It's A Blackberry Summer

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Our beautiful summer days have produced a bumper crop of Himalayan blackberries. Many consider them to be a noxious weed. It's true they are invasive and their canes are thorny, but their flowers add wonderful color to riverbanks and roadsides, and the berries, when picked at the proper stage of ripeness, are delicious. While out walking today, I came across a family picking berries on the riverbank and a long forgotten memory swept over me. During WWII my mother kept a victory garden that we'd visit everyday. It was one of many in a large lot whose boundaries were marked by dense thickets of thorny blackberries. The berries lured pint-sized pickers whose arms needed protection before the thicket could be braved. Unfortunately, the heat of the Midwestern summer made long sleeves impractical, so my ingenious mother cut the toes off old socks and fashioned high gloves for my sister and I to wear for berry picking. We, and the other children of the neighborhood, got to be expert at recognizing berries at the perfect stage of ripeness and had contests to see who could pick the most. I never won because I ate better than half of what I picked. These days I leave the berry picking for others to enjoy, but I've become proficient at finding ways to use the berries when they come my way. This homely recipe makes a great breakfast cake that's nearly effortless to prepare. If you have blackberries on hand you might want to give it a try.

Blackberry Sour Cream Coffee Cake

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This simple cake makes a wonderful addition to your summer brunch table. Here in Oregon, we are harvesting blackberries and Marionberries, and this year's crop is abundant and flavorful. Save for raspberries, this year's berry crop has been disappointing, so it's nice to know that blackberries have also managed to escape this summer's cane fruit curse. I found this recipe on the Betty Crocker website and it looked so good I had to give it a try. It did not disappoint. I must admit I used fresh berries rather than the frozen ones recommended in the original recipe. I was afraid that thawed blackberries would lose their shape and bleed into the cake batter, so I used still firm, fresh from the field, berries for my coffee cake. I know that those of you who try this recipe will be pleased with your results. The cake stays moist for several days and it freezes beautifully, so it can be made well ahead of serving and free you to enjoy brunch with your family and friends. You'll find the cake is sweet enough to please the most ardent sweet tooth, but it is not cloying. Here is how it is made.

Carrot-Almond Coffee Cake

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I must have something in common with the cat that curiosity killed. I found this recipe of the Whole Foods site over a year ago, and while it was not the kind of recipe I'm usually drawn to, it chipped at my curiosity until I could no longer resist the temptation to try it. Having done so, I'd classify this as a snack cake that can double as a coffee cake. It is perfect for a breakfast or brunch when you want to serve something out of the ordinary. It is barely sweet and uses enough carrots to qualify as a vegetable side dish. The cake is moist and dense, but its flavor is completely unlike that of a standard carrot cake. The predominant flavors here are the carrots and vanilla. This is not a cake for the masses, but I suspect it will be enjoyed by folks who like cornbread or plain biscuits for breakfast. It certainly is easy to make and I suspect that a few of you will be curious enough to give it a try. It's a nice cake. Here is how it's made.

Italian Fresh Cream Lemon Cake

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I've had this recipe for a while now. I found it on a terrific blog called An Italian in My Kitchen and when I saw strawberries at the market this morning, I decided the time had come to give it a try. My plan was to combine it with macerated strawberries and serve our first "non-shortcake" of the season. As it turned out, it's still a bit early for the strawberries, but the cake was a delightful find. It is flavored with a hint of lemon and has a texture that is close to perfect. It is, however, the type of cake that is best served with fruit because it is so plain. The cake is easy to make and if you grease your pan well you'll avoid the one problem you might encounter. I don't think the cake is a good keeper, so I suggest you freeze any slices you don't use, or plan to add them in a trifle or extravagant bread pudding if the spirit moves you. Lemon lovers will enjoy this cake and everyone will like its texture. Here is how the cake is made.

