Ingredient: pure vanilla

Fruit Explosion Muffins

The Tim Hortons Fruit Explosion Muffin is a super tasty treat that combines the goodness of a moist vanilla cake muffin with bursts of fruity flavor. While the exact creation date isn’t widely documented, these muffins have become a beloved staple at Tim Hortons.  Founded in 1964, Tim Hortons is an iconic Canadian restaurant known for its quality coffee, freshly baked goods, great fast-food and hockey roots. Great tasting coffee (the ‘double double’) is at the core of their identity.

If you’re a fan of Tim Hortons’ Fruit Explosion Muffins, you’ll love these homemade versions. Another reason to try a copycat version is the calorie count. From what I understand, the Tim Hortons version comes in at 360 calories per muffin whereas this recipe trims it down to a ‘healthy’ 166 calories for the medium size and 331 for large ones.

The combination of sweet and tart flavors from the fruit creates a wonderful balance with the natural sweetness of the berries complementing the muffin base. Sour cream is a secret ingredient that makes these muffins extra moist. They’re soft, cakey, tender and in the center, have a little fruity surprise of blueberry jam.            

The options for making this treat are endless—swap out the berries or try different fruit fillings. Whether for breakfast or a snack, these muffins are a burst of fruity goodness!  Another bonus is that these muffins freeze beautifully, making them convenient for busy mornings.

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 Fruit Explosion Muffin
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Course Brunch
Cuisine American
Keyword fruit explosion muffins
Servings
Ingredients
Course Brunch
Cuisine American
Keyword fruit explosion muffins
Servings
Ingredients
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line 3 muffin pans with paper liners.
  2. In a large bowl, combine sour cream, oil, applesauce, eggs & vanilla with a whisk. Stir in sugars until combined completely. Add flours, baking powder, baking soda, & salt. Stir just until combined then fold in berries.
  3. Spoon 1 Tbsp of batter into the bottom of each liner, spreading it cover the bottom completely. Top with 2 tsp of jam & cover with remaining batter (about one heaping tablespoon per muffin cup), covering the jam as best as you can.
  4. Bake for 23-25 minutes or until golden brown, toothpick comes out clean & batter around berries appears set. Cool to room temperature & serve.
  5. May be stored at room temperature for 2-3 days or frozen for 3-4 months.
Recipe Notes

• This amount of batter will make 18 regular size muffins or 9 large.

Wool Roll Bread w/ Apricot Filling

Today, March 28th, is my mother’s birth date. As we honor her beautiful memory, I’m sure each of my siblings will reflect on special times we shared with her. Forty-seven years after her passing, I find myself still doing many things in her likeness. Baking was a shared passion for my mother and I. We liked nothing better than to bake something together. After I moved from ‘home’ and would return for a visit, instead of having a coffee and visit we would get busy and bake something while we talked. Such great memories!

When I was thinking about what I wanted to post today, my mind drifted to the recipe archive that lives in my head, eventually making its way to the yeast breads. This is an area my mother had mastered down to a science.

Bread is so simple but a staple in almost every culture. Just flour, water and yeast, yet despite those few ingredients, there are hundreds of different types of bread across the world. And every culture has some sort of bread product.

It seems that the Wool Roll Bread become trendy in 2021 because of a Malaysian YouTuber. It also resembles some Middle Eastern breads such as shoreek and other European creations, such as Polish babka and Slovenian Belokranjska povitica. The pillowy yeast dough can be stuffed (or not) with a sweet or savory filling, then sliced, rolled and stacked in a round pan, so as the dough rises and bakes, the final result resembles rolls of wool or thick yarn.

The most popular fillings for wool roll bread are dried fruit, nuts, cinnamon, custard, hazelnut, chocolate, and cheese as well as some Asian favorites such as red mung bean paste, ube or purple yam, coconut or coconut jam, and meat. Sometimes the dough is made in different flavors and colors like chocolate, strawberry, and pandan.

There is some kind of magic in seeing the result of these baked bread rolls that come together to form a Bundt-like cake shape, puffed up in a ring of pull-apart bread.

I’ve chosen to fill our wool roll bread with an apricot cream cheese filling which should be a nice compliment to the soft dough.

