Lighter Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Bars

Whoa, did this blog really go through the whole month of June without a dessert post? Unprecedented! Let's remedy that immediately! With the Fourth of July just a few days away, you may be giving some thought to what to take to whatever gathering you might be attending. Perhaps you'd like to make something crowd-pleasing that contains something red, white, or blue for that barbecue/pool party/Founding Fathers costume party? Allow me to suggest these lightened-up lemon blueberry cheesecake bars. I should really put the "cheesecake" in quotes, since these bars don't actually contain "cream cheese"....hence the "lighter" part of their name. Or maybe that's... 

Anyway, these bars are a healthier (though I wouldn't go so far as to say necessarily healthy) version of a usually pretty heavy dessert. Their secret? Cottage cheese instead of cream cheese. While you may not be a fan of cottage cheese as a food on its own--visions of '80s diet plates, perhaps?--it's a useful substitute for drastically reducing calorie and fat content in cheesecakey desserts. As a matter of fact, 8 oz. of cottage cheese contains about 220 calories and 10 grams of fat, whereas 8 oz. of cream cheese contains 775 calories and 80 grams of fat. A pretty staggering difference, if you ask me. Almost makes me regret all that real cheesecake I've indulged in.....almost.

Amazingly enough, even without cream cheese, these still actually taste great, and not at all like cottage cheese! (I suppose a generous ration of sugar and butter helps in that department.) Creamy and lemony with that cold cheesy texture that feels so refreshing in your mouth, they could be perfect addition to an Independence Day spread.   

These could also be re-styled with orange zest and juice instead of lemon and raspberries instead of berries. Citrus plus berries pretty much always yields something delicious. 

Lighter Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Bars

(Adapted from a Fry's Foods coupon mailer)

Ingredients:

Crust:

1/3 c. butter, softened

1/4 c. packed brown sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

1 c. all-purpose flour

Filling:

1 c. low-fat cottage cheese

2/3 c. white sugar

2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

1 Tbsp. grated lemon rind

3 1/2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

1 large egg

1 large egg white

3/4 c. fresh blueberries

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. To prepare crust, beat butter, brown sugar, salt, and nutmeg in a medium bowl until smooth. (You can do this by hand or use a mixer on medium speed.) Spoon 1 c. flour into a dry measuring cup, level with a knife, and add to the butter mixture. Beat on low or by hand until well blended. Press into the bottom of a greased 8 x 8 inch baking dish. (I always use a small sheet of wax paper to get all the crumbs pressed down neatly.) Bake 20 minutes.

3. To prepare filling, place cottage cheese in the bowl of a food processor. Process until smooth, 1-2 minutes, scraping sides of the bowl once. Add sugar, flour, lemon rind, lemon juice, egg, and egg white and process until well combined. Pour over the cooled crust and sprinkle blueberries around the top.

4. Bake an additional 25 minutes. Let cool, then refrigerate for at least two hours before slicing. (The longer you refrigerate, the firmer they get.)

Makes one 8 x 8 inch pan.

Chocolate Almond Thumbprint Cookies

You know those Hershey Kiss peanut butter blossom cookies that are so ubiquitous at Christmastime? Of course you do, right? Because you're a sentient being who eats cookies, right? If whoever came up with that recipe didn't get a fat check from the Hershey company, there's no justice in this world. Those things are everywhere come Christmas. 

Do you ever wonder why certain cookies seem to get classified as Christmas cookies? I'm not sure what it is about a peanut butter cookie with a Hershey Kiss stuck in the middle that makes people think of peace on Earth, goodwill toward men. To be honest, I actually don't even like peanut butter blossoms all that much. I kinda wish the Grinch would have taken peanut butter blossoms, stuffed them in his sack, and NOT brought them back to Whoville. Maybe I'm just a chocolate snob, though. To me, Hershey kisses are for when you reach Stage 4 of Chocolate Desperation. Like when you have no dessert left in the house and you find a Hershey kiss in the bottom of your kid's Halloween bag from six months ago and you go, okay, this will have to do. This comes just before Stage 5, which is drinking chocolate syrup straight. 

