Blueberry Streusel Cake

Blueberry Streusel Cake

Blueberries are a staple in my house. We eat them plain of course and with yogurt. But I also bake with them. There are always some muffins or scones, crisps or pies in the freezer because, as my mother used to say “just in case you get unexpected company.” And also, I like to give food away if there are workmen in the house or our mailman or UPS delivery guy comes to the door.

This cake, chock full of blueberries and topped with a crumbly streusel crust, is a favorite with everyone.

Blueberry Streusel Cake

Streusel:

• 6 tablespoons butter, margarine or solid coconut oil

• 1 cup all-purpose flour

• 1/2 cup quick oats

• 1/3 cup sugar

• 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon

cake:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1/2 cup sugar

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 2 teaspoons baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• 2 teaspoons grated fresh lemon zest

• 2 large eggs

• 1 cup orange juice

• 1/2 cup vegetable oil or melted coconut oil

• 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

• 2 cups blueberries

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9-1/2-inch springform pan (or 9-inch cake pan).

Make the streusel: Melt the butter and set it aside to cool. Place the flour, quick oats, sugar and cinnamon in a mixing bowl. Mix to distribute the ingredients. Add the melted butter and mix until crumbs form. Set aside.

Make the cake: place the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, baking soda and lemon zest in a bowl and mix to distribute the ingredients evenly. Set aside. Beat the eggs, orange juice, vegetable oil and vanilla extract together on medium for about 3 minutes, or until thoroughly blended. Add the dry ingredients and mix for 2-3 minutes or until a thick, uniform batter has formed. Fold in the berries.

Spoon the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the streusel on top. Bake for about 50 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

Makes 8 servings

Malai; Romanian Cheesecake

When it comes to the food part, most of us associate Shavuot with cheesecake.

Who doesn’t like cheesecake?!

There are so many fabulous cheesecake recipes! I have several on my website. But one of them — my family recipe — is somewhat different than most because it’s made with cornmeal, a staple in Romania.

My grandmother made this, I never learned its proper name until a few years ago: Malai. All I know is how delicious it is.

So here, in time for Shavuot, is Romanian Cheesecake (Malai)

ROMANIAN MALAI

THE BATTER:

• 6 tablespoons butter

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour

• 3/4 cup finely ground cornmeal

• 1/3 cup sugar

• 2 teaspoons baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 2/3 cup milk, half-and-half or buttermilk

• 2 large eggs

• filling

• sour cream, whipped cream, ice cream, etc. optional

• extra sugar or maple syrup

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease an 8-inch cake pan. Melt the butter and set it aside to cool. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder and salt and mix to distribute the ingredients evenly. Add the milk, eggs and cooled, melted butter and mix on medium speed for 1-2 minutes or until thoroughly blended. Spoon one half of the cornmeal mixture into the prepared pan and spread the batter to make it even. Top with the filling. Top with the remaining batter (spread the batter to make a smooth, even top crust). Bake for 35-40 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the cake is set.

Serve the cake warm, room temperature or slightly chilled. Serve plain or topped with sour cream (traditional), whipped cream or ice cream. (I add about 2 teaspoons of sugar for each cup of sour cream used as a garnish).

Makes 8-10 servings

THE FILLING:

• 1 pound farmer’s cheese

• 1 large egg

• 1/4 cup sugar

• 1/2 teaspoon finely grated fresh lemon peel

Mix the farmer’s cheese, egg, sugar and lemon peel until the ingredients are well blended.

Sour Cream Coffee Cake

Remember this cake? It’s an oldie but goodie and I decided to make one the other day. It’s been years! Can’t say why I don’t make it more often because it’s one of the best cakes ever. The recipe is not original with me. I don’t remember when or where I got it. It’s a classic. It’s a winner.

Btw, I only had 1/2 cup of sour cream so I used that plus 1/2 cup plain Greek style yogurt.

