‘American Pie’ Cake

recipe by hungry rabbit
yield: one 6-inch cake

Note: You’ll need a total of  3 cups each of fresh raspberries and blueberries for the entire recipe.

Pie Crust

recipe adapted from Cook’s Illustrated

INGREDIENTS

1-1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (6-1/4 ounces)
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 tablespoon sugar
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter (3/4 sticks), cut into 1/4-inch slices
1/4 cup chilled solid vegetable shortening , cut into 1/4-inch pieces
2 tablespoons vodka, cold
2 tablespoons cold water

DIRECTIONS

1. Process 3/4 cup flour, salt, and sugar in food processor until combined, about 2 one-second pulses. Add butter and shortening and process until homogenous dough just starts to collect in uneven clumps, about 15 seconds (dough will resemble cottage cheese curds and there should be no uncoated flour). Scrape bowl with rubber spatula and redistribute dough evenly around processor blade. Add remaining 1/2 cup flour and pulse until mixture is evenly distributed around bowl and mass of dough has been broken up, 4 to 6 quick pulses. Empty mixture into medium bowl.

2. Sprinkle vodka and water over mixture. With rubber spatula, use folding motion to mix, pressing down on dough until dough is slightly tacky and sticks together. Flatten dough into 4-inch disk, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 45 minutes or up to 2 days.

3. Adjust oven rack to middle positions and place baking sheet in oven; heat oven to 375℉. Roll refrigerated disc of dough on lightly floured work surface to 12-inch disk. Transfer dough to a 7-inch (2-inch high) ring on a silpat lined baking sheet. Ease dough into pan by gently lifting dough edges with one hand while pressing around pan bottom with other hand. Allow excess to drape over edge. Chill in freezer for 15 minutes.

4. Remove prepared crust from freezer, press parchment inside dough shell; evenly distribute ceramic pie weights over parchment. Bake for 20 minutes. Carefully remove parchment and weights, continue baking until deep golden brown, about 15 minutes more. Transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

5. Using a sharp pairing knife, carefully trim around the edge of the ring to get a clean top edge. Set aside.

Blueberry Layer

INGREDIENTS

1 cup, plus 1/2 cup fresh blueberries, separated
2 tablespoons water
1-1/2 tablespoons powdered pectin (Sure-Jell)
1 cup granulated sugar
Pinch fine sea salt

DIRECTIONS

1. Cook 1 cup of  berries and water in medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until berries begin to give up their juice, about 3-4 minutes. Stir in pectin and bring to full boil, stirring constantly. Stir in sugar and salt and return to full boil. Cook, stirring constantly, until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes.

2. Gently fold in remaining 1/2 cup of blueberries into puree. Spread fruit mixture evenly over bottom of pie shell and set aside.

Creamy Lemon Mousse

INGREDIENTS

Lemon Curd
1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk
1/4 cup granulated sugar
Pinch fine sea salt
2 tablespoons lemon juice, freshly squeezed
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon heavy cream

Lemon Mousse
1-1/4 teaspoons unflavored powdered gelatin
2 tablespoons lemon juice, freshly squeezed
12 ounces cream cheese, cut into pieces and softened
4 tablespoons granulated sugar
Pinch fine sea salt
1/2 cup heavy cream, room temperature
1 tablespoon limoncello (optional)

DIRECTIONS

Lemon Curd (you will only need a portion of this to make the mousse)
1. Whisk egg, egg yolk, sugar, and salt together in small saucepan. Add lemon juice and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until thick and pudding-like, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in butter and heavy cream. Press through fine-mesh strainer into small bowl, cover and refrigerate until needed. (You will not use all the curd for this recipe)

Lemon Mousse
1. Combine lemon juice and gelatin in small bowl and let stand until gelatin softens, about 5 minutes. Microwave until mixture is bubbling around edges and gelatin dissolves, about 20 seconds. Set aside.

2. Add cream cheese, sugar, and salt  to the mixing bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed until smooth and creamy, scraping down sides of bowl, about 2 minutes. With machine running, slowly add cream and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add gelatin mixture, limoncello (if use) and 1/2 cup of curd, increase speed to medium-high, and beat until smooth and airy, about 3 minutes.

3. Spread 1 cup of mousse over blueberry layer, smooth with off-set spatula. Refrigerated both cake and remaining mousse until needed.

