Birthday Cake

Chocolate birthday cake with frosting.

The one thing that remains part of our birthday celebrations as we progress through life is a cake. And a homemade version is a special, personal, gift to the birthday person. Whether a simple American layer cake or an elaborate version such as the one here, it sends the same message of love. This version…

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Buttermilk Waffles

Delicious currant scones on a plate.

PRINT Buttermilk Waffles Yield:  4 waffles # of Servings: 4 Difficulty: Easy Ingredients 1 cup (4.65 oz / 132 g) all-purpose flour1 tsp baking powder¼ tsp baking soda¼ tsp salt 1 egg, room temperature1 cup buttermilk, room temperature5 tbl (2.5 oz / 71 g) butter, melted, but not hot Maple syrup, as needed Fresh berries,…

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Buttermilk Waffles

Waffles, strawberries, blueberries, and syrup.

These Buttermilk Waffles are the very essence of a waffle – crispy on the outside, and soft and tender on the inside. With good strong coffee, and some fresh seasonal berries, they make a superb weekend breakfast.A Belgian Waffle maker is preferred, as the deep grooves are a perfect vessel for the syrup and the…

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Orange Currant Scones

Delicious currant scones on a plate.

PRINT Orange Currant Scones Yield:  8 to 10 scones # of Servings: 8 Method: Biscuit Difficulty: Easy Ingredients 2 cups (9.3 oz / 264 g) all-purpose flour½ cup (1.75 oz / 49 g) granulated sugar1 tbl (.50 oz / 14 g) baking powder1¼ tsp salt 4 tbl (2 oz / 57 g) unsalted butter, cold,…

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Orange Currant Scones

Delicious currant scones on a plate.

These scones were a constant at the Chilmark Epicure stand at the West Tisbury Farmers Market in early 1990’s along with jars of homemade jam, brandied cherries, and vanilla bean peaches. The scones, in cellophane bags tied with raffia would be gone within an hour after opening. This is an easy to make recipe that…

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Sour Cherry Almond Crunch Cake

Almond-topped baked goods on wood.

This simple and absolutely delicious coffee cake is another wonderful use of sour cherries. While the fresh season for these gems is behind us, good quality bottled sour cherries work fine in this recipe. Whole milk buttermilk provides tenderness and its distinctive tang. Sour Cherry Almond Crunch Coffee Cake is the perfect treat for brunch…

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Browned Butter Cherry Tart

PRINT Browned Butter Cherry Tart Yield: 1 9†tart # of Servings: 8 to 10 Difficulty:   Moderate Ingredients: 1 recipe Pâte Sucrée 2 ½ cups (14 oz / 397 g) fresh sour cherries, stemmed and pitted, or 1 bottled sour cherries. Browned Butter Custard  4 large eggs, room temperature1 cup (7 oz / 198…

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Browned Butter Cherry Tart

Cherry tart with a glossy glaze.

This wonderful tart is a combination of farmers market sour cherries, a browned butter custard, and a crisp Pâte Sucrée tart shell. It may be served as is, with a light dusting of confectioners’ sugar, or dressed up a bit with an apricot glaze. Browned butter, or beurre noisette in French, is an extremely useful…

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Orange and Chocolate Gâteau

PRINT Orange and Chocolate Gâteau Yield: 1 8†cake # of Servings: 10 Method: Separated egg sponge Difficulty:Moderate Ingredients: 1 recipe Butter Sponge Cake       1 recipe French Buttercream, or Swiss Meringue Buttercream 1 recipe Simple Syrup   1 tbl grated orange rind (from 2 oranges)1 tsp orange extract or orange oil ½ cup (4 fl oz)…

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Orange and Chocolate Gâteau

A cake with chocolate frosting and orange decorations.

This light and flavorful cake, a marriage of orange and chocolate, is a perfect summer dessert.  In it, soft butter sponge cake layers are brushed with an orange-scented syrup, layered with a rich orange buttercream, then coated with the same bittersweet chocolate glaze used in many of our chocolate tortes. The result is a wonderful…

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