Almond Raspberry Baby Cake

Well it is finally March, which calls for a celebration! Spring is on it's way! I have been super behind putting this cake recipe up with more of Ella Newman's darling photo's, but i'm finally getting around to it! This cake is so delicious there is nothing better than the combination of raspberries and almond, it's a match made in heaven. For the base of this cake I used a great recipe from livforcake.com and it is oh so good, she knew what she was doing with this one. I just added some almond flavor and more raspberry and put my own little spin on it. It's hard to find a good white cake recipe and I think this is just that! 

White Cake from livforcake

1 1/2 cups cake flour sifted

2 teaspoons baking powder 

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 oz. room temperature butter 

3/4 cups granulated sugar 

1 large egg 

1/2 cup milk 

1 teaspoon vanilla (I add a tsp of almond extract as well)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk all dry ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside. Cream butter, and sugar on medium high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add egg and vanilla, and almond if using, and mix until combined. Alternate adding flour mixture and milk to butter mixture, beginning and ending with flour. Divide batter evenly amongst your pans and bake for 25-30 minutes. You don't want to overcook because the cake dries out quickly so watch them closely. She baked them in three 4"x3" cake pans, I baked it in two pans one slightly bigger than 4"x3" and one slightly smaller, so it evened out. Just remember when you're thinking what pans you want to use this recipe doesn't make enough for 2 standard round pans.

Raspberry Buttercream

1 stick softened butter

2 cups powdered sugar (may need a little more or less)

2-4 tablespoons milk 

3 tablespoons raspberry jam 

1 teaspoon almond flavoring 

red food coloring (optional)

To make your butter cream whip the softened butter in a stand mixer at medium speed. Slowly begin to add 1 cup of the powdered sugar until it is well combined, it will seem really thick. Add a couple tablespoons of milk and mix again, then add the last cup of powdered sugar. After mixing the sugar in you may need another tablespoon of milk. You want it to be thick but spreadable. Lastly, stir in the almond extract and raspberry jam. You can leave it as is, it will be a muted purple color, or you can add a drop of red food coloring to give it a more pink hue, which is what I did.

*** Here are my tips to go about frosting the cake, these steps will insure your cake looks flawless!

1. I put the cake in the freezer wrapped in plastic wrap for about an hour so it was nice and cold and didn't crumble when I cut or frost it.

2. I then sliced the 2 layers in half so I had a total of 4 layers. Slather raspberry jam in-between the layers before you stack the cake and frost it.

3. I started with a crumb coat, or in other words just a thin layer of frosting that holds all the crumbs in. After you apply this thin layer pop it in the fridge for 30 minutes to an hour so it can harden up.

4. Pull it out of the fridge and top with your final frosting layer, it can be a little on the thicker side so you don't scrape into the crumb coating. Finally top with raspberries and you're ready to celebrate!

Pear and Cranberry Turnovers

There's nothing like Fall to get you in the mood to bake all the things! I think it has to be one of my favorite seasons... I say that about every season, but really, Fall is up there. So, with these cold, wet days we've had lately I am in the mood for cozy, warm treats. These turnovers are just that, cozy and warm. Do you remember those cherry turnovers that came in a little box in the dairy section you could buy and they would puff up so pretty in the oven and then you would drown them in the packet of white sweet icing? Anyone?? Well anyway, my mom used to make those for me and my brother when we were little, and then one day they disappeared. So in honer of that memory, here are some turnovers that remind me lots of those, but with Fall flavors. They are so easy, with a ready made dough, so all you have to do is make the filling. Also, pears....  I always forget how delicious they are until I eat one again - they are so good! The cranberries are so pretty and add that cherry taste/feeling I remember from my childhood. All in all, these are delicious and could be making your kitchen smell like Fall in no time. 

Pear and Cranberry Turnovers

-makes 12 turnovers

• 3-4 ripe pears 
• 1/3 cup cranberries 
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar 
• 1/4 cup water 
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon 
• pinch of salt
• 1-2 tablespoons flour
• frozen puff pastry 
• 1 egg

Glaze 

• 1 cup sugar 
• 1-3 tablespoons of milk 

To start, preheat your oven to 375 degrees and peel your pears, then cut them into bite size pieces. Remember, if the pears are too big they won't fit in the turnovers. Throw the pears in a pan with the cranberries and add the water and sugar. Cook over medium high heat for about 5 minutes, then add the cinnamon and salt and cook for another 5-10 minutes. Stir often, until the pears are just softened. Lastly, stir in the flour and turn heat to high. It should take just a couple minutes before you see the juices thickening into a syrupy sauce, then turn off the heat. Let the filling cool while you unfold your pastry and prepare the dough. When you unfold the pastry it will be a rectangle shape. Cut about an inch or two off the top so the dough is a square, then cut it into 3 strips vertically and in half across so you have 6 little squares to fill. Then, spoon a tablespoon or so of filling into each one, fold diagonally and crimp with a fork. 

Set your turnovers on a baking sheet. I usually do 6 to a sheet just so they have room to puff. You will need both sheets of puff pastry to make the total twelve. Whisk your egg up with a few drops of water and brush it liberally over the tops of the turnovers. Bake them in an oven at 375 degrees for 18-20 minutes, or until golden brown.

