An Assortment of Christmas Confections - Pink Saturday

With Christmas just a week a way, those of us who contribute to Pink Saturday were asked to share a favorite carol with our readers. I am especially fond of Art Garfunkel's lovely arrangement of "O Come All Ye Faithful." I hope you will enjoy it, too.





I suspect that most of you are finished with your holiday baking or know exactly which sweets and treats remain to be done. On the off chance that you still need an idea or two, I'm including recipes that are or have, in the past, been part of our Christmas celebration. These are confections that don't fit neatly into other categories. They are all lovely recipes and I'm delighted to share them with you.






Candied Walnuts












Southern Nut Cake













Forget-Me-Not Fudge













Christmas Pudding













Pink Peppermint Patties













Baby Jesus Birthday Cake













Candied Orange and Lemon Peel













Kris Kringle Ginger Cakes













White Chocolate Truffles












Caramel Corn







This post is being linked to:
Pink Saturday, sponsored by Beverly at How Sweet the Sound.

Cranberry Layered Cheesecake

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I was seduced by its color and because I'm weak, this five layered cranberry confection ended up on my table. I normally don't make desserts that are this involved. As a matter of fact, I rarely make cheesecakes at all. I love them, mind you. I just can't convince myself that the protein packed into all that cream cheese offsets the fat and calories that keep the protein company. The first time I saw this cake was on the table of an accomplished cake decorator. It was gorgeous and its garnet glow snared me before reason could take hold. I made a homely version of the cake, one precious time consuming layer at a time, and thought that would be the end of it. I never dreamed Bob would like it. He did and now I'm dealing with a case of unintended consequences. I'll have to make the cake again. The cake begins with an almond flavored crust that is partially filled with a sweetened cheese custard and then topped with a cranberry filling. The garnet layer is then smothered with the rest of the custard before being topped with sweetened sour cream. The cake bakes a considerable while, and then is cooled and chilled for a considerable while, before a final layer of cranberries crown the cake and decorations of almond whipped cream are applied. It is a lovely tangy cake that provides irresistible color on the holiday table. The recipe was developed by Teri Rasey for Taste of Home magazine. Despite the work, I'm glad to recommend this cake to you. I've made a few changes to the original recipe. which you can find here. My version of the recipe appears below. I suggest that you add salt and almond extract to the crust and that you eliminate the ground almonds from the whipped cream. Let the cake chill for 24 hours before serving. This is a very nice recipe and, if you like cheesecake, it will be a great addition to your files. Here's how it's made.

Cranberry Layered Cheesecake...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Teri Rasey and Taste of Home magazine

Ingredients:
Pastry Layer
1/2 cup dried cranberries
2 cups cake flour
1/2 cup ground almonds
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 cup cold butter, cubed
Cranberry Layer
3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 cup cranberry juice
2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
Cream Cheese Layer
4 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
1-1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 eggs, lightly beaten
Sour Cream Topping
2 cups (16 ounces) sour cream
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Whipped Cream Topping
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon almond extract

Directions:
1) In a food processor, finely chop dried cranberries. Add flour, almonds and confectioners' sugar, salt and almond extract; process until blended. Add butter; pulse just until crumbly.
2) Press onto the bottom and 1-1/2 in. up sides of a greased 10-in. springform pan. Place on a baking sheet. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes.
3) In a small saucepan, combine 3/4 cup sugar and cornstarch; stir in cranberry juice until smooth. Add berries. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Set aside.
4) In a large bowl, beat cream cheese, vanilla and sugar until smooth. Add eggs; beat just until combined. Pour half of batter into crust. Carefully spoon 3/4 cup berry mixture over batter; top with remaining batter.
5) Bake for 45 minutes. Reduce heat to 250°. Bake 25-30 minutes longer or until center is almost set. Combine sour cream, sugar and vanilla; spread over top. Bake 20-30 minutes or until set. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Run a knife around edge of pan to loosen; cool 1 hour longer. Spread remaining berry mixture over the top. Refrigerate overnight.
6) Beat cream with sugar and almond extract until stiff peaks form. Pipe around top edge of cheesecake. Yield: 16 servings.

You might also enjoy these recipes:
Caramel Cheesecake - Wild Yeast
Mini Bourbon Pumpkin Cheesecakes - Dessarts
Caramel Apple Cheesecake Pie - The Sweet's Life
German Cheesecake - Anja's Food 4 Thought
Pumpkin Toffee Cheesecake - The Other Side of 50
Pumpkin Cheesecake - Simply Recipes

Apple Cake with Caramel Glaze

Joshua, who brought a catalog along for his visit to Santa, knows exactly what he wants for Christmas. I hope Santa was taking notes!

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Earlier this week I had to make a cake for a morning coffee. I wanted to bake something that was seasonal, easy to make and just a little different than standard holiday fare. I found one in the book Southern Cakes, written by Nancie McDermott, that was exactly what I was looking for. I thought the cake would be too sweet for my own taste, but I knew others would love the apple and caramel confection. To my great surprise I found that I like it, too. The small piece I'd cut for myself was delicious and the caramel glaze that covered the top of the cake was amazingly good. The cake is definitely a keeper and, if you have not tried it, I hope you will soon. Here's the recipe.

Apple Cake with Caramel Glaze...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite, inspired by Nancie McDermott

Ingredients:
Cake
3 cups all purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups finely chopped apples
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans or walnuts
Brown Sugar Glaze
1 cup tightly packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons heavy cream

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 13 x 9-inch pan. Set aside.
2) Combine flour, sugar, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Stir with a fork to mix everything together well.
3) In a large bowl, beat eggs with a wooden spoon or a mixer at low speed until pale yellow and foamy. Add oil, applesauce and vanilla and beat well. Stir in flour mixture with a wooden spoon and continue stirring batter just until flour disappears. Add apples and nuts, stir to mix them into the batter until fairly uniform. Scrape batter into prepared pan.
4) Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until the cake is golden brown, springs back when touched lightly and is beginning to pull away from sides of the pan. Place cake (still in the pans) on a wire rack and spoon over the glaze while still hot.
5) To make glaze: Combine brown sugar, butter, vanilla and cream in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until mixture comes to a gentle boil. Then cook for 3-5 minutes.
6) Spoon hot glaze all over hot-from-the-oven cake. Let glazed cake cool completely before serving straight from the pan. Yield: 12 - 16 servings.

