Strawberry Swirl Pavlova

My first attempt at making pavlova and let me just say this: I now have no idea why I was so afraid of making this in the past ! It was dead easy and came together without much fuss at all. I wanted to keep the berry theme going in our house and had a quart of strawberries on stand-by.

I decided to go with Martha Stewart's recipe for raspberry ripple meringue but obviously swapped out the raspberries for sweet and juicy strawberries.

The filling is nothing more than sweetened whipped cream topped with macerated strawberries. I love the combo of chocolate and strawberries so I wanted a suitable drizzle to finish things off. Out came the Lindt dark chocolate baking bar and some heavy cream. Before you knew it, a ganache was born.

Give yourself several hours of bake time for this one. The pavlova requires nearly 2 hrs in the oven then 1 hour cooling time. The wait is well worth it. This was a superb dessert that is easy enough to make any day of the week but definitely fancy enough in terms of presentation to be a welcomed dessert at any dinner party.

If you don't have strawberries then try raspberries or blueberries. Even blackberries would work wonderfully.

Let's put these guys to good use

What better way to eat strawberries!

LET'S BEGIN!

RECIPE:
adapted pavlova recipe: Raspberry-Ripple Meringue; Martha Stewart

WHAT YOU NEED

Pavlova

2 cups strawberries, sliced
3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons fine granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon corn starch
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
3 large egg whites at room temperature
pinch of salt

Filling

2 cups whipping cream
1 teaspoon fine granulated sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Chocolate Drizzle

4 ounces dark chocolate, chopped
1/4 cup heavy cream

MAKE IT

PREHEAT OVEN to 200F (100C)
USING a 8" cake pan as your stencil, with a pencil draw a 8" circle on a piece of parchment
paper
FLIP paper over and place on a cookie sheet

PUREE 1 cup strawberries, 1 tablespoon of sugar and lemon juice in food processor until smooth
STRAIN through a sieve into small bowl and set aside

IN SMALL BOWL, whisk together 3/4 cup sugar and cornstarch
IN LARGE BOWL, with stand or hand-held mixer, whisk egg whites, salt and cream of tartar until foamy
ADD sugar/cornstarch mixture in 3 batches, whisking 30 seconds after each addition
SCRAPE down sides of bowl
WHISK 4 minutes on HIGH SPEED with stand or hand-held mixer until stiff peaks form

ADD 2 tablespoons of strawberry puree to meringue cutting in slightly with a knife
WITH RUBBER SPATULA, mound meringue onto parchment paper to take form of a 8" circle
WITH FINGERS, gently smooth out the center of the meringue so you have an indentation (approx 5 " circumference) which will later be filled with whipped cream.
BAKE for 1 hr 50 minutes
TURN OFF OVEN, open door so it is slightly ajar and let meringue cool in oven for 1 hour
REMOVE , peel of parchment and gently place on a serving platter. Be extra careful as it is delicate and can break easily

SLICE remaining strawberries and place in MEDIUM bowl
SPRINKLE WITH 1 tablespoon sugar, stir and set aside

IN DOUBLE BOILER, melt chocolate and whipping cream, whisking continuously until combined and shiny
SET chocolate aside to cool 15 minutes
WHIP whipping cream, vanilla and sugar until soft peaks form

MOUND whipped cream into center of meringue
TOP with sliced strawberries
DRIZZLE with remaining strawberry puree and chocolate sauce

ENJOY ( I know I did) !

Heavenly Coconut Seduction Cake

For my birthday I received the gorgeous cookbook Rose's Heavenly Cakes. I have read rave reviews about this book and couldn't wait to test out a recipe. I had my sights set on the Heavenly Coconut Seduction Cake but the problem was that I didn't have a can of cream of coconut. To say finding cream of coconut in Ontario, Canada is challenging would be an understatement. So my cake recipe had to wait but not for long.

My family and I decided to take a jaunt over to the US this past weekend and enjoyed an incredible shopping excursion in Syracuse, NY. I immediately hit up Pottery Barn and Williams Sonoma. I am in love with both stores and definitely plan on being a returning visitor.

While at Williams Sonoma, I decided to ask a clerk where I could find the infamous Cream of Coconut. She swiftly pointed me in the direction of a Wegman's and advised me that Wegman's is simply the best of the best. This store, sent from the heavens it seemed, would have everything and more. As I have never even seen a Wegman's before I thought that perhaps I would be in for a treat. I was. The store was HUGE! It had everything I could imagine including the cream of coconut. Their candy section alone was impressive. I have never seen a grocery store with so many selections before, let alone one that divides M&Ms into the difference colors and loads them up into lovely little dispensers for easy access. My daughter was delirious over the bakery department. She states she has never ever EVER seen so many different types of bagels in her life. Last but not least, they had jars of imported clotted cream which I was desperately seeking to make a clotted cream cake! So Wegman's has won me over. I am a true fan now and cannot wait to return to the US for another tour.

