Blackberry Crumb Cake

I feel like it's been a while since I shared a cake. Today seemed as good a time as any, so here ya go.



Blackberry Crumb Cake. Blackberries are one of my favorite things on this earth.



This recipe is from The Barefoot Contessa. She used fresh blueberries, but you can use any berry you'd like. I'm sure she won't mind. I have made this particular cake 3 times now. The first couple times I did indeed use fresh blueberries, but they aren't in season any more, and I had some frozen blackberries in my freezer. It was killer. Both ways.



Streusel topping also ranks pretty darn high on my list of favorite things...yours too? Oh good.
This one's a keeper. Trust me.

Blackberry Crumb Cake
adapted from Ina Garten and foodnetwork.com

To make the streusel topping:
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

Combine the flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a bowl. Stir in the melted butter. Mix well and set aside.

To make the cake:
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature (3/4 stick)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
2/3 cup sour cream
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 cups fresh/frozen blackberries, roughly chopped (or 1 cup fresh blueberries)


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour a 9-inch round baking pan.

Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on high speed for 4 to 5 minutes, until light. Add the eggs 1 at a time, and mix until just combined, then add the vanilla, lemon zest, and sour cream. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture to the batter until just combined. Gently mix the berries with about a tablespoon or so of flour...just enough to barely coat them. Gently fold in the berries and stir with a spatula to be sure the batter is completely mixed.

Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and spread it out with a knife.

With your fingers, crumble the streusel topping evenly over the batter. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool completely and serve.

Ina's Tiramisu

Indulge  verb
to yield to an inclination or desire; allow oneself to follow one's will




Oh my goodness, is all I have to say.


This was heaven.


That Ina, she's really onto something. 


Although I do blame Ina for the several sessions I spent on the elliptical trainer to rid myself of the guilt of eating a piece of this.  


On the other hand, it only had 1/4 of a cup of sugar in the recipe, so it was practically healthy, right?  Not.  This has 'danger' written all over it, but I was all done fooling around just gazing at the picture in the cookbook.  I just had to have some for myself and oh my goodness..... did I say heaven?  Heaven.  Definitely.



My sous chef topped it with the most perfect chocolate curls for me.  He comes in handy sometimes.  I think I'll keep him.



Have friends coming over for dessert?  Going to someone else's place for dessert?  Just feeling like eating dessert?  Make this.  You won't be sorry.




Ina's Tiramisu
adapted from Ina Garten and foodnetwork.com

6 extra-large egg yolks, at room temperature
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup good dark rum, divided
1 1/2 cups brewed espresso or coffee, divided
16 to 17 ounces mascarpone cheese (2 containers)
30 Italian ladyfingers, or savoiardi (one package depending on what dish you use)
Bittersweet chocolate, shaved or grated (I used my zester)

Whisk the egg yolks and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment on high speed for about 5 minutes, or until very thick and light yellow.

Lower the speed to medium and add 1/4 cup rum, 1/4 cup espresso, and the mascarpone. Whisk until smooth.

Combine the remaining 1/4 cup rum and 1 1/4 cups espresso in a shallow bowl. Dip 1 side of each ladyfinger in the espresso/rum mixture and line the bottom of a loaf pan (or other similarly sized dish). Spread half the espresso cream mixture evenly on top. Dip 1 side of the remaining ladyfingers in the espresso/rum mixture and place them in a second layer in the dish. Spread the rest of the espresso cream over the top. Smooth the top and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight.

Before serving, sprinkle the top with shaved chocolate.

***Note:  I have only made this recipe once, and I made it as written above, but the next time I make it, there will be a few changes. I used Myers Rum when I made it, cause that was what was in my 'liquor cabinet'.  I have been told that Myers is stronger than your average rum..... the cake reeked of rum, consequently.  Well, maybe 'reeked' is a strong word....but I could smell the cake from across the room.  Don't get me wrong, the cake was very good.  However, my husband made a comment about not being able to pass a breathalizer test after eating a small slice though.... lol, and rum is his alcohol of choice.  I will agree, that perhaps you should not go for a joy ride around the neighborhood after partaking in this, but I think he was exagerrating just a little bit.  Next time though, I might eliminate the 1/4 cup of rum that is put into the mascarpone mixture (perhaps the 1/4 cup of coffee that is thrown in the mascarpone as well).  The 1/4 cup rum that is incorporated into the coffee and used to dip the ladyfingers is plenty, trust me.  Perhaps next time I seek out some plain old Bacardi.....or I suppose you could eliminate the alcohol all together and just run with your favorite coffee....but alas, an experiment for another time.

Tzatziki with Pita Chips

Tzatziki...... yum.



Cucumbers, garlic, sour cream and yogurt.....all working together to become the most wonderful tangy dip to go along with pita chips or just a piece of good, crusty bread.  I've even put it with chicken and veggies inside a pita before for a quick sandwich dinner. 



I lived in Greece for three years in my younger days, and let me tell you.....one taste of this, and I was back there, sitting outside at a restaurant we called 'Cheap Charlie's', with the cats and dogs running around between the tables, eating tzatziki, fried zucchini, and the most delicious souvlaki you have ever tasted in your entire life......yum.  It doesn't get much better than that.