You might also enjoy these recipes:
Healthy German Apple Cake - Honey and Soy
Butterscotch Apple Cake - Sugar Plum
Cranberry and Apple Cake - Christie's Corner
French Apple Cake - David Lebovitz
Marie-Helene's Apple Cake - Sea Salt with Food
Cinnamon Apple Cake - Elana's Pantry
The Apple Lady's Apple Cake - One Perfect Bite

Tuscan Cheese Cake - Torta di Ricotta

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...We've had lots of pasta this fall, so with my kitchen in Italian mode, it was only a matter of time before I remembered this cake and pulled the recipe from my files. This dessert is not to everyone's liking, and while I hate to admit it, I have dissenters in my own family. They grouse the entire time they're eating the cake, but because no one here is force fed, that always makes me smile. The cake does have an unusual texture. It's a cross between a sponge cake and a cheesecake but it lacks the creamy sweetness of its American counterpart. If I had to compare it to something we all have eaten, a custardy bread pudding comes to mind. It's also been compared to a heavy souffle, the type you wouldn't want to drop on your foot. If you can, make this with fresh ricotta cheese, it really is worthwhile in this particular recipe. The cake has a faint undertone of lemon that makes it perfect to serve with macerated berries. I think the addition of almond flavor would also be wonderful. I refrigerate the cake for a full day before I plan to slice and serve it. I don't think it holds up well so my rule for it is a day to sit, a day to eat. I rarely have enough leftovers for that to be a problem. The recipe originally came from the Silver Spoon cookbook. Here's how they make this.

Torta di Ricotta - Tuscan Cheese Cake...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite, courtesy of the Silver Spoon cookbook

Ingredients:
Butter for the pan
2-1/4 cups all purpose flour; extra for dusting the pan
4 eggs
1/2 cup light brown sugar; extra for sprinkling
1-3/4 cups ricotta cheese
Grated zest of 1/2 lemon
5 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 cup milk
1 tablespoon baking powder

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a deep tart or springform pan with butter and dust with flour. Whisk eggs and brown sugar together until light and foamy. Stir in ricotta cheese, lemon zest, olive oil and milk. Sift flour and baking powder over egg mixture, mix well and pour into cake pan. Sprinkle generously with additional brown sugar. Bake for 40 minutes. Remove from oven, cool and turn out. Serves 6.

You might also enjoy these recipes:
Yogurt Cheesecake - One Perfect Bite
Margarita Cheesecake - One Perfect Bite
Lavender Cheesecake Bars - One Perfect Bite
Caramel Apple Cheesecake - The Foodie/Nutritionist
Blueberry Japanese Cheesecake - Flour on Her Nose
Almond Cheesecake - Anncoo Journal
Fig and Almond Cheesecake - Brown Eyed Baker

Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread

When things are quiet here, I browse through food blogs the way others do magazines. I admire some and learn from others, always gleaning tips and tidbits that have the potential to make our next meal something really special. As a result, my bookmark folder is an embarrassment of riches that I'd be ashamed to let others see. While not talking numbers, I can happily report that I'm now current through the summer of 2009. While it took a while, I was finally able to make this wonderful Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread, originally featured at Baking Bites that summer. If you're not familiar with the site, stop by and see what's happening. You'll be happy that you did. This lovely cake-like bread was worth waiting for. It is moist. It is flavorful. It is chocolate. I know you'll love it, so rather than gab I'll get right to it. Here's the recipe for one of the best zucchini breads I've ever had. I did say chocolate, didn't I?


Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite, courtesy of Baking Bites

Ingredients:
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 medium zucchini, shredded to equal 1-1/4 cups
1 cup chocolate chips

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan. Set aside.
2) Sift flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder and salt into a large bowl.
3) Whisk eggs, vegetable oil, buttermilk and vanilla together in a medium bowl.
4) Add wet to dry ingredients and stir until almost fully combined. Add zucchini and chocolate chips and stir until evenly distributed in batter (batter should be fairly thick).
5) Bake for 50-55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean or with only moist crumbs attached. Turn loaf out of pan and cool on a wire rack before slicing. Yield: 1 loaf.

You might also enjoy these recipes:
Chocolate Zucchini Cake - One Perfect Bite
Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread (Low Card Gluten Free) - All Day I Dream About Food
Chocolate Zucchini and Sweet Potato Bread - Anna's Table
Chocolate Zucchini Muffins - Cookie Madness
Vegan Chocolate Banana and Zucchini Bread - Anja's Food 4 Thought
Chocolate Zucchini Bread - Closet Cooking
Chocolate Zucchini Spelt Cake - Anja's Food 4 Thought

Chocolate Zucchini Cake

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This is a wonderful cake, but it's one that falls into my "hate to love it" category. The cake is delicious and fairly easy to make, but I have a problem with its baking time. I've made it several times and on each occasion the baking time has varied. In all three instances, it has taken longer to bake than the recipe suggests. My oven has just been recalibrated, so I doubt there is a problem with the thermostat, and I'm using the specified pan-size, so I know there is no problem there. I can tell you that my cakes still shimmy at the end of the 30 minute time suggested by the recipe. Mine require a minimum of 50 minutes to assure a stable center. I suspect the difference is attributable to the amount of moisture in the zucchini, but I really don't know for sure. At any rate, the cake is good enough that I'm willing to keep an eye on it while it bakes. The cake is based on a recipe developed in the Ghiradelli kitchens and the original recipe can be found here. This version of the cake, created by Kate Westburg, was a winner in a Ghiradelli competition held at the DuPage County Fair this past summer. I've changed the recipe slightly and if you'd like to see the original it can be found here. The cake is delicious, even if it drives me crazy. I hope you will try it. It's worth the aggravation. Here's the recipe.

Chocolate Zucchini Cake ( 3-G Stealth Zucchini Cake)...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite, inspired by Kate Westburg

Ingredients:
3 large eggs
1 cup + plus 1/2 teaspoon vegetable oil, divided use
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cinnamon
2 cups grated zucchini
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
4 ounces baking milk chocolate

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease bottom and sides of (9-by-13-inch) pan or 2 (3-by-6-by-9-inch) loaf pans.
2) Combine eggs, 1 cup vegetable oil, vanilla, and sugar in a large bowl. Beat to combine, about 1 to 2 minutes.
3) Sift together cocoa, flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon; add 1/2 cup at a time to wet ingredients. Mix until well combined.
4) Stir in zucchini and chocolate chips. Pour into prepared pan; bake 30 minutes for (9-by-13-inch) cake pan (approximately 50 minutes for loaf pans), or until cake tester comes out clean. Using a 9 x 13 x 2-inch pan, I still needed a minimum of 50 minutes to bake the cake.
5) Melt baking milk chocolate in double boiler or in microwave over water (being careful not to scorch). Whisk in 1/2 teaspoon canola oil. Drizzle ribbon topping over cooled cake. Yield: 16 servings.

