Happy birthday wishes to my best friend and sister, for whom this cake was baked :). I’ve been making my sister’s birthday cake off and on since her- correct me if I’m wrong here, E- 16th year and for her 22nd I asked for her to choose – and after long deliberation, she decided on the following: a fudge brownie, topped with a vanilla bean cheesecake, encased in white chocolate frosting, topped with strawberries and caramel. We ended up leaving out the brownie layer for fear of giving her birthday guests heart attacks, but kept the rest of this sinfully rich cake’s attributes. Thus I present to you the first of a series of three cheesecakes made recently (and according to my parents, the best of the three).

Vanilla Bean White Chocolate Cheesecake

Adapted from Simply Scratch’s New York Cheesecake

Ingredients (Cake Crust):

• 8 whole honey graham crackers, roughly cut into large pieces
• 12 nilla wafers minis
• 4 tablespoons salted butter, melted
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Ingredients (Cake):

• 4 pck of cream cheese (and I’m sorry to say this but you really need all 16oz to be full-fat)
• 1 & 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup whole milk (no rBST!!)
• 4 eggs (cage-free, brown, organic)
• 1 & 1/2 cup sour cream (again, not light!)
• scant 1/4 cup AP flour (King Arthur)
• 2 tblspn vanilla extract
• 1 tblspn vanilla bean paste

Ingredients (Icing):

• 1 pckg (about 12 oz) white chocolate chips (guittard, ghirardelli, etc- just not nestle or other substandard choices)
• 2 tblspn soy butter
• 1/3 heaping cup heavy/double cream
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• dash of salt
• for garnish: fresh strawberry halves, caramel

Process:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and grease a 9-inch springform (the spring really, really helps)
2. Get your food processor and place into it the graham and nilla wafer crackers. Pulse until a thick, coarse, somewhat-chunky meal emerges. Then get a medium-sized bowl and into it place the melted butter and vanilla. Then mix in the cracker mixture until it’s a thick, gooey mess and press that into the bottom of the pan going up an inch or so up the sides (or as high as you’d like, really, depending on how thick you like your crust to be)   
3. Place the cream cheese and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer and mix on low speed until smooth, but NOT liquid- you want to retain the thickness of the texture here.
4. Add in the milk and stir briefly on low- then mix in the eggs one at a time, mixing just barely so that they’re incorporated. Don’t add them all at once as this will adversely affect the texture!
5. Mix in the sour cream, vanilla, and flour until smooth, still being careful to keep the whole mixture thick- then pour everything into the springform and place the entire cake on a baking sheet.
6. Bake the cakefor an hour at 350 degrees, then- and this will sound strange- turn the oven off and leave the cake to hang out for 5 or 6 hours, or overnight. Be sure not to open the oven door after you turn it off so it keeps steaming slowly. Then cool it in the fridge until ready – these get better with age, so I suggest making it a few days ahead of time.
7. Once it’s had ample cooling time (a few hours), prepare the icing- place all the icing ingredients in a medium saucepan and mix together until melted. Take off the heat and allow to thicken for 2 minutes- then spread over cake and cool for another several hours. Shortly before serving, add on strawberries and caramel.

It’s not too sweet, and it’s just rich enough – the age and topping make the difference, and the white chocolate icing gives it something sophisticated (along with the vanilla bean in the cake itself). This is a modified take on a classic, and one that a great variety of folks can enjoy. My sister loved it :) so it served its purpose! Happy birthday, lovely, and an exciting year 22 for you!!

So when I made the apricot danish cake, I thought, hmm, this could be pretty cute- and convenient- as mini cakes… but I wonder if they’d turn out the same way. And indeed, like a sign, they did not! I do have to admit that it was not fully the result of having switched to a smaller size- I changed several elements at once. Low-fat/light sour cream was replaced by fat-free; the egg whites were fresher and therefore more firm (and with more air), and more apricot puree was inserted into the creamy batter (which weighed it down a bit more). That said, it was a fascinating experiment, and the only way to describe them, really, is as being some sort of hybrid between a danish and a souffle, with a slight cheesecake-like texture near the fruit. And the jelly was a complete accident! I was yet again- in vain- attempting to make a caramel sauce to top the cakes and out came jelly. Go figure- I think I’m just not meant to get caramel right.

