Biscoff Crust Marble Cheesecake

 

It's 9/11 and that special day is Mr. Flip Flop's birthday.  Sometimes difficult to be celebratory on such a solemn day in our country.  We persevere.  I wrote about one of his favorite birthday cakes last year; the Marble Cheesecake recipe found in an old Austin American-Statesman newspaper from the 70's, which I have been making him for over 20 years.  It is still a family favorite and his choice for this year's birthday cake as well.

I asked if he was okay with me tweaking it a bit...he said "sure".  I gave him a Biscoff cookie to eat to ensure he thought the flavor would be a good substitution in the crust.  He told me to go for it, so I did.

I only made two tweaks...the original recipe is posted at this link.  This time around I substituted ground up Biscoff cookies instead of graham cracker crumbs...a whirl in the food processor's small bowl with small blade was quick and efficient.  It took 25 cookies to measure 1 1/2 cups of crumbs.

The second tweak was adding 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon to the chocolate mixture.  I normally use semi-sweet chips, but this time I got a Ghirardelli semi-sweet chocolate baking bar (4 oz size, used half, or 4 squares).  I thought the higher quality chocolate with a hint of spice would nicely complement the cinnamon flavor in the Biscoff cookie crust.

I'm really glad I completely wrapped the outside of my pan in foil...butter inside the foil when I took it off.  I've never had any spring form pan that didn't leak butter!  I also place the wrapped pan on a cookie sheet...another good thing because lo and behold...butter on the cookie sheet.  Jeez Louise!

Here's the slightly revised recipe:

BISCOFF CRUST
MARBLE CHEESECAKE

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 cups Biscoff cookie crumbs (about 25 cookies)
1 1/2 cups white granulated sugar, divided
6 tablespoons butter, melted
3 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened to room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
4 eggs
1 cup cream
2 ounces Ghirardelli semi-sweet chocolate, melted and cooled
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

METHOD:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit
Combine Biscoff crumbs, 1/4 cup of the sugar, and the melted butter in a bowl.

Press mixture in bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch springform pan; set aside.  I use the bottom of a measuring cup to press the crust evenly across the pan and slightly up the sides.

In the bowl of a stand mixer beat cream cheese, 1 1/4 cups sugar, and vanilla on medium speed until fluffy.  Add eggs (one at a time), beating on low speed just until blended.  Add cream; beat on low speed until blended.

While the batter is blending, work on the chocolate.  It needs to be fairly cooled off before mixing into a portion of the batter.  I melted the chocolate in a small microwave proof bowl - it took only 50 seconds total. (30 seconds, then 10, then 10)

Stir 1 1/2 cups batter and 1/4 tsp cinnamon into the melted cooled chocolate, stirring briskly until smooth.

 

Pour slightly more than half of the plain mixture into the crust.  Gradually spoon in slightly more than half of the chocolate mixture next, using a zigzag motion.

Pour or gently spoon the rest of the plain mixture over the chocolate mixture.  Gently guide to edge to completely cover the chocolate.  Carefully, with a sharp knife or the tip of a chop stick, swirl the mixture (not bringing the chocolate to the surface and not disturbing the crust below) in a pattern that you will see after cutting the cheesecake.

I dolloped spoonfuls of the remaining chocolate mixture around the cake and in the center.  I ran the tip of the chop stick around in a circle, pulling the chocolate into loosely heart-shaped swirls.  I dropped a few little droplets and swirled them about as well.  Just get creative :-)

Bake at 325 for 60 to 70 minutes or until the center appears nearly set when shaken. Cool in pan for 15 minutes on a wire rack; carefully loosen sides of pan after removing foil.  Cool another 30 minutes before removing sides of pan.  Refrigerate once completely cool.

Despite giving the pan a few sharp whacks on the counter, I still ended up with bubbles.  I also have a few cracks.  My family is not bothered by either.  They only care about the taste.

My hubby was particularly impressed with the hearts... he has mentioned them more than once... which made me feel all squishy inside.  I do love that man of mine!  We went into "town" for a movie, picking up the teen from campus after his classes.  We went to see The Words.  When we walked out, Ian said "wow, that was deep".  I was so pleased that this complex movie, which was deep, was something he could wrap his mind around.  Next, we are out to eat on the island since we ended up at an early movie and didn't want to hang out in town for dinner time.

All-in-all, a lovely day despite the sad reminders of flags at half-mast... and news filled with a reminder of the utter sadness of a day no longer just a day to wake up and think "oh, fun, happy birthday"... and while we must never forget...we must also not forget to celebrate the joys of another year of life!

