Showing posts with label Desserts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Desserts. Show all posts
Today is Canada Day in Canada, or what used to be called Dominion Day! All over the country people will be gathering together to celebrate our country's birthday! There will be BBQ's, Picnics, fireworks, and much celebration.
This Strawberry Pretzel Salad is the perfect dessert to serve for such an occasion! In a few days it will also be the 4th of July which is the American Independence Day celebrations and they will be celebrated in much the same way!
In many communities which border both countries, the two holidays will be combined into one slap bang celebration! In any case living in two such beautiful countries is a cause for celebration any time! We truly are blessed and the flags will be flying!
As I said Strawberry Pretzel Salad Recipe is the perfect dessert to serve. Not only is it delicious, but it can be made well ahead of time. This recipe I am sharing with you today has been adapted from one I found on Spaceships & Laser Beams.
The original recipe served 12 people. I have downsized it to serve only 6, which is still plenty big in my opinion. When I get together with my family there are usually only four of us!
I also adapted it to use all natural ingredients. The original recipe used Cool Whip which is a frozen whipped dessert topping that you can buy here in Canada. It is made from petroleum by products, and that doesn't sit well with me. I would rather use real whipped cream.
Holidays aside, this is the perfect recipe for this time of year. It is strawberry season and the local berries are coming in fast and furious. I wait all year for strawberry season. I have made it a habit not to indulge at any other time of year.
Strawberries out of season are always lackluster in my opinion. They just don't taste right. Their flavor is pale and anemic in comparison to in-season berries. There is just no comparison. This means that, living in a Northern Temperate climate, I only eat fresh strawberries in June and July! It was the same in the UK.
I don't know why this is called a Salad. Its obviously not a salad. Its a dessert, and a most delicious one at that. If you know the answer to this question, please enlighten me!
Its actually one of those retro desserts, like Watergate Salad, that goes way back. Salad or dessert, it matters not. What only matters is the taste and this one is delicious!
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE STRAWBERRY PRETZEL SALAD
Very simple ingredients. There is nothing complicated here. There are three levels/layers to this simple and tasty summertime dessert.
For the base:
- 1 3/4 cups (210g) crushed mini pretzel twists
- 6 TBS (85g) butter, melted
- 1/3 cup (70g) granulated sugar
For the filling:
- 6 ounces (170g) cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 cup (240ml) whipping cream
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 1/3 cup (70g) granulated sugar
For the topping:
- 2 cups (400g) fresh strawberries, washed, hulled and sliced
- 1 (4 serving size) strawberry fruit jello (jelly)
- 1 cup (240ml) boiling water
- 1 cup (240ml) cold water
I find the easiest way to crush the pretzel twists is to pop them into a zip lock baggie and then give them a good bash the the side of a rolling pin. You could use a food processor as well, but I like my base to have a bit more texture.
In the UK you can use the Hartley jelly mix. Strawberry flavor.
If you are watching your sugars, by all means use a sugar free jello mix. There will still be sugar in the base and filling, but you will have cut your sugar down by a third, which is something at least.
HOW TO MAKE STRAWBERRY PRETZEL SALAD
It is really quite an easy make. It might seem long, but that is only because you need to let each layer set up a bit before you add the next, and the baked base must be completely cold before you add the other layers.
Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/gas mark 4. Butter a 9 inch square baking tin.
Crush your pretzels and mix together with the sugar and melted butter. Press firmly into the bottom of the pan.
Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and leave to cool completely.
Whip the cream cheese together with the sugar and vanilla until smooth and well amalgamated. Whip the cream until stiff. Fold into the cream cheese mixture thoroughly and then spread on top of the cooled pretzel crust. Place in the refrigerator to chill for half an hour.
Mix the jello powder with the boiling water, stirring to dissolve completely. Stir in the cold water. Place in the refrigerator to chill for 15 minutes. Fold in the strawberries and pour this mixture carefully over the cream cheese filling in the pan.
Return to the refrigerator and leave to chill for at least two hours, or until the strawberry layer is firmly set. Cut into squares to serve.
This is the perfect summer dessert! Not only does it embrace the colors of our Canadian flag, but it is cool and simple to make. When you add delicious on top of that, its just the best!
