MANGO CAKE

This cake brings rave reviews and is a nice change from the predictable pineapple upside-down cake. The cake is sweet, very light and tender and the fruit keeps it deliciously moist. We ate it warm, with ice cream after dinner tonight.

Preheat your oven to 350F and spray a round 9" x 2" cake pan with vegetable spray. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper and then spray it again.

BOILED SYRUP LAYER (goes under the batter)
1 cup white sugar
¼ teaspoon lemon juice
¼ cup cold water
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Arrange one pound of small diced mango in the bottom of the parchment lined cake pan, and sprinkle VERY LIGHTLY with some cinnamon sugar. Note: I threw in a few maraschino cherry pieces for color.

In a heavy bottomed  sauce pan, stir 1 cup sugar + lemon juice and cold water together. Bring to boil on medium heat, stirring once in a while, until it starts to turn amber. Watch carefully, because once it starts to turn color, because it will darken quickly. After it turns light amber, pour evenly over the mango and set aside while you make the batter.

CAKE LAYER
1½ cups all purpose flour
1¾ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ cup whole milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ cup butter (room temperature)
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
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In a small bowl, mix flour, baking powder, ginger and cinnamon together, set aside. In another small bowl, mix milk and vanilla extract, set aside.
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With electric mixer, beat the room temperature butter for one minute, or until it is light and fluffy; add brown sugar and beat on high for 3 minutes. Reduce speed and add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Make sure you scrape down the sides of the bowl once in a while.

Now you need to mix in the milk mixture and the flour mixture, but make sure you alternate (dry...milk...dry...milk etc.). Scrape down the bowl and give it one final mix but don't mix too long. Pour the batter over the mango and syrup layer.

Bake at 350F for 35 to 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean (it takes 45 minutes in my electric oven). Remove from oven and let the cake cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Run a thin knife around the edge to loosen, then invert on a serving plate and peel off the parchment paper; serve warm. This cake is excellent with whipped cream or ice cream.

NOTE: Do not make this in a spring form pan because the sauce might leak out.

NOTE: You can make this with almost any kind of fruit, blueberries work nicely too.

NOTE: The fruit might appear quite wet when you first invert the cake, but as it cools off, the sauce thickens considerably.

SWEET CHERRY COFFEE CAKE

This coffee cake is sweet, moist and perfect for Sunday morning. I made it with frozen dark sweet cherries, but it works just as well with fresh raspberries.

It is excellent warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

2 cups frozen dark sweet cherries (thawed and drained well)

1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon almond extract

2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup butter room temperature
½ cup sliced almonds
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoon vanilla
½ teaspoon almond extract
1 cup sour cream

Thaw and drain the frozen dark sweet cherries completely (I put them in a colander overnight in the fridge). The next morning, drain completely, cut the cherries in half and mix with the brown sugar and almond extract. Set aside.

Beat butter till creamy, add sugar and beat until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, add extracts and sour cream, mix well. Add dry ingredients and beat until smooth.

Spread 2/3 of the batter into greased 9" spring form pan. Top with fruit and then spoon dollops of the remaining 1/3 of the batter, over the fruit, like this:

Sprinkle the sliced almond over the top of everything and sprinkle it with a little cinnamon sugar.

Bake at 350 for 40 minutes. Let the coffee cake cool in the pan for about 15 minute before removing it. Drizzle the cake with a simple vanilla glaze.

GLAZE
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 teaspoons milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract

IMPORTANT NOTE: When you thaw the frozen dark sweet cherries, you will get a considerable amount of "juice". DO NOT USE that juice in this recipe (save it for a different recipe). However, after they are drained and you mix the cherries with the brown sugar and almond extract (after it sits a few minutes) you will get even MORE "juice"...make sure you use this extra juice in the recipe.

IMPORTANT NOTE:  This recipe calls for a 9" spring form pan, but you can make it in a regular 9" round cake pan. The spring form pan just makes for a prettier presentation. IF YOU USE A SPRING FORM PAN, make sure you wrap the bottom of the pan in foil, in case your pan does not have a super tight seal (I also set the whole thing on a baking sheet).

