Neapolitan Cake

The idea for this cake came from another baking blog, but the description of their cake said that it was light and fluffy and, frankly, that just isn't how I like my cake.  I prefer a cake that is dense and nicely textured.  It also seemed to me that, if I was mixing cake flavors, each layer should be as flavorful as possible so as to stand out but also mix well.  It might seem sort of ridiculous to make three different cakes for this recipe, but one bite and it won't seem ridiculous at all. It certainly isn't an everyday cake, but I made this as a birthday cake at it was amazing.

Makes one layer cake

Vanilla Cake:
1 cup flour
3/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup butter, room temperature
1/2 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
2 egg whites (1/4 cup)

1. Grease and flour an 8-inch round cake pan.  Set aside.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer.  Stir in butter until mixture resembles crumbs.  Pour in 1/4 cup milk, vanilla, and almond extract.  Beat until batter is smooth.  Add remaining milk and egg whites; beat well. 
3. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes or until it tests done.  Cool in pan for 15 minutes, then turn onto cooling rack and cool completely.

Strawberry Cake:
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons butter, room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1 egg
1/2 egg white (1 tablespoon)
1 drop gel red food coloring
1/3 cup milk
1 cup finely diced strawberries

1. Grease and flour an 8-inch round cake pan.  Preheat oven to 350.
2. In small bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, and salt.  Set aside.
3. In bowl of an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar together until fluffy.  Add vanilla and almond extract, then beat well.  Stir in egg and white, then beat well.  Mix in red food coloring until a pretty pink color.  Stir in half the flour mixture, then all of the milk, then the rest of the flour mixture.  Stir in strawberry pieces by hand, gently folding just until incorporated.
4. Pour batter into prepared pan.  Smooth top and place cake in oven.  Bake for 25-35 minutes or until it tests done.  Cool in pan on cooling rack for 15 minutes, then turn onto cooling rack to cool completely.

Chocolate Cake:
6 tablespoons hot water
6 tablespoons Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 egg white (1 tablespoon)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1/3 cup sour cream

1. Grease and flour an 8-inch round cake pan.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In small bowl, mix hot water and cocoa powder together until smooth.  Set aside.
3. Mix flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together in a small bowl. Set aside.
4. In bowl of an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until fluffy.  Add egg, white, vanilla, and almond extract.  Beat well.  Beat in cocoa mixture until incorporated.  Beat in half the flour, then all the sour cream, then the rest of the flour. 
5. Pour into prepared pan and smooth top. Bake in prepared oven for 25-35 minutes or until cake tests done.  Cool in pan on cooling rack for 15 minutes, then turn onto cooling rack to cool completely.

Assemble Cake:
Vanilla Cake
Strawberry Cake
Chocolate Cake
Strawberry Filling
Strawberry White Chocolate Frosting
Shaved white and dark chocolate, for decoration

1. Cut each cake layer in half to make two thin layers.  You should have 6 layers of cake.
2. Place a dollop of frosting on a cake plate.  Place chocolate layer on plate.  Spread with 1/5 of the filling on cake layer and smooth to within 1/4 inch of edge.  Top with strawberry layer and smooth with another 1/5 of the filling.  Top with vanilla cake layer and smooth another 1/5 of the filling.  Repeat layers with chocolate, strawberry, and vanilla and the remaining filling.  If desired, cut a bamboo skewer to the same height as the cake and push it into the middle of the cake, from the top down, to keep the layers in place.
3. Frost the cake with the white chocolate frosting.  If desired, frost with a very thin layer of frosting and refrigerate for 30 minutes to seal in crumbs.  Frost sides and top of cake evenly.  Sprinkle shaved chocolates over the top of the cake, if using.
4. Refrigerate cake until ready to eat. For best flavor, allow cake to chill for at least 3 hours to blend flavors.  Cake can be stored in refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Strawberry White Chocolate Frosting

I have made a couple of different kinds of strawberry frosting and never been real happy with them.  Somehow they never seem to actually taste like strawberry.  I decided to try simply adding strawberry to a frosting that I use quite often an adapted cream cheese frosting.  The result was a frosting that actually tasted like berries, but still also worked as frosting.  I used it on my Neapolitan Cake, but it would also be delicious just on white or chocolate cake.

