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Browsing Tag: cherry
I remember the first time that I had a banana split. My grandpa had taken us fishing, and I had a really good day! This was not normal fishing, where 90% of the time is a test of your patience. This was a trout farm, where they bite the second the lure hits the water. So I was a very happy camper already, AND I got a banana split! I don’t know if I ate the whole thing, but I like to think I did. I remember liking the pineapple part the best.
This cupcake combines all of the yumminess of a banana split into one delicious baked treat that you can enjoy year round!
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Step One – Sauces!
Step Two – Cupcakes!
Prep the cupcakes! Measure out all of your ingredients. Let the butter and the eggs warm up to room temperature (about 30 minutes). Preheat your oven to 350°F.
With a fork, mix together your dry ingredients in a bowl and set aside.
This cupcake combines all of the yumminess of a banana split into one delicious baked treat that you can enjoy year round!
Ingredients
- !Banana Cupcakes
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 2 bananas, mashed
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
- 2 cups strawberries, chopped
- 1 Tbsp sugar
- 1 Tbsp cornstarch
- 2 cups pineapple, chopped
- 1 Tbsp sugar
- 1 Tbsp cornstarch
- 1 cup milk chocolate morsels
- 1 Tbsp heavy whipping cream
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 Tbsp powdered sugar
- Salted peanuts, crushed
- Sprinkles
- Ice cream (I used strawberry)
- Maraschino cherries
Instructions
- *Note: You want to make the sauces first so that they are cool enough to use when the cupcakes are done!
- Prep Step!
- Put the chopped strawberries into a saucepan over medium heat. Cook for about five minutes, until they start to lose their juices.
- Add the sugar and mix thoroughly.
- One the sauce looks slightly syrupy, add the cornstarch.
- *Tip: I pre-mix my cornstarch with about a teaspoon of water so that I don’t get clumps.
- Cook for about three minutes, just until it starts to thicken and come together.
- Repeat the same steps for the pineapple sauce.
- In a microwavable bowl, heat the chocolate chips and whipping cream at 30 second intervals, stirring in-between.
- Let all sauces cool to room temperature.
- Prep the cupcakes! Measure out all of your ingredients. Let the butter and the eggs warm up to room temperature (about 30 minutes). Preheat your oven to 350°F.
- With a fork, mix together your dry ingredients in a bowl and set aside.
- In a stand mixer, beat together the butter and sugar for about five minutes, until light and fluffy.
- Now add the eggs, one at a time, and beat until it is mixed together.
- Add the vanilla and beat until it is well-mixed.
- Stir in the mashed bananas.
- Add one-third of the dry ingredients and mix until just incorporated.
- Now, add half of the yogurt and mix until incorporated.
- Repeat this process until all of the dry ingredients and yogurt is used.
- Now they are ready to bake! Use about 2/3 of the batter in a regular sized pan; use the rest in a mini cupcake pan. Bake at 350°F for 20-22 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown.
- Add the heavy whipping cream and powdered sugar to a mixing bowl. Beat on high with the whisk attachment until stiff peaks form. Add to a piping bag fitted with a star attachment.
- Unwrap the mini cupcakes from their wrappers. Using either a knife or a fancy cupcake corer, cut the middle out of the big and small cupcakes.
- Fill the big cupcakes with strawberry filling and the small ones with pineapple filling.
- Place a scoop of the ice cream on the big cupcake. Drizzle with chocolate sauce.
- Place the small cupcake on top and “frost” with the whipped cream. Sprinkle with the peanuts and sprinkles, and add a cherry on top!
Door County is one of my favorite places in the world. Granted, there are many places that I have not been, but I’m sure it would still rank highly had I been to every country. There are multitudes of outdoor activities, orchards, great restaurants, quaint boutiques, everything wonderful.
There are two types of big orchards there – apple and cherry. Each season is a celebration and there are festivals, custom dishes, and special treats galore. We even saw a musical up there are cherry picking. Seriously, they’re way into this stuff.