Anyway, when I saw this recipe for a more elegant version of the Christmas classic using a chocolate ganache instead of a Kiss (and almond butter instead of peanut), I figured I'd give it a whirl. After all, I had (again) done the thing where I bought almond butter on sale with the best of intentions, only to find it still hanging around forlornly in my fridge a month later. Little did I guess these would turn out so delicious--like a delightful marzipan confection filled with cold, creamy chocolate in the center.

Why wait for Christmas to eat something that good?

In fact, while these would be great any time, they might be an especially nice gesture when baking for someone who's allergic to peanuts but enjoys peanut butter blossoms. Or for chocolate snobs who turn up their noses at Hershey kisses. Or, really, for any sentient being who eats cookies.

Chocolate Almond Thumbprint Cookies

(Adapted from the Food Network)

Ingredients:

For the cookies:

1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 c. butter, at room temperature

1/2 c. smooth, unsweetened almond butter

1/2 c. packed light brown sugar

1/3 c. plus 3 Tbsp. white sugar, divided

1 egg

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/3 c. sliced almonds, coarsely chopped (crushed slivered almonds will also work in a pinch)

For the ganache:

5 oz. semi-sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped (or chocolate chips)

1/2 c. heavy cream

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or grease well with cooking spray.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

3. In a large bowl, mix butter and almond butter on medium speed until well combined. Add brown sugar and white sugar and continue mixing another 3 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla and mix to combine. Switch mixing speed to medium-low and beat in the dry ingredient mixture until just incorporated.

4. In a small bowl, combine the remaining 3 Tbsp. white sugar and chopped almonds.

5. Scoop cookie dough by tablespoons, roll into balls, and dredge through the sugar-almond mixture to coat. Space the balls about 2 inches apart on cookie sheet and bake 10-12 minutes until the tops appear dry and slightly cracked.

6. Using a rounded teaspoon, make an indentation in the top of each cookie while still warm.  Allow to cool completely.

7. Meanwhile, to make the ganache, combine the chocolate and heavy cream in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave for 45 second intervals, stirring in between, until smooth. Let cool.

8. Spoon ganache into a pastry bag, squeeze bottle, or Ziploc with a corner cut off. Fill each cookie indentation with ganache.

Makes 20-30 cookies, depending on size. For best taste and texture, store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Low-Sugar Mango Almond Tart

Happy Easter! Here in the Phoenix area, it's a beautiful weekend for this celebration of Christ's resurrection--a weekend we get to spend with family, friends, and the winner of the Creepiest Easter Bunny competition 2015.

Right?

My kids and their cousins were super good sports about posing with the bunny that looked like it might burst out in a maniacal cackle at any moment. 

On this Easter day, as our Lenten fast comes to a close, I'd like to share with you another recipe I made while my husband and son were doing their six weeks of eating less sugar. It really was a fun challenge to make desserts that would taste good with a major sugar reduction. (I'm sure diabetics are rolling their eyes, like, yeah, tons of fun.) This mango almond tart was a definite winner. The original recipe from Eating Well is for a raspberry-almond tart, which I'm sure would also be fabulous, but as I had no frozen raspberries in the house when inspiration struck, I used the frozen mangoes hibernating in our fridge and it turned out delicious, too. With only a quarter cup plus two teaspoons of added sugar in the entire 9-inch tart, I'd say this dessert stretches the sugar pretty thin without it being noticeably absent. My guess is you could substitute any berry or even peaches for the mangoes with lovely results. I could see making it for company--at a tea party, perhaps, or as a light but satisfying dessert for a spring dinner party. Or just for a husband and son who were brave enough to last 40 days with less sugar. I applaud them and feel no guilt today about letting my 7-year-old dive head-first into an Easter basket full of candy.

Low-Sugar Mango Almond Tart
(Adapted from Eating Well)

Ingredients:

1/2 c. sliced almonds, skins on
1/4 c. sugar
1 1/3 c. plus 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour, divided
1/2 tsp. salt
6 Tbsp. cold butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1 large egg yolk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. almond extract
4 c. diced mangoes, fresh or frozen (not thawed)
2 tsp. powdered sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Coat a 9-inch removable-bottom tart pan or pie dish with cooking spray.

