Sour Cream-Blueberry Crumb Cake

In our recent travels in Maine and Canada’s Maritime Provinces we were greeted by larger-than-life reminders of one of their common popular products.

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It’s blueberry season here, too, and what is in the markets is not only very tasty but often quite reasonably priced. We have them frequently in a first-course fruit salad and at least a few times during the summer in a terrific sour cream cake.

IMG_4095This recipe, adapted from Tish Boyle’s THE CAKE BOOK, was recommended by a member of my Bay Area Bakers Dozen group and has been a favorite in our house from the first time I made it. Continue reading

Passover Banana Coffeecake with Cinnamon Streusel

IMG_4795Here’s a cake that is at once fluffy and crunchy–a little different from the usual  Passover spongecake. While it won’t win any beauty contest, it is great with a cup of coffee or tea any time of day. This dessert is both kosher for Passover and non-dairy if oil is used for preparing the baking dish. Continue reading

Decadent Passover Brownie Cupcakes

Important criteria in choosing a dessert for a Passover seder (the festive ritual meal served on the first two nights of the holiday) are ease of serving to a sizable number of guests, little or no last-minute preparation, and of course delicious flavor without being too heavy after a big and lengthy meal. For families who observe all the Jewish dietary laws, the dessert must not contain dairy ingredients unless the meal is a vegetarian one. These cupcakes meet all the criteria!   Continue reading

Honey Almond Crunch Cake with Apple Compote

Sliced cakeThis is an adaptation of a recipe by pastry chef Gale Gand in her book BUTTER SUGAR FLOUR EGGS. Like me, she did not like the traditional dark, heavy honey cake served for Jewish celebrations so she created this lighter version with a topping reminiscent of taiglach, another old-fashioned dessert. An excellent dessert for the High Holiday season (the beginning of the Jewish year 5774), this is best prepared at least a day ahead to allow the flavors to mellow. I recommend using a good supermarket honey with somewhat strong flavor; a delicate one will not add the traditional honey taste when baked into the cake. Be sure to verify that your pan holds at least 6 cups; the batter will overflow in a smaller pan. Continue reading