Posts made in August, 2022

Bready or Not: Sicilian Orange Bundt Cake

Posted by on Aug 31, 2022 in Blog, Bready or Not, breakfast, bundt, cake | Comments Off on Bready or Not: Sicilian Orange Bundt Cake

If you’re in need of a refreshing summer bundt cake, look no further. This Sicilian Orange Bundt Cake is it.

Bready or Not: Sicilian Orange Bundt Cake

This is a super-easy cake to make. The ingredients are minimal. It doesn’t make a massive cake. The oranges get used in the cake and in the glaze, so nothing is likely to go to waste.

Bready or Not: Sicilian Orange Bundt Cake

I love that the orange makes the cake look orange AND taste orange. There is something aesthetically pleasing about that. No surprises, no fake-outs. Orange cake tastes like orange. Got it.

Bready or Not: Sicilian Orange Bundt Cake

If you have any leftovers, no worries. I found that the cake freezes wonderfully, even glazed. Freeze those extra slices the first day and they’ll taste fresh when you thaw them later!

Modified from Food & Wine September 2020 issue.

Bready or Not: Sicilian Orange Bundt Cake

This light bundt cake is orange in appearance and in flavor, with a sweet orange glaze for added oomph! Modified from Food & Wine September 2020 issue.
Course: Breakfast, Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: bundt cake, citrus
Author: Beth Cato

Equipment

  • small bundt cake pan

Ingredients

Cake

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3 large oranges zested and juiced
  • 1 1/2 Tablespoons baking powder
  • 1 1/2 cups white sugar
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 3 large eggs room temperature

Glaze

  • 3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
  • 3 teaspoons orange juice
  • orange zest

Instructions

  • Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Use a baking spray with flour (or alternatively, some extra vegetable oil and flour) to coat the interior of the bundt pan. Set aside.
  • In a small bowl, combine the flour, 2 Tablespoons of orange zest (the rest reserved for the glaze), and baking powder. Set aside.
  • In a big mixing bowl, beat together sugar, vegetable oil, and eggs on high speed until it becomes quite pale, about a minute and a half. Add 1 1/4 cups orange juice, beating until combined. Gradually mix in the dry ingredients, scraping bottom of bowl as needed.
  • Pour batter into the pan. Bake for 45 minutes, until the middle passes the toothpick test. Cool for about 20 minutes, then invert it onto a rack to completely cool, speeding the process in the fridge if desired.
  • Make the glaze. Measure out the sugar. Add orange juice and any remaining zest. If mixture is thick, add a touch more juice; if runny, add more sugar. It should be a thick texture as it is drizzled on the cake. Let glazed cake set at least 30 minutes at room temperature or in fridge before slicing in.
  • Cake is great kept sealed at room temperature for up to 3 days. It can also be sliced and frozen, glaze and all, and makes for a delicious treat even weeks later.

OM NOM NOM!

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    CoKoCon is this coming weekend!

    Posted by on Aug 29, 2022 in Uncategorized | Comments Off on CoKoCon is this coming weekend!

    Note that this is updated from the previous post several weeks ago. I now have a signing on Sunday afternoon.

    I’m attending my first in-person convention in about three years this Labor Day weekend. CoKoCon is a small con in the Phoenix area. This year, it’s at a new location at the DoubleTree in Tempe. I’ll be there Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and early Monday morning. Feel free to talk, ask to have books signed (which I’ll gladly do unless I’m on the run to a panel!), and generally hang out. I’ll be in a black mask, channeling my old favorite Mortal Kombat ninjas.

    Panels are always subject to change; I’ll post any updates via Twitter and Facebook.

    Friday, September 2

    4:30pm Writing on the Spectrum

    Fiesta Ballroom 2, 4:30pm – 5:30pm

    Neurodiverse writers talk about how their unique filter on the world impacts their writing and about neurodiverse representation in books.

    Saturday, September 3

    10am Beth & Mike’s Book Club: The City We Became

    Coronado, 10am – 11am

    Michael Senft, who runs the Sci-Fridays Book Club at the Poisoned Pen, and Nebula Award®-nominated author, Beth Cato, will be leading a discussion on The City We Became by N. K. Jemisin. Read or listen to it ahead of the event or come in blind, but beware of spoilers!


    6pm Writing Speculative Poetry

    Fiesta Ballroom 2, 6pm – 7pm

    Join our award-winning poets as they discuss the craft and market for speculative poetry, and maybe even share some of their own award-winning work!

