Totally Sweet American Flag Cake Recipe

When it comes to festive food for Independence Day, here's a sweet treat that really takes the cake: a layer cake decorated to resemble the American Flag!

Surprisingly easy to assemble (I used this tutorial as a starting point), this cake can really be made with any white cake recipe you'd like; just make three layers, one tinted red, one blue, and one left untinted for the white sections. But I found that the following cake recipe, which is fairly dense and egg-rich, yielded nice sturdy layers which, in addition to being pleasingly poundcake-y on the palate, were easy to cut and shape.

To get the desired height on each of the three layers, I suggest baking this as a 6-inch cake. But it's true that the resulting cake is fairly small. If you are using larger pans or prefer thicker layers, I suggest making two batches of the cake batter and dividing it among your three cake pans.

Happy Fourth of July!

For the full entry and recipe, visit Serious Eats!

Raspberry Sorbet Recipe from Grace's Sweet Life

When I go through a new cookbook, I have a highly technical method of deciding which recipe to try first. It goes something like this.

1. Leaf through the pages of the cookbook.

2. Seek out the cutest photo.

3. Read the accompanying recipe to make sure I have all the ingredients or that I could easily obtain them.

And that's pretty much how I settled on the Raspberry Sorbet from the new cookbook by Grace's Sweet Life, entitled...well, Grace's Sweet Life.

Although sorbetto (a water-based fancy fruit slushie-type slurry) is vaguely healthy and definitely low in fat, it's still highly delicious, and after viewing the photo above, how could I resist that pretty pink color? It's a tasty recipe, and easy to boot. You're welcome. Here you go. 

Want more? Buy the book: Grace's Sweet Life.

Raspberry sorbet

Makes 1 quart

• 1 cup water
• 1 cup superfine sugar
• 4 cups raspberries
• 1 1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 ounces vodka
• 1 large egg white

Procedure

1. To make the sugar syrup, in a small saucepan over medium heat, bring the water and sugar to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Set aside to cool
2. In a blender or food processor, process the raspberries and lemon juice to a smooth puree. Strain the puree through a fine-mesh sieve to remove the seeds (discard the solids).
3. Stir the puree into the cooled sugar syrup, and then stir in the vodka.
4. Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl, cover, and refrigerate until cold, 2 hours or preferably overnight.
5. Immediately before churning the sorbet, use a handlheld mixer to beat the egg white at high speed to stiff peaks. Fold the whipped egg white into the cooled raspberry mixture.
6. To ensure a seed-free sorbet, strain the mixture again through a fine-mesh sieve into a pourable container.
7. Pour the raspberry mixture into an ice cream maker and process according to the manufacturer's instructions. The sorbet will be fairly soft but will become more firm as it freezes.
8. Transder the sorbet to an airtight container. Cover and freeze until firm, at least 2 hours. 
9. To serve the sorbet in its optimal form, remove from the freezer and transfer to the fridge 15 minutes before serving. It should be slightly soft, with a creamy consistency not unlike that of soft serve ice cream.

Grill It: Grilled Pound Cake Recipe for Serious Eats

Riddle me this: why should burgers and hot dogs have all the fun on your grill this summer?

They shouldn't, and here's the dessert to prove it: Grilled Pound Cake.

Simply butter slices of pound cake before putting them on either an outdoor or indoor stovetop grill, and let them get a little char. The nice part about this dessert is that it uses already-baked pound cake, so you can't under-bake it. The grilled toastiness of the cake makes it the perfect canvas for any number of toppings: I really enjoy ice cream and a seasonal fruit compote. Just be sure to prepare this before grilling meats, because you don't want to impart a burger flavor to your dessert!

For the full entry and recipe, visit Serious Eats!

Bananarama: Banana Split Ice Cream Cake Recipe

Banana Split Ice Cream Cake is a wonderful way to enjoy all of the classic flavors of a banana split, but in ice cream cake form. Assembling the Neapolitan flavors of ice cream with dividing levels of crumbled chocolate cake or cookies and a layer of banana slices makes for a pretty presentation. The dessert is assembled and then frozen, which allows the flavors to meld and lends a nice banana tone to the whole dessert once you're ready to eat it.

Note: You have some freedom in terms of the ice cream flavors used in this recipe. While I went for the classic vanilla-chocolate-strawberry combo, feel free to tailor the flavors to suit your tastes.

For the full entry and recipe, visit Serious Eats!

Sweet Fancy: Salted Chocolate Caramel Tarts Recipe

CakeSpy Note: this is a guest post from Adventure Food Love.

A long time ago before I was born, there was a lady down the the Bay of Plenty, New Zealand who had some of the best recipes around the country. But because she was a caterer she wouldn’t share them with any one. Until one day a pretty blonde american came to visit.

The pretty blond managed to charm her way into the ‘inner circle’ and because she lived across the other side of the world, the recipes she wanted were hers! YES! The other ladies were not happy, but the pretty yank would not give up the secrets she was in trusted with.

