SMS: Hazelnut Raspberry Layer Cake

Sweet Melissa Sundays are back with cake! Hazelnut Raspberry Layer Cake, to be precise. I’m surprised this recipe hadn’t been selected yet and it’s a great way for the group to begin 2011. My birthday was Wednesday and Josh is planning on making me a cake and I briefly considered letting this be my birthday cake since I thought it sounded so good, but decided to “save” my special cake for a later date. And don’t worry – we celebrated with cupcakes on my actual birthday!



There is a raspberry icing recipe in Rose’s Heavenly Cakes that I absolutely love (and so does everyone who tries it), so I thought about using that and then decided I should try the recipe in the Sweet Melissa book. However, the original recipe called for a mixture of whole raspberries and raspberry liqueur to be mixed in and the idea of whole raspberry seeds in the frosting was kind of off-putting to me. I saw Tracey had made a whole raspberry-free frosting and was inspired to stick with my initial instinct and eliminate them as well. I used a scant half cup of seedless raspberry preserves for the raspberry flavor and color, which essentially made it like recipe I usually make. Oh, and Melissa’s recipe does not specify to let the egg/white sugar syrup combination cool down before you add the butter (the syrup is 240 degrees when it goes in), but I recommend chilling it briefly before adding the butter.

We rated this recipe an 8.5 for Deliciousness and I gave it a 4.5 for Effort (it may have been slightly higher if I’d had to ice the cake, but Josh was nice enough to do it for me), for an EDR of 1.88. Many thanks to Candy of Candy Girl for a delicious selection. You can find the recipe here on Candy's site and visit the Sweet Melissa site to see how the rest of the group liked this cake.

SMS: Plum Raspberry Preserves

I am delighted to be hosting Sweet Melissa Sundays today; the recipe I selected is Plum Raspberry Preserves. I typically don’t get around to writing my post until about 10 PM on Sunday night (often because I haven’t baked the recipe until that day), but since this is my week to host, I thought I’d try to demonstrate a modicum of organization and have my post in order for others to link the recipe. It also doesn’t hurt that I made the recipe several weeks ago and that I selected preserves last time I hosted, so most of the recipe is already typed up.




I always think it’s fun to read about how people come to a decision when presented with the overwhelming task of selecting a recipe. I was actually a little worried about choosing a recipe with summer fruit when the posting date was at the end of September, but I like making preserves (and most things with fruit). There were still four preserve recipes left and we won’t make it to summer again before we’re done baking through the book, so I figured I’d go with it. The preserve recipe in The Sweet Melissa Baking Book is trouble-free – you really just have to chop up some fruit and let it cook. There is no pectin in this preserve recipe, just apples, and I felt like I had to mash the apples a bit (and therefore the rest of the fruit) in order to not have big chunks of apples. I think the consistency of the preserves was fine, though, and they tasted excellent.




I canned six jars of the preserves, plus there was a Tupperware container left over. One of the things I enjoyed about choosing preserves last year was seeing how everyone used them. People definitely thought beyond toast. So far I have given some away and made bar cookies. I used the preserves in my favorite raspberries bars (recipe here) when I first made the preserves, then I made Back-to-School Raspberry Granola Bars from The Craft of Baking a couple days ago, which are the bars pictured in this post. Though they do contain oats and nuts, I really think they show greater resemblance to a cookie than a granola bar, don’t you? Whichever, they are fantastic, very easy to put together, and would be excellent with most any jam or preserves you happen to have on hand. Since I didn’t have to type the preserve recipe, I am also including the one for the bars.


The preserves rated an 8 for Deliciousness and a 2 for Effort, for an EDR of 4. Thanks to all the Sweet Melissa members who preserved along with me this week. Be sure to stop by the Sweet Melissa site to see how the others used the preserves.

Master Preserve Recipe, from page 165 - 166 of The Sweet Melissa Baking Book
Printable Recipe
8 cups peel and sliced ripe fresh fruit of your choice (2 dry quarts)
2 cups peeled and cubed Granny Smith apples (2 to 3 apples cut into ¼ to ½ inch pieces)
2 cups sugar
¼ cup fresh lemon and/or orange juice
2 tablespoons freshly grated citrus zest

In an 8-quart heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat, combine the fruit, apples, sugar, juice, and zest. Cook, until the mixture reaches 212 degrees Fahrenheit on a candy thermometer, stirring often to prevent scorching. You may mash the fruit slightly with a potato masher, if necessary. Once the preserves have reached 212 degrees, continue to cook for 30 minutes more, stirring often, until thick. You can check the consistency by placing a dollop on a plate and setting it in the freezer until just cool. If it is runny, continue cooking; if it is thick, you’re good to go.