Makes about 3 cups frosting (enough for a layer cake or about 24 cupcakes)

1 1/2 cup strawberries, hulled and cut in half
4 oz cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
3 oz white chocolate, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
2 1/2 to 3 cups powdered sugar

1. Process strawberries in chopper or food processor until pureed. Pour puree into a fine mesh strainer over a bowl.  Push puree through strainer with a spatula until about 1/2 cup of liquid is in the bowl. Set aside.
2. In mixing bowl of an electric mixer, beat butter and cream cheese together until combined.  Mix in cooled white chocolate until incorporated.  Beat in strawberry puree, scrapping bowl and beater well.  Beat in vanilla and almond extract.  Stir in powdered sugar, one cup at a time, until frosting is fluffy.  It might be a bit loose, but you should not have to add more than 3 cups of the powdered sugar.  Refrigerate frosting until ready to use, at least 30 minutes.  Frosting can be stored in the refrigerator until ready to use, up to one week.

Strawberry Filling

I made this strawberry filling to go with the Neapolitan cake, but it would be delicious with anything that needs a little hit of strawberry.  I could see it on scones or as the filling in cupcakes of any kind.  Be aware, though, that the flavor in this really is strong so don't plan on using a lot in a small area.  I used one batch to fill layers for a 6-layer cake, so it makes a good-sized batch.

Makes about 2 cups

2 cups strawberries, hulled and cut in half (about 10-15 berries)
Lemon juice
3 egg yolks (if making Neapolitan Cake, save whites)
1 egg
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
5 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces

1. Pulse strawberries in chopper or food processor until they are liquified.  Pour pureed berries into a fine mesh strainer over a bowl. Using a spatula, press juice out of puree.  The seeds and pulp will stay in the strainer.  You should have about 2/3 cup juice from the puree. Add enough lemon juice to bring the level up to 3/4 cup (1-2 tablespoons). Set aside.
2. In small mixing bowl, whisk egg yolks and egg white together.  Set aside.
3. In small saucepan, mix sugar and cornstarch together.  Stir strawberry puree into sugar mixture until sugar is absorbed.  Bring to boil over medium heat, stirring constantly.  Working quickly, whisk about half the strawberry mixture into eggs.  Whisk egg-strawberry mixture back into saucepan and whisk together quickly.  Bring mixture back to a boil and simmer for 2 minutes.  Remove from heat.
4. Stir almond extract into the strawberry filling.  Stir in the butter, a piece at a time, until each piece is melted.  Pour filling into heat-proof bowl and place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the filling.  Refrigerate filling until ready to use, at least 1 hour.  Mixture can be refrigerated up to a week.

Raspberry Cobbler with Lattice or Biscuit Topping

We tried to limit the raspberry picking this year.  It has been amazingly hot here for a long time, so I only made myself pick berries once.  I also still have a lot of jam from last year and made blueberry jam earlier this year, so I only had the one cobbler this year.  In order to make the most of it, I made a extra and made two toppings.  That way I got two desserts for the work of one.  The way I wrote the recipe, though, you pick one make that. I recommend using a large casserole dish for the lattice topping or biscuit topping, but making the biscuit topping if you use ramekins.

Serves 6

Filling:
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon lemon extract
8 cups raspberries

Lattice Top:
1 1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons oil
3 tablespoons cold water

Biscuit Top:
1 1/2 cup flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons cold butter
1/3 cold buttermilk, plus more as needed