2. In a food processor, combine sliced almonds and sugar until almonds are finely ground. Set aside 1/2 c. of the mixture.

3. Add 1 1/3 c. flour to the remaining sugar-almond mixture and pulse to blend. Add butter a few pieces at a time and process until well incorporated.

4. In a small bowl, combine egg yolk, vanilla, and almond extracts until blended. Add to the food processor and process until the mixture begins to form a dough that looks like wet, crumbly sand, about 1 minute. Set aside 1/3 c. of this mixture.

5. Transfer the remaining dough to the prepared tart pan. Spread evenly, pressing the dough up the sides of the pan to form a crust.

6. Add the remaining 2 Tbsp. of flour to the sugar-almond mixture you set aside in step 2. Toss mangoes with 2 Tbsp. of this mixture until coated. Spread the coated mangoes evenly over the tart crust, then sprinkle the remaining sugar-almond mixture over the mangoes. Take the reserved 1/3 c. of dough from step 4 and pinch into small clumps. Sprinkle these all around the tart.

7. Bake 15 minutes in the preheated oven. Reduce temperature to 350 degrees and bake an additional 45 minutes or until the crumbs on top are golden. Cool at least 30 minutes, then dust with powdered sugar just before serving.

Makes 1 9-inch tart.  

Extra Dark Brownies with Sea Salt and Lime

I have an important question for you. Are you ready for your brownie world to be rocked? "But Sarah," you may say, "my brownie world does not need to be rocked. Brownies are already one of nature's most perfect desserts. And when I say "nature," I mean the Betty Crocker box mix you can get for $1.25 at Target." And you would be right. Brownies in almost any form are pretty consistently amazing. But sometimes even a classic can be improved--or if not improved, at least expanded upon in new and different ways for a little delicious variety. That's exactly what this stunningly flavored dessert is about. A dose of extra flaky salt on top and a deep undertone of lime elevates these beyond anything you can get in a box mix. To me, they'd be the perfect rich follow-up to a Mexican dinner. 

I will tell you, though, you do have to love dark chocolate to love this recipe--these brownies are so dark they probably go around brooding. In fact, they're probably reading Edgar Allen Poe in their basement right now. Then they're going to turn off all the lights and watch A Clockwork Orange.* I'm just telling you. They're dark. 

*Or, in this case, A Clockwork Lime.


Extra Dark Brownies with Sea Salt and Lime
(Adapted from TheKitchn.com)

Ingredients:

6 Tbsp. butter
4 oz. bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 scant c. sugar
3/4 c. all-purpose flour
1/4 c. cocoa powder
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1 lime, juiced and zested
2 oz. unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped
1/2 tsp. flaky sea salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line an 8x8" glass dish with parchment paper, leaving extra paper on two sides for removal after baking. (Alternatively, spray thoroughly with cooking spray.)

2. In a medium saucepan, melt butter and bittersweet chocolate over medium-low heat. Stir until smooth. 

3. Remove pan from the heat and add sugar, flour, cocoa powder, eggs, vanilla, and kosher salt, mixing until combined. Add lime juice and zest as well as the unsweetened chocolate until all chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. (You may need to return the pan to the stovetop, depending on how much the batter has cooled.) 

4. Pour batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle sea salt evenly on top. Bake 30-35 minutes. Brownies will still be a bit gooey--don't worry, this is what you want! Cool 15 minutes on a wire rack, then remove by lifting out parchment paper, if using. Garnish with more lime zest, if desired.

Makes 1 8x8" pan, approximately 16 brownies. 

Mint Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies

Isn't it interesting how every language has at least a few words that defy translation? (Like "fun" or "bromance" in English.) Recently I read this article about the Danish concept of "hygge"  ("HYU-gah"), a tough-to-pin-down notion of coziness, well-being, or togetherness. It seems that any experience that evokes these feelings of comfort--coming home to a warm house on a cold night, savoring a candlelit dinner, snuggling in a cozy sweater--qualifies as hygge. In other words, hygge is the feeling of Christmas. The article theorizes that Danes' cultural emphasis on this concept is a key factor in its consistently ranking as the happiest country on earth.

