Crepe Cake Layered with Blueberry Gelee and Lemon Curd

This week my baby boy is turning 8.  He was just a baby when I started this blog, I was looking for an outlet that was not all about babies.  He was a baby and his big sister was a toddler back then and I felt like all I did was change diapers, clean the house, and cook.

Actually, there was not time for much else!  Because I was already cooking I figured I could find 10 minutes every few days to set a type out a recipe that I had tried, and to log recipes because my brain was so fried I could not remember a thing.   Truth be told I never did really find 10 minutes for uninterrupted blogging, it never failed I get a few words in a I hear "MOM".  those days have passed an I can get 10 minutes without "MOM"....ooooo, never mine, BRB.

okay where was I...

Now that L is turning 8, and I am about to graduate college and set for the CPA exam, and heading back into the working outside of the home world, I find that life has taken over and the blog has been neglected (trust me I am still cooking).  Moments like this week where I make lemon curd and blueberry gelee with my boy, and then 100 crepes, and assemble all the bits and pieces together I hear the blog calling my name again.

L asked for a crepe cake with berries and lemon curd and this is what I made...

~Crepe Cake Layered with Blueberry Gelee and Lemon Curd~

Layered Crepe Cake

Crepe Cake Layered with Pastry Cream and Nutella.

1. Make pastry cream.

3 Cups Milk

Seeds scraped from one vanilla bean - or 2 teaspoons vanilla extract. If you are using vanilla extract it is added when the cream is finished cooking.
8 egg yolks
3/4 cup granulated sugar
6 tablespoons cornstarch, sifted
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened


In a 3 quart saucepan combine the milk and vanilla bean seeds. Heat just below the boiling point (scalding).

Using an electric mixer (with whisk attachment if available) beat the egg yolks and sugar in a large mixing bowl until they lighten in color. Stir in the cornstarch.

Pour about 1/3 of the hot milk into the egg mixture (this is called tempering), whisking continuously to incorporate. Whisk the tempered egg mixture back into the remaining hot milk, and place the saucepan back on the heat. Cook on medium high heat, stirring constantly with the whisk, until the mixture comes to the boil. Reduce heat and boil for about 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and gently whisk in the butter.

Strain the pastry cream into a bowl, place plastic wrap directly on the surface, and chill completely.

 2.  Make the crepes.  this recipe 4 times.  I would make 4 separate batches, for some reason the batter turns out better than if you just make 4 times the ingredients at once.
1 cup a/p flour
1/4 t salt
2 T sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1.5 cups milk or more up to the right thin consistency
2 T melted butter

Sift the flour, salt, and sugar into a large bowl.  Add the egg, milk, and butter and mix then vigorously mix into the flour until well blended and silky 

add a little butter to a hot pan and pour in about 1/3 cup crepe batter and quickly tilt and rotate pan to cover the bottom in an even thin layer. cook for about 1 minute and turn and cook for another 30 seconds and remove. Continue until all the batter is gone.

3.  Nutella that is in a bowl that will fit over a larger bowl filled with hot water to keep the Nutella soft so that it is easier to spread thinly onto the crepe.

start by placing a pretty crepe to the side to top the cake, then set a  crepe in the center of you cake place or what ever you chose to assemble you cake on.  then spread a thin layer of pastry cream with an off set spatula.  place another crepe on the previous cream covered crepe and then spread a thin layer of Nutella.  Repeat alternating between pastry cream and Nutella until you have used all of your crepes being sure to top the cake with your pretty crepe you saved before. cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 2 hours before serving.

"Belgium" Cheesecake

A friend of mine gave me this recipe and I hope that I can make this for her sometime soon.  She said it was called a "Belgium Cheesecake" a few months ago and I searched to internet looking and looking but could not find the recipe.  My friend got in touch with the person that makes this cheesecake (they do no live in Michigan) and got the recipe for me.

Belgium Cheesecake
Take 1 cup water, 1/2  cup sugar, and 1/2 package of unflavored gelatin (.25 oz.), and mix.
Heat in a double boiler until gelatin and sugar dissolve.

Take 1/2 cup of cold water and 4 egg yolks and mix with a whisk or mixer.  Add this to the hot mixture in double boiler and stir until mixture starts to thicken.

Remove from heat.

Mix 12 oz of cream cheese and 2.5 tablespoons lemon juice with a mixer until creamy.  Blend this into the hot mixture until well mixed and creamy.  Place the mixture in refrigerator for about 45 minutes or until it starts to set.

Make a Graham cracker crust: 1 cup crushed graham crackers with 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 cup butter.   Butter a spring-form pan with butter and 1/2 of the sugar graham cracker mixture.

