This is a super light and flavorful cake with the freshness of pear in it, which is a favorite fruit in my house. The combination of spices and pear combined to make this cake a sure hit, and a perfect fall or winter treat. My stores where full of pears, so I knew I had to create something yummy.

Ingredients 

• Unsalted butter: Make sure your butter is room temperature and unsalted or your cake will be too salty.
• Sugar: I used regular cane sugar for this cake. If preferred, you can use coconut sugar, but I haven’t tried it with this recipe yet.
• Eggs: Eggs should be brought to room temperature before using.  
• Vanilla extract
• Milk: I prefer to use whole milk. 
• Flour: Regular unbleached or pastry flour works best.
• Baking powder
• Cinnamon powder: This gives the cake delicious fall/winter flavors. 
• Salt
• Pears: I used ripe, soft and juicy pears. For example Bartlett pears.

Instructions 

Start with beating the room temperature butter until soft, airy and fluffy. I typically use my kitchen aid mixer but a handheld mixer will work, too. Once you’re happy with the soft butter mixture, begin to add in the sugar and beat until combined and the sugar is fully dissolved into the butter. Finally, add in one egg at a time until fully combined and the vanilla.

In a separate bowl, combine your dry ingredients.

Next combine the milk, flour and butter mixtures together. Start with 1/3rd of the flour and mix in half of the milk. Once properly combined add another 1/3rd of the flour and the rest of the milk. Stir to combine in between. Then end with the remaining flour mixture. Stir until fully incorporated. After the milk and flour mixture is done it’s time to add the pear. The diced pear is carefully folded in to the batter. Do not over mix or you will let all the air out of the batter.

Baking

Now it is time to bake! Prepare your loaf pan. You can also use a bundt pan, as I did in the photos.

This pear cake is definitely a family favorite. My children love the combination of the cinnamon spice and pear; however, if you want to try a different loaf recipe, check out my posts for lemon cake and banana bread. 

 

 

Quiches are one of my favorite dishes to bring to a potluck or share with a friend for dinner and this Potato bacon quiche is one of them. They are easy to make, and I typically have all the ingredients I need at home. To make it a complete meal just add a salad or some extra protein, but it can easily be filling enough all on its own.

The quickest option is to use puff pastry dough or prepared store bought pastry dough. However, when time allows, I prefer to use my own hearty pie dough. You can find the recipe here Savory Pie Dough on my blog.  Quiches are made with eggs and cream but the option of what else to add in is up to your imagination. For this recipe I used potato and bacon. Some additional ideas are: spinach, mushroom, tomato, cheese. This is originally a French dish and can be served hot or cold.

My savory pie dough has fresh ground black pepper in it. This adds extra flavor to the pie. You can see the pepper in the dough in the top picture. Typically, in my pie dough, I use ice cold Vodka instead of ice cold water. However, in this savory pie dough I used both water and Vodka. I just find it nicer to work with and the pies have always turned out really flavorful. When in a hurry, I sometimes use puff pastry or store bought prepared pie dough, because it’s quick and easy!

After you insert your pie dough into your greased quiche dish you blind bake it. For more details about blind baking check my pie recipe.

The base of the filling for any quiche is eggs and cream. I used crème fraiche, this is a French style of cultured cream. It is most similar to sour cream. If your store doesn’t have crème fraiche you can substitute it with sour cream. The difference is that crème fraiche is a bit less sour.

After you peel the potatoes and thinly slice them, let them soak in cold water. This prevents them from turning brown due to the potato starch. Prepare the rest of the filling and drain the potatoes when you are ready to assemble the quiche. Dry the potatoes on a clean dish cloth and start to layer them into your quiche.

The first layer is the baked spring onions and 1/2 of the crisped bacon. The next layer is potatoes and then more bacon. Repeating these layers till the crust is full.

When you have layered all the filling you finish the quiche off by pouring the cream and egg mixture over the filling. Salt, pepper, paprika powder and chili powder were added to give it some extra depth of flavor. Fresh herbs is always a good addition, and I added some curled parsley.

Final finishing touch is grated cheese, I use this grater by hand and “bigger” section of the grater. My preference is always Gouda, one of the few Dutch cheeses I can get here in the USA. Then you bake the quiche in a preheated oven at 375 Fahrenheit until golden brown and the potatoes are soft. The time required depends on each oven.

