I love having a reason to bake a cake. I don’t bake cakes as an after-school treat (cookies rule!), as we just don’t want that much of a tempting sweet around unless it’s easy to parcel out and freeze. But for birthdays, I’m all about baking a cake!

This weekend we celebrated several January birthdays in our family, and I was tasked with bringing a pareve, or non-dairy, cake. My mom keeps a kosher home, and she and my dad were serving deli for our lunch gathering, so I had to find recipes without butter and milk.

The night before our event, I baked two rounds of Black Chocolate Cake, using dark cocoa powder and Earth Balance butter sticks for the shortening. It was gorgeous and moist — truly more black than dark brown.

Since buttercream frosting wasn’t an option, I decided to try my hand at White Meringue Frosting. Egg whites are whisked with lots of sugar and a little vanilla extra over a double-boiler, until the eggs reach a temperature of 160°F and all the sugar is dissolved. Although the recipe cautions about thoroughly dissolving the sugar to avoid a grainy end product, I wasn’t totally successful. I did whisk that mixture by hand, on the stove, for 20 minutes though! The cooked mixture felt and tasted smooth to me, but once it was whipped in the KitchenAid the graininess became more pronounced. Regardless, the frosting was tasty and my father-in-law actually thought the sugar granules were an on-purpose, delicious feature. A. did not — upon tasting it, he immediately asked why there were “crumbs” in the frosting.

The cake was a big success, and I am sure I can do a better job on the frosting next time. If you need a non-dairy frosted cake for allergy or kashrut reasons, I can definitely recommend this one. And here’s the evidence:

I was attracted to 101 Cookbooks’ Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookies Recipe for two reasons: it uses whole wheat flour exclusively, instead of a blend of AP and whole wheat; and the novelty of baking the cookie in a cast iron skillet.

I simplified the recipe a bit, creaming the butter and sugar in my mixer and then just dumping the rest of the ingredients along with it. (I wasn’t about to use multiple bowls for a chocolate chip cookie — I’m lazy like that.) I also used a 12 oz. bag of semisweet chocolate chunks instead of cut up a bar of chocolate myself.

The boys thought this “cookie cake” was very cool. It reminded me of my high school afternoons, working at the Nanuet Mall. There was a Great American Cookie Co. across the aisle from my store, and their cookie cakes were all the rage in early 90s. The boys wanted to cut this cookie up into pizza wedges, but even though I cut the slices thin they still felt very large because of the diameter of the pan.

The cookie is a bit dense because of the whole wheat flour, but my kids definitely did not realize it was any different than a sweet made with all-purpose flour. I wound up freezing half the cookie, and it still tasted fresh once defrosted. While we enjoyed the novelty of this skillet cookie, we’ll probably stick to our tried-and-true drop cookies in the future.

I ripped this recipe for Pretzel-Shortbread Bars out of the October 2011 issue of Martha Stewart Living — the mix of salty pretzels and sweet cookies caught my eye. I was considering making these treats for a holiday cookie exchange later this month, but since the recipe was new to me I wanted to test out a smaller batch first. Luckily, I have plenty of people willing to eat my test batches!

The reviews attached to the recipe were unanimous: the pan size stated is far too large. Either use the ingredient quantities as listed and bake in an 8″x8″ pan, or double the ingredients and bake in a 9″x13″. I did the latter. This is a very easy recipe, though it requires the use of two small appliances: a food processor and a mixer (stand or handheld). I love the idea of making a flour out of ground pretzels in addition to including larger pretzel pieces in the dough. However, I did not think the pretzels on top were necessary at all — although I pressed them down into the dough, most of them fell off and made serving an already (purposely) hard cookie more difficult to eat.

The flavor, though, was really lovely. Very buttery, mildly sweet, and wonderfully salty all at the same time. I love that there is no chocolate called for here: it would be easy to recommend a drizzle of chocolate on top, but it is not needed and would just take away from the unique salty sweetness of this cookie.

