Linzer Cookies With Raspberry Jam – Perfect for Valentine’s Day!

Posted on January 8, 2015 by Better Baking Bible

Linzer cookies are a classic, and these have been tweaked for Valentine’s Day! They’ve got the classic taste we all love in a Linzer cookie, but with a raspberry twist! The raspberry jam goes great with this soft and buttery cookie, and it’s topped with powdered sugar. These cookies would look wonderful packaged with a ribbon as a teacher gift, or as a school snack for your kids. Love is in the air, so make a big batch of these yummy cookies for that special someone!

Photos: Cooking Classy.

Linzer Cookies With Raspberry Jam – Perfect for Valentine’s Day!

Classic buttery Linzer cookies tweaked for Valentine’s Day with raspberry jam and dusted with powdered sugar. Makes a great teacher gift!

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup slivered almonds
1/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup powdered sugar, plus more for dusting
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp almond extract
8 oz raspberry jam

Instructions:

In a large bowl, whisk flour, cinnamon, salt, and baking powder. Set aside.
In a food processor, add almonds and brown sugar. Pulse until they’re finely ground. Set aside.
In another bowl, beat butter and powdered sugar using an electric mixer on low speed. When combined, increase speed to medium-high and beat until creamy (1 minute).
Add in egg, vanilla, and almond extract. Mix.
Add in almond mixture. Mix.
On low speed, gradually add in flour mixture. Mix until combined.
Form the dough into a ball and wrap it in a sheet of plastic wrap. Chill in the fridge for 2 hours.
Preheat your oven to 350 F.
Dust your work surface with flour and take out the dough from the fridge. Cut the dough in half and roll out each half evenly until it’s 1/8″-1/6″ thick.
Cut into heart shapes with a cookie cutter. Using a smaller heart shape cookie cutter, cut out small hearts into the centers of half of the hearts.
Transfer the hearts onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Space them about 1″ apart. If the hearts have warmed up, place them in the fridge for a few minutes. They must go into the oven cold.
Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes until the edges are golden. Cool on wire racks.
Spread jam over the whole hearts and top with heart that’s been cut out in the center.
Dust cookies with powdered sugar.
Store in an airtight container.

Lemon Blueberry Layer Cake with Lemon Buttercream Frosting

Posted on June 9, 2014 by Better Baking Bible

Lemon Blueberry Butter Cake / Stephanie / CC BY-NC-ND

A refreshing lemon and berry cake is all you need this summer to enjoy the long, gorgeous, sunny days to come! Stacked between layers of blueberry filling and frosted with a delicious lemon buttercream, this cake is a definite winner at any gathering, party, baby shower, or brunch! The recipe below specifically makes the second cake from the top. Enjoy!

Refreshing Lemon Blueberry Layer Cake with Lemon Buttercream Frosting

Layers of delicious blueberry cake, blueberry filling, and lemon buttercream frosting.

Ingredients:

For the Cake

– 2 cups plus 6 tbsp all-purpose flour

– 2 tsp baking powder

– 1 tsp salt

– 3 cups blueberries

– 1/2 cup sour cream

– 1/2 cup milk

– 2 tsp vanilla extract

– 3/4 tsp pure lemon extract

– 1 tsp lemon zest

– 1 cup unsalted butter, softened at room temp

– 1 1/2 cups sugar

– 4 large eggs

For the Blueberry Filling

– 1/2 cup blueberry jam

For the Lemon Buttercream Frosting

– 1 cup butter, room temp

– 4-6 cups confectioner’s sugar

– 1/4 cup milk

– 1 tsp lemon extract

Directions:

To Make Cake

Preheat oven to 350 F and grease 2, 10″ round cake pans.
In a bowl, sift flour, baking powder, and salt. Place 1 tbsp of the flour into an empty bowl and toss in the blueberries, coating them with flour.
In another bowl combine milk, sour cream, vanilla extract, lemon extract and lemon zest, set aside.
Using an electric mixture, cream together butter and sugar in a mixing bowl until pale yellow and very fluffy. Slowly beat in eggs until combined.
Alternately mix together flour and milk mixture and stir until combined and then fold in blueberries gently.
Divide batter among the 2 pans and bake for 25 mins or until toothpick comes out clean. Remove from oven, cool for 10 mins on rack and then invert onto cooling rack.
Spread blueberry jam on completely cooled cake layers and stack the layers.