1. Grease a deep 2-quart casserole pan or 8 8-oz ramekins. Line a cookie sheet with foil and place casserole pan or ramekins on it.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. To make the filling, mix all of the filling ingredients except raspberries and set aside.
3. To make Lattice Topping: Mix the flour and the salt together in a small bowl.  In a measuring cup, mix water and oil together until frothy.  Stir oil and water into flour mixture, mixing until well-blended and mixture forms a ball.  Roll out between two sheets of waxed paper until roughly the shape and size of your casserole dish opening.  Remove one layer of the waxed paper and set to the side.  Cut topping into strips and space half of them evenly on the other sheet of waxed paper.Weave remaining strips through the first grid, spacing evenly.
4. To make the Biscuit Topping: Mix flour, baking powder, and salt together in a small bowl.  Cut in butter with a pastry blender or fingers until the mixture looks like course crumbs.  Stir in buttermilk until mixture comes together and is sticky.
5. Once you have made your topping, stir the raspberries into the rest of the filling ingredients.  Pour filling into prepared dish, then top with topping.  For Lattice Topping, flip lattice onto casserole dish and and press ends of strips down.  For Biscuit Topping, drop filling by heaping spoonfuls on top of filling, spacing evenly.  Sprinkle topping with sugar.
6. Bake cobblers in prepared oven for 30-40 minutes for ramekins or 45-55 minutes for casserole dish.  Cobbler is done when the topping is golden and the fruit juices are bubbling.  Allow to cool to a warm temperature before serving.

Fruit Parfait Poundcake

I saw the idea for this in a magazine and it looked really really good.  The original recipe, though, used a purchased poundcake, which I am not generally a fan of.  They always seem to be heavy of texture and light on flavor.  The cake recipe for this, though, has flavor almost to spare.  With the poundcake so flavorful, the fruit and cream can be kept very simple.  The best part about it is that it is made ahead and frozen, meaning it keeps for a longer time and is very refreshing in the summer heat.

Makes 1 loaf (8-10 servings)

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon lemon extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
Zest of one lemon
1 1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup sour cream
8 oz container Cool Whip
1 1/2 cup berries (I used blueberries, but raspberries and strawberries would also be delicious)

1. Grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan well.  Preheat oven to 325.
2. In bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until fluffy.  Add eggs and beat well.  Add extracts and zest, mixing well.  Stir in 1/2 cup flour, then all of sour cream, then the remaining 1 cup flour. 
3. Pour poundcake batter into the prepared pan.  Bake in preheated oven for 55-65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
4. Remove poundcake from oven and allow it to cool completely on a cooling rack.
5. Once poundcake is cool, lay it on its side on a cutting board.  With a long serrated knife, cut poundcake into three separate layers.
6. Line a clean 9x5 inch loaf pan with parchment.  Place the bottom of the poundcake in the clean pan.  Spread 1/4 of the Cool Whip evenly on top, then sprinkle it with half of the berries.  Spread another 1/4 of the Cool Whip over berries, smoothing as evenly as possible.  Repeat layers of cake and Cool Whip and berries once more, then top with the cake top.  Gently press top down to spread fillings.
7. Cover poundcake with plastic wrap.  Freeze poundcake for 4 hours or until ready to eat (it will keep for up to a week).  When ready to serve, allow to sit at room temperature for 10 minutes to soften.  Slice like a cake with a thin serrated knife.

Spring Fruits Pie

I have never really seen the point of the "Fruits of the Forest" pie.  It might just be that I hate all pies that aren't homemade (frozen and store-bought aren't really my thing) and fruits of the forest was not one that I had ever had.  Frankly, the concept of apples with berries sounded sort of gross. There is a story behind how I then ended up making one; a story that involves me thinking I had much more rhubarb than I really had and stupid already having measured all the dry ingredients for pie filling into the mixing bowl.  Apples are tart and I had some, so that's what ended up in this pie.  The pie has a very pretty color and a fantastic flavor.

Makes 9-inch pie

Crust for double-crust pie
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
Dash cinnamon
1/2 cup diced rhubarb
1 cup sliced strawberries
3 Granny Smith apples, sliced into bite-sized pieces
Sugar, for sprinkling

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. In large mixing bowl, mix sugar and flour.  Stir in cinnamon.  Toss all fruits with with the sugar mixture and set aside.
3. Usually I let the fruit filling sit while I make the crusts.  The fruits in the filling will release juices and the flour will start to thicken it as it sits. 
4. Roll out the bottom crust and fit it to the pie plate. Stir the fruit filling and pour it into the lined pie plate.  Roll out top crust, cut a vent, and place it over the fruit filling.  Seal the edges and flute them as you desire.  Sprinkle the top crust with a fine layer of sugar to help it brown.
5. Bake pie in oven for 40-45 minutes or until the crust is golden and the filling bubbles out of the vent.  Remove pie to cooling rack.  Serve warm of cooled.

