Parrot Cake Recipe (No Parrots Harmed)

Hi All! So, this blog has turned into more of a sporadic landing place for my crafts and things, and I think I like it that way. Less pressure. Today I bring you my latest Happy Baking Accident - Parrot Cake.

No, not this guy.

 Don't worry, despite my well documented aversion to birds, you won't be spitting feathers. The title comes from my failure to properly enunciate "Pear Cake," and the misunderstanding led to a much more interesting title (as well as many insensitive jokes about bits of crushed beak, the cake having glorious plumage, teaching it to say "HELLO," etc.), and so it was re-christened Parrot Cake. In reality, Parrot Cake is a spiced pear cake that is delicious when served piping hot with a scoop of vanilla ice cream as well as cooled with a cup of coffee or tea. I've only made it once, and didn't take photos of the process, but I will be making it again soon and will document it properly. It was too yummy a cake to wait any longer before sharing the recipe with you. So, here it is:

 

Parrot Cake

Prep Time - 30 min
Bake Time - 50 min
Yield - 12-16 servings

Ingredients: 
3 C all purpose flour
4 tsp baking powder
1.5 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 C unsalted butter (softened)
1 C granulated sugar
3/4 C light brown sugar
4 eggs (large)
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
6 oz cream cheese
3 Tbsp 2% milk
2 large pears cut into small chunks (approx 2 C)
About 1 Tbsp salted butter

Instructions: 

Preheat the oven to 350° F.

Generously smear the salted butter around your bundt pan so it is well greased. Discard remaining salted butter.

In a medium bowl, add flour, baking powder, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, nutmeg, and salt. Whisk together (or use a fork) until mixture is evenly combined. Set mixture aside.

With an electric mixer, beat unsalted butter, brown sugar, and sugar together until creamed (light and fluffy). One at a time, add your eggs. Be sure to mix well after each egg. Add vanilla extract and mix. Add cream cheese and milk and mix until evenly combined.

Reduce your mixer to low and add the flour & spices mixture gradually. Mix until evenly combined. With a spatula, fold in your pear chunks until evenly distributed.

Pour the finished batter into the prepared bundt pan. Use your spatula to make sure the batter is evenly spread around the pan.

Bake 50 min, or until a pointy stick comes out clean (I use a chopstick - I think it adds a bit of worldliness to my dish) To remove from pan, I use my super special two plate trick. First, gently take a knife and slide it around the outside edge of the pan to release the cake. Place a large plate on top of your finished cake and flip it over. Then, take a second plate (your serving plate) and put it on top of your cake on a plate. Gently but with firm support, hold the cake between the two plates and flip it over so it ends up on your serving plate, bumpy side up. (Did that make sense? I will post photos eventually.)

Bumpy Side Up.

Serve piping hot with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, or cold with coffee or tea. Or do whatever you want, because this cake is always delicious.

The prettiest picture I have.

Happy Parrot Cake-ing!

Thanksgivukkah/Back in Business

 

So it looks like I've been absent from here for about a year. Yikes. I could go on and on about family issues and personal health, or I could just jump back right where I left off - Chanukah! But, that's not quite as easy as we think it is this year. For those of you who own a calendar, you'll notice that it is, in fact, November. This year is special. So special, that we won't see another year like this for over 70,000 years. This year, we face the holiday shopping ruining, traditional cooking meshing, confusing celebratory anomaly that is:

THANKSGIVUKKAH

Unlike with regular Chanukah/Hannukah/Hanukah/Chanukashdfasdf, I'm definitely sure that's how it should be spelled. So, what does this mean? For many of you who don't celebrate Chanukah, a whole lot of nothing, right? Consider, for a moment, the opportunity you have here. Non Jewish people may not be familiar with the delicious foods of Chanukah, and you may be surprised to see how, by combining many traditional Thanksgiving foods with the holiday food of my people, you can have a downright delicious cultural learning experience. I've gathered a few recipes that combine the All American Thanksgiving foods we hold dear with some of the tastiest of Chanukah treats. So this year, Jewish or no, let your tummies and your kitchen utensils live a little!

Recipes best accompanied by a viewing of Rugrats Chanukah for the full cultural experience.

1. Kosher Pumpkin Donuts - Thanksgivukkah Boston
2. Challah Bread Stuffing - Gothamist
3. Chocolate Cranberry Cake w/Gelt Glaze - What Jew Wanna Eat
4. Potato Latkes Topped w/ Turkey & Cranberry Chutney - The Girl in the Little Red Kitchen
5. Sufganiyot Stuffing w/ Bacon - My Name is Yeh
6. Pumpkin Challah - The Shiksa in the Kitchen
7. Latke-Crusted Turkey Stuffing Fritters w/Liquid Cranberry Core & Turkey Schmaltz Gravy - Serious Eats
8. Sweet Potato Noodle Kugel - Rhubarb and Honey
9. Homemade Manichewitz Flavored Marshmallows - Cupcake Project

-Cami

8 Nights of Chanukah - Get Creative With Gelt

One of the best parts about Chanukah is the delicious chocolate coins we know as gelt. Gelt pretty much stays the same for most people.  It's either milk or dark chocolate with silver or gold foil. No one really thinks to get creative with their gelt. Some people don't even use it to play dreidel - it's original purpose - and they just get it to eat. There's no shame in that - I myself am one of those people. So, let's take a look at four ways to spin your gelt into some tasty Chanukah treats!

Apricot Gelt

Martha Stewart

For a fruity, but still not "healthy," option, simply dip dried apricots into melted chocolate and wrap in foil. Now, you can pretend like you're eating a healthy treat, and no one - OK, everyone - would be the wiser. These would also make a lovely Chanukah gift or party favor.

Homemade Gelt

Clinton Kelly

 For a more rustic, homemade feel to your dreidel playing, try making your own gelt from scratch. It's not complicated at all, with only two ingredients, chocolate chips and vanilla extract. Such a simple project can add a great personal touch.

Gelt Cookies

education.com

Who says gelt has to be made out of chocolate? This is a great kitchen craft to do with your kids. All you have to do is bake some break and bake cookies and wrap them in gold foil. You could certainly use your own homemade recipe as well. These could be used as classroom treats to share, or just as fun Chanukah snacks at home.

Gelt Filled Peanut Butter Cookies

Joy Of Kosher

 This is a great project for the baker with leftover Chanukah gelt. After making a peanut butter cookie dough, you scoop it into a mini-muffin tin and bake. When the cookies are hot out of the oven, you place a gelt and peanut butter sandwich right in the middle to make a chocolatey filling. These would make lovely Chanukah party treats.

8 Nights of Chanukah - Dreidel I Shall Eat

I'd like to teach you my new favorite Chanukah song. It goes like this:

"Oh dreidel, dreidel, dreidel,

I made it out of food,

And when it's good and finished, 

Oh dreidel I shall eat!"

Ok, I'm no Dr. Seuss, but you get to eat the dreidel at the end of the song, so it's automatically better. Here are 5 DIY dreidels (and one to buy) that let you really play with your food.

Links from left to right:

1. Marshmallow Dreidel DIY - Apartment Therapy

2. M n M's Filled Dreidel DIY - Martha Stewart

3. Dreidel Cupcakes DIY - Catch My Party

4. Chocolate Covered Dreidels DIY - Martha Stewart

5. Chocolate Dreidel (to buy) - Chocolate.com

6. Dreidel Cake - Betty Crocker