Bon Appetit, Y'all!!!


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La Hacienda

REPORTED CLOSED OCTOBER 2015

I waited a week to write this post because I wanted to let the emotion of the day pass me by.  We had not eaten much over the course of the day and were pretty darn hungry when we arrived at La Hacienda on the bay front in South Padre Island.  Greeted by a "how many?" from the hostess - without a smile - we said "4" and she said it would be 20 to 30 minutes...maybe as long as 45 minutes.  No smile and no eye contact.  I said that would be fine because I had heard from friends that the wait could be long despite MANY available tables in sight.  She noticed me looking and said, defensively, we have a lot of reservations and people waiting.  I said "no problem", smiled, and asked where we could wait.  Vague hand signal towards the bar.  Good grief.

We sat out on their beautiful patio and enjoyed the sunset over the bay...a truly lovely location.  Twenty minutes passed, then thirty, then we were counting the five minute marks.  My oldest son, who was visiting, said he was going inside to the bar to get a drink...five minutes later my youngest son joined him...at the 50 minute mark my husband and I followed them in (after listening to every patron on the patio grumble...which was only escalating my irritation). 

I told my son when he finished his margarita, we were going to go ahead and leave.  Right about the one hour mark, the manager walks over and asks if we'd like some chips and salsa while we wait for our table.  I said no, we'd had about enough waiting...an hour.  He looked "concerned" and got my name and came back with the hostess.  We were seated in one of the tables that had been empty at least 20+ minutes and the hostess walked away, without providing silverware or an "enjoy your meal".  If I was her boss, she would no longer be employed at La Hacienda....or at least would be receiving some sincere customer service training.  Her attitude was the talk of the folks waiting on the patio!

Outstanding salsa with roasted bits of goodness...I'd go back
for the salsa alone!

Chips and salsa were quickly deposited on the table and our drink order was taken promptly.  Our waiter was really moving it.  He later told us they had 3 waiters and a cook call in (or not show up) and they were slammed.  I saw only one bus person trying to clean the many tables that were empty but not clean.  At the point of drink orders we had been in the restaurant an hour and fifteen minutes.  Thankfully, the chips and salsa took the edge off.  Unfortunately, I drank my water really fast (feeling dehydrated after the wait) and it took a while to get refills.  I sent my son to the bar to get napkins and the waiter noted we had not been provided the utensil and napkin sets and went to the hostess stand to get some for us.

So - despite the gorgeous location, the lovely decor, and the reportedly awesome margaritas and definitely awesome chips and salsa, I was tired and irritable.  So, moving on to the meal.

We ordered a queso...which never came.  When the meals came, my son asked about it...and they brought some out.  I wish he hadn't bothered.  It was cool in temperature - my son won't eat white cheese queso (which it clearly stated on the menu) and it had a taste of bell peppers...which we are not fond of.  Total waste of money as it wasn't eaten. $7



Seafood Trio Enchiladas - note the right side of the enchilada which
was hard as a rock.  Bummer.

For dinner, I ordered the Seafood Trio Enchiladas - scallops, Gulf shrimp, and lump crab in a seafood cream sauce, sprinkled with 3 colors of bell pepper bits (per the comment above, that was not a happy start for me...but I know how to scrape off stuff I don't like - and I did).  Sides of refried beans and rice.  I ate only 4 bites.  The first bite was rock hard tortilla. I chewed and chewed and chewed...finally got it down.  I know that sometimes exposed tortilla can do that under a salamander.  Still, I didn't expect it and it started my mouth off unhappy.  The second bit was nice and soft and I thought yum...until I bit into a scallop that tasted on the edge of rank.  I thought it was me, so I cleansed my mouth with lemon water and a chip and took another bite.  It was just okay...the flavor was bland and had an unappealing texture.  It cost $16 and I was really disappointed.  No one asked (like the waiter) if my food was okay, since I was obviously not eating my meal.  I filled up on beans and rice...which were outstanding in my opinion, despite complaints from my family that the beans were overly dressed with cilantro.

My youngest ordered a soft taco plate, no vegetables, served correctly - which he enjoyed very much. $10.00

My oldest got classic ground beef enchiladas...he said "they were just enchiladas - nothing special" and he really doesn't like cilantro so the beans were pushed to the side.  He only ate one of his enchiladas.  $12.00

My husband cleaned his plate.  He ordered a Chili Relleno and said it was delicious!  He also raved about the margarita with fresh lime juice.  The Chili Relleno plate was $12.00.

