Fresh Blackberry and Lemon Yogurt Muffins with Warm Vanilla Yogurt Glaze

Grant, Corrine and I lived in Portland while Grant went to school at Lewis and Clark back in the (should I say it??) 80's. Gasp! We are old. Last summer, my mom and I took a little trip back to the Oregon Coast.

We loved our three years in Portland. We especially loved that in about two hours, we could be at the beach. My favorite place in the world. What is it about the ocean? The sound of the waves is so soothing. The Oregon coast is not the trendiest spot as far as beach destinations go. If you are looking for bikini-clad hotties and muscle bound bodies, you are probably going to be a bit disappointed. We went last August, and I wore a jacket most of the trip.

The Oregon coast probably attracts more folks who are on the Eddie Bauer/Birkenstock/granola side of life. More for families, and people who really enjoy long stretches of deserted beaches, fresh air, and a laid back coastal lifestyle. Big sigh. I love it there. Did I already say that? Back to the trip. Mom and I spent days driving, walking, and stopping at every little fruit stand, bakery, restaurant, antique shop, roadside marker and beach along the way.
So.
Much.
Fun.

I love to travel with people who will indulge in my road trip crazy. Meaning, we need to stop at every bakery/quaint restaurant/gas station that might sell funky junk and home made treats.

We drove to Tillamook one day. Sound familiar? Yes. The Cheese people. Actually Tillamook is more than just cheese. It's ice cream, yogurt, cheese, and butter. Yum.  We drove through Tillamook,  to the beach at Cape Lookout and also to the Cape Meares Lighthouse. Serene and absolutely beautiful.





    Cape Lookout, Tillamook, Oregon

Recently, I received an email from Kelly, who represents Tillamook asking if I would be interested in developing a recipe using their new line of  yogurt, Tillamook Light. It's the first light yogurt on the market naturally sweetened with Truvia, has 100 calories and is made with no artificial junk. No artificial sweeteners, flavors, colors, high fructose corn syrup or growth hormones. Wow. Now you know I'm not a health nut, but this was intriguing to me. After enjoying Tillamook cheese for years, and honking at cows while driving through valleys in Tillamook, last summer,  I had to try it. It's really, really yummy. If you want to read more about this line of yogurt go here.




A couple of mornings later, I got up started writing a recipe for yogurt muffins. I tried to stay with a light and (semi) healthy theme, so I used 1/2 cup of canola oil (instead of butter) and only 1/2 cup of sugar (this is almost sugar free to me). Fresh and light, but enough sweet to qualify as a yummy breakfast treat. Wouldn't your mom love these on Sunday?? You remembered, right?
Yes people.
Next Sunday is Mother's Day.
This year I'm posting a Mother's Day Brunch menu. I'll have quiche and salad posted later this week.
See you soon.
After you finish your Mother's Day shopping.
Yes, I'm talking to you.
P.S. I my next life, I'm definitely living on the beach.
P.S.S. I did not receive any payment for this post. I did receive a box of Tillamook yogurt for testing purposes. And some gift certificates for more yogurt that I will( in the near future) include in a giveaway to you on this blog :)





Oh, the recipe!  Here it is...





Fresh Blackberry and Lemon Yogurt Muffins with Warm Vanilla Yogurt Glaze
A Bountiful Kitchen
print recipe

1/2 cup sugar

2 eggs

1/2 cup canola oil

3 tablespoons lemon juice

zest from 1 lemon

1- 6 oz container Tillamook Light Vanilla yogurt*

1 1/2 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cup blackberries, rinsed

for glaze/topping:
1- 6 oz Tillamook Light Vanilla yogurt*
2 tablespoons granulated or powdered sugar

Grease a 12 cup muffin tin, set aside.
Preheat oven to 400, set rack in center of oven.
In a medium size bowl, whisk together the eggs, and 1/2 cup of sugar.  Add the canola oil, lemon juice, zest and vanilla yogurt.
Place the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a small bowl and whisk together with a fork. Pour dry ingredients into the bowl with wet ingredients. Mix with a large spoon or spatula just until all of the wet and dry ingredients are incorporated. Fold in the blackberries.
Scoop the batter evenly into the muffin cups.
Bake at 400 degrees for about 15-17 minutes or until center springs back when touched lightly.
Remove from oven.
Heat the remaining 6 oz of yogurt in a small pan over medium-high heat on stove. Whisk and heat to a low boil for about one minute. Whisk in 2 tablespoons of granulated or powdered sugar.