Back to the cake: after successfully locating cream of coconut, I started making this cake within one hour after returning from my trip. It is amazing how one can barely stand up one minute, exhausted to the bone, yet the baking addiction, forever present, quickly rises one up on their feet again and fills them with energy! Only after the cake was baked, cooled, frosted and eaten did I fall into bed and sleep like a baby.

The coconut cake is not a complex recipe at all. It has coconut in the batter as well as sprinkled on top. The cream of coconut adds moisture and flavor. The frosting is nothing more than stabilized whipped cream to which I added a bit of vanilla and a bit of coconut extract. By adding a cornstarch stabilizer blend to the whipped cream you avoid whipped cream separating and it preserves the consistency for 24 hours refrigerated. What I liked just as much was how the stabilizer changed the texture and flavor of the whipped cream to that one a smooth creamy heaven with hints of custard flavor. I could have easily sat back and eaten loads of it by the spoonful it was simply that good.

To get started have a small food processor nearby; one that can accommodate about 1 cup of dry ingredients. Now let's begin!

A must have !

The Heavenly Coconut Seduction Cake baked and ready for frosting!

RECIPE*:
*altered source recipe for Heavenly Coconut Seduction Cake: Rose's Heavenly Cakes

WHAT YOU NEED

CAKE

3 large egg whites at room temperature
2/3 cup creamed coconut (run through the food processor first to combine thoroughly)
3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon coconut extract
1/2 cup minus 1 tablespoon fine granulated sugar
1/2 cup desiccated unsweetened coconut
2 cups cake flour (sifted first into measuring cups and leveled off). I usually simply measure this to ensure accuracy. You are looking for 7 ounces (200 grams) of flour
2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter at room temperature, cut into small chunks

FROSTING

2 tablespoons powdered sugar
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon coconut extract
sweetened shredded coconut (optional)

MAKE IT

MOVE OVEN RACK to lower third of oven
PREHEAT oven to 350F
GREASE bottom and sides of one 9 inch round cake pan. Line bottom with parchment paper and spray parchment paper with baking spray (a spray with added flour is great too).
IN MEDIUM BOWL, whisk together egg whites, 3 tablespoons cream of coconut, vanilla and coconut extracts. Set aside.
IN FOOD PROCESSOR, pulse together sugar and coconut until you have a fine powder
IN LARGE BOWL (or bowl of stand mixer), mix coconut/sugar mixture, flour, baking powder and salt on low speed for 30 seconds (stand or hand held electric mixtures both work well)
ADD butter and remaining cream of coconut
MIX AT MEDIUM SPEED for 1 1/2 minutes scraping down bowl when required
KEEPING BEATING at medium speed and slowly add egg whites mixture in 2 parts, beating 30 seconds after each addition
POUR batter into prepared pan
SMOOTH surface evenly
BAKE 30-40 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Mine was perfect at 30 minutes on the dot! NOTE: do not remove until cake starts to pull away from sides of pan.
LET COOL in pan on cooling rack for 10 minutes
REMOVE from pan and allow to cool on cake stand

FROSTING:

IN SMALL SAUCEPAN, over med/low heat, whisk together sugar and cornstarch.
GRADUALLY add 1/4 cup heavy cream
BRING TO LOW BOIL stirring continuously
SIMMER for a few seconds until thickened
SCRAPE mixture into heat proof bowl
LET COOL to room temperature
STIR in vanilla extract

IN LARGE MIXING BOWL (stand mixing bowl if using), BEAT remaining whipped cream until traces of beater marks begin to appear
ADD cooled cornstarch mixture
BEAT until stiff peaks form

FROST top of cake with whipped cream
SPRINKLE with sweetened shredded coconut if desired

ENJOY !

Victoria Sponge with Berries & Whipped Cream

Last week I celebrated my big 4-0 birthday! And in doing so, I also learned that I have somehow converted into a foodie (baker) snob to a great degree over the past year. When asked about my preferred birthday dessert I had to say nothing store bought. It must be homemade! Nothing else will suffice. No family member wanted to take on the baking challenge so I gladly stepped in.

I wasn't in the mood for your typical birthday cake topped with buttercream and candles. Instead I was craving fluffy whipped cream and fresh fruit layered throughout a light, golden cake. The perfect answer: a Victoria Sponge filled with seedless jam, raspberries, sweetened whipped cream and topped with shaved dark chocolate.

I have a recipe already on Lemon Drop for Victoria Sponge though that one has a frosting in the center. I did stick to the sponge cake recipe in that post but , as you can see, dramatically changed the filling and finishing touches. It was the best birthday cake I have ever eaten!

