Crispy Butter Pecan Ice Cream Cake

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This dessert is the adult version of an ice cream cake that I make often for my grandchildren. It is really easy to assemble and it is surprising good for something that requires so little effort. The original version of the cake came from Real Simple magazine and it can be seen here. If you glance through their recipe, you can see that this is an easy recipe to make your own. The flavor combinations are limited only by the imagination of the cook and the cake is a lovely finish to an informal summer meal. The Silver Fox and I like the butterscotch version but our little guys were really fond of a peanut butter and chocolate combination that I made for them. I hope you'll give this a try with favorite flavors of your own. Here are the directions for my favorite version of the cake.



Crispy Butter Pecan Ice Cream Cake...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite inspired by Real Simple Magazine



Ingredients:

8 ounces butterscotch chips, melted

4 cups crisped rice cereal (such as Rice Krispies)

2 pints butter pecan ice cream, slightly softened

2 cups whipped topping



Directions:

1) Combine melted butterscotch chips and cereal in a large bowl. Toss until cereal is completely coated. Set aside 1 cup of mixture for later use. Spray a 9-inch springform pan with nonstick spray. Lightly press 3 cups of coated cereal into bottom of pan. Do not pack. Freeze just until firm, about 10 minutes.

2) Spread ice cream in prepared crust and freeze, covered, until firm, for at least 2 hours and up to 3 day. Just before serving, spread top of cake with whipped topping and sprinkle with reserved

coated cereal. Yield: 8 servings.













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Banana Snack Cake

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...What follows is my attempt to make bananas and banana cake a bit more interesting. Buried in the annuls of music history is a song called "Yes, We Have No Bananas". It was popular in the 1920's and the phrase was used on signs posted by British grocers decades later to let patrons know they were in compliance with bans that prohibited the importation of the fruit during WWII. It's generally thought that the song was inspired by a banana blight in Brazil, but it is harder to identify who originated the phrase. Some credit Jimmy Costas, a Long Island grocer, for the catchphrase. Others believe the honor should be given to the cartoonist, Thomas Dorgan. Whatever the case may be, the song became the theme of the Outdoor Relief protests that took place in Belfast, Ireland in 1932. Ironically, it was one of the few secular songs that both the Protestants and Catholics knew and could sing together. Over the years, the song has lent its title to a book about the depression in Belfast and been mentioned or heard in the movies Sabrina and The English Patient. I'm told the phrase was used as late as 2006 in Australia, when a large portion of the country's banana crop was destroyed by a cyclone and caused a shortage for most of the year. Now, as it happens, my youngest grandsons have assured that I have bananas aplenty today. This moist and flavorful cake is one of my favorite ways to use them. If you like banana cake, I hope you'll give this version a try. The frosting is especially nice. Yes, we do have bananas, we do have bananas today. We also have Louis Prima's version of the song for those of you have never heard it.







Banana Snack Cake...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite inspired by Maureen Saunders



Ingredients:

Cake

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup mashed ripe banana

1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted

Frosting

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/4 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Dash salt

2 to 2-1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

1 cup finely chopped pecans, toasted + chopped pecans for topping



Directions:

1) To make cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8-inch square pan. Cream butter and sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Combine flour, baking soda and salt; add to creamed mixture just until combined. Fold in banana and pecans. Pour into prepared pan and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Cool cake in pan on a wire rack.

2) To make frosting: Cream butter in a small bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in milk, vanilla, salt and enough confectioners' sugar to achieve spreading consistency. Stir in toasted pecans. Frost cake. Garnish with additional pecans. Yield: 9 servings.















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Orange Glazed Banana Nut Bread

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I love it when voyages of discovery in the kitchen lead me to something that is new, different and delicious. With the little ones here, I've had to deal with an amazing number of bananas at various stages of brown and nasty decay. As you've probably guessed, I've made an assortment of muffins, cakes and bread to prevent them from becoming fodder for the compost pile. Now, I'll grant you that there is nothing new about banana bread, but the orange and nut glaze that tops this one takes it out of the "same ole, same ole" category and puts it in a league of its very own. This simple confection, actually more like a cake than a bread, takes all of 15 minutes to prepare, and I promise those of you who try the recipe will consider it time well spent. The glaze, which would work well with pound cake or other plain quick breads, is a stunner, pure and simple. Not only did it have my socks going up and down, my kitchen assistant, a certain four year old who will leave here with my heart in his hands, had those hands full with a fat slice of the cake he got to glaze when he gave the ultimate review. "Deeelicious". I also got a kiss. Now I don't often get kisses for my banana bread and I must say it was a lovely reward. I suggest you give this one a try. Here's the recipe.



