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dessert

Ina Garten’s Perfect Peach Pie

July 25, 2020 by sblades 7 Comments

Ina Garten’s Perfect Peach Pie – when a recipe is called ‘perfect’ you’ve got to try it, right?

Ina Garten's Perfect Peach Pie

Perfect Peach Pie was recently posted to Instagram by Ina Garten and since we have tons o’ summer peaches, I knew this pie had to be made. Besides that, Bret had been hinting that his life would be complete if only he had a fresh peach pie. How could I refuse?

Every year I make my terrific Double-Crust Peach Pie. This year, though, it’s going to be Ina’s Perfect Peach Pie. Or maybe both.

I’ve always had good luck with her recipes. She also includes instructions for Perfect Pie Crust on this one. Since I’ve never made a homemade pie crust (don’t judge – Pillsbury roll-out pie crusts are really good…), I saw this as an opportunity.

Ina Garten's Perfect Peach Pie

The ingredients for Perfect Peach Pie are few and simple – peaches, sugar, orange zest and juice, a touch of butter and cornstarch/flour for thickening. Cook a syrup, mix it in to the sliced peaches, dump it in your pie crust and bake.

The most time-consuming part of making the pie is peeling the peaches. She calls for 6 large peaches – I used more like 9 small-to-medium peaches and still wished I’d used 2 or 3 more because I had a 9.5″ pie dish and it didn’t fill the crust all the way. If you don’t have an abundance of peaches, use a smaller pie dish.

Also, it’s not so time-consuming peeling the peaches if you take her tip and throw the peaches in boiling water from 15 seconds to 2 minutes (depending on your peaches). Then you carefully scoop them out of the water and supposedly the skin peels off easily.

I peeled the peaches by hand. Should’ve tried it her way so I wouldn’t have had sticky peach juice on my feet, the floor, and the counter.

Ina Garten's Perfect Peach Pie

Then, of course, there’s the lattice on top of the pie. How hard can it be? I’ve seen them done on the Food Channel and The Great British Bake-off, so I should be able to do this. As you can see from the photos, not so much. I’d get one side right and the other side wasn’t inee-outee like it was supposed to be (inee-outee = technical term for weaving pie crust lattice).

The dough is beautifully silky and great to work with, but it’s very buttery and it can’t be handled very long or it’ll start stretching and pulling apart. No problem. I made little stars with the leftover dough and covered up the not-so-lovely parts.

I’ll keep practicing and get the lattice down one day. Bret won’t mind. He’ll eat it if it’s pretty or ugly and doesn’t even notice latticing.

Ina Garten's Perfect Peach Pie

The filling is good, but a little drier than I like. The crust, though, is awesome. Next time I’ll roll the dough out a little thinner, but it’s a homemade pie crust I’ll definitely use. No more of the little dough boy boxes! In the future, I’ll use the peach pie filling from my Double-Crusted Peach Pie.

I asked Bret which peach pie he liked better and he diplomatically told me I’d need to make both of them again so he could do a taste test. Guess I’ll be making peach pies for the rest of the Summer. Goodie.

Ina Garten's Perfect Peach Pie

Ina Garten's Perfect Peach Pie

Yield: 8 slices
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes

Ina Garten's Perfect Peach Pie - terrific homemade pie crust filled with fresh Summer peaches.

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 lb. ripe peaches (6-7 large peaches, peeled)
  • 1/2 C. sugar, plus extra for sprinkling on lattice
  • 2 tbsp. cornstarch
  • 1/2 tsp. grated orange zest
  • 1/4 C. freshly squeezed orange juice
  • 1 tbsp. unsalted butter
  • All-purpose flour
  • 1 recipe of double-crust pie crust (Perfect Pie Crust recipe follows)
  • 1 egg beaten with 1 tbsp water, for egg wash
  • For the Pie Crust:
  • 12 tbsp. very cold butter
  • 3 C. all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp. kosher salt
  • 1 tbsp. sugar
  • 1/3 C. very cold vegetable shortening 
  • 1/2 C. ice water

