Rose and Cardamom Cake

 

For many years roses have been associated with love, and that is never more apparent than on Valentine’s Day.

Roses have been cultivated as ornamental plants in the Mediterranean, China, and Persia as far back as 500 BC.  Today there are many thousands of hybrids and cultivars, most of which are prized for their showy petals and fragrance.

In addition to their decorative qualities, these flowers can also be used in food.  Historically, roses bore a red fruit called a rose hip, which has been bred out of many modern cultivars.  Rose hips are commonly used to make herbal tea, soup, jelly, soft drinks, and alcoholic beverages; they are especially prized for their high vitamin C content.  Rose petals are also used in food—when I was traveling in India a decade ago, one of my hosts served me rose petal jam with breakfast.  The petals can also be used in or as a decoration for cakes, cookies, ice creams, and chocolates.

Rose flavors and scents can be extracted for a delicate addition to food.  Rose oil, also known as attar of roses, is steam-distilled from crushed petals in an ancient Persian technique.  It takes approximately 2000 roses to produce one gram of oil.  Rose oil produced through solvent extraction is known as rose absolute.  The process of making rose oil creates a by-product called rose water; when mixed with sugar it becomes rose syrup.  Rose products are widely used in Persian, Indian, Middle Eastern, and Southeast Asian cuisines; they are also used in perfume, cosmetics, medicines, and religious rituals. 

This rose-scented cake is based on a recipe I found on Epicurious.com.  Using whipped cream as a frosting makes for a perfect, airy Valentine’s Day confection.

Serves 6-8

Ingredients

3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons corn starch

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon cardamom powder

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 large eggs

6 tablespoons water

1/4 cup canola oil

1 teaspoon lemon zest

2 1/2 cups chilled heavy whipping cream

2/3 cup powdered sugar

1 teaspoon rose water or several drops rose oil

2 tablespoons unsalted pistachios, whole or ground (optional)

Candied or fresh organic rose petals, for decoration (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325°F.

2. Butter two round 8-inch cake pans with 1 1/2-inch-high sides.  Line pans with parchment paper and butter parchment.

3. In a large bowl mix flour, cornstarch, half the sugar, cardamom, baking powder, and salt.  Set aside.

4. In a medium bowl, beat egg yolks (place egg whites in another large bowl, set aside), water, canola oil, and lemon zest.

5. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and whisk until smooth.

6. Beat egg whites until soft peaks form.  Slowly add the other half of the granulated sugar and beat until whites resemble thick marshmallow fluff.

7. Carefully fold egg whites into egg yolk batter in 3 additions.

8. Divide batter between pans and bake for 25 minutes or until cakes are golden brown, and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean.

9. Cool cakes in pans on rack for 15 minutes.  Remove from pans and cool to room temperature.

10. To prepare whipped cream, beat cream in large bowl until soft peaks form.  Gently add powdered sugar and rose water/oil and beat until peaks form.

11. Place one cake, bottom side up, on platter.  Cover with 1 cup of frosting.  Gently place second cake on top, bottom side up. Spread remaining frosting on top and sides of cake.

12. Chill in the refrigerator for between 1 and 4 hours.

13. Before serving, decorate the cake with rose petals and pistachios.

Winter Carrot Soup

Although it has been an unseasonably mild winter, I have been craving soup in the evenings.  This carrot soup packs an unusual combination of spicy, tart, and rich flavors.  It is perfect as a starter or, if served with hearty bread, as a main dish.

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
2 small potatoes, quartered
6 large carrots, cut into 1/2 inch segments
1 bay leaf
2 teaspoons hot Madras curry powder
1 teaspoon ginger powder
1 teaspoon oregano
4 cups stock or water
1/2 cup cranberry juice
juice of 1 lime
1/4 cup evaporated milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne powder

Directions

1.  In a large pot, melt butter over medium heat.

2.  Sauté potatoes and carrots in butter for approximately 10 minutes.  Add bay leaf, curry powder, ginger, and oregano.  Continue to cook for 5 more minutes.

