If it seems like all I’ve really been making lately is dessert, that’s because that actually is the case.  The rotation I am on right now causes me to get home way too late to cook much in the way of real meals, so Ben has taken over as temporary chef making simple fare with clear instructions from me :-).  This past weekend my family got together for a cookout and I wanted to make something delicious for dessert.  Unfortunately, my dad has the least equipped kitchen ever and my options were limited.  I decided on this cobbler because 1) Pioneer Woman is awesome, 2) it was perfect for a cookout, and 3) it requires very little in the way of kitchen equipment.  Once again, Pioneer Woman did not disappoint.  I even used shortening rather than subbing butter as I normally would - I have complete faith in her recipes!  The blackberries were the perfect balance of sweet and tart, and the dough on top was delicious.  I baked mine for closer to 26-27 minutes because it was starting to brown, so if you try this (which I highly recommend you do), you should keep an eye on it near the end of baking.

Blackberry Cobbler

Ingredients:

6 cups blackberries (fresh or frozen)

½ cup plus 4 tbsp. sugar

1 tbsp. lemon juice

zest of ½ lemon

2 cups flour

¼ tsp. salt

1 tbsp. baking powder

¼ cup vegetable shortening

4 tbsp. butter

1 egg

½ cup milk

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425°.  Combine blackberries, ½ cup sugar, lemon juice and lemon zest in a mixing bowl.  Stir gently to combine.  Pour into a baking dish and set aside.

In a separate bowl, pour flour, salt, baking powder and 1 tbsp. sugar.  Add shortening and butter and work mixture together with a pastry blender (or your fingers) until the mixture is coarse.  Mix egg and milk together in a small bowl.  Pour into the flour mixture, stirring as you go.  Mixture should be smooth and not dry, but not overly sticky.

Take clumps of dough and place them on top of the blackberries.  Lightly flatten dough with your fingertips.  Sprinkle with 2 to 3 tbsp. of sugar.  Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes or until golden.  Serve warm with vanilla ice cream on the side.

Source: adapted from The Pioneer Woman Cooks

Ahh, petit fours.  Something I have always, always wanted to make.  They are so tiny and pretty and delicate.  Finally, I decided to give it a go and make them as favors for my friend’s baby shower.  They turned out very well, and people seemed to really enjoy them but, will I ever make them again?  Probably not.  I actually think my downfall was being too ambitious by making two types of petit fours - two cake flavors, two simple syrups, two jams, and two colors of poured fondant.  If I had not done that, I think this wouldn’t have taken the insane amount of time that it did.  The flavor combinations were lemon sponge cake with vanilla buttercream, raspberry jam and raspberry simple syrup, and almond sponge cake with vanilla buttercream, blueberry jam and blueberry simple syrup.  I have to admit, the end result was very impressive, especially when topped with cute little sugar flowers and bumblebees from Baker’s Nook.  The theme of the shower was “Mommy-to-Bee” so these fit in nicely.  The recipe below is basically what I did, although I made more batches of poured fondant than I care to count to cover these cakes.  Quite a bit is wasted in the process of ladling over the cakes, and I don’t know that it can be salvaged.  It was easier to work with than most sources I have read led me to believe, so that is one small saving grace of this experience.  As painful as this all was, as long as Rachel enjoyed it then it was all worth it

Petit Fours

Ingredients:

For the Lemon Sponge Cake:

6 eggs

2 tsp. finely shredded lemon peel

¼ cup lemon juice

¼ cup water

1 tsp. vanilla

1 cup sugar

1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

½ tsp. cream of tartar

½ cup sugar

(For Almond Sponge Cake, prepare as directed except omit lemon peel, use ½ cup pineapple juice instead of lemon juice and water, and add a ½ tsp. almond extract with the juice.)

For the Raspberry Simple Syrup:

1 cup sugar

½ cup water

fresh raspberries (a handful or two)

(For Blueberry Simple Syrup, prepare as directed except substitute fresh blueberries for fresh raspberries.)

