Michigan Maize 'n' Blue 3-Pointer Pound Cake

I am admittedly not a basketball fan. However, even I can manage to care about basketball when Michigan makes it to the Final Four in the NCAA Tournament, and - especially - when they make it to the Championship Game. Yes, indeed - the Wolverines, who haven't earned a place in the final round since 1993 (and haven't won it all since 1989), are playing for some mighty big stakes tonight against Louisville!

And so, of course, we've got celebratory food to offer!

Baseball, as we all know, is famous for hot dogs, and also for the "peanuts and Cracker Jack" of song. Everyone anticipates subs, nachos, chili, and other hearty foods for football games.

Basketball, however, doesn't seem to have any iconic food. And so, I had some choices to sort through and some decisions to make ... not my strong suit!

But Michigan has been wearing "Rise to the Occasion" shirts, which inspired me. Souffles rise, but they're too prissy for a sporting event. Bread rises, and I do love to bake it; but it's also a bit time-consuming.

But you know what else rises? Cakes. Cakes rise beautifully, and are especially tall when you serve one with three layers in honor of the 3-pointer that Michigan point guard Trey Burke shot last week to tie the game with Kansas, leading to a win in overtime. The rest, as they say, is history: Elite Eight, Final Four, the last two standing.

Here's hoping Michigan makes history tonight, too, and claims that championship. Hey, even Hugh Jackman has been rooting for the Wolverines on Twitter:

This is Wolverine saying “c’mon univ. of mich wolverines!!! This is your year. Trey…crush it BUB!

Hail to the Victors!





Michigan Maize 'n' Blue 3-Pointer Pound Cake

1 small pound cake
softened butter
3/4 cup blueberry spreadable fruit
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon half-and-half
colored sprinkles

Carefully slice the pound cake lengthwise, cutting off a 1/2" layer; place the bottom layer onto a serving tray and schmear with a very thin layer of butter to keep the jam from seeping in. Spread half the jam over the butter.

Slice another 1/2" layer lengthwise from the cake; lightly schmear both sides, then place it on top of the bottom layer. Spread the remaining jam over the butter.

Lightly schmear some butter onto the cut side of the remaining layer of cake, then place it on top of the rest of the cake.

Whisk together the confectioners' sugar and the half-and-half; drizzle over the top of the cake. Top with sprinkles and let glaze set.

Serves 6-8.

Bear Claws

Although he was raised in the Detroit suburbs, Craig spent many years living in California, primarily the San Francisco area. He often tells me of fabulous Mexican or Asian dishes he ate while there, of favorite restaurants he remembers fondly.

But what he seems to miss most of all is the giant bear claws - puffy, flaky, almond-filled delicacies - from the Bovine Bakery in Point Reyes, which "has been bringing fresh, organic, handmade pastries ... to the North Bay for over 20 years."

Well, you know me - I love to bake, and I have a lot of air time to fill both here and on AnnArbor.com. I'm always looking for kitchen entertainment, something new and novel to write about.

And so, we undertook a baking adventure and sought to replicate - or, at least, approximate - the Bovine's delicious goodies.

I emailed the bakery and was thrilled to get a lovely response:

"Thanks so much! Love to hear about people hooked on our treats! :)

It is our policy not to share exact recipes (proportions and process), but I will happily tell you the ingredients. Unfortunately for the home baker, bearclaws are probably one of the toughest products to replicate."

They proceeded to let me know what they mix into the filling, and that their recipe for croissant dough - which they also use for these pastries - is so overwhelming (both in quantity and difficulty) that I'd be "better off finding a smaller scale recipe to follow." I was so happy to receive so much information and such gracious guidance!

Craig told me that the pastries are flaky rather than doughy, so I decided against making my own yeast dough and let Pepperidge Farm do the labor-intensive work for me; I purchased a box of its puff pastry, ready to use.

