Category: Fruit

Cakes · Daily Thoughts · Desserts · Fruit · Holiday Fare

Five Golden Ring Recipe: Cherry Date Pecan Cake

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How did it get to be 5 days before Christmas? The days just go by so quickly before I make it halfway down my “to do” list of grand ideas to make this Christmas more special than ever. I haven’t even had time to sit by the fire and look through Christmas magazines yet this year to see all the great new recipes. Last night, I actually went to pick up our Christmas cards and addressed them and mailed them this morning.. I am so proud. The salon where I get my nails done had an open house today. They had trays of egg rolls, spring rolls,meat pies and cookies and invited all the customers to come by to say Merry Christmas. It was a very nice gesture and makes it feel like Christmas. Enjoying the festivities today made me want to do something nice for someone so I am going to really try to do something nice for someone these next 5 days. Someone who could never repay me and someone who would never expect it. .

The next 5 recipes are what I would call “golden” and have become very special through the years. They just make it feel like Christmas. This first one is Cherry Date Pecan Cake which I use to watch my mom make for years, before she passed it down to me. When I saw her buying dates and cherries, I knew it was Christmas baking time. Have just finished mixing this cake and is in the oven as we speak. Am using them as hostess gifts for several open houses we are invited to attend. My favorite way to eat them is with a big dollop of fresh whipped cream.

1st Golden Ring Recipe: Cherry Date Pecan Cake

1 lb chopped dates

1 lb candied cherries ( I live my whole, but you can chop them if you like)

3 cups chopped pecans

1 cup sugar

4 eggs, separated (works better at room temperature)

1 cup flour

2 rounded teas of baking powder

1 teas salt

2 teas vanilla

Cream sugar and egg yolks until creamy. Add vanilla. Add flour, baking powder and salt. to creamed mixture. With clean beaters, (no grease on them as egg whites do not whip up stiff if grease is on bowl or beaters) whip 4 egg whites until they are still, around 4-5 minutes. Add fruit  and pecans to batter with heavy spatula. This is hard to mix but keep folding until fruit is distributed into batter. Add beaten egg whites and fold in to mixture until it is all folded in. Pour into individual greased loaf pans or a greased bundt pan . Bake until toothpick comes out clean when inserted in middle of cake. Baking time depends on size of pan you use. The batter made 4 small loaf pans and 1 long loaf pan. When finished baking, cool and wrap as gifts. These little cakes keep for a long period of time in the fridge. So make them this weekend and eat on them all through Christmas.

Cookies · Desserts · Fruit · Holiday Fare

Triple Ginger Cookies

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This was my first time to participate in the Food Bloggers Cookie Swap. I received 3 different types of cookies from 3 other bloggers. One of the cookies that were sent to me were these delicious Triple Ginger Cookies from, “loveandflour.com”   There were amazing, so I went to her blog to obtain her recipe. This was also my first time to use fresh ginger in a cookie recipe. These are now my favorite cookies and had so much fun making them today. Thanks Leandra for sharing these awesome cookies with the world! They have won my heart.

1 cup all purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour ( I used just all purpose since I didn’t have wheat)

1 tables ground ginger

1 teas baking soda

1/8 teas salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

1/4 cup molasses

2/3 cup light brown sugar

2 tables fresh ginger, finely grated

1 large egg, beaten

1 cup dried chopped apricots

1/2 cup crystalized ginger, finely chopped

1 cup turbinado sugar

In a large bowl, stir together flours, ground ginger, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium low heat.

Remove from the heat once the butter is melted and stir in the molasses, brown sugar and fresh ginger. Allow to cool.

Add the beaten egg to the cooled molasses mixture and stir to combine.

Slowly stir this mixture into the dry flour mixture.

Fold in the apricots and crystalized ginger into the dough.

Cover with plastic wrap and chill at least 1 hour.

Once chilled, shape the dough into half-inch balls and roll in the turbinado sugar.

Place the cookie balls on parchment lined baking sheets.

Bake in a preheated 350 oven for 8-10 minutes.

Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

 

Breads · Breakfast · Cakes · Desserts · Fruit · Holiday Fare

Cranbery Christmas Cake

Chocolate Castles2 Comments
Christmas Cranberry Cake
Christmas Cranberry Cake

I have taken this cake to about 10 different friends since making it this past week. Everyone has loved it and most have requested the recipe. I actually found it on Face Book and since the picture looked so good, I decided to give it a try. So glad I did. It is just really a great cake. So easy and so pretty.

3 eggs

2 cups sugar

3/4 cup butter

1 teas vanilla (I am going to use almond extract next time)

2 cups flour

12 oz fresh cranberries

Preheat oven to 350. With a mixer, beat the eggs with the sugar until slightly thickened and light in color, about 5-7 minutes. Do not skip this step, as the eggs serve as the leavening agent in this recipe. The mixture should almost double in size. This mixture should be a ribbon when you lift the beaters out of the bowl.