Note: my current oven takes some extra time to bake things, so always keep a close eye towards the end of your baking process.

After the quiche is done baking let is rest for at least 10 minutes before you cut into it. Using a cooling rack is preferable. This is the one I like to use. 

 

 

This rich, buttery pound cake melts in your mouth while maintaining a light, fluffy texture. The hint of freshness from the lemon zest balances out the sweet from the sugar and vanilla. Pound cake is good on its own and delicious with some fresh fruit or whipped cream on top. If you double this recipe it can be used it as a base for a birthday cake, layered with frosting. I recommend using round baking pans for a celebration cake.

The recipe uses pastry flour instead of regular flour. Pastry flour is milled at a finer texture than all purpose flour and is made with soft wheat for a lower protein content. This helps baked goods to produce more tender results and a flakey crust. It is important to let your eggs and butter warm to room temperature. The day before I plan to bake a pound cake, I always take out my butter and egg to warm on the counter overnight. This allows me to start baking right away in the morning.

Room temperature butter is important for getting a nice, fluffy texture when beating it with the sugar. Soft butter blends really well with the sugar and gives the best results.

As you can see, in the standmixer bowl the butter is super fluffy here and ready to mix in the egg mixture.

I added pure vanilla extract which gives the cake a delicious vanilla flavor. I put in 1 1/2 teaspoon of this vanilla extract before adding in the milk and giving it a gentle stir.

Now slowly add the egg into the sugar-butter mixture. In a thin stream, pour in the egg mixture. I tend to pour in one egg at a time, guiding with a spoon. I let each egg fully combine into the batter before adding the next one. 

The batter combined with the egg mixture resembles scrambled egg at this point. Don’t worry, as soon you add flour it will look perfect.

Place 1/2 cup of pastry flour into your butter and egg batter. Sift it over the batter and add a little lemon zest as well onto the flour. Now gently fold the flour in with a spatula. Be sure to do this gently so you keep all the beaten air in the batter. Once the first addition is incorporated into the batter, add the next 1/2 cup of sifted pastry flour, and repeat until all the flour is incorporated.

Grease the baking pan and line it with parchment paper as seen in the picture above. The parchment will allow you to easily remove your cake from the pan when it is done baking.

Gently pour the batter into your prepared pan, and smooth the top with a spatula.

Bake in a preheated oven set to 325 degrees Fahrenheit until a toothpick comes out clean.  This takes around 60-70 minutes. Every oven bakes differently so keep a close eye on the pound cake near the end.

The cake can also be used in a trifle.

• 

At home, in the Netherlands, we always used to have Christmas bread during the holiday season. I always found the Christmas bread to be too dense for my liking. However, I’ve always loved the raisin bread buns. I decided to try adding the almond paste, that is typically in Christmas bread, to the middle of the raisin bread. By eliminating the extra fruit in the traditional Christmas bread it doesn’t turn out too dense. 

I have to say they turned out delicious!  Especially, with a finishing of powdered sugar on top they are drooling good! Combine it with hot cocoa or tea and you have yourself a nice treat in the morning, or any time of the day.

 

 

This basic savory pie dough is easy to make and has a hint of black pepper combined with a buttery dough. It is a perfect base for all your savory pies or quiches. You will find it makes the perfect base for the quiche recipe on my website. 

The ingredients are simple and typically I have them at the ready in my pantry/fridge. Thus when I want a nice hearty quiche for lunch, or need something easy and quick for a picnic, I don’t have to run to the store. I can quickly make this basic pie dough, let it chill for a bit, and I am ready to bake whatever I am up for. This dough makes a great substitute for recipes requiring a puff pastry as a base. Since I don’t always have puff pastry in my fridge I have substituted this dough several times and it works great.

As you can see in the picture above I use pastry flour for this recipe. You can substitute it with all purpose flour, preferably an unbleached one. I think that pastry flour yields a nicer end result, but it is not essential that you use it. Pastry flour is milled to a finer texture than all purpose flour, and is made with soft wheat for a lower protein content. This helps baked goods, like pie crusts, have more tender results and a finer crust.

