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Spiced Rum, Date, Walnut, Molasses Bundt Cake with Rum Caramel Drizzle

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Koreans can’t bake.

That’s been my insecurity since starting this baking journey. That I’m Korean. And unlike my fellow caucasian friends, I have no family pie recipe or a mom that baked chocolate chip cookies with me on Saturday mornings. The only things I baked as a child were Pillsbury crescents from a tin or boxed Duncan Hines. Baking from scratch was never a part of my family growing up.

Instead, my Saturdays consisted of Korean language classes followed by math drills with Sargent Shin… and his chopstick wand. After math, my sisters and I would get to watch some TV whilst stuffing thousands of Korean dumplings called “mandu”. Okay. Maybe not thousands but god did it ever feel like thousands! Only after all the mandus were stuffed and our math drills were done correctly, were my sisters and I allowed to bake Duncan Hines Classic Yellow Cake. And if we were really lucky, my mom would have bought the chocolate icing in a carton for us to ice the yellow cake with. As a child, baking this cake and devouring it was my escape, my utopia, my moment of being unkorean. 

Until I was a teen and got a job at an upscale bakery. Cardamom coffee cake…what was cardamom? Hazelnut dacquoise…what was dacquoise? My inner sweet carb spirit was awakened. My Saturday mornings no longer involved memorizing math formulas instead being transported to sugary moments of utter bliss, learning flavours and spices I had never heard of.  In retrospect I should have paid this bakery rather than the bakery having paid me. 

My weekend bakery job and Duncan Hines days are a distant memory now. And the feeling of “Koreans can’t bake” does jab me every so often. Especially when reading fellow bloggers stories of great Aunts sharing pie crust hacks and grandma’s almost 100 year starter named Arras (after the WWI battle)

But as I write this, I realize I have something that the blogger with Arras and the baker with the  family pie hacks don’t have. I have patience and the willingness to drill and train myself until I get that pie crust flaky and this Spiced Rum Date Bundt perfectly drunk with moistness and flavour. It may not sound as heartwarming as a soft rosy cheeked gran smelling of cinnamon and bread. But Sargent Shin with his chopstick wand and those thousands of dumplings taught me something I believe to be just as valuable if not more. Perseverance. And so goes, that This Korean Bakes.

Bon app! or as we Koreans say Mashikeh-Mogo!

My two older sisters and my dad. I’m bottom right. (1982)

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Spiced Rum, Date, Walnut, Molasses Bundt Cake with Rum Caramel Drizzle
Author: 
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 8-10
 
Ingredients
  • FOR THE BUNDT:
  • 2 cups or 260 grams whole grain flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • +1 teaspoon baking soda (for the date puree)
  • 1 teaspoon cardamom
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1½ cup or about 200 grams fresh dates chopped
  • 1 cup or about 120 grams dried dates
  • 1¼ cup water
  • ¾ cup spiced rum
  • 1¼ cup or 250 grams granulated white sugar
  • ¾ cup fancy molasses
  • 4 large eggs room temperature
  • 1 cup canola oil (or a light oil)
  • 1 cup or 125 grams chopped walnuts
  • FOR THE RUM CARAMEL: (Caramel recipe ONLY adapted from https://www.finecooking.com/recipe/dark-rum-caramel )
  • 1½ cup granulated white sugar
  • ⅓ cold water
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • ¾ cup heavy cream
  • 2 tablespoons spiced rum
  • pinch of salt
Instructions
  1. Take your 10 cup bundt pan and grease very generously and carefully with melted butter making sure you grease all the nook and crannies.
  2. Dust with all purpose flour discarding access...set aside
  3. Preheat oven to 350F with oven rack in middle of oven
  4. In a large bowl, sift the whole grain flour, baking powder, baking soda, cardamom, salt and whisk well...set aside
  5. In a medium saucepan, bring the 1/14 cup water to a boil and then add the dried and fresh chopped dates.
  6. Stir in 1 teaspoon baking soda. Bring to a boil then put lid on and turn heat off and set aside
  7. In your stand mixer, with paddle attachment, beat the sugar and molasses together until smooth
  8. Add the eggs one at a time to the sugar mix.
  9. Add the canola oil in a slow steady stream to the sugar/egg mix
  10. In your blender/juicer or kitchenaid, puree the now softened dates until a smooth puree. A few chunks is okay.
  11. Stir in the spiced rum into the date puree with a spatula
  12. On low speed, add the dry flour mix to the sugar/egg/oil mix in the stand mixer then add puree mix doing the flour mix in thirds and ending with the dry flour mix.
  13. Fold in the walnuts with a spatula
  14. Do not over mix
  15. Pour into bundt pan and bake for 50minutes to 1 hour or until tester stick comes out mostly clean
  16. Allow to rest in pan for 10-15 minutes. Invert onto a cooling rack and allow to completely cool
  17. In the meanwhile, FOR THE CARAMEL:
  18. In a medium heavy sauce pan, whisk the ⅓ cup cold water and sugar.
  19. Cover with lid and bring to a boil over med-high heat all the while swirling the pan every so often...(do not stir..Swirl)
  20. Remove lid after about 8 minutes and keep swirling until the sugar liquid turns a rich dark amber hue.
  21. Turn the heat to low immediately upon it turning dark amber and carefully whisk the butter in. Whisk until the bubbles subsides
  22. Add the Heavy cream and keep whisking until the caramel is smooth and silky about 2-3 minutes on low
  23. Remove from stove top and add the spiced rum and salt. Allow the caramel to cool in fridge for 15 minutes or so or at room temperature for an hour before drizzling half the caramel over the cooled cake.
  24. Keep the other half caramel for serving on the side.