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 Wool Roll Bread w/ Apricot Filling
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Course dessert
Cuisine European
Keyword wool roll bread w/ custard filling
Servings
Ingredients
Apricot Filling
Cream Cheese Filling
Bread Dough
Course dessert
Cuisine European
Keyword wool roll bread w/ custard filling
Servings
Ingredients
Apricot Filling
Cream Cheese Filling
Bread Dough
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Instructions
Apricot Filling
  1. In a small saucepan, combine dried apricots, orange juice, lemon juice & sugar. Bring to a simmer over medium low heat. Simmer uncovered for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the apricots soften & the liquid is reduced by half. Once cool, transfer the mixture to a food processor & process until a puree forms. Set aside until room temperature.
Cream Cheese Filling
  1. In a small bowl, beat the cream cheese & sugar until smooth. Add egg yolk & vanilla, beat to combine. Set aside in refrigerator until ready to use.
Bread
  1. In a small bowl, combine warm milk, sugar & yeast. Let the mixture sit for about 10 minutes until it becomes frothy.
  2. In a large bowl, Combine flour & salt. Cut in the soft butter. Combine lukewarm water with the beaten egg & add to flour/butter mixture. Add the yeast mixture & mix until a dough forms.
  3. Knead the dough for about 10 minutes or until it becomes smooth & elastic. Once the dough is kneaded, place it in a greased bowl, cover with a damp cloth & allow to rise in a draft-free place for about 1 hour or until doubled in size.
  4. Lightly oil a work surface with olive oil. Gently deflate the dough, divide it into four equal pieces & shape each piece into a ball. Cover the dough & let rest for 10 minutes.
  5. Line a 9" springform pan (at least 2" deep) with parchment paper.
  6. Roll out each piece of dough (on the lightly oil surface) into a 6" x 12" rectangle. On the top HALF of each rectangle, spread the cream cheese filling across the entire width of the rectangle (leaving about 1/4" bare on each side) & down about 6" leaving the bottom 6" bare. Next, spread a good sized dollop of apricot filling over the cream cheese filling. Use a fork so you can do this gently.
  7. Using a sharp knife, cut the uncovered dough at the bottom into very thin strips about 1/8" wide. Starting from the filling covered top & rolling toward the uncovered strips, roll the dough into a log about 6" long.
  8. Place each log, seam-side down, into the bottom of the pan so they are snuggled up against the pans outside edge to form a complete circle.
  9. Preheat to the to 350 F.
  10. Brush the rolls lightly with milk, being careful not to deflate the delicate dough. Cover the 'wool rolls' & let them rise for about 60-75 minutes, until puffy.
  11. Bake for 28-32 minutes, until golden brown on top. Remove the roll from the oven & cool it in the pan until you can transfer it safely to a rack to cool completely. Slice & serve.

Artichoke Cupcakes

HAPPY ST. PATRICK’S DAY!

St. Patrick’s Day is a funny thing here in Canada. It’s the one time each year that people seek out green food and drinks, everything from shamrock shakes, a green bagel, or green beer are part of our version of this holiday.

Green food has been getting more and more ‘creative’ on this particular holiday. Clean eating, green foods like spinach, avocado and broccoli for example. A walk through the grocery store produce section will provide a variety of examples of just how many green foods are available to use in meals and snacks.

In the spirit of St. Patrick’s Day, I wanted to incorporate some green food in some desserts. What better excuse could I have to make some artichoke cupcakes!

Over the years, Brion and I have vacationed many times in the Carmel / Monterey area on the Central Coast of California. As a rule, we make Pacific Grove ‘home base’ and from there do numerous day trips. About a 20-minute drive inland from Monterey Bay is the tiny agricultural town of Castroville. When you enter into the town you will see a sign that says, ‘Artichoke Center of the World’.  Where the rich, fertile soil of the Salinas Valley meets the sands of Monterey Bay, these fog-shrouded fields prove to be the ideal location for the commercial cultivation of Heirloom artichokes.

About another 20-minute drive further north you come to another agricultural town called Watsonville. Just before we reached the town, I spotted a sign advertising ‘artichoke cupcakes’ from Pezzini Farms. We have never eaten anything sweet associated with artichokes before now. This charming roadside market goes deep into the crop that made this chunk of California famous.

