French Macarons

By On · 2 Comments · In Baking

I discovered two things when I made French Macarons.  One, I was way to conservative with the food coloring, and secondly I really don’t really like them!

macarons 1

Call me crazy, but I just found them way too sweet.   I made them at the request of my daughter who took them to her office today to share with co-workers.  They all enjoyed them!  So it is all good.

macarons 5

They are a bit temperamental though, and I was surprised they turned out as well as they did on the first try.  I was excited to see the “feet” develop in the oven.  I wish I had used more food coloring to create a darker teal color instead of a pale robins egg blue!

macarons 6

I filled them with marshmallow fluff blended with some melted milk chocolate.  I am sure that added to the sweetness just a bit!!

m

The shells were crispy and full with no big air pockets.  The trick is to bang the baking pan firmly on the counter a couple of times before baking.

macarons 4

Packed them up in my egg cartons for easy travel!

macarons 3

So, while they are not my favorite “cookie” I do agree they make quite an impact on any pastry tray!  Will I make them again?  Heck yeah!  These are far from perfect so I have some work to do to get them  just right!

I would love to know, what do you think of French Macarons??

I used a recipe found here at How To Cook That. Ann Reardon is a master macaron maker in my opinion! Excellent tutorial videos too.
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Maple Bacon Cookies

By On · 8 Comments · In Baking

Yes, you read that right….Maple Bacon Cookies!

bacon cookie 5

Two ingredients that just speak to Canadians are maple syrup and bacon!

After hearing about so many sweet goodies made with bacon, and being a lover of that sweet and salty combination I decided to try adding bacon to a simple maple cookie recipe.  I was so lucky to be gifted two bottles of pure maple syrup recently and was happy to put it to good use!

bacon cookie 2

The crispy bacon adds a nice texture and bit of a crunch to this otherwise soft, chewy cookie

bacon cookie 4

This recipe makes a huge batch.  I had enough to send to work with Tim, and some left over to take to our Bible study group.

bacon cookie 1

bacon cookie 7

Even put a few aside for my sister…..who always stops by after all the baking has left the house!

bacon cookie

This will make a nice addition to our Canada Day barbecue, not to mention a summer picnic or potluck.  This is sturdy cookie that pack well without crumbling or falling apart if packed with a bit of care.

What is your favorite recipe to bake with bacon?!

Enjoy.

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Maple Bacon Cookies
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 

Serves: 50
 

Ingredients
  • 6 to 8 slices bacon
  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 1 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 cup pure maple syrup
  • 1 tsp maple extract
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 4 cups flour
  • 1 cup confectioners sugar
  • ⅓ cup pure maple syrup
  • 1 to 2 tbsp. milk

Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
  2. Line baking sheet with parchment paper and arrange bacon in single layer
  3. Bake for approximately 20 minutes or until very crisp
  4. Allow to cool. (This step can be done ahead of time)
  5. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
  6. In the bowl of an electric mixer cream the butter and brown sugar. Add the egg, maple syrup and maple extract and beat until well blended.
  7. Sift flour, bacon soda and salt into a large bowl.
  8. Reduce mixer speed to low and slowly add flour mixture.
  9. Beat just until incorporated
  10. Crumble bacon into fine pieces and add to batter, mixing just until combined.
  11. Line baking sheets with parchment and scoop by tablespoon (I have a tbsp. sized scoop that works perfect) leaving space between each cookie
  12. Bake for 9 minutes and remove from oven and allow to cool before glazing
  13. For Glaze combine sifted confectioners sugar, maple syrup and just enough milk to make it smooth and fluid. Taste test and add more maple syrup if necessary to achieve a nice maple flavor. Dip the top of each cookie into glaze and allow to set overnight.
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Strawberry Lemon Tart

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I know, here I go again, lemon!

strawberry lemon tart

I choose this recipe at the request of my daughter Marlie!  She has been following Weight Watchers on-line program and as lost 75 pounds!  I thought it was about time I “baked” something she could indulge in that didn’t come in a little red box in the freezer section!! But then it also occurred to me it is also perfect for my daughter Samantha.  While she often indulges in my baked treats, being a vegetarian, eating healthy is important to her too!

strawberry lemon tart

I am so lucky to have been blessed with two amazing daughters who are as different as night and day.

