Just in time for the holidays, the Tuesdays with Dorie group baked a Cocoa-Cranberry Linzer Tart.
The tart resembles a linzer cookie, with raspberry jam and a peek-a-boo top, but adds in chocolate, fresh cranberries, and a crumbly, nutty crust. It's a delicious combination of sweet and tart and very rich, so just a sliver is enough. It even improves in flavor the next day, so it can be made ahead of time.
See which December treat the other bakers made.
I'm always on the lookout for a good gingerbread. I made this cake several weeks ago, and I was pleased with the result, so the recipe is the first to be tagged. I had apple butter to use up and used coconut oil as my neutral oil (no effect on flavor). Swedish pearl sugar is one of my favorite toppings, and spicy is one of my favorite flavors, so I loved everything about this cake.
I did bake it in a 9" springform pan, and add an extra 15 minutes to the baking time to be sure it wasn't raw in the middle.
This is another winning recipe from Dorie's Anytime Cakes by Dorie Greenspan.
Visit the Tuesdays with Dorie website to see what the other bakers thought.
The Babes are baking Korean bread this month. Our Kitchen of the Month is Aparna, of My Diverse Kitchen, and she challenged us to make Soboro Ppang. The buns can be filled or not, and the defining characteristic is a peanut butter streusel on the tops.
I decided not to fill them (this time), and I substituted almond butter for the peanut butter in the streusel. While I have jars of both butters in my pantry, I didn't want to open either one for just a few tablespoons of nut butter. I knew I could find small packets of both at the grocery, so I was able to buy the last two packets of almond butter, which was the right amount and worked out perfectly.
The streusel is really good. I had a fair amount left over, which may become a snack at some point. While it tastes good uncooked, it's even more tasty when cooked.
The buns themselves have a neutral taste, so I think a filling would add some oomph. But, the real star is that streusel! They are easy to make and definitely worth the effort.
Stop by the Babes websites to see what they thought, and check out Aparna's website for the recipe.
This week's treat from Baking with Dorie is essentially a mini-cake: Pistachio-Matcha Financiers. I've been wanting to make these for quite awhile, and they didn't disappoint.
I had enough pistachio nuts in the freezer, and some matcha powder and freeze-dried fruit in the pantry, so the only missing ingredient was the white chocolate. I decided to make just half a recipe, so I divided the batter between two mini-muffin pans.
I dipped the tops of the financiers in a mixture of melted white chocolate with a bit of coconut oil, then sprinkled the top with some freeze-dried strawberries (the already open package). Next time, I would choose colorful sprinkles instead of the fruit.
One nice thing about this recipe is that you can prepare the batter ahead of time, refrigerate it, and bake when ready.
Stop by the Tuesdays with Dorie website to see which treat the bakers made this week.
