This is so beautiful when done and sitting, sparkling, on the plate. It is almost a shame to cut into it….someone has to do it…oh where are the cake police?
Read through first and then go for it. It is not hard, just extremely delicious and you will want to cut into it before it is done.
Using soft butter, brush the inside of the bundt pan. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup raw sugar (turbinado sugar, easy to buy)
- 2 1/4 cups flour
- 4 tsp. ground ginger
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- pinch of salt
- 1 cup (2 sticks) of soft butter
- 2 cups sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 1 large egg yolk
- 2 tsp. pure vanilla
- 1 generous cup sour cream
- 1 cup chopped crystallized ginger
Brush your bundt pan with the softened butter and sprinkle the raw sugar all over the pan to cover completely.
Whisk all the dry ingredients together in your electric mixing bowl and beat in the 2 sticks of butter until completely smooth.
Add the sugar and beat for about 2 minutes. Add the whole eggs, one at a time beating well after each one to incorporate.
Beat the egg yolk and vanilla into the mixture, scraping the bowl as needed.
Add the flour mixture in three sections, alternating with the sour cream. Mix in the crystallized ginger. CAREFULLY spoon the batter into the bundt pan so not to mess the sugar on the sides.
Bake until a light golden in colour (about 55 minutes) and a cake tester inserted in the middle of the cake will have a few small crumbs on it when removed.
Ever so gentle, tap the bottom edge of the pan on a work surface to dislodge the cake, rotating until loosened. Place rack on top of pan and invert the cake.
Ginger Infused Peaches
- 1 2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and cut into slivers
- 2/3 cup water
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 tsp. fresh lime juice
- 8 cups of peeled, sliced peaches
Combine first 4 ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Boil until it becomes a scant 1 cup liquid. This should be about 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. Strain the syrup over the peach slices and fold them over until all covered.
Do about 2 hours ahead of plating and keep chilled. Slice the cake, and place a generaous amount of the peaches and syrup on the side. Oh, did I forget the whipped cream? Sorry…..add as needed.
Your guests will want to move in now!
Ginger Pecan Cake
I am always trying new things and then, if I like them, pass it along to you.I absolutely love the taste of ginger (from my mom, I guess) and pecans. Together they are a real hit.
This recipe makes 3 x 8 inch round cakes. You can use all three at once, or freeze one and only use two. Your choice. When using all three layers, use thin wooden skewers to prevent the cakes from slipping away. Just remember to take them out when serving.
Read through first, then gather what you need together. Say, first, damn I can do this….
- 2 1/2 cups flour
- 1/2 cup cake flour
- 1 1/2 tbsp. baking powder
- generous pinch of salt
- 1 tbsp. ground ginger
- 1 1/2 cups roasted, finely ground pecans, plus 9 whole ones, also toasted
- 1 1/2 cups butter (3 sticks), room temperature
- 3 cups brown sugar, sifted
- 6 whole large eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 cup, plus 2 tbsp. whole milk
- 3/4 tsp. freshly grated ginger
- 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
- 1 pint creme fraiche
- 2 tsp. white rum
- 3 tbsp. sifted icing sugar
- Glossy Caramel Icing (recipe follows)
- crystallized ginger, cut into thin strips
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter 3 cake pans and place parchment paper circles on the bottom of each pan. Dust with flour, shaking off excess.
Sift together flours, baking powder, salt and ground ginger in a medium sized bowl. Add the ground pecans and whisk together until blended. Set aside.
Cream butter and sugar until really fluffy. Gradually add the sifted brown sugar beating for about 5 minutes un til fluffy. Slowly drizzle the eggs, beating each time until completely blended. This will take about 5 minutes. Scrape the bowl down twice during this 5 minutes.
On low speed, alternate adding the flour mixture and milk to the egg mixture, finishing with flour. Scrape the bowl down a few times. add the grated ginger and vanilla.
Now divide the batter equally in the three pans and bake for 30 minutes, rotating the pans for even browning. (Use two racks in the oven or use your convection oven temperature) Now bake for another 8-10 minutes further. Test for doneness and remove to racks to cool for about 15 minutes. Remove from the cake pans and continue cooling on the racks.
While the cakes are cooling, whip the creme fraiche until soft peaks form. Add the rum and icing sugar and beat until the soft peaks return. Add more icing sugar to taste if you think it is needed.
To assemble, remove the parchment paper from bottom of each layer. Get out your prettiest cake plate and put one layer (top down) and cover with 1/2 of the creme fraiche mixture. Place the second layer on top and cover with the remaining creme fraiche. Place the ‘best’ layer on top.
