Lemon & Buttermilk Pound Cake Recipe .- A most lemony cake full of flavor!!!

This is an adaptation of Ina Garten's Lemon Yogurt Cake well known for it's amazing lemon flavor... Been making it for years and still the best!

LEMON & BUTTERMILK POUND CAKE:

Makes two loaf tins or one bundt tin.

• 250g (1/2 pound)  unsalted butter, chopped and softened to room temperature
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
• 1/3 cup grated lemon zest (6–8 large lemons). I usually use a bit less.
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• ¾ cup buttermilk, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Syrup

• ½ cup sugar
• ½ cup lemon juice

Lemon glaze

• 2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
• 3½ tablespoons of lemon juice

NOTE:  To make "homemade Buttermilk" for baking when you don't have any available, simply mix 1 cup heavy cream or whole milk with 2-3 tablespoons of white vinegar, mix and let it rest a couple of minutes. Of course if you need more than 1 cup, adjust the milk, etc.

1. Heat oven to 180°C (350°F). Grease and flour two 20 x 11 x 6cm (8½ x 4¼ x 2½ inch) loaf pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper.
2. Cream butter and 2 cups sugar in the large bowl of an electric mixer for about 5 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Mixing at medium speed, add eggs, one at a time, then add lemon zest.
3. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Mix ¼ cup lemon juice, buttermilk and vanilla.
4. Add flour and buttermilk mixtures alternately to butter and sugar mixture, beginning and ending with flour. Divide batter evenly between pans, smooth tops, and bake for 45 minutes to one hour or until a cake tester comes out clean.
5. For the syrup mix ½ cup sugar with ½ cup lemon juice in a small saucepan, and cook over low heat until sugar dissolves.
6. When cakes are done, let them cool 10 minutes. Invert them onto a rack set over a tray, and spoon lemon syrup over cakes. I make some holes with a skewer to allow the maximum amount of syrup to get into the cake, there always seems to be a bit of cracking on top which is also all the better for letting the syrup soak into the cake. Let cakes cool completely, mix together 2 cups of icing sugar and 3 1/2 tablespoons of icing sugar spread over the top of cakes and let drizzle over the sides.

    You might think this will be too involved but it's really a put your ingredients in the mixer bowl (or bowl if you're using a hand mixer or doing it by hand) bring together and that's pretty much it. I used 3 small loaf pans since I had some gifts to share and they turned out so nice!

    I hope you will try this recipe... 

Press-Inn Pie Crust - Easy, easy good

 

Press In Pie Crust

Servings: 8 (makes one 9-inch crust)

• 8 tablespoons (113 grams/1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated sugar
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
• 1 3/4 cups (218 grams) all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 tablespoon water
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Directions

1. Step 1

   In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar on medium-low speed until smooth, 2 to 3 minutes.

2. 
   

3. Step 2

   Raise the mixer speed to medium, add the egg yolk and vanilla, if using, and mix to combine. Stop the mixer and scrape the bowl down thoroughly. Add the flour and salt and mix on low speed until fully incorporated, 45 seconds to 1 minute. Add the water and mix just until the dough is smooth, 1 minute more.

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5. Step 3

   Turn out the dough and use your fingers to press it into a 9-inch pie plate, working up the sides. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to overnight. (For the most pristine look, dock the crust all over with a fork, though feel free to skip this step entirely, as the crust will bake up nicely without docking.

6. 
   

7. Step 4

   The crust can now be filled and baked, or par-/blind-baked for filling later. When ready to bake, position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees.

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9. Step 5

   To use with fruit filling(s): Pour the cooled fruit filling into the unbaked, assembled pie crust and bake for about 35 minutes, or until the filling appears a bit matte on the surface. If needed, cover the crust edges with foil to prevent over-browning.

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11. Step 6

    To use with pudding filling(s): Blind-bake the crust before filling, for 20 to 22 minutes, or until evenly golden brown. Cool completely on a wire rack before adding the filling.

