Vegan Chocolate Birthday Frosting

Vegan Chocolate Birthday Frosting

 

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Author: One Lovely Life

Ingredients

• 3 oz unsweetened chocolate, roughly chopped or broken up
• 2 Tbsp coconut oil
• ⅓-1/2 cup almond milk (dairy or other nondairy milk also ok)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ¼ tsp almond extract
• ¼ cup unsweetened baking cocoa powder
• 3-5 cups powdered sugar

Instructions

1. In a small saucepan, gently melt together chocolate and coconut oil until smooth and glossy. Remove from heat and slowly stir in the almond milk, vanilla, and almond extract. Mixture will thicken.
2. Transfer chocolate mixture to a large bowl. Add powdered baking cocoa. Using a hand mixer (or your muscles), blend in 1 cup of powdered sugar at a time until you've reached your desired consistency.
3. If the mixture gets too dry, thin it out with a little more almond milk as needed. If the mixture gets too thin, add a little more powdered sugar. You should reach a nice thick frosting texture between 4-5 cups of powdered sugar. Use immediately for best results.
4. This will yield enough frosting for the tops of a 2 layer (8-9") cake, or 1 (9x13) pan.

3.2.2925

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5 superfoods for the heart

To prevent heart attacks, avoid sick food and eating foods rich in nutrients, fiber and healthy fats.

 

 

A healthy diet for the heart

Amanda Gardner

While deaths from heart disease has declined in recent years, remains the number one killer of Americans. The good news is that we now know a lot about the prevention of cardiovascular disease, which includes both strokes and heart attacks.

 

Clearly healthy eating and living (such as exercising more!) Can make a big difference.

 

Read on to see what you should include in your diet to keep her happy Ticker in the coming decades.

Salmon

Salmon and other fatty fish such as sardines and mackerel are superstars heart healthy foods. This is because they contain large amounts of omega-3, shown in studies to reduce the risk of arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat) and atherosclerosis (accumulation of plaque in the arteries) and lower triglycerides. The American Heart Associationre commends eating fish and oily fish, preferably at least twice a week. Omega-3 fatty acids are also available as dietary supplements.

Oatmeal

Oats are rich in soluble fiber can reduce cholesterol. "It acts like a sponge in the digestive tract and absorbs cholesterol so it is eliminated from the body and is not absorbed into the bloodstream," says Lauren Graf, a cardiac health, nutritionist and co-registered program at Montefiore Medical Center in the city New -Jorko. Graf Avoid instant oatmeal, which often contain sugar, and the game rather than traditional oats or quick cooking. Other whole grains such as bread, pasta and Ordovician sands is also good for the heart, while they still contain the entire grain

 

Blueberries

Not only do blueberries, but strawberries and other fruits as well. According to a recent study, women between 25 and 42 who ate more than three servings of blueberries and strawberries a week had a 32% lower risk of heart attack compared to those who ate the least. The study authors attributed the profit of compounds known as anthocyanins, flavonoids (which are antioxidants) that may decrease blood pressure and dilates blood vessels. Anthocyanins give your red and blue plants

Dark chocolate

Several studies have shown that dark chocolate can benefit your heart, including one in 2012, which found that daily consumption of chocolate can reduce non-fatal heart attacks and strokes in people at high risk for these problems. The findings apply only white chocolate, ie :, chocolate made by at least 60-70% cocoa. Dark chocolate contains flavonoids called polyphenols, which can help blood pressure, coagulation, andin flammation. Unfortunately, the milk chocolate and more chocolate bars do not make the grade when it comes to protecting your

 

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Meyer Lemon Sorbet

Making lemon sorbet is like making lemonade with a detour through the ice cream maker. Easy. We pulled down several Meyer lemons last week to avoid the freeze that hit here in California and I’ve been thinking up things to do with them. As a major lemonade fan, lemon sorbet was a logical choice. Lemon sorbet is pretty intense – sweet and acidic. I can see why it is often used as a palate cleanser between meal courses. It is best eaten in small amounts. An added benefit of having some around in the freezer is that if you happen to be in the mood for lemonade, you can take a few scoops and mix it in with some water, and voilà, instant lemonade.

