Greek Yogurt Grapefruit Cakes

One recent afternoon I found myself with a little time on my hands and a lot of Greek yogurt and grapefruit in the fridge. I remembered that Thomas Keller had an interesting-looking recipe for grapefruit cake and flipped open Ad Hoc at Home to check it out.

The recipe didn't call for any Greek yogurt, but it did call for milk, so I decided to replace the milk with some Fage, my favorite kind of Greek yogurt, to create a more dense and moist cake. I also was out of canola oil after frying up all those onion strings but remembered that grapeseed oil could be used in baked goods as well. And lastly, the recipe called for pink grapefruit, and mine were supposedly red. I say supposedly because they were labeled red grapefruit, but when I cut into them, they definitely looked pink.

Mostly because I didn't have a loaf pan large enough to make one large cake, I made four mini cakes in my mini loaf pan. The best part about making mini loaves like this is that you can keep some and give some away. I wrapped up two of these cakes and brought them to friends and kept the other two for Jeff and me to nibble on at home.

The moist cakes get basted with grapefruit syrup right when they come out of the oven, and miraculously the cakes soak up every last bit of that syrup even when you think they can soak no more. Once they cool completely, they get iced with a light and sweet glaze of grapefruit juice and confectioners' sugar.

These grapefruit cakes definitely make me think spring, sunshine, and warm weather!

Greek Yogurt Grapefruit Cakes (adapted from Ad Hoc at Home)

Ingredients

Cake
2 cups flour
1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 cup Greek yogurt (preferably Fage Total 0%)
3/4 cup grapeseed oil
1 tablespoon grated red or pink grapefruit zest
1 teaspoon Tahitian vanilla extract

Grapefruit syrup
1 cup strained fresh red or pink grapefruit juice
2/3 cup granulated sugar

Grapefruit icing
3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon fresh red or pink grapefruit juice

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 4 mini loaf pans (2-cup capacity) with baking spray, line with parchment (for easy cake removal), and spray again.

Sift together flour and baking powder, and stir in salt. Set aside.

In bowl of stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, blend sugar and eggs on medium speed for about 3 minutes. (They will thicken and the whisk will leave a trail.) Beat in the yogurt, and then the oil, grapefruit zest, and vanilla.

Reduce speed to low, and add the flour mixture, scraping bowl as necessary.

Divide batter between the four pans. I ended up filling each pan with 1 cup plus about 1 tablespoon of batter.

Smooth the top, and then lightly oil a paring knife, and run the knife lengthwise down the center of the batter, about 1/2-inch deep (if you want a nice crack down the middle of each cake).

Bake for 20 minutes, rotate the pan, and bake for another 15 to 20 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached.

While the cakes are baking, make the grapefruit syrup. Combine the grapefruit juice and sugar in a small saucepan.

Bring to a simmer, stirring to dissolve the sugar, and continue simmering for 1 minute. Turn off heat, and set syrup aside.

As soon as the cakes come out of the oven, use a skewer to poke holes every 1/2 inch or so in the tops of the cakes.

Immediately brush the syrup over the cakes. I alternated, brushing each cake once, and then repeating until all the syrup was gone. At some points I thought the cakes couldn't soak in any more syrup, but give them a few seconds and continue brushing.

Let the cakes cool in pan for 10 minutes, then unmold and let cool completely right-side up on a cooling rack.

When the cakes are cool, make the icing. Stir powdered sugar and grapefruit juice together in a small bowl until smooth. (You may need to trickle in a little more grapefruit juice. My icing was way too thick.) Either use a spoon to drizzle the icing over the cakes or spread it across the cakes using a baby offset.

Slice and serve!

Store the cakes, loosely covered, at room temp for 2 days.

What flavors make you think spring?

Intense Chocolate Brownies With Salted Caramel Puddles

Does this recipe sound intimidating to you? Have no fear! It's actually quite easy with a little help from Hotel Chocolat.

