citrus Archives | butter loves company

chocolate buttermilk cake with tangerine curd and toasted meringue

March 9, 2017 by Butter Loves Company

It has been far too long since I’ve broken out one of my favorite culinary tools: the kitchen torch. This is the little flamethrower of flavor that elevates crème brulée to more than custard and makes snowy meringue frosting golden-tipped and tasting of toasted marshmallows.

This recipe for Chocolate Buttermilk Cake with Tangerine Curd and Toasted Meringue has what may seem like a lot of steps, but you can easily split them up as to not feel overwhelmed. Bake the cakes and prep the curd one day, then make the meringue and assemble the next. The cake is super moist from the buttermilk and lusciously chocolate-y from the cocoa (I used special dark). The tangerine curd is tangy and quite citrus-forward, but also so smooth and creamy. If you prefer, you could use any kind of oranges or stick to a traditional lemon only curd. Top with fluffy meringue fired up with your kitchen torch and you have yourself a super fun and delicious cake!

Torched desserts always make me think of my mom. Along her love of crème brulée for its toasted tops, I inherited my mom’s style inclination for black clothes and tailored fashion. This watch from JORD watches is a perfect example of that and served as the inspiration for this recipe and its deep chocolate color and golden meringue tips. The band is made from ebony wood so it’s lightweight, but bold in style and I absolutely love the large watch-face and gold accents. JORD makes these gorgeous wood women’s watches and men’s watches with all different wood materials and in a variety of colors. I can’t wait to wear it all spring long. It goes perfectly with my wardrobe and with this fun chocolate buttermilk cake if I do say so myself!

The wonderful JORD team is also offering a giveaway to help you to grab your very own! Enter to win a $100 Gift code to use towards your own JORD watch. Click here to enter!

To make things more fun, everyone will automatically receive a $25 code just for entering! The contest will close on 3/26 at 11:59pm. Both the $100 and the $25 codes will expire on 5/31/2017. Best of luck everyone!

A big thank you to JORD Watches for partnering with me on this post. All opinions are my own!
Luxury Wooden Watch

cara cara orange macarons

February 9, 2017 by Butter Loves Company

I recently came across a quote reading, “Cooks are superheroes with backwards capes.” It warmed my heart. As Supergreg begins a new professional venture in the world of superheroes, and I continue my adventures in the food world, I felt it comforting to read a line that so perfectly rounded out our home. One cape on the back, and one cape on the front!

Where Superman’s weakness is kryptonite, and Daredevil flounders amidst overpowering assaults of noise, this cook crumbles at the mere thought of French Macarons. Make no mistake though, I don’t consider it a weakness to love these fluffy-yet-somehow-crunchy little delights. In fact, I adore eating the pretty pastel pastries built of almond flour and meringue. The chewy, moist centers sandwiched within lightly crisped shells are basically an edible work of art. The problem is, you see, they can be a bit finicky in the making. I’ve lost many batches where the batter was too thick or too thin resulting in either empty shells or Hershey Kiss-shaped meringue drops. Stir the meringue too long, and risk a batter too runny. Too short, and you’ll end up with a tray of pastries resembling the poo-emoji (whoops!). I ogled at the beautiful macarons I hoped to make, complete with the signature “little feet”—those ruffle-y bottoms on the otherwise smooth shells.

If you’ve ever experienced a baking kryptonite of your own, I encourage you to keep trying. While I still have a ways to go, I was finally able to achieve feet with this recipe adapted from the base macaron instruction from Serious Eats. Because we are in the heart of citrus season, we brightened it up with a bit of Cara Cara oranges from the Hollywood Farmers’ Market. (If you follow along on Instagram, you know it’s my favorite weekly stop.) With orange zest in the shells and freshly squeezed juice swirled within a sweet and rich cream cheese filling, these Cara Cara Orange Macarons are ready to save your day!

Looking for another citrus season recipe? Check out this lemon loaf with lavender glaze.

blueberry and lemon cream tart

February 10, 2015 by Butter Loves Company

Easy as pie tart? Yup. This puppy is even easier than pie! You want to know why? You know that part in pie making when you have to roll out the chilled dough and then transport it to the pie dish and, if you’re like me, you want to then slice more dough for a lattice top or try cut-outs, or patterns, or ruffles, or fringe … this is beginning to sound like the E! Grammy’s Fashion Police wrap up! Well, with this tart, you don’t have to do ANY of that! Easy pease, my friends.

Once you prepare the dough, you can just push it right into the pan with your sticky little fingers. It is a tad more crumbly than a pie crust with a texture like that of shortbread. Once you line the pan, you partially bake the dough so it can stand up to all the juicy blueberries and tart, creamy filling you’ll top it with next. The blueberries stay whole and plump up in the oven so you can pop them with your teeth as you devour a slice. Then you’ll pour a lemony Greek yogurt sauce over the sweet blueberries and bake the entire tart until the sauce sets into what is similar to a loose custard. The combination of the buttery crust, sweet blueberries, and tart lemon cream is bright, fresh, and dreamy.

