TWD: Flip Over Plum Cake

Wonderful first autumn-recipe! And exactly as Dorie introduces it: quick, quick, quick and it can't get any easier!

If you find 10 mins to bring the batter together you're in!
Baking time was a bit longer than indicated. Still, the cake was very pudding-like. Maybe next time I would even increase the baking time - but if you are ready to eat the cake with a dessert-fork, then everything will be fine. I had to decrease the butter: When I poured in the batter I saw that there was definitely too much "butter-soup" in the pan. But the rest was easy, simple, just-stick-to-the-recipe-and-nothing-can-go-wrong!

I adore these easy cakes! It tastes great and the syrup has just the right flavour-combo of spices. And I can imagine this cake with other fruits, too. (Maybe cherries? Blueberries? Apricots?) and also with some sugar to decorate it or even streusel. Not that the cake needs some dressing up...

Have fun with this recipe for Flip Over Plum Cake chosen by Becky of Project Domestication for this week's TWD. Go to her page to find the recipe or have a look in Dorie's book on p. 40.

TWD: Salt&Pepper Cocoa Shortbread

 When I read "shortbread" I was all excited. I love shortbread, I love baking it, my colleagues love eating it - perfcet.
When I read "salt&pepper" I was even more excited. Savory shortbread! Can it get any better?
When I read "cocoa" my excitement was all gone. Cocoa? With salt and pepper? In shortbread? Why?? Why spoil them?

I was very much tempted to leave the cocoa out and exchange it for grounded nuts or just use more flour. But in the absolute very last minute I thought - stop. No. Don't. very often the recipe that do not sound that appealing turn out best. And I learnt so far that it is mostly better to stick to Dorie's recipes, because she is always right.

So. Salt&Pepper COCOA shortbread. The recipe was chosen by Tia for this week's TWD. Go to her page "Buttercream Barbie" to find the recipe or have a look in Dorie Greenspan's book on p 128.

As all shortbread it takes some time for chilling the dough thoroughly. I rolled the dough too thin (What happen always when I do shortbread. Learnign effect? Me? Never!) I opted for not making logs and round shortbread but to cut rectangles and use my Eiffeltower- and Statue of Liberty-forms.

The first batch was spoiled, but it was all my fault. I forgot that the line between "still too soft" and "burnt" can be very thin and be passed in half a minute. So, the first batch was for the trashbin. But the second one turned out fine.

The verdict? Well. I like them. Compared to my expectations - I like them a lot. My colleagues on the other side where excited, thrilled, ardent. Why? I guess because me - I knew what was in the cookies. They didn't. So they really had a surprise-moment when they found out that these shortbread cookies, with their chocolate-colour, are not that sweet at all, and have a savory after-taste. Therefore - they are a winner!

TWD: Classic Brownies

Back after two weeks in Chicago and New York - great summer holiday! Even though Irene almost destroyed it. But only almost.

The name of the recipe "hits the nail by it's head", as we like to say in Austria: These Classic Brownies are indeed what you would expect from brownies you call "classic": an easy, simple in the making, basic recipe that results in good, just right brownies. I kept the nuts fairly big and did chop them only very coarsely, because the picture in the book also shows relatively big pieces. And it was good like that! I baked them slightly longer then the recipe calls for (abour 40mins insetad of 33), and they turned out cracky on the surface and smooth-soft in the middle. Exactly what a classic brownie should be like!

(event though I have to admit: the brownies I like most are very, very soft and chewy in the middle, and cake-like brownies are not my kind of treat - but these weren't cake-like, just a good middle-of-the-road between cake-like and completely soft)

Not much more to say about them. Find the recipe on Anne's page, who opted for this recipe to be the TWD-group's duty for this week, or have a look into Dorie's book on pp. 88-89.