Nutmeg Cake

We all have our favorite spices that are used often in baking, however, there are some that rarely come to mind. One of these is nutmeg. While nutmeg is used in holiday baked goods, it usually is only one element of a combination of spices called for in a recipe. This particular recipe focuses on nutmeg being the primary flavor.

Do not let the plain appearance fool you. Moist, light and packed with the special taste of nutmeg, one slice will make you a true fan. A delicious choice if you have not yet experienced nutmeg as singular spice. Also, if you make this, do not omit the rum syrup - it is an important flavor component to the cake.

Nutmeg Cake
Adapted from Warm Bread and Honey Cake

Ingredients/Syrup Topping
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup plus 2 tbs water
1/2 tsp lemon juice
2 tbs rum

Ingredients/Cake
1/4 cup milk
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
9 tbs butter
1/2 c plus 1 tbs light brown sugar/packed
1/8 tsp salt
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/4 cup flour

Start by making the sugar syrup. Place sugar, water and lemon juice in a saucepan. Whisk together then heat at medium temperature on stove. As it cooks, let it come to a boil then reduce heat. The sugar will dissolve and the the mixture will come to a simmer. Let simmer for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside until it reaches room temperature.

As the syrup is cooling, prepare a standard size loaf pan by buttering the interior. Then line the bottom and two sides with parchment and butter the surface. Dust the inside with flour and tap out excess. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

In a medium size bowl, sift together baking powder, salt, flour and nutmeg. Set aside. Fill a bowl of a stand mixer with butter and beat at medium speed until smooth and silky. Then add sugar and cream ingredients together, beating at medium speed. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl at intervals during the process.

Using a small bowl and a whisk, blend the eggs with the vanilla extract. Add half of this mixture to the sugar/butter blend. Beat at 30 seconds and then add the remainder. Blend together, beating another 30 seconds.

Fold 1/3 of the sifted ingredients into the batter. Then mix in 2 tbs of the milk. Blend in half of the remaining flour mixture. Add the last of the milk, mix and then the remaining flour blend. Once all is thoroughly mixed and batter is smooth, fill the prepared pan.

Bake until tester comes out clean, about 40-45 minutes. Place pan on cooling rack.

The sugar syrup should now be at room temperature. Add the rum and stir until completely distributed in the syrup. Take a skewer and poke holes in the top of the cake, all the way to the bottom of the pan. Then pour the rum syrup over the top. Let the syrup soak in and the cake cool for about 5 minutes in the pan and transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

For the best flavor-wait 24 hours before serving.

                              **LAST YEAR: Favorite Cookie Round Up**

Breakfast Muffins

 

Today I wanted to test some muffin recipes I found on line. The first is a lemon poppy seed muffin that is made with oil and in comparison is a muffin made with butter.

As far as taste, the lemon muffin was moist and had a well balanced flavor of lemon. The syrup soak on top really gave it a nice pop of citrus.This muffin, even though moist, was denser than the other.

The spice muffin rose a lot taller and fluffier than the other. It was more like the traditional muffin you find in bakeries and coffee houses. However, I wished it was a little less dry. Also, a lot of the streusel ended up on the pan instead of on the muffin. Next time I would try an extra tablespoon of oil in the batter and a different type of streusel. This muffin had a cinnamon-nutmeg flavor, but it could use some more spice.

Overall, my vote is for the lemon poppy seed. Using oil seems to bring out a moister baked good. Better in texture and stronger in flavor than the spice muffins, the decision was not a difficult one. Both recipes are below and each make about 1 dozen muffins.

Buttermilk Spice Muffins
adapted from Mimi's Cafe 

Ingredients/Batter
2 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cinnamon
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup plus 1 tbs buttermilk

Ingredients/Nut Topping
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup finely chopped walnuts
1/2 cup sugar

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and grease or line muffin tin cavities with paper cups.

Sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg. Set aside. Fill another bowl with the butter and sugar. Beat together until light and fluffy. Add one egg and beat until blended thoroughly. Continue with this process for the each of the remaining eggs until all is blended in.

