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!!

There’s a funny thing I’m discovering about baking- that which I would assume is most difficult, turns out to be quite simple… and that which looks simple (ie: a little, cute macaron) is incredibly terrifying. Who knew? Luckily, eclairs fall under that category of  things-you-thought-were-crazily-difficult-but-not-so-much! So, below is the recipe… and with some powdered sugar, strawberry sauce, and fresh berries, these are a quick and simple dessert that’s sure to impress.

Mini Eclairs with Strawberry Sauce

Eclair Ingredients:

• 4 tbsp butter (the original recipe calls for unsalted but I say salted is fine, you’d add a pinch anyway)
• 2/3 cup water (temp doesn’t matter)
• 1/2 cup sifted AP flour
• 2 beaten eggs
• pinch of salt if you use unsalted butter

Sauce Ingredients:

• 1 cup frozen strawberries, chopped roughly
• 1/3 cup water
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tblspn honey
• 1 tsp cornstarch (dissolved in a bit of water to form a paste)

Process:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F, grease a large baking sheet (or silpat it)
2. Place butter and water in a small saucepan and heat to boil
3. Remove from the heat, put in the flour, and quickly stir it into a thick dough
4. Transfer this to a bowl and beat the pre-beaten eggs in slowly, until the mixture is smooth, glossy, but still very thick
5. Place your mixture into a ziplock bag, close it while letting all the air escape, and cut off one corner approximately 1/3 inch thick
6. Pipe eclairs that are about finger-size, about 2 inches apart, onto the sheet. you very well may need two sheets depending on how large your sheet is
7. Into the oven they go for about 10-12 minutes or until lightly golden on top – then take them out, cut a small slit in the middle of each, and return to the oven for 2-3 more minutes; then transfer to a wire rack t cool
8. Place your sauce ingredients into your now-clean small sauce pan and simmer until the mixture begins to thicken and stick to the spoon- should be about 10 minutes on medium heat- and set aside
9. Spoon some melted chocolate, strawberry sauce, and fresh berries onto you rmini eclairs, dust with powdered sugar, and you’re set for yummyness! :)

These are very portable; make great gifts; perfect for parties; are adorable; and delicious. You could set up an eclair bar at a birthday with a bunch of different toppings and sauces (I’m tempted to do so myself) – it’s a fun and interactive dessert and since they’re mini, you can eat several and have each one be different!

If you’re looking for a pretty bit of pastry to make a new friend, look no further than raspberries, strawberries, and almonds- this tarte is something that will enchant you and your guests. A flaky layer of pastry follows an oozing layer of fruit puree, topped with a mousse-y, creamy, thick almond layer. What’s not to like? This sophisticated dessert will impress your friends, is relatively simple, and chock-full of vitamin C (did you know strawberries are superhigh in their vitamin C content? excellent excuse)

Raspberry-Strawberry & Almond Tarte

Adapted from The Complete Step-by-Step Family Cookbook’s Raspberry & Almond Tart

Ingredients:

The pastry:

• 1.5 cups organic AP flour
• 1/2 cup organic ground almond meal
• 1 tblspn crushed slivered almonds
• 1/8 tsp kosher salt
• 1 stick organic soy butter, very cold, cut into cubes
• 1/4 heaping cup granulated sugar
• 1 egg yolk (organic, brown, cage-free)
• 2 tsp Mexican vanilla extract

The filling:

• 4 tblspn organic soy butter
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup crushed slivered almonds (toasted lightly)
• 3 eggs (organic, brown, cage-free)
• 1.5 cups frozen strawberries, in chunks
• 1 heaping cup fresh raspberries

Process:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F
2. Blend together the dry pastry ingredients (flour, sugar, almond meal, salt) in a food processor for a few short pulses. Then add the butter cubes and pulse repeatedly until the mixture becomes crumbly.
3. Mix the egg yolk with 2 tablespoons of ice-cold water and pour it through the feed tube of the processor while continually pulsing. Pour the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth, continually adding more flour in small batches until the dough is no longer super-sticky to handle. Wrap in clingwrap and chill in fridge for 20-30 minutes.
4. While the dough is chilling, prepare the filling: blend together the raspberries and strawberries; set aside in a container and chill in the fridge. Then blend together the butter, sugar, ground almonds, and eggs until it becomes a smooth, mousse-y mixture, and place in the fridge as well.
5. Remove the dough from the fridge and roll out (on a lightly floured surface, with a lightly floured rolling pin) onto a 9-inch tart pan (fluted edges preferable). Roll your pin around the sides to remove the excess and dock the dough firmly on the sides. I used the extra to line the bottom a second time- you can make a second, smaller tart (or galette, which I also did this time) if you wish!
6. Poke holes along the bottom and sides, and bake the tart empty for 12 minutes. Then, remove from oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes. Once cooled, pour the fruit puree evenly onto the tart dough. Then spoon on the almond mixture, until it evenly coats the top of the fruit puree.
7. Bake for an additional 15-20 minutes, until the tart crust looks golden brown and the almond mousse/mixture is golden brown as well. Allow to cool for a few minutes and enjoy warm with ice cream, or cool overnight and have cool the next day with hot tea.