For the filling:

one recipe Easy Vanilla Buttercream

seedless raspberry jam, heated or stirred until easily spreadable

For the poured fondant:

4 ½ cups confectioner’s sugar

½ cup water

¼ cup light corn syrup

½ tsp. vanilla

¼ tsp. almond extract

food coloring (optional)

Directions:

To make the cake, separate eggs.  Allow egg whites and egg yolks to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.  In a medium mixing bowl, beat egg yolks on high speed about 5 minutes or until thick and lemon-colored.  Add lemon peel, lemon juice, water and vanilla; beat on low speed until combined.  Gradually beat in the 1 cup sugar at low speed.  Increase to medium speed; beat until mixture thickens slightly and doubles in volume (about 5 minutes total).

Sprinkle ¼ cup of flour over egg yolk mixture; fold in until combined.  Repeat with remaining flour, ¼ cup at a time.  Set egg yolk mixture aside.

Thoroughly wash beaters.  In a large mixing bowl beat egg whites and cream of tartar on medium speed until soft peaks form.  Gradually add the ½ cup sugar, beating on high speed until stiff peaks form.  Fold 1 cup of the beaten egg white mixture into the egg yolk mixture; fold egg yolk mixture into remaining egg white mixture.  Pour into a 9×13” baking pan, sprayed lightly with cooking spray.

Bake in a 325° oven for 27-30 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched.  Immediately invert cake onto cooling rack and allow to cool completely.

To make the simple syrup, combine all ingredients in a small saucepan over medium-low heat.  Stirring frequently, heat until the sugar has dissolved in the water.  Turn heat up to medium-high and bring to a boil.  Remove from heat, pour through a sieve to remove fruit, and allow to cool completely before use.

To assemble petit fours, slice cake horizontally into two equal halves.  Brush the cut side of each layer with simple syrup.  On one cake layer, spread a layer of buttercream.  Top with a thin layer of jam.  Lay remaining cake layer on top of jam.  Brush top layer with more simple syrup.  Carefully cut layered cake into desired petit four shapes.

To make the poured fondant, combine all ingredients in a double boiler over simmering water.  Heat until lukewarm.  Remove from heat and stir in food coloring.  Ladle over petit fours (multiple coats are likely necessary).

Sources: sponge cake adapted from the Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook; simple syrup from Annie’s Eats, vanilla buttercream from Cook’s Illustrated, poured fondant from Use Real Butter

It has been nearly a week and a half since I made this bread, but I was determined to get my LiveSTRONG entry posted and then other things got in the way.  However, I HAD to post it because this bread was amazing!  I think this may have been the easiest dough I have ever worked with.  I love that you can make the preferment nearly a day ahead, and that the dough can rise at room temp rather than “in a warm place” as with so many other recipes.  And, oh. my. gosh. did my house smell amazing while this was baking!  I made this to go along with chicken stuffed shells and salad when I had my friends over.  I also wanted to serve a spread that was slightly more exciting than plain old butter, so I found this recipe for garlic butter.  We all loved it and my friend was demanding the recipe immediately!  (Sorry the post took so long, Amanda!)  I think this bread will become a staple when I am entertaining.  It is wonderful! 

Italian Bread
Yield: 2 large 2-lb. loaves

For the preferment:
1 cup water
1 cup bread or all-purpose unbleached flour
½ tsp. instant yeast

For the dough:
All of the preferment
5 cups bread or all-purpose unbleached flour
½ cup nonfat dry milk
1 tbsp. malt syrup, malt powder, brown sugar or sugar
1 tbsp. salt
2 tsp. instant yeast
1 tbsp. olive oil
2 cups water

Directions:
To start the preferment, mix together the flour, water, and yeast in a small bowl and cover with plastic wrap.  Leave out at room temperature at least 4 hours and as long as 16 hours.

To make the dough, mix together the preferment, water, olive oil, yeast, salt, malt powder, and dry milk in a bowl with 2 more cups of flour.  Mix thoroughly.  Mix or knead in the rest of the flour a half a cup at a time until you have a slack dough but one that is no longer sticky.  Total mixing time should be in the ballpark of 10 to 15 minutes. 