Orange Glazed Banana Nut Bread...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Beverly Sprague



Ingredients:

Bread

3/4 cup butter, softened

1 package (8-oz.) cream cheese, softened

2 cups sugar

2 eggs

1-1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas (about 4 medium)

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups chopped walnuts or pecans, divided

Glaze

1 cup confectioners' sugar

3 tablespoons orange juice

1 teaspoon grated orange peel



Directions:

1) Grease two 8-in.x 4-in. loaf pans. Line bottom of pans with parchment paper; grease paper. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2) Cream butter, cream cheese and sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in bananas and vanilla.

3) Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in another bowl; gradually add to creamed mixture. Fold in reserved 1 cup pecans.

4) Scrape batter into prepared pans. Sprinkle with remaining nuts. Bake for 1 to 1-1/4 hours or until a toothpick inserted near center comes out clean.

5) In a small bowl, whisk glaze ingredients; drizzle over loaves. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks. Yield: 2 loaves (12 slices each).















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Butterscotch Swirl Cake

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I'm honestly not sure where to start with my review of today's recipe. I saw it in Taste of Home magazine several years ago, but, for whatever reason, I postponed giving the recipe a try. While I was curious and absolutely love the flavor of butterscotch, I was put off by the ingredient list and the time required to make the cake. I could tell from the photo that its frostingless nature would make it perfect for toting to meetings or alfresco meals, but I wasn't sufficiently swayed to begin cracking eggs or taking whisk to hand. I've had an awful of of people traipsing through the house this summer, and that amount of company means an awful lot of baking. To avoid repetition, I decided to try some new things, like this cake. After all, how bad can anything made with this much butter and sugar be? As it turns out, I can recommend the cake it, but only conditionally. My palate kept picking up the exaggerated flavors of artificial butterscotch and rum and I wasn't thrilled. The rest of my tasters, however, loved the cake and it was gone within the day. Since mine was the only dissenting vote, I'm going to share the recipe with you today, despite my personal reservations. Here's the recipe for those of you I haven't scared away.

Butterscotch Swirl Cake...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Taste of Home magazine

Ingredients:
Cake
1 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
6 eggs
3 teaspoons rum extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
1 package (3.4 ounces) instant butterscotch pudding mix
3/4 cup butterscotch ice cream topping
Glaze
1/4 cup butter, cubed
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons 2% milk
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup chopped pecans

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 10-inch fluted tube pan.
2) In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add 5 eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in extracts. Combine flour, baking soda and baking powder; gradually add to creamed mixture alternately with sour cream, beating well after each addition.
3) Transfer 2 cups of batter to another large bowl; beat in pudding mix, butterscotch topping and remaining egg until well blended. Pour half of plain batter into prepared pan. Top with half of the butterscotch batter; cut through with a knife to swirl. Repeat layers and swirl.
4) Bake for 65-70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely.
5) For glaze, in a small saucepan, combine the butter, brown sugar and milk. Bring to a boil. Remove from the heat; add confectioners' sugar and vanilla. Beat until smooth and creamy. Drizzle over cake; sprinkle with pecans. Yield: 12 servings.







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Peanut Butter and Jelly Belly Cake

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...If you do not cook for the very young or young at heart, please stay long enough to accept my apology for not yet responding to your comments of the week. Time and intent are at odds with each other and time has obviously trumped intent. There simply has been no time. Those of you who occasionally bake for children's parties might want to tarry, but all others have been granted an excused absence, as long as they are present for tomorrow's morning meeting, where adult, or at least semi-adult, recipes will again be the order of the day.

One of my special boys turned four this week. He wanted a peanut butter and jelly cake for his party. He was pretty insistent about it and could not be dissuaded. I did some inward groaning and probably glared at his mother, who I am sure put him up to the request, but, in the end, thanks to some help from folk's at the Hershey test kitchen, Joshua had his birthday cake. The recipe is easy in the extreme and I must say the finished cake is not half bad. The frosting is actually delicious.

