First things first, my husband is an amazingly easy person to cook for. Pretty much anything I set down in front of him, he’ll eat. When he asks what’s for dinner and I tell him it’s lentils or chard or vegan or full of nutritional yeast, he generally replies with something along the lines of “cool, sounds good.”
But sometimes, there’s a comment a little like this.
“Um, Cate? I really appreciate that you cook amazing dinners every night. But is there any way we could maybe have a dinner that doesn’t include kale?”
I have to admit, I did go a little overboard with kale recently. So I planned a whole week of things I knew he’d love: sandwiches, spinach lasagna, loaded baked sweet potatoes, and curry. The man LOVES him some curry.
He also loves chocolate chip cookies, and since Tuesday was national chocolate chip cookie day, I finally got around to trying Alton Brown’s “The Chewy”
I’m not sure if they were the best chocolate chip cookies ever, but they were VERY good. I love that the recipe is written with ingredients by weight, because I’m fully obsessed with using my food scale. I am ready to make another batch!
This curry recipe came from JAMES BEARD AWARD WINNER Heidi Swanson, but I decided to leave the potatoes in chunks, and I added a basic cucumber-ginger-lime raita on the side (I also served it all over quinoa). Kale-free, Mike-pleasing, and delicious, plus it makes enough for plenty of leftovers for lunch!
Potato and Tempeh Curry with Cucumber-Ginger Raita
Ingredients Curry
- 1 1/2 pounds small waxy potatoes, quartered
- 2 teaspoons fine-grain sea salt
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, peeled and chopped
- 1 1/2 teaspoosn whole cumin seeds
- 2 teaspoons curry powder
- 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 15 ounce can diced tomatoes
- 3/4 cup water
- 8 ounces tempeh, diced
- 2 tbsp sour cream or full-fat yogurt
-
Raita
- 2 medium cucumbers, peeled, seeded and diced
- 1/2 tsp freshly grated ginger
- juice of half a lime
- pinch of salt
- 2 tbsp plain yogurt
Instructions - Place a steamer basket over a saucepan of water, and place the potatoes in it. Sprinkle with a little salt, then steam until tender, about 20 minutes.
- In a large heavy-bottomed saucepan or dutch oven, heat the oil and butter until the butter is melted, then add the onions. Cook over low heat until very soft.
- Stir in the cumin seeds, curry powder, turmeric, and cayenne and mix well. Add the tomatoes, tempeh, and potatoes along with the water, and simmer for about 10-15 minutes. Stir in the sour cream and remove from the heat. Adjust salt to taste.
- While the curry is simmering, make the raita by combining all ingredients.
- Serve the curry over rice or quinoa with raita on top or on the side.
1.4 http://catesworldkitchen.com/2012/05/potato-and-tempeh-curry-with-cucumber-ginger-raita/
(adapted from 101 cookbooks)
My first Mother’s Day was a great one. Breakfast in the city, a new pair of shoes, and a run with my two favorite people, one of whom clearly had the time of her life.
Ellie (okay, fine… Mike) gave me a 12-pack of Gu, which was a little interesting to explain to my kids when they asked me what I got for Mother’s Day. The concept of long-run fueling is kind of foreign to them and they really couldn’t understand why I’d get excited about a box of goo.
Anyway, we had a lot of meals out this weekend, so I was pretty excited to put together a week full of good, homemade dinners.
I pretty much consider Beth my food twin. We definitely have very similar taste, and when she posted this sandwich I knew I would make it. I just didn’t realize it would take me this long.
It’s not exactly the season for apples, but the Fujis at my favorite grocery store are still completely delicious (especially with melted cheddar cheese on sourdough).
I added some sauteed shallots (and Mike added a bunch of HP sauce) and it was fantastic. Thanks (as always) for the inspiration, Beth!
Grilled Cheddar and Apple Sandwiches
Ingredients - 1 shallot, thinly sliced
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 4 slices sourdough bread
- 4 slices cheddar cheese
- 1 Fuji apple, thinly sliced
- whole grain mustard
Instructions - Heat the olive oil in a small skillet over medium. Add the shallot and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 15 minutes (or until very soft).
- Spread the mustard on one piece of bread and top with cheese, apples, and shallots. Top with another piece of bread.
- Cook in a skillet with a little melted butter until the cheese is melted and the bread is golden and crisp.
1.4 http://catesworldkitchen.com/2012/05/grilled-cheddar-and-apple-sandwiches/
I have found the dish I want to bring to every potluck from now on.
