Harvest cooking: layered apple cake

My friend gave me lots of apple (thank you, Carol!) so I baked a layered apple cake. Everyone loved it and asked for the recipe so here it is.

Layered apple cake

Ingredients:

 

Dry ingredients:

1 cup all purpose flour

1 cup farina cereal or semolina

1 cup sugar

1 table spoon baking powder

1/2 tea spoon cinnamon

a dash of salt

7 tart medium apples or 13-14 small ones / about 6 cups when shredded. If your apples are sweet you may want to reduce the amount of sugar.

1/4 tea spoon nutmeg

1 stick cold butter (has to be refrigerated until needed)

rectangular baking pan

cooking spray

wax paper or parchment paper

How to make an apple layered cake:

1. Mix dry ingredients in a bowl, divide the mix into 3 parts.

2. Prepare your apples: remove core, seeds and peel. Shred them with vegetable shredder, mix with a nutmeg and divide to 2 parts.

 

3. Preheat your oven to 350"F degree. Prepare your baking pan: spray it a cooking spray, line with a sheet of either wax or parchment paper and spray the paper.

4. Arrange the layers in your baking pan: spread 1st part of dry ingredients, then add apples on top. Repeat one more time, then add the remaining dry ingredients as a last layer. We got 3 dry ingredients layers and 2 apple ones.

 

4. Take your butter out of refrigerator, quickly shred it on the same vegetable shredder and arrange on top of last layer.

5. Bake at 350'F for about 45 minutes until the cake will turn golden brown. Remove from the oven, cool it down, slice and serve. It will pair well with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

Enjoy!

Lemon Curd Bars recipe

I found this recipe on Allrecipies.com. I was looking for ways to use the enormous amount of lemon curd I made this year and this recipe was exactly what I needed. The bars are delicious, easy to make and you can wrap and freeze them for future use.

I made small changes in their recipe so please see below. If you want to use the original recipe, please simply go here

Here is what you need to make Lemon Curd Bars:

1 cup butter at room temperature
1 cup sugar

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

 20 oz lemon curd (purchased or you can make it yourself, the recipe is here)

3/4 cup shredded unsweetened coconut

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

How to make Lemon Curd Bars:

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.

Step 1. Beat butter and sugar in large bowl until creamy. Add flour, baking soda and salt. Mix until mixture forms coarse crumbs. Pat 3/4 of mixture into bottom of ungreased 13 x 9-inch baking pan.

2. Bake 10 minutes. Remove from oven and cool slightly. Spread curd over baked layer. Add coconut and walnuts to remaining crumb mixture (step 1); stir to mix. Sprinkle over curd.

3. Bake additional 25 minutes or until lightly brown. Remove from oven and cool slightly. Cut into squares.

So this recipe is definitely a keeper for me.

Enjoy!

Peaches are in season!

I went to a grocery store after my morning walk and as soon as I walked in I smell the fresh peach & nectarine's aroma. A perfect summertime smell!

White nectarines

So I bought some of these beautiful fruits and while we love to eat them fresh we still would like to treat ourselves with healthier dessert from time to time. I tried that cheesecake stuffed peaches recipe last year, it was so good that I think it might be a hit for this Fathers Day.

Cheesecake stuffed peach

The recipe was originally published in the August 2011 edition of Better Homes & Gardens magazine.

To make this you will need:

6 peaches, halved

1⁄4 cup butter, melted

3 tablespoons cinnamon sugar, purchased or combine 3 tablespoons granulated sugar with 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon.

4 oz cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup sugar

1 egg yolk

1 1⁄2 teaspoons vanilla

Preheat oven to 350. Line a 15 x 10 x 1" baking pan with parchment paper; set aside.

Trim a very thin slice from the round side of each peach half so the halves will stand flat on the baking pan. Dip peach halves in melted butter to coat. Arrange peach halves, cut sides up, in prepared pan. Sprinkle cut sides of peaches with cinnamon-sugar; set aside. 

 In a medium mixing bowl beat cream cheese with a mixer on medium speed until smooth. Add sugar, egg yolk & vanilla. Beat until combined. Spoon cream cheese mixture into peach centers.

Bake, uncovered, about 30 minutes or until lightly browned & softened. Serve warm or at room temperature.

I sprinkled mine with powdered sugar:

Try it, I think you will like it!

Irresistible brownies for Valentines

I love brownies. This is probably, the only desert I can not ignore if I am near them.