For the luscious center, I relied upon a can of Solo filling, which would offer a rich and sweet almond taste. Since I also had some poppy seed filling, I stirred a bit of that in, as well, following the Bovine's lead. (They combine poppy seeds with everything else, for a very complex flavor.)

I read up on the procedure for making and baking the pastries from a variety of recipes, trying to determine how large to make them and how long to keep them in the oven in order to cook the centers while not burning the edges.

And then, on a cold (wind chill of 16!) and snowy (7" on the ground) evening, I set to tinkering with my project. Although there are a number of steps involved, these treats are actually very easy to make since they rely upon some convenience products.

Sometimes, our adventures provide us only with a story to tell. Other times, we also get success, pride in accomplishment, and fabulous things to eat. The bear claws worked out perfectly in every way - light, puffy, golden, toasted, rich, delicious, decadent, and indulgent!

With many thanks to the Bovine Bakery for its inspiration, assistance, and support ... :)

Bear Claws

• 1 12.5-ounce can Solo almond filling
• 2 tablespoons Solo poppy seed filling
• 1 17.3-ounce package Pepperidge Farm puff pastry
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds
• 1-1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 3 tablespoons half-and-half

Preheat oven to 400F. Lightly grease a baking sheet.

Combine almond filling and poppy seed filling; set aside.

Lightly flour the countertop and unfold one of the two sheets of puff pastry on top of it; lightly dust the top of the dough with flour, too. Roll dough to a 12" square, then cut into 4 squares.

Place a scant 1/4 cupful of the filling onto the center of each dough square.

Combine the egg and the water to make an egg wash; brush on to the edges of one dough square.

Fold dough over and lightly press edges to seal them.

Cut several slits into the long sealed edge of the dough.

Curve the pastry a bit to open up the notches, then place onto the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining squares of dough.

Brush the pastries with egg wash and sprinkle the tops with almonds.

Bake for 20-25 minutes until pastries puff up and are golden brown. Remove to a rack to cool completely, then repeat with rest of dough, filling, egg wash, and almonds.

When pastries are cool, stir together confectioners' sugar and half-and-half. Drizzle glaze over pastries and let set.

Makes 8 large bear claws.

Almondina Crunch Coffee Cake

I love getting packages in the mail, because they're usually food-related!

And one I received recently was no exception.  It contained a generous sampling - for marketing purposes - of Almondina cookies, which are similar to very thin biscotti.  They have only 30 calories per cookie, feature nutritious almonds, are both kosher and pareve ([PAHRv] = neither meat nor dairy), are made without cholesterol and preservatives, and are very adaptable.  I've eaten several of the sweet varieties (Gingerspice, Chocolate Cherry, Choconut) on their own, as desserts and snacks; and I've eaten a couple of the savory varieties (Brantreat, Sesame) with cheese and as croutons.

Over the weekend, I felt like baking; I heard a coffee cake calling to me ... a bit of comfort after several very stressful weeks.  Instead of the usual cinnamony streusel topping, though, I thought I'd add a bit of crunch instead.  So I crumbled some of the Almondina cookies, mixed them with just a touch of sugar and butter, and sprinkled them over the batter.  Oh, the house smelled so fabulous as this baked!

And the cake turned out beautifully, with lots of flavor from the addition of the crumbled Almondina cookies that contributed ginger and nuts to my coffee cake.  Such a simple pleasure!

Almondina Crunch Coffee Cake

Cake:
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sour cream
1 egg
2/3 cup sugar
grated zest of 1 orange
1 teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup white whole wheat flour
1/3 cup apricot all-fruit spread

Topping:
6 Almondina Gingerspice cookies, crumbled
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/8 cup butter, melted

Glaze:
1/2 confectioners' sugar
1-2 tablespoons fresh orange juice

Preheat oven to 350F.  Grease a 9" round baking pan.

In large bowl, stir together butter, sour cream and egg; add sugar, orange zest, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Stir in flours and spread into prepared baking pan.

Dollop the jam over the top of the batter, then swirl it in gently with a knife.