Place the dough in a well-greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap.  Allow to rise at room temperature until at least doubled in size, approximately 2 hours.  Punch the dough down and let it rise again for half an hour.

Remove the dough from the bowl and divide it in half.  Shape the dough into a ball or log, cover with a damp towel, and allow it to relax for another 20 minutes. 

Shape the dough into its final shape.  Cover again and allow to rise for another hour until doubled in bulk.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven and baking stone, if you are using one, to 425°.

Right before placing the loaves in the oven, brush or spray them lightly with water.  Place them into the oven and bake for 20 minutes before rotating them.  Bake them another 20 to 30 minutes or until the internal temperature of the loaf reads 200°.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool for at least half an hour before serving.

Garlic Butter
Ingredients:
1 cup butter, softened
1 tbsp. minced garlic
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
1½ tsp. garlic salt
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
½ tsp. black pepper
¼ tsp. ground paprika

Directions:
In a small bowl combine all ingredients and mix until smooth.

Source: bread from Sugar & Spice, garlic butter from Allrecipes

Cancer sucks.  Times three.  A simple but true statement that I learned far too early and far too often in my 25 years of life.  My mother was diagnosed with liver cancer when I was in second grade and that was my first ever exposure to the disease.  She endured many, many rounds of chemotherapy with horrendous side effects and eventually underwent a liver transplant.  Unfortunately, it was later discovered that the cancer had metastasized and she would not survive.  There are no words that can really describe what an amazing person she was or how strong she stayed throughout her illness, so I won’t even attempt to articulate it.  Maybe she was acting strong so it would be easier on her three children - who knows?  I will never forget her positive attitude even in the face of death.  If I am half as tough as her, I know I could handle pretty much anything.

Mom and I at Outer Banks, NC when I was a little one

Which is good for me, because on April 13, 2001 at the age of 18, I was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma.  Honestly, this was truly unbelievable to me.  I couldn’t believe it was happening to my family - AGAIN.  After initiating treatment with some wonderful doctors at an awesome children’s hospital I was never too scared and I had confidence that I would make it, but I did worry constantly about the effect of my illness on my dad and brothers having to endure this a second time.  Chemo was of course rough, but things have improved significantly since mom had her treatment.  Thankfully my cancer was caught fairly early and was in remission with just four cycles of chemo.  I have now been in remission for nearly seven years.  I will admit that I worry often about relapsing or getting a secondary cancer from my chemotherapy meds (fairly common with my chemo regimen).  All I know is that every year that passes I am one year farther into remission, and I am thankful I have made it this far.  And one more lesson I learned - after you lose all your hair and grow it back, there is no such thing as a bad hair day.  Just be glad you have hair.

Ben and I a month or two after I completed chemo - my hair was growing back
(Yes, those are NSync pictures plastered on my wall - I was in college )

And then in 2005, cancer struck my family a third time.  I was coming home for Christmas after my first semester of med school when I got the news that a mass had been found on my Grampa’s pancreas.  I knew immediately that Grampa, my favorite person in the world, had pancreatic cancer.  If you aren’t familiar, pancreatic cancer has the worst prognosis of any cancer, period.  The five year survival rate is less than 5% with most people living 6 months past the diagnosis.  Grampa attempted chemo for a brief period of time but it was too rough on him, and with too little realistic benefit to continue.  We were lucky and he lived almost nine months past diagnosis.  I visited him often and cherished every day I had with him in those last few months.  He was the best grampa of all time and I miss him every day.

My all time favorite picture with my all time favorite guy

Take some time to remember all those in your life who have been affected by cancer.  And, remember to do self-exams and get screened, and encourage your loved ones to get screened for any cancers that have available tests (mammograms, pap smears, colonoscopies, etc.) 