Now would be a good time to add three wooden skewers and place in the fridge so you can take the next (and final) steps to presenting the most delicious and beautiful cake.
Shiny Caramel Icing
When making this icing, be very careful not to get the sugar too hot. It will become far too brittle if you do and that is not what you want.
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 3/4 cup whipping cream
Put the sugar in a skillet and let cook until it melts and turns golden in colour. This should take, maybe, 3 minutes. As this melts, stir using the back of a wooden spoon. Use a candy thermometer until the temperature reaches 310 degrees. (about 4 minutes)
S-L-O-W-LY add the cream (it will splatter) stirring with a wooden spoon. Reduce the heat and the now hardened caramel will melt and become softer. Use a whisk slowly to reduce the bubbles and it becomes smooth.
Let cool off the stove for about 3-4 minutes and pour over the chilled cake. Sprinkle with a few of the candies ginger strips. OMG…done!
Remember to say….damn I DID it. You and your guests will love this one. Oh…..where did I put my glass?
French Meringue
This is the last of the three meringue recipes. This is the French method. Easy but it does take a long time in a very low oven temperature. You can add colouring and/or flavour of your choice to this recipe and make it your own.
- 4 egg whites
- 2 1/4 cups icing sugar (sifted)
Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Butter and flour a baking sheet or use parchment paper.
In a bowl, whip egg whites to foamy and sprinkle a little of the sifted sugar at a time, while keeping the speed of the mixer at medium. When it becomes stiff and looks like satin, stop mixing and transfer to a pastry bag. Pipe the meringue using a large round or star tip.
Place tray in the oven and place a wooden spoon handle in the door so it won’t close all the way.
Bake for 3 hours or until completely dry. Allow to cool completely before storing in an airtight container at room temperataure.
Italian Meringue
Were you aware there were three types of meringues? I didn’t either. Each one is similar but uses different methods. They are: Swiss, Italian and French. Today we are going with the Italian meringue.
The Italian Meringue starts out by making a sugar syrup and adding to egg whites. This is a stable foam, very creamy and smooth which makes it an excellent meringue for topping pies or decorating cakes.
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 cup, plus 2 tbsp. sugar
- 4 egg whites
- Candy thermometer (to check sugar syrup)
While the sugar and water are cooking, beat your egg whites and 2 tbsp. sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer until soft peaks form.
Pour the water and sugar into a small saucepan. Stir to blend and bring it to a boil over high heat and cook for 3 minutes. The thermomter should register 240 degrees. Remove from heat and cover pot with a lid.
When the 240 degrees are reached, now beat the egg whites to stiff peaks, reduce the speed and slowly add the hot syrup into the whites. Beat this until the meringue is cool and VERY stiff.
Note: To make sure you get the best results with your meringue, egg whites should be room temperature. Do not over beat these. Just add a pinch of cream of tartar and this will help stabalize the egg whites.
Great when making Lemon Meringue Pie or tarts. Go for it. Oh yeah, put on a pot of tea and invite a friend or two over.
Carrot/Pecan Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting
Everyone has their favourite recipe and this just might be a new one to try the next time you have too many carrots in the refrigerator.
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 cup Crisco oil
- 3 large eggs
- 1 1/3 cup flour
- 1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1/4 cup chopped candied ginger
- pinch of salt
- 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla
- 2 cups grated carrots
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans
In a large mixing bowl, beat the sugars and oil. When blended, add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Stir this into the egg mixture. Add the vanilla and stir to blend. Add the grated carrots, candied ginger and pecans and stir well.
Spread into a greased 9 inch square pan. Bake for about 35-40 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Check with a toothpick in the center of the cake to ensure it is done. Cool on a rack.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 4 ounces of Philadelphia Cream Cheese, softened
- 1/4 cup butter, room temperature
- 1 tsp. pure vanilla
- 2 cups icing sugar
Beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla until completely smooth. Slowly add the icing sugar and keep beating until completely smooth.
Frost the cake and keep in the refrigerator.
This is a moist, flavourful and wonderful version of a family favourite. The icing is as good as the cake. Try it, you’ll see.
Holiday Ice Cream Cake With Pistachios And Cranberries
Okay, I know you can go out and order an ice cream cake but, I can assure you, you won’t get one that tastes this good, has no additives added, is made with only the best ingredients, costs so little and makes you the “Queen” of the damn I can do this challenge…..to yourself. Ready?
This is in case you need an alternative to the normal pumpkin pie OR you need two desserts…..yikes!!
- 1 1/2 cups chocolate cookie crumbs
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries
- 1/2 cup white corn syrup
- 1/3 cup berry sugar
- 1/3 cup water
- 6 cups of Chapman’s or Tillamook Vanilla ice cream (‘cuz they are the best)
- 3/4 cup chopped pistachios, toasted
In a small bowl, mix the cookie crumbs and butter together and pat into the bottom of an 8 inch springform pan. Freeze for one hour.