That pretty blond yank is my mother and the New Zealand caterer’s name is Paula. I'm not sure if she is still around today, but if she is I tip my hat…this recipe is good. Tweaked a little but really dang good.

Salted Chocolate Caramel Tarts Recipe

Shortbread base-bake then cool

Oven 300 F pan:9x13in buttered or 4 mini muffin tins, buttered
Sift together
10 ounces flour
4 ounces caster sugar (super fine sugar. but regular granulated will work in a pinch)
pinch X 2 salt
rub in 8 ounces butter

dough should resemble fine bread crumbs.

knead into a ball and press into evenly into the pan
bake about 25 minutes (for 9x 13) or 15-20 (for mini muffin tin) until very lightly brown
cool in the pan before adding the caramel

Part 2- Filling
slowly heat in a pan to disolve the sugar
8 ounces butter
4 level Tablespoons golden syrup (honey will work in a pinch)
8 ounces brown sugar
1 tin sweetened condensed milk
stir to disolve the sugar on a low heat, then bring to a boil and stir constantly while on a low boil for 7 minutes. Remove from heat, add 1/2 teasoon of vanilla and beat mixture well. Pour over the cooled base…leave to set before coating with melted chocolate. This takes some time.

Top
8-12 ounces of good quality chocolate melted. Spread on top, and leave to set. While still somewhat wet sprinkle lightly with some fancy salt for that lovely salted caramel chocolate perfectness. If you put the salt on too soon it will disolve… it will still taste good, but there will be no visual. Cut through chocolate before it is set to avoid cracking. Cut into small squares.  To remove from the muffin tins, run a knife around the edges and pop out.

Try not to eat 8 at once! PS - Thanks to Paula and Katie for sharing!

Unicorn-Shaped Cookies

Cutout sugar cookies are pretty fantastic.

But they're even better when cut out into unicorn shapes. While technically, none of the ingredients are altered from a cutout cookie that could be used to cut out circles, hearts, or stars, it is pretty much scientific fact that shaping your cookies like unicorns adds enough magic to heighten your eating experience.

Believe it or not, this recipe is adapted from an early Girl Scout Cookie recipe. It seems that in the early days of the cookie-fundraiser, the scouts actually made the cookies themselves, with their moms, for a merit badge. Well, certainly they found that their time was better spent selling than baking, judging by the flocks of the scouts who sell cookies by grocery stores each spring. Nonetheless, it's fun to taste these not-overly sweet, good basic cutout cookies and imagine them being sold at one of the first Girl Scout Cookie sales in the earlier part of the 1900s. 

Just be sure to let the dough chill before rolling, and roll in small batches and keep the remaining dough in the fridge, otherwise they will spread too much and will not keep their shape! Oh, and you can buy a unicorn cookie cutter here.

Unicorn Butter Cutout Cookies

Makes 4-5 dozen cookies
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder

1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

Unicorn cookie cutter

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, salt, and baking powder.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes on high speed.

Add the eggs, one at a time, pausing to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula after each addition. Add in the milk, alternately with the flour mixture, in 2-3 additions.

Form the dough into 2 balls. Cover tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to overnight.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

On an extremely well-floured work surface, using a floured rolling pin, roll out the cookies. Use your unicorn cookie cutter to cut out cookies. Transfer to your prepared sheets using a spatula.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until the edges begin to brown.

Omg Alert: Ice Cream and Frosting Pie

Sometimes, a dessert comes along that just makes you want to eat your weight in it. Sometimes, it's something classy, like an exquisitely made opera cake. 

But more often, it's something really trashy, like Vanilla Kreme Donuts or cinnamon rolls stuffed with chocolate chip cookie dough.

Or--wait for it--ice cream and frosting pie. Seriously...I don't know what to say, other than to humbly admit that it's excessive and maybe even bordering on a little bit awful...but dear lord, it's also genius, and could I ever do some damage to this thing.

Best of all, it's beyond simple to make. You really just put ice cream in the pie crust, and let it freeze. Nothing, too crazy, right? But then...oh, then. Once set, you create something truly amazing with one additional step: you smear buttercream all over it (sprinkles too, if you'd like. I like). Don't thank me, because you'll be cursing me after you finish the entire thing in one sitting.

Ice Cream and Frosting Pie

• 1 9-inch baked pie crust (I used a graham cracker crust)
• The better part of a half gallon of vanilla ice cream (or, do half vanilla, half chocolate)
• 1 1/2 cups vanilla buttercream (use the recipe featured here)

1. Let the ice cream soften, or force nature's hand by putting it in the microwave for about 15 seconds.

2. Fill the pie crust with ice cream until it's about 90 percent full. Pack it in so that it's nice and dense. Spread it so that it's fairly even on top. 
3. Let this freeze in the freezer for a few hours. Go watch a few episodes of Mad Men or something. 