At this time, the nut topping should be made. Simply add all topping ingredients to bowl and mix together until everything is evenly distributed. Set aside.

Now, back to making the batter...Add 1/2 of the sifted ingredients into the batter and fold in, using a wooden spoon. Then blend in the buttermilk. Lastly, stir in the remaining sifted ingredients just until combined.

Using a scoop, fill the muffin cavities 3/4 full of batter. Once all the batter is used up, sprinkle 1 tablespoon of topping over all the muffins. There is a time factor here, the longer you take the more apt the topping will sink, so act quickly.

Place in oven and bake until tester comes out clean. This should take about 20-25 minutes. Let muffins cool in pan for a few minutes then transfer to rack to finish cooling.

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
adapted from LA Times Food Section, 05/08/2002

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups cake flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tbs poppy seeds
1 cup plus 2 tbs sugar, divided
1/2 cup oil
1 egg
1 cup buttermilk (well shaken)
1/4 tsp lemon extract
1/4 cup lemon juice ( for syrup)
2 tbs lemon zest

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and prepare a muffin tin by greasing the cavities and upper edges with butter. As an alternative, just grease the upper edges of the cavities and line with paper cups.

In a medium size bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside. Using another bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, oil, egg, zest, extract, poppy seeds and one cup of the sugar. Fold in the sifted ingredients until just combined.

Using a scoop, fill the muffin cavities evenly with the batter. Place pan in oven and bake until tester comes out clean. This should take about 20 minutes. The muffins will be slightly golden in color on top when done.

While the muffins are baking, prepare the syrup. Fill a small microwavable bowl with the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar and the 1/4 cup of lemon juice. Heat on high for 1 minute.

Once the muffins are done, let cool in pan for 5 minutes. Then dip the top of each in warm syrup and place on rack to finish cooling. After dipping if any syrup still remains, spoon on top of the muffins to soak in.
                            **Last Year:Almond Marzipan Roulade**

 

Eggnog Rum Muffins

Sometimes the best recipes are the ones with little ingredients and little time in the kitchen. I have been in the kitchen this morning working on a baking project. It is a nice break to come back and post this easy muffin recipe.

Sometimes homemade muffins can be a bit dry. I guess that is to make sure you want to put a slather of butter on it. These muffins, on the other hand, have oil in them which promotes a moist texture- so you can pass on the butter. 

Regarding flavor, one bite reveals a burst of that "special" holiday taste of eggnog and rum. As a blogger, sometimes leaving a recipe "as is" is does not exactly match my idea. This was one of those times. I decided to add another flavor layer and a little crunch by putting in some cinnamon coated pecans.

Below is the recipe. After enjoying some of these as a snack, I now think that eggnog should stick around longer than just the holiday season. After trying these, you may want your signature included on the petition! This recipe makes about 2 dz muffins.

Eggnog Rum Muffins
adapted from recipelink.com

Ingredients
2/3 cup canola or vegetable oil
1/2 cup rum
1 1/2 cups eggnog
2 eggs
1 tsp nutmeg
4 cups flour
1 tsp salt
2 tbs baking powder
1 1/3 cups sugar
1 cup chopped cinnamon coated pecans (optional)

Grease the top edge cavities of 2-1 dz muffin pans and line with baking papers. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Sift together flour, baking powder, nutmeg and salt in a large bowl.Stir in the sugar. Make a well in the center of the dry blend. In another bowl, whisk the two eggs together. Then stir in the eggnog and rum into the eggs. Once combined, whisk in the oil. Pour the mixture into the well of the sifted ingredients and fold together until no dry streaks remain. Lastly, fold in the pecans.

Using a scoop, fill the muffin cavities evenly with the batter. Let bake about 15-20 minutes or until tester comes out clean.
                                          **2 YEARS AGO: Creme Brulee Chocolate Bundt**

Amaretto Cherry Bread

For me, it is hard to turn down a culinary treat with Amaretto. The tasty Italian liqueur has found its way into many types of recipes from meat to ice cream. Even though Amaretto does have a bitter almond flavor, it is made from apricot pits- it does not contain any almonds or nuts.