Add the butter and vanilla (or almond extract); mix two more minutes.

Stir in the flour, (I used the very lowest setting on the mixer) until well combined. Then hand stir the cranberries and stir to mix well.

Spoon the mixture into a greased 9×13 baking dish and bake for about 30-35 minutes. (actually, I cannot remember exactly how long I baked it, but it was a light golden brown when I took it out.) Do not over bake, you do not want this dry.

The recipe didn’t call for a glaze, but I added one. I mixed up a cup of powdered sugar and enough milk to make it thin and spreadable. I added 1/2 teas almond extract to this and while cake was hot, I poured the glaze over the cake. The sweetest of the glaze was so nice with the tartness of the cranberries. A nice compliment to the fruit.

Cakes · Desserts · Fruit · Holiday Fare

Cranberry Cupcakes

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What a novel idea. Why had I not thought of these? When I opened the new Food Network Magazine, there they were. So simple and what a great dessert to serve through the holidays. Use them with a pretty little Thanksgiving pick and then place the name cards in front of the pick to welcome your guests to the table. Ditto for Christmas, changing the picks to Christmas.

Serves 12

For the cupcakes:

 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 teas baking powder

1/2 teas salt

1/4 teas baking soda

1/8 to 1/4 teas freshly grated nutmeg (Or use ground if that is all you have)

6 tables unsalted butter, at room temperature

3/4 cup sugar

1 large egg, at room temp

1 teas vanilla

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup whole berry cranberry sauce

Frosting:

2 sticks unsalted butter at room temp

3 cups powdered sugar

1/4 cup canned whole-berry cranberry sauce

1/2 teas vanilla

Pinch of salt

Dried cranberries to top cupcakes

To make the cupcakes, preheat oven to 350. Line a 12 cup muffin pan with paper liners. Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and nutmeg in a medium bowl. Set aside

Beat the butter and sugar in a large bowl with mixer until creamy, about 2 minutes.

Add the egg and vanilla and beat until fluffy, about 3 more minutes.

Reduce the speed of the mixer to low and add the flour mixture; beat until just incorporated, about 1 minute.  Add the sour cream and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 more minutes.

Divide the batter between the 12 muffin cups. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cupcake comes out clean, about 20 minutes.

Let sit until cool enough to handle, then gently press the back of a small spoon (or if you have ordered a Thumbie from me, it makes it so easy) to make a small indention. Fill each indention with a teaspoon or 2 of the whole cranberry sauce. Remove the cupcakes to a rack to cool completely.

For frosting, beat the butter with1 cup of the powdered sugar in a large bowl until combined, about 2 mins. Reduce the mixer speed and add the remaining 2 cups powdered sugar and beat until all butter is incorporated and the mixture is fluffy. Beat in the 1/4 cup whole berry cranberry sauce and vanilla and salt until combined. Spread the frosting on the cupcakes and top with dried cranberries, if desired.

Desserts · Fruit · Holiday Fare · Salads

Cranberry Congealed Salad

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We cannot have Thanksgiving without a cranberry salad. This recipe, taken from Paula Deen Magazine steps it up a notch. You could even use if for dessert if you wanted. It is delicious.  Such a gorgeous red color that is such a complimentary side to the turkey.

1 cup flour

1 cup chopped pecans

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/2 cup butter, melted

2 (8 oz) packages of cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1 ( 8 oz) container frozen whipped topping, thawed

2 (3 oz) packages orange gelatin (this gives you that great orange-cranberry flavor combination)

2 cups boiling water

2 (14 oz) cans whole-berry cranberry sauce

1 cup cold water

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 13×9″ baking pan with nonstick cooking spray

In a medium bowl, combine flour, pecans and brown sugar. Add melted butter, stirring to combine. Press mixture into bottom of prepared pan; bake for 12-15 min or until light golden brown. Let cool completely.

In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar at medium speed until smooth. Add Cool Whip and beat until blended well. Spread mixture over cooled crust; cover and chill for at least 4 hours. or refrigerate for up to 2 days (this would be great to make ahead so you have your salad already made and could concentrate on the turkey).

In a large bowl, stir together gelatin and 2 cups boiling water. Add cranberry sauce, stirring until combined. Stir in 2 cup cold water. Slowly pour gelatin mixture over chilled cream cheese layer. Cover and chill for at least 4 hours or up to 2 days. Cut into squares and serve. Garnish with whipped topping and a fresh cranberry and mint leaf.