It is the perfect combo mix of crunchy, salty, sweet, creamy and fruity! Dessert really doesn't get much better than this. I do so love refrigerator desserts like this one!
Here are some other Refrigerator Desserts that you might also enjoy. Keeping the heat out of the kitchen is the best!
EASY LEMON REFRIGERATOR DESSERT - This is a tasty dessert you can adapt to your own tastes. Shortbread biscuits/cookies are soaked layered in a tin and then topped with a lush creamy lemon filling. Its then refrigerated until everything sets up. Cut into squares it goes down a real treat with your favorite dessert toppings. Whipped cream, toffee sauce, chocolate sauce, etc. We like it topped with strawberry jam!
REFRIGERATOR FUDGE CAKE - A vanilla cake base is poked with holes creating little tunnels for the homemade chocolate fudge filling (which is poured over top of the baked cake) to ooze into, creating little divots of fudge filling throughout. Topped with whipped cream and chocolate shavings this always goes down a real treat! I don't know anyone who doesn't love this!
Strawberry Pretzel Salad
Yield: 6
Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 1 HourInactive time: 2 HourTotal time: 3 H & 15 M
This is a small batch recipe for everyone's favorite summertime dessert. What you have here is a pretzel crust, a lush creamy filling and a fresh strawberry jelly topping. What's not to love!
Ingredients
For the base:
- 1 3/4 cups (210g) crushed mini pretzel twists
- 6 TBS (85g) butter, melted
- 1/3 cup (70g) granulated sugar
For the filling:
- 6 ounces (170g) cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 cup (240ml) whipping cream
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 1/3 cup (70g) granulated sugar
For the topping:
- 2 cups (400g) fresh strawberries, washed, hulled and sliced
- 1 (4 serving size) strawberry fruit jello (jelly)
- 1 cup (240ml) boiling water
- 1 cup (240ml) cold water
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/gas mark 4. Butter a 9 inch square baking tin.
- Crush your pretzels and mix together with the sugar and melted butter. Press firmly into the bottom of the pan.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and leave to cool completely.
- Whip the cream cheese together with the sugar and vanilla until smooth and well amalgamated. Whip the cream until stiff. Fold into the cream cheese mixture thoroughly and then spread on top of the cooled pretzel crust. Place in the refrigerator to chill for half an hour.
- Mix the jello powder with the boiling water, stirring to dissolve completely. Stir in the cold water. Place in the refrigerator to chill for 15 minutes. Fold in the strawberries and pour this mixture carefully over the cream cheese filling in the pan.
- Return to the refrigerator and leave to chill for at least two hours, or until the strawberry layer is firmly set.
- Cut into squares to serve.
All rights reserved The English Kitchen
I picked up some fresh local berries at our grocery store the other day and could not wait to get them home and so something with some of them. Of course I enjoyed a few fresh, but what I really wanted to do was to recreate this fabulous recipe I had seen on the New York Times cooking page earlier in the week.
It looked fabulous, unpretentious and simple, and then there was the name. Strawberry Spoon Cake. What doesn't sound delicious about that? A strawberry spoon cake recipe just needed to be added to my repertoire of seasonal strawberry recipes!
Strawberry season is something I spend all year waiting for. I refuse to buy and eat fresh berries out of season. Not only are they usually lackluster in flavor, but I abhor the carbon foot print behind them getting to us.
I love strawberries, but nothing on earth tastes better than a locally grown and sourced berry, fresh and in season. When I lived in the UK we grew our own berries in the back garden. They were so delicious! I do think (sorry Canada) that British strawberries are the best tasting strawberries in the world. (It had to be said!)
On a delicious side note I read an article recently which claimed to have a method of keeping your fresh berries fresher for longer! I just had to try it. What you see here are berries that I bought on Friday and here today (Wednesday) they are still really fresh!
This method really works and it is very simple. I am going to do this all the time now! You can read that article here. My berries are still beautifully fresh and delicious.
Now back to the delicious strawberry recipe.
The original recipe was for four servings. I did not need four servings, and so I cut the recipe in half to make only two. It worked beautifully.
The cake part was soft, moist and delicious, the berries sweet and jammy. Perfect for spooning into bowls, ready to be served warm with some vanilla ice cream! It really is delicious!