In a saucepan put the cranberries, corn syrup, sugar and water and simmer for about 10 minutes, until softened. Transfer to your blender and CAREFULLY puree until smooth. Pour into a bowl and refrigerate for about 30 minutes or until cold.
With your ice cream scoop, scoop one half of the ice cream onto the cookie crumb base of the springform pan. Spoon all but 1/4 cup of the cranberries over the ice cream; save 2 tbsp. of the chopped pistachios and set aside. Sprinkle the remaining pistachios over the cranberries. Freeze this mixture for about 30 – 45 minutes.
Put the remaining three cups of ice cream in the refrigerator to soften up. Spread the ice cream over the nuts. drizzle with the remaining cranberry puree. With the tip of your paring knife, run swirls through the puree and ice cream to make pretty swirls on top. Sprinkle with the remaining pistachios. Cover this with plastic wrap and freeze for at least 7-8 hours.
When ready to serve, place in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes to soften up. If not using for Christmas, save and use it for your New Years Celebrations.
“Damn I did this” is ringing a bell in your heart, isn’t it? You bet it is. Take a well deserved bow.
Hazelnut Cream Cake
This is a superb “show off” dessert for company. You must make it the day before for the cake and flavours to set and reach their peak.
It is made with a cake mix so it cuts the time in half.
- 1- 2 layer lemon cake mix
- 1 tsp. grated lemon zest
- 1/3 cup Nutella spread
- 1/3 cup fresh, whole ricotta cheese
- 1/3 cup raspberry jam (seedless)
- 1 1/2 cups whipping cream
- 2 tbsp. icing sugar
- toasted hazelnuts, crushed
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour three (3) round cake pans and set aside while you put the ingredients together.
Prepare the cake mix using water, oil and eggs as directed on the package. Stir in the lemon peel.
Divide the batter into three pans. If you only have two pans, cover the remaining batter with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator. Bake about 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. (Honest)!
Remove the cakes from the pans and cool completely on racks.
For the filling, stir together the Nutella and the drained ricotta cheese. Place one layer of the cake on a platter and spread one half of the jam on the top. Then on the bottom of the second cake, spread one half of the Nutella spread. and put together. On the top of the second layer, spread with the remaining jam and on the bottom of the third layer, spread the remaining utella spread and put together.
Whip the cream and icing sugar together until stiff peaks form. Cover the sides and top of the cake. Sprinkle the crushed hazelnuts over the top. Cover and set in the refrigerator to chill for 24 hours.
Need I say “Yummy?” You can say “damn I can do this”.
Pistachio Pound Cake
Here is another dessert that will make you look like a real professional baker. Yum to the nth degree.
And this is the cake before I got to the garnish!
- 1 1/4 cup pistachio nuts, chopped
- 1 1/4 cup dried mango, chopped
- 2 1/2 cups flour
- pinch of salt
- 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp. baking soda
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 2 cups sugar
- 6 eggs
- 1/4 plus 1 tbsp. sour cream
- 1/4 cup mango nectar
- 2 tsp. pure vanilla
- 1/4 cup mango jam
- 1 tbsp. mango nectar
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and lightly flour one 10 x 10 square tube pan or two 8 x 8 inch square baking pans.
In a small bowl, toss the nuts and the dried mangoes with 1/4 cup of the flour. Set this aside. In another bowl, mix together the remaining flour, salt, baking powder, ginger and baking soda.
In your mixing bowl, beat the butter for about 30-35 seconds. Gradually add the sugar, beating until fluffy. This should take about 10 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating until incorporated.
With the mixer on low speed, add the sour cream, the 1/4 cup of nectar and the vanilla. Add the flour mixture, beating only until just blended.
By hand, mix in the nut mixture. Pour into the cake pan and bake for about 50-55 minutes. check with a wooden toothpick to ensure it is completely done.
Remove to a rack and cool completely.
Glaze
Whole pistachio nuts
fresh mango
For the glaze, snip any large fruit pieces in the jam. Combine with 1 tbsp. nectar in the microwave. Cook on high for 30-40 sec onds. Brush the warm glaze over the top of the c ake. Let stand until firm. Garnish with the whole nuts and mango pieces.
The picture is before adding the fresh fruit garnish.
Orange Pound Cake
Pound cake is a wonderful “just in case” cake to have in the freezer. Bake two…one for now and one for “just in case my mother-in-law should appear”.
