citrus cake - iron chef : battle citrus

My friend Heather has continued her tradition, which she started in Chicago, of coordinating a little "Iron Chef" battle between friends. It's a fun event, that has been made a little more intense recently by the addition of multiple professional chefs to this challenge. I'm generally not a competitive person, well not with others anyway, but this challenge brings out that spirit in me, which with chefs in the running, I'm not sure is  the best for my self-esteem...

This time around the event was hosted in a professional kitchen, thanks to the many "real chefs" who join in on the fun, and it was a lot of fun to finally cook in that environment. Though the equipment was a little foreign to me (how do you turn on that oven??), I hope we get to go back and perhaps I'll feel a little more comfortable using it all (hello professional deep fryer, large Wolf stove and grill!)

The battle this time, named by the previous winner, was citrus, and you know what, I copped out a little. just a little. I've had this cake on my mind for what seems like years, though it was months I'm sure. It's probably one of the most gorgeous cakes I've seen (and made). I just had to give it a try and this felt like the right opportunity, being a citrus battle and all.

Inspired by Stella McCartney's citrus prints, I first spotted this cake at Apollinas, or maybe it was all over pinterest, but when Estelle gave it a go, I was inspired even further... (and totally used her tip on chilling that cake after filling it, thanks Estelle, it worked beautifully)!

So, without further ado, here is my entry into Battle Citrus: the Stella McCartney inspired Citrus Cake. YUM! (which, by the way got 3rd place, under some pretty crazy good fried chicken & lemonade... I mean come on, how can you beat that??)

Citrus Cake

inspired by Apollinas, recipe adapted from here

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for the pans 

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled, plus more for the pans 

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 

1/4 teaspoon baking soda 

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 

1 1/2 cups sugar 

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 

3 large eggs, at room temperature 

1 cup whole milk

lemon curd (see below)

lemon frosting (see below)

slices of citrus fruit (oranges, lemons, limes, blood oranges, etc), for decorating

fresh mint, for decorating

 Heat oven to 350°F. Butter two 9-inch round cake pans, line the bottoms with parchment, butter again, and dust with flour, tapping out the excess. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar on medium-high until fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Beat in the vanilla, then the eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.

Reduce mixer speed to low. Add the flour mixture in 3 additions and the milk in 2 additions, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Mix just until combined (do not overmix).

Transfer the batter to the prepared pans and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 22 to 25 minutes. Cool the cakes in the pans for 15 minutes, then turn out onto racks to cool completely.

Transfer one of the cooled cakes to a plate and spread with 1 cup of the lemon curd. Top with the remaining cake and refrigerate to set, 30 minutes. Some of the curd may have spilled out of the sides. If so, either gently scoop up and back into the filling or remove. Spread the top and sides with the frosting. Decorate with slices of citrus (lemons, limes, blood oranges, or grapefruit) and fresh mint leaves.

lemon curd 

4 large eggs 

1 cup sugar 

1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest 

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces 

In a heatproof bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, lemon zest and juice, and salt. Add the butter. Set the bowl over (not in) a saucepan of simmering water and cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture has thickened to the consistency of mayonnaise, 12 to 15 minutes.

Pour the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a medium bowl. Place a piece of parchment or wax paper directly on the surface of the lemon curd and refrigerate until completely cool, at least 2 hours and up to 2 days.

lemon frosting 

2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature 

2 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest 

1 pound confectioners’ sugar (about 3 3/4 cups), sifted

Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and lemon zest on high until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Reduce mixer speed to low. Gradually add the sugar, then the salt, and beat until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.

11 for 2011

It's that time again. Time to look back quickly over the past year and filter out for you my most favorite recipes of 2011. I've sorted, thought, wondered, and finally come up with the top 11, for 2011, of course. These are, to me, the most delicious, must make agains, and while it's always a hard choice, as I'm already fairly selective on what I post, I think I've done a good job, and with a good amount of diversity too!

green lentil soup

 vegetarian tostadas

 oven roasted dungeness crab

baked chicken meatballs with pepperonata

 homemade nutella

churros!

mini cherry cordial cupcakes

pasta caprese (w. fresh pasta & slow roasted tomatoes)

roasted acorn squash + candied lemon zest salad

salted bourbon caramels

ina's irish soda bread

Also, check out my favorites from 2010 and 2009.

2011 was pretty groundbreaking on the personal side too... ever so quickly, maybe too quickly...
We traveled a ton (skied in Tahoe, ate in Portland, reminisced in Chicago), got to know Northern California a little better (drank in Wine Country, ate oysters and cheese in Tomales Bay/ Point Reyes, relaxed in Carmel), got ENGAGED!, met best baby ever (Brayden), saw some best friends get MARRIED (Abbie + Mike), and generally ate a lot of great food, saw a lot of great sites, relaxed, laid low, read, sang, danced, and had a great 2011 in the bay area.

holidays 2011

As always, the holidays passed by much to quickly this year. With almost 2 weeks off work, I was able to pack a lot in, but with minimal time to record it all. So here is a quick glimpse at holiday season 2011, according to my iphone.

A few days in NC pre-Christmas made everything feel just right, especially our colorful tree in the corner with my grandmother's hand-crocheted snowflakes, cat fur on my new pj's, presents under the tree, spending time with my family, lots of meals out, all that...

 

a hop up to unsnowy Minnesota for nearly a week was a great time with my soon-to-be family. With a houseful of colds keeping us in (for once, not the weather), we mostly stayed in playing bored games until we were bored, doing puzzles, drinking wine, cooking  up a storm, with a fire or two in the background. We did make it out for the annual trip to see the British Commercial Awards at the Walker, and while there I fell hard for this crazy beaded masterpiece... can you even imagine all the work?

back to California, I dressed in my beaded best for a quiet (and super delicious) New Year's Eve with Kevin at Frances... I'd been dying to go, and it definitely lived up to the hype on both food and service. I also fell hard for the decor there, and not one to usually pull out my phone at dinner, I had to snap a picture of the front nook. With the simple garland draped around the windows, I think I have inspiration for next Christmas already!

Finally, a New Year's Day feast of homemade cavatelli and sauce... and a quiet night at home. Can't complain. 2012 is looking good!

I  hope your holidays were as fantastic as mine. Here is to an amazing 2012! With loads of excitement in store (i.e. the wedding), I can barely contain myself... Cheers!