Meyer Lemon Sorbet Recipe

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Ingredients

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup freshly squeezed juice from meyer lemons (about 3-4 lemons)
• 2 teaspoons fine lemon zest

Method

1 In a small saucepan on medium high heat, make a simple syrup by heating sugar and water until the sugar has completely dissolved. Remove from heat and let cool. Mix in the lemon juice and zest. Chill, either in the refrigerator, or by placing in a metal bowl over an ice bath.

2 Once the mixture has thoroughly chilled, freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions. If you don't have an ice cream maker, you can pour the mixture into a shallow pan and freeze in your freezer until semi-solid. Then take a fork and fluff it up, returning it the the freezer to freeze firm. Then put in a food-processor or blender to process until smooth.

Place sorbet in an airtight container and freeze until ready to serve.

3 Scoop out preferably with a melon-baller. Garnish with mint. Makes 2 1/2 cups.

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Coffee Heath Bar Ice Cream

My absolute most favoritest (yes I meant to say that) of all candy bars growing up was the Heath Bar. To this day I have what one might call “self control issues” when confronted with them, or any English toffee for that matter. (You know those cute little crunchy toffee bars in a box of See’s? Same thing.) So when my young friend Audrey (our summer intern) came by this week to help me with some cooking and mentioned she had been making a homemade version of Ben and Jerry’s Coffee Heath Bar Crunch, my brain practically short-circuited, the synapses were so lit up with their version of a happy dance. Here’s Audrey’s recipe, a classic custard base, infused with coffee, churned and then mixed in with broken up Heath bars before freezing. Enjoy!

Coffee Heath Bar Ice Cream Recipe

• Yield: Makes a little more than a quart.

The "via" instant coffee packs at Starbucks work great for this recipe.

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Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 2 1/2 cups cream
• 1/3 cup white granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons instant coffee granules
• 1/2 teaspoon espresso powder (optional)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• Pinch of salt
• 4 egg yolks
• 4 ounces of Heath bars or other English toffee

Method

1 Combine the milk, 1 1/2 cups of the cream, sugar, brown sugar, instant coffee, espresso powder (if using), vanilla and salt in a medium saucepan. Heat the base until it begins to steam, whisking continuously.

 
 

2 When the base begins to steam, pour one- half cup out of the pan and into the egg yolks, whisk immediately. When completely combined, add the yolk mixture back into the rest of the of the base, and heat until the mixture reaches 170°F, or until it coats the back of a spoon.

3 Remove immediately from heat and pour through a fine mesh sieve. Add in the remaining cup of cold cream and let chill for several hours, preferably overnight.

4 Hit heath bars (still in their wrappers) repeatedly with the back of a wooden spoon, until they are thoroughly crushed. (You can also put the toffee into a plastic or paper bag and do the same.) Place heath bar pieces into a container and freeze while you churn the ice cream.

5 Pour the base into an ice cream maker and churn according to your ice cream maker manufacturer's instructions. Remove ice cream and stir in heath bar pieces.

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Mom’s Nectarines

Every year in mid July the nectarines on our white nectarine tree become ripe, all at once, and we harvest them all within the space of a week. White nectarines and white peaches grown at home are so delicate that they must be eaten within a day of picking, preferably within hours of picking, or they will bruise and spoil. They also don’t cook up well, because their flavor is so delicate and sweet; you need some tartness for a good cooking fruit. So instead, we make up a simple sauce comprised of slices of the fresh fruit, some ascorbic acid to keep the fruit from turning brown, and a little sugar to help the fruit macerate and release some of its juices. For ascorbic acid (also known as Vitamin C) we usually use a handy product called Fruit-Fresh, but you can use lemon juice or ground up Vitamin C. We use canning jars for convenience, but note that there isn’t a vacuum seal as the fruit has not been heated. Instead it is stored in the freezer.

Mom’s Nectarines Recipe

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Ingredients

• 1 quart of freshly sliced nectarines or peaches
• 1/2 cup to 1 cup of sugar, depending on how sweet the fruit is
• 1 Tablespoon of Fruit-Fresh Produce Protector or a tablespoon of ground up vitamin C (ascorbic acid), or 1 or 2 Tbsp of fresh squeezed lemon juice

Method

Toss sugar and Fruit-Fresh (or Vit C or lemon juice) together in with the fruit. Let sit for 15 minutes to allow juice to form. Pack into containers. Refrigerate for immediate use, or freeze.

