Blueberry Orange Sponge Cake with Blueberry "Pie" Filling

Living on Sponge Cake...

As you all may recall, I made a peppermint chocolate chip sponge cake for my sister's birthday a few weeks ago. Everyone loved it, including me, so I decided to make another one for my Mom's birthday. I had adapted a recipe I got from Ciao Italia's Mary Ann Esposito.

This time I went with her original flavoring of orange, but added blueberries (my Mom's favorite). I also made a blueberry "pie" filling for the center. The reason I call it blueberry "pie" filling is because it is basically all the ingredients I use for my blueberry pies. The frosting couldn't be easier~ low-fat cool whip!

Blueberry Orange Sponge Cake

Cake recipe adapted from Mary Ann Esposito

5 large eggs at room temperature, separated
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons grated orange zest
1 cup unbleached all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 pint of fresh blueberries

Blueberry "Pie" Filling
by Mixed Salad Annie

1 pint of fresh blueberries
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon orange juice
1 tablespoon tapioka pudding

Add all ingredients to a small saucepan and mix well and let stand for 15 minutes. Place saucepan over medium heat. Break up blueberries with a fork and stir until sugar is dissolved. Reduce heat to low and simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring frequently. Set aside to cool; transfer mixture to a small bowl and refrigerate until cold and thickened.

Preheat the oven to 350F
Use a stand or hand mixer to beat the egg whites until foamy; beat in half of the sugar, two tablespoons at a time, until soft glossy peaks form. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, beat the egg yolks until thick and lemon colored, about 3 to 5 minutes. Gradually beat in remaining sugar, orange peel, orange juice, vanilla extract, and salt.

Sift the flour over the whites. Add the yolk mixture and gently fold in with a spatula without deflating the batter. Fold in half of the blueberries. Scoop 1/2 the batter into a (un-greased)
9 x 3 inch tube pan. Sprinkle half of the remaining blueberries evenly over the batter and top with the remaining batter. Sprinkle the rest of the blueberries on the batter and smooth with a spatula. Tap the pan on the counter to remove any air bubbles and settle the batter so it is even.

Bake for 25 to 35 minutes or until a cake skewer inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Invert cake pan over the neck of a bottle or, if the pan has prongs, invert it on a cooling rack. Cool completely.

Loosen cake all around the inside of the pan and around the tube with a butter knife. Gently shake cake out. If the cake is stuck on the bottom, gently insert a flexible spatula along the sides of the pan and slide under all sides of the cake to loosen. Remove from pan and set aside.

Cut the cake into two layers.

Place one layer on a cake stand and spread all of the blueberry "pie" filling over the layer. Place the other layer on top and spread a layer of cool whip on top. Spread more cool whip all over the sides and smooth.

Garnish the top with fresh blueberries. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Use a serrated knife to cut the cake into wedges.

Orange-Maple Glazed Baby Carrots

Always a Hit!

If you need a side dish to wow guests or to bring to a function, this is it. I mean who doesn't love carrots? Ok, mom I know you don't, but everyone else does. This is also the perfect dish to get your kids to eat their veggies. The carrots are slightly sweetened and the warm spiciness from the cinnamon is so comforting.
Now that fall is quickly approaching, it just seemed an appropriate dish to make, to sort of get used to the idea of the cooler weather coming. Plus, it goes well with all those cool weather roasts (especially Ham) that we'll be making sooner than we think...
Ok now that I've totally depressed everyone talking about fall and the end of summer, here is the recipe... :P

Orange-Maple Glazed Baby Carrots

3 (1-pound) bags baby carrots
1/2 stick unsalted butter (4 tbls.)
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon orange rind
1 tablespoon orange juice
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint (optional)

Steam baby carrots for about 8-10 minutes or until tender. Set aside.
Place other ingredients in a large, heavy saucepan.

Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the sauce becomes thickened, about 15 minutes. Add the carrots and mix to coat evenly. Transfer to a serving platter and top with fresh mint.

Peppermint Patty Sponge Cake

When You Care Enough to Only Bake The Best..

So it's that time of year again when I have to wrack my brain to think of something different and delicious for the special people in my life with late summer and early fall birthdays. I like to make up themes for the birthday cakes that best represent the birthday person. Since my sister has always liked peppermint patties, I decided to go with the peppermint theme this year.

Of course it would have been easy to just use some peppermint extract in the cake and frosting, and call it a day, but that wouldn't be special, now would it? Only fresh mint picked straight from the garden seemed fitting enough for such a special day. So that's exactly what I did. I made a peppermint simple syrup which I used in the cake and in the frosting. A sprig of mint was even part of the garnish.

The inspiration for the type of cake came from Mary Ann Esposito of Ciao Italia. On a recent episode she made a delicious looking sponge cake with citrus and raspberry whipped cream frosting. I loved the idea of the sponge cake since it is light and airy, perfect for the summer months. So I decided to re-create the cake with a peppermint-chocolate combo. It turned out really yummy, everyone including sis, loved it.

I always like to try a sample of a new recipe before presenting it, so I just scooped out a little batter to make a few mini cup cakes.
(She'll never know!)