Except I don’t really go to potlucks. But if I did, I’d bring this always. So full of vegetables, and the dressing is INSANE (in a good way).
It has been one heck of a week. On Monday, I turned 28. There was Chinese food, great friends and so much cake (funfetti with pink frosting, perfect for a 28 year old).
Alyssa and I decided the cake must be magic, because we both had AMAZING runs on Tuesday. She busted out some crazy fast mile repeats, and I did a 6 mile run with 4 tempo miles all under 7:00 min/mile!
We started a space unit at school, and this week the kids made Alka Seltzer rockets. I love my job.
Today I went for my second run of the week (I guess I’m going for quality, not quantity at the moment) and ended up doing 4.5 miles at 7:30 min/mile. It didn’t even feel that hard! I don’t know where this speed came from– or if it will stick around — but I like it.
I just made a few changes to this salad as it was originally written on Ashley’s beautiful blog. I served it over a bed of mixed sprouts, which was heavenly, and I left the sweetener out of the dressing. There are so many little tweaks you can make to personalize it!
Avocado and Dill Pasta Salad
Ingredients Salad
- 8oz whole wheat or spelt pasta
- 1 small head broccoli, cut into small florets
- 12 spears asparagus, cut into 1" lengths
- 1.5 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 red bell pepper, cut into thin 1"-long slices
- 1/4 cup sunflower seeds
- 3-4 cups mixed sprouts
-
Dressing
- 1 avocado
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2.5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup fresh dill, loosely packed
- juice of two lemons
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions - To make the dressing, combine all ingredients in a small blender or food processor and adjust seasonings to taste.
- To make the salad, cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain and rinse under plenty of cold running water. Drain well, then place in a large bowl.
- Steam the broccoli and asparagus for 2-3 minutes, until just tender. Plunge into ice water to stop cooking, then drain well.
- Add to the pasta along with the other vegetables, then toss with about half the dressing, adding more as desired. Serve over sprouts and top with sunflower seeds.
1.4 http://catesworldkitchen.com/2012/05/avocado-and-dill-pasta-salad/
Even though I started Saturday morning with a four hour math test, I grade this weekend A+++. Perfect weather, good coffee, lots of time with Mike and Ellie, a run and brunch with good friends, and a lot of time in the kitchen; that’s pretty tough to beat.
We went to Hayes Valley on Saturday afternoon and got lattes at Ritual
The people watching (and the DOG watching!) was fantastic and as always, the lattes were divine. I’m not sure what Ellie was so focused on, but there was definitely a lot to look at.
Sunday morning started with a trip to the East Bay to meet up with a bunch of my favorite people for a run followed by brunch.
6 leisurely miles with Courtney felt a lot harder than it should have (and my right knee/hip were a little cranky) but it was soooo nice to run in the warm sun for a change. I’m going to spend a lot of quality time with my foam roller this week, and within the next few weeks, I need to start a training plan for the San Francisco Marathon 2nd Half. I’m hoping to smash my PR (1:39ish right now), but I haven’t picked a plan yet. Anyone have suggestions?
I’m making the most of asparagus season, buying a bunch of it every week and roasting it to either eat plain or incorporate into our dinner. I made this dish with whole-wheat orzo cooked like risotto (by adding a ladle of broth and stirring until it was absorbed), which is a little time-consuming but totally worth it. A little lemon juice and zest, and a bunch of roasted asparagus make it perfect for Spring.
It’s great alongside my new favorite salad: lettuce, toasted almonds, red bell pepper, and goat cheese with a simple vinaigrette.
Lemon and Roasted Asparagus Risotto-Style Orzo
Ingredients - 1 bunch asparagus, washed and cut into 1" lengths
- 4 tbsp olive oil, divided
- 1 large shallot, finely minced
- zest and juice of one lemon
- 2 cups whole wheat orzo
- 5 cups vegetable broth
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions - Preheat the oven to 400 F. Toss the asparagus with 2 tbsp of olive oil and a pinch of saltr and spread on a rimmed baking sheet.
- Roast for 15-20 minutes, or until tender. Remove from the oven and set aside.
- Heat the stock in a medium saucepan and keep at a simmer.
- Put the other two tablespoons of olive oil in a large saucepan and heat over medium.
- Add the shallot and cook for about 3 minutes, until soft.