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE STRAWBERRY SPOON CAKE
Very simple every day baking ingredients, berries, and a (1 pint/2 cup) deepish baking dish.(I used a pie dish.) That's it!
- 1/4 cup (55g) butter melted, plus more to butter the dish
- 1/2 cup (75g) fresh washed and hulled berries (or the equivalent of frozen, thawed)
- 1/3 cup (75g) packed soft light brown sugar, divided
- 1/4 cup (60ml) whole milk
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 cup (70g) plain all purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- vanilla ice cream to serve
Always wash your berries BEFORE you hull them. Washing them afterwards an add water to them and wash out their sweet flavor which you don't want.
You can use frozen berries if you wish, but do thaw them first and drain them prior to mashing and mixing with the brown sugar.
If you are using cup measures, make sure you pack the brown sugar into the cup. It should hold the shape of the cup when dumped out. Much easier to divide in two that way as well, half for the batter and half for the berries.
Note: this is a small batch recipe which makes two servings. To make a full recipe check it out here.
This really is a delicious dessert! If you enjoy it even half as much as I did, then I will be happy! Quick and easy to make as well!
Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Grease a small 2 cup (1 pint) baking dish with some butter and set aside.
Use a fork or your fingers to smash the berries to release all of the juices. Add half of the brown sugar and leave to macerate at room temperature while you make the cake batter.
Whisk the melted butter, remaining brown sugar, milk and salt together in a small bowl. Sift the flour and baking powder together and then add this to the wet ingredients, whisking together just until the batter is smooth. Spoon into the prepared baking tin and smooth the top over.
Spoon the crushed berries and all of their juices on top of the batter.
Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Leave to cook for 3 to 5 minutes before serving. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream for a real taste treat!
Notes
-If you like you can add a dash or freshly ground cardamom, nutmeg, ginger or cinnamon to the top prior to baking, or stir some into the batter prior to baking.
-I used a pint pie dish to bake mine in. It measured 4 inches wide and six inches long and had a depth of about 4 inches.
-If using frozen berries, defrost first.
This really is a delicious dessert cake, soft and spoonable. I do not think you could cut it into squares or slices to serve, but that only adds to the pleasure. It is very much like an upside down cobbler.
I can't see any reason why you couldn't substitute the strawberries with some other berry. Raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, or a combination would work nicely. I think you could even use crushed fresh peaches or plums with success.
This is a recipe you can really let your imagination fly on so long as you keep the quantities the same! I love recipes like this one that you really can adapt to what you have on hand creating your own unique deliciousness, making it truly your own!
Strawberry season is one of my favorite times of the year. If you enjoy strawberries also and using them to cook/bake with, you might also enjoy these delicious strawberry recipes!
PECAN SWIRL STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKES - Pecan swirled biscuits split in two and then filled with a layer of crushed berries and whipped cream in between. You owe it to yourself to try this version of shortcake at least once during this strawberry season. Trust me on this! Different and delicious!!
STRAWBERRY CAKE PIE - This fabulous dessert is not really a pie because there is no crust and it's not really a cake because it doesn't rise like a cake, but it has a texture very similar to a cake. What it is is totally delicious! A real family favorite here baked in a pie dish.
Strawberry Spoon Cake
Yield: 2
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 20 MinTotal time: 30 Min
This no fuss, no muss summer cake is topped with a layer of jammy fresh berries. Soft and delicious gooey you will want to eat this one spooned warm into bowls with some cold vanilla ice cream on top.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup (55g) butter melted, plus more to butter the dish
- 1/2 cup (75g) fresh washed and hulled berries (or the equivalent of frozen, thawed)
- 1/3 cup (75g) packed soft light brown sugar, divided
- 1/4 cup (60ml) whole milk
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 cup (70g) plain all purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- vanilla ice cream to serve
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Grease a small 2 cup (1 pint) baking dish with some butter and set aside.
- Use a fork or your fingers to smash the berries to release all of the juices. Add half of the brown sugar and leave to macerate at room temperature while you make the cake batter.
- Whisk the melted butter, remaining brown sugar, milk and salt together in a small bowl. Sift the flour and baking powder together and then add this to the wet ingredients, whisking together just until the batter is smooth. Spoon into the prepared baking tin and smooth the top over.
