Fresh Fruit Trifle

Posted on March 24, 2010 by kitchenbelle

 

The birthdays of my mother and my brother are within just a few days of each other.  The members of my family don’t love sweets as much as I do, and when I bake a cake for them I tend to eat the biggest piece of all! Last year I made this orange coconut cake for my mom’s birthday. But this year, rather than make two frosting-laden cakes (one for my brother and one for my mother) I decided to do something a little lighter and fresher.  A birthday trifle seemed like a perfect option. It is light because it is made with fluffy angel food cake and it incorporates all fresh fruit.  Additionally, it isn’t wrapped in a thick layer of sugary frosting. 

This trifle was so creamy and delicious!

Notes/Thoughts:

  • Everyone agreed that the cinnamon really added the flavor that pulled the entire dish together.
  • Feel free to “make it yours” by adding fruit you like and omitting those you don’t.
  • Trifles are just so pretty to look at! Best of all they don’t really require much skill.  You can’t really do anything “wrong” because in the end everything mixes together!  
  • For the pudding I used this recipe, the filling for Boston Cream Pie, and I was very happy with it.  It is very fresh and creamy.  I find boxed puddings to be a little sweet, but by all means, you could definitely substitute store-bought pudding here.
  • I purchased a round angel food cake from the bakery of my grocery store for $4.99 and I was very happy with it.  However, you could absolutely make your own angel food cake and use it in this recipe.

Fresh Fruit Trifle:

Fruit

  • approximately 1 pint of fresh blueberries, rinsed and drained
  • approximately 1 pint of fresh strawberries, rinsed, drained, hulled and sliced (save one whole berry for garnish)
  • 2-3 fresh peaches, peeled, cored and diced
  • 2-3 tablespoons of brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon

Pudding

  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 2 cups milk
  • 2 cups light cream
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 3 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 6 eggs
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

    • Garnish and Assembly

    • one store bought angel food cake (or you can bake your own)
    • one small container of Cool Whip or whipped cream

    Make the pudding:

    In a saucepan bring the butter, milk, and light cream to a boil. While this mixture is cooking, combine the sugar, cornstarch, and eggs in a bowl and whip using a whisk.

    When the cream/ milk/butter mixture reaches the boiling point, whisk in the egg mixture and cook to boiling.  Stir constantly with a wooden spoon.  Be sure to scrape the bottom of the pan to prevent it from burning.  As it begins to thicken, clumps may form.  Use a whisk to smooth it out. Boil for 1 minute. Use a rubber spatula to press the pastry cream through a strainer into a bowl.  Whisk in vanilla extract. Cover the surface with plastic wrap touching the pudding.  (This prevents a film from forming.)  Chill for about one hour. 

    Prepare the fruit:

    Combine all fruit, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a medium bowl and use a wooden spoon to toss well to combine.  Let stand at room temperature for about 30 minutes.

    Assemble:

    Slice angel food cake into one-inch thick pieces and layer on the bottom of a glass trifle dish, covering the bottom of the dish.   Spoon half of the fruit mixture on top of the angel food cake.  (Be sure to drizzle any liquid that formed from the fruit and sugar. Don’t waste it!) Spread half of the pudding over the fruit mixture.  Repeat these layers until you have used all of your components. Top final layer with Cool Whip (or whipped cream) and garnish with a berry, if desired. Keep refrigerated until just before serving.

    Recipe inspired by French Vanilla Summer Trifle on MyRecipes.com.

    Filed under: blueberry, cake, Cool Whip, Dessert, pudding, strawberry, vanilla, VEGETARIAN | 5 Comments »

    Mandarin Orange and Pomegranate Tart

    Posted on November 2, 2009 by kitchenbelle

    October

    This cake on MyRecipes.com caught my eye.  I absolutely love the brilliant orange of the mandarins contrasting with the bright ruby pomegranate arils!  Isn’t it such a beautiful and striking combination for fall?  I decided to use it as an inspiration for this tart. 