Combine the Almondina crumbs and brown sugar; stir in melted butter.  Sprinkle topping over the batter.

Bake coffee cake for 30 minutes, until golden and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean.  Let cool completely.

Combine confectioners' sugar and orange juice; drizzle over the coffee cake.  (Add a bit more juice or a bit more sugar, as needed, to make it the right consistency.)  Let glaze set, then cut and serve.

Makes 12 servings.

Gluten-Free Sweet 'n' Salty Mini Chocolate Cupcakes

Gluten-free products ain't what they used to be!  In the not so olden days, these items were fair-to-poor approximations of foods that those who can't eat gluten would endure simply to have some form of baked good.  But the situation has improved considerably, and there are lots of really great products that let you have your cake and eat it too!

Manischewitz has developed a number of new gluten-free products, including yellow and chocolate cake mixes; both include a foil baking dish and even a frosting packet for the sake of convenience.

I was very happy to receive an incredibly generous box of goodies to play with recently, a lovely marketing gift from the Bender Hammerling Group which handles public relations and marketing for several food producers.  This assortment also included several bags of Hawaiian Kettle Style Potato Chips, in addition to a sample of the above-mentioned chocolate cake mix.

Sweet and salty is a flavor combination which is always popular, so I wanted to somehow combine the cake mix and the potato chips ... not the Luau BBQ flavor, I admit!  But some combination was calling to me.

And so, I made mini chocolate cupcakes - entirely gluten-free - and topped them with a brown sugar and crushed potato chip streusel that offered flavor and texture contrasts.  Then, instead of just letting the frosting packet loiter on my pantry shelf, I thinned it with coffee to make a glaze.

Chocolate cake, but with a bit of flair!


Gluten-Free Sweet 'n' Salty Mini Chocolate Cupcakes

Cupcakes:
1 15-ounce package Manischewitz Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake Mix
3 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil

Streusel:
1 cup Hawaiian Kettle Style Original Flavor Potato Chips, crushed fine
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
3 tablespoons butter, melted

Topping:
frosting packet included with cake mix
2 tablespoons freshly brewed coffee


Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 12-cup mini cupcake tin with paper liners.

In a large bowl, stir together the cake mix, eggs and oil; beat until thoroughly mixed.  Fill each cupcake liner 2/3 full with the batter.

In a small bowl, combine the streusel ingredients. Place a heaping 1/4 teaspoon-ful into the center of each cupcake.

Bake cupcakes for 12 minutes until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean; let rest for 2 minutes, then remove from muffin tin and place on a rack.  Repeat with remaining batter and streusel.  Let cupcakes cool completely.

Combine frosting packet and coffee; mix thoroughly with a fork until smooth.  Drizzle over the cupcakes and let glaze set.

Makes 30 mini cupcakes.

Earl Grey's Birthday Tea Cakes

Today, we're wishing a "Happy Birthday" to Charles Grey, 2nd Earl of Grey, who was born on March 13, 1764.  He was Prime Minister of Great Britain and Ireland in the early 1830s, but is most noted these days for being the man for whom Earl Grey tea was named.

This heavily scented tea is either adored or scorned - there doesn't seem to be any indifference to it.  Either you love the perfume of the bergamot orange oil that flavors Earl Grey or you loathe it.  Let me state the obvious: it is one of my favorite teas, or else I wouldn't be celebrating today!

And how did the tea earn its association with Earl Grey?

According to Wikipedia: "... the tea was specially blended ... for Lord Grey, to suit the water at Howick Hall, the family seat in Northumberland, using bergamot in particular to offset the preponderance of lime in the local water.  Lady Grey used it to entertain in London as a political hostess," and it was very well-liked.

In honor of today's occasion, it only seemed fitting to bake some small sweets appropriate for an afternoon tea, an indulgence that I love but don't get to enjoy often enough.  Small cakes struck my fancy, and somehow the tea needed to be incorporated.  It only made sense that the flavor would be more noticeable in the glaze rather than baked in.

