Zuccotto

I haven't forgotten about you, folks - I've been busy cooking!  This time it's an obscure Italian dessert that has been a hit at two pot luck events, called a zuccotto.  This is a large multi-layer domed cake, often made with ice cream, but commonly made with just different cake layers and flavored whipped creams.  I have no idea where I found the original recipe, all I have is an old scribbled down document that I haven't been able to trace back to anything in particular.  I kind of prefer it that way, and have made adjustments since anyway.

The first time I made this I had no idea what to expect, so I brought it in without tasting, set it down at my department event, and walked away for about two minutes.  When I came back, this gigantic cake was completely gone.  So this time I tried a piece before serving, and now I see what the excitement was about.  Not too sweet, incredibly moist, fantastic flavors and very colorful.  Everyone had great things to say.

I'm going to teach you how to make your very own, which I don't recommend for just a small family gathering.  Only make this if you have a lot of people coming over - preferably ones you want to impress.  You're going to make your own whipped cream, and you may even bake a cake.  But the real fun of this one is the assembly, which is unlike anything I've ever seen before.

Zuccotto

• 1 16 ounce pound cake (home made or store bought)
• 1 devils food cake mix (or store bought chocolate pound cake)
• ½ cup strawberry jam
• ¼ cup Amaretto, or Luxardo Maraschino (preferred)
• 1 6-ounce bag miniature semisweet chocolate chips
• 2 cups heavy whipping cream
• ½ cup confectioners sugar
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 cup slivered almonds, slightly toasted

Equipment needed:

• Bowl that is 9 inches across and 4-6 inches deep.
• Good serrated knife, or an electric knife (recommended)
• Handheld electric mixer, or a stand mixer

If making cakes yourself, prepare per recipe instructions on box.  I recommend you buy the pound cake, and make the devil's food cake.  For devil's food cake mix, pour half of mix into a greased and floured ovenproof 6 inch diameter bowl - I used a Pyrex mixing bowl, and filled about halfway full to allow for rising.  Bake the remainder in muffin cups - note that these will cook MUCH faster than the large bowl version.  If you don’t have an ovenproof bowl, get one.  Because of size differences you need to approximate the times listed on box for the bowl-shaped variant, but use a toothpick for testing and you'll be fine.  A toothpick inserted should pull out clean, so check regularly to avoid overbaking and drying it out.  For the record, the small bowl cake took about 10-15 minutes longer than the package directions said for the most stout of cake shapes it described.  Unfortunately, it seems the Duncan Hines folks didn't expect people to be baking their products into bizarre geometries, so I had to sort this out on my own.

Cool the cake(s) for 20 minutes, then turn out on baking racks to continue cooling.  Slice the pound cake into ¼ inch thick pieces, trying to be as consistent as possible.  Now line a 3 quart mixing bowl with plastic wrap.  Layer the lined bowl with slices of pound cake, overlapping slightly to create a pound cake bowl inside the mixing bowl.

Only an electric knife would let you get this many evenly sliced pieces.  I love mine.

Mix strawberry jam and almond or cherry liqueur (not the extract).  A note - I used Luxardo, an excellent liqueur used to make the real Maraschino cherries (recipe to follow soon).  This has a very sweet taste with notes of both almonds and cherries, and I thought it was an excellent substitution for Amaretto.  Whatever you use, mix in a 1:2 ratio with your jam of choice, and brush over inside of pound cake bowl.

Brush the jam and liqueur in the layered pound cake.  Careful not to get the jam on the outside of the cake, or it will ruin the exterior appearance

In another mixing bowl beat whipping cream, sugar and almond extract until stiff peaks form. Fold in chocolate chips and almonds. Spread evenly over bottom and sides of pound cake bowl, using a spatula or back of large spoon to smooth.

Fold the mini chocolate chips and almond slices into the whipped cream, gently

Spread a good layer of the almond infused whipped cream inside of the lacquered pound cake

Place bowl baked chocolate cake gently in the center of whipped cream lined bowl. If using store bought chocolate pound cake just cut to fit center. Fill in gaps by cutting scraps from remaining cake. Be gentle when adding the cake so as not to redistribute the whipped cream layer.

The devil's food bowl cake, before I inverted, trimmed the bottom, and nestled into the whipped cream.

Like a glove!

Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate cake overnight.  Put some pressure on with the tension of the plastic wrap, to help apply a downward force that will compress the cake and press the pound cake out to the shape of the bowl.

To serve, place serving plate on top of bowl. Turn bowl over and remove plastic wrap. Garnish by placing strawberries around cake and place one on top, cut in a fan shape. To make fan shape strawberry, just make 4-5 slices ¾ of the way through from top to base. With both hands holding strawberry gently spread so it creates a fan shape.