And now, after all that sadness, let’s move on to something more pleasant - the food :-)  These cupcakes are my submission for the “Taste of Yellow” food blogging event, one of the many events supporting LiveSTRONG Day.  This will always be my favorite food blogging event because the message is so hugely important to me.  I brainstormed many yellow foods I could use for this challenge and I decided pineapple was the one I really wanted to incorporate.  I came up with the idea of these “pina colada cupcakes” and did my best to create the pina colada taste, using a coconut cupcake base and a pineapple cream cheese frosting.  I must say, these turned out wonderfully and I think I really achieved the pina colada flavor (minus the rum, of course).  I overbaked my cupcakes a bit because one of them was being stubborn and not baking through, but they still taste fabulous.  I did add a touch of yellow food coloring to the frosting to get the shade of yellow I was going for.  Yay for YUMMY cupcakes!!!

Pina Colada Cupcakes
Ingredients:
For the cupcakes:
2 cups sifted cake flour
2 tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. salt
8 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 ¾ cups sugar
½ cup milk, at room temperature
½ tsp. vanilla extract
¼ tsp. coconut extract
4 egg whites
½-2/3 cup shredded coconut

For the frosting:
2/3 cup fresh pineapple chunks
8 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
1 ½ sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 ¾ cups powdered sugar, sifted

For garnish:
shredded coconut
fresh pineapple wedges

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°.  Line a muffin tin with paper liners.

In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt.  Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, beat the butter on high speed until creamy, about 30 seconds.  Gradually add the granulated sugar and continue beating, occasionally scraping down the sides of the bowl, until light and fluffy, 4 to 5 minutes.

Reduce the speed to low and fold in the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the milk and beginning and ending with the flour, until just blended.  Stir in the vanilla and coconut extract.  Stir in shredded coconut.  Transfer batter to a large mixing bowl and set aside.  Wash and thoroughly dry mixer bowl.

In the mixer bowl, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form.  Using a rubber spatula, fold ½ cup of the egg whites into the batter until smooth.  Carefully fold in the remaining egg whites until smooth and blended.  Divide the batter among the prepared wells.

Bake until the cupcakes are golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 15 minutes.  Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes.  Remove the cupcakes from the pan and let cool on the rack to room temperature.

To make the frosting, puree the pineapple chunks in food processor or blender until smooth.  In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat cream cheese and butter on high speed until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes.  Mix in powdered sugar until well combined.  Add pineapple puree to achieve desired pineapple flavor (approximately ½ cup).  If frosting is too runny, refrigerate for 30 minutes to allow to set up a bit.  Frost cupcakes with pineapple frosting, sprinkle with shredded coconut and garnish with fresh pineapple wedges.

Source: cupcakes adapted from Williams Sonoma, frosting by Annie’s Eats

Wow, I’ve had a lot of awesome successes in the kitchen lately but I am a bit behind on blogging them.  Hopefully I will be caught up in the next couple of days.  I actually made this tart last week, and it was so wonderful that I just had to make sure I blogged about it.  It was fairly simple to throw together.  The phyllo is a little bit of extra work but I think it was definitely worth it in the end.  I had smaller phyllo sheets than the recipe calls for so I had some filling I didn’t use, but it worked out fine.  While typing up the recipe I realized I made several minor errors while cooking, probably due to lack of sleep, but it still turned out fantastic so I think this is a very forgiving recipe.  I served it with baked garlic rice pilaf and it was a wonderful meal!

Spinach, Feta and Pine Nut Tart

Ingredients:

½ cup pine nuts

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 tbsp. olive oil

2 10-oz. packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed

2 large eggs

½ tsp. salt

½ cup crumbled feta cheese (I probably used closer to 2/3 cup)

7 sheets phyllo dough (12”x17”)

5 tbsp. unsalted butter

6 tbsp. plus ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375°.

Toast pine nuts in a small skillet over medium heat. 

Meanwhile, wet spinach leaves and place in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Cover and cook until spinach wilts, 2-3 minutes.  Wring dry and roughly chop.

In the same skillet used for the spinach, heat 1 tbsp. olive oil over medium-low heat.  Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally until softened.

