Archives

Summer Sunshine Coffee Cake

Breakfast, Dessert, ,

I have the perfect summer weekend breakfast treat for you today! Made from homemade biscuits and full of bright citrus flavors, it also makes a great afternoon pick-me-up, or even a light dessert. And it’s easy to make and comes together fairly quickly, making it great for last-minute or unplanned guests.

I got the inspiration from Paula Deen’s Orange Coffee Cake, but I wanted to make it a little more homemade. Instead of canned biscuits, I decided to make homemade angel biscuits, which are essentially a yeasted buttermilk biscuit. They are a little flaky and a little bread-y, and I think they are perfect in this application.

I also wanted to update the flavor slightly. I’m personally not a huge fan of orange flavor, but I thought mixing it with grapefruit would be a nice twist. I really like the combination in this cake. The two flavors complement each other well, without either being overwhelmed by the other. And the citrus really brightens up a cake that could otherwise feel heavy and rich. I finished if off with a cream cheese glaze, flavored lightly with grapefruit juice, since I thought that would be a little more subtle than orange, but you could use either one.

You could definitely change up the flavor with whatever citrus you love, or have on hand. I personally love limes, and think that would make a great cake. Blood oranges would make a fantastic winter cake. And can you ever go wrong with Meyer lemons? Use just a single fruit, or mix a few together to find your perfect cake.

I really hope you give this recipe a try. If you’re intimidated by yeast dough this is a perfect place to start, since there isn’t a ton of kneading. And if you really don’t want to use yeast or wait the short rise time, you can use your favorite biscuit recipe and follow the rest of the directions with that dough. However you make it, I know you’ll love it!

Print Recipe
 Summer Sunshine Coffee Cake
Servings
people
Ingredients
Biscuits
Filling and Topping
Icing
Servings
people
Ingredients
Biscuits
Filling and Topping
Icing
Instructions
  1. Combine yeast, warm water, and 2 teaspoons sugar in a small bowl and set aside.
  2. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Grate cold butter into flour mixture (see recipe notes for tips), and toss gently to combine well and coat all pieces with flour.
  3. Stir in yeast mixture, sour cream, and milk and mix well. Dump onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently until mixture is smooth and all flour is fully incorporated.
  4. Place into a greased bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, approximately 30-45 minutes.
  5. While dough is rising, combine 1/2 cup sugar with orange and grapefruit zests and mix well. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter and set aside.
  6. Once dough has risen, lightly punch down and place on a lightly floured surface. Roll out to 1/2-inch thickness. Sprinkle with half of sugar and zest, then fold dough in half.
  7. Roll again lightly to 3/4-inch thickness. Cut out biscuits with 3-inch round cutter, pressing straight down without twisting. Try to get as many out of the first roll as possible. Ideally you should get 7 to 8 biscuits with the first roll. Lightly press together any scraps and cut additional biscuits. You should have 9 in total.
  8. Place one whole biscuit, one from the second batch of cutting, into the center of a greased 9-inch pie plate or cake pan. Cut remaining 8 biscuits in half with a sharp knife, creating half circles. Place the 16 pieces around the center biscuit, slightly overlapping and with all cut sides facing the same way, like flower petals.
  9. Brush the top of the biscuits with the melted butter, and sprinkle with the remaining sugar and zest mixture.
  10. Bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 18-22 minutes or until golden brown.
  11. While coffee cake is cooling, make icing. Whisk together the cream cheese and powdered sugar. Add enough juice to make a thick icing that is just thin enough to be drizzled. Drizzle over cooled cake.
Recipe Notes
  • When grating butter into flour mixture, use full stick (8 tablespoons). Unwrap most of the way, and while holding the wrapped end, grate in 7 tablespoons. Save remaining tablespoon for topping.
  • Use any combination, or single flavor, of citrus zest and juice.
Share this Recipe

Blackberry-Mint Cheesecake Tart

Cheesecake, Dessert,

Blackberry season is in full swing, and this Blackberry-Mint Cheesecake Tart is the perfect dessert for these hot summer evenings. It’s rich and creamy from the cheesecake filling, but it’s kept light with the addition of the blackberry-mint jam.

It starts with a graham cracker and oatmeal crust. The oatmeal gives it a crisper texture and a nice nuttiness that helps to balance everything out. You can, of course, use all graham crackers, or any other cookies you prefer. A chocolate cookie crust would be delicious with this!

I wanted to make this a tart instead of a huge cheesecake to help to keep it feeling lighter. But it is a cooked cheesecake filling. You can absolutely use your favorite no-bake cheesecake filling here. I have never cared for gelatin-set fillings like most no-bake cheesecake are, so I went with a baked version.

The final element is the blackberry-mint jam. Use whatever berries are in season and sound good to you. Raspberries or strawberries would work perfectly. And feel free to omit the mint. Or, if you’re feeling adventurous, substitute basil, thyme, or even rosemary!