Slow Cooker Peanut Butter Hot Fudge Cake

Still no oven, but I wanted cake the other day so I started looking around.  I have always been a fan of hot fudge cake, but it tends to have a short shelf-life.  I had people coming over, so I decided to try out an idea that I had and make hot fudge cake in the slow cooker.  It was delicious, but I do recommend smaller servings since the cake is very rich.  As it cooks in the slow cooker over the course of an hour and requires very little prep, it would be fantastic for a dinner party or group gathering.

Serves 6

1 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cocoa
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
1 tablespoon oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup peanut butter chips
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup cocoa
1 1/2 cup very hot water
Ice cream, for serving
Cool whip or whipped cream, for serving

1. In medium mixing bowl, mix together flour, sugar, 2 tablespoons cocoa, baking powder, and salt.  Measure milk, oil, and vanilla together in a measuring cup.  Add milk mixture and peanut butter to flour mixture in bowl.  Stir until smooth.  Add peanut butter chips.  Spread batter in the bottom of a greased slow cooker.
2. In small bowl, mix brown sugar with 1/4 cup cocoa.  Pour in hot water and mix until sugar dissolves and cocoa mixes in evenly.  Pour hot water mixture over batter in slow cooker.
3. Place paper towels over top of slow cooker, then top with lid.  Cook cake on high for 60-90 minutes.  Check the cake every 15 minutes after the 60 minutes are off.  Cake is done when a knife inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.  As the cake bakes, hot fudge collects under the cake, so be sure to only check the cake for cooking.  Allow cake to cool for 15-30 minutes once it tests done.
4. To serve, spoon cake into bowls and top with ice cream.  Spoon hot fudge sauce from underneath cake over ice cream. Top with whipped cream as desired.  Serve immediately.

German Chocolate Cheesecake

We had a family birthday this weekend and I had a football game to go to, which meant that the traditional cake that I am usually in charge of making was not going to happen unless I wanted to making said cake at midnight.  I realize that normal people would probably just buy a cake, but I am not really normal.  So I got the idea that cheesecake would be a lot easier and take less time.  For just being the easiest thing that I could think to make, this was absolutely delicious.  Notice that the dairy is all room temperature, which is to help the room-temperature melted chocolate mix in without clumping.

Serves 8

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
4 teaspoons cocoa powder
2 tablespoons water
2 8-oz pkg cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup sour cream, room temperature
2 eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 9-inch chocolate crumb pie crust
1 egg yolk
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon butter
2/3 cup sweetened flake coconut
1/2 cup pecan pieces

1. In measuring cup or small heatproof bowl, heat chocolate chips for 1 minute.  Stir until smooth.  Set aside.
2. In small bowl, combine cocoa powder and water.  Mix until paste forms.  Set aside.
3. In bowl of electric mixer, beat cream cheese until it loses the shape of blocks.  Add sugar and mix until combined.  Beat in sour cream, eggs, and vanilla until smooth.  Scrap sides of the bowl.  Stir in the now-cooled chocolate and the cocoa paste.  Mix just until combined.  Pour mixture into chocolate crumb pie crust.  Place filled pie crust on a cookie sheet.
4. Bake cheesecake in 325 degree oven for 40 minutes or until center does not look liquid when pan is shaken.  Transfer cheesecake to a cooling rack.
5. As soon as cheesecake is out of the oven, start the topping.  In a small saucepan or skillet, whisk yolk and cream together until smooth.  Add sugar and butter, mixing until combined.  Place saucepan or skillet on medium heat and, stirring frequently, cook until mixture is thick and smooth.  Remove from heat and stir in coconut and pecans.  Drop small amounts of coconut mixture over hot cheesecake, smoothing as best you can to cover the top of the cheesecake.
6. Allow cheesecake to cool completely, then cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.  Cheesecake can be stored in refrigerator for up to three days.

