cakes

cakes

Chocolate Poke Cake with Whipped Coconut Icing

Chocolate Poke Cake with Whipped Coconut Icing
Chocolate Poke Cake with Whipped Coconut Icing

Cooking is very enjoyable to me, obviously, but when I started out, it felt like I was all thumbs in the kitchen. Recipes took hours longer than they seemed to take other people and I always ended up with a huge mess. So I completely understand why some people hate to cook – or want to like to cook but get turned off quickly.

Periodically I share insights for making cooking more enjoyable, and I thought I’d do that today. Cooking for my tiny family (just me and Mike) has seemed exponentially harder than cooking for just myself, but I’ve found some tips that make it satisfying and manageable.

Tips for Cooking Smarter & Simpler


Prep your kitchen in general:

1. Rearrange your kitchen. This is killing me right now, because my new apartment’s kitchen layout is cramped and not working for us! But I know what we need to do because I’ve done it in many apartment kitchens before this one. One weekend, rearrange your stuff! Put the items you use most in the front of your cabinets without any stacking. The items you use least can be stacked in the back or even in a storage closet. Clean out your fridge and freezer. Try to keep counters clear by hanging up pans, buying a utensil jar, and putting away infrequently used appliances. Create extra workspace with an over-the-sink cutting board or a portable island. If money permits, visit the store and get the shelving, cabinet and drawer organizers, and caddies that you need to make your space really functional for the recipes you want to start making.

The goal here is simple: it should feel fun and relatively easy to use the space in your kitchen. I’ve found places like Ikea and The Container Store help me to “think outside the box” when it comes to arranging my (limited!) space.

Chocolate Poke Cake with Whipped Coconut Icing

When you’re ready to cook:

2. Start with clear counters and a relatively empty dishwasher. It takes a couple of minutes to clear your counters, wipe them down, and empty the dishwasher before cooking, and you may be anxious to just dive in to your recipe. I understand that. But I also understand how discouraging it can be to realize your sink is filled to the brim and there’s nowhere to set your hot tray of cookies midway through your process.

Starting with clear counters means you have lots of tidy workspace. Starting with an empty dishwasher means that as you use each dish, you can toss it in. By the end of your recipe, your dish duty (and your blood pressure) will be manageable. It feels better to work when you have space to do it in.

3. Ferme your bouche and mise your place! (Apologies to France.) “Mise-en-place” is something I’ve harped on before. It’s a French phrase that just means prepping your ingredients and equipment before beginning to cook. Again, you may be excited to dive into cooking. Measuring out all your ingredients into prep bowls and getting out your pans may feel like an unnecessary hassle, but I bet you’ll be surprised at how easy-breezy cooking becomes when you do it!

First, mise-en-place requires you to read the full recipe before you begin, which has saved me many a time from getting halfway through a recipe and realizing I’m out of eggs. Reading the entire recipe also allows me space to visualize each step.

Secondly, mise-en-place separates cooking into two parts: the cathartic, mindless “idiot work” of chopping, measuring, prepping — and the action! This means I can relax through the prep and then confidently tackle the action because I know everything I need is right at hand. There’s never the stressful, rushed confusion that turns so many people off of cooking. Plenty of recipes would’ve burned if I hadn’t had my mise-en-place prepared. So invest in a set of prep bowls (I like ones like this) and give it a try.

4. The journey is the destination. Don’t make getting the product on the table your ultimate goal, if you can help it. Shoot for making the process peaceful and satisfying instead. Pour a glass of wine (or for me, Coke Zero), put on some music you love, tug on your favorite Kiss the Cook! apron, and enjoy yourself. Try to detach yourself from time pressures and the worries of your day. Be mindful about each thing you do — feel the food you’re working with, listen to the sound of the chopping and sizzling, smell the garlic or cinnamon (hopefully not both at once. Don’t get crazy.) The food will be a treat for someone else later — but for now, let the process be a treat for you.

* * *
Chocolate Poke Cake with Whipped Coconut Icing

Over and over again, I’ve said, “I know you want to dive in, but wait!” Well finally, at the very end of this post, here’s one thing you can just dive into: a piece of this amazing cake! It’s absolutely incredible, y’all. Rich, moist Texas Sheet Cake gets aerated and doused with chocolate glaze before being topped with the fluffiest, most surprising coconut whipped icing you’ve ever tried! This whipped icing, especially, is a new treasure for me, and you can bet I’m going to be slathering it on everything.