This loaf has the same texture as most sweet bread. However, it is the Amaretto that makes it a standout from the rest. With the addition of cherries and nuts, the flavors compliment each other nicely. Also, this is a go to recipe when you are looking for something quick to bake.

The bread is a great item to give as a gift, it transports well and the flavors get better with time. You will also find that it is a welcome addition to a cup of tea or coffee. One slice can squelch the craving for something sweet, but not heavy.

The recipe makes 3 small loaves.

Amaretto Cherry Bread
adapted from Recipe Goldmine

Ingredients
1/2 cup Amaretto
3 eggs
1/2 cup butter
1 cup chopped almonds or chopped nuts
1 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 cups flour
powdered sugar (optional for dusting top of loaves)
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen cherries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease the interior of 3 loaf pans (5.5 X 3) and line bottom and 2 long sides with parchment paper.

Add the butter and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat at medium speed for 1 minute then mix in one egg at a time, until all is blended and set aside. In another bowl, sift together the flour and baking powder.

Fold 1/3 of the sifted ingredients into the butter batter. Stir in 1/4 cup of Amaretto.  Repeat the process, ending with the flour after the last 1/4 cup of Amaretto.  Once batter is smooth, mix in the cherries and nuts until evenly distributed.

Spoon the mixture evenly into the loaf pans. Place in oven and bake until tester comes out clean. The bake time averages between 40-50 minutes. Loaves will have a golden hue on the surface when done.

Place pans on cooling rack and let bread cool completely in pans. If you prefer, the top can be dusted with powdered sugar right before slicing and serving.

Tips and Notes:
1. I used 2 standard loaf pans, but there was not much height to the loaves. The smaller loaf pans do allow for more height.

2. I used pecans, but you can use any type of chopped nuts, depending on personal preference.

3. Do not use any frozen fruit in syrup, buy the flash frozen type that has no syrup.  Make sure the cherries are thawed before putting into batter.
                                        **LAST YEAR:Coconut Chocolate Chip Cupcakes**

Strawberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake

I heard on the radio station the other day that it was National Donut day. I do like donuts quite a bit, but I feel that they could incorporate some fresh fruit into the flavors.  Jelly filled is actually fruit gel, not big chunks of fresh fruit. Donut makers should split a donut and fill it with fresh fruit once in a while, I think it would catch on.  I would definitely be a patron at that donut shop.

That brings me to this particular recipe. It has a blend of fresh fruit, cream cheese and almonds layered on top of sweet cake. The original recipe called for blueberries, but I decided that with almonds and cream cheese, strawberries is a better flavor match.

This breakfast treat is one that never got out of the house. Most of my desserts are brought to the work place or given to the neighbors. It is only test tasted with one serving before moving on.  However, my husband wanted this one for our household and he managed to make it disappear in a few days.

Strawberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake
adapted from Best Recipes from Country Inns and Bed and Breakfasts

Ingredients
1 cup fresh fruit (any type of summer fruit, with the exception of citrus, chopped if bigger than blueberries)
1 tsp almond extract
3/4 cup plain low fat yogurt
2 plus 1 eggs
1/4 cup apple juice
6 oz cream cheese
2 tsp water
1/2 cup butter
3/4 plus 1/4 cup sugar
2 1/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1 tsp cornstarch

Grease and flour a 9 inch springform pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Fill a small saucepan with fruit and apple juice. Let come to a boil and then reduce heat and stir.  Simmer on low for about 3 minutes. Add the water and sift in the cornstarch.  Stir again and let simmer. The liquid should thicken up and reduce in a short amount of time. When ready, your saucepan contents should measure about a cup of the fruit/cornstarch mixture. Remove from heat and set aside.

Prepare a food processor for use. Fill the processor bowl with 3/4 cup of sugar and flour. Then cut the butter into cubes and drop into bowl. Process until mixture resembles sandy coarse crumbs. Empty contents into large bowl.  Remove one cup of mixture and place in another bowl for a different use.

