Goodies By Anna

Cream Cheese Pound Cake with Strawberry Coulis

The pound cake is a great recipe to have on hand for a delicious, fool-proof dessert that everyone will love. The addition of cream cheese in the batter gives this pound cake a little extra flavor and moistness. Baking in a bundt pan offers a beautiful presentation pretty enough for any occasion.

 

 

 

A liberal drizzle of strawberry coulis made with fresh in-season strawberries and Grand Marnier Orange Liqueur provides the perfect burst of bright flavor and color to the buttery rich cake. You can easily make the cake and the coulis in advance. Make sure to wrap the still warm cake in plastic wrap and then place in an air-tight tupperware container kept at room temperature to keep it moist. The strawberry coulis will be fine for a few days in the fridge. Here is how you can make your own.

 

 

 

You can find the entire recipe here. Start by spraying a 12 cup bundt pan with Pam for Baking and set aside. Preheat oven to 325 (I placed the rack onto the second from the bottom rung in the oven.)

 

 

 

Cake: Place butter and cream cheese into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed until smooth. Add sugar and increase speed to high, beating until light an airy for at least 5 minutes.

 

 

 

Add the eggs one at a time beating well between each egg. Add the vanilla and almond extracts, then add the flour mixture all at once and beat until just combined. Pour batter into prepared pan and shake to even out batter. Bake until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. I baked mine for exactly 1 hour and 15 minutes. After 1 hour I covered the cake with aluminum foil and then baked for the remaining 15 minutes.

 

 

 

Let cake cool in the pan for 15 minutes then turn cake out onto a wire rack to cool completely. If not serving immediately, wrap the warm cake in plastic wrap and place in an air tight tupperware container at room temperature until ready to serve. Wrapping the cake while warm helps to keep it moist longer.

 

 

 

Strawberry Coulis: In a blender combine strawberries, 1/4 cup water (I used 1/4 cup Grand Marnier Orange Liqueur instead of water), 3 Tablespoons sugar and 1 Tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice. Puree until very smooth then press through a strainer to remove seeds. Cover and refrigerate until cold before pouring over cake.

 

 

 

Assembly: Lightly dust the top of the cooled cake with powdered sugar. When ready to serve, cut pieces and drizzle with strawberry coulis.

Nutella Banana Swirl Muffins

I always have super ripe leftover bananas that I keep in the freezer just for baking. Instead of the typical banana bread I decided to go with the Nutella Banana Swirl Muffins because everything is better with Nutella! Chocolate and banana are a perfect pair, throw in some chopped walnuts for crunch and top with some chocolate sprinkles for fun.

 

 

 

These muffins are great for a brunch or even dessert. The cake is moist and flavorful with the combination of ripe banana and luscious Nutella chocolate. The crunch and nutty flavor of the walnuts rounds out this terrific muffin. Here is how you can make your own.

 

 

 

You can find the entire recipe here. Start by mashing together 4 over-ripe bananas in a small bowl. Set aside. Line a muffin tin with papers and set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Note: You can also make this batter the night before, just leave in the fridge and bake up when you want fresh muffins!

 

 

 

In a medium bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment beat together the banana, granulated sugar and brown sugar. Beat in the egg, vegetable oil and vanilla. Slowly beat in the flour mixture until just combined then stir in the nuts (I used chopped walnuts). Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin tins, 3/4 full (I used one full ice cream scoop per muffin).

 

 

 

Scoop 1 teaspoon of Nutella into each muffin, swirl with a toothpick. Top with chocolate sprinkles if desired. Bake muffins for 15 - 19 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Serve muffins warm from the oven or let cool and store in an airtight container. This recipe makes around 14-18 muffins.

 

 

Soft Lemon Sugar Cookies

This simple soft sugar cookie is enhanced with some fresh lemon zest and lemon extract. The edges of these cookies bake up slightly crisped and the centers are puffed and soft. The addition of the lemon zest and lemon extract provide a delicate lemon flavor that makes these cookies really shine. I rolled my cookies in a little bright yellow sugar for a little added color and sparkle. Here is how you can make your own.





You can find the basic recipe here. You will also need the zest of one lemon and some lemon extract to make these lemon sugar cookies. Start by preheating the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment or Silpat and set aside.




Hint: I made some yellow sugar to sprinkle on the tops of my sugar cookies. In a small ziplock baggie I added 1/2 cup of the 2 cups of granulated sugar from the recipe and a few drops of bright yellow food coloring gel. Squeeze the air out of the baggie and zip close. Smush the food color into the sugar until all the sugar is coated and yellow. Pour the sugar out onto a baking sheet to let dry. Your colored sugar is now ready to use!