Marlie has a sense of humor that is infectious.  She finds the humor in the most mundane things.  She is quick with one liners and tells it like it is.  I love that about her.  I know it has to take an incredible amount of discipline to follow a healthy eating plan when I am constantly baking in the kitchen, but she has made it seem effortless.  We have been told time and time again that the two of us look like sisters.  This makes me very happy…….her, not so much!!  She hates to be photographed :(    She has an incredible knack for the art of make-up application and all things cosmetics and beauty!

lemon strawberry tart

Samantha is my creative double!  She has a real knack for seeing the beauty in all things and what they could be with a little TLC.  She has an eye for color and style when it comes to interior design and I often count on her to validate my design choices.  She hates getting or receiving gift cards for any occasion and always want to take the time to pick the perfect gift from the heart.  She dreams of owning her own home and I know it will be a stunner!  She has an incredible love for animals…….hence being vegetarian!

My girls have made my job as a mom both very rewarding and challenging and I am thankful every day that I am their Mom!

meringue 9

This easy Strawberry Lemon Tart is low fat, 4 Weight Watchers Points Plus for those who are counting!

lemon strawberry tart

(easy way to keep eggs from rolling off the counter, nest them in a rolled kitchen towel!)

meringue shell

 The shell of this tart is crispy meringue

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Top with low fat lemon Greek yogurt

strawberry lemon tartTop with strawberries.

lemon strawberry tart

Enjoy!

The recipe can be found here

Just like my daughters, different and unique,  you could easily customize this dessert to suit all the different tastes in your family!

I am thinking chocolate pudding and raspberries for me!

HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!
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Triple Lemon Buttercream Cake

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Now that I have had a bit of time to decompress from the busy weekend I am excited to share with you the recipe for my mom’s birthday cake.  Triple Lemon Buttercream cake with lemon curd and honey mascarpone cream filling.  I will admit it is a bit time consuming to prepare, but so worth the effort!

curd cake 5

I love how busy I am on the weekends when the weather turns nice!  I especially love being busy in the kitchen baking up something yummy for my family.  And I have to admit it was a bit of comedy of errors yesterday when I started to prepare the buttercream frosting.  The cake layers, lemon curd and honey mascarpone came together without a hitch.  The buttercream however, was a bit of a challenge, and for no other reason than I was letting my mind wander to all the things I had to get done and was rushing a bit more than I should have been.  Lets just say this….one batch ended up all over the stove top, the second try didn’t get past separating the eggs because I got a whole chunk of yolk mixed in, which is a no-no.  The third try the egg whites did make it into the bowl yolkless, but when I picked up the measuring cup with the sugar the handle caught the edge of the bowl and I promptly dumped all the sugar over the floor!  It was my last 4 eggs, so thankfully they were unharmed!   I  almost threw up my arms and said forget it, but all the other steps were done and I really wanted this to turn out well! All I could do is laugh at myself and remember why I love to bake!

Triple layer lemon cake

The recipe is adapted from Anna Olson’s Lemon Layer Cake with Lemon Curd and Buttercream Frosting.

lemon layer cake

For the Cake Layers you will need 3 8″ round pans.  I think 8″ square pans would give it a bit of an elegant touch as well.

Even though the buttercream frosting should be refrigerated if not being used promptly, I would recommend preparing the buttercream and frosting the cake only an hour or two prior to serving, which will ensure it is silky smooth and creamy. Given its’ butter content it does firm up when chilled. If you do make the whole cake and chill it, just be sure to remove it from the fridge a least an hour before serving.

lemon layer cake

I  wanted to add a touch of honey to the flavor and decided the best way to achieve this while elevating the wow factor was to prepare a mascarpone cream by beating mascarpone cheese and honey and then folding this mixture into whipped cream!