You might also enjoy these recipes:
Zucchini Cookies - The Local Cook
Hazelnut Zucchini Cake - My Kitchen in the Rockies
Chocolate Zucchini Cake - Eat At Allie's
Zucchini Cake with Lime Cream Cheese Frosting - Baking Bites
Chocolate Streusel Zucchini Cake - Let's Dish
Zucchini Cake with Crunchy Lemon Glaze - David Lebovitz
Apple Zucchini Cake with Walnuts - Anja's Food 4 Thought

Toasted Coconut and Lime Layer Cake

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This cake is a melange of bits and pieces taken from other places. The first time I assembled it, the planets must have been aligned and Lady Luck deemed to smile my way. I wanted to make a coconut cake but needed a way to beat back its sweetness. I happen to have lime curd in the refrigerator and decided to use it to fill the cake. The next step was to find an icing that was compatible with coconut and lime. I found a lovely cream cheese frosting that was perfect once its taste was heightened with the addition of coconut extract. The frosted cake looked awfully white, so I decided to add color by toasting the coconut that is classically used to cover its surfaces. While the pros have nothing to fear, this cake has become a favorite of ours. I made it for this weekend because it is fairly easy to transport and does not need constant refrigeration. The layers are a cross between a sponge and a pound cake, so it is more dense than many of the layer cakes that are currently so popular. It can handle a little jostling without collapsing and spots can be covered with additional toasted coconut. The next time I make this, I plan to split the layers in order to use more of the lime curd I so love. I hope you'll try this cake. It really is quite lovely. Here's the recipe.

Toasted Coconut and Lime Layer Cake...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Coconut Layer Cake courtesy of Bon Appetit
Ingredients:
2-3/4 cups cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1-3/4 cups sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup canned sweetened cream of coconut (such as Coco Lépez)*
4 large eggs, separated
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon coconut extract
1 cup buttermilk

Directions:
To make layer cake:
1) Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour two 9-inch-diameter cake pans with 2-inch-high sides. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda and 1/2 teaspoon salt in medium bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat sugar, butter and sweetened cream of coconut in large bowl until fluffy. Beat in egg yolks and vanilla and coconut extracts. On low speed, beat in dry ingredients and then buttermilk, each just until blended.
2) Using clean dry beaters, beat egg whites with pinch of salt in another large bowl until stiff but not dry. Fold beaten egg whites into batter.
3) Divide cake batter between prepared pans. Bake cakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Cool cakes in pans on rack 10 minutes. Run small sharp knife around pan sides to loosen cakes. Turn cakes out onto racks and cool completely. Yield: 10 to 12 servings.

Lime Curd Filling - recipe found HERE

Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting courtesy of One Perfect Bite
Ingredients:
2 (8-oz.) packages cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
2 to 3 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon coconut extract

Directions:
Place cream cheese in a medium bowl and beat until smooth and fluffy. Add butter and beat to blend. Add sugar and vanilla and coconut extracts and beat until well blended. Add drops of milk or cream, if needed, to make a spreadable consistency. Yield: 3 cups.

Final Assembly
Ingredients:
2 cups toasted sweetened shredded coconut

Directions:
Place 1 cake layer on cake plate. Spread 1 cup lime curd over cake layer. Top with second cake layer. Spread frosting over top and sides of cake. Sprinkle toasted coconut over cake, gently pressing into sides to adhere. The cake can be prepared 24 hours before serving. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Let stand at room temperature 2 hours before serving.

You might also enjoy these recipes:
Key Lime and White Chocolate Cake Squares - One Perfect Bite
Coconut Banana Cream Pie - Coconut Recipes
Strawberry Coconut Thumbprints - Big Black Dog
White Mountain Coconut Cupcakes - Cookie Madness
Coconut Bread - Bored Cook in Kitchen
Coconut Pistachio Truffles - Anja's Food 4 Thought
French Coconut Pie - Home Cooking and Baking

Pear Flognarde

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This homely dessert, called a flognarde, is associated with provincial kitchens in the Limousin region of France. A flognarde is a clafoutis made with any fruit other than cherries. This dessert, like the clafoutis, is a cross between a pudding and a cake and it's made by pouring a custard-like batter over a layer of fruit. It's one of those rare desserts that can really be made with a wooden spoon or whisk. A pear flognarde lacks the pocked appearance of the versions made with berries, and because the fruit remains at the bottom the pan, it is characterized by a smooth and richly browned top. If you enjoy pears, you will love this dessert. Be sure to use ripe but firm fruit for the flognarde. Overripe pears will weep into the batter and you'll have unpredictable results. While the recipe utilizes heavy cream, no additional fat is used in its making. You can substitute light cream or half-and-half if you must, but it will change the texture of the dessert. It happens that this is one of my favorite desserts. It is easy to do and when pears are in season it has outstanding flavor. I have a bottle of pear liqueur that's been in my pantry for nearly 40 years. I'm very stingy with it and use it only to enhance the flavor of desserts I love. While I use a splash of it in the flognarde, it's a nice but not necessary addition to the batter. If you start with ripe and flavorful pears you'll do fine without it. Just make sure to put pear liqueur on your Christmas list. Do serve this while it is still warm. Here's the recipe.

Pear Flognarde...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:
4 ripe but firm Bartlet pears
1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups heavy cream
Optional: 1 tablespoon pear liqueur
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour, sifted
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Butter an 11 x 7 x 2-inch baking dish. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon granulated sugar.
2) Peal and core pears. Cut in 1/2-inch dice. Arrange on bottom of baking dish.
3) Place eggs and sugar in a large bowl. Beat until mixture is pale yellow and fluffy. Add vanilla, cream and liqueur to mixture and beat just to combine. Add flour and cinnamon and beat until blended. Pour batter over pears.
4) Bake for 40 minutes or until puffed and firm. Remove from oven and serve immediately. Yield: 6 servings.

