Baked Goods Archives - Page 3 of 7

Peach & Blueberry Pie

September 2, 2016 by Amanda 13 Comments

A simple & delicious fresh peach & blueberry pie with a buttery crumb topping. A late summer favorite!

The motivation to make the perfect Peach Blueberry Pie occurred a few years ago. During the holidays a friend used to bring an assortment of pies from a bakery in her town. Everyone raved, oohhhed & ahhhed over these pies.

My husband fussed over the Peach Blueberry Pie. I love all things pie & was sooo excited to taste it! It was a picture perfect pie topped with a beautiful lattice crust and oozing with peaches & blueberries.

I bite into it. Sweet. Sugar. That’s all I tasted – sweetness and sugar. Awful. I was expecting so much and all I tasted was the burning over-sweetness of sugar. I knew there was a buttery crust and blueberries and peaches in there somewhere but they were all lost in a sea of sugar. So sad, so disappointing.

Why? Oh, why would someone destroy something so wonderfully simple?

Easy. These fruits are out of season locally during the holidays. The fruit they were using was under ripe and not so naturally sweet. They increased the amount of sugar trying to compensate for the quality (or lack thereof) of the fruit they were using.

Lucky for us all – peaches & blueberries are in season now. We are fortunate to have an abundance of orchards nearby and my girls and I have been busy picking. After coming home with over 10 pounds of peaches and buckets full of blueberries – I knew I had to make this Peach & Blueberry Pie.

Actually I made two. We enjoyed every last single bite of this pie. We probably won’t have it again until next year during peach & blueberry season.

The secret to this pie? Perfectly juicy, ripe & sweet peaches. Oh, and the plump sweet blueberries. That’s it. It takes only a few ingredients and a few minutes to toss together.

Hope everyone is enjoying these last couple weeks of summer! Thanks so much for stopping by! Happy baking 🙂

-Amanda-

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Peach Blueberry Crumb Pie

A simple & delicious fresh peach and blueberry pie with a crumb topping. A late summer favorite.

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time45 mins

Total Time1 hr

Course: baked goods

Servings: 8 slices

Author: Amanda

Ingredients

1 9 " pie crust baked & cooled
3 cups peaches peeled & chopped (4-5 peaches)
1 1/2 cups blueberries
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
Crumb topping
1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup brown sugar packed
1/4 cup butter

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400°.
For pie filling:
In a mixing bowl, combine chopped peaches, blueberries, sugar, flour, lemon juice & cinnamon.
Spoon into pie shell.
For topping:
In a separate bowl, combine flour & brown sugar.
Cut in slices of cold butter with a pastry blender until mixture is pea size crumbles.
Sprinkle topping mixture over top of pie.
Place pie on an aluminum foil lined cookie sheet - this pie often oozes over while baking.
Bake at 400° for 15 minutes.
Reduce heat to 350° and bake for an additional 25 - 30 minutes or until topping is golden brown.
Cool pie on wire rack & then refrigerate.
Slice, serve and enjoy.
Store pie covered in fridge. Best eaten within a day or two of baking.

Pineapple Coffee Cake

July 21, 2016 by Amanda 21 Comments

A simple, delicious & moist Pineapple Crumb Coffee Cake. Everyday, easy baking. Almost a lazy pineapple upside down cake 🙂

It’s been a few weeks since I baked. No cakes, no cookies, no brownies – nada. This summer has been busy and I haven’t had as much time in the kitchen as I’d like.

We’ve been getting our sweet fix in with all the fresh fruit in season. I’m currently on a cantaloupe & cherry kick this week. Oh – how I wish I could eat like this year round!

After a few long sweaty days of work outside, the girls & I decided to chill out indoors for the day. Hanging around, laid back, nowhere to go & nothing to do (or nothing that I wanted to do) – today was the perfect day to bake.

I’ve been craving a pineapple upside down cake for weeks. I was all excited to make one and have a new cast iron pan I’ve been wanting to bake with. I then realized I was missing two key ingredients – pineapple rings & maraschino cherries. Poop! That’s okay, though, I’m not going to let a little thing like missing ingredients halt baking festivities.

I had another cake in mind instantly. This Pineapple Coffee Cake. It’s so simple to make. There’s many things you could do to get creative here – add some walnuts, chopped maraschino cherries, flaked coconut – I kept it perfectly simple. The crumb topping is all I need.

This cake was done in no time and I couldn’t help myself from eating a piece warm. With a strong cup of coffee as a late afternoon snack – it was absolutely what I needed. It’s been awhile….