Assembling the cake was a “piece of cake”!  (sorry I couldn’t resist)

preparing the layers

Decorating was just as easy.  I choose to slice up some fresh lemon and drizzle with honey, but you could easily top with fresh berries or even just leave that silky butter cream in all its’ glory!

lemon honey cake

lemon layer cake

It truly does make a cake worthy of any bake shop!

lemon layer cake

I have babbled on quite enough……now go bake a cake!

5.0 from 1 reviews

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Triple Lemon Buttercream Cake
Author: 
Recipe type: Dessert
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 

Serves: 10
 

Ingredients
  • CAKE
  • ½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1½ cup granulated sugar
  • 2 tbsp. grated lemon zest (I use organic lemons when using the zest)
  • 2 cups + 2 tbsp. cake and pastry flour
  • 1 tbsp. baking powder
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1¼ cup buttermilk, room temperature
  • 4 egg whites (reserve yolks for lemon curd)
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • BUTTERCREAM
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 4 egg whites
  • 1½ cups unsalted butter, room temperature
  • ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • CURD
  • ⅔ cup granulated sugar
  • ½ cup fresh lemon juice
  • 2 tsp grated lemon zest
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 1 whole egg
  • ½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
  • HONEY MASCARPONE CREAM
  • 8 oz container mascarpone cheese
  • ¼ cup + 2 tbsp. honey
  • 1 cup 35% whipping cream, whipped

Instructions
  1. LEMON CURD (I should note I always make this first to allow sufficient time to cool)
  2. Whisk all ingredients except butter in a heatproof bowl.
  3. Place bowl over pot of simmering water.
  4. Gently whisk the mixture until it has thickened and will make a ribbon on top of itself when whisk is lifted. You do not need to whisk quickly, and can step away now and again). This process should take about 15 minutes.
  5. Remove from heat and stir in butter. Allow to cool until set.
  6. CAKE
  7. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease three 8″ cake pans and line bottoms with parchment paper. Lightly coat sides of pan with sugar.
  8. Cream the butter and sugar with the lemon zest by beating at high speed until well blended.
  9. In a separate bowl sift together flour, baking powder and salt.
  10. In a second bowl whisk egg yolks with buttermilk and vanilla.
  11. Add the flour and buttermilk milk alternatively into the creamed butter mixture in small additions, beginning and ending with the flour. Mix well after each addition.
  12. Divide the batter between the three pans. It amounts to approximately just under 2 cups per cake pan.
  13. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, or until skewer comes out clean.
  14. Cool in pan for 15 to 20 minutes before turning out on rack to cool completely.
  15. BUTTERCREAM FROSTING
  16. Whisk the sugar and egg whites in a metal bowl.
  17. Place the bowl over a pot of simmering water and whisk until the sugar is completely dissolved and mixture is hot, approximately 3 minutes.
  18. Remove from heat and carefully pour mixture into the bowl of electric stand mixer (or use handheld mixer). Whip the hot egg whites until they cool to room temperature.
  19. While beating, add the butter a bit at a time. Then add lemon juice and vanilla.
  20. The mixture will still be quite runny at this point. Continue beating until it reaches a smooth and fluffy texture. This will take several minutes.
  21. Set aside while you assemble cake
  22. HONEY MASCARPONE CHEESE
  23. Beat cheese and honey until smooth and creamy
  24. Whip cream and fold into the mascarpone cheese mixture
  25. ASSEMBLY
  26. Place one layer onto cake plate. Using an offset spatula spread a generous amount of lemon curd to cover entire layer leaving only a small border around edges. Then, spoon an equally generous amount of honey mascarpone cream over curd and gently spread to completely cover the lemon curd.
  27. Place second layer of cake on top and repeat with lemon curd and mascarpone cream.
  28. Place last layer of cake on top. Again, using an offset spatula gently spread buttercream icing over top and down sides of cake. Decorate around bottom edge with piping bag if you wish, and top with lemons, berries, or decorate by piping on a design of your choice!

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