 

In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment cream together the butter  and 1 1/2 cups of granulated sugar until fluffy. Beat in the vanilla extract, 2 teaspoons lemon extract and the zest of one lemon. Beat in the eggs, one at a time until incorporated. Beat in the flour mixture until a dough comes together.

 

 

Roll two tablespoons of dough into the yellow sugar to coat. Place the dough balls 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheet. Lightly press down on the dough balls and sprinkle on extra yellow sugar if desired. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until edges are set put the centers are soft and puffy. Transfer cookies to wire rack and cool completely

New York Cheesecake

I've started watching a new PBS series called Martha Bakes and the first thing she baked is a New York Cheesecake – I couldn't wait to try it myself. Martha says this recipe is guaranteed not to crack on the top as is often the case with homemade cheesecakes. I can tell you that my cheesecake did not crack!

The simple graham cracker crust is the perfect slightly crunchy buttery accompaniment to the creamy rich filling. This super simple recipe can be easily dressed up with any kind of flavoring you like. Martha suggests a teaspoon of lemon zest added to the batter for another dimension of flavor. Make sure to bake your cheesecake a day in advance of when you want to serve it so that the filling firms up and the flavors come together. Here is how you can make your own.

You can find the entire recipe here. Start by buttering the sides and bottom of a 10 inch springform pan. I used Pam spray instead of butter and it worked great! Wrap sides and bottom of pan with double layer of aluminum foil. Set pan aside. You will also need a roasting pan for the final water-bath baking of the cake. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Crust: In the bowl of a food processor grind up the 12 graham crackers until completely fine with no chunks left. Transfer the crumbs into a medium bowl and mix with the 2 Tablespoons of sugar and melted butter. Dump mixture into the prepared pan and press firmly and evenly into the bottom using a measuring cup or large flat metal spatula. Freeze crust for 15 minutes before baking. When chilled, place springform pan on a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes until crust is golden and firm to the touch. Let crust cool completely before filling.

Hot Water for Water Bath: In a large stock pot, heat water until boiling. Have roasting pan ready to go into oven.

Filling: In a large bowl whisk together the sugar and flour. Set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer beat the cream cheese until fluffy, around 3 minutes. Gradually add the flour mixture and beat until combined. Beat in sour cream and vanilla. Beat in the eggs one at a time until just combined. Do not over beat the eggs. Pour the filling into the cooled crust and place entire pan in roasting pan. Carefully pour enough boiling water to come halfway up the sides of the springform pan. Carefully transfer back to the oven and bake for 45 minutes. Reduce temperature to 325 and continue baking for another 30 minutes. Sides of cake should look set but center should look wobbly. Turn off oven, leave cake in oven with door slightly ajar for one hour. Transfer cake to wire rack to cool completely then refrigerate uncovered for a least 6 hours or overnight. Before unmolding, run a sharp knife or small offset spatula around the sides of the cake. 

Chewy Lemon Drop Cookies

These Chewy Lemon Drop Cookies are a perfect combination of chewy cookie with slightly crispy edges and bright sweet lemon with slightly tart bursts of extra lemon flavor throughout from the surprise addition of ground lemon drop candies mixed into the batter. A lemony glaze rounds out this truly lemon lovers cookie. Here is how you can make your own.







You can find the entire recipe here. Start by lining a baking sheet with parchment or silpat. Set aside. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.





In a food processor or blender, crush 6 oz. of lemon drop candies until no large pieces are left. Set aside. Grate the zest of one or two lemons and set aside.

In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment beat together the shortening and sugar until fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time until incorporated. of lemon Mix in the vanilla and lemon extract (I added an extra teaspoon of lemon extract). Beat in the flour mixture until a dough starts to come together. Mix in the lemon zest and crushed lemon drops candies.

 

 

 

Using a #50 dough scoop, scoop out the dough and form into balls. You can dip the balls in yellow colored sugar if you like. Place on prepared baking sheet at least 2 inches apart. I didn't flatten my dough balls and they turned out fine. Bake for 10-12 minutes. I baked mine for 10 minutes maximum. The cookies will look underdone but as they cool they will come together and be really nice and chewy in the center. The longer you bake these cookies the crunchier they will become. Transfer cookies to wire rack to cool and drizzle with a lemon glaze if desired.

 

 

 

Lemon Glaze:
2 cups powdered sugar
juice of one or two lemons

Whisk the lemon juice into the powdered sugar 1 Tablespoon at a time until desired thickness. Brush or drizzle glaze over cookies and let set for 30 minutes before storing.

