Category: Desserts

Suzanne’s Flourless Chocolate Cake

I’ve been bad.  I know I haven’t posted in ages and I sincerely apologize.  The fact is, my life has been a whirlwind and will continue to be through early december.  So because I’ve had this post waiting since Canadian Thanksgiving for you and I will be in a conference for the majority of next weekend, I’m making time to share.

A Pat & A Pinch - Suzanne's Flourless Chocolate Cake

This cake is rich.  Chocolate lovers, pre-heat your ovens.  This recipe ended up in my family, forgotten by all (except me) until about three years ago.  I’m not sure where it came from, most likely my brilliant mother, but nevertheless, I am naming it for our chocolate-loving, beloved family friend, Suzanne, because she is always in my heart when I make it.

7 oz. bittersweet chocolate (the good kind – 90% cacao bars and NOT baker’s chocolate)

14 tbsp. unsalted butter (1 3/4 sticks if you’re lucky enough to have portioned butter)

5 large eggs, separated

1 tbsp. vanilla extract

¾ c. granulated sugar

1 pinch salt

2 tbsp. unsweetened cacao powder

Optional

¼ c. chopped pecans

2 tbsp. booze (I recommend triple sec or cointreau but jack daniels worked well last time so this is flexible)

Preheat oven to 350F.  Grease and sugar a 10 inch springform pan.

In the top of a double boiler, combine the chocolate and butter.  Heat until melted and smooth.  Transfer to a medium sized bowl and whisk in the egg yolks and vanilla.  Sift in sugar, salt and cacao while continuing to whisk. Lastly, mix in the booze and pecans.

With a mixer, whip the egg whites to soft peaks and fold one third into the chocolate batter.  Repeat with the remaining whites.  Pour this mixture into the springform and bake on for 25 minutes on the bottom rack of the oven.

Remove the cake from the oven and immediately loosen the springform collar.  Allow the cake to cool before serving.

If you’d like to festively decorate your cake as I enjoy doing, just use a sieve to sprinkle the cake with confectioner’s sugar.  By simply placing a leaf or cut out paper first, you can get nearly any desired design.

Bon appétit!

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Lemon Chèvre Cheesecake

Having failed one attempt at doubling a recipe for a lemon chèvre cheesecake (it literally flooded my stovetop when I popped open the springform and tasted like a delicious disaster which took me well over an hour to clean up), my brilliant mother suggested we try a different one.  Mario Batali’s recipe which is posted on Pithy and Cleaver did the trick.  I should mention that the original recipe included a glaze…we chose to omit this step as it seemed superfluous.  This cake was delicious and fresh and I foresee many future indulgences!


1 c. sugar, plus more for the pan
6 eggs, separated
1 1/2 lbs chèvre
2 tbsp. light rum
3 tbsp. flour
zest of 2 lemons
1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
2 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. salt
fresh thyme

Preheat the oven to 325F.  Grease 8-inch springform pan  sprinkle the bottom and sides with sugar, shaking out the excess (don’t skip this as it is crustless and you don’t want it to stick…non-stick pans won’t be sufficient)

In the bowl of an electric mixer beat the egg yoks and 1 cup sugar until the yolks are very pale. Slowly beat in the goat cheese, one cup at a time. Add the rum, flour, lemon zest, 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice, vanilla, and salt and beat until creamy.

In another bowl, whisk the egg whites with a pinch of salt until foamy. Slowly add 2 tablespoons of the sugar and continue whisking until you have a soft-peaked meringue. Working in two batches, gently fold the whites into the cheese mixture. Do not overmix.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan, wrap the pan in foil so that the water bath doesn’t seep through. Place the pan in a baking dish(or roasting pan) large enough to contain it comfortably. Pour enough hot water into the baking dish to reach approximately 1 inch up the sides of the pan. Cover the entire baking dish with aluminum foil and carefully place it on the middle rack of the oven.

Bake for 35 or 40 minutes, or until the cake begins to rise slightly and is somewhat set. Remove the foil and bake an additional 10 minutes, or until the cake looks set. Remove the cake/baking dish from the oven and allow the cake to cool in the baking dish for several minutes.

When the cake has cooled sligtly, remove the pan from the baking dish. Refrigerate the cake until completely chilled. Remove the sides of the springform pan.  Refrigerate overnight. Cut into wedges and serve with fresh thyme leaves.

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Lemon Crinkle Cookies

This recipe was adapted from LDS Magazine.  I, of course, wanted it to be more lemony as I was baking them for one of my best friends who adores lemon and is off with her family for a 2-month summer escapade.  The cookies themselves are very lovely, go brilliantly with a nice cup of English Breakfast tea, and according to my 4 year old son are tied with chocolate chip cookies as his favourite (this is no small feat).

