Living with the Webers - Dessert

Banana Bread or Muffins

Sarah — Tue, 28 Jan 2014 01:35:37 +0000

Delicious and moist banana bread or muffins that are perfect for breakfast. Makes one loaf or a dozen muffins. This is also a great base recipe for other muffins. Just leave out or replace the bananas with other fruit. Some variations are listed at the end of the recipe.

3 ripe bananas (with brown spots is extra good!)
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup milk or soy milk
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup sugar (recommended to use less if the bananas are very ripe)
1 3/4 cups flour (I like it best with spelt flour, but a mix of whole wheat and white is good too)
1 tsp vinegar (I use apple cider vinegar)
Chocolate chips, chopped nuts, or other desired additions (optional)

Preheat oven to 350F.

Mash the bananas in a large mixing bowl. It sometimes is useful to add all or part of the liquid ingredients to get the bananas fully mashed up.

Mix all ingredients together except for the vinegar. Once everything is well combined, add the vinegar and just briefly mix. The batter should bubble up from the vinegar reacting with the baking soda.

Pour batter into muffin tins or loaf pan. Bake. The muffins take about 15-20 minutes and the loaf about 40-50 minutes. Remove from your oven when a toothpick comes out clean.

Some variations I like:
Blueberry: Replace bananas with 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries.

Apple Spice: Replace bananas with 2 grated apples. Add 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon and 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice.

Pumpkin Spice: Replace bananas with 1 cup pumpkin purée (can also use butternut squash). Add 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon and 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice.

Carrot, Raisin and Nut: Replace bananas with 1 cup grated carrot. Add 1/3 to 1/2 cup of both raisins and chopped walnuts.

Zucchini and Nut: Replace bananas with 1 cup grated zucchini. Add 1/3 to 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts.

Almond Poppy Seed: Leave out bananas. Add approx 1 tsp almond extract (to taste) and 1/4 cup poppy seeds.

Recommended With

Chai

Chai Latte

Yoghurt and Passionfruit Syrup Cake

Pia — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 22:02:20 +0000

This recipe is adapted from Donna Hay's recipe from her cookbook "Seasons". Here I put less sugar and substituted freshly ground whole spelt flour for the flour and brown sugar instead of caster sugar.

It was hard to decide which cake to make, this passion fruit cake or a fig upside down cake. We found both fruits at the Farmers Market today and bought both. I guess today it is one cake and maybe later in the week the other. Why not? Life should be enjoyed in many sweet ways. I love this cake. And the good thing is when you don't want to eat so much cake all by yourself you can give away slices of it and people will love you for it!

1/2 cup butter, softened or 1/3 cup and 2 tablespoons olive oil or other vegetable oil
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla sugar
3 eggs
1 cup plain yoghurt
2 cups flour, I used spelt flour
2 teaspoons baking powder

For the syrup:
1 cup passionfruit pulp
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup water

Preheat the oven to 350 F.
Prepare Passionfruit syrup by placing passionfruit, sugar and water into a small pan. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 10-15 minutes. Set aside.
For the cake mix the butter or oil with the sugar and vanilla until well blended. Then add all other ingredients. Mix well. Pour into a greased cake form and back for 35 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.

Remove cake from the baking pan, spike cake all over with a skewer and drizzle cake with the syrup.

Nectarine Tart with Orange Syrup

Pia — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 01:42:09 +0000

Knitting club meets once a month. That gives me an opportunity to bake something. In August, this was the cake I baked and everybody loved it!

Serves:

Nectarine Topping:
2 1/2 nectarines, halved and stones removed
2 tablespoons sugar

Dough:
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup and 2 tablespoons sugar
2 eggs
1 cup ground almonds
1/4 cup flour
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon rind
1/4 teaspoon baking powder

Orange Syrup:
1 cup orange juice
1/4 cup sugar

Orange Syrup:
Place the orange juice and sugar in a small saucepan over high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10-12 minutes or until the mixture thickens. Set aside and allow to cool.