LET'S GET STARTED

RECIPE:

WHAT YOU NEED

1 cup fine white sugar
1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
4 large eggs, beaten lightly
1 cup self-raising flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons of milk (2% works fine)

JAM, FRUIT and WHIPPED CREAM FILLING:

6-12 oz. good quality, seedless raspberry jam (I used half a 12 oz jar but feel free to slather the whole thing on there if you want !!)
1 pint of fresh raspberries
2 cups whipping cream
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon fine granulated sugar
1/4 cup shaved dark chocolate

MAKE IT

PREHEAT oven to 350F.
BUTTER two 8-inch round cake pans
LINE both pans with parchment paper

MIX all cake ingredients in a large bowl until blended. Batter should be smooth.
DIVIDE batter between the two pans and smooth the surface with a spatula.

BAKE for 20 minutes; do the finger test - touch the center and if it springs back it is done. If not give it another minute or two and try again.

COOL cakes on baking racks.
REMOVE cakes from pans once cooled.

PLACE one of the cooled cakes on a cake platter
SPREAD with jam
LAYER 3/4 of the raspberries over the jam, reserving rest of raspberries for topping

MAKE THE WHIPPED CREAM
In large bowl, and with your electric mixer, whip together 2 cups of whipping cream (35% fat) with 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract and 1 tablespoon of fine granulated sugar. If you want to keep the cake longer than 1 hr at room temperature then add one small packet of Whip It! stabilizer to the cream mix. Whip until soft peaks form.

DIVIDE the whipped cream topping in 1/2 and smooth one 1/2 over the first layer of cake
PLACE second layer of cake on top
SMOOTH remaining whipped cream topping over top of cake
DECORATE with remaining raspberries and shaved chocolate.

ENJOY !!!

Also seen here:

Lemon Tart

This lovely and decadent treat starts out with a sweet and crumbly shortbread crust. The filling is tart but creamy at the same time thanks to the addition of cream cheese. The finishing touch of piped whipped cream is its crowning glory. A wonderful to way to end a meal!

LET'S GET STARTED

Getting ready for juicing!



Ready for the oven

RECIPE:

Source: Bon Appetit Magazine

WHAT YOU NEED

CRUST

1 cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup icing sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup cold unsalted butter

FILLING

5 ounces cream cheese at room temperature.
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (two medium sized lemons will do)
2 large eggs at room temperature
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest

WHIPPED CREAM TOPPING

1 cup whipping cream
1 tablespoon icing sugar
1 package of Whip It (whipped cream stabilizer)

MAKE IT

PREHEAT oven to 425F
GREASE 8-9" tart pan with removal bottom*.
*I use a cooking spray and grease sides and bottom thoroughly
SIFT together first 3 dry ingredients into a medium bowl
GRATE butter with wide side of grater and add to dry mixture
MIX with a fork until crust holds its shape - you should be able to form it into a crumbly ball
PRESS dough into tart pan so it covers the bottom evenly and rises up to meet the edge of the pan
PRICK bottom of crust with a fork in several areas
PLACE tart pan on a cookie sheet
BAKE for 15 minutes, middle rack
ALLOW TO COOL on a cooling rack while you make the filling

REDUCE oven temperature to 350F
BLEND cream cheese with electric hand mixer until smooth and creamy
ADD SUGAR and lemon juice. Mix until combined
ADD eggs, one at a time, blending until well combined
STIR in lemon zest
POUR filling into cooled crust
BAKE 25-30 minutes, filling should be set in the middle
ALLOW TO COOL on cooling rack

IN STEEL BOWL, combine whipping cream, sugar and Whip It.
WITH ELECTRIC HAND MIXER, mix on high speed til stiff peaks form
SPOON whipped cream into piping bag and pipe with whatever tip you like.

NOTE: ONLY PIPE ON A COOLED PIE

Old-Fashioned Banana Roll

Just like the banana roll I used to buy my Granny at Woolworths many, many years ago! This is a lovely light banana cake with a whipped cream icing.

What brought this on? As I walked into my kitchen to put on a pot of tea, I was greeted by the smell of an overripe banana. And sure enough, there it was. One lone banana overly ripe on the counter -- not enough for muffins or a quick bread. So now what? Freeze it for good use later? Or throw it out?

And then I remembered!



Like a candy-coated flashback, it all came back. Little me as a teeny-bopper picking up a sweet banana roll at Woolworths on my way home one Saturday for a weekend visit.
After that first purchase it became the norm - a banana roll was toted home
(along with my dirty laundry) each and every visit !

This brought back many fond memories. I hope it does the same for you.
And if not, well then you can bet it will create new superb memories
for you to enjoy in the future!

