Recipes Archives - Page 27 of 69 - Recipes At My Table

Blueberry Polenta Cake

Two of my favourite ingredients come together in this Blueberry Polenta Cake. Cornmeal is a staple in Italian cuisine and used in both savoury and sweet recipes. I love its texture and it gives desserts a little crunch. If you have never cooked with it, just try. You won’t be disappointed. This makes a great addition to your Christmas brunch and can be made ahead.

I always feel I am adding a bit of a healthy boost to my baking when I use blueberries. Classed as a super food, their sweetness makes them a favourite with kids. To add to this simple dessert you can serve it with ice cream, yogurt or fresh whipped cream. The little bit of limoncello is ok for the kids too and adds a punch of flavour. I hope you enjoy it!! Happy Christmas Eve everyone!!

Here is another favourite of mine for brunch https://recipesatmytable.com/giant-peach-oven-pancake/

Ingredients

2 large egg whites, room temperature
1 large egg, room temperature
1/2 cup yogurt
juice of half a lemon and its zest
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup canola oil
1tsp limoncello
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
3 tablespoons slivered almonds
1/4 cup orange marmalade, warmed

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°. Coat a 9-in. fluted tart pan with removable bottom with cooking spray. In a large bowl, beat egg whites, egg, yogurt, honey, oil, lemon zest and extract until well blended.

In another bowl, whisk flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt; gradually beat into yogurt mixture.

The batter has a sheen and is so smooth.

Transfer batter to prepared pan; top with blueberries and almonds.

Bake 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in centre comes out clean.

Drizzle marmalade over warm cake. Cool on a wire rack; serve warm or at room temperature.

November 4, 2020December 24, 2020

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Amaretti Crunchy Cake

My nonna Emilia ate the little amaretti cookies. She loved the crunch texture of them and they were a treat. As a kid, I soaked them in milk and loved their flavour. My Amaretti Crunchy Cake brings me back to those lazy afternoons with Emilia. In between the cooking we would giggle at the table as we dunked cookies in milk and created lasting memories that soothe me to this day. Whenever I am in the kitchen, I hear and feel my nonna Emilia with me.

I am not a baker and when I bake it has to be easy and with ingredients that I have in my pantry. These are ingredients that most people have. You can substitute the amaretti cookies with biscotti. Also, switch up the liqueurs to your taste. Sometimes I use biscotti and Baileys. Instead of the almonds, I use broken pieces of dark chocolate. You can also use orange zest because it goes well with chocolate.

I wanted the taste of Amaretti in a cake and I wanted the Amaretto flavour. When I started looking for recipes there was such a variety out there. My Amaretti Crunchy Cake takes the ingredients of a cake and adds fruit and crunchy amaretti to the batter. I made this with peaches and oranges; therefore, you choose. I know this will become a favourite. Also, play with toppings and decorations.

Another one of my cakes that uses amaretto https://recipesatmytable.com/special-occasion-sponge-cake/

Ingredients for Amaretto Crunchy Cake

1 cup each of flour, sugar and softened butter
1 tsp baking powder
4 eggs
3 tbsp Amaretto liqueur
2 tbsp olive oil
20 amaretti cookies( save 6 for cake top)
1/2 cup slivered almonds
zest of half an orange
I small can of drained peaches or orange segments. ( save 6 sections for decorating the cake) 398 ml can)
a few more amaretti cookies for decorating the top of cake ( about 6)

Process

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line the bottom of a buttered cake tin with some parchment paper.

In a large bowl place the softened butter,flour and sugar. Beat until smooth.

Add the eggs, amaretto, olive il and beat until smooth.

Cut up the peaches or orange sections and add to the batter and gently fold them in.

Now add in the almonds and the broken amaretti cookies and gently fold everything in.

Bake for about 50 minutes. Check the centre. It may need 10 to 15 minutes more depending on your oven. I have a gas range and this took 50 minutes.