Now, Watsonville might not be the self-proclaimed Artichoke Center of the World like its neighbor, Castroville. But it still ranks right up there in growing this distinctive plant that’s actually an herb.

Pezzini Farms is family-owned and has been growing and selling Heirloom Green Globe artichokes since 1929. The family immigrated to the United States from Italy bringing with them their family’s artichoke root stalk. 

The market offers a great selection of fresh produce that includes artichokes sold individually or in bulk. The store also has a wide selection of artichoke products that featured jarred artichoke hearts, artichoke dip mix, and artichoke marinara sauce, among others. By the register, customers were enticed by an array of sweet pastries displayed under glass dessert domes. Among them were decadent artichoke cupcakes topped with thick frosting.

It inspired me to think of artichokes in a whole new way. Brion & I purchased a cupcake to see how it would taste. The dense cake wasn’t overly sweet, with chunks of artichoke heart adding an almost earthy quality. The frosting was velvety with a little cream cheese bounce. A good comparison would be like a zucchini bread or a carrot cake.

Of course, as soon as we came home, I couldn’t wait to try to recreate this interesting little cupcake and what a better time than today. Think artichoke green for St. Patrick’s day!

I’ve added a few pictures I hope you will enjoy.

  • Pezzini store pics x 2
  • Artichokes growing in the fields
  • Production line
  • Store cupcakes
  • Life-size signage
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 Artichoke Cupcakes
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Course dessert
Cuisine Canadian
Keyword artichoke cupcakes
Servings
LARGE CUPCAKES
Ingredients
Cupcake Batter
Cream Cheese Frosting
Course dessert
Cuisine Canadian
Keyword artichoke cupcakes
Servings
LARGE CUPCAKES
Ingredients
Cupcake Batter
Cream Cheese Frosting
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Instructions
Cupcakes
  1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a 6-cup muffin pan with large paper liners (or 12 small paper liners).
  2. Drain artichoke hearts well & mince into very small uniform pieces. Set aside.
  3. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, vanilla, lemon zest, lemon juice, water & oil.
  4. In another bowl, sift together flour, white & brown sugars, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cardamom & ginger.
  5. Combine wet ingredients with dry ingredients, then gently fold in the minced artichokes with a spatula until they are completely incorporated into the batter.
  6. Fill the prepared muffin tins with the batter & bake about 30 minutes for the large size (20-25 minutes for small size).
  7. Once the cupcakes are baked through, transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Frosting
  1. With an electric mixer, beat butter & cream cheese until creamy & well combined & lump free.
  2. Add vanilla & salt, mix to combine. With mixer on low, gradually add the powdered sugar until completely combined.
  3. Frost cupcakes as desired.

Mango Cream Crumble Squares

What is the difference between crumble and streusel? It seems there is no clear, distinct difference, at least in present-day North America. Streusel originated in Germany and was made by cutting butter into a mixture of flour and (white) sugar. Over the years, many people have made subtle variations to improve upon the base recipe to their taste preferences and is often referred to as ‘crumb topping’.

When it comes to baked fruit-and-pastry desserts, the classic pie isn’t the only game in town. Crumbles work with whatever fruit is in season or available and in any shape pan.

Bright, juicy mangoes make a delicious winter or summer dessert. A crumble gives you all the wonderful flavor of a fruit pie, but with much less prep work. The easy crust/crumble topping takes the place of a more time-consuming pastry crust. There’s no rolling or chilling; all you have to do is combine the ingredients, place some under the fruit and sprinkle the rest of the crumbs over the top. It’s that easy!

These mango crumble squares aren’t overly sweet as they get lots of their sweetness from the natural sweetness of the mangos with the mango flavor coming through in every bite. I added a cheesecake layer to make these squares just a bit fancier but it can be easily left out if you wish.