I try to stay away from sweets so I don't allow myself to bake these often, but when I do, it is always happily welcomed by family and friends.

 

The recipe is easy and quick to make. Here is what you need to make these:

Hazelnut pecan chocolate chips brownies

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter (approx. 170 gr.)

2 cups sugar

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

4 eggs

2 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup hazelnut, chopped

1/2 cup pecan, chopped

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips, divided (1/2 cup for dough +1/2 for topping)

Preheat oven to 350'F. Melt butter in microwave and mix with sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, salt, eggs and vanilla. Stir with spoon until butter is well blended and smooth. Stir in nuts and 1/2 cup of chocolate chips.

Spray a rectangular baking dish with a non-stick cooking spray (mine is about 13"by 9" and about 2" tall). Spread the butter in the dish and sprinkle evenly with 1/2 cup of chocolate chips. Bake 30 to 35 minutes.

Let it cool and cut into rectangular pieces as desired. Dust it with powdered sugar.

Enjoy and happy Valentines Day!

Fall days and an apple cake (with recipe)

I wrote this Warm Apple Cake post for Russian Artists' blog and got in the mood for it myself :). So I baked the cake and we all enjoyed it. It finally feels like Fall here in the Valley!

The recipe is very easy and it will take about an hour to cook. My mother used to make it  for a last minute treat or unexpected company so this recipe is pretty old.

 

Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:
4 large apples, peeled and chopped (about 4 cups)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 table spoon lemon juice
5 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 cup sugar
1 cup all purpose flour
1 table spoon baking powder
Baking spray, rectangular baking dish (approx. 9 1/2" by 13 12/" and 2" deep)

Preheat oven to 385"F. Prepare the baking dish by spraying it with a non-stick baking spray. Peel and chop apples, sprinkle them with the lemon juice and cinnamon, set aside.

In a large bowl, beat together eggs, vanilla and sugar. Add flour and baking powder, beat together until smooth. Mix with apples and pour into baking dish. Bake for about 35 to 40 minutes.

 

Enjoy your Fall and apple cake!

Cooking with herbs: lemon rosemary shortbread cookies

Our rosemary bush became so huge this summer so I decided it's time to trim it. I've got so much of the aromatic branches that I decided to dry some and use some fresh. I made some rosemary oil and wanted to bake some cookies. I found the original recipe on allrecipe.com and slightly changed it to my taste and the cookies turned out great. I brought them to a dinner party and they were a hit.

So here is what you need to make lemon rosemary shortbread cookies:

3 sticks unsalted butter (113g each), at room temperature

2/3 cup white sugar

1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary

1 tablespoon grated lemon zest

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

natural turbinado sugar crystals for decoration (optional)

Blend together the butter and 2/3 cup of sugar until light and fluffy. Stir in the flour, salt, rosemary and lemon zest until well mixed. The dough will be soft so cover it and refrigerate for about 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 375'F. Dust the rolling pin and rolling surface with some flour and gently roll the dough out to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut out your cookies with a cookie cutter and place them 1" apart on cookie sheets lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle the turbinado sugar over the tops, if you would like or bake them as is.

Bake for approximately 9 to 10 minutes or until golden at the edges. Carefully transfer them to a wire rack with a spatula to cool. 

Delicious!

Cooking with herbs: Sage shortbread cookies

I sowed some herbs seeds in my garden last spring and we are getting a really great harvest this year. Sage, oregano, thyme, dill, basil and parsley are growing and seems to be happy. We are using some of them fresh and the rest we are drying or freezing.

I am also looking for some new ways to use them.

I found this savory sage shortbread cookie recipe in my magazine clipping and baked them. They are delicious and very rich, just as any shortbread cookie would be. I think they taste best when served chilled. Great to pair with a glass of wine!

 I made some changes to the original recipe in the process and I would like to share how to make them:

The ingredients:

1 cup flour

1 stick unsalted butter (113 gr), at room temperature

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

2 1/2 table spoon chopped sage leaves

1/4 tea spoon salt.

Mix together softened butter, cheese, salt and flour, add the chopped sage leaves. If the dough is too soft place in the fridge for about 30 minutes to harden. Roll your dough into small balls and flatten them with your palm to about 1/4" thickness. Place them on an ungreased cookie sheet, about 1" apart. Bake at 350' for about 20 minutes or until lightly golden.

