Tagged: lemon
Lemon Cheesecake Bars with Maple Syrup
Yum, I love cheesecake! Any variety…chocolate, lemon, berry, cookie dough! It has surely been a long time since I made this kind of dessert too, and yesterday I just had the feel for it. I only slightly altered the recipe, so it’s easy to omit anything you don’t like.
This recipe comes from my all-time favourite cook, Marion Cunningham. In her bible, The Fannie Farmer Cookbook, are featured two cheesecake recipes (one of which is considered the classic N.Y. cheesecake, and the other a raised cheesecake). What are the differences?
A raised cheesecake‘s crust in not made from the traditional graham cracker crumbs and butter, but from a rough dough (or pastry). It’s simple to make, doesn’t require refrigeration prior to baking and gives a great chunky consistency. The dough goes up the sides of the pan, similar to a tart crust. To cut into squares or bars, I find it much more practical than a crumbly crust.
Rose Water and Vanilla Coffee Cake
I love the lightness of middle-eastern ingredients. In specific, orange blossom as well as rose water. Both are extraordinarily good for giving freshness to a dessert. Any kind of dessert.
It’s summer, and Lisbon’s giving 36ºC. Hot or heavy snacks just don’t couple well with this temperature, plus it’s dry. This is a good cake to accompany a natural fruit juice or smoothie in the evening. Simple, and good.
Little Princess Spongecake with Lemon-Ginger and Poppy Seed Glacé
I think spongecakes are so cool. You probably think it’s the most boring cake on earth, but in my opinion, it can be quite fun. I like to do it simple most of the times, adding just a little edge so it doesn’t make it as plain and simple. And yes, I have to admit, it can be slightly tasteless. This is a type of cake made without shortening and baking powder, so it grows by the air held within the well-beaten eggs. And that’s where you can turn your situation around. You can soak them, layer them, fill, glaze, add chocolate, vanilla, citrus fruits, and even make semi-freddos (that’s how the traditional portuguese pastry makes them. Not at all similar to the italian). The English make something really interesting out of this, the Shortcake. It’s made with left-over Spongecake and filled with cream and any fruit you desire, although the classic is strawberries.