Cakes this moist are best eaten fresh and consumed within a day or two. I often get asked about freezing baked goodies, but I have to admit that nothing ever lasts long enough in my house to make it to the freezer. I’d like to work on testing freezing stuff this winter when I’m baking like a crazy woman.

Hope everyone is enjoying their summer! Thanks for stopping by 🙂

-Amanda-

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Pineapple Coffee Cake

A simple, delicious & moist Pineapple Crumb Coffee Cake. Everyday, easy baking.

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time45 mins

Total Time1 hr

Course: cakes

Servings: 12

Author: Amanda

Ingredients

1 can of crushed pineapple in syrup 20 oz. drained & syrup reserved
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup light brown sugar firmly packed
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup salted butter softened
2 large eggs
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Optional - maraschino cherries chopped nuts, shredded coconut

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray or grease & flour a 13"x9" baking dish.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, brown & white sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg and cloves.
Cut in butter (with a pastry blender) until mixture is pea sized crumbled.
Set aside 1 cup crumb mixture.
Add 1/4 cup reserved pineapple syrup, eggs, buttermilk and vanilla extract to mixing bowl. Mix until combined.
Stir in crushed pineapple until combined. Any optional ingredients can be stirred in here or sprinkled on top.
Pour cake mixture into prepped 13"x9" baking dish. Sprinkle with 1 cup reserved crumb mixture.
Bake until toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean, about 45-50 minutes.
Cool on wire rack. Cake can be served warm or cold.
Cover and enjoy cake within a day or two.

French Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

June 2, 2016 by Amanda 17 Comments

A sweet, simple & delicious French Strawberry Rhubarb Pie with a buttery brown sugar crumb topping. Easy baking for a summer day 🙂

Oh, I love days like these. It’s warm, it’s beautiful, it’s so wonderful to be outside! Summer is almost here and all the warm sunshine brings all the farms and gardens back to life.

I live in a farming county and am pretty much surrounded by farmland. So not only do I get to breathe in that fresh country air (eek), I also get the fresh produce perks.

I’m not sure how it is in other parts of the country or world, but here you’ll find many farmers have roadside produce stands. Most of them offer simply whatever is in season, while others will have a selection of homemade jams, sauerkraut, pickled veggies, butters, baked goods and such.

You have to know which produce stands to visit, though. The stands I go to are 50% – 80% cheaper than what you’ll find in a farmers market or grocery store. I’ve seen some stands that are priced far higher, some are even higher than local stores that carry the same local produce. These pricey stands, located on the main roads, thrive off all the tourist traffic. Locals know to drive a few minutes off the main roads to find the same fresh produce at a much more Lancaster County price.

I was excited to pass my favorite produce stand and find it open for the season. I grabbed ten stalks of rhubarb for $2 bucks and a big bundle of asparagus for $2 bucks. Happiness!

Further down the road, I found a farm with a small table of fresh strawberries for sale. Being some of the first of the season, strawberry prices are still top dollar. I grabbed two quart containers for $8 and it was worth every single cent. Fresh, juicy strawberries LOADED with flavor. Ohhh, it’s been awhile…

This, folks, is how the majority of my cooking inspiration occurs. I tend to not plan ahead – I enjoy being sporadic. I usually visit produce stands and local farm & discount stores and then build meals and baking ideas around those finds. It keeps things creative and fun – predictability gets boring!

I had just made a Rhubarb Kuchen – my husband and I loved it – but it was just too much rhubarb for the kiddos. I didn’t want them to miss out on the joys of fresh rhubarb, so I threw together this French Strawberry Rhubarb Pie.

Is it really French? I don’t know. I’ve been eating this French Rhubarb Pie forever and have never bothered to ask or find out. I just know I love it’s sweet simplicity. I often add strawberries to it for those that don’t have the palate for just rhubarb, in all it’s glorious boldness.

This pie is simple to make – chop, mix and bake till golden brown. It has to be refrigerated after cooled, but the crumbs on top will hold up for a day or two before getting mushy.

So get the rhubarb while the getting is good. I hope you love this French Rhubarb Pie!

Thanks for stopping by!

