Debbie Macomber's Cedar Cove Cookbook (20 page)
Read Debbie Macomber's Cedar Cove Cookbook Online
Authors: Debbie Macomber
U
sing frozen or fresh cherries for your pie will be a revelation if you’ve only ever used canned cherry pie filling before.
Makes 1 9" pie
2
/
3
cup granulated sugar, plus extra for crust
3 tablespoons cornstarch or flour
1 tablespoon orange juice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch salt
24 ounces frozen pitted sweet dark cherries, thawed and drained or 5 cups pitted fresh cherries (about 2½ pounds)
2 refrigerated or frozen pie crusts, thawed
1 egg white, lightly beaten
1.
In a large bowl, combine
2
/
3
cup sugar, cornstarch, orange juice, cinnamon and salt. Add cherries; toss to coat. Let stand 30 minutes.
2.
Preheat oven to 400°F. Press one pie crust into a glass 9-inch pie dish. On a lightly floured countertop, roll out second pie crust to a rough rectangle shape. Using a fluted pastry wheel or sharp knife, cut rectangle lengthwise into ten ¾-inch-wide strips.
3.
Spoon cherry filling into crust. Place 5 dough strips across pie in 1 direction and 4 in opposite direction, forming a lattice. Press strip ends and edge of crust together to seal. Crimp edges decoratively. Brush lattice and edges with beaten egg. Sprinkle additional sugar over lattice.
4.
Bake pie 20 minutes. Cover crust edges with foil to prevent overbrowning. Continue to bake 40 minutes longer, until filling bubbles and crust is golden. Transfer to wire rack to cool.
TIP
Use any sharp knife to cut the lattice strips; to make scalloped-edged strips, use a fluted pastry wheel.
C
reamy and luscious, this classic dessert is deceptively easy to make. Prebaking the crumb crust prevents it from becoming soggy. Remember to let it cool completely before adding the filling.
Makes 1 9" pie
CRUST
8 whole graham crackers (about 4 ounces)
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus extra for pan
FILLING
2½ pounds cream cheese, at room temperature, cut into chunks
1 ½ cups granulated sugar
Salt
½ cup sour cream
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
6 large eggs
1.
Preheat oven to 350°F; set oven rack to lower third position. Lightly coat bottom and sides of a 9-inch spring form pan with butter. Wrap the bottom of the pan in heavy-duty foil; the foil should come about halfway up the sides of the pan.
2.
For crust: In food processor, pulse graham crackers until fine crumbs form. Add sugar and melted butter; pulse until combined. Press crumbs evenly into bottom of prepared pan. Bake 12 minutes, until edges start to brown. Transfer to wire rack to cool. Keep oven at 350°F.
3.
For filling: In a large bowl with electric mixer on high speed, beat cream cheese until blended, scraping sides of bowl. Add sugar and salt; beat until combined. Add sour cream, lemon juice and vanilla; beat until combined. Add eggs one at a time, beating and scraping the bowl between additions.
4.
Pour filling into prepared pan. Set pan inside a large, shallow roasting pan. Carefully add boiling water to the roasting pan to reach halfway up sides of spring form pan.
5.
Bake 45 minutes; reduce oven temperature to 325°F. Continue baking 25 minutes longer, until cake is set but still slightly wobbly in the center. Turn off oven; leave door slightly ajar and let cheesecake sit in oven 1 hour. Transfer to wire rack to cool completely. Run a knife around edges to release from pan. Refrigerate at least 6 hours or overnight.
6.
Remove pan sides; slide cake (still on its spring form base) onto serving plate.
TIP
Wrap the bottom of the spring-form pan in heavy-duty foil to assure that water doesn’t soak through the seal of the pan.
A
dding a box of lemon pudding to a lemon cake mix ensures a super-moist and super-lemony cake.
1 18-ounce box lemon-flavored cake mix
1 4-ounce box lemon-flavored instant pudding mix
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
GLAZE
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
3 tablespoons whole milk
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1.
For batter: Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease and flour a large Bundt pan. Make cake according to package directions, adding pudding mix and lemon juice. Pour into prepared pan. Bake as directed on package. Let cool 15 minutes. Carefully run a knife around edges to release from pan. Invert cake onto serving plate.
2.
For glaze: In a small bowl, whisk glaze ingredients until smooth. Drizzle over warm cake.
Serves 16
CAKE
TIP
Room-temperature lemons will yield more juice than cold ones. One lemon provides about 3 tablespoons juice.
E
very meal becomes a party when it ends with this beautiful cake. There’s no need to worry about making the frosting look perfect since the entire cake is covered with a cloud of coconut flakes.
Makes 1 cake
CAKE
1 ½ cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups granulated sugar
5 large eggs
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1 ½ teaspoons coconut extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
2½ cups sweetened coconut flakes, divided
FROSTING
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
Pinch salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon coconut extract
4 cups confectioners’ sugar (about 1 pound)
Sweetened coconut flakes, for garnish
1.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two 9-inch cake pans with parchment paper. Lightly butter and flour pans.
2.
For batter: In a large bowl with electric mixer on high speed, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla and coconut extracts.
3.
In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, soda and salt. Slowly add this mixture to butter mixture, alternating with the coconut milk. Mix only until blended. Stir in 1 ½ cups coconut flakes. Pour into prepared pans.
4.
Bake 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Transfer to wire racks to cool. Run a knife around sides of pan, loosening cake from pan. Invert cakes onto wire racks to cool.
5.
For frosting: In large bowl with electric mixer on high speed, beat cream cheese, butter and a pinch of salt until combined. Beat in vanilla and coconut extracts. Reduce speed to low; slowly add confectioners’ sugar. Beat 5 minutes, until light and fluffy.
6.
Frost cake as desired. Cover entire cake with remaining coconut flakes, pressing slightly into cake to make the coconut stick.
TIP
For easy blending, both the cream cheese and the butter should be at room temperature.
D
ense and moist, this sweet bread makes an excellent afternoon snack or casual dessert.
Makes 2 9" x 5" loaves
3 large eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups grated zucchini (from about 2 medium)
2
1
/
3
cups all-purpose flour
1
/
3
cup unsweetened cocoa
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon baking powder
½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans
½ cup semisweet chocolate chips
1.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly coat two 9-by-5-inch loaf pans with cooking spray.
2.
In a medium bowl, whisk eggs, oil, sugar, vanilla and zucchini until blended. In a large bowl, combine flour, cocoa, baking soda, cinnamon if using, salt and baking powder. Fold the zucchini mix into dry ingredients just until combined. Stir in nuts and chocolate chips. Divide the batter between the prepared loaf pans.
3.
Bake 45 to 50 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Allow to cool 10 minutes in the pans, then turn out onto wire racks to cool completely.
TIP
Since the recipe makes two loaves, tightly wrap (in plastic and foil) and freeze one loaf. It will keep for at least a month.