 

Earl Grey, Sesame and Cassonade Weave Bread

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As I continue on my Stems & Forks journey, I’m learning that my recipes are truly about taking the ordinary and making them extraordinary. Such as this weave brioche. I’ve taken this classic weave bread and doubled up on the layers by having 4 tendrils of dough rather than 2 crisscrossing. In fact, altogether there are 8 tendrils weaving in and out, creating a kaleidoscope of sugar, dough and buttered sesame seeds. If you love a more “pillowy” bread, feel free to make this into a two-roll (but with 4 tendrils) bread. I just love having loads of buttery sesame seeds intertwined with the brioche.

I know you’re thinking, “This looks hard!” I assure you it’s not! If I had to compare it to another task that might seem initially difficult- it’s like sewing a button. Actually, I don’t know how to sew a button. Rewind. Erase. It’s like learning to tie a shoelace. It seems complicated at first, but once you get into it, you’ll find your groove and it’s a cinch. A kid could even weave this bread. It’s that simple. You just need to follow the steps. And the pictures below will make it a no-brainer. I promise.

I don’t say this often, but this has definitely become one of my favourite recipes. I made this on a Friday but photographed it the following day. It was still moist and wonderful. Now I say it’s enough for 5-6 people, and with that being said, my husband and I finished it with a pot of coffee in less than an hour. But I guess my husband and I don’t qualify as normal people. We have no self-discipline when it comes to deliciousness! Make 2 if you expect company.

Wishing you and your family a happy Easter, Passover, Spring.

Bon App!

2. Take about a quarter of the filling and spread leaving about half an inch on the edge

3. Roll up nice and tight

4.With a sharp serrated knife, cut the rolls down the centre middle in half lengthwise.

6.Overlap the tendril pairs so they are alternating with the overlaps

 

 

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Earl Grey, Sesame and Cassonade Weave Bread
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
 