    Mandarin Orange and Pomegranate Tart:

    For the crust I combined about two cups of ginger snap cookie crumbs with granulated sugar, melted butter and a pinch of salt.  I baked it and let it cool.  For the filling I used this pastry cream filling  recipe and poured it into the cooled crust.  I then arranged the fruit (about two small cans of mandarin oranges and the seeds of half a fresh pomegranate) on top and painted it with some melted apricot jam.  For more tart ideas check this out!

     October

    Filed under: Dessert, orange, pudding, tart, vanilla | 7 Comments »

    Fresh Fruit Tart–And fun with tarts!

    Posted on August 20, 2009 by kitchenbelle

    j

    Tarts are one of the most beautiful and versatile desserts.  There are so many options when it comes to making a tart and the end result (a lovely classic that transports well) is worth the effort. 

    In most cases tarts are comprised of three (and a half) components.  By altering the choices you make for each component you can create a wide variety of flavors and textures. In other words, the possibilities really are endless.  The components can be adapted for any season or occasion! 

    THE COMPONENTS:

    (1) Crust, sometimes called the shell

    Tart crust recipes can really run the gamut.  From your grandmother’s recipe for pate brise/pate sucre (pie crust) to simply tossing together any type of finely crushed cookie with melted butter, to using ground toasted nuts, there are many options that work well.

    Examples of different crust types:

    Banana Pudding Tart— Nilla wafer cookie crust

    Raspberry Chocolate Tart— biscotti cookie crust

    Plum Macadamia Nut Tart— macadamia nut crust

    Apple and Meringue Tartlets— traditional pate sucre (pie crust)

    (2) Filling

    You will often see pastry cream or a simple custard as a tart filling.  However, while those might be the most common, there is no reason not to be adventurous!  Chocolate pudding, chocolate ganache, whipped cream, lemon curd, and almond paste all work well and provide a nice canvas for the layering of interesting flavors.   For some tarts, the fruit (often stewed with sugar and other spices) serves as the filling.  Again, the options are endless. 

    (3) Fruit

     The fruit is what makes a tart so beautiful.  In other words, the fruit is the icing on the cake!  (Hahaha…excuse the dorky baker’s joke!)  The fruit you choose and how you position it on the tart will determine the tone of the tart.  Piles of sliced cinnamon and sugar-soaked apples will say rustic.  Daintily arranged delicate fruit like raspberries and blueberries will say elegant.  A cafe near my office sells fruit tarts brimming with every berry you can imagine.  To me it says I am fresh and delicious. All say eat me! 

    Decide what you want the tone of your tart to be prior to arranging the fruit and then just go for it.  I think this certainly falls under the category of “the more the merrier.”  Need inspiration? Let the season guide you by selecting fruits that are bountiful simultaneously (think pears and figs) or that are contrasting or complementary in color (aren’t peaches and raspberries so pretty together?!). 

    (3.5) Glaze

    Don’t forget to dress your fruit!  Simply heat some apricot or seedless raspberry preserves in a saucepan over medium heat and brush across your fruit.  Don’t glob it on; a simple sweep of the pastry brush will suffice.  It is well worth the extra few minutes.  It will give your tart that polished look that says “somebody loves me.”

     

     

    While this is a very simplistic overview, note that tarts bear endless potential.  (I haven’t been saying that over and over for nothing!) And that is exactly my point for writing this!  Don’t be afraid to try fresh combinations of fillings and exotic  fruit  and nuts. Mix and match recipes for new and exciting flavors!  Have fun!

    Fresh Fruit Tart:

    (pictured above)

    crust

    • 2 cups Nilla wafers, crushed into fine crumbs
    • 1/4 cup sugar
    • 1/4 tsp salt
    • 1/3 cup melted butter
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

    Preheat oven to 350 F.
    In a large mixing bowl, combine all crust ingredients and stir with a fork until mixture is moist, like wet sand. Pour into a well-buttered 9- or 10-inch tart pan and press into an even layer, going up the sides of the tart.
    Bake for 12-14 minutes, until crust is just starting to brown at the edges. Cool completely.

    filling

  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 2 cups milk
  • 2 cups light cream
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 3 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 6 eggs
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extractIn a saucepan bring the butter, milk, and light cream to a boil. While this mixture is cooking, combine the sugar, cornstarch, and eggs in a bowl and whip using a whisk.

