Our Kitchen

I’ve been looking for the perfect simple Italian sponge cake for a tiramisu and this one works very well. For some reason I have a lot of trouble with separating eggs so ladyfingers are not practical for me. Anyway, thought you’d like to know that this is the best one I’ve tried so far. I put a little extra vanilla in but that’s just personal taste. I’m thinking about bringing a tiramisu to Thanksgiving this year so this will definitely be what I use. Oh, and just a little pro-tip for anyone reading this. If you make strawberry shortcake don’t use angel food. Use sponge cake. And use this sponge cake specifically. I promise anyone to whom you serve it will be very happy you did :) Recipe >> Italian Sponge Cake (Pan di Spagna) @ aseasyasapplepie.com ==========

Citrus trees grow abundantly in California, and I'm always looking for new recipes which use the fruit from the orange and lemon trees in my yard. This is one of my favorites! My mother passed this recipe down to me. :) TOTAL TIME: Prep: 15 min. Bake: 70 min. + cooling Ingredients: 1 cup butter, softened 1/2 cup shortening 3 cups sugar 5 large eggs 1 tablespoon grated lemon peel 1 tablespoon lemon extract 3 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1 cup milk FROSTING: 1/4 cup butter, softened 1-3/4 cups confectioners' sugar 2 tablespoons lemon juice 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel Directions: In a large bowl, cream the butter, shortening and sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in lemon peel and extract. Combine the flour, salt and baking powder; gradually add to creamed mixture alternately with milk. Beat just until combined. Pour into a greased 10-in. fluted tube pan. Bake at 350° ...

Have you ever wondered why most cakes are baked at 350ᵒ F?  And why do cookbooks and baking authorities make such a fuss about making sure your oven temperature is accurate?  What is it about that mystical number on the oven’s dial that makes it work so well for baking and what happens if, heaven forbid, your oven temperature is off?  Let’s take a quick look at the effect of oven temperature on the baking process and how you can take control of the outcome of your baked goods with a little thermal know-how. During baking, a cake batter undergoes a complex process of chemical and physical reactions which transform it from goo into light, fluffy delightfulness.  Each of these actions takes place when the batter reaches a particular temperature and the rate at which they occur is dependent on how hot the oven is.  Here is a snapshot of the activities which convert batter into cake and the order in which they occur:     Fats melt     Ga...

A light and fluffy cheesecake made with whipped eggs and very little cream cheese." This was my first time baking a cheesecake. I like this recipe because it doesn't use as much cream cheese, which makes this a light cheesecake. I halved the recipe to make a small cheesecake and added a tablespoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice. It turned out wonderfully! Just like the japanese cheesecakes from asian bakeries. Light like a spongecake (as i think it should be), yet still delicious and easy to make. Get the recipe here >> Soft and Light as Air Japanese Cheesecake @ sugarywinzy.com

This is a quick lemon cake that benefits from the lovely addition of blueberries. You could leave out the berries if you're after a classic lemon drizzle cake, though the blueberries are heavenly! I love pound cake, and I have tried a bunch of recipes...this one makes a beautiful cake. The cake rose right to the top edge of the tube pan, but I did have to let it bake about 20 minutes longer than specified, so be sure you test it with a wooden skewer before assuming it's done. I followed the recipe as written with only a few minor changes: added one teaspoon vanilla extract in addition to the lemon flavoring, didn't measure the lemon zest - just used the zest of one large lemon, and added about a cup of diced fresh cherries I had and needed to use. I tossed the fruit with flour, and this kept them distributed throughout the cake without sinking. The cake has a wonderful flavor and texture, and is easy to prepare. This is a good basic pound cake recipe, and you could experime...

This recipe is awesome!. I read all of the reviews and was concerned about how this would turn out. So, I would have felt bad if this didn't turn out well. But, I noticed that many others had success and I thought surely I could use their suggestions. I wrote out all of the suggested adjustments to this recipe and did those, and it tastes...well, heavenly! If you don't want to go through all the reviews, here's the adjustments... Use 1&1/2 cups of milk instead of just one. Wait till the other ingredients are mixed before you make your meringue, and then fold it in rather than beat it. I also made a few other adjustments to make mine low fat. I used skim milk, and light butter with canola. I made 24 cupcakes and they are wonderful! Note that the batter seems thin, but it makes up moist wonderful cupcakes. Also, do make sure to notice that you are suppose to sift the flour first, then measure and add baking powder and salt, then sift all together three times. I'm wond...

Soft & chewy chocolate chip cookie cake, flavored with crushed graham crackers in the cookie dough, and layered with gooey marshmallow and sweet chocolate chips. So this is my 2nd time making this amazing cookie!  I forgot to add the marshmallows at the right time but it was a beautiful mistake, lol. I baked it for 20 minutes, added another 1/4 cup choc chips and the marshmallows the last 5 minutes…then quickly broiling the top to a toasty brown. It turned out soooo very tasty and was perfect the next day as well!  Making it this time I accidentally discovered a trick I do with rice Krispy treats…..wet your hands and press out the marshmallow cream later. Works like a charm without the stickiness Recipe >> S’mores Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake @ sallysbakingaddiction.com

The cake is superb! So easy to make. It rises up nice and light, yet stays very moist and the flavor is rich and delicious! Perfect texture. I baked it in a 9" springform so it took about 10 more minutes to bake to perfection.  The whipped cream frosting was very good, not too sweet and held up well to applying it to the cake. Next time I will double the Bailey's in the frosting too - you could taste it, but I wanted more. It took several slices to decide :) Recipe >> Irish chocolate cake with Baileys buttercream frosting @ culinaryginger.com