Filo Purses filled with Apples, Honey and Golden Raisins

The Jewish New Year is celebrated tomorrow, and this brings back memories of traditional foods, even to an agnostic such as myself. One of the culinary traditions for this event, is to dip a slice of apple in honey, and eat it as a symbol for a sweet New Year. Plenty other sweet dishes are added to the table as well, in order to emphasize this hope for a sweet New Year.
The following dessert was inspired by this tradition.

Coffee Sponge Cake with Coffee Icing and Chocolate Glaze

The following tasty cake is yet another variation of my all time favorite sponge cake recipe (posted HERE). In this version, I substituted the orange juice with coffee, enhanced the coffee flavor by pouring coffee syrup over the baked cake, (leaving a bit aside for serving), and topped the cake with coffee icing and chocolate glaze. All this created layers of flavors that will please anyone who loves coffee and chocolate.

Lime and Lavender Cake with Peaches

Lime and lavender is one of my favorite flavor combinations: their fresh and floral fragrance enhances one another beautifully. So, when I decided to bake a light summer cake, I wanted to use this favorite combination again, and came up with the quick and easy to assemble cake you see here.

Apricot and Cardamom Muffins

Apricot season is very short, and on top of it, they tend to soften quickly after buying. So when I ended up with some that started to soften, I decided to bake some quick muffins with them.

Cherries and Almonds Clafoutis

Clafoutis is a simple French dessert, in which fruits are baked in a light custard. The dish is traditionally made with cherries, although there are plenty of versions with other fruits as well. As cherries season is at its peak right now, I decided to prepare it using them.

Banana, Blueberries and Coconut Cake

With abundance of fresh berries, I find myself buying more than needed, and, as they don’t keep well, I try to find ways to use them in baking. I often also have some overripe bananas around, so I’ve decided to combine both in the form of a tasty cake.

Plums, Almonds and Maple Syrup Cake

When I bought some early season plums at the store, I was a bit disappointed with their flavor. As cooking, or baking, intensifies the flavor of unripe fruit, my solution was to use them in a cake. The fact that fruit cakes are my favorite, only added to the motivation.

Upside-down Cake with Cherries, Blueberries and Lavender

If you follow this blog for a while, you probably noticed by now that I’m very fond of upside-down cakes. The combination of buttery, caramelized fruit layer, with a light tasty cake on top,  is one I can have again and again, and I enjoy creating new combinations for the basic cake.

Meyer Lemon Curd

Lemon curd is one of my favorite fruit spreads. It is wonderful when served with pastries, pancakes, cakes or cookies (check HERE for pairing with Cardamom Friands). I also use it often, as a filling for tarts or cakes, or to prepare a quick mousse, by mixing it with whipped cream.

Coconut Milk Pudding with Fresh Fruits

When entertaining a large party, it’s always a good idea to serve a dessert buffet, with small portions of a few items, that the guests can help themselves to, according to their taste. On such a buffet, dairy-free, gluten-free, low sugar or vegan options are likely to please not only those who have dietary concerns, but rather, all the guests, especially after a fairly heavy dinner.

Coffee Cookies with Dark and White Chocolate Chips

These “all in one bowl” cookies, are quick and easy to assemble, and can be made in less than 30 minutes from start to finish. The combination of buttery coffee flavored dough, with both dark and white chocolate chips, is just perfect when served with coffee or with strong tea. The cookies are chewy and soft, and burst with flavors, and are a great snack any time of the day. Try them and enjoy.