    When the cream/ milk/butter mixture reaches the boiling point, whisk in the egg mixture and cook to boiling.  Stir constantly with a wooden spoon.  Be sure to scrape the bottom of the pan to prevent it from burning.  As it begins to thicken, clumps may form.  Use a whisk to smooth it out. Boil for 1 minute. Use a rubber spatula to press the pastry cream through a strainer into a bowl.  Whisk in vanilla extract. Cover the surface with plastic wrap touching the pudding.  (This prevents a film from forming.)  Chill overnight if possible, or for at least a few hours. 

    • assemble

    • fresh fruit (kiwi slices, raspberries, and halved strawberries work well)
    • 1/2 cup apricot preserves

    Spread filling into cooled crust.  Arrange fruit on top.  Melt preserves in a saucepan and lightly brush over fruit.

    Filed under: cookies, Dessert, pudding, raspberry, tart | 9 Comments »

    Clown Birthday Cake with Chocolate Pudding Filling

    Posted on August 10, 2009 by kitchenbelle

    august 9 09 003

    Do you remember when a new cuddly cub was born and we welcomed him home from the hospital with Teddy Bear Cupcakes?  Well, my friends, that was one year ago.  I know—I can’t believe it either.  Boy does time fly.  Our little one is scampering around, pulling himself up on every piece of furniture, teasing us, laughing his head off at just about anything, wooing us with his dimple, his sparkling blue eyes, his tiny-toothed grin and charming personality.  He is a snuggler by nature and when he buries his head into my collar I am smitten.  (Geez–I am a sappy and nostalgic wreck these days!) 

    I was elated when the parents asked me to make the birthday cake for his carnival party.  I tend to get so overly excited about projects like this that it is nearly impossible for me to settle on a recipe.  I think my favorite part about baking is that the possibilities are endless!  The colors, the flavors, the textures!  A slight variation in one and you end up with a completely different product.  So many decisions, so many options!  My mind was BURSTING with ideas! 

    Strawberry curd filling, no lemon curd, no kids don’t like lemon, but parents do, no I should do strawberry, but aren’t there a lot of strawberry allergies in kids these days? Peanut butter!  Kids love peanut butter!  That’s it; I have to incorporate peanut butter!  But what about peanut allergies? Damn allergies!  Well how about cookies inside the layers of the cake? Both adults and kids like cookies!  But I just made cookies inside a cake…twice…

    Oh dear.  I needed to real myself in and make some decisions if the cake were going to be made in time. 

    Here’s what I knew:

    1. I wanted this cake to be moist–It was incredibly important to me that this cake be moist.  In my opinion that is the most important advantage that home-made cakes have over store bought cakes.  Who cares how pretty a cake appears if it goes down like tree moss!?
    2. I wanted this cake to have a unique filling–I did not want to use plain old frosting as the filling. 
    3. I wanted this cake to be frosted in white with primary color accents–Carnival was the theme of the party and though I love chocolate frosting (Hershey’s recipe is my latest favorite) it just wouldn’t be right to serve a brown cake amidst the bright yellow, green, blue and red decorations.  However, I don’t have a butter cream recipe that I love and Wilton’s recipe, though tried and true by many, kind of scares me.

       And those led to these decisions:

    1. Butter cake.  Except, to ensure the moistness factor, I replaced half of the granulated sugar with brown sugar.
    2. Chocolate pudding filling.  Everyone loves chocolate pudding!
    3. Trust Wilton–kind of.  I used Wilton’s “butter cream” as a guide but replaced half of the shortening with butter and the water with heavy cream.

