Sweets

Strawberry & Lime Layer Cake

By Cheri in Cakes, Sweets 6 Comments Tags: , , , , , ,

Strawberry & Lime Layer Cake

I can’t believe it’s already been a year since I first posted about our brand new baby girl. Ahhhh! *tears* She’s growing up too fast! I love the baby stage. Just look at those cute baby cheeks (below) and tell me you don’t want to squish them all day long. I know there’s a lot of wonderful times ahead and I’m looking forward to it all so much. But, it’s ok for me to be a little sad that my baby girl is taking one more step to adulthood right?

I wanted to give her a simple but girly birthday party so I decided to go with the theme of Strawberry & Lime. I know that at this age she really couldn’t care less about her birthday so I tried to keep everything simple and stress-free. After-all I wanted to spend lot’s of time with the birthday girl.

The main star to the show (besides the sweet baby) was the Strawberry & Lime Layer Cake – a white cake sandwiched with coconut lime curd and smothered in whipped strawberry frosting. Fruity, refreshing and girly.

The decoration was extremely easy to do and the result was so precious. Perfect for a little girl’s birthday party. I followed a tutorial from Sockerru, where you pipe big dots of frosting and smooth them out with a spoon (I used the Ateco tip# 808 to pipe on the dots). Seriously, it was so simple and quick, anyone could do it. The key is to make the crumb coat as smooth and flat as possible so that everything looks even (I follow this method to smooth my frosting). The only thing I couldn’t figure out was how to finish it up in the back where the pattern met. The solution I came up with? Put the seam in the back where no one can see it. :D

Happy Birthday to my favourite baby girl!

Strawberry & Lime Layer Cake

White Cake
  • 3 cups cake flour*
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 2 1/4 cups sugar, divided
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup milk
  • 8 large egg whites, room temperature (save the yolks for the curd below)

Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

Beat butter and 2 cups sugar for several minutes until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla. Mixing on low-speed, add flour in 3 additions, alternating with milk, starting and ending with flour. Beat just until combined.

In a clean bowl, beat egg whites on low until foamy. Add 1/4 cup sugar and beat on high just until stiff, glossy peaks form when beater is lifted.

Gently fold 1/3 egg whites into butter/flour mixture to loosen batter. Fold in remaining whites.

Divide batter between 2 9-inch round cake pans lined with parchment paper rounds and spayed with cooking spray; smooth tops. Bake at 350ºF for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Allow to cool 20 minutes before removing from pans and peeling off parchment. Cool completely on wire wracks before wrapping in plastic wrap to store.

*To make your own cake flour place 2 tablespoons cornstarch into a 1 cup measuring cup, spoon in enough all-purpose flour to fill. Sift several times to combine. This makes 1 cup cake flour.

Coconut Lime Curd
  • 1 (15 oz) can coconut milk
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/3 cup cornstarch
  • 1/3 cup butter
  • 1/2 cup lime juice
  • 6 eggs yolk
  • green food colouring, if desired

Place 1 cup coconut milk and sugar in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook until sugar is dissolved. Mix together the remaining coconut milk and the cornstarch. Pour into the saucepan, stirring to combine. Lower heat to medium, add butter and whisk until melted together. Whisk in lime juice and egg yolks. Cook, stirring often, until thick and it coats the back of a spoon. Do not overcook or eggs will start to scramble. Stir in food colouring, if desired. Allow the mixture to cool slightly and then pour into a heat-proof bowl. Place plastic wrap directly on the surface of the curd to stop condensation. Allow to cool completely before refrigerating. Beat, to loosen, before spreading on cake layers.

Whipped Strawberry Frosting
  • 2 cups unsalted butter, softened
  • 4 cups icing sugar, sifted
  • 1/4 cup strawberry puree (from frozen, thawed berries is fine)
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

In a stand mixer, beat butter for 6 minutes, until pale and creamy. Add remaining ingredients and beat for an additional 6 minutes, until light and creamy.

If not using all of it right away beat by hand with a spatula, to remove any air bubbles, before using.