Nectarine Topping:
Heat a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Sprinkle the nectarine halves with sugar and cook, cut-side down, for 2-3 minutes or until the sugar is melted and golden. Set aside.

Dough:
Mix ingredients until just combined. Spoon into a oiled, rectangular, deep baking pan (about 13" x 4" x 3"). Press the nectarines into the mixture, cut-side up, and bake for 30 minutes at 325F or until cooked when tested with a skewer. Allow to cool and pour some orange syrup over the top. Serve with the extra orange syrup.

Recommended With

Tea (Black, Rooibos, Peach Passion, or whatever else strikes your fancy)

Mini Fruit Tarts with Lime Cream

Sarah — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 03:04:34 +0000

These are perfect for a light and healthy summer dessert. They can be made using any kind of fresh fruit (go to the farmer's market to see what is in season!) and if you'd prefer a warm version of this, feel free to stew the fruit until soft. Apples, pears, nectarines, or peaches would be delicious for this and you could even add a bit of cinnamon for a bit more flavor. The lime tofu cream can be changed to a plain cream by decreasing the lime or lemon juice down to 1-2 tablespoons.

The Lemon Pastry Shell recipe comes from the Patricia Wells at Home in Provence cookbook and the tofu cream is adapted from a German tofu cookbook.

Serves:

Lemon Pastry Shell:
8 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
grated zest of 1 lemon (or zest of 2 limes)
1/4 cup powdered sugar
a pinch of salt
1 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon flour

Fruit Filling:
1 peach, cut into small pieces
1 plum, cut into small pieces
(you could also use berries, nectarines, apricots, mangos, apples, pears or whatever other delicious fruit is in season)

Lime Tofu Cream:
a pack of soft silken tofu (I use the Mori-Nu brand)
1/2 cup soy milk
2 tablespoons olive oil
a pinch of salt
2-4 tablespoons sugar, to taste
juice of 3 limes (or of 1 lemon)

Lemon Pastry Shell:
1. In a bowl, mix the oil, vanilla extract, lemon zest, sugar, and salt. Add the flour until it forms a smooth, soft dough.
2. Place 8 muffin baking cups into your muffin dish, so that the pastry shells won't stick (they are almost impossible to get out without muffin baking cups, as they are thin and break easily).
3. Divide the dough up evenly into the muffin cups and press into the bottom and sides to form a mini pastry shell.
4. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until firm and lightly browned, in a preheated 350F oven. Cool for at least 10 minutes before filling.

Lime Tofu Cream:
1. Put everything into a blender and blend until smooth. It is best to start off with 2 tablespoons of sugar and add more as needed.

Preparing the Tarts:
1. Carefully take the muffin baking cups off of the pastry shells.
2. Just prior to serving, spoon the fruit filling into the pastry shells and top with lime tofu cream.

Banana Split

si1ver2 — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 06:40:24 +0000

Extremely quick, easy and yummy dessert.

Serves:

4 bananas (1 per person)
ice cream (1-2 scoops per person)
100 grams of chocolate
milk or soymilk

Place the chocolate into a small pan and add a dash of milk to it. Set the heat to medium low and follow the next steps coming back to stir it occasionally.

Slice the bananas into rings. Place these into the bowl which you will serve the dish in. I prefer bowls over plates because the ice cream tends to melt and it can get messy with plates.

Place one or two scoops of your preferred ice cream into each bowl.

Check back on the chocolate mixture and add more milk if needed. The texture should be similar to that of syrup. Using a tablespoon scoop out the chocolate and pour it over the ice cream and bananas. More or less chocolate can be added to taste.

Recommended With

Vanilla Syrup

Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies

Vanilla Syrup

si1ver2 — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 06:39:12 +0000

This is wonderful as a topping for desserts or to sweeten and flavor drinks.

