christmas in july: linzer tarts

although we've got plenty of time before the holiday season rolls around, never too early for a classic!  linzer tarts have become my tradition, while mom still makes sheets of sugar cookies.  you can use any size/shape cutter you want, and worth buying a set of various sized fluted cutters.  after a few trials, i find rolling them a bit thinner than stated works best as they rise slightly and are layered.  why wait until december though? these are fun to assemble, pretty too look at and always a crowd pleaser.

                                            
thanks ina!..

mini linzer cookies
the ingredients:
¾ pound unsalted butter at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon salt

3 ½ cups flour
¾ cup good raspberry preserves (bonne maman is my fave)
icing sugar (confectioners' sugar)for dusting

the temperature: 180C (350F)
the preparation:
in the bowl of an electric mixer (or handheld) fitted with the paddle attachment, mix together the butter and sugar until they are just combined. add the vanilla. in a medium bowl, sift together the flour and salt, then add them to the butter-and-sugar mixture. mix on low speed until the dough starts to come together. dump onto a surface dusted with flour and shape into a flat disk. wrap in plastic and chill for 30 minutes.

roll the dough 1/4-inch thick and cut 2 3/4-inch rounds with a plain or fluted cutter. with 1/2 of the rounds, cut a hole from the middle of each round with a heart or spade shaped cutter. place all the cookies on an ungreased baking sheet and chill for 15 minutes.

bake the cookies for 20 to 25 minutes, until the edges begin to brown. allow to cool to room temperature. spread raspberry preserves on the flat side of each solid cookie. dust the top of the cut-out cookies with confectioners' sugar and press the flat sides together, with the raspberry preserves in the middle and the confectioners' sugar on the top.

blokes baking blueberries: hummingbird's blueberry cake

this was my first hummingbird bakery attempt and what a success it is!  something you probably never come across in america is a guy calling you for a recipe and to borrow your bundt pan-brilliant!  this is the second  'i-need-something-to-impress-the-office-with' request and then sure enough, i made one to bring to my school for end of term.  it's just so good and not that different from making any other cake. so there.

courtesy of hummingbird bakery...
the ingredients:
350g unsalted butter (at room temperature)
350g caster sugar
6 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
450g plain flour
2 tbsp plus 2 tsp baking powder
280ml soured cream
250g fresh blueberries (plus extra for decorating)
icing sugar to decorate
the temperature: preheat oven to 170C, 325F
the preparation:
put the butter and sugar in a freestanding mixer (or handheld mixer with whisk) and craem until light and fluffy.  add the eggs one at a time, mixing well and scraping any unmixed ingredients from the side of the bowl with a rubber spatula after each addition.  beat in the vanilla extract, flour and baking powder until well mixed.  add the soured cream and mix well until everything is combined and the mixture is light and fluffy.
gently stir in blueberries by hand until evenly dispersed. 
pour the mixture into the prepared ring mould (bundt pan!) and smooth over with a knife.  bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes, or until golden brown and the sponge bounces back when touched (or toothpick comes out clean)
leave the cake to cool in the mould before turning out onto a wire cooling rack to cool completely. 

cream cheese frosting *double the recipe for this cake
the ingredients:
200g icing sugar (confectioner's sugar)
50g unsalted butter (at room temperature)
125g cream cheese, cold

the preparation:beat the icing sugar and butter together in a freestanding mixer (or handheld electric whisk) on medium-slow speed until the mixture comes together and iswell mixed.  add all the cream cheese and beat until it is completely incorporated.  turn the mixer up to medium-high speed.  continue beating until the frosting is light and fluffly, at least 5 minutes.  *do not overbeat as it can quickly become runny!