- 8 ounces butter
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 3 large egg yolks
- 3 large Blood Oranges, zested
- 1 tsp. orange extract
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- pinch of salt
Allow the ingredients above to be at room temperature for better results.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease 2 loaf pans and set aside.
In your mixer combine the butter and sugar and beat until very light and fluffy. Add the eggs and yolks, 1 at a time and beatinmg until well combined. Add the zest and extract with the flour and salt, 1/2 cup at a time until batter is eally smooth.
Spoon the batter evenly into the prepared pans and bake until the tops dome and are slightly golden. 40-50 minutes. Cool slightly and unmold on wire racks.
Glaze
- 2 cups icing sugar
- 1/4 cup fresh Blood orange juice
With your mixer combine the sugar and juice together then whisk on high until really smooth. After removing cakes from pans, drizzle over each cake. You can add toasted pecans, chopped fine as a garnish on top.
Enjoy, this is a real winner! Just add fresh coffee/tea……hmmmm
Add the orange zest
Cinnamon/White Chocolate Cheesecake
Wow! What a wonderful way to celebrate ANY occasion/reason/excuse to try another cheesecake. Here we go….
- 1 8 oz. package Philadelphia cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 8 oz. container Philadelphia Cinnamon Indulgence cream cheese, room temperature
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 tsp. cinnamon flavouring
- 2 large eggs
- 4 squares good quality white chocolate, chopped, divided
- 1 graham crust (ready-to-use)
Mix the cream cheese, sugar and cinnamon flavouring in your electric mixer until completely smooth. Add the eggs and mix until thoroughly blended. Stir in 1/3 cup of the chopped white chocolate.
Pour into prepared crust. Sprinkle the top with the remaining chopped white chocolate.
Bake in a 350 oven for 35 minutes or until center is ALMOST set. Cool, Refrigerate for at least 3 hours….haha you have to wait.
A little hint would be to place a pan with water on the bottom rack of your oven while baking. It prevents cracking. Also, run a spatula around the edges so when it cools down, it isn’t ‘pulling’ from the sides of your pan…again…no cracks on the surface of your cheesecake. Just sayin’.
Soft Centered Chocolate Cakes
This makes a delightful dessert.
Serves 4
Everyone has this recipe and some even come in a box. This is homemade and much, much better. Read on.
- 8 tbsp unsalted butter, extra for ramekins
- 2 tsp flour
- 4 oz bittersweet chocolate (best you can afford)
- 2 large eggs
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 4 tbsp chocolate liqueur
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Butter four ramekins (four oz. size). Lightly flour and tap out excess. Repeat.
In a metal bowl over a saucepan of simmering water (or double boiler, if you prefer), place the butter and chocolate and heat until it is almost completely melted.
In a electric mixer, beat the eggs, yolks, and sugar until light and thick. Add the liqueur. Add the melted chocolate and beat to combine. Quickly beat in the flour just until combined.
Divide batter among the four dishes. Place on a baking sheet and bake in the oven for about six-seven minutes. At this time, the sides have set, but the center is soft. Invert each mold onto pretty plates and let stand for ten seconds. Unmold by lifting one side of the mold. The cake will fall out on the plate. Add a dollop of whipped cream that has been flavoured with chocolate flavouring or liqueur. Serve immediately.
Note: My husband’s daughter, Suzanne, claims that it can be made a day ahead, covered with saran wrap and put in the fridge. Next day, just bake it as you are eating your dinner. (It doesn’t get much fresher)
Cherry Cake
This is a little bit of a ‘cheater’ cake seeing that you use a cake mix, but the finished product belies that. This is yummy and great for the girls when they show up for coffee. Hint: Keep your windows open while this is baking and your doorbell will probably ring.
- 1- 18 1/4 ounce white cake mix
- 1 cup flour
- 1 package dry yeast (1 tbsp)
- 2/3 cup warm water
- 2 large eggs
- 21 oz. can of cherry pie filling
- 1/3 cup butter
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine 1 1/2 cups cake mix, flour and yeast in a bowl. Add the lukewarm water, stirring until smooth. Stir in the eggs.
Spoon batter into a prepared 13 x 9 inch baking pan. Spoon pie filling carefully over the batter and set aside.
Cut butter into remaining cake, mix with a pastry blender until crumbly. Sprinkle evenly over the pie filling. Bake for 25-30 minutes.
While cake is cooling on a wire rack, prepare the glaze and drizzle over the cake. Cut into squares. Note: If you would prefer Blueberry pie filling….go for it. This truly is a great dessert.
Glaze
- 1 cup sifted icing sugar
- 1 tbsp. corn syrup
- 1 tbsp. water
Mix together until blended and drizzle over the cake. YUM!