To Make Lemon Buttercream

In a bowl using an electric mixer, beat butter until pale and fluffy.
Slowly add in confectioner’s sugar, milk and lemon extract. Add more confectioner’s sugar if necessary.
Frost the top and sides of the cake equally and decorate as you wish!

Notes

This recipe is for two cake layers – if you would like to have three layers like in the photo, split all the cake ingredients in half and bake another cake layer.

Add Filling to Your Cupcakes with this Easy Cupcake Hole Maker

Posted on May 23, 2014 by Better Baking Bible

Who doesn’t love cupcakes with a little surprise inside? Fill your cupcakes this summer with delicious fillings like ice cream, Nutella, Jam, and buttercream using a clever tool to make the perfect holes in your cupcakes! The cupcake corer by Kleeneze makes cutting the perfect holes fast, easy, and gives you an even hole in each treat.

Using the corer is easy:

1. Allow your cupcakes to cool completely.
2. Hold the corer 90 degrees above the cupcake and then push into the center.
3. Twist the corer around inside and then remove.
4. Press the plunger on the corner to release the core.
5. Fill up with your favorite treats!

I never really thought about filling my cupcakes and usually paid attention to decorating only the top with icings and various decorations. Cutting the inside of the cupcake using a knife can be a little tricky, and doesn’t give you much control. With the cupcake corer, you can really let your imagination run wild and fill up your cupcakes with any delicious combinations your love. Here’s a cool, refreshing recipe you can make this summer using the corer to fill up your cupcakes with orange curd and buttercream frosting.

img_1539 / Annie / CC BY , DSCO2114 / Ambroos / CC BY

Strawberry Orange Buttercream Cupcakes

Serves 12

Vanilla cupcakes filled with a refreshing orange curd filling and topped with sweet strawberry buttercream icing. Makes the perfect summer treat

Ingredients:

For Cupcakes:

1¼ cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup canola oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 orange for zest
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt

For Orange Curd Filling:

2 oranges
1/2 tsp orange extract
1½ cup sugar
8 egg yolks, beaten
1 stick unsalted butter
1/8 tsp salt

For Strawberry Buttercream Frosting:

1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 cup sliced strawberries
3½ – 4 cups powdered sugar
1 orange, for garnish
4 strawberries, for garnish

Instructions:

To Make Cupcakes

Preheat over to 350 F. In a mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
In a separate bowl using a electric mixer on medium, beat the egg, yolk, and sugar for 2 mins.
Mix in oil, vanilla, orange zest and then Greek yogurt.
Add in flour and mix until incorporated.
Pour batter into cupcake cups and bake for about 20 mins. Remove, and allow to cool completely.
To Make Orange Curd
Over a small bowl, zest the oranges, cut them in half and then squeeze the juice out of them. You should have about 1/2 cup.
In a saucepan over medium heat bring zest, juice, and sugar to a simmer. Add in yolks, butter, and salt.
Whisk until mixture starts to boil and stir constantly until it forms a thick filling.
Remove from heat, and cool.

To Make Strawberry Buttercream Frosting

Using a food processor or blender, puree strawberries.
In a saucepan over medium heat, stir pureed strawberries until they have cooked down halfway. Remove from heat and cool.
Using an electric mixer in a mixing bowl, cream the butter. Add it to the strawberry puree and combine. Add powdered sugar gradually until it forms a nice spreadable icing.

To Assemble

Use the cupcake corer to remove the center of the cupcake and fill up with orange curd. Frost with strawberry buttercream and top with orange and strawberry wedges.

The Most Delicious Red Velvet Cake

Posted on January 11, 2014 by Better Baking Bible

Red Velvet Cake / Theresaunfried / CC BY, RED VELVET CAKE / STEVEN LABINSKI / CC BY

Soft, moist, and delicious, this red velvet cake is TO DIE FOR! For Valentine’s Day, birthday parties, holidays, and get togethers, this gorgeous red beauty is the perfect choice of cake for any occasion! Filled with a sweet chocolate ganache and cream cheese frosting, you really can’t get any better than this. Red velvet is a huge hit down in the south, with it being one of the most favorite cakes to date. I was never a huge fan of it myself, until I made it at home – store bought red velvet cakes can’t compare!

* The original photo of this cake that goes along with the recipe used milk chocolate ganache. This one in the photo above uses white chocolate ganache. So whichever you prefer you can use for your recipe.