I first tried chocolate from Hotel Chocolat about a year ago at one of L'Espalier's Cheese Tuesday events. It wasn't until this past February, when my mom and sister were here for a visit, that I finally made it to their store on Newbury Street though. I don't know what I had been waiting for! As soon as we walked in, the sales associates swooped in and offered us samples of chocolate. I kind of wish every store would do that.

While we savored some Caramel Sweethearts, we walked around the store, checking out the different products. It was just before Valentine's Day, so there were a lot of fancy heart-shaped chocolates and some chocolate doodles (bars made of different kinds of chocolate with hearts and colorful doodles on them -- I brought a milk chocolate caramel one with a white chocolate heart home to my valentine), in addition to the regular variety of chocolates and all the baking chocolates and gift sets. (I really should have taken some pictures in there.)

This picture is from Hotel Chocolat's website

We probably sampled three different kinds of chocolates while we were browsing, and when I got up to the register, the sales associate remembered that I had said I really like hazelnut chocolates, so she opened up another package of chocolate for us to sample. I was so impressed at how friendly and helpful everyone in the store was, and I was even more impressed with the quality of the chocolate. I even loved their milk chocolate -- and I usually prefer dark chocolate.

Together, my mom, my sister, and I must have walked out with six or seven different packages of chocolates to try. Among the things we got were salted caramel Puddles.

I decided that while they would taste just divine on their own, they might be even better baked into something -- like a brownie. So these intense chocolate brownies with salted caramel puddles came about. They are rich and decadent, and the puddles, in addition to adding some creamy caramel, give them just a little bit of salty crunch.

I used the Flour Bakery brownie recipe because I knew they'd have the fudgy texture I was looking for to pair with the salted caramel puddles, but if you have another favorite brownie recipe, feel free to use that.

You can find the caramel puddles at Hotel Chocolat. I was hoping they were available to order online, but it looks like just the gift sets are. (The UK site has many more of the products available online.) There are some amazing-looking Easter eggs on there -- just in time for the upcoming holiday. (I hope the Easter Bunny knows about them!)

Intense Chocolate Brownies With Salted Caramel Puddles (adapted from Flour: Spectacular Recipes from Boston's Flour Bakery + Cafe)
Print this recipe
Makes 35 brownies

Ingredients

5 1/2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped or broken (I only had 85% and it worked out fine)
2 1/2 ounces bittersweet chocolate (62% to 70%), chopped or chips
14 tablespoons (1 3/4 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
5 eggs

2 cups sugar

35 Hotel Chocolat salted caramel Puddles

Preparation

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line a 9-by-13-inch pan with parchment, and spray with baking spray. (I prefer Bak-klene spray, available at Williams-Sonoma.)

Place unsweetened and bittersweet chocolate in top of double boiler, and set over simmering water. Stir occasionally until completely melted and smooth.

Remove from heat, and whisk in the melted butter. Let cool slightly.

In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. (You can do this while the chocolate is melting if you like.)

Place eggs in bowl of stand mixer fitted with whip attachment. Keeping the mixer running on low speed, gradually add in the sugar, and continue beating until frothy and thick, about 1 minute.

Fold in the chocolate mixture using a rubber spatula.

Then fold in the flour mixture until combined.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and smooth the top with the spatula.

Place Puddles on surface of batter, seven across and five down, spaced evenly.

Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, but start checking the brownies after 20 minutes. Do not overbake them! When you insert a toothpick in the brownies, pull it out at a very slight angle. The brownies are done when moist crumbs are attached to the toothpick. (At Flour, I'd have to bake 10 pans of brownies at a time, and I'd be constantly turning and checking them, making sure they baked evenly and just enough but not too much.)

Let cool completely for easiest cutting. If you're impatient like me, let them cool in the pan for about 15 minutes, and then use the parchment to lift the brownies out of the pan onto a cutting board.

Cut the brownies in squares, seven across and five down, making sure to get a puddle in each one. You'll need to wipe the knife off in between cuts if the brownies are still warm.

The brownies are best slightly warm but are still good (and super moist) days later.

What would you make with salted caramel Puddles?

