Improve your KitchenAid mixer

Peachy Peach Cake

7/28/2021

We wait all year for peach season, and invariably buy more peaches than we can eat. So what's a peach lover to do? Bake with them!

We found a summer peach cake recipe in our Cook's Illustrated Baking book and had to try it. The recipe uses a combination of roasted peaches and fresh for the best flavor and texture. This cake is tender and moist, with the peaches as the absolute star of the dish. We simplified some of the steps, and our version of their recipe is below.

This recipe serves 8-12 people and is great with some whipped cream or vanilla ice cream on the side. Refrigerate on the second day if you have any leftovers.

notes

If you've never roasted fruit, we highly recommend it. Roasting intensifies the flavor and adds a note of caramel to your dishes. Roasting is perfect for any summer fruit that is a little overripe and past its prime.
We roasted a large batch of peaches and used them for homemade ice cream as well as this cake. The quick video below shows about 2 pounds of peaches that we kept in larger slices for roasting. We didn't bother with putting them in a bowl first, just sprinkled with sugar and squeezed some fresh lemon over it before roasting. We also baked in a ceramic dish, and had no issues getting it out, so feel free to substitute for a springform pan.
The addition of panko crumbs to your roasted peach chunks helps soak up some of the juices to keep your cake from being soggy. We forgot this step, but the cake was fine without it.

Ingredients & Equipment

2-1/2 pounds peaches, pitted and cut into 1/2 inch-thick wedges
4 teaspoons lemon juice, divided
6 Tablespoons plus 1/3 cup granulated sugar, divided
1 cup (5 ounces, 125g) all purpose flour
1-1/4 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
8 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1/4 cup sour cream, room temperature
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/3 cup panko bread crumbs finely crushed
9-inch springform pan or round ceramic dish

Directions

Roasting peaches

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 425F degrees.
Line rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with vegetable oil spray.
Place 18 large or 24 smaller peach wedges in a medium sized bowl and gently toss with 2 teaspoons lemon juice and 1 tablespoon granulated sugar; set aside for topping the cake.
Cut remaining peach wedges crosswise into thirds and place in a large bowl. Gently toss with 2 teaspoons lemon juice and 2 tablespoons granulated sugar. Spread the peach chunks in single layer on prepared sheet and bake until juices begin to thicken and caramelize, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer sheet to wire rack and let peaches cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes.

Cake

While peaches are roasting, melt butter in a microwave safe bowl and set aside to cool to room temperature.
Reduce oven temperature to 350F degrees and spray a 9-inch springform pan with vegetable oil spray.
In a small bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together in bowl and set aside.
In your stand mixer fitted with SideSwipe, cream together brown sugar, 1/3 cup granulated sugar, and eggs until well combined, about 30 seconds.
With the mixer running on its slowest speed, drizzle in cooled butter.
Add sour cream and vanilla. Mix until incorporated.
Add flour mixture and mix on low until just combined. Do not overmix the batter. It's fine if a couple of streaks of flour are visible.
Transfer half of batter to prepared pan. Use an offset spatula to spread batter evenly in the pan.
Sprinkle crushed bread crumbs over the cooled peach chunks and gently toss to coat. Arrange peach chunks on batter in even layer, gently pressing peaches into batter.
Gently spread remaining batter over peach chunks and smooth the top. Arrange reserved peach wedges, slightly overlapped, in ring over surface of cake.
Sprinkle remaining 3 Tablespoons of sugar evenly over top of cake.
Bake until center of cake is set and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 50 to 60 minutes. Transfer pan to wire rack; cool 5 minutes. Run paring knife around sides of cake to loosen. Remove cake from pan and let cool completely, 2 to 3 hours. Cut into wedges and serve.

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cherry clafoutis

7/7/2021

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This traditional French county dessert can be made in your mixer or with a blender. We, of course, made it in our mixer with a SideSwipe! It's not very photogenic, but, boy is it delicious! If you're not familiar with this dessert, it's a sort of baked custard studded with seasonal fruit. A clafoutis (also clafouti) is traditionally made with cherries, but peaches and even blueberries, or a combination, can be used.

What we like best about clafoutis is that it tastes fabulous and it's super simple to make. Just be sure not to overbake it. For the best consistency, about 35 minutes is best; just watch for the edges to begin to turn golden brown. The center will still be a little jiggly (but not sloshing around). Don't worry, though, even if you bake it a little too long, it's still delicious.

We made this recipe without a trip to the store, so we used 2 percent milk for the milk and cream portions. It yielded a slightly less decadent clafoutis, but was still delicious. And a little less rich for those counting calories.

This recipe, from chezbonnefemme, uses a spiked whipped cream. We used plain.

