Sunken Grape Almond Cake

Sunken Grape Almond Cake

I saw this idea on an Italian cooking show some years ago where they made a grape cake to celebrate the beginning of the harvest. It came to mind this week when I saw some sweet and tart little Coronation grapes from southern Ontario which are in season right now. They are related to Concord grapes which, like any small grape variety could be easily substituted.

I decided to use an almond cake recipe that I really like but unfortunately the batter was too light, rose too much and then sank in the center. It tasted delicious but looked a complete disaster. Back to the drawing board. Spouse's mom, Violet was here at the time and happily took the delicious but rough looking first attempt home to enjoy.  In contradiction to the popular phrase, I guess that ill wind actually did blow her some good. She seemed delighted to have it.

Sunken Grape Almond Cake

I still had plenty of those tasty little grapes left over, so the next day, attempt number two got underway. I tweaked the amount of flour and baking powder in the recipe and within the first 20 minutes in the oven, it was clear this attempt was at least going to be a visual success. The proof was still in the tasting, of course and it turns out I had nothing to worry about on that count either; tender, buttery, nutty and with sweet and tart pops of flavor from the tiny grapes that had sunk into the center, it was perfectly delicious and just how I had imagined it would taste.

It would be perfect at a weekend brunch or even as dessert at a special dinner. Like in my Pear and Almond Cake, this dessert would no doubt be excellent served with Creme Anglais or any good custard.

Sunken Grape Almond Cake

Serves about 12

Grease a 10 inch spring form pan and line the bottom with parchment paper for easy release of the cake after it is baked. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
Sift together and set aside:

• 1 cup toasted ground almonds
• 1 1/4 cups sifted all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• pinch salt

I toast whole almonds in a preheated 350 degree oven for 5-8 minutes on a cookie sheet. tossing them at least once. I then grind them very finely in a food processor. Be sure to lightly pack the ground almonds into the measuring cup.

Cream together until light and fluffy:

• 1 cup butter
• 1 1/3 cups sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp almond extract

Beat in, one at a time:

• 3 eggs

Stir in:

• zest of one small lemon, finely chopped

Mix in the dry ingredients until smooth and spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan. Place small grapes all over the surface of the batter about a 1/4 inch (6mm) apart. Any variety of small grape will work or you can use small pitted cherries or large blueberries instead. Do not push them into the batter just drop them onto the surface. Bake for about 50-60 minutes or until evenly brown on top and a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 20 minutes before releasing the cake and cooling on a wire rack. If you are serving the cake warm, you should still wait the 20  minutes to allow it to settle before cutting.

Sunken Grape Almond Cake

Pear and Ginger Coffee Cake with Almond Shortbread Crumble Topping

This delicious coffee cake was born of the necessity to put to good use some of the large bag of pears we bought last weekend. Pears are Spouse's favourite fruit so I decided to "pair" them with ginger, which is probably Spouses favourite spice. I added a little of my favourite Chinese five spice to the mix and since the almond shortbread crumble topping was such a success on our Cherry Swirl Almond Crumble Coffee Cake I decided to add it to this one as well. My willing taste-testers at the office had this moist, delicious coffee cake reduced to crumbs in minutes.

Coffee Cake

Sift together and set aside:

2 2/3 cups flour
3 tsp baking powder

3 tsp powdered ginger

1 tsp Chinese five spice powder

In the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment in place, whisk together on high speed until foamy and slightly stiffened.

2 eggs
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract

½ tsp almond extract (optional)

Mix together in a measuring cup with a spout:

1/4 cup melted butter
1/4 cup vegetable oil

Slowly add the oil and butter mixture to the egg mixture in a slow stream as the mixer continues to whisk.