Caramel Apple Cake

I have mentioned in previous posts my love of caramel apple flavored desserts.  I happened upon a cake mix in the grocery store for caramel apple cake.  I'm not a huge fan of cake mixes--mostly I think they taste like preservatives and their extremely fluffy texture is slightly unnatural--but I liked the idea of the cake.  I decided to make a version of what I imagine the mix tasted like: caramel-flavored cake with apple bits and caramel drizzled over it all.  This cake came out so much more moist and flavorful than even I expected.  Score one for the from-scratch cake.

Makes 8-inch square cake

6 tablespoons sugar
3/8 cup water
3/8 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
6 tablespoons butter, room temperature
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, and coarsely chopped
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon sugar
Caramel topping, for serving
Cool Whip, whipped cream, or vanilla ice cream, for serving

1. Grease 8-inch square pan.  Set aside.
2. In small heavy skillet, evenly scatter 6 tablespoons sugar and place on medium heat.  Stirring constantly, caramelize the sugar.  This will take some time, but resist the urge to raise the temperature.  The sugar should begin to melt along the bottom, then form white crystal clumps, them melt into a clear syrup, then the syrup will darken.  You should heat your 3/8 cup of water to a boil in the microwave once the sugar makes a syrup.  When the syrup is a dark amber--about the color of maple syrup--begin to add the boiling water.  Stirring constantly with one hand, pour a very small amount of the water into the sugar.  This will steam an sputter, but keep stirring.  Add the rest of the water, a little at a time, and keep stirring to bring up the syrup from the bottom of the skillet.  Once all of the water is added and no sugar crystals remain in the skillet, pour caramel mixture into measuring cup.  Stir in enough sour cream to reach 3/4 of a cup of mixture.  Set aside.
3. In bowl of an electric mixer, combine flour and 1/2 cup sugar.  Add brown sugar, baking powder, salt, and 1 teaspoon cinnamon.  Stir at lowest speed until combined.  Scatter butter over dry ingredients and mix at lowest speed until crumbly.  Pour half of the caramel mixture into bowl and beat until smooth.  Add egg and vanilla.  Beat until smooth and fluffy.  Scrap bowl and beater.  Add remaining caramel mixture and beat until smooth.  Add apple pieces and stir at lowest speed just until incorporated.
4. Spoon all of apple cake batter into prepared pan.  Use spatula to make sure top is smooth and apples are evenly distributed.
5. In small bowl or custard cup, mix 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and 1 tablespoon sugar.  Sprinkle cinnamon sugar evenly over top of cake.
6. Bake cake in 350 degree oven for 35-40 minutes or until it tests done with a toothpick.  Because of the apple bits, you may want to test it in multiple places around the center.  Transfer cake pan to wire cooling rack to cool.
7. To serve cake, cut into desired pieces.  Drizzle cake with caramel topping and top with desired creamy topping.  Cake is also excellent on its own.  Cake can be stored in refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Maple Pecan Pumpkin Cheesecake

The part of me that disparages anything pre-made or from a mix (other than things like ice cream topping and such) cries a little bit admitting that this cheesecake is in a pre-made crust.  And no, it doesn't taste the same as one I would have made myself.  But it did have the major selling point of being 6-8 servings, rather than the 12+ servings that I would have had if I had made this in my springform pan.  If you want the 12+ servings of a springform pan, just 1 1/2 this recipe, combine it with your favorite homemade graham cracker crust recipe, and increase the baking time to 40 minutes before you put the topping on.

With that out of the way, I will say that this cheesecake is fantastic.  I made it and even I was impressed with how good it is.  It has a creamy filling that has a good pumpkin flavor and a crunchy topping that balances it nicely and gives an extra hit of flavor.  I will definitely consider making it for Thanksgiving this year.