You might also enjoy these recipes:
Blueberry Flognarde - One Perfect Bite
Plum Clafoutis - The English Kitchen
Chocolate and Cherry Clafoutis - Cook Sister!
Strawberry Clafoutis - Delishhh
Peach Clafoutis - Sugar and Spice
Apple Walnut Clafoutis - Jungle Frog Cooking
Individual Strawberry Clafoutis - Baking Bites

Pumpkin Apple Bread

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...One of the problems with large cans of pumpkin is that most recipes don't need the quantity they contain and you are left with puree that must be used in other recipes or trashed. Buying smaller cans was not an option for many of us last year. I live in an area where there was a problem obtaining pumpkin and we bought what we could get. Only the large cans were available. I had pumpkin left after making the yeast rolls we featured yesterday and this wonderful recipe from a 1993 issue of Gourmet Magazine was an ideal place in which to use it. The recipe comes from Rebecca's Gourmet Bakery in Cary, North Carolina, and it makes two lovely spice scented loaves of harvest bread. Since fall is rapidly approaching, I thought I'd push the season a bit and share it with you now, rather than wait for the season to officially begin. There are no tricks to making these delicious loaves as long as you don't cut the apples in too large a dice. The cake-like bread keeps extraordinarily well and is perfect for toting to meetings or other functions when you are responsible for providing cake or cookies. I know you'll like this simple spicy bread. Here's the recipe.

Pumpkin Apple Bread...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite inspired by Gourmet Magazine

Ingredients:
For topping
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
5 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
For bread
3 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1 (15-oz) can solid-pack pumpkin
3/4 cup vegetable oil
2-1/4 cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 Granny smith apples, peeled, cored, and chopped (2 cups)

Directions:
1) To make the topping: Blend together flour, sugar, cinnamon, and butter in a small bowl with your fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal. Set aside.
2) To make the bread: Put a rack in middle of oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter two 9 X 5 inch loaf pans. Set aside. Sift together flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and allspice into a medium bowl. Whisk together pumpkin oil, sugar, and eggs in a large bowl. Add flour mixture, stirring until well combined. Fold in apples. Divide batter between buttered loaf pans. Sprinkle half of topping evenly over each loaf. Bake until a wooden pick or skewer inserted in center of bread comes out clean, 50 to 60 minutes. Cool loaves in pans on a rack for 45 minutes, then turn out onto rack and cool completely, about 1 hour. Yield: two loaves.

You might also enjoy these recipes:
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread - Mom's Cooking Club
Pumpkin Bread - My Kitchen Snippets
Pumpkin Bread with Dried Cranberries - No Fear Entertaining
Pumpkin Bread with Crumb Topping - The Hungry Housewife
Toasted Pumpkin Bread Pudding - Culinary Cory
Toasted Hazelnut Streusel Pumpkin Bread - Sugar Plum

Raspberry Kuchen

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This is a lovely old fashioned cake that's completely without pretense. Chances are your mother or grandmother made a cake quite similar to this one. It was codified by Better Homes and Gardens and it's been around for a while, fading in and out of fashion as eating habits change. The original recipe can be found in the no longer new, Better Homes and Gardens: New Baking Book. We used to call it "Poor Man's Cheese Cake," but it's officially called a Raspberry Kuchen. A kuchen is a cake-like dessert that has a soft dough crust and a topping of custard or cheese that contains berries or other fruits. I love this recipe for many reasons. There are no stray egg whites or yolks left to deal with when the cake is finished. What's not used in the crust is used in the custard and that appeals to my "green" instincts. The cake, which can be made without a mixer, is very easy to do and has the added advantage of being low in fat and only moderately sweet. Best of all, it can be made with fresh or frozen berries of any type. Frozen berries will produce a creamier cake because of the liquid they exude as the cake bakes. Cane berries of all sorts have come to market here in Oregon, but to tell the truth, they're not up to speed this year. Hopefully, they'll improve this week and we'll have something worth putting by. Until then, I'm relying on the stash in my freezer. I used frozen berries to make the cake today, so it's wonderfully creamy in taste and appearance. I hope those of you who are not familiar with this cake will give it a try. Here's the recipe.

Raspberry Kuchen...from the kitchen of One Perfect bite inspired by Better Homes and Gardens: New Baking Book

Ingredients:
Base
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups fresh or frozen cane berries

Filling
1-1/2 cups plain low-fat or nonfat yogurt
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 slightly beaten egg yolks
1 slightly beaten whole egg
1-1/2 teaspoons finely shredded lemon zest
1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan. If using frozen raspberries, thaw at room temperature for 15 minutes; drain.
2) In food processor bowl or medium mixing bowl, stir together 1 cup flour, the first 1/2 cup sugar, salt and baking powder. Add melted butter, 2 egg whites and first teaspoon vanilla. Cover; process or stir by hand until mixed.
3) Spread onto the bottom of springform pan; sprinkle with berries. Set aside.
4) For filling, place yogurt in a large mixing bowl; sprinkle with 2 tablespoons flour. Add remaining sugar, yolks, whole egg, zest and remaining vanilla. Mix until smooth; pour over berries.
5) Bake for about 55 minutes or until center appears set when shaken gently. Cool for 15 minutes; remove sides of pan. Cover; chill until serving time, up to 24 hours. If you are feeling brave, you can remove pan bottom. Transfer to a serving plate. Yield: 10 - 12 servings.

You might also enjoy these recipes:
Orange Yogurt Cake - One Perfect Bite
Yogurt Cheese Cake - One Perfect Bite
Greek-Style Yogurt Pie with Fruit Preserves - One Perfect Bite
German Rahm Kuchen - A Feast for the Eyes
Cheese Kuchen - Madame Chow's Kitchen
Grandma's Pear Kuchen - Jules Food

Strawberry Cake a la Martha Stewart - Blue Monday

A touch of small town Americana for Blue Monday.

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I hope you've had the opportunity to visit the beautiful and informative blog, NJ Epicurean. Several days ago, Jen, its creator, featured a strawberry cake that was originally developed by Martha Stewart. Martha's recipe and reviews of it can be found here. Strawberry yields are still high in our community, and abundant and inexpensive berries gave me the incentive I needed to try this very simple cake. We've just finished dessert and I'm happy to report the recipe produces a great snack cake. It can be quickly assembled and works well as a stand-in for strawberry short cake. The only drawback, if there is one, is that cake is very sweet and may be off-putting to those who favor European-style cakes and pastries. The cake is best served warm with a dollop of cream or a scoop of ice cream. Everyone who has reviewed the recipe also reports it is slow to stale. If properly wrapped, it will keep for several days in or out of the refrigerator. The cake takes about 10 minutes to make and that ease of assembly puts it squarely into my recipe files. I hope you will try this. Here's the recipe.