Dip each warm muffin top into the pan of heated yogurt. Set aside to cool for a few minutes. If there is enough yogurt glaze remaining, you may dip the muffin tops again to create a second layer of glaze, or spoon on the remaining glaze.
Muffins are best served while warm, but may also be served at room temperature.

Tips:
-*You may use any flavor/brand of yogurt. This recipe would also work well with a lemon or berry flavored yogurt. I recommend using a lemon or vanilla flavor for the glaze/topping.
-You may also use any type of fruit. I suggest fresh blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, etc.

Tweet

Salsa de Pina - Pineapple Salsa

I Pinned this recipe several months ago, and have made it a few times since. Love it.  We usually eat it up so quickly, I forget to take a photo. Perfect with fish tacos, enchiladas, or tortilla chips. It's simple and fresh, and everyone loves it.
Everyone except one 15 year old boy, who will remain nameless.

Salsa de Pina Picante- Pineapple Salsa
adapted slightly from Savuer magazine
print recipe

1 cup finely chopped fresh pineapple
¼ cup chopped cilantro
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
1 ½ teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 jalapenos, stemmed and minced
½ small red onion, chopped fine

In a large bowl, mix all ingredients. Serve at room temperature.

Tips:

-If making this ahead, refrigerate and add red onion just before serving. The acidity of the pineapple may make the red color in the onion bleed onto the fruit if prepared ahead.

Tweet

Goat Cheese, Blackberry and Pear Bites

Christmas is over.
When Brookie was about 18 months old, we were driving through a neighborhood in Seattle, and the Christmas lights that once lit up the houses were few and far between.  I said something about missing the lights and about Christmas being "over".  All of a sudden, a little voice from the back seat yelled "CHRISTMAS IS NOT OVER!!!"  Twenty years later, our family still laughs when we hear those words.
Well, Christmas is over, and now it's on to celebrating the New Year. 2012. Where does time go? I know I'm getting older when I say things like that. Pardon me, I'm turning 50 this year. If you stick around, I'm sure by November 2012, you will be thinking- enough already, turn 50.   Anyway.
New Years food to me is all about fun appetizers. I cooked up these little bites at an appetizer class a few weeks ago. Yummy. They are so simple, and a little froufy. Is that how you spell froufy? Apparently not since my spell check keeps highlighting it.



Goat Cheese, Blackberry and Pear Bites
adapted slightly from CulinaryCory.com
print recipe

4 oz. plain goat cheese, room temperature
*
3 tablespoons honey

¼ tsp. nutmeg

1 tsp. lemon zest

3 tablespoons lemon juice

1 pear, peeled and chopped to size of peas

6 oz blackberries, fresh

2 packages of Phyllo dough cups, about 30

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Cream the goat cheese, honey, nutmeg, zest, juice, and pear in a small mixing bowl until well combined.
Spoon a single tablespoon sized amount of the mixture into each Phyllo cup.
Place one blackberry in the center of each filled cup.
Place the filled cups on a baking sheet.
Bake at 350 degrees for 8 – 10 minutes, or until the mixture is slightly bubbly and the berries are just about to burst.

Tips:
-*I like using 1/2 goat cheese and 1/2 cream cheese for a more mild flavor. Two ounces of each.
-The packages of frozen Phyllo cups are found in the frozen section. If you can't find cups you could buy sheets of Phyllo, cut them into squares and form them into mini muffin cups.
-You may place the berries on top before or after baking. The baked berries change color a little and lighten up. I like them both ways. People in the class commented that the cooked berries made the bites taste more like a warm berry pie! If you like the berries to be more true to their original color, bake them less, about 6-8 minutes.

Tweet

Fruit Platter 101

What was your holiday dinner assignment? A fruit platter? Does your mother in law think you can't cook?  I'm going to show you how to build a beautiful fruit platter. It looks way better than throwing fruit into a bowl, or just onto a plate. And it takes about two minutes longer.  Next time, she's going to give you a big girl cooking assignment, trust me.



Fruit Platter for 25
print instructions without photos

1 large head of leaf lettuce, I like Red Lead, but any type will do, pick the biggest head of lettuce you can find, yes it has to be leaf lettuce
1 ripe pineapple
3-4 pounds seedless grapes green or purple, washed, try to pick vibrant colors for contrast on the tray
32 oz strawberries, watermelon or other red fruit, washed
1 tray about 18-24 inches in diameter*


Wash the lettuce, spin it dry.
Lay the leaves around the tray, so it covers the bottom and most of the middle too.

