Tag Archives: sweets

Lemon-Blueberry Yogurt Cake

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This cake is a miracle cake.  It simultaneously satisfies many cravings: citrus, berry, and creamy-rich-moist goodness.  It can be served for breakfast with coffee or tea, as a mid-afternoon snack, or as an after dinner dessert when paired with vanilla ice cream.  Brilliant!  This recipe comes from good old Smitten Kitchen (who adapted it from Ina Garten).  This cake can be whipped up for yourself, a loved one, or may act as a nice contribution for a dinner party or potluck.  And the best part?  The blueberries can easily be replaced with any other small fruit like cut strawberries or raspberries.

Lemon-Blueberry Yogurt Cake (via Smitten Kitchen)

Prep time: 15 minutes | Bake time: 50 minutes | Yields: 1 cake

Cake ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 cups and 1 tbs flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup plain whole milk yogurt
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 3 extra large eggs
  • 2 tsp grated lemon zest
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 1/2 cups blueberries

Glaze ingredients:

  • 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tbs sugar

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Grease and flour a loaf pan.  In a medium bowl, sift 1 1/2 cups flour, baking powder, and salt.  In a large bowl, whisk yogurt, 1 cup sugar, eggs, lemon zest, vanilla, and oil.  Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.  Toss the blueberries and 1 tbs of flour in a small bowl.  Mix those into the batter carefully.  Pour the batter into the loaf pan and bake for 50 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean from the center.

While the cake is in the oven, combine the lemon juice and 1 tbs sugar in a saucepan over low heat.  Set the mixture aside once the sugar dissolves and appears clear.

When the cake is done, let it cool for 10 minutes.  Then transfer it to a cooling rack.  Place the cooling rack inside a cookie sheet pan.  Gently drizzle the glaze over the cake while the cake is still warm.  (Making tiny toothpick holes in the top of the cake first will allow the glaze to seep into the cake slightly.)  Let the cake cool and enjoy!

From Scissors & Sage

Note: Photos by Anne Kenealy.

Quick & Simple Fudge

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If you’re searching for a little something festive to whip up for your family and friends this holiday season, look no further!  This fudge is fun and very easy to make, and it is sure to please the masses.  The recipe comes from the back of a good old Domino Sugar box, and Anne has been making it for years.  The texture is smooth and silky, and each square practically melts in your mouth.

Quick & Simple Fudge (via Domino Sugar)

Ingredients:

  • 1 package of Domino confectioners’ sugar
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 6 tablespoons butter
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • (optional: 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans)

Instructions:

  1. Grease 1 cookie sheet and set aside.
  2. In a large saucepan, add all ingredients except the nuts.
  3. Stir the mixture constantly over a simmer until it is well-combined and uniform.
  4. Remove from heat and add nuts, if desired.
  5. Spread the mixture quickly into the cookie sheet, smoothing it with a spatula.
  6. Refrigerate for 2+ hours and cut into squares.

Makes approximately two dozen bite-sized pieces.  (We tripled the recipe for holiday gifts.)

From Scissors & Sage

Packaging the fudge: here’s where hoarding comes in handy!  In the photo above, the fudge has been packaged to share in a repurposed stationery box.  Use waxed paper to line the box and you’ll be good to go!  This box’s clear plastic lid displays the cool geometrical pattern of the folded wax paper.

In the below photo, blocks of fudge have been individually wrapped and packaged in berry cartons (thanks for collecting them, Mom!).  Wrap each block in waxed paper and secure with a knot of baker’s twine.

In order to cut even blocks, some edges needed to be trimmed.  Keep the scraps in a Ziploc bag in the freezer, and take them out as an ice cream topping or to whip up a batch of fudge chunk cookies.

Happy baking!

Chewy Chocolate Jumbles

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There isn’t anything quite like having cookies on hand, and these bite-sized wonders are perfect for on the go or at home!  They are soft and chewy, and definitely leave you wanting more.  These cookies are a take on a 2007 recipe published in the Chicago Tribune by Michael Reinhart.

After a few adjustments, this is the recipe that Anne and I used:

Chewy Chocolate Jumbles (adapted from Michael Reinhart)

Prep time: 20 minutes | Baking time: 10 minutes per batch | Yields: 52 bite-sized cookies

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/4 cups flour
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 1 stick of butter, softened
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 1/2 cups chopped oatmeal
  • 1 1/4 cups semi-sweet & dark chocolate chips
  • 1/2 cup sliced almonds

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Sift together flour, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl.  Set aside.
  2. Mix the butter and sugar together in a large bowl until creamy, about 3 minutes.
  3. Beat in egg and vanilla until light and smooth, about 3 minutes.
  4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients.
  5. Stir in oatmeal, chocolate chips, and almonds, working together a bit at at time.
  6. Form tablespoonfuls on a non-stick baking sheet.  Bake for 10 minutes, and transfer cookies to a cooling rack.

Note: While the cookies may not appear to be done, they set and cool to perfection!

From Scissors & Sage

Do you have a favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe?  Happy baking!