Lemon Blueberry Cream Cake

 

Lemon Blueberry Cream Cake

Here's a great flavor combination in a beautifully impressive dessert cake. It starts with a lemon version of our delicious butter cake filled with a freshly made blueberry compote and vanilla whipped cream. What an exceptional dessert this one would make at a dinner party or any celebratory occasion.

Lemon Blueberry Cream Cake

Lemon Cake

Grease and flour two 9 inch cake pans. Smaller pans will not be sufficiently large. If you are using smaller pans reduce the measurements by 1/4.

Cream together very well until light and fluffy:

1 ½ cups butter
2 cups sugar

Add, one at a time, beating well after each addition until light and fluffy:

3 eggs

Mix in

4 tsp vanilla extract

zest of two lemons, very finely minced

Sift together

3 cups cake flour
4 tsp baking powder

Fold dry ingredients into the creamed mixture alternately with a warm mixture of

3/4 cup whole milk

1/2 cup whipping cream

beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. I warm the cream and milk in the microwave for a 15 -20 seconds.

Bake at 325 degrees F for about 30 minutes. Rely on the toothpick test to ensure that it is properly baked. Let the cake cool in the pans for 10- 15 minutes before cooling completely on a wire rack.

Blueberry Compote

3 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

1/2 cup water

3/4 cup sugar

Simmer very gently together for about 10 minutes before thickening with a slurry of

2 rounded tablespoons corn starch dissolved in 1/4 cup cold water

Add a little of the slurry to the pot at a time, stirring constantly. Add only enough of the slurry to thicken the slurry to a pudding-like consistency. The juice content of the berries will determine how much thickening the compote will require so use your own judgement on when you have added enough of the slurry. Continue to simmer stirring constantly for an additional minute to ensure the compote does not maintain a starchy taste from the slurry.  Cool to room temperature then completely chill the compote in the fridge.

Vanilla Whipped Cream

4 cups whipping cream

4 tsp vanilla extract

6 rounded tbsp icing sugar ( i.e. powdered sugar)

Beat together at high speed until stiff peaks form.

If you don't have a piping bag for the whipped cream, you can still make quite a pretty cake by using a large Ziploc bag with about a 1/2 inch opening snipped off the corner.

To construct the cake, split the two layers horizontally into four layers. Place the first layer on the serving plate, cover with whipped cream and add the second layer. Pipe a 1 inch  border of whipped cream around the entire edge of this layer. Fill the inside of the circle with half of the blueberry compote before adding the next layer of cake and covering with more whipped cream. Add the final layer of cake and cover the sides of the cake with whipped cream. Pipe a border of whipped cream on the top of the cake and fill the center with the remaining blueberry compote.

Garnish with pieces of candied lemon zest if you like which can be made very simply by removing the zest with a sharp vegetable peeler and simmering gently in a small pot with 1/2 cup water and 1/2 cup sugar for about 15 minutes.

Easy Key Lime Freezer Ice Cream - No Ice Cream Maker Required

This idea was born from the amazing success of our recently featured Frozen Key LimePie. I was so impressed with the filling and how well it held its velvety smooth texture even under extremely cold temperature. My ancient deep freezer in the basement is set very low and even commercial ice cream that is stored in it has to be left out for some time to soften slightly before it is able to be scooped.

When I cut into that pie I was surprised at how smoothly and easily it cut and the taste and silky texture were just simply to die for. With a texture somewhere between soft serve ice-cream and a good sherbet, I thought at the time that it would make a great frozen dessert all on its own. When the opportunity arose that I needed a good simple dessert to serve a few dinner guests and anticipating being pretty time pressed on  that day, I knew I would need one to be prepared in advance when this idea again sprang to mind.

I froze it in individual portions in short whiskey glasses with a simple garnish of whipped cream and some candied lime slices made by slowly simmering lime slices in simple syrup, then leaving on a wire rack to dry overnight. It was a welcome, simple cooling dessert on a warm summer evening; a complete success. Other citrus fruits would work equally well and I plan to experiment with other flavors using this method soon. Stay tuned.

Makes about 8-10 servings

Whip to soft peaks

1 cup whipping cream

2 rounded tsp icing sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment in place, add

9 extra large egg yolks

1/3 cup sugar

Whisk at high speed until  light, foamy and pale yellow in color, about 5 minute.

Slowly whisk in

Two 10 ounce cans of sweetened condensed milk

1 cup lime juice

zest of 3 limes finely minced

Gently fold in the previously whipped cream. Pour into individual serving dishes or into an airtight covered plastic container if you are planning to store the ice cream.

Freeze for several hours or overnight before serving with a garnish of whipped cream.