Raspberry Layer

INGREDIENTS

9 ounces frozen raspberries (1-1/2 cups)
3 tablespoons powdered pectin (Sure-Jell)
3/4 cups granulated sugar
Pinch fine sea salt
1-1/2 cup fresh raspberries

DIRECTIONS

1. Cook frozen berries in medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until berries begin to give up their juice, about 3 minutes. Stir in pectin and bring to full boil, stirring constantly. Stir in sugar and salt and return to full boil. Cook, stirring constantly, until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Pour through fine-mesh strainer into medium bowl, pressing on solids to extract as much puree as possible. Gently fold fresh raspberries into remaining puree.

2. Remove cake from refrigerator and spread raspberry mixture over the mousse layer. Smooth with off-set spatula. It should level with the top edge of the crust.

Assembly

INGREDIENTS

24 fresh raspberries (about 1-1/2 cups)
24 fresh blueberries (about 1-1/2 cups)
Reserved lemon mousse

DIRECTIONS

1. Stir lemon mousse to get a smooth consistency. Place mousse into a piping bag fitted with a 1/2-inch round tip.

2. Place raspberries and blueberries in rows with lemon mousse piped in between. (See photos)

3. With a large metal spatula, lift cake and place it on cake stand or a serving platter; lift ring gentle and serve.

Chocolate Coconut Mini Bundt Cake

Source - http://starryphotography.blog.com/2012/06/23/chocolate-coconut-mini-bundt-cake/

Ingredients

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup all purpose flour

3/4 cup of brown sugar (NOT packed)

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup unsweetened apple sauce

1 egg, lightly beaten

3/4 cup of unsweetened almond milk (I used vanilla)

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp coconut extract

1/4 cup dark chocolate chips

1/4 cup unsweetened coconut flakes

Frosting:

3/4 cup powdered sugar

1 tbsp unsweetened almond milk

1/2 tsp coconut extract

small amount of baking chocolate to melt

Directions

Preheat oven to 350° and grease mini bundt cake pan. (If you don’t have a mini bundt cake pan a normal bundt cake pan would work just fine or even just a regular cake pan.)

Mix all dry ingredients together in a separate bowl.  Mix all wet ingredients together.  Slowly add dry ingredients into wet until well incorporated.  Fold in chocolate chips and coconut.

Pour mixture into pans until about 3/4 full.  Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick pushed into the center of  a cake comes out clean.  Flip cakes out of pan onto a cooling rack and allow to cool for about 15 minutes

While cakes are cooling mix powdered sugar, almond milk, and coconut for one frosting.  Melt chocolate for additional drizzle.  Once cakes are cool use a spoon to drizzle both frostings across the tops of the cakes.

Peanut Butter Cup Cheesecake

Source - http://deliciouslydeclassified.com/2012/06/12/peanut-butter-cup-cheesecake/

INGREDIENTS

CRUST

• 32 Oreo cookies, finely crushed or ground in a food processor
• 5½ tbsp unsalted butter, melted
• Pinch of salt

FUDGE

• 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
• ½ cup heavy cream
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 20 miniature peanut butter cup candies, unwrapped and roughly chopped