Sour Cream Coffee Cake

• 2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1 cup sugar

• 1/2 cup butter

• 2 large eggs

• 1 cup sour cream

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

topping:

• 1/4 cup brown sugar

• 3 tablespoons sugar

• 1/4 cup chopped nuts

• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 10-inch bundt pan. Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside. Cream the sugar and butter together in an electric mixer at medium speed until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Beat in the eggs. Add the sifted, dry ingredients alternating with the sour cream. Stir in the vanilla extract. In a separate bowl, combine the topping ingredients. Pour half the batter into the bundt pan. Pour in the topping ingredients. Cover with remaining batter. Bake for about 45 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let rest in the pan for 15 minutes then invert onto a cake rack to cool completely.  

Makes one cake serving 12-16 people

Irish Whiskey Cake for a Birthday

Ed’s birthday is coming and he’s not a big cake or dessert person, so we’ve been thinking about what to serve when the family gets together. I nominate this Irish Whiskey cake, which I have seen him devour on more than one occasion. It’s a good bet for his birthday, also Purim and St. Patrick’s Day!

IRISH WHISKEY CAKE

• 1 cup golden raisins

• 1 tablespoon grated fresh orange zest

• 1/4 cup Irish whiskey

• 2 cups all-purpose flour

• 2 teaspoons baking powder

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

• 3/4 cup butter at room temperature

• 3/4 cup sugar

• 2 large eggs

• 1/3 cup orange juice

• FROSTING

• 3/4 cup butter, at room temperature

• 2 cups confectioners' sugar

• 1/4 cup Irish whiskey

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease two eight-inch cake pans. Line the bottoms with parchment paper and lightly grease the paper. Place the raisins and orange zest in a bowl, pour in the whiskey and let soak for at least 30 minutes. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg and cloves in a bowl. Set aside. Beat the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer set at medium speed for 2-3 minutes or until smooth and well blended. Add the eggs and beat for another 2-3 minutes or until the mixture becomes smooth (scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula). Add the flour mixture and beat for 1-2 minutes to incorporate it into the other ingredients. Add the raisins (with any remaining liquid) and the orange juice and beat for another 1-2 minutes until a uniform batter has formed. Spoon the mixture into the cake pans. Bake for 20-22 minutes until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then remove the cakes and let them cool completely. Make the frosting by beating the butter and confectioners’ sugar together until smooth. Gradually add the whiskey and beat until smooth. Frost the bottom layer, place the second layer on top and frost the top of the second layer.

Makes 8 servings

Persimmon Streusel Cake

Now’s the season for people like me, who love persimmons. Unlike so many other fruits, you can only get persimmons (where I live anyway) for a limited time, which makes them all the more special. I eat them plain - to me they taste like a cross between mango and plum. I also chop them up for homemade salsa. And I bake with them too. Look on my website for goodies like persimmon coffee cake and muffins. There are also a couple of recipes for salsas you can use as dips for watching football or movies or whatever. Here’s my latest venture: I cut up a large, ripe fuyu persimmon and added it to a coffee cake recipe (I usually use apples or blueberries). I adjusted the flavors, just a bit and voila! Another good dessert:

Persimmon Coffee Cake

Streusel:

• 1/4 pound unsalted butter

• 1/4 cup granulated sugar

• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar

• 1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Melt the butter and set it aside to cool. Place the sugar, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon and nutmeg in a bowl and mix until well blended. Pour in the butter and blend it in. Let stand for 4-5 minutes, then crumble the mixture using your fingers. Set aside.

Cake:

• 1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled

• 2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1/2 cup sugar

• 1 tablespoon baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 2 large eggs

• 1 cup milk

• 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

• 1-2 fuyu persimmons, chopped

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9-inch springform pan. Melt the butter and set it aside to cool. Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer and mix on low speed until evenly combined. In another bowl, combine the eggs, milk, melted butter and vanilla extract. Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ones and mix on low speed for 1-2 minutes, or until smooth and thoroughly blended. Spoon the batter into the prepared cake pan. Top with the persimmon pieces. Cover with the streusel. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Remove the outer ring from the pan and let the cake cool completely.