     The results:

    1. Success on officially the largest cake I have ever made!  (I used two 15-inch pans.)
    2. A very odd-colored cake.  I wish I remembered to take a photo.  Because of the extra brown sugar, the color of the cake was probably the least appealing aspect.  It was a dull beige–not at all the happy yellow birthday cake we see in cookbooks.  Guests were really intrigued and many people asked what kind of cake it was…and, what was that flavor that they just couldn’t put their finger on?
    3. MOIST.  The moistness factor was off the charts.  Mission accomplished.
    4. Decent frosting.  I love how it spread nice and smoothly and did not melt even after sitting outside on a warm day for several hours.  (Thanks Crisco!) I am just warming up to the Wilton frosting concept but I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that in this case the frosting worked pretty well.
    5. Lots of compliments.  People are so nice!  Everyone really seemed to enjoy the cake!  And at the end of the day, that is, after all, what the idea is!

    Butter Cake

    (I doubled the below recipe for each 15-inch pan.  As-is, this recipe yields enough batter for two 8 or 9-inch cakes)

    • shortening and flour for pan prep
    • 1/2  cup  butter, melted
    • 8 oz.  sour cream
    • 3/4 cup brown sugar
    • 3/4  cup  granulated sugar
    • 2  teaspoons  vanilla extract
    • 2 large eggs 
    • 2  cups  all-purpose flour
    • 1  teaspoon  baking soda
    • 1/2  teaspoon  salt
    • 3/4  cup buttermilk

     Preheat oven to 350 F.

    Rub shortening on the bottom of cake pans.  Sprinkle with flour.  Set aside.

    Combine melted butter and sour cream in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk until well blended. Add sugars and 2 teaspoons vanilla. Beat with a mixer at medium speed 3 minutes or until well blended. Add eggs; beat 2 minutes or until well blended.

    Lightly spoon 2 cups flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine 2 cups flour, baking soda, and 1/2 teaspoon salt, stirring well with a whisk. Add flour mixture and buttermilk alternately to sugar mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture; mix after each addition. Pour batter into prepared pan(s). Sharply tap pan once on counter to remove air bubbles. Bake at 350 F for 27-30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pans. Cool completely on wire rack.

    Chocolate Pudding (filling):

    • 4 large egg yolks
    • 1/2 cup sugar
    • 1/8 teaspoon salt
    • 1 cup milk
    • 1 cup whipping cream
    • 9 ounces (2 cups) chopped semi-sweet and milk chocolate
    •  2 teaspoons sugar
    • 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

    Whisk together yolks, sugar, and salt in a medium bowl until blended.  Combine milk and cream in medium saucepan, and cook over medium heat until hot. Gradually pour hot milk mixture into egg mixture, whisking constantly. Return mixture to saucepan, and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a heat-resistant spatula, for 5 minutes or until mixture thickens and coats the spatula or until a thermometer reads 180°.  Remove saucepan from heat. Add chocolate, and let stand 10 seconds; whisk until smooth. Transfer chocolate cream to a clean bowl. Place plastic wrap directly on the surface of the cream, and refrigerate until cold and set, at least 3 hours.

    Frosting (I made this recipe about three times for this cake):

    • 1/2 cup vegetable shortening, at room temperature
    • 1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
    • 1 teaspoon clear vanilla extract
    • 4 cups confectioners’ sugar
    • 2 tablespoons heavy cream
    • 1/2 teaspoon meringue powder (this stuff is a little weird…)

    Cream together shortening and butter using an electric mixer.  Add vanilla. Add confectioners’ sugar, one cup at a time and continue to beat with mixer.  Add cream and meringue powder.  Add more confectioners’ sugar or more cream to reach desired consistency.  

    Assembly:

    Place first cake layer on cake board. Pipe a thick layer of frosting around the entire edge of cake.  Scoop one big even layer of pudding onto cake.  Top with second cake. Frost top and sides of cake for crumb coat.  Place entire cake in fridge for at least 10 minutes. Finish frosting cake with another thick layer of frosting and decorate with piped frosting.

    a

    Cake for the guests + cake for the birthday boy!

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    The birthday boy’s cake before!

    a

    The birthday boy’s cake after!

    Recipes adapted from: MyRecipes.com and Wilton.

