Salty Sweets (10 page)

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter two 9-inch round cake pans and line the bottoms of the pans with parchment paper. Butter and flour the parchment paper.
   
2. Sift the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and ginger together into a medium-size bowl.
   
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whisk together the sugar and oil until well blended. Whisk in the eggs, one at a time. Add the dry ingredients to the mixer bowl and stir until just blended. Fold in the carrots and walnuts.
   
4. Divide the batter between the cake pans and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean.
   
5. Let the cakes cool in the pans for 20 minutes, then transfer them to wire racks to cool. Remove the parchment paper from the bottoms and let cool completely.
   
6. Brush each cake layer with warmed Snappy Butterscotch Sauce, if desired. Spread a generous layer of frosting on top of one cake layer, place the second layer on top of that, and spread the rest of the frosting all over the cake. Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days.
   

MAKES ABOUT
2½
CUPS, ENOUGH TO FROST ONE
9-
INCH LAYER CAKE

 

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or using an electric hand mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter together for about 2 minutes, until light and fluffy.
   
2. Add the confectioners' sugar and beat on low speed until well blended. Mix in the maple syrup, then mix in the sea salt.
   

My mom makes a coffee cake almost exactly like this every year on Christmas morning, and it's the best treat of the day. The years when I'm not home for the holidays and don't get to have this cake, it always feels like something is missing. The cake is so good that it's practically impossible to have just one piece.

 

MAKES ONE
8-
INCH TUBE CAKE

 

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter an 8-inch tube pan.
   
2. In a medium-size bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and fine sea salt.
   
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Mix in the almond extract.
   
4. Add the dry ingredients (in 3 increments) alternately with the sour cream (in 2 increments), starting and ending with the dry ingredients, beating after each addition until just combined.
   
5. Pour half the batter into the prepared tube pan. Swirl half the cranberry sauce over the batter. Pour the remaining batter over the cranberry sauce and then swirl the remaining cranberry sauce over the batter. Toss the chopped walnuts with the grinder sea salt and sprinkle over the top of the cake.
   
6. Bake for 55 minutes, until golden brown on top. While the cake is baking, prepare the glaze. Let the cake cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then remove it from the pan to a wire rack and cool for another 10 minutes. Transfer the cake to a serving plate and drizzle the glaze all over the top. Serve warm or at room temperature. The cake will keep, covered, at room temperature for up to 2 days.
   

MAKES ABOUT
⅓
CUP

 

Mix together the sugar, almond extract, water, and salt in a small bowl until smooth.

I have always adored lemon cake. When I was little I called it lemonade cake, and I always requested it for my birthday. My grandmother Doris baked her signature lemon cake in a loaf pan and topped it with a sweet lemon syrup, no frosting—so that's my vision of what a lemon cake should be. This one is super-lemony (I'm crushed when a so-called lemon cake is lacking in lemon flavor), and the glaze is made with brown sugar and a hint of sea salt.

 

MAKES ONE
9-
INCH LOAF CAKE

 

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter and flour a 5 × 9-inch loaf pan.
   
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar for about 4 minutes, until light and fluffy.
   
3. While the mixer is doing its thing, in a medium-size bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a small bowl, combine the lemon juice, buttermilk, and vanilla.
   
4. When the creamed butter and sugar mixture is ready, beat in the eggs one at a time, then add the lemon zest. Add the dry ingredients to the mixer bowl in 3 increments, alternating with the buttermilk mixture (starting and ending with the dry ingredients) and beating after each addition, and mix until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl several times.
   
5. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan, distributing it evenly and smoothing the top. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, until the edges are light golden brown and a tester comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan for 15 minutes.
   
6. While the cake is cooling, prepare the glaze.
   
7. Turn the cake out of the pan onto a wire rack. Brush the top generously with the glaze, reserving any remaining glaze to drizzle over the cake just before serving. Let cool completely. The cake will keep, covered, at room temperature for up to 2 days.
   

MAKES ENOUGH TO GLAZE ONE
9-
INCH LOAF CAKE

 

Combine the lemon juice, brown sugar, and sea salt in a small saucepan. Cook, stirring, over low heat until the sugar is completely dissolved.

[>]
Caramel-Butterscotch Pudding

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Coconut Rice Pudding

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Sticky Toffee Pudding

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Chocolate Chip Bread Pudding

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Milk Chocolate-Peanut Butter Mousse

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Maple Crème Brûlée

If you think butterscotch pudding is a boring dessert, please try this one. It's a zinger. Top it with Scotch-scented Brown Sugar Whipped Cream (
[>]
) for a dessert with a retro feel that's good enough for your most discriminating friends.

 

MAKES
6
SERVINGS

 

1. To make the caramel, combine the granulated sugar and water in a medium-size saucepan and stir over low heat until the sugar dissolves. Turn the heat up to high and boil, without stirring, until the mixture turns a deep golden brown color, 8 to 10 minutes. (Swirl the pan occasionally to promote even heating, and brush the sides of the pan with a wet pastry brush to prevent crystals from forming.)
   
2. Remove from the heat and add the cream carefully, because it will bubble up quite a bit. Stir until smooth, and reserve.
   
3. In another medium-size saucepan, combine the brown sugar, cornstarch, and salt, and whisk in the milk. Stir over medium-low heat until the mixture thickens and boils, 7 to 9 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the caramel.
   
4. Whisk the egg yolks gently in a large bowl. To temper them, very slowly whisk in about ½ cup of the warm pudding mixture, being careful not to add too much too quickly or you'll cook the eggs and they'll get lumpy.
   
5. Once the yolks are tempered, whisk the yolk mixture into the pudding mixture and return the pudding to the stovetop, bringing it to a simmer over medium heat.
   
6. Whisk in the butter and vanilla. Remove from the heat and divide the pudding among 6 small bowls or ramekins. Refrigerate uncovered for 30 minutes, then cover the puddings with plastic wrap (directly on the pudding surface, to prevent a skin from forming on top) and refrigerate for at least another 3 hours or overnight. Serve within 1 day.
   

Simple and creamy, this is pure comfort food with a slightly exotic twist in the form of coconut. Okay, maybe it's not that exotic, but it's really good. It's meant to be served warm, but also like it cold out of the fridge the next day.