Image

Lemon Crinkle Cookies
Makes 2 dozen

Ingredients:
½ c. butter, softened
1 c. granulated sugar
½ tsp. vanilla extract
1 egg
2 tbsp. lemon zest
1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
¼ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. baking powder
⅛ tsp. baking soda
1½ c. all-purpose flour
½ c. powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Tear off parchment paper the right size for your cookie sheets.

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Whip in vanilla, egg, lemon zest, and juice. Scrape sides and mix again. Stir in all dry ingredients slowly until just combined, excluding the powdered sugar. Scrape sides of bowl and mix again briefly. Pour powdered sugar onto a large plate. Roll a heaping spoon of dough into a ball (about an inch in diameter) and roll in powdered sugar. Place on baking sheet and repeat with remaining dough.

Bake for 9-11 minutes or until bottoms begin to barely brown and cookies look matte (not melty or shiny). Remove from oven and cool cookies about 3 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.

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Cranberry Streusel Coffee Cake

This cake is a tasty balance of sweet streusel and sour fruit.  It makes quite a large treat and so is typically only served around here when company is expected.  My 4-year-old was severely disappointed (read: threw a not-so-charming tantrum) upon discovering that there were no chocolate chips involved, but I think this recipe is perfect nevertheless.

Streusel

¾ c. lightly packed brown sugar

            ½ c. unbleached flour

            1 tsp. cinnamon

            ¼ c. butter

Cake

½ c. soft butter

            1 c. granulated sugar

            2 eggs

            1 tsp. vanilla

            2 c. flour

            1 tsp. baking powder

            1 tsp. baking soda

            ½ tsp. salt

            1 c. sour cream

            4 c. fresh cranberries (allow to thaw if using frozen)

Cream soft butter and granulated sugar.  Beat in eggs followed by vanilla.

Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Add to creamed mixture alternately with sour cream.

Make streusel by cutting the ingredients together (or using fingers to blend the ingredients).

Spread half of batter in a greased and floured 10” springform pan by dropping dessert spoons of batter evenly across the bottom and joining them with a spoon or spatula to make a continuous surface.  Sprinkle with half of the streusel mixture, then half of the cranberries.  Spread the remaining batter, using the spoon drop technique, then finish with remaining cranberries and then streusel.

Bake at 350F for 1 hour.

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Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

This glorious little recipe came from my Omi.  I never liked zucchini as a kid (I’m still not a big fan), but these chocolate muffins don’t taste like zucchini at all and so when I discovered that I could say I ate something green after chowing down on a warm chocolate muffin, these became one of my breakfast favourites.  They are best warm in my opinion, do well in the freezer and can be reheated easily in the microwave.

1/4 c. salted butter

1 1/4 c. white sugar

1/2 c. vegetable/canola oil

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 c. buttermilk

2 1/2 c. flour

4 tbsp. cacao (cocoa if you please)

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground cloves

1/2 tsp. salt

2 c. grated zucchini

1/2 c. chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 F.  Cream butter and sugar, add oil, eggs, vanilla, and buttermilk.  Combine flour, cacao, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and salt.  Add to wet ingredients.  Fold in zucchini and chocolate chips.  Pour into lined muffin tins and bake for 20-25 minutes.

Makes ~2 dozen.

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Reese’s Peanut Butter Bars

This recipe is one I came across on Pinterest from the blog, Let’s Dish.  It sounded simple and delicious so even though my son can’t take anything with nuts to daycare, I decided to try it as an at-home snack.  I’m sure the neighbours won’t mind helping if it turns out too much for the two of us.  Hope you enjoy them too!Reese's Peanut Butter Bars - A Pat & A Pinch

Reese’s Peanut Butter Bars

1 cup butter melted
2 cups graham cracker crumbs (I used the food processor to make a fine meal of the graham crackers)
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 cup + 4 tablespoons peanut butter
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

In a medium bowl, mix together the melted butter, graham cracker crumbs, confectioners’ sugar, and 1 cup peanut butter until well blended. Press evenly into the bottom of an ungreased 9×13 inch pan. In a metal bowl over simmering water (to create a double boiler), or in the microwave, melt the chocolate chips with the remaining 4 tablespoons of peanut butter, stirring occasionally until smooth. Spread over the peanut butter layer. Refrigerate for at least one hour before cutting into squares.

Reese's Peanut Butter Bars - A Pat & A PinchReese's Peanut Butter Bars - A Pat & A PinchReese's Peanut Butter Bars - A Pat & A Pinch

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