We have a tradition that allows the birthday boy or girl to put candles on their cake as soon as they can select the correct number of them from a pile. As you can see, Joshua has mastered the technique. I'd like those of you who know our family to note the nearly perfect line he's formed with his candles. I had hoped for a poet, but I think we have another budding engineer on our hands. Without further ado, here's the recipe for Joshua's birthday cake.


Peanut Butter and Jelly Belly Cake...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Hershey Test Kitchens

Ingredients:
1 package (about 18 oz.) white cake mix
3/4 cup strawberry jam
1-2/3 cups (10-oz. pkg.) peanut butter chips
2 tablespoons milk
1/2 cup whipping cream

Directions:
1) Prepare cake as directed on package for two 9-inch layers. Slice each layer in half horizontally to form two layers. Place one layer on serving plate; spread 1/4 cup jam over top. Repeat with remaining layers, ending with plain layer on top.
2) Stir together peanut butter chips and milk in medium saucepan. Heat over heat, stirring constantly, until chips are melted and mixture is smooth. Cool until slightly thickened. Beat whipping cream with electric mixer until stiff; gradually blend into peanut butter mixture. If necessary, cool until of spreading consistency. Frost top and sides of cake. Yield: 12 servings.

Cook's note: If frosting becomes too thick to spread, thin it with milk or cream.








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Lemon Sour Cream Muffins

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I make these muffins at least a dozen times a year. They are easy to transport and they are always well-received. They taste like a moist and buttery pound cake that is baked in cupcake pans. I really have no idea why they were called muffins, but I can tell you, that whatever they are called, they are delicious. This prize winning recipe was developed by Lola Baxter for Taste of Home magazine. I like to serve these warm, so, if they're not going to be served immediately I store them without the drizzled icing. That makes it possible to quickly reheat and ice them just before serving. If you'd like to make these a smidgen more healthy, half the all-purpose flour called for in the recipe can be replaced with whole wheat pastry flour. You can also halve the ingredients for the glaze that are given in the recipe. I think it makes way too much icing for a dozen muffins, but my sweet tooth is more easily satisfied than most. These are pretty things and the web-like drizzle is quite lovely. They certainly would add eye candy to a tea table. I have no doubt that those of you who try these will really like them. They are easy, fast, and, in the grand scheme of things, inexpensive to prepare. Here's the recipe.

Lemon Sour Cream Muffins...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:
Muffins
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon lemon extract 0r 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
Glaze
2 cups confectioners' sugar
3 tablespoons lemon juice

Directions:
1) Cream butter and sugar in a large bowl until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time beating well after each addition. Beat in sour cream and vanilla and lemon extracts.
2) Combine flour, salt and baking soda; add to creamed mixture just until moistened.
3) Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups three-fourths full. Bake at 400 degrees F for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack.
4) Combine the glaze ingredients; drizzle over muffins. Serve warm. Yield: 1 dozen.








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Key Lime Cheesecake

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...My family has been arriving in stages for our annual summer reunion and our older grandsons have been helping in the kitchen. They are both at an age where they love to cook and they've really started to master some of the simpler dishes that are our family favorites. Let me hasten to add, that the boys aren't terribly keen on the cheesecake I'm featuring today. They'll happily assist in making it, but when it comes to desserts, they are traditionalist and nothing will ever beat their favorite blueberry or lemon meringue pies. I am, however, determined to get them to try at least a bite of this before they leave. It is delicious and if I can't convince them to try it, perhaps I can talk you into it. While the cake is a bother to make, its taste more than makes up for the time and effort involved in getting it to the table. If you like cheesecake, this one must be tried. I've taken lots of short cuts with the recipe, but this still remains a 24 hour dessert. It truly needs a full day to set and mellow. While this is lovely when made with fresh key limes, the bottled product is perfectly acceptable and makes much better use of your time. I've also included whipped cream in the ingredients list for those who feel a key lime dessert is not complete without it. I'm not sure that a cake that uses a full pound of cream cheese really needs to be covered with two cups of whipped cream, but I let you decide. I hope at least a few of you will try this luscious dessert. Here's the recipe.