Mini Apricot Cream Cakes with Home-Made Apricot-Pear Jelly

Adapted from Bill Granger’s Apricot Upside-Down Cake

Ingredients (for the jelly/ fresh fruit topping):

• 1/3 cup Kerns pear nectar
• 1/3 cup apricot juice
• 1/8 tsp lemon juice
• 1/4 cup lightly packed light brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons soy butter
• 1 can fresh apricot halves in juice (keep the juice!)
• 2-3 additional fresh apricots, halved (and rinsed, de-seeded)
• 1 tsp 2x-concentrated vanilla extract

Ingredients (cake):

• 5 tblspn soy butter
• 4 + 6 oz fat-free sour cream
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3 apricots, pureed
• 1.5 cups all-purpose flour
• 2.5 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 separated eggs
• 1 tsp 2x-concentrated vanilla extract

Process:

1. Heat oven to 355 degrees F and butter a large muffin pan (I had leftover batter from doing 12 muffin-size cakes and therefore buttered a pan to make a long, flat cake. you can try making mini cakes in a mini muffin pan with your extra batter)
2. Heat together pear nectar, apricot juice, lemon juice, brown sugar, soy butter,and  vanilla extract over medium heat until it begins to bubble slightly; then add in apricot halves and reduce heat slightly. Keep flipping over the apricots so that they’re fully coated with the mixture, until they are soft and cooked through but not falling apart, and the sauce has caramelized. Then, pour apricots slowly and evenly into pan and set aside.
3. Pour caramelized sauce into a small, fairly flat bowl and set aside. This will become a jelly (I’m told pear probably has pectin, which triggers this. My pear netar is also a bit on the old side, which may have contributed to this texture in some fashion)
4. Sift together the flour and baking powder in a small bowl and set aside.
5. Put soy butter, sugar, and vanilla extract in a bowl and mix slowly until the mixture has a creamy texture. Then gently mix in the first 4 oz of the sour cream. Whisk in the egg yolks in two batches (2 at a time), then add in the pureed apricots (just halve them, chop into small pieces, and place in blender or food processor) and mix slowly.
6. Add the sifted flour in two batches, stirring slowly and only until just mixed in. If there are a few small tufts of unmixed flour, don’t worry about them! Then add in the remaining half of the sour cream, again mixing slowly.
7. Take a chilled bowl (preerably metal) and place egg whites and 1/2 tsp salt inside. Beat with an electric mixer on 1 or lowest speed for 3-60 seconds, then slowly raise speed until stiff, white peaks are formed. Be careful not to overbeat, or the whites will begin falling back down.
8. Fold the egg whites in 3-4 batches, being careful to fold and not mix so as to get all the air into the cake. Pour mixture slowly and evenly over the apricots in your muffin pan.
9. Place in oven on top rack for approximately 20-25 minutes, then remove and check with a toothpick. Let side 5 minutes to cool, then flip over onto a plate (or carefully remove each mini cake individually- or flip onto a cookie sheet, as my visiting friend suggested) and allow to continue cooling for 30 minutes. Eat warm with vanilla ice cream and heated jelly or cool as a Danish (as it cools, the cake will compress and compact into a thicker, creamier texture, especially near the fruit)
10. For the jelly, it ought to have jelly-itized by now. If it hasn’t, try going the conventional method and re-heating and adding pectin. Once your jelly has set, scoop out tiny pieces and place on top of the cakes. Serve with a leaf of fresh basil or mint and a warm scoop of vanilla ice cream with cinnamon sprinkled on top.

…and if you serve it with the serving suggestion in step 10, prepare yourself by getting some more ice cream, because it will be eaten so quickly that you won’t realize it happened until it’s too late. Warm cake with oozingly caramelized fruit + melting ice cream = mmmmh. Now I’m tempted to go make a batch of these again :). They’re portable, rather simple, and make a great gift or are perfect for your next entertaining event!

Yesterday, the boyfriend and I were invited over to his friend’s parents’ house for lunch (let’s call then the G’s). Mr. and Mrs. G are fabulous conversationalists- engaging, cultured, and hillarious. I suggested bringing a dessert, and began to wonder what to bring. I thought something moderately sweet would be a safe bet, and decided on an apricot coffee cake. Apricots are my favourite fruit- they’re juicy, slightly acidic, sweet, and so, so delicious. Unfortunately, their season is ridiculously short- sometimes only June!- and thus the second they begin to hit the shelves, I start eating about 3 a day. My mother taught me carefully the way to pick out the best ones- soft but not mushy, a vibrant hue of orange and reds and pinks, and with a sweet smell that promises a juicy munch.

I searched for a recipe that fit the basic idea I had in my head and found one that seemed adequate. Unfortunately, I had to restart, switched computers, lost the link, and was unable to find it again. But, luckily, I happened upon this brilliant recipe by Bill Granger of Australia, and began making some edits (because I’m incapable of following a recipe as-is).

The result, post-edits, was something I would not have thought possible, considering the fact that so much air is in this cake with the egg whites: a Danish! I made a Danish cake, by accident! Apparently, adding a large amount of sour cream- even if light- and reducing moisture will result in a thick, moist Danish. Mmmmh. I plan to experiment with this one again very, very soon, in muffin tins, to make individual cakes.