 
        
                                      

sunshine on a rainy day: lemon cupcakes

i've recently swerved my recipe sources (sorry Ina) and began testing out hummingbird bakery's cookbook.  while the chocolate cupcakes were a success, these weren't so much.  not sure what went wrong but they didn't rise as much as usual. the taste, however, was pretty darn good..which is all the counts right? 

courtesy of hummingbird bakery cookbook...

lemon cupcakes

the ingredients:
120g plain flour
150g caster sugar
1 ½ tsp baking powder
2 tbsp grated lemon zest, plus extra to decorate
40g unsalted butter (at room temperature)
120ml whole milk
1 egg
the temperature: preheat to 170C (325F)
the preparation:
put the flour, sugar, baking powder, lemon zest and butter in a mixer (hand held electric whisk...or as I’ve been falling back on- good ‘ole spatula by hand!)  beat on slow until you get a sandy consistency and everything is combined.  gradually pour in the milk and beat until just incorporated.

add the egg to the flour mixture and continue beating until just incorporated, scrapping any unmixed ingredients from the side of the bowl with a rubber spatula).  continue mixing for a couple more minutes until the mixture is smooth.  do not overmix.

spoon the mixture into the paper cases until two-thirds full and bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, or until the sponge bounces back when touched (i always stick to the ‘toothpick comes out clean from center’ rule) Leave the cupcakes to cool slightly in the tray before turning out onto a wire cooling rack to cool completely.

lemon frosting
the ingredients:
250g icing sugar (confection sugar) sifted
80g unsalted butter (at room temperature)
2 tbsp grated lemon zest
a couple drops of yellow food colouring (optional)
25ml whole milk

the preparation:
beat together the icing sugar, butter, lemon zest and food colouring, if using, in a free standing (or hand held) mixer on medium-low speed until the mixture comes together and is well combined.  turn the mixer down to a slower speed.  slowly pour in the milk, then when it is all incorporated, turn the mixer up to high speed.  continue beating until the frosting is light and fluffy, at least 5 minutes.  the longer the frosting is beaten, the fluffier and lighter it becomes.

when the cupcakes are cold, spoon (or pipe) the frosting on top and decorate with a little zest.

sunday cinnamon swirls.

one word: yum.  these are so easy to make you can impress guests with warm buns upon arrival :)
this recipe makes 8 smallish-sized swirls, so feel less guilty and have two..

the ingredients:

100g/ 3 1/2 oz butter, melted

350g/ 12oz self-raising flour

pinch of salt

2 tbsp caster sugar

1 tsp ground cinnamon

2 egg yolks

200 ml / 7oz milk

filliing

1 tsp ground cinnamon

55g/ 2oz soft light brown sugar

2 tbsp caster sugar

15g/ 1/2oz butter, melted

icing

125g/ 4 1/2 oz icing sugar (confection sugar)

2 tbsp cream cheese, softened

about 2 tbsp boiling water

1 tsp vanilla extract

the temperature:  preheat oven to 350F (180C).

the preparation: grease a 20cm/ 8 in round cake tin and line the base with baking paper.  place the flour, salt, sugar and cinnamon in a large bowl and mix together.  olace the butter, egg yolks and milk in a separate bowl and whisk together, then combine with the dry ingredients to form a soft dough.

turn out onto a large piece of baking or parchment paper, lightly sprinkled with flour and roll out to a rectangle measuring 30 x 25cm (12 x 10 in)

to make the filling: mix the ingredients together, then spread over the dough and roll up like a Swiss roll, to form a log.  cut the dough into 8 even-sized slices with a sharp knife and pack into the tin.  brush gently with extra milk. Bake in the preheated oven for 30-35 min, or until golden brown.  leave to cool for 5 minutes before removing.

sift the icing sugar into a large bowl and make a well in the center.  place the cream cheese and butter in the center, pour over the water and stir to mix.  add extra boiling water, a few drops at a time, until the icing coats the back of a spoon.  stur in the vanilla and drizzle iver the rolls.  serve warm or cold.

pile on the trifle.