Delicious served over vanilla ice-cream or alone. Lasts up to a year in a cold freezer.

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Glazed Lemon Bread

There is a reason comfort food is called “comfort” food. It’s for those days when you hit every red light, when you’re on the phone all day trying to fix a situation that should never have become broken in the first place, when every attempt at anything gets thwarted somehow, and all you want to do is crawl back into bed, pull the covers over your head, and go back to dreamland with the ponies, kittens, and rainbows (where hopefully they won’t be chasing you in some twisted, scary movie, kitten-turned psycho-kitty, kind of way).

This glazed lemon bread, a tea cake really, is perfect for chasing off the grouchy-grumblies. It’s light, moist, lemony, with just a touch of honey and cardamom. If the magic that is baking can produce this cake, then anything is possible and tomorrow is a new day.

Glazed Lemon Bread Recipe

• Prep time: 15 minutes
• Cook time: 1 hour
• Yield: Makes one loaf

Tip: eggs rise better when they are at room temp. If you are pressed for time and have cold eggs, put them in a bowl of warm water (not hot, warm) for a few minutes before using.

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Ingredients

• 4 ounces (1 stick, or 8 Tbsp) butter, softened*
• 1 cup minus 1 Tbsp granulated sugar
• 1 Tbsp honey
• 2 eggs (room temp)
• 1 Tbsp lemon zest
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1 teaspoon baking powder

Glaze

• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 Tbsp honey

* Do not soften butter in microwave. Either leave a stick of butter on kitchen counter for an hour, or place between two pieces of wax paper and rollout with a rolling pin to soften.

Method

1 Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter a 4x8-inch loaf pan.

2 Beat the butter until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the sugar and honey, continue to beat until creamy, a few minutes more. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition to incorporate. On low speed, slowly beat the milk in. Do not worry if the mixture looks a little curdled. Mix in lemon zest.

3 Sift together the flour, salt, cardamom, baking powder. Add to the wet ingredients, beating until smooth.

4 Place batter in prepared pan and bake for 1 hour at 350°F.

5 While the lemon bread is baking, prepare the glaze. Heat the glaze ingredients - lemon juice, sugar, honey - in a small saucepan until the sugar is completely dissolved.

6 Once you have removed the bread from the oven, poke holes all over the top with a thin skewer (this will help the glaze penetrate). Spoon the glaze over it while the bread is still in the pan and is still hot. Let cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan and slicing to serve.

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Triple Ginger Gingerbread Cake

Time for gingerbread! Please welcome Garrett McCord who has whipped up this beautiful dark and gingery gingerbread for us. ~Elise

I get cravings throughout the year for the spicy, treacly flavor of gingerbread. Sure, I can easily satisfy myself come December when the baking world goes gaga for gingerbread, but I’ve been known to make it in the middle of Spring or Summer simply to quell my ginger-obsession. By itself or served toasted with a bit of butter and jam I find that a lively and gingery gingerbread is really appropriate at any time of year.

This recipes utilizes the classic method for making gingerbread, which requires melting the fat (in this case, the butter) in with the molasses, honey, and sugar before adding the dry ingredients. To give it some extra kick I use three forms of ginger: ground, fresh, and candied to ensure a pronounced ginger flavor. A heavy dose of other classic gingerbread spices give the cake some more dimension. These methods and ingredients together create a gingerbread that is dark, dense, a little bit sticky, and outrageously flavorful.

Triple Ginger Gingerbread Cake Recipe

This is a cake that benefits from time. When the cake is cool wrap it up in plastic wrap and wait 24 hours to allow the flavors to intensify. If you can't find candied ginger, you can simply substitute more fresh ginger.

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Ingredients

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup molasses, unsulphured
• 1/2 cup honey (preferably a dark variety such as buckwheat, avocado or wildflower)
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar (can substitute light brown)
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated
• 1 tablespoon candied ginger, minced
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

Method

1 Preheat oven to 325°F. Butter and lightly flour an 8x8 or 9x9 baking dish. Fit a piece of parchment or baking paper inside and allow some to hang off the sides (this will make it easier to lift the cake out of the pan later). Lightly butter and flour the paper as well.