-Amanda-

Print Recipe

5 from 2 votes

French Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

A sweet, simple & delicious French Strawberry Rhubarb Pie with a buttery brown sugar crumb topping. Easy baking for a summer day ♥

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time40 mins

Total Time55 mins

Course: Desserts

Servings: 8 slices

Author: Amanda

Ingredients

9 " pie crust unbaked
Filling:
2 cups diced rhubarb 4-5 stalks
1 1/2 cups strawberries hulled, cut into fourths if large, halved if small
1 large egg beaten
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoon flour heaping
1 teaspoon vanilla
Topping:
3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup brown sugar lightly packed
1/3 cup butter

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a 9" pie dish with pie crust.
For pie filling:
In a mixing bowl, combine rhubarb, strawberries, egg, sugar, flour and vanilla. Stir gently until thoroughly combined.
Spoon into pie shell.
For topping:
Combine flour and brown sugar in a mixing bowl.
Cut in slices of cold butter with a pastry blender until mixture is pea size crumbled.
Sprinkle topping mixture over top of pie.
Place pie on a cookie sheet (not necessary - but far easier to remove when done baking) and bake at 400° for 10 minutes.
Reduce heat to 350° and bake for an additional 25 - 30 minutes or until topping is golden brown.
Cool pie on wire rack.
Slice, serve and enjoy.
Store pie covered in fridge. Best eaten within a day or two of baking.

Layered Ricotta Cake

April 10, 2016 by Amanda 22 Comments

Pour this ricotta cheese mixture over a basic yellow cake before baking and the magic happens. This cake is rich, delicious and moist with a beautiful bottom layer of ricotta. Go ahead and add this to your “To Bake List” 🙂

I love baking. I love talking about baking, I love writing about baking. I even love chatting it up with total strangers about baking. Usually it will be while looking at flours or new cake tins or something of the sort. It seems other bakers like taking about baking too.

The other day I had a discussion with a sweet lady easily twice my age. She commented that the days of a simple cake baked in a 13×9 dish were gone – almost primitive. I reassured her that these cakes were not at all a thing of the past. Really, they’re baked all the time – people just don’t serve them from the dish anymore. It’s far more “très chic” to cut and plate the cake instead of serving it out of the old anchor or pyrex dish.

So in honor of the always loved and celebrated 13×9 cake, I thought I’d try a new one.

I’ve had something similar to this cake before. There was chocolate involved and a whipped topping pudding frosting. Perhaps I’ll make it again sometime.

This cake, though. I appreciated the simplicity of this ricotta cake. I don’t always want a fluffy cake frosted to high heaven. I appreciate a cake that can stand alone and be served with just a dusting of powdered sugar.

The original recipe calls for a boxed cake mix which I usually don’t have on hand. I threw together a simple yellow cake and topped it with the ricotta mixture.

This is a moist, dense cake – reminiscent of a pound cake with almost a custard bottom from the ricotta. I appreciate all the flavors are there but none are too overwhelming.

I served this cake various ways. Dusted with powdered sugar, dusted with cocoa powder, drizzled with dark chocolate syrup, drizzled with raspberry syrup, topped with strawberries & whipped cream – the possibilities are endless here.

This is a delicious, simple and easy cake to bake in your good ol’ 13X9 dish. You could easily switch this cake up by adding different extracts or lemon juice to the batter – it’s one of those fabulous recipes that’s perfect as is or that can be built upon.

Thanks for reading! Happy baking!

-Amanda-

Recipe is adapted from Jill’s Most Requested Ricotta Cake @ Just Rolling With It. Check out her blog – she’s got tons of fab recipes!

Print Recipe

4.25 from 4 votes

Layered Ricotta Cake

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time45 mins

Total Time55 mins

Servings: 12 - 16 servings

Author: Amanda

Ingredients

For cake:
2 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup butter cubed
1 cup milk
3 large eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
For Ricotta Mixture:
1 pound ricotta cheese
3 large eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
optional - powdered sugar or cocoa powder - dust when serving

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°. Grease/spray a 13"x9" baking dish.
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda & salt.
Using a pastry blender, cut in butter until mixture resembles cornmeal.
Add in milk, eggs, oil and extracts. Beat until smooth. Pour cake batter into baking dish.
In a large bowl (go ahead and use the same bowl) mix together ricotta cheese, eggs, sugar and vanilla.
Evenly pour/spoon ricotta mixture over cake.
Bake for 40 - 45 minutes or until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean.
Most of the ricotta cheese mixture will have sunk to the bottom creating almost a custard layer.
Cool on wire rack. Serve and enjoy. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, cocoa powder or top with a jam or fruit syrup.
Store covered in the fridge. Let cake sit for a few minutes at room temp before serving.

