Cherry Vanilla Yogurt Pops
Posted: May 19, 2015 Filed under: Cherries (15), Ice Cream/Frozen Treats (13) | Tags: Cherry Vanilla Yogurt Pops, Vanilla Cherry Ice Pops Leave a comment
Soon you can “legally” wear white pants. Memorial Day is looming…You don’t really follow that silly rule, do you? Nor do you know you can only enjoy a popsicle that you purchase in a frozen store case. The world is yours to discover. Break out the Vitamix, blender, or food processor and start making your own frozen pops. Start with your favorite fruit or two and add a little yogurt or extra jam for flavor. Pick a fruit that is in season and remember that anything frozen looses a little sweetness when it’s at frozen state, so if adding any sugar this helps to gauge before you make your final pour into your pop molds. Enjoy~
Cherry Vanilla Yogurt Pops
1 1/2 Cups vanilla low fat yogurt
1/2 Cup fresh sweet cherries, pitted
1/3 Cup cherry jam
In a blender, food processor or Vitamix in this order; place the yogurt and jam. Process/pulse until mixture is smooth. Add the fresh pitted cherries and pulse until the cherries are small pieces; if you like your pops a little more chunky, then so be it. Once processed to your liking pour into clean pop molds and if using wooden sticks, wait for about 15 minutes to place sticks. Freeze until firm.
Cherry Streusel Coffee Cake
Posted: January 20, 2015 Filed under: Breakfast (35), Cherries (15) | Tags: Cherry Snack Cake, Cherry Streusel Coffee Cake Leave a commentI’ve got a bad case of the winter blah blah blahsss. I’m dreaming of sunny skies, cool night breezes-the kind that beckon sleeping with the windows open, tart red cherries, and sipping cold lemonade on a hot summer day… I thought this coffee cake would lighten the mood with it’s tart burst of cherries and crunchy sugary top it’s just the thing to remind me of summer. I used frozen (thawed) sour cherries. Growing up my Mother used to squirrel away frozen fruit in a huge freezer so we would have any kind of berry or fruit all Winter long for such a baking occasion. I like to squirrel away fruit too- I guess the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree…
Cherry Streusel Coffee Cake
Cake:
1/2 Cup milk
1 1/2 tsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. lemon zest
3/4 Cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 granulated sugar
1 lg. egg
1 3/4 Cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. almond extract
1/2 Cup (generous) cherry preserves, divided (I like Smuckers)
2/3 Cup frozen tart cherries, thawed (If you can’t find frozen tart cherries- you can substitute 1 Cup of dried tart cherries)
1. Make the streusel as per below and set aside.
2. Preheat the oven to 375° F. Prepare an 8 inch pan by lining with a parchment sling so that all sides have an overhang of about 1 1/2 inches. Spray the parchment with baking spray or lightly butter.
3. In a small bowl combine the milk and lemon juice and set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add in the egg and lemon zest and combine well. Add the vanilla and almond extract. In a separate bowl combine the dry ingredients and whisk with a fork.
4. Add 1/3 of the dry ingredients alternating with the milk mixture in two additions, starting and ending with the flour mixture. Take 1/2 of the batter (it will be thick) and spread it evenly in the pan. Take 1/4 C of the jam and heat it slightly in the microwave for about 10 seconds. Spread the jam evenly over the batter, then sprinkle 1/3 Cup of the cherries over the preserves. Note: I blot the cherries dry first with a paper towel to prevent too much liquid in the batter. Take the remaining batter and dot spoonfuls of the batter over the first layer, then carefully spread batter, repeat by spreading the other half of the (warmed) cherry preserves, and sprinkle with remaining cherries.
Note: If you can’t find frozen cherries; you can fold in 1 Cup or more of dried cherries into the batter before spreading batter into the pan. (Still spread the cherry preserves onto the batter as called for in the recipe).
5. Sprinkle the streusel on top and bake in a preheated 350° F oven for 50-55 minutes until the streusel is set (doesn’t look too wet or loose) and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs. If the top of the cake gets too brown you can cover with tinfoil for the last 5-10 minutes as needed. Let the cake cool in the pan set over a wire rack.
Almond Streusel
1/4 Cup sugar
1/4 Cup light brown sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
5 Tbsp. butter, softened
1/3 Cup sliced almonds
1. In a stand mixer with paddle attachment (or in a bowl with a fork) combine all the ingredients except the almonds until appears crumbly. Stir in the almonds.
