Category Archives: About

About, Cupcakes

Black Forest Cupcakes

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Cupcakes are just so much easier to serve and every bit as good as the original Black Forest Cake

A wonderful combination of Dark Chocolate and Cherries

1   2-layer Chocolate Cake Mix (I used Devil’s Food Cake)

1 (540ml can) Cherry Pie Filling

1/3 cup Kirch (Cherry Brandy)

500 ml Whipping Cream
3 Tablespoons
1 teaspoon Vanilla

1/3 cup Chocolate Shavings ( I buy a 200gm Dark Chocolate bar and pare shavings with a clean vegetable peeler)

Preheat oven to 350F.
Line muffin tins with paper liners; set aside.

Prepare Chocolate Cake mix as directed on package.
*I subbed in 2 Tablespoons Black Coffee for some of the water
Divide evenly into prepared muffin tins.
Bake for 18 – 23 minutes or until pick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Remove from oven and cool in tins on wire rack for 10 minutes before turning out and cooling completely.

Pour whipping cream into a  very clean mixing bowl; beat on a lower speed for a few minutes until cream starts to thicken.
Increase speed to med-high, add icing sugar,  a Tablespoon at a time followed by the vanilla.
Increase to high speed and beat until thick and peaks form when the beater is lifted.

Using a serrated knife, cut a cone of cake from the top of each cupcake; reserve the cupcake cone for later. (I cut the tip off each cone so I could it more filling in the cupcake)
Sprinkle a bit of kirsch into the cupcake hole.
Spoon in about a Tablespoon of cherry pie filling.
Place cupcake top back on top and press slightly to fit.
Spoon prepared Whipped Cream into a large, clean piping bag fitted with a large open star tip.
Pipe a large rosette of whipped cream on each cupcake.
Top each cupcake with a cherry.
Sprinkle with chocolate shavings.
Serve immediately.

These will store well in a FridgeSmart® Medium Long container (both vents closed)

About, Cookies

Sugar Cookies

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sugar cookies
Sugar Cookies with a Cafe Glaze and Chocolate Sprinkles

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
2 tsp vanilla
2 tsp baking powder
3 cup flour
1 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 400F
In small mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt; set aside.

Cream butter with sugar until light and fluffy.
Add egg and vanilla and continue beating until well blended.

Add in flour mixture a cup at a time, stirring well after each addition.

Do not chill dough. Divide dough into 2 balls. On a floured surface, roll each ball into a circle approximately 12 in. wide and 1/8 in. thick. Dip desired cookie cutter in flour before each use. ( I like those nesting Tupperware ones!)

Sprinkle tops with raw sugar or sprinkles.

Bake cookies on ungreased cookie sheet 6-7 minutes or until cookies are lightly browned.

Scrape cookie sheet before next batch in order to clear off melted sugar bits.

Cool cookies completely on a wire rack.

sugar cookies
Sugar Cookies with Lemon Glaze and Pastel Sprinkles

For an interesting twist:
Add 2 Tablespoons Epicure Summer Fruit Dip Mix to the Flour mixture
Add 1 Tablespoon Pink Lemonade Concentrate when you stir in the Egg.

Flavour your Simple Glaze with
2 Tablespoons Raspberry Juice (just squish a enough raspberries to give you 2 Tbsp.)
1 Tablespoon Pink Lemonade Concentrate

summer fruit sugar cookies
Summer Fruit Sugar Cookies
About, Pies and Tarts

Pumpkin Pie

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The Pumpkin Pie Recipe I have been using to don our Thanksgiving Table with for the past 30 years.

Pumpkin Pie

Pastry for 9″ One Crust Pie

Pumpkin Pie Filling:
2 eggs
1 can (16 ounces) pumpkin or 2 cups Cooked Pumpkin (following)
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp cloves
1 2/3 cups evaporated milk (pretty much 1 can…I don’t even measure anymore)

Heat oven to 425Fdegrees
Prepare pastry.
Beat eggs slightly in med bowl.
Add remaining ingredients and whisk all together.
Place pastry lined pie plate on oven rack; pour in filling.
Bake 15 minutes.
Reduce oven temp to 350Fdegrees.
Bake until knife inserted in center comes out clean, about 45 minutes.
Cool
Serve with Whipped Cream.

