Category: Cake - DragonWarden

Peach Pound Cake

7/30/2020

It's strange, but while I looooooove pound cakes, this is the very first time I've made on! And quite by accident - I've bookmarked plenty of recipes but kept bumping other stuff up the priority ladder. But then due to a miscommunication between my mother and me, we suddenly had and overabundance of Costco-sized pallets of peaches, and I was trying to figure out what to do with the last of them before they went bad when this recipe happened to land in my inbox. So I decided to give it a whirl - and it seems like such a simple cake, but it turned out so great that even my mom, who is totally not supposed to be eating stuff like this, was sneaking out 1/8" slices of the cake whenever my back was turned!

Cake:

1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups sugar
6 large eggs at room temperature
3 cups all-purpose flour plus extra to coat the pan
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup sour cream *
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups fresh peaches peeled, pitted and diced

Glaze:

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar sifted
1-3 tablespoons milk or cream

Cake:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray a 12 cup bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray and add a few tablespoons of all-purpose flour to pan, shake it around to coat well, then tap out and discard any excess.
In the bowl of an electric stand up mixer, gradually beat butter until it's creamy. Add sugar and beat at medium speed for 5-7 minutes, until mixture is pale, light, and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating just until the yolk disappears and is incorporated into the batter.
In a medium bowl, mix together flour, salt, and baking soda. Add to butter mixture, alternating with sour cream, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Beat batter on low just until blended after each addition.
With the mixer on low, stir in vanilla and peaches and continue to beat for about 1 minute. Using a large rubber spatula or wooden spoon, give the batter a final stir and make sure the peaches are mixed evenly throughout the batter.
Pour the batter into prepared pan, filling the pan only 3/4 full, and bake in preheated oven for 1 hour and 20 minutes to 1 hour and 40 minutes, testing until a wooden skewer or cake tester, inserted into the center of the cake just comes out clean, without any crumbs. Cool pan on a wire rack for 10-15 minutes, then inverts the pan onto a plate, removing cake from pan and cool completely.

* Note: I didn't have sour cream on hand but I did have plain yogurt, which I substituted. The cake was still delicious and baked beautifully.

Glaze:

Add powdered sugar to a medium bowl. Add milk or cream to powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time as needed, mixing well after each addition, until you reach desired, pourable consistency. Pour over completely cooled cake. Let cake sit for the glaze to set, then serve.

Pistachio-Orange Ricotta Cake

4/13/2020

This was a surprisingly extraordinary cake considering its borderline easy-peasy status! From the Better Baking book by Genevieve Ko, it was a surprise hit as I had only made it because I had leftover ricotta in the fridge. Wonderfully fragrant, with the pistachio's nutty undertones and a density and texture reminiscent of pound cake, the cherry on top was that you can throw all the ingredients into the food processor and be done with it.

8 tbsp (114 g) unsalted butter, softened (almost melting point)
1_1/4 cups (180 g) white whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup (64 g) shelled roasted salted pistachios
1 cup (110 g) sugar
1_1/2 cups (339 g) whole-milk ricotta cheese, drained
3 large eggs, room temperature
1 small orange
1 tsp vanilla extract

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350 F. Butter 2" deep 9" round cake pan, line bottom with parchment paper, and butter the parchment.
Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in small bowl. Combine pistachios and sugar in food processor and process until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add butter and ricotta and pulse until smooth, scraping bowl occasionally. Add eggs and process until smooth, scraping bowl occasionally. Zest half the orange into mixture. Squeeze 2 tbsp juice from orange and add to processor, then add vanilla and process until liquids are incorporated.
You can add the flour mixture directly and process, or pour liquid mixture into another bowl and hand-mix flour mixture in until everything is incorporated evenly. Pour batter into prepared pan and smooth the top.
Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of cake comes out clean, 50-55 mins.
Cool in the pan on wire rack for 10 mins, then run a thin-bladed knife between the edges of the cake and pan. Invert the cake onto the rack and discard parchment paper. Carefully flip cake again to cool completely on rack.