Simple to put together, and a great appetizer for dinner with friends.  Something to take to the pool to snack on while the kids are swimming, or great for just a light snack around the house.

Tzatziki with Pita Chips
adapted from Ina Garten and foodnetwork.com

1 14oz container Greek yogurt
1 seedless cucumber, you don't have to peel it....
1/4 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon minced fresh dill
1 garlic clove, minced
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Toasted Pita Crisps, recipe follows

Place the yogurt in a medium bowl. Grate the cucumber on a box grater.  Wrap grated cucumber in a dish towel (one that you don't mind getting stained, by the way), and then go find The Hulk, or use your superhuman strength to squeeze the grated cucumber with your hand to remove as much liquid as you can. Then, add the cucumber to the yogurt along with the sour cream, lemon juice, vinegar, dill, garlic, salt and pepper and stir. Serve with toasted pita crisps on the side. 


Pita Chips:
Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Cut pitas into desired number of wedges.  Spread out wedges on a large cookie sheet in a single layer.  Drizzle wedges with olive oil and then lightly brush olive oil over wedges.  Sprinkle wedges with salt, pepper and oregano to taste. 

Put pita wedges into the oven and bake about 5-8 minutes, or until golden brown and slightly crispy.

Chocolate Chip Walnut Cupcakes

These were a quick make last weekend.  My goal was to use up some stuff that was already in my pantry.  Giada's chocolate chip walnut cupcakes were the perfect solution for the brownie mix that had been hanging around in there with no purpose.  I do have a confession to make.  You can use any brownie mix on hand for this recipe, however, the brownie mix that I happened to have on hand was from The Barefoot Contessa.  Sacrilege, I know.  Using the Barefoot Contessa's brownies for a recipe from Giada.... my 13 year old suggested that it might be cause for arrest... 



What can I say... the mix of the two ladies' recipes was absolutely delicious.  I would do it again in a heartbeat.

Chocolate Chip Walnut Cupcakes
Recipe adapted from Giada De Laurentiis and foodnetwork.com

for the cupcakes:
1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts
1 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips, plus 1/4 cup for garnish
1 (21-ounce) box brownie mix (recommended: Duncan Hines Chewy Fudge)
2 eggs, at room temperature
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup water



 for the icing:
4 ounces mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
3 cups powdered sugar




Special equipment: 12 paper cupcake liners, a 12-cup muffin pan

For the cupcakes: Place an oven rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners.

In a small bowl combine the walnuts, 1 cup mini chocolate chips and 1 tablespoon of the brownie mix. Toss until all the ingredients are coated. Set aside.

In a large bowl mix together the remaining brownie mix, eggs, vegetable oil, and water. Stir for 20 seconds until blended. Fold in the walnuts and chocolate chips. Spoon the mixture into the prepared pan (cupcake liners will be full).

Bake for 22 to 25 minutes until a cake tester inserted into the cupcakes comes out with moist fudgy crumbs.

Cool the cupcakes in the pan for 10 minutes. Transfer the cupcakes to a wire rack and cool completely before frosting, about 30 minutes.

For the frosting: In a large bowl, using an electric hand mixer, beat the cheeses together until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Gradually add and beat the powdered sugar into the cheeses, one cup at a time, until smooth and spreadable. Refrigerate the frosting until ready to use.

Spread the frosting on top of the cupcakes.  Eat one, or two, or perhaps half a dozen....

Lemon Yogurt Cake

And last, but not least.....pound cake.

Lemon Yogurt Pound Cake .... from The Barefoot Contessa. Giada can't have all the fun ya know...



Ina says that this version is healthier than most pound cake recipes due to her substitution of yogurt for some of the butter. While this may be true, I have a hard time with the words 'pound cake' and 'healthy' being used in the same sentence. That's all I've got to say.

Oh yeah...... this was delicious. And if you come back in a few days, I'll show you something else you can do with this cake and a panini maker that will make you run for the kitchen.... I promise.

Lemon Yogurt Cake
Recipe from Ina Garten and foodnetwork.com

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
1 1/3 cups sugar, divided
3 extra-large eggs
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

for the glaze:
1 cup confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8 1/2 by 4 1/4 by 2 1/2-inch loaf pan. Grease and flour the pan.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt into 1 bowl. In another bowl, whisk together the yogurt, 1 cup sugar, the eggs, lemon zest, and vanilla. Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. With a rubber spatula, fold the vegetable oil into the batter, making sure it's all incorporated. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 50 minutes, or until a cake tester placed in the center of the loaf comes out clean.

Meanwhile, cook the 1/3 cup lemon juice and remaining 1/3 cup sugar in a small pan until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is clear. Set aside.

When the cake is done, allow it to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Carefully place on a baking rack over a sheet pan. While the cake is still warm, pour the lemon-sugar mixture over the cake and allow it to soak in. Cool.

For the glaze, combine the confectioners' sugar and lemon juice and pour over the cake.