Cooked Pumpkin:
Heat oven to 400Fdegrees
Cut one small pumpkin (4 lbs) into halves; remove seeds and fiber. Place pumpkin cut sides up in oblong baking dish; pour water (1/4″deep) into dish.
Cover and bake until tender, about 1 hour. Scoop pumpkin from shells; mash until no lumps remain.
Yield; About 4 cups mashed pumpkin

Notes:
I am probably a lil more generous with the spices and of course I add vanilla. A splash of Vanilla makes the world a better place, I rkn!
You can use two cups of mashed pumpkin this time round and freeze the rest so you don’t have to go through the whole making pumpkin mash next time around.

I frequently use this recipe to make Pumpkin Tarts…heaps easier to transport and distribute tarts at large family gatherings!
I used puff pastry to line muffin tins and reduce baking time to 20 – 25 minutes.
Or, if in Canada, just use those lovely tart shells you can get at Real Canadian Superstore or SOF.
Put whipped cream in container, then load a large piping bag at the event and add a lovely whipped cream rosette just before serving

 


About, Muffins and Scones

Date Bran Muffins

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These bring back memories of the Bran Muffins we used to get at Smitty’s Pancake house back in the 70s. My brother Bill and I worked together at Smitty’s and the favourite coffee break snack was a Bran Muffin fresh out of the oven with a portion of whippped butter and a dollop of honey. Yummers!

Wonderfully moist!

1 1/2 cups Raw Bran
1 cup Buttermilk
1/3 cup Vegetable Oil
1 large Egg
2/3 cup Brown Sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons Vanilla

1 cup Flour
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1teaspoon Cinnamon
pinch of ground Cloves
1/2 teaspoon Salt

3/4 cup Chopped Dates

Preheat oven to 375F (190C)
Line muffin tin with paper liners.

In small mixing bowl combine bran and buttermilk and let sit for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, ground cloves, salt and chopped dates; make a well in the center.

In small mixing bowl, lightly beat the egg, add vanilla and vegetable oil.
Stir brown sugar into buttermilk soaked bran then add egg mixture and continue stirring.

Pour the combined wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir just until all the flour is moistened. The batter will be lumpy.

Using a 5 ounce Pampered Chef scoop, or a heaping tablespoon,  portion batter into prepared muffin tin.

Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes, rotate and continue baking for another 7 – 10 minutes.
Remove from oven when pick inserted comes out clean and let rest, in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes.
Turn out of muffin tin to cool completely.

Yield: 12 muffins

About, Loaves

Banana Bread

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Everyone has a banana bread recipe in their repertoire. I have been making this one for the past 28 years and have always gotten rave reviews.

2 1/2 cups Flour
1/2 cup Sugar
1/2 cup Brown Sugar
3 1/2 teaspoons Baking Powder
1 teaspoon Salt

3 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil
1/3 cup Milk (Soy Milk)
1 1/4 cup Bananas, mashed (2 – 4 bananas)
1 large Egg, slightly beaten
1 1/2 teaspoons Vanilla

1 cup chopped Walnuts
1 cup Chocolate Chips

Preheat oven to 350F.
Lightly spray bottom only of 9X5X3 inch loaf pan with vegetable oil spray.

In large mixing bowl combine flour, sugar, brown sugar, baking powder and salt; set aside.

In small mixing bowl combine mashed bananas, vegetable oil, milk, egg and vanilla.
Pour liquid ingredients all at once into dry ingredients and stir just until all the flour is moistened.
Fold in chopped nuts and chocolate chips.

Spoon into prepared loaf tin and bake until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, about 55 – 60 minutes.
Cool in baking pan on wire rack for 10 minutes before turning out to cool completely.

Wrap and refrigerate for no longer than one week or store in Tupperware Bread Keeper.