This cake is also great because it’s special but perfect for a beginning cook. The recipe has several steps, but each one is very manageable. It’s the perfect time to try out the techniques listed above! And you’ll be so richly rewarded.

One year ago: “Magic” Chocolate, Coconut, and Pecan Pastry Braid
Two years ago: One-Skillet Gooey Pumpkin Cookie Cake
Three years ago: Homemade Hot Chocolate & Marshmallows
Four years ago: French Macarons

Chocolate Poke Cake with Whipped Coconut Icing


Recipe by: Willow Bird Baking with icing adapted from Missy Dew on Tasty Kitchen
Yield: 9 servings

Simply: one of the best cakes ever. A Texas Sheet Cake doused with chocolate glaze and topped with fluffy whipped coconut icing. You won’t believe the taste.

Cake Ingredients:
1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup sugar
dash salt
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup buttermilk
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Sauce Ingredients:
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon cocoa
3 tablespoons milk
1 cup powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla

Whipped Coconut Icing Ingredients:
1 cup milk
5 tablespoons flour
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar (not powdered sugar)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup coconut plus more for topping


Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9-inch square baking pan with a parchment paper sling (I cut two 9-inch wide sheets that are longer than the pan so they’ll hang over the edges a bit, making it easy to pull the cake out later. I then lay them in the pan, one horizontal and the other vertical). Spray the parchment paper with cooking spray. In a large bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, sugar, and salt together and set aside.

In a small saucepan, bring the butter, vegetable oil, cocoa powder, and water to a boil over medium-high heat. Remove it from the heat and whisk in into the dry ingredients well. Mix in the buttermilk, egg, and vanilla. Pour into your prepared baking pan and bake at 350 degrees F for about 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out with just a few moist crumbs.

Poke holes in the cake with the back of a wooden spoon. While the cake starts to cool, make the sauce. In a medium saucepan, bring the butter, cocoa, and milk to a boil. Remove them from the heat and add the icing sugar and vanilla. Stir to combine. Pour over the warm cake and let it sit to soak up the chocolate sauce and cool completely.

To make the frosting, heat the milk, flour, and granulated sugar together over medium heat, whisking constantly. Once it starts to boil, continue whisking and heating it for around 7 minutes or until it’s very thick, like cake batter consistency. Remove the mixture from the heat and add the vanilla extract. Remove the mixture to a shallow pan and let the mixture cool completely (after a bit, I stuck mine in the fridge to hurry it along). Once the mixture is cool, beat the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer until soft and fluffy. Add the completely cooled mixture and beat on high until you have fluffy frosting the consistency of stiff whipped cream. Mix in the coconut. Frost your completely cooled cake with a thick layer. Sprinkle more coconut on top.

by | 30 Comments
cakes

Quick and Easy Sour Cream Apple Kuchen

Quick and Easy Sour Cream Apple Kuchen
Quick and Easy Sour Cream Apple Kuchen

Byrd is 7 years old this year. She still runs around like a puppy, but suddenly her eyes are cloudy, her fur is thin, and every now and then, her back goes out without warning. My heart vehemently protests each new sign of aging, but time marches on.

Byrdie
Byrdie.

It probably sounds morbid to say I think about her dying all the time, but it’s not — and I do. I worry about it, sure, but mostly I think about it as a self-check. I think, “When she dies someday, am I going to be satisfied with the life I gave her, or am I going to have regrets?” Dogs live such heartbreakingly short lives. It feels like the only way to make it slightly less tragic for them to leave us someday is to make those brief lives as special as possible.

Quick and Easy Sour Cream Apple Kuchen

Having that as my goal has made a lot of decisions easier. For instance, when Byrd’s knees started giving her problems a few years ago, there was no question that we had to fix them immediately. Fixing them meant prolonging her ability to fetch, which was crucial to her having a happy life. Other decisions become harder: should I get her bad teeth pulled to prevent infection, or should I let her keep them so she can definitely continue to enjoy her daily carrots? Those kind of decisions produce a lot of fretting and the occasional way-too-long conversation with the vet.