My boys thought these cookies were “weird” and “interesting.” They have eaten more than one but told me not to make them again. G. said he would like the cookie part if I put chocolate chips in the dough instead of the pretzels! It is a delicious shortbread base. While I enjoyed these bars, I wouldn’t make them again unless someone asked for them by name.

The problem with bringing a homemade cake to an event is that, unlike with individual cookies, you can’t really sample your creation without detection before presenting it to your friends. I wasn’t worried about making this Sour Cream Coffee Cake for the first time, though, because every Ina Garten recipe I make turns out beautifully. This one was no exception.

I did make a few changes: I only used 8 oz. of sour cream (I didn’t want extra in my house and figured the missing 2 oz. would not make a big difference), and I used 4 large eggs instead of 3 extra-large. Instead of cake flour, I used 2¼ c. all-purpose flour plus ¼ c. cornstarch, a substitution ratio I read suggested in the recipe reviews. Also based on the reviews, I doubled the streusel topping.

To bake, I greased and floured a bundt pan and sprinkled about a quarter of the streusel topping in the bottom of the pan — once the cake was baked and turned right-side up, this created the appearance of a glaze which I thought was pretty. (I did not make the separate glaze suggested in the recipe.) I then smoothed half the batter in the pan, evenly distributed the rest of the streusel mixture, and then added the remaining batter on top. I tapped the pan on the counter a few times to make sure there were no voids in the batter, and then baked it for a full hour.

The cake was tender but held together well enough so that a slice could be eaten by hand, breaking off little bites as you went. It is a mild dessert, and definitely a perfect accompaniment to a cup of coffee. It would also be a great addition to a brunch.

I pinned this recipe for Salted Caramel Butter Bars to my “Want to Try” board on Pinterest a while ago, along with two other very similar cookies. I am a total sucker for non-chocolate desserts. Carrot or coconut cake? Yes, please! Pecan or apple pie? I’m there. I usually like less sweet treats, but these bars are super sweet and they were amazing.

We had a rare afternoon where A. was home and G. was not, and we decided to bake these cookies together. I was surprised he was willing to choose a cookie without chocolate chips, because my boys’ love of those semi-sweet morsels is well-documented on this site. The hardest part of the recipe was unwrapping all those little caramels… I’m sure we could have whipped up a batch of caramel from scratch in the time it took us to unwrap a whole bag’s worth of candy.

I only made a couple of changes to the original recipe. First, I reduced the butter by 25% and used 3 sticks instead of 4. I did this based on my experience making Ina Garten’s Outrageous Brownies, and as with that recipe you’d never know the difference. I hate when cookies turn out a little greasy, and since I am not great about keeping my butter super-cold while I work, that sometimes happens. Reduce the butter, and it happens less. I split the dough evenly and used half as the cookie base, and half as a topping. We did not sprinkle salt on top of the caramel; A. nixed it. It would have made the cookies that much more beyond.

This happens to be an egg-free cookie, which means I’ll be filing the recipe away for the future since we have a family member with an egg allergy. Overall it was an easy cookie that the boys enjoyed but did not clamor for. I liked it a little too much to make it for kids who could take it or leave it. Chocolate chip cookies and brownies? I can resist those. Shortbread and caramel, though, holds me in its sway.

A couple of months ago a mutual friend mentioned that Meri at The Food Yenta was thinking of making peanut butter & jelly cookies. I adore peanut butter and my favorite desserts don’t include chocolate (carrot cake, pecan pie…). I went home and immediately looked up some recipes, including Ina Garten’s Peanut Butter & Jelly Bars.

There was one problem: no one in my household eats peanut butter. In fact, they can barely stand the smell of it. And let’s just say it would not be safe to bake these bar cookies for myself!

Yesterday was my turn to deliver dinner to a local family through our PTA’s Caring Community committee, and I realized it was the perfect opportunity to try this recipe out. Plus, they fit in perfectly with my comfort food meal — Mrs. Jones’ Macaroni & Cheese with green beans on the side. I used grape jelly as a filling, because if you’re going to mimic a childhood sandwich you might as well go all the way.

