Lemon Cream Cake

It's been quite a while since I posted - just over a year in fact. And 6 months since I've made a cake. I'm still somewhat displaced & don't have a kitchen of my own. Room renting has made baking less than joyous. When I do sneak in it's usually just to knock out some Oatmeal Jam Bars or Brownies. Something quick that'll get me in & out with the least amount of time & mess. Cake just doesn't make the cut. ~huge sigh~ Hope that changes this year because I am weary of being stifled creatively & otherwise.

I crawled out of hibernation this weekend. The Lemon Buttermilk Cake recipe I found on Epicurious. It was just moist enough & held up well. I double the recipe & used 2 9x13 pans which yielded a total of 4 cake layers. I'm a big fan of Wilton's straight-edged Square & Rectangular pans for their clean lines, sturdy construction & light color which is essential for even baking.

I like monochromatic layered flavor - I find it works especially well with the vibrant nuances of Lemon. I filled the cake with Lemon Curd & lightly whipped Cream and frosted it with Italian Meringue Lemon Curd Buttercream. I did a similar version for a Wedding Cake with Mixed Berries and it was equally good.

I've been wanting to try Ina Garten's Lemon Curd because I was intrigued by her technique. The results were fantastic. It cooked for a shorter time & it set up beautifully. Top Shelf. I only made one change. I skipped the lemon zest infused sugar step and used a teaspoon of Boyajian Lemon Oil instead. It's a specialty item that I don't always have on hand so I will give the original version a go at some point. I'll post the Buttercream recipe separately a little later.

As for the exterior, it's simple enough. I used pearly white jimmies around the edges and tiny edible metallic heart glitter over the lettering. (For some reason the metallic elements always look better in person than in pictures.) I lightly colored what was left of the lemon curd buttercream & used large round tip for the writing which gave the letters a nice 3D effect.

Lemon Buttermilk Cake

1 3/4 cups sugar
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 tablespoons grated lemon peel
3 extra-large eggs
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
3 cups cake flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups buttermilk

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. Butter and flour three 9-inch-diameter cake pans with 1 1/2-inch-high sides. Beat sugar, butter and lemon peel in large bowl until light and fluffy. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in lemon juice. Sift flour, baking soda and salt into medium bowl. Stir dry ingredients into butter mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with dry ingredients.

Divide batter among prepared pans. Bake until tester inserted into center of cakes comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Transfer pans to racks and cool 15 minutes. Turn out cakes onto racks and cool completely. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Wrap tightly in plastic and store at room temperature.)

Ina Garten's Lemon Curd

3 lemons
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 stick (4 oz) unsalted butter, room temperature
4 extra-large eggs
1/2 cup lemon juice (3 to 4 lemons)
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

Using a carrot peeler, remove the zest of 3 lemons, being careful to avoid the white pith. Put the zest in a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Add the sugar and pulse until the zest is very finely minced into the sugar.

Cream the butter and beat in the sugar and lemon mixture. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, and then add the lemon juice and salt. Mix until combined.

Pour the mixture into a 2 quart saucepan and cook over low heat until thickened (about 10 minutes), stirring constantly. The lemon curd will thicken at about 170 degrees F, or just below simmer. Remove from the heat and cool or refrigerate with a layer of plastic wrap directly on the surface.

Eggnog Pancakes

Had a quart of Eggnog that was gonna go bad in a couple of days. I love Eggnog but I've been sick for a week & the thought of drinking it was beyond me. I wanted to make bread pudding but I only had half a loaf of week-old sourdough. I made Eggnog French Toast with it instead. That turned out pretty good but I still had half a carton left so I decided to give this recipe a go. These pancakes are excellent - light, fluffy & flavorful. Adding dry spices to the batter helps to punch up the eggnog flavor - the nutmeg is the key.




Eggnog Pancakes

1 1/2 cups All Purpose Flour

1 tbsp Sugar

2 1/2 tsp Baking Powder

1/2 tsp Salt

1/2 tsp Cinnamon

1/4 tsp. Nutmeg

2 tbsp Melted Butter

1 1/2 cups Prepared Eggnog

1 large Egg, lightly beaten

In a medium mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Whisk to blend ingredients. Preheat pan or griddle to medium-high.

