Cinnamon Swirl Bread

There is nothing like the smell of bread baking in the oven.

 

Yummy!

recipe here

Peach Kuchen

I have been fighting a cold lately and have not felt much like baking.   Today I felt much better and thought that I would give this simple coffee cake a go....and besides, I am aching for summertime to get here so I thought that some peaches would be a wonderful choice.   This kuchen is quite biscuit-like and reminisant of an upside down cake from the brown sugar syrup that was poured over the cake before baking.  The cake was fluffy and moist and the edges were crispy and gooey. It took no time to put together and bake.  A good choice!  It would be awesome served with ice cream for dessert.

South Dakota Peach Kuchen
Midwest Living

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
1/4 t ground nutmeg or cinnamon
1/4 cup butter
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup milk
2 cups sliced peaches or frozen unsweetened peach slices, thawed and well drained on paper towels
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 T light corn syrup
1 T butter
1 t lemon juice
Vanilla or peach ice cream

Grease and flour a 9-inch springform or 9x9x2 inch baking pan.  In bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and nutmeg.  Using pastry blender, cut in 1/4 cup butter to resemble coarse crumbs; make well in center.  In small bowl mix egg and milk; add to flour mixture.  Stir just until moistened (it will be lumpy).

Spread into prepared pan.  Halve any large peach slices. Arrange slices over batter.  In saucepan, mix brown sugar, corn syrup, 1 tablespoon butter and juice.  Bring to boiling.  Drizzle over peaches.  Bake in 350 degree oven 40-45 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  Cool in pan on wire rack 15 minutes.  Serve warm for breakfast and with ice cream for dessert.  Serves 9

Dried Cherry Almond Scones

These scones are wonderful.  The lemon rind really brightened up the flavors of the cherries and the almonds.  I have to admit I have never made scones before...they were so easy!  I will surely make them again and again and again!!!  Yum, yum, yum!!

 



Dried Cherry Scones

Anne Burrell

3 cups all purpose flour

1 cup sugar

1 Tbsp. baking powder

1 lemon, zested

pinch salt

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 1/2 sticks of cold butter, cut into pea size pieces

1 cup dried cherries

1/2 cup toasted, sliced almonds

1/2 cup heavy cream

Turbinado sugar, for garnishing

In a small bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, lemon zest, salt and cinnamon.  Add in the butter and rub with your fingers into the dry ingredients until coarse meal forms.  Add in the cherries and the almonds.  Add the heavy cream and combine it into the butter mixture.

Form the dough into a one inch thick disk and cut into 6-8 wedges.  Sprinkle each wedge generously with the turbinado sugar.  Transfer the wedges to a parchment lined sheet pan and bake in the preheated over for 17 to 18 minutes, turning the pan halfway through.  Serve warm.

ABC Old World Braided Coffee Cake





This months Avid Bakers Challenge offering is a braided coffee cake.  I was a bit nervous about this one, never have made a braided coffee cake before and wasn't really envisioning the process of it all.  After reading the recipe over and over and finding a few tutorials online about how to braid a coffee cake, I felt a little better about giving it a shot.  Everything went well, it was actually very easy.  Mine turned out a bit rustic but nice and brown and quite tasty!  I love this cookbook!!  Looking forward to next months challenge. 

Please click on the ABC badge below and see what the other extraordinary bakers did with this recipe

Double Chocolate Potato Brownies

Even though my Dad has been gone for 40 years, I think of him every day.  Many things remind me of him….a few are black licorice, soft pretzels and the smell of pipe tobacco.  February 26 is his birthday, he would have been 89.  One thing that my dad loved was chocolate, I remember him telling my Mom that he loved it so much he would eat chocolate mashed potatoes!   Well, Daddy….these aren’t quite chocolate mashed potatoes but they are the closest that I could find…I think you would approve! 

