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DIA:Beacon

Rum Cake

2 cups and 2 teaspoons cake flour
1 ½ teaspoons salt
1 ½ cup white sugar
3 level teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ cup cold butter, diced into tiny pieces
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 small package vanilla instant pudding
½ cup milk
3 large eggs
½ cup rum
½ cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
½ cup minced walnut pieces

Rum Cake Glaze:
½ cup butter
¼ cup water
1 cup white sugar
½ cup rum

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit, and prepare a Bundt pan by coating the inside with a nonstick vegetable spray. Use a large mixing bowl for the cake batter. Combine the first seven ingredients, and mix with a wooden spoon until well blended, then beat on low with an electric mixer for about 1 minute. The mixture will be quite dry and will crumble into small pieces.

Add the vanilla pudding, milk, eggs, rum, vegetable oil and vanilla extract to the bowl, and continue beating on low for about 3 minutes, making sure you scrape the sides down at least twice to ensure all ingredients are well blended.

Sprinkle the minced walnut pieces on the bottom of the Bundt pan, and then carefully pour the cake batter into the pan. Place the Bundt pan in the center of the oven, and bake for approximately 1 hour. Since ovens tend to vary in temperature, check the cake several times during the last 20 minutes of baking. The cake is done when it springs back when touched and has turned a golden brown. Place the pan on a cooling rack.

To make the rum cake glaze, use a medium saucepan and medium heat. Watch the mixture carefully, as it boils over easily and burns quickly. Mix the butter, water and sugar together, and mix until the sugar has dissolved. The mixture will quickly form a thick syrup. Remove the syrup from the heat before it turns brown. Immediately mix the rum into the syrup. As soon as it is well blended, pour it over the cooling cake. If you want the glaze to penetrate the cake quickly, use a toothpick to poke holes into the top and sides of the cake before you pour the glaze over it.

You can also remove the cake, pour the glaze into the pan and then put the cake back into the pan, but this can be dangerous for two reasons. The glaze is hot and can end up getting splashed on your arms as you replace the cake, and also there is danger of destroying the cake, which can be quite fragile and hard to remove from the pan a second time. The best method of glazing this cake is to remove it from the pan, poke holes in it and slowly pour ¼ of the glaze over the cake. Then wait another minute or two, and repeat until all the glaze has been absorbed.

http://www.life123.com/food/baking/cake/rum-cake-recipe.shtml

Strawberry Rhubarb Scones

Strawberry Rhubarb Scones

2½ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup sugar, plus 1 tablespoon
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into bits
1 cup roughly chopped strawberries
1 cup diced rhubarb (¼-inch cubes)
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 cup heavy cream

1. Preheat oven to 400F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Adjust a baking rack to the middle position. In a small bowl, mix the strawberries and rhubarb with 1 tablespoon sugar.

2. Mix the flour, ½ cup sugar, baking powder, and salt. Distribute the butter evenly over the dry ingredients and work in with a pastry tool or fork until the mixture resembles coarse meal.

3. Stir the rhubarb and strawberries into the flour mixture. Lightly beat the egg, yolk, and cream together in a bowl (use the same one you used for the rhubarb), then add this mixture to the flour mixture. Stir until just combined.

4. On a well-floured surface with floured hands, pat the dough into a 1-inch-thick round (about 8 inches in diameter). Cut into wedges or whatever shape you prefer – this dough is really sticky, so even plops on the baking tray will do. Arrange rounds about 1 inch apart on baking sheet and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until pale golden.  Transfer the scones to a cooling rack and let them cool slightly before serving.

http://lauraezolnoski.com/2009/06/21/strawberry-rhubarb-scones/

Rhubarb Scones

Rhubarb Scones

2 1/2 cups white flour

1/2 cup sugar

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking spoon

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup soy milk

1 egg

2 stalks rhubarb in a small dice.

Line baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat oven to 400. In bowl whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In small bowl whisk soy milk with egg. Drizzle over dry ingredients and sir together with a fork. (dough should be very sticky) Knead in the rhubarb. Drop by large spponfuls onto baking sheet.  Bake for about 15 or until lightly browned.

http://andreahg.wordpress.com/2010/05/18/rhubarb-scones/

North Fork Table & Inn Scones

 3/4 cup pastry flour (all-purpose is also fine)
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon aluminum-free baking powder*
1 teaspoon baking soda
6 ounces of butter, in 1/2-inch cubes
1 cup golden raisins plus 1 tablespoon caraway seeds -or- 1 cup fresh fruit of your choice, chopped (I used raspberries)
3/4 to 1 cup buttermilk (use the smaller amount if using fresh fruit, the larger if using the raisin-caraway combo)
Turbinado or sanding sugar for sprinkling (optional, not in the original recipe)
Preheat oven to 375°.
Place cubed butter in freezer for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, measure other ingredients (except buttermilk and fruit) and mix in the bowl of a food processor.
Add butter to processor bowl and mix until the butter and flour mixture are the texture of coarse cornmeal. Transfer the mixture to the bowl of a mixer and add buttermilk and fruit, mixing on the lowest speed until the dough just comes together.
Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently a couple times. Roll dough out to approximately one-inch thickness (I skipped the rolling pin and just patted it out with floured hands) and cut into squares. Cut those squares again on the diagonal, creating triangles. Sprinkle with coarse sugar, if you’re using it.
Bake on an ungreased baking sheet (mine stuck ever-so-slightly, so I might line it with parchment next time, though no biggie if you don’t) for 25 to 30 minutes, until lightly browned.
* If you use fresh fruit in a scone, it’s very important that you use an aluminum-free baking powder, or your scones will turn out as blue as mine did — not a pretty sight! Frankly, aluminum-free baking powder is always best to use, especially if you’ve noticed a tinny taste in your biscuits, muffins scones; it is avoidable.

via smitten kitchen

http://smittenkitchen.com/2008/09/the-north-fork-and-its-scones/

Isle of Skye

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