CHEESECAKE

• 24 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 4 eggs

GANACHE TOPPING

• 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
• ½ cup heavy cream

HOW TO MAKE IT

• Preheat the oven to 325º F (300º F if you are using a dark or non-stick pan). Butter a 9″ springform pan and set aside.
• To make the crust, stir the Oreo crumbs, melted butter and salt in a small bowl with a fork until the crumbs are moistened. Press the crumbs evenly over the bottom and up the sides of the springform pan. (I like to use the bottom a measuring cup to press the crumbs around the pan. I’ve found that they get evenly distributed that way and end up looking neater around the sides.) Freeze the crust for 10 minutes.
• Bake the crust for 10 minutes, then transfer it to a rack and let cool.
• To make the fudge, put the chopped chocolate in a bowl. Heat the cream to a simmer over medium heat. Immediately pour the simmering cream over the chopped chocolate. Let stand for 1-2 minutes, then add the vanilla extract and stir with a whisk or rubber spatula until smooth and combined. Pour the fudge into the cooled crust and spread evenly over the bottom. Place in freezer for 10 minutes. Remove from freezer and sprinkle surface with the chopped peanut butter cups. Return to freezer for 10 more minutes.
• Meanwhile, prepare the cheesecake filling. Beat the cream cheese and peanut butter together on medium speed until smooth. Add the sugar and vanilla extract and continue to beat on medium speed until thoroughly combined. Reduce the speed to low and add the eggs one at a time, beating until combined after each addition. Scrape the bowl and mix on low for another 20 seconds.
•  Remove the pan from the freezer and pour the cheesecake filling over the fudge and peanut butter cups. Bake until the sides of the cheesecake are set and the middle just slightly jiggles, about 1 hour. Transfer to a wire cooling rack and cool to room temperature (at least 1 hour). Refrigerate the cheesecake at least 4 hours or overnight, until thoroughly chilled. To unmold the cheesecake, wrap a warm towel around the outside of the springform pan to loosen the crust from the sides. Carefully remove the sides from the springform pan.
• Before serving, prepare the ganache topping. Place the chopped chocolate in a small bowl. Bring the heavy cream to a simmer over medium heat. Immediately pour the simmering cream over the chopped chocolate. Let sit for 1-2 minutes and then stir with a whisk or rubber spatula until smooth. Pour the ganache on the top of the cheesecake and, using an offset spatula, spread evenly over the top of the cheesecake.
• Return to the refrigerator to set the ganache, about 20 minutes. Garnish as desired, but I suggest peanut butter cups and peanut butter frosting  :)

Funfetti Cake Batter Blondies

Source - http://sallysbakingaddiction.com/2012/04/06/take-2-funfetti-cake-batter-blondies/

Ingredients

1 box yellow cake mix

1/4 cup canola oil

1 egg

1/3 -1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup sprinkles

1/2 cup white chocolate chips

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine first four ingredients in a large bowl.

Add the milk slowly. You want to cake batter to be as dense & thick as possible.

Mix in the sprinkles and white chocolate chips.

Pour into 8 x 8 baking pan, sprinkle a few more sprinkles on top, and bake for 25-30 minutes until edges are just turning brown.

Allow to cool for at least 30 minutes so the center sets, before cutting into squares.

Notes

*The blondies will look like they are not fully done because the center will be quite gooey, but that’s what you want! After about 30 minutes of cooling, they will be easy to cut using a serrated knife.

Pink Velvet Cake Truffles

Source - http://www.thecurvycarrot.com/2011/02/02/pink-velvet-cake-truffles/

Servings:  Approximately 45-50 truffles, depending on the cookie cutter you use

Ingredients:

For the pink velvet cake:

8 ounces white chocolate (*This is two baking bars.  I used Ghiradelli.)

1/4 cup heavy cream

2 and 1/4 cups all purpose flour

2 and 1/4 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

10 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

1 1/3 cups sugar

4 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

1 cup half and half

Rose or pink gel food coloring (*I used Wilton’s “rose petal pink” and then added some Wilton’s “rose” color to make a deeper pink color.)

For the cream cheese frosting: ****I did not use the whole batch of frosting.  I ended up using the leftovers (which was about half) for mini cupcakes (post to follow soon).  If you don’t want leftover frosting, I recommend dividing this in half.

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

12 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

4 cups powdered (confectioners’) sugar

3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Rose or pink gel food coloring, to desired tint

For the decor:

2 14-ounce bags of pink-colored candy melts (*I used Wilton brand)

2 14-ounce bags of white-colored candy melts

One batch of Royal Icing, divided and colored with desired food coloring gels

Instructions

1. For the cake: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

2. Butter and flour one sheet cake pan.  I used a 13″ x 8″ metallic pan.  Honestly, though, use whatever you have.  It will not matter in the end.

3. Bring 1/4 cup cream to a simmer in a medium saucepan over medium low heat. Do not boil.

4. Add the white chocolate, remove from heat, and stir until melted and smooth. Set aside.

5. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt.  Set aside.

6. In a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter until fluffy.

7. Add the sugar slowly, beating well, about 2-3 minutes.

8. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

9. Add the extracts and coloring and beat until well blended until smooth and of the desired color.

10. Reduce the mixer speed to low, and add the flour mixture in thirds, alternating with the half and half.

11. Add the melted chocolate mixture to the bowl, beating well until combined.

12.  Spread the batter evenly in your prepared cake pan and bake for about 30 minutes or so, or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.