- Spoon the crushed berries and all of their juices on top of the batter.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Leave to cook for 3 to 5 minutes before serving.
- Serve warm with vanilla ice cream for a real taste treat!
Notes
If you like you can add a dash or freshly ground cardamom, nutmeg, ginger or cinnamon to the top prior to baking, or stir some into the batter prior to baking.
I used a pint pie dish to bake mine in. It measured 4 inches wide and six inches long and had a depth of about 4 inches.
If using frozen berries, defrost first.
All rights reserved The English Kitchen
Thanks so much for visiting! Do come again!
I got this delicious recipe for a 7Up sheet cake in my email earlier this week from NYT Cooking. I love their recipes. They are usually very reliable and delicious.
I actually had a can of 7Up soda in my cupboard so I decided to try it out. I just didn't need a huge sheet cake, however. With just me in the house full recipes are just no longer practical. I thought I would throw caution to the wind and make a half batch of the original recipe.
Apparently this is an old fashioned Southern recipe, very common at potlucks and such. I had never heard of it before and was intrigued.
There is no leavening in the recipe. No baking powder, or soda. Instead the cake relies on the carbonation of the soda drink to give it some rise. This also helps to keep the cake tender and moist.
I like to try new things and the chemistry and mechanics of cooking, and especially baking, has always interested me. I probably should have taken Home Economics in University. I would have enjoyed that.
Anyways, this cake interested me, and I thought it would adapt itself well to baking in a smaller batch. I say small batch, but this quarter sheet pan recipe still makes 6 to 8 generous servings!
Apparently you can also bake the full recipe in a Bundt tin, which I might try sometime when I need a large cake for a special occasion. For now I went with a much smaller cake.
It is also known to go very well with fruit, and I had picked up my first punnet of locally grown strawberries of the season. I was keen to serve them with the cake.
It has a dense pound-cake like texture and the flavor is really intense. You get the pop from the 7Up (lemonade) and lemon and lime zests are used liberally in both the cake and the frosting.
So expect fresh and zesty!! Sweet and buttery!! Dense and delicious!! This cake does not disappoint on any level.
I have seen some versions which use a cake mix. This cake recipe which I am sharing is completely from scratch.
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE 7UP SHEET CAKE
With the exception of the soda pop, very simple every day ingredients.
For the cake:
- 1/2 cup (115g) butter, at room temperature
- 1 1/4 cups (250g) granulated sugar
- 2 large free range eggs, plus 1 large free range egg yolk, room temperature (freeze the white for another purpose)
- 1/2 tsp pure lemon extract
- 1/2 tsp finely grated lemon zest
- 1/2 tsp finely grated lime zest
- 1 1/2 cups (210g) cake flour (see note)
- 1/2 cup (120ml) 7-Up soda
For the frosting:
- 2 1/2 cups (245g) icing sugar, sifted
- 1/8 cup (30ml) 7-Up soda
- 1 1/2 TBS lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp finely grated lemon zest
- 1/2 tsp finely grated lime zest
You can actually use 7Up or Sprite interchangeably in this recipe. Both work the same. I don't recommend using the sugar free versions. Use the full sugared option.
Don't worry if you do not have cake flour in the house. This is something I never buy actually. I just make my own. For every cup of flour used, remove 1 TBS of the flour and replace with 1 TBS of cornstarch/corn-flour.
HOW TO MAKE 7UP SHEET CAKE (SMALL BATCH)
Nothing could be easier, but do work quickly after you add the 7Up, so that you can take full advantage of its carbonation when baking.
Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/gas mark 4. Butter a quarter sheet baking tray and line with baking paper.
Rub the fruit zests into the sugar until quite fragrant. Add the butter and beat with an electric whisk until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, and then beat in the egg yolk, until well combined.
Beat in the lemon extract.
Beat in the flour 1/3 at a time alternating with the 7-Up making three dry and two wet additions, working on low speed and scraping the bowl after each addition. Begin and end with dry ingredients.
Spread the batter in the prepared pan, smoothing it out with a spatula.
Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes until golden brown and the top springs back when lightly touched. A toothpick inserted in the center should also come out clean.
