Sunday, February 18, 2018

More Goodies From Rosie - A Trifling Affair.

About the only culinary item of consequence (meaning deliciousness)
to come from England is the trifle.
And there is nothing trifling about it.




By definition, the English trifle is a dessert made with layers of sponge cake soaked in sherry, fruits, and custard.  It may be topped with whipped cream.  It is, simply, divine.

Today, Rosie is making "moreovers."  Remember, she doesn't do "leftovers."  She takes what's left and makes something that's more than the sum of its parts.  I'm making Moreover Trifle today.  Just because I can.  I had a poundish-type, orange-flavored cake which the Hawthornes had been enjoying for a few days and I wanted something different.  Something more.  Hence, the Moreover Trifle.  I'm taking the rest of my cake, cutting it into cubes, and layering it with a quick, no-fuss caramel sauce and whipped cream.  Score!


This is Rosie's Orange Bundt Cake.  I wouldn't call it a pound cake, but it comes close.  Typically, a pound cake is a type of cake made with a pound each of flour, butter, eggs, and sugar.  My cake doesn't meet those specs, but the texture is similar to a pound cake.  I also amped it up a bit by poking holes in the cake and drizzling a rum glaze over it.  Now, a Bundt cake doesn't refer to a specific type of cake.  It refers to the actual pan the cake is cooked in.  All Bundt pans have a hole in the center and they generally come in various designs so that the cake is decorative in and of  itself and doesn't require any additional decoration, like frosting, which would hide the complex detail of the pan. 

Whatever you call it, 'twas good!

 Rosie's Orange Bundt Cake
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups cake flour
3/4 tsp kosher salt
2 tsp baking powder
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
2 1/2 cups sugar
3 eggs, room temperature
3/4 cup whole milk Greek yogurt
1/6 cup skim milk
1/6 cup heavy cream
zest of one orange
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
1 TB vanilla

Heat oven to 350°.

Grease bundt pan with Crisco, then lightly flour.

In a medium bowl, sift together, flours, salt, and baking powder.

In mixing bowl fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter.  Gradually beat in sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy.  Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well and scraping down sides of bowl. 

In another bowl, whisk together yogurt, milk, cream, orange juice and zest, and vanilla.

Add 1/3 dry ingredients to mixing bowl on low speed.  Mix until almost incorporated.  Add 1/2 of yogurt mixture and combine.  Repeat with another 1/3 of dry, then remaining yogurt mixture, and ending with dry ingredients.  Scrape down sides of bowl as needed.  Mix until just incorporated.  Be careful not to overmix.

Pour batter into prepared bundt pan and bake approximately 65 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.

Remove from oven and let cool on wire rack for 15-20 minutes. then invert onto serving platter. 

Optional rum glaze:
1/2 stick unsalted butter
1/2 cup sugar
4 TB rum
Melt butter and sugar.  Pour in rum.
Stick inverted cake with skewer and slowly pour rum glaze over top, letting it soak down into the holes.

 And, for the step-by-steps:
 Sift dry ingredients.

 Whisk yogurt mixture.

Have everything ready at hand.
Butter and sugar are beating in the mixer.
To get eggs to room temperature in a hurry, set in a bowl of warm water.

 Pour batter into prepared bundt pan and spread evenly over top.

 Bake.

 Skewer the inverted cake and...

... pour the rum glaze over it.

 Ahhhh...

 
Very nice texture and crumb.
Lovely orange flavor.
Hint of rum every now and then.

This cake is fine just as is, but, like I said, I'm going for "Moreovers."
We ate the cake down to the last quarter, then I wanted something MORE.
I decided to cut the cake into cubes, whup up some cream, make a non-fussy caramel, and then layer it all in a parfait glass.

For the whipped cream:
I always chill my bowl and beaters before whipping cream.  Just set them in freezer for a few minutes.  The cream whips better when everything is chilled.  Beat about 1 cup whipping cream until thickened.  Whup in a few tablespoons of sugar (Taste test!)  and a couple teaspoons of vanilla.  Whip until thickened.

Most caramels require diligence while making.  One must stand over the melting sugar and patiently watch it until it turns the perfect amber color.  Not so this caramel.  This is a quick, mix-and-go caramel and no flavor is lost in the process.

Rosie's Quick, No-Fuss Caramel Sauce 
1/2 stick unsalted butter
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tsp vanilla
Melt butter and brown sugar over medium low heat.
Whisk in cream and vanilla until smooth.
Done.

Assembly:
Find some pretty parfait glasses (Wine or champagne glasses work just fine.) and start layering cake cubes, a drizzle of caramel, and the whipped cream, and the caramel and the cake and the whipped cream...  You get the picture.



Here are my cake cubes, whipped cream, and caramel sauce.


 Plop.  Spoon.  Drizzle.  Layer.  Repeat.










Got leftover crumbs?
Not a problem.

Enjoy!




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