Lemon Angel Food Cake with Fresh Meyer Lemon Curd

In keeping with the lemon theme for spring i've made this delicious lemon angel food cake and topped it with a tart lemon glaze and finished with a dollop of fresh meyer lemon curd. The lemon curd and lemon angel food cake go together so well: the light and fluffy texture of the cake pairs perfectly with the bright, tart-yet-sweet creamy lemon curd.

The angel food cake calls for 12 egg whites and the double recipe for the lemon curd calls for 12 egg yolks so you can make them both at the same time. How great is that? Package up a big slice of cake and a little jar of lemon curd to give to someone you like very, very much. Here is how you can make your own.

You can find the basic recipe for the angel food cake here. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Set aside a very clean 10" angel food pan (do not grease or spray with Pam!).

Lemon Angel Food Cake:
Separate egg whites from yolks. Make sure that egg whites are at room temperature before beating later on in recipe. (Save the yolks in fridge for lemon curd recipe below.) If you have a food processor, grind the one cup of granulated sugar in the cake recipe until very fine or you can buy superfine sugar at the store. Fine sugar dissolves faster and easier into the egg whites creating a less grainy texture to the cake.

 

Since this will be a lemon cake you will need enough lemons for 1 Tablespoon of zest and 1 teaspoon of lemon extract. You will also use some of the lemon juice in the glaze and for the lemon curd. I used Meyer lemons in these recipes but regular lemons are just as nice.

In a small bowl sift together the flour and powdered sugar. Set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment whip the room temperature egg whites with the cream of tarter on medium speed until foamy. When nice and foamy, slowly add the granulated sugar. Increase mixer speed to high and beat for 4 to 5 minutes or until whites resemble the consistency of shaving cream. Do not overbeat.

Remove bowl from mixer and sift approximately 1/3 of the flour mixture over the meringue. Add the 1 teaspoon of lemon extract, 1 Tablespoon of lemon zest and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Fold mixture together until no streaks of flour remain. Repeat with remaining flour mixture 1/3 at a time. Scrape the batter into the pan and bake for 40-45 minutes or until the top is golden brown and springs back when touched.

Cool cake upside down for 2 hours. When completely cool, run a knife or small offset spatula around edges and center hole of cake. Invert cake and run knife along the bottom to loosen. Place cake on cake stand or platter.

Lemon Glaze:
This glaze is tart and delicious poured over the top of the angel food cake!

2 cups powdered sugar sifted
3 1/2 Tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, strained

Whisk together the powdered sugar and enough lemon juice to make a nice thick glaze. Pour over the top of the cake and let run down the sides. Let glaze setup for 30 minutes before cutting.

Lemon Curd:
This is a great way to use up the 12 yolks leftover from the angel food cake! This double recipe makes 2 pints of lemon curd, plenty for yourself and your friends! It's super easy to make and tastes divine! No store bought curd is as good as this homemade version!

Since I can't find the original recipe online anywhere I will provide it here with a couple of changes. This recipe is adapted from the Martha Stewart recipe found in The Martha Stewart Cookbook.

12 egg yolks lightly beaten
2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, strained
2 sticks butter, cut into small pieces at room temperature
2 Tablespoons grated lemon zest
1 pinch salt

Strain the egg yolks thru a sieve into a medium saucepan over low heat. Stir in the sugar, pinch of salt and lemon juice stirring constantly for 10-12 minutes or until the mixture thickens and coats the back of the spoon. Do not allow mixture to boil. Remove from heat and whisk until mixture has slightly cooled. Stir in the zest and the butter a few pieces at a time until fully incorporated. (At this point I like the strain the mixture again because I like my curd to be very creamy and smooth but if you like the zest in your curd then don't strain the mixture.)

Pour the warm curd into jars for gift giving or into plastic jars that can go into the freezer. I have found that the curd freezes really well! Refrigerate curd until ready to use. Curd will firm up even more as it chills.

Assembly: Use use a serrated knife to cut a slice of glazed cake and spread with some of the chilled lemon curd. Enjoy!

Lemon Almond Biscotti

After picking a ton of Meyer Lemons off the back yard lemon tree i've been looking for different ways to incorporate their delicious flavor into some tasty goodies. This recipe for Lemon Almond Biscotti is a perfect way to use the tart fresh flavor of the lemon and add in the nutty crunch goodness of almonds.

 

 

 

These biscotti are just perfect with coffee or tea and have a refreshing lemon flavor with a satisfying crisp almond crunch. I added a cup of toasted sliced almonds to the dough and topped the biscotti with a sweet crunchy layer of swedish pearl sugar. In addition, I added 1/2 teaspoon lemon extract to the dough because I like a stronger lemon flavor. Here is how you can make your own.

