desserts Archives - The Midnight Baker

Hoosier Tart

Judith Hannemann — Sat, 03 Sep 2022 23:00:15 +0000

Hoosier tart is a simple but rich and elegant dessert.

Hoosier Tart Is Creamy

If you’re looking for a dessert that’s ultra creamy but easy to make, look no further than this Hoosier tart.

I imagine its roots are in Indiana, although I can’t be positive, but if you just look at the name that’s where it hails from.

This pie is extremely rich because it is made with heavy cream. So if you’re counting calories this isn’t for you. If an occasional splurge is OK, then by all means try it. One good thing is it is so rich that a small serving will satisfy.

No Substitutions

Resist the temptation to substitute something with a lower fat content for the heavy cream. It’ll only result in something watery that won’t set up right. There’s really no way to make this a non-dairy treat either.

So rather than waste perfectly good ingredients, it’s wise not to try with this one.

The Crust

The crust can be as easy as frozen or refrigerated ones or your own from-scratch recipe! That’s the beauty of these types of desserts.

Personally, I opt for the frozen or refrigerated variety because pie crust can be hit or miss with me. I have discovered a great method that I used with my caramel crumb peach pie that I am currently using–thanks to Mary Berry for that one. However standard crusts have always been iffy for me. So if you’re like me, then opt for the kind that will work regardless.

As a note to flavor, this tart is topped with a delicious cinnamon sugar. The cinnamon blends beautifully with the rich vanilla creaminess of the filling. In fact I think it’s the nicest part of this dessert.

The Recipe

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Hoosier Tart

Old-fashioned dessert

Prep Time20

Cook Time35

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: hoosier pie, sweet cream pie

Servings: 12

Calories: 377kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

1 pie crust at room temperature
4 tbs cornstarch
3/4 cup granulated sugar
4 tbs salted butter melted
2 1/4 cups heavy whipping cream
1 tbs vanilla extract

Topping:

4 Tablespoons salted butter melted
1/2 cup cinnamon sugar

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325F and place pie crust onto a baking sheet. Prick bottom of crust with a fork or use pie weights (dried beans are good)
Bake for 10-12 minutes to partially cook and set aside.
Mix cornstarch and sugar in a small bowl until combined.
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, add the cornstarch mixture, melted butter, and heavy whipping cream to a boil, stirring constantly until thickened.
Add vanilla and stir. Pour hot cream into prepared pie crust and smooth the top.
Top with melted butter and evenly sprinkle with desired amount of cinnamon sugar.
Bake for 25 minutes and broil for about 1 minute.
Cool until room temperature and place in the fridge to set for a least 1 hour.
Serve or store covered in the refrigerator.

Nutrition

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Victoria Sponge

Judith Hannemann — Sat, 30 Jul 2022 23:00:22 +0000

Victoria sponge is one of the easiest yet elegant British cakes.

Victoria Sponge For Tea Time

The Victoria sponge has got to be Britain’s favorite cake for tea time. First of all, it’s very tasty but did you know it’s one of the easiest things you’ll ever make?

There’s a number of ways you can go about making one. You can start with a from-scratch cake as I do or you can use a cake mix. You can even buy a pound cake from the bakery!

The only thing that is a must is a red jam and whipped cream. The dusting of confectioner’s sugar is also optional.

The Cake

Britons always refer to making a cake batter as “making the sponge.” I have no idea where that came from because they apply it to every cake batter, most of which are not sponge cakes as Americans know them.

British cakes have a slightly different texture to American cakes. They don’t go in for that super-moist texture. Most cakes have body–much like American pound cake. So if you opt to use a mix, then the one to choose is the butter-based yellow or gold mixes. Also if using a mix and round cake pans, you’ll want the 9-inch/23-cm sized pans. My from-scratch recipe uses 8-inch/20-cm pans but you’ll have more batter from a mix so use the larger pan.

For thinner layers using a mix, 10-inch/25-cm would probably be your best bet.

You will also have to level off at least one of the layers so it sits nicely on the serving plate. I do both because I like a flat top as well, so I level both and invert the top layer.