In a large bowl, whisk eggs.  Stir in spinach, onions, pine nuts, salt and feta until well-combined.  (Filling can be made 1 day ahead, covered and chilled.  Bring to room temperature before proceeding.)

On a clean, dry work surface, stack phyllo sheets and cover with a damp towel.  In a small saucepan melt butter.  Allow to cool slightly.  Spray a baking sheet with nonstick spray.

Place one sheet phyllo dough on the baking sheet and brush lightly with melted butter.  Sprinkle 1 tbsp. Parmesan evenly over buttered phyllo and repeat, layering 5 more phyllo sheets, butter and 5 tbsp. Parmesan.  Arrange last phyllo sheet on top and brush lightly with butter.  Spoon filling onto phyllo, spreading evenly and leaving outer 1 ½ inches free of filling.  Fold edges of pastry over filling, leaving center uncovered, and lightly brush top of phyllo with butter.  Sprinkle remaining ¼ cup Parmesan over exposed filling.  Bake tart in middle of oven until golden, 25-30 minutes.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

Source: The Way the Cookie Crumbles

This is the second time in a few weeks that I’ve made these cupcakes.  The first time I made them I think I had one or maybe two, and the rest were given away.  I’ve been wanting another ever since, so I just had to make them again!  The chunks of fresh strawberry throughout the cake and strawberry puree in the frosting give them a wonderful real strawberry flavor.  These really beat the pants off the strawberry cupcakes I used to make!  During my first attempt at these the frosting came out nothing like the way I think it was supposed to, even though I followed the recipe exactly.  This time I made my own modifications and I was much more pleased with the result.  Pink frosting with a great strawberry flavor but firm enough to be able to pipe onto the cupcakes.  Success!  The frosting is quite a bit more pink in real life than in these pics, but feel free to add a little food coloring to achieve your desired “pinkness”

Strawberry Cupcakes

Yield: about 18 cupcakes

Ingredients:

For the cupcakes:

2 ½ cups cake flour

1 tsp. baking soda

¼ tsp. salt

½ cup unsalted butter

1 ½ cups sugar

2 eggs

1/3 cup buttermilk

¼ cup oil

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 cups chopped strawberries

For the frosting:

½ c. strawberries

8 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature

1 ½ sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 ¾ cups powdered sugar, sifted

½ tsp. lemon juice

1 tbsp. vanilla

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350°.  Line cupcake pans with paper liners.

Sift flour, salt and baking soda into a medium bowl.  Set aside.  In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add eggs one at a time until combined.  Add buttermilk, oil and vanilla and beat until combined.  Add flour mixture and stir until just combined.  Fold in chopped strawberries.  Fill cupcake wells ¾ full with batter.  Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Cool completely on a wire rack.

For the frosting, puree strawberries in food processor.  Strain through a mesh sieve to remove seeds, and set aside.  Beat the cream cheese and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer until smooth and fluffy, about 5 minutes.  Add powdered sugar and mix until smooth.  Add lemon juice, vanilla and strawberry puree.  Adjust the amount of puree to achieve your desired consistency.  Frost cupcakes when completely cool.

Source: adapted from Good Things Catered

This is a really fabulous pasta dish that takes little time to throw together, and often I have a lot of the ingredients on hand.  It has great flavor and I love that the amount of “kick” is easily adapted to your own taste by adjusting the amount of Cajun seasoning you use.  It is also a fairly healthy meal thanks to the addition of lots of yummy veggies and shrimp.  Thanks to Elly for another wonderful dinner!