Banana Nut Muffins

March 21, 2016 by Amanda 122 Comments

Banana Nut Muffins. Quick, easy, moist & full of flavor. These delicious muffins are one of my all time favorites – soon to be yours, too!

I have these Banana Nut Muffins baking in the oven, right now this very moment. Let me say…the aroma is absolutely intoxicating! I’m practically floating thru the house into the kitchen following the scent trail. (There was a cartoon character who used to do that. For the life of me, I can’t remember who it was!?)

There are many recipes that are so normal, so common, that at times they get overlooked. The basics. Shall we go back to basics for a bit?

The basics shouldn’t be overlooked. These recipes are foundations that can be built upon with countless variations. Switch up fruits, fats, flours – the possibilities are endless.

I make these banana nut muffins often. They go together quickly, are moist, delicious, full of flavor and stay fresh for days. They’re great for breakfast, dessert or a sweet snack. I hear muffins like this freeze well, but they never last long enough to make it to the freezer.

These muffins take just minutes to put together and 25 minutes to bake. Probably takes less time & effort to bake a batch then it would to get dressed and head out to a bakery and buy a few. How’s that for keeping it simple.

Onto nuts – to toast or not to toast. Really, this all depends on your tastes and what you are making. A lot of people will insist that it’s a must for the best flavor – but that just isn’t always so. I toasted the walnuts for these muffins, this time. Sometimes I don’t – really, the sprinkling of walnuts on top of the muffins get toasted nicely without any extra effort. More “for instances” you say…? I would toast macadamia nuts in a cookie but wouldn’t toast walnuts in a Turkish walnut cake. See – it’s all in your preferences.

I hope you enjoy these muffins. Quick, simple and delicious – it’s everything you want in a Banana Nut Muffin!

Thanks for stopping by! Happy Baking!

-Amanda-

Recipe adapted from Epicurious

Print Recipe

4.92 from 36 votes

Banana Nut Muffins

Banana Nut Muffins. Quick, easy, moist & full of flavor. These delicious muffins are one of my all time favorites - soon to be yours, too!

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time25 mins

Total Time40 mins

Course: Breads &amp, Muffins

Servings: 1 dozen

Author: Amanda

Ingredients

1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
You could use 1 1/2 cup all purpose flour without any whole wheat flour if you'd like
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1 stick salted butter 1/2 cup, melted
3 large ripe bananas mashed
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup dark brown sugar packed
1/4 cup milk
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup - 1 cup walnuts toasted if you'd like

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F.
Whisk flours, baking soda, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon together in a large mixing bowl. Set aside.
Melt butter. Set aside.
In a separate mixing bowl, mash bananas with a fork. Mix in butter, both sugars, milk, egg and vanilla. Stir until well combined.
Combine wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Stir until just combined - do not over mix.
Fold in half the walnuts.
Spoon batter evenly into 12 greased or paper lined muffin cups.
Sprinkle remainder of walnuts over top of muffins.
Bake for about 22 - 26 minutes or until muffins are golden brown and toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.
Let muffins rest in pan on wire rack for 5 minutes. Remove from pan and let cool completely on rack.
Enjoy 🙂

Baklava Bites | Lazy Day Baklava | Quick & Easy Baklava

February 21, 2016 by Amanda 18 Comments

These Lazy Day Baklava Bites are the quickest & easiest Baklava you’ll ever make!

Baklava Bites. Seriously. This recipe will be a game changer for all the honey, walnut and phyllo lovers. It takes just a few minutes and absolutely no effort to put together. You’ll have baklava at your fingertips – effortlessly, anytime. No more trips to the “good” bakery or waiting for the Greek Food Festival for this delightful pastry – the power is yours! 🙂

Let’s talk about baklava, shall we? Depending on who you talk to, it’s a Greek or Turkish pastry. No need to debate where it originated from, I’ll just focus on what we all know for sure. It’s an absolutely heavenly dessert. Those light & crisp flaky layers of phyllo smothered in walnuts and honey. My, oh my. At one time this dessert would have only been enjoyed by royalty and the rich.

There’s almost a hype to baklava in America. People think it’s an overly complex dessert to make. Apparently it’s something only Greek Grandma’s & Great Grandma’s can properly make. Not so. Baklava isn’t really complicated – layer phyllo, nuts and honey – anyone can do it.

Now, if you’re adventurous enough to make your own phyllo, that’s where it gets (just a wee bit) complicated. I’ve made it a few times – you’ll never guess with who – a Greek Great Grandmom 🙂 Anyhow, it’s not overly difficult, it just requires some time, attention and a little finesse. If you enjoy phyllo, then making it yourself should be something to put on your rainy day “to do list”….