Chinese Sponge Cake

4/5/2020

Chinese sponge cake is an amazing, pillowy cake/bread that would have already been a delight to consume purely for its texture. But then it has a delicious eggy aroma and taste that makes this seemingly plain confection that hardly deserves the name of "dessert" into a staple of every Chinese bakery I've ever walked into. It was just by chance that a friend posted this video describing how to make a version at home, and thankfully, because of the more precise method of measurement by weight, I was able to make both a full-sized and half-sized version with very little adaptation besides trying to guess how long the smaller versions cook.

9”x14” cake pan, lined with parchment paper
larger pan for water bath or cake strips
12 large eggs
133 g (130 mL) milk
151 g (160 mL) oil, vegetable or corn preferred
190 g flour, low-gluten preferred
140 g sugar

Note: for a half portion, you can use five 2”x5” loaf pans

Set oven to 300 F.
Separate the eggs. Put yolks into a smaller bowl and egg whites into a large bowl.
Using a whisk, mix the milk into the egg yolks.
Heat up the oil - either 2 minutes in the microwave or until it's simmering on the stovetop. In a small bowl, pour half of the oil into the flour, whisk until incorporated, then pour in the other half of the oil and continue whisking until smooth.
Pour half of the egg yolks into the flour-oil mix and whisk until incorporated. Then whisk in the other half. Mixture might appear lumpy - that's okay, just make sure it is as evenly mixed as possible.
Add a spritz of lemon juice to the egg whites to help them whip up. Start whipping the egg whites at medium until it is uniformly frothy (about one minute). Then, at med-high speed, add a third of the sugar. Continue beating until nearly the soft-peak stage, then gradually add another third of the sugar. Repeat until all the sugar is incorporated, then continue beating until the egg whites are at the soft-peak stage.
Using the whisk, scoop a bit of egg whites into the egg yolk mixture and mix gently until fully incorporated. Then fold the egg yolk mixture into the egg whites until uniform.
Pour batter into cake pan(s). If using a water bath, place into the larger pan and add water - just about an inch or so deep is fine. If using the cake strips, make sure the strips have been submerged in water for at least three minutes, squeeze out the excess water, then wrap them around the cake pan.
Bake until the top is golden. If using a 9”x14” pan, this should take about 50-60 mins. If using smaller pans, start checking for doneness at about 30 mins. While warm, slice into sections.

Note: I used all-purpose flour and olive oil as that was all I had on hand, and the cake still turned out lovely! I personally wouldn't go through the trouble of acquiring the specialized ingredients unless they happened to be already on-hand.

Lemon Ricotta Cake

3/26/2020

Originally from this page, this is a remarkable cake where it's neutral enough to go with just about any flavor (both sweet OR savory, to my surprise!) while still having enough character to be consumed on its own. One of my friends dumped gravy and cheese dip all over it and said it was just as good as with the macerated strawberries! I personally liked it just by itself or with a bit of strawberries, and another friend simply consumed it with some of the homemade whipped cream. Along with its simple, no-fuss recipe, this makes a fantastic staple to come back to over and over again.

Ingredients

1_1/3 cups (188g) all-purpose flour (scoop and level to measure)
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
1/2 cup (113g) unsalted butter, softened
2_1/2 Tbsp lemon zest
3 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1_1/2 cups (356g) whole milk ricotta cheese

Topping

1 lb. fresh strawberries, diced or sliced
3_1/2 Tbsp (42g) granulated sugar, divided
1 cup (235ml) heavy cream

For the cake:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-inch springform pan, line bottom with a round of parchment paper and butter parchment.
In a medium mixing bowl whisk together flour, baking powder and salt, set aside.
In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment cream together sugar, butter and lemon zest until pale and fluffy.
Mix in eggs one at a time (mixture will appear lumpy), blend in vanilla.
Add in half of the flour mixture and mix just until combined, add ricotta and mix just until combined.
Add in last half of the flour mixture and mix just until combined. Gently fold batter to ensure ingredients are evenly incorporated.
Pour batter into prepared springform pan and spread into an even layer. Bake in preheated oven until cake is set (a toothpick can come out moist but no batter), about 45 - 50 minutes.
Let cake cool 10 minutes then run a knife around edge to loosen any edges that may have stuck slightly, remove springform ring and continue to let cool.
Once cool, slice and serve with macerated strawberries and whipped cream.