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 Mango Cream Crumble Squares
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Course dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword mango cream crumble squares, mango crumble bars
Servings
Ingredients
Crust & Crumble Topping
Mango Layer
Cheesecake Layer
Course dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword mango cream crumble squares, mango crumble bars
Servings
Ingredients
Crust & Crumble Topping
Mango Layer
Cheesecake Layer
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line an 8-inch square pan with foil & spray with cooking spray; set aside.
Crust & Topping
  1. In a large, microwave-safe bowl melt butter. Add flour, oats, sugars salt & stir to combine. Mixture will be dry & sandy with some larger, well formed crumble pieces. Reserve 1 heaping cup of the mixture to be sprinkled on later as topping. Transfer remaining mixture to prepared pan. Using a spatula, press down lightly to create an even, smooth, flat crust; set aside.
Cheesecake Layer
  1. In a small bowl, beat together cream cheese, milk, lemon juice & egg. Add egg beating only until it is incorporated.
Mango Layer
  1. In the mixing bowl that you used for the crumble, add all mango layer ingredients & toss to combine.
Assembly / Baking
  1. Evenly distribute cheesecake mixture over the crust. Top with mango mixture then evenly sprinkle the reserved crumble topping mixture over all. Bake for about 45 minutes or until cheesecake is set & crumble is lightly browned. Squares may take longer if the mangoes are very juicy.
  2. Place pan on a wire rack & allow squares to cool for at least 1 hour (preferably more) before slicing & serving. If sliced before completely cooled they tend to fall apart.

Eggnog Chai Cookies w/ Spiced Rum Glaze

Eggnog, which is actually a drinkable form of custard, began in England, where eggnog was the trademark drink of the upper class. There was no refrigeration, and the farms belonged to the big estates.  Those who could get milk and eggs to make eggnog mixed it with brandy or Madeira or even sherry.  But it became most popular in North America, where farms and dairy products were plentiful, as was rum.  The name, ‘eggnog,’ is a combination of ‘noggin,’ a wooden cup, and ‘grog,’ a strong beer.

Throughout Canada, the United States and some European countries, eggnog is traditionally consumed over the Christmas season, from late October until the end of the holiday season. 

The eggnog tradition kind of reminds me of the fall ‘pumpkin spice’ craze. What started out as a drink is now added to ice cream, cookies, cake, coffee, protein powder, latte, etc. etc.…

These cookies are soft and pillow-y, filled with chai spices and topped with a spiced rum glaze. The warmth of the cinnamon and nutmeg brings out the eggnog flavor in the cookies, making the traditional holiday drink the main flavor.

The holidays are a time for tradition. For a lot of people, that tradition consists of baking …. baking cookies…. lots and lots of cookies!!

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 Eggnog Chai Cookies w/ Spiced Rum Glaze
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Cuisine American
Keyword eggnog chai cookies w/ spiced rum glaze
Servings
Ingredients
Cookies
Glaze
Cuisine American
Keyword eggnog chai cookies w/ spiced rum glaze
Servings
Ingredients
Cookies
Glaze
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Instructions
Cookies
  1. Preheat oven to 325 F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, cardamom & black pepper. Set aside.
  3. In another bowl, using a mixer, cream together butter & sugars. Add egg yolks & vanilla. Beat until creamy. Carefully beat in eggnog.
  4. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients & beat until just combined.
  5. Fit a piping bag with a large star tip nozzle & fill with cookie dough. Make 30 cookie swirls on parchment paper. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the bottoms just start to turn golden brown.
  6. Immediately transfer cookies to a paper towel covered flat surface. Allow to cool.
Glaze
  1. Whisk together powdered sugar & cinnamon. Add vanilla, eggnog & spiced rum. Whisk until smooth.
  2. Drizzle over cooled cookies & serve.

Chocolate Sour Cherry Donuts w/ Amaretto Glaze

Fall is that time of year that we can enjoy some more of those wonderful cherries from our own little tree. The fact that we live in the northern part of Alberta, Canada and can eat cherries fresh from our tree is such a bonus.

Cherries are not native to North America, in fact both the sweet and sour varieties were brought to Canada and the U.S. in the 1600s by French and English settlers. The plants, especially the sour varieties, adapted well to our climate.
Sour cherries are a hardier plant than the sweet variety and are well-suited to growing in slightly cooler climates. Even though these cherries are classed as a semi-sweet variety, there are still endless ways to enjoy them.

Unlike many fruits, which are at their best uncooked, sour cherries need a bit of sweetness and heat to reach their peak. Tart as vinegar, with a faint perfume of fresh fruit when raw, they need just a touch of sugar, then start them cooking and watch the tartness blossom. The aroma doesn’t fade, as one would expect; rather, the longer they cook the more it gains body and roundness, until the cherry fragrance becomes overwhelming, the fruit flavor more pronounced and the overall results unforgettable.