If you are a chocolate person, Peanut Butter & Jelly Bars will fall flat as a dessert. To me, they tasted exactly like a spoonful of peanut butter and jelly — there was nothing about the cookie that took that classic flavor combination to a higher level. So while they were very delicious, I can’t see making them again.

I wound up arranging a plate with 8 generous bars to give to the family. Thankfully, my friend and neighbor Sharon has a more peanut butter-accepting family, so she was happy to take a bunch. And I kept one for myself… oh come on, you know I did not eat just one. I did stop at two and a few nibbles, and the rest are going over to Sharon’s house, where she will safely freeze them for another day and keep me from temptation.

Ina Garten never lets me down.

I followed her recipe for Beatty’s Chocolate Cake, and aside from what I think is an incomplete name, the cake was perfect. Calling this a chocolate cake is underselling it: there is a full cup of brewed coffee in the cake, though it more moderates the sweetness of the chocolate than being an assertive flavor itself. Plus, there is a tablespoon of espresso powder in the frosting, which really does shine through and makes it much more of a mocha finish than just chocolate.

The coffee is the reason I chose this cake for my dad’s birthday. He is a major coffee-lover, and thankfully loved this cake, as did everyone else that tried it. The crumb of the cake is big and fluffy, while still having plenty of structure so it can hold up to the heavy frosting. The frosting was so silky it spread easy, allowing me to do a crumb coat and then go back over the whole cake with ease. Other than omitting the egg yolk in the frosting, I followed the recipe as written and would definitely make it again for an event.

Poke, poke. I like any cake that gives me an opportunity to poke my boys or J., and that is what I did every time I said the name of this dessert, which I made for J.’s birthday.

“Poke cake” can be any kind of cake (homemade or from a mix) and any kind of Jell-O type filling (usually gelatin or pudding). The “poke” part is the way they come together: bake a cake (I used a Bundt pan), let it cool, and then poke lots of holes in it with the handle of a wooden spoon. Pour your liquid filling into the holes (mix it up just before you’re ready to pour), and then let it set. Turn the cake out of the pan, and frost or top with whipped cream.

I used a butter cake mix and chocolate fudge pudding for this cake. The boys helped me whip heavy cream as a topping — they were the official tasters, checking the consistency and sweetness of the cream until we got it right.

The flavor combinations for poke cake are endless: white cake and strawberry gelatin, patriotic poke cake, coconut poke cake filled with sweetened condensed milk (be still my heart!), Peppermint Pattie poke cake (my sister would like this one), and even a “Better than Sex” version.

Poke, poke.

One summer during college, I worked as an editorial intern at Travel & Leisure magazine, and at the time Stephen Drucker was the book’s executive editor. I never had a chance to speak with him — I was kept busy fact checking stories on travel to Kamchatka and Wisconsin’s apple orchards. But I certainly knew who he was: editors that high up on the masthead were enough to tongue tie me at that point in my life! I finished up my internship, finished college, and never thought about Stephen Drucker again. That is, until I saw him on Food Network many years later.

J. and I have enjoyed watching “Barefoot Contessa” with Ina Garten since its early days. I have never had one of her recipes fail me, and she’s the cook I credit with introducing me to roasted Brussels sprouts. We love Ina in this house. An early episode of the show had her cooking for her dear friend Stephen — no last name given — and in the brief shot of him with Ina at the end of the episode, I sat up straight and shrieked to J., “I KNOW HIM!” But there was no credit to Stephen Drucker, and I couldn’t find anything online about the episode. I wrote an email to Ina Garten through her website, asking if indeed her friend was the former T&L honcho. I really just needed to satisfy my curiosity (J. couldn’t have cared less), but I got more than confirmation. I received an email back from Ina herself, explaining that yes, Stephen Drucker was her dear friend. He’s appeared in more “Barefoot Contessa” episodes since then, and I have to grin when I think about getting that quick note from a cook I admire.

