Plum Torte with Almonds and Orange

I think one of my favorite things in all this world is that first cup of coffee in the early morning light. I never get tired of the taste, the smell, or the feel of that warm mug of goodness. Truth be told – I’m not even a huge coffee drinker, so it’s more than the actual beverage (although I do love that caffeinated rush it brings!)  I just love the ritual of making that first pot, sipping that first taste and knowing that a new day is before me.

Ritual. Maybe that’s it. Coffee means a new day and the chance to do some great things. Ritual. I like the sound of the word. It brings a sense of steadiness to a crazy world, doesn’t it? A world where too often people are rushing around doing their own thing, going their own way with little regard for …..well, ritual!

Here’s a ritual that I wish I observed more often – BRUNCH! It’s difficult to get my family together these days, so yesterday, when I had most of my clan at home, I had to have a meal together. Creating a little bit of ritual for them, you see.

On the menu:

Spicy Strata from Ask Aida TV show.

 We all gave this 5 stars. We smothered ours in fresh avocado and salsa. (of course!)

Mango Pineapple Green Smoothie

From Creative Kitchen

I give it 5 stars. This lovely drink has been in my mind ever since Denise blogged about it.

My boys did not love this, but they are not huge smoothie people. My daughter and I LOVED it.

Plum Torte with Almonds and Orange

Tweaked from Cuisine at Home magazine (July/August 2012)

A total 5 star rating from all of us!

The recipe was very simple but added a nice touch to then end of our meal.

Here’s what you need for the torte:

¾ C sugar

½ C sliced almonds

¾ C flour

½ t baking powder

¼ t salt

6 T butter, cut into cubes

2 eggs

1 t vanilla (always use the good stuff – it does make a difference)

Zest of 1 orange

1 lb fresh plums – cut into eighths

Here’s what you need for the sauce:

½ C orange marmalade

Splash or two of dark rum

2 T brown sugar

Juice of 1 orange

Here’s what you do:

Process the sugar and almonds until finely ground. Add the flour, baking powder, salt and butter. Process a bit more. Add the eggs, vanilla and zest. Process about 10 seconds.

Spread the dough into a 9-inch springform pan which has been sprayed and floured. Arrange the plum slices, skin side up, in a pretty design. Bake for 40 minutes at 325 degrees.

While the torte is in the oven, make the EXCELLENT sauce by heating the marmalade, rum, brown sugar and fresh orange juice. Boil for a few minutes until desired consistency. Strain the sauce and set aside.

Cool a bit before removing the outer ring. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve with pride. We ate our while it was still warm from the oven and the sauce was warm too - killer! 


(printable recipe)

One Year Ago: Pretzel Rolls 

One Year Ago: Beef and Bulgar Stuffed Zucchini

Vanilla Yogurt Cake with Orange Zest and Orange Juice Glaze

This cake is very light and not too sweet. It is simple to pull together and really needs nothing special in the way of ingredients or method. One word to describe it? Moist….. and citrusy.

This one is my own creation. I recommend it for dessert, breakfast, snack, the family or even company. You could dress it up with fresh fruit, but it really doesn’t need all that extra attention – it’s perfect as is. I know it looks a bit burned around the edges, but that part is extra nice - kinda chewy and 'mouth friendly.'  

Here’s what you need:

½ C vanilla yogurt (I used Greek style yogurt)

3 eggs

1 C sugar

1 C flour

2 t baking powder

½ C vegetable oil

Zest of one large orange

For the glaze:

Juice of one orange

½ C powdered sugar

Here’s what you do:

Whisk together the yogurt, eggs and sugar. Add in the flour and baking soda. Add in the oil and zest. Mix until well incorporated.

Prepare a 9 inch cake pan by buttering it, inserting a round of parchment paper on the bottom and then buttering the paper.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes – do not over bake.It should feel spongy.  Cool before removing. Drizzle glaze over the top and allow it to soak in. It is a very thin glaze and will soak in like syrup.

(printable recipe)

Sour Cream Coffee Cake – a classic

So I am great at planning wonderful holiday meals. I can think of special dinners in a jiffy.  For example, Christmas dinner at our house was a fantastic homemade Beef Burgundy served over buttered noodles, roasted brussel sprouts, roasted tomatoes (the fancy kind with the vine still attached), green beans and the most decadent Triple Layer Mocha Cake on earth (one of my best recipes).  I set the table, I pull out the crystal and china, I decorate. I am a woman on a mission: the task of feeding hungry people the meal of a lifetime. I am woman – hear me roar! 

It’s the other meals that stump me. Like breakfast. A house full of people – 9 big eaters. What to serve? Why’s it so difficult to come up with a single idea???? Bagels? Cereal? Scrambled eggs? Pop Tarts?? I go completely blank.

First of all, everyone is waking up at different times…. You have the standard ‘early riser’ like me…. Sitting here in front of the computer, drinking my weight in coffee, watching the sun rise and waiting for the folks scattered around in the house to arise.

