Archive for ‘Desserts’

April 21st, 2011

Lemon Bundt Cake

This lemon bundt cake always makes me think of Spring, and with Easter just around the corner, I thought now would be a great time to share the recipe.  I made this cake for the first time last year for Grandparent’s Day at Maya’s preschool.  The cake was a big success and I knew right away that this lemony-ginger bundt cake would be making an appearance again next Easter.  This cake will be the perfect way to top off an Easter feast!

With two sticks of butter, 1 cup of sour cream, and 6 eggs, this cake is definitely not for the dieting crowd (sorry Chris), but I’m all for splurging on a special occasion.  As one would imagine, this cake is quite heavy and a small slice goes along way.  The lemon juice/zest and crystallized ginger really brighten up the flavor though, making a wonderful Spring time dessert.

Check out more sweet treats at Sweet as Sugar Cookies for Sweets for Saturday.  Wishing you all a happy Easter!

Lemon Bundt Cake
Printable Version

Makes 12 slices

Ingredients:
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for greasing pan
3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting pan
2 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest and 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (from 2 lemons)
1/3 cup minced crystallized ginger
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
6 large eggs
1 cup sour cream
Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting cake

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°.  Grease a 12-cup bundt pan with butter and dust with flour.  In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, lemon zest, ginger, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

Beat butter and granulated sugar on medium-high with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 4 to 5 minutes.  Add eggs one at a time; mix in lemon juice.

Set mixer on low and alternatively add flour mixture in 3 parts and sour cream in 2 parts.  Mix just until flour and sour cream are incorporated, making sure not to over mix.  Spoon batter into bundt pan and smooth top with spatula.  Firmly tap pan on counter to level the batter.

Bake for 55 to 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean.  If cake browns too quickly, cover pan loosely with aluminum foil.  Let cake cool for 30 minutes in bundt pan.  Then turn out onto a rack to cool completely.  Dust with confectioners’ sugar before serving.

Store for up to 3 days, wrapped tightly in plastic and keep at room temperature.

Source: Adapted from Everyday Food

Nutritional Information:*
per serving (1 slice) :  475 calories; 68 grams carbohydrates; 20 grams fat; 8 grams protein; 1 gram fiber

*These calculations are for educational purposes only and can vary according to a particular brands product formulation.  Check labels for more information and follow the advice of your healthcare provider.

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April 14th, 2011

Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies

These Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies are another one of my favorite childhood treats.  The recipe has been passed down from my Great Grandmother, who spent half of her life living on a farm in Missouri, before moving out West in the mid 1940′s with my great grandfather and their teenage son.  Granny was a feisty one, who was not afraid to speak her mind, she loved the Dodgers and was never without her high heel shoes and colorful lipsticks.   I think of my Granny every time I make these cookies and miss her funny stories from the past and the latest tantalizing gossip she loved to share with anyone who would listen.

I updated this recipe slightly by replacing the raisins with dried cranberries instead.  I think my Great Grandmother also added chopped nuts, such as walnuts, but I leave them out as I am not partial to nuts. These cookies bake up very thin, much like a crispy cookie, but the texture stays soft and chewy.

Note:  For optimal results, place cookie dough in refrigerator for about 10 minutes to chill before dividing onto cookie sheet.  Keep dough in refrigerator between batches of cookies to keep chilled.  Cookies will spread too thin and edges will burn before centers are done if cookie dough is not properly chilled.

Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies
Printable Version

Makes 4 dozen

Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 1/3 cups firmly packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups uncooked oats
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Directions:
Stir together flour, baking soda, salt, and spices.  Add butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla extract; beat until smooth.  Stir in oats, dried cranberries, and nuts.  Drop by tablespoon on greased cookie sheet.  Bake at 350° for 7 – 9 minutes.

Source: Passed down from old family recipe; original origin unknown.

Nutritional Information:*
per serving (1 cookie) :  64 calories; 8 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams fat; 1 grams protein; 1 grams fiber

*These calculations are for educational purposes only and can vary according to a particular brands product formulation.  Check labels for more information and follow the advice of your healthcare provider.

 

 

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March 10th, 2011

Applesauce Cookies

 

My mom is an amazing baker.   As a small child, we rarely had “junk food” (packaged/store bought cookies and crackers)  in the house, but there were plenty of made-from-scratch cookies and in the summer months, peach cobblers and plum crisps made with freshly picked fruit from our very own backyard.  My mom was always in charge of making pies for holiday family get togethers (I’m partial to her lemon meringue pie) and her carrot cake is on the top of everyone’s birthday cake request list.  In fact, most of my early childhood memories of my mother involve her delicious sweet treats.  I fondly remember sitting on the green and white linoleum kitchen floor, reading The Giving Tree, while my mom busily baked her next creation near by. Or laying in front of the TV on the olive green shag carpet, watching Three’s Company reruns, as the smell of fresh baked chocolate chip cookies began to waft through the air.

One of my favorite childhood sweet treats are these Applesauce Cookies, which have a consistency similar to a muffin. They are still a favorite to this day and the recipe was the first one I asked for when I moved away from home.   The origin of this recipe has long been forgotten.  It may have been passed down from my great grandmother or picked up on one of our fall apple picking trips to Oak Glen.  I updated the recipe passed down to me, by using white whole wheat flour instead of all-purpose flour, and dried cranberries in the place of raisins.  The white whole wheat flour gives the cookie a denser texture with a slightly nutty flavor, but they are still just as moist as the original.  Now that I’m more accustomed to the taste of whole wheat, I actually prefer these cookies made with the white whole wheat flour.

Applesauce Cookies
Printable Version

Makes 3 dozen

Ingredients:
1 stick butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1  cup applesauce
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups white whole wheat flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup chopped nuts, optional

Directions:
Heat oven to 375°.  Mix butter, sugar, egg, vanilla and applesauce.  Stir in baking powder, baking soda, flour, salt, cinnamon,  and nutmeg.  Fold in dried cranberries and nuts.  Drop by tablespoonfuls on to greased cookie sheet.  Bake until light brown, 8 to 10 minutes.  Cool slightly; remove from cookie sheet.

Source: Passed down from old family recipe; original origin unknown.

Nutritional Information:*
per serving (w/o nuts) :  70 calories; 10 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams fat; 1 grams protein; 1 grams fiber

*These calculations are for educational purposes only and can vary according to a particular brands product formulation.  Check labels for more information and follow the advice of your healthcare provider.

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