1 vanilla bean, cut into small pieces
3/4 cup water
1 1/2 cup sugar

Put all ingredients into a small pan. Simmer for about 6 minutes. Strain out big pieces and let syrup cool.

Recommended With

Banana Split

Pumpkin bread

Pia — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 23:55:21 +0000

I am sitting here with a cup of green tea called Tribute to the Immortals and enjoy a slice of this delicious cake. I received this recipe from a friend and adopted it. I should do my Italian homework but I think I rather have another piece of this wonderful cake. I am sure you will love it!

4 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup olive oil
2 cups butter squash, cooked and puréed
3 cups of flour, I used org. spelt flour
3/4 cup, sugar, I used org. cane sugar
1-1/2 teaspoon baking soda
A dash of salt
1 teaspoon each of cinnamon, clove and nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
(optional, but if you have a ripe banana to use, mashed it and add it as well)

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Grease two loaf pans.
3. Mix all the ingredients well in a bowl. Poor batter into the pans.
4. Bake for about 45-60 minutes, until a wooden stick inserted into the center of loaf comes out clean.

Mamapia cake

Pia — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 03:08:44 +0000

Try this cake. It's so wonderfully delicious!

Serves:

3/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup brown sugar
4 eggs, beaten
1 cup whole wheat flour, I use spelt flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 nectarine, sliced thinly
1 pluot, sliced thinly (or another plum)
1/2 cup grapes
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

For the sirup:
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons lemon juice

1. Preheat oven to 375 F
2. Mix all the ingredients and mix well.
3. Pour mixture into a greased baking dish.
4. Bake cake for 40 - 50 minutes or until a inserted knife comes out clean.

For the sirup:
1. In a small pan bring water and sugar to a boil. Then take away from stove and add lemon juice.
2. Pour over the cake as soon as you take it out of the oven.

Let cake cool for 5 - 10 minutes and then take out of the baking dish. Let cool completely before serving.

Blackberry Sorbet

Sarah — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 04:52:46 +0000

The blackberry bushes growing along the fence of my apartment complex are overflowing with ripe berries, so I froze half of the ones I picked, intending to keep them for use in smoothies and/or berry pies/crumbles in the fall. But when craving a cold dessert on a hot evening, I decided to try making a sorbet out of them. It was absolutely delicious!

Serves:

3 cups frozen blackberries
water, just enough to blend
sugar, to taste (I used 2 teaspoons, as I wanted the flavor of the berries to stand out without the sorbet being super sweet, however for a more traditional sorbet, you will want to use more sugar)

Put berries, sugar, and a bit of water in the blender. Add more water as necessary until the berries are blended properly but it still have a sorbet-like consistency (you do not want it to be as liquid as a smoothie). Add sugar as necessary.

Note: This will be much easier to make if you have a good blender, as you will need to add very little water to get the blender going. I am lucky enough to have gotten a Vita-Mix blender (the best on the market with a high power motor -it can even make nut butters out of whole nuts) from a friend, so I had no problems. If you have a less powerful blender and need to add more water in order to get it to blend, you might want to consider freezing the sorbet for a bit after blending until it is right consistency.

Variation: Use any type of frozen fruit, adjusting sugar as necessary. This is perfect when you have over-ripe or bruised fruit at home, or wish to buy those for very cheap at the Farmer's Market: just cut them up and freeze them. I did this with pluots and yellow and white nectarines that I got at the Farmer's Market today, and then added some blackberries to make sorbet. It was even better than just blackberries because the pluots and nectarines are incredibly sweet!

Recommended With

Meringues

Vanilla Sugar

Sarah — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 21:09:33 +0000

This can be used in any recipe instead of vanilla extract. White sugar provides the most neutral taste, but I prefer it with brown sugar (it's so good that I always eat a pinch on its own while baking...).

1 lb. sugar (approx 2 cups)
2 vanilla beans

1. Chop vanilla beans in the food processor until in small pieces.
2. Add sugar. Process for about 2 minutes until everything is well mixed.