To Assemble

Trim tops of cakes flat. Carefully cut each cake in half to make 4 layers of cake (here’s a great video to show you how). Place one cake layer on serving platter, spread with some of the coconut lime curd. Place another cake layer on top and spread with more coconut lime curd. Repeat one more time and then top with the last cake layer (you will have leftover curd). Crumb coat the cake to glue the crumbs to the cake and to make sure none of the curd shows through the frosting. Refrigerate 10 minutes to set. Frost as desired. Refrigerate until serving.

White Cake adapted from Martha Stewart. Coconut Lime Curd adapted from Donna Hay Dec/Jan 2012.

Pear & Walnut Sour Cream Coffee Cake

By Cheri in Breakfast, Cakes, Snacks, Sweets 11 Comments Tags: , , ,

Pear & Walnut Sour Cream Coffee Cake

It took me four hours to get this coffee cake in the oven. This has no reflection on the difficulty of the recipe but rather my life as a mom. From exploding diapers to early bath times to bedtime tantrums this cake went through many waiting periods. I think it’s pretty safe to say it’s a foolproof recipe.

I’m a big fan of coffee cakes. They’re not overly sweet and, just like muffins, they’re really just an excuse to eat cake for breakfast. :) This cake is light in both taste and texture. A refreshing break from all the heavy and rich baked goods that are everywhere this time of year.

My hubby isn’t a fan of pears but he loved this (LOVED it). So did I. It’s one of those cakes that’s hard to stop eating. Breakfast. Coffee. Dessert. Too many excuses to steal a little slice.

Pear & Walnut Sour Cream Coffee Cake

Streusel & Filling
  • 1 cup chopped walnuts
  • 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup cold butter
  • 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 medium pears, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
Cake
  • 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup butter , softened
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 (8 oz) carton sour cream
  • 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

For the streusel topping and filling: Stir together walnuts, brown sugar, and cinnamon. In a separate bowl grate cold butter into flour and break up with your fingers to make coarse crumbs. Stir 3/4 cup of the nut mixture into the flour mixture to make streusel. Set remaining nut mixture and streusel topping aside.

For the cake: Combine the flour, baking powder, soda, and salt; set aside. In a large bowl beat the softened butter until smooth. Beat in sugar and vanilla. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Beat in flour mixture and sour cream, in three additions, starting and ending with flour.

Spread two-thirds of the batter into a greased 9 inch springform pan. Sprinkle with the reserved nut mixture. Layer pears on top. Carefully spread remaining batter over the pears. Sprinkle with the streusel topping. Bake at 350ºF for 10 minutes. For a crunchy topping, sprinkle with the 1/2 cup walnuts. Bake an additional 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes before removing the side of the springform pan. Cool one hour before serving.

Makes: 12 servings

Adapted from Better Homes and Gardens.

Mocha-Chip-Fudge Cheesecake

By Cheri in Cakes, Chocolate, Creamy, Sweets 8 Comments Tags: , , ,

Mocha-Chip-Fudge Cheesecake

In all my time in Norway not once did I see a block of cream cheese. Spreadable cream cheese was everywhere but the one time I tried to make a cheesecake with it (in my desperation) it did not end well. Three years is far too long to go without a slice of cheesecake!

So you can imagine that it was at the top of my list of things to make when we moved to New York. And, I can now say, it was worth the wait! It was pretty hard to decide which one to make first but I’ve been craving coffee lately (I credit that to the exhaustion of furnishing an entire house from scratch in one week. Whew.) so I decided to go with Mocha Chip. It was a great choice.

On a whim I added a mocha fudge topping because I thought it might pretty it up a bit. In the end I can’t imagine the cheesecake without it. It gave it a much more intense chocolate flavour that I think would have been lacking without it. I don’t think I need to go into much description about how good this tastes. Mocha. Fudge. Cheesecake. Enough said right?

In order to help myself have some self-restraint and not be wasteful (who wants to waste cheesecake?), I decided to slice these into individual servings and freeze them. That way if we’ve got company, or are craving an indulgent dessert, I can just pull out as many as we need, let them thaw and then serve. I love the idea of having something in my freezer to serve guests that doesn’t take any work but is more special than just cookies (although there’s nothing wrong with “just” cookies).

