Lime Angel Food Cake with Lime Glaze and Pistachios

Did you know I love to cook and entertain? I really, really do. Even if there is no one around, I’ll plate food as if I was on a cooking show. If it’s just our family, I see nothing odd about making a three course meal complete with dessert. I know for some, okay most, this is weird, but to me, it’s fun and relaxing. So, the fact that I woke up on a Sunday morning to make this cake for no particular reason other than wanting to, should not be surprising for anyone who knows, or is just getting to know, me.

When I was planning our weekend meals, which are usually a little more involved than those on weekdays since I have more time, I thought Sunday would be a good day for a nice summer meal of Spiced Chicken Bites, Corn on the Cob, Watermelon, and this cake from Bon Appétit’s April 2010 issue. Turns out that, when I’m right, I am right on. Although it was a little time consuming, this cake was delicious, and the perfect complement to a hot day and a spicy lunch. The cake itself is not overly sweet, with a slight tang from the lime zest. Then you get an extra zingy sweetness from the lime simple syrup and glaze, and finally a crunch from the pistachios. Perfection.

Ingredients:

Cake:

• 1 cup Cake Flour
  
• 1 ½ cups Superfine Sugar, divided
  
• ¼ tsp Salt
  
• 10 large Egg Whites, room temperature
  
• 2 tsp Lime Zest
  
• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
  
• 1 tsp Cream of Tartar
  

Lime Syrup & Glaze:

• ½ cup Sugar
  
• 4 Tbsp Fresh Lime Juice, divided
  
• ½ cup Unsalted Raw Pistachios (about 2 ounces), finely chopped in processor or with a rolling pin and some muscles
  
• ½ cup Powdered Sugar
  

Directions:

Cake:

1. Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. Sift flour, 1/2 cup superfine sugar, and salt into medium bowl; repeat sifting 3 times.
   
2. Using electric mixer, beat egg whites, lime peel, and vanilla on medium speed in large bowl until frothy (mixture may turn neon green but color will change when remaining ingredients are added). Add cream of tartar; increase speed to high and beat until soft peaks form.
   
3. Gradually add remaining 1 cup sugar, 2 tablespoons at a time, beating until stiff peaks form. Sprinkle 1/3 of flour mixture over whites and gently fold in until incorporated. Fold in remaining flour mixture in 2 more additions just until incorporated. Transfer to ungreased 10-inch angel food cake pan with 4-inch-high sides and removable bottom (do not use nonstick pan); smooth top.
   
4. Bake cake until pale golden and tester inserted near center comes out clean, about 38 minutes. Immediately invert cake onto work surface if pan has feet, or invert center tube of pan onto neck of bottle or metal funnel and cool cake completely.
   
5. Using long thin knife, cut around cake sides and center tube to loosen. Lift out center tube with cake still attached; run knife between cake and bottom of pan to loosen. Invert cake onto rack, then turn cake over, rounded side up. Set rack with cake atop rimmed baking sheet.
   

Lime Syrup & Glaze:

1. Combine sugar and 3 tablespoons lime juice in small saucepan; stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Brush syrup all over top and sides of cake. Immediately press pistachios onto top and sides of cake, pressing to adhere.
   
2. Stir powdered sugar with remaining 1 tablespoon lime juice in small bowl until smooth. Drizzle glaze over top of cake. Let stand until glaze sets, about 10 minutes. DO AHEAD Cake can be made up to 1 day ahead. Cover with cake dome and store at room temperature.
   
3. Transfer cake to platter; cut into wedges and serve.

 

Servings – 12

WW Points – 5 pts per slice

Amaretto Blackcherry Press

This weekend we went to Water Buffalo in Downtown Milwaukee for dinner. When I was reviewing the menu before we ate, I knew immediately I wanted to try their Amaretto Blackcherry Press. It was delicious. Light, refreshing, not too boozy, and perfect for enjoying on a patio in the summer sun. Unfortunately, the wait was too long for us to sit on the patio, but I could just imagine what sipping this lovely libation on a patio would be like. Now, I don’t have to imagine, since I recreated this drink at home and will be sipping it on my very own patio sometime soon.

Ingredients:

• 6 oz. Blackcherry Vodka
  
• 4 oz. Amaretto
  
• 6 oz. Lemon-Lime Soda, diet works here
  
• 5 oz. Club Soda or Seltzer, I use diet as well
  
• Juice of ½ Lime
  1 Lime, cut into wedges
  
• Maraschino Cherries
  

Directions:

1. Add all ingredients, except lime wedges and cherries, into a cocktail shaker.
   
2. Shake well to chill and strain into a highball glass over ice.
   
3. Garnish with lime wedge and cherry. Enjoy!

Margarita Cupcakes

When I was looking for a recipe for a margarita cupcake, I asked the ladies of a message board I frequent for their recommendation, and I got multiple replies pointing me to Confections of a Foodie Bride’s recipe for Margarita Cupcakes. I didn’t change anything about the cupcakes themselves, but I did brush them with margarita simple syrup to up the margarita flavor, and keep them moist. Also, the flavor in the original buttercream was a little too subtle for me, so I increased the quantities of lime juice and tequila, and added some triple sec as well, for a truer margarita essence. Finally, what’s a margarita without salt? I wanted a slight saltiness to the final cupcake, just like when you’re sipping an ice cold margarita, so I sprinkled the tops with a combination of sanding sugar and salt, and topped with a lime slice.