One of my favorite hygge-inducing activities at Christmastime is baking. I have happy memories of making spritz cookies with my mom every year using this contraption that looks more like an instrument of torture than a baking tool. 

Baking for my loved ones, knowing I'm providing them with a special treat at Christmastime, continues to be a joy for me during the holiday season. So when I manage to pull off a really delicious, visually appealing confection like these mint chocolate candy cane cookies, I'm a happy Christmas camper. These require a little extra effort than the standard mix-and-bake drop cookies, but the presentation (and the taste) are worth it! I made a batch and froze it a few weeks ago and our family is still enjoying them one by one out of the freezer--I think we may even like them better cold. Something about the mint flavor's inherent chilliness just makes it work.

Wishing you a very merry Christmas filled with whatever brings you hygge! 

Fresh out of the oven!

Mint Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies

(Base recipe adapted from Allrecipes.com/inspired by Bon Appetit)

Ingredients:

1 c. butter, softened

1 1/2 c. white sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 tsp. peppermint extract

2 c. all-purpose flour

2/3 c. cocoa powder

3/4 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

2 c. mini semisweet chocolate chips, divided

1 c. crushed candy cane

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a large bowl, beat the butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, and peppermint extract until light and fluffy. Combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt; stir into the butter mixture until blended. Mix in 1 c. mini chocolate chips. Drop by rounded Tablespoons onto a greased baking sheet.

3. Bake 10-11 minutes or until just set. Cool 10 minutes.

4. In a small bowl, microwave remaining 1 c. mini chocolate chips at 20 second intervals until melted. Pour melted chocolate into a squeeze bottle and drizzle in a zig-zag pattern over cookie tops. (Alternatively, if you don't have a squeeze bottle, dredge a fork through the melted chocolate and drizzle over cookies that way.) Sprinkle with crushed candy cane. Refrigerate until set, about 20 minutes.

Makes 3-4 dozen. 

Candied Cherry Opera Fudge

Is it too early to start in on Christmas desserts? I'm usually a pretty staunch Christmas-must-wait-until-after-Thanksgiving type, so with Thanksgiving barely 24 hours behind us, I almost feel bad posting such a Christmas-y recipe. But not that bad, because Christmas desserts are the absolute best! This unique opera fudge is a Christmas recipe I've been wanting to try for ages, ever since I saw it featured in a Better Homes and Gardens December issue years ago. I had never heard of opera fudge and had no idea what it was, as compared to regular fudge. I just went along with my imagination and assumed it was some old-fashioned confection that used to be served at the opera. Visions of ladies in fancy ruffled dresses being served cherry fudge in their theater balconies danced in my head. 

But apparently, this is not the source of the name opera fudge. When I looked it up, I found that opera fudge is a candy originating in Lebanon, Pennsylvania--the authentic version is still sold and shipped from there. No one knows why it was named opera fudge, though there did used to be an opera house in the town in the late 1800s. As for the candy, it's technically not a fudge. (So no opera and no fudge...if it weren't so delicious, I think I'd be getting disappointed right about now.) In its most traditional form, it's a fondant made with heavy cream, then coated with chocolate. This candied cherry version, however, is chocolate-free, allowing the pretty red candied cherries to give it a visual pop to match its tangy-sweet taste. For me, it was fun to make something that turned out so festive-looking. If you stop by my house this Christmas season, I just might whip some out of my freezer (yes, it freezes well) and make you sample some! 

Candied Cherry Opera Fudge
(Adapted from Better Homes and Gardens)

Ingredients:

3 1/2 c. sugar
1 c. milk
1 c. half-and-half
2 Tbsp. light corn syrup
1 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. butter
2 tsp. vanilla
1 c. coarsely chopped candied red cherries

Directions:

1. Line an 8 x 8 square pan with aluminum foil, extending foil over the edges of the pan. Spray with cooking spray and set aside.

2. Spray the inside of a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan with cooking spray. In the saucepan, combine sugar, milk, half-and-half, corn syrup, and salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until sugar dissolves and mixture comes to a boil. Clip a candy thermometer onto the side of the pan. (Yes, you need a candy thermometer. Making an educated guess about temperature will be very difficult with this recipe.)