4. Once the ice cream is pretty firm, mix up your buttercream. Spread it all over the top. Don't fuss with it too much because the ice cream will start to spread around the longer you take. 

5. Finish it off with sprinkles. Serve immediately, or return to the freezer before serving. 

Cupcake Cream Pie Recipe for Serious Eats

When it comes to cream pies, you probably think along the lines of banana, coconut, or chocolate. But why limit yourself? Why not let your imagination fly high and fill your pie with delicious cupcakes?

I recently gave this pie in the sky idea a try by lining the bottom of a baked pie crust with alternating slices of cut-up vanilla and chocolate frosted cupcakes, over which I poured a rich, homemade custard filling. So what happens? As the custard sets, it absorbs some of the rich butteriness of the frosting, infusing the entire pie. As a result, the taste is kind of like cream pie meets birthday cake, in a decidedly delicious way. While some might argue that it's gilding the lily, it might interest you to know that this pie also tastes fantastic when paired with ice cream.

For the full entry and recipe, visit Serious Eats!

Blueberry Pie Recipe from SpyMom

Guess what? SpyMom (that would be MY mom) made a pie. A glorious pie. One so simple and sweet, delightful to eat. SpyMom dubbed it "perfectly imperfect" in its final look, but judging by the little heart-shaped dollop of blueberry juice on top (do you see it?), I'd simply call it "perfectly lovable".

Happily, she was willing to share the recipe, which she has adapted from a version (I'm not sure which) of the Boston Cooking-School Cookbook.

Oh, and as an aside about the final result: it's the type of pie that is perfect with ice cream, but it also makes for fantastic breakfast-eating, too.

Of course, as SpyMom cautions, this pie was made with fresh New Jersey blueberries, and that's really what makes the pie. Since it's so simple, use the best blueberries you can--you won't regret it! 

Blueberry Pie

• 1 double-crust pie dough, unbaked. 
• 4 cups fresh blueberries, washed
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon butter 

Preheat oven to 425 degrees f. 

Line the pie pan with half of the dough (for a bottom crust).

Mix the flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Add the blueberries and lemon juice and toss well.

Pile the mixture into your prepared bottom crust, and dot the top with cut-up pieces of butter.

Roll out the top crust and drape it over the pie. Crimp or flute the edges to form a seal. Make several vents on top to let the steam out while baking.

Bake for 10 minutes at 425 degrees, and then reduce the heat to 350 degrees F. Bake for 30-40 more minutes, or until the top is browned.

Pike Place Market Inspired Honey Cream Biscuits Recipe

On the list of Things I Love To Eat, biscuits rank very high. So when I received a review copy of Pike Place Market Recipes: 130 Delicious Ways to Bring Home Seattle's Famous Market by Jess Thomson (who also co-wrote the Top Pot Doughnuts cookbook) and saw that it included a biscuit recipe, I knew I had to try it. The headnote drew me in:

"If you can get past the allure of Moon Valley Organics's honey-scented skincare products at its Pike Place Market Day Stall, you'll also find delicious honey, harvested in Washington's Cascade Mountains. Use it to make these biscuits, which are perfect for breakfast, served straight from the oven. Spread them with butter and--what else?--a little more honey.

Decadent cream biscuits, redolent of honey and topped with more honey? Done and done. Here's the recipe!

The book is well worth a look even if you're not from Seattle, btw--it's full of fantastic recipes, and wonderful stories about the famed and storied market. Oh, and the fishmonger on the right side of the cover, above? I have totally illustrated him in cupcake form. I'm totally not kidding. Someone asked me to do a custom piece once and asked me to use that guy as a picture reference because she had a crush on him. He's the tattooed cupcake, below.

Honey Cream Biscuits

Makes 8

• 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 1/2 tablespoons baking powder
• 3/4 cup (1.5 sticks) cold unsalted butter
• 1 cup plus 1 to 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• 1/4 cup high quality honey
• 1 tablespoon melted butter

also suggested: more honey and butter, for serving; or, do as I did, and add a big spoonful of brown sugar melted in butter.

Procedure

1. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
2. Whisk the flour, salt, and baking powder together in a mixing bowl. Cut the cold butter into 1/2-inch chunks, and using a large fork or pastry cutter, mix the butter into the flour mix until the butter resembles small peas. Add 1 cup of the cream and the honey, drizzling the honey evenly over the entire mixture, and mix well with a fork until no dry spots remain.
3. Knead the dough a few times in the bowl to help it hold together (add the extra cream if needed). Turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll it to an 8-inch circle, about 1/2 inch thick. Using a 3-inch biscuit cutter or drinking glass or similarly sized cookie cutter, cut out biscuits, re-rolling so you can use the scraps for more biscuits. 
4. Invert the biscuits onto the prepared sheet so that the smooth side is up (that way, they'll rise up, not out), brush with the melted butter, and bake for 12-15 minutes, until puffed and golden. Let cool for 5 minutes on the sheet, then serve warm, with butter and honey.