Can the fruit in clean canning jars as directed by the manufacturer, or cool to room temperature, tightly cover, and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks, or freeze up to 6 months.

Plum Raspberry Preserves
Use 1 ½ quarts (six cups) unpeeled sliced plums and 2 cups raspberries. Use lemon juice and orange zest.

Back-to-School Raspberry Granola Bars, from The Craft of Baking
Printable Recipe

12 tablespoons (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, plus more for the pan
1 cup pecans, roughly chopped
1 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 ¼ cups old-fashioned rolled oats
½ cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 cup raspberry preserves (or plum raspberry)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8-inch square baking pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.

In a small saucepan, melt the butter. Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature.

Spread the pecans on a baking sheet. Bake until lightly golden and fragrant, about five minutes. Cool the sheet completely on a wire rack.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, granulated sugar, brown sugar, salt, baking soda, and pecans. Pour in the melted butter, and using a wooden spoon, mix together until well combined. Transfer about two thirds of the dough to the prepared baking pan. Press the dough evenly into the pan, forming a firmly packed layer.

Using an offset or rubber spatula, spread the preserves over the dough. Evenly sprinkle the remaining dough over the preserves. Bake, rotating the pan halfway through, until the top is golden brown and fragrant, about forty minutes (mine took more like forty-five minutes). Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let it cool completely. Then cut into two-inch squares.

The bars can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week.

TWD: Raspberry Blanc-Manger

This week’s Tuesdays With Dorie selection was Raspberry Blanc-Manger (Dorie even gives us the correct pronunciation, “blah-mahn-jhay,” but I keep saying it incorrectly). It is in the “spoon dessert” category of Baking, and the main ingredients are cream, raspberries, and ground almonds. I had never heard of a blanc-manger until this week, but I generally enjoy desserts that contain raspberry and/or cream, so it wasn’t a hard sell. The alluring photo that accompanies the recipe in the book didn’t hurt, either. I baked a bevy of treats for various events last weekend; unfortunately, the elegant blanc-manger didn’t seem appropriate for any of them, so I didn’t get around to making this until Monday evening. Luckily, it was a painless enough recipe to put together on a weeknight. I did have a little pre-emptive jelling, but nothing a little extra milk couldn’t fix – I think, anyway, I’m not totally positive my blanc-manger turned out quite as firm as it should have.



I tried a bite of the dessert after its photo shoot this evening and my boyfriend ate a small slice of it. The crunch from the almonds was a nice contrast to the fluffy cream and luscious berries. As I write this, Mr. Penpen is tucking into his second round of the dessert and says it's growing on him. We concurred that it deserves a 7 for Deliciousness and I gave it a 2.5 for Effort, giving it an EDR 2.8. I think I would really enjoy this dessert served alongside some crispy chocolate wafers; it didn’t seem quite substantial enough on its own, which may be because mine didn’t firm up enough. Many thanks to Susan of Sticky Chewy Creamy Gooey for two things: selecting this lovely seasonal dessert and posting THIS great tutorial about printable recipes on the Food Blog Alliance. You can find the recipe for blanc-manger HERE on Susan’s site and check out what the rest of the group thought by visiting the TWD site.

Raspberry Chocolate Chunk Ice Cream

Have you ever heard of Dr. Bob’s Black Raspberry Chocolate Chip Ice Cream? I doubt it, because it was nearly impossible to find and I think it is now safe to say it has been discontinued. We bought it at Mollie Stone’s here in Marin two summers ago, and the last time I found it was over a year ago when I took a tour at the now-shuttered Scharffen Berger factory in Berkeley. Mollie Stone’s still carries some other varieties, but Mr. Penpen loved the raspberry flavor and was disappointed when it disappeared. So, of course, I did the logical thing and tried to make it for him myself last summer. It was my first attempt at custard-based ice cream, and the first try was an unmitigated disaster. I think I overcooked the custard, which ended up not mattering because I somehow lost control as I lifted the bowl of custard from the ice bath and it exploded all over the kitchen. Not only did I break my favorite bowl, but six cups of fresh raspberries down the drain is quite an expensive kitchen catastrophe.

I bought more raspberries and persevered the next day, with much better results. Amazing, actually. Since raspberries – regular, not black – are starting to be available at a reasonable price (Costco! They aren’t organic, but they are grown in the United States) and it’s warm out, I decided to make a batch last weekend. I used a recipe for raspberry ice cream from The Perfect Scoop and added chunks of chocolate.



