Lime Muffins with Strawberry Cream Cheese Glaze



Lime Muffins with Strawberry Cream Cheese Glaze


These muffins have a lovely light lime flavour, and topped with the strawberry cream cheese glaze they are a real treat.  These would be a beautiful served with brunch, or for a special breakfast with fresh fruit. 

Lime Muffins

1/3 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup milk
juice of 1 large lime

2 cups flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
zest of 1 large lime

Preheat oven to 375°.  Spray muffin tins with non-stick cooking spray.  Makes 12 muffins.
Cream butter and sugar in a large bowl. Add egg, mix well.  Add sour cream, milk and lime juice and mix well.  Set aside.
Combine flour, baking soda, salt, and zest.  Stir and add to moist ingredients.  Stir together  until just mixed.
Spoon evenly into prepared muffin tins. Bake @ 375° for approx 18 min.  Remove from tins, cool completely and lightly frost with Strawberry Cream Cheese Glaze.

Strawberry Cream Cheese Glaze
1/4 block of light cream cheese
1 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup icing sugar
1/2 tbsp whipping cream
1 tbsp strawberry coulis

Cream together cream cheese and butter until smooth and free of lumps.  Add icing sugar and continue to mix.  Add whipping cream and coulis. Mix until well blended and smooth.
Lightly frost cooled muffins.

Cinnamon Swirl Pear Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting



Cinnamon Swirl Pear Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting




This is a moist and delicious cake, with tender pieces of pear and swirls of cinnamon and brown sugar throughout.  The top of the cake is crunchy and sweet, even under the layer of luscious cream cheese frosting.  This would be the perfect cake for a coffee date with a friend.

I made this cake last night, and it was just coming out of the oven as the kids were getting ready for bed, the aroma of pear and cinnamon filling the house. You can imagine their disappointment at not being able to eat it immediately.  They were good sports though and agreed that cake for breakfast would be fabulous, so I was able to hold them off.  I, of course, had to test it out last night, and I must say I was a little disappointed that it was falling apart as I was cutting it.  I had let it cool for 1 1/2 hours!  Surely that was long enough.  I decided to put it in sealed container, leave it to sit overnight and see what a little time would do.....I was not ready to call this cake a failure, because the flavour was so good.  When we woke up this morning my daughter said "I bet the cake is cool enough by now Mom", so with fingers crossed I removed the cake from the container and sliced a piece...Success!!!! The cake held together perfectly, it was easy to slice and serve.  My kids devoured it.  The frosting benefited from the extra time as well. 

Make this cake the night before you want to serve it, you will be glad you gave it some extra time.  I personally love recipes that I can make ahead of time for morning play dates or brunch.  Anything that gives me extra time in the morning is a winner with me.

This cake is so yummy, It will definitely become a favorite in our house.

Cinnamon Swirl Pear Cake

2/3 cup unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla

2 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup milk

1 cup  fresh pear, chopped

1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350°.  Cream 2/3 butter and 2/3 cup of brown sugar until well mixed.  Add eggs one at a time mixing well after each. Add vanilla, mix well.

In a separate bowl combine flour, baking powder, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, baking soda and salt.  Mix thoroughly. 
Add dry ingredients to creamed mixture and mix well.  Pour milk in while mixing.  Mix until well blended. 

Fold in chopped pear.Set aside.

Combine 1/4 cup melted butter with 1/2 cup brown sugar and 1 tsp cinnamon.

Spray loaf pan with non-stick spray.  Spoon 1/3 of the cake batter into loaf pan.  Dot with brown sugar mixture. Spoon on more batter, dot with more brown sugar mixture. Repeat.

Top with remaining brown sugar mixture, this gives the cake a crunchy sweet top.

Bake @350° for approx 1 hr, or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Remove to cooling rack. Allow to cool for 10 min. Run sharp knife around edge of the cake.  Leave to cool for 1-2 more hours.  Remove from pan.

