cook like james

This is probably my most requested cake and after trying it, you'll understand why! It's an easy recipe, but it's worth finding the best Dutch processed cocoa powder. It's terrific with fluffy vanilla buttercream (we call it a tuxedo cake) or for chocolate lovers, go ahead and frost with your favorite Chocolate frosting (or use this recipe - Decadent Chocolate Frosting)

Download Cook Like James Tender and Moist Chocolate Layer Cake Vanilla Buttercream

2 cups (240 g) all-purpose flour (Gold Medal or Pillsbury)

1 3/4 cups (350 g) granulated sugar

3/4 cups (88.5 g) Valrhona or Droste dark Dutch processed cocoa powder

2 teaspoons baking soda

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup (240 g) buttermilk at room temperature

1 cup (236.6 g) brewed coffee (or 1 cup hot water mixed with 2 teaspoons espresso powder)

1/2 cup (100 g) vegetable oil

3 large eggs at room temperature

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Spray two 8-inch round cake pans with non-stick spray, line with parchment paper, and spray again. Set aside.
2. Combine the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on low speed until combined.
3. In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, coffee or hot water, oil, eggs, and vanilla.
4. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry, scraping the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
5. Divide the batter between the two pans and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out with a few moist crumbs on it.
6. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then turn them out onto a cooling rack and cool completely.
7. Wrap in plastic wrap and freeze until ready to use.

Easy Vanilla Buttercream

20 tablespoons (2 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

2 ½ cups (10 ounces) Confectioners' sugar

⅛ teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons heavy cream

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1. Using stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, whip butter on medium-high speed until smooth, about 20 seconds. Add sugar and salt and mix on medium-low speed until most of sugar is moistened, about 45 seconds. Scrape down bowl; add cream and vanilla and whip on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes, scraping down bowl as needed.

This quick and easy meatball recipe from Cook’s Country utilizes a few shortcuts that make it an easy recipe for weeknight cooking.  Their technique of simmering the meatballs in the tomato sauce in the ambient heat of the oven cooks them evenly without requiring stirring all while infusing the sauce with great flavor. Using saltines in place of fresh bread gets rid of some of the moisture, making the meatballs less gummy. Perfect over spaghetti.

Download EASY DROP MEATBALLS IN MARINARA SAUCE

GATHER YOUR INGREDIENTS

Meatballs

22 square saltines

1 cup milk

2 pounds 85 percent lean ground beef

2 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated (1 cup)

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

Sauce

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

10 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed

½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

2 (28-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes

Salt and pepper

3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

NOTE: You can use a #16 portion scoop to form the meatballs. To make shaping easier, wet your hands slightly. The recipe yields enough sauce for 2 pounds of pasta. To serve, toss the pasta with some sauce and top it with the meatballs.

INSTRUCTIONS:

FOR THE MEATBALLS:

1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Place saltines in large zipper-lock bag, seal bag, and crush saltines fine with rolling pin (you should have 1 cup). Combine saltines and milk in large bowl and let sit for 5 minutes for saltines to soften. Mash with fork until smooth paste forms.
2. Add beef, Parmesan, garlic powder, oregano, salt, and pepper to saltine mixture and mix with your hands until thoroughly combined. Divide meat mixture into 24 scant ¼-cup portions. Roll portions between your wet hands to form balls. Transfer to plate, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until ready to use. (Meatballs can be refrigerated for up to 24 hours.)

FOR THE SAUCE:

1. Combine oil and garlic in large Dutch oven. Cook over low heat until garlic is soft and golden on all sides, 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in tomatoes and 1 teaspoon salt. Nestle meatballs into sauce. Bring to simmer over medium-high heat.
2. Cover and bake until meatballs are cooked through and tender, about 40 minutes. Let cool, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Gently stir in basil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.

Best Decadent Fluffy Chocolate Frosting

This frosting may be made with milk, semisweet, or bittersweet chocolate.  Cool the chocolate to between 85 and 100 degrees before adding it to the butter mixture.

3 sticks unsalted butter , softened (60 to 65 degrees)

1 ½ cups confectioners' sugar (4 ounces)

½  cup Dutch-processed cocoa 

1/8 tsp salt 

1/2 cup light corn syrup 

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

8 ounces chocolate BAR - milk, semisweet, bittersweet, melted and cooled slightly - Lindt or Ghirardelli

In food processor, process butter, sugar, cocoa, and salt until smooth, about 30 seconds, scraping sides of bowl as needed. Add corn syrup and vanilla and process until just combined, 5 to 10 seconds. Scrape sides of bowl, then add chocolate and pulse until smooth and creamy, 10 to 15 seconds.