Instructions

  1. For the Perfect Pie Crust (double-crust for one 9 or 10" pie): dice the very cold butter and return it to the refrigerator. Put the flour, salt, and sugar in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse a few times to mix. Dump the butter and shortening in the processor and pulse 8 to 10 times until the butter and shortening is mixed in and the pea-sized.
  2. Dump the mixture onto a floured board and gently roll into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes. (Check at 30 minutes. If refrigerated much longer, it may be too firm to roll out).
  3. Flour your counter or a working board. Cut the dough in half. Roll one of the halves into a circle from the center to the edge, making the circle slightly larger than the pie dish. Roll up the dough on the rolling pin and gently move it over to the pie pan, making sure not to stretch it. Tuck it into the pan, with the dough overlapping the top edges.
  4. Cut off the excess dough around the edges with a sharp knife. Put the other half of the dough back into the refrigerator.
  5. For the Pie Filling: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
  6. Peel and slice all but one of the peaches and place them in a large bowl. (Ina Garten's tip is to boil a pot of water, slip the peaches into the boiling water - carefully - for 15 seconds to 2 minutes depending on your peaches. Dip the peaches out and into a bowl of cool water. The skin should be easier to peel off.) Chop the remaining peach into small pieces and set aside.
  7. In a small saucepan, whisk together the 1/2 cup of sugar, the cornstarch, orange zest, orange juice, and butter over medium heat and bring to a boil. Add the 1 chopped peach only to the syrup and return to a boil.
  8. Lower the heat and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. The syrup will thicken slightly. Pour the peachy syrup mixture into the bowl with the fresh peaches along with 1 to 2 tablespoons of flour to slightly thicken the mixture even more.
  9. Pour the peach mixture into the pie crust. Brush the edges of the pie crust with a bit of the egg wash so the top strips will stick to it.
  10. Remove the other half of the dough from the refrigerator and roll it out into a circle that's larger than the pie pan. Cut strips from the dough and weave them in a lattice on top of the pie (or whatever decoration you want). Using a fork, pinch the top and bottom crusts together, cutting off any extra dough around the edges.
  11. Brush egg wash over the lattice, including all the nooks and crannies. Then generously sprinkle the sugar over the lattice. Place on the prepared sheet pan and bake the pie for about 45 minutes until golden brown and bubbly, turning the pie half-way during baking. Cover edges if they start becoming too dark.
  12. Remove from the oven and let the pie cool. Serve warm or room temperature.

Notes

Tips and Stuff:

The pie crust is silky smooth, but be sure you don't try stretching it or pulling on it while you're trying to do the lattice, as it is buttery and delicate.

I was wishing there was more filling, so may add another sliced peach or two next time, in addition to more of the cooked syrup.

Don't cook down the syrup too much; should still be rather thin in viscosity.

Roll out the lattice dough fairly thin - about 1/8". Mine was about 1/4" and too thick.

I used decorating sugar sprinkled on the lattice - bigger crystals and more crunch.

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1 slice
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 743Total Fat: 37gSaturated Fat: 18gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 16gCholesterol: 101mgSodium: 569mgCarbohydrates: 94gFiber: 5gSugar: 30gProtein: 11g
© Ina Garten
Category: Pies/Pastry/Puddings

Filed Under: All Recipes, Fruit, Pies/Pastry/Puddings Tagged With: dessert, Ina Garten's peach pie, peach pie, peaches, Perfect Peach Pie, Pie

Lemon Cake with Toasted Meringue

June 20, 2020 by sblades 8 Comments

Lemon Cake with Toasted Meringue

I missed the May selection for the Cake Slice Baker’s group. It’s kind of 2020’s fault because I was going to make a cake that uses hibiscus. I ordered it well ahead of time from the wonderful Spice House and delivery was delayed until well after the cake posting was due – about two weeks after!

The ladies in this group are just great, though, and let me slide until June’s selection. This month I chose Limoncello & Toasted Meringue Cake from “The New Way to Cake.”

You may notice a little difference in the name of the cake. Mine became Lemon Cake with Toasted Meringue because I didn’t get a chance to visit the liquor store to get limoncello. I recommend you use it, though, and will include the amounts in the recipe below. Hey, I didn’t want to miss another cake month – have mercy.

Lemon Cake with Toasted Meringue

What a simple little cake to put together! I was kind of wondering about the baking powder (1 tablespoon) because it’s made in a 9×9″ pan and that seems like an excessive amount.