In a separate bowl, stir together eggnog, butter, and egg. Pour into dry ingredients and whisk just until dry ingredients are moistened. Batter will be fairly thick. Drop batter by quarter-cupfuls onto buttered skillet. Cook pancakes until bottoms are golden brown and bubbles appear on the surface. (Because the batter is so thick, check the bottoms before bubbles break at the surface so they don't burn.) Turn and cook other side. Keep warm in oven until all the batter is cooked.

I freeze the leftover pancakes and reheat them in the toaster oven - 350 degrees for 10 minutes or so. They are a bit denser after having been frozen but still good. And this way, you can have pancakes whenever you want without the hassle. Works great for french toast too.

Recent Cupcakes

Rebekah's Birthday Cupcakes - Devils Food with Dark Chocolate Fudge Frosting. Rebekah didn't get more than a bite or two of the Baby Shower cake from the previous post. She was so bummed. (And I heard she was still talking about it while she was in labor!) So I made sure she got some the next best thing on her birthday. They are decorated with my new favorite embellishment - Heart-Shaped Honey Jellybeans - perfect for spring.

Easter Cupcakes - I got the 'bug' to do Ladybug Cupcakes this year. I liked the Crosses best - I piped them with White Chocolate, sprinkled them with lilac sanding sugar & 'glued' a heart jellybean in the center. I think they were prettier in person...I really need to get a better camera!

Rebekah's Baby Shower Cake

Made a Baby Shower Cake - the expectant mama loves chocolate. Was planning to use Strawberries but didn't make it to the Strawberry stand in time. Trader Joe's was out of raspberries. My only other option (based on time constraints & availability) turned out to be Organic Driscoll berries at $6.99/pint...ouch. They were gorgeous - at 3x the price they had better be.

I filled each berry with Chocolate Cream - stuffed raspberries are my favorite culinary trick. I glazed them with Seedless Raspberry Jam to boost the berry flavor (Knotts has the best flavor & consistency) and then covered them with more Chocolate Cream. This time I made the Chocolate Cream with just 8oz of Mascarpone. I added just enough of the Ganache icing to give it a nice light chocolate flavor and then thinned it out with straight cream until it had the consistency I needed.

I tried out a new icing - see below for the recipe. It was similar to Ganache in consistency but had the added benefit of Cocoa Powder and Lyle's Golden Syrup. Sadly, I was out of Lyle's so I substituted with light & dark corn syrup. The blackness of color can be attributed to the Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa Powder I used. I had to special order it on Amazon - it was dark as it looks. Regular Cocoa Powder would've worked just as well.

I didn't have much luck drawing the whale - so I just decided to push the cookie cutter down until it was nearly flush an then I filled it with the blue sparkling sugar. The white disks are non-pariels I found a Trader Joe's - I hoped they would add that little hint of whimsy you always want baby cakes to have.

The icing was so shiny it's actually giving off a serious glare in these photos. Must have been the corn syrup. My favorite thing about this cake is what I used for a Cake Plate. Couldn't find one large enough so I decided to use a picture frame. I put decorative tissue paper under the glass to match the theme. It was the perfect size and it cleaned up great after the cake was served. I gave it to the Mom-to-be as a gift. I will definitely use this idea again...and again.

Deep Chocolate Frosting

2 1/2 cups Heavy Cream

3 oz. Unsalted Butter

1 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract

6 oz. Bittersweet Chocolate, finely chopped

2 cups Sugar

6 oz (2 cups) Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa

1/2 cup Lyle's Golden Syrup

1/2 tsp. Salt

In a 4 quart Saucepan over low heat, combine the cream and butter. Stir until butter is melted and cream just comes to a boil. Whisk in chopped chocolate until melted. Then whisk in Sugar, Cocoa Powder, Syrup and salt until smooth & Cocoa Powder has completely dissolved. Pour into a glass 9x13 pan and freeze until firm or refrigerate overnight.

