Recipe: Honey Cake with Caramelized Pears

We all like to have a sweet treat now and then, but who says that dessert has to be bad for us? Natural sweeteners like honey and molasses can give your baking a flavour boost, while also cutting down on sugar.

Try to use honey produced in the Lower Mainland or in the province when you can. In Burnaby, for instance, some people keep honeybees in their backyards for honey. Check out our post on urban apiculture (beekeeping) for more information. Farmers' markets and some grocery stores are also good places to find local honey. Scroll to the bottom of this post for more.

This recipe is from our Healthy Holiday Baking workshop, taught by baker Scott Bernstein.

Tip: Brush a little oil on the inside of the measuring spoon (or cup) and the honey will slide right out without sticking or creating a mess.

Honey Cake with Caramelized Pears

To email, print, or text this recipe, click here.

Ingredients

For the cake:

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 large eggs
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons honey
1/2 cup milk (or milk substitute)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon zest, grated
Unsalted butter, softened, for pan

For the pears:

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/4 cup sugar
1 3/4 lbs pears, cut into 1/2-inch thick wedges (or 1/4-inch wedges if pears are firm)
1/4 cup good quality honey

Things you need

Mixing bowls
Measuring cups and spoons
10-inch springform pan
Whisk
Spatula
Toothpick or knife
Large skillet
Wire cooling rack

Credit: Magnolia Lim

Instructions

For the cake:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.

2. Oil the springform pan and dust the bottom lightly with flour.

3. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a bowl. Set aside.

4. Whisk together the eggs and sugars in a separate bowl. Mix until the mixture is pale yellow and thick. Set aside.

5. In another bowl, whisk together the honey, milk, oil, and lemon zest. Slowly add this honey mixture to the egg mixture, and mix until well combined.

6. Fold in half of the flour mixture to the honey and egg combination, and stir until smooth. Repeat with the remaining half of the flour.

7. Pour the batter into the springform pan.

8. Bake for about 50 minutes, or until dark golden brown. To test whether it is done, put a toothpick or knife into the centre of the cake. If it comes out clean, the cake is done.

9. Put the pan on a wire rack and let the cake cool inside of it for 15 minutes.

10. Run a thin knife around the edge of the cake and remove the cake from the pan.

11. To serve, put the cake on a plate and top with caramelized pears.

For the pears:

1. Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium heat.

2. Add the sugar and stir until it is almost dissolved, about 1 to 2 minutes.

3. Add the pears. Cook the mixture, stirring occasionally, until the pears and soft and just golden, about 12 to 20 minutes.

4. Pour in the honey. Continue stirring gently and cook until the pears are coated in the honey-sugar mixture  and are very soft. This will take 3 to 5 minutes.

Local Honey Resources:

Janice Bobic, Burnaby honey producer, of My Father's Garden (604) 298-6164
Burnaby Farmers' Market
Vancouver Winter Farmers' Market

Workshop Review: Healthy Holiday Baking

Thank you for coming out to our Healthy Holiday Baking workshop this month!

Returning baker Scott Bernstein, from our Easy Bread Making workshop,  showed us how to incorporate honey into shortbread and honey cake with caramelized pears.

Scott making the final touches on the Honey Cake.
Credit: Magnolia Lim

Participants at the workshop also learned a bit about making substitutions in baking to accommodate diet restrictions.

Honey shortbread out for sampling!
Credit: Magnolia Lim

We learned lots that evening, and thank you to all participants who helped make the workshop a success.

Keen participants watching the demonstration.
Credit: Magnolia Lim

Keep an eye on the blog for information on workshops in the next year! We have some great ideas and will be announcing them soon.

For copies of the recipes used in this workshop, please visit our Recipe page:

Honey Cake with Caramelized Pears
Honey Shortbread

Recipe: Honey Shortbread

We all like to have a sweet treat now and then, but who says that dessert has to be bad for us? Substituting sugar for natural sweeteners like honey and molasses can give your baking a boost in flavour and nutrition, while also letting you cut down on sugar.