Most commercially produced cherry varieties, such as Bing do not cook well. These ‘sweet cherries’ may be wonderful eaten out of hand or tossed in a fruit salad, but they make bland preserves and flat, watery pies.

The tart bite of a sour cherry is glorified when transformed into any type of sweet preserve and can be used to good advantage in savory sauces where tartness is desirable. Chocolate and cherries are a classic marriage, so don’t hesitate to toss sour cherries into your favorite chocolate cake or brownie recipe as I did here.

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 Chocolate Sour Cherry Donuts w/ Amaretto Glaze
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Course dessert
Keyword chocolate sour cherry donuts w/ amaretto glaze
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Ingredients
Donuts
Amaretto Glaze
Course dessert
Keyword chocolate sour cherry donuts w/ amaretto glaze
Servings
Ingredients
Donuts
Amaretto Glaze
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Instructions
Donuts
  1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray a 6 cup donut pan with baking spray. Set aside
  2. In a large bowl, whisk the egg & sugars until well incorporated. Add in the milk, sour cream, melted butter & vanilla extract. Whisk until well combined.
  3. Using a sieve, sift in the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda & salt. Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture. The donut batter will be pretty thick at this point.
  4. Transfer the donut batter into a piping bag. Fill the donut cavities with chocolate cake batter about 1/4 full then top each with some cherries. Continue to pipe remaining cake batter on top of cherries on each donut. When baked, the donuts will have a cherry center.
  5. Bake the donuts for 17-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let the baked donuts cool in the baking pan for 10 minutes then transfer them to a cooling rack. Let them cool completely before glazing.
Amaretto Glaze
  1. Whisk together glaze ingredients until smooth & pourable. Drizzle over cooled donuts & top with a few more cherry pieces if you wish.
Recipe Notes
  • Lor Ann  AMARETTO FLAVOR is sweet, with a slight cherry taste and a hint of almond that adds an extra layer of flavor to the donuts.

 

Rhubarb Butter Tarts

The butter tart is probably the most recognizably Canadian dessert there is. But in order to understand the significance of the butter tart, you first need to know the confection’s history. While butter tarts are known around the world as the quintessential Canadian dish, the invention of this confection actually goes back to before Canada was even a country. During a ten-year period, from 1663 to 1673, at least 770 young women were sent to Quebec by Louis XIV to help with colonization. These single ladies were sent with dowries to help boost settlement in New France.

These King’s Daughters (or Filles du Roi) as they came to be known did what any resourceful baker would do: they made do with what they had. With the abundance of new food, they created the butter tart forerunner with baking ingredients readily available like maple sugar and dried fruit. This ancestral tart later led to variations like tarte au sucre and the butter tart.

The first documented recipe for butter tarts was published in The Women’s Auxiliary of the Royal Victoria Hospital Cookbook in 1900, in Barrie, Ontario. Mrs. Malcolm MacLeod’s recipe did not include raisins, but currants paired with that ooey-gooey filling we know and love today.

Throughout the early 1900s butter tarts gained popularity and variations were published in Toronto’s Daily News and included in the 1911 Canadian Farm Cookbook. Butter tarts became all the rage in the 1920s and 1930s, and by the 1980s readers were desperately writing The Vancouver Sun’s fictional baking expert, Edith Adams, for a copy of her recipe. Over the past 350 years, they have become ingrained in the Canadian culinary psyche.

The butter tart is evolving in response to diversifying tastes. At butter tart festivals across the country, you’ll find all sorts of spins on the treat — pumpkin cheesecake, chai spice, coconut, blueberry, saskatoon and even a Nanaimo bar butter tart to name a few.

That brings us to today’s recipe – Rhubarb Butter Tarts! Canadian butter tart filling can be too sweet for some on its own but add some tart rhubarb and it becomes a well-balanced sweet and sour filling. Amazingly good!