Transfer Frosting to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and beat on medium speed for 2 minutes to soften. Change to whisk attachment and beat at medium-high speed until frosting is light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Use as desired. This quantity should frost and fill a 3 layer 9-inch cake.

This is the Strawberry Colada Cake. Strawberries were in season and I had a Coconut Cake recipe I wanted to try out. I filled the cake with a light Coconut Cream and sliced Strawberries. The sides were covered in toasted coconut, which gave it great texture. I will post the recipe as soon as I can dig it up.

BANANA CAKE

I know...easy is my favorite word. But it is...easy...and good. I like to fill it with a Chantilly Cream & sliced Bananas drizzled with caramel and then frost it with a Salted Caramel Buttercream. Better than Bananas Foster.

1/2 cup Buttermilk
1 1/4 # Bananas, mashed (2-3)

1 cup Butter
1 1/2 cups Sugar
3 Eggs

2 1/2 cups Sifted Cake Flour
1 tsp. Baking Powder
3/4 tsp. Salt
3/4 tsp. Baking Soda

Preheat oven to 350. Grease 2x 9" pans or 1 10"x3" pan and line with parchment.

Sift Cake Flour - then measure. Sift all Dry Ingredients together. Set Aside.

Mash Bananas & mix together with Buttermilk. Set aside

Beat Butter & Sugar together until light & fluffy. Add Eggs one at a time and continue to beat until very pale in color. Add Buttermilk mixture and mix well. Add Dry Ingredients to batter and mix on low then beat for 1 minute on medium.

Bake for 25-35 minutes, until toothpick is clean.

Here is the Banana Caramel Cream Cake. I finished it off with Pepperidge Farms Pirouette Cookies. The birthday writing leaves much to be desired...had to be said...

DEVIL'S FOOD CAKE

Everybody needs a good Chocolate Cake Recipe. Do yourself a favor - give this one a try. If you measure out all your ingredients ahead of time, this recipe is super fast.

1 1/2 cups Hot Brewed Coffee
3 ounces fine-quality semisweet chocolate

3 cups Sugar
2 1/2 cups All-purpose Flour
1 1/2 cups Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
2 tsp Baking Soda
3/4 tsp Baking Powder
1 1/4 tsp Salt

3 large Eggs

3/4 cup Vegetable Oil
1 1/2 cups Buttermilk, well-shaken
3/4 tsp Vanilla

Preheat oven to 300°F. Lightly grease 2 10" cake pans & line the bottoms with parchment.

Finely chop chocolate & put into a small bowl with the hot coffee. Let mixture stand, stirring occasionally, until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth.

Into a large bowl sift together sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In a smaller bowl, mix oil, buttermilk and vanilla together.

In another large bowl beat eggs with an electric mixer until thickened slightly and lemon colored (about 3 to 5 minutes). Slowly add the buttermilk mixture followed by the melted chocolate mixture, beating until combined well. Add sugar mixture and beat on medium speed until well combined.

Divide batter between the pans and bake in middle of oven until a tester inserted in center comes out clean, 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes.

Cool completely in pans on racks. Run a spatula around edges of pans and invert layers onto racks. Carefully remove parchment and cool layers completely. Cake layers may be made 1 day ahead and kept, wrapped well in plastic wrap, at room temperature.

Spread frosting between cake layers and over top and sides. Cake keeps, covered and chilled, 3 days. Bring cake to room temperature before serving.

Ganache Frosting
1 pound quality semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/4 cup unsalted butter

Make frosting:

In a 1 1/2- to 2-quart saucepan bring cream, sugar, and corn syrup to a boil over moderately low heat, whisking until sugar is dissolved. Remove pan from heat and add chocolate, whisking until chocolate is melted. Cut butter into pieces and add to frosting, whisking until smooth.

Transfer frosting to a bowl and cool, stirring occasionally, until spreadable (depending on chocolate used, it may be necessary to chill frosting to spreadable consistency).