Before you add the butter and liquid make sure you combine all the dry ingredients well. The pastry flour is sifted before use. Sifting is a process that breaks up any lumps in the flour. I always sift my flour before I go to any next step of baking. Sifted flour is easier to mix into other ingredients. Another tip is to fluff up your flour before measuring. When flour sits in the package it gets compressed together.  Measuring before fluffing may cause too much flour to be added and you will need more liquid in your recipes.

Frozen butter is easily grated and combined into the flour mixture with a pastry cutter.  It also doesn’t require as much strength as when you cut your butter into cubes and try to incorporate it with the flour. Since it is already tiny, it is quick and easy to cut in, and this prevents the butter from getting too warm. It is essential when making a pastry dough to work quickly and prevent warming the butter.

When the butter is well combined with the flour, it is time to pour in your ice cold liquids, starting with the Vodka. After the Vodka is combined with the dough, you add one tablespoon at a time of the ice cold water, until the dough comes together and no longer feels dry. Keep adding more until you are satisfied your dough isn’t dehydrated. You will need to add enough liquid to form a circle. If you add too little of the liquid the dough will crack later when you roll it out.

Form a circle, wrapping it air tight, and put it in the fridge to chill for at least one hour. You can also prepare it the night before you need it. If it made the night before you may need to take it out 30 minutes before you are ready to roll out your dough.

When rolling out the dough it helps to start from the center and then roll outward. After you have done one side, flip the dough to the other side and repeat the rolling out from the center. This method will help you create a nice even circle. It may be helpful to dust the rolling pin with flour to prevent it from sticking to the dough. Once you have your desired circle width, gently roll it over your rolling pin and transfer it to your oiled baking dish.

Make sure the dough goes over your edges of your pastry dish because this will be a blind bake. During a blind baking, the pastry will shrink, and if you cut off your edges before the bake you won’t have a nice edge on your pie. Before we put it in the oven, place some parchment paper on the dough and fill it with pie weights. There is no need to buy specially made weights. I typically use any dried beans I have on hand.

Cover your pie dough and let it rest in the fridge while you preheat your oven to 400 Fahrenheit.

When the oven is preheated, remove the cover ,and place it in the center of your oven to bake for 10 minutes. After it is done baking, carefully remove the pie weights without burning yourself. Now the pie base is ready to be filled and baked.

 

Our family loves a good soup. My kids’ favorite is my creamy broccoli soup but my favorite is this tomato soup. The combination of butter, tomatoes and cream makes this a rich, delicious and filling soup that is good for dinner or lunch.

In addition to shallot, garlic and tomatoes, the soup is seasoned with salt/pepper, paprika and sambal oelek for an extra kick in this soup.

Nice fresh tomatoes can be either store bought or homegrown. Tomatoes are rich in lycopene, which is an antioxidant. They are also packed with vitamins A, C, calcium and potassium.

Cook your shallot until it is soft and light brown, then add in the garlic and simmer until it is fragrant. When it’s time to add these beautiful diced tomatoes we can include the spices as well. The paprika added with salt and pepper gives this soup more flavor and extra depth.

Letting the tomatoes cook on low to medium heat with spices until they are nice and soft helps the flavors combine. Just before adding the broth, I like to stir in a little bit of sambal oelek for that extra kick of spice. You can find it in most supermarkets. If you can’t find it you can switch it out for a half a teaspoon of chili powder instead.

I also enjoy adding in some fresh herbs depending on what I have in my garden or fridge. Either parsley or basil can make a nice addition to this soup.

Once all the ingredients are added bring the soup to a boil and let it simmer on low until the tomatoes are nice and soft and ready to blend. I use a hand held blender for this. My family prefers our soup very smooth. Finish the soup with some fresh squeezed lemon juice and a drizzle of heavy whipping cream. Finally if you have some herbs left over, you can add them on top to give it a nice pop of color just before serving.

 

Trifle is a traditional English dessert made by combining two of my favorites: cake and egg custard. It is a decadent looking dessert and always a success when served post dinner.

Essentially an English trifle needs sponge lady fingers, or pound cake, that have been soaked in sherry. To make it family friendly simply skip the sherry. Most recipes use a jelly or jam drizzle on top. I prefer to use fresh fruit because, in my opinion, it adds the sweetness without the extra sugar of jam.

