Marsala Walnut Cake Food

BLACK WALNUT CAKE II

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour two 9 inch round cake pans. Sift flour, salt and baking powder together and set aside.
• In a large bowl, cream butter, shortening and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time and beat in well. Add flour mixture alternately with milk and mix well. Add vanilla and walnut extract. Fold in nuts.
• Pour batter into 2 - 9 inch pans. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.

APRICOT AND WALNUT ROLL CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 12-by-17-inch rimmed baking sheet. Line the bottom with parchment paper, allowing it to extend slightly over the short sides. Butter paper, and set sheet aside.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat egg yolks on medium speed until light, about 4 minutes. Gradually add sugar, and beat until thick and creamy, about 3 more minutes. Stir in vanilla extract.
• Into a small bowl, sift flour with baking powder and salt. With machine running, gradually add flour mixture to egg mixture. Beat just until smooth.
• Place egg whites in the clean bowl of an electric mixer. Whisk egg whites on medium speed until they are stiff but not dry, about 3 minutes. Fold a third of stiffened egg whites into batter to lighten; then gently fold in remaining whites, being careful not to flatten batter by overmixing. Lightly fold in walnuts.
• Spread the batter evenly on prepared pan, covering all corners. Bake about 10 minutes. Remove from oven, and loosen edges of cake with a knife. Invert the pan onto a clean towel that has been liberally dusted with confectioners? sugar. Peel off parchment paper. With a serrated knife, trim about 1/2 inch of the browned and hardened edges off cake.
• Using a brush, soak warm cake with Marsala or sherry, and spread the jam evenly on top. Starting from one of the shorter sides, carefully roll the cake gently but firmly. Place rolled cake on a serving platter, seam side down, and dust with more confectioners' sugar. When ready to serve, use a serrated knife to slice roll into 1-inch-thick servings.

BEST EVER BANANA CAKE WITH CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 275°F (135C).
• Grease and flour a 9 x 13 pan.
• In a small bowl, mix mashed banana with the lemon juice; set aside.
• In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.
• In a large bowl, cream 3/4 cup butter and 2 1/8 cups sugar until light and fluffy.
• Beat in eggs, one at a time, then stir in 2 tsp vanilla.
• Beat in the flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk.
• Stir in banana mixture.
• Pour batter into prepared pan and bake in preheated oven for one hour or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
• Remove from oven and place directly into the freezer for 45 minutes. This will make the cake very moist.
• For the frosting, cream the butter and cream cheese until smooth.
• Beat in 1 teaspoon vanilla.
• Add icing sugar and beat on low speed until combined, then on high speed until frosting is smooth.
• Spread on cooled cake.
• Sprinkle chopped walnuts over top of the frosting, if desired.

SWEET MASCARPONE AND BERRIES WITH MARSALA

Steps:

• Mix cheese, confectioners' sugar and citrus zest until smooth and combined. Mix berries with sugar and Marsala and let stand for at least 10 minutes. Spoon berries into dessert dishes, then top with mascarpone and more berries.

MASALA-CHAI CARROT CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Grease two 8-inch round cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper.
• To make the cake, add the tea bags to a mug of the boiling water and let them steep for 5 minutes before discarding the bags. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, pepper and cardamom. Set aside.
• In a separate bowl, add the muscovado sugar, eggs and tea, mixing until combined before stirring in the oil. Tip in the carrots and fold them in so they're evenly distributed. Fold in the flour mixture until just incorporated, making sure there are no pockets of flour hiding near the bottom.
• Divide the batter evenly between the two pans and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the cakes are nicely browned and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the cakes cool completely in the pans, then turn them out onto a rack.
• To make the frosting, beat the butter and confectioners' sugar with an electric mixer for 3 to 5 minutes, or until pale and smooth. Beat in the cream cheese until combined.
• To assemble, place one cake layer on a cake stand. Spoon one-third of the frosting on top and push right to the edges. Place the second cake topside down in order to give you a flat top. Add the rest of the frosting, spreading it evenly with an offset spatula. Scatter the walnuts on top of the cake.

GRAPE AND WALNUT SWEET FOCACCIA

Steps:

• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment proof the yeast with the granulated sugar in the water for 5 minutes, or until the mixture is foamy, add the flour, the salt, 1/3 cup of the brown sugar, the cinnamon, and the butter, and combine the dough well. With the dough hook knead the dough for 2 minutes, or until it is soft and slightly sticky. Form the dough into a ball, transfer it to an oiled bowl, and turn it to coat it with the oil. Let the dough rise, covered with plastic wrap, in a warm place for 1 1/2 hours, or until it is double in bulk. The dough may be made up to this point, punched down, and kept, covered and chilled, overnight. Let the dough return to room temperature before proceeding with the recipe. Press the dough evenly into an oiled jelly-roll pan, 15 1/2 by 10 1/2 by 1 inches, and let it rise, covered loosely, in a warm place for 1 hour, or until it is almost double in bulk.
• In a bowl stir together the grapes, the walnuts, and the Marsala and sprinkle the mixture evenly over the dough. Sprinkle the focaccia with the remaining 1/3 cup brown sugar and bake it in the bottom third of a preheated 400°F. oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until it is cooked through and topping is caramelized. Let the focaccia cool in the pan on a rack and serve it warm or at room temperature.

MARSALA WALNUT CAKE

Steps:

• 1 Place the rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9 × 2-inch round baking pan. 2 In a bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, and salt. 3 In a large bowl, with an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the eggs until foamy, about 1 minute. Gradually add the sugar and continue beating until thick and pale yellow. Beat in the oil and Marsala. Fold in the dry ingredients until blended. Stir in the walnuts. 4 Scrape the batter into the prepared pan. Bake 40 minutes or until the cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. 5 Cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack 10 minutes. Invert the cake onto a cooling rack and let cool completely. Sprinkle with confectioner's sugar before serving. Store covered with an inverted bowl at room temperature up to 3 days. From "1,000 Italian Recipes." Copyright 2004 by Michele Scicolone. Used with permission of the publisher, Wiley Publishing, Inc. All Rights Reserved.