The final cake, turned out of the bowl.

Here's what you have waiting for you - two cakes in one, with a few delicious extra layers of fruity, nutty awesomeness in between

You may have noticed a gargantuan quantity of pound cake at the beginning of this recipe.  If you find yourself with too much cake, hopefully you have made the extra cupcake-sized devil's food cakes, and have some leftover whipped cream.  I was able to make a medium-sized and small-sized zuccotto to send off with friends in addition to this huge version, which was a great way to use up everything I made.

Granola Bars

Ah, granola.  The rallying cry of the crunchy hippie; the perfect backpacking food; that which is somewhere between breakfast and dessert.  Yes, granola, you are truly an amazing thing.  And I have figured out your secrets.

It turns out granola bars are surprisingly easy to make, and also fun to customize.  In a nutshell, granola is typically a mixture of oats, nuts, dried fruit, and a binding agent, either shoved into bar form or allowed to form clusters, like peanut brittle.  I prefer bars, which seem easier to hold while moving.

My 'recipe' for granola bars is stolen from Alton Brown, but it has been modified more times than I care to count.  Like a good chili, granola is an olio of whatever grains and fruits I have on hand; tonight's version brings you a walnut strawberry granola, although I have also done a coconut, chocolate, berry granola.  I will keep the recipe generic enough that you can adapt, but specific enough that it still makes sense.

You will notice in my process that I use parchment paper to line my baking sheet.  What is parchment paper, you ask?  Well, I'll tell you.  Parchment paper is paper that has been infused with silicone, which is exactly what they make oven-safe, nonstick utensils and some bakeware out of.  So it's paper that can go in the oven, is nonstick, and cleans up like aluminum foil but with none of the Alzheimer's threat.  Hooray!

This recipe can be done using measuring spoons and cups, but it is greatly simplified if you have a digital scale.  That way, you can keep adding ingredients to your grain sheet and your liquid pot very quickly, without fiddling with implements.  I'd say you cut about 10 out of 15 minutes of hands-on labor out by using a scale.

This is my strawberry chocolate walnut granola bar.  There are many like it, but this one is mine.

Granola Bars

• 8 ounces old-fashioned rolled oats, appx 2 cups
• 1.5 ounces raw sunflower seeds, appx 1/2 cup
• 3 ounces sliced almonds, appx 1 cup
• 1.5 ounces wheat germ (do not toast), appx 1/2 cup
• 6 ounces honey, appx 1/2 cup
• 1.75 ounces dark brown sugar, appx 1/4 cup packed
• 1 ounce unsalted butter (2 tbsp)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract - the real stuff, avoid imitation if you can
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 6.5 ounces total chopped fruit and chocolate (preferably more fruit than chocolate)
• Parchment paper

Line a 9 by 13 inch glass baking dish with parchment paper and set aside.  Preheat over to 350 degrees F.

Parchment paper in a baking sheet.  I cut the edges so I can get a good square shape

Combine roughly 12 ounces of oats, seeds, and nuts on a half-sheet pan and spread out evenly.  Try to use roughly 8 ounces of oats, 4 ounces max of nuts, and 2-4 ounces of seeds, such as pumpkin or sunflower.  If using wheat germ, do not include these yet (they will burn).  Place sheet pan in the oven and toast for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

The full pan of grains.  I used walnuts instead of sunflower seeds, just because

In the meantime, combine the honey, brown sugar, butter, extract and salt in a medium saucepan and place over medium heat.  The salt actually helps temper the sweetness of the rest of this mixture, bringing up the perceived balance in the flavors.  Cook until the brown sugar has completely dissolved, and be careful not to burn yourself with the resulting napalm-like solution.

Mmm, sugary goodness

The toasted grains, nuts, and seeds

Once the oat mixture is done, remove it from the oven and reduce the heat to 300 degrees F.  If using chocolate chips, allow the oat mixture to cool slightly.  If not, immediately add the oat mixture to the liquid mixture, add the dried fruit and wheat germ, and stir to combine.

Stir the liquid with the grains, fruit, and possible chocolate chips.  If using chocolate, act quickly or you will have a melted mess on your hands, which is tasty but not as attractive

Use wax paper and press down as hard as you can to compress the mixture into a thin sheet

Turn mixture out into the prepared baking dish and press down, evenly distributing the mixture in the dish and place in the oven to bake for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven, scoring bars to make slicing easier but not cutting all the way through, and allow to cool completely.  Cut into squares and store in an airtight container for up to a week.

A full sheet of granola bars before slicing.  I find that a pizza slicer works well while the bars are mostly but not fully cooled