Raspberry Chocolate Coffee Cake

.  Spring has sprung!

Or I guess you can call it Summer at this point.

But regardless, the heat has arrived and I won't ever complain about the humidity [very much...].  I mean, it took April snow storms for this weather to get here.  So I'll just shut up and be happy about it!

So to kick off my summer baking [yay!], I picked out a real doozy.  Whatever a doozy is.  But I picked it.  And you'll want to get your chompers on this one.  I.  Promise.

I made this luscious Raspberry Chocolate Coffee Cake last weekend for Robbie's mom for Mother's Day.  His family lives in Omaha, so we're able to see them much more often than my own family.  And they also get the honor of testing out any of my baked goodies I force pass on their way.  Don't know if that's a good or bad thing though...

Anywho, Robbie and I picked out a lovely floral display for his mom and I made this breakfast treat for he and his family to enjoy on Mother's Day.  We don't want her making her own breakfast Mother's Day morning, right?!  I didn't get a chance to taste my creation but word on the street is that it was spot on.  And let's be real...my pictures don't do this sucker justice {cough, I need a real camera, cough], so you can only imagine the [subtle] decadence this recipe produces.  Layers and layers of summery, chocolatey goodness, to be exact.

So here's the gist of it.  Three layers of soft, uber moist, classic vanilla coffee cake.  Three layers of chocolate streusel.  And three layers of plump, tart, fresh raspberries.  Hmm...that's a no brainer.

Gather those ingredients and get bakin'!  

P.S. I do want to fill you in on the Mother's Day present my family got for our beloved mamacita because I'm oh-so-excited about it!  So you may have read that Robbie and I finally made the big jump and got engaged, which obviously leads to a wedding.  And lots of wedding planning.  

So first things first, Robbie and I decided that we'll be getting married in Arizona where his parents have a house in Desert Mountain.  There's a beautiful clubhouse there that I'm beyond excited about, so for Memorial Day weekend Robbie, Robbie's parents, and I are trekking down South to meet with the venue coordinator and a couple of different wedding planners.  Well of course I want my parents involved in this whole process more than anything, but we all have a lot going on in our lives at the moment so we initially thought they wouldn't be able to make the trip.  But after some discussions with my loving dad, we decided to surprise my mom with a plane ticket to AZ to take part in all of this crazy planning!  So for Mother's Day, that's what my mom got.  Which was followed by lots of happy tears and laughter.  So needless to say, I can't even wait for the next two weeks to go by and to spend some quality time with my best friend during such a special time.

So wish us luck!  And if any one knows of any wedding planners they'd recommend, suggestions are SO welcomed!  .

P.S.S. check out our wedding website at The Knot, I updated the About Us section so you can read a little about how Robbie and I first met!  .

My Notes:

• Don't be intimidated by the layering, it's very simple and you can't really mess it up!  
• I chose to use milk chocolate for my topping but for pure eye appeal I'd probably use semisweet chocolate next time.  The darker chocolate would look so pretty against the light cake!

Adapted from Cooking Melangery

Ingredients:

Vanilla Coffee Cake:

3 c. all purpose flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

3/4 c. unsalted butter, at room temperature

1-1/4 c. sugar

3 large eggs, at room temperature

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 c. sour cream

1 c. semisweet or milk chocolate, melted

Raspberry Chocolate Filling:

1/4 c. sugar

1/4 c. packed light brown sugar

1 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder

2 c. fresh or frozen raspberries

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350°F.  Butter or spray with nonstick cooking spray a 9- or 10-inch bundt pan.  
2. For cake, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl; set aside.
3. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes).  Add eggs, one at a time, until completely combined.  Add vanilla extract and beat until combined.
4. On low speed, in alternating additions of 3 each, add in dry ingredients and sour cream just until blended (do not over mix the batter).
5. For the filling, combine the sugar, light brown sugar, and cocoa powder.  Scoop 1-1/2 cups of batter into prepared pan and spread evenly to cover bottom.  Sprinkle 1/3 of the cocoa mixture over the batter and 1/2 cup of raspberries.  Scoop 2 cups of batter over filling to cover and repeat steps with the 1/3 of the filling and 1/2 cup of raspberries.  Repeat one last time with the remaining ingredients to make 3 layers.  Bake 50 to 60 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  Let cake cool for 30 minutes before unmolding.
6. In a microwave safe bowl, melt the chocolate and pour over the bundt cake.  Use the remaining 1/2 cup of raspberries to decorate the top of the cake.  

Yield: 10 servings

Blueberry Raspberry Crumble Bars

.  Hey, oh!

