Fresh Fruit Cream Cake

 

Among my relatives the highest accolade I could receive for my baking is, "It's good - not too sweet."  Is that an Asian thing?  Maybe.  Possibly.  Definitely.  When I saw the recipe for a Fresh Fruit Cream Cake from Cook's Illustrated's May/Jun 2024 issue I knew it was the exact dessert that my family  would like.   I decided to make it for a get together jointly celebrating my Dad's birthday and Mother's Day.

The cake itself is similar to a castella, the light and sponge-y cakes you would find in a Chinese bakery.  There is no baking powder or baking soda in the recipe; egg whites are the only leavener used to make the cake rise.  In the past I hadn't had the best luck with these types of cakes if they weren't baked in a tube pan.  When I used a regular pan the cake inevitably ended up sinking during the cooling process.  Happy to report no such issues with this recipe.   The cake baked up nice and tall and didn't cave in when it cooled.

For the frosting heavy cream is whipped with instant vanilla pudding and sugar.  The pudding mix helps to stabilize the whipped cream so that it can stay in the fridge longer.   As for fruits I went for the classic berry combination of strawberries, raspberries and blueberries.  

I'm looking forward to serving this to my family to get their review - let's hope it's a thumbs up!

 

 

 

No-Bake Mango Lime Cheesecake

 

To kick off the summer season (and the opening of his backyard swimming pool) my brother hosted a Memorial Day weekend barbecue for the family.  We normally divide and conquer when it comes to the menu and I was tasked with bringing dessert, comme d'habitude.  I wanted to make something light and fruity that didn't require too much effort.  Enter this No-Bake Mango Lime Cheesecake, which I'd initially seen on the NY Times Cooking Instagram account and immediately saved.  

 

 

Cheesecake itself can be quite heavy, especially the New York variety, but thankfully this one isn't since there are no eggs in the recipe.  The mango flavor comes from the use of canned, unsweetened purée, an ingredient not normally found in my pantry, but I was able to easily source some from Amazon.  I've heard you can also find it at Indian supermarkets. The citrus tones coming from the fresh lime juice and lime zest compliments the mango and cream cheese flavors beautifully.

 

The original recipe calls for a no-bake graham cracker crust but I decided to swap that out for one that you bake since I prefer a toasty texture instead.  Gelatin is used to set up the filling and glaze which makes it really nice to slice.  Often times I've found that when you use mangoes in desserts the fruit flavor gets lost in the shuffle; not with this cheesecake.  Since it wasn't baked the refreshing, tropical fruit flavor stays intact.   Really delicious!

Mini Fruit Tarts

 

After making six, yes six!, cream tarts in the span of three weeks I was pretty much over them.  At least for the time being.  Turns out making so many tarts meant I found myself with leftover pâte sucrée, pastry cream and fruit.   What to do? Make Mini Fruit Tarts!

 

One of the (many) lessons I have learned during this pandemic is to be more efficient with food, e.g., using up leftovers.  Pre-pandemic I was one of the last people to eat leftovers, mainly because I didn't like having the same thing over and over.  Nowadays I try to be creative and make something "new" out of them.

 

The mini fruit tarts offer just the right amount to satisfy your sweet tooth craving.  You'll need tart tins to make them, but in a pinch you could also use a standard muffin tin.  Just make sure to spray it with nonstick spray beforehand!

Cream Tart

 

Often times people will ask me where I get baking inspiration from and my usual answer, "anywhere and everywhere," probably sounds a bit disappointing, but it's true!  I can't pinpoint anything in particular that inspires me.  Sometimes it's tasting an amazing pastry and wanting to replicate it at home or a friend texting me to to say they've seen a particular dessert and asking if I could make it.  

 

 

In the case of the Cream Tart, it was seeing an Instagram post that was the inspiration.  If you're on social media I'm sure you've seen these cakes before, normally shaped into numbers or letters.   Apparently cream tarts have been popular since 2018, but to be honest I never really paid much attention to them.  After seeing that Instagram post I did some research and discovered that cream cakes weren't so difficult to make. 

 

 

When deconstructed, the tart was comprised of shortbread and some type of filling, then decorated with fresh fruit, meringues, macarons, flowers* and anything else your heart desired.   Once all the components were compiled the actual cake assembly was quite simple.  But you would never think that when you look at the finished cake...so visually stunning and very Instagram worthy!  [*Make sure the flowers you use are safe to put on food! For the "S" cake I mistakenly put a few sprigs on baby's breath but DO NOT DO THIS!  Baby's breath are toxic when consumed. They were immediately removed after taking the photo.]

 

 

I could easily see these cakes being the star dessert for a birthday, baby shower, bridal shower or any kind of party.  Since so many of my friends have birthdays in September (including my own!) they just might be getting a cream tart to celebrate.  