2 In a medium sauce pot over medium heat place the butter, molasses, honey, water, and brown sugar. Stir to melt the butter. Do not allow to simmer or boil. Once the butter is melted take the pot off the heat and allow to cool to room temperature. Be sure to stir the mixture every so often as the the sugar and fat will form skin on the surface.

3 Once room temperature whisk the eggs, grated ginger, and candied ginger into the molasses mixture. Set aside.

4 Sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg. Add the flour to the molasses mixture in three or four additions and whisk until it just comes together.

5 Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 35 minutes. Loosely place a piece of foil over the top and bake for another 15-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack for ten minutes, then lift the cake out of the pan and continue to cool on the rack. You can serve this fresh out of the oven, but the flavor is much better if you give it a day to sit and allow the spices to intensify the cake.

5a A loaf pan can also be used for this recipe. Simply place foil over the top at 25 minutes, and then increase the continuing baking time by 5-10 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. I find, however, that a loaf pan often results in slightly crispier, more well-done crust.

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Coffee Ice Cream

I love coffee ice cream, but rarely get it because the caffeine does a number on me. If I have coffee or even mocha ice cream after dinner I’m jittery until 3 am. So, when I opened David Lebovitz‘s new book, The Perfect Scoop and found a recipe for coffee ice cream on page 34, the ice cream maker bowl immediately went into the freezer.

If you make your own coffee ice cream, you can make it with decaffeinated beans! No late night jitters. Safe for kids.

David has provided helpful advice for me on practically every ice cream recipe on this site, which have all turned out great, so it’s no wonder that his new book’s recipes are spot on. I think this is the best coffee ice cream I’ve ever had.

Coffee Ice Cream Recipe

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Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups whole milk
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 cups whole coffee beans (decaf unless you want the caffeine in your ice cream)
• Pinch of salt
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 5 large egg yolks
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon finely ground coffee (press grinds through a fine mesh sieve)

Method

1 Heat the milk, sugar, whole coffee beans, salt, and 1/2 cup of the cream in a medium saucepan until it is quite warm and steamy, but not boiling. Once the mixture is warm, cover, remove from the heat, and let steep at room temperature for 1 hour.

2 Pour the remaining 1 cup of cream into a medium size metal bowl, set on ice over a larger bowl. Set a mesh strainer on top of the bowls. Set aside.

3 Reheat the milk and coffee mixture, on medium heat, until again hot and steamy (not boiling!). In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks together. Slowly pour the heated milk and coffee mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly so that the egg yolks are tempered by the warm milk, but not cooked by it. Scrape the warmed egg yolks back into the saucepan.

4 Stir the mixture constantly over medium heat with a heatproof, flat-bottomed spatula, scraping the bottom as you stir, until the mixture thickens and coats the spatula so that you can run your finger across the coating and have the coating not run. This can take about 10 minutes.

5 Pour the custard through the strainer and stir it into the cream. Press on the coffee beans in the strainer to extract as much of the coffee flavor as possible. Then discard the beans. Mix in the vanilla and finely ground coffee, and stir until cool.

6 Chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator, then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Makes one quart.

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New England Apple Cheddar Galette

“An apple pie without the cheese is like a kiss without the squeeze.” 

There is a tradition in New England, and some parts of the midwest, to serve a slice of cheese, usually sharp cheddar, alongside a piece of apple pie, or even melted on top. For those of us who didn’t grow up with this tradition, even though we may love eating apple slices with cheese, the whole idea of cheddar cheese with a pie is well, just wrong. As in, “are you kidding?” wrong.

If this is you, I understand. But just let the idea percolate a little while. Apples and cheese are good together, right? A slice of apple with a slice of cheese—bare, naked perfection. Why? Because apples are both sweet and a little tart, and cheese is salty with plenty of umami. So your taste buds are firing on all cylinders when you eat them in combination. 

Still, the idea of cheddar with or in a sweet apple dessert is weird, to those of us unaccustomed to the idea. So, you’ll have to just trust me on this one. It’s good. Like “where has this been all my life?” good. I’m speaking from experience here. I have shunned the idea since the first time I heard of it. But this week I decided to take the plunge and make a simple galette, a rustic tart with apples, some maple syrup for sweetener, cheddar, in a buttery, cheddar speckled crust. All I can say is WOW. Thank you New England.

