"Grace's Sweet Life" Review & A Berry Crumble

I received a cookbook for review from Ulysses Press of Grace's Sweet Life by Grace Massa Langlois. Come to find out, Grace is also a dessert blogger and blogs at La Mia Vita Dolce (My Sweet Life). I was initially intrigued by this book because it's filled with all kinds of authentic Italian desserts from Sicilian cannoli to soft amaretti cookies and panna cotta. I love a good tiramisu and gelato but this cookbook has so much more to offer.

I picked up my book, admired the cover then read the intro about how Grace got her start in blogging. She says, "I spent years coming to terms with an injury that prevented me from returning to my career in business. Then when my husband passed away suddenly, I directed all my energy to my children. I needed to help them deal with the tragedy of losing their father. I had to feel happy not only for my sake but also for theirs. So I turned to cooking, because making and sharing food provided me with so much comfort. The more I cooked, the happier I was." Her daughter encouraged her to do something with her love of food and that led to her blog. I love that something wonderful came from such a devastating loss. 

Click the picture to enlarge it to see recipe details

There are 60 recipes and coordinating color photos in this book. While Grace bakes all the desserts, it's her daughter, Liana, that takes the photos for her blog and her son, Matthew is the champion taste tester- it's a family effort :-). There are so many good looking sweets in this book that it was difficult to decide on what to make first. The recipes are divided up into chapters: Cakes and Cheesecakes, Mini Desserts, Cookies and Confections, Pies and Tarts, Pastries and Fried Desserts, Creams, Custards, Mousses and Souffles, and  lastly Frozen and Fruit Desserts. After reading page by page, I finally settled on a berry crumble. Did you know I don't have a single crumble or crisp recipe on this blog? It's about time I changed that!

One of the first things I noticed about this book is that it is very detailed. Several of the recipes are rather lengthy and go on for several pages which can seem intimidating, but Grace just wants you to succeed so the step-by-step instructions are quite thorough for your benefit. Some of the recipes that caught my eye were: Cannoli Cupcakes with Marsala-Chocolate Whipped Cream, Italian Cream-Filled Doughnuts, Vanilla Cream with Raspberry Coulis and Cheesecake with Brandy-Cherry Sauce. A nice feature of this book is that it has little tidbits of the Italian language in each recipe, so in a way I felt as if Grace was right there alongside me in my kitchen. My one complaint about this cookbook was the font choices, the multi-colored print and the use of italics in each recipe because it made it difficult to read at times. That's a minor issue though and obviously doesn't affect the overall taste of the dessert you're making. 

If you're looking for a cookbook with heart that is a little different than all the rest, then look no further than Grace's Sweet Life. And if  you're looking for a crumble recipe with a ton of flavor in the fruit as well as the nutty crumble, then here it is. It's also patriotic in color and would be a great dessert for any July 4th celebration. This recipe makes a lot of topping so I made a couple extra fruit crumbles. The fruit was perfectly softened and the topping was crunchy, sweet and delicious. Next time, I would decrease the amount of orange zest in the recipe since the orange flavor was more pronounced than I expected, otherwise they were prefect served warm or cold. 

Raspberry, Blueberry & Pistachio-Almond Crumble from Grace's Sweet Life

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Pistachio-Almond Crumble Topping: 

• 1 1/4 cups rolled oats
• 1/3 cup raw pistachios, coarsely chopped
• 1/3 cup slivered almonds, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• pinch of salt
• 7 Tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into small pieces

Raspberry and Blueberry Filling: 

• 2 cups raspberries
• 2 cups blueberries
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2/3 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (from about 2 oranges)
• grated zest of 1 orange
• pinch of salt
• 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon sugar

To Make the Pistachio-Almond Crumble Topping: In a small bowl, stir together the oats, pistachios, almonds, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt until well combined. 

Rub the butter into the oat mixture with your fingertips until the butter is in pea-sized pieces. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. 

To Make The Raspberry-Blueberry Filling: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Butter 4 (6.5 ounce) oven proof dishes (I used 6- 5 ounce ramekins). Transfer to a baking sheet and set aside. 

In a medium bowl, gently combine the raspberries,blueberries, sugar, and vanilla extract until combined. Be careful not to crush the berries. 

Add the orange juice and zest, and the salt. Sift the flour over the mixture and gently stir to just combine. 

Assembly: Divide the filling evenly among the prepared dishes. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar on top of the filling, then evenly divide the pistachio-almond topping among the dishes. 

Bake until the juices start to bubble and the topping is crisp and golden brown, 25-35 minutes. 

Transfer the baking sheet to a wire rack and allow the crumbles to cool until warm. Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or sweetened whipped cream, if desired. 

Order your copy of Grace's Sweet Life today!

Half A Pound

It's time for more cake, this time brought to you by the Cake Slice Bakers! I missed last month's cake because I just plain forgot about it until it was too late and I was already baking a triple layer 70th birthday cake. I didn't want the other cake to go to waste and I knew we wouldn't eat it so it didn't get made. However, I was not going to miss out on this cake though because it got rave reviews from all the other bakers and because it's a style of cake I've never made before- a Cold-Oven Cream Cheese Pound Cake. It did not disappoint.

I did make a couple of changes to the recipe to suit my tastes. Firstly, I halved the recipe because I was warned by more than one person that it made a ton of batter. The half recipe still made a substantial amount of cake, but I shared with neighbors so it was more than okay. The second thing I changed was to omit the freshly grated ginger, because I'm not a big fan, but I left the full amount of lemon zest in the recipe. And because they're pretty, I added a handful of fresh blueberries and raspberries to the batter. I have both recipes for you down below, so you can make the pound cake of your choice. Whether you half the recipe or make the full amount, be sure your pan is big enough to accommodate all the batter or divide it up into smaller pans, so you don't have overflow.