Key Lime Cheesecake...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:
Crust
2/3 cup butter, melted
1-3/4 cups sugar, divided use
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
Filling
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
3/4 cup key lime juice
4 eggs, at room temperature
2 egg yolks, at room temperature
2 tablespoons grated key lime zest
1 pound cream cheese, at room temperature
2 egg whites, at room temperature
Pinch of salt
Optional: 2 cups sweetened whipped cream

Directions:
1) In a mixing bowl, combine melted butter, 1/4 cup sugar and graham cracker crumbs. Mix well. Press crust firmly over bottom and 2 inches up side of a greased of a 9-inch spring form pan. Set aside.
2) In a saucepan dissolve gelatin in key lime juice, about 5 minutes. Combine 1-1/4 cups of sugar, eggs, egg yolks, and lime zest in a separate bowl and mix well. Add some hot gelatin mixture and whisk to combine. Pour mixture back into saucepan. Mix well. Over medium heat, cook until mixture thickens and is pudding-like, about 7 to 8 minutes. Remove from heat.
3) In bowl of an electric mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment, beat cream cheese until smooth. With mixer running, add lime mixture slowly and beat until smooth. Remove mixture and turn into a bowl and cool completely. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled, stirring every 10 minutes.
4) In a bowl of an electric mixer with a whip attachment, place egg whites and remaining 1/4 cup of the sugar. Whip on medium high until stiff peaks form. Remove lime and cheese mixture from the refrigerator. Fold egg whites into lime mixture and blend thoroughly. Pour mixture into prepared crust. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until set, about 4 to 24 hours.
5) When ready to serve remove from refrigerator. Run a sharp knife along the sides of pan and remove the spring-form. If using, spread whipped cream evenly over top of the cake. Cut cake into individual servings. Yield: 10 to 12 servings.









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Milk Chocolate Bundt Cake

From the kitchen of OnePerfect Bite...This cake, now known as the Classic Hershey Bar Cake, has been around for a long time and a lot of people have experimented with it. It was developed in the Hershey test kitchens back in the day when chocolate syrup came in a can and had to be opened with a church key. Since then, eager cooks have tried to make it their own by making small changes to the original recipe. I've tried many of them because I like to mix things up a bit and this is the type of cake that travels well, making it perfect for picnics or church suppers. While I won't be talking numbers, I've been to a lot of picnics and church suppers in my day, so I've a good working relationship with this cake and I've made it a lot. It is a sweet cake, actually sweeter than I like, but it is always well-received and disappears before it has a chance to stale. I've come full circle on recipes for making it. I began with the one that came from the Hershey kitchen and that's the one I've finally settled on. This is very easy to make and there is little that can go wrong, save for over-baking it. Milk chocolate cakes have a slightly anemic appearance, so, I like to sprinkle this one confectioners' sugar before serving. It is also lovely when served with a dollop of whipped cream and a drizzle of chocolate syrup. I think those of you who try the cake will enjoy it. Here's the recipe.

Milk Chocolate Bundt Cake...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Hershey Test Kitchens

Ingredients:
1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened
1-1/4 cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs
6 (1.55 oz. each) Hershey's Milk Chocolate Bars, melted
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
Dash salt
1 cup buttermilk or sour milk*
1/2 cup Hershey's Syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup chopped pecans
Optional:
Confectioners' sugar
Additional chocolate syrup

Directions:
1) Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour 10-inch tube pan or 12-cup fluted tube pan.
2) Beat butter in large bowl until creamy; gradually add granulated sugar, beating on medium speed of mixer until well blended. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add chocolate; beat until blended.
3) Stir together flour, baking soda and salt; add to chocolate mixture alternately with buttermilk, beating until blended. Add syrup and vanilla; beat until blended. Stir in pecans. Pour batter into prepared pan.
4) Bake 1 hour and 15 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center of cake comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pan to wire rack. Cool completely. Sift powdered sugar over top and drizzle with chocolate syrup, if desired. 12 to 16 servings.

*Cook's Notes: To sour milk: Use 1 tablespoon white vinegar plus milk to equal 1 cup.










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Frozen Pudding Cream Cake with Candy Bar Crunch Topping

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This is an easy dessert that demands more time than talent from its cook. It is also one of those desserts that people either love or hate. As far as I've been able to determine, the recipe first appeared in Taste of Home Magazine where it was called Pistachio Cream Dessert. How simple is it? Instant pudding is mixed with softened ice cream and then poured into a crumb crust and refrozen. Once it's set, the cake is covered with whipped topping and sprinkled with crushed candy bars. Now, I must tell those of you who are inwardly groaning that it's not that bad a dessert. It may never be your favorite, but lots of people love it and, should you decide to make it, your reputation won't be tarnished. It's important to know that in addition to pistachio, coconut, banana or butterscotch pudding can also be used to make the dessert. Pistachio is my least favorite of the flavors, but its lovely green color is visually stunning and makes for a great presentation. I personally love to make this using banana pudding. You can also vary the type of crumbs used to make the cake base and any candy bar that has a bit of texture can be used for topping. I don't much care for whipped topping, but I found that when it's folded into an equal measure of lightly beaten cream my arguments against it tend to fade. This is a rich dessert that keeps well. I think those of you who try it will think it worth the time it took to make. Here's the original recipe.