3.  Add stock or water and increase heat until liquid reaches a slow boil.  Reduce to simmer and cook for 30 minutes.

4.  In small batches, blend cooked vegetables and liquid and return to the pot.  Alternately, use an immersion blender.

5.  Add cranberry juice, lime juice, and evaporated milk.  Mix well.

6.  Add salt, pepper, and cayenne to taste.

Chocolate Coconut Haystacks

Makes 3 dozen

These treats are perfect for those with limited time and talent for complicated holiday baking.  They can even be made on Christmas Eve with minimal effort!  Haystacks are also ideal for cooking with children.  Since they can be stored in the refrigerator for up to two weeks, they can be made before the holiday madness begins.

My mother-in-law fell in love with haystacks on her travels, and she asked me to make them for Hanukkah.  After some web sleuthing, I developed the following recipe.  Other versions contain dry chow mein noodles or pretzel sticks instead of coconut.  They can also be enhanced with roasted nuts of any type (peanuts, cashews, pistachios, pecans), marshmallows, butterscotch chips, and sea salt.

Ingredients

6 cups sweetened coconut

1 pound semisweet chocolate chips or vegan carob chips

1/4 teaspoon almond extract (optional)

1/2 cup almonds or other nuts (optional)

Directions

1.     Toast coconut on a large rimmed baking sheet at 350F.  Check it regularly and remove when it is fragrant and has turned slightly brown.  Do not leave too long or it will burn.  Remove and set aside.

2.     On the same baking sheet, toast almonds for 10-15 minutes until brown and fragrant.  Remove and set aside.

3.     In a large glass bowl, melt chocolate chips in the microwave.  Heat for 60 seconds and stir, continue heating for 15 seconds and stirring until the chips have melted.  Mix in almond extract.

4.     Add toasted coconut to the chocolate and mix well using a spoon or your hands.

5.     Line the baking sheet with parchment and make haystacks with 2 teaspoons of batter each.  Top with an almond.

6.     Refrigerate for 20 minutes until firm.   Keep in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

Chocolate Gingerbread Cake

Gingerbread describes a wide variety of baked confections made from dough containing viscous sweeteners (such as molasses, honey, or treacle) and spices (usually a combination of ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, allspice, black pepper, mustard, cardamom, anise, and others).  It can take a variety of forms from spongy cakes to crispy cookies.

Gingerbread can be traced back to ancient Greece and Egypt where it was used for ceremonial purposes.  Stories differ about its introduction to Europe – some suggest it arrived through Armenian monks while others cite returning crusaders.  In any case, gingerbread quickly spread throughout the continent and is now common in many Northern and Eastern European cuisines.

A precursor to modern gingerbread was a paste made from breadcrumbs that was pressed into wooden molds depicting people and scenes from modern life.  Later versions included wheat flour, eggs, and sweeteners, which resulted in a lighter and more delicate product.  Gingerbread is often associated with winter and especially with Christmastime when it takes the form of gingerbread men (first served by Queen Elizabeth I) and gingerbread houses (developed in Germany based on the Brothers Grimm fairly tale collection that included Hansel and Gretel).

Some gingerbread confections are covered in chocolate, others have fillings such as marzipan, and still others are iced or served with lemon glaze.  This gingerbread cake is drizzled with a chocolate glaze.

Serves 10-12

Ingredients

Cake

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa

2 teaspoons ground ginger

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1 cup unsalted butter

1 cup brown sugar, packed

3/4 cup molasses

2 tablespoons fresh ginger, grated

2 eggs, beaten

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup boiling water

Glaze

1/3 cup whipping cream

1/4 cup unsalted butter

8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate (chopped or chips)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup chopped crystallized ginger or small candies, for decoration (optional)

                                                                                  

Directions

1.     Grease and flour a Bundt cake pan.  Preheat the oven to 350F.

2.     In a large bowl sift flour, baking powder, salt, cocoa, ground ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg.  Set aside.

3.     In another large bowl cream butter.  Then beat in sugar, molasses, fresh ginger, and eggs.

4.     Add boiling water to a small bowl with baking soda.

5.     To make the batter, add half of the flour mixture to the bowl with butter and eggs and beat well.  Then add all of the water and baking soda.  Finally, add the remaining flour mixture and beat until just blended.

6.     Pour into cake pan and bake for 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.  Leave cake in pan for 15 minutes, then invert and cool to room temperature.  Set aside.

7.     To make the glaze, in a small pot simmer whipping cream and butter on low heat.  Remove from heat and add chocolate and vanilla.  Mix until smooth.

8.     When the chocolate glaze has cooled slightly, pour it over the cake.  Decorate with crystallized ginger or small candies.