    Sunday, September 4

    1pm Literary Charcuterie

    Coronado, 1pm – 2pm

    Let’s talk about the glories of food in literature and reality and inspire everyone to scamper for the nearest cheese shop (and there are several near the hotel!)


    2:30pm Signing: Beth Cato

    Dealers’ Room, 2:30pm – 3:30pm


    6pm Author Self-Care: Not Post-COVID Yet

    Fiesta Ballroom 2, 6pm – 7pm

    We’re back in person, but are we really back to normal? This popular panel returns in a world that still hasn’t gotten through the COVID times.


    7:30pm Historical Fiction Meets Fantasy

    Fiesta Ballroom 2, 7:30pm – 8:30pm

    What is the proper proportion of facts with fiction when writing historical fantasy? What resources the perils and joys of research.

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    Bready or Not: Marble Sheet Cake

    Posted by on Aug 24, 2022 in Blog, Bready or Not, cake, chocolate | 1 comment

    I love frosting, so take it on my authority that this Marble Sheet Cake is delicious without need of any frosting on top. Plus, enjoying the cake in naked or near-naked form with just a sprinkling of confectioners’ sugar on top reveals that beautiful marbling to the world.

    Bready or Not: Marble Sheet Cake

    That marbling is delicious stuff, too. The base batter is vanilla-flavored, with the other portion including cocoa powder and additional goodness.

    Bready or Not: Marble Sheet Cake

    The texture of the cake is tender and soft. Since there’s no need for frosting, this is a good travel cake. When I made this for my husband to take to work, I individually wrapped pieces to-go in a plastic bin. They made the journey without issue.

    Bready or Not: Marble Sheet Cake

    Modified from One Bowl Baking Special Issue from Bake from Scratch.

    Bready or Not: Marble Sheet Cake

    This beautiful 9×13 cake features marbled cocoa and vanilla. It’s delicious enough (and pretty enough) to not need any frosting on top. Just a dusting of confectioners’ sugar will do!
    Course: Dessert, Snack
    Keyword: cake, chocolate
    Author: Beth Cato

    Equipment

    • 9×13 pan
    • aluminum foil
    • nonstick spray

    Ingredients

    Vanilla batter

    • 3 cups all-purpose flour
    • 1 3/4 cups white sugar
    • 1 Tablespoon baking powder
    • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
    • 1 1/2 cups milk room temperature
    • 3/4 cup unsalted butter melted
    • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
    • 3 large eggs room temperature

    Cocoa batter

    • 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter melted
    • 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder sifted
    • 1/2 teaspoon almond extract

    Topping, optional

    • 2 Tablespoons confectioners’ sugar

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven at 325-degrees. Line a 9×13 pan with foil and apply nonstick spray.
    • In the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. With the mixer on low, pour in milk, butter, and vanilla, stopping a few times to scrape the bottom of the bowl. Add eggs one at a time. Batter should be smooth.
    • Measure out about 3 cups of the vanilla batter and pour it into the pan. Add the remaining three ingredients to the bowl, mixing until smooth. Dollop heaping spoonfuls of the cocoa batter onto the vanilla. Use a butter knife to swirl the colors to create a marbled effect. Tap the pan on the counter a few times to knock air bubbles free.
    • Bake for about 35 minutes. The middle should pass the toothpick test. Let cool completely on a wire rack. Use foil to lift the cake onto a cutting board for easy slicing. Sprinkle on confectioners’ sugar just before serving. Store in a sealed container.

    OM NOM NOM!

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      Bready or Not Original: Peach-Almond Bars

      Posted by on Aug 17, 2022 in Blog, blondies, Bready or Not, breakfast, cookies, nutty | Comments Off on Bready or Not Original: Peach-Almond Bars

      These Peach-Almond Bars are peachy-keen, if you ask me! They aren’t super sweet and they really let the flavors of the fruit shine through.

      Bready or Not Original: Peach-Almond Bars

      I don’t do a lot with peaches because I live in Arizona and the peaches available here are not the best. There are a lot of things I miss about Central California, and the fresh fruit is a big one. (Oh, don’t start my yearning for strawberries…)

      Bready or Not Original: Peach-Almond Bars

      The good news is, you don’t need ripe or especially sweet peaches for this recipe because you add a touch of sugar and cook down the fruit. Lyle’s Golden Syrup is a British ingredient that can be found in the import section of a lot of grocery stores; there is no exact American substitute, but a mix of half light corn syrup and half honey is one I have seen in recipes more than once.