You have the ‘I’m awake but not coming out of my room yet’ people. What are they doing in there? Reading? Thinking? Waiting for the smell of bacon to entice them out? It’s not going to happen I tell you.

Then you have the classic ‘Sleepy Teenage Boy’…. Heaven only knows when I will see them. Ten o’clock? Eleven? Noon? One? Yes. Yes. Yes. And yes.

Lastly, you have the ‘Good morning Mom! I am having breakfast at ____’s house. See you in a few hours’ person.

So I return to my original question: What to make for breakfast? The answer: Coffee Cakes. Today I offer a simple recipe, but a great one. And one that everyone in the house can enjoy according to their own personal morning schedule. Enjoy!

1/2 C butter, softened

¾ C sugar

1 t vanilla

3 eggs

2 C flour

1 t baking soda

1 t baking powder

1 C sour cream

6 T butter, softened

1 C brown sugar

2 t cinnamon

1 C chopped nuts

Cream the butter and sugar together. Add the vanilla and the eggs – one at a time. Mix the flour, soda and powder together and set aside. Add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture alternating it with the sour cream. Don’t over mix the batter.

Prepare a 10 inch bundt  pan. Spoon a third of the batter in the pan and spread it out with a knife.

To make the streusel, cream the butter and brown sugar. Add the cinnamon and nuts. Sprinkle this over the batter and then spoon the remaining batter over the streusel. I use a knife to smooth it all together.

Bake for about 50 minutes at 350 degrees. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan.

Cinnamon Apple Bundt Cake

I’ve kinda been in a cooking slump lately… you know, ordering pizza, swinging through Jimmy John’s for sandwiches, picking up pre-made food at the grocery store. We’ve actually been eating out lately, but often that does not satisfy. I usually wish we had saved the money and eaten at home. Even omelets at home taste better than some restaurant food, right?

My favorite stand-by dinner is grilled cheese and tomato soup; however, I do make a killer grilled cheese (brioche bread with real butter and three different types of cheeses) and I do serve homemade tomato soup, so I guess I get a break with that menu.

Last weekend I purchased some apples and somehow, that has inspired me to get back in the kitchen. This cake was easy and I made it much healthier by using less sugar, less oil, and half wheat flour. The butter sauce could not be passed up….. it absolutely made the cake.

Here’s what you need:

For the Cake:

2 heaping cups of peeled apples, thinly sliced

3 T white sugar

2 T cinnamon

½ C vegetable oil

½ C applesauce

1 C white sugar

4 eggs

3 t vanilla

¼ C orange juice

1 ½ C white flour

1 ½ C wheat flour

1 T baking powder

1 t salt

For the Glaze:

¼ C butter

1/3 C orange juice

2/3 C sugar

Here’s what you do:

Toss the apple slices in the cinnamon and sugar. Set aside.

Beat the oil, applesauce, sugar, eggs, vanilla and orange juice until well incorporated. Add the flours, baking powder and salt.

Spoon about 1/3 of the batter in a well-greased bundt pan. Arrange the apple slices over the batter. Spoon the remaining batter over the apples.

Bake at 325 degrees for about 60 minutes. Check it after about 50 minutes.

To make the glaze: melt the butter, orange juice and sugar together and spoon over the cake. I started while the cake was still in the pan. (You can see the holes I poked in the cake with a wooden skewer.) Then I turned the cake out of the pan and continued spooning the glaze. I also used a pastry brush to apply the glaze. Be patient – it all fits in there and you want it, trust me.

(printable recipe)

One Year Ago: Spanikopita (love this recipe! If you have never used phyllo dough, click here!)
                         Maple Mustard Chicken ( a standard in my house after a busy day at work- makes great leftovers for salads and sandwiches)

streusel coffee cake

This is the easiest and quickest coffee cake on earth…. it’s perfect for a morning when you have just the smallest amount of extra time and it’s best warm right from the oven. This is an old recipe from my maternal grandmother. I remember being at her house when I was very young and eating this. It’s one of the first things I learned to bake and I’ve been making it ever since. Your house will smell very warm and friendly with all the almond fragrance.  It’s the perfect ‘Good Morning!'

 Here’s what you need:

Wet ingredients-

1 beaten egg

½ C sugar

½ C milk

2 t salad oil

½ t almond extract

Dry ingredients-

1 C flour

½ t salt

2 t baking powder

Streusel ingredients-

another ½ C flour

¼ C butter – cold and cut in small cubes

another ¼ C sugar

another ½ t almond extract

Here’s what you do:

Mix the egg, ½ C sugar, milk and ½ t almond extract in a bowl and set aside.

Add the flour, salt and baking powder. Mix until just absorbed. Pour into greased 8 inch square pan or a round cake pan. It’s a very thin batter.

For the streusel topping place the ½ C flour, the ¼ sugar , the ¼ C butter and the ½ t almond extract in a small bowl and using your fingers, crumble until it is the consistency of wet sand. Make sure the butter is cold and has been cut in small cubes.

Sprinkle topping over the top of the cake mixture and bake in 375 degree oven for about 20 minutes.

One of my family favorites and soon to be one of yours too.

(printable recipe)