Try to use honey produced in the Lower Mainland or in the province when you can. In Burnaby, for instance, some people keep honeybees in their backyards for honey. Check out our post on urban apiculture (beekeeping) for more information. Farmers' markets and some grocery stores are also good places to find local honey. Scroll to the bottom of this post for more.

This recipe is from our Holiday Edition Healthy Holiday Baking workshop.

Tip: Brush a little oil on the inside of the measuring spoon (or cup) and the honey will slide right out without sticking or creating a mess.

Honey Shortbread

To email, print, or text this recipe, click here.

Ingredients

1 2/3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup (6 oz.) unsalted butter, cold, cut into 1-inch pieces
3 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon coarse salt
Cooking oil, for pan

Things you need

Mixing bowls
Measuring cups and spoons
9 1/2-inch springform pan
Pastry brush or spoon
Whisk
Fork
Pastry cutter
Wire rack

Source: Mimi on the Move

Instructions

1. Coat the bottom of the springform pan with a small amount of oil.

2. Mix the flour and sugar together.

3. Add the butter to the flour mixture and work it in using a pastry cutter, or your hands, until the butter is evenly mixed. When ready, the dough will be coarse and crumbly. Be sure not to overwork the dough.

4. Press the dough evenly into the pan with your fingers. There will be some loose shortbread crumbs around the edge of the pan, but most of the dough should be solid and compact.

5. Refrigerate the dough until chilled, for about 30 minutes.

6. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Prick the dough evenly on the surface with a fork.

7. Bake the shortbread for 40 to 45 minutes, until golden in the centre.

8. Heat the honey in the microwave or in a heatproof bowl over hot water until warm and liquid. Pour the melted honey over the shortbread and spread it even with a spoon.

9. Sprinkle the coarse salt evenly over the honey.

10. Return the pan to the oven to bake for 3 minutes.

11. Remove the pan from the oven and put it on the cooling rack. Let the shortbread cool for 15 minutes before releasing the base on the springform pan. The shortbread will still be warm but not hot to the touch.

12. Cut the shortbread into wedges with a sharp knife.

13. Cool completely before serving or storing. The shortbread will keep for up to 1 week at room temperature in an airtight container.

Local Honey Resources:

Janice Bobic, Burnaby honey producer, of My Father's Garden (604) 298-6164
Burnaby Farmers' Market
Vancouver Winter Farmers' Market

Healthy Holiday Baking: Still a few spots left!

There are still a few spots left in Burnaby Food First's FREE Holiday Edition Community Workshop! Register while you can!

Baker Scott Bernstein will be demonstrating some healthy holiday treats using local ingredients such as honey from a Burnaby backyard beehive. There will also be tastings and door prizes. 

Healthy Holiday Baking

Tuesday, December 4
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm

Tommy Douglas Library (7311 Kingsway / Burnaby - map)

Honey Cake with Pears
Source: BetsyLife

**REGISTRATION CLOSED**

Holiday Edition Workshop

Burnaby Food First is pleased to present a FREE Holiday Edition Community Workshop! This workshop will be demonstration-style and all materials are provided.

Healthy Holiday Baking

Tuesday, December 4
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm

Tommy Douglas Library (7311 Kingsway / Burnaby - map)

Honey Shortbread
Source: Mimi on the Move

Welcome baker Scott Bernstein back to a Burnaby Food First event! Scott will be demonstrating some healthy, holiday treats using local ingredients such as honey from a Burnaby backyard beehive. There will also be tastings and door prizes.

**REGISTRATION CLOSED**


Workshop Review:
Healthy Holiday Baking

Recipe: Pizza Dough

Ever tried making pizza dough from scratch? Here's your chance to try it out! No more waiting for delivery or quibbling over pizza toppings. Homemade pizza  is simple to make -- and you can load the crust up with all the toppings you want! (It's also a pretty good way to get kids involved in preparing meals.)

