November 17, 2017

Pumpkin Bread

November 17, 2017/ Blair Cowan

I KNOW, so many sweets in a row. I have a super-easy chicken recipe all ready for you and a killer meatball dish coming up, but in the meantime, it's almost Thanksgiving in the US which means the (not literal but mental) change from autumn to winter is fast approaching and I want to get this pumpkin recipe to you now because it's too good to miss. Plus, I'm going to be in Asia for the next two weeks so you'll be a bit on your own, and it wouldn't be the Recipe Box Project if we didn't overdo it on decadent breakfasts.

This recipe is an illustrated mimeograph made for kids (at least I assume it's for kids based on the instructions to 'have an adult turn on the oven'), so I'm not sure how it made it into the box. I was too young when Eleanor died to have been given something like this, so maybe it was given to my older (male) cousins and somehow wound up with Eleanor? Regardless, it's super adorable if a pain to try to cull together the ingredients since they're all listed by steps.

The downfall of loads of pumpkin recipes is that they take 2 tablespoons of pumpkin, or ¼ cup of pumpkin or whatever, but you've already had to buy a whole can of pumpkin that you're now stuck with. You'll leave it in the fridge for a week or so promising yourself you'll make another pumpkin recipe before it goes bad, but there's only so much pumpkin you can take, and inevitably it turns before you have a chance, so you end up tossing ¾ of a can of pumpkin. Not a huge deal when you're stateside and pumpkin costs next to nothing, but here in the UK where I can only find it at American grocery stores and it costs £3 a can... I refuse to waste a single spoonful. So it was great to see that this recipe calls for an entire can- no waste! Between all the pumpkin and the use of oil instead of butter, this recipe is incredibly moist and delicious; add a handful of pecans or walnuts and any dried fruit you have on hand (cherries are particularly stellar) and you've got an excellent fall treat. Easy to transport, scented with the smell of autumn, dairy-free and easy to make nut-free, this breakfast-y cake is perfect with a hot mug of coffee or tea and everyone is sure to love it. It makes a perfect hostess gift for the person whose Thanksgiving dinner you're attending, and you'll be the favourite guest when they get up on Black Friday morning and realise they don't have to make breakfast.

The verdict:

5 spoons out of five. It's so easy a kid could make it, your whole house will smell like autumn, and it tastes even better with an extra sprinkle of brown sugar on top. Make this over the Thanksgiving holidays, especially if you're an expat missing the celebrations this time of year, and you'll be glad you did.

One year ago: crazy crust apple pie
two years ago: Deluxe Pecan pie

the recipe:

Easy Pumpkin Bread

the directions:

Preheat oven to 175C/350F and grease 1 large or 2 small loaf pans.
Stir together flour, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger and nuts/fruit if using.
Add water and stir gently to combine, then set aside.
In a separate bowl, beat together sugar, brown sugar, pumpkin, oil and eggs until well-combined.
Add flour mixture to sugar mixture and mix until smooth.
Pour into prepared loaf pan and top with extra brown sugar if using.
Bake for 1 hour until a wooden pick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes, then turn out onto a plate and cool completely before serving.

the ingredients:

2 c flour
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
½ tsp nutmeg
½ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp ground ginger
¼ c water
1 c sugar
½ c brown sugar
1 can of pumpkin (425g)
½ c oil
2 eggs
Optional: a handful of coarsely chopped pecans or walnuts, a handful of dried fruit, and/or a generous sprinkle of brown sugar to create a crunchy 'lid.'

November 14, 2017

Battle of the Pound Cakes: A Birthday Feast

November 14, 2017/ Blair Cowan

This is not the first time pound cake has appeared on this site. It's not even the first time this exact recipe for pound cake has appeared on this site, due to having a duplicate recipe in the box that I didn't know about and didn't check against the existing version until... just now. There are about a billion more pound cakes in the box to make, but I'm still including this duplicate version because I was able to improve it this time around (probably because I didn't realise I had already made it), so I think it's worth giving you the new and improved version (hint: MIX MIX MIX).

We've discussed how the taste of pound cake is the taste of my childhood, and there's not a lot of breakfasts I like more (other than croissants of any variety). So in honour of my mom, who taught me the joys of pound cake and whose birthday was last weekend, here are two recipes for pound cake for you to choose from. If you decide, like me, to make both within a week of each other you should probably first buy stock in the flour company, because this will run down your supplies faster than you can say 'gluten-ful, please'. On the bright side, you don't have to worry about dirtying very many dishes because both of these come together in no time with one bowl each.

Now, on to the secret for Pound Cake 2 below: As mentioned, I previously made this recipe (from a different handwritten recipe card) in the dark ages of this site back in 2015, but I couldn't figure out why the cake fell so fast- the day I baked it, it was fluffy and light, but by the next morning, it had sunk into a bit of a claggier, denser cake and I was disappointed. At the time, I googled 'prepared flour,' because I didn't know what it meant and found nothing on the internet, so I just sifted it (since nearly all the recipes in the box require this) and called it a day. This time around, I had forgotten all of the above, so I googled it again, found nothing, and (weirdly) came to the same conclusion. I had sifted it, shrugged my shoulders and was on the verge of dumping it into the mixing bowl when suddenly I had a thought: what if I googled 'prepared flour' in French? I speak French and it occurred to me that, since they're known for their patisserie, maybe they'd have something similar. I searched for 'farine préparée' and sure enough, I hit the jackpot. 'Prepared flour' no longer exists outside of France, but it's basically self-rising flour with slightly different proportions of baking powder and salt.

The second secret I found this time is to go by the recipe and MIX THAT BATTER. The recipe calls for 20 minutes of mixing, which last time I figured was for hand-mixing so I shaved loads of time off. This time I put it in my mixer on low and mixed it the whole 20 minutes and it made a noticeable difference in the final product.

Pound cake always tastes best on the first day (ideally warm from the oven!), but will last, covered tightly, up to three days. These recipes are both decadent and flavourful on their own; perfect paired with a cup of black coffee or milky tea, but if you want to dress it up they'd also serve well with a fruit compote (pears!), a dollop of yoghurt, or even a lemony cream-cheese glaze. In the run-up to Thanksgiving and Christmas, this is the perfect make-ahead breakfast treat that everyone will love, so choose your favourite and make it today.

The verdict:
Pound Cake 1: Cakey, Moist Pound Cake

4 spoons out of five. It was mega-tasty, plush and velvety, but it didn't keep very well and by the second day was noticeably denser, so I'm knocking off a spoon.

Pound Cake 2: Light and Fluffy Pound Cake

5 spoons out of five. I feel like I've conquered this one and I could eat it for a tea-time snack every day.

Pound Cake, Previously: Easy One-Bowl Pound Cake (the non-perfected version of Pound Cake 2, below).