Tag: Cake

Celebrate with a Sacher

image2The beauty of living in New York City is that I was often visited by friends, family and aquaintances from my home town in Italy. Mostly, we met for a coffee, dinner or some sightseeing. For some I opened the doors and welcomed them to stay, particularly if they were young women trying to find a foot hold in the Big Apple. One of them was who became my friend Bettina who came to stay for a few weeks and, among other things, also taught me how to bake. Bettina is a fantastic chef and became an extremely good baker after spending her childhood baking for the Cafe in her parent’s hotel. She baked numerous cakes and our favorite was the famous Viennese Sacher Torte. To this day, it’s what we bake for birthdays. This is how it’s done. Come and cook with us!

Don’t be overwhelmed thinking that baking a Sacher Torte is beyond your skill level. Believe me, if I can do it, so can you, as long as you follow these simple directions. Remember that everything has to be at room temperature, including butter, eggs and flour. Then, be gentle with your batter. It wants to be handled with care if you want it to turn into a light, moist and fluffy cake. Then, make double and triple sure that no egg yolk makes it into the egg white or they will not stiffen up. And lastly, believe in yourself as the cake will turn out to be delicious even if it might not look perfect.

I’m so thankful to Bettina for leaving this legacy of her stay. We celebrated my friend Dex’s birthday yesterday and what better way to surprise him than with a slice of Sacher Torte. Come and cook with us!

Sacher Torte

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How About Them Blood Oranges?

IMG_5738This time of year its hard not to get excited about blood oranges. They take me straight back to my childhood, when blood oranges were a regular feature in the cold winter months. Whether Moro or Tarocco, there is something about the color of blood oranges that appeals to me. I felt a little like eating something that is forbidden. To this day, I still think they are special, as is this Upside-Down Polenta Blood Orange Cake that is easy enough to make, tastes delicious and looks absolutely fabulous. Let’s have some blood oranges this winter. Come and cook with us!

Moros are best for juicing and Tarocco the most popular to eat in Italy. Then there are Sanguinelli which hail all the way from Spain and are considered the sweetest. Unfortunately, the range of blood oranges offered in stores here in the US is often more limited, so I take what I can get. And while I eat most of my oranges peeled and raw in segments as a snack or after dinner dessert, I often integrate them into my salads or press and juice them. Generally speaking, given that most pesticides are concentrated in the peel, I buy organic and wash them well if I am including the peel in my recipe.

As you know, I don’t often bake and almost never not gluten-free, but I’ve come across so many versions of this recipe lately that I just had to give it a try. This particular concoction is inspired by one from Bon Appétit, which is probably my favorite food magazine with a knack for matching delicious recipes with great pictures and witty social media postings. The cake itself is easy to make and fun to assemble. Who doesn’t like the thrill of an upside-down cake?

If you like the sound of any of this, hurry, as blood oranges are only in season from November through the end of February. Come and cook with us!

Upside-Down Polenta Blood Orange Cake

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