The cake came out fine though – tall, soft, and fluffy.  You’ve really got to stick that testing toothpick all the way down the tall cake to make sure it’s done.

One of the Cake Slice Baker ladies made her cake in a round pan and it looks great! You just need to make the sure round pan is deep enough, because this little beauty rises a lot.

Lemon Cake with Toasted Meringue

The next fun thing – using my new blowtorch!  I almost chickened out and used the broiler, but have had this little food torch for so long that I finally wanted to use it.

It went surprisingly well – it lit like it’s supposed to and nicely toasted the pretty meringue. And I didn’t blow anything up, so I consider that a success.

Lemon Cake with Toasted Meringue

I love this Lemon Cake with Toasted Meringue. The toasted meringue is really quite a good finish for it. It’s a light and lovely little cake.

Lemon Cake with Toasted Meringue

Lemon Cake with Toasted Meringue

Yield: 9 pieces
Prep Time: 40 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

9x9" soft lemon cake with fluffy tasted meringue.

Ingredients

  • 4 eggs
  • 1 1/2 C sugar
  • 1/2 C canola oil (or vegetable oil)
  • 2 C all-purpose flour
  • 1 tbsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/2 C milk, room temperature
  • Zest of 2 lemons (2-3 tsp)
  • Juice of 1 lemon (about 1/4 C)
  • 2 tbsp limoncello (I did not use in my recipe)
  • For the Syrup:
  • 1/4 C sugar
  • 2 tbsp limoncello (I used fresh lemon juice)
  • 1/4 C water
  • For the Meringue:
  • 1 C sugar
  • 3 tbsp water
  • Scant 1/4 cup of egg whites, room temperature (the egg whites of 3 to 4 eggs)

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Spray a 9x9" deep baking pan with cooking spray and line the bottom with parchment paper.
  2. For the Cake: In a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, beat together the eggs and sugar for 3 to 5 minutes, until thick and pale yellow. Drizzle in the oil and continue mixing.
  3. In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder and salt. Turn mixer to low and add the flour mixture in by half cup. Pour in the milk and lemon zest. Mix until smooth before stirring in the lemon juice (and limoncello if you're using it).
  4. Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until well risen, lightly brown, and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let the cake cool for 10 minutes in the pan before turning it out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
  5. For the Syrup: Heat the sugar, lemon juice (or limoncello) and water together in a small saucepan until the sugar dissolves. Prick holes in the surface of the cake with a toothpick and pour on the syrup, letting it seep through. Set aside while making the meringue.
  6. For the Meringue: Add the sugar and water to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil, swirling the pan to dissolve the sugar (do not stir or it may crystalize the sugar). Heat the sugar until it reaches 238° (again, do not stir). It will get to temperature fairly quickly.
  7. Inspect the bowl of a stand mixer, making sure it is completely dry and clean. Whip the egg whites in the bowl with the whisk attachment on low speed for 1 minute, or until foamy. Increase the speed to medium and whip for 2 to 4 minutes, or until you have soft peaks.
  8. Once the sugar mixture on the stove has reached the right temperature, with the mixer still running, slowly pour the syrup down the side of the bowl, taking care not to pour the syrup onto the beaters or directly onto the whipped egg whites (it's extremely hot, so be careful). Continue to whip the meringue on high speed until you have thick, glossy, stiff peaks and the bowl is fairly cool to the touch.
  9. Spoon the meringue on top of the completely cooled cake, leaving about 1/2" around the edges. Use a blowtorch to lightly toast the meringue. If you don't have a blowtorch, you can place the cake under the broiler for a minute (carefully watching as it will brown quickly).

Notes

Tips and Stuff:

Have your lemons squeezed and zested before you begin.  Also, separate your eggs beforehand.  It makes things go much more smoothly.

After poking holes in the cake and pouring in the syrup, I set the cake in the freezer to cool off more quickly.  You don't want to put the meringue on a hot (or even warm) cake or it will turn to goo.

