Well hello there summer!

Welcome back! I know you’ve been around for a few days already but I thought I’d give you a proper welcome.

With lemons.

With ricotta.

With pretty flowers.

With moist, sweet cake bursting with the brightness of lemons and the fragrance of Fiori di Sicilia.

I hope you stay with us for awhile, Summer.

And I hope you bring us many bright days and many warm and delicious nights.

Ciao!

Lemon Ricotta Cake
Based on a recipe from BBC Good Food.
Serves 8 to 10.

Note: I love this cake. I adore it. I would bake it everyday if not for the fact that I would eat the whole thing everyday by myself. I have a kitchen scale so I weigh the ingredients for this recipe as in the original. Fortunately, self-rising flour is readily available in Toronto but if you can’t find it, you can use all-purpose flour. Simply use the same amount of all-purpose flour as self-rising flour but add 1-1/2 teaspoons of baking powder and 1/2 a teaspoon of salt for each cup.

I love to use Fiori di Sicilia in this cake. Fiori di Sicilia is an essence availabe from King Arthur Flour. It’s like heaven in a bottle. It has a strong citrus flavour that settles into baked goods and somehow enhances them without overpowering them. It’s delicious. Fiori di Sicilia translated means “flowers of Sicily” and honestly, if I could imagine the scent of Sicilian flowers then this would be it. Be careful, though, as a little goes a very long way. If you can’t find this product, then simply follow the original recipe and use the full amount of lemon zest (or use orange zest).

The original recipe uses caster sugar and I like to use superfine sugar. It’s also labelled as quick-disolving sugar. If you can’t find it, simply put some granulated sugar in a food processor and process for a few minutes until very fine.

If you have a small springform pan (i.e. 7-inches in diameter), use it as you will end up with a very high cake. I use an 8-inch springform pan as it’s the smallest that I have.

150 grams unsalted butter, softened
150 grams superfine sugar (also known as quick-dissolving)
juice and zest of 1 lemon
1/4 teaspoon Fiori di Sicilia
3 large eggs, separated
1/8 teaspon salt
250 grams ricotta (if the ricotta is fresh, be sure to drain it or your batter will be too liquidy)
125 grams self-raising flour
1 teaspoon baking powder

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour your springform pan.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together the butter and sugar for 4 to 5 minutes at high speed. The butter should be pale in colour and very creamy.

Add the lemon juice, lemon zest and Fiori di Sicilia and beat for one minute on medium speed.

Add the egg yolks, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each yolk is added. Add the ricotta and mix at low speed until combined.

In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites and salt until you have stiff peaks (I use a separate bowl with a handheld mixer but you can also beat the egg whites by hand if you’ve got the elbow grease).

With a rubber spatula, gently fold the egg whites into the batter.

Immediately fold in the flour and baking powder. Be gentle as you mix so as not to deflate the mixture too much.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake in the middle of the oven for 25 minutes. Check to see if the cake is done by inserting a cake tester or toothpick in the centre of the cake. It should come out clean. If not, bake for an additional 5 minutes or until the cake is done.

Remove the cake from the oven and let cool on a wire rack before releasing the cake from the springform.

Serve at room temperature.

Enjoy!

Look at the stars,
Look how they shine for you,
And everything you do,
Yeah they were all yellow …

- Coldplay

While I was in Italy, the incredible Barbara of winosandfoodies.com announced the details of the 2009 LiveSTRONG With a Taste of Yellow event. This is an event that Barbara created as a way of supporting Lance Armstrong’s LIVESTRONG Foundation. This year, LIVESTRONG DAY is on October 2nd.

Every year, when Barbara announces the details of her event, I am reminded of the importance of being united. With the simplest of gestures, by cooking or baking something yellow, we can all stand together in the fight against cancer.

It’s a powerful thing that Barbara does.

I’m honoured that I can take part.

For this year’s contribution to Barbara’s event, I’m submitting these little cakes that I actually made awhile ago using an ingredient that I tried for the very first time: Meyer lemons.

As you can imagine, Meyer lemons are difficult to source in Toronto. But one day, quite by surprise, I found some beautiful ones at my local grocery store so I loaded up on them.

Before I baked with them, I decided to taste them and was surprosed by their taste. I found the lemons to be a bit sweeter than regular lemons with less sourness. They seemed less acidic as well.

Happy with my purchase, I couldn’t wait to bake with them. I chose to try the Meyer Lemon Cake recipe from Chez Panisse Cooking by Paul Bertolli. Instead of making a 9-inch cake, I used a mini-bundt pan and made ten baby cakes.

