Taste Throwdown # 2: Cinnamon Cake with Pili Nut

This is the second post for the Taste Throwdown category of this blog. It's this blog's weekly event adapted from Bobby Flay's Food Network show. Check out my initial post about it here. I'm dreaming big about Taste Throwdown. I'd like to see it grow as a food bloggers' event soon. I'm planning to open it to the foodies out there who love to challenge the passionate "Cooks" in them and want to share their culinary gifts. I hope I can design the mechanics properly and roll it out before long. I'll make an announcement when it's done. Meanwhile, let me share with you my take on the recipe of the Coffee Cake preceding this particular post.
Last week, we were again generously gifted with lots of Pili Nuts from the province of Bicol. Incidentally, the husband has long been requesting for a baked goodie but this time around it was specified to be a Cake. A Cake! I repeated to myself. I’ve never tried making any of this kind at home. I would love to but I’m a bit apprehensive on the possible errors I could commit along the way then making it a complete disaster in the end. With little mouths always waiting to be pleased at the dining table and a husband who has such a high threshold for sweet goods, oh no, I can’t afford to offer any form of disappointment at all. Baking a Cake is something that I would leave for the baker or pastry chef to do, with me as spectator gloriously enjoying the scene of the art of baking. I was only technically trained to perceive, taste and evaluate a food but with very minimal experience on baking much less on Cakes. On second thoughts though, there’s absolutely no harm in trying specially in your own kitchen and your own food. So, there’s always this daring instinct that instructs you to do it and just try.

So with much guts and inspiration, I modified Gifts from the Kitchen’s recipe of Coffee Cake and Cinnamon Streusel Topping and had it tangier. I made the cinnamon flavour the overall character and not just a hint that provides an aftertaste. Also, I added the pili nuts which provided the creamy and nutty notes lingering through out the palate. Accordingly, I named it Cinnamon Cake with Pili Nut. If you’re a cinnamon lover, this cake item is for you.


What you need:
1/3 cup butter (softened), 200 g sugar, 2 large eggs, 1/2 tsp vanilla extract, 4 tbsps milk, 215 g all purpose flour or cake flour, 1 1/2 tsp baking powder, 2 tbsps cinnamon powder, 125 g pili nuts


How to make:
Pre-heat the oven to 180 C. Sift flour and baking powder. Add in cinnamon powder and mix together. Cream sugar and butter in a mixer bowl until fluffy and yellow in color. Add milk, eggs and vanilla extract. Gradually add in mixture of dry ingredients. Mix until well blended. Using a spoon stir in 3 tbsps of coarsely chopped pili nuts. Add to a greased 9 x 2 inch round tin. Top with the remaining pili nuts. Bake for 25 - 30 minutes or until the center comes out clean when inserted with a tester. Cool on a wire rack.