For the strawberries and whipped topping:

In a medium mixing bowl toss strawberries with 2 Tbsp of the sugar. Cover and let rest in refrigerator while cake is baking and cooling.
In a separate medium mixing bowl using an electric hand mixer whip heavy cream until soft peaks form.
Add 1_1/2 Tbsp sugar and whip until stiff peaks form. Store in refrigerator until ready to serve.

Chocolate Olive Oil Torte with Cardamom, Pears, and Hazelnuts

10/17/2019

I don't even remember how I stumbled across this recipe from Tending the Table anymore, but it was perfect for my needs at the time as I had a friend over who had a gluten allergy. And how can you go wrong with dark chocolate?

It was beautifully decadent, a little bit like a dense brownie except without all the carb guilt, and nicely balanced on sweetness. I didn't want to specially buy coconut sugar just for this, so followed an online guide that indicated one could substitute light brown sugar at about a 2/3 ratio, and it came out beautifully. This is also one of those magical baked goods that is even more delicious after it has sat in the fridge for a bit.

9" cake pan with removable bottom
¾ cup bittersweet chocolate chips
⅔ cup California Olive Ranch Arbosana Olive Oil
¾ cup coconut sugar or 1/2 cup light brown sugar, loosely packed
1 ¼ cup almond meal
3 eggs, divided
1 teaspoon vanilla
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
2 Anjou pears, thinly sliced (or, if they're not in season, any other firmer pear)
½ cup hazelnuts, chopped

Preheat the oven to 350° F.
Line the bottom of a 9-inch cake pan with a removable bottom with parchment. Grease the pan lightly with olive oil.
In a double boiler set over simmering water, melt the chocolate. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine the olive oil, coconut sugar, almond meal, egg yolks, vanilla, salt and cardamom. Stir well to combine. Once the chocolate is melted add it to the bowl and mix to combine.
In the bowl of stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the egg whites until stiff peaks form.
Fold the egg whites into the batter until completely incorporated and smooth.
Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Arrange the sliced pears on top and sprinkle with the chopped hazelnuts.
Bake for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out mostly clean.
Allow to cool before serving, or chill in the refrigerator before serving.

Crumbly Pumpkin Bread

10/10/2018

I'm usually not a fan of pumpkin bread because I've tried enough of them to start forming this idea in my head that the pumpkin bread doesn't really taste like pumpkin or even bread, it just tastes like a really sweet bread-like cake. But this Fall season I made the mistake of forgetting to unpack a bunch of pie pumpkins from their grocery bags and within 2 days they were starting to get fuzzy around the stems, so I was forced to give them a bath and then bake them all at once. With bags and bags of pureed pumpkin now in the fridge, I had to go on a pumpkin-themed baking spree to try and free up some space.

Thank goodness for that, because after my family all got tired of the usual pies and cupcakes (I even tried a pumpkin-based drink) I finally broke down and tried this after it landed in my inbox ... and it has literally been the hit of everything pumpkin I've made so far. As usual, I cut the sugar (this time by quite a bit due to my usual experiences with pumpkin bread) and it turned out absolutely perfect with the sweet crumble top balancing it out.