Just a note, but when I bake I generally use the metric system and weigh. This produces consistent results. For US measures see the “NOTES” section in the recipe card.

Red Jam & Cream

Raspberry is traditional, but strawberry is a close second.

The two jams mentioned are used most, but any flavor you like will do..

When it comes to the cream filling, I never skimp and make old-fashioned whipped cream. However, unless you’re going to eat it very soon after you put the cake together, the whipped cream needs to be stabilized. Some do this with cream cheese, but my preferred method is using instant modified food starch–that’s sold under the name of Instant Clear Jel.

The Recipe

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Victoria sponge

Britain's most beloved cake

Prep Time15

Cook Time25

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: British

Keyword: britain's favorite cake, victoria sponge

Servings: 8

Calories: 627kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

235 g butter very soft
235 g sugar
4 eggs
235 g self-raising flour
1 tsp vanilla

Filling:

1/2 cup raspberry jam
1 cup heavy cream
1 tbs confectioner's sugar

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350F/180C. Grease 2 8-inch cake pans and line the bottom with parchment rounds--grease the parchment too.
Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy; about 4 minutes.
Add the eggs, beating well after each addition, then add the vanilla.
Fold the flour into the butter mixture until you cannot see any flour particles.
Divide the mixture equally between the pans--weighing is the best way if you want it to look even and perfect.
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool completely--you can safely cool the cakes in the pans.
To assemble, unmold the cakes from the pans, carefully peel off the parchment and level off the top of at least 1 layer so it will be flat on the serving plate. Likewise you can level off the top of the other layer if you want a flat top. If you don't mind a domed top, that isn't necessary.
Beat the cream until stiff peaks form (see post body on how I stabilize the cream). Spread the jan on top of the bottom layer then spread the whipped cream over that. Top with the other layer (leveled side on top of the cream if you want the flat top) and dust with confectioner's sugar if desired.

Notes

US measurements for cake:

1 cup + 1 tbs soft butter, 1 cup + 1 tbs sugar, 1 cup + 3/4 cup + 2 tbs self-raising flour. Other measurements remain the same

Video

Nutrition

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Peach Upside Down Dessert Cake

Judith Hannemann — Tue, 07 Jun 2022 23:00:13 +0000

This peach upside down dessert cake can be made with fresh, frozen or canned peaches. It’s a year-round treat.

Peach Upside Down Dessert Cake–Perfect Dessert

Summer is peach season so lots of desserts feature them.

This simple peach upside down dessert cake is one of those recipes. Since it’s simple to make, you’ll make it often and not only in summer! The reason is that you don’t need fresh peaches to make this cake.

Whatever variety you use, the topping is simply delicious–sweet and a bit tart and oh so buttery. This is sure to become a family favorite.

Rich Cake

There’s nothing light and fluffy about this cake. It’s a dense and rich dessert-textured cake.

Because of this, it doesn’t rise much. So when you go to test it, don’t think something’s wrong because it’s kind of flat. That’s the way it’s supposed to be. But despite it’s texture, this rich cake will literally melt in your mouth.

The cake is also made with the old-fashioned creaming method. And remember when adding the wet and dry ingredients that you begin and end with the dry ingredients.

Any Kind Of Peaches

The really great feature of this peach upside down dessert cake is you’re not limited to what type of peaches to use.

Here, I used sliced canned peaches. You can also use fresh and frozen. That make this very convenient since you can enjoy this dessert in any season.

With canned peaches, you may have to slice thicker slices in half. The can I had were pretty inconsistent in size, but I don’t consider that a huge issue. Same applies to frozen peaches.

