Key West is on my bucket list of places that I want to visit. Even though I haven't made it there myself, I've seen a lot of photographs of this picturesque paradise and talked to a lot of people that have traveled to Key West which only makes me want to visit even more. One of the things that I'm most excited about when I do make it to the island is eating as much Key Lime Pie as I possibly can. Conducting my own personal taste test in search of the "best" key lime pie in the keys. I can only imagine how much better the silky smooth treat will taste when sitting at a corner cafe on the island of Key West. I've heard that there are slices of pie dipped in rich dark chocolate and served on the street corners in Key West. Is there any wonder why I'm anxious to visit this tropical paradise? Since visiting the Keys isn't in the near future for me, I decided to create my own version of a chocolate dipped key lime pie pop. I made a batch of these little treats a week a couple of weeks ago and then stored them in the freezer until Easter. I served these on my Easter dessert buffet. Needless to say - everyone else liked them just as much as I did. Key Lime Pie Pops Crust
Melt butter and add graham cracker crumbs and brown sugar for crust. Whisk together filling ingredients. Spoon filling over crust and bake 15 minutes. Cool 10 minutes in pan. Peel off paper liners and insert a stick into each pie. Return to freezer for another hour. Melt chocolate and dip each pie into melted chocolate. Place on waxed paper lined baking sheets to cool. Serve on trays or stand in glasses to serve. These key lime pie pops are easy to make and really delicious but the best part is that you can keep a batch in your freezer all summer long. Key Lime Pie pops make the perfect little summertime treat.
Ciao!
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Easter is one only week away. (eeekkk) I've got to do lots of grocery shopping to do this week, some house cleaning, some cooking and some baking but one thing that I've already marked off of my Easter "to-do" list is dessert for Easter dinner. I've got some cute Easter cookies tucked away in my freezer AND this carrot cake roll. If you're a fan of the infamous pumpkin roll that is popular at Thanksgiving and Christmas time, then you are in for a treat. This yummy dessert is now making a Springtime appearance! A moist and delicious carrot cake rolled around a sweet ad creamy filling makes this an almost irresistible dessert. Not to worry if you don't have yours already made and put in the freezer for your Easter dinner - there is still time. You can make a carrot cake roll this week and impress all of your Easter dinner guests. It's not hard to make and it makes a nice addition to any springtime dessert menu. Carrot Cake Roll For the Cake:
Beat eggs on high speed for 5 minutes or until thickened. Beat in sugar, oil and vanilla. Combine dry ingredients. Fold into egg mixture with a rubber scraper. Fold in carrots.
Combine filling ingredients in mixer until smooth. Carefully unroll cake and spread filling over cake. Reroll. Wrap in plastic wrap and place in the freezer until firm. Slice while frozen. Even frozen, this roll never gets completely firm. It defrosts almost immediately so I will take mine out just before I serve it so that the creamy filling is still nice and cool and the cake will still be soft.
Ciao! This may look like the same breaded chicken that I've posted over and over again but I can assure you - this recipe is like no other. A double whammy of cheese and a bright burst of lemon sets this chicken apart from my other chicken recipes. I love this chicken. (Can you tell?) It's crazy delicious and it's super easy to prepare on a busy weeknight. Lemon Chicken Romano
Bake 15 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 165. Serve with slices of fresh lemon and a fresh basil leaf. This recipe seems like it would be better suited for summer but is there ever really a bad time of year to enjoy lemon chicken? Be different - celebrate Fall with Lemon Chicken Romano. (After all - you've got plenty of days of turkey eating in the near future.)