Everyone's Favorite Sour Cream Coffee Cake

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...For years now, I've sworn I'd make Ina Garten's Sour Cream Coffee Cake. Well, I finally did it. Bloggers and their followers love the cake, and I've never read a poor review of her recipe. I made the cake for the "coffee" I hosted this week, and I must confess that it met all of my expectations. It's as close to perfect as recipe can get, but there is one thing I would do differently next time I make it. I think the cake needed more streusel than the recipe provides, so I've doubled the streusel ingredients in the recipe below. This is a moist cake and it freezes well. That can be important if you are cooking for a crowd or are responsible for a holiday breakfast. If you choose to do that, freeze the cake without glaze, then let it come to room temperature before giving it a final drizzle. On the odd chance that you have not yet made this cake, I urge you to give it a try. It's easy to make and save for under baking, you can't go wrong. I had planned to take a table shot of the cake, but I wasn't fast enough, and save for these last two pieces, it was gone before I could get to it. It is a cake as lovely as it is delicious, and it is far more photogenic than it appears in this post. Here is how it is made. I know you will enjoy it.

Apple Crumble Coffee Cake

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I'm gong to pretend that the thermostat sits at 75 degrees and a strong breeze is blowing from the river, carrying with it the fresh odor of a fish run that rivals the aroma of my spiced apple cake for scent of the year. I want you to think it's a perfect fall evening, but truth be told, it's hot here and even this lovely crumb cake fails to whet the appetite. What does catch the eye are the great clumps of streusel that top the apple cake, and I know that, hungry or not, curiosity will get the better of me and I end up on the deck with a piece of this cake and iced coffee in hand. The cake is a riff on the Rhubarb Big Crumb Cake that first appeared on the blog Smitten Kitchen. Other than substituting apples for rhubarb and changing the way the crumbs are made, I've not strayed far from the original recipe. The cake is moist and lovely and packed with the flavor of cinnamon and apples, but it is the crumb topping that will capture the eye of any streusel lover worth their salt. This cake is all about the crumb topping. The largish chunks of streusel are formed by pinching them off a ball that's created as the crumbs are made. Is it wretched excess? Absolutely, but it make for a delightful coffee or snack cake, which is even better day two than it is day one. I do hope you'll give this cake a try. It is not that all hard to do and it really is a delicious special occasion cake. Here is how it is made.

Strawberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I made an easier version of this cake in 2009. Specifically, that recipe which you can see, here, used jam rather than a fresh fruit filling. At the time, I thought the cake was nice but not extraordinary and I gave it a tepid review. When I saw this recipe I thought it might make a truly special cake. I was wrong. Despite 5 bowls and 3 separate steps, the cake is quite ordinary. It has a nice flavor but it is way too much work for the end result. I do want you to know that most of the folks who have reviewed this version of the cake love it. I, however, found the cake layer to be dense and coarse and not at all what I had imagined it would be. The cheese and strawberry layers are quite nice, but, to my tastes anyway, the layers never came together as a harmonious whole. If any of you try this recipe I hope you'll get back to me with your review. I'm curious to see if I am the odd man out. Here is the recipe should you want to try it.

Raspberry Almond Coffee Cake

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This is a popular recipe that has managed to eluded me, at least until now. The recipe has been featured on a lot of blogs, so it was difficult to track it back to its original source. I do, however, feel pretty sure that it first appeared in Taste of Home magazine. If I am wrong let me know, so I can correct the attribution. While this coffee cake has many things going for it, the ease with which it comes together has to be at the top of the list. It requires no special equipment to make and it takes about 15 minutes to prepare. You can swap out the berries if you wish, and as long as you are sure the cake is done when you take it from the oven, you'll have a breakfast cake that is a wonderful way to start the day. I have slightly altered the original recipe because I thought almond extract made more sense than vanilla in a cake that's made with raspberries and sliced almonds. My only caution should you decide to make this, is that it is best when served warm from the oven. If allowed to sit, the raspberries will soak into the bottom layer of the cake and make it gummy. This is a great, nearly effortless, coffee cake and I know you will enjoy it. Here is how it is made.