Quick and Easy Sour Cream Apple Kuchen

Recently I’ve started kind of a dog bucket list for Byrd, filled with things I want to be able to say I did with her while she was still relatively young and healthy. I hope she has MANY, many years left, but of course I don’t want to scramble toward the end of her life to try to get in the “good stuff.” Just a few:

1. Play fetch daily.

2. Let her “smell the roses” more outside.

3. Go to the beach and bury things in the sand for her to dig up.

4. Get her a heated bed.

5. Give her occasional “wet food” treat days.

6. Drive through Chick-fil-a to get treats every now and then.

7. Have at least one “Byrd day” filled with all of her favorite treats, food, and playtime.

Quick and Easy Sour Cream Apple Kuchen

That last one was inspired by an article I read once (you’re gonna need some tissues) about a dude who gave his dying dog one last perfect day. My takeaway from the article is that I wanted to do this before Byrd gets too old or sick to really enjoy it. While she’s still young, I want to give her a day full of fetch, wet food, carrots, digging in blankets, belly rubs, car rides, and snuggles.

When it is time to let her go someday (hopefully a day far, far in the future!), I’m thinking of following the lead of a friend of mine. She had a vet that made house calls, so he was able to come and put her greyhound to sleep on the comfy dining room rug where he always napped. She was right by his side in the comfort of their home. I love that and hope I can arrange the same for my sweet girl (who, as if to underscore that she’s still young and spry, is ferociously attacking a blanket beside me as I write).

Those sort of thoughts are so hard, right? But it actually does my heart good to know I have a plan for making her little life as joyful and comfortable as it can be. Do you ever think about this for your pet? What would your pet’s bucket list look like?

* * *
Quick and Easy Sour Cream Apple Kuchen

After one of our quick dinners last week, Mike and I had this quick, simple dessert made with a box cake mix. Byrd didn’t get to enjoy any, but don’t worry. She had plenty of her own food, which she likes to chomp-chomp-chomp just as Mike and I are going to sleep each night.

My mom made this for us all the time growing up, and it was one of my favorites. The sweet apples and sour cream complement each other perfectly, and the toasted pecans are the perfect nutty touch. Whip it up and throw it in the oven while you eat dinner. Serve it warm with some vanilla bean ice cream on top!

One year ago: Gooey “German” Pumpkin Skillet Cake
Two years ago: Easy Sopapilla Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars
Three years ago: Honeybun Cake with Caramel Sauce
Four years ago: Homemade Puff Pastry and Vol-au-vents

Quick and Easy Sour Cream Apple Kuchen


Recipe by: Willow Bird Baking
Yield: 6 servings

This quick and easy recipe was a dessert staple in my house growing up. The sour cream and apple combination is perfect, particularly with the toasted pecans on top.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup cold butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 box yellow cake mix
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup sour cream
1 egg
2 (15-ounce) cans (or 2 cups fresh, peeled) sliced apples
toasted pecans*

Directions:
*Note: To toast pecans, spread them out on a baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees F for about 6 minutes or until fragrant, tossing several times.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with cooking spray. In a medium bowl, use a pastry cutter or two knives to cut the butter cubes into the cake mix until crumbly. Press this mixture into the prepared pan, building it up slightly on the edges. Bake the crust for 10 minutes. In the meantime, mix together the sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves in a small bowl. In a separate small bowl, whisk together the sour cream and egg until smooth.

When the crust is done, arrange the apples on it (I used canned). Sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar mixture over the apples. Drizzle the sour cream mixture over the apples (it won’t completely cover them). Bake for 25 minutes or until edges are lightly brown. Don’t overbake. Sprinkle on toasted pecans and serve warm with ice cream or whipped cream.

by | 16 Comments
cakes, other

Easy Homemade Peach Cobbler (and Exercise Tips for the Exercise-Haters)

Easy Homemade Peach Cobbler
Easy Homemade Peach Cobbler

It may seem odd (I daresay, even a little sadistic) to write to you about exercise in a post featuring a gigantic dish of Homemade Peach Cobbler. Well, my husband would tell you that I’m nothing if not odd (and a little sadistic.)

Actually, exercise and the occasional treat pair perfectly in my mind. I don’t think I’d do the former without the latter. Indeed, there was a significant portion of my life where I didn’t do any exercise regardless of what I ate. None. My natural state is about as sedentary as a dead slug.

Currently, though, I’m proud to say that I’ve been exercising regularly for about a year and a half. I never thought I’d be able to say that! I’m excited to share some tips with you about getting active. I don’t mean fancy fitnessy stuff or advice for dedicated athletes — I mean advice for my fellow dead slugs out there. If you’re reading, don’t have a regular exercise routine, and maybe can’t imagine having a regular exercise routine, this post is for you.