Here's a Chocolate Caramel Macchiato Cake using the Devil's Food Cake. It was for an Vegas Game themed 18th Birthday Party. Very fun.

TRIPLE-LAYER CARROT CAKE

This is the one that makes people weak in the knees. I think I get more requests for this cake than anything else I make...besides brownies maybe...everybody loves the brownies.

1 cup Sugar
1 cup Brown Sugar
1 1/2 cups Vegetable oil
4 lg Eggs

2 cups All purpose Flour
2 tsp Baking Powder
2 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp ground nutmeg
3 cups finely grated carrots (about 1 pound)

For cake:
Preheat oven to 325°F. Lightly grease three 9-inch cake pans & line the bottoms with parchment .

Mix sugar and vegetable oil in a large bowl until combined. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg into sugar and oil mixture. Stir in carrots. Pour batter into prepared pans, dividing equally.

Bake until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean and cakes begin to pull away from sides of pans, about 45 minutes. Cool in pans on racks 15 minutes. Turn out cakes onto racks and cool completely.

Fill & Frost Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting. Garnish with Glazed Pecans.

Cream Cheese Frosting
16 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
4 cups powdered sugar (to taste)
1 tsp Cinnamon
1 tbsp Vanilla

Beat Cream Cheese and Butter together until smooth. Gradually add 3 cups Powdered Sugar & Cinnamon. Add Vanilla. Start tasting. Add the balance of the Powdered Sugar only as needed. The addition of the Cinnamon gives the Frosting a flavor boost that allows you to use less sugar - the end result will be less sweet and that means you can eat more of it!!!

CREAM SHORTCAKE

For years, I searched for a shortcake recipe that would satisfy an old friend's discerning taste. I tried this version out on her 40th birthday. "This is it!" She exclaimed after the first bite. The hunt is over.

4 cups AP Flour
8 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Salt
1 cup Sugar
12 oz. Butter
2 cups Heavy Cream


Heat Oven to 400 Degrees. Grease 2 10" round Cake Pans & line the bottom with parchment.

Cut Butter into large pieces. Mix Dry Ingredients together in Processor. Add Butter & Pulse until it resembles Coarse Meal. Pour into Bowl. Stir in Cream & Knead for less than 1 minute to form soft dough.

Lightly press into prepared pans. BAKE for 20 minutes (depending on pan size)

I like to serve it with Sweetened Whip Cream and Sliced Strawberries and maybe a dash of lemon curd if I have it. Simple is good.

Fresh Raspberry White Chocolate Angel Food Cake

This is not as decadent as it might sound. The sweet bits of White Chocolate offsets the tartness of the raspberries. I was always intimidated by Angel Food Cakes but now it's one of the simplest things I can whip up. All you need for success are super fresh eggs and a grease-free pan.

1 cup Cake Flour
1 1/2 cups Powdered Sugar
12 large Egg Whites
1 1/2 tsp Cream of Tartar
1 cup Sugar
1 tbsp Fresh Lemon Juice
2 tsp. Vanilla
1 cup Fresh Raspberries, sliced in half
5 oz White Chocolate, chopped


Preheat to 325 degrees. Use a 10" loose-bottom Tube Pan.

Sift Cake Flour & Powdered Sugar together 3 times and set aside.

Carefully seperate the Yolks from the whites - the best way to do this is to use 3 bowls. One to seperate, one for the yolks and one for the clean whites. This is important because even a tiny bit of egg yolk is enough to flatten your egg foam. Whip the Egg Whites on Medium Speed until frothy. Add Cream of Tartar and beat on high speed, adding sugar gradually, until whites are glossy and stiff but not dry. Add Lemon Juice and Vanilla and mix until just blended.

Add Flour in 3 batches - resift over the whites - and gently fold in with large rubber spatula until just combined. Fold in Raspberries & White Chocolate. Scrape batter into tube pan and bake for 50-55 minutes, until cake begins to pull away from the side of the pan. Remove pan from oven and invert over the neck of a bottle. Cool the inverted cake completely.

