Cuisine: Dessert

Healthy Banana Donut Holes

I made these Banana Donut Holes in an air fryer. Using just mashed banana, flour, baking powder, and finished off with a dusting of cinnamon sugar, these are a healthier option. They're not exactly donuts because donuts traditionally have a yeast dough that rises, but they have a similar texture and sweetness to donuts.

By

Vanilla Ice Cream with Biscoff Cookies, Amarena Cherries & Sherry

Vanilla ice cream with Biscoff cookies, Amarena cherries (I use Trader Joe's), and sherry is a wonderful dessert that combines sweet, salty, and boozy flavors. The creamy vanilla ice cream is studded with crunchy Biscoff cookie pieces, juicy Amarena cherries, and a drizzle of sweet sherry, creating the perfect easy dessert.

By

Venetian Carrot Cake

This Venetian Carrot Cake is thought to originate with Venetian Jews in the original ghetto. Established in 1516, the Venetian Ghetto was the first enforced Jewish ghetto in Europe. The word "ghetto" itself comes from the Venetian word for the area, which previously housed metal foundries. Jews were forced to reside within the designated area, separated from the rest of Venice by canals and only accessible through two bridges with restricted opening hours.

This cake is quite different from the American version. It's denser, uses olive oil instead of butter (making it potentially kosher for meals with meat), and lacks the cream cheese frosting. Oh, it also has the added bonus of being gluten-free.

My favorite Nigella-ism in the instructions — “I use my freestanding mixer, but it wouldn't be much of a faff by hand”. Faffing is one of my favorite British terms, which basically means - To spend time doing unimportant things instead of focusing on the main task.

By

Limoncello Cake

Limoncello Cake is flavored with limoncello, which is an Italian lemon liqueur. I'm not much of a baker, so I prefer to make bundt cakes rather than layer cakes. This recipe starts with a box of yellow cake mix. I basically copied the Harvey Wallbanger Cake, but used lemon as the flavor profile. I have to say, it's spectacularly lemony and delicious. The cake is garnished with powdered sugar and fresh lemon slices.

By

Mojito Cake

This Mojito cake is one of my absolute favorite cakes. It's refreshingly light and captures the essence of the classic Cuban cocktail. It combines an angel food cake base with crushed pineapple, lime juice, and rum. The topping features a creamy blend of softened cream cheese, frozen limeade concentrate, powdered sugar, rum extract, and cool whip (yes, cool whip!). It's then adorned with coconut, lime zest, and fresh mint.

I recently catered a Cuban themed dinner party, which is one of my favorite menus and this was the cake I served, which got rave reviews.

By

Iced Berries with Limoncello White Chocolate Sauce

This rather unusual and ridiculously easy dessert is from Nigella Lawson. Iced Berries with Limoncello White Chocolate Sauce is refreshing and delicious. It is made with white chocolate, heavy cream, and limoncello, an Italian lemon-flavored liqueur. The sauce is then poured over a bed of frozen mixed berries. I know it sounds a bit weird, but it's really good. 

By Leslie Blythe

German Chocolate Cookie Bars

These German Chocolate Cookie Bars uses a cake mix and are a delicious and easy-to-make dessert. With their rich chocolate flavor, coconut pecan filling, and chocolate chip topping, they are sure to please everyone who tries them. Because we needed to make a large quantity, we used 2 large sheet pans instead of using a 9"x13" pan.
--Note
The history of German Chocolate Cake is a bit misleading, as it is actually an American dessert. The name comes from Samuel German, an American baker who developed a type of dark baking chocolate in 1852. This chocolate, which is known as Baker's German's Sweet Chocolate, is often used in German Chocolate Cake recipes.

The first recipe for German Chocolate Cake was published in 1957 in the Dallas Morning News. The recipe was submitted by a homemaker named Mrs. George Clay, and it quickly became popular. The cake was featured in other publications, and sales of Baker's German's Sweet Chocolate soared.

By Leslie Blythe

No-Churn Margarita Ice Cream

No-churn margarita ice cream is a delicious and easy to make dessert. It is made with just a few simple ingredients, including heavy cream, lime juice, tequila, triple sec, and powdered sugar. The cream is whipped until thick and then the other ingredients are added and mixed until combined. The ice cream is then frozen overnight and is ready to enjoy the next day.

The alcohol in the tequila and triple sec prevents the ice cream from freezing too hard, so it has a smooth and creamy texture. The ice cream can be served plain or garnished with lime zest or margarita salt.

By Leslie Blythe

One-Step No-Churn Coffee Ice Cream

I was watching an episode of Nigellissima, which is a Nigella Lawson cooking show, and she made this One-Step No-Churn Coffee Ice Cream. It's a simple and delicious dessert that is made without an ice cream machine. It has just four ingredients: heavy cream, sweetened condensed milk, instant espresso powder, and espresso liqueur. The heavy cream is whipped until soft peaks form, then the condensed milk, espresso powder, and espresso liqueur are folded in. The mixture is then frozen for at least 6 hours, or overnight.
The key to making this ice cream is to whip the heavy cream until it is just stiff enough to hold its shape. Overwhipping the cream will make it grainy. The espresso powder and espresso liqueur give the ice cream a rich coffee flavor.

By Leslie Blythe

Steamed Cranberry Pudding

Every Christmas eve my wonderful late mother-in-law made this Cranberry Steamed Pudding. Most old-fashioned steamed puddings have suet in them, which always put me off as a child and now as an adult. This particular pudding recipe has no fat in it at all. It's served with whiskey hard sauce, which is dramatically flamed in a dark dining room!

By Leslie Blythe