Ingredients
  • FOR THE BREAD:
  • 2½ cups or 325 grams all purpose flour
  • ¼ cup or 50 grams white granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon white granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon table salt
  • 1½ teaspoons traditional active dry yeast
  • 1 cup milk (will be reduced to a little less than a cup of milk)
  • 2 Earl Grey Tea bags
  • 2 fresh eggs room temperature
  • 6 tablespoons softened unsalted butter
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • FOR THE FILLING:
  • ½ cup or 113 grams softened unsalted butter
  • ½ cup or 100 grams brown cassonade sugar
  • ⅓ cup or 40 grams toasted sesame seeds
  • GLAZE:
  • 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
Instructions
  1. In stand mixer bowl with hook attachment, sift flour, sugar and salt and give quick mix (with a whisk)
  2. In small sauce pan, on medium low heat, scald the milk until it forms little bubbles on the side of pan or reaches a temperature of 180 F. Turn heat off and allow to cool to about 110 F or touch with hand. Should be very warm to the touch... but not too hot that it's unbearable to touch
  3. Measure out ½ cup of the warm milk in a bowl and add the yeast and 1 teaspoon white sugar and give quick stir. Set aside and allow to poof (double its size)- about 10 minutes
  4. Drop the 2 Earl Grey tea bags in the remaining warm milk in sauce pan and let steep for 4 minutes. Remove bags and squeeze excess milk
  5. You should be left with about ⅓ cup of Earl Grey infused milk
  6. In stand mixer, still with kneading hook, stir in the Earl Grey infused milk
  7. Then add the milk with yeast and stir - Mixture will look shaggy and ragged. This is okay.
  8. Add the eggs in one at a time while stirring on low- scrape sides and bottom with a spatula a couple times while kneading.
  9. Add the butter in a table spoon at a time. waiting for butter to be incorporated fully before adding the next chunk in - dough will look sticky but keep kneading until the dough looks shiny and smooth
  10. If still dry and not coming together after 2 or 3 minutes, add a teaspoon of water or milk until dough comes together. If opposite issue of too wet, add an extra flour, a tablespoon at a time. You don't want it too sticky like pizza dough nor too taut... refer to pic above.
  11. Continue to knead for 10 minutes until the dough is smooth, shiny and no longer sticky
  12. Form the dough into a ball
  13. Grease with vegetable oil a large bowl until it is lightly covered
  14. Lightly roll the dough around in the greased bowl (Make sure bowl is large enough to accommodate the fact that dough will double in size)
  15. Cover with plastic film and allow to rise in warm area of home for 3 hours.
  16. In the meanwhile make the FILLING
  17. Loosely crush the sesame seeds in a mortar and pestle or zip in blender for a few seconds or put in ziplock and crush with rolling pin. You want a few seeds crushed. Crushing it will release some lovely nutty flavour
  18. Mix with spatula in bowl, the softened ½ cup butter and ½ cup brown cassonade until well blended- set aside
  19. ASSEMBLING THE WEAVE:
  20. *There are a series of pictures above which will help with the assembly
  21. After the first rise, take dough and cut into 4 equal pieces
  22. Roll each piece into flat oval shapes - about 12 inches in diameter
  23. Take about a quarter of the filling and spread leaving about half an inch on the edge
  24. Roll up all the way
  25. Do this for the rest of the dough sections
  26. Pop in refrigerator for 15 minutes on baking tray lined with parchment paper covered with plastic (Optional- I find this step helps keep the dough a bit firm when shaping)
  27. With a sharp serrated knife, cut the rolls down the centre middle in half lengthwise.
  28. Create a "tic tac toe" grid with the tendrils (refer to pic)
  29. Overlap the tendril pairs so they are alternating with the overlaps (see pic)
  30. Take all the tendril pairs that are on the underneath another tendril pair to overlap the pair that is clockwise to it. (refer to pic)
  31. Carefully tuck the tendril ends under the loaf
  32. Put on a large baking tray lined with parchment with at least 4 inches on all sides (to allow for the second rise and the spread during bake)
  33. Cover with a damp tea towel for second rise, place in warm part of house- about 1½ hours
  34. BAKING THE WEAVE:
  35. Preheat oven to 375 F
  36. Remove tea towel and bake for 20 minutes or until somewhat browned on the top
  37. Remove from oven and cover loosely with sheet of foil and bake for another 15-18 minutes
  38. Test bread by pressing close to centre...should be firm
  39. Immediately brush maple syrup all over bread
  40. NOTES:
  41. *When yeast doesn't poof, it usually means the milk was too warm or too cold. If you don't have a food thermometer, test by touching water. It should be very warm but not so hot that your fingers can't take it.
  42. Another issue could be the yeast has expired or simply died.
  43. If you only have raw sesame seeds, toast on pan over medium high heat for about 3 minutes stirring occasionally.
  44. This weave bread is best consumed within a couple days, however can be kept up to 5 days at room temperature wrapped with plastic
  45. Can also be frozen for about a month

 

 

Matcha and Black Sesame Crêpes

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My mother in law would probably pucker her lips till they turned white and wrinkled much like her backside exit if I ever told her what I did to the base of her crêpe recipe. I asianized it.