The cakes were so pretty and the lemon flavour was very subtle. I glazed them and added a bit of lemon zest and some sweetened whipped cream when I served them.

If you have a moment on October 2nd, 2009, take some time to celebrate LIVESTRONG DAY and Barbara, for her incredible accomplishments.

Ciao!

Here are some Meyer lemon recipes that you might enjoy:

The Best Damn Meyer Lemon Cake
Meyer Lemon Cake with Lavender Cream
Meyer Lemon Coffee Cake

Welcome to the first Daring Baker challenge for 2008! Wow! It seems like yesterday that we were just getting ready for the holidays and it’s hard to believe that the first month of the new year is already almost over.

This month’s host is one of our longest standing members, the lovely Jen of The Canadian Baker. As those of you who follow the Daring Bakers’ exploits know, we’ve had some significant challenges in the past including croissants and bagels. I was understandably quite pleased when I saw that Jen had chosen the lemon meringue pie as the challenge for January 2008.

I’ve made lemon meringue pies many times before but I’m always happy to try a new version. Jen’s version was quite straightforward as it featured an all-butter crust, a creamy lemon curd and a very light meringue topping.

Jen gave us the option of making a large pie or smaller tartlets. I, of course, chose the tartlets because I’m always happy to try something mini.

All the separate elements of the tartlets came together very well for me. So I instead set my mind to the challenge of assembling the tartlets and decorating them.

Once I’d baked my pastry rounds for the base, I decided to create a shell border on each one with the meringue. Not only would this be decorative, but it would help keep my lemon curd in place.

I carefully spooned as much lemon curd as I could into the confines of each meringue border and then, using a pastry bag, I decorated the tops of the tartlets with various designs in meringue.

Once the tartlets came out of the oven after browning the meringue, I thought they looked cute but that they needed an extra touch. During the week, I’d visited one of my favourite Toronto stores, Harvest Wagon, which just happens to sell edible flowers. I splurged and decided that the flowers would look lovely with the tartlets.

But I wanted to give them some sort of extra touch so I sugared them. If you’ve never sugared fruit or flowers, it’s very easy. All you need is a clean paint brush, an egg white and some sugar. I beat the egg white until frothy and then used the paint brush to dab egg white on the petals of the flowers. I then very gently sprinkled them with sugar and let them air dry for a couple of hours.

Not only were the flowers a tasty and unusual treat, I thought they looked very pretty with the tartlets.

So how did the tartlets taste? They were pretty good. While I don’t think this version of lemon meringue pie is as good as the one I like to make, it was still tasty. And best of all, working with the bright taste and scent of lemon just reminded me that spring isn’t all that far away.

Was it the most daring of challenges for me? Not really. Was it fun? You bet. And that’s what baking is supposed to be about.

Thank you to Jen for a wonderful challenge. Please take a moment to visit the other Daring Bakers to see how they did. Have a wonderful week!

Ciao!

For the lemon meringue pie recipe, please visit Jen’s site.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, the greatest benefit of blogging is the chance to meet so many wonderful people.

Shortly after I began blogging I had the good fortune to meet Jasmine of Confessions of a Cardamom Addict and Sensual Gourmet. Intelligent, warm, witty, sexy, sweet, beautiful - these are all adjectives that could very easily apply to Jasmine.

But the one adjective that is most popular with me is generous.

A little over a month ago, I was moaning and complaining to Jasmine about how difficult it was to find certain ingredients in Toronto. As great a city as it is, in terms of baking products and equipment, Toronto can be a very small pond.

I was in search of organic lavender and was finding it very difficult to source in this great city of ours. I had no luck locating it and ended up extremely frustrated by the blank stares and silly questions I got in response to my queries for this product.

I happened to tell Jasmine about it and she immediately offered to send me as much lavender as I wanted from a local supplier (in her neck of the woods).

It’s taken me awhile, but Jasmine I’m finally thanking you in the most public way I can imagine.

To express my gratitude, I’ve made you this very special Lavender Cake from Tracy Stern’s Tea Party.

Thank you for being such a sweetheart!

Ciao!

Lavender Cake
Adapted from Tea Party by Tracy Stern.

Note: Stern adds lemon to this cake in her book but I’ve changed it to orange. This recipe yields two 8-inch loaves.

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup sliced almonds (blanched)
1-1/2 cups sugar
grated zest of 1 orange
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
6 large eggs
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 tbsp. dried lavender buds

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour two 8-inch loaf pans.

In a bowl, sift together the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder and salt). Set aside.

In the bowl of a food processor, combine the almonds and 2 tbsp. of the sugar. Process until the almonds are ground. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the butter, remaining sugar and orange zest. Mix on medium high speed until light and fluffy.

