Hummingbird cake
Yield: Two 8-inch cakes
Ingredients
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 1/3 cups vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 large eggs
2 large ripe bananas, diced small
1 1/2 cups chopped pecans
8 ounces crushed pineapple
Store-bought cream cheese frosting, or your favorite recipe
1/2 cup chopped pecans for garnish
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Apply nonstick baking spray to two 8-inch cake pans. Set aside.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, add flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon. Stir until just combined.
3. Add vegetable oil, vanilla extract and eggs; mix well.
4. Stir in bananas, 1 1/2 cup pecans and entire can of crushed pineapple (with juice).
5. Divide batter evenly between cake pans. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pans for 10 minutes and then transfer to wire racks to finish cooling.
6. Level each cake with a serrated knife or cake leveler. Crumble the cut pieces for garnish.
7. Frost cake with cream cheese frosting, and garnish with remaining pecans and cake crumbs.
Source: spicysouthernkitchen.com
Triple berry pastries with cream cheese
Yield: Makes 16 pastries
Ingredients
8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/3 cup apricot jam
3 tablespoons water
1/2 cup blueberries
1/2 cup raspberries
1/2 cup blackberries
1 package puff pastry (2 sheets), thawed
1 egg
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Using stand mixer or hand mixer, beat cream cheese until smooth. Add sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest and vanilla extract; mix until combined. Set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, add the jam and water. Microwave for about 30 seconds, stopping to stir every 10 seconds. The mixture should be runny, but not too warm. Dump all of the berries in the bowl and stir until all fruit is evenly coated. Set aside.
4. On a lightly floured flat surface, use a rolling pin to gently work each puff pastry sheet into a 10-by-10-inch square. Cut each sheet into four even squares, then cut each smaller square diagonally; you should end up with eight triangles per sheet, or 16 triangles total.
5. Place the triangles a half-inch apart on two baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Prick the middle of each pastry several times with a fork, making sure to avoid the edges.
6. Crack the egg into a small bowl and whisk well with a fork. Brush egg onto each triangle, then spread a dollop of the cream cheese mixture in the center. Spread the cream cheese evenly, leaving a quarter-inch border on each triangle.
7. Arrange the mixed berries on top of the cream cheese, then bake pastries for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown and flaky. Cool for 5 minutes on baking sheets, then move to a baking rack to cool completely.
Source:justataste.com