- Add the orzo and cook, stirring constantly, for about 3 minutes until it is all coated with oil. Add the lemon zest and juice and half a cup of broth and cook, stirring, until the liquid is all absorbed.
- Add the remaining broth, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring until it is almost entirely absorbed before adding more. Continue until the orzo is is tender (this will take 20-30 minutes and you may not need all the broth), then stir in the asparagus and Parmesan and season to taste with salt and pepper.
1.4 http://catesworldkitchen.com/2012/05/lemon-and-roasted-asparagus-risotto-style-orzo/
(adapted from How to Cook Everything Vegetarian)
This is my take on yet another amazing recipe from Plenty. I roasted the mushrooms instead of marinating them (because even though I don’t consider myself a picky eater at all, I just can’t do raw mushrooms). I also omitted the fava beans because I really don’t care for them (so maybe I am a little bit of a picky eater?)
I was all set to serve it as you see it above, but then Mike brought out some lettuce and it became abundantly clear that lettuce wraps were the way to go.
A brilliant move on his part.
I went for my first post-marathon run today, and given how shredded my quads felt on Sunday, it was surprisingly enjoyable. I know this is when I’m most likely to get injured so I’m going to stick to the every other day plan for at least a week or two. After all, I don’t have any races on the schedule until July, so there’s really no hurry.
Then I came home and Ellie helped me fold laundry.
I seriously had no idea it was possible to love a small human this much.
Roasted Mushroom Lettuce Wraps
Ingredients - 5 cups quartered cremini mushrooms
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- juice of two lemons, divided
- salt and pepper
- 1/2 cup whole-milk plain yogurt
- 3 tbsp tahini
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped
- 2 heads endive, thinly sliced
- 1 head red leaf lettuce, washed and dried
Instructions - Preheat the oven to 350 F. Toss the mushrooms with the olive oil, maple syrup, half the lemon juice, salt, and pepper and spread on a rimmed baking sheet.
- Roast for 15 minutes, then remove to cool.
- While the mushrooms are roasting, whisk the other half of the lemon juice with the tahini, then add the yogurt and stir until smooth.
- Drain the liquid and place the mushrooms in a large bowl. Add the walnuts and endive and mix well.
- Spoon the mushroom mixture into lettuce leaves with a drizzle of yogurt sauce
1.4 http://catesworldkitchen.com/2012/05/roasted-mushroom-lettuce-wraps/
Before we left for Monterey on Saturday morning, I had to bake some cookies. Usually eating a bunch of cookies the day before a marathon probably isn’t the best course of action, but that’s kind of what ended up happening.
They were pretty nice to have when we ended up being a little late to our dinner reservation because our previously booked hotel moved us elsewhere, then sent us to the wrong hotel (all the way across town).
They were also quite delightful at 2:45 AM on Sunday morning…pre-race fueling at its finest. But they’re full of oats and bananas, so that definitely means they’re not the worst thing one could eat before running 26.2 miles. They’re light and fluffy and taste just like banana bread!
Speaking of 26.2 miles, I just signed up for my eighth marathon:
The day after Big Sur, my good friend Alyssa reminded me that it’s pretty much a scientific fact that a marathon on that course is about 20 minutes slower on any other course. Meaning I could possibly run 3:29 (which would be a 3 minute PR). December 2, I plan to do just that in Sacremento! I have run CIM once before, in 2007, and dropped my PR from 4:14 to 3:47, so I know it’s a great PR course.
The next few months I’m going to focus on building a really good base, hopefully running some fast shorter races, and staying injury free so I can train harder than I’ve ever trained before for this race. Bring.it.on.
Ingredients - 1 1/2 sticks butter
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 cup mashed bananas
- 1 1/2 cups old fashioned oats
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
Instructions - Preheat the oven to 400 F.
- Beat the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg and banana and mix until incorporated.
- Stir the oats, cinnamon, nutmeg, flour, salt, and baking soda together in a medium bowl and add to the butter mixture. Mix on low speed just until combined.
- Drop large spoonfuls of dough about 2" apart on a cookie sheet and bake for about 10 minutes or until just set in the middle.
1.4 http://catesworldkitchen.com/2012/05/banana-oatmeal-cookies/
(adapted from Allrecipes
I signed up for this race SO long ago. I clearly remember sitting at my dining room table, ridiculously pregnant and sort of wondering if I’d ever run a marathon again. Fortunately, returning to running has been very easy and it was my weird hip issue, nothing related to being a new mom, that threw a wrench into my training.