Strawberry Cake...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite inspired by Martha Stewart

Ingredients:
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, plus more for pie plate
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 pound strawberries, hulled and halved
2 tablespoons pearl sugar

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 10-inch pie plate.
2) Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together into a medium bowl.
3) Place butter and 1 cup sugar in bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to medium-low; mix in egg, milk, orange zest and vanilla and almond extracts.
4) Reduce speed to low; gradually mix in flour mixture. Transfer batter to buttered pie plate. Arrange strawberries on top of batter, cut sides down and as close together as possible. Sprinkle pearl sugar over all.
5) Bake cake 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees. Bake until cake is golden brown and firm to the touch, about 1 hour. Let cool in pie plate on a wire rack. Cut into wedges. Cake can be stored at room temperature, loosely covered, up to 2 days. Yield: 8 servings.

You might also enjoy these recipes:
Strawberry Glace Tart - One Perfect Bite
Strawberry Yogurt Pie - One Perfect Bite
Strawberry Panna Cotta - One Perfect Bite
Strawberry Frozen Yogurt - Simply Recipes
Strawberry Preserves - Los Angeles Times
White Zin-ful Strawberry Cooler - Poor Girl Eats Well

This post is being linked to:
Smiling Sally - Blue Monday

Swedish Strawberry Cream Cake

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This lovely sponge cake is popular throughout Scandinavia. I learned to make the Swedish version of the cake , called Jordgubbbstårta, the summer of my twelfth birthday. Traditionally, this cake was made for special occasions such as birthdays or national holidays. In summer months the cake was filled with heavy cream and fresh berries. Winter versions were, of course, filled with fruit preserves. While it is simple to make, the cake requires a lot of beating and I suspect that's why it was so seldom made. Although electric mixers became available to homemakers in the early 1930's, they were expensive and few families could afford them. All that changed in 1952 when Sunbeam began to market an affordable hand held electric mixer. That, coincidentally, is the year I first made this cake. Independence Day was a communal holiday in our neighborhood and Mrs. P was responsible for the desserts. She decided to substitute the usual shortcake with her lovely Swedish sponge. She had already made one cake when she asked if I would like to make the second. I was thrilled to pieces and under her watchful eye began to make the second. Now, there is a Tom Sawyer aspect to this tale. I suspect I was given the task because it took so long, even with the electric mixer, to beat the eggs. With her hands free, Mrs. P went on to mix a batch of brownies and the dough for oatmeal cookies, while I carefully held the mixer and watched and waited for the eggs to thicken. They eventually did and the tale ends well. My cake was a triumph. To prevent unnecessary worry, you should know that the cake layers will not dome as they bake. I've also found that the cake is vastly improved if the layers are lightly brushed with orange liqueur or dark rum. The berries I used were super-ripe and packed with flavor, but they tinted the cream pink. If you want a cake with a pure white visage use less ripe berries. The cake will hold nicely for a day or two, but it really wilts as day three approaches. This is a lovely dessert, and if you're looking for a strawberry dessert to replace shortcake, you might want to give this a try. Here's the recipe.

Swedish Strawberry and Cream Cake - Jordgubbstårta...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:
1 cup (4 to 5 large) eggs, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
Orange liqueur or rum for brushing cake layers
Filling
2 cups heavy whipping cream
3 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 quart hulled strawberries, sliced

Directions:
1) Grease two 9-inch round cake pans. Line bottom of pans with wax or parchment paper. Grease paper and flour pans. Set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2) Place eggs in bowl of an electric stand mixer. Beat until frothy. With mixer at high speed, slowly add granulated sugar and beat until mixture is very, very thick and pale. Add vanilla extract and beat until combined.
3) Sift flour and baking powder into another bowl or onto wax paper. With mixer set to low speed, slowly add flour to egg mixture, beating just until blended.
4) Spread batter into pans. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until cake bounces back when touched. Do not over bake. Remove cake layers from oven and cool.
5) To prepare filling, beat cream until soft peaks form. Add sugar and vanilla and continue beating until cream is stiff. Refrigerate. Yield: 8 to 10 servings.

You might also enjoy these recipes:
Toscatarta - One Perfect Bite
Swedish Coffee Ring - One Perfect Bite
Linzer Cookies - One Perfect Bite
Swedish Visiting Cake - Sticky Gooey Creamy Chewy
Swedish Princess Cake -Foodaholics
Swedish Meringue Cake - Epicurious

Almond and Cherry Torte

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...A happy convergence of incidents led to the creation of this buttery torte. While sorting through my pantry, I found a half-used container of glaceed cherries that were still edible and soft enough to use. The prior evening I'd stumbled on a, new-to-me, site called Cake Crumbs and Cooking The feature that day had been a cherry cake that sounded like it would be perfect for tea or dessert. A version of the recipe also appeared in Delia Online and in the BBC Good Food Magazine. Thus, armed with cherries and several recipes, all of which had been well-received, I began to make my first ever cherry cake. The first step was to convert ingredients from metric to standard US measure. That done, I made a few changes to the base recipe to reflect the fact I had no self-rising flour and only half the cherries suggested in the original recipe. Undeterred, I carried on and within two hours had a lovely cake with a soft buttery crumb and marvelous almond flavor. Unfortunately, while they added texture to the cake the taste of the cherries was barely perceptible. In an effort to keep the fruit from sinking to the bottom of the cake, I halved and rinsed the cherries as had been suggested. I took the additional step of tossing them with flour before adding them to the cake batter. All that changed nothing. They sank anyway and probably lost flavor when their syrup was washed away. The strange thing is that I liked the cake and found the fruit almost superfluous. The cake is barely sweet but the almond meal and topping make it extremely flavorful. It is far more like a Viennese torte that a cherry cake. Would I make it again? Not with glaceed cherries, unless I had leftover bounty from my Christmas cooking. While I've heard some classify this dessert as being cheap as chips, it is not inexpensive to make and, while it is lovely, I like more bang for my buck. For those of you who are curious, here's the recipe.