For the bread:

Cooking spray
2 c ups all-purpose flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 cups (1 stick) butter, melted
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1 cups pumpkin purée
1/3 cups sour cream
2 large eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

For the topping:

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup lightly packed brown sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp kosher salt

Preheat oven to 350°. Line an 8“-x-4” loaf pan with parchment paper then grease with cooking spray (or softened butter). In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
In a separate large bowl using a hand mixer, beat melted butter, sugar, pumpkin puree, sour cream, eggs, and vanilla. Gradually add dry ingredients to wet ingredients until just combined.
Make topping: In a medium bowl, stir together all ingredients until large clumps form.
Transfer batter to prepared pan then scatter topping on top (you might not use all of it - use as much as to your taste). Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean, about 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes.

Ricotta Almond Peach Crumble Cake

8/21/2018

I first found this recipe in my inbox via the Tasting Table's newsletter. It seemed like a quick and easy experiment that would give me an excuse to play with the fruit of the season, and so I eked out a two hour period one night to throw this together.

This cake is proof that you can know a person for your whole life and still learn something new about them. I had no idea that my father didn't like peaches until I made this cake, and he asked me what it was and baldly stated when I told him, "Oh. I don't like peaches." Shock and horror on my part ensued.

But this cake was also the first part of a 2-part proof that my father could learn something new too - as in, he actually does like peaches. If they're included in the right way. He pretty much single-handedly finished off the entire thing. On top of that, he claimed that it actually became even better when it was stored in the fridge overnight - I suspect because the chill and the moisture helped to counter the natural mealy-texture of the almond flour. Not to mention that it was super-easy to make.

So, a win-win-win all around!

For the cake:

1/2 cup (1 stick) soft, unsalted butter
1_1/3 cups sugar
Zest from 1 lemon
3 eggs
1_1/2 cups ricotta
1_3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup almond flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 to 3 fresh peaches, diced

For the crumb:

1_1/2 cups cake flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup raw almonds, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled

The cake:

Preheat oven to 350º. Line a 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper and butter it or spray it with nonstick spray.
In a stand mixer or with a handheld beater, cream butter, sugar and lemon zest for 1 to 2 minutes. Add eggs, scrape down the bowl and mix until thoroughly combined. Mix in ricotta.
In separate bowl, combine the flours, baking powder, and salt. In 2 to 3 batches, gently mix into butter mixture without overbeating. When fully combined, fold in peaches with a spatula.
Pour batter into prepared pan and set aside while making the crumb.

The crumb:

Combine cake flour, sugar and almonds in a bowl. Use your hands to mix together.
Pour in melted butter and gently toss until soft clumps form. Continue until no more flour is visible, and a crumble has formed with small and large crumbs.
Distribute crumble evenly over cake batter and bake for 60 to 70 minutes, rotating halfway. The cake is done when a cake tester comes out clean.
Let cake fully cool before removing from the pan and serving.

Note: The original crumb recipe called for 2 cups of flour, but I felt that 1) the crumb became an overwhelming layer and 2) the crumb really needed a long time to toast correctly. As it was, I was making the cake late at night, and it was already pushing 1:30 am and I decided to pull it out before the crumb layer was really done, even if the cake was already just right. So hopefully reducing the flour content helps with these two points.

Magic (Custard) Cake

7/6/2016

How could I possible resist trying something calling itself "Magic Cake"? While the supposed "magic" is in how it separates itself into layers during the baking process and maintains a soft, moist center with an almost quiche-like crust, I think the real magic is in how easy it was to make and how quickly it disappeared - a 9" round disappeared in literally less than 24 hours. Twice.