Not today, though. We’re keeping the phyllo scenario simple. Real simple. I buy these premade little phyllo tart cups. (Athens brand. I’m not sure if there are other brands and I’m not sponsored to endorse this product – I just love it!) I keep them around for these desserts and also for a quickie spanakopita.

Anyhow, all I’m doing is melting the butter, mixing in the rest of the ingredients and filling it in the phyllo cups. Pop them in the oven and in a few minutes you’ll have perfectly delicious baklava bites.

Really, that’s it. Let them cool and enjoy. You’ll be impressed with just how easy & perfectly delicious this baklava is. If you’re so kind to share, everyone who tastes your heavenly dessert creation will be impressed. Seriously. Make these baklava bites. You can thank me later 🙂

Thanks so much for stopping by! Happy Baking!

-Amanda-

Print Recipe

5 from 2 votes

Lazy Day Baklava | Quick & Easy Baklava | Baklava Bites

Baklava Bites - Quickest & Easiest Baklava

Prep Time5 mins

Cook Time10 mins

Total Time15 mins

Course: Desserts

Cuisine: Greek

Servings: 15 tarts

Author: Amanda

Ingredients

1 package of mini phyllo/fillo shells I used Athens brand - there's 15 shells
4 tablespoon walnuts heaping
2 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoon brown sugar packed
2 tablespoon honey
pinch of cinnamon

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350° Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil or parchament paper.
Crush walnuts. I put them in a ziploc sandwich bag and do a few go overs with a rolling pin.
Add butter and brown sugar in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 30-45 seconds or until butter is melted. Stir. (You could do this stovetop in a small saucepan if you prefer)
Stir in walnuts, a pinch of cinnamon and honey until everything is sticky and combined.
Evenly fill phyllo cups with walnut mixture, about 1 heaping teaspoon per cup.
Bake for 10 minutes. Some mixture might ooze out of sides, this is fine.
Let cool on cookie sheet. Garnish with additional walnuts if desired. Enjoy.

One Dozen Yellow Cupcakes with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

February 7, 2016 by Amanda 43 Comments

One dozen Yellow Cupcakes with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting. Simple & delicious – the perfect cupcake recipe for any and all occasions!

I want a cupcake, maybe two. More than likely my husband and kiddos would like one too. Really, who doesn’t want a cupcake? Now we’ve happily enjoyed our cupcakes and the cupcake craze has been subdued. Thing is, there’s now 20 cupcakes remaining. I certainly don’t want to eat 20 more cupcakes (scratch that, I most certainly do, but I know better) so now I have 20 cupcakes to distribute. As much as I love to share my joy of baking, there’s days I don’t feel up to peddling baked goods.

That’s just one scenario. There’s many other reasons why you might only want 12 cupcakes. Or why you might need 24. Today I’ll share a quick and simple recipe for a dozen of yellow cupcakes. You could easily double the recipe if need be so.

This is a simple and basic cupcake recipe that yields a perfectly sweet, moist and fluffy cupcake that you can mix up and bake in no time. I topped these cupcakes with an equally simple & delicious chocolate buttercream.

Combined they create the perfect bite of cupcake. Way better than anything from a box and almost as effortless. Like you need any more reasons to bake cupcakes 😉

Thanks so much for stopping by! Happy Baking!

-Amanda-

Print Recipe

4.22 from 14 votes

One Dozen Yellow Cupcakes with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

One Dozen Yellow Vanilla Cupcakes with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting. Easy & Delicious.

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time25 mins

Total Time40 mins

Course: baked goods

Servings: 12 cupcakes

Author: Amanda

Ingredients

For Cupcakes:
1/2 cup salted butter softened
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup milk
For Frosting:
4 tablespoon salted butter softened
1 cup powdered sugar
6 tablespoon cocoa powder
3 tablespoon milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350° Line a cupcake tin with cupcake liners.
In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar.
Beat in eggs and vanilla.
Mix in flour, milk, baking powder and salt until thoroughly combined. Do not overmix.
Spoon batter into cupcake liners until 3/4 full. Do not over fill.
Bake for 16 - 20 minutes or until tops spring back when pressed or toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
Let cupcakes rest in pan for a few minutes before removing to wire rack.
Cool completely before frosting.
For Frosting:
In a mixing bowl, cream butter.
Add in powdered sugar, cocoa powder, milk and vanilla extract.
Beat, scraping sides, until creamy and combined.
If you would like frosting a little stiffer, beat in additional powdered sugar until you reach desired consistency.
Pipe or spread onto cupcakes.