I made two smaller Bundts as well as a 4-inch round cake. One Bundt had blueberries, the other had raspberries and the smaller cake that we didn't share enjoyed at home had both berries incorporated throughout. They were buttery and moist, tender yet firm cakes. The cream cheese adds a smooth, creamy richness to the batter that the author describes as "velvety". And another unique thing about this recipe is that it starts off baking in a cold oven, hence the title of the recipe. Those few extra minutes allow the cake time to rise as it develops a lovely golden crust. Speaking of lovely, this would make the perfect dessert this Easter Sunday- top it off with lightly sweetened whipped cream to make it even better. Hope you all have a great weekend.

Cream Cheese Pound Cake with Berries adapted from Cake Keeper Cakes

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• 1 1/2 cups cake flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 3 eggs, room temperature
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 Tablespoon grated lemon zest
• 1 cup fresh berries (I used raspberries and blueberries)

Adjust the oven rack to the lower middle position. Grease a 12-cup Bundt pan and dust with flour. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium mixing bowl.

Combine the butter, cream cheese and sugar in a large mixing bowl and cream with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.

With the mixer on medium speed, add the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Beat in the vanilla and lemon zest.

Turn the mixer to low speed and add the flour mixture, 1/2 a cup at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. After the last addition, mix for 30 seconds on medium speed. Pour batter into prepared pan.

Place the cake in a cold oven. Turn the oven to 325 degrees F and bake, without opening the oven door, until the cake is golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 35-45 minutes.

Cool the cake in the pan for 15 minutes, then invert it onto a rack. Cool completely before slicing and serving.

Store uneaten cake in a cake keeper or wrap in plastic and store at room temperature for up to 3 days.

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Cold-Oven Cream Cheese Pound Cake from Cake Keeper Cakes

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• 3 cups cake flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 2 1/2 cups sugar
• 6 eggs, room temperature
• 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons grated fresh ginger
• 1 Tablespoon grated lemon zest

Adjust the oven rack to the lower middle position. Grease a 12-cup Bundt pan and dust with flour. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium mixing bowl.

Combine the butter, cream cheese and sugar in a large mixing bowl and cream with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.

With the mixer on medium speed, add the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Beat in the vanilla, ginger and lemon zest.

Turn the mixer to low speed and add the flour mixture, 1/2 a cup at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. After the last addition, mix for 30 seconds on medium speed. Pour batter into prepared pan.

Place the cake in a cold oven. Turn the oven to 325 degrees F and bake, without opening the oven door, until the cake is golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 65-80 minutes.

Cool the cake in the pan for 15 minutes, then invert it onto a rack. Cool completely before slicing and serving.

Store uneaten cake in a cake keeper or wrap in plastic and store at room temperature for up to 3 days.

P.S. I'm 18 weeks pregnant today! I'm more pregnant than I've ever been and it feels awesome!

Berry-licious Waffles For Yo Momma

I don't own a waffle maker. Well that's a lie, I do own one, but it's not what you might think. It's shaped like Mickey Mouse. From The Disney Store. Don't judge me, it was purchased in my single days :-) While it's super cute (I'll show it to you soon!), it doesn't produce very crispy waffles. So for this recipe I borrowed my mother-in-laws vintage iron and it worked like a charm, even if I cussed a few times from burning my fingers. Tell me you've never done that?

I found this recipe from one of my favorite blogs, A Feast For The Eyes. Debby is such a sweetheart and has such delicious recipes on her blog. (Go check her out!) She got it from The Cutting Edge Of Ordinary, which I just discovered and really like! And she got it from 101 Cookbooks. This recipe was delicious and is worth passing on. Lisa and Debby both added blueberries and I did the same. Only I decided to add in a few raspberries too. They just make everything prettier!

The batter was simple to put together. It includes a stick of melted butter and sour cream so you know they're good. You don't have to add the berries in the batter, they'd be just as good on top or on the side with a little raw sugar. Like Debby suggested, I served these with a pat of butter and blueberry syrup. They were tender and delicious. We enjoyed them on a lazy Sunday morning with crispy salty bacon and a strong cup of coffee but they'd be just as special served for Mother's Day.

Berry Sour Cream Waffles adapted from A Feast For The Eyes

• 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 Tablespoon sugar
• 1 Tablespoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
• 1 cup milk
• ½ cup sour cream
• 3 large eggs
• 1 ½ cups of fresh or frozen berries, optional (I used raspberries and blueberries)
• Maple syrup or jam, for serving

Heat a waffle iron according to manufacturer’s directions. Lightly oil the grids.

Meanwhile whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl to combine and make a well in the center.

If adding berries, add about ¼ cup of the flour to the blueberries and gently mix—this will help prevent the blueberries from sinking to the bottom of the batter.

Whisk the melted butter, milk, sour cream, and eggs in a medium bowl until well combined and pour into the well. Whisk just until smooth; do not over mix. Gently fold the berries into the batter.

Spoon about ¼ cup of the batter into the center of each quadrant of the waffle iron and close the iron. Cook until the waffle is golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes.

Serve the waffles hot, with butter and syrup.

Makes twelve 4-inch waffles.

This recipe makes twelve 4-inch waffles. Even if 12 waffles is too much for you to eat at once, take the time to make the full recipe. You can freeze them two at a time in sandwich bags and have them whenever you want. Just reheat them in a toaster.

I was nominated for "Awesomest Food Blog" on i am mommy's blog. If you feel so inclined, please head over there and VOTE for me.

Also a special thank you goes out to Tara of Misc Momma for the nomination.

Thank you so much, I am truly honored!

Monica