Pound Cake:

As I mentioned, most recipes for trifle use sponge ladyfingers or pound cake. My pound cake recipe you can find here. It works perfect in this trifle. It is easy to bake, and after it is completely cooled, cut some thin slices to place on the bottom of your serving dish. I used single portion glasses this time. However, a beautiful bowl like this works well too. If you want to make some for adults and keep some kid-friendly the single portions is the way to go. 

Egg Custard:

My egg custard recipe you can find here. The custard recipe is for one person so to make this trifle I simply doubled it for 2 portions. If you are making a bigger serving bowl, I recommend tripling the recipe. If you want to make more than one layer I recommend multiplying the recipe 4 times. I used egg custard, but if you can get custard powder to make your custard, that is a lot easier and works too. 

Assembling the Trifle:

After all your ingredients are done and cooled, you can start building your trifle. The first layer will be the pound cake. Slice some pieces and line the bottom of your serving glass or bowl with the cake. If using, drizzle your sherry over the cake. The next layer is fresh fruit. I used strawberries, raspberries and blueberries but you can pick any type of fruit that is in season for the time. If using strawberries, thinly slice them. When using a big bowl it is fun the make a row of strawberries facing the glass, so you see them as a ring on top of the cake and get nice layers.

Once you are happy with how your fruit is arranged, top it with the custard. Pour it in gently so that you do not disturb the fruit layers. At this point I prefer to let the trifle rest for a bit in the fridge, approximately one hour. This allows all the flavors to soak in.

Serving:

Once you are ready to serve your trifle, prepare some fresh whipped cream. Remove the trifle from the fridge and top it with the whipped cream. Just before serving you may want to sprinkle some meringue on top for that extra crunch. This dessert is my favorite at a dinner party because you can do all the preparation in advance, even the day before. Since you can prepare it in advance you don’t have to spend a lot of time in the kitchen when hosting. Simply whip up some cream to serve a dessert that looks and tastes amazing. Always a success! When crunched on time you can even buy a pound cake to use instead of baking one yourself. With the use of custard powder, this recipe gets even easier. This recipe can be as easy or difficult as you want, but the end result will dazzle either way.

This upside down pear pie with the caramel on top is the best! The original recipe is inspired from a blue band basic Dutch cookbook that was gifted to me by my father in law. I received this gift over 15 years ago when I moved in with my boyfriend, who is now my husband. My father in-law is the best cook I know and I will never forget the first time he cooked dinner for me. I thought his first course was the main meal and I was already full when he put a second delicious dish on the table. That was the first of many delicious and fun family dinners.

The blue band cookbook was my first introduction into how easy and fun it is to cook things for myself. I used to make this pie a lot when I first started baking.  Recently, as I was looking through all my cookbooks, I realized I had to revisit it and give it my own twist.

 I added some ice cold vodka to the pie dough to make it less dry. This makes the dough come together quickly and it’s easier to work with. 

The filling is an easy caramel sauce made with butter and brown sugar. You pour this into your prepared baking pan and arrange your pears on top. Finally, you add your pie dough. 
When baking this pie do not use a springform pan!  If you do, the caramel sauce will pour out of it and make a giant mess into your oven. Unfortunately, I learned this lesson the hard way and it made a big smoky mess.

Scones are one of my favorite treats to eat with my cappuccino. For years I have tried to nail this recipe. Finally, I got it just right to my preference. I often struggled and ended up baking them too dry for my liking. The addition of whipped cream, milk and an egg was the secret. 

These are so easy and delicious! Go and make them asap!!

The blood orange drizzle at the end balances out all the sweet of the scone and gives is a nice freshness.

 

When I’m not baking or taking food photography I like to run and lift weights to burn of all the calories. To support my body I use supplements from Badathletics to help me recover from a challenging workout. When I ordered their new flavor white chocolate peppermint I got a recipe idea that would be perfect for Valentines Day. I started to experiment and I have to say this recipe did not disappoint!

This recipe is good with or without the added protein. You can always use a peppermint extract instead. Extract will give you a stronger peppermint flavor, but I prefer the more subtleness of the protein. The hint of peppermint is perfect combined with the freeze dried strawberries, which give a nice color, crunch and flavor boost to the fudge.

It is super easy to make and fun to play with shapes cutting it out. Whatever you choose, they are delicious!