Frozen Pudding Cream Cake with Candy Bar Crunch Topping...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite adapted from Taste of Home Magazine

Ingredients:
1 cup crushed butter-flavored crackers
1/4 cup butter, melted
3/4 cup cold 2% milk
1 package (3.4 ounces) instant pistachio pudding mix
1 quart vanilla ice cream, softened
1 carton (8 ounces) frozen whipped topping, thawed
2 packages (1.4 ounces each) Heath candy bars, crushed

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
2) Combine cracker crumbs and butter in a small bowl. Press into an ungreased 9-in. square baking pan. Bake for 7-10 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack.
3) Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk milk and pudding mix for 2 minutes. Let stand for 2 minutes or until soft-set. Stir in ice cream; pour over crust. Cover and freeze for 2 hours or until firm.
4) Spread with whipped topping; sprinkle with crushed candy bars. Cover and freeze for 1 hour or until firm. Yield: 9 servings.







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Chocolate Caramel Crunch Cake

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...It's a hot mess. If you love chocolate, caramel and nuts, literally buried in a mound of creamy snow, fasten your seat belts 'cause we're heading to paradise. If your tastes, like mine, tend toward the spare and barely sweet, I beg your indulgence and promise, that later in the week, there'll be something here for you as well. I've had this cake several times this summer, so, it's fair to say it has fans in this small community I call home. My first bite came from the, not so meager, piece the Silver Fox had claimed for himself at a block party. He was in paradise and had already extracted the promise of a recipe from its very flattered baker. I noted the cake quickly disappeared from the table and my husband's plate, but I foolishly thought that would be the end of it. I was certain that with all the other good things served that day, the cake would surely fade into memory. You know how things don't always work the way you think they will? Over the course of the next week, three copies of the recipe were tucked into our mailbox and a quarter of the cake miraculously appeared at our door. The Fox is obviously a charmer. The cake we were given disappeared in an embarrassingly short time. The Fox began to cajole and before I knew it, I was at the counter throwing the cake together. He believes his low-fat argument has swayed me. I'm a great actress. I also have a sense of humor and know the best way to stop an itch is to scratch it really hard. He tired of the cake half way through it 9 x 13-inch excess. It was too much of a good thing and I had to send the remains down the hill. I'm told by the mother of that clan, who, by the way, asked for the recipe, that the boys scorffed it up. If you asked me to describe the cake, the words ooey,gooey come to mind. It is not a cake I would choose for myself, but an awful lot of people love it. I learned a long time ago that I'm not an arbiter of taste, so here's the recipe for those of you who love things that are ooey, gooey, soft and chewy.

Chocolate Caramel Crunch Cake...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Taste of Home Magazine

Ingredients:
1 package (18-1/4 ounces) devil's food cake mix
1-1/3 cups water
5 egg whites
1 can (14 ounces) fat-free sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup fat-free caramel ice cream topping
5 fun-size Butterfinger candy bars, crushed
1 carton (8 ounces) frozen fat-free whipped topping, thawed

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
2) Combine cake mix, water and egg whites in a largebowl and beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Pour into prepared pan.
3) Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.
4) With a meat fork or wooden skewer, poke holes about 2 in. apart into cake. Slowly pour condensed milk and caramel topping over cake; sprinkle with two-thirds of the crushed candy bars. Spread with whipped topping; sprinkle with remaining candy bars. Refrigerate until serving. Yield: 18 servings.