Turn pan right side up and run a thin spatula between the cake and the side of the pan to loosen it. Remove the side of the pan and loosen the cake from the bottom of the pan as well. Invert cake onto a cake board or plate.

Island Macaroons

This is like the best Mounds bar you ever had - toasting the coconut really improves the texture. These can be made like drop cookies but I like to use loose-bottom rectangle tart pans so I can cut them into slices or squares which gives them a different presentation.

6 cups sweetened flaked coconut
1 cup unsalted macadamia nuts, chopped
1 can sweetened condensed milk
2 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 egg whites
1/8 tsp salt
9 ounces semisweet chocolate, melted
1 tbsp. Organic Coconut Oil

Preheat oven to 350°F.
Place coconut and macadamia nuts on large cookie sheet. Bake until lightly toasted (around 8 minutes), stirring at least once about halfway through. Maintain oven temperature.

Line 2 large cookie sheets with parchment paper. Grease parchment. (If using tart pans, brush evenly with coconut oil - make sure you get all the nooks and crannies.)

Combine condensed milk and vanilla in large bowl. Add coconut and macadamia nuts & mix thoroughly. In a seperate bowl, using electric mixer, beat egg whites and salt until stiff but not dry. Fold whites into coconut mixture a third at a time. Drop batter by rounded tablespoons onto prepared cookie sheets or spoon evenly into 2 tart pans.

Bake until macaroons turn golden brown around edges, about 14 minutes. (time for tart pans won't be much longer - maybe 18-20 minutes) Chill completely before removing from cookie sheet/pans.

Line another cookie sheet with parchment paper. Dip cookie bottoms into melted chocolate. Place cookies, chocolate side down, on parchment. Refrigerate until chocolate is set, about 15 minutes.

NOTES
Can be prepared 4 days ahead. Store in an airtight container in refrigerator.
Use Milk Chocolate if you prefer, also 1/2 milk 1/2 dark works out great too.
Rectangle Tart Pans Single Batch = 2 pans Double Batch = 4 pans

Alfajores de Dulce de Leche

This is a sandwich cookie - 2 bisquit cookies with a mildly sweet caramel filling. The coarse sugar gives the cookie great texture. You need to use a small cookie cutter to acheive the bite-size goal - the ones I use are usually no more than an inch and a half in diameter.

Cookie Dough
4 cups AP Flour
6 tbsp. Powd. Sugar
3/4 # Butter, chilled & cut in pieces
1/2 cup Water

Put Flour & Sugar in food processor. Add Butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal, about 20 seconds. With machine running, pour water in a slow steady stream. Process until dough just comes together, about 20 seconds. Form dough into 2 discs & wrap in plastic. Chill 1 hour.

Roll 1/4" thick. Cut out shape & place on parchment - evenly spaced, ready to bake. Chill until firm before baking. Dampen the tops of cookie with milk or cream. Sprinkle with Coarse Vanilla Sugar.

Bake at 350 degrees until the cookies are a light golden color, about 13-15 minutes. Allow cookies to cool completely. Match up the cookies by size.

Spread a generous amount of caramel onto the bottom of one cookie and top it with another. It is smart to serve these in small paper cups so the caramel doesn't ooze out onto your serving plate.


Dulce de Leche Caramel (Traditional Method)
2 14 oz. Cans Sweetened Condensed Milk

Place milk in top of double boiler. Cover with tight fitting lid.
Cook, stirring every 10-15 minutes until milk is thick and amber colored.
About 5 hours. Remove from heat. Beat with wooden spoon to smooth.
Transfer to clean bowl. Refrigerate overnight.


Notes:
I usually purchase my Dulce de Leche Caramel from Williams Sonoma - they import a high quality brand from Argentina. It will set you back about $8.00 a jar but it's worth the time you save. You can't use just any caramel because other variety won't stand up. Dulce de Leche is thicker and less sticky than other varieties.

Oatmeal Cranberry White Chocolate Cookies

This is the best oatmeal cookie recipe ever. People totally rave about them and they are incredibly easy. Seriously.