New England Apple Cheddar Galette Recipe

• Prep time: 40 minutes
• Cook time: 30 minutes
• Yield: Makes 8 servings.

If using a tart apple such as a Granny Smith, you may want to add a little sugar or more maple syrup to the filling to balance the tartness of the apple.

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Ingredients

Crust

• 1 1/2 cups (200g) of all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cups, 6 ounces, 170 g) unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp (85 ml) sour cream (full fat, not light)
• 2 Tbsp finely grated sharp cheddar cheese

Filling

• 4 good cooking apples, such as McIntosh, Courtland, Jonagold, Pippin, Golden Delicious, Jonathan, Fuji, or a mixture of various cooking apples (NOT red delicious)
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 half of a lemon, or the juice of half a lemon (to acidulate the water for holding the apples while you peel them to keep them from discoloring)
• 1 Tbsp maple syrup
• 2 teaspoons minute tapioca or instant tapioca for thickener (can substitute corn starch)
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup lightly packed grated cheddar cheese

Method

Make the pastry dough

1 Cut the butter into cubes. In a large bowl whisk together the flour, salt, and sugar. Sprinkle the butter cubes over the flour.

2 Use your clean hands to squish the flour and butter together, breaking up the butter into smaller pieces until the mixture resembles a rather shaggy coarse meal with a few pea-sized pieces of butter. Add the sour cream and a couple tablespoons of finely grated sharp cheddar cheese and stir with a fork until incorporated.

3 Gather the mixture with your hands and form a ball. Shape the ball into a disk. Sprinkle with a little flour, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes and up to a day ahead.

Prepare the galette

1 Preheat oven to 400°F (205°C). Prepare a large bowl half filled with water. Squeeze into it the juice of half a lemon (and put the squeezed lemon in too if you want). Peel, quarter, and core the apples, and place into the acidulated water while you work to keep the apples from discoloring.

2 Remove the apple quarters from the water. Slice each apple quarter into 4 or 5 slices, lengthwise, about 1/4 inch to 3/8 inch thick at the widest end. Return the apple slices to the acidulated water.

3 Drain the apple slices. Place the apple slices back in the now empty bowl. Sprinkle with maple syrup and cinnamon and gently toss so that the apple slices are lightly coated with both. Add the minute tapioca and the lemon zest. Gently toss again.

4 On a clean, lightly floured, flat surface, place the disk of dough. Roll out with a rolling pin to an even thickness and about 14 inches wide.

5 Gently move the rolled out pastry dough to a parchment lined baking sheet. Starting from 2 inches from the perimeter of the pastry round, arrange the apple slices, side by side, in a circular pattern, filling the circle. It's okay if some of the apple slices overlap a little.

6 Sprinkle the top of the apples with grated cheddar cheese. Gently fold the dough up over the apple slices, forming pleats with the dough every few inches.

 

7 Place an egg in a small bowl with a teaspoon of water, beat with a fork or whisk until smooth. Use a pastry brush to brush the egg wash over the exposed border of the dough (don't put on the apples, just the dough). Sprinkle the egg washed crust with coarse sugar.

8 Bake for 10 to 15 minutes (until beginning to brown) at 400°F (205°C). Then lower the temperature to 375°F (190°C) and bake for 15 to 20 minutes more, until the apples are cooked through and the crust is nicely browned.

Cool until just lightly warm before serving.

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Grandma’s Zucchini Cake

Rummaging through my mother’s old recipe file recently, I stumbled upon a photocopy of a handwritten recipe for zucchini cake. The recipe is in my grandmother’s hand, my dad’s mom. She was the baker in the family (a title now passed on to my father). She moved from St. Paul to live with us in Los Angeles when I was four. Mom, being rather busy with all the kids (6 kids in 8 years!) and working as a head start teacher, didn’t have much time for crafts or baking. It was grandma who taught me to sew, to knit and crochet, and to bake. She made cherry pies, angel food cakes, apricot jam, and the best oatmeal raisin cookies. We fought for the rights to lick the batter bowl of whatever cake she happened to be making. When we moved to Sacramento, she would send my mother recipe clippings and notes. I think that’s how we must have ended up with this recipe for zucchini cake. It’s a lot like zucchini bread, moist and somewhat crumbly, but in sheet cake form, with more egg and sugar, and with a cream cheese frosting. Great for summer potlucks.