This recipe serves about 6. The leftovers make a delicious breakfast, but it's not likely you'll find out. Our pan was scraped clean!

ingredients

12 pitted fresh sweet cherries
3 large eggs
1/2 cup granulated sugar (or sugar substitute)
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon kirsch (cherry brandy) or 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup all-purpose flour (or gluten-free)
1 cup whole milk (can sub with 2%)
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar for dusting

Sweetened Spiked Whipped Cream: Place 3/4 cup cold heavy cream into a chilled mixing bowl. Add 2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar and 2 teaspoons kirsch (cherry brandy) or other cherry-flavored liqueur. Beat on medium speed with an electric mixer until soft peaks form.

directions

Heat oven to 375°F. Butter and sugar a 9-inch round nonmetal baking dish with 2-inch sides. We used a ceramic straight sided casserole dish.
Spread the cherries in the baking dish. In the bowl of your KitchenAid mixer, fitted with SideSwipe, beat the eggs, sugar, vanilla, kirsch(almond), and salt on medium speed until well combined. Slowly beat in the flour, milk, and cream until combined. Pour the batter over the cherries.
Place the clafoutis on a baking pan and put into the middle rack of your oven.
Bake until a thin knife inserted near the center of the clafoutis comes out nearly clean (a few crumbs are fine) and the top is a deep golden color, about 35 to 40 minutes. If the top is brown before the custard is done, loosely cover with a sheet of foil. Note: Don't worry is your clafoutis sinks in the middle…It probably will, and it’s a badge of honor that you’ve made a beautiful true-to-France homemade dessert.
Place on a wire rack to cool, but serve warm. Just before serving, dust the top of the clafoutis with confectioners’ sugar. Serve with cream, whipped cream, vanilla ice cream or plain. If you have any leftovers, refrigerate.

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CHOCOLATE MADELEINES

3/22/2021

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We've tested a few chocolate madeleine recipes, and most were not very chocolately and tended to be dry. Until we found this recipe, and all we could say is ooh la la! It was partially because we baked these in our new, deeper shell molds. But these mads were tender and bursting with chocolate flavor. Our dark chocolate dip with flaky sea salt put them over the top. These decadent French-inspired treats are a chocolate lovers dream.

Some people think madeleines are tricky to make. They are time consuming, but if you follow good recipes and don't cut corners, anyone can make them.

This recipe is slightly adapted from one from Emma Duckworth and makes 12 of the deeper shell mads or 18-ish of the standard size madeleines. As with other madeleines, these don't have much of a shelf life. They're best the first day, pretty good the second day and "if there's nothing else I'll eat them" on the third. If you bake them in the shallow, traditional pans, we recommend you eat them the first day.

If you want to extend the life of your madeleines, dip them in a glaze. We offer recipes and a how-to video here.

INGREDIENTS

Madeleines

9 Tablespoons (115 g) butter, melted and at room temperature
Extra 1-2 Tablespoons of butter for brushing onto the pans.
2 large eggs, room temperature
1/2 cup (110 g) granulated
1 Tablespoon and 2 teaspoons (20 ml) whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup (95 g) all-purpose flour
rounded 1/4 cup (35 g) cocoa powder
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon fine salt

Dipping chocolate

1/2-3/4 cup (100g) dark chocolate, melted
½ teaspoon coconut oil (or butter)
1 teaspoon Maldon flaked sea salt, optional

DIRECTIONS

Heat your butter in a small saucepan over low heat until melted, or melt, covered, at 50% power in your microwave until melted. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the SideSwipe or your flat paddle, add the eggs and sugar and beat on high until increased in volume, pale and fluffy, approx four-five minutes. Reduce the speed to low, and add the milk and vanilla extract and beat until combined.
Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt over and into your mixer bowl.
Mix on low until just combined.
With your stand mixer on its lowest speed, drizzle in the melted butter in 5 to 6 additions and allow SideSwipe to fold until combined. If you have a standard beater, you can remove the bowl from the mixer and fold in by hand.
Chill the mixture in the refrigerator for a minimum of 1 hour or overnight.
Brush the melted butter onto your madeleine molds, dust with cocoa powder and tap away excess. Refrigerate or freeze your pan at least 1 hour or until you are ready to fill pans and bake.
After pans and batter are cold, heat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
Scoop or spoon about 2 Tablespoons of batter into each of 12 large or 18 small/traditional shell pan cavity. If you have extra, divide it evenly between the cavities. DO NOT spread the batter. The oven will do the work for you.
Bake for 10-12 minutes until the cakes have risen and domed as it is fully cooked through. The "humps" will be cracked. That's OK. Mads are done when you touch the top and your finger impression bounces back. Check early and try not to overbake as this makes them dry.
Transfer immediately to a wire rack and leave to cool slightly.
Heat the chocolate and coconut oil in short bursts in the microwave until fully melted. You can also heat in a double boiler. Transfer melt to a small bowl.
Dip the madeleines into the milk chocolate and sprinkle with flaked salt.