Happy Memorial Day- Cherry Crisp
Posted: May 24, 2014 Filed under: Cherries (15), Holidays (29) | Tags: Cherry Crisp in Ramekins, Sour Cherry Crisp Leave a commentI have a very vivid memory of my childhood peering into the abyss of a large freezer filled with sour cherries. This freezer still exists at my parents house. It is ancient, but trustworthy. Michiganders are notorious for squirreling away vast quantities of food in freezers as you can never be too prepared for a brutal winter, or frankly just prepared for any kind of weather.
We were not one of those families who had freezers full of deer meat. Like I said, for some reason I remember seeing a lot of sour cherries. Sour cherries (which are the variety Montmorency cherries) are a big thing in Michigan- right up there with blueberries. You never know when the mood strikes you to whip out a cobbler or crisp- and you must be prepared! If you are not privy to sour cherries by all means use fresh sweet bing or a mixture of bing and rainier cherries; just reduce the sugar probably by half.
Vanilla ice cream just takes it over the top….
Cherry Crisp
serves 7
yield: 7 individual 4.5 oz ramekins or one large 1.5-2 quart casserole dish
7 Cups pitted frozen tart cherries, thawed
1 Cup + 2 Tbsp. sugar
4 Tbsp. cornstarch
1/2 tsp. almond extract
1 tsp. vanilla
1. In a medium nonstick saucepan combine first 3 ingredients. Cook over medium heat until mixture becomes thick and bubbly. Stir in the extracts. Fill ramekins 3/4 full, then top with crumble mixture (recipe below). Bake at 375° F for 24-30 minutes until topping is lightly browned. Serve with ice cream or whipped cream. Note: if you like you may make one large dish and use a 1.5 or 2 quart oval or rectangular casserole dish, and adjust the baking time as needed.
Crumble:
1/4 Cup flour
1/4 Cup packed brown sugar
pinch of salt
1/4 Cup soft butter, cubed
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 Cup slivered almonds
Baked Mini Cherry and Sakura-Sugar Donuts
Posted: December 16, 2013 Filed under: Breakfast (35), Cherries (15), Snacks (12) | Tags: Cherry Donuts, Donuts with Sakura Sugar Leave a commentSakura sugar is sugar blended with cherry blossom flowers. I can’t even begin to tell you how amazing this sugar is. I know I needed to make something simple to let the sugar be the star. Simple baked donuts. Light, infused with cherry flavor and tossed in this amazing sugar. Now I know most of you will not be able to get your hands on this sweet sugar, so I included a version for cherry glaze that you can dip the tops of the donuts in. Enjoy~
cherry glazed version
Baked Cherry & Sakura-Sugar Donuts
recipe: adapted from Doughnuts by Lara Ferroni
3/4 Cup all purpose flour
1/4 Cup pastry flour
1 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. dried cherry powder
1/3 Cup super fine sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1/4 Cup whole milk, scalded
1/4 Cup plain yogurt
1 tsp. vanilla
1 egg, beaten
dried cherries, diced (optional)
Topping:
melted butter
Sakura sugar
Cherry Glaze Topping:
1 Cup confectioners sugar
~ 2-3 Tbsp. cherry juice
1. Prepare a mini donut pan by greasing lightly with oil. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
2. Sift the flours and baking powder together into a large bowl or the bowl of a mixer. Whisk in the sugar, dried cherry powder, and salt. Add the butter and use your fingers to rub it into the dry ingredients as you would in making a pastry crust, until even distributed. Add milk, yogurt, vanilla and egg and stir until just combined. Fold in dried cherries (if desired). Do NOT overmix or your donuts will be rubbery.
3. Using a piping bag or small spoon, fill each doughnut well until about 3/4 full, making sure each center post is clear. Bake until light golden brown and donuts spring back when touched, about 8 minutes. Let cool slightly before attempting to remove from pan.
4. For sugar coated: dip each donut into melted butter and roll in sakura sugar.
5. For cherry sugar glazed: mix the confectioners sugar and cherry juice until desired consistency (you are looking for thickness like heavy cream). Dip top of each donut into glaze and let set up over a wire rack. Sprinkle with decorative or sakura sugar.