Almond and Cherry Torte...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite, adapted from several British sources

Ingredients:
2 sticks (8-oz.) butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
4 large eggs
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 small container (8-oz.) glace cherries, halved and rinsed
1 cup (4-oz.) ground almonds
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup (2-oz.) flaked almonds
Confectioners' sugar

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease bottom and sides of a high sided 8-inch cake pan. Line bottom with parchment paper. Grease paper. Dust bottom and sides of pan with flour.
2) Beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating just until incorporated. Add almond extract and mix to combine.
3) Sift flour, baking powder and salt together. Fold into egg mixture. Fold in cherries, almonds and milk.
4) Spoon mixture into prepared pan. Level top and sprinkle with sliced almonds. Bake for 1¼ -1½ hrs or until cake has risen and is firm to the touch.
5) Remove cake from oven and cool in pan for 30 minutes. Turn pan onto wire rack to cool completely.
6) Dust top of cake with confectioners' sugar just before serving. Yield: 12 servings.

You might also enjoy these recipes:
Toscatarta - One Perfect Bite
Lemon and Almond Tart - One Perfect Bite
Chinese-Style Almond Cookies - One Perfect Bite

White Wonder Cake

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Do you remember Lewis Carroll's famous verse, "You are old, father William..."? I do. Every foolish word is etched in my brain, claiming space that should be, but is not, used for things of more importance. Worse still are the insults omitted from the rhyme. I bumped bellies with another one of them today. To my horror, I've discovered that an 8-inch cake is no longer large enough to hold all my birthday candles. I'm bummed. I've dealt graciously with wrinkles and knees that squeak in the night, but this latest is the cruelest of indignities. I refuse to serve overflow cupcakes at my own birthday party. Especially cupcakes made with my favorite White Wonder Cake batter. I first had this cake when I was ten years old and, for sentimental reasons, it has remained my favorite birthday cake. I think the recipe was originally printed in a Farm Journal cookbook, but I can't find any reference to the cake on the internet. It is a truly white cake that is filled with lemon curd and frosted with a icing that is barley kissed with the scent of lemon. The candles are optional and I trust those of you who love me not to count them. All seventy are there. I like the cake enough to think you might enjoy it too. Here's the 9-inch version of White Wonder Cake.



White Wonder Cake...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:
Cake
1/2 cup white shorteneing
1-1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2-1/4 cups sifted cake flour
2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup whole milk
4 egg whites
Lemon Filling
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 egg yolks, lightly beaten
1 cup cold water
1/4 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
Lemon Cream Frosting
1/2 cup butter, softened
2-1/2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon cream
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Directions
1) To make the cake: Cream shortening. Add sugar and vanilla, beating until fluffy. Sift flour with baking powder and salt. Add dry ingredients to creamed mixture alternately with milk. Blend just until smooth after each addition. Beat egg whites until stiff enough to form peaks. Fold into batter. Pour batter into 2 well-greased 9-inch cake pans. Bake in 375 degree oven for about 20 minutes. Test for doneness with a toothpick. Cool in pan for 10 minutes. Turn onto racks to complete cooling.
2) To make lemon filling: Combine cornstarch, sugar and salt in a saucepan. In a separate small bowl stir egg yolks with water and lemon juice. Add to dry mixture. Cook until thick, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add butter and lemon rind. Cool.
3) To make lemon cream frosting: Cream butter. Blend in other ingredients and beat until smooth. Add a few drops of hot water if necessary to make mixture of spreading consistency.
4) To assemble: Sandwich layers together with lemon filling and frost top and sides of cake with lemon cream frosting. Yield: 8 to 10 servings.

You might also enjoy these recipes:
Poppy Seed Cake - One Perfect Bite
Orange Yogurt Cake - One Perfect Bite
Toscatarta - One Perfect Bite

This recipe is being linked to:
Designs By Gollum - Foodie Friday
Pink Saturday, sponsored by Beverly at How Sweet the Sound.

Old-Fashioned Applesauce Cake

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...An egg salad sandwich began the reverie that led me to this cake. My love affair with egg salad began in elementary school, soon after the second world war ended. It wasn't something that appeared on rationed tables, so this pedestrian sandwich was a real treat once eggs again became available. During the war years, eggs were precious and saved for special occasions. Popular cakes used few or no eggs and were sweetened with small amounts of sugar extended with pureed fruit or fruit syrup. Adults, as I remember it, really enjoyed this cake. It was chock full of dried fruits and nuts and had a holiday air about it that brightened those bleak times. It's probably no surprise to learn that this cake had less appeal for children. During the war years, the cake was dusted with sugar rather than frosted, but the original recipe called for a powdered sugar icing which is delicious. As you read through the ingredient list, you'll be able to see that a cream cheese frosting would also be wonderful with this cake. Purists still make the cake with homemade applesauce but a thick commercial variety can be used by those pressed for time. I know that's most of us. These days this treat falls more into the category of snack cakes. It is very easy to make and I think you'll enjoy it. Like all cakes of this type, it is better when allowed to sit a day or two and it stays moist if well wrapped. Here's the recipe.

Old-Fashioned Applesauce Cake...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:
Cake
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup currants
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1-1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour, divided use
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1-1/4 cups thick applesauce
Frosting:
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
3 to 4 tablespoons cream or milk

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour 9-inch spring form pan. Set aside.
2) Combine raisins, currants and walnuts in a small bowl. Add 1/4 cup flour and mix well. Set aside.
3) Beat butter in bowl of an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Slowly add sugar. When incorporated add egg and mix to combine.
4) Sift remaining 1-1/4 cup flour with baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, cloves and cinnamon in a large bowl. Add flour mixture to batter in 3 parts, alternating with applesauce. Stir in raisin-currant and nut mixture.
5) Spoon batter (it will be thick) into prepared springform pan. Bake until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 50 minutes. Cool in pan on a wire rack. Remove sides of pan.
6) While cake cools, beat butter with vanilla in bowl of an electric mixer. Slowly add sugar, beating until mealy. Add just enough cream to make icing spreadable. Spread over top and sides of cooled caked. Yield 8 to 10 servings.