Serves 6-8

Packaged 9-inch graham cracker crust, without cracks or holes
2 8-oz packages cream cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon bourbon
2 eggs
2/3 cup pumpkin puree ( homemade or canned)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
Dash ground cloves
------------
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
Dash cinnamon
1/3 cup pecan pieces, toasted
Whipped cream or Cool Whip, for serving

1.  In mixing bowl of a electric mixer, beat cream cheese for about 10 seconds until it is creamy.  Add sour cream and beat well.  Add brown sugar, vanilla, and bourbon.  Beat well, scraping sides of bowl as needed to incorporate everything.  Add eggs and beat until eggs are full incorporated.  Stir pumpkin, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves into cream cheese mixture.  Stir this only until incorporated and do not whip.
2. Pour cheesecake mixture into prepared crust.  Set filled crust on baking sheet so you can lift it in and out of the oven easier.  Bake cheesecake in 350 degree oven for 30 minutes.  Note that, at this point, the cheesecake will not be completely done.
3. While cheesecake is baking, prepare topping.  In the bottom of a small bowl, melt butter in microwave.  Stir in brown sugar and cinnamon until mixture is crumbly.  Stir in pecans.  Set aside until cheesecake has baked 30 minutes.
4. After cheesecake has baked 30 minutes, sprinkle pecan topping evenly over top.  Return cheesecake to oven and bake for 10 more minutes or until cheesecake seems set.  Move cheesecake to cooling rack to cool completely.  Once it is room temperature, cover the cheesecake and place it in the refrigerator.  Chill for at least 2 hours or up to three days.  Cut into wedges and top with whipped cream or Cool Whip for serving.

Cinnamon Pecan Sauce

When I decided to make pumpkin pancakes, I wanted to make some kind of flavored syrup to go with them.  In the past I have made fruit sauce and had good results, but this was different. It needed to have a lot of flavor, which is what the fruit usually provides.  I was surprised that a flavor like cinnamon could carry an entire sauce.  It was really good on pancakes, but it would also be good on french toast and baked apples.

Makes about 1 1/2 cups sauce

2/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted

1. In small saucepan, combine sugar and cornstarch.  Mix until cornstarch is no longer clumped and evenly distributed.  Mix in cinnamon.  Slowly stir in water.  Place saucepan on medium heat and bring to a simmer, stirring constantly.  Once sauce is simmering, reduce heat to low and cook for 10 minutes or until it thickens slightly, stirring occasionally.  Add maple syrup and pecans.  Stir well and return to a simmer.  Serve hot.

Apple Crisp

I have a glut of apples at the moment, which is a positive problem.  I really like apples and it just doesn't seem like fall to me unless I make apple crisp at least a few times.  And when I say "apple crisp" this is always the recipe I mean.  The apples stay very apple-y, the topping is not overwhelmingly sweet, and it isn't real high on the calorie and fat scales.  Winner all around.  A short note here on what apples to use: I used 4 honeycrisp apples and 3 granny smiths when I made this batch.  This isn't a hard-and-fast rule, I mostly just like to mix something that bakes up sweet and mushy (macintosh, jonathon, honeycrisp) with something that will bake up firm and a little sour (granny smith is my go-to here and is pretty readily-available year-round).  Play with it a little on your own to find your preference or just use whatever is available to you.

Serves 4-6

7 apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup quick-cook oatmeal
1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3 tablespoons butter

1. Prepare the apples and place them in a baking dish.  I used an oval 11-inch ceramic baking dish, but pyrex works well too.  Basically you want the dish to be full almost to the top with sliced apples, but not overflowing.
2. Drizzle lemon juice over cut apples.
3. In small bowl, mix together brown sugar, oatmeal, flour, and cinnamon.  I usually just do this with my hands.  Using your fingers, a pastry blender, or two knives, cut butter into brown sugar mixture.  Once mixture is crumbly and there are no chunks of butter, sprinkle it evenly over apples in baking dish.
4. Bake crisp in 325 degree oven for 30-45 minutes.  At this point the apples should be crisp-tender and the topping should be browned.  If you like your apples more done, cover crisp with foil for the first 15 minutes and increase baking time by 10 minutes.