CHERRY-ALMOND COFFEE CAKE

A lot of us have company over the holidays and it is always nice to having something tasty to serve with coffee or tea. This recipe is not only pretty, but would be wonderful for company of all ages.  Picky-picky hubby loves cherry, so I made this with cherry pie filling, but ANY pie filling would work well.

This cake is moist, rich and "holiday perfect" !!

2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup butter room temperature
½ cup sliced almonds
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ teaspoon almond extract
1 cup sour cream
1 (14 oz) can cherry pie filling (see note)

Grease a 9” spring form bundt pan. Beat butter till creamy, add sugar and beat until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, add extracts and sour cream, mix well. Add dry ingredients and beat until smooth. Spread half of batter into prepared pan. Top with half of pie filling (see important note below) and half of the almonds. Spoon remaining batter into pan and spread out. Top with the remaining pie filling and almonds.


Bake at 350° preheated oven for 45-60 minutes (my oven takes 52 minutes). Test with toothpick to make sure its done. Sprinkle with powdered sugar or drizzle with a vanilla glaze.

NOTE: Recipe says to use a whole can of pie filling, but I use the whole cherries in the pie filling and only about ¾ of the “goo”.

BLUEBERRY UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE

This cake brings rave reviews and is a nice change from the predictable pineapple upside-down cake. The cake is sweet, very light and tender and the berries keep it deliciously moist. We ate it warm, with ice cream after dinner tonight and our neighbor took home several pieces (guarding the dish on his lap as he left on his tractor...ha ha ha).

Preheat your oven to 350F and spray a round 9" x 2" cake pan with vegetable spray. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper and then spray it again.

BOILED SYRUP TOPPING
1 cup white sugar
¼ teaspoon lemon juice
¼ cup cold water
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3 cups blueberries (thaw and drain if frozen)

Arrange the blueberries in the bottom of the parchment lined cake pan, set aside. In a heavy bottomed 2 quart sauce pan, stir the sugar, lemon juice and cold water together. Bring to a boil over medium high heat (occasionally brush the walls of the pan with a wet pastry brush to wash down any sugar crystals). Boil on medium heat, stirring once in a while, until it starts to turn amber. Watch carefully, because once it starts to turn color, because it will darken quickly. Pour evenly over the blueberries and set aside.

CAKE
1½ cups all purpose flour
1¾ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ cup whole milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ cup butter (room temperature)
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
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In a small bowl, mix flour, baking powder, ginger and cinnamon together, set aside. In another small bowl, mix milk and vanilla extract, set aside.
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With electric mixer, beat the room temperature butter for one minute, or until it is light and fluffy; add brown sugar and beat on high for 3 minutes. Reduce speed and add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Make sure you scrape down the sides of the bowl once in a while.
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Now you need to mix in the milk mixture and the flour mixture, but make sure you alternate (dry...milk...dry...milk etc.). Scrape down the bowl and give it one final mix but don't mix too long. Pour the batter over the blueberries.

Bake at 350F for 35 to 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean (it takes 45 minutes in my oven). Remove from oven and let the cake cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Run a thin knife around the edge to loosen, then invert on a serving plate and peel off the parchment paper. Cool, this is excellent with ice cream.

NOTE: Do not make this in a springform pan because the sauce might leak out.

NOTE: The berries appear quite wet when you first invert the cake, but as it cools off, the sauce thickens considerably.

SUPER DOOPER EASY PEACH CAKE

I hope you try this super-dooper easy peach dessert. It is sweet, fruity, full of fall flavor and mixes together in just minutes, so it would be great for last minute company!! This dessert is "over the top" delicious when served warm, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!!

4 tablespoons butter melted
¾ cup all purpose flour
¾ cup white sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
¼ teaspoon salt
¾ cup milk
3 cups sliced ripe peaches (3 to 4 peaches)

Preheat oven to 350 and spray a square or round 9" baking dish with vegetable spray (I used a 9" springform pan). In a medium size bowl, mix first 8 ingredients until smooth. Spread into prepared pan and set fruit slices on top (I cut my peaches a little thick). Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons cinnamon sugar. Bake 50 to 60 minutes or until browned and bubbly (I baked mine for the full 60 minutes).

