Category: Desserts

Summer Berry Custard Trifle

Life has been a bit crazy with school these last few months. Hence the fact that I made this recipe back in August and I am only just now getting around to posting it. Despite my lack of speed at posting it, it is a new family favorite recipe. Who does not like whipped cream and fruit? Bonus, the recipe uses all the yolks and whites from the eggs.

This trifle is a miss-mash of a few different recipes.

The Angel Food Cake Recipe came from https://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/traditional-angel-food-cake-recipe . 

The custard filling recipe came from a delicious croquembouche recipe fromhttps://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/croquembouche-recipe-1938590

I know that it is now theoretically the wrong season for trifle, but hey, why not mix up the holidays with this bright springy dessert?

Happy Holidays, Ellie

Summer Berry Custard Trifle

Time:   Serves: 7-14

Custard

  • 4 cups milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 12 egg yolks
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 1/2 cornstarch
  • 2 T of unsalted butter

Angel Food Cake

  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 1/2 cup sugar
  • 12 large egg whites
  • 1/2 t salt
  • 1 t vanilla
  • 1 1/2 t cream of tartar

Whipped  Cream

  • 2 cups heavy whipping cream
  • 2 T of sugar
  • 2 cups blueberries
  • 3 cups sliced strawberries

Directions

  1. Heat milk and vanilla to a boil over medium heat. Remove from heat and let set for 10-15 minutes. In a bowl, whisk egg yolks and sugar until light and fluffy. Add cornstarch and stir until smooth. Stir in a 1/4 cup of the milk, then add in remaining milk, keep your empty pot.
  2. Strain the mix back into your empty pot. On medium-high heat, whisking constantly, until thickened and slightly bubbling. Remove from the heat and add the butter. Cover with cling wrap, pressing it against the mixture to prevent a skin from forming. Chill 2 hours.
  3. Preheat the oven to 325°F. DO NOT grease your pan!! The cake needs to stick sides to rise.
  4. In a bowl, mix flour and 3/4 cup of the sugar.
  5. In a new large bowl, combine egg whites, salt, and vanilla. Beat until just frothy, then add cream of tartar and continue beating until you see stiff, glossy peaks.
  6. Mix in the remaining sugar, 1/4 cup at a time, then slowly fold in the dry ingredients.
  7. Place lightly batter lightly into pan, and bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the top springs back when lightly touched.
  8. Remove from oven, and set it upside down with a bottle (or a narrow upside down cup) through its center of pan to keep the cake from falling. Let cool for 1 1/2 hours to set the cake structure.
  9. Run a spatula around the edges and remove from pan. Cut the cake into 1/2 inch square pieces.
  10. In a mixing bowl, whisk cream and sugar together on high speed until stiff peaks form. Slice fruit to desired size.
  11. Assemble. Layer cake, custard, fruit, whipped cream. Repeat till finished.
Layers of goodness

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

If there is anyone who is a peanut butter fan, it is me. I have been guilty of eating whole jars by my lonesome. I am team crunchy all the way, except when it comes to baking. Then JIF creamy is my go-to.

This recipe is a combination of two of my brothers favorite recipes. Both of the recipes come from Sally’s Baking Addiction.

Inside Out Chocolate Chip Cookies: https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/inside-out-chocolate-chip-cookies/

No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars: https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/no-bake-reeses-peanut-butter-bars/

Either recipe followed to the T is delicious, but if you love Reese’s this combination is fantabulous!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

Time:  4 hours    Chill time: 3 hours    Servings: 24 cookies

Ingredients:

Peanut Butter Core:

  • 1/4 cup salted butter melted
  • 1/2 cup crushed graham crackers (about 4 sheets)
  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar
  • generous 3/8 cup creamy peanut butter

Chocolate Cookie Dough

  • 1/2 cup salted butter melted
  • 1/2 white sugar
  • 1/2 brown sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup all purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup and 2 T of natural cocoa powder (unsweetened)
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 tablespoons milk

