Lemon Curd

Yellow custard in a glass bowl.

Lemon curd is a wonderful lemony, smooth, rich mixture that is used in tarts, cakes, or simply as a delicious accompaniment to scones. Traditional recipes called for a double boiler, but we found that the cooking process could be expedited by cooking over a direct flame in a heavy-bottomed saucepan.  Print Lemon Curd Yield: 1…

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The Friday Baking Project
Miriam Torte

A chocolate cake with raspberries on top of it.

PRINT Miriam Torte Yield: 1 8†cake # of Servings: 10 Difficulty: Moderate Ingredients: 10 oz chocolate, 61% to 64%, wafers or chopped into pieces1 ¼ cup (10 fl oz) heavy cream 1 recipe Nut Torte ¾ cup raspberry preserves Finishing: Special tools and equipment: Pre-recipe preparations: Directions Day 1: Make the ganache: Bake the…

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Miriam Torte

A chocolate ganache cake topped with fresh raspberries arranged in a circular pattern on a white plate.

I love the idea of using an existing cake as a foundation for new desserts. With that in mind, for this Passover, I transformed the unadorned Nut Torte from 2022 into a chic, delicious dessert that will be a wow-inducing finale to a Seder meal. The Nut Torte itself is a delightful blend of almond…

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Apricot Hazelnut Torte

Close-up of a freshly baked apricot almond tart dusted with powdered sugar, served on a white plate.

PRINT Apricot Hazelnut Torte Yield: 1 9†cake # of Servings: 8 to 10 Difficulty: Easy Ingredients:The apricots:1 ¼ cup (9.2 oz / 261 g) dried apricots1 tbl (.45 oz / 13 g) light brown sugar1 ½ cup (12 fl oz) cold water ½ tsp almond extractPinch of salt â…“ cup (2.25 oz / 63…

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Chocolate Nut Layer Cake

A chocolate cake topped with swirls of chocolate frosting, presented on a white plate.

PRINT Chocolate Nut Layer Cake Yield: 1 8†cake # of Servings: 8 to 10  Difficulty: Moderate Ingredients:Ganache: 1 lb. chocolate, 61% to 64%, wafers, or chopped into pieces1 pint (16 fl oz) heavy cream Cake:1 recipe Nut Torte D©cor:1 cup (4 oz / 113 g) chopped sliced almonds Special tools and equipment:  Pre-recipe preparations:…

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Chocolate Nut Layer Cake

A chocolate cake topped with swirls of chocolate frosting, presented on a white plate.

I am very fond of the Nut Torte from an April 2022 blog. It is a simple, delicious cake, and it brings back memories of my time at Patisserie Lanciani, where the recipe originated. To enhance it for this Passover, I decided to make a Chocolate Nut Layer Cake by slicing it in three, and…

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Apricot Hazelnut Torte

Close-up of a freshly baked apricot almond tart dusted with powdered sugar, served on a white plate.

In this unique torte, tender, oven-poached apricots sit atop a crisp hazelnut macaroon-like base. It is from Jewish Holiday Cooking by Jayne Cohen and is a wonderful finale to a seder meal. The recipe as written in the book is a bit confusing. I have reorganized the ingredients and the directions to match the logical…

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Banana Cream Pie

A freshly baked bundt cake with white glaze on a glass serving plate.

PRINT Banana Cream Pie Yield: 1 9-inch pie # of Servings: 10 Method: Cream Pie Difficulty: Moderate Ingredients Crust:  1 â…“ cup (5.45 oz / 154 g) chocolate wafer crumbs (see source below) ¼ cup (1.8 oz / 51 g) sugar 5 tbl (2.5 oz / 71 g) unsalted butter, melted Filling: 2 ¼ cup…

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Lemon-Glazed Lemon Bread

A freshly baked bundt cake with white glaze on a glass serving plate.

In my opinion, a morning yeast bread is just barely sweet, with a buttery soft texture, and bakes in a distinctive shape. This Lemon-Glazed Lemon Bread, with its brioche-like softness and baked in a Kugelhopf pan, checks all the boxes. On the first taste of this wonderful bread, one discovers how the lemon-scented dough harmonizes…

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Apricot Soufflé

PRINT Apricot Souffl© Yield: 8 individual souffl©s Serves: 8 Ingredients 8 oz (227 g) dried apricots1 ½ cups (12 fl oz) cold water 1 cup cold water ¾ cup (5.25 oz / 149 g) sugar3 tbl (1.5 fl oz) fresh lemon juice 6 large egg whites (6 fl oz)Pinch of salt ¼ cup (1.75 oz…

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