Needless to say, I knew Ina’s Outrageous Brownies would be a winning recipe. I made them at Thanksgiving, and we loved them. These brownies have the same magic ingredient as my favorite chocolate chip cookies: instant espresso powder. They are dark, fudgy, and pleasantly bitter, thanks to the unsweetened chocolate and coffee. J. thinks they are fantastic because you can tell they’re made with real, melted chocolate and not just cocoa powder.

I cut the the brownie sheet into 48 pieces (as opposed to the recipe’s recommended 20 servings) and I still wouldn’t call the squares skimpy. True, you can halve the recipe. But the brownies freeze well and with the amount of work involved, it makes sense to bake a huge batch, give some to friends, and throw any extras in the freezer for another day.

Ina’s Outrageous Brownies
Adapted slightly from her original recipe

3 sticks unsalted butter, room temp (or close)
1 lb., plus 12 oz. semisweet chocolate chips
6 oz. unsweetened chocolate
7 large eggs
2 Tbsp. instant espresso powder
2 Tbsp. pure vanilla extract
2¼ c. sugar
1¼ c. all-purpose flour, divided (+ more to flour the pan)
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1 tsp. kosher salt

Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease and flour a 12 x 18 x 1-inch baking pan (this about the size of a half sheet baking pan, which is larger than your average cookie sheet).

In a double boiler, or in a large bowl set over a pot with about an inch of simmering water, melt the butter, 1 lb. of chocolate chips, and the 6 oz. of unsweetedned chocolate. Stir occasionally with a flexible spatula. Once melted, remove from the heat and allow to cool.

While those ingredients are melting, combine eggs, espresso powder, vanilla, and sugar in a large bowl. Stir to combine thoroughly, making sure the eggs are fully incorporated. (I like to do this with a fork to help break up the yolks.)

Once the chocolate mixture has cooled slightly, temper the egg mixture by pouring in the chocolate about a half cup at a time, stirring well. (You don’t want the eggs to cook from the residual heat of the chocolate.) Finish incorporating the chocolate into the egg mixture.

Toss the remaining chocolate chips with 1/4 c. of flour to coat. Add 1 c. flour, baking powder, salt, and coated chocolate chips to the batter, and stir gently until well-combined. Pour batter into the prepared pan and even it out with a spatula.

Bake for 20 minutes, then (using potholders!) pick up the baking sheet and knock it down evenly against the oven shelf to force the air to escape from between the pan and the brownie dough. (You’ll see the brownies deflate as you do this.) Bake for another 15-20 minutes, until a toothpick in the center comes out clean. Do not over-bake! Allow to cool thoroughly on the counter, refrigerate, and cut into 48 squares.

I have been mulling over Thanksgiving 2010, a holiday that went smoothly overall, but fell a little short of what I thought I could have put together. I have mentioned various elements that bugged me to friends, acknowledging that I am being a bit of a loon to have been bothered by things like my mismatched but at least color-coordinated (and slightly wrinkly) tablecloths. These things sound so silly coming out of my mouth that I am reluctant to repeat them here and give them more power over me. Still, I think it’s good to make notes of what did and didn’t work for next year. Plus I deeply missed my sister and her husband, who moved to Australia at the end of the summer and couldn’t be with us. Their absence made me think even more about grandparents no longer with us, and especially after our families went home Thanksgiving eve, I was preoccupied with missing people instead of being thankful for what was in front of me. What a mess I am!

The meal turned out well. I was seriously on the ball with prep beforehand, but then made a rookie error: I had no plan for reheating any of it, and had not thought to put my stove top and Crock-Pot into service on the day of the feast. Everything needed to go in the oven all at once to be warmed for the meal, so all my glee at being extra-prepared on Wednesday went out the window. I’ve written notes to myself in the past about including a cold item as a side (such as the Celeriac and Apple Salad I made in 2009), but didn’t do that this year and should have. I also failed to locate infrequently-used items before the holiday, so I was scrambling to find our gravy separator at the last minute (still can’t find it). I would guess none of our guests (we had 20 people in total) had any idea we were flustered, though, and that is fine with me.