Upside-Down Apricot Danish Cake

Adapted from Bill Granger’s Apricot Upside-Down Cake

Ingredients:

Topping:

1/2 cup lightly-packed light brown sugar

• 1/4 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp almond extract (or vanilla) – optional
• 4 tblspn soy butter
• 1 can apricot halves in juice (NOT syrup – no need for that extra sugar!) OR 6-8 fresh apricot halves

Cake:

• 6 tblspn soy butter
• 8 oz light sour cream (for a more Danish consistency, bring this up to 10-12 oz)
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2-4 apricots, pureed
• 1.5 cups all-purpose flour
• 2.5 tsp baking powder
• 4 separated eggs
• 1/2 tsp almond extract (optional)

Process:

1. Heat oven to 355 degrees F and butter a bundt cake pan or 9-inch round springform pan
2. Heat together soy butter, brown sugar, lemon juice, and almond extract (and perhaps a tiny sprinkle of salt) over medium heat until it begins to bubble slightly; then add in apricot halves and reduce heat slightly. Keep flipping over the apricots so that they’re fully coated with the mixture, until they are soft and cooked through but not falling apart, and the sauce has caramelized. Then, pour apricots slowly and evenly into pan and set aside.
3. Sift together the flour and baking powder in a small bowl and set aside.
4. Put remaining soy butter, sugar, 1/2 of the sour cream, and almond or vanilla extract in a bowl and mix slowly until the mixture has a creamy texture. Whisk in the egg yolks in two batches (2 at a time), then add in the pureed apricots (just halve them, chop into small pieces, and place in blender or food processor) and mix slowly.
5. Add the sifted flour in two batches, stirring slowly and only until just mixed in. If there are a few small tufts of unmixed flour, don’t worry about them! Then add in the remaining half of the sour cream, again mixing slowly.
6. Take a chilled bowl (preerably metal) and place egg whites and 1/2 tsp salt inside. Beat with an electric mixer on 1 or lowest speed for 3-60 seconds, then slowly raise speed until stiff, white peaks are formed. Be careful not to overbeat, or the whites will begin falling back down.
7. Fold the egg whites in 3-4 batches, being careful to fold and not mix so as to get all the air into the cake. Pour mixture slowly and evenly over the apricots in your cake pan.
8. Place in oven on middle rack for approximately 50 minutes, then remove and check with a toothpick. Let side 5 minutes to cool, then flip over onto a plate and allow to continue cooling for 30 minutes. Eat warm with vanilla ice cream or cool as a Danish (as it cools, the cake will compress and compact into a thicker, creamier Danish)

It’s delicious, and not too sweet, as the acidity of the apricots really cuts through. The almond extract was strong, so I’d suggest either substituting it for vanilla, bringing down the quantity (that which I listed above is a bit toned down from my original, which I thought to be a bit too overtly almond-y) or simply leaving it out. That said, it’s a great cake, and easily transportable. The G’s enjoyed it, as did the boyfriend and sister, and it went nicely with the absolutely scrumptious meal Mrs. G made for us. :)

It’s true- it’s possible to make crème brûlée low-fat, surprisingly! I wouldn’t have thought so, but even this famous custard dessert can be edited into an equally delicious but far healthier version. None of those I served this to had guessed at its lower fat, and all deemed it authentic. It’s simple, but the almond taste kicks in towards the end and adds a nice flavour. I tried all three types of sugars (powdered, granulated, brown) and found powdered to be by far the best (as goes its reputation). The brown sugar burned too easily; the granulated sugar became too wet; the powdered, however, was just right.

Low-Fat Almond Crème Brûlée

Ingredients (makes 8 small, flat custards):

• 1 tblspn almond extract
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup organic skim milk
• 1 & 1/4 cup organic half-and-half 
• 1 egg (yolk + white)
• 3 egg yolks
• 2 tblspn granulated sugar
• 8 tsp powdered sugar
• 8 raspberries + sprigs of mint (for garnish)

Process:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
2. Scald the milk and cream by placing in a small, tall pot and boiling. Add vanilla extract, remove from heat as soon as it begins to bubble, and set aside.
3. Beat together the other ingredients (almond extract, sugar, eggs) until well mixed together.
4. Add a bit of the milk mixture to the egg mixture and slowly stir together; then add the rest of the milk in small batches, slowly whisking the mixture together. If there are any pieces of yolk/sugar, strain through a wire strainer.
5. Place the ramekins in a large pyrex dish or baking dish, not touching the sides.
6. Pour the mixture slowly and evenly into the ramekins (8, flat, or 4-6 souffle ramekins), being very careful not to spill
7. Pour water into the pyrex dish, making a bain-marie, and carefully place in the oven. Bake the custards for 30 minutes if flat, 35-40 minutes if taller- try wiggling them to see if they’re ready (if wiggling like jello, then they’re set!)
8. Remove from bain-marie water onto a heat-safe surface. To eat these in the ‘traditional’ way, sprinkle powdered sugar onto the tops and torch until the top is caramelized but not burnt. As an alternative, once cool enough to handle, chill for 30 minutes to 1 hour in the fridge, then sprinkle on sugar and torch.
9. To garnish, top with fresh raspberry and a sprig of mint, or other fresh fruit.