Easy Homemade Peach Cobbler

Here’s what helped me:

1. Find the activity you love. I used to think that learning to exercise was a matter of repeatedly doing things you hated until you didn’t hate them anymore. The problem was that it never happened like that for me. Either I did stick with an activity for a long time and still hated it (elliptical machine) or I couldn’t stand to stick with it at all (running).

Finally, I mustered the courage to try a group aerobics class. For some reason, group classes didn’t seem intolerable for me like the treadmill did. It was an epiphany: I didn’t have to keep doing things I hated. I could find something I loved. Since then, I’ve found that I love Zumba, kickboxing, step class, yoga, kayaking, and swimming. Keep trying different workouts until you find one (or several) that makes you happy.

2. Try group classes. I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking some variation of: “But I’m too fat / too old / too slow / too out of shape.” You’re imagining that you won’t be able to keep up. That you’ll stand out. That everyone will be looking at you. You might be thinking of your social anxiety. You might be thinking of how heavy your breathing gets. But let me tell you: you’ve got group exercise classes all wrong! I know, because I did, too.

Exercise
I’m pretending like this is a photo of me in my exercise gear, but really this is me in my Halloween costume last year.
I was a dancer from the Gangnam Style video. Ahem.

Even for an introverted loner like me, group exercise classes are usually extremely welcoming. I’ve been to lots of them, and I’ve noticed that there are always young people, fat people, old people, skinny people, slow people, and fast people. There are dancers. There are uncoordinated people. There are people with bad knees who modify the exercises. Nobody gives anyone else a second glance. Half of us are going the wrong direction at any given time, so nobody feels weird when they mess up the exercise moves. Our teachers encourage us, “Just keep moving and have fun!” and we do! We shimmy, shake, salsa, meringue, and laugh. We laugh at ourselves; we laugh with each other.

In addition to being surprisingly comfortable, group exercise classes provide light, positive peer pressure. There’s an undercurrent of inspiration when you’re with so many other people striving for the same physical goal. You’re all quietly congratulating each other on getting to the gym and working hard. When you get tired, you don’t want to quit because others around you are still striving. I’ve found it tremendously motivating in a way working out in my living room could never be.

Easy Homemade Peach Cobbler

3. Find the exercise that feels like a treat. When I’m doing something luxurious for myself, like getting a manicure, I really enjoy it. Exercise can be like that, but you have to figure out how. For me, exercise feels indulgent when I make time for it in the morning and then shower at the gym afterwards. This way I have my whole day ahead of me and I’ve set myself up to feel great. I also love going out for a healthy lunch Saturday after working hard in the gym, because I feel like I’m doing two great things for my body. For some of my friends, exercise feels indulgent when they leave their kids with a family member and make their workouts time to focus on themselves.

4. Find the exercise that gives you a sense of mastery. Find the exercise that, after you do it, makes you feel powerful and accomplished. For me, yoga is lovely for peace and mindfulness, but I don’t feel a sense of mastery after it like some people do. After a difficult cycle class, though, I feel like I just conquered the world. When you’re trying out different activities, evaluate how you feel afterwards. What gives you the “happy rush”?

5. Switch things up. I get bored doing the same exercise routine over and over. It makes things more exciting if I change up what classes I go to and what “extras” I do in the gym. I also vary the days and times that I workout. Look around for dance studios or gyms that offer a cheap membership and lots of variety. Also look for local lakes where you can rent canoes, swimming pools, rock climbing centers, hiking trails. Compile a long list of new activities to try so that you’re never bored.

Quick tip: Many gyms offer trial memberships so you can try out their classes and facilities. I took advantage of a lot of these when looking for a gym to join, and it helped me find the perfect one.

6. Just get yourself there. The other tips all sound great, but I’ve fallen back on this one more times than I can count. Even though I love the activities I’ve found (swimming, kayaking, Zumba, etc.) once I get there, making myself get ready and go to the gym is often a huge mental hurdle. So I’ve developed the mantra: “Just get yourself there.” I don’t worry about whether I have enough energy for class. I don’t think about how much I have to do at home. I don’t agonize over whether I “feel like it.” Instead, I tell myself, “Of course you don’t feel like it right now. But just get yourself there.” Once I’m in the gym with my gym clothes on, I know I’m going to be productive. I know I’ll feel even more accomplished having overcome my hurdle. So I turn other thoughts off and “just get myself there.”