So, I feel the need to try it again...not on a holiday week-end (Sunday before Labor Day) on the night of a big island concert.  I have heard so many good things about the food, I think we must have just gone on a bad night.  I will go again...and I'll report back.

I'm not going to give it a rating just yet.  If so many friends had not raved about the food, I wouldn't be wasting my time on a return.  I think, truly, it was just a bad night.

When I got home, I checked urbanspoon.com ...and they weren't listed.  I reported it as a new restaurant and since it has been added, 3 individuals have checked that they liked it.  Someone reported as of yesterday that the food and service was very good.

Keep an eye out for an updated review within the next month!  I'm looking forward to trying their Tacos Carnitas or Chicken al Carbon...both sound yummy to me.   I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Laguna BOB

My oldest is down for a slightly post-birthday visit.  He likes to come down around his birthday and gifts himself with a fishing excursion and lots of relaxing fishing (wade, jetties, piers, docks, whatever he finds).  Today, however, the inestimable Captain Jack Barton once again scored for my boys.  Jay and Ian caught a ton of fish (some of it catch and release) and ended up with one trout and 5 big Red Drums.  We will be having Red Drum for dinner, that's for sure!

They were out of the house at 6:00 a.m. and home around noon.  They wanted a shower and FOOD.  Ian requested lunch on the island.  I knew Jay's "things to do" list ALWAYS includes ceviche from Laguna BOB (previously Wahoo's).  He was thrilled to find the ceviche hadn't changed when he first came down after the closing of Wahoo's and the opening of Laguna BOB.  Both of my older boys find this to be one of their favorite spots for sitting around, drinking a margarita or a beer, and munching on ceviche.

So, with that knowledge, I suggested we go there for lunch.  Mr. Flip Flop was not so happy - he is not a big fan of lunchtime outdoor dining...with the record heat and high humidity he was groaning and moaning...but he's a trouper and said he'd come along.  We got rained on HARD as we were passing through Port Isabel and driving over the causeway, but by the time we got to the lovely bay front location, there was just a bit of sprinkling going on.  Fortunately, they have expanded and provided so much more covered seating, that even at 1:30 on a Saturday on Labor Day Week-end, we found covered seating and a few napkins got rid of most of the wetness on the tables.  Our butts were damp in the chairs, but hey, it was COOL outside and for that we were immensely grateful!

You order at the bar, can run a tab with plastic, and they deliver your food to the table, calling out your name as they come.  The brought all the correct condiments, were very friendly, and we had a fabulous meal with enough food to fill any one's belly!  Jay and Will like coming off-season and chatting with the friendly bartenders.  They've always liked the casual, laid-back environment.

We knew Ian would be having a hamburger...and he did.  What he won't do is wait around for Mom to take a photo...hence, a half eaten burger by the time I snapped everyone else's photos.  The teen and the Dad are now growling at me for taking food photos.  They are growing more and more irritated by it.  Tough, I say.  It's what I do!

Here I am getting "the look" for interrupting his chowing down!

My Jay ordered a large ceviche and a margarita, frozen, with a shot of tequila on the side.  He said his arm ached from fishing all morning...but by the time the tequila hit his empty gullet, he was starting to feel much better.  I will say, I have tried ceviche twice and hated it both times...but, since Will and Jay both say this is the best they've ever eaten...I gave it a try.  It was DELICIOSA!  The difference is the excellent flavor balance and the small pieces of fish.  The last time I ate ceviche it tasted like raw fish in lime juice - big chunks...and nothing else.  This, however, was a work of art with the perfect balance of spice, heat, herbal, and citrus.  Really, really good.


This is a large ceviche...he couldn't even eat half of it!

 

That is one contented man!
Fishin', margarita, and ceviche...in that order :-)

 

I ordered a Grilled Chicken Club (sans the tomatoes).  It had bacon, melted cheese, moist chicken, and was served on a light onion roll.  Excellent - made excellent by really good bacon.  So often I find restaurants take short cuts with their cheap bacon (down here anyway) and it can ruin a meal.  This was good thick tasty bacon.  Yum.  The fries were a mixture of sweet potato fries, regular white potato fries and waffle fries.  I couldn't eat many because the sandwich was so big, but I focused on the sweet potato fries and they were very tasty.

My Grilled Chicken Club needed to be cut in half for me to wrangle
in all of that bacon and other good stuff.

