Tag Archives: dessert recipes

Easy Cherry Clafoutis #Recipe by @Donna_Fasano

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Dictionary.com pronounces “clafoutis” as Klah-foo-tee and defines the dessert as “a tart made of fruit, especially cherries, baked in a thick, sweet batter.” I define is as absolutely delicious, and Cherry Clafoutis is the perfect way to use the beautiful cherries that are now in season. I believe home-cook-turned-TV-icon Julia Child first introduced this dessert to Americans after she had spent time living in France.

Cherry Clafoutis

I’ve seen recipes for this custardy fruit tart call for all different measurements of flour and sugar. Some recipes call for melted butter, others do not. I wasn’t sure which recipe was best. That’s why I decided to nail down this recipe for myself. The end result of the recipe below is a wonderful, fruit-filled, custardy delight that will have your friends and family screaming for another slice. You can serve this warm, at room temperature, or chilled.

Easy Cherry Clafoutis

  • 1 tablespoon butter for greasing the dish
  • 1 lb. stemmed and pitted fresh cherries
  • 3 eggs
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup butter, melted
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1/4 cup whole milk
  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • Confectioners Sugar for dusting (optional)
  1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Use the 1 tablespoon of butter to grease the bottom and sides of a 10-inch quiche pan. Set the pan aside.
  2. Wash, dry, stem and pit the fresh cherries. For a tart filled with fruit, there should be 1 pound of pitted fruit for the tart so start out with over 1 pound. Add the cherries to the tart pan and spread into an even layer.
  3. Crack the 3 eggs into a bowl and beat with electric mixer until well combined. Add the sugar and beat for 1 minute.
  4. Add the 1/4 cup melted butter, heavy cream, milk, flour, salt, and vanilla extract to the egg mixture and beat until all ingredients are combined.
  5. Pour the batter over the cherries. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until the top is puffed and golden. The Clafoutis will deflate as it cools. Top with confectioners sugar if desired.

Feel free to substitute other fruit for the cherries—blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, sliced peaches, strawberries—any fruit that is in season. I have made this with frozen berries. The result tastes just as delicious. However, it isn’t as pretty as when using fresh fruit because frozen fruit tends to bleed its juices into the custard.

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This month, I’m celebrating Christmas in July by pricing my 3 holiday romances at just 99¢. I hope the books will help you ho-ho-ho your way through the rest of the month.

Donna Fasano Christmas

Her Mr. Miracle

An Almost Perfect Christmas

Grown-Up Christmas List

The best ice cream

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At a time when everyone is going on a diet, I am almost embarrassed to admit I love ice-cream. I don’t particularly like cakes or dessert, but give me an ice cream and you’ll see a happy person.

The best ice cream I ever tasted left an indelible memory in my mind. We were in Rome, in front of the Fountain of Trevis—you know the famous fountain where you throw a coin to come back one day. I was hot and thirsty. When I saw the window of a Gelateria displaying scrumptious ice creams, I bought a gelato, as they call the ice cream in Italy. Oh my God, delicious, incredibly delicious. It had strawberries, chocolate, vanilla and whipped cream, stuffed with dried fruit. I asked for the name of that heavenly ice cream. They called it cassata Siciliana or cassata Napolitana, depending on whether the vendor was from Southern Italy or from Northern Italy.

Two days later, our cruise ship stopped in Sorrento. One of the waiters recommended a gelateria on the main piazza. “If you like ice cream, you can taste their cassata Siciliana,”  he said, bringing his bunched fingers to his lips and sending a kiss. “The best ice cream in the world.”

I didn’t need more convincing and led my husband straight to the gelato store.We each ordered a cone of cassata. My husband chocked at the price, $15 per cone.

But the store owner explained in broken English that his store was the Pope’s favorite gelateria. Apparently the Pope stopped here once to have a cone of cassata. Later, the owner built a St. Peter Basilica, made of cassata and presented it to the Pope. Of course, the picture was all over Italy’s newspapers and the owner showed us a copy on the wall with the pope receiving his pious ice cream. “So you capito perque cassata expensive?” the man added.

“Si, capito, I understand why this cassata is so expensive.” Not that it reconciled my husband with the offensive price.

On the ship, the maître d’ gave me a recipe. The problem is that ice cream is loaded with calories and I am doing a terrible effort to watch what I eat and stay away from ‘dangerous’ food. I modified the recipe and used non-fat ice cream, or even better, frozen yogurt.

Cassata Recipe:

1-A pint of chocolate frozen yogurt containing dark chocolate chips.

2-A pint of strawberry frozen yogurt with frozen bits of strawberries.

3- A pint of mango ice cream with frozen bits of mangoes.

4- A box of non-fat whipped cream.

5- A pack of cut dried fruits, pineapple, papaya, raisin, coconut.

***The boxes of ice cream or frozen yogurt should be allowed to soften out of the refrigerator for half an hour before using.***

1-In an easy-to-open mold, spread the softened chocolate frozen yogurt evenly. Put in the freezer for two hours to harden.

2-Now spread the softened strawberry frozen yogurt evenly on top of the chocolate layer. Put in the freezer for two hours to let it harden.