Sift together baking powder, baking soda and salt. Fold into sugar mixture until distributed evenly.  In a separate bowl, place 2 eggs and the almond extract and whisk together. Add the yogurt and whisk again to blend. Pour into the flour/sugar batter and stir. Once blended, empty contents into prepared springform pan. The batter will be a bit sticky, but flatten on the bottom of pan and bring up the sides about a 1/4 of an inch. There should be a little bit of a well from the dough sides going down to the bottom of the dough.

Take out a medium size bowl and beat together cream cheese, 1/4 cup of sugar and remaining egg until smooth. Fill the well of the dough with the cream cheese mixture and smooth the top. Then spread fruit mixture over top of cream cheese. Find the reserved crumb mixture and stir in sliced almonds. Sprinkle over the top of the coffee cake, making sure it is covered to the edge evenly.

Place in oven and bake until golden brown. This will take about 45 minutes and filling will be set when done. Cool in pan 15 minutes then remove the outer ring of the springform pan.

Tips and Notes:

1. Because of their size, blueberries yield more volume in a cup than chopped strawberries. Next time, I will up the amount of strawberries. The 1 cup turned out to be a little sparse on top.

2. Another good flavor match since this has almonds would be cherries.

3. Be careful when adding ingredients, the eggs as well as the sugar are used in 2 different components so they need to be added separately.

4. The instructions are to spread fruit over cream cheese.  Just to insure that you are not mixing the layers, it is better to drop by spoonfuls.
                         **LAST YEAR:Chocolate Almond Marsala Cookies**

                                          
 

Graham Chocolate Chip Muffins

Life can be a series of changes, sometimes those changes are unexpected and sometimes planned. I feel lucky that 2015 is well planned and I am committed to make sure it is one of the best ever.  At this time my life is fuller and happier than in years past, so life's journey has taken a good turn in the road.  However even in the face of all kinds of change, my passion for creating in the kitchen still remains.

I had intended to make something lemony, but one of the taste testers indicated something chocolate was in order due to the change.  I still wanted to make muffins but I declined on the double chocolate. After reviewing several recipes, I found this one to be just enough chocolate to squelch a craving without an overload.

These muffins have graham cracker crumbs in the batter.  That had me thinking that they may be real dense.  However, they turned out to be typical in texture. I believe the use of oil instead of butter kept the muffins moist. The addition of the chocolate chips and crunchy streusel give the batter the sweetness and texture that was needed to bring it more into a delicious balance. This recipe makes 14-16 muffins.

This is the perfect way to tone down a bit from the big meal extravaganza most people have had this holiday season.  These muffins do not take a lot of time in the kitchen.  It is the first step, but the second step will find you relaxing with a cup of hot tea or coffee along with one of these tasty muffins.  Perhaps enjoying the early morning quiet as well as the pinkish orange hue of the sunrise of the first day of 2015......

Graham Chocolate Chip Muffins
adapted from Dwell on Joy via Michelle's Tasty Creations

Ingredients/ topping
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
3 tbs melted butter

Ingredients/ Muffins
1 cup whole milk
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg, room temp
2 cups flour
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 tbs baking powder
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup choc chips

Prepare a muffin tin by greasing the top edge of the muffin cavities and lining with cupcake papers. Then preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Make the streusel topping first by blending all topping ingredients together until entire mixture is damp and comes together in clumps.  Set aside.

In another bowl, sift together flour, salt, baking powder and graham crumbs.  Some graham crumbs may remain in the sieve.  In that case, empty into the sifted ingredients.  Stir in the sugar.

Pull out another bowl for the wet ingredients.  Add the egg, oil, milk and vanilla extract. Whisk together until all is blended.  Then fold in the dry mixture until no dry streaks remain.  Lastly, mix in the chocolate chips. Scoop even amounts into muffin cavities.

Mix streusel again, making sure to break up any clumps.  Place a tablespoon of streusel on top of each cavity of batter.  Press down lightly.  Put in oven and bake for 16-19 minutes.  Let cool in tin for 10 minutes then transfer to rack to finish cooling.
                             LAST YEAR: Maraschino Snowball Cookies

Hawaiian Loaf

I can recall the show "The Golden Girls" which had a daily ritual of the ladies gathering around a table and eating cheesecake in the afternoon.  Even though I enjoy a good slice of cheesecake every now and then, I would not choose it for a daily ritual.  In my opinion, biscotti or sweet loaf bread is more appropriate for an afternoon get together.  Cheesecake is a little bit on the heavy, rich side of the dessert family.