13. Cool in pan for 10 minutes.

14.  Invert the pan to remove the cake and let cool completely on a wire rack.

15. For the cream cheese frosting: With a standing mixer on medium-high speed, beat the butter and cream cheese until fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.

16. Reduce mixer speed to low and add the sugar gradually, and mix until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

17. Add vanilla and mix well.

18.  Add desired food color gel and mix to desired tint.  Set aside.  ***The frosting and cake can be made ahead of time and refrigerated up to 3 days ahead of time.

19.  To assemble the cake truffle:  In a large bowl, crumble the cake between your fingers to break the cake apart.

20.  Add frosting (at room temperature) about 1/2 cup at a time, mixing well with your hands, until the cake forms a nice doughy ball.  You will need the consistency of a bread dough, because you will roll it out eventually.  As I said before, I only used about half of the above frosting recipe to get the consistency I needed.

21.  On a lightly floured surface, roll the frosting/cake mixture out with a rolling pin to your desired thickness.  I rolled mine out to 3/4″ thickness.

22.  With your desired cookie cutter shape (I used a 2-inch round cookie cutter), cut out your shapes, reshaping and re-rolling out your dough as needed.

23.  Place the cut-out shapes on a parchment-lined baking sheet, and refrigerate until firm (or overnight).

24.  For the decor: The royal icing “rosettes” are the next step.  I used a Wilton #4 pastry tip.

25.  Divide your royal icing into lidded airtight containers and color as desired.

26. Fill your various pastry bags with the royal icing and attach the Wilton #4 tip to the bags.

27.  On several sheets of parchment paper, pipe out using a quick left-to-right motion to form basic rosettes.  Play around with this.  Yours will probably look a lot better than mine, and I made tons of extra.  You will have plenty of royal icing to play with.

28.  Once finished, let the rosettes harden on the parchment paper, at least 4 hours (or overnight).

29.  For the candy melts: Place a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of gently simmering water on the stove.

30. Add the candy melts to the bowl and stir frequently, until smooth and creamy.

31.  Once melted completely, dip each little cake completely into the warm melted chocolate, covering completely and working quickly.

32.  Set each cake back down on the parchment-lined baking sheet and quickly add one royal icing rosette to the top.  (***Keep one hand “dry”, and one hand “candy melt coated”, washing your hands frequently to remove excess hardened candy melt).

33. Cover half of the cakes with pink candy melt coating.

34.  Repeat with the remaining half of the cakes with the white candy melts and rosettes.

35.  Refrigerate the cakes overnight.  The next day, you can use a small paring knife to cut around the cakes and remove the excess “drippy” candy coating to produce a more uniform shape.

Enjoy!

sporkme:

Borlotti Bean Cakes with Smoked Trout and a Poached Egg

There was a pile of leftover croissants that I wanted to turn into breadcrumbs, which worked well with the beans (they can get a little dry if you’re not careful).  Just use regular breadcrumbs if you don’t have a croissant or two.

Ingredients (borlotti bean cakes):

• 1 can of borlotti beans, rinsed and slightly mashed
• 1 egg
• 1 croissant, toasted and chopped into breadcrumbs
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1/2 cup cilantro
• Salt, pepper and olive oil

Mash up the ingredients, seasoning with the salt and pepper, and use the oil to grease the bottom of a pan.  Form cakes and cook on medium heat for about 5-7 minutes on each side.  Serve with trout and a poached egg, and maybe a little cheese.

Chocolate Biscuit Cake Topped With Nuts

Source - http://www.chichoskitchen.blogspot.com/2012/05/chocolate-biscuit-cake-topped-with-nuts.html

Ingredients:

200 g (7 oz) tea biscuits (I used McVitie’s brand)

85 g (6 tbsp) unsalted butter

400 g (14 oz) bittersweet chocolate

23 cl (1 cup) heavy cream

1/2 cup hazelnuts and almonds, chopped

Grease 8-inch round springform pan with melted butter then line it with parchment paper.

Break the biscuits so they become crumbs but not powder.

In a small saucepan, melt the butter and the cream on low heat. When the butter is melted, add the chocolate pieces and let it melt on low heat.

Add the crumbled biscuits and stir until coated then pour the preparation into the prepared pan.

Top with the chopped nuts and place in the fridge for at least 3 hours. Cut into slices and serve.