This recipe is from our Easy Bread Making workshop last month, facilitated by Scott Bernstein.

Pizza Dough
(Yield: 4 thin-crust pizzas)

To email, print, or text this recipe, click here.

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups lukewarm water (about 100 F)
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
4 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour**

**Note:  You can substitute up to 1 cup of all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour.

Source: Favorite Family Recipes

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, mix together the water, oil, salt, yeast, and sugar.
2. Add the flour in to the yeast mixture and stir well to combine. The dough will be quite wet. No kneading is necessary. 
3. Cover the bowl loosely with plastic, leaving a small gap to allow air to escape. Allow the dough to rise for 2 hours at room temperature. The dough will fully expand and may begin to collapse during this time. Do not punch down the dough.
4. Refrigerate the dough for at least 3 hours before using.

Baking

1. Preheat the oven and pizza stone (if you use one) to 550 F.
2. Lightly dust a clean counter with flour and pull off a piece of dough the size of an orange. Repeat to create 4 balls of dough of similar size. Shape the dough into balls and cover with plastic and let rest for 30 minutes.
3. Stretch the dough into a circle about 12 inches in diameter.
4. If using a pizza stone, put some corn meal on the baking peel and lay the pizza on top. If using a baking sheet, simply place the round of dough on top.
5. Layer your pizza ingredients of choice on the pizza crust.
6. If using a pizza stone, bake for 8 to 10 minutes. If using a baking sheet, bake for 13 to 15 minutes.

Storing

1. The dough will keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks or in the freezer for up to 3 weeks.
2. If storing the dough in the fridge, cover it tightly after 2 days to ensure the surface of the dough does not dry out.
3. If using from frozen, leave the dough balls out overnight until they are thawed and ready for use.

Recipe: Basic Artisan Yeast Bread

Good bread is easy to learn to make and, with practice, homemade bread can be a healthy and affordable addition to your home kitchen. This recipe is from our Easy Bread Making workshop last month, facilitated by Scott Bernstein.

Basic Artisan Yeast Bread
(Yield: 2 large loaves)

To email, print, or text this recipe, click here.

Ingredients

3 cups lukewarm water (about 100 F)

1 tablespoon active dry yeast

3/4 teaspoon coarse salt

1 tablespoon sugar (white or brown)

7 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1 cup nuts, seeds, raisins, herbs, etc. (optional)**

2 tablespoon oil

Extra flour, for dusting

Corn meal, if using baking stone

**Note: You can substitute up to 3 cups of whole wheat, rye, millet, buckwheat, etc. flour for the all-purpose white flour, as desired.