You might also enjoy these recipes:
Apfel Sahne Torte - One Perfect Bite
One Bowl Gluten-Free Spice Cake
Okanagan Apple Bread - One Perfect Bite

Florentine Schiacciata - Carnival Cake

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This is a quick and easy version of Schiacciata alla Fiorentina, a flat cake served by Florentines during their extended Carnival season. The cake is flavored with orange zest and extra virgin olive oil and, while it can be made with yeast, this version is leavened with baking soda and can be assembled in about 15 minutes. It's a lovely cake. It's lighter than an American sponge cake and it has an unusual, but very pleasant, fruity flavor. It is best served for dessert and it's wonderful with a slightly sweet fortified wine. I learned to make a version of this cake in the kitchen of an Italian neighbor when I was a child. There are, literally, hundreds of recipes for this treat. I like this one because it so nicely blends the flavors of the Tuscan orange and olive groves. Be sure to use extra virgin olive oil if you decide to make this. Anything else would be too strong for a dessert cake. It is also very important to make sure the cake is completely cooked before it's removed from the oven. Test in several areas, not just in the center of the cake. This is a moist cake and will stay fresh for several days if properly wrapped and refrigerated. Oh, before I forget, schiacciata is pronounced ski-ah-CHA-ta. I'm quite sensitive to this. I was able to make the cake long before I could pronounce its name and there was a lot of good natured teasing at my expense. Here's the recipe.

Florentine Schiacciata - Carnival Cake...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite and La Cucina Italiana

Ingredients:
2 eggs
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons finely grated orange zest
1 tablespoon orange juice
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1-1/2 cups whole milk
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
Confectioners' sugar for dusting cake

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line the bottom of a 9 x 9 x 2-inch pan with wax or parchment paper. Grease and flour pan. Set aside.
2) Whisk eggs, sugar, orange zest and juice in a large bowl. Combine olive oil and milk in a two cup measure. Whisk into egg mixture. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Fold into egg mixture until smooth. Pour into prepared pan.
3) Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until done. Cool on a wire rack for ten minutes before removing from pan. Invert on rack to complete cooling. Sprinkle a liberal layer of confectioners' sugar over top of cake before serving. Yield: 9 servings.

You might also enjoy these recipes:

Mediterranean Chocolate Cake with Lemon and Olive Oil - One Perfect Bite
Biscotti Regina - One Perfect Bite
Pizzelles - One Perfect Bite

Warm Gingerbread with Lemon Sauce

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...We're not hosting a Super Bowl party this year, but I've been asked to bring dessert to the one we're attending. The food being served is hearty, so I want to keep dessert as simple as possible with disappointing anyone. I've decided to do his and her cakes. Earlier this year I made Key Lime and White Chocolate Cake Squares. They proved to be one of my most popular recipes and I plan to make them for the gals this weekend. I decided to do gingerbread and lemon sauce for their husbands. I settled on an adaption of John Thorne's Moosehead Lake Gingerbread, a Maine hunting camp recipe that uses black pepper, dry mustard, and bacon grease. This is gingerbread with attitude. It's moist and fragrant and has rich color thanks to copious quantities of molasses, coffee and dark spices. You'll be glad to hear that bacon grease, while authentic and part of the original recipe, isn't used in this version. Back in the day, few guides had butter but they did have drippings and used them to cook and bake. The spices, mustard and black pepper were used to mask the flavor of the fat. I serve the gingerbread with lemon sauce because I love the pairing of those flavors. I suspect the lemon sauce never saw the light of day in the camps. The cake and the sauce are easy to do. I know that those of you who like strong flavors will love this. Here's the recipe.

Gingerbread with Lemon Sauce...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite, inspired by John Thorne and Maida Heatter

Ingredients:
Gingerbread
3-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoons salt
1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2-1/4 teaspoons ground ginger
3/4 teaspoon ground cloves
3/4 teaspoon dry mustard
3/4 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 cup butter, room temperature
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
3 eggs
1-1/2 cups dark molasses
2 tablespoons instant coffee
1-1/2 cups boiling water
Lemon Sauce
2 teaspoons lemon zest
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1-1/3 cups water
2 tablespoons butter

Directions:
1) To make gingerbread: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Butter a 9 x 13-inch pan. Dust with fine dry breadcrumbs. Combine flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, mustard and pepper in a large bowl. Whisk to mix and lighten. Beat butter with brown sugar in the bowl of an electric stand mixer for 1 to 2 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add molasses and beat until smooth. Dissolve instant coffee in boiling water. With mixer on low speed, alternately add dry ingredients in three additions and coffee, which should be hot, in two additions. Begin and end with flour mixture. Beat only until smooth. Pour into prepared pan. Bake in center of oven for about 35 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in center of cake comes out clean. Cool on a rack for 10 minutes. Invert cake onto another rack and remove pan. Invert again. Serve warm with lemon sauce. Yield: 16 servings.
2) To make lemon sauce: Whisk sugar and cornstarch in a 2-quart sauce pan. Add lemon juice, zest, water and butter. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring constantly. Boil for 1 minute. Serve warm. Yield: 2-1/2 cups.

Cook's Note: If you want your lemon sauce to be a vibrant yellow, add 1 or 2 egg yolks to the sauce after it has thickened. A drop of yellow food coloring can also be used.

This recipe is being linked to:
Designs By Gollum - Foodie Friday

Self-Frosting Chocolate Cake - Blue Monday

Two ways to have fun.



From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...If you're looking for a dessert to serve on Valentine's Day, you might want to try this self-frosting chocolate cake. It's really easy to do and can be made as one large, or eight smaller, portion controlled, cakes. I always opt for the latter. It helps prevent me from overeating, which I have, on occasion, been known to do. The cake can be made a day before serving as long as you follow the directions for reheating that are in the recipe. If you decide to make this, be sure to use the finest bittersweet chocolate and raspberry jam available to you. This is one of those recipes where quality really pays off. If you like ease of preparation, the taste of bittersweet chocolate and raspberries, you'll love this treat. Just remember this is a dessert that should be served warm, and that means the cakes, large or small, can't be unmolded until you are ready to serve them. If you carefully follow the recipe instructions and say a prayer or two or three, you'll have no problems. I make these for family and good friends. I have, over the years, become a very relaxed hostess. If you do a great deal of formal entertaining, I have a caution for you. While these are luscious, they are probably too homely for a more formal dinner party. Here's the recipe.