3. Continue boiling at a moderate, steady rate, stirring occasionally, until thermometer registers 236 degrees (soft ball stage--about 20 minutes). Adjust heat if necessary to maintain a steady boil.

4. Remove saucepan from heat. Add butter and vanilla but do not stir. Cool, without stirring, to 170 degrees (about 20 minutes). Remove thermometer from the pan and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon about 5 minutes. Add candied cherries and stir 1 more minute. Pour into prepared pan, spreading evenly. Let stand until firm. Use the foil to lift the fudge from the pan and cut with a sharp knife.

Makes 1 8 x 8 pan.

Twilight Zone Party

In ten years of marriage, my husband and I have established a tradition of hosting a few annually recurring events. For many years, one of these was our yearly Hitchcock Movie Night. Every October we'd gather with a handful of friends to eat spooky treats and watch some of Hitch's classics--Rope, Rear Window, Vertigo, Frenzy, and others. Having gone through quite a bit of the Hitchcock catalog by now, this year we thought it would be fun to switch things up a little. Recently we realized that several seasons of The Twilight Zone are on Netflix. Anthony grew up watching The Twilight Zone, but I'm a relative newbie (though I did see the Talking Tina episode as a child and was SCARRED). So we figured a Twilight Zone episode viewing night would be an interesting diversion from the lengthier Hitchcock movies--and it was! Unfortunately, due to the cold and flu season that seems to have started way earlier than usual (which almost sounds like the premise of a TZ episode), there were only a total of five of us that night, but hey, our couch isn't that big anyway. I made some campy decorations, a few creepy desserts and some mildly alcoholic cider punch, and we were good to go. My best friend Joy and I even spent the couple of weeks before the party writing and filming our own 4-minute Twilight Zone episode, which I wish I could show you here, but Blogger tells me it's too large to post. Waaaahhhh. 

Anyway, here's a rundown of the details of the evening in case you ever get the hankering to host your own homage to the uncanny in glorious black and white.

Decorations:

When it comes to party decorations, my motto is "When in doubt, go to Michael's and go crazy with patterned paper." If you noticed the picture above, you'll see I am dead serious. To set the dichromatic tone, I made a couple of signs featuring the tagline from the Twilight Zone intro: You have now crossed over into...The Twilight Zone. I printed this sentence off an image on the internet, cut it out, and pasted it onto some snazzy black-and-white paper and boom, instant Twilight Zone party decor. 

Next, rolling along with the patterned paper, I embraced my inner pennant fetish by making a black and white banner to hang over the food.

Speaking of the food...

Mother-of-mercy-what-is-that-terrifying-creation, you ask? Oh, just a pair of baby arms reaching from the grave, nothing to be alarmed about. Actually, it's supposed to be baby arms reaching up from a garden bed....which was the premise of the episode my friend Joy and I wrote and filmed. (Now you really want to see it, right?) So these peanut butter frosted, graham cracker topped brownies were a delicious little tie-in with our project. 

Loooooook into my coooookie. Our second sweet something was another visual to match the Twilight Zone theme. Even though I haven't seen all that many TZ episodes, one image I associate with the show is a spinning black and white spiral. To me, these chocolate-orange pinwheel cookies looked just like an edible version of it. I used this recipe for chocolate orange cookies, and then, instead of mixing the chocolate and orange doughs, I kept them separate and rolled them out to two rectangles of the same dimensions...

laid one on top of the other...

chilled for awhile, then rolled the whole thing up...

sliced, and baked as directed.

 Definitely a winner of a cookie I will repeat next Halloween!

In addition to our sweet treats (and some popcorn to round out the movie night menu) I made a pitcher of this chilled spiced rum and cider punch. 

If I had my way with October in Phoenix, we'd be able to drink our cider hot, but the sad truth is that it was 95 degrees the day of this party and I didn't want our guests sweating to the point of sliding off our leather couch. So chilled cider it was! I added a cinnamon stick or two and about a teaspoon of whole cloves to give it a little extra spice.