Wash the top of the pineapple under some running water, shake to dry. Slice the pineapple, cutting the ends off first, then down the sides to remove the outer layer. Reserve the top for garnish.

 Cut the pineapple in half lengthwise. Cut again into quarters. Remove the hard core, discard.  If the pineapple is extra large, Cut each quarter into another long strip. Cut the long strips into chunks. Set aside.
Place the top of the pineapple into the middle of the platter.

Place the pineapple chunks in two sections, on opposite sides of the platter.
Repeat  with the strawberries and grapes.

Take a pair of clean scissors and cut the grapes into little sections of 4 or 5 per bundle, so they are easy to pick up.

Tips:
- If you don't have a tray, you can use lots of different items as a base for your fruit platter. Try: a pizza pan,  a cookie sheet, a piece of cardboard covered with foil, an old frozen pizza cardboard liner covered with foil, your broiler pan covered with foil. Or, go to your local thrift store and pick up a tray for $1.

Tweet

2011 Utah State Fair Winner: Pina Colada Cake

This recipe won the "King Arthur Flour Great Cake Contest" in the Utah State Fair last month. 

I made it last weekend. It was absolutely delicious! Coconut cake is one of my favorites. Combine it with pineapple filling? Oh goodness. I'm still thinking about it. We loved it. I know you will too. 

Pina Colada Cake

Lisa Blodgett

Print Recipe

Cake:
2 cups King Arthur all-purpose flour, sifted
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups sugar
1 1/4 cups coconut milk
1 1/2 teaspoons coconut extract
5 egg whites
Mix flour, baking powder and salt together in a bowl and set aside. Place the butter in a mixing bowl and beat on medium speed with a mixer for 1 minute. Add sugar and beat for another minute. Add coconut milk and coconut extract to butter mixture. Gradually add flour mixture into the butter mixture and beat for 2 minutes. In another bowl, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Fold the egg whites into the batter and mix until all ingredients are incorporated. Grease and line two 8-inch cake pans and divide batter evenly between them. Bake in a 350 degree preheated oven for 23-28 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove the pans from the oven and place on a cooling rack for 5-10 minutes to cool before removing cake from the pans.
Pineapple Filling:
1 20-ounce can crushed pineapple
2/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
In a saucepan combine all ingredients over medium heat. Cook, stirring frequently until mixture gets a glossy look. Set aside to cool.
Frosting:
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons coconut milk
2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon coconut extract
1 16-ounce container whipped topping, or 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream, whipped
Beat cream cheese in a bowl until smooth. Add coconut milk, powdered sugar and coconut extract. Mix well and then fold the whipped topping or cream into the mixture.
To assemble, cut both cakes open, making four 8-inch rounds. On top of one, place half the pineapple filling and top with a cake layer. Next add a layer of frosting, then a cake layer. Place remaining pineapple mixture on the cake and top with the last cake layer. Frost the sides and top of the cake. Sprinkle with coconut.
This is best when refrigerated for at least four hours.

Tweet

Blueberry-Oatmeal Buttermilk Pancakes

My October Secret Recipe Club assignment is: CRUMB, a blog written and photographed by Isabelle, a "thirty something from Canada".  Isabelle loves food. She loves cooking, eating, writing about and taking photos of food. She also loves collecting vintage cookbooks, talks about food almost non stop (her words) and even dreams about food. I think it's safe to say, Isabelle is a foodie. Too bad we don't live closer to each other, I have a feeling she would be a great lunch date!
Confession time. I totally forgot about this assignment until I checked my email Sunday night at 6 pm. Yikes! It was a crazy month. My dilema (back in September, when I received my assignment) about which of Isabelle's wonderful recipes I would try out, was changed to- what could I make in 5 minutes or less, and photograph before it was dark! Naturally, I turned to breakfast items. Isabelle volunteers at a local museum on Sundays and treats herself to these pancakes before heading off to her volunteer job for the day. I'm sure the oatmeal in the pancakes not only make the cakes more healthy, but more filling too. Thanks Isabelle! Great recipe.