    Filed under: cake, chocolate, Dessert, frosting, icing, pudding | 14 Comments »

    Banana Pudding Tart

    Posted on June 10, 2009 by kitchenbelle

    j

    A few weeks ago my husband and I spent an extra long wonderful weekend in Tennessee. I had never been to the south before (other than Florida) and I was really excited for fried catfish and all things BBQ!  What I did not anticipate falling in love with was a little something called banana pudding.  Friends, I had NO idea about this southern treasure, however, now that I have experienced it, I doubt will ever be the same. 

    My first experience with this pudding from the gods was at a little place called Bobby Qs in Cookeville, TN.   Bobby Qs is known for their “Tennessee Tiramisu” (a.k.a. banana pudding) and after polishing off an entire serving without help from my husband, I understand why.  It was creamy, caramelly, sweet and smooth.  There were wafers strewn throughout providing an occasional and satisfying crunch.  It was heavenly.

    Next was at the French Broad River Dude  ranch.  Not only was this place amazing but the banana pudding served family style was to die for. 

    Throughout the weekend I continued to sample several more variations of banana pudding—including banana pudding ice cream from Mike’s Ice Cream Fountain in Nashville, TN.  I couldn’t get enough of this stuff!  All of my “research” turned up a few interesting points:

    • the actual pudding in banana pudding should not be banana- flavored—it should be vanilla-flavored
    • “authentic” banana pudding is made with Nilla Wafers
    • there is a great debate over whether the best topping is whipped cream or baked meringue

    Honestly, I did not find a banana pudding I did not like.  I made a vow to bring this tradition north, hence this banana pudding tart!

    I volunteered to bring a dessert to a dinner party last week and I really wanted to make banana pudding.  However, though it has almost everything else going for it, banana pudding isn’t exactly a pretty dessert.  I settled on a banana pudding tart instead. This tart is an interesting spin on traditional banana pudding and I think it was a nice way to introduce northerners to this old-fashioned southern tradition.

    Banana Pudding Tart:

    crust

    • 2 cups Nilla wafers, crushed into fine crumbs
    • 1/4 cup sugar
    • 1/4 tsp salt
    • 1/3 cup melted butter
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

    Preheat oven to 350 F.
    In a large mixing bowl, combine all crust ingredients and stir with a fork until mixture is moist, like wet sand. Pour into a 9- or 10-inch tart pan and press into an even layer, going up the sides of the tart.
    Bake for 12-14 minutes, until crust is just starting to brown at the edges. Cool completely.

    filling

    • 3 medium, ripe bananas, sliced diagonally
    • 1 tablespoon butter
    • 2 cups milk
    • 2 cups light cream
    • 1/2 cup sugar
    • 3 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
    • 6 eggs
    • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

    In a saucepan bring the butter, milk, and light cream to a boil. While this mixture is cooking, combine the sugar, cornstarch, and eggs in a bowl and whip using a whisk.

    When the cream/ milk/butter mixture reaches the boiling point, whisk in the egg mixture and cook to boiling.  Stir constantly with a wooden spoon.  Be sure to scrape the bottom of the pan to prevent it from burning.  As it begins to thicken, clumps may form.  Use a whisk to smooth it out. Boil for 1 minute. Use a rubber spatula to press the pastry cream through a strainer into a bowl.  Whisk in vanilla extract. Cover the surface with plastic wrap touching the pudding.  (This prevents a film from forming.)  Chill overnight if possible, or for at least a few hours.

    caramel glaze

    •  1 cup brown sugar
    • 1/2 cup butter
    • 1/4 cup evaporated milk

    Boil all ingredients 2-5 minutes or until sugar has dissolved completely.  Cool to room temperature. 

    assemble

    Be sure both crust and pudding are completely cool.  Spread 1-2 cups of filling into tart shell.  Arrange sliced bananas in a single layer  on top of the pudding and press gently into pudding.  Drizzle caramel glaze over the top.  Let set in fridge for 20 minutes before slicing and serving. (I made the mistake of  not letting the caramel cool and when I squirted it from the bottle the drizzles turned into puddles!)

    Adapted from Baking Bites.

    Filed under: banana, Dessert, pudding, tart, vanilla | 3 Comments »

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