Add the eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition.

Add the orange juice and mix well.

Add the dry ingredients and the buttermilk alternately. Begin and end with the dry ingredients in three additions. Be sure to add the dry ingredients on low speed. Mix well after each addition of dry ingredients and buttermilk.

After adding the dry ingredients and buttermilk, add the almond mixture and the lavender buds and mix until just combined.

Spread the batter in the prepared pans and be sure to even it off.

Bake the cakes for 50 minutes to an hour, or until they are golden brown and a cake tester inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Remove the cakes from the oven and let cool in the pans for 10 to 15 minutes. Then unmold the cakes and let them continue cooling on a wire rack.

Serve as is or dusted with icing sugar.

Enjoy!

Technorati tags: lavender, lavender cake

I heart yellow.

Yellow is the sun. Yellow is bright and warm and always makes me happy when I see it.

Yellow is a friendly smile and blooming flowers. Yellow is everywhere a loved one is.

Yellow is courage. Yellow is Barbara of winosandfoodies.com and The Taste of Yellow event to celebrate LiveStrong Day.

Yellow is strong. Yellow is fearless.

Yellow is a hug. Yellow is a night out with friends.

Yellow is laughing until you cry. Yellow is the funny story everyone begs you to tell.

Yellow is the book you’ve read a thousand times. Yellow is the movie that makes you cry. Yellow is the funny pair of socks that you’ll never part with.

Yellow is intelligence. Yellow is compassion. Yellow is lending a helping hand.

Yellow is the picture of the one you love. Yellow is the song that you love. Yellow is music.

Yellow is bravery. Yellow is staring down the bad guy.

Yellow is the cure for cancer.

Yellow is my father.

I heart yellow.

Ciao!

Lemony Lemon Bars with Raspberry Coulis

Adapted from Afternoon Delights by James McNair and Andrew Moore.

Note:  These bars are a bit unusual in that they are creamier than your average lemon bar. I’ve added a bit of cream to the bar to give it a creamier texture. These bars can be a bit difficult to cut but I find that refrigerating them before slicing and using a hot knife helps a lot. The recipe will yield anywhere from 24 to 30 bars, depending on how small you cut them.

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 6 large eggs
• 2-3/4 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• pinch of salt
• 3/4 cup lemon juice
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 2 tsp. grated lemon zest

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Generously butter a 9 x 13-inch pan.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter and sugar. Beat at medium high speed until the mixture is creamy and combined. Add the salt and mix to combine.
3. Add one cup of the flour and mix on low speed until combined. Add the second cup of flour and mix on low speed until thoroughly combined.
4. Put the dough into the buttered pan and with your hands, spread it out into an even and flat layer.
5. Bake the crust for about 20 minutes. It should be nicely golden.
6. Remove the crust from the oven and reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees F.
7. In a large bowl, mix th eeggs, sugar, flour and salt. Whisk until the mixture is combined.
8. Add the lemon juice, the heavy cream and the lemon zest and stir to combine.
9. Pour the lemon mixture onto the baked crust and put the pan back in the oven.
10. Bake the bars until the lemon filling is golden on top and doesn’t jiggle in the middle (about 30 minutes).
11. Remove from the oven and let cool completely on a wire rack.
12. Once cool, you can either cut into bars and serve or refrigerate for up to 2 days. I recommend refrigerating before you cut into bars.
13. Using a small cookie cutter or even a small spoon, cut out or scoop out a bit of the centre of each bar.
14. Fill the indentation with a bit of raspberry coulis (recipe follows). Dust with icing sugar if you like and then serve immediately.
15. Enjoy!

Raspberry Coulis

Note:  You can make this as thick or thin as you like. I like a medium consistency. I also don’t like it to be too sweet, but feel free to add more sugar if you like. This will yield about 2 cups of raspberry coulis. The coulis will keep in the refrigerator for a week.

• 2 to 2-1/2 cups frozen raspberries (you can also use fresh)
• 1/2 to 1 cup hot water
• juice of 1 lemon
• 1/4 cup sugar

1. Combine all the ingredients, except the water, in a food processor.
2. Process for about a minute, or until the raspberries have been processed and the mixture is combined. Add 1/2 cup of hot water and process until smooth.
3. Taste the coulis and adjust for sweetness. If you want a thinner coulis, then add more hot water and process again.
4. Once the coulis is to your liking, strain through a fine mesh sieve.
5. Pour the strained coulis into a bowl and keep refrigerated when you’re not using it.
6. Enjoy!

Technorati tags:livestrong, livestrong day, a taste of yellow, winosandfoodies, lemon, lemon bars