While there are lots of sweet loaf bread recipes out there, my pantry had some macadamias that beckoned to be used.  Also, I still had some pineapple left from the recent trifle I made.  This narrowed down the choices to something in the Hawaiian category.

After working with this particular recipe, I found a few flaws. If I made it again, I would probably add more cream cheese than recommended.  It is actually the cream cheese and the sour cream components that aid in keeping this bread from being dry. However, I still thought it could be more moist. This recipe calls for 1 pkg or 3 oz of cream cheese, which is quite a bit smaller than the standard 8 oz that we are used to. Also, I had a dark pan, which may have impacted the bake time.  Instead of the recommended 70 minutes to bake in a nine inch loaf pan, mine was finished in 55 minutes - this may have been another factor that affected the texture.  It may have already been done a little prior to me removing it from the oven.

All in all, this is one that you will need to tweak a little to get it to your liking in texture.  The recipe is below, as originally stated.

Hawaiian Loaf
adapted from My Great Recipes/ Card222 

Ingredients
1/2 cup chopped macadamias
2- 8 oz cans crushed pineapple, drained
1 pkg (3 oz) softened cream cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
1 egg
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla

Prepare 2- 7 inch loaf or one 9 inch loaf pan by greasing the interior and lining the bottom and two long sides with parchment paper.  Grease face up side of paper.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Sift together flour, baking soda and salt.  Set aside.  In another bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth.  Continue to beat and slowly pour in sugar.  Once all is blended add vanilla extract and the egg.  Beat for 30 seconds on medium high.

Fold in 1/3 of the dry ingredients to the cream cheese mixture.  Then mix in half of the sour cream.  Repeat the process and end with folding in the last 1/3 of the sifted ingredients.  Add the nuts and pineapple and stir until evenly distributed.  Spoon into pan(s) and smooth the top.

Place in oven and bake.  Recipe recommends 45 minutes for the small pans and 70 minutes for the 9 inch pan.  Test for doneness after 30 minutes on the small loafs and 50 on the larger.  Bread is done when tester comes out clean.

Remove and place pan on rack for 10 minutes to cool.  Remove loaf (loaves) and let completely cool before slicing.
                                       **LAST YEAR: Mint Chocolate Cupcakes***

Raspberry Cream Cheese Braid

Outside of the wonderful taste of this breakfast treat, I really do like the ease of the recipe.  The appearance of this pastry gives the impression that this took a lot of effort.

The recipe makes two pastries, which means you can keep one and give another to the neighbors.  In my case I brought it to my co-workers.  Another good thing about the recipe is that it can be changed up, depending on your preference of fruit.


Raspberry Cream Cheese Braid
adapted from King Arthur's Bakers Companion

Ingredients/ Dough
3 cups regular or pastry flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp instant yeast
6 tbs sour cream or yogurt
1/4 cup water
1 egg
6 tbs butter (room temp)
1 tsp lemon zest

Ingredients/Filling
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg
1/2 cup of raspberry jam mixed with 2 tbs flour
2 tbs butter
1- 8oz package of cream cheese
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 cup sugar
3 tbs flour
1/4 cup coarse sugar (optional for topping)

For the dough, mix together the yeast, warm water and 1 tsp of sugar (take from 1/4 cup measurement).  Then add 1/2 cup of the flour (take from 3 cup measurement).  Blend until the mixture forms a dough.  Shape into a ball and place back in bowl and cover bowl with plastic wrap. Set aside until the yeast becomes very active, about 10-15 minutes.

Once active, stir in all the remaining dough ingredients.  After all is blended into a dough, knead dough until it becomes soft and is no longer sticky.  You can do this by hand or with a dough hook in a stand mixer.  Grease the interior of a medium size bowl.  Shape the dough into a ball.  Put dough ball into the bowl and cover with plastic wrap.  Place bowl in a warm, draft free place and let dough rise for about 45 minutes or until doubled.