Blueberry-Oatmeal Buttermilk Pancakes
Adapted from Crumb
print recipe

1 1/2 cups quick cook oats
2 cups buttermilk
2 eggs
1/4 cup vegetable or canola oil
1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
zest of one lemon
1 1/2 cups frozen or fresh blueberries

In a small bowl, mix together the buttermilk and oats, let sit for about 5-10 minutes until oatmeal is softened.
After the oats are soft, add the eggs and oil, and whisk together.
In a large bowl mix together flour, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.
Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients in large bowl. Mix wet and dry ingredients together just until ingredients are incorporated, batter should be lumpy.
Fold in lemon zest and blueberries.
Heat griddle or pan to 350 degrees. Grease pan with butter or oil spray. Using a 1/4 cup measuring cup, scoop batter onto heated and greased griddle. Let cook until bubbles start to appear, then flip pancakes ONE TIME. Let the pancake cook until pancake springs back when lightly poked in the middle. Do not pat the pancake down. Do not flip pancake more than once.
Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve with  pure maple syrup and additional fresh or frozen berries on the side.

**Remember to enter A Bountiful Kitchen's amazing KitchenAid Stand Mixer giveaway sponsored by South Fork Hardware! Go here to enter!**

Tweet

Amy's Bread Zucchini, Carrot and Apple Muffins

Zucchini. Have you had any show up on your front porch lately?  A couple of weeks ago, I walked into my kitchen and found three zucchini on my counter. No idea how they got there. Pretty sure I didn't grow them in my batting cage... When my kids came home, I asked them about the mystery z.
Jake said Chris, my back-door neighbor handed them over the fence (thanks Chris). Probably when he was out back, hitting plums from the deck into the batting cage.

They sat on the counter for a few days, and eventually ended up in muffins. I chose this recipe because I had two ENORMOUS bags of carrots in my fridge. In a moment of stupidity, I bought this warehouse-great-deal bag of carrots.  Enough carrots to feed a small country. I think it weighs twenty pounds. I was making a carrot cake at the time and thought it was a good idea. So a month later, I still have 19 pounds of carrots in my fridge. Well, after this recipe maybe 18.  Let me know if you need any carrots.
Oh, the muffins. Wonderful. I love Amy's Bread.  If you love carrot cake, you'll love these. They are dense, not too much sugar and are made with veggie oil instead of butter. I added raisins to the batter, since I love raisins in my muffins. Great texture. A meal in a muffin.














Zucchini, Carrot and Apple Muffins
adapted slightly from Amy's Bread, NYC
print recipe

3 cups flour
1 1/8 cups sugar
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sweetened coconut
2 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 teaspoons baking powder
4 large eggs

1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 tablespoon vanilla

3 cups peeled grated carrots
2 cups zucchini, unpeeled
2 cups granny smith apples, grated
3/4 cup walnut pieces, or 3/4 cup golden raisins or both

Position rack in middle of oven. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease muffin tins.
In large mixing bowl, add flour, sugar, coconut, cinnamon, baking soda, salt and baking powder, whisk together.
In another medium size bowl, whisk eggs, oil, and vanilla. Add grated carrots, zucchini and apples. Stir together, until all fruit and vegetables are mixed well.
pour liquid ingredients into dry ingredients all at once. Fold until all incorporated. Fold in nuts and raisins   if using. The batter will be very thick.
Scoop the batter into greased muffin pan using a large cookie scoop. Or use a large spoon or measuring cup. Fill the muffin tins almost to the top to insure full, rounded muffin tops.
Bake at 400 for ten minutes, lower oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake for an additional 6 minutes. Check the muffins by inserting a toothpick in center, if it comes out clean, muffin is done.
Leave the muffin in the tin for about ten minutes, then loosen edges with a butter knife and remove from pan to cool.

Tips:
-I used unpeeled, cored Macintosh apples.
-I did not add the nuts, but added golden raisins. You may add one or both, or neither, if you wish.
-The original recipe calls for 12 large muffins. I thought the muffins would be too big as a large muffin, especially since these are dense, filling muffins. I baked the muffins in regular size muffin tins. The recipe yielded about 22 regular size muffins.
-Since I did not make the muffins into 12 large muffins, I cut the baking time. The original recipe calls for 400 degrees- ten minutes, rotate the pan, lower temperature to 350, then bake for an additional 22-25 minutes. Maybe this was a misprint? That would total at least 32 minutes.  Way too long. My muffins were done baking in 16 minutes flat.
-Super moist. Great texture. These freeze well.