I originally hoped to run this in under 4 hours, but realized that a tough course coupled with a pretty weak training cycle might not make that possible. In retrospect, this is not the race to have any sort of goal time fore (especially when under-trained), and that might be why I didn’t enjoy it as much as I probably should have.
One of my favorite parts of the weekend was getting to spend a bunch of time with Courtney, who I just don’t see enough!
We spent a couple hours at the expo (which wasn’t even that big, but I spent probably 40 minutes trying to pick a headband for the race) and then met up with some friends for dinner. I was in bed by 9:00 with my alarm set for TWO FORTY FIVE (definitely the earliest I’ve ever had to get up for a race) but I woke up every single hour. I wasn’t nervous about the race, I think I was just really paranoid about sleeping through my alarm.
When the alarm went off, I got up, got dressed, and Courtney and I walked the 0.7 miles to the shuttle buses. We got to the start an hour later, giving us almost two hours to wait around before the start. One definite perk of being on the early bus is that we were able to snag a bench and some hot chocolate, so it was actually kind of enjoyable.
Finally it was go time!
The first five miles were downhill through the redwoods and it was HEAVENLY! There was no wind (which I didn’t appreciate at the time) and my legs felt great. I kept the pace very conservative because I knew I had a LONG tough race ahead of me. (8:53, 8:54, 8:27, 8:31, 8:36)
I was originally planning on sticking with 9 minute miles for the first half, but that obviously didn’t quite happen. Around 6 miles I got my first taste of the wind, and it was not fun. Just before the first gust hit I was contemplating taking off my arm warmers because the sun was out, but that thought was VERY short-lived. The next 3 miles were in and out of the wind and fog. At mile 9, the course goes downhill only to be followed by two solid miles of climbing at Hurricane point. (8:29, 8:27, 8:38, 8:44)
The taiko drummers at the base of the hill were awesome, and definitely gave me a boost. The climbing wasn’t too bad – I run on hills ALL THE TIME in my neighborhood – but the headwind was pretty brutal. I tried to keep my head down and just power through it because I knew Bixby bridge would be my reward. The descent to the bridge was steep and I could tell my quads were not quite ready for the beating they would be taking the rest of the race.
I could hear the piano before I got to the bridge but because of the fog I couldn’t see anything. Once I hit the bridge, though, I immediately choked up. I’d seen the picture of runners on Bixby bridge so many times, and finally experiencing it, with the piano playing the song from Chariots of Fire, was a surprisingly emotional experience. After that, unfortunately, is where things really started to get tough. (7:35, 9:41, 9:16)
I’d been looking forward to the drummers and the bridge and after that, I didn’t feel like I had much to look forward to. The scenery was pretty but the clouds obscured a lot of it, and the headwind started really getting to me. It was just SO frustrating to be constantly running into 20+ mile an hour winds. I had my ipod in my SpiBelt and I was tempted to put music on and zone out, but for some reason I never did (I’ve never raced with music). The miles kept ticking by, and the hills and wind never let up. I was still feeling pretty good until around mile 22, when I completely hit the wall. (8:06, 7:45, 8:24, 8:15, 8:03, 8:24, 8:28, 8:42, 8:34, 9:28)
Mile 22 was my first mile over 9 minutes. That’s where the course climbs up into Carmel Highlands and that’s where my quads started SCREAMING. I tried to ignore the pain as much as possible, but between the wind and the achiness in my legs, I was having a really hard time. I started walking through the water stations and trying to stay focused on just putting one foot in front of the other. I kept running the hills until the last one at mile 25. At that point, by quads felt like they’d gone through a meat grinder and I had to walk for a few minutes. (9:05, 9:01, 9:31, 10:31)
Fortunately the walk break worked a little magic and I knew that with a little less than a mile to go, I’d have no problem meeting my sub-4 goal. Finally the flags came into view and the finish was right around the corner. I picked it up and crossed the line in 3:49:27 (8:46 min/mile). I immediately cried tears of relief that the hardest marathon I’ve ever done was over.
I know a lot of the reason I didn’t love this race is because I was under-trained. I know my attitude toward the wind could have been a lot better (I kept getting SO frustrated, but I should have just accepted it and moved on), and I know that if I’d put in a few more solid weeks of training, my legs wouldn’t have hurt so much after all those steep descents. But in the end, I finished strong, it was by far the most beautiful course I’ve ever run, and the volunteers and course entertainment were fantastic. I can see why so many people love this race, but I’m not sure I ever need to do it again.