The Recipe

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Peach Upside Down Dessert Cake

Easy dessert

Prep Time20

Cook Time50

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cakes with peaches, peach desserts, peach upside down cake

Servings: 8

Calories: 416kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

Cake:

1 1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup butter softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp cinnamon
2 tbs sour cream
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup milk

Topping:

2 cups sliced peaches fresh, frozen or canned
1/4 cup melted butter
3/4 cup brown sugar

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

reheat oven to 350F/180C.
Place melted butter in an uncreased 9-inch/23 cm round cake pan. Sprinkle brown sugar over the butter and arrange peach slices evenly over the top.
Mix the flour baking powder, salt and cinnamon in a small bowl; set aside.
Beat the 1/2 cup butter and the sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and vanilla.
Mix in the flour alternately with the milk, ending with the flour mixture.
Drop cake batter on top of the peaches and spread evenly over the top.
Bake for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Let the cake stand for 10 minutes then invert onto a serving plate. Best served warm.

Nutrition

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Cold Oven Pound Cake

Judith Hannemann — Tue, 10 May 2022 23:00:31 +0000

Cold oven pound cake starts in…you guessed it…a cold oven.

Is Cold Oven Pound Cake Better?

I set out to find out ever since I saw this cold oven pound cake touted in Epicurious.

Starting things in a cold oven is hardly a new concept. Most recently I’ve heard it suggested for using a certain ceramic brand of bakeware. It does make sense from a theoretical standpoint, especially with the ceramic ware. But, is it better? I’m sure that there are many people who can tell you one way or another–especially about that bakeware. However, is this cake better than the more standard versions? That answer is that for me I see no real advantage. Therefore, I will leave you to decide for yourself.

By the way, this cake is extremely delicious. I don’t want to infer that the cake itself is a waste of time; it isn’t. It’s very dense and rich and has a lovely flavor,

Suggested Cake Pans

First of all, at least 10 cups is necessary and I’d even suggest a 12 cup pan. There’s a lot of batter and it filled my 10 cup brilliance pan right to the brim. The pan produces a stunning cake, but you might want to use the more conventional Bundt pan that has less nooks and crannies. This is an expensive cake to make so you’d want no failures when it’s released from the pan. A straight-sided tube pan would be your safest bet. I had no real issues releasing the cake, but I did spray it up really well with baking spray.

One thing I noticed was my cake was rather light but that was my error. I placed the cake pan on a baking sheet since the pan was full to capacity not realizing that there has to be air flow around the central tube. That was just a matter of aesthetics; the cake baked fine. This is why I suggested a larger-capacity pan. Equally, you can bake any excess batter in a smaller pan.

Very Rich

This cake has a lot of butter and a lot of eggs making it a very rich and delicious cake. Because of this, I’d save this one for special occasions as it’s not an every-day sort of dessert. Mainly that it’s pretty costly–not the calories as cake is hardly a diet item anyway.

The Recipe

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Cold Oven Pound Cake

Start this one in a cold oven

Prep Time20

Cook Time1 10

Cooling20

Course: Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cold oven pound cake, fancy bundt cakes, rich pound cakes

Servings: 12

Calories: 581kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

3 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups whole milk
2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups unsalted butter 3 sticks
3 cups sugar
6 eggs at room temperature
Confectioners icing sugar for dusting, optional

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Grease a 10-inch bundt pan and dust with flour making sure to get into the nooks and crannies of the pan. Non-stick baking spray is good as well.
Mis the flour baking powder and salt in a large bowl; set aside.
Mix the milk and vanilla in a large measuring cup.
Cream the butter on medium speed, using a sturdy stand mixer, until it's light and fluffy.
Reduce the speed to low and gradually add the sugar. Continue beating for 2-3 minutes until the mixture is very light and fluffy.
Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition
Add the flour mixture in thirds, alternating with the milk mixture, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and make sure the batter is evenly mixed.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly using a spatula.
Place the pan on the middle rack and set the oven temperature to 325F/160C.
Bake 60-70 minutes or until the cake is golden brown on the topped a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
Cool the cake on a rack for 20 minutes then invert on a serving plate. Once the cake is entirely cool, dust with confectioners sugar if desired.

Nutrition

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Creme Caramel

Judith Hannemann — Sun, 21 Nov 2021 00:00:06 +0000

Whether you call it flan, caramel custard or creme caramel, it’s the world’s most beloved dessert.

Creme Caramel: A Beloved Dessert

I don’t think you’ll find many people who don’t love this. No matter whether it goes by flan, creme caramel or caramel custard, the world loves this stuff.