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13. Step 7

    Variations: Oatmeal Press-In Cookie Crust: Replace the granulated sugar with 1/4 cup (53 grams) of light brown sugar. Replace 1/4 cup (31 grams) of the flour with 3/4 cup (74 grams) of rolled oats.

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15. Step 8

    Spiced Press-In Cookie Crust: Add 1 to 3 teaspoons of ground spices — either one or a combination, such as cinnamon, turmeric or a mixture of equal parts cinnamon, ginger and clove.

SHORTBREAD COOKIE PIE CRUST,- 

• ▢1 cup unsalted butter, 2 sticks
• ▢2 cups flour
• ▢1/2 cup confectioners sugar
• ▢1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢1/4 teaspoon baking powder

• In a mixing bowl or food processor, beat the butter until fluffy, and add in the sugar.
• Then, add in the flour and lightly mix with the paddle attachment or your hands. Add in the vanilla extract and baking powder and mix until the mixture is crumbly.
• Roll the dough or press it into a pie dish, up the sides and make a nice crust, and bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 10 to 15 minutes.
• Let the crust cool before adding the filling.
• Proceed with the pie filling instructions for whatever pie you’re making.

Tiramisu, an Icebox Cake.- A simplified recipe for this favorite of desserts!

 Tiramisu.-  It brings memories of travels to Tuscany and savoring all types of incredible food. I have a classic recipe for this much loved dish, but it's always a good idea to have another recipe that is more trimmed down and made easier for everyone. It's still great tasting but a couple of steps have been changed to make it a simpler procedure that anyone can make plus you don't need a heavy-duty mixer since it can be easily made with just a hand mixer or if you're good with a whisk, you can make it too.

The only step that I would suggest to not skip is the time needed in the fridge before serving. This time in the cold is very important and cannot be skipped, you'll be glad you did.

If you've never made this type of cake, don't be afraid to try this, just follow the steps in order and you'll be happy with the results, ok?

To make this refrigerator cake, you will need:

Loaf Pan (like for meatloaf or banana bread) 4.5 X 8.5 inches

Hand Mixer

Ingredients:

3/4 cup strong brewed coffee - 6 oz/170g (I used espresso) - room temperature

1/4 cup Kahlua - 2.5oz/65g (If I don't have I use Brandy or similar)

4 small egg yolks or 3 large - 1.6oz/45g - room temperature

1/4-1/3 cup sugar - 1.8oz/50oz

2 tsp instant coffee granules (I used an espresso capsule)

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 tsp Morton Kosher Salt

1 cup Mascarpone Cheese - 8.5oz/240g

1 1/2 cup Whipping Cream - 12.7oz/360g - use 1/2 for filling, save 1 cup

Galletas "Dedos de Dama"/"Soleras"/Lady Fingers/Savioardi - 7oz/200g

Unsweetened Cocoa Powder, for finishing

Procedure:

1-    Prepare your pan by putting a little water all around and covering it with plastic wrap

        to make it easy to remove later. One sheet one way and another across, make sure to 

        leave an overhang to cover it really well.

2-    Have your ingredients ready to use, measured out, it will be easier.

3-    Prepare soaking liquid: In a shallow pan since you will be soaking your cookies later.

        Place your coffee into the shallow dish along with the Kahlua, Set aside for later

4-    In a medium sized bowl, add the egg yolks and the sugar. In a small saucepan, add the

        sugar, instant coffee, salt, vanilla extract and 1/4 cup water. Place the pan on the stove

        so the sugar will melt and incorporate the rest of the ingredients, bring to a boil (1 or 2

        minutes), as soon as it's boiling you will use this hot liquid to "cook" the egg yolks in your

        bowl by streaming it, a little at a time in a thin stream, slowly, over the eggs, start                     slowly whipping the eggs and then stream the liquid, once it begins to incorporate, raise

        the speed and keep whipping. This is an abreviated "Zabaglioni" kind of. It will get lighter

        and airy, like mousse. The bowl will also cool. Set aside.

