The neat thing about this recipe, make muffins instead and you will be a big hit, add some lemon icing on top when hot out of the oven and it melts all down the sides. Trust me, you will love these.
- 3 3/4 cups flour
- 2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- pinch of salt 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter
- 2 1/2 cups sugar
- 7 large eggs, beaten
- 1 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla
- 1 cup milk
- 3/4 tsp. each of lemon and lime grated peel (1 1/2 tsp if just one or the other)
- 1/2 cup poppyseeds
Heat oven to 350 degrees.
Spray muffin tins with butter flavoured pam spray. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.
In your electric mixer cream the butter on medium speed for 2 minutes. Slowly add the sugar and beat for another 4 minutes. Scrape down the bowl to ensure all is blended. Gradually drizzle the eggs and beat until it is smooth and fluffy. Reduce the speed on the mixer and slowly add the flour mixture, alternating with the milk. Be sure to start and end with the flour.
Scrape down the bowl and then add the poppyseeds and citrus zest. Bake for about 25-30 minutes (I use the large muffin tins – I never use the smaller ones) and check at 20 minutes and then every 5 minutes until cooked through.
Remove from oven and let sit for a couple of minutes to cool down, run a knife carefully around the edges and invert. Turn them right-side up and let cool on racks
. Lemon Glaze
- 1 1/2 cup sifted icing sugar
- 3 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon OR lime juice
Place in a bowl and, using a small whisk, mix until completely smooth. Drizzle over hot muffins. YUMMMMMMMMY!
Ginger Pear Upside Down Cake
The combination of the ginger and pear makes this an exquisite dessert to serve company. It is so showy….walk to the table with a smile and say “this is the dessert course,” go back to the kitchen, pat yourself on the back and add a dollop of whipped cream to each slice to be served.
- 2 tbsp. brown sugar
- 3 firm fresh, ripe Bartlett pears
- 1 1/4 cups CAKE flour
- 1 tsp. ground ginger
- 3/4 tsp. baking powder
- 1/4 tsp. baking soda
- pinch of salt
- 3 tbsp. extra light olive oil
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 3/4 tsp. lime zest
- 1 tsp. pure vanilla
- 1 large egg, plus 1 large egg white
- 3/4 cup buttermilk
Preheat 350 degrees. Spray the bottom of a 9 inch round cake pan with butter flavoured Pam spray and sprinkle the brown sugar over the bottom, shaking to distribute evenly.
Peel, core and halve the pears. Slice each half into thin slices and spread evenly over the bottom of the pan in a pretty pattern.
Sift together the flour, ginger, baking powder, baking soda and salt onto a sheet of wax paper. With an electric mixer beat together the oil, sugar, zest, and vanilla in a large bowl. Add the egg and egg white and beat until thick and smooth.
With a spatula, alternating with the buttermilk, fold in the flour mixture, beginning and ending with the flour mixture until just blended.
Pour the batter over the pears, smoothing out to cover the pears completely. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (about 35-40 minutes).
Let cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then invert onto your prettiest cake plate. Let cool even a little longer before slicing. (allow it to set).
Add a dollop of whipped cream, and all I can say is yummy…..yummy!
Chocolate Loaf
This is very rich, moist cake (almost like a mousse) and should be kept in the refrigerator, but oh so good!
- 4 eggs, separated
- 4 x 4 oz. bars of cooking chocolate
- 1/2 cup soft butter
- 3 tsp. sugar
- 4 tbsp. flour
Lightly butter a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan and line with waxed paper.
Place the egg whites in a large bowl and let sit for 1 hour to become room temperature. This will allow the best volume when beaten. Place the yolks in another bowl.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a metal bowl over simmering water, melt the chocolate, stirring occasionally. When smooth, remove from the heat and add the butter. Stir this in with a spoon.
In your mixer, beat the egg whites until stiff. Set aside. With the same mixer, beat the yolks until thick and lemon coloured. Slowly add the sugar, beating constantly. Now add the flour, beating only until just blended.
Stir in the the yolks into the chocolate mixture. With a whisk gently fold this into the egg whites.
Turn into the loaf pan . Reduce the oven to 350 degrees and bake for 25 minutes. When done, remove to a rack to completely cool. This cake will settle down just like a cheesecake. Place in the refrigerator for about 5 hours.
Loosen the cake and then invert onto a serving plate. Garnish with chocolate curls and slice. This will give you 16 slices.
Enjoy!