Easy, Creamy, Sweet & Tart Lemon Pie

February 1, 2016 by Amanda 58 Comments

Sweet, tart & creamy lemon pie – the filling needs only 3 ingredients! Rich & delicious – no one would guess how easy it is to make!

This is one of those desserts that tastes far more complex than it it is. It’s a tart, creamy custard – almost cheesecake reminiscent.

Impressive it is, intricate it is not. It takes only three ingredients to make the filling of this pie. Lemon juice, egg yolks and a can of sweetened condensed milk. Yup, that’s it. Mix them up, pour that goodness into a graham cracker crust and bake. How easy was that?

One more mention of what this pie is not. It is not a “no bake lemon icebox pie”. Why would I mention this? I shared this recipe a few years back on a recipe sharing site. I had not one, but a few people, comment that this was a lemon icebox pie. The pie they were referring to was a “no bake” pie – the lemon “cooked” the eggs.

Funny enough (or not), in that same comment, a person complained that the pie did not set up for them. Really? They decided to totally not follow the recipe and then complained that it didn’t work. Ugh. Does lemon juice “cook” raw eggs? Although I have never tried it, my understanding is that it would take a day or two for the eggs to properly set. Is it safe to eat? I really don’t know – that’s a whole other topic of discussion.

Moral of the story – this pie here gets baked 🙂

This pie is best with a homemade graham cracker crust. I’m all for cutting corners whenever possible – but this just isn’t one of those times. A simple homemade graham cracker crust with it’s sweet, brown buttery and just a hint of salt goodness totally completes this pie.

Lemons juice best at room temperature, so if they’re in the fridge, pull them out a few hours before go time. 5 – 7 average sized lemons will give you 3/4 cup of juice.

This pie is easy to mix up and bake. It’s served best plain or with a dollop of whipped cream. I love this pie during the winter months – the bright, tart, sweetness of lemons makes me think of warmer months past and warmer months to come.

If you’re a lemon head, this pie is for you! It’s lush, creamy and tart – but not too tart. This pie is always enjoyed by all!

Thanks so much for stopping by! Happy Baking 🙂

-Amanda-

Print Recipe

4.41 from 15 votes

Sweet, Tart & Creamy Lemon Pie

Sweet, tart & creamy lemon pie - the filling needs only 3 ingredients! Rich & delicious - no one would guess how easy it is to make!

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time25 mins

Total Time40 mins

Course: Desserts

Servings: 8 servings

Author: Amanda

Ingredients

For crust:
1 1/2 cups fine graham cracker crumbs
1/3 cup granulated sugar
6 tablespoon salted butter melted
For Pie Filling:
3/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice 5-7 average sized lemons at room temp
4 egg yolks
14 oz can sweetened condensed milk

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F
Combine graham cracker crumbs, sugar and melted butter until thoroughly combined.
Press firmly into a 8" or 9" pie plate.
Bake for 7-9 minutes.
Cool on wire rack.
Juice lemons. Set aside.
In a mixing bowl, beat yolks and condensed milk with an electric mixer for 2-3 minutes until mixture lightens up.
Slowly mix in lemon juice - mix well.
Pour mixture into prepared crust.
Bake for 22 - 25 minutes or until pie is set.
Transfer to wire rack.
Cool until pie reaches room temperature. Chill and store in refrigerator. Pie should be served chilled.
Top with whipped cream if desired. Enjoy 🙂

Jam Filled Spongecake Cupcakes

January 25, 2016 by Amanda 6 Comments

Perfectly light & sweet spongecake cupcakes filled with jam. So very reminiscent of a Tastycake Jelly Krimpet.

I’ll be the first to admit that I do not find the spongecake super exciting by itself. It has a sweet, light flavor and an interesting, but nice, spongie texture. Really though – one plain piece doesn’t leave me yearning for more. Yet it holds it’s own in the cake world.

Everyone has their purpose for spongecakes. I make spongecake cupcakes once or twice a year, for one reason and one reason only – to showcase a wonderful jam or jelly. Really, a good jam deserves so much more than just a smear on toast!

Each year I try to make a few batches of strawberry and raspberry jams. I’m sad to say that no jam making occurred this year. Usually I get a big score of local strawberries at the end of the season for super cheap. Not this year, people were strawberry crazed to the very end. Berries were too expensive this year to dump pounds of them into sugar for jam.