Dress the top with the reserved almonds and peach slices. I sprinkled some icing sugar over mine. Serve with ice cream or whipped cream or as is. YUM!!

October 29, 2020November 10, 2020

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Banana Coffee Time Cake

There are always extra bananas in the kitchen. I love a good afternoon coffee or tea with a piece of cake. Banana Coffee Time Cake is an easy one that uses egg whites to lighten the cake at the end. It’s one of those cakes scratched on a recipe card that women would share before cookbooks and blogs. I like this one because it has walnuts instead of chocolate chips. It’s lighter and daintier when served as an afternoon snack.

Who remembers all the recipe cards we kept? Do you still have them? I do. Cookbooks, recipe cards and any method of recording food gives us insight into lifestyles and foods of a certain period. I wonder what the world will think of Covid 19 recipes? For sure people are cooking more at home.

The First cookbooks

I always find it interesting to do a little research. The first recorded recipes are from the upper class. They were the ones with the means and time to record recipes. I think that’s why my nonna had no measurements. It was a little bit of this and a little bit of that. One of the earliest cookbooks was written in the 2nd Century in Greece. For some quick information go to: https://www.britannica.com/topic/cookbook

Ingredients

1 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup sugar
2 tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs (separated)
1/3 cup melted butter ( let it cool)
1/2 cup chopped nuts ( i used walnuts, but pecans are also nice)
3 medium bananas mashed
icing sugar for dusting

Process

Preheat your oven to 350F and grease an 13 X 9 cake pan. In a large bow beat the sugar, slat, milk, vanilla and egg yolks until thick and creamy.

You can see the creaminess.

Mash the bananas and chop the nuts.

Stir in the mashed bananas and chopped nuts into the liquid mixture.

Next pour in the melted, cooled butter and beat on medium until blended. Add the flour and baking powder and beat on low until smooth. Whip the egg whites and fold them into the mixture.

The batter should be light and fluffy!

Pour batter into the prepared pan.

Bake at 35o F for 30 minutes.

Cool, cut into squares and dust with powdered sugar.

October 29, 2020

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Caramel Peanut Butter Bars

Sometimes I crave peanut butter and these Caramel Peanut Butter Bars are delicious. They almost taste like a sundae without the ice cream and of course you can add the ice cream. They freeze well and make an excellent afternoon treat with coffee or tea.

I use boxed cakes for convenience. Consisting of flour, sugar, and leavening cake mixes provide a shortcut to many desserts. The possibilities are endless with a boxed cake mix. I don’t know if nonna would agree, but I am sure she is looking down and laughing. Today the cake mix helps to make the crust. This recipe is so good, your guests will be shocked when they find out that it all started with a boxed cake mix.

Now, make your own caramel sauce. This is an easy recipe with many uses. I use this for ice cream or to dress cakes. It has 4 ingredients and you simply cook it for a few minutes. Refrigerate it and use as needed. You can double or triple the recipe.

Another one of my favourite squares https://recipesatmytable.com/limoncello-cheesecake-blondies/

For more delicious sauces see https://www.brit.co/ice-cream-topping-recipes/

Ingredients

1 white or yellow cake mix
1 cup of quick oats
2/3 cups of creamy peanut butter
1 egg
2 tablespoons milk
1 batch caramel sauce (recipe follows)
1 brick of cream cheese
1/2 a cup each of white chocolate chips and dark chocolate chips

Caramel Sauce

1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup each of milk and cream
1/2 cup butter
1/2 tsp of vanilla

Process

In a small pan place the brown sugar, butter, milk and cream. Bring to a boil and cook for a few minutes until thickened. Remove from heat and add the vanilla. You can do this ahead of time and let it cool. I usually let it cool overnight.

I preheat my oven to 350 F and I grease a 13. X 9 inch baking pan. Take the cake mix and introduce the oats.

Now cut in the peanut butter until the mixture is crumbly. I used a fork to bring it all together. Beat the egg and milk and add it to the bowl. Mix together. Set aside 1 1/2 cups of the mixture .