Pound Cake with liquid Cherry Gold

This is why I suggest you add half the
batter in the 1/2 the cherry batter, so it
will swirl all the way through,

Okay, I am just kidding it is not gold. But I was making a recipe my youngest son Daniel shared with me and found some jar cherries at Trader Joe's in a heavy syrup and knew I had to save it and use it in a up coming recipe.
I had some strawberries that needed to get used up so I went to work making a pound cake. I poured the leftover cherry syrup into a small amount of batter it is in the oven right now so I am not sure how it is going to turn out but I will let you know

I pretty much bake every day it is the taking pictures of the baked goods that I forget about. I hope to set up my camera soon and start video recording them and setting up a Youtube page one day.

This morning I brought over to church a coffee cake, apple strudel and spice cookies. Tonight I am bringing over a pot of soup and pound cake, strawberries and fresh whipped cream. I bet everyone can't wait until I go back to work so I will stop baking.

Here is the pound cake I made, give it a try and let me know what you think. You do not have to use the cherry syrup, just leave out 1/3 cup of flour if you don't use it.
his is a very dense cake because of the cream cheese.

This is the cherry syrup I used

1 8oz package cream cheese
1 1/2 cups butter
3 cups sugar
6 eggs
3 1/3 cups flour
1 teaspoon vanilla
Cherry syrup, I did not measure, it was just what was left over I would say about 1/4 cup

Preheat oven to 325, grease and flour a tube pan or bread pan. Or better yet just spray with with spay that has flour in it.
In a large bowl, cream butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add sugar gradually and beat until fluffy.
Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add 3 cups flour all at once on low speed and mix in, add vanilla. Pour 1 cup of batter into another bowl and add cherry syrup and the other 1/3 cup flour and mix until combined, if you use bread pans this will make two. Pour half of the batter into which either pans you use, the add 1/4 of the batter to each pan or 1/2 of the batter if you are using a tube pan. Swirl cherry batter through first batter you put into the pan. Pour on remaining pound cake batter and then the remaining cherry batter on top and swirl through again.
Bake got 80 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Give it a try and let me know what you think.

Coffee Cake

 I thought I wrote a blog for this recipe yesterday and I went looking for it and it was not to be found, then I remembered I did not like the way the photos turned out.
I found one slice left over so I took a quick photo with my phone.




1 1/2 cups pecan, finely chopped
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3 T butter, melted
2 cups flour, minus 3 tablespoons
1/2 tea salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup sour cream

Preheat oven to 350 Butter an 8x10" pan

Pulse pecans in a food processor until they are small pieces, add sugars and pulse a few more times until mixed, add butter and pulse until mixed. Set aside.

You can do this by hand also and break the pecans up with a rolling pin in a zip lock bag, I am not able to use a rolling pin yet so I used the food processor. 

Beat  butter and sugar together until well blended. Add eggs and blend until mixture is smooth, add vanilla and sour cream, mix until blended.
Blend in flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda just until mixed, do not over beat.
Spread half the batter in prepared pan, sprinkle half the nut mixture on top of the batter, carefully so you do not disturb the crumb mixture add remaining batter and smooth to cover crumbs. Sprinkle remaining crumbs on top and press down lightly.

Bake for 30-35 minutes until pick comes out clean.

Apple Strudel

3 Granny Smith Apples, peeled, cored and sliced thin
4 Honey Crisp Apples, peeled,cored and sliced thin
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Grated rind one one lemon and juice of one lemon
1/2 cup bread crumbs
12 sheets phyllo pastry

3/4 cup butter melted
powder sugar for dusting

Peel, core and thinly slice apple. In a bowl combine the sugar, cinnamon, and lemon grated lemon rind.  Stir into the apples, add juice of one lemon and half the bread crumbs.

Preheat oven to 375 Grease two baking sheets.

Carefully unfold the phyllo dough sheets, keep the unused sheets covered. Life off one sheet and put on a clean surface, and brush with melted butter. Lay a second sheet on top and brush with butter. Continue until you have a stack of si butter sheets

Sprinkle 1/2 of remaining bread crumbs over the last sheet and spoon half the apple mixture at the bottom long width of the strip.

Starting at the apple filled end, roll up pastry, as for a jelly roll. Place on a baking sheet, seam side down, and carefully fold in under the ends to seal. Repeat with the second strudel. Brush both with butter.