Tweet

Fresh Peach Vinaigrette

Sunday night I threw together a little salad to go with dinner. Spinach, lettuce, grated mozzarella, fresh peaches, pine nuts.  I had an extra peach on the counter and decided the peaches in the salad would be delicious topped with a fresh peach dressing.
Never made your own dressing? It's really simple. I like tart and sweet, so I usually try to incorporate the two. The general rule when making dressing at home is: 3 to 1. Three parts oil to one part vinegar.  I always cut the oil amount, since I'm not into oily dressing. Be careful not to cut the oil too much, or you will have a dressing with too much liquid (ingredients that are water or liquid and not oil based)  and not enough oil, and your greens will get soggy. Here it is- my super fresh and simple Peach Vinaigrette.


Fresh Peach Vinaigrette
A Bountiful Kitchen
print recipe

1 large fresh peach
1/2 cup oil
1/3 cup white balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste

Whirl all of the ingredients in a blender. Serve over fresh greens. Store any leftovers in refrigerator for up to a week.

Tweet

Fresh Raspberry Chocolate Chip Pancakes

For breakfast on Jake's 15th birthday, I surprised him with one of his favorite treats in the world, chocolate chip pancakes. He LOVES chocolate in his pancakes.  I'm not a fan. But I do love fresh fruit in my cakes, so I threw in some raspberries I had in the fridge and sprinkled with chocolate.  Topped with Buttermilk Syrup. The result? One happy birthday boy.


Fresh Raspberry Chocolate Chip Pancakes
A Bountiful Kitchen
print recipe

1 egg
1 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup fresh raspberries, or 1 cup thawed frozen berries
1 cup chocolate chips (I used mini)

In a medium bowl beat egg, buttermilk, melted butter and vanilla together with whisk.
Add all of the dry ingredients and mix once. The batter will be a bit lumpy. If it's too think add a little water.
Heat griddle to about 330-350 degrees or if using a pan on the stove about medium high heat. Grease the pan and add 1/4 cup of batter to the pan. Sprinkle with chocolate chips and raspberries, I broke the berries in half and placed the berries on the pancakes. Cook until bubbles rise and start to pop, then flip the pancake. Once. Do not pat down. Cook (about 2-3 minutes). To test, use the corner of the spatula and poke the cake in the middle.  If the pancake is done, it  will spring back.
Serve immediately with more chocolate chips, fresh berries, and home made Buttermilk Syrup.

Buttermilk Syrup

1/2 cup butter (not margarine)

1/2 cup buttermilk
1 cup sugar
2  teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Heat butter, buttermilk, and sugar in a saucepan. Heat until boiling. Boil for about 1 minute. Remove from heat and add vanilla and baking soda (this will foam up, so make sure your pan is big enough to accommodate). Stir until combined. Serve immediately over pancakes or waffles.

Tweet

Mango Chicken Pasta Salad with Tarragon Lime Dressing

We have this cute little place called Plates and Palates in Bountiful. Not Plates and Pilates (what everyone thinks it's called until they realize its  a restaurant, not a workout studio).   Plates and Palates. It's locally owned and operated by Jared, Justin and Nina Christensen. Their shop has been a popular lunch spot for girlfriends in Davis County  since 2004. They make all of their salads and dressings in the shop each day. My usual combo is a half green (usually Pear and Pecan with Sweet Red Wine Vinaigrette) along with half of one of their pasta salads. My favorite pasta salads are the Mango Avocado Chicken with Basil Dressing or the Lemon Bowtie with Tarragon Dressing. This salad is my creation,  a combo of the two, with a little bit lighter version of their dressing. You know how crazy I am about sweet and savory together, I loved the way the flavors all blend. Perfect for a summer bbq.
Oh and if you are in Btown, make sure to stop by and have lunch or take-out from Plates. They treat everyone like family... you'll be feeling like a local in no time.






