09 March 2012
Make a Wish
My Dad would have been turning 69 tomorrow. Yowsa, how time flies...
When he was a kid, his Mother would make him this cherry and walnut cake...which my Mom took up after they got married. It didn't happen every year, but the cake stands out in my memory. I remember one year I was wearing my ballet gear from class while my Dad blew out the candles. Funny what memories stick in your head...
The cake doesn't have a name...shall I name it??? Hmmm....
Unfortunately the original recipe is full of shortening and maraschino cherries...something I decided to alter for the sake of my internal organs. I also made it into cupcakes :)
Kenny's Cherry-Walnut Birthday Cupcakes
2 1/2 cups Sifted cake flour (I double-sifted regular, organic flour)
1/3 cup Butter (so NO to the Crisco!)
3 1/2 tsp Baking powder
1 tsp Salt
3/4 cup Milk
1/4 Cup Cherry Juice*
1 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
2 tsp Pure Almond Extract
4 Egg Whites, Un-Beaten
1/4 Cup re-hydrated cherries, well drained and finely chopped*
1/2 Cup Walnuts, finely chopped
Sift flour, sugar, baking powder and salt into a mixing bowl. Drop in butter. Combine milk and cherry juice. Add 3/4 cup of this liquid. Add extracts - beat 200 strokes. Scrape bowl, spoon and beater (I copied this directly from my Mom's recipe...which she'd written down from my Memere's :)
Add remaining liquid and egg whites. Beat 200 strokes. I'd say, simply mix well :)
Add cherries and nuts and blend.
Pour into cupcake pan and bake at 325 degrees for 20-25 minutes (check for done-ness). Keep an eye on them here...I think I ended up over-baking...
As for the frosting...well, I had dreams of tinting it pink with beet juice. Alas, it was not to be. Instead I used this simple frosting recipe and replaced the milk with homemade yogurt and the vanilla with some of the brandy-laced syrup and chopped cherries I had left over. It was a spur of the moment decision and made the frosting more like a glaze...but still super yummy! The yogurt makes it taste a little cream-cheesy.
Super yummy with a glass of milk...just like Dad would have done!
*To replace the maraschino cherries...I called on one of my blogger friends, Theresa of Outlander Kitchen and Island Vittles (two awesome sites, btw). I asked about soaking dried cherries and using the water...her fabulous suggestion was that I create a simple syrup and rehydrate the cherries in that. So I boiled equal parts water and sugar before adding the cherries to soak (I also added a wee splash of brandy. I think I might have a problem ;) I let the mixture cool before proceeding with the recipe.
The cupcakes are less pink than the cake used to be, but that's fine with me! Thanks Theresa! She also encouraged me to go big and use butter ;) My kind of cook!
I'd also like to thank my wonderful Cousin, Elana of Sweet E's Bakery. She answered some cupcake baking questions for me during a catch-up text exchange. Thank You, Love!
I'm going to take the cupcakes into the city to be enjoyed by friends. Just what my Dad would have enjoyed.
XO