Blackberry Sour Cream Coffee Cake

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There are few things in this world that are better than a slice of cake for your breakfast. Especially one like this – a moist yellow cake,  studded with plump blackberries, and topped off with a delicious buttery crumble infused with lime zest? You had me at cake.

Coffee cakes are a great option for any gathering really, be it brunch or as a dessert after dinner. I love the fact that it only uses a couple of bowls, making for super easy cleanup. It’s been a busy week around here; cupcake orders to fill, doctors appointments, field trips – but I was craving something sweet.

Happened across some gorgeous blackberries at the store, and remembered a coffee cake that the lovely Annie had posted a while back. Modified it a little using the blackberries, and it turned out gorgeous! If you’re looking for something special for your breakfast table this weekend, look no further. Have a good weekend, everyone!

Blackberry Sour Cream Coffee Cake

For the crumb topping:
½ cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp lime zest
4 tbsp. (2 oz.) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
1/2 cup sliced almonds

For the cake:
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. salt
3 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups fresh blackberries

Preheat the oven to 350? F.  Lightly grease and flour and 10-inch springform pan.  To make the crumb topping, combine the flour, sugar and lime zest in a small bowl and mix to combine. Pour in the melted butter and mash with a fork until the mixture is crumbly. Set aside.

To make the cake, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl.  In a 2-cup measuring cupl, whisk together the eggs, sour cream and vanilla until well blended. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour in the liquid ingredients.  Fold together gently until evenly combined and no streaks remain, being careful not to over mix.  Pour the  the batter into the prepared pan in an even layer.  Dot the top of the batter with the blackberries. Sprinkle the crumb topping evenly over the berries. Sprinkle sliced almonds over the crumble.

Bake until the topping is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, 38-42 minutes.  Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool for 20 minutes.  Remove the sides of the springform pan.  Serve warm or at room temperature, cut into wedges.

Source: adapted from Williams-Sonoma, via Annie’s Eats

Cuban Panini

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It’s tough to beat a good Cuban sandwich. Sure, some might say it’s just a glorified ham & cheese – but, I beg to differ. Roasted pork and thinly sliced ham, crisp dill pickles, and spicy mustard? All between toasted, crusty bread? Positively heavenly.

Whenever I have pork tenderloin on the menu, I always cook two of them – just to ensure there’s enough leftovers to make these for dinner the next night. With a couple of items from the deli counter, it’s a quick and easy dinner to throw together on a weeknight.

Cuban Sandwiches

4 ciabatta rolls or sub rolls
2 tablespoons spicy brown mustard
1/4 pound baked ham, thinly sliced
1/4 pound roast pork, thinly sliced
1/4 pound Swiss cheese, thinly sliced
10 thin dill pickle slices, approximately 2 whole pickles
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, room temperature

Slice the bread in half, horizontally. Spread mustard onto each side of the bread. Divide the ingredients evenly among the slices bread, starting with the pork followed by the ham, cheese, and dill pickles. Top with the other half of bread.

Heat a skillet or grill pan over medium high heat (or a panini press). Butter the outer sides of the rolls. Place the sandwiches in the skillet, placing a heavy skillet on top of the sandwiches to “press” onto the grill, until the cheese is melted and the bread is flat and browned, about 4 minutes per side.

Crab Ravioli with Saffron Cream Sauce

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We’ve been enjoying the final days of blue crab season here in Maryland, as it will be coming to a close in the next month or so. It’s actually the best time of year for them, as crabs are at their fattest and heaviest late in the year, right before they burrow into the mud for a long winter’s nap. While  my favorite thing to do with them is steam them, and eat them as is – often we’re left with a plethora of meat that we’ve picked to use up. I usually go with our standard favorites – crab cakes or crab dip (which reminds me, I was featured on our local news recently making the crab dip – check it out here!) but I wanted to do something a little fancier.

I’d been wanting to try my hand at homemade ravioli, so I thought why not stuff it with crab? I just took my basic ricotta pasta filling and gently folded the crab meat into it. The sauce takes only a few minutes to throw together. I more or less did an alfredo sauce, adding in some saffron and a bit of tomato paste at the last minute, to give it a gorgeous pink hue. It was insanely good, and definitely a cut above our standard weekly fare. I think I may have to treat us to a pound of crabmeat come December to make these for New Year’s Eve dinner. A special dinner, indeed!