John had a BLT and he ate every single bite.  He, too, focused on eating his sweet potato fries.  He even finished off my sandwich for me because it was just too much.  He was pleasantly surprised at how cool it was and uncrowded and a nice view of the bayfront activity.

The BLT was a generous sandwich!!!

All-in-all, it was a great lunch.  I certainly see why my boys like it so much.  I bet it is truly an awesome place to wind down the day on a pleasant Fall or Winter's evening!  Summer is hot - so I'll leave it to the tourists and young'uns who can tolerate the heat.  I'll definitely enjoy it again in my favored non-summer seasons!

This appears to be primarily a bar environment - I don't think I'd take my kids there.  I didn't see any children present...but I could be wrong.  The menu didn't list a children's menu...just saying, in case you were wondering. 

Also, I see that they have quite a musical line-up.  Check out their Facebook page and Like them to keep up with the musical offerings!

Bon Appetit, Y'all!

SPI FLIP FLOP FOODIE RATING:

4 – Lip smackin’ - good quality – flip flops will definitely be parked under their table again!
 

NAMI CUISINE

Update 11/4/2014 - drove by and noted CLOSED on their marquee.  Apparently out of business.

Last month I noticed the old "Uchi Cuisine" had a new sign indicating a new name "Nami Cuisine".  I noted it on my old review and determined to drop in when I had the opportunity to see if it was as good as I experienced the first couple of times we visited.

The teen was on the island to get a pre-college start hair cut with Sharla at Venus Nails and Spa...and I was needing to stop in and see Joni and Griff at Paragraphs on Padre Blvd to pick up a new book I'd ordered.  Since all of this was going on near lunch time, the teen asked if we could go to Nami Cuisine.  I looked askance, knowing he was not a fan of sushi or most anything involving rice.  He LOVES noodle bowls but I didn't particularly recall any of those on the menu (but I really hadn't looked so I couldn't say for sure).  I told him I would love to go there but I didn't want him to order up a bunch of food he would then eat one bite of and declare he didn't like it.  That happened in the past a lot...much less as he has matured...but still, not wanting to drag home a bunch of leftovers.  He promised he'd eat what he ordered...so, after all of our errands were complete, we stopped in.  This time, the sign said "same owner" so it was with less trepidation that I entered.  It was Saturday at noon and we were only one of two tables occupied so I was a bit leery.  However, our waitress greeted the teen by name and that lightened my mood.  Somehow, I always think if we are "known" we are likely to get better quality service...and hopefully good food!

I ordered iced tea and the teen ordered his usual hot tea.  After confirming that green tea was okay, he received a nice sized pot of lightly aromatic green tea.  My iced tea tasted fresh and delicious.  I was hot from running errands and can't imagine ordering hot tea...but he really loves it and drinks it like I drink coffee.  He's usually an Earl Grey fan (loose leaf preferably) so I wasn't sure he would like the green tea.  He did drink about 4 cups of it though, so I guess it was all good.

He was happy for me to point out a Japanese Udon Noodle bowl which our waitress (Kim, I think) described as filled with various vegetables and Udon noodles, with a couple of fried shrimp on the side.  That was okay with Ian so he ordered that.

I ordered from the lunch menu.  I requested the General Tsao's chicken with fried rice and the choice of crab soup (either miso or crab soup were the menu choices).  The waitress informed me they didn't have crab today, but had miso or chicken soup.  I asked for the chicken soup.  Unfortunately, it never came.  When our meal was served, my order was so huge (and I had been hot) so I never mentioned the oversight.

The rice was more than any person could eat, but the
General Tsao's Chicken was still a nice portion size...
and a small crispy egg roll was a nice addition to the
plate.  I would have liked to have seen the soup even though
it would have just been more food I couldn't eat...and I'm
used to some sort of sauce being served with an egg roll.
Small complaints...but I always contend excellence is
in the detail!

We both enjoyed our meals.  The teen is not much of a veggie person but polished off half of the huge bowl of broth and the vegetables that he liked as well as a big portion of the thick Udon noodles.  I couldn't eat half of the huge pile of food on my plate so we both ended up with to-go containers.  The General Tsao's was, as usual, fairly spicy.  Normally I love a spicy dish...but only two days ago I was sick and I think my esophagus was still a bit raw.  I ended up with spasms trying to eat at the restaurant and when I ate the leftovers for dinner last night.  Even the normal nightly Ranitidine didn't do the trick.  Whew!  The problem was me, not the food though.  It was very tasty and quite generous...either dish would have been sufficient for two people!