Makes one cake, 8-10 servings

#persimmon #persimmonseason #coffeecake #persimmoncoffeecak

Persimmon Coffee Cake

Persimmon Coffee Cake

Now’s the season for people like me, who love persimmons. Unlike so many other fruits, you can only get persimmons (where I live anyway) for a limited time, which makes them all the more special.

I eat them plain - to me they taste like a cross between mango and plum. I also chop them up for homemade salsa. And I bake with them too. Check out these recipes:

persimmon muffins

persimmon salsa

persimmon salsa

persimmon bread

Here’s my latest venture: I cut up a large, ripe fuyu persimmon and added it to a coffee cake recipe (I usually use apples or blueberries). I adjusted the flavors, just a bit and voila! Another good dessert:

Persimmon Coffee Cake

Streusel:

• 1/4 pound unsalted butter

• 1/4 cup granulated sugar

• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar

• 1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Melt the butter and set it aside to cool. Place the sugar, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon and nutmeg in a bowl and mix until well blended. Pour in the butter and blend it in. Let stand for 4-5 minutes, then crumble the mixture using your fingers. Set aside.

Cake:

• 1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled

• 2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1/2 cup sugar

• 1 tablespoon baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 2 large eggs

• 1 cup milk

• 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

• 1-2 fuyu persimmons, chopped

Preheat the oven to 350F. Lightly grease a 9-inch springform pan. Melt the butter and set it aside to cool. Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer and mix on low speed until evenly combined. In another bowl, combine the eggs, milk, melted butter and vanilla extract. Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ones and mix on low speed for 1-2 minutes, or until smooth and thoroughly blended. Spoon the batter into the prepared cake pan. Top with the persimmon pieces. Cover with the streusel. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Remove the outer ring from the pan and let the cake cool completely.

Makes one cake, 8-10 servings

Lemonade Cupcakes

I don’t know if lemonade is the official July 4th beverage, but it should be. Here’s my recipe for a homemade version that starts with syrup - you can store it and use it for drinks and also these wonderful cupcakes and frosting!

LEMONADE SYRUP
1-1/2 cups water
1-1/2 cups sugar
1-1/2 cups lemon juice (6-7 lemons)
1 tablespoon freshly grated lemon zest

Place the water and sugar in a saucepan and boil for 3 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the lemon juice and zest. Refrigerate at least one hour. Strain. Makes about 3 cups (to make lemonade, mix some cold water or seltzer with some syrup, add ice cubes).

LEMONADE CUPCAKES
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1/3 cup plain yogurt
1/3 cup lemonade syrup
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons lemonade syrup

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease 10 muffin cups. Beat the butter at medium speed until well blended. Add the eggs one at a time beating after each addition. Beat in the yogurt and 1/3 cup lemonade syrup. The mixture will look curdled. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt and mix together. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture. Beat to blend ingredients thoroughly to a smooth batter. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tin. Bake 18-20 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven. Brush the remaining 3 tablespoons lemonade syrup over the cupcakes. Let cool. Frost and serve. Makes 10

LEMONADE FROSTING

1/2 cup butter
3-4 tablespoons lemonade syrup
1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
2 cups confectioners’ sugar

Beat the butter, 3 tablespoons lemonade syrup and the zest at medium speed until well mixed. Gradually add the confectioners’ sugar and beat until smooth and well blended. Add more lemonade syrup if needed for spreading consistency.

