Apricot-Cherry Upside Down Cake

100 recipes!!! I did it.  I'm half way there and it's taken me only twice as long as I thought it would. Anyways, what a great cake for this momentous occasion. A sweet Polenta/Almond cake that would be delicious on it's own. The cherries and apricot add a juicy tartness.  But this delicious dessert came at a high price.  It All started at Safeway where I watch the scanner like a hawk. They are notorious for sale signs that "somehow" do not ring up at the register. You do NOT want to stand behind me in line.  The 1lb of cherries were ringing up as 2 lbs and it took them 20 minutes to realize the scale was broken.  The cherries were $8, the nectarines (No apricots. What is the difference?) were $4 and the almond paste was $12. Thirty minutes later and $22 less, I was walking back home. I had to remind myself "Why?" I'm doing this and how much cheaper it is than $10,000 at the Cordon Bleu. I was ready to bake. I began by prepping the ingredients : Pitting the cherries (gruesome affair), slicing the 4 apricots and crumbling the almond paste. I used a 9" springform pan because my 8" pan is only 2" deep (It worked fine).  After arranging the fruits on the bottom I poured the batter and baked it for 58 min (rotating at 30).  I let it cool on a rack for 15 minutes and "inverted the cake unto a serving plate to cool" as stated in the Handbook. I used a glass cake stand and went to see my Netflix. All of as sudden a hear a loud crash.  The scene was heartbreaking! My cake stand had broken in half (Did you know glass breaks from heat? Do I need to use heat resistant glass/serving plate? It should state that in the recipe. Next time I'm not taking any chances and  placing it on a rack. Another lesson learned from this project.) and taken half of my cake with it. I wanted to cry. All that money, time and energy.  I quickly saved the other half before the rest of the stand cracked into pieces.  If you are reading this and wonder why you did not get to taste this cake, this is the reason. I was barely able to save a decent piece for the picture. My mom got to try a sliver and loved it.  We both thought next time I would only make it with cherries (IF they're on sale!). It's a great breakfast treat.

 

102 to go!

PS. Martha, you owe me a cake stand.

Vanilla Cookie Crust Cheesecake

There was a lot of pressure after the wonderful reviews of my last cheesecake. I made sure to do everything exactly the same way (Cheesecake OCD). The only variation was the vanilla crust. I doubled the ingredients to 2 sticks of butter, 1/2 Cup of sugar, 2 egg yolks, 2tsp Vanilla, 1 1/2 Cups of flour and 2 pinches of salt.  I purposely "forgot" to freeze the dough and baked it for 30 min (Not on a baking sheet). I had to wait for my BF to come home from work and help me put it in the oven. The next day,  My BFF came over to discuss her passion for PETA and Vegetarianism AND try the cheesecake. She Loved it even more if that's possible. 

After you've had double crust you can never go back!. 

103 to Go!

Pineapple-Mango Upside Down Cake

Simple &  OK.   I know that living in Hawaii you would think I would go to the fields, pick a fresh pineapple, slice it, and core it.  Instead, I drove to Safeway and bought Dole canned pineapple sliced and crushed and a ripe mango. I did not make the nipple like mango circles. I filled the pan with the mixed pineapple and mango.  The 2tbsp of butter and brown sugar does not ever become light and fluffy but more like a paste you need to spread with fingers.  The cake batter is very thick.  It baked for 45 minutes rotating at 25. The cake was done except the middle was undercooked. If baked longer the rest of the cake would have been too dry.  My 3 year old enjoyed it for breakfast. Everyone else agreed it was not one of their favorites. 

Maybe I should have used fresh Pineapple.

104 to Go!

New York Style Cheesecake

Let me begin by stating that I am a Huge fan of New York but I have never been a big fan of cheesecakes. I LOVE cheese and I love Cakes but not together. I know there is no such thing as a cheesecake gene because both of my parents Love Cheesecake. They are notorious for bringing home huge Costco cheesecakes at any time, any day.  All that said, I Loved this cheesecake (Maybe it's a recessive gene). It is like no other cheesecake I have ever tasted before. Very smooth and even though it takes 7 packages of cream cheese to make, it does not taste cheesy. I loved the chocolate crust (note: I have heard my mother continuously complain  on the thinness of cheesecake crusts and why they have to be so stingy. I took this opportunity to make her wish come true and use the whole cookie recipe for the crust instead of half. It was Christmas in June for my mom). I forgot to freeze the crust and baked it for 23 minutes on a baking sheet.  I bought a Walmart disposable roasting pan ($3) and filled it with boiling water with the cheesecake inside. Note: This is a two man job. I could not have done it without the help of BF. It is very heavy! It baked at 350 for 45 minutes and 325 for 40 minutes. I then turned off the oven and left the door ajar for 1 hour (This is not fun to do on a Hot summer day).  After it cooled on the rack (out of the roasting pan) I refrigerated it over night.

My BF who also loves cheesecake said it was the "best damn cheesecake he has ever had!". CG and her husband loved it.  My BFF and the person she has been dating for the past four months also said it is one of their favorites.  My parents said it was better than Costcos' which is a big compliment coming from them. Even the kids loved it.  If I knew how much I and everyone else would love it I would have bought a real roasting pan!

105 to Go!