Mango Chicken Pasta Salad with Tarragon Lime Dressing
A Bountiful Kitchen
print recipe

3/4 lb bow tie pasta
1 1/2 cup chopped celery
1 bunch chopped green onion, green parts only
3 cups seedless grapes, red or green
1 ripe mango, cubed
1 whole boneless, skinless chicken breast, cooked, cubed, (about 2 cups)
1-2 avocados, chopped
slivered almonds, toasted, optional

Tarragon Lime Dressing:
1 1/4 cups mayo (not low fat)
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
2-3 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons dried tarragon or 1/4 cup fresh chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Cook pasta as directed on package.  Drain and rinse with cold water, set aside to cool.
Prepare the dressing by mixing all ingredients in a bowl. If you are using fresh herbs, place ingredients in a blender and blend until herbs are chopped fine.  Pour half of the dressing over the pasta and place in the refrigerator overnight if possible, or for at least 2 hours.
Place chopped celery, green onion, grapes, mango and chicken in a medium bowl. Refrigerate until ready to assemble salad.
To assemble, place three quarters of the vegetable, mango and chicken mixture in the bowl with the pasta that has been mixed with dressing. Most of the dressing will have been absorbed into the cooked pasta.
Toss in the remaining half of dressing.
Place the pasta mixture on a serving platter or bowl and top with the remaining vegetable, chicken and fruit mixture, and chopped avocado.  Top with almonds.

Tips:
-I think tossing the pasta with the dressing and letting it rest in the fridge allows the flavors soak into the pasta. If you don't have time for that, just mix up the salad and let the pasta sit in the dressing for at least a half hour. Then proceed as directed.
-If you want make a  fresh basil-lime dressing, just sub 1/4 to 1/2 cup chopped basil leaves for the tarragon.
-I made this up with 1 lb pasta originally, but thought the veggie to pasta ratio was a bit on the heavy side for the pasta, so I reduced the amount of pasta in this recipe to 3/4 lb.

-Did I mention Plates and Palates caters? If you are not the cooking type, you can purchase a whole BOWL of salad for your next gathering at a very reasonable price :) 

Tweet

Mango Blueberry Coffee Cake

I love this time of year. No rushrush to get school work done before games or other activities. Love to water the flowers outside in my bare feet before anyone gets up. Love to watch baseball games with a big iced drink. Love that I can swing into a farmers market, or the regular old grocery and find almost any fruit my heart desires.
I had some fresh mangoes and blueberries in my kitchen last week, and thought what better way to use them, than put them in a coffee cake. I used an Emeril recipe, that I lightened up a bit by subbing yogurt for sour cream, and added a few spices. Simple, fresh, delish. Loved the result.

Fresh Mango and Blueberry Coffee Cake
A Bountiful Kitchen
print recipe

Cake:
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup light brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 cup vanilla or plain yogurt
1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 to 1 teaspoon ginger, depending on your taste
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 cup berries, rinsed and patted dry (I used 1 mango and enough blueberries to equal 1 1/2 cups)

Topping:
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 cup melted butter
1 cup chopped pecans

Grease and lightly flour the bottom and sides of a 10-inch Spring form pan. Preheat oven to 375 and set the rack in the middle of the oven.
Cream the butter and sugar. Beat in the eggs.  Add yogurt and blend well. Add all of the dry ingredients to the bowl. Mix just until the wet and dry ingredients are incorporated. Fold in the berries and mangoes. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
Prepare the streusel topping by mixing all of the ingredients together in a bowl. Sprinkle over the top of the cake.
Bake for 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool for about 10 minutes, and run a knife around the sides of the Spring form before detaching the side form.

Tweet

Cook's Illustrated Strawberry Cream Cake

Remember the Strawberry Cream Cake I told you I made for Brookie's birthday?
Here's the promised recipe. If you love Strawberries and Chiffon/Sponge Cake, you'll love this.

Cook's Illustrated Strawberry Cream Cake
adapted slightly from Cook's Illustrated, May 2006
print recipe

Cake:
1 1/4 cups cake flour (5 oz)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
5 large eggs ( 2 whole, 3 separated) room temperature
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
2 tablespoons water
2 teaspoons vanilla

Strawberry Filling:
2 pounds fresh strawberries( about 2 quarts) washed, dried, and stemmed
4-6 tablespoons sugar
pinch salt

Whipped Cream
8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
dash salt
2 cups heavy cream

For Cake:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees, adjust rack to middle. Grease and flour a round 9 by 2 inch cake pan or a 9 inch spring form pan and line with parchment paper.
Whisk flour, baking powder, salt and all but 3 tablespoons sugar in mixing bowl.  Whisk in 2 whole eggs and 3 yolks (reserving whites), butter, water, and vanilla. Whisk until smooth.