Place on a wire cooling rack and leave to cool completely in the pan.
To make the frosting/glaze combine all of the ingredients in a bowl, whisking together until smooth. Spoon over the cold cake and spread out to cover with the back of a metal spoon.
THREE TIPS FOR 7UP CAKE PERFECTION
Here are my sure fire tips to help you end up with a perfect 7Up cake each and every time.
1. Start off with room temperature ingredients. If all of your ingredients are the same temperature they will beat together much more evenly and give you a smoother batter. They are much easier to cream, and allow for maximum lift and volume for your cake.
2. Use only butter. I do not recommend using shortening or margarine for this recipe. Butter is better.
3. Once you have creamed all of the butter, sugar and eggs together, don't overbeat the cake. Mix only to combine at all of the next levels. Overbeating can toughen cake batter.
Store this cake at room temperature in an airtight container. You will actually find that it gets better tasting as it sits. I will keep for 4-5 days at room temperature. Storing cakes in the refrigerator actually alters their texture and taste.
This was quite simply a lovely cake. I did enjoy it with some of my fresh berries. They made the perfect addition to my dessert plate! I think a dollop of whipped cream would also go very well.
Be prepared to fall in love. This is one pretty tasty, dense and delicious cake!
If you are a fan of the smaller batch bake, or are a small family and just can't use a full batch cake, you might also enjoy the following cake recipes:
SMALL BATCH GINGERBREAD CAKE WITH LEMON CREAM - This small batch gingerbread recipe lacks none of the deliciousness of the full batched version. It has a beautiful dense and moist crumb and loads of spicy flavor. The delicious lemon cream is the perfect accompaniment. Lemon and Ginger are beautiful partners. A marriage made in heaven.
SMALL BATCH ZUCCHINI COFFEE CAKE - Not a coffee flavored cake but a cake meant to be enjoyed with a hot drink, such as coffee. This cake is moist, delicious and lightly spiced with an incredibly moreish brown sugar streusel topping. There is everything to love about this cake, and its a good way to use up the glut of zucchini in the vegetable garden.
7Up Sheet Cake (small batch)
Yield: 6 - 8
Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 30 MinTotal time: 45 Min
A delicious lemon sheet cake that uses 7-up soda both in the batter and in the frosting. Delicious served with berries. This small batch recipe bakes in a lipped quarter-sheet pan. (9 1/2 inches by 13 inches)
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 1/2 cup (115g) butter, at room temperature
- 1 1/4 cups (250g) granulated sugar
- 2 large free range eggs, plus 1 large free range egg yolk, room temperature (freeze the white for another purpose)
- 1/2 tsp pure lemon extract
- 1/2 tsp finely grated lemon zest
- 1/2 tsp finely grated lime zest
- 1 1/2 cups (210g) cake flour (see note)
- 1/2 cup (120ml) 7-Up soda
For the frosting:
- 2 1/2 cups (245g) icing sugar, sifted
- 1/8 cup (30ml) 7-Up soda
- 1 1/2 TBS lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp finely grated lemon zest
- 1/2 tsp finely grated lime zest
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/gas mark 4. Butter a quarter sheet baking tray and line with baking paper.
- Rub the fruit zests into the sugar until quite fragrant. Add the butter and beat with an electric whisk until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, and then beat in the egg yolk, until well combined.
- Beat in the lemon extract.
- Beat in the flour 1/3 at a time alternating with the 7-Up making three dry and two wet additions, working on low speed and scraping the bowl after each addition. Begin and end with dry ingredients.
- Spread the batter in the prepared pan, smoothing it out with a spatula.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes until golden brown and the top springs back when lightly touched. A toothpick inserted in the center should also come out clean.
- Place on a wire cooling rack and leave to cool completely in the pan.
- To make the frosting/glaze combine all of the ingredients in a bowl, whisking together until smooth. Spoon over the cold cake and spread out to cover with the back of a metal spoon.
Notes
You can very easily make your own cake flour. Measure the flour into a bowl. Remove 2 TBS of the flour and replace with 2 TBS of corn starch/corn flour. Whisk together to combine.
All rights reserved The English Kitchen
Thanks so much for visiting! Do come again!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Social Icons