It’s seriously delicious, and rather versatile- you could switch out the fruits and nuts and make this a totally new tart! I like tha layered filling idea, and am tempted to try a variety of combinations here. I liked it hot, but far prefered it cool and chilled the next day as a tea cake. You may like it either way- try it and find out! :)

For those of us who ended up not being a brain surgeon, rocket scientist, or astronaut, there’s always a bit of wonder about what could have been- and a tinge of regret. My lovely friend B was very amused at the idea of injecting cupcakes- and apparently somewhat regrets not having become a doctor- and requested a ‘sugery date’ during which we would inject some cupcakes together. Of course, that alone isn’t enough of a challenge, so we had to add a little something to the mix: B is gluten-intolerant. To add to the fun, she has trouble with lactose, particularly with cow’s milk. So basically we needed to make a cupcake that was gluten-free, with something to inject that is low(er) on the milk. Yikes! Challenge! What to make?

I decided to peruse my I Heart Sugar cookbook (it’s a delicious one to look through) and found a Raspberry Almond Cupcake recipe that seemed good. I was wary of the raspberries and had a large influx of strawberries my mother had kindly delivered the weekend before, and thus opted for strawberries in stead (after a brief consultation with B get approval).

The cake is a bit moist where the berries settled in- despite drying them for a few hours beforehand and parching their thirst upon paper towels. Despite this, they’re really yummy (note: you must be fairly crazy about almonds to agree with that statement). They’re low-fat, almost vegan friendly (darn you, eggs, I wasn’t of a mind to substitute you with pumpkin), and use all-natural ingredients. They’ve got chewiness and crunch. And with a little strawberry chunk and powdered sugar on top, what’s not to like?

Gluten-Free Strawberry Almond Cupcakes

Adapted from Raspberry Almond Cupcakes from I Love Sugar

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup organic rice flour
• 2/3 cup organic almond meal (I used Arrowhead Mills)
• 1.5 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 vegan buttery stick (earth balance) (aka 1/2 cup butter)
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 tsp organic almond extract
• 2 eggs, brown, organic, cage-free
• 1/3 cup slivered almonds
• 1/2 pound fresh strawberries
• 1/2 package neufchatel reduced fat cream cheese
• 1/4 cup whole dry-roasted sugar-coated almonds
• confectioner’s sugar for dusting

Process:

1. Cut all but 5 of the strawberries into 1/2-inch chunks and place on a plate covered with a paper towel. Place another paper towel on top, press firmly, and leave otuside to dry for as long as you can (preferably a few hours at the least)
2. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and line 14 large cupcake cups or some combination of large and little cups (amount of batter may differ for you slightly)
3. Place the butter (softened), sugar, and almond extract in a large bowl and beat together until light and fluffy. Beat the eggs in to the mix one at a time, then sift in the flour and baking powder. Stir the mixture with a large wooden spoon, then fold in the almond meal. Lastly, fold in the dried strawberry chunks.
4. Spoon the mixture about 1/2-full into the cups. Sprinkle slivered almond pieces on top and bake for 20 minutes.
5. While the cupcakes are baking, place the cream cheese, two of the strawberries (chopped coarsely), and the almonds in a food processor (if your almonds are whole and crunchy, you can process these first into tiny pieces). Process until you have a thick, creamy batter.
6. Remove the cupcakes from the oven (tops should be just turning golden-brown and cracking towards the center) and place to cool on a wire rack.
7. Fill a piping bag or tube with the crea, cheese mixture and inject the cupcakes, taking a long injecting tip (thin, long, tubular) and placing it halfway through the cupcake from the top. Press the batter in, and stop when the cupcake ‘pops’- you’ll see it suddenly pop upward and puff up slightly. This means it’s taken its fill of cream cheese :)
8. Once all the cupcakes are filled, dust with powdered sugar, and place a strawberry slice on top. Enjoy!

B holds that the best part of these is the injected cream cheese batter, but I like them better as-is, and would want to make them strawberry-less. The almond taste is so whole and good, and you get it from so many sides (almond extract, almond meal, crushed almonds, slivered almonds) that it’s like an almond attack! Watch out! They may come for your taste buds!