Excellent served with whipped cream or ice cream.

BERRY RIPPLE TEA CAKE (KNOWN IN MY HOUSE AS THE BEST COFFEE CAKE IN 10 YEARS!) (Seriously!)

Usually, when I hear the word "coffee cake" I think of a sweet treat that is at it's best right out of the oven and it usually needs either a cup of coffee, tea or glass of milk to wash it down. Well, dear friends, this coffee cake IS the exception to that rule. My husband and I finished this cake in a single day with NO trouble (a cake this size usually lasts us three or four days). We just couldn't stop eating it!

"Three B's" blog posted this recipe a few days ago and it caught my eye (she has some great recipes). She made it with a combination of raspberries, blueberries and strawberries and her beautiful photographs encouraged me to give it a try.

I used all strawberries which added to the sweetness of this buttery cake.I sure hope you give it a try, you will NOT be disappointed. Make the fruit filling first. In a heavy bottomed sauce pan, mix:

12 ounces of frozen raspberries (I used 12 ounces of frozen strawberries that I chopped finely in my food processor).
1/4 cup granulated sugar (I used 1/3 cup)
1 tablespoon cornstarch
Heat the above ingredients, over medium heat, stirring until it is thick and bubbling. Set aside while you make the batter.

Cake Batter:

2 & 1/4 cups all purpose flour

3/4 cup white sugar

3/4 cup COLD butter sliced in to thin pats

The directions say to use a pastry cutter, but I put the flour, sugar and butter in my food processor and pulsed until I had fine crumbs (much easier). Remove 1/2 cup of these fine crumbs and set them aside. To the remaining crumbs, add:

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 egg

3/4 cup buttermilk (no substitutions)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract (my addition)

Mix the above ingredients into the four/sugar/butter crumbs and mix only until everything is good and moist (don't over-mix).

Preheat your oven to 350 and grease and flour a (2 piece) 10" round tart pan (I used Baker's Joy spray). Using your fingers, press 2/3 of the batter into the prepared tart pan, pushing the batter evenly across the bottom and one inch up the sides of the pan (flouring your finger tips helps here).

Once you have the batter spread out and pushed up on the edges, gently pour in the fruit filling and spread it around the bottom. With the remaining 1/3 of the batter, place small pieces of batter in an irregular pattern on top of the fruit (I used a one teaspoon measure to get the right size). Be very careful not to push the batter pieces down into the fruit, you want them to float on top of it as much as possible. Finally, sprinkle the reserved crumbs over everything. Bake in a 350 oven (I placed a heavy cookie sheet under my tart pan) for 30 to 35 minutes (my oven took 35 minutes). The finished cake will be golden brown and smell heavenly!! I am certain that any fruit would work with this coffee cake; the strawberry version would be hard to beat though! When the cake is done baking, place it on a cooling rack for 15 minutes before you take it out of the pan.

PEACH COFFEE CAKE

If you are cooking for your mother, mother-in-law, wife (or yourself) on Mothers Day, I hope you consider this recipe. Its humble title, “Peaches and Cream Coffee Cake” does not accurately describe it. The base is a vanilla cake, partially baked (25 minutes), then topped with a mixture of sweetened condensed milk, cream cheese, chopped peaches, toasted pecans and a cinnamon streusel topping. It is then put back in the oven for another 35 minutes. It is divine!

2 and 1/3 cups all purpose flour
1 and 1/3 cups white sugar
¾ teaspoon salt
¾ cup butter flavored Crisco shortening
2 teaspoons baking powder
¾ cup milk
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
(1) 3 ounce cream cheese (room temp)
(1) 14 ounce sweetened condensed milk (NOT evaporated milk)
(1) 29 ounce can peaches well drained (reserve syrup)
1/3 cup reserved peach liquid
2 teaspoons cinnamon (divided)
1 cup toasted pecans (divided)
1/3 cup brown sugar (firmly packed)
Preheat oven to 350° and spray a 9” x 13” baking dish with vegetable spray (set aside).