Peppermint Patty Sponge Cake

5 large eggs at room temperature, separated
1 cup sugar minus 3 tablespoons, divided
3 tablespoons peppermint simple syrup
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup sifted unbleached all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
chopped mint leaves from simple syrup
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Peppermint Simple Syrup

2 cups water
1 cup sugar
2 cups peppermint leaves, stems removed

Bring the water to a boil; add the peppermint leaves. Remove the mixture from the heat and whisk in the sugar until it's dissolved. Return to the heat and let simmer for 20 minutes. Strain the peppermint leaves from the liquid and set them aside to cool and chop for use in the cake. Place the simple syrup in the fridge to cool.

12 Minute Peppermint Frosting

3 egg whites
1/4 cup cold water
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/2 cup peppermint simple syrup
1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
Dash of salt
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted for drizzle
2 peppermint patties, preferably Newman's Own Organic
Mint leaves for garnish

Preheat the oven to 350F
Use a stand or hand mixer to beat the egg whites until foamy; beat in half of the sugar, two tablespoons at a time, until soft glossy peaks form. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, beat the egg yolks until thick and lemon colored, about 3 to 5 minutes. Gradually beat in remaining sugar, peppermint simple syrup, vanilla extract, and salt. Stir in the peppermint leaves.

Sift the flour over the whites. Add the yolk mixture and gently fold in with a spatula without deflating the batter. Fold in the chocolate chips. Scoop the batter into a (un-greased) 9 x 3 inch tube pan. Tap the pan on the counter to remove any air bubbles and settle the batter so it is even.

Bake for 25 to 35 minutes or until a cake skewer inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Invert cake pan over the neck of a bottle or, if the pan has prongs, invert it on a cooling rack. Cool completely.

Loosen cake all around the inside of the pan and around the tube with a butter knife. Gently shake cake out. Set aside.

For Frosting: Place the egg whites, sugar, peppermint simple syrup, water, cream of tartar and salt into a medium size-mixing bowl. Set bowl over a pot of simmering water; do not allow bottom of bowl to touch water. Begin beating with a hand mixer set to low speed. Beat for 1 minute; increase the speed to medium and continue to beat until frosting is stiff and holds soft peaks (about 10 minutes). Set aside to cool.

Cut the cake into two layers.

Place one layer on a cake stand and spread 1/3 of the frosting over the layer. Place the other layer on top and spread another 1/3 of the frosting. Spread the remaining frosting all over the sides and smooth.

Garnish the top with the melted semi-sweet chocolate chips and add mint leaves and mint patties for decoration. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Use a serrated knife to cut the cake into wedges.

Green Bean and Red Roasted Pepper Salad

Great for a crowd!

As I mentioned in my last post, I had a luau a 2 weekends ago and I made quite a few things to bring with me. This was one of them. You really can't go wrong with green beans. I think most people like them and with the addition of black olives, red roasted peppers and a great basil red wine vinaigrette, it was a hit.

Disposable aluminum pans like the one in the photo are really great for stuff like this. They even come with plastic covers to fit. You can even cook in them too!

P.S. Don't forget to save yourself a small plate before packing it up to go or you may not even get to try it!

Green Bean and Red Roasted Pepper Salad

2 lbs. fresh green beans, washed, ends trimmed and snapped in half
2 cans black olives, sliced in half lengthwise
1 - 15 oz. jar red roasted peppers, sliced in thin strips

Basil Red Wine Vinaigrette:

1 1/2 cups fresh basil, stems removed
1/2 cup fresh parsley, stems removed
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup canola oil

Place all vinaigrette ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth; set aside.
Steam green beans for about 5-7 minutes or until crisp tender. Plunge in ice water to stop cooking; drain and place in large bowl. Add the olives, peppers and vinaigrette; stir to combine. Refrigerate for at least one hour to let all the flavors blend. Serve at room temperature.
Best if made a day ahead.

Zucchini Appetizer

Yummy Appetizer!

A friend of mine had a luau party last weekend and I wanted to bring something everyone would like, but was also easy to make. As luck would have it, a recipe sort of fell into my lap a few days before the luau. I got it from a wonderful farm and country store in Hope, RI, called Confreda Greenhouses and Farms. They grow their own fresh produce and sell it all in their country store front. I got "just picked" corn and zucchini. Yum!

The recipe is simple and very delicious. I adapted it a bit. It is sort of like a quiche, only no crust to worry about and a whole lot tastier.

Zucchini Bites

3 cups thinly sliced zucchini (about 4 small or 1 1/2- 2 medium)
1 cup Biscuit baking mix
1/2 cup chopped vidalia onion
1/2 cup grated Romano cheese
3 tbls. fresh Italian parsley, minced
1/4 cup fresh Italian basil, minced
1 tsp. fresh oregano, minced or 1/2 tsp. dried
1/2 tsp. fine sea salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
4 eggs beaten
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup canola oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray bottom of a 9 x 13 x 2 pan with cooking spray.

Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl. Spread mixture evenly in pan. Bake for around 22-25 minutes. Turn on broiler and brown the top for about 2 minutes until golden. Cut into
2 x 1 inch pieces. Makes about 4 dozen.