Alice’s Cake

Source - http://latartemaison.blogspot.it/2011/06/un-te-da-matti.html

Recipe is in italian

Coffeecake

Source - http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2009/08/coffee-cake-literally/

Ingredients

FOR THE CAKE:

2 cups Flour

2 cups Sugar

1/4 teaspoon Salt

2 sticks Butter

3 Tablespoons Instant Coffee Crystals

1/2 cup Buttermilk

2 whole Eggs

1 teaspoon Baking Soda

2 teaspoons Vanilla

_____

FOR THE ICING:

1-1/2 stick Butter

1 pound Powdered Sugar

2 Tablespoons Instant Coffee Crystals

1/4 teaspoon Salt

4 Tablespoons Heavy Cream

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two round baking pans.

In a large bowl, mix sugar, flour, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Set aside.

Melt 2 sticks of butter in a pot over medium-low heat. While that’s melting, add 3 tablespoons instant coffee to 1 cup boiling water. Set aside.

Once butter has melted, add coffee mixture to the butter in the pot. Let it come to a boil for about ten seconds, then turn off the heat. Set aside for just a minute.

In a separate bowl, add buttermilk, eggs, baking soda, and vanilla. Mix until well combined.

Pour the butter/coffee mixture into the flour mixture. Stir the mixture together gently. The purpose here isn’t to mix it together perfectly, but to cool down the heat before adding the egg mixture.

Add in the egg mixture and stir gently until well combined. Then pour into pans. Bake for 20 to 22 minutes or until set.

Allow to cool completely.

Combine all icing ingredients, then ice the cake. Chill for an hour before serving.

pure2raw recipe: triple layer chocolate protein brownie mini cakes

Source - http://www.pure2raw.com/2012/03/sugar-free-chocolate-protein-brownie-cake-recipe/

prep-time: about 5-8 minutes

sets for about 2-3 hours in freezer then you enjoy at room temperature and store in freezer or refrigerator.

makes 12 mini brownie cakes or one large 8-9 inch cake

Ingredients:

Bottom brownie cake layer-

1/2 cup any nut flour/meal (we used ground cashews)

1/3-1/2 cup hemp seeds

2 teaspoons vanilla

pinch sea salt

1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons cocoa (we used raw cacao because we just love it)

2-3 tablespoons xylitol or coconut sugar**

2-3 tablespoons water

Directions:

**for those that want to use a liquid sweetener like agave nectar or maple syrup or honey please omit the water. and adjust taste accordingly. plus the 2 tablespoons of cocoa can be optional, we just wanted a rich chocolate flavor.

place your nut flour (ground nuts of any sorts) and hemp seeds in a food processor (or blender would work) along with your vanilla, sea salt, cocoa powder, and sugar of choice. begin to pulse till combined. texture will be a light brownie cake like texture. not too wet but not too dry.

take your brownie cake layer and press into your pan. we used our favorite mini cheesecake pan, but you could use a 8 or 9 inch cake square or circle pan. begin to press cake batter into pan. set aside.

next make your protein frosting layer!

Protein Frosting Layer – we like to call it our sludge

1 scoop Vega performance protein powder (you could use any protein powder of your liking, we would say it is about 1/4 cup worth of protein, maybe)

4-5 tablespoons water*

1/8 teaspoon flavoring of choice – optional – we did 1/8 tsp peppermint extract

you may add in additional sweetness if needed, we did not

place protein powder in a cup, add in your flavoring if desired. then slowly add in your water. * REPEAT – to do this slowly! as you want a fairly thick consistency for it.

then place your protein frosting on top of your brownie cake layer. you will have to use a spoon or spatula for this part to help spread it over the brownie.

Next make your avocado mousse layer-

1 avocado

1 medium-large banana

1/2-3/4 teaspoons flavoring of choice – again we used peppermint extract

2 tablespoons coconut oil

**can add in a little lemon juice to help prevent the avocado from browning.

place avocado, banana, flavoring and coconut oil into your blender or food processor and pulse till smooth and creamy. you may set your avocado mousse in fridge for about 5 minutes if you would like. sometimes that helps with building it, without it being too soft.

then you just start layering your avocado mousse layer on top of your other two layers. set in freezer for about 2-3 hours to set. bring out of freezer and let come to warm temperature for about 5-10 minutes. and enjoy!