 

 

 

You can find the basic recipe here. Start by lining a half sheet pan (18" x 13") with parchment or Silpat. Set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

If you are using 1 cup of sliced almonds like I did, toast the sliced almonds and set aside to cool.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment beat together the butter, sugar, salt, lemon zest, almond extract, 1/2 teaspoon lemon extract if using and baking powder. Beat in the eggs and lemon juice until combined. Add the flour and the cooled sliced toasted almonds if using. Mix until a dough come together.

 

 

 

On the prepared baking sheet form the dough into an approximately 14" x 2 1/2" log using damp hands and a bench scraper. Smooth the top of the log and sprinkle with swedish pearl sugar if using. Lightly press the pearl sugar into the dough. Bake the dough for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool enough to touch—15-20 minutes.

 

 

 

When the biscotti log has cooled, spritz lightly with water to soften the crust for slicing. Turn down the temperature of the oven to 325 degrees. Cut the biscotti and arrange standing up on baking sheet. Return to oven and bake for 30-35 minutes or until dry and golden around the edges. Let biscotti cool completely on a a wire rack before transferring to an air tight container.

 

 

 

Bouchon Banana Muffins with Walnut Streusel Topping

I always seem to have a few overly ripe bananas leftover at the end of the week and instead of making my old standby banana bread I made these delicious Banana Muffins with Walnut Streusel Topping. This recipe is from the beautiful Bouchon Bakery Cookbook and makes 6 jumbo sized muffins. Just like when I made the Pumpkin Muffins from the same cookbook I ended up using my popover pan and it works out just great. (You can also make 12 regular sized muffins but check them at 25-30 minutes so that they don't over bake.)

 

 

 

These muffins are made with cake flour which gives the crumb a finer, lighter texture than a typical muffin made with AP flour. The muffins bake up moist and delicious and the walnut streusel topping adds a tasty crunch that pairs well with the banana flavor. I easily substituted the cream fraiche in the recipe for some greek yogurt.

 

 

 

The key to keeping the texture of these muffins light and fluffy is to not over-beat the eggs into the batter and to make sure the batter "rests" in the fridge overnight before baking. Resting the batter allows for the flour to absorb the liquid resulting in a very moist muffin with an enhanced flavor and texture. Here is how you can make your own.

 

 

 

You can find the entire recipe here. Since the batter and the topping will stay in the fridge overnight there is no need to prepare the muffins tins until the following day.

Streusel Topping: The recipe makes enough streusel for twice as many muffins so you can halve the recipe if you want or just freeze the leftovers to use at a later date. Combine all ingredients except for the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix together. Toss in chilled butter pieces and mix on low speed until butter is incorporated with no large pieces remaining. Transfer streusel to a covered container and refrigerate overnight. Don't bother washing the electric mixer bowl and paddle, just go ahead and make the batter!

 

 

 

Batter: In a medium bowl sift the cake flour, baking soda and baking powder together then whisk in the salt. Set aside. In the bowl of the electric mixer beat the butter until smooth then beat in the sugar until fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla paste and mix until just combined. Do not over mix. (Note on eggs: the recipe calls for 80 grams of eggs which comes to a little less than two eggs. The eggs in all Bouchon recipes are beaten then passed thru a sieve to strain out any membrane before weighing. I think you could probably just use two eggs with no problems if you can't weigh them.) Add the cake flour mixture in two additions, beating until just combined. Add the creme fraiche (I used Greek yogurt instead) and mashed banana, mixing for around 30 seconds. Transfer batter to covered container and refrigerate overnight or up to 36 hours before baking.

 

 

 

Baking: Prepare a 6 cup jumbo muffin pan with papers (I used a popover pan lined with parchment squares) or a 12 cup muffin pan with papers. Lightly spray papers with Pam. Set aside. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Spoon the batter evenly into the papers leaving approximately 1/2 inch from the top. Sprinkle 3 Tablespoon of chilled streusel on top of each muffin. Place the pan into the oven and immediately turn the temperature down to 325 degrees. Bake for 35-38 minutes for jumbo muffins and 25-30 minutes for regular muffins. (I placed a cookie sheet under the muffin pan to capture any potential overflow of batter.)

 

 

 

A toothpick inserted into the tops should come out clean. Let pan cool for 10 minutes then remove muffins from pan to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in covered container at room temperature.

Spring Flower Sandwich Cookies with Vanilla Bean Cream Cheese Filling

For this years Easter treat I decided to forgo the traditional eggs and bunnies and went with these super cute Spring Flower Sandwich Cookies filled with a delightfully tart-yet-sweet Vanilla Bean Cream Cheese Frosting.