Download Summer Strawberry Cheesecake Bars

One of my favorite summer strawberry recipes from Cooks Country magazine. The recipe comes together in stages, starting with a traditional graham cracker crust, a creamy cheesecake center, and a mousse-like strawberry topping resulting in a light, delicious, and portable summer dessert.

Crust

9 whole graham crackers, broken into pieces

½ cup (3 1/2 ounces) sugar

¾ cup (3 3/4 ounces) all-purpose flour

¼ teaspoon salt

8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Filling

1 ½ pounds cream cheese

1 cup (7 ounces) sugar

3 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Topping

6 ounces fresh strawberries, hulled (1 heaping cup), plus 6 hulled strawberries

½ cup (3 1/2 ounces) plus 2 teaspoons sugar

2 cups sour cream

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Make foil sling for 13 by 9-inch baking pan by folding 2 long sheets of aluminum foil; first sheet should be 13 inches wide, and second sheet should be 9 inches wide. Lay sheets of foil in pan perpendicular to each other, with extra foil hanging over edges of pan. Push foil into corners and up sides of pan, smoothing foil flush to pan. Spray with vegetable oil spray.

FOR THE CRUST:

1. Process cracker pieces and sugar in food processor until finely ground, about 30 seconds. Add flour and salt and pulse to combine, about 2 pulses. Add melted butter and pulse until crumbs are evenly moistened, about 10 pulses.

2. Using your hands, press crumb mixture evenly into bottom of prepared pan. Using bottom of dry measuring cup, firmly pack crust into pan. Bake until fragrant and beginning to brown around edges, about 20 minutes. Let cool completely.

FOR THE FILLING:

1. In clean, dry processor bowl, process cream cheese and sugar until smooth, about 3 minutes, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. With processor running, add eggs, one at a time, until just incorporated, about 30 seconds total. Scrape down sides of bowl. Add vanilla and process to combine, about 10 seconds. Pour cream cheese mixture over cooled crust. Bake until center is almost set but still jiggles slightly when pan is shaken, about 45 minutes.

FOR THE TOPPING:

1. Meanwhile, in clean, dry processor bowl, process 6 ounces strawberries and ½ cup sugar until pureed, about 30 seconds. Stir strawberry puree and sour cream in bowl until combined.

2. Remove cheesecake from oven. Pour strawberry mixture over cheesecake (cheesecake layer should be completely covered). Return pan to oven and bake until topping is just set, about 15 minutes.

3. Transfer pan to wire rack and let cheesecake cool completely, about 2 hours. Refrigerate until cold and set, at least 4 hours or up to 24 hours. Slice the remaining 6 strawberries thin and gently toss with remaining 2 teaspoons sugar in bowl. Using foil overhang, lift cheesecake out of pan. Cut into 24 squares. Garnish each square with 1 strawberry slice and serve.

This easy to make, rustic cake is an ideal way to showcase summer-ripe plums or apricots (or pluots, a plum-apricot hybrid) Try to choose ripe, medium plums that still have a little firmness as soft juicy fruits will make the center of the cake soggy. Italian prune plums are great, too; use the same weight. But since they are small, cut them into halves instead of quarters. Great on its own, or with a dollop of ice cream or whipped cream.

Download Austrian Summer Plum Cake (Zwetschgenkuchen) recipe

¾ cup (3.75 ounces/90 grams all-purpose flour, plus more for pan

¼ cup (0.75 ounces/28grams) almond flour

½ cup (3.5 ounces/107 grams) white sugar, plus 2 tablespoons for sprinkling

¾ teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon table salt

8 tablespoons (1 stick) salted butter, cut into 1-tablespoon pieces, room temperature

1 large egg, plus 1 large egg yolk

1½ teaspoons vanilla extract

¼ teaspoon almond extract (optional)

1¼ pounds ripe but firm medium plums, quartered and pitted

Powdered sugar, to serve

1. Heat the oven to 325°F with a rack in the middle position. Mist the bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan with cooking spray, then dust evenly with flour; tap out the excess.

