Super Moist Strawberry Bread

Posted in Breads, Breakfast, Simple and Delicious by serendibbeginnings

Strawberries?? In January??? Not great, I know! But, they made it into my kitchen and now I needed to find a way to use them up. My kids, who would normally devour them at the first sight, didn’t seem to care too much for them! Perhaps with good reasons!

I could have frozen them for future smoothies, but I had an urge for baking last weekend! My quest for a good recipe landed me at glazed strawberry bread. Sally’s Baking Addiction has bunch of great recipes and this one in particular hit the chord for using up my berries.

I give her full credit for the recipe, although I did alter it a bit with substituting half the flour with whole wheat and adding in lemon zest in lieu of cinnamon. Also, I don’t like to overdo with the glaze, so my glaze is just a light drizzle.

Like it is mentioned in the original recipe, this is a very moist strawberry ~~cake~~ bread. I will probably reduce the sugar a bit next time around – perhaps by a 1/4 cup. It is a great recipe to keep for a few days – that is if you can resist the temptation. Although I didn’t particularly detect the flavor getting more intense after a day (could be because my berries were not at their prime), the taste was still great after 3 days. Yes, we managed to keep ourselves in check!

Do give this a try. It will be worth it!

Servings: ”12-14
Time: ”75
Print

Ingredients:
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large egg, preferably at room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1 cup buttermilk (I made mine using vinegar and milk)
1/3 cup canola oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 and 1/2 cups fresh strawberries, rinsed and diced into 1/4 inch cubes
1 tablespoon flour

Citrus Glaze (optional)
1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar
1 tablespoon heavy cream
1-2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest

Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a 9″ x 5″ loaf pan with a cooking spray and keep aside.
2. Combine first 4 ingredients in a large bowl and set aside while you mix the rest of the ingredients.
3. Whisk together the sugars and egg until well combined. Add buttermilk, oil, vanilla and lemon zest.
4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and gently fold to combine. Take care not to over mix.
5. Toss the chopped strawberries in a tablespoon of flour. Slowly fold in the berries into the batter, leaving a few to top the batter, if desired (as you can see, I did not do that in my attempt).
6. Transfer the batter to the prepared loaf pan and bake on the middle rack for 50-60 minutes. If you see that the top is getting brown too fast, loosely cover the pan with a piece of foil half way through and continue baking.
7. Test for doneness using a toothpick. Remove pan from oven, let cool for about 10 minutes. Invert onto a wire rack and let cool completely.
8. While the bread is cooling, prepare your glaze. Combine all the ingredients for the glaze till they are smooth and of desired consistency. Once the bread is completely cool, drizzle the glaze over the top.

2Jun2014

Cinnamon-Walnut Bundt Cake

Posted in Breads, Breakfast by serendibbeginnings

Coffee cakes are great not just in the afternoon with a cup of coffee or tea, but really anytime you have the craving for something sweet. Having said that, these cakes usually are quite unhealthy with lots of sugar and butter. Although this holds true for this original Cooking Light recipe as well, it does give more than 16 servings (so about 1 teaspoon butter per serving and a tablespoon or so of sugar).

This cake did keep well for at least 5 days (the time it lasted in our household).

Feel free to substitute pecans for the walnuts. Although the original recipe called for all all-purpose flour, substituting at least 1/3 of it with wheat still tasted great!

Lastly, this recipe is really quick to put together. So, while your first pot of coffee is brewing, whip up the cake and sip your coffee while enjoying the aroma of the baking cake! 🙂

p style=”text-align:left;”>

”Cinnamon-Walnut

Servings: ”16″
Time: ”60
Print

26Apr2014

Orange-Almond Biscotti

Posted in Desserts, Simple and Delicious by serendibbeginnings

I think few things go perfectly with a cup of coffee or tea as biscotti. The delicate flavors, the crunchy texture that slowly melds to a soft crumble at the touch of your hot beverage…You get the point.

They are not the most diet-friendly item out there. So, when I do make some at home, I opt for recipes with less butter and sugar – you know, the light kinds which are really hard to come by, especially if you are looking for the typical biscotti texture. This recipe however is a regular ol’ version, softened just so with the use of half Splenda/half sugar and less butter (about 5 tablespoons for about 20 cookies).

Biscotti flavor possibilities are endless. This one is one of my favorite combinations – orange and almond! Combination of the citrus notes from the orange zest and the toasted crunchiness of almonds are pure delight. I am looking forward to repeating this recipe with anise flavor – something I have never tried before! 🙂

You can store these biscottis in a tightly closed container for a week or so. So, what are you waiting for? Bake a batch and make next week one to pause and enjoy!

(NOTE: This recipe is adapted from the original from Bon Appetit, Dec 1999)

Orange-Almond

Servings: 20
Time: 60 minutes
Print

Ingredients
2 1/4 cups flour (I used combination of white whole wheat and all purpose)
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of kosher salt
1/2 cup Splenda for baking
1/2 cup refined sugar
5 tablespoons butter, melted
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon orange zest
1/2 cup finely chopped almonds
1 egg white for brushing the top

OPTIONAL
Semi sweet or dark chocolate for dipping or drizzling on the baked cookies
Chopped nuts for sprinkling on chocolate.

Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment and set aside.
2. Sift flours with baking powder and salt.
3. In a medium bowl, combine melted butter and sugar and whisk to incorporate well.
4. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add vanilla and orange zest.
5. Incorporate dry ingredients till a soft dough forms.
6. Fold in chopped almonds.
7. Transfer the dough to the parchment. Form into a roll about 18″ long. Gently press to flatten it to about 4-5″ wide. Brush the top with lightly beaten egg white.
8. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven. Let cool for about 5-10 minutes. Using a sharp knife, slice the loaf about 3/4″ wide. This should result in at least 20 cookies.
9. Place the sliced cookies cut side down on the parchment and return to the oven for another 10 minutes till they crisp up.
10. Remove from oven, let cool completely and store in airtight container for up to a week.

If using optional touch-ups, melt chocolate over double boiler (or in microwave, taking care not to scorch the chocolate) and dip just the ends or entire one side of the cookie. Sprinkle nuts if desired.