Boxwood Shrub Cake Balls Recipes

"BOXWOOD SHRUB" CAKE BALLS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter a 9-inch round cake pan; dust with flour, tapping out excess. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Beat butter with sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, 1 minute. Add egg; beat well. Reduce speed to low and gradually add flour mixture, beating until combined. Add milk and vanilla, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary; beat until just combined. Pour batter into prepared pan; smooth top with an offset spatula.
• Bake until golden and a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, 23 to 25 minutes. Let cake cool in pan on a wire rack 15 minutes, then turn out onto rack and let cool completely.
• Crumble cake into a bowl until no large lumps remain. Add buttercream; stir until combined.
• Place nonpareils in a small bowl. Using your hands, roll half of cake mixture into 1 1/4-inch balls (heaping teaspoons); working with one at a time, roll balls in nonpareils, pressing lightly to adhere.
• Roll remaining cake mixture into 3/4-inch balls (scant teaspoons) and roll in nonpareils, pressing lightly to adhere. (You should have about 14 of each.) Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour. Decorated cake balls can be refrigerated in an airtight container up to 3 days.

ZUCCHINI-PARMESAN LOAF

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Brush a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan (6-cup capacity) with oil; dust with flour, and tap out excess.
• In a small bowl, whisk oil, milk, and eggs. In a large bowl, whisk flour, Parmesan, baking powder, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; mix in zucchini, then egg mixture until just moistened (batter will be very thick, like biscuit dough).
• Transfer batter to prepared pan; press in gently. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 60 to 70 minutes (tent with foil if loaf starts to brown too quickly). Cool 15 minutes in pan; turn out loaf onto a rack to cool completely.

ORANGE MADELEINES

Steps:

• Butter and flour madeleine molds thoroughly. Set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Melt butter and let cool.
• Beat together eggs, salt, and sugar until very light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla and orange-flower water. Fold in flour, then the melted butter and orange zest.
• Pour batter into molds almost to the top. Bake for 10 minutes, or until cakes are firm in the center. Let cool for 1 minute in molds, then turn out onto racks.