresh Ginger and Chocolate Gingerbread

have to start implementing better planning for TWD. As it is, I've been leaving it for the day before and then something gets scheduled and I don't feel like baking at the end of the day. This is why I missed last week. I had all of the ingredients too. Here I am again, posting last minute. So that will be a goal for the new year. To start baking the weekly selections ahead of time, leaving me plenty of time to post about it.





I have to admit that I wasn't overly excited about this week's selection. I'm not a huge fan of gingerbread, although I am a fan of ginger. Love it! Gingerbread cookies are okay, but I can easily pass them by. But I already missed last week and I don't want to get too far behind, so on with the show.

I was really surprised at how light the batter was. It was like whipped cream - smooth, light & fluffy.

And the end result wasn't any different. Very light and moist. Oh, and chocolate + gingerbread = yum. I really like this cake. It was very easy to make too. Dorie, I will never doubt you again.

We can thank Heather of Sherry Trifle for this week's selection. And to think I almost passed on this one. Thanks Heather! You can find the recipe on her site and on p. 212 in The Book. Read about what other bloggers are doing here.



Next week: World Peace Cookies