Chocolate Fudge Cake
When ready to start, make sure you butter and dust a bundt pan with baking cocoa and not flour. The cocoa does a better job of allowing the cake to be released when baked than flour does. (lesson learned here).
- Dusting of baking cocoa
- 1 3/4 cups water
- 2 tsp. instant espresso powder
- 1/4 cup chocolate liqueur or Bailey’s
- 5 oz. unsweetened chocolate
- 1 cup butter
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 cups flour
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp. vanilla
Butter a bundt pan and dust with baking cocoa. Preheat oven to 275 degrees. NO HIGHER!
Simmer the water, espresso coffee and liqueur together for 3 minutes. Now add the chocolate and butter and gently stir over medium heat until melted and smooth. Remove from heat and stir in the sugar and cool for l 3 minutes. Transfer this mixture to your electric mixer and be sure to scrape the bowl, as this is probably going to be the best chocolate cake you will ever eat….just sayin’.
Sift together the flour and baking soda. With the mixer on low, add the flour 1/2 cup at a time and continue beating another minute.
Add the eggs, one at a time, and when completely blended, add the vanilla. The batter will be thin, so don’t panic.
Pour into the bundt pan and bake for 1 hour 20 minutes and check for doneness. If not done, bake a little longer.
Cool on a rack for 20 minutes. DO NOT REFRIGERATE THIS CAKE.
Serve with whipped cream and fresh berries and you will get only oohs and aaahs. So delicious, so moist, so yummy.
Beet Cake With Rhubarb Cream Cheese Icing
Everyone has a recipe for carrot cake….this is similar and the colour will fool you. When making the batter it is, of course, red (looks like a red velvet cake) ..when it is baked, it is not. As far as taste and flavour go, it is hard to beat (excuse the pun). Truly a delicious cake and the icing….WOW!
This recipe is from the Walnut Beach Resort Chef, Justin.
- 2 cups flour
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- 2 tsp. baking soda
- pinch of salt
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
- 4 large eggs
- 1 1/4 cup Crisco oil
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 up brown sugar
- 2 tsp. pure vanilla
- 3 cups grated beets (peeled and grated raw – wear gloves)
Preheat oven to 325 degrees or set your barbecue (that is right) with indirect heat with the far left burner on high and the burner next to it on low. Grease and flour 2 x 8 or 9 inch cake pans.
In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Set aside.
In a large bowl, mix the eggs, oil, sugars and vanilla together.
In three stages, stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until they are just mixed together.
Fold in your grated beets and divide the batter between the two pans equally.
Bake 40-45 minutes in the oven or bake with the lid closed on the barbecue , checking every 15 minutes until done. Test with a toothpick.
Remove and allow to completely cool.
Icing
9 oz. Philadelphia cream cheese
1/2 cup unsalted butter
2 cups sifted icing sugar
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
2 cups rhubarb
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
Take the rhubarb, sugar and water and place in a small pot on the stove. bring to a boil.
Lower the temperature and cook until it becomes thick, like jam. About 30 minutes.
In a mixing bowl, whip the ceam cheese and butter together until smooth and fluffy. Add the sifted icing sugar and vanilla and beat until smooth and fluffy.
Scrape the sides of the bowl down and add the cooled rhubarb jam and mix in.
Add as much of the rhubarb mixture as you like to taste. Put about half of the icing on the top of the bottom layer, place the second cake on top and finish icing.
If making two separate cakes, make the icing 1.5 times to ensure you have enough for both.
Garnish
Take one beet (medium size) and peel then slice very thin on a mandolin (if you have one). In a saucepan of 1 cup water and 1 cup sugar, boil for 4-5 minutes to thicken and cook the beets.
. On a parchment lined cookie sheet, lay out the slices and bake in a 250 oven for 45 minutes or so. They will appear to be a little limp when you first remove them from the cookie sheet, but as they cool, they crisp up (like chips). Put a handful on top of the cake. You devil you, who knew you were so clever?
This is amazing…..try it and I know you will like it.
Pumpkin Loaves
This recipe makes 2 loaves….one for now and one for unexpected company in the future.
- 3 1/2 cups flour
- 2 tsp. baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 3 cups sugar (yes, this is right)
- 2 tsp. cinnamon
- 2 tsp. freshly ground nutmeg
- 4 large eggs, beaten
- 2/3 cup water
- 1 cup Crisco oil
- 2 cups pumpkin puree not pie filling)
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 1/2 cup English toffee bits
Sift dry ingredients in a medium bowl, add the beaten eggs, water, oil and pumpkin. Stir in the toffee bits and pecans until well blended. Grease 2 loaf pans and bake for about 1 1/2 hours in a 350 degree oven.