Burgers And Shakes At 5 Napkin Burger

Photo courtesy of Michelle

My first interaction with 5 Napkin Burger Boston left me a teensy bit miffed. Twelve of us went in there for dinner this past Friday night, and I called the week before to make us a reservation. The hostess informed me that 5 Napkin Burger does not take reservations for parties of more than eight (does that seem a bit backward to you?). But then she told me that if 12 of us came in on Friday night at 7:30, they would be more than happy to accommodate us and we wouldn't really have to wait. I was skeptical.

So imagine my shock, or really lack thereof, when Michelle texted me at 7 p.m. from 5 Napkin Burger and told me that they told her it would be an hour-and-a-half wait. This is what I would have expected had I not been told (and reassured) that we wouldn't have to wait. Besides being a little annoyed at having been misinformed, it really wasn't a big deal. The 12 of us -- me, Michelle, Meghan, Daisy, Jen, Justin, and all of our significant others -- sat in the bar area and caught up, and the hour and a half passed relatively quickly.

I tried a blood orange martini at the bar. The first sip was really strong, but the drink got much better after that. Once we were seated, I ordered an apricot berry fizz, which was light, fruity, and effervescent. I definitely recommend it!

I had studied 5 Napkin Burger's menu for about a week before we went, so I knew I wanted to try the original burger.

You might think original sounds very plain, but 5 Napkin Burger's original burger is topped with Gruyere, caramelized onions, and rosemary aioli. The burger had plenty of cheese, a nice heap of onions, and just the right amount of aioli. It was the perfect choice for me.

Our waited explained to us that 5 Napkin Burger's temperatures are a little different than we are used to. The medium is more like medium rare, and medium well is more like medium. I, of course, ordered my burger medium based on that guidance. Jeff likes his burgers just a little more done than I do, so he went with medium well. Unfortunately, his bacon cheddar burger was well done, but mine was cooked perfectly.

At our end of the table, Jeff, Eric, Meghan, Daisy, Adam, and I ordered a bunch of sides to share. The other end of the table did the same. We went with tater tots, pickles, tuscan fries, and onion rings.

The tater tots were my favorite. They were salty and crunchy on the outside and creamy on the inside. If I could only choose one side at 5 Napkin burger, this would be it.

The house-cured pickles were sweet and crisp. I always enjoy pickles on or alongside a burger.

And we all enjoyed the Tuscan fries, which are tossed with sage, rosemary, thyme, and Parmesan.

I didn't get a picture of the onion rings because we all dug into them right away, but I will recommend that you order the appetizer portion rather than the side portion when sharing. The side had about 5 or 6 rings and no dipping sauces. The appetizer comes as a large stack -- maybe 8 or 10 rings. Our waiter kindly brought us over some of the blue cheese sauce and 5 Napkin sauce that come with the appetizer portion. The rings are crispy and not at all greasy.

For dessert, some of us sampled the shakes.

The milkshakes were half the reason I wanted to go there. I tried the salted caramel shake and was not disappointed. It had subtle caramel notes. Sadly, I couldn't finish it after polishing off all but two bites of my 10-ounce burger.

With 12 people all getting a drink at the table, a burger, and dessert and sharing sides and appetizers, our bill only came to $62 a couple including tax and tip. I couldn't believe how inexpensive dinner at 5 Napkin Burger was. I went into it thinking it was a little ridiculous to pay $10 for a burger and then have to pay extra for any sides, but if you've got people to share with, it's not bad at all.

We had a great time chatting and catching up with each other, chowing down some delicious burgers, and simply enjoying the atmosphere at 5 Napkin Burger. I would definitely go back... I'll just plan on waiting for a table next time!

What burger would you order?

April Events

April is shaping up to be a busy month! Here's what's on the calendar so far:

April 1 -- Dinner at 5 Napkin Burger
Last night Jeff and I got together with some of my favorite bloggers and their significant others for dinner at 5 Napkin Burger. Read the review here.

April 2 -- Truffle-Making Class
Remember when I told you about the chocolate and wine tasting class at Boston Chocolate School? Well, I am heading back there today along with Elizabeth to take a truffle-making class. I have made truffles at home before, but I'm very interested in learning the right way to temper chocolate so my truffles will definitely have that nice chocolate snap!