Easy Homemade Peach Cobbler

I hope these tips help someone out there. I know they’re not magic wands. There are those of you who can’t afford a gym membership for $15 a month, who can’t find childcare, who don’t have transportation, who have different physical abilities. But for those of you in the same place I was in over a year ago, with no exercise plan and no concept of how to begin, maybe this will inspire you a bit!

And more good news: you don’t have to stop eating peach cobbler. I still enjoy my treats each weekend. In fact, I think I enjoy them more knowing that I’ve worked hard to keep my body healthy overall.

What about you? What activities do you love? What exercise tips do you have?

One year ago: German Chocolate Cheesecake
Two years ago: Gooey Cookies & Cream Bars
Three years ago: Bittersweet Marbled Chocolate Cheesecake Brownies
Four years ago: Peach Crisp Pie

Easy Homemade Peach Cobbler


Recipe by: Willow Bird Baking
Yield: 6 servings

This is the easiest cobbler known to mankind and also happens to be my favorite. It’s cakey and spongey in texture (not biscuity), which is why my family called it a “peach cobbler cake” when I was growing up.

Ingredients:
1 cup flour
1 cup sugar
Dash of salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup milk
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 large (or two regular) cans peaches in light syrup

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350F and spray a 9 x 13-inch baking dish (or 12-inch cast iron skillet) with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and cinnamon. Melt the stick of butter and pour it unceremoniously into the prepared baking dish. Mix the milk into the dry ingredients, whisk until the lumps are gone (the batter will be very liquidy), and then pour this batter over top of the melted butter in the prepared dish.

Pour can(s) of peaches over top of the batter, syrup and all. Do NOT stir this — just let the peaches fall where they falls! Bake the cobbler for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown and almost set. Serve hot with a big scoop of vanilla bean ice cream.

by | 19 Comments
cakes

Lemon Raspberry Gooey Butter Cake

Lemon Raspberry Gooey Butter Cake
Lemon Raspberry Gooey Butter Cake

So this morning, I was eating my breakfast Sasquatch, which is kind of like a giant Slim Jim (don’t look at me like that), and pulling out of the gas station when a man ran up to my car waving his arms. There was clearly something wrong with my car, and he was clearly trying to tell me about it.

I considered leaving the window up and driving blissfully to school, ignoring whatever horrible issue had arisen, hoping I didn’t explode along the way. That seemed like a much easier plan than rolling down my window and listening to whatever $8,000 problem this good samaritan was doubtless trying to alert me to.

Nevertheless, I set my Sasquatch down (ahem) with a sigh and rolled down the window. “Ma’am, you have a flat tire. On the back right.”

Of course I do. OF COURSE I DO. Because it takes me 10 minutes to get to work from the gas station and I had 10 minutes until I needed to be there. Because I had my 9th graders first period, I’ve only had one class with them in the past 3 weeks, and we had a ton to do. Because I particularly liked my outfit today and had been having a good morning so far. SO OF COURSE I HAVE A FLAT TIRE.

Lemon Raspberry Gooey Butter Cake
Naked Lemon Raspberry Gooey Butter Cake

I thanked the man (it was super nice to run after me into the road, after all), pulled back into the gas station, and called Mike. I probably should have then sat in my car and waited, but I started to think about what a wuss I was going to seem like when Mike arrived. I knew he was going to use the can of Fix-a-Flat in my trunk, and I knew there were directions on the can. What was to say I couldn’t fix the tire before he got there? Just the fact that I was a girl? That I was wearing an especially awesome outfit? Pshh! I could totally do this.

So while Mike was en route, I began hopping around the gas station parking lot like a jack rabbit (in heels), shaking the can vigorously for the full 30 seconds it prescribed. Then I attached it tightly — er, I thought it was tight, anyway — to my tire and pressed the nozzle…

Lemon Raspberry Gooey Butter Cake

…only to be showered with a foaming, spluttering waterfall of Fix-a-Flat, which (it turns out) smells a lot like a mixture of gasoline and motor oil. In case you ever wondered.

I looked down at my awesome outfit, which was now coated in an awesome automotive product. And I said, to no one in particular because I’d kind of lost it by that point, “I’m going to cry now. Just a little bit. But I’m definitely going to cry.”