This bowl of Japanese Udon Noodle Soup could have easily
fed 2 to 3 people!  The bowl was huge and full of goodness.  The teen
really enjoyed the 3 big pieces of tempura shrimp on the side.

The lunch menu items were in the $9 range.  The teen's soup was $13 (from the dinner menu) and $2.50 for my iced tea... $2.95 for the hot tea.  A total of $29.71 with tax, before tip.  More than I like to pay for lunch, but with a second meal for both of us, I believe it's reasonable.

Since this is really one of two choices within 20 miles for oriental food, I still say it's an excellent choice.  I haven't eaten at Kohnami (the other choice) because my sister had a bad experience, quality-wise, there...and others have reported both good and bad.  I'll need to try to go there eventually so I can KNOW first-hand.

Our service was excellent and the food was good.  I'll be back...but probably not until the weather gets cold and I can deal with the heat!

Bon Appetit, Y'all!!!

SPI FLIP FLOP FOODIE RATING:

(With a scale of 0 to 5)

3 – Pretty Yummy - I feel my flip flops wanting to head back from time to time!

Gabriella's - a Family Favorite

The teen chose Gabriella's for his birthday dinner and Mom and Dad were very glad!  We realized we had not eaten there since last Fall!  The last couple of times we went, it was soooo crowded, we just couldn't handle the wait.  Shocking to us all when we realized how really long it had been!

I have heard, during the Spring, that the family owning Gabriella's has, or is, phasing out of day-to-day operations (or maybe sold?).  I don't really know since it was hearsay.  I do know the menu was the same, the quality of the food was the same, and the service, while slow in the beginning, picked up to a level not usually experienced (Gabriella's is known for being slow because they make everything upon ordering).  We've never minded because the quality was so worth it.  After a few missteps in the first 15 or so minutes... attempting to seat us in a booth that was so tight my chest would have been sitting on the table, getting a table finally, waiting while others seated after us were served their drinks...after all of that...the rest of the visit worked like a well-oiled machine.  Once our waiter, Hector, arrived...smooth sailing!

Ian asked to start with Calamari with their spicy Marinara Sauce.  I swear it is the best on the island.  What pushes it into the #1 position is the awesome sauce and the perfect breading.  Yummmm.

Next up was the family serving of salad with a small antipasto plate of cheese, pepperocini, and olives. 

Then delicious crisp garlic bread to dip into their SUPERB balsamic and toasted garlic and herb dipping sauce.  Holy smokes I could drink it ... it is that good. 

As soon as we were finished, out came our main dishes.  Perfect timing.  Drink refills, extra bread...ready to dig in. (I get euphoric when I have good service)

My husband ordered a Classic Calzone.  Served on a pizza platter (it is so huge) with a ginormous pile of french fries.  There was so much food he ended up opening the calzone and eating all of the good stuff out of the middle and left about half of the crust.  I tried the calzone crust and dag nab it, it was better than mine.  It was really delicious.

Ian had the ravioli platter with marinara sauce.  Choices were Marinara, Alfredo, or toasted ravioli.  He likes the marinara with a bunch of cheese on top.  He ate every bite (and he didn't wait for the photo before he dug in).  Possibly for the first time ever he said he was too full for more bread and didn't want dessert.  Wow!

I had the Carbonara (the photo didn't turn out - darn cell phone) with bacon and chicken and a opulent asiago sauce...OMG - to die for.  I am the only one who needed a to-go box.  I filled up on Calamari and salad and couldn't even eat half of my main dish - and there was enough for two or three people really.  I enjoyed having it for lunch the next day though!

Except for the missteps to start...it was a wonderful birthday dinner for the boy.  We got stuck on the bridge ... endlessly it seemed... on the way home, but the sun was starting to set and it was beautiful...lots of boats fishing.  I just didn't give a hoot...could have sat looking out at the Laguna Madre for 30 more minutes if needed!

Thanks Gabriella's, for another incredible evening!

Bon Appetit, Y'all!!!

Whole Wheat Spice Bundt Cake

The teen requested a spice cake for his birthday cake (which is almost the default cake for him - but sometimes he surprises me).  His birthday was earlier this week but since his Dad wasn't home, we opted to wait for him so we could celebrate together.  We went to a movie and shopped on his birthday and he said he had a good day...but it was a bit strange not to have a cake or presents that day.  He's 19 now, so I guess it was more my issue than his.  He wanted to wait.