Chocolate Almond Trifle

I wanted to make some different kind of chocolate dessert this week, so I started thinking trifle.  I thought that brownies would make a good base, but the rest of the ingredients threw me.  For only planning on something creamy and something frothy, this trifle came out amazingly good.  The chocolate is rich and bittersweet, the almond is sweet and smooth.  It looks much harder than it is, which I consider a nice bonus.

Serves 8

3/4 cup butter
4 oz unsweetened chocolate
1 1/2 cup sugar
4 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
3/4 cup flour
1/3 cup slivered almonds, toasted

4 oz cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons amaretto
4 oz Cool Whip

1 package chocolate mousse mix, made according to package directions

1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted

1. In heatproof bowl, melt butter and chocolate together.  This will take about 90 seconds, stirring every 30 seconds.  Once mixture is smooth and melted, allow to cool for 5 minutes.
2. Stir sugar into chocolate mixture.  Add eggs, one at a time, until smooth.  Stir in extracts and flour.  Stir in 1/2 cup almonds.
3. Grease an 8-inch square pan.  Pour brownie mixtures into greased pan and bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Allow to cool completely.
4. Once brownies are cool, cut them into small squares.
5. In mixing bowl, combine cream cheese and powdered sugar.  Once smooth, beat in amaretto.  After amaretto is incorporated, fold in Cool Whip.  Set aside.
6. Prepare chocolate mousse according to package directions.  Set aside.
7. In large glass bowl, place a scant half of the brownies.  Smooth half of the amaretto cream mixture on top of the brownies, then smooth half of the mousse over it.  Sprinkle mousse with half of the toasted almonds.  Repeat layers of brownies, cream, and mousse.  Sprinkle with any remaining brownie bits and remaining toasted almonds.  Cover bowl and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

Caramel Apple Bread Pudding

The number of batches of bread pudding that I have made in my life really can't be calculated.  For a while in England, my roommates and I had a really hard time judging how much bread to buy for all of us.  We tended to overbuy and then have a real back-stock of bread.  I would make bread pudding to use up the extra.  The sweet custard with little bits of fruit became a staple.  It has been years since I made it now, but it sounded like a good idea again.  The air almost feels like fall here and caramel apple is one of my favorite flavor combinations, so this seemed a natural.

Serves 9

2 cups milk
2 tablespoons butter
2/3 cup dark brown sugar
Zest of 1/2 lemon
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3 eggs
8 cups french bread cubes (3/4-1 loaf)
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, and chopped small
Vanilla ice cream, for serving
Caramel sauce, for serving

1. In heatproof bowl, microwave milk until bubbly.  Stir in butter, brown sugar, and lemon zest.  Butter will melt with the heat of the milk.  Add cinnamon and vanilla, stir well, and set aside to cool.
2. If bread is not already cubed, cube bread into a large bowl.  This is also a good time to peel, core, and chop the apple.  Stir until apple is evenly distributed.
3. Beat eggs into milk mixture.  Pour milk/egg mixture over bread cubes and stir well.  Let stand for 10 minutes to allow bread to absorb liquid.
4. Pour bread pudding into greased 9-inch square pan.  Bake in 350 degree oven for 40-50 minutes or until knife inserted in the center comes out clean.  Serve warm or cool with ice cream and caramel.

Peach Cobbler

Peaches grow fairly close to here (though south of here, since peach trees die in our winters), so during peach season we can get some pretty good peaches.  I like to make peach baked goods, but they are usually met with a lukewarm reception in my house.  I decided to make peach cobbler anyway and actually, it seemed to be unanimously enjoyed. So even people who don't like peaches apparently will eat this cobbler.  If you have never peeled peaches, there is an easy way that I learned as a child.  Dropping the whole peaches into boiling water for 1 minute, then removing and cooling allows the peels to slide off easily.  It works best with peaches that are a little firm, which these were.

