All posts filed under: Amazing Sweets

Sliced lemon curd cake on plate and cake stand. Both are on a lemon-decorated tablecloth

Luscious Lemon Curd Cake

Published by Kathy Hunt

For such a delicious topping, lemon curd has been cursed with a rather unappetizing name. By definition, curd is the semi-solid created when acid is added to milk. True curds possess a rubbery and sometimes grainy texture. Lemon curd has a smooth, thick and creamy feel and sweetly tart taste. So, how did this British creation end up with such a misleading name? The curd in “lemon curd” In its earliest form lemon curd was the result of mixing lemon juice with cream. The watery part of this mixture, the whey, was drained off. What remained was lemon-flavored curds or lemon curds. By the late 1800s modern lemon curd had entered the kitchen. This new version consisted of eggs, lemon juice, sugar and butter and had a velvety texture. Although the ingredients had changed, the name remained the same. A travel-inspired dessert Similar to most of my recipes, this cake originated from a trip. Earlier this month I returned to Canterbury, England; high school students and English majors might recognize as the pilgrims’ destination in …

pavlova with berries and custard

Pavlova with Berries and Crème Anglaise

Published by Kathy Hunt

I have this thing about pavlova. I love it! This meringue-based dessert possesses a crisp exterior, slightly chewy but soft interior, and an ethereal lightness and sweetness that never disappoints. When topped with macerated fruit and whipped cream, that crisp meringue transforms into a luscious and juicy treat. During a stay on New Zealand’s South Island I tried countless takes on this dessert. Pavlovas with fresh mango, passion fruit, or kiwi tumbled over top. Pavlovas with cooked or macerated berries or cherries cascading down the sides. Pavlovas hollowed out and filled with almond custard or vanilla créme anglaise. The variations seemed never ending. New Zealand or Australia? The debate goes on. For almost a century debate has raged over whether New Zealand or Australia invented the pavlova or pav, as it’s often called. Australians claim that Perth chef Herbert Sachse made the first at the Esplanade Hotel in 1935. New Zealanders point to its inclusion in a 1927, NZ cookbook. The cookbook came out a year after the dessert’s namesake, Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova, visited New Zealand. …

caramelizing sugar with a torch

Caramelized Banana Crème Brulée

Published by Kathy Hunt

Crème brulée. It sounds so fancy, so complicated. Yet, its name means something so simple, “burned cream,” and sums up this custard perfectly. Crème brulée consists of cream, egg yolks and sugar. Dusted with a layer of sugar, the dessert is placed under a broiler or butane kitchen torch. Once the sugar caramelizes and forms a crisp, shiny, golden glaze, the dish transforms from boring, old custard into crunchy, velvety crème brulée. Crème brulée, then and now Historians differ on the exact origins of crème brulée. Some attribute it to 17th century France while others point to 15th century England. In the 19th century it became a favorite dessert at Trinity College, Cambridge, England. From there its popularity spread. It eventually fell out of fashion until the 1980s when upscale restaurants began serving it as a decadent final course. This dessert has not lost its hold on diners’ palates. Stop by an ice cream or gelato shop or your local market’s ice cream case and you’ll likely see crème brulée as a featured flavor. The …

chocolate raspberry cake

Chocolate Raspberry Cake

Published by Kathy Hunt

With its luscious berry frosting and moist, decadent chocolate interior, chocolate raspberry cake is a delightful dessert for any occasion. Yet, thanks to its rosy pink and red appearance, it is especially fitting for Valentine’s Day. Employ a little imagination and those fresh raspberries topping the cake begin to resemble tiny, beaded hearts. What could beat this colorful sweet? Along with its festive appearance, chocolate raspberry cake offers a delightful marriage of flavors. Bold, bittersweet ground cocoa comes together with sweet, tangy raspberries to create a balanced treat. Using oil for a velvety texture In addition to that pleasing partnership of flavors, chocolate raspberry cake possesses a velvet-like feel not only in its icing but also in its cake. This soft texture results from the use of oil in the batter. While butter will add flavor to baked goods, oil bumps up the moisture content and produces a more tender cake. Want more baking tips? If you’re looking for more baking tips or a fun way to celebrate Valentine’s Day, join me on Sunday February …

Orange-Bittersweet Chocolate Ice Cream Cake

Published by Kathy Hunt

I make cakes from scratch. I make ice cream from scratch. Yet, until this summer, I’d never made an ice cream cake. That all changed when I had a Saturday afternoon to kill, an excess of oranges, heavy cream and bittersweet chocolate in my kitchen, and the bowl of an ice cream maker taking up valuable space in my freezer. Perfect time to try my hand at an Orange-Bittersweet Chocolate ice cream cake. Origins of icebox desserts People have enjoyed some version of an ice cream cake since at least the 19th century. It was during this period that iceboxes became more commonplace. Filled with blocks of ice, these wooden cabinets were used to store perishable foods. Along with extending freshness and preventing spoilage, iceboxes inspired an array of frozen desserts, including a precursor to the ice cream cake, the bombe. This Victorian era treat featured a fruity custard encased in layers of ice cream and, occasionally, cookies or cake. Frozen in a spherical mold, the bombe was sliced and served with a sweet sauce. …