NOTES AND TIPS

Carefully butter, dust and chill the madeleines pan. Melt a tablespoon of butter and using a pastry brush work that butter into all the nooks of the shell pans. Then dust lightly all over with cocoa powder and tap out the excess. This helps give the outside of the madeleines a crispy exterior but also stops them from sticking. (Dust with plain flour if the madeleines aren’t chocolate!)
Beat the eggs and sugar for a long time. Normally when making a sponge batter we beat the butter and sugar together to aerate the batter. But with madeleines you whip the eggs and sugar for a solid 5 minutes to really get some volume going. Then you add the milk and vanilla bean extract, and then sifted dry ingredients mixing carefully until just combined. It’s at this point, right at the end that we add the melted butter and mix it in.
Let the batter rest and chill. This is another important step. Once you have finished making the batter, cover your bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Between 1-2 hours is ideal but overnight if you want to have fresh madeleines for breakfast.
How to keep madeleines fresh. Mads are best served on the same day. Even in an airtight container, they can go become dry because they are so small. You freeze in a tightly sealed container if you have too many to eat. Some of our recipes include a dipping glaze, which extends the fresh taste a day or so more. You cannot freeze glazed mads.

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MANDARIN ORANGE MADELEINES

3/18/2021

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This recipe produced the most tender and delicious madeleines we have ever had. No dry and dusty little cakes here! The mandarin oranges gave these the most delightful flavor (you can use clementines as well) and are a great use for this common wintertime fruit. The glaze adds a burst of orangey sweetness and helps keep the mads from drying out too quickly.

Traditional madeleines rely on the whipping for loft. But we used baking powder to get a little oomph and to make sure we achieved the little "humps" on the back. If you use baking powder, they may take another minute or so to bake since the batter will rise higher. They’re done when the cakes feel just set if you poke them with your finger. Avoid overbaking them. There’s nothing better than a SOFT, fresh, buttery, citrusy madeleine.

Don't be tempted to speed the process on this recipe. The chilling of batter AND the pan are the key to perfect texture and shape. You need to be a little zen with these - or maybe channel your inner Parisienne.

If you like the tops of your mads more browned - we don't - bake them in the upper-third of your oven, so the tops get slightly-browned. You can also skip the glaze and eat the mads "naked" if you like.

Recipe makes 12 larger, deeper cakes. There are a lot of this style of goldish pan online.

Glazed madeleines are best left uncovered, or not tightly-wrapped; they’re best eaten the day they’re made. They can be kept in a container for up to three days after baking, if necessary. We don’t recommend freezing them since the glaze will melt. The recipe is adapted from a lemon version by David Lebovitz.

ingredients

Mads

3 large eggs, at room temperature
2/3 cup (130g) granulated sugar
rounded 1/8 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cup (175g) flour
1 teaspoon baking powder (optional - but recommended)
zest of one small lemon
1 or two madeleine pans ( will take longer to re-chill with one pan)
9 tablespoons (120g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature, plus additional melted butter for preparing the molds OR baking spray with flour.

Glaze

3/4 cup (150g) powdered sugar
1 tablespoon freshly-squeezed mandarin orange juice

directions

Brush the indentations of a madeleine mold with melted butter. Dust with flour, tap off any excess, and place in the fridge or freezer. You can use cooking spray containing flour in a non-stick mold, but we think the outside is prettier if you use butter. If you have a traditional mold, use butter and flour. See comparison photo above.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with SideSwipe, whip the eggs, granulated sugar, and salt until frothy and thickened, about 3-5 minutes depending on your beater.
Spoon the flour and baking powder, if using, into a sifter or mesh strainer and use a spatula to fold in the flour as you sift it over the batter. (Rest the bowl on a damp towel to help steady it for you.)
Add the orange zest to the cooled butter, then dribble the butter into the batter, a few spoonfuls at a time, while simultaneously folding to incorporate the butter. Fold just until all the butter is incorporated.
Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. (Batter can be chilled for up to 12 hours.)
To bake the madeleines, heat the oven to 425 degrees.
Plop enough chilled batter in the center of each indentation with enough batter which you think will fill it by 3/4’s (you’ll have to eyeball it - don’t worry if you’re not exact.) Do not spread it.
Bake for 11-14 minutes or until the cakes just feel set. We touched the top and watched for the slightest amount of bouncing back. Keep an eye on these as you don't want to overbake them.

glaze

While the cakes are baking, make a glaze in a small mixing bowl by stirring together the powdered sugar, orange juice, and water until smooth.
Remove from the oven and tilt the madeleines out onto a cooling rack. The moment they’re cool enough to handle, dip each cake in the glaze, turning them over to make sure both sides are coated and scrape off any excess with a dull knife. After dipping, rest each one back on the cooking rack, scalloped side up, until the cakes are cool and the glaze has firmed up.