3-Empty the bag of dry fruits in the box of whipped cream and mix well, then spread on the hardened ice cream in the mold. Leave in the freezer overnight.

4-Spread the softened mango ice cream evenly on top of the frozen whipped cream in the mold. Put in the freezer for two hours to let it harden.

**You can use mint chocolate instead of chocolate frozen yogurt, and pistachio ice cream instead of mango.

Take the mold out of the freezer half an hour before serving. Hold over a warm stove to loosen your ice cream from the bottom and be able to overturn the mold on a plate. Enjoy. Delicious and low calorie.

Shh…it’s a SECRET BABY…
Some parents would do anything for the sake of the kids they love.

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DOCTORS IN LOVE DOCTORS IN LOVE 2

Chocolate Sponge Cake #Recipe by @KatyWalters07

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I do love this recipe for Chocolate Sponge Cake. It is easy and always has perfect results. This cake is a good size and will last a family of five approximately four to five days. It is also the base for a number of sponge cakes; for instance, the Victoria Sponge with a delicious strawberry jam filling.

Ingredients for the Chocolate Sponge Cake:

For the cake- Chocolate Sponge Cake

  • 6 ozs Self-Rising Flour
  • 6 ozs Butter or Margarine, softened
  • 6 ozs Castor Sugar (Granulated)
  • 50 gm Cocoa Powder
  • 4 Medium-Size Eggs

For the filling and top (see image)-

  • 175 gm Butter
  • 375 gm Icing Sugar (Confectioner’s)
  • 90 gm Cocoa Powder
  • 2-4 Tablespoons Milk

Directions to make the Chocolate Sponge Cake:

  1. Preheat oven to 180C/160C (350F) – Fan Gas 4. Spray two 7-inch round cake tins with baking spray, then set aside.
  2. Add flour, butter, sugar, cocoa powder, and eggs into the bowl of an electric stand mixer.
  3. Mix on medium speed until all ingredients are thoroughly combined and creamy.
  4. Divide into two 7-inch cake tins and bake for about 30 minutes or until golden brown.
  5. Let the cakes sit for about 10 minutes, then remove from pans. Allow cakes to cool on a cooling rack before filling and icing.

Directions for the filling/top:

  1. Add butter, sugar, and cocoa to the bowl of an electric stand mixer.
  2. Mix on low, adding only enough milk to make a spreadable icing/filling (see cake image).
  3. Spread half of the mixture on top of one layer. Top with second layer. Spread remaining mixture on top of the cake.

Hurrah! Chocolate Sponge Cake is decadently rich. However, it is a fantastic treat for the family, or for your hubby. Above all, it is a wonderful treat for YOU. Why? Because you can’t have too much chocolate.

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Look for A LADY IN DISTRESS, Book 1 of the Lords of Wessex

An exciting Regency Suspense Romance

Grab a copy for only £0.80 in the UK Kindle Store

Or 99¢ in the US Kindle Store

Katy Walters

My Favorite Time of Year! #mgtab @NatalieAnn121

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My Favorite Time Of Year!

What is your favorite time of year? Do you even have one?

In Upstate NY most people are begging for spring after a cold winter. But oftentimes we don’t get a spring and it jumps right into summer. That is how it seemed to happen this year.

There was a record number of days over 90 and we even hit 100 a few times. We had 4 days over 90 just last week and frankly, I’m sick of it.

But now it’s September and I’m looking forward to my favorite time of year.  Fall!!

Nice days and cool nights. Sleeping with the windows opened. Football Sundays and best of all apple picking!

It’s a tradition I’ve had with my son since he was a toddler. We’d go once in September, pick a big bag of apples and I’d come home and make apple sauce and his favorite apple cake. I only make it once a year since it’s such a rich decadent dessert.

I love Fall so much, I just released a new book this week, Autumn Love. It’s based around a beloved community’s apple orchard. When the orchard got to be too much for Ali Rogers’ mom to handle she decided to sell it. Liam Sullivan is a contractor that wanted to bring the orchard back to life and found that it’s more than a business venture when he falls for Ali. Add in Ali’s meddling grandfather’s ghost and it’s a great book to curl up with!

This story has so many things in it that I love personally and I hope that you will too. It’s just 99 cents, or FREE to read on Kindle Unlimited.

And if you want to try out my famous Apple Cake, here is the recipe for you!

3 cups of flour

4 teaspoons of cinnamon

2 teaspoons of nutmeg

1 teaspoon of baking soda

½ teaspoon of baking powder

3 eggs

2 cups of sugar

1 cup of oil

1 teaspoon of vanilla

4 cups of diced apples (no skin)

  • Mix all the dry ingredients together and set aside
  • Beat eggs, then add sugar and oil
  • Add vanilla and then the dry ingredients
  • Once all is mixed well, add the apples. Mix until blended, but not until the apples are broken up. Using the mixer will bring some of the juices of the apples out and make the cake extremely moist, but you still want to leaves some small chunks in it.
  • Pour into a greased 13 x 9 cake pan
  • Bake at 350 for an hour (test by sticking a toothpick in the center. If batter comes away, continue to cook until the toothpick is clean)
  • Frost with vanilla or cream cheese frosting
  • Cover and keep at room temperature for about a week

Enjoy!