For the old school Belgian or Frenchie, crêpes are a kind of sacred dish. My mother in law has never deviated from the simple recipe of just flour, eggs, milk, sugar. She normally serves it with some cassonade (brown sugar), nutella or some jam on the table. I remember once serving crêpes for lunch with sour cream, bacon and chives…and yup the puckered backside  lips appeared. “Quelle horreur” she exclaimed. Awww…. Always love her candour! She skipped the bacon and cheese and went straight to the cupboards to grab the brown sugar. She refused to even try! Old school and I forgot to mention, stubborn.

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Kimchi & Pancetta Galettes with Spinach, Kale and Chèvre

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Kimchi, pancetta, kale, spinach and chèvre in a crusty, flaky buttery pastry topped with an egg – who can resist such a plethora of flavours? This delightful dance of sweet/savoury, rich/acidic, chewy/flaky and hearty galette is my interpretation of Omurice. I was inspired by this childhood favourite comfort dish originally from Japan. Omurice is essentially fried rice crowned with a paper thin omelette, with ketchup slathered atop. Koreans have adapted it by adding kimchi (of course), along with a mish-mash of proteins, seafood or veggies in the rice. Omurice can really be made of anything. So long as it’s fried rice blanketed by an omelette. Its name is a quintessential example of Gairaigo which basically means a transvocalization. ‘Omu’ for omelette, and ‘raisu’ for rice.

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Golden Beet Cake with Brown Butter Sage Frosting

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Every now and then, I whip up gnocchi with brown butter and fresh sage drizzle. Add a bit of fresh parmesan and cracked black pepper and my mouth is singing. Or I’ll roast beets and toss with some goats cheese and walnuts. Often I’ve wondered if I could translate the sage/butter/cheese/beets/walnuts into a cake and finally I did. I know what you’re thinking. Betty’s finally lost her marbles. She’s trying to make cake from a salad. 

Well, I did and it was sublime. The golden colour from the beets gave the cake a beautiful soft golden hue. The taste was sweet yet subtly earthy, crunchy yet creamy. The closest thing I can compare this to is carrot cake but less sweet with loads more elegance. 

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Korean Pear Galette

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With in-laws living in Waterloo, Belgium we usually spend a couple weeks in the summer to visit so my husband Pierre can get his fix of Belgian cuisine whilst the in-laws enjoy their grandkids. Pierre has now been living in Toronto for 12 years and gets home-sick every now and then. Well, its mainly the food he misses. As do I. Once there, he easily eats the tomate aux crevettes grises (small, grey, flavour-packed shrimps prepared in a hollowed tomato), or Américain préparé (Belgian version of steak tartare) daily for lunch. Then of course there’s Belgian street food – frites with so many different sauces (Samurai and Américaine sauce are our faves), Mitraillette (a baguette with meat or sausage, topped with, grated carrots, lettuce and French fries smothered with Andalouse sauce) and my daughter’s favourite, Belgian waffles. 

For those of you who haven’t been to Belgium, its one of those countries where the majority of the restaurants and street foods are consistently excellent. There are way more hits than misses. After personally experiencing the food and culture, its easy to understand why a Belgian expat would become home sick. I often find myself craving certain restaurants or dishes from Belgium. Not to mention even basic groceries such as their high fat butter and fresh eggs with sunset hued yolks. 

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Earl Grey and Orange Ganache Chocolate Macarons

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I have this recurring nightmare that’s been haunting me for decades. I’m in a bakery surrounded by delectable and mouthwatering mounds of pastries. Croissants, cakes, pies, macarons and muffins piled high in baskets and platters in varying hues of browns and beiges. I can see steam wafting from the butter croissants and fresh icing still runny, dripping off the danishes. It’s one of the most beautiful and delicious sights ever. I’m overwhelmed by the wondrous selection and I can’t decide which to eat first. Chocolate torte first? Then I won’t have space for the tarts. I’m so torn. This indecisiveness goes on and on and feels as if the entire night of dreaming is spent trying to decide which pastry to taste first. Then the dream becomes a nightmare. I awake without having made a choice. My indecisiveness leaves me empty handed. As I’d slowly awake to reality, I’d be filled with regret for not having sunk my teeth into one of those heavenly pastries.

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