Marathon #7, in the books. Now I just need to figure out my next race. And if it really is true that Big Sur is 20 minutes slower than a typical marathon, I think I’m ready to shoot for a 3:29!
I really love soba noodles. It all started with the recipe for Otsu in Super Natural Cooking, and grew from there into a mild obsession. I pretty much insist on eating them at least once a week, and I love the way they provide a pleasantly earthy backdrop for a huge range of flavors and textures.
Here, I added some red cabbage, sliced carrots, sauteed portobellos, blanched broccoli, avocado and fried tofu and tossed it all with a very simple miso and sesame oil dressing. Delicious!
In other news, we’re giving the state tests this week at school. I could rant for DAYS about my feelings on testing (and public education in general), but this is not the time or place. Instead, I’ll just say that no matter what our scores are, my kids this year have completely blown me away. I have students from Burma and the Philippines who’ve been in this country for just a couple years but can write a lab report with precise details and thoughtful conclusions. I have a student who asks the most awesome and insightful questions every single day. I have fantastic models of organic compounds built by the kids. I have their work all over my walls and I hear their thoughtful discussions every single day, and THAT is what shows how amazing they are , NOT a pick-the-best-answer-and-fill-in-the-bubble test.
I’ve been turning to kitchen therapy a lot this week. Not because work is stressing me out, but because I’m hardly running so I need somewhere to focus my energy. I bought some caperberries at the grocery store last week because I’d never seen them before and was curious.
They taste like a cross between a green olive and a caper (two flavors I love), but they have weird little grainy seeds inside so I think I’ll stick with either olives OR capers from now on. I did use them to make a pasta dish with roasted cauliflower, though, and THAT was pretty good.
Happy Friday!
Soba Salad with Sesame-Miso Dressing
Ingredients Salad
- 8 ounces soba noodles
- 1 lb extra firm tofu, pressed, drained, and cut into bite-sized cubes
- 1 tbsp grapeseed or canola oil
- 2 cups thinly sliced red cabbage
- 2 carrots, thinly sliced
- 1 portabello mushroom, thinly sliced
- 1 small head broccoli, cut into florets
- 1 avocado, diced
-
Dressing
- 2 tbsp white miso
- 4 tbsp warm water
- 1 tbsp agave
- 1 tsp sesame oil
Instructions - Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the tofu and cook for a few minutes on each side, until golden brown. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
- Add the mushrooms to the pan and saute until soft. Add to the tofu.
- Heat a large pot of water and cook the soba according to package directions. Drain and rinse well under lots of cold running water. Place in a large bowl.
- Blanch the broccoli florets by submerging them in boiling water for 1 minute, then transferring them to a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Drain well.
- Add the tofu, mushrooms, broccoli, carrots, cabbage, and avocado to the bowl with the noodles.
- To make the dressing, whisk the ingredients together until smooth. Pour as much as desired over the salad and toss well.
1.4 http://catesworldkitchen.com/2012/04/soba-salad-with-sesame-miso-dressing/
So I’m running a marathon on Sunday, my seventh! I’m incredibly excited, even though I know there’s pretty much a 0.000032% chance that I’ll PR. It’s okay, though. I signed up way back in August when I had no idea what life with a baby would be like, and figured that it was a good goal to have for 7.5 months after having a baby.
On my 5ish mile run yesterday, my legs felt SO fresh and ready to run that it took some serious willpower not to just keep going. I gotta save it all for the race, though. I only did one 20-miler this training cycle, so there’s a pretty good chance I’ll crash and burn hard somewhere around mile 22 if I go out even a little bit too fast.
I’ve done a lot of runs on the treadmill lately but the weather has been better the past few days, so I’ve been running outside more. It’s kind of nice to go from zoning out, staring at a TV playing the news at 5 AM to fresh air and great blue herons in the nice afternoon sun. I’ll take a little more of the latter.
We have a big bag of these little egg noodle nests in the cupboard, which I know are not the healthiest choice, but I love them. They require a decent amount of oil to avoid turning into a giant yellow clump, so I don’t cook with them too often, but when I do, I try to add a lot of vegetables so there’s at least something a little healthy going on. We’ve had a bunch of broccoli stalks sitting in the produce drawer for a couple weeks, and I’ve been promising Mike I’d use them and wooohoooo I actually did. Finally. I also roasted an eggplant, fried some tofu and sliced up a red pepper, so there was a pretty nice variety of flavors and textures.