While the dough is rising, you can prepare the filling.  In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy.  Beat in the salt and vanilla extract. Take the cream cheese and cut into 8 portions. While the mixer is still running, add pieces of cream cheese at 15 second intervals. Scrape down sides of bowl and then beat in egg and flour.  Scrape down sides of bowl again and beat until all is incorporated.  Set aside.

Divide dough into 2 equal pieces.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.  Take 1 piece of the dough and roll out on a lightly floured surface into a rectangle measuring 15 X10 inches.  Place sheet of dough on the center of the parchment lined baking sheet.  Repeat with second piece of dough.

Spread half of the jam in a 2 1/2 inch wide strip down the center of each piece of dough.  There should be a 1 inch border left at the top and bottom of the dough.  Then spoon and smooth 1/2 of the cream cheese mixture on top of the jam for each piece of dough.

On each 15 inch side of the dough, make strips by cutting 2 1/2 inches in length which are 3/4 inches wide. The strips should be at a 15 degree angle downward.  The end result is that the strips make like an upside down "V" with the filling in the center.

Fold in the 1 inch border dough on the top and bottom.  Then crisscross dough strips over top of filling, placing one left strip over the filling and then alternating with the right. Repeat the cutting and folding process for second piece of dough. Cover both braids with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until they puff up, about 30-45 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Once the braids have risen, you can top according to preference.  An egg wash (one egg blended with 1 tbs water) will add shine and a deeper color to the braid.  Spritzing the dough with water was the method I used.  After that process, sprinkle the dough with the coarse sugar.

Bake the braids until they reach a golden hue, which should take about 32-36 minutes.  Once baked, let cool for about 15 minutes and then slice and serve.

Tips and notes:
1. Pastry flour will make the braids more tender.  If using regular flour, add 2 extra tbs of water.
2. You can use a product called Clear Gel in place of the flour in the filling.  Use 2 tbs to mix in with the raspberry jam instead of the flour and use 2 tbs to add with the egg instead of 3 tbs of flour.
3. This dough can be used for many sweet breads such as monkey bread and hot cross buns.
                                **LAST YEAR:Black Pond Cupcakes**
  

Almond Breakfast Scones

This post is part one of two.  This part is the base for an upcoming dessert I have planned.  However, do not let that make you wait, these scones do make for a great breakfast.

There are many different types of scones but I would say that these fall into a sweet bread category.  They are moist and have a crunch of almonds.  As you can see in the picture, I do like my scones very toasty.  Any type of bread or pastry, I think is much better with a toasty crust.

So, if you are looking for something sweet but are not quite up to the sugar high from a donut, these would surely hit the spot. This recipe makes 30 scones, about 2 1/4 inches.  Or if making the dessert to follow, it makes 8-10 that are 4 inches in diameter.

Almond Breakfast Scones
adapted from Dessert Circus at Home
Ingredients
1 cup blanched chopped almonds
3/4 cup golden raisins (optional I did not include)
3 tbs and 1 tsp baking powder
generous 1/2 cup of sugar
2 tsp salt
3 1/2 cups of heavy cream
4 cups bread flour
1 1/2 cups cake flour
1 egg mixed with 1 tsp water (for egg wash)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Sift together flours, baking powder and salt.  Mix in sugar and pour in heavy cream.  Using a wooden spoon, mix together until a dough is formed.  Add the almonds and the raisins (optional) and stir.  Once everything is evenly distributed through the batter, turn dough onto a lightly floured surface.

Knead for one minute until the dough is smooth.  Be careful not to overwork the dough, or it will shrink up during baking.  Using a floured rolling pin, roll out the dough into a rectangle that is 1/2 an inch thick.    Cut out scones using a 2 1/4 inch cutter for regular scones and a 4 inch cutter for dessert preparation. Continue to cut out the scones, re-rolling and cutting the remaining scraps until all dough is cut out.  Place on baking sheets about 1 inch apart.