Ingredients:

Lime Cupcakes:

• 3 cups flour
  
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
  
• 1/2 tsp salt
  
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temp
  
• 2 cups sugar
  
• 4 eggs, at room temp
  
• Zest of 3 Limes
  
• 3 oz Lime Juice, about 3 to 4 Limes or bottled juice
  
• 1 cup buttermilk
  

Margarita Simple Syrup*:

• 1 cup Sugar
  
• ¼ cup Tequila
  
• ¼ cup Triple Sec
  
• ½ cup Lime Juice, fresh or bottled
  

Margarita Buttercream:

• 2 cups sugar
  
• 8 egg whites
  
• 3 sticks butter, room temperature
  
• 3 ½ Tbsp Lime Juice
  
• 2 Tbsp Tequila
  
• 1 Tbsp Triple Sec
  

Decoration:

• Green Sanding Sugar
  
• Coarse Margarita Salt
  
• Limes, sliced thinly and then into halves
  

Directions:

Lime Cupcakes:

1. Preheat oven to 325. Prepare muffin tins with paper liners or baking spray.
   
2. Whisk flour, baking powder and salt together and set aside. Cream butter and sugar on a high until pale, light, and fluffy (about 5 minutes). Add eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly before adding the next one. Add lime zest and lime juice. Turn mixer to the low. Add the dry ingredients in three batches, alternating with the buttermilk in two batches. Mix only until just incorporated.
   
3. Fill each muffin cup ~3/4 full. Bake for 25 minutes or until a skewer shows only moist crumbs attached, rotating the pans at the halfway point. Allow cupcakes to cool completely in the pans before removing.
   

Margarita Simple Syrup:

1. While cupcakes are baking, bring sugar, tequila, triple sec, and lime juice to a simmer and allow to cool.
   
2. When syrup and cupcakes have cooled, brush tops with margarita syrup.
   

Margarita Buttercream:

1. Place the stand mixer bowl over a simmering pot of water; the bottom of the bowl should not touch the water. Whisk the sugar and egg whites until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture registers 160 degrees with a candy thermometer, or you cannot feel any grains of sugar when you rub the mixture in-between you thumb and forefinger.
   
2. Place bowl on the stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and whisk on high speed until the mixture is cool and holds stiff, glossy peaks, approximately 10 minutes.
   
3. Change to the paddle attachment and beat in one tablespoon of butter at a time on medium. The mixture might appear curdled but keep going, it will pull back together.
   
4. Add lime juice, tequila, and triple sec. Increase speed to high and beat until the frosting reincorporates and is smooth and fluffy.
   

Decoration:

1. Mix 2 parts sanding sugar with 1 part coarse salt.
   
2. After frosting cupcakes, sprinkle with about ¼ to ½ teaspoon of the sugar/salt mixture, and press in a lime slice.
   

*Extra margarita simple can be used to make a delicious and refreshing “Mock-arita”: Fill a glass with ice, pour in 3 oz of margarita simple syrup, top with Sprite and a slice of lime.

Margarita Madeleines with Margarita Glaze

I was planning our Friday Night Fiesta, I’m so, so lame, and realized that we didn’t have anything to end our meal with. I actually started thinking about this in bed on Thursday night, and went to sleep dreaming of these Margarita Madeleines. I had made Amaretto Madeleines for Valentine’s Day and thought I could convert the flavors into include a citrus tequila tang.

I couldn’t be happier with how these turned out. Just the right balance of sour tangy lime and tequila flavors, with the sweetness of the glaze. I’ll have to see how else I work with and reinvent these little cookie cakes. I think my next venture will have to be with chocolate. They’re absolutely delicious, and I encourage you to try some very, very soon. This recipe makes exactly 2 dozen madeleines, which is perfect, as they really are best the day they are made.

Ingredients:

Madeleines:

• 10 Tbsp Unsalted Butter, plus more for the pan
• 2/3 cup Sugar
• ½ tsp Salt
• 3 Eggs, room temperature
• 2 tsp Tequila
• Zest of 1 Lime
• 1 ¼ cup Flour
• 1 tsp Baking Powder

Glaze:

• 1 & ¼ cups Powdered Sugar, sifted
• 3 Tbsp Whole Milk (or whatever you have on hand, lower fat will make a thinner glaze)
• 1 Tbsp Tequila
• 1 Tbsp Orange Liquor, i.e. Triple Sec, Grand Marnier, or Cointreau
• Zest of 1 Lime

Directions:

Madeleines:

1. Over medium heat, melt the butter in a saucepan. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
2. Beat the sugar, salt and eggs several minutes until they are light yellow and thickened. Stir in the tequila and lime zest.
3. Sift flour and baking powder together.
4. Gently fold in the flour and butter into the sugar mixture in 3 additions each, alternating between the two. Refrigerate the batter for at least 45 minutes or up to 3 days.
5. Preheat the oven to 375⁰ for “normal” pans, and at 350⁰ if using a dark one like mine. Brush the madeleine pan with melted butter.
6. Fill the pans with 1 heaping tablespoon of dough per cookie. Bake 12 minutes until the edges are light brown.
7. Let cool in the pan 5 minutes. Carefully remove from pan and let cool completely on a cooling rack.
8. If making these in 2 batches, let the pan cool completely. Wipe out the cookie molds and re-coat with melted butter.

Glaze:

1. Whisk to combine all of the ingredients.
2. Place the madeleines on a cooling rack placed on a cookie sheet. (This will catch the glaze and make for easier clean-up.)
3. Spoon glaze over the cooled cookies. Allow to set for at least 15 minutes before serving.