Whip 1/2 cup whipping cream and then blend in with the cheesecake filling that was in the refrigeration.

Whip 4 egg whites to stiff peaks and mix into the cheesecake mixture.

Pour cheese cake mixture into graham cracker lined pan, cover the cake with the rest of the graham crackers and chill for at least 3  hours.

Almond Cake

Last weekend we were watching TV and saw Lidia make this cake and it looked so good that my Daughter, her friend, and I gave it a try.  Almond Torta with Chocolate Chips was as good as it looked on her show and we had fun making it!  

~Almond Cake~

10 ounces butter, soft, plus more for the pan
1¾ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for the pan
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup sugar
5 large eggs
2 teaspoons finely grated zest of orange
1 teaspoon pure almond extract
2 cups almond flour
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (we used chopped bitter sweet baking bar)
½ cup sliced blanched almonds, lightly toasted (we did not have these so we did not do this)


You will need a 10-inch springform pan and an electric mixer with paddle attachment. Butter and flour the bottom and sides of the springform pan. Arrange a rack in the center of the oven, and heat to 350 degrees. Sift together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt. 

In the mixer, cream the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. On medium speed, add the eggs, one at a time, mixing each in thoroughly before adding the next; scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in the lemon zest and almond extract, then raise the speed to high and beat the batter until very light, a minute or more. 

On low speed, mix in half of the sifted flour mixture, beating just until it is incorporated; beat in half the almond flour. Scrape the bowl, and mix in the remaining all-purpose flour and remaining almond flour. Beat briefly on medium to a smooth batter, then, again on low speed, mix in the chocolate chips just until evenly distributed. 

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, and spread it in an even layer. Scatter the sliced almonds all over the top. Bake the torta for 45 minutes-rotating the pan halfway through the baking time-or until the cake is golden brown on top and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. 

Cool the cake in the pan for about 10 minutes on a wire rack. Run the blade of a paring knife around the edge of the cake, then open the spring and remove the side ring. Cool the cake completely before serving. Cut it in wedges, and dust with confectioners' sugar or accompany with whipped cream, ice cream, or zabaglione.

As the Years Drift By

So my baby girl is not a baby any more she turned 7 at the beginning of the month and she is in 2nd grade. It is hard to believe that one of my first blog post was of her 3rd Birthday.

For her Birthday she wanted this beautiful cake that a friend of mine gave me a recipe for and we all enjoyed eating it very much but what was the best was making it with her.

Turning 2

Made this for my nephew's 2nd Birthday.  He loved it

A Birthday Cake Only a Princess Turning 5 Would Pick

a few Months Back I asked Z what kind of cake she wanted and she said a castle cake. Ok I could like with that they make castle cake pans. As her Birthday, and her party, drew closer I asked what flavor she wanted her cake and she picked strawberry. Two days before the party we went out to Ideal Cake to rent that castle cake pan and what did she see...thats right a wedding cake. She had found it the cake of her dreams with roses in time and you guessed it again (well I think the photos gave it away) I made her a double decker strawberry flavored, strawberry jam filled, rose covered cake. It was great...the cake and the birthday girl.

2 2/3 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/3 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/3 cup milk

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened

2 egg

2 teaspoon vanilla

1/3 cup good strawberry jam

1) preheat the oven to 350F. Butter and flour 2 9" cake pan .

2) In a large mixing bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add milk, butter, egg, jam and vanilla. Beat on low speed until combined. Beat on medium speed for 1 minute. scrape cake batter into cake pan.

3) bake for 45 minutes or until knife inserted into center of cake cokes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Remove from pans; cool completely.

HOLY COW SHE IS 5 ALREADY!!!

He Got an Allis Chalmer for his 3rd Birthday

On August 8th My little man turned 3 and he asked for cake, 2 presents and spaghetti.

Allis Chalmer tractors are known for their orange color and my son being an orange loving engine revving boy he is he picked the tractor pan out at the pan rental store and then after coming home he did not choose the green, blue or yellow tractors pictured on the pan, no. His Tractor had to be ORANGE.

I did use a box cake for the tractor because the shape comes out better with box cakes for some reason...German Chocolate.

And for My big boys play group Birthday party I made these cherry jam filled cup cakes. I thought they were so good.


I got the recipe from my 2004 Better homes and Gardens cookbook and I used my homemade sour cherry jam that I made earlier this summer (see I have been cooking even if I have not been blogging) .