In clean bowl of standing mixer fitted with whisk attachment, beat remaining 3 whites at medium low speed until frothy, 1-2 minutes. With machine running, gradually add remaining 3 tablespoons sugar, increase speed to medium high and beat until soft peaks form, 60-90 seconds. Stir one third of whites into batter to lighten; add remaining whites and gently fold into batter until no white streaks remain. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake until toothpick inserted into center of cake comes our clean, 25-30 minutes. Cool in pan 10 minutes, then invert pan onto wire rack, peel off and discard parchment paper. Invert cake again and cool completely about 1 hour.  Or, wrap the cake in plastic wrap and freeze for about 1 hour.

For Strawberry Filling:
Halve 24 of the best looking berries and reserve.  It is best to pick berries that are uniform in size, if possible. Quarter the remaining berries; toss with 4-6 tablespoons of sugar in medium bowl and let sit for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Strain juices from berries and reserve, you should have about 1/2 cup of liquid. In work bowl of food processor fitted with metal blade, give macerated berries five 1-second pulses.  In a small saucepan over medium high heat, simmer reserved juices until syrupy and reduced to about 3 tablespoons, 3-5 minutes. Pour reduced syrup over macerated berries, add pinch of salt, and toss to combine. Set aside until cake is cooled.

For Whipped Cream:
When cake is cooled, place cream cheese, sugar, vanilla and salt in bowl of standing mixer fitted with whisk attachment. Whisk at medium high speed until light and  fluffy 1-2 minutes, scraping down bowl as needed. Reduce speed to low and add heavy ream in a slow steady stream. When almost fully combined, increase speed to medium high and beat until mixture holds stiff peaks, 2 to 3 minutes more.  You should have a total of about 4 1/2 cups of the cream mixture when finished.

Yes! Cake Assembly:
Using a large serrated knife, slice cake into three even layers.
Place bottom layer on cake plate or cardboard round( found in craft or kitchen stores) and arrange ring of 20 strawberry halves, cut sides down and stem ends facing out, around perimeter of cake layer.
Pour one half of pureed berry mixture about 3/4 cup, in center, then spread to cover any exposed cake. Gently spread about one third of whipped cream (about 1 1/2 cups over berry layer, leaving 1/2 inch border from the edge.
Place middle cake layer on top and gently press down (whipped cream layer should become flush with cake edge).
Repeat with 20 additional berry halves, remaining berry mixture, and half of remaining whipped cream; gently press last cake layer on top.
Spread remaining whipped cream over top.
Decorate with remaining cut strawberries.
Serve, or chill for up to 4 hours.

Tips:
-Don't let the length of this recipe intimidate you. If you break it down into steps, it really is not difficult.
-I hurried and read through this quickly when I was gathering all of the ingredients and cooking equipment. It wasn't till AFTER I started cooking that I realized it was meant to bake in a 9 inch Spring form and cut into three layers. So I poured it into 2-9 inch pans and figured out my mistake when the cakes came out of the oven unusually flat. I re-read the recipe. The cake actually baked up fine, I just baked it in two pans, instead of one. So to correct my mistake, I halved the recipe and baked one more 9 inch layer. My layers were slightly thicker than yours will be. If you like the look of three thicker layers, one and a half this recipe and bake it in 3-9 inch round pans.

Tweet

Fresh Strawberry Banana Muffins

I've always wanted to be a member of a secret club.  Last month I signed up to join a Secret Recipe Club.  Here's how it works:
-Every month, I'm assigned a random blog.
-I keep it a secret (hence the name) until the designated post time and date, given to me by the organizer of the "Secret Recipe Club".
-I get to pick a recipe, any recipe from my assigned blog.
-I can make any adjustments to suit my needs (gluten free, fat free, kosher, additions, substitutions etc.)
-Someone else out there in bloggerland, does the same, using a recipe from A Bountiful Kitchen.






This month's post comes from Heather at "Join us, Pull up a Chair".
It's like summer in a muffin.
Loved it.

Fresh Strawberry Banana Muffins
Print recipe

2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup oil
2 eggs
2/3 cup mashed ripe bananas
1 tsp vanilla
1 2/3 cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup finely chopped strawberries


Preheat an oven to 375 degrees. Line a muffin pan with paper baking cups. In a medium bowl, combine sugar, oil and eggs; blend well. Stir in bananas and vanilla.
Add flour, baking soda and salt to the sugar mixture, stir just until combined. Gently fold in strawberries.
Spoon batter evenly into muffin tins. Bake for 17-21 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Yields 12 muffins.

Tweet