Raspberry Almond Coffee Cake...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite inspired by Taste of Home Magazine

Ingredients:
Cake
1 cup fresh or frozen raspberries, thawed
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1/2 cup sour cream
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/4 cup sliced almonds
Icing
1/4 cup sifted confectioners' sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons whole milk
1/4 teaspoon almond extract

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour an 8-inch round pan. Set aside.
2) Combine raspberries and brown sugar in a bowl. Set aside.
3) Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl.
4) In a small bowl, whisk egg, sour cream, butter and vanilla together in a small bowl
5) Stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients just until moistened. Batter will be dense. Spoon half of batter into prepared pan, making sure to completely cover bottom of pan. Top with raspberry mixture. Spoon remaining batter over raspberries. Sprinkle with almonds.
6) Bake at 350 degrees F for 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes before removing from pan. During cooling time, carefully run a sharp knife around the edges to loosen them.
7) To make icing: Whisk confectioners' sugar, milk and extract in a small bowl until smooth. Drizzle over coffee cake and serve. Yield: 8 servings.

                    

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                One Year Ago Today:                                                   Two Years Ago Today:

     Frittata with Spring Herbs and Leeks                                Warm Shrimp and Escarole Salad

                Three Years Ago Today:                                                 Four Years Ago Today:

                      Strawberry Pudding                                                          Mango Mousse

Apple Streusel Coffee Cake

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...We are several weeks shy of one year in our new home. While we love the new place, it's about 1500 square feet smaller than the house on the hill, so it has become especially important for us to keep an eye on objects and determine if they are worth the space they occupy. Nowhere is that more important than in the kitchen, and at this time of year, my personal challenge is to work through the contents of my freezer and pantry before things pass their sell date or are impossibly freezer burned. I always find something that surprises me, and this year, while turning the pantry, I found three 1-quart jars of apple pie filling that I had put-by two years ago. For reasons that escape me now, I decided to bring them with us when we moved last year. I could have used them to make apple pie, but I wanted to do something a little different, so I went searching for some new recipes that used prepared pie filling. The recipe I'm featuring tonight was develop by Nancy Dynes and I found it on her blog, Tattered Treasures. I know that those of you who have a sweet tooth will enjoy this coffee cake, but I must warn the rest of you that it is sweet. I used one-third the glaze that was suggested in the recipe and that was plenty for our taste. The cake is simple to make and the use of canned/jarred pie filling makes quick work of it preparation. I do hope you will try this. It is a nice brunch cake to serve to family and good friends and it is lovely when served warm. Here is how it's made.

Apple Sour Cream Coffee Cake with Streusel Topping

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I have apple fever, and today, following a visit to a local orchard, I officially opened my fall kitchen. Jars of cinnamon and nutmeg moved to the front of the spice cabinet where they now share space with the other pumpkin spices, ginger, clove and allspice. I have some new apple recipes that I want to test this fall, and I can't wait for their familiar aromas to perfume my kitchen. Time prevented me from trying any of the more complicated recipes today, but this easy one, from Nina Simonds, was perfect to get me started. It is a coffee cake that can be served for breakfast or dessert. It is a moist sweet cake that I think is best when served warm, but warm or cold, it is delicious. It is simple to make and I know you will enjoy it, and should you decide to make it, I suspect its aroma will drive you wild. This is a great season-starter recipe. Keep your apple slices thin to insure they cook through and make sure that all your ingredients are at room temperature before you begin to make the cake. I used a one piece tube pan to bake mine. To insure easy release, I lined the bottom of the pan with parchment paper that I also greased and floured. If you are ready for the heady aromas of the fall kitchen, this cake is a perfect way to start. Here is how the cake is made.

Banana Nut Coffee Cake

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...We are at the lake this weekend, and, as is the custom here, the neighbors have planned a communal breakfast for Sunday morning. Normally, I love to participate, but our stay here was unplanned and the cottage we are in has a miniscule kitchen with a work surface that is about 3 foot square. That doesn't leave a lot of room, or time, to come up with something I'm not embarrassed to put on the table tomorrow. Fortunately, I have my laptop with me, so I was able to retrieve the recipe for this simple Amish banana cake from my files. It will be perfect for tomorrow's breakfast and I know the folks here will enjoy it. The cake is made with readily available ingredients and no special equipment is needed to put it together. It is also a perfect way to use up bananas of dubious distinction. The rule here is, the nastier the 'nana the better the cake. Fortunately, I was able to find a couple of over-ripe bananas at the market, so I could proceed with the cake with a reasonable chance of success. This cake is moist and it has a lovely texture. While it can be served at any time of day, it makes a wonderful addition to a breakfast spread. Here is how the cake is made.