this has been a summer favourite for a few years, and always a crowd pleaser! previously, i've skipped past the orange cream since i'm not a fan of custard, however that's pretty much blasphemy over on this side of the pond.  'you don't like custard??!' is the response i get from most brits. while i love dessert i just don't feel the need to completely drench a cake or pudding in it.. sorry!  it was worth trying out though and i guess makes the dish a bit less dry.  however you like it, give it a try.  the pound cake alone is great with a cuppa, and freezes easily so you can always have a stash in the freezer.

while there are a few steps, it doesn't take away from ease and is well worth it at the end!

another keeper from barefoot contessa..

raspberry orange trifle
the ingredients:
1 orange pound cake
1 cup of good raspberry jam

fresh raspberries (i also add strawberries)

orange cream

1 cup cold heavy, or single cream

2 tbs sugar

½ tsp vanilla extract

the preparation:
1. cut the pound cake into 9 slices ( 3/4 inch) and spread each slice on 1 side with the jam.
2. place a layer of cake, jam sude up, in the bottom of a 2 1/2-3 quart glass serving bowl-cutting the pieces to fit.  top with a layer of berries and orange cream, ending with a layer of cake, jam side down.
3.  whip the cream with an electric or hand mixer.  when it starts to thicken, add vanilla (and sugar if desired.  i personally don't think it needs it)
4. decorate the trifle with whipped cream, berries on top, and voila! 
note- the trifle can sit for a while at room temperature.
when putting together- make it your own, it's not prescriptive. i like to add a bit whipped cream throughout the trifle.

orange pound cake

the ingredients:

½ pound (2 sticks or 226g) unsalted butter at room temperature
2 ½ cups sugar, divided (250g)

4 large eggs at room temperature

1/3 cup grated orange zest (6 oranges, although I’ve never used this many and still delish)

3 cups plain flour (384g)

½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

¾ c freshly squeezed orange juice, divided

¾ c buttermilk at room temperature (hint: if you don’t have on hand, you can make your own by adding lemon juice to regular milk)

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

the temperature: 350F (180C)

the preparation:

cream the butter and 2 cups of sugar in the bowl of a mixer, until light and fluffy. (or do it by hand! not that much longer)  beat in the eggs, 1 at a time, and the orange zest.

in a large bowl, sift together the flour,baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  in another bowl combine 1/4 cup of the OJ, buttermilk, and vanilla.  add the flour and buttermilk mixtures alternatively to the batter, beginning and ending with the flour.  divide the batter evenly between pans, smooth the tops and bake for 45 min- 1 hour, until the knife comes out clean when inserted in the middle.

if you aren't making the trifle, follow the recipe for a syrup

while the cakes bake, cook the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar with remaining 1/2 cup OJ in a small saucepan over low heat until the sugar dissolves.  when the cakes are done, let them cool for 10 min. take them out of the pans and place on a baking rack set over a tray.  spoon the orange syrup over the cakes and allow to cool completely.

orange cream

the ingredients:
1 ½ cups milk
1 tsp grated orange zest (1 orange)

5 large egg yolks, at room temperature

½ cup sugar

2 tbsp sifted cornstarch

½ tsp vanilla extract

½ tsp Grand Marnier liquer

1 tbs unsalted butter

1 tbs heavy, or single cream

the preparation:
combine  the milk and orange zest in a medium saucepan over medium heat and bring to almost a boil, then remove from the heat. 

beat the egg yolks and sugar on medium-high speed in the bowl of an electric mixer (or hand mixer) until pale and thick, about 5 minutes.   with the mixer on low, sprinkle the cornstarch.  Beat on medium-low speed until combined, scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula.

with the mixer on low, pour the hot milk mixture into the egg mixture. pour the mixture back into the pan.  cook over low heat, stirring constantly until the mixture thickens, about 5-7 minutes.

*pay attention- it will thicken and then quickly become orange scrambled eggs!

immediately pour the mixture through a sieve into a large bowl.  Stir in the vanilla, Grand Marnier, butter and heavy cream.  place plastic wrap directly on the custard and refrigerate until cold.

although i was a little nervous about the orange scrambled eggs, it's not hard, just happens fast, need to act fast..