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 Rhubarb Butter Tarts
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Course dessert
Cuisine Canadian
Keyword rhubarb butter tarts
Servings
Ingredients
Pastry
Filling
Course dessert
Cuisine Canadian
Keyword rhubarb butter tarts
Servings
Ingredients
Pastry
Filling
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Instructions
Pastry
  1. In a food processor, pulse flour, sugar, salt & baking powder to blend. Add butter & pulse about 3-4 times, until butter is in pea-size pieces. Sprinkle in the ice water; pulse another 4 times. Turn dough out on a lightly floured work surface & knead gently a few times to form a disk. Wrap in plastic wrap & refrigerate for at least an hour.
Filling
  1. Pour boiling water over rhubarb; let stand for 5 minutes. Drain.
  2. Add butter, sugar, salt & syrup to the rhubarb. Stir thoroughly until butter is melted & sugar is dissolved. Add egg & vanilla.
Assembly/Baking
  1. Preheat oven to 375 F.
  2. On a lightly floured surface, roll out chilled pastry to an 1/8-inch thickness. Cut into 24 squares. Place pastry squares into 24 mini tart pan cups with corners hanging over the sides. Divide rhubarb filling between tart shells.
  3. Bake for about 20 minutes or until slightly golden. Cover with foil if they start to brown too quickly.
  4. Remove from oven & allow to cool to set up.

Blackberry White Chocolate Tart

To the younger generation, the word ‘blackberry’ probably only brings to mind a variety of gadgets, but to those who remember when there were no mobile phones in sight or in hand, the blackberry is first and foremost that small, ripe, juicy fruit that makes excellent pies, jams, jellies and wines.

Over 12 species of blackberries grow in woods and clearings in Canada, mainly in eastern provinces and southern British Columbia. Worldwide, Mexico is the leading producer of blackberries, with nearly the entire crop being produced for export into the off-season fresh markets in North America and Europe.

Although nowadays blackberries are primarily used in cooking, they are known to be very beneficial to health. Having one of the highest antioxidant contents of all fruits, blackberries are good for lowering cholesterol levels, support oral health, strengthen bones, regenerate the skin and aid the digestive system.

Today, I thought I’d incorporate them in a custard tart decorated with some white chocolate. The blackberries not only add color but  with their deeper, darker, more complex tart/sweetness, add something very special.

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 Blackberry White Chocolate Tart
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Course dessert
Cuisine French
Keyword blackberry white chocolate tart
Servings
Ingredients
Pastry
Blackberry Custard
Course dessert
Cuisine French
Keyword blackberry white chocolate tart
Servings
Ingredients
Pastry
Blackberry Custard
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Instructions
Pastry
  1. In a food processor, pulse flour, sugar, salt & baking powder to blend. Add butter & pulse 3-4 times, until butter is in pea-size pieces. Sprinkle in the ice water; pulse another 4 times. Turn dough out on a lightly floured surface & knead gently a few times to form a disk. Wrap in plastic wrap & refrigerate for at least an hour.
Custard
  1. In a saucepan, cook blackberries over low heat, stirring frequently, until berries break down & sauce begins to boil. Cook until sauce begins to thicken, 7-10 minutes. Remove from heat, strain through a fine mesh sieve, pressing on solids & discarding seeds & solids. Reserve blackberry juice.
  2. In a small saucepan, whisk together 1/2 & 1/2 cream, sugar & salt. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring frequently.
  3. In a medium bowl, whisk together egg yolks, cornstarch & cinnamon (or ginger). Slowly add half of the 1/2 & 1/2 mixture, whisking constantly. Add egg yolk mixture to remaining 1/2 & 1/2 mixture in saucepan & bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until thickened, 2-3 minutes.
  4. Remove from heat & whisk in butter & vanilla until butter is melted then whisk in reserved blackberry juice. Pour into a heatproof bowl, cover with plastic wrap, pressing wrap directly onto surface of custard to prevent a skin from forming. Allow to cool completely.
Baking
  1. On a lightly floured surface, roll chilled pastry to 1/8-inch thickness. Transfer to a 14 x 4-inch rectangular tart pan. with a removeable bottom. Freeze for 15 minutes.
  2. Top crust with a piece of parchment paper, letting ends extend over edge of pan. Add pie weights. Bake until lightly golden around edges. Carefully remove paper & pie weights. Bake until lightly golden & surface is set. Let cool completely.
Decorating
  1. Whisk chilled blackberry custard then place into cooled prepared crust. Smooth with a spoon or an offset spatula. Melt white chocolate & place in a small plastic baggie. Snip off the tip of one corner of the bag. Drizzle the chocolate in parallel lines. Top with a few fresh blackberries & small mint leaves, then carefully place tart on a serving tray. Refrigerate until serving.