Source: The Attitude of Gratitude

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, pour in the water and then add the yeast, salt, and sugar. Mix gently, until just combined.
2. Add flour and any add-ins (nuts, seeds, etc.) to the yeast mixture and stir together with a wooden spoon. If using an electric stand mixer, use the dough hook and mix on low speed.
3. If mixing by hand: Continue mixing until the dough becomes too hard to mix. At this point, dust some flour on a clean counter or other surface and roll the dough out on top. Knead the dough by hand for 8 minutes.
4. If using a stand mixer: Continue running the mixer on low speed for 5 minutes, until the dough has been well-kneaded. Dust some flour on a clean counter or other surface and roll the dough out on top. Knead the dough by hand for another 2 minutes.
5. In a large bowl, pour the oil in and roll the ball of dough in it until covered. Cover loosely with plastic wrap, with a small gap to allow air to escape.
6. Let the dough sit for 2 hours or until doubled in size.
7. When doubled in size, roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface and punch the dough down to allow the air out. Knead the dough for a minute or two.
8. Split the dough into two equal pieces. If using a baking stone, sprinkle a baking peel or the back of a cookie sheet with corn meal, and then shape the 2 balls of dough on the peel or cookie sheet. Otherwise, put the dough into lightly greased bread pans. Let the dough rise for 40 minutes.
9. While the dough rises, place a shallow pan on the lowest shelf and preheat your oven to 450 F. If using a baking stone, put the stone on the second to lowest shelf of the oven.
10. Dust the top of the loaves with flour and use a sharp knife to score the tops.
11. Boil 1 cup of water. When the water has boiled and the oven is preheated, slide the loaf pans into the oven. If using a baking stone, slide the loaves onto the stone in a quick motion, making sure there are a few inches of space between them, without being too close to the edge of the stone.
12. Pour the water into the shallow pan. This will create steam and help to create a glossy, brown crust on your bread.
13. After 7 minutes, reduce the oven temperature to 350 F.
14. After 20 minutes, rotate the loaves so that they bake evenly.
15. Including steps 13 and 14 above, bake for approximately 35 minutes in total. When the bread is ready, it will be browned on the outside and sound hollow when tapped. If you use a thermometer, the bread will have an internal temperature of 200 F.
16. Remove the bread, and allow it to cool on a wire rack.
17. Serve fresh. If storing, let the loaves cool completely, and then seal them tightly in zip-top bags and freeze. 

Workshop Review: Easy Bread Making

Thanks to everyone who came out for our workshop on Easy Bread Making this past Tuesday! We had another packed house and it was lovely to see everyone there. Facilitator Scott Bernstein shared his bread-making talents with us.

Scott Bernstein introducing the workshop to a packed house
Credit: Rebekah Mahaffey

We learned the basics of making white, whole wheat, and rye breads both by hand and using a mixer, as well as how to make homemade pizza dough.

Scott showing off all the ingredients
Credit: Rebekah Mahaffey

We also learned techniques for kneading bread -- what a great upper body workout!

A workshop participant kneading bread dough
Credit: Rebekah Mahaffey

Finally -- the best part -- we got to sample some bread. Nothing, simply nothing, beats fresh bread with butter!

Wonderful bread and butter waiting to be eaten
Credit: Rebekah Mahaffey

Keep an eye on the blog for other upcoming Food First workshops this Fall -- we have some great ideas and will be announcing them soon!

For copies of the recipes used in this workshop, please visit our Recipe page:

Basic Artisan Yeast Bread
Pizza Dough

Early Fall Workshop Series

Burnaby Food First is pleased to present our Early Fall Workshop Series! All workshops are free and materials are provided:

The Art of Drying and Storing Foods
Tuesday, September 11
6:00 - 7:30pm

Learn about one of the most ancient techniques for food preservation – drying and storing. You don’t need an expensive food dehydrator to dry food. A conventional gas or electric oven can be used for all recipes. Not to mention that unlike canning, we can preserve these foods without added sugar or vinegar. What’s more, these foods make great snacks! Led by Andrea Potter.

Easy Bread Making
Tuesday, September 18
6:00 - 8:00pm

Learn about how to make your own healthy, tasty, artisan bread. By making your own breads you are able to control the ingredients (many store-bought breads are full of hidden oils and sugars), and save money at the same time! Led by Scott Bernstein.  

Soup's On
Tuesday, October 16
6:00 - 8:00pm

Learn about how to make delicious, healthy, home-made soups for the whole family. Soup-making is a great, basic skill that every cook should have. Soup-making is also a good way to make use of leftovers by remaking them into a whole new tasty meal! Led by Brenda Laface. 

All workshops are taking place at Tommy Douglas Library (7311 Kingsway - map)

Please help us spread the word to your friends!

Spaces are limited. Register now by emailing us or by calling (604) 570-3623. When registering, please tell us the name and date of the workshop you are interested in, the name(s) of who will be attending, and provide a contact phone number or email address.

**REGISTRATION CLOSED*

See you at the workshops!


Workshop Reviews:
The Art of Drying and Storing Foods
Easy Bread Making
Soup's On