 

 

 

The dough for these cookies is a traditional spritz cookie dough that is usually forced thru a cookie press to create little shapes. For these spring flowers I filled a fabric (reusable) piping bag with some of the dough and piped them out using a Wilton 1M tip.

 

 

 

I originally saw this idea on a terrific baking site called I Am Baker. She piped out beautiful rosettes but it was really hard to pipe out those rosettes so I decided to go for these "spring flower" shapes instead! To get a spring flower shape, hold the piping bag perpendicular to your baking sheet and basically squeeze down until you get the desired shape you are looking for! That's it!

 

 

 

I kept my piped dough flowers at a 2" diameter so that they would bake evenly. To keep each flower the same size I made a template of six 2" circles and placed the template under my silpat on top of my baking sheet. I left the template under the silpat while baking and didn't have any problems. After the cookies cooled I piped a little Vanilla Bean Cream Cheese Frosting using an Ateco #867 tip on to one cookie then sandwiched it was another. Here is how you can make your own.

 

 

 

You can find the entire recipe for the cookies here. Start by preheating the oven to 400 degrees and lining a baking sheet with a silpat. If you are using a template go ahead and place it under the silpat. Place baking sheet into refrigerator to chill.

Cookies: In a medium bowl whisk together the flour and salt. Set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer cream together the butter and sugar until creamy then beat in the egg and the extract (I used 1/2 teaspoon strawberry extract & 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract). Beat in the flour mixture until a dough starts to form. Add few drops of pink food coloring to ting the dough a nice deep pink color.

 

 

 

Transfer around 1/2 cup of dough to a reusable piping bag fitted with a Wilton 1M closed star tip. I used a reusable fabric piping bag because I was afraid that a plastic piping bag might burst because of the thickness of the dough. Holding the bag perpendicular to the chilled baking sheet, squeeze down to get a "ruffled petal" look.

 

 

 

Repeat until you have six 2" flowers piped onto the baking sheet. You can sprinkle the cookies with a little pink sanding sugar for a little extra sparkle. Bake for 10 minutes or until very slightly golden on the edges. Transfer cookies to wire rack to cool completely before filling. Tip: Try to cool your baking sheet in the fridge in between batches to keep the cookies from spreading too much.

 

 

 

Filling:

Vanilla Bean Cream Cheese Frosting:

8 ounces (226 g) cream cheese, at room temperature

2/3 cup (76 g) powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla bean crush extract or vanilla bean paste

Place the cream cheese in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix on low speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl, add the sugar, and mix on the lowest speed to combine. Add the vanilla bean crush extract and mix for 2 to 3 minutes, until completely smooth. The frosting can be used at this point or refrigerated for up to 3 days. If it has been refrigerated, let it sit at room temperature until just cool to the touch, then transfer to a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat until smooth.

Place frosting into a piping bag fitted with an Ateco #867 tip and pipe a small mound in the center of one cookie and sandwich it carefully with another cookie. Keep filled cookies in an airtight container in the fridge.

Peanut Butter Smoothie Bars

Sometimes I am just in the mood to make something easy and delicious. This is where bar cookies are really king! Most bar cookies consist of mixing up a batter, smoothing it into a pan and baking, what could be easier than that?

 

 

 

These Peanut Butter Smoothie Bars are a peanut butter lovers dream! The bars bake up very moist and fudge-like lots of rich peanut butter flavor. To provide a little texture and crunch, I omitted the chocolate chips from the recipe and instead added 1 cup of lightly chopped salted peanuts and even more peanut butter flavor by stirring in a cup of peanut butter chips and sprinkling even more chopped salted peanuts on top just before baking.

 

 

Whew, that's a lot of nuts! In around 30 minutes you have the best peanut butter bars around! Here is how you can make your own.

 

 

You can find the entire recipe here. Start by lining a 9" x 9" baking pan with aluminum foil and spray lightly with Pam. Set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

 

 

 

In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment cream the butter and peanut butter together until smooth and combined. Add the sugars and beat until combined. Beat in the eggs one at a time then beat in the vanilla extract. Beat in the flour mixture until just combined. Mix in the cup of peanut butter chips (I used these instead of chocolate chips) and I added one cup of lightly chopped salted peanuts to the batter as well. Smooth the batter into the prepared pan. I topped the batter with 1 cup of lightly chopped salted peanuts and a little sprinkle of sea salt.

 

 

 

Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown and the edges pull away from the sides of the pan. I recommend cool in  the pan for around an hour before cutting to get the cleanest cuts. Of course, if you can't wait you can always dig in while they are still warm!