Cherry Filled Cup Cakes



1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup milk
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, softened
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
2/3 cup Cherry preserves
powdered sugar icing
cherries for decoration

1) preheat the oven to 350F. Line muffin cups with paper baking cups and set aside.
2) In a large mixing bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add milk, butter, egg, and vanilla. Beat on low speed until combined. Beat on medium speed for 1 minute. Spoon 1 scant tablespoon of batter into each muffin cup. Add 1 teaspoon of cherry preserves (I added a little more) and top with 1 tablespoon of cake batter.
3) bake cupcakes for about 15 minutes or until toothpick comes out center of cupcake clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Remove from pans; cool completely.
4) Drizzle each with powdered sugar icing and top with a preserved cherry.

Powdered Sugar Icing
Combine 21/2 cups powdered sugar, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, 2 tablespoons milk. Stir in additional milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, until icing reaches drizzling consistency.

Happy Birthday my Son!

Berry Birthday Cake with Beautiful Blossoms

DD had picked 2 lollipop cakes for her birthday. Cupcakes to share at school and a cake covered in lollipop flowers for on her birthday to have with family and friends. This is the Story of the lollipop flower cake.

It is so cool when you start to make a cake , get out the pans and my 4 year old daughter pops up on the chair and says "I will butter the pans", only a child that cooks can do that.

DD chose a berry cake for this cake, I am sure she was thinking that carrot cake did not sound all that good. The cake is one that is in my William-Sonoma Outdoors cookbook, and one of my favorites books, and it is called mixed berry bundt cake.

5 eggs

1 2/3 cups sugar

1 1/4 cuos unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 Tablespoons fruit Liqueur

2 1/2 cups all-pourpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

pinch of salt

1 1/2 cups raspberries

1 1/2 cups blueberries

Preheat oven to 325F. Butter and flour a 9" bundt pan.

In a large bowl, blend the eggs and sugar using an electric mixer. Add the butter and liqueur and beat until fluffy. Add all but 2 Tablespoons of the flour, the baking powder and the salt, beat until well incorporated and no lumps remain.

In a another bowl, combine the berries and the reserved 2 tablespoons of four. Toss to coat the berries evenly with the flour. Gently fold the berries into the batter.

pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake until a wooden skewer inserted comes out clean, about 60 minutes. Remove for the oven and let cool in the pan for about 30 minutes. Unmold the cake to cool completely.

I baked the cake in 2 9" cake pans instead of a bundt pan to make a layer cake.

I then frosted the cake with cream cheese frosting tinted green with cooked spinach.

2.5 sticks butter at room temperature
24 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 cups powdered sugar
1 bunch cooked spinach that has been pureed in the.

In a large mixing bowl add the butter and cream sugar and blend until combined and light and fluffy. add the vanilla, sugar and enough spinach to give the green color you like. Mix well and set aside.

I put the cake together using Martha's directions Here using lollipops and suckers as flower blossoms.

Lollipops Melt

My Daughter turned 4 on Monday and to celebrate her coming of age at school last Friday we took cupcakes to share with the class. DD picked lollipop cupcakes that we found on the Martha Stewart website and she wanted them to be tangerine flavored.

I found this lemon cake recipe in the Martha Stewart site and replaced anything lemon with tangerine...

1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pans
3 cups cake flour (not self-rising), sifted, plus more for pans
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups sugar
5 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
Zest of 2 lemons
1 cup buttermilk

I thought that this would be a nice rich cake with buttermilk and 5 eggs but it was just a very eggy cake with a sticky texture and heavy. How disappointing.

For the Frosting I went with the 7 minute Jello Frosting and used orange Jello, the closest I could find to tangerine...

31/2 tbsp. Jello (any flavour)

1/2 cup hot water1

1/4 cup granulated sugar

2 egg whites unbeaten

dash of salt

Dissolve Jello in water in top of double boiler. Add sugar, egg whites and salt. Beat mixture for about one minute with rotary or electric beater until well mixed. Place over rapidly boiling water. Beat constantly about 7 minutes or until frosting stands up in peaks. Transfer to another bowl and beat about one minutes or until thick enough to spread.

I the frosting was ok, I make this every march for my Mother's Lemon chiffon cake. but it did not set up as fast I needed for this application.

Finding lollipops like in the picture on Martha's website was impossible (you know how kids are, it has to look the same) so I got the lollipops that are in the picture. They worked ok but they were not as pretty.

Thursday DD and I went to work and made our eggy cake, and runny frosting and stuck the lollipops in the cakes and wrapped them up so that they were all ready to take to school on Friday. Did you know that lollipops melt when enclosed with moist cake, I didn't. So the ugly green in the lollipops melted all over the lollipops making the sugar sprinkles on the frosting to me a slimy green mass/mess what ever one would cal it.