Breakfast Cereal Mini Cakes

Since they were introduced in 1941, Cheerios have been a staple in households across North America. They remain one of the most popular breakfast cereals on the market and are now available worldwide.

Cheerios are primarily made from whole grain oats and come in an assortment of flavors. In fact, there are at least 15 varieties — with seasonal ones appearing on occasion.

A bowl of cereal is perfect for a quick breakfast. Or lunch. Or, let’s be honest, dinner. And while these are perfectly acceptable uses of cereal, there is so much more you can do with them from snacks and desserts to buttery casserole coatings that take the morning mainstay to new heights.

To enhance these cupcakes, the regular milk is switched out for ‘cereal milk’ (milk that’s been soaked in sweet cereal).

Cereal milk tastes like that dense, slightly sweet, starchy, oaty milk from the bottom of the cereal bowl, that everybody loves to enjoy at the end.

The nostalgic and comforting combination of milk and cereal combined in this cupcake recipe is really quite special. These seem like kind of a ‘kid’ thing but I’m sure it won’t take long for them to disappear.

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 Breakfast Cereal Cupcakes
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Rating: 5
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Cuisine American
Keyword breakfast cereal cupcakes
Servings
MINI CUPCAKES
Ingredients
Mini Cakes
Less -Sweet Frosting
Cuisine American
Keyword breakfast cereal cupcakes
Servings
MINI CUPCAKES
Ingredients
Mini Cakes
Less -Sweet Frosting
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Instructions
Mini Cakes
  1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a 24 cup mini muffin pan with cupcake liners. Set aside.
  2. In a liquid measuring cup, stir together the milk & 1/4 cup Very Berry Cheerios. Microwave for 30 seconds, stir, & set aside while you prepare the batter.
  3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter & sugar on medium speed until light & fluffy. Add in the eggs on at the time, scraping the bowl as necessary.
  4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, & salt. Using a fork, remove the cereal from the milk. Discard the cereal. Make sure you still have 1/2 cup milk, add more if necessary. Add the honey & vanilla extract to the milk. Whisk together.
  5. Gradually add 1/3 of the dry ingredients, mix to combine. Add 1/2 of the wet ingredients, mix. Repeat, ending with dry ingredients.
  6. Divide the batter between 24 muffin cups. Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.
Frosting
  1. In a bowl, whip cream cheese & butter. Beat on medium-low speed until smooth & combined, 1-2 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed.
  2. Sift powdered sugar into the cream cheese mixture & add the vanilla, lemon juice & salt. Beat the frosting on a low speed to combine, then increase the speed to medium-high & beat until light & fluffy, 1-2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl once or twice.
  3. Add slightly crushed cheerios & FOLD into mixture gently. Top each COOLED mini cake with a dollop of frosting then sprinkle with extra cheerios.
Recipe Notes
  • If you prefer, bake in 12 regular size muffin cups.

Manchester Tarts

The Manchester tart is an English baked treat with its roots tracing back to none other than the vibrant city of Manchester, England. This retro tart has a shortcrust pastry base that’s layered with raspberry preserves, custard, desiccated coconut and sometimes glace cherries. The combination of sweet preserves, creamy custard, and coconut creates a wonderful balance of flavors and textures.

The Manchester tart was a staple on school dinner menus until the mid-1980s and is now a staple in bakeries and home kitchens, cherished for its simplicity and delicious taste.

Over the years, the Manchester Tart has undergone numerous adaptations and variations, with some recipes incorporating different fruits, toppings, or pastry bases. However, its essence remains rooted in the tradition of British baking, symbolizing comfort and nostalgia for many who have enjoyed it throughout generations.

For my adaptation of these tarts I made a pastry cream to give a lightness and added some fresh raspberries to give some tang to balance the sweetness of the preserves. Instead of using the traditional glace cherry on top, I went with a few more fresh raspberries.