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Blueberry Cream Squares

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I love the celebrations of summer and the simple foods we've come to associate with them. Show me a marching band, throw in some fireworks and I'll pull out a virtual parade of recipes to help celebrate the occasion. Most come from memories garnered under the hot and hazy skies of my Midwestern childhood. These dishes are not for the health or diet conscious, but because they are served just once a year, I feel no need to apologize for the wretched excesses that will appear here over the next few days. I wanted to start with an old-fashioned dessert that is trying to make a comeback. These use to be called icebox cakes, the most famous of which is the still popular chocolate wafer cake. An icebox cake can loosely be defined as a cake that does not require baking. Cake slices, cookies, or crumbs of some type, are used as a base to hold the layers of the cake together. Almost all of them use copious amounts of heavy cream, though it is possible to make them with lower calorie whipped topping. I've always insisted that fresh fruit cancels the calories in whipped cream, so my icebox cakes always contain some type of fruit. Ergo, this cake is good for you. Kinda. Good or bad, this was part of our 4th of July celebration when I was a child. If you'd like to take a stroll down memory lane, the recipe follows.

Blueberry Cream Squares...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite adapted from Farm Journal

Ingredients:
1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
3/4 cup (6 ounces) blueberry yogurt
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
3/4 cup cold water
3/4 cup sugar, divided
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
6 tablespoons butter, melted
1 cup fresh blueberries
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream, whipped

Directions:
1) Combine sour cream and yogurt in a small bowl. Set aside.
2) Sprinkle gelatin over cold water in a small saucepan and let stand for 1 minute. Add 1/2 cup sugar. Cook and stir over low heat until gelatin is completely dissolved.
3) Remove from heat; stir in vanilla and sour cream mixture until blended. Transfer to a large bowl. Chill until partially set.
4) Combine graham cracker crumbs, butter and reserved 1/4 cup sugar in a small bowl. Set aside 1/4 cup for topping. Press remaining crumb mixture into an ungreased 8-inch square dish. Set aside.
5) Stir blueberries into partially set gelatin mixture. Fold in whipped cream. Spoon into crust. Sprinkle with reserved crumb mixture. Chill until set. Refrigerate leftovers. Yield: 9 servings







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Meyer Lemon Icebox Cake - No Recipes

Chocolate-Ricotta Icebox Cake

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...It would be unfair to call the recipe a complete dud, but, boy, oh, boy, it sure comes close. The recipe was originally developed for Martha Stewart's website and I really expected more from it than was delivered. I wanted to try a few new desserts this week and the Silver Fox's birthday gave me the perfect excuse to experiment. We all know you get what you pay for. This cake, chosen for its ease of preparation, is the cook's corollary of that old adage. The cake, while relatively expensive to make, was easy to assemble and took about 15 minutes to prepare. There were hints of problems along the way. Warning flags should have been raised when the recipe directed folding whipped cream into a mixture that had the consistency of semi-set concrete. I blithely soldiered on, convinced that somehow it would all come together and a miracle would occur. It didn't. Six hours later, I had a dry, grainy cheesecake with close to no flavor, despite the copious use of orange liqueur and chocolate. I have no one to blame for this fiasco other than myself. After weeks of suggesting you read the comments submitted by followers of recipe sites, I failed to follow my own advice. Everyone of the problems I encountered had been experienced by others who attempted the recipe. Had I taken the time to read them, I could have spared myself a lot of grief and some serious coin. While I did not care for this cake, there were folks who did, so I'm including it here with a caution. Sorry, Martha. The cake is dense, grainy and strangely flavorless, but if you want to try it, here's the recipe.

Chocolate-Ricotta Icebox Cake...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Martha Stewart

Ingredients:
Nonstick cooking spray
14 ounces semisweet chocolate (do not use chips)
2 containers (15 ounces each) part-skim ricotta cheese, room temperature
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 package (9 ounces) chocolate wafers (about 44 cookies)

Directions:
1) Prepare pan: Remove sides from a 9-inch round springform pan. Place a sheet of waxed paper over bottom, leaving an overhang; lock sides onto bottom, firmly securing paper. Spray inside of pan with cooking spray; line sides with a strip of waxed paper 28 inches long and 4 inches wide.
2) Make chocolate-ricotta mixture: Break 12 ounces of chocolate into pieces. Place in a heatproof medium bowl set over, not in, a pan of simmering water. Cook, stirring occasionally, until chocolate has melted, 8 to 10 minutes.
3) In a food processor, blend ricotta until very smooth, about 1 minute, scraping down sides of bowl. Add warm chocolate; blend until smooth. In a large bowl, beat cream until stiff peaks form. With a rubber spatula, gently fold in chocolate-ricotta mixture.
4) Assemble cake: Arrange half of cookies in an overlapping pattern to cover bottom of pan. Spoon half of chocolate-ricotta mixture on top of cookies; smooth top. Cover with remaining cookies; top with remaining chocolate-ricotta mixture, and smooth top. Cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate at least 6 hours and up to 2 days.
5) Before serving, release sides of pan and remove waxed paper from sides. Using bottom piece of waxed paper, pull cake onto a platter; with a metal spatula, lift cake and remove waxed paper. Using a vegetable peeler, shave remaining 2 ounces chocolate over top of cake. With a knife dipped in hot water, cut cake into 10 slices (wipe off knife, and dip in hot water after each slice). Yield: 10 servings.