If you’re like me, you’re a fan of Jamba Juice. For those who haven’t the luxury of having a Jamba near them, it’s your standard juice/smoothie bar/stop with a variety of healthy, thick smoothies (try their peanut butter and granola ones… now that is THICK!). They’re yummy, and being a creature of habit, I get the same one every time (I’ve experimented with a few others over the years, but always come back to this one)- the Banana Berry. It’s a delicious smoothie, full of banana and blueberries and who knows what else (their recipes are, of course, secret). Oddly, I’m not a big banana fan, but something about the taste, texture, and viscosity of this smoothie makes me happy. So, naturally, I sought to recreate this happiness at home.

I’ve attempted to get this recipe down many a time and am happy to say I’ve finally got it. This may not be the perfect way- and you may find a variant you like better (not everyone happens to have raspberry sorbet on hand)- but this tastes really, really close to the Jamba version, so why not make it yourself at home and save?

Banana Berry Smoothie

Ingredients:

• 1 small to medium-sized, incredibly ripe banana (so ripe it won’t hold its shape. THAT ripe.)
• 1 tablespoon raspberry sorbet
• 2/3 cup natural vanilla ice cream
• 1 cup frozen strawberries, chopped coarsely
• 1/4 cup frozen blueberries
• 1/4 cup organic skim milk
• 1 tsp clover honey
• sprinkling of sea salt

Process:

To quote Selena Gomez in her Borden Milk commercials, it’s “seriously delicious”. If you’re looking for a healthier alternative, substitute the ice cream for low-fat vanilla yogurt and cut down a bit on the milk (unless if you like it to be thinner, in which case by all means keep the liquidyness!). Yum yum yum.

Lemonade seems to be one of the defining items of summer, does it not? When you think of summer, one can feel this thirst for lemonade… as well as a desire for the crunch of fresh fruit. Strawberries and lemons make for fabulous partners. Vitamin C + ascorbic acid = amazing conservation. This cupcake was one that immensly appealed to those who usually dislike sweets- and love fruit. I’m glad to say they were the recipients of some excellent feedback- “I usually don’t like cakes or sweet things but these were pretty darn fantastic!” “I loved them. Those strawberry cupcakes were the best!” “I usually hate icing- but that was some really good icing.” If that’s not enough to convince you, I don’t know what is :)

The cupcake itself is very low fat- using all canola oil in favour of butter, and with plain low-fat yogurt. Yum! The icing, however… well… let’s pretend that’s equally healthy, shall we?

Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes

Adapted from Lemon Yogurt Cupcake @ Smells Like Bean Spirit

Ingredients:

• 1 & 1/3 cups King Arthur organic cake flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp Sicilian sea salt, large grain
• 3 large cage-free eggs
• 1 cup plain low-fat Stonyfield organic yogurt
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 lemons, zested and juiced
• zest of 1 small orange
• 1/8 tsp 2x vanilla extract
• 1 cup finely-chopped strawberries
• 1/4 cup organic canola oil

Process:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Whisk together briskly the eggs, vanilla, zest, juices (lemon + orange), and sugar in a large bowl; set aside.
3. Sift together the flour, salt, and baking powder into a small bowl.
4. Mix the flour mixture into the wet mixture in two batches, mixing briskly and thoroughly but not overmixing.
5. Pour in the oil and mix this in as well, still briskly. Then fold in the strawberry bits.
6. Pour into baking cups (small, large, both, you pick!) and bake for 18-20 minutes (depending on the heat of your oven). Then let cool in a wire rack while you prepare the icing!

Icing Ingredients:

• 7 tablespoons soy butter, softened
• zest of 1/2 a lemon
• 1/4 tsp 2x vanilla extract
• 2-3 large strawberries, finely chopped
• about 1.5 cups confectioner’s sugar

The ‘about’ in reference to the powdered sugar is because this depends on the consistency you’re going for. I wanted a thick, creamy icing that would pipe easily and hold its shape; but if you’re going for runnier, then add less sugar, and for a more thick icing, add more, and so forth. It’s not overly sweet, surprisingly, but that’s thanks to the lemon. It’s very rich, and goes very nicely with the airy cake.

This one’s a cupcake for friends and family who claim they aren’t dessert people. Make a batch of these and prove them wrong! :)

SPECIAL NOTE: The one complaint I had concerning these- and it was the same excat complaint every time- was regarding the texture of the cupcake around the strawberry bits, which sort of melted into the cake during baking. The cupcake became rather gooey around these parts, mostly due to the excess moisture being thrown out by the berry pieces. To combat this, try either a) drying them on a paper towel for 1-2 hours prior to baking (thanks, Jon!); or b) masserating them in sugar to ‘sweat out’ the moisture, then dry on a paper towel. It all depends on the sweetness level you would like your cupcake to have! Another alternative is to use method b but then rinse the berries thoroughly to remove the added sugar which has not been absorbed- this may reduce the sweetness by a bit.