2 2/3 cups Rolled Oats
1 1/2 cups AP Flour
1 tsp. Baking Soda
1/2 tsp. Salt
1 cup Dried Cranberries
6 oz. White Chocolate
1/2 cup Macadamias

1 cup Butter
1 1/3 cup Light Brown Sugar
1 tsp. Cinnamon
2 lg. Eggs
1 tsp. Vanilla


In a medium mixing bowl, measure out brown sugar and cinnamon. Using a large bowl, whisk dry ingredients together, including Cranberries, Chocolate & Nuts.

Melt Butter over Medium Heat. Simmer over Medium-Low heat until milk solids turn golden brown, about 4-5 minutes.

Pour butter over brown sugar and mix well. Whisk in eggs & vanilla. Pour over dry ingredients & stir until just combined. Scoop onto Baking Sheet and flatten the mound of dough slightly.

Bake at 350 degrees until golden & just dry to the touch but still a little soft inside, about 10 minutes.

Notes: Extra cookie dough freezes well - just portion out and put into a large freezer bag. You can use Dried Cherries, Dark Chocolate & Pecans instead for a totally different cookie. If you are out of chocolate and nuts, just make up the difference with Cranberries.


I borrowed this image from a fellow blogger at Good Eats & Sweet Treats I promise to replace it with my own as soon I can....pinky swear. This is pretty close to what mine look like.

How To: Triple Chocolate Raspberry Tart

This tart consists of a Chocolate Cookie Crust, Raspberry Jam, White or Dark Chocolate filled Raspberries, Light Chocolate Cream and Dark Ganache.


This is one of my favorites because it's simple to make and people are easily impressed with it. While most of my creations require exactness this one is meant to impart an idea. I'm usually making several tarts at once and the size of the pans vary. This is why I don't give exact amounts of the ingredients. As you read on you'll see why you don't really need a recipe.

I make the Ganache first so it has time to set up a bit. For Dark Ganache, I like Ghirardelli's 60% Dark Chocolate because the quality is good and it's not overly bitter. I use 12 oz. of chopped Chocolate to each cup of Heavy Cream. (Make sure it's Heavy Whipping Cream...or there is a large chance that the Ganache won't set.) I put the chocolate pieces in a glass bowl while the Cream goes into a large sauce pan over medium heat. I add 2 tablespoons of Butter and 1 tablespoon of white sugar for each cup of Cream used. It gets heated until hot but not boiling. I make sure to keep an eye on the Cream once the butter is melted because it will overflow in a millisecond. The hot Cream gets poured over the chocolate. I let it sit without stirring until the chocolate is melted and then I whisk it carefully until the Ganache comes together.

The crust is super easy. I use either Oreos or Nabisco's Famous Chocolate Wafers - Oreo's are cheaper but they take more work because you have to scrape them. I use a food processor to whiz them into crumbs along with a couple of tablespoons of white sugar and a nice pinch of salt. Then I put the crumbs into a bowl and pour in some melted butter. I know I have enough when a handful of the crumbs clumps lightly. (You could do this in the processor and save yourself a dish but I find that it's really easy to add too much butter - I like the hands-on approach for more control.)

I press a thick layer of crumbs into bottom and sides of a loose bottom tart pan and bake it at 350 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes or just until the surface is set. I like using a rectangular pan like the one below. I can easily cut it into slices or smaller for dessert buffets.

Once the crust has cooled, I spread on a thin layer of Seedless Raspberry Jam. (This is a little detail that adds a nice punch of concentrated flavor.) If I don't have Jam on hand, I use a bit of the Ganache instead. The Crust gets chilled until the the filling is done.

For the Chocolate Cream, I use equal parts Mascarpone Cheese and Sour Cream and I add just enough Heavy Cream to even out the texture. For a Light Chocolate Cream, I put a couple of tablespoons high quality cocoa and about a cup or so of powdered sugar in a seperate bowl. I mix in heavy cream a little at a time until there are no lumps and I've got a loose paste and then fold into the Cream mixture. Sweeten & Flavor to taste by adding more cocoa and sugar as desired. It takes less than you think to achieve a delicate chocolate flavor which I like because it makes for a nice contrast with the Ganache.