Mix together

1/2 cup whipping cream

1/2 cup milk

2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

Add slowly to the mixing bowl continuing to mix but at a reduced speed. Stir in:

2 tbsp very finely grated fresh ginger

Fold in the dry ingredients by hand with a rubber spatula being careful not to over mix. Don't worry about small lumps in the batter, they are fine. When the flour is almost incorporated, fold in:

2 large or 3 small pears, peeled and diced (about a half inch dice is fine)

Pour the batter into a greased and floured 10 inch spring form pan.

Almond Shortbread Crumble

1/3 cup ground almonds
2/3 cup flour
1/3 cup butter
½ tsp vanilla extract

Pulse together in a food processor or rub the butter into the flour with your hands until fully incorporated.

Add the crumble topping by squeezing together handfuls of the crumb mixture and breaking off small pieces, which get scattered all over the surface of the batter.  You can also add in some slivered almonds and a few extra cherry pieces with the crumble for an extra flourish of garnish. 

Bake for 50-60 minutes at 350 degrees F or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The toothpick test is definitely the best way to ensure that this cake is fully baked. Cool in the pan for about 10 minutes before moving to a wire rack to cool completely or serve while still warm.

Cherry Swirl Almond Crumble Coffee Cake

Cherry Swirl Almond Crumble Coffee Cake

Here's another flavor combination in our growing collection of coffee cakes. This delicious almond and vanilla flavored cake gets a swirl of sweet cherry compote through  the cake before being topped by a buttery almond shortbread crumble. This is one more addition to the many brunch ideas on Rock Recipes. Check out our Pinterest board of Best Brunch Ideas for more ways to make a favorite weekend meal truly special.

Cherry Compote

2 cups pitted cherries

½ cup sugar

3 tbsp water

Simmer together for only a few minutes.

Stir together:

1 ounce water

1 rounded tbsp corn starch

Add quickly to the simmering cherries stirring constantly. Cook for only a minute before taking off the heat and allowing it to cool to almost room temperature.

 
Coffee Cake

Sift together and set aside:

2 2/3 cups flour
3 tsp baking powder

In the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment in place, whisk together on high speed until foamy and slightly stiffened.

2 eggs
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract

½ tsp almond extract (optional)

Mix together in a measuring cup with a spout:

1/4 cup melted butter
1/4 cup vegetable oil

Slowly add the oil and butter mixture to the egg mixture in a slow stream as the mixer continues to whisk.

Mix together

1/2 cup whipping cream

1/2 cup milk

2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

Add slowly to the mixing bowl continuing to mix but at a reduced speed.

Fold in the dry ingredients by hand with a rubber spatula being careful not to over mix. Don't worry about lumps in the batter, they are fine.

Pour the batter into a greased and floured 10 inch springform pan. Dot the surface of the batter, a heaping tablespoon at a time with

1 1/2 cups Cherry Compote

using the handle of a wooden spoon, swirl the cherry compote through the batter. 

Almond Shortbread Crumble

1/3 cup ground almonds
2/3 cup flour
1/3 cup butter
½ tsp vanilla extract

Pulse together in a food processor or rub the butter into the flour with your hands until fully incorporated.

Add the crumble topping by squeezing together handfuls of the crumb mixture and breaking off small pieces, which get scattered all over the surface of the batter.  You can also add in some slivered almonds and a few extra cherry pieces with the crumble for an extra flourish of garnish. 

Bake for 50-60 minutes at 350 degrees F or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The toothpick test is definitely the best way to ensure that this cake is fully baked. Cool in the pan for about 10 minutes before moving to a wire rack to cool completely.

Chocolate Banana Caramel Walnut Coffee Cake

Chocolate Banana Caramel Walnut Coffee Cake

Some leftover caramel sauce and some speckled ripe bananas on the counter top were the inspiration for this moist, delicious and completely decadent coffee cake. I swirled a little of the caramel sauce along with toasted walnuts through the batter for the cake and then used both as a topping/garnish for the finished product. The result was this spectacularly moist and wonderfully balanced coffee cake that really is an equal marriage of all its tasty components.