2. In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, mix the flour, almond flour, 107 grams (½ cup) of the sugar, the baking powder and salt on low until combined, about 5 seconds. With the mixer running, add the softened butter 1 piece at a time and continue mixing just until the mixture resembles moist sand, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the egg, egg yolk and vanilla. Increase to medium-high and beat until pale and fluffy, about 1 minute, scraping down the bowl as needed.

3. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and spread in an even layer. Arrange the plum quarters on top of the batter in 2 concentric circles, placing the pieces on their cut sides.

4. Sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar. Bake until golden brown and a skewer inserted at the center comes out clean, 1 to 1¼ hours.

5. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for 30 minutes, then remove the pan sides. Serve warm or at room temperature, dusted with powdered sugar.

I watched Milk Street’s resident baking expert Rose Hattabaugh make this tart on their Facebook page and knew that I had to try it. Super-fast and easy to throw together (thanks to the “press-in” tart crust) this is great for a last-minute dessert. They stress the importance of using the best quality jam for this recipe, so I chose Stonewall Kitchen jams. They have a great variety and work well with this recipe – I particularly like the Wild Maine Blueberry Jam, Strawberry Apple Rhubarb Jam, and the Peach Amaretto Jam.

Download Milk Street Kitchen Streusel Topped Jam Tart recipe

INGREDIENTS

⅓ cup white sugar

3 teaspoons grated lemon zest, divided, plus 1 tablespoon lemon juice

1¾ cups all-purpose flour

⅓ cup fine yellow cornmeal

¼ teaspoon table salt

10 tablespoons (1¼ sticks) cold salted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes

1 large egg, plus 1 large egg yolk, lightly beaten

1¼ cups fruit jam or preserves or marmalade

½ teaspoon ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat the oven to 375°F with a rack in the lowest position. Mist a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom with cooking spray.

2. In a food processor, combine the sugar and 1½ teaspoons of the lemon zest. Process until fragrant and the sugar is moistened, about 15 seconds. Add the flour, cornmeal and salt; process until combined, about 5 seconds. Scatter the butter over the dry ingredients and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse sand, 10 to 12 pulses. Add the egg and egg yolk, then process until the mixture is evenly moistened and begins to clump together, 20 to 30 seconds.

3. Transfer about 1 cup of the dough mixture to a small bowl; set aside for the topping. Transfer the remainder to the prepared pan, scattering it across the bottom. Using your hands, press the dough into an even layer into the bottom of the pan and up the sides.

4. In a small bowl, stir together the jam, remaining 1½ teaspoons lemon zest, lemon juice and pepper. Spread the jam mixture in an even layer in the dough-lined pan. Form the reserved dough into rough, pebbly pieces by squeezing bits between your fingers, then scatter them evenly over the filling; it’s fine if they are not uniform. Bake until the crust is golden brown, and the filling is bubbling in spots, 40 to 45 minutes.

5.Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 45 minutes. Remove the outer ring from the tart pan. Serve warm or at room temperature.

This is a quick and easy way to cook chicken cutlets. As with most coatings, it helps to have everything lined up in order, to make the assembly quick and easy. You can easily do a salad version by adding some arugula to the cherry tomatoes.

Download Quick Crispy Parmesan Chicken Cutlets with Cherry Tomato Salad recipe

Cherry Tomato Salad

1 pint cherry tomatoes, quartered

1 garlic clove, minced

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil

1 tablespoon olive oil

Crispy Parmesan Chicken

½ cup flour

2 eggs

1 cup panko breadcrumbs

1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

4 thin cut boneless, skinless chicken cutlets (about 1 pound)

Salt and pepper, as needed

6 tablespoons olive oil

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Toss cherry tomatoes, garlic, basil and 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

2, Spread flour in a shallow dish. Beat eggs in a second shallow dish. Combine panko and Parmesan in a third shallow dish.

3. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. One at time, dredge cutlets in the flour, then dip into beaten eggs, and then coat with panko mixture, pressing to adhere.

4. Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large non stick skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Cook 2 cutlets at a time, until golden brown and crisp, about 2 minutes per side, Transfer to paper towel lined plate. Repeat with additional 3 tablespoons of olive oil and remaining 2 cutlets.