Desserts · Fruit · Holiday Fare

Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater

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Another super easy, yet so yummy pumpkin dessert. Brought to you by Jell-O!  J E L L-O

Preheat oven to 350.
1 pkg (2 layer size) Duncan Hines yellow  cake mix

4 eggs, divided

1/2 cup butter, melted

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1 ( 8oz) cream cheese, softened

1 can (15 oz) pumpkin

1 pkg  (3/4 oz) pumpkin spice flavor instant pudding (if you can’t find the pumpkin spice, use French vanilla

1/3 cup cold milk

1/2 teas cinnamon

1 envelop Dream Whip Whipped Topping Mix

Line a 13×9″ pan with foil; spray with cooking spray. Blend cake mix, 1 egg and butter; press onto bottom of pan.

Beat cream cheese, brown sugar, remaining eggs, pumpkin and dry pudding mix with mixer until blended. Pour onto crust.

Bake 40 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Transfer pan to cooling rack; cool completely.

Mix whipped topping with milk and beat until blended. Beat on high speed until mixture forms stiff peaks. Spread onto dessert.

Refrigerate until ready to serve.

I cheated and used real whipping cream. Add 1/3 cup sugar with 1/2 pt of whipping cream and beat until stiff peaks form. Nothing is better than REAL whipping cream…..so easy and makes such a difference.

Serves 18

Cakes · Daily Thoughts · Desserts · Fruit · Holiday Fare

Pumpkin, Caramel & Pecan Cheesecake

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What better way to celebrate Fri than with a new recipe! It has been a very stressful morning. Decisions, decisions. We are going to some friends home for dinner and guess who volunteered to bring dessert? Knowing that I wanted to make something “fallish” two different recipes came to mind. This new recipe from Philadelphia Cream Cheese or one of my fall favs, fresh apple cake with brown sugar frosting.

Peter Pumpkin and I seem to load up on apples each and every week, thinking that what better time to begin eating healthy? Each time we come back from the grocery determined to load up our bodies with fresh fruit; thus the apples and bananas that we take out of the reusable bags. The only problem with this new resolution (actually it isn’t new, it’s something we’ve resolved to do since January, 1996, but never find the right time to begin) is that as the week goes by with the fruit still sitting there, staring back at us, it becomes apparent that it is no longer “fresh fruit” and is begging to be used in some delicious baked good that thrives on over ripe fruit to make it moisturie (I know I know, but it just seems to be the right word). So since I had apples laying out looking ever so “please use me, please use me” I decided to make a fresh apple cake tonight. But because that recipe is already on the post, I wanted to give you the other dessert that was the 2nd option for tonight. Will make it when I have used up all our over ripe fruit. Will start again on Mon with new fresh fruit. Who knows, maybe by next Fri, I will have found new recipes that use really ripe apples and bananas? In the meantime…..

Makes 16 Servings

Prep Time: 15 min (now that should catch your eye)

1/2 cup chopped pecans, divided

18 Nabisco Ginger Snaps, finely crushed

1/4 cup butter, melted

4 packages ( 8 oz ea) Philadelphia Cream Cheese, softened

1 cup sugar

1 can (15 oz) pumpkin

1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice

1 teas vanilla

1 teas vanilla

 4 eggs

25 caramels

1/4 cup milk

Heat oven t0 325. Chop 1/4 cup of the pecans very fine in a bowl. Add ginger snap crumbs and butter; mix well. Press crumb mixture onto bottom of a 13×9″ pan. Set aside.  Beat cream cheese and sugar in a large bowl. With hand mixer, beat until blended. Add pumpkin, spice and vanilla, mix well. Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing on low speed after each addition just until blended. Pour over crust.

Bake 45 min or until center is almost set. Cool completely. Refrigerate at least 4 hours.

Microwave caramels and milk in microwavable bowl for 1 1/2 min or until caramels are completely melted, stirring every 30 seconds. Add the other 1/4 cup chopped pecans and spoon over individual servings of cheesecake. Top with whipping cream if desired.

 

Desserts · Fruit · Holiday Fare

Cranberry Cobbler With Walnut Creme

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My Sister-in-law is always looking for new recipes that have cranberries in them. When I came across this one in Southern Lady, I quickly tore it out to post so Janece could spend her week playing mah jong instead of combing through magazines. Janece, this one is for you. BTW, just got back from Trader Jo’s. If you have not tried their pumpkin butter, do so, it is so good. Also bought their frozen pumpkin bread pudding. If we have unexpected company I can quickly bake it and add cream sauce and wa-la….instant Autumn dessert.

4 1/2 cups fresh cranberries

2/3 cup sugar

1 tables four

1 tablespoon finely grated orange zest

2 teas cinnamon

1 teas nutmeg

For the filling, combine the cranberries, sugar, flour, orange zest, cinnamon and nutmeg in a bowl and mix lightly. Spoon into a 1 1/2 qt greased baking dish.

