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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Apricot Soufflé

A freshly baked soufflé topped with powdered sugar, served in a white ramekin on an elegant patterned plate.

The 1980’s and 1990’s were the glory days of food magazines. There was Gourmet, the shining star of them all, first published in 1941 and required reading for anyone interested in fine food. There was also Bon Appétit, Food and Wine, Chocolatier, and The Pleasures of Cooking, published by Cuisinart.  We subscribed to all of…

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Banana Cream Pie

A pie topped with swirls of whipped cream on a glass plate.

In this version of Banana Cream Pie, a chocolate wafer crust adds a delightful chocolate element to an American classic. A vanilla bean custard, fresh banana slices, and lightly sweetened whipped cream complete this luscious dessert. The old standby cookie for chocolate crumbs, Nabisco Famous Chocolate Wafers, is no longer produced. But fear not, I…

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Cream Cheese Vanilla Bean Pound Cake

A dusted bundt cake with a fluted design on a green glass plate.

This cake epitomizes the essence of a kitchen cake – one you bake to keep around your kitchen, ideally under a glass dome, for snacking, tea time, or to share with friends who may drop by. It’s my favorite cake (so far) from the delightful book The Bundt Collection. Moist and infused with a delicate…

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