The tart holds well in the fridge for a few days and can be served cool or at room temperature. It can also be served for breakfast when you are snowed-in in Boston. I can attest to that.

blueberry and lemon cream tart
adapted from Gourmet Magazine, July 1990

prep time: 30 minutes
cook time: 60 minutes
total time: 1 hour 30 minutes (plus more for chilling dough)
Makes 1 12-Inch Tart in Pan with Removable Bottom

Ingredients:

For the crust:
2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 sticks (1 cup) very cold, unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 large egg yolks, beaten with 4 tablespoons ice water
pie weights, dry beans, or raw rice for weighting the shell

For the filling:
3/4 cup plain greek yogurt
1/4 cup heavy cream
3 large egg yolks
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon freshly grated lemon zest
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 cups fresh blueberries (Take a look and remove extra stems or any bluebs that look dried out.)

Instructions:

Make the crust: In the bowl of a food processor, pulse together the flour, sugar, and salt. Add the chilled butter and pulse the mixture until it resembles coarse meal, about 10 pulses. Pour in the yolk and water mixture and pulse until the liquid is incorporated and the dough begins coming together. Turn the dough onto a clean surface and, using your hands, gather the dough into a ball. Wrap the ball in plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour.
Grab your tart pan (with removable fluted rim) and remove chilled dough from the refrigerator. Grab small chunks of the dough at a time and push into the tart pan with your fingertips. Continue pressing the dough into the pan until you have lined the bottom and sides with dough about 1/4 inch thick. Chill the crust for at least 30 minutes in the fridge, 15 minutes in the freezer, or cover and leave overnight. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line the inside of the tart crust with foil, fill the foil with the pie weights, dry beans or rice, and bake the shell in the middle of the oven for 25 minutes. Remove the foil and weights carefully, bake the crust for 5 to 10 minutes more, or until it is pale golden, and let it cool in the pan on a rack. Keep the oven heated at 350°F while you prepare the filling.
Make the filling: In a blender, food processor, or large bowl with a vigorous hand, blend together the yogurt, cream, yolks, granulated sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, butter, vanilla, salt, and flour until the mixture is smooth. Set aside.
Spread the fresh blueberries evenly over the bottom of the par-baked tart crust. Pour the yogurt and lemon mixture over them. Bake the tart in the middle of the oven at 350°F for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the filling is just set.
Let the tart cool completely in the pan on a rack. Serve at room temperature or store the tart in the refrigerator and serve chilled. Tart keeps for 4 to 5 days (keep chilled).

lemon loaf with lavender glaze

April 30, 2014 by Butter Loves Company

Since, after three days, we’ve officially finished the final crumb of this bread, I thought it was time you all should know about it. Three days is actually a pretty impressive length of time, which I’ll attribute to my trying to be “good” about my sweet intake this week. I consider this a success even if only for the fact that each time I ate it I actually cut a slice and put it on a plate, rather than jabbing a fork into the loaf for a bite each time I passed its platter. (Does anyone else leave a fork on the serving plate ready for this move at any time?) If When I make this again, I’d estimate a one- to two-day counter life based on deliciousness alone.

This loaf was the result of yet another ‘Buttermilk Conundrum,’ as I like to call it. I often purchase buttermilk for a recipe that only requires a half-cup of it. Before I know it, the carton has taken up residence in my fridge until I finally realize expiration is approaching and google, “what to do with leftover buttermilk.” It’s a classic tale—a Buttermilk Conundrum.

Well my Google search was a little more targeted this time knowing I also had lemons in the fridge, it was early on a rainy Saturday morning and I much preferred to stay in pajamas than put on real-people-clothes to go to the store for anything. I found a well-reviewed Ina Garten lemon cake recipe as a starting point. Her recipe made two loaves, which we didn’t need in the apartment (see, I was being good!), so I started to tweak a little bit as I scaled the recipe down. It turned out to be quite good with a perfect bread loaf texture—moist with a tight but not-too-dense crumb. There was a noticeable citrus flavor—without it being too bitter or too tart—from the additions of lemon zest in the cake and lemon juice in a syrup spooned over the warm loaf after it comes out of the oven. I decided to call it a bread versus a cake solely to make Greg and me feel better about having it for breakfast.

Once the loaf cooled completely, I topped it with a lavender glaze to play around with some dried cooking lavender in my cabinet. It added a subtle floral note, which was a nice compliment to the citrus. If you don’t have lavender, a simple lemon glaze or powdered sugar and milk glaze would have also been super as the bread itself is the star here.

