Category Archives: Cakes and Cookies

Gingerbread cake with cream cheese icing

Cakes and Cookies
  • 1          cup hot water
  • 3/4       cup fancy molasses
  • 1-1/2    tsp baking soda
  • 2          cups all-purpose flour
  • 2          tbsp ginger
  • 2          tsp pumpkin spice
  • 1-1/2    tsp baking powder
  • 1/4       tsp salt
  • 2          eggs
  • 1/2       cup canola oil
  • 1          cup granulated sugar

Cream Cheese icing

  • 1          250 g-package cream cheese(room temperature)
  • 1/3       cup granulated sugar
  • 1-3/4    cup 35% cream

Instructions

  • Position rack in centre of oven, then preheat oven to 350 degree.
  • Spray 3 9-inch round cake pans with butter or pam spray and line the bottoms with parchment paper.
  • Whisk hot water with molasses in a medium bowl until smooth.
  • Whisk in baking soda.  Set aside.
  • Whisk flour, ground ginger, pumpkin spice, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl.
  • Whisk eggs, oil and sugar in a large bowl.  Whisk in molasses mixture.  Gradually whisk in flour mixture just until smooth.
  • Divide batter amongst prepared pans.
  • Bake until a toothpick inserted in centre comes out clean, 20-25 minutes.
  • Cool in pans on wire rack for 10 minutes.
  • Run a knife around edge of pans and turn out onto rack.  Remove parchment and cool completely, about an hour.

Cream Cheese Icing

  • Beat cream cheese with 1/3 cup sugar in a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium, until sugar dissolves and mixture is smooth, 1-2 minutes.  Reduce speed to low and slowly add cream until combined.
  • Increase speed to medium-high and beat until stiff peaks form,, about 3 minutes.
  • Scoop 1 cup icing into a piping bag fitted with a 1/2in or 1in star tip.
  • Add a dollop of icing in the centre of a serving plate.  
  • Spread one-third of the icing overtop.  Add second cake layer. 
  • Spread half of the remaining icing overtop .  Add the third cake layer.
  • Spread remaining icing on top and thinly on the sides of the cake.(you want to see the cake through the icing)

Decorate

Pipe 12 rosettes along the top edge of the cake and top with gingerbread cookies.

Tip:

Cake can be made 2 days ahead.  Wrap in plastic wrap.  Make icing just before serving.

Pistachio Cannoli Cake

Cakes and Cookies, Special Occasion

 

salgirah Mubarak

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The flavour of this cake is inspired by Sicilian-style cannoli, which is stuffed with chopped chocolate  and candied orange zest.

Ingredients

  • 5              oz unsalted butter
  • 1 1/2        cups unbleached all purpose flour
  • 1/2           cup plus 3 tbsp unsalted pistachios(3.5 oz)
  • 1 1/2        tsp baking powder
  • 1/4           tsp baking soda
  • 1/4           tsp orange-flavoured water(optional)
  • 2              large eggs plus 2 large egg yolk, room temperature
  • 1              cup sour cream

Filling

  • 2 3/4        cups ricotta(about 1 1/2 lbs)
  • 3/4           cup whipping cream 
  • 1/4           tsp salt
  • 1              tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/4           tsp ground cinnamon
  • 3/4           cup icing sugar
  • 4 oz         semisweet chocolate coarsely chopped
  • 2 1/2        oz melted chocolate
  • 4              oz candid orange peel, cut into a 1/4 inch dice

Cake

  1. Preheat oven to 350 Degree.
  2. Butter 2 – 8” round cake pans, bottom and sides.
  3. Line them with parchment paper.
  4. In a food processor finely grind pistachios.  Remove and reserve 1/4 cup ground pistachios, then add flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to processor and pulse to combine.
  5. Beat butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 mins.
  6. Add orange-flower water, beat to combine.
  7. Beat in eggs and egg yolks, one at a time, throughly combining after each addition and scraping down bowl as needed.
  8. Add pistachio mixture in 3 batches, alternating with sour cream and beginning and ending with pistachios mixture.
  9. Divid batter evenly between cake pans’ smooth tops with an offset spatula.
  10. Bake, rotating pans once, until tops spring back when lightly touched, 30 – 35 mins.
  11. Transfer pans to a wire rack; let cool 10 mins. Turn cakes out onto a rack; remove parchment paper and let cool 1 hour.  wrap in plastic and refrigerate at least 1 hr or overnight.

Filling

  1. Meanwhile, combine ricotta and cream in a bowl of food processor;  process until smooth.
  2. Add salt, vanilla, cinnamon, and confectioner’s sugar; process to combine.
  3. Transfer mixture to a bowling stir in chopped chocolate and orange peel.
  4. Refrigerate in an airtight container at least 1 hour and up to 2 days.

Assembly

  1. Cut each cake horizontally into 2 layers.  Stack on a cardboard cake round or a plate;.
  2. Brush edges with melted chocolate, then pat some of the reserved pistachios onto chocolate.
  3. Separate, then refrigerate in a single layer until set, 10 minutes.
  4. Place 1 cake layer on a cake stand, bottom-side down; spread 1 1/2 cups filling evenly over top, then place second layer on top.
  5. Repeat with remaining filling and cakes, finishing with a cake layer, bottom side up.
  6. Refrigerate at least 1 hour or overnight.
  7. Sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar and remaining reserved pistachios.

Linzer Cookies

Cakes and Cookies, Sweets

This is a crisp nut cookie, sandwiched together with raspberry filling..  I found this recipe in Womans Day Magazine in late seventies.

Linzer Cookies

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Makes 4 dozens

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2                  cups butter, softened
  • 1                        cup sugar
  • 1                        egg
  • 1                        egg yolk
  • 1                        tsp grated lemon rind
  • 1/2                     tsp vanilla essence
  • 3 1/3                  cups finely ground hazelnuts or
  •                           almonds
  • 3 1/3                  cups cake flour or all purpose flour
  • 1                        tsp baking power
  • 1 1/4                  tsp cinnamon powder
  • 1                        jar (12 oz) raspberry jam.
  • 1                        cup icing sugar

Instructions

  1. Beat butter and sugar in a large bowl with electric mixer until light and fluffy; beat in egg, egg yolk, lemon rind and vanilla; stir in nuts.
  2. Stir in flour, baking powder and cinnamon, blending well to make a stiff dough; wrap in wax paper; chill several hours, or overnight.
  3. Cut dough in half(refrigerate other half).  Roll out dough between sheets of wax paper to slightly less  than 1/4 inch thickness.  Remove top sheet of wax paper.
  4. With a 2 inch round cookie cutter, cut out as many circles from the dough as you can.  Carefully remove circles from bottom sheet of wax paper; place cookies on ungreased cookie sheets .
  5. Repeat with other half of the dough, cutting out an  equal number of 2 inch circles as from the first batch.  Place on ungreased cookie sheets.  With a 3/4 in cookie cutter, cut out centre of each of the second batch of cookies.  Use any scraps of dough for second rolling.  Roll scraps of dough out for second rolling.  Cut out equal number of solids circles and circles with open centers.  (You can also use a Linzer Cookie Cutter).
  6. Bake in a moderate oven (350 degrees) for 12 min, or until edges are golden brown.
  7. Remove cookie sheets from the oven.  Let it cool.
  8. Spread each of the solid cookie completely with a thin layer of raspberry jam.   Top each with a cut-out cookie; press gently to make a sandwich.
  9. Place on a wire rack.  Sprinkle tops of cookies with icing sugar.
  10. Spoon dab of preserve in opening of each cookie, let preserve set slightly.  (Optional)

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