The expected return for Mr. Flip Flop was the 10th...on Friday I got a text saying "Lucy, I'm Home!" and I threw on my flip flops and flew down the stairs nearly barreling us both down a flight of stairs when I pounced on him!  I'd talked to him earlier that day and he let me believe he was on his way to work when, in actuality, he was on the 350 mile drive home.  He doesn't manage to surprise me often, but when he does, it's a biggie!  Ian was so happy he gave him a big hug and smile (which is not the norm for him either)!  All-in-all, an excellent turn of events.  EXCEPT, I hadn't planned a cake, wrapped the gifts, nor spiffed up the house as I am wont to do when Papi comes home.  I always like things to look "nice".  I doubt he even notices.  So, since I could do nothing about the cleaning portion of the deficit, I focused on birthday preparations this morning when I got up.  We were going out to dinner, on the island I imagined, and we'd have cake and gifts when we get back.

I decided to go with a recipe that I've made before as mini bundts, but in a full-size bundt pan.  I made one boo boo and used baking powder instead of baking soda, so it was even more dense than expected.  I was freaking out a bit because it wasn't rising as much as I anticipated, but it all came out okay in the end.  This is a very dense cake anyway... it uses 100% whole wheat flour...but the white whole wheat, which is slightly lighter.  I also didn't have regular yogurt, so I used 1/2 fat free yogurt and 1/2 ricotta cheese.  I hate being risky when baking a birthday cake...but I knew if it just absolutely flopped, I had a chance to go to the store and start over.

So, here's the recipe... my husband loved it - ate several pieces.  Ian and I both would have preferred a less dense cake.  The flavor was excellent though!  I particularly liked adding some cinnamon to the vanilla bean glaze I used - perfect for the cake.  If you like a super dense cake - this is a good one.  I would, however, likely use baking soda next time, and not a fat-free yogurt!

WW SPICE BUNDT CAKE

Ingredients:

1 cup granulated vanilla sugar
1 cup turbinado sugar
1 cup room temperature butter
1/2 cup fat free vanilla yogurt (I used Dannon) - room temp
1/2 cup Ricotta Cheese - room temperature
3 large eggs - room temperature
1/2 Tablespoon Vanilla Bean Paste
2 1/2 cups White Whole Wheat Flour (I use King Arthur)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda (not powder like I used)

Method:

Prepare a bundt pan with Baker's Joy or grease/flour preparation.  Make sure to get all the crevices and go all the way to the edge of the pan and the cone in the middle.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In bowl of a stand mixer, cream both sugars and the butter until fluffy (I let it go about 3 minutes).

Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition.  Add the vanilla bean paste and beat until incorporated.

In a bowl or large mixing cup, whisk together the dry ingredients.

In a small bowl, whisk together the yogurt and ricotta cheese until smooth.

Add 1/3 of the dry ingredients to the mixer bowl with the mixer running on low.
Add 1/2 of the yogurt/ricotta mixture
Add 2nd 3rd of the dry ingredients followed by the remaining yogurt/ricotta mixture.
Add the final 3rd of the dry ingredients.

Scrape the bowl and beat on medium high for 60-90 seconds until smooth and fluffy batter.

Use a large spoon to place the batter evenly around the bundt pan.  Smooth it with the back of the spoon.

Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 50-60 minutes.  Use a cake tester for doneness.  The cake was not ready at 50 minutes but 5 minutes later it had cracked (which was fine - it's the bottom) and became perfectly done with a cake tester.

Remove from oven to a cooling rack for about 15 minutes.  Turn onto a cake plate and allow to cool completely before frosting or glazing.

Ian elected a glaze since it was a bundt cake.

I made a Vanilla Bean and Cinnamon Glaze... very tasty with this cake!

VANILLA BEAN CINNAMON GLAZE

Ingredients:

1 cup sifted confectioner's sugar
1 tablespoon melted butter
2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 to 4 tablespoons of heavy whipping cream

Method:

In the small bowl of a food processor, with the small blade, pulse the sugar, butter, vanilla bean paste and cinnamon to mix.  Begin by adding 2 tablespoon of heavy cream to the mixture and pulse.  Carefully scrape the bowl, avoiding cutting your spatula on the blade, to ensure all of the sugar is off the sides and bottom.  Pulse again and add more cream to get it to the proper consistence you desire.  I wanted a thick enough glaze that it would drip down the side but not so loose that it would pool under the cake.  I wanted it on top of the cake!

The thickish glaze worked beautifully!

Admittedly, not my favorite cake - but it is definitely something I'd make again with a few tweaks (which actually go back to my original recipe!)

Bon Appetit, Y'all!