A Pie for Pentecost
Last year, I made a different cake for every week of the season of Easter, plus a bonus red velvet cake to celebrate Pentecost Sunday. This year, I made a variety of pies throughout the season of Easter, ending with a red (of course!), strawberries and cream pie for today:
I wonder what kind of theme I can up with for next year?
Tasty Tuesday–Sopapilla Cheesecake
I tried this recipe out for Mother’s Day, and it was delicious! I’m not claiming it’s authentic or anything, but it’s easy to make, and so good! It was also be good topped with whipped cream and fresh strawberries (neither of which I had on Mother’s Day…maybe next time).
- 3 8 oz. packages cream cheese, softened
- 1 1/2 cups white sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 2 8 oz. cans crescent roll dough
- 1/2 cup melted butter
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
Preheat oven to 350.
Beat cream cheese with 1 1/2 cups of sugar and vanilla extract until smooth.
Unroll the cans of crescent roll dough, and use a rolling pin to shape the each piece into a 9×13 inch rectangle. Press one piece into the bottom of a 9×13 inch baking dish. Evenly spread the cream cheese mixture over dough, then cover with the remaining piece of crescent dough.
Drizzle the melted butter evenly over the top of the cheesecake. Stir the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar together with the cinnamon in a small bowl, and sprinkle over the cheesecake.
Bake in the preheated oven until the crescent dough has puffed and turned golden brown, about 45 minutes. Cool completely in the pan before cutting.
Bunny Cupcakes
I baked cupcakes today, and a half-dozen of them were decorated as bunnies. Even without their whiskers, they’re very popular!
Tasty Tuesday–French Silk Pie
This pie isn’t quite as good as the French Silk pie I used to love at Baker’s Square, but it’s pretty darn close. How much whipped cream you use is up to you. I consider it to be an ingredient, so I put a thick layer over the whole pie. If you want it as just a garnish, feel free to use less!
- 1 8-inch pie crust, baked and cooled
- 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
- 3/4 cup white sugar
- 2 squares, 1 oz. each, unsweetened baking chocolate
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 2 eggs
- Fresh whipped cream
Cream butter in a mixing bowl. Gradually beat in the sugar with an electric mixer until light-colored and well blended. Stir in the thoroughly cooled chocolate, and vanilla extract. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating 5 minutes on medium speed after each addition. The filling should be a light, fluffy brown at this point. Spoon the chocolate filling into a cooled, baked pie shell. Top with desired amount of whipped cream.
Refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving.
Tasty Tuesday–Irish Tea Cake
I tried this recipe for the first time a few week’s ago for our St. Patrick’s Day tea party, and it was a huge hit! It’s a nice, simple butter cake, delicious with a dusting of powdered sugar. You could easily double the recipe, though, and use it as a layer cake with frosting instead!
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 1 cup white sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar, for dusting
Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour a 9 inch round pan.
In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time then stir in the vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt; stir into the batter alternately with the milk. If the batter is too stiff, a tablespoon or two of milk may be added. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan.
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes in the preheated oven, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack, then turn out onto a serving plate. Dust with powdered sugar right before serving.
Spring Baking
I know most people are all about the spring cleaning, but a little spring baking is a lot more fun!
Tasty Tuesday–Irish Soda Bread
I’ve been making this particular soda bread recipe for years, now, and it’s very popular in our house. I especially like it because it doesn’t have raisins, and as far as I understand, the raisins are not necessary for an authentic soda bread. The buttermilk, however, is a key ingredient. It’s also important to make it a day ahead, and wrap it in foil…that really helps the flavor develop!
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 Tbsp. baking powder
- 1/3 cup white sugar
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 2 cups buttermilk
- 1/4 cup butter, melted
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease a 9×5 loaf pan.
Combine flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, and baking soda in large bowl. Blend egg and buttermilk together; add all at once to flour mixture. Mix until moistened. Stir in butter and pour into pan.
Bake for 60-70 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Cool in a wire rack. Wrap in foil and store overnight.
Shamrock Cookies
Getting ready for St. Patrick’s Day!
I saw these beer mug icing decorations one day at Michael’s, and I knew I needed to use them…fortunately for me, they fit well with the whole St. Patrick’s Day theme. Would have worked for Oktoberfest, too!
Tasty Tuesday–Mint Oreo Cheesecake
It took me two tries to get this recipe right. I ended up adding about 15 minutes to the baking time from what the original recipe suggested (only 45 minutes). Without that extra time, I ended with a cheesecake that completely fell apart because it wasn’t done in the middle!
The real genius of this cake is the cinnamon in the crust…combined with the mint, it’s amazing! I do think you could easily leave out the sour cream layer, which seemed a little out-of-place on this particular cheesecake, but it wasn’t bad, so I’ll include it for the sour cream lovers out there! For an even mintier taste, substitute peppermint extract for the vanilla in some or all of the layers.
Crust
- 2 cups mint Oreo cookie crumbs
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
- 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Cheesecake
- 1 1/4 cups white sugar
- 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 eggs
- 1 1/2 cups mint Oreo cookie pieces (a rough chop of the cookies works well)
Sour Cream Topping
- 16 ounces sour cream
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Chocolate Ganache
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Combine mint Oreo crumbs, melted butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a medium bowl; firmly press mixture evenly onto bottom and 1 inch up sides of a 10-inch springform pan. Bake at 350 for 5 minutes; set aside.
In a large bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Gradually mix in 1 1/4 cups sugar, 1/3 cup whipping cream, flour, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat in eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Pour 1/3 of batter into prepared pan. Top with mint Oreo pieces; pour in remaining batter.
Bake at 350 for 1 hour. Remove cake from oven. Combine sour cream, 1/4 cup sugar, and 1 teaspoon vanilla; spread evenly on cheesecake. Continue baking for 7 minutes. Turn oven off and leave cheesecake in oven 30 minutes. Remove cheesecake, and let cool completely on a wire rack.
Combine 1 cup whipping cream and chocolate chips in a saucepan; stir over low heat until chocolate melts, and then stir in 1 teaspoon vanilla. Pour mixture over cheesecake while still warm. Refrigerate until serving time, at least 8 hours for refrigerator, or overnight. Remove from refrigerator about 1/2 hour to 1 hour before serving, remove ring from springform pan, decorate to choice.
Cheesecake Done Right
Surely you didn’t think I’d give up after my epic fail? I just needed a cooling off period before I conquered the mighty mint Oreo cheesecake!