Lemon Raspberry Gooey Butter Cake

When Mike pulled up, he found my car abandoned in the lot with the canister of Fix-a-Flat hanging unceremoniously off of the back tire. I was in the gas station bathroom mopping myself off. When I got back, I took his car to school and he took mine, canceling his own class to deal with the mess. As I write, he is currently sitting in the tire place and I am sitting in my classroom inhaling probably-toxic fumes off of my awesome outfit.

So here’s what I have to say about all that:
1. I am thankful for an awesome husband.
2. Please send cake.

One year ago: German Chocolate Cheesecake
Two years ago: Gooey S’mores Bars
Three years ago: Bittersweet Marbled Chocolate Cheesecake Brownies
Four years ago: Peach Crisp Pie

Lemon Raspberry Gooey Butter Cake


Recipe by: Willow Bird Baking, adapted from one provided to St. Louis Today by Fred and Audrey Heimburger of Heimburger Bakery.
Yield: would easily serve 4-6 people

This was beyond fantastic. The gooey, fluffy texture of this cake along with the subtle lemon flavor was a downright ethereal combination. You’re gonna freak out when you taste it!

Crust Ingredients:
1 cup cake flour
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/3 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon lemon zest

Filling Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, softened
1 egg
1 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup evaporated milk
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon extract
1 teaspoon lemon zest
powdered sugar for dusting

Toppings Ingredients:
fresh raspberries
2 cups heavy whipping cream
2 heaping tablespoons powdered sugar
lemon zest

Directions:
NOTE: If you don’t have a skillet, I believe you can bake this in a greased 9-inch square baking dish (I’d use a glass one if you have it, and check it early and often. Remove when there’s some jiggle left.) Let us know how it goes if you try it this way for all the other skilletless people!

Make the crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk together cake flour, zest, and sugar in a medium bowl. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter or two knives until the mixture resembles fine crumbs and starts to cling together. Press the mixture into the bottom (this step is a lot harder than it sounds, but be patient and use the back of a spoon to help spread/press the mixture down. I also stuck mine in the fridge for a bit to make the butter less sticky) and up the sides of a 10-inch cast iron skillet.

Make the filling: Cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy and pale yellow (about 2-3 minutes). Mix in the egg until just combined. Alternate adding the flour and evaporated milk, mixing after each addition. Mix in the corn syrup, vanilla extract, lemon extract, and lemon zest. Pour the filling into the crust and sprinkle the top with icing sugar.

Bake and assemble the cake: Bake for 25 to 35 minutes or until cake is nearly set (mine was probably ready around 30). Some jiggle is fine — do not overcook! It’ll finish setting up as it cools. Sprinkle some more powdered sugar on top. Let the cake cool in the skillet for 2 hours. In the meantime, beat heavy cream and 2 tablespoons powdered sugar together in a bowl to stiff peaks. Pile heaps of fresh raspberries into the center of your cooled, set gooey butter cake, top with a mountain of freshly whipped cream and lemon zest, and serve.

by | 21 Comments
cakes

Limoncello-Spiked Shortbread Icebox Cake with Fresh Raspberries

I sometimes choose the middle booth at McAlister’s Deli (where I eat dinner way too often), forgetting that it’s the awkward seesaw booth. My seat is attached to the seat of the booth behind me but not secured to much else. As a result, a particularly large or particularly enthusiastic person sitting down behind me launches me into the air.

Today, two particularly enthusiastic little people danced a veritable waltz on the seat behind me. Every few seconds I would go awkwardly airborne. I felt like a passenger on a school bus with suspension problems driving through a speed bump factory. This made for an interesting work environment (I’m a workaholic; when I eat, I always work. And browse Facebook. Whatever.)

I was understandably annoyed. I’m not big on confrontation, however, and I knew they were just little girls, so I seethed quietly. Sometimes the vibration would stop for a few minutes only to start again with a vengeance: pounce-giggle, pounce-giggle, POUNCEPOUNCEPOUNCE-giggle. I crushed my napkin.

A few minutes after the table received their food, however, I heard two little girl voices chanting their prayers in sing-song voices: “God is great. God is good. Let us thank Him for our food….” My heart grew three sizes. I revised my past conclusions about these children (namely, that they were ill-behaved little trolls hell-bent on raising my blood pressure) and decided they were sweet and angelic.