The Most Delicious, Moist, Red Velvet Cake

Moist red velvet cake filled with chocolate ganache and topped with a cool, cream cheese frosting.

Ingredients:

Red Velvet Cake:

– 2 cups plain flour

– 1 tsp baking powder

– 1 tsp baking soda

– 1 tsp salt

– 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

– 2 cups sugar

– 1 cup vegetable oil

– 2 eggs

– 1 cup buttermilk

– 2 tsp vanilla extract

– 1-2 oz. red food colouring

– 1 tsp white vinegar

– 1/2 cup prepared plain hot coffee

Chocolate Ganache:

– 1/2 cup double cream

– 50 grams chocolate chips or chopped chocolate

Cream Cheese Frosting

– 300 ml. whipping cream

– 1 1/2 cup cream cheese

– 1 cup confectioners sugar

Directions:

Red Velvet Cake:

Preheat oven to 325F. Grease two 9″ cake pans and line with parchment paper.
In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa powder and salt.
In a separate bowl, combine sugar and vegetable oil. Mix in eggs, buttermilk, vanilla and food colouring until well combined. Stir in coffee and vinegar.
In a separate mixing bowl, put 1/4 of the dry ingredients and gradually add wet ingredients, altering with the dry and wet ingredients until combined.
Equally divide the batter between two prepared pans. Bake for about 30-40 mins or until toothpick comes out clean.
Remove cake from oven, and transfer to cooling rack still in the pan. Allow 10 mins to cool and run a knife around the edges to loosen the cake. Peel off parchement paper and let it cool completely.

Chocolate Ganache

In a medium sauce pan, heat the double cream just before it comes to a boil. Remove from heat, add chocolate and stir until smooth.
Place ganache in fridge to cool and thicken or just until it becomes spreadable.
Flip cake layers upside down and spread half of the ganache on each layer. Place in fridge to set.

Cream Cheese Frosting

Whip the whipping cream until thick and add in cream cheese and confectioners sugar. Whisk unti combined.
Place one cake layer on a plate and frost with 1/2 cup of frosting. Place second layer on top and frost with another 1/2 cup. Use the rest of frosting to frost the whole cake.
To decorate, sprinkle shaved white chocolate over the top.

Strawberry Sprinkle Funfetti Pancakes

Posted on November 9, 2013 by Better Baking Bible

STRAWBERRY PANCAKES / KAE71463 / CC BY

Why have plain pancakes for breakfast when you could have this funfetti pancake explosion? Strawberry sprinkles pancakes are something your kids will LOVE to look forward to in the morning – so whip up a quick batch before heading off to sleep and drop them in the pan the next morning. We will be honest with you – there is no easier way to get them up for school in the morning!

Strawberry Sprinkle Funfetti Pancakes

Yields 6

Add some color to your day with these funfetti strawberry pancakes!

Ingredients:

1 cup all purpose flour
2 tbsp granulated sugar
1 ½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp kosher salt
1 cup of whole milk
1 egg
½ tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp butter, melted
5-6 medium-sized strawberries, sliced
sprinkles of your choice

Instructions:

In a small bowl, mix together milk, egg, and vanilla extract. In a separate bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
Make a well in the flour mixture and pour in the milk mixture, mixing well and then adding in the melted butter and stirring until combined.
Heat a sauté pan over medium-low heat and butter or spray it with cooking spray. Once hot, scoop ½ cup of batter into the pan. Immediately lay 3-4 strawberry slices on each pancake, gently pressing each one in. Sprinkle with sprinkles and let it cook for about 2 mins or until golden brown, flip to the other side and cook for another 1-2 mins.
To serve, place strawberry side up and sprinkle with confectioners sugar, or whipping cream and more sprinkles if desired.

Tim Horton’s Boston Cream Donut Replica Recipe

Posted on August 13, 2013 by Better Baking Bible

A replica recipe to the world famous Boston cream donuts from Tim Hortons! For once you can enjoy your own homemade donuts made from scratch!

Second Photo: Simple and Home Made Blogspot

Tim Horton’s Boston Cream Donut Replica Recipe

Yields 14

Classic Tim Hortons Boston cream donuts filled with vanilla cream and glazed with chocolate!