So, whenever i go, I stock up on fruit. Recently, I was there right at the end of kirschen (German for cherry) season. Naturally, I got many cherry things, along with a pint of tart cherries. I like their puckery flavor, so of course I ate a few straight, but these are best for baking.
I can’t promise that this pie will be as amazing with cherries sourced elsewhere (ok, maybe that’s a bit dramatic), but it will still be a spoonful of happiness on a summer day.
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**Note – I only bought enough cherries for baby pies, but the recipe here will yield you a full pie.
Picture Note – I was not baking at home, and the only vodka on hand was citron. It did not seem to leave any flavor behind, but the crust was of a slightly different consistency because of the sugar. Use plain if possible.
Step One
Prep – but just the crust. I always stick the butter in the freezer for a few minutes to get super cold after I cut it. Mix the vodka and water, and put that in the freezer too.
….Vodka? I’m giving this to kids….
No worries! The alcohol part will be gone after you bake the crust. But why vodka? It gets a lot colder than water without freezing. The secret to great crust is the coldness of the ingredients when you mix them in. This ensures that your “wet” ingredient will be as cold as possible.
Step Two
Make your crust now – cut the butter into the dry ingredients, then mix in the vodka / water mix by Tablespoon-ful until your crust is just wet enough. DO NOT OVERWORK IT. It will get all tough and nasty when baked.
Wrap that bad boy in plastic wrap and let it chill in the fridge for an hour.
Step Three
Filling time. If you have a cherry pitter, use it. So much less work. But if you don’t, you can push them out with a straw or the tip of a pairing knife. It’s just a pain in the butt.
Add the sugar and cornstarch (pre-mixed) to the cherries.
Step Four
Roll out your pie crust to fit your pie plate. You can do whatever you want on the top – make a full cover, do a lattice, or get fancy and cut out some shapes.
Step Five
Add your filling – it should be a bit domed so that the pie looks nice and stuffed. Dot with up to a Tablespoon of butter and place your top on. You can seal it with a fork (dipped in water so that it doesn’t stick) or make the pretty pinches. Later on, I’ll add a demo of how to do this – so check back!
Step Six
Time to bake! Even though it’ll be tempting to dig in as soon as it’s out of the oven, let it cool for at least ten minutes. Brew a pot of coffee while you wait. Slice, top with ice cream, and enjoy!
Warm and juicy, this is a perfect pie for summer. Cherry pie is a classic!
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour (350 grams)
- 2 Tbsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp ground allspice
- 2/4 tsp salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks) (226 g) (8 oz)
- 2 - 3 Tbsp ice cold water
- 2 - 3 Tbsp vodka
- 1 egg white mixed with 2 tsp water
- 4 cups pitted cherries
- 3/4 - 1 cup sugar (83 - 110 g)
- 3 Tbsp cornstarch
- 1 Tbsp unsalted butter
Instructions
- Prep Step! Measure out the ingredients for the pie crust. Mix the dry ingredients in a large
- mixing bowl. Cut each stick of butter in a 3 x 3 grid. Mix the water and vodka in a small bowl. Put the butter and liquid mix in the freezer for 5 - 10 minutes.
- Cut the butter into the dry mix using two forks or a pastry cutter.
- Mix in the liquid, one Tablespoon at a time, until the crust is just holding together as a dough. DO NOT OVERMIX.
- Gather the crust into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill in the fridge for 1 hour.
- Pit the cherries, preferably using a cherry pitter. Mix the sugar and cornstarch. Cover the cherries with the mix and stir to coat.
- Roll out the pie crust to the size of your pie plate. Dump in the filling, and dot with butter. Cover with the crust in the method of your choice (full crust, lattice, shapes, etc). Brush the crust with the egg white and water mixture to make it nice and golden brown.
- You many want to protect the crust before you put it in the oven. Rip three rectangles of aluminum foil, about 3 in tall. Wrap around the edges of the crust so that they do not get burnt. Bake for 45 - 50 minutes.
- Let your kirschen pie cool for at least ten minutes, then top with ice cream. Enjoy with a cold glass of milk or a warm mug of coffee.