Cajun Shrimp Pasta with Cream Sauce

Ingredients:

4-6 oz. cooked pasta (fettuccine, spaghetti)

1 tbsp. butter

½ lb. shrimp, peeled and deveined

4 oz. sliced mushrooms

¼-½ onion, diced

1 cup thinly sliced bell pepper

2 cloves garlic, minced

½ - 1 tbsp. flour

1/3 cup half and half

salt, pepper and Cajun seasoning to taste

Directions:

Heat the butter in a skillet over medium heat.  Add the shrimp to the skillet and sprinkle liberally with Cajun seasoning.  Sauté in pan 1 minute per side, remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Add the mushrooms, onion, peppers and garlic to the skillet.  Sauté until the vegetables are tender.  Add the flour and stir to cook off its rawness.  Add the half and half and stir, thickening.  Return the shrimp to the pan and cook until heated through.  Season to taste with salt and pepper (and more Cajun seasoning, if desired.)  Toss with hot pasta and serve.

Source: adapted from Elly Says Opa! 

I really have been cooking regular balanced meals in my kitchen lately, not only sweets as my blog may imply!  I have had an urge lately to bake something with banana, but unfortunately bananas almost never last until they are ripe enough for baking in our house.  During my last trip to the store I bought a bunch of bananas specifically for ripening and baking (off limits for eating!)  I used some to make these fabulous cookies and froze the rest.  These cookies are wonderful!  Very soft and cakey as you might imagine.  I think they have just a touch too much spice (nutmeg and cloves in particular) and it may overwhelm the banana flavor.  I will probably reduce those two spices a teensy bit next time, but otherwise this recipe is great.  Simple and quick so you have yummy cookies in no time.

Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies

Yield: 25-30 cookies

Ingredients:

½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup sugar

1 egg, at room temperature

1 cup of mashed bananas (about 2 ½ large bananas)

1 tsp. baking soda

2 cups flour

pinch of salt

½ tsp. cinnamon

½ tsp. nutmeg

½ tsp. ground cloves

1 cup chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350°.  In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and the sugar together until light and fluffy.  Add the egg and continue to beat until well incorporated.

In a bowl, mix the mashed bananas and baking soda.  Let sit for 2 minutes.  The baking soda will react with the acid in the bananas which will in turn give the cookies their lift and rise.

Mix the banana mixture into the butter mixture.  Mix together the flour, salt and spices and sift into the butter and banana mixture until just combined. 

Fold chocolate chips into the batter.  Drop into dollops on baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Bake for 11-13 minutes or until nicely golden brown.  Let cool on wire racks.

Source: adapted from Erin’s Eats, originally from Simply Recipes

Those who read food blogs have probably already seen this cake on hundreds of other blogs in the past few weeks, thanks to the most recent Daring Bakers challenge.  I have actually had my eye on this cake for quite some time.  While I do not (yet) own Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan, it is the first book I grab each time I am browsing at Barnes & Noble and I peruse it, wishing it was part of my home collection.  Since the weather is finally turning a corner and spring is here, fresh berries are worth buying again.  When I saw Jamie’s version of the Perfect Party Cake I knew it was the perfect adaptation for me.  Her brilliant use of white chocolate whipped cream and fresh berries between the layers looked wonderful to me - and it really was!  I chose a simple Cool Whip frosting for the outside to complement the abundance of the fresh berries, as it seemed much more fitting than any buttercream. 

I was thrilled with the final product.  It was every bit as gorgeous and as tasty as I had hoped.  My good friend Allie is celebrating a birthday this week so I brought this as her birthday cake to her birthday dinner last night, and it was definitely a hit.  The famous “Benchiladas” were the main dish for our celebration, as they are a favorite of my friends as well :-)  Happy birthday, Allie!

Perfect Party Cake

Ingredients:

For the cake:

2 ¼ cups cake flour

1 tbsp. baking powder

½ tsp. salt

1 ¼ cups whole milk or buttermilk

4 large egg whites

1 ½ cups sugar

2 tsp. grated lemon zest

1 stick (8 tbsp.) unsalted butter, at room temperature

½ tsp. lemon extract (I omitted this)

For finishing:

2/3 cup mixed berry preserves

1 recipe white chocolate whipped cream

fresh berries

1 recipe Cool Whip frosting (I actually used closer to 12 oz. Cool Whip - this recipe is very adaptable)

Directions:

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350°.  Butter two 9-inch round cake pans and line the bottom of each pan with a round of buttered parchment paper.  Dust both pans with flour, shaking out the excess.  Set aside.

Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.  In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk and egg whites.  In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the sugar and lemon zest.  Mix them with your fingers until the sugar is moist and fragrant.  Add the butter to the sugar mixture and beat on medium speed for 3 minutes, until light and fluffy.  Beat in the lemon extract.

Add one third of the flour mixture, continuing to beat on medium speed.  Beat in half of the egg mixture, then half of the remaining dry ingredients until incorporated.  Add the rest of the milk and eggs, beating until the batter is homogenous, then add the last of the dry ingredients.  Finally give the batter a good 2-minute beating to ensure that it is thoroughly mixed and well aerated.  Divide the batter between the two prepared cake pans and smooth tops with a rubber spatula.  Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the cakes are well-risen and springy to the touch – a thin knife inserted in the centers should come out clean.

Transfer the cakes to cooling racks and cool for about 5 minutes.  Run a knife around the sides of the cakes, invert the cake pans to remove the cake, peel off the parchment paper, and invert once more so cakes are right side up on the cooling rack.  Cool to room temperature.

Using a sharp, serrated knife and a gentle sawing motion, slice each layer horizontally in half.  Place one layer on a cardboard cake round or a cake plate, cut side up.  Spread one third of the preserves on top.  Cover the jam evenly with about 1/3 of the white chocolate whipped cream.  Top evenly with fresh berries.  Top with another cake layer, and again layer with jam, whipped cream and berries.  Repeat once more with a third cake layer.  Place the last layer of the cake cut side down on top of the cake.  Use the Cool Whip frosting to frost the top and sides of the cake.  Top with fresh berries.

Because of the whipped cream filling and Cool Whip frosting, this cake should be stored in the refrigerator.  Remove from refrigerator and allow to sit at room temperature at least 30 minutes before serving.

Source: adapted from Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan and Good Eats ‘n Sweet Treats

This week I had a serious urge to bake a cheesecake.  Who knows why, since I made one not too long ago - maybe because I wasn’t thrilled with the lemon curd on the last one, and this time I wanted something more chocolatey.  Whatever the reason, I’m glad I gave in to the urge because this cheesecake is awesome!  It wins points right off the bat with the chocolate cookie crumb crust.  That almost guarantees it will be a hit with me :-)  After reading the recipe, I wasn’t sure if I liked the idea of layering the batter and chocolate chips (versus just mixing all the chips in the batter and pouring into the crust).  I decided to trust the recipe and layer, and I’m happy I did.  I think the layer of chips really helps concentrate the chocolate flavor in each bite of the cheesecake.  This was an easy recipe and the only thing that presents a challenge is waiting 8 whole hours to taste it

Chocolate Chip Cheesecake
Ingredients:
2 cups chocolate sandwich cookie crumbs
6 tbsp. butter, melted
24 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
¾ cup powdered sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1/3 cup whipping cream
1 tbsp. vanilla
1 ½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips 

Directions:
For the crust, crumble the sandwich cookies into a food processor or blender.  Grind into fine crumbs.  In a medium bowl, combine cookie crumbs and melted butter.  Mix well with a fork.  Spoon the mixture into a 10-inch springform pan.  Using your fingers or the back of a spoon, pat the mixture into the bottom and 1 inch up the sides of the pan.  Freeze prepared crust 15-30 minutes while preparing cheesecake filling. 

Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 325°.  Blend cream cheese and sugar 3 minutes on medium-high speed.  Turn mixer down to lowest speed; add eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly after each.  Scrape sides of bowl.  Add whipping cream and vanilla; beat on medium-high for 3 minutes.  Pour ¾ of the cream cheese filling into crust.  Sprinkle chocolate chips over batter, then pour remaining cream cheese filling over chips. 

Bake cheesecake for 1 hour and 15 minutes at 325°.  Turn off oven; leave cake in oven with door closed for 1 ½ hours.  Refrigerate at least 8 hours before serving.

Source: Ghirardelli