Long time no post, huh?  Okay, only a few days.  But I do feel like LSM has been a bit neglected as of late.  This whole new job thing has got me going a million miles an hour and leaves me completely crashed at night.  So no time for posting.  I'm sure you'll forgive me though.

Not too much [but at the same time, a lot going on!] over our way.  Let's see, for this weekend I'm planning on fitting in a lengthy run on Saturday morning [we'll see how that goes though because for some reason my knee has been bothering me], helping with a special work event later that morning [more to come on that], and then finishing Saturday painting our deck with Robbie and his papa.  No real plans for Sunday except that dear ol' Robbie is leaving town again for work.  Boo to that.

We're kind of boring, huh?  I know, I'm trying to work on that.  Robbie and I have some fun travel plans coming up soon though, so that'll shake things up a bit!

But for this weekend, I have a special end-of-summer treat to share with you all [gah, I can't believe summer is ending already...!].  These Blueberry Raspberry Crumble Bars [which I was tempted to call BlueRaz Bars, but refrained] are a classically simple bar to make yet result in an over-the-top, humongous goodie.  No joke.  These bars are thick mamas.  If that even makes sense.  And so, so scrumptious.

Where to begin?  Well what makes them so easy is that the the base and crumble are one in the same.  Meaning that you make one mixture that is used for the base and the topping.  Easy peasy.  The filling is somewhat gooey, studded with chunks of sweet and tart blueberries and raspberries, and pairs perfectly with the crunchy, buttery outsides.  Cue salivating mouth...now. 

My thoughts are that you can grab some local fruits from the farmers market this weekend and make this recipe in a snap to share [or not] with your loved ones.  Now get bakin'!  .

Adapted from A Passion for Baking

Ingredients:

Crust and Topping:

1-1/2 c. all purpose flour

1-1/2 c. old fashioned oats

1 c. firmly packed light brown sugar

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 c. unsalted butter, cut into chunks

Filling:

2 c. fresh blueberries

1 c. fresh raspberries

3/4 c. sugar

2 tbsp. cornstarch

1 tbsp. lemon juice

Directions:

1. Generously coat 11x7-inch pan with nonstick cooking spray.  Set aside.
2. For crust and topping, place flour, oats, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, and ground cinnamon into a food processor.  Pulse to blend (about 20 seconds).  Add butter and pulse until you have a crumbly mass (not dry by sticking together).
3. For filling, toss blueberries and raspberries in a small bowl with sugar, cornstarch, and lemon juice.
4. Spread half of crumble mixture into prepared pan and pat down gently.  Spread fruit filling evenly over crust.  Top as evenly as possible with remaining crumble mixture and press slightly.  Chill 30 minutes.
5. Heat oven to 350°F.  After chilled, bake bars 40 to 45 minutes until fruit starts to bubble.  Reduce oven to 325°F and bake additional 15 to 20 minutes or until fruit that is bubbling is deeper in color and edges of squares are browned.  Cool completely in pan before cutting or refrigerate 2 to 3 hours before cutting.

Yield: 15 bars

Tried & True Tuesday: Raspberry Cream Sandwich Cookies

. Hey guys, it's Tuesday yet again!  Where does the time go, seriously?

Anywho, I realize that this summer I've been posting quite a bit of recipes that have included fruit: Blueberry Coffee Cakes, Blueberries & Cream Sweet Rolls, Strawberry Rhubarb Crumb Bars, Double-Chocolate Strawberry Cookies, and Strawberry Rhubarb Cream Bars, to name a few.  And I don't know if you recall, but I love doing the seasonal thing (even though I came to terms with Nebraska having, oh, nothing, ever in season besides rhubarb!!).  So for the most part, I've made my goal.  Which I'm happy about.  But do you also notice a trend with the goodies I've done?  Apparently I have forgotten that there are other fruits in this lovely world and I kind of feel like I've been missing out!  Don't get me wrong, I love strawberries [and found a burning love for rhubarb] but you gotta switch things up every once in a while.  Keep things interesting.

So I racked my brain for past recipes I've tried [and loved] and remembered this one, Raspberry Cream Sandwich Cookies.  Although I really do love this recipe for the ridiculously soft, crackly sugar cookie and a sweet but tart white chocolate filling made with pureed fresh raspberries, my mom truly LOVES this baked goodie!  Yes, this cookie sandwich is fantastic but she goes above and beyond with her feelings for this treat.  I really couldn't tell you what pulled the trigger, but she requested this recipe ASAP after the first time I made them and I know she's also made them a few times to bring in to her office.  I rememember most recently she called me from the grocery store asking for the list of ingredients because she just had to make these.  Crazy lady (wink, wink!).  Mom, if you're reading this, you should probably leave a comment telling your side of this story .