In fact, I had this for the very first time when I was 13 and my mother took us back home to England for a visit. That’s where I fell in love with this. The Brits call this caramel custard. Later on I discovered it was also a Spanish delight. A friend from Puerto Rico would make it for me all the time; she called it flan.

But whatever you call this, it’s totally delicious. It’s easy to make but you have to pay attention to a couple of things when you make it and I won’t lie, it takes a couple of pots and bowls so there’s clean-up. However, I think it’s worth it and I think you will too.

Make A Good Custard

Making a great custard is pretty easy when you come to think about it. There are some caveats that come along with it and you do need to pay attention to what you’re doing, but that’s about it.

First, you’re dealing with a hot liquid being introduced to eggs. If this step isn’t done properly, you’ll end up with scrambled eggs. The way to avoid that is either to “temper” the eggs by putting a few tablespoons of the hot liquid into the eggs whilst whisking. Another way is to pour the hot liquid into the eggs in a slow thin stream whisking all the time you’re doing it. The latter is the method I prefer and after you’ve streamed about a cup of liquid, you can add the rest faster since the eggs are tempered by that time.

Another thing you’ll want to do is to strain the custard through a mesh strainer. There will be some little bits of solid egg in the custard that would be a bit unpleasant in the finished dessert. Straining eliminates that possibility. Nothing is worse than a lumpy custard. Don’t skimp; strain.

Caramel

Unlike candy caramels/soft toffee, this concoction is merely sugar and water. You let the sugar dissolve so it’s perfectly clear then boil to evaporate the water.

Honestly, this process is like the proverbial watchpot. But pay attention here. Once that gets to boiling and the bubbles become larger and look syrupy, it will go fast. Essentially, you’re making hard candy but you don’t need a candy thermometer to test since your eye will be good enough. Once it almost reaches a dark amber, remove it from the heat immediately because it will continue to cook and be careful–this is very hot and the burn is no fun. Ask me how I know this…

There’s more hints in the recipe instructions so read them carefully for complete success.

The Recipe

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Creme Caramel

Call it flan, creme caramel or caramel custard, it's a worldwide favorite

Prep Time30

Cook Time35

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: French

Keyword: caramel custard, elegant desserts for the holidays, flan recipe, making egg custard correctly

Servings: 8

Calories: 316kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

Caramel:

2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup water

Custard:

2 cups whole milk NO SUBSTITUTES
1 cup heavy cream
2/3 cup sugar
Pinch of salt
4 large whole eggs
2 large egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325F/160C. Place 8 6 oz/17 7ml custard cups in a large roasting pan. Set aside.
To make the caramel, place the sugar and water in a small heavy saucepan. Heat over medium-high heat, swirling pan to dissolve the sugar. The liquid will appear clear when the sugar is dissolved. It is very important that you do NOT stir this so resist the temptation. Once the syrup begins to boil, place a lid on the pan. This will cause condensation that will "wash" the sides of the pan and prevent the sugar crystalizing. Remove the cover after a minute or 2, then let it boil until it's a dark amber syrup.
Divide the caramel evenly in each custard cup. Rotate each cup so the syrup coats up the sides. Keep doing this with each cup until the syrup no longer moves.
To make the custard--Combine the milk, cream, sugar and salt in a large saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally and making sure sugar is dissolved. Remove the pan from the heat.
Whisk the whole eggs, egg yolks and vanilla in a large bowl. Gradually add the hot milk mixture whilst whisking. Do this slowly or else you'll scramble the eggs. Strain the mixture through a strainer so there are no bits of egg (there will be) in the custard.
Distribute the custard mixture evenly between the custard cups.
Now boil a kettle of water and pour the water in the baking dish around the custard cups--be careful not to get any water in the custard cups. NOTE--this is easier if you put the roasting pan with the custard cups in the oven first then carefully pour the water in.
Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the edges are set but the middle still has a little wiggle in it.
Remove the custard cups to a rack to cool completely. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for at least 12 hours or up to 3 days.
To unmold, run a small knife around the the edge of each custard cup to loosen the custard, then invert onto a serving place. Shake the cup a little if it doesn't release.