For a Darker Chocolate Cream, I fold a cup or more of Ganache into the Filling until I have the flavor I'm looking for. You have to be careful with Mascarpone because if you overwork it, it becomes grainy. If that starts to happen, adding in more Heavy Cream can sometimes save it.

And then onto my favorite part...
Melt down several ounces of a good quality white chocolate and pour it into a parchment cone. I fill each Raspberry and set them chocolate side down onto the crust. I do this until the most of the crust is covered with berries. Then I completely cover them with the Chocolate Cream. I pour Ganache over the top and spread it all the way to the edge. I chill it until the Ganache is set and then I decorate the top with more filled Raspberries drizzled with both Dark and White Chocolate.

The tart gets chilled one more time until all of the chocolate is set and then I unmold it gently by loosing the sides before I push it up. It should easily slide off the metal bottom. Slice & serve.

This tart is a show stopper. While this tart is great any time of year that Raspberries are beautiful, I like to make it at Christmas. I have a Christmas Tree Tart pan that looks awesome with the top covered in Raspberries or arranging them like swags of garland.

If I'm using Raspberries, I always fill them with something. It's a nice detail that gives the simplest of desserts that added wow factor. Any kind of Chocolate, Whipped Cream or even Nutella does the trick.

It's just wrong not to have a picture of my own to post but I've always been so terrible at that. I'll post a picture of this the next time I make it. Until then you'll just have to use your imagination or better yet...make your own!

Pastry Gems Menu

CAKES

Just Gotta Have It

Triple Chocolate Raspberry Torte
Devil's Food Cake, Raspberry Jam, White Chocolate-Stuffed Raspberries, Light Chocolate Cream, White Chocolate Buttercream, Chocolate Shavings

Caramel Swirl Banana Cake
Banana Cake, Chantilly Cream, Fresh Sliced Bananas, Caramel, Caramel Buttercream

Chocolate Caramel Macchiato Cake
Devil's Food Cake, Ganache, Espresso Mascarpone Cream, Caramel, Ganache Buttercream, Chocolate Espresso Beans

Spiced Pecan Italian Cream Cake
Spiced Pecan Cake, Mascarpone Cream Cheese Frosting, Glazed Pecans

White Chocolate Lemon Berry Cake
White Chocolate Cake, Berry Jam, Lemon Curd Cream, Mixed Fresh Berries, Lemon Curd Buttercream, White Chocolate Shavings

Classics Done Right

Ultimate Carrot Cake
Moist Carrot Cake layered with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting, Glazed Pecans

Tiramisu Layer Cake
Espresso soaked Vanilla Sponge Cake, Mascarpone Cheese Filling, Whipped Cream, Chocolate Shavings

Fresh Strawberry Shortcake
Cream Shortcake, Strawberry Jam, Double Cream, Fresh Sliced Strawberries, Sweetened Whipped Cream

Your Favorite Ice Cream Cake
Pick your cake, favorite commercial ice cream & whipped cream or buttercream frosting

Hawaiian Bakery Cakes

Lahaina Chantilly Cake
German Chocolate Cake, Coconut Macadamia Filling, Chantilly Buttercream

Guava Chiffon Cake
Guava Chiffon Cake, Soft Haupia Custard, Guava Curd and Guava Whipped Cream

Chocolate Dobash Cake
Devil's Food Cake, Chocolate Dobash Frosting, Chocolate Cake Crumbs

Tropical Carrot Cake
Carrot Banana Pineapple Cake, Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting, Toasted Coconut

Oh Yeah, Babe!