      Bready or Not Original: Peach-Almond Bars

      These bars are a pleasant mix of softness, crispness, peachiness, and crunchy almonds. Not only would they make for a good dessert or snack, but a fine breakfast as well.

      Bready or Not Original: Peach-Almond Bars

      These bars bring out the best in peaches without being hardcore sweet.
      Course: Breakfast, Dessert, Snack
      Keyword: almond, bars, peaches
      Author: Beth Cato

      Equipment

      • 9×13 pan
      • aluminum foil
      • nonstick spray

      Ingredients

      Peaches

      • 6 small peaches about 4 cups, peeled and chopped
      • 1/4 cup water
      • 1/4 cup Lyle’s Golden Syrup
      • 1 Tablespoon corn starch

      Bars

      • 2 cups all-purpose flour
      • 1 cup almond flour sifted to remove lumps
      • 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
      • 1 teaspoon baking powder
      • 1/2 teaspoon salt
      • 2 sticks unsalted butter (1 cup) room temperature
      • 2 Tablespoons sliced almonds

      Instructions

      • Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Line a 9×13 pan with foil and apply baking spray
      • In a medium saucepan, cook the peaches, water, and golden syrup about 15 minutes at a simmer, until peaches are soft. Add corn starch and stir well to bring the liquid together. Let set a few minutes to gel.
      • In a mixing bowl, combine flour, almond flour, confectioners’ sugar, baking powder, and salt. Beat in the butter until it forms a lumpy dough.
      • Press about 2/3 of dough into the prepared pan. Use a piece of waxed paper and a heavy glass to really compress it. Spread the peach mixture on top. Add clumps of the remaining dough to sporadically cover. Sprinkle almonds on top.
      • Bake for about 40 minutes, until middle is set, not jiggly, with a golden brown crust across the top. Cool completely, speeding the process in the fridge if desired. Use foil to lift contents onto a cutting board to slice up. Store in a covered container, with waxed paper between the layers or with bars individually wrapped.

      OM NOM NOM!

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        CoKoCon 2022 Schedule

        Posted by on Aug 15, 2022 in Blog, public speaking | Comments Off on CoKoCon 2022 Schedule

        I’m attending my first in-person convention in about three years this Labor Day weekend. CoKoCon is a small con in the Phoenix area. This year, it’s at a new location at the DoubleTree in Tempe. I’ll be there Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and early Monday morning. Feel free to talk, ask to have books signed (which I’ll gladly do unless I’m on the run to a panel!), and generally hang out. I’ll be in a black mask, channeling my old favorite Mortal Kombat ninjas.

        Panels are always subject to change; I’ll post any updates via Twitter and Facebook.

        Friday, September 2

        4:30pm Writing on the Spectrum

        Fiesta Ballroom 2, 4:30pm – 5:30pm

        Neurodiverse writers talk about how their unique filter on the world impacts their writing and about neurodiverse representation in books.

        Saturday, September 3

        10am Beth & Mike’s Book Club: The City We Became

        Coronado, 10am – 11am

        Michael Senft, who runs the Sci-Fridays Book Club at the Poisoned Pen, and Nebula Award®-nominated author, Beth Cato, will be leading a discussion on The City We Became by N. K. Jemisin. Read or listen to it ahead of the event or come in blind, but beware of spoilers!


        6pm Writing Speculative Poetry

        Fiesta Ballroom 2, 6pm – 7pm

        Join our award-winning poets as they discuss the craft and market for speculative poetry, and maybe even share some of their own award-winning work!

        Sunday, September 4

        1pm Literary Charcuterie

        Coronado, 1pm – 2pm

        Let’s talk about the glories of food in literature and reality and inspire everyone to scamper for the nearest cheese shop (and there are several near the hotel!)


        6pm Author Self-Care: Not Post-COVID Yet

        Fiesta Ballroom 2, 6pm – 7pm

        We’re back in person, but are we really back to normal? This popular panel returns in a world that still hasn’t gotten through the COVID times.


        7:30pm Historical Fiction Meets Fantasy

        Fiesta Ballroom 2, 7:30pm – 8:30pm

        What is the proper proportion of facts with fiction when writing historical fantasy? What resources the perils and joys of research.

        #SFWAPro

        Read More