Nutrition

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Sweet Potato Cheesecake

Judith Hannemann — Sat, 30 Oct 2021 23:00:14 +0000

And now for something different–sweet potato cheesecake!

Sweet Potato Cheesecake

We all know about pumpkin cheesecake and pumpkin pie, right? Why not be bold and substitute sweet potato?

Sweet potato pie is very popular, especially in the south, as a Thanksgiving dessert. Think out of the box and serve this sweet potato cheesecake as an alternate dessert choice for the holidays?

Since sweet potatoes will be featured for very low prices this time of year, I always stock up. What I do is bake them in their jackets and then freeze what I’m not using. This way you always have them on hand. They freeze well and they last for about six months provided they are wrapped properly.

Nope Not Chocolate

See that top? I know you are thinking chocolate; but it’s not.

It’s actually something better than chocolate. It’s the caramelized sugars of the sweet potatoes. I think it’s the best part of this cheesecake. It’s not burned even though it’s quite dark. That caramelized layer is full of flavor. This layer reminds me of the dark skin that forms on top of a baked rice pudding. If you’re a fan of that then you will love this.

Happily, if it doesn’t appeal to anyone, it is easily peeled off.

FYI, this cheesecake bakes at a much higher temperature than the usual. Doesn’t use a water bath either. The higher temps make the caramelization possible.

Garnet Potatoes

If you can get this variety, that’s what the original recipe stated. You will get a nice ruby-colored cake and top skin.

The use or garnets was the first suggestion, however, plain old sweet potatoes can be substituted. The only difference is color, but it won’t affect the taste in the slightest.

One thing I noticed is that even with the high baking temperature, this cheesecake did not crack on the top. Very curious but I was delighted.

The Recipe

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Sweet Potato Cheesecake

Great for Thanksgiving

Prep Time1 15

Cook Time1 5

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cheesecakes for Thanksgiving, gourmet cheesecakes, sweet potato cheesecake

Servings: 12

Calories: 421kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

2 lb sweet potatoes about 3-4 large
24 oz cream cheese at room temperature. DO NOT USE LOW/NO FAT!!!!
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
3 eggs
1/2 cup sour cream at room temperature DO NOT USE LOW/NO FAT!!!!!
1/2 cup heavy cream at room temperature
1 tsp kosher salt
2 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat oven to 450 F/230 C. Place sweet potatoes on a baking sheet lined with foil and bake for about 1 hour or until a skewer easily slides into flesh. Remove from oven and let them cool slightly then peel off the skins and discard skins.
Place the sweet potatoes in a food processor and process until smooth. Let them cool to room temperature, at least 1 hour.
Lightly grease a 9-inch/23 cm springform pan and line the bottom with non-stick parchment.
Preheat oven to 425 F/220 C.
Beat cream cheese, sugar and brown sugar in a sturdy mixer until mixture is very smooth, about 3-5 minutes. With mixer still running, add 2 cups of the sweet potatoes gradually and beat until fully incorporated.
Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
With mixer on low speed, add the cream, sour cream, salt and vanilla. Turn off mixer and sift in the flour, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg. Turn on mixer to low speed and beat until just incorporated. Fold a few strokes by hand making sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl to make sure everything is mixed in.
Pour mixture into prepared pan and smooth the surface. Place pan on a tray and bake for 55-65 minutes. Top will be deeply brown (and resemble chocolate) and will have a slight wiggle in the center. Transfer to a rack and cool at least 1 1/2 hours.

Nutrition

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Lemon Cookie Cheesecake

Judith Hannemann — Sat, 07 Aug 2021 23:00:46 +0000

Lemon cookie cheesecake is a no-bake delight that will wow anyone who eats it.

Lemon Cookie Cheesecake

Since I love lemon anything, of course I just had to make this no-bake cheesecake.