Strawberry Colada Banana Cake
Banana Cake, Strawberry Jam, Coconut Custard, Sliced Strawberries & Bananas, Coconut Meringue Buttercream, Toasted Coconut

Chocolate Fudge Sundae Cake
Devil's Food & Banana Cake Layers, Sliced Strawberries & Bananas, Ganache Filling, White Chocolate or Coconut Cream Buttercream

Peanut Butter Cup Fantasy Cake
Devil's Food & Peanut Butter Cake Layers, Peanut Butter Cream Frosting, Ganache with Sliced Gourmet Peanut Butter Cups, Whipped Ganache

Crazy Good

Balsamic Strawberry Truffle Cake
Devil's Food Cake, Balsamic Truffle Filling, Sliced Strawberries, Sweet Mascarpone Cream, Ganache Buttercream

Lime-in-the-Coconut Banana Layer Cake
Banana Cake, Lime Coconut Custard, Sliced Fresh Bananas, Whipped Cream, Toasted Coconut

Monochromatic (Layered Flavor) Cakes

Double Chocolate Cake
Devil's Food Cake, Chocolate Ganache with a hint of Espresso, Whipped Ganache

Coconut Custard Layer Cake
Coconut Cake, Coconut Custard, Coconut Buttercream, Toasted Coconut

Lemon Curd Cream Cake
Lemon Buttermilk Cake, Lemon Curd, Whipped Cream, Lemon Curd Buttercream

Roll It Up

Chocolate Raspberry Roulade
Chocolate Roulade Cake, Chocolate Mascarpone Cream, Cream-Filled Raspberries, Whipped Chocolate Ganache

Pumpkin Ginger Caramel Roll
Pumpkin Spice Roll Cake, Vanilla Mascarpone Cream, Caramel, Cream Cheese Frosting, Glazed Pecans


TARTS & PIES

Triple Chocolate Raspberry Tart
Chocolate Cookie Crust, Raspberry Jam, White Chocolate filled Raspberries, Light Chocolate Cream, Dark Ganache

Chocolate Blackberry Tart
Chocolate Cookie Crust, Blackberry Jam, Fresh Blackberries, Light Chocolate Mousse, Light & Dark Chocolate Drizzles

Strawberry Lemon Mascarpone Tart
Butter Cookie Crust, Lemon Sour Cream Mascarpone, Fresh Strawberries

Passionfruit Tartletts
Tart Shells filled with Passionfruit Curd and topped with Toasted Meringue or Whipped Coconut Cream & Toasted Coconut

Tropical Trio Tarts
MiniTarts filled with Coconut Custard, Stripes of Guava Curd & Passionfruit Curd

Twice High Key Lime Pie
Graham Cracker Crust, Creamy Lime Filling, Lime Curd, Whipped Cream


CHEESECAKES

Double Decker Raspberry Neopolitan Cheesecake
Chocolate Cookie Crust, Raspberry Cheesecake Layer, White Chocolate Cheesecake Layer, White Chocolate Curls, Raspberry Sauce

Coconut White Chocolate Passionfruit Cheesecake
Coconut Cookie Crust, Passionfruit Cheesecake Layer, White Chocolate Cheesecake Layer, White Chocolate Shavings & Toasted Coconut

Mini Buried Blackberry Vanilla Cheesecakes
Vanilla Cheesecake over Fresh Blackberries on a Sugar Cookie Crust

Layered Pumpkin Gingersnap Cheesecake
Gingersnap Cookie Crust, Vanilla & Spiced Pumpkin Cheesecake

White Chocolate Caramel Macadamia
Coconut Crumb Crust, White Chocolate Cheescake, Caramelized Macadamia Nuts

COOKIES & BARS

Snickerdoodles
Spicy Gingersnaps
Chocolate Espresso
Oatmeal Cranberry White Chocolate
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip
Classic Chocolate Chip
Triple Chocolate Ghirardelli Brownies
Coconut Macadamia Macaroon Slices
Peanut Butter Cream Brownie Cupcakes
Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars
Passionfruit Curd Bars
Dutch Apple Pie Bars
Lime Coconut Bars
Black Forest Chunky Bars
Butter Mochi Cupcakes
Guava Jam Crumble Bars
Honey Caramel Pecan Bar Slices
Dulce de Leche Sandwich Cookies
Chocolate Truffles