We're meeting at Upstairs on the Square beforehand to check out the Bake Sale for Japan.

April 3 -- Dinner at Bergamot
I'm getting together with friends on Sunday night to have dinner at Bergamot, one of my favorite restaurants. I am completely obsessed with the desserts there.

April 7 -- All Things Bubbly
Morton's Steakhouse in the Seaport area hosts monthly specialty drink tastings, and some blogger friends and I decided to purchase tickets to All Things Bubbly, as the perfect way to celebrate warmer weather. We're sure to find a sampling of bubbly drinks paired with Morton's hors d'oeuvres. (Tickets cost $35 and a different tasting is held the first Thursday of each month.)

April 9 -- Happy Birthday, Mom!

April 13 -- CupcakeCamp Boston
At CupcakeCamp cupcake bakers from all over the Boston area come together for a night to share their baked goods with the masses. This year the event will be held at the Armory building in Somerville. I considered baking for the event but then decided I'd much rather spend the evening sampling other bakers' cupcakes! King Arthur Flour is sponsoring the event, and while it's free, if you donate $5, it will go to Lovin' Spoonfuls, an organization that aims to eradicate hunger in Massachusetts.

April 14 -- Taste of the Nation
Share our Strength is hosting its annual Taste of the Nation dinner at the Hynes Convention Center. I've been invited to cover the event and am so honored to be a part of something so significant.

April 16 - Invitation Shopping
Jeff and I are heading to Middleton, Mass., to meet with Mindy at TextStyle Designs and talk about wedding invitations. (Mindy once made dessert for Julia Child, so I know she and I will be on the same page!) Then we're heading to Newburyport for the afternoon and maybe stopping by Eat Cake! to see if we'd want to get a wedding cake there. Our cake is included in our venue package, but we're still not sure whether we want to go with one of the preferred vendors or break from the venue package and choose our own place.

April 18 -- Patriots' Day
I've lived in Boston for almost five years now, and I've not once partaken in any Patriots' Day activities. This year, I decided it was high time I started acting like a Bostonian. I'm joining Jeff in his annual ritual of watching the Patriots' Day Red Sox Game at Fenway and then hoping to cheer on some marathon runners afterward.

April 19 - Happy Birthday, Martyann!
My little sister turns 19 this year!

April 24 - Easter
We're heading to the Cape to meet up with my family and celebrate the holiday.

What do you have going on in April?

Mini Raspberry Fools

Happy April Fool's Day! In honor of the holiday (and to help us all forget about this very unwelcome April 1st weather), I bring you mini raspberry fools! A fool is basically a mixture of whipped cream and fruit. It's very simple to make and is the perfect after-dinner treat. I can't believe I've never made one before.

The recipe below makes two teeny tiny servings that you can present in shot glasses. I love these Strauss glasses from Crate & Barrel. (Of course then you'll need these tiny spoons too.) You can also double or triple the recipe and make full-size desserts, but I like the idea of just a couple sweet bites to follow a meal.

Mini Raspberry Fools (inspired by tons of other fool recipes)

Ingredients

1/4 cup fresh raspberries (plus more for garnish if desired)
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons confectioners' sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
Fresh fruit for serving, optional

Preparation

Pulse raspberries and granulated sugar together in small food processor or nut chopper. Let macerate for at least 10 minutes.

Meanwhile in bowl of stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, whip cream on medium speed, adding confectioners' sugar and vanilla while whipping, until soft peaks form. (This is such a small amount of cream that you need to watch it closely or you might over-whip it.)

Transfer a little less than half of the whipped cream to small bowl.

Fold the macerated raspberries into the remaining whipped cream. (You can fold very lightly and leave swirls in the mixture if you want.)

Divide the raspberry cream between two small glasses or dishes.

Top the raspberry cream with the reserved whipped cream, and garnish with a raspberry.

Chill for about 30 minutes. Serve with fresh fruit, if desired.

Have you ever made a fool? Do you play pranks on April Fool's Day?