Raspberry Cream Sandwich Cookies

From Martha Stewart

I'm so sorry for these ugly, ugly pictures.  But my Tried & True recipes are obviously ones I've previously made, LONG before the blogging world.

Ingredients:

Cookie:

1-3/4 c. all purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

3/4 c. unsalted butter, softened

1-1/2 c. sugar

1 large egg

4 tsp. vanilla extract

White Chocolate Raspberry Filling:

1 c. fresh raspberries

2 tsp. sugar

7-1/2 oz. best-quality white chocolate, coarsely chopped

1/3 c. heavy whipping cream

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350.  Whisk together flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.
2. Mix butter and 1-1/2 cups sugar with electric mixer on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy (about 3 minutes).  Add egg and vanilla extract; mix until smooth.  Reduce speed to low and gradually mix in flour mixture.
3. Scoop batter using 1-inch scoop and place on parchment-lined baking sheet, setting 2-inches apart.
4. Bake 4 minutes; remove sheet from oven and gently tap sheet on counter to flatten the cookies.  Return to oven and bake 4 to 6 additional minutes or until cookies are set.  Let cool on sheets before removing to wire rack.
5. For fillng, puree raspberries and remaining 2 teaspoons sugar in food processor.  Pour mixture through fine sieve into a small bowl; discard seeds.  Set aside.
6. Melt white chocolate in heatproof bowl.  Whisk in heavy whipping cream in a slow stream.  Slowly whisk in raspberry mixture.  Refrigerate for up to 45 minutes.
7. Spread one heaping teaspoon of raspberry cream on undersides of half of the cookies.  Top with remaining cookies.

Yield: 3 dozen cookie sandwiches

Sending Prayers...and Raspberry Truffle Brownies

"Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."

- Joshua 1:9

. Another Tuesday gone by, and another Tried & True post missed.  But yesterday, I was doing something a little more important than posting a recipe.  

A little over two weeks ago, our department was shocked to find out that one of our Directors was taken to the hospital.  Within a couple days, we were all told that he had tumor in his brain and was scheduled for surgery that very day.  I really can't explain the feeling when hearing all of this.  I've only known our Director for about a year and half, but he has always held a very dear place in my heart.

During the fall of last year, I was having one of those weeks that seemed to be going down hill from the moment it was Monday.  During my lunch hours, I always run home to let our [three] puppies out for a little potty break.  So, of course, I went through my regular routine back to our [at the time] apartment.  When it was time to head back to work (wah, wah), I walked out to my car to find a white truck with blinking lights sitting next to my car.  Crap.  I knew right away this wasn't going to be pleasant.  Without getting into the knitty gritty details, I had way too many a couple outstanding parking tickets and my car was about to be towed.  Hello, panic.  I glanced at my watch and realized I had a meeting in less than hour.  After a phone call to the boyfriend, a few tears, and a trip downtown to pay off my parking tickets, I finally made it back to work.  And then after a long meeting that I couldn't tell you a thing about, I eventually had a chance to sit at my desk and breathe.

And then our Director came wandering by my desk and invited me into his office.  From the way the week was going, I thought for sure I was in trouble for something.  He sat down and gently swiveled his chair so his back was facing me while he gathered something out his drawer.  As he turned around, he showed me a black binder and starting flipping through the pages.  He explained to me that the book was from Awful Annie's Restaurant, a favorite place of his in California.  He always loved when I brought in baked goodies (and I always tried to bring him his own plate of treats) and figured I would appreciate his find.  He later told me that he had the book as well and photocopied the entire thing to give to me.  I know it may sound ridiculous, but I was blown away.  It was really one of the kindest and most thoughtful things anyone had ever done for me.  I couldn't believe that he had taken the time to put the book together for me.

Unbeknownst to him, his small act of kindness came at a time that couldn't have been better scripted.  I was a downer and I remember that my attitude completely turned around the second I walked out his door.

So yesterday, a few co-workers and myself took a visit to the hospital to see the Director.  Raspberry Truffle Brownies are from Awful Annie's recipe book [I've made them before] and I've wanted to make them for the Director for some time now because they are one of the most decadent desserts I've ever made.  Well, no more waiting around.  

I'm not really sure if he's had a chance to  eat them yet, but I'm fairly certain he'll enjoy the thick, chocolatey brownie topped with an even thicker layer of raspberry-chocolate cream cheese frosting.  If nothing else, his visitors will have a treat to snack on [if he shares!]. 