Raspberry Chocolate Chunk Ice Cream, adapted from The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz
1 1/2 cups half-and-half (I used whole milk this time and it turned out great)
1 cup sugar
1 ½ cups heavy cream
4 large egg yolks
1 ½ cups strained raspberry puree (from approximately six cups of fresh or frozen raspberries)
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/3 cup chopped bittersweet chocolate

Blend the raspberries in a food processor, and then press the puree through a mesh strainer (note: this is a bit messy and I had to rinse the strainer a couple times in the process). Prepare an ice bath in a large bowl. Pour milk or half-and-half into a medium saucepan over medium-low heat to warm. Pour the cream in a large bowl and set a mesh strainer on top of the bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs and (still whisking) slowly pour the warmed milk over the yolks. Pour the egg yolk mixture back in the saucepan.

Using a heatproof spatula, keep stirring the egg yolk mixture over medium heat until the spatula is coated with the thickened mixture. (Note: The Perfect Scoop has a very helpful section on basic custard-making and also custard recovery.) Next, stir the custard into the cream after pouring through the mesh strainer, then add the lemon juice and raspberry puree, mixing until cool over the ice bath.

Chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator, but in order to preserve the fresh raspberry taste, churn in your ice cream maker within four hours. Five minutes before it should be done according to the manufacturer’s instructions, add in the chocolate.

Raspberry Bars

I am happy to report that consuming an entire pound of frozen chicken has no noticeable ill effect on a sixty-five pound Weimaraner. Thanks for all the nice comments about her – she loves attention and is very flattered. Seriously, Eloise suffered no physical consequences from her mass ingestion, which is a good thing, because I don’t think she would have learned her lesson. In fact, Mr. Penpen just caught her licking a cutting board. And now for what I originally wanted to write about on Wednesday night: raspberry bars! Although I like to think people enjoy most of the treats I bake, these bars are the one dessert everyone always loves. (And World Peace Cookies, people can’t seem to get enough of those either.)



It’s not hard to understand why these raspberry bars are such a hit: they have a buttery shortbread crust as their base, a sweet, but not saccharine, filling made with jam and fresh raspberries, and a divine streusel topping. You really can’t ask for much more in a bar cookie.



I found this recipe in a back issue of Cook’s Illustrated a couple years ago. The magazine wasn’t mine (this was back when I had housemates other than my boyfriend and my dog), and the next time I went to make the recipe I couldn’t find it. Luckily, I managed to find it on the internet, and now subscribe to both Cook’s Illustrated magazine and their website, so I can get my hands on wonderful recipes such as this one. I know that ingredient lists for recipes can’t be copyrighted; however, I’ve read that Cook’s Illustrated is a little fussy about their content being reproduced, which makes me apprehensive about putting one of their recipes on my site. I also know that this recipe is too good not to share, and a quick Google search verified that I’m not the first person to think so.

The Best Raspberry Bars , adapted from Cook’s Illustrated September 2005 issue

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup granulated sugar
½ teaspoon salt
2 sticks, plus 2 tablespoons room temperature butter, cut into ½-inch pieces
¼ cup packed brown sugar (light or dark)
½ cup rolled oats
½ cup pecans, finely chopped (I’ve also used almonds)
¾ cup raspberry preserves
¾ fresh raspberries (I usually up it to one cup)
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut two pieces of foil to make a sling (in order to lift out the bars later) in a 9x13 inch baking pan. Spray lined pan with cooking spray.

Mix flour, granulated sugar, and salt in a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on low speed until combined. Keep machine running on low speed, and add the two sticks of butter, one tablespoon at a time, until the mixture resembles damp sand (and it really will!).

Set aside 1 1/4 cups of the mixture in a medium bowl. Pour the remaining dough into the baking pan and press evenly to form a crust, using either your hands or a flat-bottomed measuring cup. Bake in preheated oven until the edges are brown. (The recipe says 14 to 18 minutes, but I err on the latter, possibly even 20 minutes.)

Meanwhile, prepare the filling and topping. Add the brown sugar, oats, and nuts to the flour mixture set aside in medium bowl and stir to combine. Add in the last 2 tablespoons of butter until fully incorporated into the mixture. Work with your hands to create clumps about the size of hazelnuts. (Mine are usually a little smaller.)

Place the preserves, raspberries and lemon juice in a small bowl. Mash together with a fork, making sure some berry pieces remain intact.

When the crust is done baking, spread the berry filling over it right away, and then sprinkle the streusel on top of that. Put pan back in the oven and bake for another 22 to 25 minutes, or until top is gold and bubbly. Cool in pan to room temperature, then lift bars out with the foil sling and cut in squares.

Yields 24 bars, which can be stored in an airtight container for several days – if they last that long!