4 eggs (separate yolks from whites) at room temperature
3/4 cup (150 g) sugar
1 stick or ½ cup (125 g) butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups (500 ml) milk lukewarm
¾ cup (4 oz or 115 g) of all purpose flour
powdered sugar for dusting cake

Preheat oven to 325 F degrees. Grease a 8" x 8" baking dish or a 9" cake pan (either spring-form or with removable bottom).
Separate eggs and beat the egg yolks with the sugar until light. Add butter and vanilla extract and continue beating for another minute or two
Add the flour and mix it in until fully incorporated. Slowly start adding the milk and beat until everything is well mixed together.
Whip the egg whites until they are stiff. Gently whisk (or fold with a spatula) the egg whites into the batter, a third at a time.
Pour batter into baking dish and bake for 40 to 70 minutes or until the top is lightly golden. The baking time could vary greatly depending on the oven, so take a peek at around 40 minutes and see how it looks.
Set on a rack to cool. If using a cake pan, after about 15 minutes, run a knife gently around the edges and then remove the cake from the pan, then allow to cool completely.
Sprinkle some powdered sugar after cake has completely cooled.

Notes: My personal oven seemed to need about 50 minutes. The middle will be a little runny when it's still warm - if you let it cool completely, it should set nicely.

I also made a "pie" version, where I pieced together some puff-pastry from the store and used it as a rough/rustic crust. This version was much more complicated in terms of timings and what needed to be done, but roughly:

Use a deep-dish pie pan. Lay out the crust in it, then keep it in the fridge until you're ready to fill it. Pre-heat oven to 400 F.
After pouring the filling in, bake it for about 12-15 mins until the crust is to the desired golden/brown shade.
Turn the oven down to 325 F and bake for another 12-15 mins until the filling is the desired golden/brown shade.
Cover the entire "pie" with a foil cover and continue baking about 50-60 mins. To check if it's done, lift the foil cover and give the pie a light nudge or shake - the center may shiver a bit (because the filling will have a layer of cooked custard over a pocket of hot air and steam), but it shouldn't jiggle as if it's still filled with water.
Remove and let cool fully on a cooling rack. The center will deflate and settle as it cools.

Extraordinary Cakes: Decadent Yogi

5/12/2016

This is from Extraordinary Desserts' bake book Extraordinary Cakes, which I've replicated here as an easy reference to myself since I always bake from my phone. I would highly recommend picking up their book - as complicated as many of the recipes may seem, once I wrapped my mind around the ingredients lists and components, they haven't taken me more than 3 hours to both make and do ongoing clean-up (and as you can see, results in some seriously beautiful and decadent desserts!). Even better, they're not to the usual saccharinely American-sweet standards - I would suggest making it to the letter first and then adjust from there to your own taste.

As for this particular recipe, I've seriously made it 3 times in less than 2 weeks - that's how quickly it's been disappearing. The cake is wonderfully moist, even after sitting out overnight with no cover, and the chocolate crisp is a huge hit amongst all age groups. Even the frosting is quickly becoming my favorite - I'm usually not a huge fan of frosting (especially the infamous buttercream) but this didn't have nearly as much cloying butter and the 100% cocoa powder helped to cut the sweetness to something that complements the cake.

Chocolate Cakes

1 10" bundt pan or a 6-cup bundt pan
Vegan butter stick, room temperature (for greasing)
2 tbsp coconut flour
2 cups all-purpose flour or (gluten-free) 1 cup brown rice flour + 1 cup sorghum flour
1-1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp instant coffee granules
2/3 cup cocoa powder, sifted
1/3 cup grapeseed or vegetable oil
3/4 cup (packed) brown sugar
3/4 cup turbinado sugar
1/3 cup pureed banana (about 1 small banana)
2 tsp corn starch or potato starch
2 tsp vanilla extract

Chocolate Frosting

1/4 cup + 2 tbsp (3/8 cup) vegan butter, room temperature
2-1/4 cups sifted powdered sugar
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp sifted cocoa powder
3 tbsp soy milk
1 tsp vanilla extract

Chocolate Crunch

2 oz (1/3 cup) vegan chocolate chips
2 tsp grapeseed or vegetable oil
1 cup puffed brown rice cereal