Check for doneness and let cool on a rack. Remove from the pans. Wrap in saran and, if freezing, insert inside a freezer bag.
Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake
I know. Yesterday I posted a chocolate cake martini….well? This is the perfect companion.
- 1 chocolate cracker crust (store bought is great)
- 6 oz. cream cheese
- 1 can condensed milk
- 1 large egg
- 3 tbsp. lime juice
- 1 tsp. pure vanilla
- 1 cup fresh raspberries
- 2 squares semi-sweet chocolate
- 1/4 + cup whipping cream
- 1 oz. Chocolate Raspberry port
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
With your mixer, beat the cream cheese until fluffy and gradually add in the condensed milk, beating until smooth. Add the egg, lime juice and vanilla. Again, mixing well.
Arrange the raspberries on bottom of the crust. Add more if needed to cover. Slowly pour the cheese mixture over the fruit.
Bake 33-35 minutes until center is almost set. Turn off the heat and leave in the oven to cool down.
In a small saucepan, melt the chocolate and whipping together. Pour in the port and continue stirring until it thickens. Remove from the heat.
Top the cheesecake with the chocolate glaze and cool for 24 hours. Garnish with fresh berries and whipped cream if you wish.
Serve with the chocolate cake martini…Whew! What a dessert.
** Don’t forget to place a pan with water in the bottom of the oven, while baking the cheesecake. It prevents cracking.
Pumpkin Ginger Cheesecake
A few additions to the classic cheesecake using pumpkin and you raise the bar another step up. The use of preserved ginger is awesome.
- 1 1/4 cups gingersnap cookies , crushed
- 2 tbsp. brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1/3 cup melted butter
- 1 1/2 cups canned pumpkin (not pie mix)
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 cubes preserved ginger, chopped fine
- 1 tbsp. juice from preserved ginger
- 1/2 tsp. each nutmeg (freshly grated), 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
- 3 pkgs. Philadelphia cream cheese
- 1/3 cup English toffee bits
- 1 can condensed milk
- 3 large eggs
To make the crust, add the crumbs, sugar, cinnamon and melted butter together and press into a 9 inch springform pan.
Whisk together the pumpkin, sugar, spices, ginger and juice and set aside.
Beat together the cream cheese until fluffy and slowly add in the condensed milk, eggs, toffee bits and the pumpkin mixture. Blend well.
Place a pan in the bottom of the oven, half filled with water. This will allow steam and prevent cracking of the filling. Pour filling into prepared pan and bake in a 325 degree oven for about 50-55 minutes, until the center is set. Turn the heat off and let cool in the oven for 60 minutes and then finish cooling on a rack. Let this sit in the refrigerator overnight. All you need is cinnamon flavoured whipped cream and you have gone another level to finish this off.
Honey Cakes With Pears And Sauce
This allows each person to have their own small cake. It is a recipe for 8 people. It can be you and 7 family/guests or friends OR 8 of you….that means you really like it and don’t want to share. Shame on you! Lucky you!
Poached Pears
- 1 bottle of Gewurztraminer white wine
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 3 inch long piece of fresh ginger, sliced
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
- 4 pears, peeled, halved and cored
Bring wine, sugar, ginger, cinnamon sticks and lemon juice to a boil in a heavy sauepan. Add pear halves and simmer until just tender (12 minutes). Drain well.
Transfer to a work surface and slice lengthwise in 1/2 inch wide wedges. Place 1 sliced pear half in each of the ramekin cups and fan out.
Cakes
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- pinch of salt
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- pinch of ground cloves
- 1 cup honey
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup sour cream
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and butter 8 ramekin cups.
Whisk together the flour, salt, cinnamon, baking soda and cloves in a bowl to blend. Using your eletric mixer, blend together the honey and butter in a large bowl to completely blend. Beat in the sour cream.
Add the dry ingredients and beat to blend. Pour a generous 1/3 cup over the pears and bake for about 25 minutes, until golden . Cool slightly and invert on pretty dessert plates.
Caramel Sauce
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
- 1 cup whipping cream
Stir the water, sugar and lemon juice over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Increase the heat and WITHOUT stirring watch it until it becomes a deep amber (7-8 minutes). Swirl it around the pan and remove from heat.