I know no one has a clue who I'm talking about, but I hope that you can keep our Director in your thoughts.  He's a wonderful, kind-hearted man, and that's really all you need to know.  Thanks everyone .

Raspberry Truffle Brownies

From Awful Annie's Restaurant

Ingredients:

Cake:

1 c. butter

2-1/2 c. semisweet chocolate chips

4 eggs

1-1/2 c. packed light brown sugar

2 tsp. instant espresso crystals

4 tbsp. water

1-1/2 tsp. baking powder

1-1/2 c. all purpose flour

Frosting:

2 c. semisweet chocolate chips

2 (8 oz. each) packages cream cheese, softened

1/2 c. powdered sugar

3/4 c. raspberry jam

Directions:

1.  Heat oven to 350°.  In heavy saucepan, melt butter and 2-1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips over low heat.  Let cool slightly.

2.  In large bowl, beat eggs and brown sugar.

3.  Dissolve espresso crystals in water.  Add to egg mixture with melted chocolate.  Mix well.

4.  Combine baking powder and flour and stir into chocolate mixture.  Spread evenly into greased 13x9-inch pan.

5.  Bake 30 to 35 minutes (do not over bake, as brownies will set up as they cool).

6.  For frosting, melt semisweet chocolate chips.  Let cool.  In mixing bowl, beat cream cheese until fluffy.

7.  Add powdered sugar and jam.  Stir in melted chocolate.

8.  Spread frosting evenly over cooled brownies.

Yield: 24 brownies

*My Notes:

• If you're not a raspberry fan, any flavor of jam will work!  I was thinking strawberry jam might have to make the next go-around, chocolate-covered strawberries anyone?!

Bumbleberry Pie

. Hold the phones!  Literally.  You'll want to for this one.

Actually, I really don't have much to say besides the fact that this is one of the BEST pies I have ever had.  It is absolutely packed to the brim with a sweet and juicy fruit filling, which is encased in a ridiculously lovely buttery, flakey homemade crust.  Man.  This is a good one.  And guess who I have to thank for this?  None other than good ol' Marcy Goldman from her book A Passion for Baking.  I'm sure you recognize the name, I feel like she gets brought up here quite a bit.  This pie is also so, so easy to put together.  A little rolling of some dough, tossing of some fruit, and BAM!  A few slices of heaven, for sure.

And just to clear things up, bumbleberries don't actually exist [even though you'll wish they did after a bite of this].  Don't worry, it's not some magical fruit that you've gone without your entire life.  No, no.  This pie is simply an assortment of some delectable, wonderful fruits.  Like what?  Oh, just raspberries, blueberries, apples, strawberries, cranberries, and a hint of tart rhubarb.  I mean,  no big deal though.  Sounds like it wouldn't be the most delicious thing to touch those taste buds, right?  False.

So enough chit chat already.  All you really need is this recipe and my promise that you will be obsessed with love this pie!  It was a delightfully pleasant surprise and I think you will agree.  And umm, how could you not agree that this beaut' would look perfect in your Memorial Day spread? Hello, light bulb!

P.S. Sorry I've been MIA, it was quite a busy week at work.  AND, Bacon-loving friend and I are actually in Minne right now visiting my parents.  We decided to make it a girls weekend and come to the Twin Cities for some much needed shopping and to just get away.  So far we've done a fair amount of damage [to our bank accounts] and we still have ALL of today to get through.  But I've been thinking about this pie for the last week and feeling awful that I hadn't shared it's fabulosity with everyone.  It's the guilt, it gets to me.  But now I feel much better, so please enjoy!  And now back to family time, have a great long weekend!! .

Bumbleberry Pie

from A Passion for Baking

Ingredients:

Crust:

2 c. all purpose flour

2 tsp. sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 c. unsalted butter, cut into chunks

1/2 c. butter-flavored shortening, cut into chunks

2 tsp. lemon juice

4 to 8 tbsp. ice water

Filling:

1/2 c. ground fresh or frozen cranberries

2 apples, shredded, skins on

2 c. fresh or frozen raspberries

2 c. fresh or frozen blueberries

1 c. chopped strawberries

1 c. finely diced rhubarb

1 c. sugar

2 tbsp. all purpose flour

1 tbsp. cornstarch

Finishing Touches:

Milk, for brushing

Sugar, for dusting

Directions:

1.  For crust, place flour in food processor.  Add sugar and salt and process 20 seconds to combine.  Add butter and shortening on top of flour mixture.  Process by pulsing to break up butter and shortening until it looks crumbly.