 

Strawberry Mascarpone Tea Cake

 

Strawberry season is finally here and I am loving it!  There's a farm stand up the road from where my parents live in the San Joaquin Valley that sells, in my opinion, the best strawberries. The ruby red, sweet fruit is picked fresh daily and sold to eagerly awaiting customers.  On a recent trip home I picked up a few baskets with the intent of making this Strawberry Mascarpone Tea Cake.  I'd seen it featured on King Arthur's website a while ago and bookmarked it to make when strawberries were in season. 

In appearance the cake looks very similar to the French fraisier.  What I particularly liked about this version was the use of sour cream in the cake batter and mascarpone cream in the whipped cream filling.  The slight tang from both these ingredients is a nice counterbalance to the sweetness from the strawberries.  

 The next time you have access to sweet berries I highly recommend you make this cake.  It's absolutely delicious!

 

Pineapple Coconut Upside-Down Cake

One behavior that I'm trying to consciously change amidst the COVID-19 crisis is to be less wasteful.  Now more than ever it seems that resourcefulness is critical because ingredients aren't necessarily as readily available as they were before.

I'm actually enjoying the process of reinventing foods that I previously would have tossed.   It's almost like a game for me - how creative can I be with leftovers?  I had some pineapple chunks that were on its last legs and an open carton of buttermilk which is how how I found myself making this Pineapple Coconut Upside-Down Cake.  I don't often make pineapple upside-down but when I do I'm always reminded of my Dad.  It's his favorite cake.

The recipe comes directly from epicurious.com which I tweaked only slightly by adding some sweetened coconut to the party.  There's no need to bust out your stand mixer for this cake.  It easily came together using a hand mixer.  The trick is to make sure your ingredients are at room temperature.

Buttermilk is the star ingredient in this recipe because the baked cake came out so light, fluffy and tender. Some upside-down cakes err on the side of too sugary in my opinion, but I found this one to be just right.  A dollop of lightly sweetened crème fraîche and this dessert could want for nothing.  In fact, I helped myself to two slices! 

Summer Peach Cake

If I'm not traveling and find myself at home for the weekend my Sunday morning ritual normally consists of a bit of exercise (if I'm not feeling super lazy) and afterwards heading over to the Clement Street Farmer's Market.  Being in California I think we are so spoiled with all the amazing fruits and vegetables literally grown in our backyards.  I love to peruse the various stands to see the abundance of what's in season.  It's a feast for the eyes and stomach!

The yellow peaches this summer have been especially delicious, perfectly ripe but still firm and sweet.  They're hands down my favorite fruit to buy at the market lately.  While my preference is to enjoy the peaches unadorned I'd been meaning to try America's Test Kitchen's recipe for Summer Peach Cake for quite a while.  What better time than now when peaches were at their best?

What I liked about this particular recipe was that most of the peaches were roasted, minimizing the risk of a soggy cake bottom.  Plus, the oven caramelizes the juices which really concentrates the fruit flavor.   The batter couldn't be easier to pull together and is whisked by hand so there's no need to pull out the stand mixer. 

This cake is literally bursting with peach flavor, I kid you not.  You're supposed to wait 2-3 hours for the cake to cool completely but I couldn't refrain myself.  After digging in to a slice I can tell you that it's absolutely delicious.  What I especially love is the addition of almond extract in the batter; it adds a certain je ne said quoi that makes the cake taste out of this world.  

Don't let the simplicity of the cake's appearance fool you - it easily rivals any of those fancy cakes in taste, bar none.  If you insist, you could dress it up a bit by adding a dusting of confectioner's sugar or a dollop of freshly whipped cream.  Why not make it à la mode with a scoop of ice cream?  Any way you serve it it's going to be peachy keen!

Strawberry Cupcakes 2.0

I've featured strawberry cupcakes on this blog before but I found a new recipe that takes it up another level, hence the post title "2.0".   I have no shame in admitting that I love supermarket/bakery cupcakes and frosting.   People are normally surprised by this because of my passion for baking, but it's the texture that really draws me in - nothing beats a moist and tender crumb - and it's hard to replicate at home.  Until now!

A few years ago I stumbled upon a great blog for Woodland Bakery in New Jersey, which at the time was owned by pastry chef Gretchen Price.   Gretchen was one of the first people I've seen that actually posted recipes from her bakery on the web AND for free.   Professional quality results at home?  Sign me up!  Recently she sold the bakery and started her own blog called what else, Gretchen's Bakery.   Check it out because she has excellent recipes and instructional YouTube videos.

These strawberry cupcakes are a variation of her Moist Fluffy White Cake and Buttercream recipes.  For the cupcakes I just replaced about 1/3 cup of the milk with strawberry puree (also found on her blog).   With the frosting you just add some strawberry puree at the end, to taste.   Finally...supermarket/bakery treats from my kitchen! 

Wannabe Raincoast Crisps

 

If you ever tasted Raincoast Crisps you probably had the same reaction I had, "OMG...these things are delicious and so addictive!" and then "I wish they weren't so expensive."  At about $10 for a small box they definitely weren't an everyday snack.  