And then: POUNCE-giggle, POUNCEPOUNCE-giggle. WHO RAISED THOSE LITTLE HELLIONS?!

The entire situation was a paradox and I found myself running hot and cold in rapid succession. Were these little girls sweet or annoying?

In this situation, it’s obvious to see the synthesis: they were both. They were sweet girls and they were being annoying. I didn’t have to make a choice whether to despise or love them. I could do a little of both.

I’ve noticed in other spheres of life — particularly ones that are high-stakes like politics, religion, and family issues — people are very reluctant to find the synthesis. Perhaps they feel that giving an inch towards some sort of compromise in position would undermine their personal views; on the contrary, I usually find the synthesis to be more realistic and commendable. It inspires credibility when one can divorce themselves from a dogmatic viewpoint and find common ground.

Perhaps in the gun control debate, we need to value personal freedoms and brainstorm ways to regulate guns more appropriately. Perhaps in the gay marriage debate, we need to be able to live by our personal belief systems and allow others to live by different ones. Maybe we need to keep class sizes down, pay teachers more, and find ways to save money in our school systems. Maybe your overbearing uncle needs to stop talking so much and you need to listen and engage more with his stories. Life is not one big football game. We don’t have to choose sides, paint our faces, and wear one of those morph suits; indeed, we might actually make progress by seeking common goals instead of screaming our polarized opinions louder and louder and LOUDER. This is something I would like Congress to revisit before any more financial stalemates occur. The more complex a problem is, the more important it is to get past partisan squabbles and get to the synthesis so creative problem solving can take place.

To qualify, the truth is not always in the synthesis. Sometimes a stand needs to be taken because one side is right and the other side is wrong. But since I’ve started looking for the synthesis of viewpoints, I personally find this happens very infrequently. Much more frequently, progress could be made on an issue if both sides would acknowledge that, uh, they’re both kinda right.

I’m one of those people who believe that things come across our paths for a reason. So if you’re reading this, maybe consider it a challenge. What’s an area of your life where you’ve been very firmly rooted to one side of an issue? Can you find a synthesis of viewpoints there?

* * *

I’m thankful for those little girls, really, because they provided a moment to share something I’ve learned. Now it’s time to share something I’ve made — and I think you’ll love it as much as I did. I took your typical oreo icebox cake and swapped out the oreos for shortbread cookies, swapped out the whipped cream for limoncello-spiked whipped cream, and piled a ton of fresh raspberries on top. It was spring in a bowl — with an amazing little zing, subtle lemon flavor, and lots of brightness!

I also have to tell you about my shortbread experience. I honestly scoffed when I saw the price of a box of these Walkers shortbread cookies ($4.50 at my local store). That is not a price I pay for cookies. However, I got these babies home and took a bite and I seriously might go buy out the shelf. They are wonderful: just as buttery as fresh shortbread cookies and a nicer texture in some ways. They’re perfect for this cake. I immediately emailed the Walkers folks and told them I’d be mentioning them — so go show them some love on Facebook and tell ’em Willow Bird sent you. And buy a box of cookies. Or four.

One year ago: Sweet Orange Florentines
Two years ago: Itsy Bitsy Berry Cream Pies
Three years ago: Pulled Pork Sandwiches, Creamy Coleslaw, and Summer Bean Salsa

Limoncello-Spiked Shortbread Icebox Cake with Fresh Raspberries


Recipe by: Willow Bird Baking
Yield: 10 servings

Icebox cake traditionally layers oreo cookies and whipped cream. Upon chilling, the dessert turns into a velvety, indulgent masterpiece — with no cooking and no fuss. This version is updated for spring, using buttery Walker’s shortbread cookies, whipped cream spiked with limoncello, and a pile of fresh berries.

Ingredients:
6 tablespoons limocello
4 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon juice
4 cups cream
4 (150 g) packages Walkers Shortbread rounds
fresh berries of your choice
lemon zest for topping (optional)

Directions:
In a large, chilled bowl, combine limoncello, sugar, vanilla extract, lemon juice, and cream. Beat with chilled beaters to stiff peaks. Place a layer of shortbread rounds in a large trifle dish. Top with about an inch of cream. Continue layering, ending with cream. Cover and chill this overnight in fridge. Before serving, sprinkle lemon zest over the top and pile high with berries of your choice.

by | 17 Comments

1 … 15 16 17 18 19 … 30