        In a larger bowl (you will incorporate the filling into this whipped cream mix. Add the 

        Mascarpone and 1/2 cup of the Whipping Cream, beat first at low speed to integrate

        both of them, then raise the speed to get "stiff peaks". Now you will combine the fluffy

        egg mixture you did before into the whipped cream and again, start low and increase

        the speed so you get "stiff peaks" again. Set aside.

5-    Now you can begin construction!... Now take your plastic covered loaf pan and measure

        your cookies for size, make sure they fit crosswise. If you need to cut them, go ahead, 

        you might not need to cut too much since pans are wider on top. Now put about 1/2 cup, 

        a thin layer of filling on the bottom, nice and even. Now start placing cookies onto the                 filling to cover the entire bottom, soaking them in the soaking liquid you made before,                turning them around but don't leave them, they will dissolve, quickly and then onto the             filling. Once you've covered it, you'll add another layer of filling, even it out and complete

        another layer of cookies. You should be able to have 3 layers of each, the filling and the 

        cookies ending with filling.

6-    Now you'll need to take the plastic overhang you left so you could cover it well and 

        fold each side over the cake gently, so it's really well covered. Make sure you even

        out the top once it's covered. Refrigerate at least 12 hours, I just do overnight.

7-    Next day, it's ready!... Take the last cup of whipping cream (you can sweeten if you like

        and add some vanilla) and whip to "stiff peaks". To remove the cake, unfold the plastic

        covering the top of the cake so you have something to hold on to. Now try to unmold

        the cake by insuring you can remove it. Place a serving platter or plate turned over so 

        you can put the cake on it. Turn it over so cake sits on the plate, Carefully remove all

        the plastic and smooth our the cake. Cover with the whipped cream, being generous

        all over and create a nice texture! You are done!!

8-    Keep the cake in the fridge until ready to serve!... Enjoy!!

        

POUND CAKE.- The historical cake from Brittain that came to stay...

Pound cake is a type of cake traditionally made with a pound of each of four ingredients: flour, butter, eggs and sugar. Pound cakes are generally baked in either a loaf pan or a Bundt mold. They are sometimes served either dusted with powdered sugar, lightly glazed, or with a coat of icing.

It is believed that the pound cake is of northern European origin and dates back to the early 1700s. The first U.S. cookbook, American Cookery,, published in 1796, has a recipe for pound cake.

Over time, the ingredients for pound cake changed. Eliza Leslie, who wrote the 1851 edition of Direction for Cookery, used 10 eggs, beat them as lightly as possible, mixed them with a pound of flour, then added the juice of two lemons or three large oranges. This changed the flavor and texture of the cake. In the 2008 issue of Saveur, James Villas wrote that cake flour would not work in place of all-purpose flour because it lacks the strength to support the heavy batter. 

If you like a cake with a lovely even crumb, that tastes of butter, lightly sweet... you understand, right?  Yes, there's a lot of butter in this cake which is why it's rich and moist. This is a great cake alone with just a dusting of powdered sugar but it can also shine with some macerated fruit and fruit sauce, whipped or ice cream.

For the classic version of our Pound Cake, you'll need:

• 
  Vegetable shortening, butter or baking spray
• 1/4 cup Demerara / Turbinado / light brown sugar   
• 3 cups sifted AP flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 sticks of butter, softened
• 2 1/2 cups sugar
• 6 large eggs
• 2 tsp Vanilla Extract (or seeds of 1 Vanilla Bean)
• 2 tsp grated orange
  ot lemon zest
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream (can use Half &Half too)
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• This Pound Cake lends itself to many variations or additions as you can imagine, from simple additions like freeze-dried cranberries / blueberries / strawberries, etc. or chocolate chips, nuts or your choice,,,

Here's another version of our Pound Cake, one that I've had great results with... It's a Nutella Pound Cake and it is amazing!!

