Citrus, berries set tone for spring desserts
Spring is here, and it’s officially time to bid farewell to winter fare.
And when you’re pondering desserts, think lemon, coconut, carrots, strawberries and raspberries.
How about a fruit tart, a lemon cake, cheese pie topped with strawberries or a refreshing key lime pie?
Lemon Cake with Lemon Vanilla Buttercream Frosting and Coconut
For cake:
6 eggs, room temperature
3/4 cups whole milk, room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla
Juice and zest of 2 large lemons
3 1/2 cups cake flour, sifted
2 1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
3 sticks butter, soft but cool
For frosting:
1 pound butter, room temperature
6 cups confectioners sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
Yellow food coloring, optional
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray two 9-inch cake pans, lined with parchment or wax paper.
Lightly beat eggs, milk, vanilla and lemon zest and juice. Set aside.
Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in bowl of standing mixer. Add softened butter, one tablespoon at a time on medium speed, until dough is crumbly. Slowly add egg mixture on medium speed. Beat at high speed about 1 minute. Pour batter into prepared pans.
Bake about 35 to 45 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Allow to cool completely and remove from pans.
To make the frosting, cream butter in bowl of standing mixer. Add confectioners sugar, about two cups at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl as you go. Add vanilla and the lemon juice and zest. Beat on high speed until smooth. Add few drops of food coloring, if desired, and beat until thoroughly combined.
When cakes are completely cool, trim the tops (the bump) off of each layer.
Lay one layer, cut side down, onto a cake round or plate. Spread a generous layer of buttercream on cake layer. Lay the second cake on top of the buttercream.
Frost the sides and top of the cake, as smoothly as you can, using an icing spatula.
Spread sweetened shredded coconut on a piece of parchment or wax paper. While holding the cake very steady on the palm of one hand, carefully press coconut onto the frosted sides of the cake.
Decorate the top with fresh raspberries.
Yield: 1 layer cake
Nutrition per serving: Unable to calculate.
Key Lime Pie
2 cans sweetened condensed milk
10 ounces lime juice
9 egg yolks
Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
Combine all ingredients and pour into 9-inch prepared graham cracker pie shell. Bake 25 to 30 minutes.
Yield: 1 pie
Nutrition per serving: Unable to calculate.
Strawberry Cheese Pie
Baked graham cracker crumb crust (recipe below)
1 1/2 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese
1/2 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 pints fresh strawberries
1/3 cup red-currant jelly
Prepare crust, bake and cool as directed.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In small bowl with mixer at low speed, beat cream cheese and 1/2 cup sugar until smooth, scraping bowl with rubber spatula. Add eggs and vanilla; beat until just mixed.
Pour cheese filling into cooled pie crust. Bake 30 minutes or until set. Transfer to wire rack and cool.
Top with hulled and halved strawberries. In small saucepan, warm jelly and brush onto the top of the strawberries.
Refrigerate pie at least 2 hours before serving.
Yield: 1 pie
Nutrition per serving: Unable to calculate.
Graham Cracker Crumb Crust
1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
4 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
1 tablespoon sugar
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
In a 9-inch pie plate, mix crumbs, butter and sugar with fork. With hands, press mixture into bottom and up side of pie plate, making a small rim.
Bake 10 minutes. Cool on wire rack. Fill as directed in recipe.
Yield: 1 crust