Raspberry Vanilla Butter Cookies

This is another example of what my mother calls a "cuppa tea cookie". It's the kind of cookie that goes perfectly with a hot cup of tea or coffee but I have to say I had 2of them with a tall glass of cold milk yesterday and that was totally delicious too. These are soft and almost cakey in texture but oh so buttery and not too sweet. A simple, easy, perfect cookie.

Sift together:

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Cream together until light and fluffy:

1 cup butter
2/3 cup sugar

Add and beat well:

2 large egg yolks
1 tablespoon milk
2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Fold in the dry ingredients until crumbly. Press dough into one inch balls (roll in demerara sugar if desired).  Place the balls on a parchment lined baking sheet and press down lightly with the bottom of a water glass. Bake at 350 degrees F for about 15 minutes or until the edges are golden brown.

Cool on the pan for 10 minutes before transferring the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. When completely cool, sandwich 2 of the cookies together with one teaspoon of raspberry jam.

British Flag {Union Jack} Cupcake Toppers

I have a confession to make...

I am an anglophile.

Wait, don't run away!

That just means that I am obsessed with Great Britain and all things British.

When I was 21 years old, I spent 18 months as a missionary in Wales and England.

I walked the streets of little villages and rode my bike through big city roundabouts.

I saw amazing history and architecture without ever going to a museum.

 I learned to recognize what county someone was from by their accent.

 I ate bangers & mash, beans on toast and trifle with clotted cream.

I got rained on a LOT. 

Kidwelly Castle, Wales

 

Basically, I got to know Great Britain and it's people really well...

And I love them!!

 

 As you can guess, I am thrilled that the 2012 Summer Olympics are in London!

You better believe that I will be glued to the TV, waiting to catch a glimpse of the country I love.

And I made Union Jack Cupcake Toppers in preparation...

  
You will need:
A batch of frosted cupcakes
White candy melts or almond bark
Wilton "Red-Red" icing color gel
Wilton "Royal Blue" icing color gel
Decorating bags fitted with small round tip (Wilton #2)
lollipop sticks

Download and print out this template:

Tape your template on to a piece of cardboard or the back of a cookie sheet.
Tape wax paper over the template.

Melt some candy melts according to package directions, and divide into three bowls.
Leave one bowl white, color one red and one blue.
 Place each color in a separate decorating bag.

  Trace the white parts of the flags first. Pipe a few lines at a time, then use a toothpick to push the candy melts into corners and straighten up lines.

 
Next, fill in the red parts of the flags.

 
Finally, fill in the blue parts of the flags. Place them in the refrigerator to set up.

 
 When your flags have hardened, carefully peel them off the wax paper.
Put a dollop of candy melts on the right side, and press a lollipop stick into it.

After the sticks have set up, Insert a flag into the top of each cupcake.

These cuties would be a fun treat for your Olympic Opening Ceremonies party. :0) 
Cheers! 

I share my recipes & tutorials at these fun link parties.

This post was featured!

M & M Summer Fun Cookies

M & M Summer Fun Cookies

Hey everyone, it's Olivia again! Did you miss me? ;)

So the other day, mom and dad were talking about possibilities for great summer recipes, and a lot of them were pretty adult-focused. Well I got to thinking, and I thought it was about time to make something fun for the kids! Here's what I came up with: these bright and colorful M&M Summer Fun Sandwich Cookies!

The cookie itself is like a chocolate chip cookie, but chock full of M&M candies. Chewy, crispy, buttery and chocolaty, you just can't go wrong. To go further, we turned those delicious cookies into little sandwiches with sweet white chocolate icing, dyed into fun summer colors to add a little spirit ;).

So if you're looking for a delicious easy recipe for all of the kids- and the kids at heart, here's your ticket. Perfect for family barbeques, picnics, or even for a little treat, these babies are certain to be a crowd pleaser!

Ingredients:

• 1 1/3 cups flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or butterscotch flavoring (or both! Hint, hint.)
• 1/2 pound pkg regular m&m candies

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly spray one cookie sheet with spray oil or line with parchment paper.

In a medium sized bowl whisk together flour, salt, and baking soda.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla and combine thoroughly.

Add the flour mixture to the sweetened butter. Mix only enough to incorporate flour. Do not over mix. Fold in the m&ms gently by hand as the mixer will break them up into pieces .

Form cookies by placing 1 inch balls of dough on the prepared cookie sheet two inches apart. Bake until light brown around the edges, about 10 minutes, depending on cookie size.

Your oven temperature and the type of cookie sheet you use will vary the baking times considerably. When they are golden brown around the edges is the time to remove them from the oven. Thinking they are a little underdone is probably a good thing. Experiment by baking only a couple of cookies at a time to see what the perfect baking time is for your oven

Cool for 10 minutes on the baking sheet before removing to a wire rack to cool thoroughly.

Filling:

Melt together

• 1 cup white chocolate chips
• 2 tbsp butter

Don’t let the chocolate mixture get too hot. You want the chocolate to be just melted but not hot.