If you want to make the Nutella Swirl Pound Cake, you'll need:

1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
4 large eggs, at room temperature
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 1/4 cup sugar
1 jar (13-oz) Nutella

Preheat the oven to 325 F. Lightly grease and flour a 9-by-5 loaf pan, tapping out any excess flour. In a glass measuring cup, lightly beat the eggs with the vanilla. In a medium bowl, sift the 1 1/2 cups of flour with the baking powder and salt.
In a large bowl or if using a using a mixer, beat the butter with the sugar at med-high speed until fluffy, about 3 - 5 min. With the mixer at medium-low speed, gradually beat in the egg mixture, until fully incorporated. Add the flour mixture in 3 batches, beating at low speed between additions until just incorporated. Continue to beat for 30 sec longer.
Spread one-third of the batter in the prepared pan, then spread half of the Nutella on top. Repeat with another third of the batter and the remaining Nutella. Top with the remaining batter. Lightly swirl the Nutella into the batter with a butter knife. Do not overmix. (you stick the knife into the batter and make an "S" pattern so you swirl the Nutella around).
Bake the cake for about 1 hour and 15 min, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. (I begin checking at the 45 min mark and then at 5 - 10 min intervals. Let the cake cool in the pan for 15 min. Invert the cake onto a wire rack, turn it right side up, and let cool completely, about 2 hours. Cut the cake into slices and serve. Great with Coffee Ice Cream.
NOTE: For gifts: I make this in foil loaf pans and leave them in there. I also use small loaf pans as individual treats. Wrap with colored transparent papers and tie with ribbons.
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How about it? Will you give these a try and amaze your family and friends? Saving money making your holiday gifts doesn't have to mean giving out tacky things either, on the contrary, during these times when time is our most valuable resource and almost nothing is home or hand-made, receiving something like this means the ultimate gift- your time.

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Chocolate Truffle Martini With Dulce De Leche Rum Butter Truffles.- Decadent and perfect for St. Valentines!!

Chocolate Truffle Martini With Dulce De Leche Rum Butter Truffles.- Oh so decadent!!

Doesn't this look amazing?... I had seen this some time ago and thought it beautiful but it took a while to arrive at a recipe, so here you go!

With Valentine's around the corner, wouldn't this be perfect?

To make this, you'll need:

Ingredients

Dulce de Leche Rum Butter Truffles

• 1 ounce can sweetened condensed milk 14
• 1/2 cup dulce de leche
• 2 ounces dark chocolate chopped
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon rum optional
• melted chocolate for dipping optional
• good quality sprinkles toasted pistachios, almonds, coconut or edible gold leaf (optional)

Chocolate Truffle Martini

• one shot vanilla vodka
• one shot light Godiva chocolate liqueur
• one shot dark Godiva chocolate liqueur
• splash of Baileys
• chocolate syrup for drizzling

Instructions

Dulce de Leche Rum Butter Truffles

• In a small sauce pot combine the sweetened condensed milk, dulce de leche, dark chocolate, cocoa powder and salt. Place the pot over medium high heat and bring to a gentle boil, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook 10 to 15 minutes, stirring constantly, until mixture is thick and shiny and starts to pull away from bottom and side of sauce pot. The mixture is going to get thick. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter, vanilla and rum until melted and smooth. Pour mixture into glass bowl, cover and place in the fridge for at least 1 1/2 hours or overnight.
• Once chilled place the sprinkles (or whatever you are using) in a shallow bowl. Rub some softened butter over hands and scoop out a rounded teaspoon of the chocolate mixture and roll into 1 to 1 1/2 inch balls. Repeat until all the dough has been used. Roll each ball in the chocolate sprinkles (or whatever you are using). Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
• Store tightly covered at room temperature up to 2 days or in the refrigerator up to 1 week.

Chocolate Truffle Martini

• Add one shot vanilla vodka, one shot light Godiva Chocolate Liqueur, one shot dark Godiva Chocolate Liqueur and a splash of Baileys to a martini shaker. Add ice and shake.
• Drizzle a martini glass with chocolate syrup and strain the martini into the glass. Garnish with a truffle...or two!!

WANT TO OFFER DIFFERENT FLAVORS OF TRUFFLES? RIGHT HERE!

https://cookpad.com/uk/search/rum%20truffles

OR CLICK ON THIS LINK

Truffle Recipes right here!