5. Transfer crispy chicken to individual plates and top with cherry tomato mixture. Serve

Pain d’épices is a French spice cake (or quick bread) that is well-known as a Christmas time pastry in the northeast of France, especially in the regions of Dijon, Alsace, and Reims. It’s a classic French recipe that’s easy to make and doesn’t require a mixer. The loaf keeps for a while, improving as the flavors meld and the cake gets denser thanks to the honey. Many traditional recipes use rye flour, but this one from Milk Street Kitchen uses a combination of all-purpose and almond flour which gives it great texture.  Raisins are optional but certainly are a welcomed addition if you use them.

Download French Honey Spice Cake (Pain d’épices pur miel)

228 grams (1¾ cups) all-purpose flour

100 grams (1 cup) almond flour

1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground ginger

½ teaspoon ground mace (or ¼ teaspoon allspice & ¼ teaspoon nutmeg)

¼ teaspoon table salt

½ teaspoon ground black pepper

8 tablespoons (1 stick) salted butter, melted, plus more for pan

334 grams (1 cup) c honey

½ cup whole milk

2 large eggs

2 tablespoons minced crystallized ginger

1 tablespoon finely grated fresh gingerroot

2 teaspoons grated orange zest

1 cup raisins (optional)

1. Heat the oven to 325ºF with a rack in the upper-middle position. Coat the bottom and sides of a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan with butter; set aside.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together both flours, the cinnamon, baking soda, ground ginger, mace, salt and pepper; set aside.

3.In a large bowl, whisk together the butter and honey until smooth and creamy. Add the milk, eggs, crystallized ginger, fresh gingerroot, and orange zest (and raisins if using); whisk until thoroughly combined.

4. Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and fold only until no dry our remains. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, then bake until rm to the touch and a toothpick inserted at the center comes out with a few moist crumbs, 65 to 70 minutes. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove from the pan and let cool completely, about 2 hours.

Sometimes a half dozen is just enough, and this recipe works well in my Breville Toaster oven. They come together quickly and ideal for using up overripe bananas. Perfectly domed because of the extra baking powder and higher than normal oven temperature, these muffins are moist and feature a crisp sugary crunch on top. (You can substitute thawed frozen bananas; be sure to add any juice that is released as the bananas thaw.

Download Small Batch Banana Walnut Muffins recipe 

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 ½ teaspoons baking powder

¼ teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon table salt

2-3 very ripe large bananas, peeled and mashed (1 cup)

6 tablespoons plus 1 additional tablespoon sugar, divided

1 large eggs

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

¼ cup chopped toasted walnuts

Be sure to use bananas that are very heavily speckled or even black; less-ripe bananas will produce dry muffins with less flavor. We like the classic pairing of banana and walnuts here, but you can substitute chopped toasted pecans or omit the nuts altogether if you prefer. (Nut-free muffins will be slightly smaller.)

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Grease 6-cup muffin tin. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in medium bowl.

2. Whisk bananas, 6 tablespoons sugar, egg, oil, and vanilla in large bowl until fully combined. Add flour mixture and whisk until fully combined. Stir in walnuts. Using portion scoop or large spoon, divide batter evenly among prepared muffin cups (about ½ cup batter per cup; cups will be very full). Sprinkle tops with remaining 1 tablespoons sugar.

3. Bake until tops are golden brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 14 to 18 minutes. Let muffins cool in muffin tin on wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove muffins from muffin tin and let cool for at least 5 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

This is an easy and delicious appetizer, especially when you can find the best authentic Greek feta. It's great with wedges of warm pita bread or slices of baguette. Even after the feta has been eaten, the remaining oil is great for dipping with bread.

Download Easy Marinated Feta Cheese with Lemon Zest and Shallots recipe

1 ¼ cups extra virgin olive oil

1 medium shallot, sliced thin

1 tablespoon minced fresh oregano leaves (plus a sprig for garnish)

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

8 ounces Greek feta cheese, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 2 cups)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Cook 1 cup of the oil, the shallot, oregano, lemon zest, and pepper flakes in a small saucepan over low heat until the shallot is softened, about 15-18 minutes.

2. Remove the saucepan from the heat and gently stir in the feta. Cover and let sit until the mixture reaches room temperature, about 1 1/2 hours.

3. Stir in the remaining 1/4 cup oil and serve. (The mixture can be transferred to an airtight container and refrigerated for up to 1 week. Before serving, let sit at room temperature until the oil liquefies about 1 hour.)