So, the meal:

We kicked things off with Apple Sangria, which was apparently delicious — I didn’t get to try any! I based my recipe loosely on the link above, but used Travis Hasse’s Apple Pie Liqueur when I couldn’t find a reasonably-sized bottle of schnapps. It was recommended to me by Manor Wines & Spirits in Briarcliff Manor, and I am thankful I took their advice, as I did sneak a taste of the liqueur on its own before it went into the sangria. It was very good, and not too sweet. I would definitely make it again.

We continued our tradition of a cheese plate before the meal. J. chose Delice de Bourgogne (an OMG! triple creme, the only cheese on the plate that was finished), Tomme d’Abondance (nutty cow’s milk cheese, very smooth), Rogue River Creamery Rogue River Blue (always one of our favorites), Le Chevrot (like licking a freakin’ goat — I am shuddering just thinking about it, but with a very cool, lacy exterior), and El Trigal (a young Manchego which was pleasant but not very interesting).

It was a really well-rounded assortment, though maybe a bit unapproachable for our crew, who left a lot of it over. I can’t remember having so much cheese left over in previous years, but we were happy to have it. We gave the Chevrot one more try and then pitched it. Ugh. We had cut-up carrots, celery, and red peppers, plus a creamy spinach and artichoke dip in a bread bowl from Jenny, which everyone gobbled up.

Then we sat down for the main event:

We roasted the turkey in our oven this year, rather than smoking it. I think everyone prefers this more traditional preparation. I made an obscene amount of roasted Brussels sprouts — 5 containers of raw sprouts, plus a big stalk from my farm share. They were almost all eaten. The Roasted Maple-Bourbon Carrots & Parsnips were just OK. Ann’s Sweet Potatoes with Marshmallows are always a hit. I went with a traditional stuffing (dressing, really) this year, starting with Arrowhead Mill’s Organic Savory Herb Stuffing and doctoring it up with a large amount of chopped and sauteed celery and onion, plus ground savory. The flavor was great but it was a little too dry (easily remedied with some gravy, Lauren informed me). Lauren also brought us Ritz Cracker Stuffing, a side dish my brother-in-law remembers fondly from his childhood. It’s basically Ritz crackers, sauteed onion, and margarine to hold it together. Although we ribbed them a bit about its ingredients, I liked getting a chance to have a peek into another family’s traditions, and the flavor of it was pretty good — it’s hard to go wrong with salty and buttery.

The new and most interesting item to me on the table this year was Mushroom & Onion Phyllo Cups:

I based these little beauties on Mushroom and Caramelized-Shallot Strudel. When I went to buy the phyllo sheets, I saw Athens Mini Fillo Shells and knew they would make my life much easier. The shells are pre-baked, about the size of a mini muffin, and ready to accept a savory or sweet filling. I wound up make a non-dairy version of the mushroom filling the night before, then mounded the filling into the frozen cups, and baked them for about 10 minutes just before serving. Very cute finger food, and an unexpected side dish on what wound up being a very traditional menu. The phyllo gets soggy if you store leftovers, so don’t plan on having any! The mushroom filling would also be great mixed with pasta.

Finally, we were ready for dessert. My mom baked the beautiful pecan pie at the top of this post. Ann brought pumpkin and coconut custard pies. Lauren baked chocolate chip cookies. And I made Ina Garten’s Outrageous Brownies. They are aptly-named. I cut the butter by 25%, because some reviews said the brownies tended to be a little greasy. I also omitted the walnuts altogether. They were phenomenal. The recipe is easy but just takes a while — melt the chocolate and butter over a double boiler, let it cool (but not too much!), then mix up the batter. I liked watching the brownies deflate just like they were supposed to when you slam the baking pan against the oven rack half-way through baking. These are dark and dense brownies that I will make again. We had fruit salad too, and though it was a gorgeous arrangement it didn’t get much play. Sorry, fruit!

We were left with a very moderate amount of leftovers, save for dessert (most of which we were able to give away). My friend Amy told me she stocks up on take-out containers before Thanksgiving, and sends her guests home with turkey (they prepare lots extra on purpose) and more. I love that final gesture of hospitality and will try to remember to offer leftovers next year.