Fresh Ginger Cake

It’s my birthday and most people have cake on their birthdays, right? I also discovered that today is National Gingerbread Day. So my birthday cake is what you see in the photo: a ginger CAKE made with fresh ginger, which gives a real spicy, peppery warmth to this version. Especially when you add a piece of crystallized ginger on top (which I do!). Here’s the recipe:

FRESH GINGER CAKE
3/4 cup butter
1 cup molasses
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 cups all-purpose flour·
2-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon grated fresh nutmeg
1/4 cup grated fresh ginger
2 large eggs
1/3 cup milk

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9”x9” cake pan. Place the butter, molasses and brown sugar in a saucepan and cook, stirring occasionally, over medium heat until the butter has melted. Stir to blend ingredients thoroughly. Set aside to cool. Mix the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg together. Pour the liquid mixture over the flour mixture and beat the ingredients to blend them thoroughly. Add the ginger and eggs and beat them in. Pour in the milk and mix until the batter is smooth. Pour the batter into the pan. Bake for about 40 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean.

Makes 8-10 servings

#gingercake #gingerbread #nationalgingerbreadday #ginger #birthdaycake #birthdaycakes #birthdaycakeideas

Applesauce Streusel Cake

Every day brings a new culinary joy. Yesterday was Gingerbread Day. Today: National Applesauce Cake Day. So, how about this recipe to celebrate?

APPLESAUCE CAKE
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup applesauce
1/3 cup sour cream or plain yogurt
1 large egg, beaten
1 tablespoon freshly grated lemon zest
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/3 cup milk

STREUSEL TOPPING:

1/4 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons cold butter, cut into smaller pieces
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup chopped nuts

Preheat the oven to 375F. Lightly grease an 8” square cake pan. Beat the sugar and butter together with a mixer at medium speed for 1-2 minutes or until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Add the applesauce, sour cream, egg and lemon zest and beat the ingredients for 1-2 minutes or until smooth. Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg into a bowl. Add half the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and beat until well blended. Add half the milk and beat until well blended. Repeat until all the flour and milk have been used up. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Combine the streusel topping ingredients and mix them with your fingers, a pastry blender or two knives until the mixture is mealy. Sprinkle over the batter. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan 10 minutes then carefully invert the cake twice onto a cake rack to cool completely. Turn the cake right side up to cool completely.

Makes 8-10 servings

#nationalapplesaucecakeday #applesauce #applesaucecake #applesaucecakeday #applesaucecakeday2024 #cake #coffeecake

Citrusy New York Cheesecake

I’m one of those people who loves dairy foods so for me, Shavuot, which is in two days (June 11th at sundown), is the most delicious holiday because it’s the “dairy” holiday and even more specifically, it’s the cheesecake holiday. Who doesn’t like cheesecake!? I make all kinds but I really do love the plain, New York style cheesecake the best. Ok, maybe with some strawberries on the side. But that’s it!

NEW YORK CHEESECAKE

1-1/2 teaspoons butter or margarine
1/3 cup graham cracker crumbs (approximately)
1-1/2 pounds cream cheese (3-8 ounce packages)
freshly grated zest of one small orange
2 tablespoons freshly grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup whipping cream
1 cup sugar
4 large eggs
1/3 cup dairy sour cream or unflavored yogurt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spread the butter on the bottom and sides of a 9” springform pan. Sprinkle the inside of the pan with the graham cracker crumbs. Shake the pan to coat the bottom and sides of the pan completely. Beat the cream cheese, orange zest and lemon zest together in the bowl of an electric mixer set at medium speed for 1-2 minutes or until the cheese has softened and is smooth. Gradually add the vanilla, cream and sugar and beat for 2-3 minutes or until the mixture is smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally with a rubber spatula. Add the eggs one at a time, beating them in after each addition. Stir in the sour cream. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Prepare a bain-marie, that is, place the springform pan inside a larger pan. Fill the larger pan with enough hot water to come at least 1-inch up the sides of the baking dish. Bake for 70-75 minutes or until the top of the cake is lightly browned. Remove the springform pan from the larger pan and let the cake cool in the springform pan. When the cake has reached room temperature, refrigerate it for at least 4 hours or until it is thoroughly chilled. Remove the sides of the pan to serve the cake. Slices best using a knife that has been inserted into very hot water. Makes one #cheesecake #cheesecakelover #cheesecakes #shavuot #shavuot2024 #shavuos #shavuos2024 #dairy #dairydessert