It uses lemon sandwich cookies which I also love–but saved enough to make this!!!! I don’t buy the expensive kind either. I actually prefer the ones packed under the store brand. You know, the ones that are 2 pounds and CHEAP. If you prefer the brand name, then by all means. However I’ve actually found the inexpensive ones taste better.

Where I’m usually into quick and easy these days, I won’t lie to you; this particular cheesecake does take a bit of time to make. It uses more than one bowl too. But seriously, trust me on this one. It’s so good it’s worth the effort. I’ll give a hint about eliminating one step where you use a convenience ingredient, but it will lack a bit of rich taste.

Real Whipped Cream

Let’s say I prefer it. Even though it adds another bowl to wash and an extra step, it’s one I feel is worth it. Nothing beats the taste and the texture. Here, the cream doesn’t need to be stabilized because there’s going to be both cream cheese and gelatin folded in. Those are a couple of ways to stabilize whipped cream, but I’ve come to prefer instant clear jel for that purpose. Here, it’s not necessary.

If you’re pressed for time you can eliminate that step. Just use frozen whipped topping as a substitute. As the 2 cups of heavy cream yield approximately double the amount, you’ll need a large tub of the topping, so buy the large one, which I think is 16 ounces.

Pan Size

For this cake, I used a 8-inch (20 cm) springform pan. I like a nice high cheesecake so I filled it almost to the rim. I had filling left over but it was really easy to eat so…

But if you don’t mind a a less-thick cake with no leftover filling, you’d probably want to use the 9-inch (23 cm) pan.

The choice is yours.

The Recipe

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Lemon Cookie Cheesecake

An awesome no-bake cheesecake

Prep Time1

Cook Time0

Chill Time4

Course: Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: American

Keyword: lemon cheesecake, lemon sandwich cookie crust, no-bake lemon cheesecake

Servings: 12

Calories: 535kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

Lemon Cookie Crust:

15 oz lemon sandwich cookies reserve 8 for topping
3 tbs melted butter
1 tbs sugar

Lemon Cheesecake Filling:

16 oz softened cream cheese
1 tbs lemon juice
1 cup sugar
1 small box lemon gelatin about 3 oz
16 oz heavy cream
¼ cup confectioner's icing sugar

Topping

reserved lemon cookies

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Cookie Crust

Pulse the lemon cookies in food processor, until crushed. Add melted butter and sugar. Pulse to mix. Press the crushed cookie mixture into the bottom of a 8 or 9-inch (see post body) springform pan and and partway up the sides. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes until crust is firm.

Lemon Cheesecake Filling

Beat cream cheese, lemon juice and sugar until well mixed. Set aside.
In another bowl, add 1 cup of boiling water to gelatin and stir to dissolve, then set aside to cool.
Whip the heavy cream with powdered sugar until stiff peaks form. Take care not to go to far, to a butter stage.
Once gelatin has cooled and begun to thicken, fold it into the whipped cream and mix gently.
Then, fold in the cream cheese mixture until evenly blended. Fill crust with the cheesecake mixture, spreading to even out if necessary. Top with crumbled reserved cookies & dollops of lemon curd, freshly grated lemon zest or lemon slices. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or until firm.

Video

Nutrition

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Lemon Ricotta Cake

Judith Hannemann — Sat, 01 May 2021 23:00:23 +0000

Everyone will love this lemon ricotta cake since it’s easy to make and even better to eat.

Italy’s Favorite Flavor

Southern Italy loves it’s lemons whether in decor or in food. Some of the best tasting lemon cakes or cookies I’ve eaten come from Italy. They know how to do lemon!

I’m a lemon freak. As a result, I love this lemon ricotta cake because its intensely lemon. It is right up there with Britain’s favorite–lemon drizzle cake. I think it’s the bright tart/sweet flavor that I find so intoxicating.

The ingredients are fairly common and you might have most of them on hand.

Use Up That Ricotta

Did you recently make a lasagna and have ricotta left over? I never use the whole container when I make it so I always have leftover. This is a great place to use it up.

The only caveat here is you have to use the whole milk variety. Apparently you need the full whack of fat for the cake to work. I always buy that variety so I’ve got that covered. However, if you don’t have any on hand and need to buy it, get the whole milk one.