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Lemon Ricotta Cheesecake - Lazaro Cooks
Lime and Ricotta Cheesecake - Chocolate Shavings
Eggnog Ricotta Cheesecake - Baking Bites
Gingerbread Ricotta Cheesecake - Nami-Nami
Light Ricotta Cheesecake - Antics of a Cycling Cook
Ricotta Cheesecakes - The Cluttered Pantry
Ricotta Cheese Tart - Delicious Dishings

Lemon Tea Cakes

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I have a treat that I suspect will really please any lemon lovers who pass this way tonight. I found the recipe for these tea cakes several weeks ago, but postponed testing it for lack of time. I finally got to the recipe this afternoon and I'm really delighted with the results. These petite cakes are really easy to make and they're packed with flavor that's sure to please anyone who favors tart desserts. I'm also taken with their appearance. I love their spare simplicity and I'm taken by the way they glisten when light hits their simple glaze. These would be perfect for a bridal or baby shower and they are a natural addition to a table set for an afternoon or high tea. While I've seen this recipe in several places, I was able to trace its origins back to the Better Homes and Gardens website. I don't think this is a new recipe. Their version of the recipe uses shortening rather than butter and that is more typical of mid-century recipes than those written today. For the record, I used unsalted butter to make the tea cakes, which, by the way, are simply inverted cupcakes. I had anticipated the recipe would make about 24 cupcakes. That didn't happen and I ended up with 16 nicely sized cakes instead. If you are a lemon lover, I know you'll enjoy these cakes. Here's the recipe.

Lemon Tea Cakes...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite adapted from Better Homes and Gardens

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
2/3 cup whole milk
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
Glaze
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice

Directions:
1) Grease and lightly flour twenty to twenty-four 2-1/2-inch muffin cups. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2) Combine flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
3) In a large mixing bowl beat butter in bowl of an electric mixer until smooth. Add sugar and beat until combined. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Alternately add flour mixture in three parts and milk in two, beating on low to medium speed after each addition just until combined. Stir in 1 tablespoon lemon peel. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.
4) Transfer to oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks for 5 minutes. Remove from pans. Place cupcakes upside-down on wire racks set over waxed paper.
5) In a small mixing bowl, stir together the 2/3 cup sugar and lemon juice. Brush sugar mixture over warm cupcakes until all is absorbed. Cool completely. Cover and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Yield: 20 to 24 cakes.








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Kentucky Derby Mint Julep Cake - Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to some of the bravest women I know.



From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I've always viewed life as an experiment and cooking is certainly is part of it. Save for the people in my life, I am bored with theme and variation and will go out of my way to find and test something new. So, it should come as no surprise, that I decided to make a cake rather than the standard pie for Derby Day. I had a special cake in mind and decided to make it without a test run. After all, how bad can a cake made with bourbon and crème de menthe be? I'm happy to report that it wasn't half bad. The cake was delicious and the glaze was fine. I must admit to being disappointed with the frosting and next time I make the cake I'll use a mint or milk chocolate ganache to top it. This is an easy cake to make and I think those of you who try it will really like it. The recipe appears below.

I also want to wish all of you a Happy Mother's Day. I've been really blessed with the women in my life. I include all of you in that number. Those of you who are regular readers have met the wonderful women who helped raise and form me. They are especially close to me today, as is my mother who appears in the pictures below. She was an extraordinary woman whom mental illness took from us long before age called her to the grave. It is wonderful to see her here when her world was still new and full of promise. One of these photos also appears in Brodie's Album, a retrospective of aviation pioneers that is kept in the Smithsonian Museum. She has a place there because she was one of the first stewardesses on a commercial airlines. The man in the second photo is my dad who was a public relations agent for the same airline.