Once they are out of the oven, wait 10 minutes before glazing - if they are too warm, the glaze won't stick. To make the glaze, just mix your sugar and milk. Add just a tablespoon of milk to start and keep adding until its just combined. You are going for a thick glaze, so don't add too much milk. Also, in my opinion, the more glaze the better, just like when I was a kid... (Now eat immediately, while they are still warm and gooey on the inside!) You will have extra filling, which is great over ice cream, pound cake, or just eaten with a spoon!

*** A note about puff pastry- you can find it in the frozen foods isle. I always use Pepperidge Farms brand. It comes with two sheets of pastry that have to be thawed overnight in the fridge, or I set it out on the counter a few hours before I make something to thaw a little faster. It's a great easy dough that is my 'go to' when I need flakey layers of puffy, buttery goodness! 

Buttermilk Cake with Caramelized Bananas and Whipped Cream

I am so sick of this cold weather. I'm ready for spring and fresh vegetables that aren't squash. I've felt really uninspired lately in my cooking which always frustrates me, but I think its this awkward in-between of seasons that does it to me. There is nothing really in season and I'm ready to be done with winter comfort food so I feel stuck! But that is when dessert always pulls through, something sweet will never fail to brighten my day. This buttermilk cake is so good and full of comfort! it's thick and dense like a pound cake with a slight tang from the buttermilk. The sweet bananas are the perfect complement to this cake, since it's not very sweet itself, and then whipped cream...it just makes everything better. This cake is also super good spread with raspberry jam and cream for a more english take on a classic pound cake. Anyway, I hope you will bake this cake and that your winter blues will fade away with each delicious bite!

Buttermilk Cake

-serves 10-

• 2 sticks softened butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 3 room temperature eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 3 cups ap flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup buttermilk

To start, preheat the oven to 350 degrees and butter a 9x13 pan. Begin to cream the butter and sugar in your mixer, mix until well combined and light and fluffy. Add the eggs 1 at a time and mix until combined and then add the vanilla. Sift the dry ingredients into a separate bowl and then add them in 3 parts, alternating with the cup of buttermilk. Mix until just combined and scrape the sides down with a spatula. Pour into your pan and bake for 45 minutes to an hour, depending on your oven and the size of your pan. If you use a 9x13 it should be done at around 50 minutes, just to the point that a toothpick comes out clean.

Now for the yummiest part - the caramelized bananas!! You can just whip these up last minute, and you're ready to serve. It only takes about 5 minutes and then you have warm bananas and sugar to spoon over your cake!

Caramelized Bananas

• 6 ripe bananas
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 4 tablespoons corn syrup
• 1 cup brown sugar
• sprinkle of sea salt
• teaspoon of vanilla

Slice the bananas and throw them in a saucepan with the butter, corn syrup, and brown sugar. Warm over medium high heat, until the sugars and butter is melted and the bananas are slightly soft, about 5 minutes. Lastly, turn the heat to low and add your sea salt and vanilla. Stir and serve warm over cake or ice cream. Top your cake and bananas with fresh whipped cream and serve immediately!

Fourth of July Cherry Pie

It's that time of year again, the wonderful month of July where summer is at its height and red, white, and blue is everywhere. When I was thinking of what to make for our annual fourth of July BBQ, it couldn't be anything other than a delicious fresh cherry pie! Pitting the cherries may be a labor of love but its all worth it once you see your family and friends faces as they eat this pie.

What makes this pie a special cherry pie, is its yummy cornmeal crust. The slight sweetness of the cornmeal compliments the sour cherries perfectly and it has a perfect texture that stands up to all those yummy cherry juices.

Cornmeal Crust 

2 cups AP flour 

1 cup yellow cornmeal

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 sticks cold unsalted butter, cubed 

1/4 cup ice cold water (plus a few extra tablespoons depending on how dry it seems)

To make the crust, combine all your dry ingredients in a stand mixer and mix on low just to combine. Begin adding your cold butter cubes and let it mix until the butter is the size of peas and the dough has a sand like texture. You can also do this by hand with a pastry blender, but I find the mixer is a little faster, and less messy! After your butter is at the right size, add your water with the mixer on low. It will seem dry but let it keep mixing and it should come together in a dry dough ball. If not, you can add a few extra tablespoons of water. Wrap your dough in plastic wrap and set it in the fridge while you make your filling.

Cherry Pie Filling 

3 1/2 cups pitted red cherries 

1/4 - 1/2 cups granulated sugar (based on the sweetness of your cherries)

1 teaspoon cinnamon 

squeeze of half a lemon 

2 tablespoons cornstarch 

Mix the sugar and cinnamon into your cherries and then add the lemon juice and corn starch. Stir a few times until all is combined and the lemon and cherry juice has mixed with the cornstarch. You can now take your dough out of the fridge, roll it out till its about half an inch thick, and lay it over your pie pan. Just pinch the dough with your fingers or you could also use the prongs of a fork to decorate the edge. Pour cherries into the crust and then you'll have just enough dough left over to make some fun designs on the top. I punched out stars and used some letter cookie cutters. You could adapt this to any holiday or celebration you have in mind. Brush your crust with a simple egg wash and bake at 350 degrees or until the crust is golden brown and the cherries are bubbly. It is an absolute must to serve this warm with cold vanilla ice cream. (But its delicious at room temperature as well.)

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY EVERYONE.