I wanted to make something with mashed potatoes and chocolate in honor of my Dad's birthday and found this brownie recipe on Cookie Madness.  It was very easy to make and while the brownies weren't as fudgy as I prefer, they had a moist cakiness about them.  The texture was different than your average brownie....but in a very good way!  If you ever have any left over mashed potatoes this is a must try!

Double Chocolate Potato Brownies

6 oz unsalted butter

3 ounce squares unsweetened chocolate

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

4 eggs, room temperature

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup mashed potatoes, unseasoned (meaning no garlic or onion)

1 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

3/4 cups chopped walnuts or pecans

Preheat over to 350 degrees F.  Line a 13"x9" metal pan with foil and grease foil.  Melt butter and chocolate in a medium saucepan over low heat until smooth.  Let cool 15 minutes.  Stir in sugar, eggs, vanilla and salt.  Stir in mashed potatoes until smooth.

Add flour and stir to combine.  Pour into prepared baking pan.

Sprinkle with chocolate chips and nuts.  Bake until brownies are firm when lightly touched, about 25-30 minutes.  Cool on rack.  Cut into squares and serve.  Store in a container that allows air.  Airtight containers will be soggy.

Makes 24 brownies

Pinkalicious Sugar Cookies

My youngest granddaughter will be 2 soon.  It is her turn for me to send her some birthday cookies.  She is such a girly-girl, I thought she might get a kick out of some Pinkalicious cookies.  I used my tried and true sugar cookie recipe and colored it pink.  Then decorated the cookie like the cupcakes in the Pinkalicious books.  I hope they light up her beautiful eyes!

Sugar Roll Out Cookies

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1 cup butter

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 tsp. almond extract

2 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. cream of tartar

Cream sugar and butter.  Mix in egg and flavorings.  Stir dry ingredients together, blend into sugar mixture.  Form a ball, wrap in plastic wrap and put in refrigerator for 2-3 hours.

Heat oven 375 degrees F.  Using half the dough and roll out 1/4" thick.  Bake for 7-8 minutes.

Sugar Cookie Icing

1 cup confectioner sugar

2 tsp. milk

2 tsp. light corn syrup

1/4 tsp. almond extract

assorted food color

In a small bowl, stir together confectioners sugar and milk until smooth.  Beat in corn syrup and almond extract until icing is smooth and glossy. (It was at a good consistency to pipe at this point)  

Divide into separate bowls and add food colorings to each to desired intensity. 

Pinkalicious Cookies for my Pinkalicious Girl!

Happy Birthday Syringa!



Meyer Lemon Cake and Raspberry Macarons

This cake was moist and not too sweet.  To me it was more like a sweet bread than a cake.  Very delicious!  Will definately make it again.

 

Meyer Lemon Cake

1 Tbsp butter, plus 8 tbsp. melted

2 Tbsp fine dry bread crumbs

1/2 cup whole blanched almonds

1 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp. fine salt

1 1/3 cups plus 2 Tbsp sugar

2 eggs

1/2 cup milk, at room temperature

2 Tbsp lemon extract

Zest and juice of 2 Meyer lemons

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease a metal loaf pan with 1 Tbsp butter and dust it with the bread crumbs.  Invert and tap out excess crumbs; set aside.  In a food processor, grind the almonds until very fine, about 1 minute;  set aside.  In a bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt and set aside.

Put remaining butter into a large bowl and add 1 cup of the sugar.  Mix with an electric mixer on low speed until combined, about 1 minute.  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating just long enough to incorporate, about 30 seconds.  Add the flour mixture and milk mixture in 3 batches, beginning and ending with the flour.  Beat until mixed after each addition, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula, about 3 minutes total.  Mix in the lemon extract.  With the spatula, fold in lemon zest and ground almonds. (The mixture will be thin.)  Turn batter into prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean and dry, about 65 minutes.

