Blueberry Buckle

A buckle is a dessert which combines fresh seasonal fruit, a rich cake batter, and a streusel topping. The result is a rich, dense cake with a moist crumb which is sometimes compared to coffee cake. Buckles make an excellent summer dessert and can be served hot or cold, plain or dressed with drizzles of sauce. Making a buckle at home is relatively easy and a great way to use fresh, seasonal fruit.

The origins of buckle are a bit mysterious. The dish has been in the United States for centuries, suggesting that it may have been developed by colonists. Buckles are extremely popular in New England, where it is often made with blueberries. While blueberry buckle is a classic version, the dessert can also be made with peaches, nectarines, raspberries or any other fresh fruit that you prefer and many cooks mix several types of fruit in their buckle.

The base of a buckle is a rich cake batter, which is sprinkled with fresh fruit. The fruit is topped with a streusel mixture. During the baking process, the cake batter rises up around the fruit, encasing it in batter and causing the streusel to “buckle”.

Blueberry Buckle

Ingredients:

For the cake

• ½ cup Butter, softened
• ¾ cup granulated Sugar
• 1 Egg
• 2 cups sifted Flour
• 2 teaspoons Baking Powder
• ½ teaspoon Salt
• ½ cup Milk
• 2 cups fresh or partially thawed Blueberries

For the streusel:

• ¼ cup Butter, softened
• ½ cup granulated Sugar
• ⅓ cup all-purpose Flour
• ½ teaspoon Cinnamon

In mixing bowl, cream butter until light and fluffy. Gradually mix in sugar until thoroughly combined. Beat in egg until thoroughly combined.

In separate bowl, mix together the sifted flour, baking powder and salt.  Add to the butter mixture alternately with the milk, mixing to thoroughly incorporate between additions. Fold in blueberries.

Pour into a greased 9×9 inch pan. Set aside.

In small bowl, mix together the streusel ingredients until thoroughly combined. Sprinkle over top of the cake batter.

Bake at 375 degrees for 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Serve warm or at room temperature. Garnish with sweetened whipped cream if desired.

Lemon Cream Roll

A Swiss roll or jelly roll (or cream roll when so filled) is a type of sponge cake roll. A thin cake layer is made of flour, eggs, and sugar and baked in a very shallow rectangular baking tray, called a sheet pan. The cake is removed from the pan and spread with jam, buttercream or another type of filling, then rolled up and served in round cross-sectional slices.

The origins of the term “Swiss roll” are unclear. The cake originated in Central Europe, but not in Switzerland as the name would suggest. It appears to have been invented in the nineteenth century, along with Battenberg, doughnuts and Victoria sponge. Interestingly, the shape of the Swiss roll has inspired usage as a descriptive term in other fields, such as in optics and blues music.

Lemon Cream Roll

Ingredients:

For the cake

• ⅓ cup toasted ground Hazelnuts
• ¼ cup Cake Flour
• 1 teaspoon grated fresh Lemon zest
• 4 eggs, separated
• ⅔ cup Sugar
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon Cream of Tartar
• 1 cup Whipping cream

For the lemon syrup

• 2 tablespoons fresh Lemon juice
• ¼ cup Sugar
• 3 tablespoons Rum (optional)

For the filling:

• 1 teaspoon fresh Lemon zest
• ⅓ cup fresh Lemon juice
• ½ cup Sugar
• 2 tablespoons Butter
• 2 Eggs
• Icing sugar

Prepare a  17×11 inch Jelly Roll pan by lining it with parchment or waxed paper. Lightly grease and flour the paper and set prepared pan aside.

Combine nuts, flour & lemon rind.

In a large bowl beat egg yolks with 1/2 cup of the sugar for about 3 minutes or until thickened and pale yellow. Gently fold in the nut mixture.

Beat the egg whites until foamy. Mix in the cream of tartar and continue beating until soft peaks form. Beat in the remaining sugar until whites are stiff.

Stir ¼ of the egg whites into the yolk mixture. Lightly fold in the rest of the whites. Spread mixture evenly over the prepared pan.

Bake at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until the cake springs bake when lightly touched in the middle. Remove from oven and let cool in the pan.

Make the Lemon Syrup:  Bring the lemon juice & sugar to a boil until the sugar dissolves, stir in the rum (if using) and remove from heat.  Cool completely.

Make the Filling: In a small saucepan simmer the lemon rind, juice, sugar and butter over medium heat, stirring until the butter melts and the sugar has completely dissolved.

Whisk together the eggs and gradually beat in the hot mixture. Return to saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly for about 1 minute or until thickened.

Strain mixture into a small bowl. Immediately place plastic wrap over the bowl and refrigerate for 30 minutes or until cold. Whip the cream and  fold into the cold lemon filling.

To assemble: Sprinkle icing sugar over the cake. Loosen the cake edges and invert the cake onto a clean tea towel. Carefully peel off the paper and trim off any crispy cake edges. Sprinkle the cake with the syrup. Spread the filling over the cake.

Starting at the short end, roll up the cake. Place the roll on a serving platter and dust lightly with sugar (optional). Keep refrigerated.

Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cooked Flour Frosting

When foods were rationed during World War II, bakers used boiled beet juices to enhance the color of their cakes. Beets are found in some red velvet cake recipes, where they also serve to retain moisture. Adams Extract, a Texas company, is credited for bringing the red velvet cake to kitchens across America during the time of the Great Depression by being one of the first companies to sell red food coloring and other flavor extracts. The cake and its original recipe are well known in the United States from New York City’s famous Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. However, it is considered by many to be a Southern dish.

It is widely believed that red velvet cakes should be frosted with cream cheese frosting. Not so! Red Velvet cakes are light in flavor and ideally need to be paired with an equally light frosting. Cream cheese frosting is too heavy for the task. Cooked flour frosting is ideal for Red Velvet cake and has a buttery whipped cream taste.

Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cooked Flour Frosting

Ingredients:

For the cupcakes

• 2 ½ cups All-Purpose Flour
• 1 ½ cups Sugar
• 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 1 teaspoon Cocoa Powder
• 1 cup Vegetable Oil
• 1 ½ cups Buttermilk
• 2 large Eggs, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon distilled White Vinegar
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla
• Red food coloring

For the frosting

• 3 tablespoons All-Purpose Flour
• ½ teaspoon Salt
• 1 cup Milk
• ½ cup Butter
• 1 cup granulated Sugar
• ½ cup Shortening
• 2 teaspoons Vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons Butter flavored extract

Grease and flour a 12 cup muffin tin or line with cupcake liners.

Sift together the flour, sugar, soda, salt and cocoa in a medium bowl.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the eggs, oil, buttermilk, vinegar and vanilla and stir to thoroughly combine.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix, scraping down the bowl as necessary. Mix in a few drops of red food coloring, a little at a time, until desired hue is reached. Pour batter into prepared pan, filling each tin ¾ full.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack.

To make frosting:

Cook the flour, salt and milk in a skillet over low heat, stirring constantly until thick. Let cool completely.

Cream butter, sugar and shortening in a sparate bowl. Stir in the vanilla and butter extracts. Add the flour mixture and mix thoroughly. Frost cooled cupcakes and garnish as desired.