Caramel Sauce

• 2 cups sugar
• 2/3 cup butter cut in small cubes
• 4 tbsp water
• 1 cup whipping cream

Begin by mixing the sugar and water in a large saucepan. NOTE: I use a large saucepan of about 3-4 quarts or larger because the sugar foams up when you add the butter and cream so make sure you have a large enough pot.

Boil the sugar and water over medium heat until the mixture begins to turn a light amber color. It is very easy to burn this mixture which can happen very quickly once the proper color is achieved, so have your butter and cream at the ready, as timing is crucial for this recipe.

When the color is right, quickly add the butter and stir quickly until the butter is melted. Remove from the heat immediately and pour in the whipping cream, stirring constantly until the sauce is uniformly smooth.



Coffee Cake

• 1 cup white sugar
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 3 medium ripe bananas, mashed
• 1 3/4 cups flour
• 1/2 cup cocoa
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ cup milk
• 3/4 cup lightly toasted walnuts

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Beat sugar and oil in a bowl until foamy. Add eggs and mashed banana. Mix well.

Sift together dry ingredients and fold into banana mixture alternately with milk.

Fold in walnuts. Pour batter into a greased 9 inch spring form pan. 

Drop rounded teaspoonfuls of the caramel sauce over the batter (about 1/2 cup) swirl through the cake with the handle of a wooden spoon. Bake for 45 minutes to an hour until a toothpick inserted in the center which comes out clean; this is the best indicator that the cake is fully baked.

Garnish with more of the caramel sauce and lightly toasted walnut pieces.

Chocolate Swirl Vanilla Crumble Coffee Cake

 

What a great centerpiece to a weekend brunch this amazing coffee cake would make. Everyone at that table would surely be appreciative of this moist, delicious collision of chocolate and vanilla. I've always considered coffee cake to be a big slice-able muffin and as I'm writing this, I am thinking, "Maybe I should have made this as coffee cake muffins."; perhaps that's an idea for the future.

There is also a great combination of textures in this cake with the addition of a vanilla shortbread crumble topping and a drizzle of melt-in-your-mouth chocolate ganache. This new recipe may well be my new favorite go-to coffee cake for my weekend brunches.

Grease and flour a 10 inch tube pan or bundt cake pan very well and preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Prepare the vanilla crumble by pulsing together in a food processor until well combined.

2/3 cup flour
1/3 cup butter
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

To prepare the cake batter begin by sifting together

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together at high speed until very foamy

4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 & 1/2 cups sugar
2 tbsp vanilla extract

 

In a large measuring cup melt
1/2 cup butter, then mix in

1/2 cup vegetable oil

Slowly add this butter and oil mixture to the egg and sugar mixture as it continues to beat.

Fold in the dry ingredients alternately with

1 cup whole milk, at room temperature

When alternating wet and dry ingredients, always begin and end with the dry mixture. Here I folded in the flour in three divisions and the milk in two divisions.

Divide the batter in two equal portions and pour half of the batter into the greased and floured pan.

To the remaining half of the batter quickly beat in

1/3 cup cocoa

3 tbsp milk

Spoon the chocolate batter in large spoonfuls all over the surface of the vanilla batter in the pan. Using the handle of a wooden spoon, swirl the chocolate batter through the vanilla batter in a random pattern.

Add the crumble topping by squeezing together handfuls of the crumb mixture and breaking off small pieces which get scattered all over the surface of the batter.

Bake for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The toothpick test is definitely the best way to ensure this cake is fully baked. Cool in the pan for about 10 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack covered in a clean tea towel. Remove the pan and then placing another wire rack on top and flipping the cake again so that the crumble is on top. Serve warm or cold. You can drizzle some chocolate ganache over the top if you like.

Chocolate Ganache

In a double boiler melt together

1 cup dark chocolate chips

1/4 cup whipping cream

Spoon the ganache into a Ziploc bag and snip off a corner with scissors, then squeeze the ganache through the hole all over the surface of the cake.