All is not lost, though. I still get to enjoy a variety of local artisan jams. After tasting this deliciously sweet & tart Raspberry Jam from Kauffman’s Fruit Farm, I knew I had to make some sponge cupcakes.

People are often intimated by baking a spongecake – I assure you that it’s not at all difficult nor does it involve any trickery or wizardry. Here goes Spongecake 101.

Cake flour. I never keep cake flour on hand, it’s just not necessary for the baking I do. Need a cup of cake flour? Easy. Measure out one cup of all purpose flour, remove two tablespoons of the flour and add two tablespoons of corn starch. Give it a few sifts and you got yourself cake flour.

Egg whites – beat until stiff peaks. There’s nothing to it. Start with a clean and dry bowl – glass or metal – no plastic. Make sure your beaters are clean and dry. Carefully separate the eggs – you want no trace of yolks in the whites. Beat the whites until they form stiff peaks. Confused as to what stiff peaks are? You’ll start beating and see the egg whites getting foamy and increasing in volume. Keep going. You’ll notice the egg whites will continue to increase in volume and start to look creamy and hold some shape. If you lift your mixers out, the whites should hold a stiff little peak without curling under. I’ve also heard of people flipping the bowl upside down to show that the whites are stiff, but we really don’t need to go that far.

The rest of it is easy baking. Combine the yolks with the sugar and vanilla. Mix it into the whites and gently fold in the flour. Spoon that thick fluffy batter into a cupcake pan and bake.

For the jam part. Just as easy. I use a piping bag and a Wilton #5 tip to inject the cupcake with jam. Instead of try to pump a teaspoon of jam into the center of the cupcake, I pop the tip into 4 – 5 different spots. This way you get a bit of jam in every bite – not just a blob of it in the center. You could go as far as measuring out jam for each cupcake, but I just estimate. I suggest to pipe a bit out into a bowl to get a feel for how the jam moves with what amount of pressure.

That’s it. You can be proper and make yourself a cup of tea and enjoy these Jam Filled Sponge cupcakes. Or just go ahead and devour one. Both ways will be delicious. Oh – this Jam Filled Sponge Cupcake is so very reminiscent of a Tastycake Jelly Krimpet. Yummmm 🙂

Thanks so much for stopping by! Happy Baking!

-Amanda-

Print Recipe

5 from 2 votes

Jam Filled Spongecake Cupcakes

Spongecake cupcakes filled with jelly or jam. The grown up version of a Tastycake Jelly Krimpet.

Prep Time25 mins

Cook Time15 mins

Total Time40 mins

Course: baked goods

Servings: 12 cupcakes

Author: Amanda

Ingredients

1/2 cup cake flour or substitute 1/2 cup all purpose flour, minus 1 tablespoon flour and add 1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 eggs separated
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup - 1/2 cup jelly or jam
piping bag and Wilton #5 tip
powdered sugar for dusting optional

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°. Prep your cupcake/muffin pan with paper cups.
Sift cake flour and salt together and set aside. If using all purpose flour & cornstarch substitute (I always do) sift it together a few times. Set aside.
Separate the whites and the yolks into two separate mixing bowls.
In a clean and dry metal or glass mixing bowl, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Set aside.
In separate bowl, beat yolks. Slowly add sugar to yolks and beat until light and creamy.
Mix in vanilla.
Add the whites to the yolk mixture and gently blend.
Gently fold in flour mixture.
Spoon batter into the paper lined muffin cups, about 3/4 full.
Bake for 10 - 15 minutes. Tops should just start to turn golden and be springs back when touched.
Let rest for a minute or two and transfer cupcakes to wire rack. Cool.
Add jam to piping bag. I used about 1/3 cup - you may use more or less.
Instead of try to pump all the jam into the center of the cupcake, I pop the tip into 4 - 5 different spots. This way you get a bit of jam in every bite - not just a big blob of it in the center. You could go as far as measuring out jam for each cupcake, but I just estimate. I suggest to pipe a bit out into a bowl to get a feel for how the jam moves with what amount of pressure.
Wipe any excess jam off tops of cupcakes and dust with powdered sugar, if desired.
Enjoy! Store cupcakes in a covered container.

*I am partnering with Kauffman’s Fruit Farm as a blog ambassador. I have received complimentary products from Kauffman’s Fruit Farm, however, all opinions remain completely my own.*

Graham Cracker Apple Crisp | Graham Cracker Apple Brown Betty

January 20, 2016 by Amanda 16 Comments

A wonderful variation of a tried, true and favorite comfort food. You’ll love the sweet crunch from the graham cracker crumbs in this Apple Crisp.