In a mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar and salt; cut in the Crisco until crumbly. Remove one cup of these crumbs and set them aside. To the rest of the crumbs, add baking powder, milk, eggs and vanilla. Beat on medium speed two minutes. Spread batter in prepared 9”x13” baking pan and bake 25 minutes (cake will be only partially baked).

While cake is baking, beat the cream cheese until fluffy. Gradually beat in sweetened condensed milk and peach juice. Chop the drained peaches and add them to the milk mixture. Stir in ONE teaspoon of cinnamon and half cup of toasted nuts (set aside).

Make the streusel topping by combining the 1 cup of reserved cake crumb mixture, ½ cup of toasted chopped pecans and ONE teaspoon of cinnamon (set aside).

After the cake base has baked for 25 minutes, remove it from the oven and pour the peaches and cream mixture over it, spreading the peaches evenly. Top the peaches and cream mixture with the streusel topping and return to the oven for 35 more minutes

NOTE: When cutting the Crisco into the flour and sugar, try to get crumbs as fine as possible. I use my pastry cutter to get most of it worked in, but then I use my electric beaters and it will turn the crumbs into a very fine powder, which is what you want.
NOTE: I have never tried to substitute butter for the Crisco in this recipe.
NOTE: This cake is excellent, served warm (or room temperature) with whipped cream or ice cream.

Happy Mothers Day to all of you Mom’s out there! This Sunday is also my birthday (my birthday lands on Mothers Day every 7th year), so it will be a great day for me too!

SWEET DARK CHERRY PUDDING CAKE

I WISH I COULD UPLOAD THE SWEET AROMA OF THIS CAKE!!

When I look through recipes, I am always searching for that “little something” that tells me THIS one deserves a second look. Whether it is a unique ingredient or a non-traditional technique…it’s like a light comes on and you know you have to try it. This is one of those recipes. The descriptive title caught my eye first, then the recipe called for a simple batter, topped with frozen fruit and a cup of boiling water…need I say more? The result was delicious and something I would definitely serve to guests.

Today, hubby and a couple friends were out in the garage (doing guy stuff with their snow machines), so I thought it would be a great opportunity to use them as taste testers. The recipe went together like a dream (no electric mixer required) and the guys consumed the entire pan in just minutes and all gave it enthusiastic thumbs up.

1 cup all purpose flour
¾ cup white sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup milk
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cups frozen pitted dark sweet cherries
1 cup brown sugar packed
1 teaspoon cinnamon (do not leave this out)
1 cup boiling water
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Preheat oven to 350°. Combine the flour, white sugar, baking powder and salt in a bowl (stir to mix). Stir in milk and vegetable oil, just until smooth (do not over mix). Spread batter into un-greased 8” x 8” baking dish. Cut frozen cherries in half and lay on top of batter. It’s a lot of fruit…

Combine the brown sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle evenly over cherries. Stir lemon juice into one cup of boiling water and SLOWLY drizzle the lemon water over the brown sugar (evenly). Bake 55 to 60 minutes or until a wooden pick comes out clean.

This cake will not cut like a traditional cake because the boiling water finds its way under the batter and makes a fabulous sweet sauce that the batter sort of “floats” on as it bakes (sounds weird, but it works). That’s why you HAVE to do the toothpick test (for doneness) in the very center of the cake (as opposed to the edge). I ended up scooping out portions of cake (rather than slicing it) and then spooned the sauce over it and topped it with ice cream.

Click on this photo to enlarge and you can see the thick sauce (off to the left) that the cake makes.

NOTE: There are no eggs in this recipe.
NOTE: Do not thaw cherries. Make sure you use DARK SWEET FROZEN CHERRIES. You will find them in one pound bags in the same place as frozen strawberries & frozen puff pastry.
NOTE: When you cut the cherries in half, watch for any pits.
NOTE: Serve this about 20-30 minutes after you take it out of the oven (to give the sauce a few minutes to thicken a little).
NOTE: If you serve this cake warm...ice cream is MANDATORY !!!
NOTE: Cake is excellent at room temperature too.