Grandma’s Zucchini Cake Recipe

• Prep time: 15 minutes
• Cook time: 45 minutes
• Yield: Makes about 20 pieces.

The frosting amount assumes that you are going to keep the cake in the pan and only frost the top. If you plan on removing the cake from the pan and frosting the sides, you'll want to up the frosting amounts.

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Ingredients

Cake:

• 2 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon (can sub 1 teaspoon with other spices such as allspice and nutmeg, go easy on the cloves though)
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 3 eggs
• 2 cups white, granulated sugar
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest (optional, my addition)
• 2 cups (from about 3-4 regular sized zucchini) grated un-peeled zucchini (place grated zucchini in a sieve and press out some of the excess moisture before measuring)
• 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (my grandmother recommends black walnuts)
• 1/2 cup golden raisins (optional)

Frosting:

• 3 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature (Philadelphia cream cheese recommended)
• 1/4 cup butter, room temperature
• 1 1/2 to 2 cups of powdered sugar

Method

1 Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter a 9x12 or 9x13 baking pan (I used a pyrex pan).

2 In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, and baking powder. Set aside.

3 In a mixer, beat the 3 eggs on high speed until frothy. Lower the speed and beat in the sugar, vegetable oil, vanilla, and lemon zest (if using). Stir in the flour mixture, a third at a time. Stir in the zucchini and chopped nuts and/or raisins.

4 Pour mixture into a 9x12 or 9x13 baking pan. Bake at 350°F for 40 to 45 minutes. (My grandmother's notes say you can also bake in an angel food pan for 1 hour.) Remove from oven and let cool completely before frosting. (While the cake is cooling, let the frosting's cream cheese and butter sit at room temperature to soften.)

5 To make the frosting, beat together the cream cheese and butter. Add the powdered sugar and beat until smooth.

Frost the cake and serve. Store covered with aluminum foil.

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Eggnog Pound Cake

Here’s a perfect cake for the holidays, an eggnog pound cake. This recipe by Flo Braker is a favorite of my friend Evie, a professional pastry chef, who passed it on to us. If you like eggnog and pound cake, you’ll love this recipe.

Eggnog Pound Cake Recipe

• Yield: Serves 20.

Notes from Evie: Baked at convection setting I used a 325 degree oven. I've made mini cakes from this recipe and got 12 plus a mini loaf pan. I also found out that eggnog can be frozen if you don't have time to bake the cake and the eggnog is in danger of going sour.

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Ingredients

Cake:

• 1/2 cup dried currants, raisins or cranberries
• 2 Tbsp dark rum or water
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 cups sugar
• 3 large eggs, room temperature
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 cup eggnog mixed with 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 Tbsp grated orange zest

Glaze:

• 3 Tbsp orange juice
• 1 Tbsp dark rum
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar

Method

1 Soak currants in rum in a small bowl for 15 minutes.

2 Adjust rack to lower third of oven. Preheat the oven to 325°F (350°F if the pan doesn't have a dark finish). Butter a 9 to 10 inch bundt pan (original recipe calls for a Festive Cake Pan).

3 Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter until creamy, 30-45 seconds. Add sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Scrape bowl with a rubber spatula occasionally as needed. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

4 In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg.

5 At very low speed, add dry ingredients in 4 additions, alternating with eggnog (begin and end with dry ingredients). Scrape bowl occasionally. Gently fold in orange zest, currants and any remaining rum.

6 Spoon batter into pan; spread evenly. Bake 55-65 minutes, or until cake springs back when touched lightly in the center and pulls away from the sides of the pan. You can also use a long toothpick or thin bamboo skewer and insert into the thickest part of the cake. If it comes out clean, it's done.

7 Remove from oven and cool upright in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes.

8 Prepare glaze by blending together sugar, orange juice, and rum.

9 Invert cake onto a rack, over a sheet of waxed paper. Use a pastry brush to brush the surface of the cake with the glaze. Cool completely before serving.