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 9 Serving Size: 1 slice
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 519Total Fat: 15gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 13gCholesterol: 84mgSodium: 279mgCarbohydrates: 89gFiber: 1gSugar: 65gProtein: 7g

Nutrition Values are Approximate

© Benjamina Ebuehi
Category: Cakes
 
 

Each month The Cake Slice Bakers are offered a selection of cakes from the current book we are baking through. This year it is The New Way To Cake by Benjamina Ebuehi. We each choose one cake to bake, and then on the 20th – never before – we all post about our cake on our blogs. There are a few rules that we follow, but the most important ones are to have fun and enjoy baking & eating cakes!

Follow our Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest pages where you can find all of our cakes, as well as inspiration for many other cakes. You can also click on the thumbnail pictures below to take you to each of our cakes. If you have a blog and are interested in joining The Cake Slice Bakers and baking along with us, please send an email to thecakeslicebakers at gmail dot com for more details.

The Cake Slice Bakers also have a new Facebook group called The Cake Slice Bakers and Friends.  This group is perfect for those who do not have a blog but want to join in the fun and bake through this book.

 
 

It is a new year and a new book – The New Way To Cake – and our choices for June 2020 were ~

 

Coconut, Raspberry & Rose Roulade

  • All That’s Left Are The Crumbs

Limoncello & Toasted Meringue Cake

  • Culinary Adventures with Camilla
  • My Recipe Reviews
  • Karen’s Kitchen Stories
  • Sweet Sensations

Blueberry, Lemon & Lavender Frangipane Cake 

  • A Day in the Life on the Farm
  • Camille Cooks
  • Amandie Bakes
  • A Little Bit of All Right

Filed Under: All Recipes, Cakes Tagged With: cake, Cake Slice Bakers, dessert, fresh lemons, lemon, lemon cake, limoncello, Limoncello cake, meringue, meringue frosting, toasted meringue

ATK’s Chewy Brownies

May 28, 2020 by sblades 2 Comments

A couple of months ago, before we all went insane staying in our homes, America’s Test Kitchen aired an episode listing their Top 20 most popular recipes of all time.

If there are brownies on any list anywhere, I’ll definitely make them and what do you know, ATK’s Chewy Brownies were there on the list!

ATK Chewy Brownies

I’ve made a couple of other recipes from this list – the wonderful Sticky Buns and the New York Thin Crust Pizza Dough. Sticky Buns – excellent. Pizza dough – no, no, no – it didn’t work out for me and I don’t recommend it (threw away the pizza).

Now, to these Chewy Brownies. Outstanding, fudgy brownies that you would be proud to take to any gathering. Or better yet, stay home and eat them all.

ATK Chewy Brownies

I think the bottom and top get chewy from baking them on the bottom rack of the oven. Then there’s the most fudgy, chocolaty insides that I’ve ever had in a brownie.

ATK tried to mimic boxed brownies since everyone seems to like them so much (including me), but I have to say these are better than any boxed.

ATK Chewy Brownies

I like this recipe because it’s made in a big bowl and all of the ingredients are whisked, then stirred together.

Pour the batter into the pan, pop them in the oven and 45 or so minutes later you have incredible brownies. Their recipe says to bake for 30-35 minutes, but mine took a little over 45. You’ll want to test them after 35 minutes, depending on your oven.

Bret likes frosting on brownies. I can’t imagine putting frosting on these rich brownies – they definitely don’t need it. He’ll just have to suffer and eat them wonderfully plain.

ATK Chewy Brownies

ATK’s Chewy Brownies use three kinds of chocolate – Dutch-processed cocoa powder, unsweetened chocolate, and bittersweet chocolate. Yes, the Dutch-processed cocoa powder does make a difference, so get it if you can. I got mine at Central Market for a pretty good price.

Don’t have much of a preference for the unsweetened baking chocolate, but for the bittersweet chips, go with Ghirardelli. They’re usually available at your local grocery store.

I hope you enjoy these brownies. They definitely deserve to be on America’s Test Kitchen’s Top 20 list. Absolutely.

ATK Chewy Brownies

ATK's Chewy Brownies

Yield: 25 brownies
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Cooling Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours 35 minutes

Rich, decadent perfect chocolate brownies made with three kinds of chocolate.