Last but not least, I would be remiss if I didn't share the diverse mix of Twilight Zone episodes that made the party memorable:

1. The Fever: Franklin Gibbs believes gambling is an inexcusable vice...until he tries it.

2. What You Need: A man has the mysterious ability to give people exactly what they will need in the near future.

3. Living Doll: Little Christy's doll Talking Tina has a mind of her own...and she's prepared to use it.

4. Terror at 20,000 Feet: William Shatner stars as a man flying home after 6 months in rehab for a mental breakdown. Is he really cured? 

5. Walking Distance: A very unusual, meditative episode about the transience of life and holding on to the good.

Though our party was almost two weeks ago, I've continued to ruminate on these episodes. The Twilight Zone continues to be a thought-provoking show, even 50 years after its air time. Thought-provoking enough, in fact, to consider having another party next year!

Cream Cheese Apple Tart

So it's been two weeks since my last post, which is the longest I've ever gone without blogging since first starting this endeavor last June. I'm sure all three of my readers are seething with rage and anxiety. But it's been a super busy few weeks, which tends to leave blogging in the dust. First my husband went out of town, meaning I was fending for myself with three little kids for a few days. Then I decided to give him a taste of his own medicine by going out of town myself for three days to my 10-year college reunion in Illinois. The fellowship was sweet, the fall colors were gorgeous, and my poor little tuckus was just about frozen right off of my body. I had signed up to do the Homecoming 5k, but when the morning dawned at about 35 degrees with snow flurries, I decided I'll save my running in extreme weather conditions for the Zombie Apocalypse, thank you very much. All in all, it was a great trip, though.

The colors! And the friends! And the memories!

The day I returned from the Chicago area, my brother came to town for a few days, inspiring the following goofy faces like any good brother/uncle: 

Since my kids were on fall break, we were able to have some quality time with Uncle Joel, visiting the pumpkin patch, going to parks, and arguing over whether it's okay for him to teach my children how to belch on command. 

Now that things are beginning to settle back down to normal and we're almost halfway through October, I'm ready to share this lovely dessert to ring in the autumn spirit, if you haven't already rung it in yourself with tall boots over jeans and pumpkin spice lattes to the point of credit card debt. It has two of my favorite flavors of fall--apples and cinnamon--with a unique twist, something different from the usual apple pie. (Not that there's anything wrong with the usual apple pie.) 

I've made this twice now and received several compliments on its taste and appearance. The fancy-looking apple pinwheel effect on top definitely gives it visual appeal, and the taste is just as good as the look. Plus, I love the unexpected cheesecakey layer hiding underneath the apples.

And doncha just want to grab that one gooey-looking cinnamon apple on top?

I'd be willing to bet you'll make a lot of friends if you bring this in place of apple pie to your family's Thanksgiving this year...but why wait until then? It's October--let the autumn eating commence!

Cream Cheese Apple Tart
(Adapted from The Cooking Channel)

Ingredients:

For the crust:
1 homemade or purchased pie crust

For the cream filling:
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 egg
1/4 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

For the apple top:
2 large Granny Smith apples, peeled and sliced
1/4 c. sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon

Directions:

1. Bake the pie crust according to package directions in a 10-inch tart pan (or 9-inch pie plate).

2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

3. In a medium bowl, beat together cream cheese, egg, sugar, and vanilla until smooth. Pour into the baked pie crust.

4. In a large bowl, mix sugar and cinnamon. Add apple slices and toss to coat. Arrange individual apple slices in a pinwheel pattern on top of the cream cheese filling, starting at the outer edge of the tart and working inward.

5. Bake about 40 minutes, until apples are tender and golden.

Serves 8.

Boston Cream Pie

In 2003, the state of Massachusetts made a bold decision. They designated the Boston Cream Donut as the OFFICIAL DONUT of the state. Good call, Massachusetts. Both on your choice of donut and the choice to have an official state donut. (Massachusetts is, in fact, the only state to have an official donut. The other 49 states need to rectify this immediately.) So it's all well and good that the people of the Bay State get to enjoy this monument to deliciousness in an official capacity.

But guess what, Massachusetts? Somebody beat you to it.

ME!!!!

The Boston Cream donut has been MY official donut since at least 1991. 