Kentucky Derby Mint Julep Cake...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Peggy Trowbridge Filippone

Ingredients:
Cake
3 cups cake flour
2 cups white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup butter
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 eggs
Bourbon Butter Sauce
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1/3 cup butter
3 tablespoons water
2 teaspoons Bourbon whiskey
Mint Frosting
2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) white chocolate chips
1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated milk)
1 teaspoon white creme de menthe liqueur or 1/2 tsp mint extract

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease and flour a 10-inch bundt pan or a 9 x 13-inch baking pan..
2) To make the cake: Whisk together flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in a large bowl. Make a well in the center. In a separate smaller bowl, combine buttermilk, butter, vanilla extract, and eggs. Add wet ingredients to flour mixture. Beat at low speed for 1 minute, then increase to medium speed for 3 more minutes. Pour into prepared pan and smooth evenly around pan. If using a bundt pan, bake for 50 minutes. If using a baking pan, bake for 35 to 40 minutes. Use a toothpick to test for doneness. Ten minutes before cake is done, prepare Bourbon Butter Sauce.
3) To make bourbon butter sauce: In a saucepan over medium heat, combine 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, 1/3 cup butter, and 3 tablespoons water. Stir until melted and combined. Do not boil. Remove from heat, continuing to stir for 2 minutes. Then stir in bourbon.
4) When cake is done and still warm from the oven, use a skewer to poke holes around the top of the cake. Pour bourbon butter sauce evenly over top of the cake. Let cake cool to room temperature in the pan before removing.
5) To make mint frosting: Melt chocolate chips with sweetened condensed milk in heavy saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly until chips are melted. Remove from heat and stir in creme de menthe liqueur (or mint extract). Let cool for 10 minutes, then spread evenly over cooled cake. Garnish with fresh mint leaves. Chill to set chocolate ganache. Take cake out of the refrigerator 30 minutes before cutting to serve. Yield: 12 to 18 servings.







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Ricotta Orange Pound Cake with Strawberries - A Spoonful of Thyme
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Key Lime Pound Cake - A Foodie and Her Family
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Mocha Crumb Cake

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...The desserts served at my table have changed a great deal since I wrote my first entry for One Perfect Bite. These days, I have two categories of treats that I serve to my family and our friends. Those designated BB (Before Blogging) are generally less sweet and very easy to do. Back then, theme and variation within a category such as cake, assured our palates would not be bored and made exploration unnecessary. Besides that, desserts BB were a sometime thing, meant only for a weekend treat, or to end a meal when we had guests at the table. Once I began blogging, it became apparent that my laissez-faire toward dessert just wasn't going to cut it in the AB (After Blogging) world. So, I made it a point to feature desserts more often. That pleased our neighbors and the folks who were reading One Perfect Bite. Neither Bob nor I have a wildly active sweet tooth, and more often than not, once a dessert is tested it is sent down the hill to neighbors who love sweet things. Usually. Tonight, however, was an exception. Dinner was a homely, fireplace affair designed to ward off the day's damp and chill. It included a warm crumb cake that is definitely a BB affair and it is not going anywhere. This cake is plain and lacks sophistication but it is really good, and when the planets are aligned and the cake is served warm with really great ice cream, you'll swear you've died and gone to heaven. It would be just plain wrong of me to keep this one to myself, so, from the annuls of my BB collection, here's a recipe for mocha crumb cake that will make your socks go up and down - on your way to heaven of course.

Mocha Crumb Cake...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Starbucks

Ingredients:
1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
1 tablespoon instant coffee granules
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup chilled butter, cut into small pieces
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
Cooking spray
1-1/2 teaspoons water

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat an 8-inch round pan with cooking spray. Set aside.
2) Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife. Combine flour and next 4 ingredients (flour through salt) in a mixing bowl, and cut in margarine with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse meal. Reserve 1/2 cup flour mixture for topping, and set aside.
3) Combine remaining flour mixture, baking powder, and baking soda; add milk, vanilla, and egg. Beat at medium speed of a mixer until blended. Spoon batter into an 8-inch round cake pan coated with cooking spray. Combine reserved 1/2 cup flour mixture and water; stir with a fork. Sprinkle crumb mixture over batter. Bake at 350º for 30 minutes or until cake springs back when touched lightly in center. Cool on a wire rack. Serve warm. Yield: 8 servings.







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