Print Recipe
 Manchester Tarts
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
You:
Rate this recipe!
Course dessert
Keyword Manchester tarts
Servings
TARTLETS
Ingredients
Tart Base
Pastry Cream
Raspberry Preserves/Fruit
Topping
Course dessert
Keyword Manchester tarts
Servings
TARTLETS
Ingredients
Tart Base
Pastry Cream
Raspberry Preserves/Fruit
Topping
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
You:
Rate this recipe!
Instructions
Tart Base
  1. Combine the flour, powdered sugar, cornstarch, salt, & vanilla in a large bowl. Add the butter and mix with your hands until the butter is broken down into pieces the size of peas and the ingredients are well combined. Add the egg and mix with a spatula until the dough is smooth and the egg is fully incorporated. Don’t overmix.
  2. Turn the dough out onto a large piece of plastic wrap and gently shape it into a ball. Wrap the dough in the plastic wrap and flatten it into a disc. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or overnight, until cold but still pliable. It should have the texture of clay.
  3. When the dough has chilled, unwrap the dough and place it on a silicone baking mat on your work surface. Roll it out into a rectangle about 1⁄8 inch thick, using a second silicone sheet on top. The silicone mat makes it easier to lift the rolled-out dough onto the sheet pan later. Make sure to work quickly so the dough doesn’t get too warm.
  4. Place the silicone mat with the dough on a baking sheet.
  5. Using the tart rings, cut out 18 circles of dough. Remove the rest of the dough from around the rings.
  6. Reroll remaining dough between 2 sheets of parchment. Using a sharp knife, slice strips about 10 inches long & 1- inch thick. These strips will make the sides of each tartlet.
  7. Working with one at a time, transfer a strip of dough to one of the tart rings and press it to the sides. Use your fingers to slightly push the bottom of the sides to the dough circle (to seal it). Repeat with the remaining strips of dough. Use a small knife to cut the edge to the rim of the rings.
  8. Transfer the baking sheet containing the tartlet shells to the freezer & freeze for at least 20 minutes.
  9. Preheat oven to 350 F.
  10. Bake tart rings for about 15 minutes or until golden. Remove from oven & take off rings to allow them to cool.
Pastry Cream
  1. Heat the milk over medium high heat & bring it to a simmer, almost to a boil.
  2. While heating the milk, place the sugar, egg yolks, cornstarch, vanilla & salt in a bowl. Whisk until you have a thick, smooth mix then set aside until the milk comes almost to a boil.
  3. As soon as the milk starts to steam or simmer, remove it from the heat. Slowly pour about a half of the hot milk in a thin stream into the egg mix, WHILE WHISKING CONSTANTLY to temper the egg mix. When the eggs have been tempered, add the egg mix back into the hot milk in the saucepan.
  4. Heat the custard base, over medium heat, while whisking vigorously until it starts to thicken – this should take about 1 – 2 minutes. Make sure to reach the corners of the saucepan so that the custard does not stick to the bottom of the pan.
  5. While whisking, let the custard come to a boil (the custard will release bubbles). You may need to stop whisking from time to time for a few seconds to see if the custard is ‘bubbling’. Look for big bubbles breaking the surface of the custard.
  6. Lower the heat and cook for a further 1 – 2 minutes after you see the first bubbles break the surface, and make sure to whisk constantly.
  7. Remove from the heat & add the butter. Whisk in the butter, until it’s completely mixed in.
  8. Pour the custard into a bowl & immediately cover the surface with plastic wrap, making sure the plastic wrap is touching the whole surface. This is to prevent a custard ‘skin’ from forming on top. You can also choose to pass the custard through a sieve to remove any lumps.
  9. Let the custard cool down to room temperature & then let it chill in the fridge for a few hours, until it’s completely chilled.
  10. The custard will have ‘set’ after chilling. So, it is important to whisk the pastry cream to make it smooth before using.
Assembly
  1. Once the base & custard have cooled, spread raspberry preserve over the bottom of pastry cases. Spoon in the custard, then sprinkle with the coconut & chill. Decorate with raspberries and a final sprinkle of powdered sugar on the berries. Serve.
Recipe Notes
  • I used two sizes of tart rings - 2 1/4 + 2 1/2" for these.