For as long as I can remember, I have ALWAYS ordered a Boston Cream donut whenever possible at a donut shop. It started when my grandparents from Iowa would come to town and take my brother and me out for lunch at Sizzler and then to Dunkin Donuts for dessert. (The year 1991 is somewhat arbitrary--I was 9 then, which is about when I first recall this ritual with my grandparents starting.) Even at that young age, I can remember the sureness of my decision. No strawberry frosted, no long johns, no chocolate glazed. I want the grand daddy, that pie-within-a-cake, dream-within-a-dream ALL-STAR Boston Cream Donut. Dark chocolate frosting, buttery cake, and glorious cream filling--can you see why I (and, oh yeah, Massachusetts) have appointed it my official donut?

Since it was recently my birthday and I always enjoy making my own birthday cake, I decided this was the year to try actually making a Boston cream pie (which, if you didn't know, is actually a cake. So in donut form it's a donut that's a pie that's a cake. Still with me?) For as many times as I've eaten Boston cream donuts, it's rare that I have Boston cream pie--and still rarer (as in, never) that I've had a homemade Boston cream pie. So giving it a try sounded fabulous. I actually happen to have a cookbook all about the food of Boston, so I pulled it out to find....

Nothing! This cookbook about the distinctive recipes of Boston does not contain a Boston cream pie recipe. Inexcusable.

Disgusted.

(Though, actually, otherwise it's a pretty good cookbook.) Anyway, thank goodness for the Internet, which of course yielded countless Boston cream pie recipes. Sifting through them revealed that most of the top hits had only four-star or less ratings, and I knew this birthday called for a five-star cake. I ended up deciding on one from Saveur.com that had all five-star reviews, and was not disappointed! Neither, I'd say, were the other ten or so people who shared it with me. My neighbor, who recently traveled to Boston, said she thought it was better than the version she'd had at a famous bakery there. The chocolate on top is nice and dark--not too sweet--the cake is fluffy, and the vanilla cream set up perfectly, with just the right amount of spreadability.

Trying not to get my hair in the chocolate. Or the fire.

All in all, it made for a happy birthday cake realization of my Official Donut--a cake inspired by a donut inspired by a cake (with the name of a pie). 

Boston Cream Pie

(Slightly adapted from Saveur.com)

Ingredients:

For the cake:

1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
12 Tbsp. butter, softened
1 c. sugar
2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 eggs
2/3 c. buttermilk (see my baking substitutions page for other options)

For the filling:

1 c. sugar
1/4 c. corn starch
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
6 egg yolks
1 1/2 c. milk
4 Tbsp. chilled unsalted butter, cubed
2 tsp. vanilla extract

For the glaze:

4 oz. 60% bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1/2 c. heavy cream

Directions:

1. Make the cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9" round cake pan well. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl; set aside. In a large bowl, beat butter, sugar, and vanilla until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Alternately add dry ingredients and buttermilk and beat until just combined. Pour into prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake about 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan 15 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack to cool completely.

2. Make the filling: In a 4-quart saucepan, whisk together sugar, corn starch, and salt. Add egg yolks and whisk until smooth, then stir in milk. Heat pan over medium heat and cook, stirring constantly, until thickened, about 10 minutes. (Be especially watchful in the last 3 minutes or so, as the mixture goes from liquid-y to pudding-y quite quickly.) Remove from heat and add butter one cube at a time, whisking until smooth. Stir in the vanilla extract. Transfer the pudding to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Chill until firmed, at least 2 hours.

3. Make the chocolate glaze: Place chopped chocolate in a bowl. In a 1-quart saucepan over high heat, bring heavy cream just to a boil. Pour cream over chocolate and let sit 1-2 minutes. Slowly stir the chocolate and cream until smooth and shiny, then set aside to cool for 10 minutes. 

4. Assemble the cake: Using a serrated knife, carefully slice cake horizontally into two layers, with the top layer being slightly smaller than the bottom. Spread the chilled pudding over the top side of the bottom layer, then cover with the top layer. Pour chocolate glaze evenly over the top of the cake, letting it drip down the sides. Refrigerate until glaze is set, at least 30 minutes. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Generously serves 10. (But could be stretched for 12!)