Rather than trying to put together a recipe from scratch with the hopes of mimicking the real thing, I figured there was no way I was the only person who loved and missed this little dessert. My Google research led me to find a recipe that I was sure was my ticket to recreating the Woolworths Banana Roll and I found it here at Tasty Home.
I did adapt this version though as I went along.

I am not a jelly roll superstar. To be honest, this is the FIRST one I have ever baked.
I am proud to say it came out perfectly!

LET'S GET STARTED !

To begin, I greased a cookie sheet (as I had no jelly roll pans hanging around)
and lined it with parchment paper with 2 inch overhang.
Then I greased the parchment paper too !


The batter was simple but beware, have 3 mixing bowls handy before you begin.
I smoothed it into the pan and hoped for the best.


10 minutes in the oven and out it came to be immediately transferred
to a tea towel which was pre-dusted with icing sugar.
Then I simply, and gently, rolled up the cake into a little log.
I let it sit for a good hour before icing.

Yes, there is a little jelly roll all tucked away in here.
I couldn't stop touching it while it was still warm and swaddled in the tea towel.
It felt like a kitten wrapped up in a blanket (and yes, in a GOOD way!!)


Let the icing begin !


So two amazing things occurred today:
I conquered my fear of jelly roll baking and I recreated a memory!
I brought the past into the present!

RECIPE:

WHAT YOU NEED

FOR THE ROLL

1 cup sifted cake flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup mashed ripe banana (1 large banana works)
1 tablespoon full-fat sour cream
5 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
1/2 cup fine granulated sugar
1 large egg at room temperature

FOR THE FILLER ICING

3/4 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons sour cream
1 tablespoon fine granulated white sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon banana extract
1 package of Whip It

MAKE IT

PREHEAT oven to 350F
GREASE a cookie sheet or jelly roll pan
LINE with parchment paper ensuring 2 inch overhang on all sides
IN MEDIUM BOWL, SIFT flour, baking soda, baking powder, nutmeg and salt.
IN SMALL BOWL, MASH banana and combine with sour cream.
IN LARGE BOWL, CREAM butter until it is smooth (1-2 minutes medium speed with hand-mixer).
ADD sugar and scrape sides of bowl if necessary.
CREAM SUGAR and butter for 2 minutes medium speed.
ADD egg and continue to beat 2 minutes.
SLOWLY add half flour mixture, then banana mixture and end with remaining flour mixture. MIX until smooth.
POUR batter into pan and use icing spatula or knife to spread evenly.
BAKE for 10 - 12 minutes until top starts to turn golden brown.

REMOVE from oven
LAY a tea towel on your work surface and dust with icing sugar
INVERT cake onto tea towel and ROLL up with towel.
ALLOW to cool for 1/2 hr.

MAKE ICING:

COMBING all icing ingredients blending at medium to high speed with a hand-mixer
until smooth and thickened.

ICE THIS BABY !!

UNROLL cake slowly (if it starts to stick gently pull towel off cake) and spread with 1/2 of icing
ROLL up slowly and cover with remaining icing
SPRINKLE top of jelly roll with chopped walnuts

ENJOY! This one is to remember!!

Ahhh, the smell of baking french toast.....

Who doesn't love a lazy Sunday morning? coffee brewing, the smell of vanilla permeating the house, the crackle of frying bacon. Sunday morning faves around here range from homemade cinnamon buns to french toast. Today I would like to share the ultimate french toast recipe with you and encourage you try it out soon (sooner if you can !!).

LET'S GET STARTED !

RECIPE:

WHAT YOU NEED

1 Italian or French bread (always go with a crusty crust loaf so it will stand up to soak time)

1 pkg (250 g) cream cheese, softened (easiest is to leave out at room temperature for 1/2 hr)

3 x-large eggs or 4 large eggs

1 cup milk (I have used full fat, buttermilk and 2 %... but my personal fave is 3/4 cup 2/% and 1/4 cup 10% cream)

1/4 cup maple syrup ( go with the real deal)

cinnamon 1 tsp

vanilla 1 tsp (PURE vanilla, no artificial vanilla PLEASE !)

MAKE IT

Cut bread into 15 thick slices ( or approx. 1" thick slices).

BEAT cream cheese with an electric hand mixer until smooth. Add eggs, milk, maple syrup, vanilla and cinnamon.

DIP bread slices in mixture and place in large casserole dish. Pour remaining liquid over bread ensuring the liquid gets under bread as well as on top of the slices so all areas will get soaked as it rests. Cover with wrap and let stand 1 hour or overnight in refrigerator.

PREHEAT oven to 425°F and grease 2 baking sheets (greasing well is a MUST or they will stick!)

PLACE slices of soaked bread on the baking sheets and bake for 20 minutes, turning once, or until golden brown. Serve immediately with maple syrup, fresh fruit and a dollop of whipped cream.

But above all else: ENJOY !!!!

Photo by MarkHryciw