Crab Ravioli with Saffron Cream Sauce

1 batch homemade pasta dough
1 pound lump crab meat
1 cup (8 oz) ricotta cheese
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
3 scallions, chopped
salt and pepper
Italian parsley, chopped, for garnish

For the sauce:
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 cup heavy cream
pinch of saffron (5 or 6 threads)
1 Tbsp flour
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
2 tsp tomato paste

On floured surface or using a pasta roller, roll dough out to make a thin sheet (about 1/16″ thick). Gently press ravioli stamp or edge of a glass into the pasta dough to make outlines. Fill each ravoli with about 1 tablespoon of filling. Roll out another sheet of pasta, and place on top of the other sheet, pressing down around the filling. Cut the ravoli using a stamp or glass – pressing on edges to make sure they are sealed well. Place on jelly roll pan lined with wax or parchment paper.

For the sauce, melt butter in large saucepan. Add the flour, and whisk for a couple minutes to form a light roux. Slowly add in the chicken stock, and heavy cream – whisking constantly until thickened. Add the saffron, and reduce heat to low, stirring occasionally for 10 minutes. Add the Parmesan cheese, and tomato paste – stir to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Bring 4 quarts of salted water to a boil. When boiling, drop ravioli in and cook for about 4 minutes. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water in the event the simmering sauce is too thick.

Drain pasta and gently toss with the sauce. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve.

Caramel Toffee Crunch Cheesecake

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Do you love cheesecake? Do you love caramel and toffee? Then, my friends, this cheesecake is for you. I spotted it on Pinterest a while back, and after wiping the drool from my keyboard, knew I had to make it. But, I kept on putting it off for one reason or another – and never got around to it. Thankfully, last Sunday (after making a fresh batch of caramel sauce) this cheesecake popped into my head. I had no other choice but to make it! And, oh my heavens. It’s almost too much…

Almost. To begin with, the graham cracker crust is covered with a layer of chocolate before adding the cheesecake. Caramel sauce is added to the cheesecake batter to add some color and flavor complexity. Let me just say that when I added that gorgeous caramel sauce to the bowl of the mixer, and watched the paddle swirl it in – I think I heard angels singing. And for the topping, crushed Heath bits are mixed with caramel sauce to throw a little crunchy texture into the mix. Finally, for a little extra decoration, a whipped cream border is piped along the edge.

This cheesecake is perfect for all the special occasions we have coming up in the next couple months, in the form of the Holidays. I highly encourage you to not wait as long as I did to make it! Have a great weekend, everyone.

Caramel Toffee Crunch Cheesecake

For the crust:
3 cups graham cracker crumbs  (about 2 packages crushed graham crackers)
1/2 cup toffee bits
pinch salt
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup butter (1 stick), melted
1 1/4 chocolate chips

For the cheesecake:
3 (8 oz) packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
1/4 cup caramel sauce
4 eggs, room temperature

For the topping:
1 cup whipping cream
3 tablespoons powdered sugar
2/3 cup caramel sauce
1/2 cup toffee bits, plus more for garnish

For the crust, preheat the oven to 325º. Combine everything except the chocolate chips in a large bowl. Press into a 9-inch springform pan. Push all the way up the sides and press in firmly using the bottom of a drinking glass or measuring cup. Sprinkle with the chocolate chips. Set the springform pan on a baking sheet. Bake for about five minutes or until the chocolate chips are melty. Smooth them out with an offset spatula. Put in freezer to chill while you prepare filling.

For the filling; in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment cream cheese, sugar, and sour cream on medium speed for 3 minutes. Add the vanilla extract and caramel sauce, and mix on medium speed for another minute. Reduce speed to low and add the eggs, one at a time, and mix until combined. Pour into chilled crust. Wrap the springform pan with a couple of wet dishtowels (this helps the cheesecake to cook more slowly and evenly). Bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes. The center will still be jiggly. Remove from the oven and cool on a cooling rack on the counter for 2 hours before placing in refrigerator. Refrigerate for 6 hours or overnight.

To top the cheesecake; in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip the whipping cream until soft peaks form. Add the powdered sugar, and continue whipping on high until stiff peaks form.

In a medium bowl, combine the caramel and 1/2 cup of toffee. Place toffee mixture on top of the chilled cheesecake, and carefully spread out using an offset spatula. Pipe some whipped cream along the edge and garnish with more toffee bits.

Source: adapted from Yammie’s Noshery