Slowly add the cream (it will bubble up). If you find any hard caramel bits, simply reheat on low and stir. Drizzle, generously, over the cakes.
Yum, Yum, Yum.
Raspberry Glass Cheesecake
I love cheesecake and, if you serve smaller portions after dinner, everyone will absolutely love this one.
- 1 1/4 cups chocolate cookie crumbs
- 1/3 cup butter, melted
- pinch of cinnamon (secret ingredient)
- 8 oz. dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
- 2 pkg. Philadelphia cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup sugar
- eggs
- 1 tsp. pure vanilla
Assemble 9 inch springform pan with base lip-side down. Stir crumbs with the melted butter and cinnamon until moistened and with the back of a spoon, press the crumbs evenly in the bottom of the pan.
Cover the bottom and sides with tin foil. Press on to adhere and bake crumb base in the oven of 325 degrees for 5-6 minutes and set aside.
Filling
Set a metal bowl over a pot of simmering water and melt the chocolate until smooth and let stand to cool to room temperature.
In your mixing bowl, add the cream cheese with sugar and beat for 3 minutes until silky smooth. Beat in the eggs, one at a time and then add the vanilla. Stir one half of this into the melted chocolate and gently scrape onto the cookie base. Smooth the top and then gently pour the remaining filling on top of that.
Bake in a 325 oven for 60-65 minutes. Turn oven off and let sit in the oven to cool down for one hour. Be sure to put a pan of water in the bottom of the oven to allow for moisture and omit a cracking top. Do not open the oven door when cooling the cheesecake down or it will crack.
Chill in the refrigerator, uncovered until chilled. To keep longer, cover at this point and store no longer than 2 days.
Glaze
1 pkg. frozen raspberries (or blackberries)
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp. unflavoured gelatin
Press the berries through a sieve to make 3/4 cup juice. In a saucepan bring the juice and sugar to boil, stirring for 30 seconds until the sugar has completely dissolved.
In a small bowl, whisk together 1/4 cup of the glaze and gelatin and let this sit for 1 minute. Stir in the remaining raspberry mixture and refrigerate, stirring often for at least 60 minutes until it becomes like liquid honey. Pour this over chilled cake gently spreading to cover the top evenly. Refrigerate for another 60 minutes for this to set.
Good Grief! Not only is this pretty to look at, but it tastes as good as it looks.
Yummy!
Angel Food with Lime and Pistachios
I sometimes like simple and by using an angel food mix, the rest is a total breeze.
Bake the cake according to the instructions and invert to cool. Everyone knows not to butter the cake pan. If you do, it won’t rise up and will fall out when you invert the pan to cool.
Lime Syrup and Glaze
- 4 tbsp. fresh lime juice, divided
- 1/2 cup unsalted, shelled pistachios, chopped fine
- 1/2 cup icing sugar
Combine the sugar and 3 tbsp. lime juice in a small saucepan. Stir over a medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Brush syrup all over the top and sides of the cake. Immediately press the pistachios into the top and sides, pressing lightly for the nuts to adhere.
Stir the powderd sugar with the remaining 1 tbsp. of lime juice until completely smooth. Drizzle over the top of the cake, letting some slide down the sides. Let stand until it sets (about 10-15 minutes).
Transfer to a pretty plate and slice. No licking the plate either.
YUMMY!
Celebration Rum Cake
I had this for the very first time at Michelle’s (Don’s niece) many years ago and, believe me, you will want to devour it all at once. It actually starts with a cake mix, but don’t tell and no one will know.
- 1 cup finely chopped pecans
- 1 yellow cake mix
- 1 pkg. vanilla instant pudding mix
- 4 eggs
- 1/2 cup each of cold water, Crisco oil and light rum
Preheat oven to 325 degrees and grease and flour a 10 inch tube pan or large Bundt pan.
Sprinkle the bottom with the chopped pecans. Mix the remaining ingredients together and beat on medium for about 3 minutes. Pour the batter over the nuts and bake for one hour.
Cool and invert on to a pretty serving plate. With a fork, prick the surface all over.
Rum Glaze
- 1/2 lb. butter (do not use margarine)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup light rum
Melt butter in saucepan and stir in the water and sugar. Boil for a full 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and VERY CAREFULLY add the rum. Now carefully drizzle the glaze over the top and down the sides. This will take a little time but repeat until ALL the glaze is used up.
I promise you, add a dollop of whipped cream and this will become your very favourite birthday cake, or anniversary, or Sunday evening dinner or OMG breakfast….get the idea?