I was a little nervous about making cheesecake again. It had been such a long time that I’d built it up in my head as something difficult. But it couldn’t have been more easy. I hope you try it soon.

Mocha-Chip-Fudge Cheesecake

My springform pan is almost 10 inches and it worked fine for this recipe. I just didn’t press the crumbs as far up the sides of the pan.

Crust

Combine cookie crumbs and sugar, stir in butter until evenly coated. Press into the bottom and approximately 2 inches up the sides of a 9 inch springform pan.

Mocha Chip Filling
  • 3 packages (8 oz. each) cream cheese, softened
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 4 eggs
  • 1/3 cup heavy cream
  • 1 tablespoon instant coffee granules
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided

Beat together cream cheese and sugar until smooth and creamy. Beat in flour until well combined. At low-speed, beat in eggs just until combined.

Mix together cream and instant coffee. Let sit for 1 minute, stir to dissolve. Add to cream cheese mixture along with vanilla. Stir just until evenly distributed. Stir in 3/4 cup chocolate chips.

Pour cream cheese mixture into crust. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup chocolate chips.

Bake at 325ºF for 50-60 minutes or until centre is almost set. Let cool completely at room temperature.

Mocha Fudge Topping
  • 6 oz. (1/2 of 12 oz. package) semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 1 teaspoon instant coffee granules
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream

Put all ingredients in a bowl and microwave for 1 minute at 50%. Stir until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Spread on top of cooled cheesecake.

Cover cheesecake with foil and refrigerate overnight.

To serve: Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Warm a sharp knife under hot tap water, wipe it dry with a clean kitchen towel and cut one slice. Rinse it clean under hot tap water and repeat.

Makes: 14 servings

Adapted from TasteofHome.

Merry Christmas! (& Black Forest Brownie Trifles)

By Cheri in Christmas, GF Sweets, Gluten Free, Sweets 4 Comments

Merry Christmas! (& Black Forest Brownie Trifles)

Merry Christmas! From my family to yours.

I can’t believe that Christmas is this weekend. How did time go by so fast?

This year will be the first year that our little family is totally alone for Christmas, I’ve come down with tonsillitis, the kids are fighting off their own illnesses and we’re between houses, staying at a friend’s place while they’re gone for the holidays. But, I’ve got so much to be thankful for that I can’t complain too much about life’s little inconveniences. Just look at those cutie pies I get to hang out and snuggle with. What more could I want?

We’re going to keep things very simple this year and just enjoy being together. We’ll probably watch oodles of Christmas movies, take a walk uptown to enjoy the Christmas lights and drink lot’s of hot beverages to sooth our sore throats. It should be a good, low-key Christmas.

I think everyone must have a person or two in their lives who are currently eating gluten-free. For those of us that don’t eat gluten-free, it can be a bit scary hosting a gluten-free guest. Not only do we want the food to taste great, but we need to learn how to cook in unfamiliar territory. It can be easy to get overwhelmed when you start studying up on the subject. That’s why, for this weeks post on Simple Bites I decided to share some quick tips with you for easy gluten-free entertaining.

From the post:

“Although most of the people I know who eat gluten-free truly don’t mind if there are certain items on the table that they can’t eat, it’s nice to make the extra effort and make all of the food to be enjoyed by everyone. It’s just more fun if everyone can participate in every part of the meal – that way there are no temptations and nobody feels left out.

It doesn’t have to be stressful to cook gluten-free. With a few quick tips you can have a great meal on the table in no time.”

Read more and get the recipe for these simple and gluten-free Black Forest Brownie Trifles on Simple Bites.

So, what are you up to this Christmas? 