Using a pastry brush, brush the surface of the scones with the egg wash. Place pans in oven and bake for about 15 minutes for the smaller and 20 minutes for the larger scones , rotating and changing racks halfway in between baking time.  Remove from oven and transfer scones to rack to completely cool.
                       **LAST YEAR: Pink Squirrel Cheesecake** 

Midnight Cella Loaf

This particular sweet bread or loaf is named after the confectionery manufacturer that created chocolate covered cherries.  The name of the company is Cella's Confectionery Inc.  The candy manufacturer started out in 1864 and then was eventually sold to the Tootsie Roll company.  I find it strange that I was unable to find a picture of their facility on the internet, located at 327 West Broadway in Manhattan. However I did find some pretty cool vintage pictures of the area.

Their candies are different than most chocolate covered cherries.  They are 100% liquid filled while the other brands have a cherry and some fondant inside.  

The loaf is very rich and moist.  In fact, it has to be chilled before slicing to firm up so it will not be sticky and fall apart in clumps.  Other than a decadent chocolate batter, there are hidden bursts of other flavors as well as variable textures inside. Each piece is studded with chunks of almonds, chocolate chips and dried cherries.  Not just any dried cherries, but ones that have been soaked in creme de noyaux. If you do not have that liqueur, you can always use amaretto instead.

Also, for all those that celebrate, I wish you a wonderful Easter weekend!

Midnight Cella Loaf
by flourtrader

Ingredients
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups of flour
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup packed dutch cocoa
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup or one stick of butter
8 oz semi sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped almonds
1/2 cup dried cherries, soaked for 6 hours or overnight in 3/4 cup almond liqueur and then drained

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 9X5X3 inch loaf pan by generously greasing the inside and lining the bottom with parchment.  Then grease the face up side of the parchment.

In a medium size bowl. sift together the flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda.  Set aside.
Then cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  This should take about 2 minutes.

Beat the cocoa into the butter batter until completely blended.  Beat in one egg for 30 seconds and then add the second egg, beating again.  Add 1/3 of the sifted ingredients and blend with a wooden spoon.  Pour in 1/2 of the buttermilk and stir until liquid is absorbed.  Continue adding and blending the sifted ingredients and buttermilk, ending with the sifted ingredients.

Then fold in the nuts, cherries and chocolate chips.  Spoon batter into loaf pan and smooth the top.
Place in oven and bake until tester comes out clean.  Loaf should be done in 55-60 minutes.

Remove and let cool in pan for 30 minutes.  Then invert onto plate and remove parchment paper.  Invert again so loaf is sitting as it did in the pan.   Cover cake with plastic wrap and place in fridge to cool for at least 2 hours.  Then it is ready to slice and serve.  Store loaf covered in fridge.
                          **LAST YEAR:: Banana Foster Cupcakes**

Avocado Bread

This is one of those recipes that has a hidden ingredient with health benefits..  This is a recipe for a sweet bread that contains avocados and pecans.  You would never know by the taste that an avocado is in there.  I enjoy avocados, but I am sure I would benefit more by having them more often.  However, there are a number of people that do not like avocados.   Those that do not, will enjoy this bread and you can be happy that you slipped them some healthy avocado!

For those that do not know the benefits of avocados, below is a list of a few:
-aids in preventing breast cancer
-contains cataract preventing substance
-rich in folic acid which protects the heart
-helps prevent hypertension

This recipe makes one loaf.  The author suggest cutting the bread thin and serving with cream cheese spread.  The cream cheese spread is made with soft cream cheese, lemon zest and lemon juice. You can add as much or as little of the lemon ingredients, according to your own taste preference. This is a great item for afternoon tea or paired with a fruit salad.

Before I get into the recipe, this is a reminder that it is Veterans Day.  Please take a moment and think about all the sacrifices of our troops have made in the past and present. We currently have troops deployed in four countries: Bahrain, Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya.  

Avocado Bread
adapted from Judy Gorman's Vegetable Cookbook

Ingredients
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 egg (room temp)
1 mashed avocado
1/2 cup toasted, chopped pecans
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar

Grease the inside of a 9X5 inch loaf pan and preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Sift together the flour, salt , baking soda and baking powder.  Then stir in the sugar and set aside.