I bought over 10 pounds of apples on sale for $.29 cents a pound. Happy as happy could be with my apples, I also stumbled upon a 10 pound box of coarse graham cracker crumbs for just a few bucks. It was time to bake….

I love crumbles and crisps. They’re such simple, throw it all together desserts, but end up so delicious. Any fruit works, but apples are my favorite. I guess this version is technically considered a brown betty because there is an additional layer of crumbs. Call it what you want, I call it delicious.

I have to mention that we’re not using fine crumbs like you would use for a pie crust. You’re using a coarse crumble. The box of graham cracker crumbs I found were labeled as a topping for sundaes and such. That being said, you do not need to beat & roll the graham crackers to dusty oblivion. You’ll achieve the desired texture by smashing the crackers by hand in a ziploc bag or however else you need to get this deed done.

I love when a recipe has a story. Not all recipes do, nor should they. How many tales can really be told about buttermilk biscuits, cream cheese frosting or meatloaf? Many times, the recipe just is. Who knows where it came from and who knows where it’s gonna go – other than in my belly 🙂

So onto the origins of this recipe. I tasted a piece of this delicious apple crisp, baked from an old neighbor of mine. I was very interested in her choice of topping – graham cracker crumbs browned in butter. Simple enough, I know. I was still curious, though. My neighbor was an old order Mennonite (they’re much like the Amish) and as wonderful bakers as they are, they’re very frugal and super resourceful when it comes to cooking. Bread crumbs or oats, yes – graham cracker crumbs, really?

Turns out, it’s an old recipe that “just is”. It was simply a way of using up homemade graham crackers, gingerbread or sugar cookies that were on there way to being stale. There’s that resourcefulness I was telling you about 🙂

Alright, so that’s it. If you wanted to, you could certainly skip layering the fruit and just dump the graham cracker crumbs on top. I would probably use less crumbs, but your crumbs are your business. This is best eaten warm the day it’s made. Top with whipped cream, a scoop of vanilla ice cream, Mexican crema, vanilla yogurt, caramel sauce or whatever else your heart desires. Leftovers will be mushy by the next day but can be reheated in the oven to restore some of the crisp. You could also brown up and save some extra crumbs to sprinkle over and add some cruch to leftovers. Crumbles, crisps & the such are all very not fussy, so go ahead and make it your way. It will be delicious!

Thanks so much for stopping by! Happy baking 🙂

-Amanda-

Print Recipe

4.86 from 7 votes

Graham Cracker Apple Crisp | Graham Cracker Brown Betty

A wonderful variation of a tried, true and favorite comfort food. You'll love the sweet crunch from the graham cracker crumbs in this Apple Crisp.

Prep Time20 mins

Cook Time55 mins

Total Time1 hr 15 mins

Course: Desserts

Servings: 9 servings

Author: Amanda

Ingredients

3 1/2 cup coarse graham cracker crumbs *See Note*
1/2 cup butter 1 stick
6 cups peeled & sliced apples approx 7-9 apples
2 tablespoon lemon juice
1 cup brown sugar packed
2 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 cup warm water
for topping optional whipped cream, vanilla ice cream, vanilla yogurt, Mexican crema, caramel sauce - whatever you prefer

Instructions

*Note*Graham cracker crumbs must be coarse and have texture to them. The crumbs you use for a pie crust are too fine.
Preheat oven to 350° Spray/grease an 11" x 7" or 2 quart baking dish.
In a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat and add graham cracker crumbs. Cook and stir for about 10 minutes, or until crumbs are crunchy and lightly browned. Remove from heat and set aside.
Peel, core and slice apples, toss with lemon juice. Set aside.
In a bowl, combine sugar and cinnamon.
Layer half the apples in the bottom of the greased casserole dish. Pour water over apples.
Cover apples with half the brown sugar mixture and half the graham cracker crumbs.
Repeat layer - apples, sugar and top with graham cracker crumbs.
Bake until apples are tender and top is lightly browned - about 40 - 45 minutes. If top is browning too quickly, but apples are not yet tender, cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake until tender.
Transfer to wire rack.
Top with whipped cream, vanilla ice cream, vanilla yogurt, Mexican Crema, caramel sauce or whatever else you'd prefer! Apple Crisp is best eaten warm and the same day. Day or two old leftovers can be reheated in the oven to restore some of the crisp.
Enjoy 🙂