Ellie and Mike impatiently watched my pre-dinner photo shoot.
Ellie REALLY wanted to try some of this, but she’s still doing mostly purees at this point. They’re exciting purees, though! Red lentils with tomato and coriander, carrots with dill, and cauliflower with cumin – and she loves them all. But she still was very intrigued by our food.
Ingredients - 1 tbsp regular soy sauce
- 1 tsp dark soy sauce
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1 tbsp Shao Xing rice wine
- 4 tbsp vegetable oil, divided
- 1 eggplant, cut into 1/2" cubes
- 16 ounces tofu, pressed, drained and cut into bite-sized pieces
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 red bell pepper, cut into matchsticks
- 4 broccoli stalks, peeled and cut into matchsticks
- 8 ounces egg noodles
- 2 tbsp sesame seeds
Instructions - Preheat the oven to 400 F.
- Stir the soy sauce, dark soy sauce, sugar, and rice wine together and set aside.
- Toss the eggplant cubes with 1 tbsp of oil and spread in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast for about half an hour, or until the cubes are browned and very soft.
- While the eggplant is roasting, heat 1 tbsp of oil in a skillet and add the tofu. Cook, flipping occasionally, until golden brown on all sides. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
- Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil and cook the noodles according to package directions. Drain and toss with a little oil.
- Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a skillet and add the garlic. Cook, stirring, until very fragrant, 1-2 minutes.
- Add the broccoli and bell pepper and stir fry for a few minutes, until crisp-tender.
- Add the tofu, eggplant, and soy sauce mixture and continue cooking for another few minutes. Sprinkle with sesame seeds, then serve over the noodles
1.4 http://catesworldkitchen.com/2012/04/sesame-eggplant-stir-fry/
The last few days have been completely taken over by math. Matrices haunt my dreams, I’m constantly running through proofs and derivations, and I’m sort of accepting the fact that number theory is way over my head. This stupid test is in two weeks and I can’t wait to have my life back.
When I wasn’t studying this week, I was out with the fam. We went to a LOT of restaurants, and kept Ellie out past her bedtime more than once. Oops.
Good thing she inherited my ability to sleep just about anywhere.
Having family around means that desserts don’t last long (and that’s a good thing), so I jumped at the chance to try a cake Mike had been eyeing in Joy the Baker’s cookbook.
I was a tiny bit hesitant about this cake. The last time I tried to bake with peanut butter (making something other than cookies), it was a big fat fail. I tried to make a peanut butter banana bread but it was dense and gritty and unpleasant. That was three years ago. Ever since then I figured baking with peanut butter should be left to cookies. I should have known Joy wouldn’t mess it up, though. This cake has a nice, light crumb with the perfect amount of peanut butter flavor.
I frosted it with a basic peanut butter buttercream, and it was divine. I think the only thing that might have made it better would be some sliced bananas in between the cake layers. I’m definitely going to do that next time. Maybe to celebrate being done with my ridiculous math test!
Ingredients Cake
- 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup smooth peanut butter
- 6 tbsp softened butter
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup plus 2 tbsp buttermilk
-
Frosting
- 2 tbsp softened butter
- 1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1-3 tbsp milk (as needed)
Instructions - To make the cake, preheat the oven to 350 F with racks in the top and middle third of the oven.
- Grease two 8" cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment.
- Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl and set aside.
- Beat the butter, sugars, and peanut butter in the bowl of a stand mixer until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
- Beat in the eggs one at a time.
- Add half the flour mixture and mix on low just until all traces of flour disappear. Add the buttermilk and continue to mix on low.
- Add the remaining flour mixture and mix just until it begins to thicken, about 30 seconds. Remove the paddle attachment and stir gently with a spatula until all the flour is incorporated.
- Divide among the cake pans and bake for 15 minutes, then switch the pans to opposite racks and bake for another 15-20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool in the pans for 5 minutes, then turn out onto racks to cool completely.
- Once the cakes are completely cool, make the frosting: Beat the butter and peanut butter together until smooth. Add the powdered sugar and mix on medium-high until smooth. Add milk a scant teaspoon at a time, stopping when frosting reaches a spreadable consistency (you probably won't need all the milk).
1.4 http://catesworldkitchen.com/2012/04/peanut-butter-cake/
|
|
|
Connect