In a separate bowl, beat together the avocado and the egg until smooth.  Add the buttermilk and blend with a wooden spoon.  Fold this batter into the flour mixture until no dry streaks remain.  Fold in the pecans.

Spoon mixture into prepared loaf pan and smooth out the top so it is all even.  Place in oven and bake until tester comes out clean, about 50 minutes to 1 hour.   Remove from oven, invert onto a rack and invert again.  Let cool completely before cutting and serving.
                               **LAST YEAR: Miss Grace Lemon Bundt Cake**

Oasis Tropical Mini Loaves

There are a lot of recipes out there that state "best recipe" or the "ultimate recipe".  Usually when I see that, I think that to the person that created or made the recipe believes that.  It is not that a poll of the world's opinion deemed it as such.

There are a lot of people in this world. As a food blogger, I am aware that most likely there are people out there that don't like my recipes.  However, I do not ponder on that, we can't please everyone.  I am pondering on the fact there are some people out there that do like them-but I would never go as far to say any of my recipes are the best or the ultimate.

Now this particular recipe is from a bed and breakfast.  The cookbook states that at the bed and breakfast this is their most requested recipe. "Most requested" is far more believable than the "best", so I decided to try it.

  One odd thing was that it called for 3 1/2 eggs.  In scaling down recipes, my method for 1/2 an egg is to crack the egg into a bowl and whisk lightly.  Then measure out 2 tablespoons for use in the recipe because one egg usually measures 1/4 cup.  The recipe also suggest using applesauce for a low fat version, but I used the canola oil. 

Other than that, I was very well pleased with the flavor and happy to bring you this recipe.  The batter, when baked, transforms into a moist, sweet bread flavored with cinnamon.  If that was not enough, then consider that it is loaded with mango, papaya, pineapple, macadamia nuts and apricots. The dried fruits are specialty ingredients, but after tasting these little loaves, I felt that those ingredients were well worth the trip to obtain and the expense.

If you do decide to make these, you may want to try your own variation of fruits since the batter is such a good base to start with.

One important point about this recipe is that the batter cannot sit, it has to go right into the oven.  This is because the ingredients start reacting with each other as soon as they are mixed. Doubling the recipe is not a good idea, if you do not have enough pans to bake all at once.  This recipe makes 5 loaves that are 6X3X2.  I used 6 loaf pans (steel rod connected) measuring 5X3X1 1/2 and had some batter leftover to make 2 jumbo muffins.

Oasis Tropical Mini Loaves
courtesy of Recipes from American Country Inns

Ingredients
1/2 cup chopped dried apricots or raisins
1/4 cup chopped dried papaya
1/4 cup chopped dried ginger (or any dried fruit, I used dried pineapple)
1/4 cup chopped dried mango
1/4 cup shredded coconut (I skipped this ingredient)
3/8 cup or 1/4 cup plus 2 tbs of chopped macadamia nuts
1 cup cubed mango
1/4 cup crushed pineapple
1 1/4 cups canola oil (or applesauce for low fat)
3 1/2 eggs (room temp-see comments above concerning 1/2 an egg measurement)
1 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tbs baking powder
2 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 1/2 cups flour

Prepare the loaf pans by greasing inside the cavity and line the bottoms with parchment paper.  Grease the face up side of the parchment paper.  Then dust all insides of the pans with flour.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, eggs and vanilla.  Then stir in the cubed mango and crushed pineapple. Set aside.

Take another bowl and sift the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and cinnamon together.  Then add the dried fruits, coconut and chopped nuts.  Make sure that all these add ins are evenly mixed in.

Pour the dry mixture into the wet and stir just until no more dry streaks remain.  Fill each loaf pan equally with batter and place all inside the oven to bake at one time.  The loaves are done when the top is golden brown and a tester comes out clean.  Baking time should be about 30-45 minutes.  My batch took about 33 minutes.

Remove from oven and place pan(s) on rack to cool for about 5 minutes.  Then invert onto rack and take off parchment paper.  Flip loaves back over to finish cooling.  Loaves can be frozen up to one month.