I’ve been told that if you haven’t a torch, you can use the broiler setting in the oven and place it directly under the heat, but mine was unsuccessful with this. That said, the lovely torch my friend B gifted me for my birthday worked out perfectly :) These were delicious, and tasted rich despite the lack of rich ingredients. Success! A low-fat alternative that’s well-hidden within great, full flavour.

So my mother, being an incredibly friendly person, is friends with the local produce manager, who offered her a bag of approximately 30 bananas for $2. She happily accepted, and gifted the large majority of them to me. 26 bananas… what to do?! A common first thought would be banana bread, but funny story about that… one load utilizes a mere 3 to 4 bananas, depending on the recipe… perhaps 5 if you’re really pushing it. Thus I was searching for ways to integrate as much banana as possible into recipes, and upon discussing this with my co-worker (call him C), I found a recipe for butterscotch banana cream pie. That didn’t quite fit my purposes, as 1) I was down to one mere egg, and 2) I was looking for something less creamy and more healthy. So a bit more research yielded a few more recipes, the threads of which began to coagulate in my mind, and a recipe was born.

This banana tarte uses the following recipes:

• This tarte crust- Which is, I promise you, the most odd and innovative crust you’ll ever try. You boil all the dough ingredients sans flour- yes, I said boil, at 410 degrees- and then when it’s sputtering angrily and blaming you for its heat, you add the flour all at once to the sizzling mess. It’s blisteringly hot, it’s unique, it’s delicious. It yields a fairly thin, buttery, flaky-but-not-crumbling crust that was just perfect. I’m saving this one for a fresh cream and berry tarte in the future, and perhaps apple tarte as well. Try it, it’s delicious, simple, and so different that your curiosity, if nothing else, will lead you to try.
• Caramel sauce- Which ended up, magically, having a surprising toffee flavour (I can’t explain how this happened). It’ll be quite liquid-y when you first make it, but worry not- some cooling will result in major thickening, and after a few hours in the fridge, this will be ready for ice cream topping!

The interior of the tarte- the banana filling- was inspired by the butterscotch filling mentioned above but in the end followed it so loosely that little was left of the original. Though I won’t give proportions as this turned out to be a successful tarte and thus a secret I refuse to share,  I can divuldge that the filling contains all of (but not only) the following ingredients: 4 large (ripe) bananas; heavy cream; ginger; cinnamon; salt; flour; butter. The magical ingredient which gives it the perfect consistency shall remain nameless, however. But some thinking as to thickening agents can probably bring you to figuring it out or finding an even better alternative!

Some lessons learned and tips when creating this or something similar:

• Though they may look a bit odd, poking holes in the tarte crust prior to baking is a must, I usually don’t and this crust was the best I have yet to produce, thus leading me to believe that this one changed variable can be (happily) held responsible for the yummy results
• Keeping a bit of dough (raw) on hand for patching things up was a brilliant suggestion by David (his blog has some fantastic recipes, by the way, so check it out if you’re in the mood for French confectionaries)- if you need to use the whole thing, mix some flour and water (my great-grandfather called this “culinary superglue”) together and that should do the trick.
• Though I avoid using butter at all costs, a tiny bit of it in the filling will stop your mixture from sticking to the sides, and will make it far more manageable when moving from pan to tarte. You can be like me and cheat by using earth balance soy butter, if that helps!
• A little patience goes a long way when slicing bananas for the top. When the tarte looks infinitely better, it tastes infinitely better (or so I hear, I actually have yet to taste it as I’m not too crazy about bananas)- seeing is believe (my advertising professors always reiterated this)
• Though they (the caramel people) seem to say otherwise- and I’ve come to the conclusion this is what toffee-itized my caramel- if you’re paranoid like me and remove the caramel from the heat too early and then are at a loss on what to do with this runny mixture with cream, put it back on the heat for 2-3 minutes and you’ll have some exciting toffee-caramel.

On to the pictures! Apologies for the long post on this one, but there was much to say :). Last thoughts: despite my sister being not particularly fond of bananas (she loves Costa Rican ones in particular (the miniature ones) but for some odd reason dislikes most others))- she can’t get enough of the tarte. Oddly, this is becoming a trend with people I offer slices of it to- despite their not being banana fans usually, they really enjoy it. I’m curious as to why this is- my sister volunteers the caramel sauce as reasoning, but I’m unsure. What are your thoughts on this experiment?

Bananas used: 7. (19 to go!)