Ingredients:

Vanilla Cream Filling

2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 cups whole milk, divided
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 cup cornstarch
5 egg yolks
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

Doughnuts

3/4 cup warm milk (105-110 degrees F)
21/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1/3 cup granulated sugar
23/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon salt
4 egg yolks
1/2 cup unsalted softened butter cut into tablespoons

Chocolate Glaze

4 ounces bittersweet chopped chocolate
3 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/3 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
vegetable oil for frying

Instructions:

In a saucepan, combine sugar, 1 1/2 cups of milk, and vanilla extract and cook over low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until the sugar is dissolved. Raise the heat almost boiling.
Place cornstarch in a medium bowl and whisk the remaining 1/2-cup milk until smooth. Add the egg yolks and blend.
Slowly whisk in the hot milk mixture into the yolk mixture. Return the milk-yolk mixture to the saucepan and boil gently for 1 minute over medium heat.
Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter. Pass the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing it directly onto the surface, and refrigerate until chilled.
Place the warm milk, yeast, and 1 teaspoon of the sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer. Stir the yeast into the mixture and let stand for 10 minutes, or until foamy.
Add 1 cup of the flour and, using the paddle attachment beat on low speed for 2 minutes to form the sponge. Remove, cover with plastic wrap, and let the sponge stand at room temperature until well risen, about 30 minutes.
In a bowl, whisk together the remaining 1 3/4 cups flour with the cardamom, nutmeg, and salt; set aside.
Return the bowl containing the sponge to the mixer stand. Add the egg yolks and mix until incorporated, then beat in the remaining sugar. Slowly add butter, then the flour-spice mixture and beat on medium speed for 5 minutes. The dough should be soft and should not form a ball.
Scrape the dough into a well-buttered bowl and coat all sides with butter. Cover it with buttered plastic wrap, and let the dough rise in a warm place for 1 hour, or until doubled in volume.
Turn out the dough onto a lightly oiled work surface. Gently press down to flatten it evenly to no less then 1/2 inch thick. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let it rest for 5 minutes.
Line a baking sheet with parchment or waxed paper. Using a floured 2 1/2-inch biscuit cutter, cut out 14 dough rounds. Transfer them to the lined baking sheet, spacing them at least 1-inch apart to allow for expansion. Let rise for 30 minutes, or until doubled in size.
Pour the oil into a saucepan to a depth of 2 to 3 inches. Heat the oil to 360 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with paper towels.
Fry the doughnuts, 3 or 4 at a time, for about 1 minute, or until golden brown on each side. Transfer the doughnuts to the paper towels to drain, then place on a wire rack to cool. As soon as the doughnuts are cool, use a long, thin, plain pastry tip to poke a hole through the midline to the center of each doughnut. Let cool completely before filling.
Remove the vanilla cream filling from the refrigerator and beat with the electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Scrape it into a large pastry bag fitted with a medium plain tip. Pipe the filling into the hole in the middle of each doughnut until the doughnut feels full. Wipe off any excess cream.
Place the chopped chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl.
Combine the water, corn syrup, and sugar in a heavy-bottomed, medium saucepan. Place over low heat and cook, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Bring to a full boil and pour the hot syrup to melt over the chopped chocolate. Whisk in the butter and let it cool until it starts to thicken slightly, stirring occasionally.
Spread a scant tablespoon of chocolate glaze over the top of each doughnut and let it sit for a few hours on a rack.

No Bake Chocolate Salami

Posted on August 9, 2013 by Better Baking Bible

Even though it’s not an actual salami, this desert sure looks like one. It’s an super easy recipe that is “no bake” so you can prepare it ahead of time, let it sit, and voila your ready to entertain guests and family with this chocolatey favorite.

*If you would like to share my recipe and photos please provide proper credit and a link back to this original post. Thanks!

No Bake Chocolate Salami

A simple and delicious desert to wow your family and guests.

Ingredients:

7.05 oz (200 g) dark chocolate
3.5 oz (100 g) butter
2 egg yolks
1 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp dark rum
1.4 oz (40 g) almonds
2.1 oz (60 g) arrow root or baby cookies
pinch of salt
powdered sugar

Instructions:

On low heat, melt butter with chocolate. Add egg yolks to the mixture, stir for 1 minute.
Add sugar, cocoa powder, salt and rum. In the end, add crushed cookies and crushed (or roughly chopped) almonds. Stir to combine. Let cool slightly.
Using parchment paper, roll it and shape a log. Wrap in plastic wrap and let cool in the fridge.
When the mixture is cooled, roll it into powdered sugar and cut slices. Serve.