Serves 6

1 cup flour
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
3 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup buttermilk
1 egg
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
Dash ground cloves
5 peaches, peeled, pitted and sliced (about 4 cups)
Vanilla ice cream or Cool Whip, optional, for serving

1. In mixing bowl mix together flour, 2 tablespoons sugar, baking powder, and cinnamon.  Cut in butter with a pastry blender or rub between fingers until mixture resembles course crumbs.  Set aside.
2. In measuring cup, combine buttermilk and egg.  Beat until combined.  Set aside.
3. In medium saucepan, combine 1/2 cup sugar and cornstarch.  Mix in water, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves.  Place peaches in saucepan with sugar mixture and toss to coat.  Place saucepan over medium high heat.  Stir and cook until thickened and bubbly.  Pour peach mixture into greased 2 quart casserole and set aside.
4. Pour buttermilk egg mixture into flour mixture in mixing bowl.  Stir until combined.  Drop spoonfuls of batter over hot fruit filling in casserole.
5. Bake cobbler at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes.  The cobbler is done when topping is browned, filling is bubbly, and a toothpick inserted into the center of the topping comes out clean.
6. Cobbler can be served warm or cold.  It is good alone, with Cool Whip, or with vanilla ice cream.  Cobbler can be stored in refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Crepe aves Ganache et Conserves

This dessert might not look like much, but it is really really rich.  I made it in honor of Bastille Day, which was today, and because I made crepes for dinner.  The chocolate is pretty strong, so it is good for the super-chocolate-tolerant among us.  The crepes recipe I used can be found in this book (Julia and Jacques Cooking at Home) but you can feel free to use your own favorite crepes recipe or prepackaged crepes.

Serves 6-8

6 crepes
10 oz bittersweet chocolate
1 cup Cool Whip
1/2 cup raspberry jam
Cool Whip, if desired, for serving

1. Melt bittersweet chocolate in microwave-safe bowl.  This will take about 90 seconds, but stir every 30 seconds to check melting progress.  Once fully melted, stir in cold Cool Whip.  Mix until smooth.
2. Place a crepe on a plate or serving platter.  Spread crepe with thin layer of chocolate, then thin layer of jam.  Top with another crepe.  Repeat layers until all crepes, chocolate, and jam are used.  Be sure to end with a crepe on top. Set aside and allow to rest at room temperature for at least one hour.
3. Cut into wedges to serve.  If desired, top wedge with Cool Whip to serve.

Banana Pudding

I have never been a huge fan of pudding.  As a kid I really like making the boxes of instant pudding and watching it thicken as if by magic, but I didn't really like eating it and I still don't.  It never seemed as smooth or as flavorful as it should be.  The thought of making homemade pudding didn't really occur to me until about 2 years ago and since then it's the only pudding I eat.  Call me a snob.

Serves 4-6


60 Nilla wafers
3 ripe bananas, sliced thin
4 egg yolks
3/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
3 cups cold milk (I used 2%)
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 tablespoons butter
Cool Whip or whipped cream, for serving

1. In an 8-inch square pan, line up Nilla wafers.  You could just dump them in and smooth, but I lined them up in rows and made two layers of wafers.  Top wafers with banana slices.  Set aside.
2. In small heatproof bowl, beat egg yolks until smooth.  Set aside
3. In small saucepan, mix sugar and cornstarch together with a whisk until evenly mixed.  Pour in cold milk and whisk until smooth.
4. Place saucepan on medium heat.  Stir constantly and cook until it bubbles.  Allow mixture to boil for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
5. Working very quickly, whip egg yolks while pouring about 1 cup of the hot milk into egg yolks.  Beat yolk/milk mixture until smooth and whip back into hot milk in saucepan.  Return to medium heat.
6. With saucepan on heat, stirring constantly, return mixture to a soft boil.  Once it boils, remove from heat.
7. Stir vanilla and butter into pudding until vanilla is incorporated and butter is melted.  Pour hot pudding over bananas and wafers in square pan.  Gently tap pan against counter (lift an inch off surface and gently drop) to bring any air bubbles to the surface.  Place a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the pudding to prevent skin from forming.
8. Place pan of pudding in the refrigerator on a level shelf or surface.  Allow to chill for at least 4 hours before serving.  Can be stored in refrigerator for no more than 2 days (wafers get too soggy).  Serve with Cool Whip or whipped cream.