Chocolate Cakes

Preheat oven to 300 F. Generously grease the cavity or cavities of the bundt pan with the softened butter stick.
Sift together both flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Bring 1-3/4 cups water to a boil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Remove from heat and whisk in instant coffee. When fully combined, whisk coffee mixture into cocoa powder.
In a stand mixture with a whisk attachment, combine oil, both sugars, banana, potato starch, and vanilla. Whip on medium until very well combined, 3-5 mins. Remove bowl from mixer and, using rubber spatula, fold in sifted dry ingredients in 3 additions, alternating with coffee-cocoa mixture.
If using a 10" bundt pan, pour batter into pan. If using 6-cup bundt pan, use a 1/2 cup dry measure to fill each cavity with 1/2 cup of batter.
Place cake pan on rack in center of oven and bake until an inserted knife comes out clean, about 30 mins for smaller cakes, 50 mins for 10" cake. Cakes should appear moist and spongy. Allow cakes to cool completely.
When fully cooled, remove cakes from pan and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Can be made 1 day in advance and stored at room temperature.

Chocolate Frosting

Whip the butter on medium-high speed for about 3 mins. It will appear fluffier.
Combine the powdered sugar and cocoa powder and add to the butter. Whip on medium speed for about 2 mins. Add the soy milk and vanilla and whip until well combined.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and hold at room temperature until ready to frost the cakes, but for no longer than 3 hours before using.

Chocolate Crunch

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or Silpat.
Melt the chocolate chips in a heatproof mixing bowl set over a pan of simmering water (do not allow the bowl to touch the water), stirring occasionally. Remove from heat, and using a rubber spatula, mix in oil until smooth and homogeneous. While chocolate mixture is warm but not hot, fold in cereal until well incorporated.
Using a metal spatula, spread mixture as thinly as possible onto prepared baking sheet. Place Chocolate Crunch in refrigerator until firm, about 15 mins. Break up crunch into larger pieces and reserve in refrigerator until ready to use, or for up to 4 hours.

After cake assembly:

Refrigerate the decorated cakes for 2 hours to set. When ready, place frosted cakes on a serving platter, and allow to come to room temperature for 1-2 hours before serving.

Coconut Banana Bread w/ Lime Glaze

5/4/2016

My mother likes to eat bananas just as they're coasting from raw to ripe - in other words, she usually manages to eat only 2-3 out of a bunch before the rest are too ripe for her taste. Inevitably, the rest languish away. In the past I've just thrown them into a smoothie if I notice them in time, but this time, I decided to do some serious research into a go-to banana bread recipe. This was adapted from a myrecipes.com page, and I have to say, the sweet lime glaze certainly adds a nice accent!

9" x 5" loaf pan
2 cups flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
2 large eggs
1-1/2 cups mashed ripe banana (about 3 bananas)
1/4 cup plain yogurt
(optional) 3 tbsp dark rum or 1 tbsp molasses
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup flaked coconut + extra for garnishing

Glaze:

1/2 cup powdered sugar
1-1/2 tbsp fresh lime or lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350 F.
Combine flour, baking soda, and salt, stirring with a whisk.
Beat the sugar and butter in a large bowl at medium speed until well blended. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Add banana, yogurt, rum or molasses, and vanilla. Beat until blended.
Add flour mixture, beat at low speed just until fully blended. Stir in the flaked coconut.
Spoon into the loaf pan and sprinkle with some extra coconut. Bake for 1 hour or until wooden pick inserted into center comes out clean.
Cool in pan for 10 minutes on a wire rack, remove from pan. Combine powdered sugar and lime juice, stirring with a whisk, and drizzle over warm bread. Cool completely on wire rack.

Notes: The amount of banana you can throw in there is somewhat forgiving - I threw in 4 bananas, and didn't bother measuring how much there was except to ensure that it was at least 1.5 cups. I also sort of eyeball the time - depending on what pan you use (the first time I made this was in a much larger pan) it may take much less than 1 hour to finish. My rule of thumb is that it should turn golden, but it should not start to brown. Try the toothpick trick every 5 minutes after the 40 minute mark to test its doneness.