Transfer the pan to a cooling rack.  Prepare glaze:  Combine remaining sugar and lemon juice in a small saucepan over medium heat and cook, stirring, until sugar is dissolved, about 2 minutes, (Do not boil.)  Brush the glaze over the hot cake.  (The excess liquid my pool along the sides of the pan; it will absorb completely as it sits.)  Once the cake has absorbed all the liquid, turn it out of the pan and allow it to cool upright on a rack.  Once it's cool, wrap the cake with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature for 24 hours before serving.

Raspberry Macarons

Makes about 24 macarons

¾ cup (96 grams) almond flour

1 3/4 cups (201 grams) confectioners’ sugar

2 teaspoons raspberry powder*

3 large egg whites*

3 tablespoons (37 grams) granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Powdered or gel pink food coloring, as needed

Raspberry Swiss Meringue Buttercream:

1/2 cup (3.5 oz/100 g) granulated sugar

2 1/2 large (2.6 oz/75 g) egg whites (to measure the ½ white, beat 1 white in a bowl with a fork and then measure out 1 tablespoon)

1 1/2 tablespoons (22 ml) water

1 cups (2 sticks/8 oz/227 g) unsalted butter, slightly softened

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

¼ cup raspberry puree (puree fresh or thawed frozen berries and pass through a fine sieve)

Optional Garnish:

Raspberry powder

*Note: If you have time, it’s best to ‘age’ your egg whites before using them. Separate the whites, then store them in the refrigerator in a covered container for 48 hours. Bring them to room temperature before using.

Make the macarons:

1. Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper.

2. In a food processor, process the almonds with the confectioners’ sugar and raspberry powder until well blended. Sift the mixture through a medium-mesh sieve into a bowl.

3. In the bowl of an electric mixer, using the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites on high speed until foamy. Very gradually add the granulated sugar and beat until stiff and glossy. Add the vanilla and food coloring and mix until blended and you have the right color.

4. Add half of the sifted almond mixture and fold it in with a spatula. Add the remaining almond mixture and mix it in a light circular motion. Press and spread out the batter against the side of the bowl. Scoop the batter from the bottom of the bowl and turn it upside down. Repeat this motion about 20-25 times. When the batter becomes nicely firm and flows slowly as you scoop it with the spatula, it is ready to be piped. (When you spoon a little on the baking sheet, it should not form a peak.)

5. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 375° F. Fit a pastry bag with a .4-inch plain tip (Ateco #4). Scrape the batter into the bag. Pipe out 1-inch rounds of batter onto the prepared baking sheet, spacing them ½ inch apart. Rap the baking sheet firmly against the counter. Dry the batter at room temperature, uncovered, for 20 minutes.

6. Stack the baking sheet with the macarons on it on another baking sheet. Place both sheets, stacked, in the oven and bake the macarons for 13-16 minutes, until slightly crisp (they will crisp more upon cooling). Cool completely on a wire rack.

Make the buttercream:

7. Pour enough water into a skillet so that it comes 1/2-inch up its sides. Bring the water to a simmer; reduce the heat to medium-low to maintain a simmer.

8. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the sugar, egg whites, and water. Place the bowl in the skillet of water and whisk gently until the mixture registers 160°F on an instant-read thermometer.

9. Transfer the bowl to the mixer stand and, using the whisk attachment, beat at medium-high speed until the meringue is cool and forms stiff, shiny peaks, about 5 minutes.

10. Reduce the speed to medium and beat in the butter, one tablespoon at a time. Beat in the vanilla. Beat at high speed until the buttercream is smooth, about 1 minute. Beat in the raspberry puree until combined.

Assemble the macarons:

11. Scrape the buttercream into a pastry bag fitted with a .4 inch plain tip (about the same size as you used to pipe the macarons).  Pipe a grape-sized dollop of buttercream onto the underside of a macaron. Gently press the underside of another macaron against the buttercream until it spreads almost to the edge. Repeat with the remaining macarons and buttercream. If you like, lightly sprinkle some raspberry powder through a fine sieve onto the top of the macarons. Store the macarons in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

I am getting there!

A pretty sexy and tasty macaron!