Just an aside–even though Italian cheesecake is made with ricotta, this is not a cheesecake. It’s texture is more like that of a torte. It doesn’t rise much and it’s a bit dense. It’s supposed to be so don’t think that you did something wrong if you make it. That’s the way it’s supposed to be.

Lemons

You’ll need three of these for this cake. It takes the zest of all of them and the juice of one.

What I do here with the bald lemons is I juice them and freeze the juice for future use. Lemon lovers will always find a use for this!

The Recipe

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Lemon Ricotta Cake

Wonderful lemony dessert

Prep Time20

Cook Time40

Course: Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: easy lemon desserts, Italian lemon desserts, ricotta cake

Servings: 8

Calories: 389kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

1/2 cup olive oil
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
3 lemons zest only
1 lemon juice only
1 cup full-fat ricotta
2 tbs full-fat sour cream
1 1/4 cups sifted flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbs baking powder
1 tsp vanilla

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375F/190C. Spray a 10-inch/25 cm springform pan with non-stick spray and wrap the outside of the pan in a double thickness of aluminum foil. Place on a baking sheet and set aside..
In a small bowl, stir together the flour, salt and baking powder; set aside.
Place oil, sugar, vanilla, lemon juice and zest in a large bowl. Beat with an electric mixer at medium speed until well combined.
Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until well mixed. Now mix in the ricotta and sour cream, blending well.
Add the flour mixture and beat until just incorporated. Pour batter into the prepared pan.
Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Cool completely and dust top with confectioner's (icing) sugar.

Nutrition

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Woolworth Cheesecake

Judith Hannemann — Sun, 10 Jan 2021 00:00:14 +0000

Woolworth cheesecake is more like a mousse than a cheesecake. It’s delicious, light and lemony.

Woolworth Cheesecake

I’ve been around a long time and have fond memories of the Woolworth lunch counter. Some bigger stores had booths too. As I say, I had fond memories since my mother would treat me to lunch there when I was little.

The one thing I don’t remember is this cheesecake. Maybe it was before my time or maybe I just never noticed it because I was more into hot dogs and fries at that age than desserts; especially at Woolworth’s.

Anyway, I’m sure it existed. The recipe is always floating around on message boards and social media and I’ve wanted to make it for a long time.

There’s Some Changes Made

As I mentioned, I’ve wanted to make this for a while but one thing stopped me–whipping evaporated milk. I’ve tried that before and it’s a pretty tedious process since everything must be just “right” for it to work. I’ve never had much success with it, but if you don’t mind the time investment and have a good success rate with it, then use that.

Then one day with a non-senior moment, I realized that I can substitute that whipped evaporated milk with honest-to-goodness real whipped cream. For one thing, it’d taste much better and I have 100 per cent success with real whipped cream especially when I stabilize it with some no-cook clear jel. If you stabilize it with cream cheese, that’s a great way to do it for this dessert since it already contains cream cheese.

If you don’t want to bother with any of the above, I don’t see any reason why whipped topping can’t be substituted. It may break down if the dessert sits for more than a day, but trust me, this dessert won’t last that long.

Crust

The amount of graham cracker crumbs called for here will produce a reasonably sturdy crust even with setting some aside for dusting the top of the dessert.

If you like the taste of a graham cracker crust the amount is probably OK. While I like the taste, I found using the stated amount a bit overpowering for the texture of the filling and the taste. You may want to use less–as I will do the next time I make this.

The Recipe

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Woolworth Cheesecake

This dessert is a timeless classic

Prep Time30

Cook Time0

Course: Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: American

Keyword: desserts with lemon, lemon mousse dessert, no-bake desserts, wooworth cheesecake

Servings: 12

Calories: 352kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

3 oz package lemon gelatin mix like Royal or Jello
1 cup boiling water
3 cups graham cracker crumbs divided
8 tbs melted butter
8 oz cream cheese
1 cup granulated sugar
5 tbs lemon juice
12 oz can evaporated milk well chilled or 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Dissolve gelatin mix in boiling water. Cool until slightly thickened.
Mix 3/4 graham cracker crumbs and melted butter until well blended, press into bottom of the 9 X 13 pan to form a crust. Save rest of crumbs to sprinkle on top of dessert.
Beat the Evaporated milk/heavy cream until fluffy.
In a separate bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar and lemon juice with mixer until smooth.
Add thickened gelatin and slowly mix in whipped evaporated milk.
Spread filling over the crust and sprinkle with reserved graham cracker crumbs on top.
Chill at least 2 hours and up to overnight, store covered in refrigerator.