Cream Cheese Frosting

1/2 cup cream cheese, softened

2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened

1 1/2 cup icing sugar

1/4 tsp vanilla

1 tbsp whipping cream

Cream together cream cheese and butter until well combined and free of lumps. Add icing sugar, vanilla and whipping cream.  Mix well.

Frost cooled cake.

Place frosted cake in a sealed container overnight.  Slice and enjoy!

Lemonberry White Chocolate Scones



Lemonberry White Chocolate Scone


I hadn't really planned on making this recipe for this weeks challenge, but I had friends coming over this morning, and I can't have friends over and not bake.  So, no this is not the second recipe for the coulis- that is is still to come. 
I love scones, probably even more than muffins.  Again, the possibilities are endless.  The key to a nice scone is to not overwork the dough.  These scones have a light lemony flavor with lovely little berry pieces throughout.  You would think I'm nuts for white chocolate by this blog of mine, I'm really not. I prefer milk or even dark chocolate when I indulge.  I do find, however, that white chocolate has a nice light flavor that compliments fruit well and does not over power it.  These scones would make a nice addition to a brunch with some fresh fruit, and coffee of course.

Lemonberry White Chocolate Scones

3/4 cup milk
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 egg

2 3/4 cups flour

4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup cold butter, cut into small cubes

1/2 cup frozen blackberries, coarsely chopped (chop when frozen, they won't turn to mush)

1/2 cup frozen raspberries, coarsely chopped (chop when frozen, they won't turn to mush)

1/2 white chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375°.  Add lemon juice to milk, let sit for a few minutes.  Beat in the egg until thoroughly combined.  Set aside.

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar. Mix well.  Cut in cold butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. 

Add berries and white chocolate. Mix.

Add milk mixture and mix lightly with a fork until a soft dough begins to form. Do not over mix.

Turn out onto floured surface. Knead 5-6 times until dough hold together, again, don't over do it.

Cut into 8 equal chunks and gently form scones.

Place onto large lightly greased cookie sheet.

Bake 15 min, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Remove from pan onto a cooling rack.

Scones are best eaten the day they are made, but can be wrapped individually and enjoyed the next day as well.

Apple Cinnamon Rolls



Apple Cinnamon Rolls

 These cinnamon rolls are flaky, fluffy, moist and so delicious!!!!  The apple is worked into the dough, and adds a depth of flavour that you wouldn't normally find in a pastry, and just a subtle hint of apple flavour. These are quick and easy to make, but taste like you've slaved in the kitchen.
My daughter absolutely loves cinnamon rolls and asks for them almost every morning (no, she doesn't get them).  She is also my toughest critic, her compliments always mean so much to me because she is so honest.  She was half way through her second cinnamon roll this morning when she said "Ohhh I'm full, but I don't ever want to stop eating this!"  She made me swear I would leave her cinnamon roll for her and not let anyone else eat it, so that she could finish it later.  She has also requested that this be the recipe I use from now on, as did my husband.  Success!!!!

Apple Cinnamon Rolls

Pastry

2 cups flour

3 tbsp sugar

4 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1/4 cup cold butter, cubed

1 large granny smith apple, peeled and coarsely grated
1/2 cup milk
1/2 tsp vanilla

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Mix well.  Cut in butter until mixture resembles small crumbs.  Add grated apple, vanilla and milk. Mix with a fork just until dough starts to form.  The key to nice pastry is not to over mix, or over knead the dough.
Turn dough out onto floured surface. Knead about 10 times, until dough holds together nicely.
Add more flour to the surface. Roll out into a rectangle about 15"x11". Prepare filling.

Filling

1/3 cup butter, softened

1 cup brown sugar, packed

1 tbsp cinnamon

Mix all ingredients until well combined

Spread filling evenly on rolled out dough.

Roll up dough from long side. Cut into 12 equal pieces.  Place in lightly grease muffin tins. Bake @400° for 15-17 min.  Turn out onto cookie sheet immediately. Allow to cool slightly and serve. 

This recipe is quick enough to make in the morning before guests arrive for coffee. Dust a little flour on your nose and they'll think you've been baking for hours :)