Bake the strudel for 45 minutes. Cool slightly. Dust with powder sugar, Serve with fresh whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

*you can all raisins and chopped nuts to the apple mixture if you like.

Pear Crisp

4 Large Bosc Pears, cored and cut into chunks. 

1 T lemon juice

1/2 cup sugar

1 T cornstarch

2 t cinnamon, divided

1/2 cup flour

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 t salt

4 T chilled butter, cut into small pieces.

1/2 c oats, not quick

1/2 c chopped pecans

Preheat oven 375

Combine pears and lemon juice into a 2 quart baking dish; toss to coat. Combine sugar, cornstarch,and 1 1/2 tea cinnamon; stir to mix. Add mixture to pear mixture; toss well to coat.

Mix flour, 1/2 tea cinnamon, brown sugar and salt into a food processor and pulse until it looks like dry sand. Add oats and pecans and pulse a few times. Sprinkle flour mixture evenly over pears mixture.

Bake at 375 for 45 minutes or until pears are tender and topping is golden brown. Cool on a wire rack for about 20 minutes. Eat just as it is or add vanilla ice cream or fresh whipped cream.

Lemon Poppy Seed Cake

About 36 years ago my husband's job had a potluck and someone from his job brought this lemon poppy seed cake. My husband loved it, I was just learning to cook around this time. When I say I was just learning I mean I was opening up boxes and following the instruction on the box, I don't think I really made anything from scratch yet. Now it is very rare I use a mix, but when I was baking for the coffee bar I am setting up for church tomorrow I thought of this super fast east recipe and knew I had to add it to the layout.
My youngest son gave me a recipe he makes from his job for scones so I thought I would make them for tomorrow. I changed a few things in the recipe, I was at Trader Joe's (I love that store) and found these yummy cherries I had to get to add into the scones, well that will be my blog post for tomorrow so stay posted for the recipe.

Preheat over to 350

Lemon Poppy Seed bread, Scones, Banana Nut

1 box yellow cake mix

1 small box instant lemon pudding   
1 cup water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 tablespoons poppy seeds

Mix dry ingredients together in a large bowl,you can use a mixer if you want but I did it by hand.  Add the water and oil and mix well, beat eggs in one at a time Add poppy seeds and mix until poppy seeds are well incorporated.

pour batter into a well greased bunt pan and bake for 45 minutes or until pick comes out clean.
Cool for ten minutes before turning out of pan.

Glaze

1 cup powder sugar, sifted
3/4 Tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel

Mix and set aside until cake is completely cooled then pour on top.

Give this recipe a try, it makes a great potluck recipe and is so easy to make.
Let me know if you make it and how you like it.

Enjoy

Cherry Chocolate Chunk Scones

Before being baked

My youngest gave me this scones recipe. He was looking for a soup recipe and told me if I sent him one he would send me a scones recipe. The base can be used for any flavor but he said he likes the cherry and chocolate.
While I was at Trader Joe's I was grabbing a jar of dark cherries in light syrup and then right next to it I seen a small jar of cherries in a thick syrup and had to get it and try it out.
As I was pouring the syrup into a bowl it got me thinking of another recipe I will be making it.

Preheat oven to 400

Lemon Poppy seed, Scone, Banana Nut bread

2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
8 ounces KerryGold butter, frozen and grated   
2 teaspoon baking powder
2 eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
2 T half and half

Mix flour, sugar and baking powder and knead in frozen grated butter. Mix eggs, sour cream and half and half in a bowl. Fold into dry ingredients.
Place dough on a lightly floured surface knead lightly 4-6 times. Pat into a circle and cut into about 1 inch thick.
Transfer to a lined cookie sheet and chill over night in the refrigerator, you can just add the bowl of mix dough in the refrigerator and shape them in the morning, but I am setting up a coffeebar in the morning for church and this will save me time if I do it all today then just pull them out and put in the oven.
Bake for 15-20 minutes until pick comes out clean.

Give them a try and let me know what you think. I am thinking about making a lemon poppy seed, or cranberry, blueberry the possible are endless.

Enjoy.

Banana Pecan Bread

Hello Bakers,

I bake pretty much everyday, I just forget to blog everyday. I bought myself a little camera so I could start recording my baked goods but so far it has just sat in the box it came in, I also intended to take photos of this banana bread but I guess I get so excited about baking I forget about it until it is too late. One of these days I hope to get it together.