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Nectarine and Peach Cobbler

It is getting to the end of the peach and nectarine season here. I picked the last 4 ripe yellow nectarines from our tree today. But what to do with them? Inspiration came from a recent food blogger picnic where we all enjoyed the most wonderful peach cobbler prepared by Food Musings Catherine Nash, who got her recipe from Gourmet. It came out just as I remembered it, though we all agreed here that the recipe itself was a little too sweet for our taste. So in the following recipe I have reduced the sugar from 1 2/3 cups to 1 1/4 cups. Many similar recipes on the net require even less sugar – 3/4 cups to 1 cup, and use either fresh or canned peaches. The beauty of this recipe is that it is so easy – pouring batter on top of melted butter and then adding the fruit.

Nectarine and Peach Cobbler Recipe

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Ingredients

• 1 1/4 lb. nectarines and peaches - about 2 each
• 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, melted
• 1 cup flour
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 cup whole milk

Method

1 Preheat to 375 with rack in middle position. Score fruit by cutting an X on the bottom of each. Blanch in boiling water 10 seconds, then transfer with slotted spoon to bowl filled with cold water. Once cool enough to handle, peel off skin, starting from X and discard. If the fruit is ripe, the skin will just slide off. If not, remove the rest of the skin with a peeler. Halve and pit the fruit; cut into real thin slices.

2 Transfer fruit to heavy saucepan and add lemon juice and 1/2 cup sugar. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring constantly, then boil, stirring occasionally, 4 minutes. Remove from heat.

3 Pour melted butter into 13x9 or 12x7 glass baking dish (if you use the smaller dish, put a cookie sheet in the rack underneath it to catch what might boil over). Whisk flour, baking powder, salt and remaining 3/4 cup sugar in a bowl, then whisk in milk until combined until the consistency of pancake batter. Pour batter over butter. Do not stir. Then pour fruit over batter. Again, do not stir. Bake till cobbler is bubbling and top is golden brown, about 40-45 minutes. Cool in pan until warm.

Serve topped with whipped cream.

Serves 8-10.

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Cinnamon Ice Cream

Is it ice cream season yet? Time to pull out the ice cream maker! Please welcome Simply Recipes contributor Garrett McCord as he shares his recipe for cinnamon ice cream. We made it the other day and it was simply fabulous. ~Elise

When I was a kid I assumed that cinnamon was the opposite of mint. I had reasoned that this was a basic and irrefutable rule of the universe. Cinnamon possessed heat through spice as obviously evidenced via Red Hots candies and the warm sensation and flavor cinnamon imbued when I sprinkled it over applesauce or oatmeal. It made logical sense that the heat of cinnamon was therefore the opposite of the chill inducing mint. Simply put: cinnamon = hot.

Now, as an adult, I find it to be an intriguing trick of the mind to make cinnamon ice cream. A chilly treat with a fragrant, spicy glow that sort of buries itself in your stomach and fans embers through your body. Hot and cold all wrapped up into one frozen scoop. This ice cream is a wonderful alternative to vanilla when served with pie, cake, or stewed or fresh fruit.

Cinnamon Ice Cream Recipe

• Yield: Makes about 1 quart.

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Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon
• 1 cup of whole milk
• 3/4 cup of sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 2 cups of heavy cream
• 6 egg yolks

Method

1 Place the cinnamon in a small, dry skillet, over low heat. Keep the skillet moving just until the cinnamon becomes fragrant. Take off heat (note that too long in the pan will burn the cinnamon).

2 Warm the milk, sugar, salt and cinnamon and 1 cup of the cream in a medium saucepan over medium heat whisking to incorporate the cinnamon into the liquid.

3 While the milk mixture warms set a bowl over another bowl filled with ice. Place the remaining cup of cream into the now chilling bowl and set a mesh strainer on top.

4 In a separate bowl whisk together the egg yolks. Slowly pour the warm milk mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly to avoid the eggs scrambling. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan.

5 Stir the mixture constantly over medium heat with a wooden spoon or heat proof spatula, scraping the bottom as you stir. When the custard becomes thick until the mixture thickens and coats the spoon so that you can run your finger across the coating and have the coating not run.

6 Pour the custard through the strainer into the cream. Stir until cool over the ice bath.

8 Chill the mixture thoroughly and then place in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.

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