Self-Frosting Chocolate Cake...from the kitchen of One perfect Bite, inspired by Epicurious.com

Ingredients:
Frosting
3 ounces fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened)
1/2 cup seedless raspberry jam (about 5 ounce)
1/2 cup heavy cream
Cake Batter
1/2 cup boiling water
1/3 cup plus 2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa
powder (not Dutch process)
1/4 cup whole milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup seedless raspberry jam (about 3 1/2 ounce)
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 pint raspberries (for garnish)

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Generously butter a 9 x 2-inch round cake pan or 8 (8-oz.) custard cups. Set aside.
2) To make frosting: Break chocolate into small pieces. Place in a small saucepan with raspberry jam and cream. Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally, until smooth. If making one large cake, pour mixture into prepared pan. If making individual cakes, pour an equal portion of mixture into each custard cup. Set aside.
3) To make cake batter: Whisk boiling water and cocoa powder together until smooth. Whisk in milk, vanilla extract and jam. Place butter and both sugars in a large bowl Beat with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Sift flour, baking soda and salt into another bowl. Add to egg mixture in batches alternately with cocoa mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat well after each addition. Pour an equal portion of batter over frosting. If making one large cake, bake in center of oven for 30 to 35 minutes. If making individual cakes, bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Use a cake tester to check for doneness. Remember frosting will still be liquid. Transfer pan or custard cups to a wire rack. Let cool for 10 to 20 minutes. Cake may be made 1 day ahead, cooled completely in pan and left in pan, covered, at room temperature. Reheat cake, uncovered, at 350 degrees F for 10 to 15 minutes.
4) To unmold: Run a thin knife around edge of pan and twist pan gently back and forth on a flat surface to loosen cake. Invert a cake plate with a slight lip over cake pan and holding pan and plate together with both hands, invert cake onto plate. Serve cake garnished with raspberries if desired. Yield: 8 servings

This post is being linked to:
Smiling Sally - Blue Monday

Southern Nut Cake

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Fruit cake is a misunderstood confection. While we love it, most of our guests move it around their plates or hide it under napkins when they don't think we are looking. If your first bite of fruit cake was a disaster, chances are I'll never be able to convince you of its merits. That's a shame because a well aged fruit cake is a wondrous mix of jeweled and drunken fruit suspended in a spare but flavorful batter. In order to please our guests I periodically seek out recipes for Christmas cakes and puddings that might have more universal appeal. This year I decided to try Maida Heatter's Southern Nut Cake. I'm happy to report it is a lovely cake and it has been well received by those who've tried it. I thought the cake was dry when I first sampled it, so I wrapped it in brandy soaked cheese cloth and let it sit for several days before serving. That did the trick. If you are looking for a fruitless fruit cake, you'll love this nut extravaganza. While it is expensive to make, it's easy to do and would make a marvelous addition to your Christmas table. Here's the recipe.

Southern Nut Cake...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite, courtesy of Maida Heatter

Ingredients:
1 pound toasted walnuts, broken in large pieces
1 pound toasted pecans, broken in large pieces
3-1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons double acting baking powder
1/2 teaspoon mace
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup brandy or bourbon, divided use
1 cup butter, room temperature
2 cups granulated sugar
6 large eggs

Directions:
1) Move an oven rack to lower third of oven. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Butter a 10 x 4-inch tube pan. Line bottom with parchment paper. Butter paper and dust pan with fine dried bread crumbs. Set aside.
2) Place walnuts and pecans into a very large mixing bowl or roasting pan.
3) Combine flour, baking powder, mace and salt in another bowl. Whisk to combine.
4) Combine milk and 1/4 cup brandy or bourbon in another bowl. Set aside.
5) Cream butter in large bowl of an electric mixer. Add sugar and beat at moderate speed for two or three minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating each until incorporated. Increase speed and beat until light and fluffy.
6) On low speed alternately add flour mixture in three additions and milk mixture in two, beating only until smooth after each addition. Pour batter over nuts and mix with your hands or a wooden spoon until nuts are coated with batter. Turn batter into prepared pan, smoothing top to even.
7) Bake for 1-3/4 hours or until cake tester inserted in center of cake comes out clean. Transfer cake to a cooling rack. While cake is still hot brush top with reserved 1/4 cup brandy or bourbon. Let cake cool in pan for 20 minutes. Cover cake with a cooling rack and invert to remove paper. Invert again and cool in upright position. Let cake age for 24 hours before serving. Yield: 16 servings.

Kris Kringle Ginger Cakes and Baby Jesus Birthday Cake - Foodie Friday

Kris Kringle Ginger Cakes with Green Cardamom Icing



Baby Jesus Birthday Cake and the Christmas Pageant Link

All families develop Christmas traditions that are passed from one generation to the next. I suspect that any of us expecting a visit from Santa, set out a "little something" to help ease the burden of that heavy sack and sustain him through the journey of the night. Our Santa, spoiled rotten, looked forward to hot buttered rum and a Scandinavian or German treasure. I happen to adore ginger bread, so Santa, too, learned to love it. These ginger cakes are lovely. My only caution is not to get carried away with the lemon zest. Too much will bury the wonderful flavors of ginger and cardamom that set these cupcakes apart from others like them. They are really easy to do, as you'll see when peruse the recipe. If there are small children in the house use multi-colored sprinkles to decorate the cake. Adults, who don't seem to know how to have fun, prefer crystallized ginger. Pity, that!

I've also decide to resurrect the story of the Christmas pageant and our family's Baby Jesus Cake. Of all we wrote and published last year, this proved to be our most popular entry. I hope those of you who were with us last year will revisit it and those of you who joined us after the holidays will follow the link above to the recipe and the stories that accompany it.

Kris Kringle Ginger Cakes with Green Cardamom Icing...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup molasses
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup boiling water
1 teaspoon baking soda
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest
1/4 teaspoon salt
Cardamom Cream Cheese Frosting:
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1-1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest
1 teaspoon ground green cardamom

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 12 standard-size muffin cups or line them with paper cups.
2) Cream butter and brown sugar in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in molasses, egg, and vanilla.
3) In a small bowl, stir together boiling water and baking soda until dissolved. Stir baking soda water into molasses mixture.
4) Sift flour, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, lemon zest, and salt into a small bowl.
5) Whisk flour mixture into the molasses mixture until batter is combined.
6) Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups. Bake cupcakes until a toothpick inserted in center of one or two of them comes out clean, about 20 minutes.
7) While cupcakes are baking, make frosting. Cream together cream cheese and sugar in a medium mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla. Add lemon juice, lemon zest, and cardamom and beat until fluffy and smooth. Chill frosting until ready to use.
8) Remove cupcakes from oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan. Place cupcakes on a rack to cool for 30 minutes. Spread cream cheese frosting generously over cooled cupcakes. Yield: 12 servings.

This recipe is being linked to:
Designs By Gollum - Foodie Friday

Recipe adapted from The Spice Kitchen by Sara Engram and Katie Luber