I had a few bananas that were screaming to be baked and I knew I was going to try another recipe and add my own wist to it, I for some reason can never seem to make the same recipe when it comes to banana nut bread. I have a great recipe for whole wheat banana nut bread that I use to make many, many years ago, maybe I will try to see if I can find it. 

A few years ago I made a cranberry cake with cream cheese mixed it the batter and it was really good so when I seen this recipe I had to try it and I just changed it a tiny bit. 

Give it a try and and come back and let me know what you think.

3/4 cup, soften butter

1 8oz package cream cheese, soften

2 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups mashed rips bananas

1 tea vanilla

3 cups flour

1/2 tea baking powder

1/2 tea baking soda

1/4 tea salt

1/2 tea cinnamon

1/4 tea nutmeg

2 cups chopped pecans, divided

Preheat oven to 350. Cream butter, cream cheese and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in bananas and vanilla. In another bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg; gradually add to the creamed mixture. Fold in one cup chopped pecans.

Our into two greased 8x4 inch loaf pans. Sprinkle with remaining chopped pecans. Bake loaves, covering with foil if they darken too quickly for 60-75 minutes until toothpick inserts comes out clean. Cool loaves for ten minutes before removing from pan. Cool completely before slicing. I like to wrap mine and let it sit until the next day or freeze one loaf for a later use.

Enjoy,

Tropical Banana Bread

• 
  
• I've had some bananas I needed to use up so it got me thinking of banana nut bread. I have a blog I follow so I thought I would try one of her banana nut bread recipe, my taste buds have been really weird for the past month so not sure if it is me or the recipe, my husband thought it was good. But anyhow it got me thinking about banana nut bread, then I seen the macadamia nuts I had left over and then my imagination took off and that is where this bread came from. Let me know if you try it and what you think. 
• I think these would make great muffins.
• 
  
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 bananas, mashed
• 1/4 cup crushed pineapple, drained
• 1/4 cup coconut
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 cup macadamia nuts, chopped
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 
  
• Topping
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
• 
  

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease loaf pan
2. In a large bowl, mix together 1 1/2 cups flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. In another bowl, beat together bananas, sugar, egg, vanilla and melted butter. Stir the banana mixture into the flour mixture just until moistened. Spoon batter into prepared pan.
3. In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, 2 tablespoons flour and cinnamon. mix in melted butter until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Sprinkle topping over loaf.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 56-60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean.

Dutch Apple Cheesecake bars.

Hello everyone,

It has been a crazy year for me. Went out of work three months later then my doctor advised me to for my hands and then in March of this year I had surgery that had some problems with healing so now I am trying to learn to get by with one hand. My right hand is my worse but my surgeon does not think I should get it done, so hopefully I will have use of my right hand for a long time still.

 Typing takes a little longer with one hand and cooking takes double the time but I am still trying to cook for as long and I can.

So I thought it is about time I breath a little life back into my blog. If I am not cooking, looking through cookbook then I am making up recipes. I have a recipe on my blog for Cranberry bars that everyone who tries them loves, I have changed them up a few different ways and today I have a few more ideas floating around in my head. But today I decided to make the base for my Cranberry bars and then I was going to just add can apple pie filling to it since peeling apples are one thing I know I cannot do. well, this got me thinking about other things I could also try and this is the recipe I just threw together, Enjoy, let me know what you think of them if you make them.

Checkout my cranberry bars on my blog also while you are here.

http://aprilshomecooking.blogspot.com/2008/11/cranberry-bars.html

Preheat oven to 350

Crumb base

2 cups flour
2 cups old-fashion oats

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1.5 cups packed brown sugar

1/2 tea. baking soda

1/4 tea salt

1/2 tea cinnamon

1/4 tea nutmeg

1 cup, unsalted butter melted.

Mix together  all ingredients  in a large bowl. Pat a little more then half the mixture in a 9x13" pan and bake for ten minutes, set aside the rest of the mixture.

Cheesecake base

16 ounce cream cheese, soften

1/2 cup sugar

2 eggs

1/4 cup heavy cream

1 tea. vanilla

2 cans apple pie filling

Mix cream cheese and sugar together in a mixer until well blended, add eggs, milk and vanilla.

Pour cheesecake base on top of baked crust, Pour apple pie filling on top of cheesecake base and top with remaining crumb mixture and bake for 40-50 minutes until cheesecake is set and crust is golden brown.