Blend in until smooth:

• 1 1/2cup icing sugar (powdered sugar)
• 2- 4 tbsp milk

Adjust the milk or icing sugar to get a good thick consistency.

Divide the frosting into as many colors as you want to use (or just use it white) Food coloring paste works best here and not liquid food coloring.

Spoon the filling into a piping bags with a large plain round tip (or just a Zip-loc bag with the corner snipped off) and squeeze some of the filling onto the center of half the cookies. Place the other half of the cookies on top and press down to evenly spread the filling to the edges of the cookies. Allow these cookies to sit for a couple of hours for the filling to set up before serving.

Spicy Barbeque Pork Chop Tacos with Chunky Avocado Salsa

Spicy Barbeque Pork Chop Tacos with Chunky Avocado Salsa

Last night I planned to make simple grilled pork chops using my Maple Chipotle Barbeque Sauce but number one son, Noah, had a yen for tacos. No problem, we combined the two into a very delicious dinner; compromise is what brings family harmony after all.

As the expression goes here in Newfoundland, we all went "face and eyes into it"! We had both hard and soft shell tacos on hand and they were both fantastic. We added some simple homemade chunky avocado salsa to the tacos too which made them even better. I'm always up for a quick, easy dinner idea and this was a particularly good one that I know we will be making again soon.

Spicy Barbeque Pork Chop Tacos with Chunky Avocado Salsa

Serves 4-6

Grill 

8 center loin pork chops

In the last minutes of grilling brush on a good spicy barbeque sauce. You can find my recipe for the Maple Chipotle Barbeque Sauce that I used here.

Let the chops rest covered in aluminum foil for 5 minutes before thinly slicing them across the grain.

Add the sliced pork to either warm soft or hard shell taco shells and top with the salsa.

Chunky  Avocado Salsa

Coarsely chop

2 small tomatoes

1 small red pepper

1 avocado

1/2 small red onion

Add

1 clove minced garlic

finely grated zest of one lime

juice of one lime

1 tbsp chipotle powder

1/2 finely minced jalapeño pepper

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

season with salt and pepper

Toss together well.

Chicken Souvlaki Wraps with Tomato Avocado Tzatziki

Chicken Souvlaki Wraps with Tomato Avocado Tzatziki

We are having a lovely summer here in Newfoundland, which is a welcome relief after the wettest, coldest summer in decades that we experienced last year. The great weather is providing plenty of warm evenings for grilling our evening meals and this one from late last week was a particularly delicious one.

We used our favorite souvlaki recipe to marinate thin cuts of chicken breast and served it on warm grilled flatbreads with creamy tzatziki. We added tomato and  avocado chunks to our tzatziki for extra flavor and texture. Some crumbled feta cheese and fresh salad completed these terrific wraps dor a delicious and very satisfying dinner.

Serves 4

• 4 large boneless skinless chicken breasts

Lay the chicken breasts flat on a cutting board and cut them in half horizontally to crate two think portions.

Souvlaki Marinade

• 6 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 2 rounded tbsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 3 cloves minced garlic

Mix all of the ingredients together and pour over the chicken in a Ziploc bag. Toss the chicken around well in the marinade to coat on all sides. Marinate in the fridge for 15 - 20 minutes. Cook on a preheated grill at medium high heat for about 3 minutes before turning over and grilling for an additional 3 minutes on the opposite side or until the chicken is completely cooked through.

.

Tzatziki

• 3 cups Greek yogurt, drained

Draining the yogurt removes much of the liquid and produces an end product about the consistency of thick sour cream. To drain the yogurt, line a colander with several layers of cheesecloth (or in a pinch, several large coffee filters) Pour the yogurt into the colander and place it in a large bowl or in the sink for an hour or two. this should produce about 2 cups of thick yogurt.

• 6 inch piece of English cucumber

Peel the piece of cucumber and remove the seeds and pulp at the center with a teaspoon, then dice the outside flesh of the cucumber into small cubes of  1/8 inch or less.

Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of kosher salt over the diced cucumber and toss together well. Let this rest for about a half hour , stirring occasionally. This process removes some of the liquid from the cucumber so that it will not water down the consistency of your finished tzatziki. Drain all of the liquid off the diced cucumber before adding it to the drained yogurt along with

• 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh oregano
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• pinch salt and pepper to season

Mix well, cover and store in the fridge for at least a half hour before serving.

Before serving, stir in:

• 1 avocado, diced
• 1 medium tomato with the pulp removed, diced

Get our recipe for grilled flatbreads here. We sometimes use store bought pizza dough to make flatbreads in a hurry.

Add some Greek salad on top of the flatbread before topping with the chicken and tzatziki. Some crumbled feta cheese makes a nice addition on top as well.