Flourless Cinnamon Chocolate Cake with Coffee Cream

If you have been following my blog the past few days, you might just guess the secret ingredient in this cake.  Inspired by flourless chocolate cakes that incorporate ground nuts into the batter, I decided instead to try sneaking some lentils, (yes lentils!) into mine.  I  waited with bated breath to see how it all turned out. My experiment worked wonderfully! The resulting cake is completely flourless, nut-free and has a texture somewhere between a fudgy truffle and cheesecake.  To give it that extra “WHOA!” I decided to top the cake with a coffee mascarpone whipped cream.  Divine !

Cherry Blossom Bundt Cake

This rich chocolate cake, packed with peanuts and coconut, hides a tunnel of cream cheese and maraschino cherries and was inspired by, you guessed it, the candy bar of the same name.  This one went to a bake sale in aid of a Christmas families program we have at work, so while filling a few bellies, it also went towards a good cause.  Doubly sweet !  

Mint Mocha Truffle Cake

Has it snowed yet in your neck of the woods?  Yesterday, after a fairly balmy week (sneaky), we got ourselves a big old snowstorm – a sure sign that winter has arrived.  Time to dig out the mittens and boots, and time to dig out some cozy winter recipes for sharing !

I have to say, that while I enjoy the whole pumpkin spice thing, I REALLY love a peppermint mocha on a chilly day.  Goes great with shopping ! So this cake was inspired by that favorite drink, but also by the infamous Bete Noire that I have made time and time again for various occasions.  Was pleased with this seasonal update, and hope you are too. 

Gooseberry Coffee Cake

(I am not a pretty picture, but you get the point)

Hello again!  And apologies for such measly posting.  It’s been a busy summer, and while I have still been cooking plenty, few original recipes came out of the kitchen, mostly returns to old favorites, lots of grilling and various things tossed together.  I have posted some of my food related travels, new favorite products and such over on my Twitter page, as well as on my Facebook page, so swing by for a visit!

I got a little of my baking mojo back with this little coffee cake, inspired by the gorgeous basket of fresh gooseberries I had purchased at the Dieppe farmer’s market a couple of weeks ago.  I topped and tailed them and popped most of them into the freezer where they will join other baked goodies and maybe some chutney as the fall wears on.  While at the same market, I picked up a container of Quark from Armadale Farms, one of my favorite stops !  And so, that too was destined for baking.  At lower fat content and with 10 grams of protein in 1/3 cup, this stuff is one of my new favorite products, finding its way on top of potatoes and mixed into scrambled eggs.  Love it!   If you can’t find quark cheese nearby, you can substitute an equal quantity of cream cheese in this recipe.

On to the recipe!  This cake is lemon flavored as well as studded with those beautiful gooseberries, topped with a quark mixture and a crumble topping.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

In your stand mixer or large bowl combine:

• 2 cups white flour
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt

Then blend in:

• 3/4 cup lemonade
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 tbsp grated lemon peel
• 2 cups gooseberries (if large, chop them down a little)

When mixed, turn into a greased 9 inch springform pan, set aside.

Mix together:

• 8 ounces Quark cheese
• 1/3 cup white sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Spread this mixture over top of cake batter.

Use a pastry blender to combine into crumbs:

• 3/4 cup white flour
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup butter

Sprinkle this over top of cake.  Bake for 60-70 minutes until tester comes out relatively clean (cheese may stick to tester).  Run a knife around inner edge of cake and allow to cool completely before removing sides and bottom of pan.  Cut, serve and share!

Lemon Poppyseed Ice-Cream Cake

Happy belated Easter everyone !  The above cake was my offering for this year’s Easter gathering at my sister’s place, and *gasp* it was not a cheesecake (imagine!).  It coincidentally was also my birthday and I happen to love ice cream for dessert, so I got to choose. It turned out to be a tasty dessert that you could easily make well ahead of time for Easter dinner or springtime get-together. 

Hazelnut Banana Bundt Cake

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This recipe is another take on the banana bundt cake I made last year.  I had some hazelnuts in various forms left from another recipe and decided this was a great way to use them up.  Made for no real reason besides storm day baking.  The cake turned out moist and chocolaty through and through. 

Irish Apple Cake with Caramel Whiskey Glaze

When it comes to St. Patrick’s Day fare, I lean more towards Irish dishes and ingredients more so than all things green, although those are good too!  So for this dessert, I took my inspiration from Irish apple cakes and took it up a notch with a little Irish Whisky (Bushmills, to be exact) both in the cake, as well as part of the glaze.  You could always serve this with a scoop of rich vanilla ice cream or even a bit of custard, but I think it is just as delicious on its own.  I hope you enjoy this recipe.

Poppyseed Bundt Cake with White Chocolate Lemon Cheesecake Filling

Not the prettiest of photos, as I had a heckuva time getting this out of the pan, but this was a tasty twist on a lemon poppyseed cake.  As you can probably tell, I also need to tweak my baking time, it’s taking me a bit of getting used to this heavy stoneware pan I have for some reason and I wonder if a non-stick would be better for this particular cake.  This cuts to a nice slice though and should please cake and cheesecake lovers alike.  And now, on to the recipe !

Peanut Butter Banana Bundt Cake

I like big bundts and I can not lie !!!

(yeah I’m sure I’m not the first one to use that line, I don’t care ! )

I haven’t baked in a while, and have been meaning to make a bundt for a while, as I rarely use that pan – a stoneware beauty that I love, but always hold my breath when I use it for fear of leaving half of any cake stuck on.  With some bananas needing to be used up and just a general love for the flavours of PB & Banana, this cake was the result. 

PB & B Cheesecake

Today was a potluck day at work, a dips and treats thing for a coworker moving to a new job and who I was told likes peanut butter butterscotch-y things.  So lo and behold, a new cheesecake was born: the PB&B ! (peanut butter & butterscotch).  This cake has a peanut butter blondie base with a creamy butterscotch filling and is decked out in peanut butter frosting and toffee (or butterscotch) bits.