rhubarb cake

Rhubarb Upside Down Cake

Published by Kathy Hunt

Rhubarb and I have a troubled past. I was in college when I first saw it in stalk form and thought that it was celery gone bad. Then I tried this vegetable in a slice of strawberry-rhubarb pie. The strawberry part of the pie was tasty, but, once I took a bite of a stringy and hard pinkish-green chunk of rhubarb, I was repulsed. Rhubarb fail number one. Fast forward several years and I’m in Southeastern Pennsylvania, with neighbors who grow a variety of uncommon produce. One late spring evening my next-door-neighbor Frank drops off a grocery bag filled with jagged stalks of what appear to be pink celery. Ah, yes. My old nemesis. After instructing me to wash and chop the rhubarb before putting it in a casserole with some water and baking it until soft, he sets off. I do exactly as instructed and create a mouth-puckering sour, mushy dish that even our dog won’t touch. What Frank failed to mention was that I should have added a liberal amount of sugar to …

seafoam meringue iced banana cake

Seafoam Frosted Banana Cake

Published by Kathy Hunt

Seafoam Frosted banana cake showcases that shiny, fluffy frosting known as —yep, you guessed it—seafoam. Made from brown sugar and egg whites, the icing is, more or less, a meringue that you slather over a cake. Unlike the traditional meringues for pavlovas and pies, this one is boiled instead of baked. Because it generally cooks for seven minutes, seafoam is sometimes referred to as “seven minute frosting.” Frosting or candy? If the name seafoam sounds familiar, but you don’t remember it as an icing, you might be thinking of a candy that bears the same name. A type of divinity candy, it differs from seafoam frosting in that it is boiled until it reaches hard-ball stage on a candy thermometer. Rock hard and riddled with air bubbles, the finished sweet may be coated in chocolate or eaten as is. The origin of the candy’s and icing’s name is unknown. Make your own double boiler To make the seafoam icing, you will need a double boiler. Don’t own this cookware? Don’t worry. You can easily cobble …

sweet potato pudding

Sweet Potato Pudding

Published by Kathy Hunt

Every time I bake a soft, honeyed sweet potato, I think, “Boy, I don’t eat enough of these!” As the name indicates, this root vegetable possesses a pleasing sweet flavor, one that goes well with a variety of foods and preparations. It also has a deep orange hue that enlivens any dinner or dessert plate. Its gorgeous color comes from the large amount of beta carotene that it contains. An antioxidant, beta carotene converts into Vitamin A. Pretty, delicious and nutritious! Selecting the right root In the U.S. we use the terms “sweet potato” and “yam” interchangeably. They are not the same vegetable. They aren’t even from the same plant family. Although they both come from Southern America and are root vegetables, yams have a woodier, more root-like appearance. Their skins range from off-white to dark brown. Their slightly mealy flesh runs from off-white to pink. Unlike sweet potatoes, they must be cooked before eaten. If you’re not shopping at a specialty/international market and you spot a mound of potatoes labeled “yams,” chances are you’re …

slice of coffee cake

Brown Sugar-Almond Coffee Cake

Published by Kathy Hunt

I’ve been doing a lot of armchair traveling, looking at old photos and travel journals and cooking and baking dishes that I first tried in far-flung locations. After revisiting several trips to Sweden, I started to crave coffee cake. This, in turn, prompted me to bake my brown sugar-almond coffee cake. In Sweden the coffee break or fika means just that—you take a break to have a cup of coffee and a baked good. It could be a slice of tart, a cinnamon roll or chocolate ball. Or, it could be a piece of cake served with coffee. Hence the inspiration for “coffee cake.” Often Swedish coffee cakes include almonds and such spices as cardamom, cinnamon and ginger. Among the traditional coffee cake offerings are almond tortes and apple, spice or pound cakes. American coffee cakes differ in that they frequently feature sour cream in their batters and streusel and a glaze on top. They tend to be sweeter than their Swedish counterparts. The sweet, aromatic and nutty Brown Sugar-Almond Coffee Cake is a nod …

chocolate mud cake

Chocolate Mud Cake

Published by Kathy Hunt

Like Mississippi mud pie, chocolate mud cake reputedly gets its name from its moist, dark texture, which is said to resemble the muddy banks of the Mississippi River. Because I first tried chocolate mud cake roughly 10,000 miles from the Southern United States, on the South Coast of Australia, and because this cake is so heavenly, I’m not convinced of this story. How could something this delicious have its roots in something as unappetizing as wet dirt or sludge? Perhaps “mud” hints at the inclusion of strong, black coffee. Sometimes referred to as mud, dirt, java or joe, coffee adds a tangy complexity to this chocolatey cake. Along with its decadent flavor and melt-in-your-mouth texture, chocolate mud cake has simplicity in its favor. To make the batter, you stir together butter, chocolate, sugar, instant espresso or instant coffee powder and boiling water. Add those ingredients to eggs, vanilla, flour and cocoa and stir until combined. With that you create a luscious cake batter that you pour into a baking pan. It’s that easy! Topping off …