Lemon Loaf with Lavender Glaze
Adapted from Ina Garten

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: About 1 hour 30 minutes (including cool time)
Makes one 8-inch loaf

Ingredients:

For the Cake:

1 stick (¼ pound/8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
1¼ cups granulated sugar, divided
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
¼ cup grated lemon zest (from about 3 lemons)
1½ cups flour
¼ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon table salt
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, divided (from about 2 lemons)
½ cup well-shaken buttermilk
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For the Glaze:

½ cup milk
1 tablespoon dried lavender (from a food store, not a flower store)
1 cup confectioner’s sugar

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour an 8 x 4 x 3 inch loaf pan (or comparable size), or coat with a non-stick baking spray.
Cream the butter and 1 cup granulated sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. With the mixer on medium speed, add the eggs, 1 at a time, and then the lemon zest.
In a small bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In another bowl, combine 2 tablespoons lemon juice, the buttermilk and vanilla. Add the flour and buttermilk mixtures alternately to the batter—beginning and ending with the flour. Spoon into loaf pan, smooth the top and bake for 45–55 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool for 10 minutes in the pan while you prepare the lemon syrup.
To prepare the lemon syrup, combine ¼ cup granulated sugar with ¼ cup lemon juice in a small saucepan and cook over low heat until the sugar dissolves. Remove from heat.
Remove the cake from the pan and set it on a rack set over a tray or sheet pan. Spoon the lemon syrup over it. Allow the cake to cool completely.
To prepare the glaze, heat the milk in a saucepan over medium heat until it starts to boil. Remove the pan from heat and add the dried lavender. Let the mixture steep for 5–8 minutes then strain the milk into a small bowl or cup to remove the dried lavender. Whisk the confectioner’s sugar into the milk, a tablespoon at a time, until you get a smooth glaze. Pour or spoon over the cooled loaf.

raspberry lime buttermilk cake with coconut cream cheese frosting

April 2, 2014 by Butter Loves Company

Light, moist buttermilk layers dotted with fresh raspberry bursts and swirled with lime zest; all topped with tropical coconut cream cheese frosting.

I’m pretty sure the red-eye home from sunny California last night made me crazy this morning. I mean, after indulging on SoCal treats like tacos, churros, baseball game fare, and a delicious key lime pie made by Greg’s cousin (to the entire family, we are so grateful!), I should’ve immediately banished all junk, hit the grocery store, and stocked up on every single green, crunchy vegetable available in preparation for a string of signature “post-vacation detox” salads.

Instead—in my red-eye haze—I made this Raspberry Lime Buttermilk Cake with Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting. I had most of the ingredients staring at me in the fridge; sad we had left them for the palm trees and Hollywood glam of the west coast. What was I supposed to do?

The layers of this cake are incredibly moist because of the buttermilk, and in every other bite you get juicy, tart bursts of raspberry with a citrusy lime undertone. The raspberries could easily be swapped out with any other berry you have on hand. In the past I’ve made it with diced strawberries and Greg and I enjoyed it unfrosted as a breakfast cake. In this case, I decided to layer it with coconut cream cheese frosting for a rich, sweet taste of the tropics—and one last bite of vacation.

Raspberry Lime Buttermilk Cake with Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting
Cake adapted from Smitten Kitchen, which was adapted from Gourmet, June 2009
Frosting, my own

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 50–60 minutes
Makes two 8-inch cakes and enough frosting for a “tom-boy” style* cake filling/topping

For the Raspberry Lime Buttermilk Cake:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1⅓ cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1½ teaspoons finely grated lime zest (from about two limes)
2 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk, well shaken
1 cup fresh raspberries
¼ cup toasted sweetened shredded coconut, for garnishing (optional)

For the Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting:

8 oz cream cheese (1 standard package)
½ stick (4 tablespoons), unsalted butter at room temperature
½ cup sweetened shredded coconut
2–3 cups powdered sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
⅛ teaspoon coconut extract

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F with rack in middle. Butter and flour a 9-inch round cake pan. (If using toasted coconut for garnishing the cake, you can now spread the ¼ cup sweetened shredded coconut onto a baking sheet or sheet pan and bake in the oven as it heats to 400 degrees until edges are lightly golden, about 5 minutes. Remove from oven and let cook completely).
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and set aside. In a large bowl with a hand mixer or the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy. Reduce to low speed and add vanilla and lime zest. Then, beat in the eggs, one at a time, scraping the bowl between additions.
At low speed, mix in flour mixture in three batches, alternating with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour, and mixing until just combined. Scoop batter into prepared cake pans, smoothing top (batter will be thick). Drop raspberries evenly over top (it won’t matter if they land face up or face down).
Bake until cake is golden and a wooden pick inserted into center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool in pan 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack and cool completely.
While the cake is cooling, prepare the frosting. In a large bowl, or the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and cream cheese on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the shredded coconut, vanilla, and coconut extracts and mix until combined. With the mixer on low speed, add the 2 to 3 cups of powdered sugar until combined into a light, creamy frosting that is thick enough to spread and hold its form.
To assemble: Place 1 cake layer, flat side up, on platter. Spread just under ½ the frosting over top of cake. Top with second cake layer, flat side up. Spread remaining frosting over the top (you may have enough frosting to cover the sides, if desired). Top with extra fresh raspberries and toasted coconut, if desired. Enjoy! (If not serving immediately, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Remove from refrigerator and bring to room temperature 45 minutes before serving).

*Tom-boy style is with the frosting just between the layers and on top, leaving the sides bare.