DD's teacher was so nice and said that the cupcakes were wonderful, she is such a sweetheart.

Apple Cake

1½ Cups Flour
2 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/8 tsp. allspice
1/8 tsp. Cayenne
1/2 Cup room temperature butter
1/2 cup Brown Sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
4 cups grated apples
1 cup bran (all-bran)1/2 cup pecans

preheat oven to 350F.

peel and grate the apples

In a bowl combine dry ingredients.

In a large mixing bowl beat butter and sugar until blended. Beat in eggs one at a time. Stir in apple, bran, pecans and flour mixtures

Spread batter into a 9" buttered baking pan and bake for 40 to 45 minutes.

Happy Birthday My Little Boy - 2 years already

My son is not big on chocolate fan; however, I did not want to do a boring cake for his Birthday, so I chose to do a spice cake. I confess spice cake is one of my favorite and when you are turning two choosing a cake is not much more then “I want it to look like a car”. In the end he liked the cake very much eating more then the other kids at his party.

3 cups flour

1.5 t. cinnamon

1.5 ground ginger

1 t. baking powder

1 t. baking soda

1 cup butter, softened

½ cup brown sugar, packed

2 eggs

1 cup molasses

2/3 cup water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour three 9x1½ inch round baking pans; set aside.

In a bowl combine flour, cinnamon, ginger, powder, soda and set aside

In a large mixing bowl beat butter at medium speed for about 30 seconds. Add brown sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Add the molasses and eggs; beat for a minute add flour mixture and water, alternating on low until just combined. Divide batter among the 3 pans.

Bake for 18 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes in pans, remove cake from pans and cool completely.

I had to adjust for car cake pan so baking time was 70 minutes and I had to multiply recipe by 1.5

Walnut Olive Oil Cake

I started making this cake a few years ago from a recipe in one of my many cookbooks. Over the years it has evolved into what I am giving you here today.

1 1/2 Cups Chopped Walnuts
1/2 cup All-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 T. Baking powder
1/4 t. Salt
4 eggs
1 1/2 Cups Sugar
Zest of 1 orange
Zest of 1 Lemon
Juice of 1 orange and Juice of 1 Lemon (about 1/2 cup, If juice is short add orange juice to 1/2 cup)
1/2 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1. Preheat Oven to 350. Lightly coat a 9" Spring form pan with olive oil.

2. Toast walnuts in the oven for about 10 minutes, cool slightly. Place walnuts in in food processor and process until they are the consistency of bread crumbs; In a bowl combine ground nuts, flour, baking powder, and salt, set aside.

3. Beat eggs in a large bowl with an electric mixer until frothy. Slowly add the sugar and beat until light, thick, and lemon color. Slowly add the walnut-flour mixture, beating continuously. Then, with mixer on low, add juice, zest, and oil and mix until just combined.

4. Pour into the prepared pan and bake for about 50-60 minutes or until a skewer inserted into center of cake comes out clean. Set pan on rack and cool. Remove cake from pan and place on serving platter.

Serve with fruit in a balsamic reduction.


Nutrition Information: serves 8: Per serving 540 calories, 30 g fat, 64 g carbs, 2 g fiber, 217mg, sodium 8g protein,

sokerikakku - Finnish Sugar Cake

3 extra large eggs (4 Finnish size eggs - or med eggs)
1.5 dl. of sugar (150 ml)
2 dl of flour (200 ml)
1 teaspoon of baking powder
butter and bread crumbs

2 c. Whipping cream
1/4 c. Sugar
1 t. vanilla
2 t. citrus zest (I used the zest of a tangerine)

juice, simple syrup, or liquor
Jam
fruit of your choice

Butter three 8 inch cake pans and dust with bread crumbs.
Preheat the oven to 395 degrees (200 C) .

sift together the flour and baking powder into a small bowl and set aside.

In a mixing bowl, on high speed whip the eggs and sugar until they become light in color and frothy.

Gently fold the flour mixture into the eggs with a rubber spatula. Divide the batter evenly between the three pans and bake for 15 minutes or until a

toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let the cake cool.

Whip the cream with an electric mixer, while the

cream is whipping add 1/4 C. sugar, vanilla, and zest.

Place one of the 3 layers of the cake on a cake plate, sprinkle the cake with juice or simple syrup (I used a mixture of simple syrup and cheery liquor). cover cake with whipped cream, and then place a layer of fruit over the whipped cream (I used banana, blackberries, and grapes) repeat these steps with each layer of cake. and serve.