Ciao! Do you want to know the reason that I've had to walk an extra lap around the block every morning? I can give you a very simple three word answer: LEMON BLUEBERRY CUPCAKES. It probably goes without saying that these cupcakes are the close cousin to my very popular lemon cupcakes. Until I started baking cupcakes professionally,I had no idea how many people LOVED lemon cupcakes. It is not a flavor that I ever dreamed would be at the top of my leader board in sales. I literally sell dozens of lemon cupcakes every month - so many, in fact that I get tired of baking them. In my attempt to break out of the lemon cupcake routine, I've experimented with some new flavor additions to my traditional lemon cupcake. I've made a lemon cupcake with a sweet raspberry filling, a lemon and strawberry swirled cupcake and most recently, a blueberry filled lemon cupcake. Turns out - all of these lemon varieties are big sellers. Who knew that Southerners were such big lemon fans? These cupcakes are extraordinarily beautiful and they are equally delicious. Don't be intimidated by the two tone swirled buttercream - it's easier than you think. Lemon Blueberry Cupcakes Cream Cheese Frosting 1 1/4 cups sifted all purpose flour 16 ounces cream cheese 1 1/2 cups sifted cake flour 1 cup butter 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 4 cups powdered sugar 1 1/2 tsp baking powder 1/8 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon vanilla 1 1/2 cups sugar 2 Tablespoons heavy cream 2/3 cup vegetable oil 1/2 teaspoon lemon extract 1/3 cup vegetable shortening, room temperature 1/4 cup frozen blueberries 1 tsp good quality vanilla extract 2 Tablespoons sugar 2 tsp pure lemon extract 1 teaspoon cornstarch 3 large eggs 1 1/2 cups buttermilk zest of 1 lemon 1/2 cup frozen blueberries
Beat in eggs, one at a time and lemon zest. Add dry ingredient to mixture, alternating with buttermilk. Fold in blueberries. Scoop batter into paper lined muffin cups. Bake 24 minutes at 350. For frosting: Combine cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, vanilla cream and salt in bowl of mixer. Beat with paddle attachment until smooth and creamy.
Add lemon extract and a drop of yellow food coloring to the other half of the cream cheese frosting. Swirl cream cheese onto cupcakes. Whether you prefer plain lemon, strawberry lemon, raspberry lemon or blueberry lemon - you just can't go wrong with these cupcakes.
Ciao! Ready or not - Easter is coming. I'm not sure how it snuck up on me this year but I'm feeling somewhat underprepared for Easter dinner this year. Normally, I have my Easter dinner menu organized, my groceries purchased and the prep work complete by this point, but last night I was still trying to finalize menu options. I was having an especially hard deciding on a Springtime dessert that I wanted to serve to my Easter guests - then I ran across this little gem. Chevron Cake Roll. Chevron Cake Roll 4 egg whites 4 egg yolks 1/3 cup + 1 Tablespoons fine sugar 1 Tablespoon sugar 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract 1/2 cup + 2 Tablespoons flour food color Filling 1/4 cup powdered sugar 1 cup heavy whipping cream 3/4 cup fresh strawberries (sliced) Line a jelly roll pan with parchment paper. Spray with cooking spray. Beat egg whites and fine sugar together until you have firm peaks. Beat egg yolks, regular sugar and vanilla together in a separate bowl. Fold the egg yolk mixture under the egg white mixture. Add the flour and gently fold it in. Remove 1/4 cup batter and tint with food color of your choice. Transfer tinted batter to a pastry bag. Mine was fitted with a Wilton #56 tip. Pipe zig zag pattern onto parchment paper. Bake 2 minutes at 350. Allow to cool 3 minutes. Spread remaining batter on top of pattern and bake another 11 minutes. Invert immediately onto a towel dusted with powdered sugar. Using a cutting board to support the bottom and another to support the top, invert cake again so that the chevron pattern is facing your countertop. Roll up cake, starting with a short side, in the powdered sugar towel. Allow to cool completely. Whisk powdered sugar and heavy whipping cream until soft peaks form. Carefully unroll cake and spread a thin layer of whipped cream over entire cake. Slice strawberries and place over whipped cream layer. Use a sharp knife to straighten out the edges of the cake. Reroll carefully. I need a little practice on my chevron patterns but I'm already dreaming up lots more color possibilities for this little gem. I made this cake roll as a birthday cake for a friend a couple of months ago and she was generous enough to share it with me. I really enjoyed it.
Just in case you're curious, (or if you happen to be coming to my house this Sunday) this Chevron Cake Roll did not make the cut for my Easter dinner. It is absolutely delicious and it would look stunning on my dessert table but I eliminated it because I am preparing dinner for 22 people this year. This cake would be perfect for a dinner party of 8-10 people - not so practical for a party of 22. You can bet that this Chevron Cake Roll will make another appearance on our dinner table soon though. Ciao! |
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