2.  Drizzle lemon juice and ice water on top and turn machine on for exactly 15 seconds until mixture holds together.

3.  Turn out dough onto lightly floured surface.  Knead very gently for a few seconds to smooth out dough.  Pat into two flattened disks and wrap in plastic.  Chill dough for 1 hour.  

4.  Heat oven to 425°F.  Line baking sheet with parchment paper and place 9-inch pie pan on it.  Roll out one disk of dough on lightly floured surface and place in pan. 

5.  For filling, in large bowl gently toss together cranberries, apples, raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, and rhubarb.  Add flour, sugar, and cornstarch.  

6.  Mound fruit into piecrust.

7.  Roll out remaining disk of dough and place on top of filling.  Crimp sides.

8.  Make air vents with paring knife.  Brush pie top and sides with milk and dust with sugar.

9.  Bake 20 minutes and then reduce oven temperature to 350°F.  Bake another 20 to 25 minutes or until fruit juices bubble out of vents in pie crust.  Let cool to warm on wire rack.

Yield: 6 servings

*My Notes:

• For the crust, you can use all butter and skip the shortening.  However, although butter results in the best flavor, shortening gives the crust that beautiful flakiness.  So it's up to you what you use depending on what you're looking for.
• I chose to use all fresh fruit for the filling, but of course frozen fruit will be just fine (and most likely cheaper...).  However, I did have to use dried sweetened cranberries because I couldn't find fresh or frozen ones at the grocery store.  Then, to ground them up, I put them in the processor and pulsed several times to get them broken down.  
• For the dusting of sugar on top of the pie crust, I used sugar in the raw.  It's a little bigger and more visible then regular granulated sugar, but either results in a pretty little pie.

Tried & True Tuesday: Old World Raspberry Bars

. Spring, Texas.  Where's that you ask?  Truthfully, I can't tell you much besides it's in Texas (wow, really?!), right outside of Houston in some direction.  What's the relevance?  Well, that's where yours truly is currently blogging from.  Yes, Spring, Texas.

Since I'm out traveling [the world] for work, this Tried & True Tuesday demands more than ever a super simple, yet delicious, recipe.  I browsed through my assortment of already-tested goodies and came across a dessert I made for my best friends' baby shower a while back.  It was the first time I had ever made these (shocker!) but they were a complete hit at the party!  These little bites of heaven are basically mini slices of pie.  I'm an avid pie lover, so these bars hit me.  Right.  There -> hand over heart, eyes rolled back.

Oh, hello, it might be nice to tell you what I'm talking about!  Old World Raspberry Bars, a recipe I found on-line actually while I was browsing some of my favorite baking sites (another shocker, I lose hours of my life to this activity.  I'm sure most of you can relate!).  But anywho, these bars are amazingly quick and easy but pack a punch with a buttery crust, sweet fruity filling and a crumb topping made with the same ingredients as the crust.  It's a one bowl deal-io!

This recipe, quite honestly, gives you no reason to not try out this treat ASAP.  Odds are you have all of these ingredients in your cupboard/refrigerator right at this very moment.  So stop reading this blog and get bakin'!

P.S. - This will be my last post for the next few days seeing as I'm out of town.  Hotel rooms don't exactly welcome baking adventures, so I guess that'll have to wait until I reach back down in Omaha.  However, this gives you time to think of any recipes you'd like to see.  Leave a comment under any of the posts letting me know what you're interested in and you can bet the recipe will make it up here oh...yesterday (which also means very quickly).  Until next time! .

Old World Raspberry Bars

Please excuse the beyond terrible picture, this was before I actually cared how my pictures turned out.   I did my best to make it a little better ☺

Ingredients:

2-1/4 c. all purpose flour

1 c. sugar

1 c. pecans, chopped

1 c. butter, softened

1 egg

3/4 c. raspberry preserves

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350°F.  Combine flour, sugar, pecans, butter, and egg in large bowl.  Beat at low speed until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  Reserve 2 cups crumb mixture; set aside.
2. Press remaining crumb mixture on bottom of greased 8-inch square pan.  Spread preserves to within 1/4-inch of edge.  Crumble reserved crumb mixture over preserves.
3. Bake 40 to 50 minutes or until lightly browned.  Cool completely before cutting into bars.

Yield: 25 bars

*My Notes:

• I've made these bars with blueberry and strawberry preserves but you can use any type of fruit preserves you'd like.  Versatility is the [wo]man!