These are very quick to make - stir together the batter, bake the mini cakes in just a short amount of time, and then whip up a 2-ingredient glaze once the cakes cool.  That's it!

A small treat and a cuppa tea ... what a perfectly charming way to toast the Earl of Grey.

Mini Jam Cakes with Earl Grey Tea Glaze

Cakes:
3/8 cup sugar
1 cup unbleached flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup vanilla soy milk
1/4 cup olive oil
1 egg
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1/8 cup blueberry jelly (or other fruit jelly)

Preheat oven to 350F.  Grease 16 mini muffin cups in a tin.

In a large bowl, combine sugar, flour, baking soda and salt.  Combine soy milk, oil, egg, vinegar and jelly; the mixture won't fully blend, and there will be small dots of jam throughout.  Pour liquid into the dry ingredients and combine well.  Divide batter among the muffin cups.  Bake for 15 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cake comes out clean and the cakes are golden.  Let cool completely on a rack.

Glaze:
3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons cold Earl Grey tea

Whisk confectioners' sugar and tea together.  One by one, take the tea cakes and dip the tops into the glaze; turn right-side up and place onto a rack to let glaze set.

Makes 16 tea cakes.

Chocolate-Glazed Orange Cake

Surprisingly, given his penchant for fame and marketing, the gift shop at The Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh has virtually no merchandise bearing the man's face, name, signature, or any other connection.

When my BFF Wendy and I were there recently, we found many books, some posters, a lot of kitsch, and very cute "Wonder Woman" and "Super Girl" make-up mirrors (now Wendy's and mine, respectively) in honor of the current featured exhibit: "Heroes & Villains: The Comic Book Art of Alex Ross". But nothing in the shop screamed "Andy Warhol" ... very strange. They kinda missed the point, didn't they ...?


I happen to love Andy Warhol, and spent a weekend in Chicago 20+ years ago with my then-husband specifically to see an exhibit at the Art Institute. That the artistic design of everyday products was respected and elevated to the level of "fine art," and that our modern surroundings - such as grocery store aisles, where I practically live - were deemed as worthy of documenting as landscapes in past times, is an attitude I esteem. That Warhol also threw some irony and humor into the mix ... well, that only makes him more intriguing. The man was fascinating.

At the gift shop, the most representative item I could find to commemorate my having finally found my way to this long-elusive site was a set of "Desserts" note cards. These not only feature Warhol's own sketches of treats, but they also offer recipes for the pictured items ... oh, this was clearly a souvenir meant for me!

I didn't need to make strawberry ice cream or a frozen pink lemonade - it's cold out. But an orange cake? Simple, fragrant, rich, seductively moist ... a slice of this cake is perfect with coffee or tea or cocoa.

I tweaked the recipe a bit, because that's what I do. Warhol took Campbell's soup cans and made them his own; I did the same thing with this cake.

Andy Warhol himself once stated: "Food is my great extravagance." How could I not love the man?

Chocolate-Glazed Orange Cake
(adapted from a recipe developed by Stephen Bruce of Serendipity 3)

Cake:
1/2 cup butter, softened
zest of 2 oranges
1/4 cup sugar
3 large eggs
3/4 cup cake flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup fresh orange juice (from the 2 oranges you zested)
3/4 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease an 8" round cake pan, line the bottom with foil, then grease the foil.

In a large mixing bowl using an electric mixer, beat together the butter, zest and sugar on medium speed for 2 minutes until very light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one by one. Beat in the flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt. On low speed, slowly beat in the orange juice and buttermilk.

Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 30-35 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let rest for 10 minutes, then run a knife around the edge of the pan to loosen the cake. Remove the cake from the pan; remove foil from bottom of cake, flip over so the top is up, and let cool completely.

Glaze:
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
2 tablespoons heavy cream

Melt the chocolate chips and cream together; stir until smooth, then spread over the top of the cake. Let the glaze set for 30 minutes before cutting the cake.

Makes 8 servings.