Brown Butter Raspberry-Ricotta Breakfast Cake

Listen, there comes a time in every young woman's (or man's) life where s/he just has to throw every single thing down, and have cake for breakfast. Okay? You just have to have cake for breakfast sometimes. Cereal is my breakfast meal of choice. There are occasions where I or a loved one will have the energy to whip up pretty impressive omelets, but those times are pretty rare on the weekdays. And as much as I do actually genuinely enjoy a crunchy spoonful of cornflakes, sometimes all I want need first thing is a beyond-moist, tender, fruity-flavor-packed slice of cake. And I want to eat it with my hands. Forks are great, but we don't need 'em!

The selection of fruit at the grocery store is very hit-or-miss, which can be very frustrating as all anyone ever talks about in the food world is "embracing seasonality." It's hard to do that when you're looking at crates full of fuzzy raspberries. The great news is, not only is frozen fruit totally welcome in this cake, it's actually a requirement. Thank goodness for the Frozen Foods section.

So, what makes this cake so moist? FULL FAT RICOTTA CHEESE. Don't you dare get that skim nonsense! We're having cake for breakfast, so let's not torture ourselves by trying to make it healthy, alright? And anyway, you want the cake to be as thick and rich as possible, so whole milk ricotta it is!

And let''s just talk about the brown butter for a second. Ohmygosh I love brown butter. It adds a certain depth to any and everything, and I don't even know what I did with my life before I knew how to do it.

It's just been a really good breakfast (and also dessert) week in this house.

And P.S. This is a GREAT choice for your 4th of July Weekend red-white-and-blue-food-eating festivities!! Fourth of July Breakfast Cake is a thing, right?

BROWN BUTTER RASPBERRY-RICOTTA CAKE 

What You'll Need:

• Nonstick cooking oil spray
• 1 stick plus 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese, preferably whole milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup frozen raspberries, divided
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon of sugar

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Line a 9-inch round cake pan with parchment paper, and lightly spray with nonstick cooking oil spray.

To brown the butter:

In a medium saucepan, melt your butter over medium-low heat. After a few minutes, your melted butter will start to crackle and bubble vigorously; those are the milk solids and water evaporating. After 2-3 minutes of the butter crackling, you should start to smell a nutty aroma coming from the pan, and your butter will start to darken in color. DO NOT leave while the butter is browning as it can go from brown to burnt fairly quickly.  The bubbling and crackling will eventually subside, and your darkened butter should have little brown bits floating around on the bottom. Take the butter off the heat, and let it cool slightly.

Let's make the cake:

In a large bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, and kosher salt. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, ricotta, and vanilla extract until combined, then fold them into the dry ingredients until they are just combined.

Fold in the melted butter, then VERY GENTLY fold in 3/4 cup of the raspberries, being very careful not to crush any berries.

In a small bowl, gently toss the remaining 1/4 cup of raspberries with the lemon juice and sugar. If the raspberries seem a little too tart, you can sprinkle in a little more sugar to fit your tastes. 

Scrape your cake batter into your prepared pan and scatter the raspberries that you have just tossed with lemon and sugar, over the top. (Get creative with your design!)

Bake your cake until it is golden brown and a toothpick that has been inserted into the center, comes out clean; about 50-60 minutes. (Depending on your oven, your cake may need a little less time, so keep an eye on it when the time gets closer to 50 minutes.)

Let your cake cool for at least 20-30 minutes in the pan, on a wire rack, before unmolding and serving.

To Store:

Wrap the cake TIGHTLY in cling wrap and store at room temperature.

SOURCE: Adapted froBon Appetit 

My Favorite Kind of Breakfast

I take my brown butter blueberry muffins with a mountain of flour-sugar clumps, a heap of lemon zest, and a dream.

Salted Brown Butter Rice Krispie Treats

I spend a lot of time looking up really complicated recipes, because I want to challenge myself. But lately, I haven't felt like doing really involved recipes. Maybe it's because  the single-digit temperatures have left me craving comfort over complication. Or maybe, I just have too much cereal in the house.

It's been two weeks since I've made anything for my work chums, which means it's been two weeks since I've practiced my baking. Life has kept me a little busy, and by the time I get a free moment, it's time for bed. But honestly, when you're really passionate about something, you'll find the time. So I carved a few hours out to get myself back into the swing of things. And what better way to get more practice in, than with yummy, crunchy rice krispie treats? But oh no, not just those standard treats you find the recipe for on the back of the cereal box, no. Salted Brown Butter Rice Krispie Treats are a much-needed twist on an old classic. They're like your cool first cousins from Chicago with the same last name as you, but they're way more popular, even with your group of friends.

What's great about these is that the taste is not different, but rather enhanced. Brown butter is a sneakily powerful ingredient. Sure, it's the same as butter, but with a slight twist that takes something basic, and gives it the depth that it's always deserved. And to top that all off, sea salt helps to bring the flavors out even more. If you're a sweet and salty type of person, then this is for you. I will not tell you how many I've had for fear that your jaw will fly open and never close. I'm just glad I have hungry co-workers, because the few that I saved for the house, did not last in the house for very long.

What You'll Need:

• 1 stick unsalted butter
• 1 8-inch square cake pan
• 1 10 ounce bag of marshmallows
• 1/4 teaspoon coarse sea salt (plus more for sprinkling!!)
• 6 cups of Rice Krispie cereal (buy on 12 oz box)

Butter (or coat with cooking spray) the bottom and sides of the cake pan. Lay a piece of wax or parchment paper on top, making sure that it properly sticks to the corners and edges.

In  a large pot, melt the butter over medium-high heat. It will melt, then start to foam, and crackle. Once the crackling has subsided, the butter will start to turn a golden color. After a few moments, your butter will start to brown, and should give off a wonderful, nutty aroma. Stir frequently, scraping up any brown bits that are hanging out at the bottom. Do not leave your butter unattended. Brown butter will turn to burned butter in very little time. And no one likes burned butter.

As soon as the butter takes on a nutty color, turn the heat off and stir in the marshmallows. The residual heat from the melted butter should be enough to melt them, but if it is not, turn it back on low until the marshmallows are smooth.

Remove the pot from the stove and stir in the salt and cereal together. Quickly spread into prepared pan. If you're like me, you love the salty-sweet contrast. Evenly sprinkle on as much extra sea salt as you please.

Let cool, then cut into squares, or whatever shape you're feelin'.

SOURCE: Smitten Kitchen 

HAPPY BAKING!