They are not diet friendly but we all allow ourselves things like these from time to time, don't we? On a positive note, they are not sweet and made without sugar :) 

Napoleon cake

This delicious layered Napoleon cake is very popular in the countries of ex USSR. I am not sure where the name came from. Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte himself probably never heard about this desert. But nevertheless, the cake is delicious and worth the time spent.

 There are hundreds of variations out there but I would like to share this recipe my mother used to cook.

It is a little time consuming when you are cooking it from scratch, several hours, but you don't have to make it all in one day.

The cake you will be making is large so be ready to share :)

The ingredients:

For the dough:

1 bottle of light beer, 12 oz

400 gr cold butter (you can use either salted or unsalted. I tried to bake with both and I liked the salted one better)

4 cups all purpose flour

For the custard cream:

4 cups milk

5 large eggs

4 tablespoon flour

2 1/2 cup sugar

1 table spoon vanilla

Step 1. Make the dough.

Add the flour in a mixing bowl, add the butter by cutting it with the knife into flour until you will get an even crumbled texture.

Add the beer and mix it all together. Knead the dough well until smooth.

Divide the dough into 8 even rectangular portions and place in a clean container. Cover with film and place it in refrigerator for at least 1 hour. This part can be made and set overnight.

Step 2. Make the custard crème.

Mix the eggs and sugar in a mixing bowl. Add the flour and mix all together.

Heat the milk in a pan but do not boil. Add small portions of the hot milk to the mixing bowl, stirring as you add it, until it is all added.

Put the blended mixture into a large pot and cook on medium heat, stirring constantly, until it boils. Turn the heat off, add and stir the vanilla into the mix. At this point your custard cream should be nice and smooth but if it is not just use the blender or mixer to make it an even texture. Leave your crème to chill.

Step 3. Bake your cake layers.

Preheat your oven to 400'F. Take out one piece of the dough, and roll it on a floured surface to the rectangular shape. Apply even pressure when rolling and add flour as you go to avoid sticking to the surface. Make it as thin as about 1/8".  Poke holes all over it with the fork to avoid air bubbles while baking.

Bake 1st layer until golden. It may take 3 to 7 minutes or longer, depending on oven. While the first one is baking, roll the second portion of dough to the same size rectangular. Take the layer #1 out of oven and arrange it on the flat baking sheet. Bake #2 layer. Continue the same process until you will bake all 8 dough portions. 1 of the layers will be used for crumbled topping so you can bake it a little more to make it crumble easier. Stack 7 layers on top of each other and let them cool.

Crumble the layer you were preparing for the topping. The easiest way to do this is to break it into pieces and place it into large zip lock bag. Zip it and roll with the rolling pin to get large crumbles.

Step 4. Arrange the cake.

Prepare a cutting board large enough to accommodate the layers. Place first layer on the board and generously spread the custard on top. Cover with the second layer and repeat with crème. Continue in the same manner with all 7 layers. Spread the last portion of custard on top of 7 layer. Spread the crumbled layer on top.

To make the cake flat get a piece of foil large enough to cover the top of dessert. Place the foil on crumbled top, then place a large baking sheet on top and add some weight to apply an even pressure on the cake surface. Let it sit for about 4 hours.

When you take the weight off your cake it should be about 1 1/2" to 2" thick. Now you can cut the sides to make it a perfect rectangular. I love to eat the leftover sides, they are the sweetest :)

Slice your cake and store in covered container in refrigerator until ready to serve.

This cake is great for the family events, elegant dinning and of course, for a tea party. Enjoy and please let me know how you like it!

Christmas butter cookies

These cookies are so simple but taste so good. They remind me of shortbread cookies and perfect for the Christmas party.

How to make them:

1 cup butter at room temperature

1/2 cup sugar
2 tea spoon vanilla
2 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped hazelnuts

Powdered sugar for dusting

Cream butter and sugar. Add vanilla, flour and salt. Fold in nuts. Knead a dough to make it smooth. Place the dough ball in refrigerator for 2 hours.

Preheat your oven to 350'F. Line the baking sheet with foil. If your dough is too hard cut it with knife to form a strips and then cut it to even pieces. Roll the pieces into balls about the same size and place on ungreased foil about 1" apart.

 Bake at 350'F for about 15 minutes or until golden brown on the bottom. Let them cool completely and dust them with the powdered sugar.

Enjoy and have fun at Christmas!