Ingredients

  • 1/3 C (1 oz) Dutch-processed cocoa powder
  • 1 1/2 tsp instant coffee granules
  • 1/2 C plus 2 tbsp boiling water
  • 2 oz unsweetened chocolate,finely chopped
  • 1/2 C plus 2 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 4 tbsp (1/2 stick) butter, melted
  • 2 large whole eggs, plus 2 large egg yolks
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 C (14 oz) granulated sugar
  • 1 3/4 C (8 1/4 oz) all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 tsp table salt
  • 6 oz bittersweet chocolate chips or chunks cut into 1/2 " pieces

Instructions

  1. Move an oven rack to the lowest position in the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 13x9" pan with aluminum foil (to lift out brownies after they're cooled) and spray the aluminum foil lightly.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk the cocoa, coffee granules, and boiling water together until smooth. Add the finely chopped unsweetened chocolate and whisk together until melted and smooth.
  3. Whisk in the oil and melted butter (the mixture will look slightly curdled but it'll blend later). Add the whole eggs and egg yolks, and vanilla and continue to whisk until smooth and totally combined.
  4. Whisk in the sugar until fully incorporated. Add the flour and salt and stir completely together with a rubber spoon or spatula. Fold in the bittersweet chocolate pieces.
  5. Pour the batter into the pan and bake until a toothpick inserted toward the sides of the brownies comes out lightly moist with a few crumbs. Mine took about 45 minutes, but start checking at 35 minutes.
  6. Put the pan on a wire rack and let brownies cool for about an hour (so they won't fall apart). Lift the brownies from the pan by the aluminum foil flaps and set on the rack to completely cool.
  7. Remove the aluminum foil and make 4 even cuts horizontally and also vertically (to equal 25 squares) and serve. Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Like they'll last that long.

Notes

Tips and Stuff:

The original recipe calls for instant espresso, but I used coffee granules.  This ingredient is optional, but recommended.

I used canola oil instead of vegetable oil.

The original recipes calls for 2 1/2 cups of sugar, but they were plenty sweet and rich at 2 cups of sugar.

The original recipe calls for 30-35 minutes in the oven, but mine were almost raw in the middle at 30 minutes.  Mine took more like 45-50 minutes, but don't over bake them - they are very moist.

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 25 Serving Size: 1 brownie
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 107Total Fat: 6gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 37mgSodium: 89mgCarbohydrates: 10gFiber: 1gSugar: 0gProtein: 3g
© adapted slightly from America's Test Kitchen
Category: Bars

Filed Under: All Recipes, Bars Tagged With: America's Test Kitchen, America's Test Kitchen Brownies, ATK chewy brownies, bars, best brownies, Brownies, chewy brownies, chocolate, dessert

Blueberry Swirl Gelato

May 19, 2020 by sblades 2 Comments

Blueberry Swirl Gelato

I have a big bag of frozen Maine blueberries leftover from the Blueberry Buns I made a couple of weeks ago. This Blueberry Swirl Gelato has been in my sights* for awhile and it sounds wonderful to me. Probably because it’s 90 degrees outside now and summer is creeping up on us. Stinkin’ summer.

I’m still surprised and annoyed at summer in Texas every year, even though I was born here and have lived here my whole life. This gelato is going to make it much, much better this year – I just know it.

Blueberry Swirl Gelato

It looks like there are a lot of steps to this recipe, but it’s actually quite easy. There is a lot of refrigeration time – the more time in the fridge, the creamier the gelato will be when you freeze it.

It’s a toss up whether this is an ice cream or gelato. Gelato normally uses fewer or no eggs and the ratio of milk to cream is higher than in regular ice cream.

Blueberry Swirl Gelato

This particular recipe uses four eggs and you can sure taste them in the end result. The custard base is so creamy and delicious. I really don’t care if it’s an ice cream or gelato. It’s so very, very incredibly good!

The blueberries really shine through in this Blueberry Swirl Gelato, so use the highest quality you can find.

I recommend Maine blueberries in the frozen section of your grocery store. Sometimes fresh blueberries don’t have as much flavor as the frozen ones, but you can use fresh if you prefer.

Blueberry Swirl Gelato

I’m looking forward to trying this with raspberries (seeds strained out, of course). Strawberries or blackberries will work too. Heck, any fruit you can puree – which is all of them – will be great.