Directions

  1. Peanut Butter Core: Combine finely crushed graham crackers with powdered sugar. A few pulses in a food processor speeds up the process. Then add melted butter. Stir to combine.
  2. In a microwave, melt the peanut butter till runny in 30 second sections, stirring in between. Once melted, mixed into graham cracker mixture.
  3. Roll  or scoop mixture into 2 t-1T sized balls. Place on a cookie sheet and into freezer to chill for 3 hours.
  4. Chocolate Cookie Dough: Beat butter in a mixer for a minute until creamy. Then add white and brown sugar. Beat until light and fluffy. This might take a bit. Be patient.
  5. Add egg and vanilla. Scrape down sides. Mix well.
  6. In another bowl combine flour, baking soda, and cocoa powder. Add flour mixture into mixer on a slow speed about 1/3 cup at a time. Mix well. Cover with cling wrap and chill in the fridge for 3 hours.
  7. Remove cookie dough from freezer and let warm up for 10 min. While dough is warming up preheat oven to 350. Grab your peanut butter balls from the freezer and get rolling.
  8. Take about 1 1/2 T of dough and flatten in your palm. Place a peanut butter ball in the middle of the dough and roll the dough around the peanut butter until you can not see any peanut butter peaking through. If you can see peanut butter before going into the oven, there will not be any peanut butter in your cookie after the oven.
  9. Place between 6-10 cookies on a parchment lined baking sheet, depending on the size of your cookies. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before letting them finish cooling on a rack.

These cookies are great for back up cookies since they freeze well. Simply assemble the uncooked cookies and freeze. When you want some deliciousness simply remove from the freezer while the oven is warming up and bake as normal.

Homemade Oreo Cookies

Oreos are one of the classics. When you think cookies Oreos come to mind right after the classic chocolate chip. Ever since I saw a recipe for homemade Oreos on Sally’s Baking Addiction (http://www.sallysbakingaddiction.com), I had to try her recipe.

I did not follow her recipe to a ‘t’ since I did not have any natural unsweetened cocoa powder on hand. I subbed it with dutch-processed cocoa powder and added a teaspoon of lemon juice to add the acidity need to work the baking soda that dutch-processed cocoa powder lacks. The lemon juice did not add a lemon flavor and allowed for the baking soda create a rise.

The cookies tasted exactly like Oreos. However, I think I may have overcompensated for the lack of acidity and added to much lemon juice as my cookies came out more chewy than crisp. Personally, I think chewy Oreos are pretty good. That is why you need that glass of cold milk, right? 🙂

I rolled pretty small balls, about 1 1/2 teaspoon sized balls. The cookies expanded to about 1-3/4 inch finished cookies. I ended up with 41 cookies.

I did not try Sally’s frosting recipe since I did not have shortening on hand at the time. However, I tried just putting some marshmallow fluff between two cookies and it was pretty good. I am also a cookie fan over the creme, so it was not the end of the world to me. 😉

Homemade Oreo Cookies

Adapted from Sally’s Baking Addiction  https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/2013/12/17/homemade-oreos/

Makes: 41 cookies

Time: 1 hour, including 30 minutes for chilling

Ingredients

  • 1 1/4 c All-purpose Flour
  • 1/2 c Dutch-processed Cocoa Powder
  • 1 t Baking Soda
  • 1/8 t Salt
  • 1/2 c Unsalted Butter, softened
  • 3/4 c Granulated Sugar
  • 1/4 c Packed Brown Sugar
  • 1 t Lemon Juice
  • 1 Large Egg
  • 1 t Vanilla Extract

Directions

  1. Mix flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt together in a bowl. Set aside.
  2. In a mixer with a paddle, beat butter on high speed until creamy, 1 minute. Switch to medium speed and mix in granulated and brown sugar until combined. Scrape down sides. Mix in egg, lemon juice and vanilla extract. Scrape down sides.
  3. Pour flour mixture into mixer with the mixer off. On a low speed mix until a dough forms. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
  4. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
  5. Roll dough into small balls, about 1 1/2 teaspoons in size. Place 13 balls per sheet. Pressed down balls slightly with two fingers to flatten.
  6. Bake for 7-9 minutes. Cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before moving to a wire rack to finish cooling.