 

Mocha Almond Biscotti

By Cheri in Christmas, Cookies & Bars, Sweets 8 Comments Tags: , , , ,

Mocha Almond Biscotti

Right now I’m in the middle of a big move – across the ocean. We’re tired, jet-lagged, nervous and excited. This Christmas will definitely be an interesting one, but we’re looking forward to it. I won’t be around much for the rest of the holidays, but I’m sure you understand right? ;)

I couldn’t let this Christmas pass me by without sharing this recipe with you, since it’s made an appearance on quite of few of our Christmas platters throughout the years. I’m not much of a coffee drinker (besides the wimpy sugary/flavoured kind) but biscotti makes me wish I was. I would gladly make a batch of coffee just to dip these into. This cookie is not a side. The coffee will become the accompaniment, not the other way around.

I made mine with caffeine-free instant coffee, so my son could have some too. He dipped his in warm milk and I had mine with some Brazilian Baia Tea (my favourite). These will definitely continue to be a yearly tradition for us. Just look at that melty chocolate, coffee-infused cookie with bits of almond. Yum! I’m already looking forward to making more once we’re settled in our new place.

Now if you’ll excuse me I have some sleep to catch up on… after I go shopping… and take care of my kids…. and look for new apartment furniture in Christmas crowds…. and unpack….. and… ok maybe that bit of sleep is lost forever. :)

Mocha Almond Biscotti

  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tablespoons instant coffee
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1.5 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 cup chopped almonds
  • 4 ounces baking chocolate, coarsely chopped

Whisk together eggs and instant coffee until coffee is dissolved.

Beat butter and sugar in a separate bowl until well blended. Add egg mixture and beat to combine.

Stir together flour and baking powder; gradually stir into butter mixture until well blended. Stir in almonds and chocolate.

Divide dough in half and roll each, on a baking sheet lined with a lightly floured piece of parchment paper, into 14 inch logs; placing them at least two inches apart.

Bake at 325ºF for 25 minutes or until lightly browned. Let cool 10 minutes and then slice each log into 18 (3/4 inch) slices. Stand slices upright on baking sheet and bake an additional 10 minutes, or until crisp and dry. Cool completely before storing, covered, at room temperature.

Makes: 36 (3 dozen) biscotti

Adapted from Kraft Canada.

Hazelnut Truffles

By Cheri in Candy, Christmas, Sweets 5 Comments Tags: , ,

Hazelnut Truffles

Truffles are one of my favourite things to make at Christmas time. They’re so adaptable and easy to make. Chocolate and hazelnut is a long time favourite pairing and I think it goes without saying that these are highly addictive. I had them stored away in the freezer and was finding myself sneaking one after every meal. I ended up having to stop eating them altogether just so I could find some restraint.

These truffles are probably the easiest ones to form that I’ve ever come across. Usually by the end my hands are covered in a fairly thick layer of chocolate (not a bad problem to have) but, because of the butter, these truffles are almost non-stick and are easily formed around a hidden surprise – a whole hazelnut.

I seem to always have trouble stirring icing sugar into hot mixtures. It’s seems no matter how hard I try or how much I sift, there are always little lumps. It was the same with these but, thanks to the nuts, it goes unnoticed. :)

Tip: If the truffle mixture starts to separate, whisk in a teaspoon of water at a time until the mixture comes together in an emulsion. I found the butter wanted to sit on top but, after doing this, it stayed together perfectly as it cooled.

Hazelnut Truffles

  • 3/4 cup icing (confectioners) sugar
  • 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
  • 6 oz milk chocolate
  • 6 tablespoons butter
  • 1/4 cup heavy (whipping) cream
  • whole hazelnuts
  • 1 cup ground hazelnuts, toasted

Sift together icing sugar and cocoa powder; set aside.

Melt chocolate and butter in a small saucepan set over low heat. Stir in cream and cocoa mixture. Cook and stir over medium-low heat until thick and smooth. Poor into an 8 inch baking dish (glass is best); cover and refrigerate overnight (or for 8 hours).

Scoop out 1 inch balls; place a whole hazelnut in the centre, forming the chocolate around it; roll into a ball and coat in ground hazelnuts. Repeat until all of the chocolate mixture is used up.

Store covered in the fridge or freezer.

Makes approximately: 24 truffles

Adapted from Taste of Home.

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