It’s gonna be a long, cool summer at my house.

Blueberry Swirl Gelato

Blueberry Swirl Gelato

Yield: 8 servings
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 8 minutes
Total Time: 28 minutes

Rich, creamy ice cream/gelato with swirls of blueberry. Decadent and delicious.

Ingredients

  • Fruit Puree:
  • 3 C frozen blueberries
  • 1/2 C, plus 1 tbsp granulated sugar
  • 2 tsp fresh lemon juice
  • pinch of salt
  • Custard Base:
  • 4 large egg yolks
  • 1/2 C plus 1 tbsp granulated sugar
  • 2 C whole milk
  • 1 C heavy cream
  • 1/4 tsp kosher salt (or a pinch of regular salt)

Instructions

  1. For the puree: In a medium saucepan on medium heat, pour the blueberries, sugar, lemon juice and salt and stir to combine. Let sit for 30 minutes, stirring once or twice.
  2. Set the pan over medium heat and bring to a high simmer. Turn the heat to medium-low and simmer until slightly thickened, stirring occasionally, about 10-15 minutes. It will still be fairly liquidy. Let cool for 10 minutes, then puree in a blender until smooth.
  3. Pour the blueberry mixture through a sieve and into a container that has a lid, scraping the bottom of the sieve to get all the juices off. Put the lid on the container and store in the refrigerator until cooled and ready to use.
  4. For the custard base: In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks and sugar together for about a minute, until lighter pale yellow. Whisk in the milk, cream, and salt. Pour into a medium sauce pan over medium heat. Whisk frequently until the mixture gets to 170°. Immediately remove from heat and run through a sieve, making sure to scrape the bottom of the sieve. Place in a tightly lidded, freezer-proof container and refrigerate at least 4 hours (overnight is better).
  5. To churn: Add all but 1/4 cup of the blueberry puree to the custard base. Stir until well-combined. Pour into your ice cream maker and churn for 30-45 minutes until it starts firming up some and swirls up to the top of your ice cream maker. Pour back into the freezer-proof container. Swirl the leftover 1/4 cup of puree into the ice cream, then tightly lid the container and place in the freezer.
  6. Let freeze 4-5 hours (overnight is better). It won't firm up as much as regular ice cream, but will be very thick and luscious.

Notes

Tips and Stuff:

Might want to slip on the handy-dandy kitchen gloves while you're handing the blueberries - they tend to turn everything purple.

You can make the puree the day before you make the ice cream.  It chills into a beautiful, thick blueberry sauce.

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1 servings
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 257Total Fat: 17gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 165mgSodium: 176mgCarbohydrates: 20gFiber: 2gSugar: 15gProtein: 7g

Nutrition Values are Approximate

© adapted from OneArmedMama.com
Category: Ice Cream/Sorbets
*adapted from www.OneArmedMama.com

Filed Under: All Recipes, Fruit, Ice Cream/Sorbets Tagged With: Blueberries, blueberry gelato, blueberry ice cream, dessert, fruit, gelato, Homemade Ice Cream

Lemon, Ricotta & Thyme Mini-Loaves

April 20, 2020 by sblades 10 Comments

This month’s Cake Slice Bakers challenge is Lemon, Ricotta & Thyme Mini-Loaves from The New Way to Cake by Benjamina Ebuehi. I’ve always wanted to try thyme in a sweet recipe and this looks like the perfect recipe for it.

Lemon Thyme Mini Loaves

First problem: no fresh thyme in three grocery stores I went to. Plenty of oregano and dill, but no thyme. I was going to order it for curbside pick up from Central Market, but the first available pick up date was April 24 – a six day wait! Since my cake is due on the 20th, no fresh thyme for me.

Instead of a tablespoon of fresh thyme, I used a scant teaspoon of dried thyme rubbed between my palms to bring out that wonderful aroma. Thyme actually has a slight lemony scent and I couldn’t wait to try this combination.

Lemon Thyme Mini Loaves

This recipe for Lemon, Ricotta & Thyme Mini-Loaves makes 8 mini-loaves. Raise your hand if you have 8 mini-loaf pans. Right, that’s what I thought – me neither.