Don't know why I didn't think of it sooner but I recently found an amazing recipe online that replicates these dried fruit and nut crisps perfectly.  In fact, a friend who I gave samples to said they tasted even better than the original!  Now if that isn't a seal of approval I don't know what is.   

I highly recommend you try making these yourself - they're so easy to recreate at home and cost a lot less too.  The crisps are really delicious with some cheese and fresh fruit jam.  The recipe is easily adaptable to whatever dried fruit and nut combination you like.  I split one recipe in half so I could have two flavors: fig/hazelnut and cranberry/pecan.  These crackers are fantastic served with your favorite cheese.  I plan on making tons to give as part of my holiday gifts.

Fruit Tarts made with Pâte Sucrée

Do you want to hear something funny? I've re-discovered all that is great about the library.  Which is pretty ironic because when I was a kid I practically lived there, I loved it so much.  But, the advent of amazon.com, coupled with a steady paycheck, pretty much killed that love affair.  

A few months ago, in an effort to scale back on my amazon addiction, I was reminded by my sister that the neighborhood library was recently remodeled.  So I went to check it out and see what they had to offer. What I found were tons of magazines, cookbooks and DVDs to peruse...score!  

On a recent trip I saw The SoNo Baking Company Cookbook among the stacks and immediately grabbed it.  It had been featured before on the Martha Stewart Show and the fruit tarts pictured on the cover immediately caught my eye.

The crust is made with a pâte sucrée or sweet short pastry dough.  I normally use this Sweet Caillat Crust for fruit tarts, but I wanted to try something new and I'm glad I did.  The crust is crispy and crunchy, similar to a cookie and tastes fantastic with the pastry cream and fresh fruit.

Berry Fool

When it comes to unusual food names the British definitely take the top prize.  Care for some bubble and squeak or spotted dick?  How about toad-in-the hole?  By their names alone they don't necessarily get your taste buds salivating do they?

Now here's a British dessert that completely belies its peculiar moniker, fool.  In this case strawberry and blackberry fool.  Looking for the perfect dessert that's creamy, light and  bursting with fruit flavor?  Look no further.  

If you love berries and you love cream I can pretty much guarantee that berry fool is right up your alley.   I can't think of a better dessert to herald the beginning of spring.

Meyer Lemon Bars

Being a Californian means you get really spoiled when it comes to the abundance of amazing fruits offered here year round.  When I'm hankering for something citrus-y I love to make meyer lemon bars.  Lucky for me both of my brothers and my parents have meyer lemon trees on their property that are never in want of fruit.    Buttery, crisp shortbread topped with refreshing and subtly-sweet curd filling....absolutely delicious!

You don't have to use meyer lemons for this recipe but if you can find them you won't regret it.  The sweetness of the meyer variety is a nice change from the lip-puckering tartness that you'd find with a regular lemon.    

Most recipes have you pour a concoction of lemon juice, eggs and sugar over a warm, partially-baked crust.  Easy enough - but the problem I find with this method is that the filling never seems to set properly even after the bars are baked and cooled.  Try slicing nice even squares and you get sticky and gooey pieces.  Not ideal.  What I love about this recipe is that the filling is pre-cooked, like a curd, and when baked further in the oven its silky smooth texture holds its shape beautifully.   

If you like citrus you can't go wrong with these meyer lemon bars.

Mini Panettone

The year began with bread.   What better way to start 2011 than with some mini panettone?  If you haven't guessed I'm all about the carbs.  Stick me on a deserted island and the one food I can't live without is bread.  I'll take it in any form: bagel, baguette, pita, croissant, tortilla, biscuit , English muffin.   You name it, I'll eat it.  

I'd been meaning to make panettone for Christmas but all the candy and cookie making kind of took over my kitchen.  Since I'm not traveling for New Years this year and my office is closed this week I figured I'd use my free time judiciously and catch up on some baking.   As if I hadn't had enough already, right?  But what can I say?  I'm a glutton and proud of it! 

I liken the panettone as a cross between a brioche and a fruitcake.   You've got the rich, buttery egg bread of the brioche mixed with the dried fruits of a fruitcake.  

For these minis I ended up combining two panettone recipes from Martha Stewart.  The bread is from this recipe and I topped it with the crust from this recipe.   My sister suggested including the crackly top crust because she thought it would add a nice professional touch to the finished product.  I think that was good call on her part.  The paper molds I found at Sugar 'N Spice in Daly City, but you can find them at most baking supply stores or on amazon.com.

Mini Fruit Tarts....Part II

My first attempt in making the can't-fail Parisian piecrust from the Sunday Chronicle turned out so well I decided to make it again. I'm bringing these tarts to the office to celebrate a co-worker's birthday this week. In addition to strawberries and blueberries, this time I also used raspberries and kiwis. I really like how the green color of the kiwi contrasts so nicely against the red berries and dark blueberries. The sweet Caillat crust is definitely a keeper that will be a great addition to my baking repertoire.