Notes

UK/EU--digestives are a nice (and probably better) substitute for the graham cracker crumbs. This will *probably* work with your "jelly" desserts, but I cannot test since they don't sell that here. If you try it, let me know if it worked.

Video

Nutrition

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Bourbon Pecan Pie Brownies

Judith Hannemann — Sun, 01 Nov 2020 00:00:26 +0000

A touch or bourbon makes these pecan pie brownies extra special.

Brownies: America’s Favorite

Who doesn’t love brownies? They are a national favorite since there’s so many ways to make them. The ways range from simple to gourmet.

These bourbon pecan pie brownies come in somewhere in between. The base is as simple as you can get. In fact, the base is so simple it’s a mix. So as a result, there’s no work there.

It’s the topping that’s the interesting part of these brownies. It consists of a luscious pecan pie concoction to which you add a tad of bourbon. The liquor, of course, may be left out if you don’t appreciate the taste or are going to serve it to the kiddos.

The Basic Brownie

As stated, the brownie itself is from a mix. There’s plenty of varieties in these mixes now, so choose what you like. Just make sure the mix is also for the 13 x 9-inch size because that’s the size pan you’ll be using to make these. Remember you also need the ingredients that the box calls for.

Alternatively, you can make your own from-scratch brownies. Brownies are not difficult to make and you likely have all the necessary ingredients on hand. The only caveat is that with your own recipe, as for the box mix, there must be enough to make the 13 x 9-inch size.

Pecan Pie Topping

Here is where I’d say to use the high-quality ingredients. The topping is the major flavor for these brownies.

I usually lightly toast pecans, but here it’s not necessary. In fact since they are so expensive, I’d opt for buying pieces or chopped pecans. First of all, it will save time and I find they’re generally cheaper than the ones sold whole. Whole doesn’t do much here, unlike the pie where they’re decorative. Here, the topping is cooked so whole are bound to be broken just from the cooking process.

The bourbon is optional. If you’re serving this treat to grown-ups, it’s an interesting taste. However, kiddos may not appreciate the taste; the alcohol is evaporated in the cooking so no worries there. It’s just a taste that young children as a rule do not appreciate.

The Recipe

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Pecan Pie Brownies

Brownies for grown ups

Prep Time20

Cook Time45

Course: Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: American

Keyword: bourbon brownies, gourmet brownies with liquor, pecan pie brownies

Servings: 12

Calories: 362kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

1 box brownie mix 13 x 9 size plus ingredients stated on box

PECAN PIE FILLING:

1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups light corn syrup
4 eggs
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbs bourbon
2 cups pecans roughly chopped

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat oven according to brownie package instructions.
Whisk together the sugar, corn syrup, eggs, butter, bourbon and vanilla in a small saucepan. Place on the stove top over medium high heat and begin to cook, stirring continuously.
Mix brownies according to package instructions.
Pour brownie batter into a greased 13x9 inch pan and place in oven to bake for 20 minutes. * see note about cooking time below
As the brownies bake the filling in the saucepan should have thicken enough to coat your spoon (about 15 minutes). Stir the pecans into the mixture and continue to cook for 2-3 minutes until the mixture reaches the consistency of runny oatmeal. You want it to be loose enough to pour over the brownies but not liquid.
When the brownies have finished pre-baking remove them from the oven and pour the pecan pie filling over them spreading it out to cover the brownies completely.
Place them back in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes or until the filling only jiggles slightly in the middle when you move the pan.
Let cool to room temperature before cutting.

Nutrition

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