I ended up making them in little meatloaf mini-pans. They’re quite a bit larger than mini-loaf pans, so I only got 5 loaves out of the batter. That’s OK. They’re really cute and are a great size for giving as gifts.

They puffed up so nicely (2 teaspoons of baking powder will do that) and have such a soft, almost velvety texture. I used rather large lemons, so there was a lot of zest. The flavor, though, is really nice and lightly lemony.

Lemon Thyme Mini Loaves

The ricotta (over by the cream cheese in my store) gives these loaves that delicious, velvety texture. I love baking with ricotta because it’s so creamy and different.

Don’t be afraid of using thyme or any other savory herb in a sweet recipe. As long as you don’t go overboard with the herb, it can really add a great flavor. These would be fantastic even without the thyme.

Lemon Thyme Mini Loaves

I love the way Benjamina uses herbs, flowers, and spices in her recipes. They’re really different and delicious without having a couple of inches of buttercream on top. Her cookbook is quickly becoming one of my favorite cake books.

Lemon Thyme Mini Loaves

Lemon, Ricotta & Thyme Mini-Loaves

Yield: 8 mini-loaves
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes

A lightly lemony little loaf with just the right amount of thyme to enhance the flavor.

Ingredients

  • 1 C granulated sugar
  • Zest of two lemons
  • 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh thyme
  • 1/2 C sunflower or vegetable oil
  • 1 C ricotta
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 1/2 C all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • Pinch of salt
  • For the glaze:
  • 1 1/4 C powdered sugar
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 8 fresh thyme springs (for garnish)

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Grease eight mini-loaf pans and line each bottom with a strip of parchment paper.
  2. Place the sugar and zest into a large bowl. Use your fingertips to rub the zest into the sugar to release essential lemon oils. Stir in the chopped thyme.
  3. Add the oil, ricotta and eggs and whisk until smooth. Gently stir in the flour, baking powder and salt just until mixed.
  4. Divide the batter evenly into the prepared pans and bake for 27 to 30 minutes, or until the loaves are lightly golden and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Leave in the pans to cool for a few minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack. Cool completely.
  5. For the glaze: Put powdered sugar to a medium bowl and add enough lemon juice to make a thick-but-pourable glaze. Spoon glaze onto the loaves, letting it drip over the edges. Top with a sprig of thyme if you'd like.

Notes

Tips and Stuff:

If you can't find fresh thyme, use about 1 scant teaspoon of dried thyme, rubbed between your palms to bring out the aroma.

I didn't have sunflower or vegetable oil, so used canola.

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 16 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 222Total Fat: 9gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 28mgSodium: 94mgCarbohydrates: 33gFiber: 1gSugar: 22gProtein: 4g

Nutrition Values are Approximate

© Benjamina Ebuehi (The New Way to Cake)
Category: Cakes
 
 

Each month The Cake Slice Bakers are offered a selection of cakes from the current book we are baking through. This year it is The New Way To Cake by Benjamina Ebuehi. We each choose one cake to bake, and then on the 20th – never before – we all post about our cake on our blogs. There are a few rules that we follow, but the most important ones are to have fun and enjoy baking & eating cakes!

Follow our Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest pages where you can find all of our cakes, as well as inspiration for many other cakes. You can also click on the thumbnail pictures below to take you to each of our cakes. If you have a blog and are interested in joining The Cake Slice Bakers and baking along with us, please send an email to thecakeslicebakers at gmail dot com for more details.

The Cake Slice Bakers also have a new Facebook group called The Cake Slice Bakers and Friends. This group is perfect for those who do not have a blog but want to join in the fun and bake through this book.

 
 

It is a new year and a new book – The New Way To Cake – and our choices for April 2020 were ~

Carrot Cake with Masala Chai

  • All That’s Left Are The Crumbs
  • Making Miracles
  • Oven Delights
  • Amandie Bakes
 
Lemon, Ricotta and Thyme Mini-Loaves 
  • A Little Bit of All Right
  • Karen’s Kitchen Stories
  • My Recipe Reviews

Jasmine Green Tea Cake

  • Camille Cooks
  • Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Filed Under: All Recipes, Cakes Tagged With: dessert, lemon and thyme, lemon and time loaves, lemon loaves, Lemon Zest, lemons, mini loaves, thyme

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