Topping

1 1/2 cups flour

3 tables sugar

2 1/4 baking powder

2 teas finely grated orange zest

2 teas cinnamon

1/2 teas salt

6 tables unsalted butter, chilled, cut into 1/2″ pieces

3/4 cup heavy cream

1 tables sugar

Mix the flour, 3 tables sugar, baking powder, orange zest, cinnamon and salt into a bowl. Cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs .Use 2 forks or a pastry blender. Add the cream and mix just until mixture forms a soft dough.

Shape into biscuits with biscuit cutter or using the top of a drinking glass (dipping the glass in flour helps release the dough onto the baking sheet). 2″ in diameter and 1/2″ thick. Arrange over the cranberries. Sprinkle with 1 tables sugar.

Bake at 375 for 30-40 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown. Serve with walnut cream or ice cream.

Walnut Cream

1 cup whipping cream

1 tables sugar

1 teas vanilla

1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts

For the walnut cream, beat the whipping cream in a bowl with mixer until soft peaks form. Add the sugar and vanilla gradually, beating until  the peaks hold their shape. Fold in the walnuts. Chill until serving time.

 

appetizers · Fruit · Holiday Fare

Pumpkin Fruit Dip

Chocolate Castles9 Comments

Peter Pumpkin and Penelope were in charge of treats at church today. Knowing that I wanted to take a tray of green/red sliced apples on a platter around a bowl of fruit dip, I went in search of a new dip. When I came across this one, I decided that it was the one that would sit in the middle of the apples. This one  sounded intriguing, combining a can of pumpkin puree with just a couple of other ingredients. The crowd went wild…I saw several of the hubbies going back and getting a huge spoonful on their plates, several even came up to me and ask me what was in it. Simple put, it was a success. It looked so pretty, with it’s light creamy pumpkin color, very complimentary to the apples which surrounded it. I think you will agree, this one makes a great Fall dip. As I was sitting in class, watching several going back to get more, my mind started racing. If the dip was this good with sliced apples, what else would it go with? I began to imagine it spread between thin slices of pumpkin bread, making pretty tea sandwiches. Or between sliced date-nut bread. Celery stuffed with it or stuffed dates. The possibilities are endless. But before I really get carried away, I think I will just post the recipe and let you come up with how you would like to use it.

1 (15 oz) can pumpkin puree

1 (16 oz) container Cool Whip

1 package (3 oz size) of French vanilla instant pudding

8 oz softened cream cheese

1/4 cup light brown sugar

1 teas pumpkin pie spice

Mix all ingredient, except Cool Whip together. After ingredients are well bended, add the Cool Whip and stir just until it is well blended with other ingredients; keep covered in the refrigerator at least 8 hours or overnight to allow flavors to blend.  

Desserts · Fruit · Holiday Fare

Pennsylvania Dutch Apple Pie

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Looking up a recipe for a friend, I came across this pie recipe that I had forgotten. It is so simple and it will make you the star of the show when you bring it to any holiday dinner. BTW, I want to pass along a tip. A friend came to dinner the other night, bringing with her a great cherry pie. Between she, her husband, Randy and I, we each ate 1/4 of the entire pie. The crust was delicious and until yesterday, I didn’t realize that the crust was a box mix from Betty Crocker. She said that is all she uses and all you do is add water and roll. The reason I have never liked bought pie crusts is they taste so salty and just never had that homemade taste, but this one, oh my, this one was truly a great crust and I really didn’t guess that it wasn’t home made. So look for it on your grocer’s shelves. (Do I sound like a commercial or what)? Anyway, back to the recipe. Using a unbaked pie crust, place 7-10 apples, (cored, peeled and sliced) into a 9″ unbaked pie crust. If using a frozen pie crust, get the deep dish and be sure you place on a rimmed baking tray to bake as it will bubbly over.

Mix 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1 teas cinnamon, 1/8 teas cloves. Sprinkle over apples.

Sprinkle 1 tables water or fresh lemon juice if you prefer over the top of apples.

Crumb Crust:

1/2 sugar

3/4 cup flour

1 stick butter

(I added another teaspoon of cinnamon to this crumb mixture as we love cinnamon)

Mix together the sugar and flour. Cut the butter into the sugar and flour using a pastry blended or 2 forks or food processor until mixture resembles crumbs. Sprinkle over pie.

Bake at 400 for 40-45 minutes. If pie begins to brown to much, cover lightly with foil.

This pie is served every Fall in Pennsylvania  Dutch country. A combination of Granny Smith and red, such as Cortland or Mcintosh works best.

Serve warm with cinnamon ice cream.

Once you serve this, it will become a holiday tradition at your house.