Print Recipe
 Blackberry-Mint Cheesecake Tart
Keyword Cheesecake, Berry
Servings
servings
Ingredients
Crust
Jam
Cheesecake
Keyword Cheesecake, Berry
Servings
servings
Ingredients
Crust
Jam
Cheesecake
Instructions
Crust
  1. Break up graham crackers slightly and place into a food processor with the oats and sugar. Pulse until graham crackers are in fine crumbs.
  2. Add melted butter and process until it is thoroughly combined.
  3. Press into an 8" round or 13"x 4" rectangular tart pan.
  4. Bake at 350 degrees F for 7 to 9 minutes or until crisp. Set aside to cool.
Jam
  1. While crust is baking, combine blackberries, sugar, and mint in a small saucepan.
  2. Stir over medium heat until berries have broken down and mixture comes to a boil. Mash blackberries slightly with a spoon or spatula if necessary.
  3. Cook, stirring often, until the jam thickens. It will thicken further as it cools.
  4. Remove from heat and strain through a fine-mesh sieve if desired to remove seeds. Set aside to cool,
Cheesecake
  1. Cream together cheese and sugar, with either a hand mixer or stand mixer, until thoroughly blended and no lumps of cream cheese remain.
  2. Add egg, sour cream, and vanilla and mix well.
  3. Pour into cooled crust.
  4. Dollop spoonfuls of the cooled jam over the cheesecake filling. You will not need all of the jam - use only about 1/2-3/4 cup in total and save the rest for toast or biscuits!
  5. Swirl the jam into the filling with a butter knife.
  6. Bake at 300 degrees F for 30-40 minutes, or until the filling is nearly set. There should be a very slight wobble to the center, but it should be firm around the edges.
  7. Cool on the counter slightly before refrigerating at least 4 hours.
Recipe Notes
  • Use any cookie crust you like - chocolate would be great!
  • Substitute your favorite no-bake cheesecake filling. Just swirl the jam in as instructed and refrigerate.
  • Use any berries you prefer. Strawberries and raspberries would work perfectly.
  • Omit the mint if desired, or be adventurous and try basil, thyme, or rosemary!
Share this Recipe

Ginger-Lime Thumbprint Cookies

Uncategorized

The first time I made a cookie similar to this was while I was on a project and living in a hotel room. I was baking for the crew almost every weekend, but since I was in a hotel and cooking in a toaster oven with only a few tools, I tried to use shortcuts where I could. I was looking for ways to easily dress up a cookie mix when I stumbled upon a recipe for ginger-lime sugar cookies and decided that could work. I just mixed up the mix and added lime zest and fresh ginger. I stirred in some white chocolate chips and baked them up. Everyone went crazy for them!

I fell in love with the ginger-lime combination at that point, and I have made similar cookies many times since. I wanted to dress them up a little for you, though, so I turned them into thumbprint cookies!  These are soft, chewy cookies that actually stay soft and chewy for up to a week. For the filling, I use vanilla almond bark because I prefer it over actual white chocolate. You can use whichever you prefer or have on hand. These have a tropical vibe to them, so I think a sprinkle of toasted coconut or toasted macadamia nuts would be perfect. You could either sprinkle some on top of the ganache before it sets, or go all out and roll the cookie dough in them before baking!



Print Recipe


Ginger-Lime Thumbprint Cookies

Servings
dozen


Ingredients

Servings
dozen


Ingredients


Instructions
  1. Melt butter.

  2. While still warm, add cubed cream cheese, sugar, and oil. Whisk until combined and cream cheese is mostly melted.

  3. Add lime, ginger, and egg and mix well.

  4. Stir in flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt until a smooth dough is formed.

  5. Refrigerate dough for at least 30 minutes or up to several hours.

  6. Scoop dough, using a 1 1/2 tablespoon scoop, onto a parchment or silicone lined cookie sheet.

  7. Bake at 350 degrees F for 8 to 10 minutes, or until lightly golden brown around the edges.

  8. As soon as the cookies come out of the oven, press an indentation in the middle with a small (1/2 teaspoon) measuring spoon.

  9. Cool 5 minutes, then move to a cooling rack to cool completely.

  10. Once cookies are baked, make the ganache by combining almond bark with heavy cream in a microwave safe bowl.

  11. Microwave 30 seconds at a time, stirring after each. Continue until chocolate is completely melted and mixture is smooth.

  12. Spoon, or pipe with a piping or plastic bag, the ganache into the indents in the cookies. Let set until firm, about 1 hour.

  13. Sprinkle with additional lime zest if desired.


Recipe Notes
  • Sprinkle with toasted coconut or toasted, chopped macadamia nuts before the ganache sets.
  • Roll the cookie dough in coconut or chopped macadamia nuts before baking.


Share this Recipe