raspberries Archives - Noble Pig

Healthier Raspberry Cake

Cathy Pollak — Tue, 19 May 2020 22:21:35 +0000

This rustic, buttery cake makes a luscious, golden frame for fresh raspberries. Serve this healthier version of raspberry cake with a dollop of freshly whipped cream and extra raspberries on the side.

Healthier Raspberry Cake

A delicious way to experience dessert, this Healthier Raspberry Cake tastes like a dream and will easily be welcomed into your dessert repertoire.

The texture of this rustic cake is fluffy and light with a not-to-sweet taste. When it comes to easy raspberry desserts, this is a perfect choice as an after dinner treat, but easily doubles as a brunch breakfast cake.

The word “healthier” can be a complicated concept for some. Please do not confuse the term “healthier” to mean low-calorie or devoid of sugar and butter. Healthier, especially when talking about cake, refers to incorporating more nutrient-rich ingredients in a way that doesn’t take away from the final cake, but adds to it, making each bite more satisfying, nutritious and filling.

Hopefully you have all or most of theses ingredients in your pantry or refrigerator. If not, they are all readily available at the grocery store.

Ingredients

Pantry Ingredients

almond flour – made from blanched almonds and ground to a fine consistency ideal for baking.
whole-wheat flour – adds fiber, vitamins, and nutrients to your recipe, but adds great flavor to baked goods.
all-purpose flour – adds structure to the cake
wheat germ – found in cereal aisle, close to the oatmeal, the most vitamin- and mineral-rich part of the wheat kernel. Wheat germ has a toasty, nutty flavor and it’s great in smoothies.
baking powder
granulated sugar
kosher salt -do not substitute table salt
pure vanilla extract -do not use “fake” vanilla

Fresh Ingredients

unsalted butter -do not substitute salted butter in this recipe
eggs – make sure they are large eggs
fresh raspberries – raspberries should not be mushy

Alternative Flours

This cake recipe was painstakingly tested many times using various amounts of flours in different ratios.

Switching out or varying the amount of any of the flours called for, including the wheat germ, can severely alter the structure and taste of the cake.

In most cases they are not cup-for-cup replacements and some require more binding agents (egg) when used in different amounts.

I highly suggest following the recipe to achieve success.

How To Make Healthier Raspberry Cake

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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 10-inch round cake pan and line the bottom with parchment paper. Butter the paper after you have placed it in the pan.

Whisk together all the flours, including the wheat germ and baking powder.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, combine the butter with two cups of the sugar and kosher salt until pale yellow and fluffy in appearance; about three minutes. Beat in the vanilla and eggs, one at a time. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.

Add the dry ingredients on very low speed, just until incorporated. Scrape the batter into the prepared cake pan and smooth the top.

Arrange the two cups of raspberries in a single layer on top . Sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar.

Bake for fifty minutes , until the cake is golden brown and toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes.

Run a thin, sharp knife around the edge of the cake. Turn the cake out of the pan onto a plate or cake stand. Remove the parchment paper from the bottom.

Let cool until warm, about 1 hour.

Serve with whipped cream and raspberries.

Recipe Tips

Use the right-sized pan, a 10-inch round. A smaller sized pan will make the batter too deep in the middle and will be very hard to get the middle baked without completely over-baking the edges.
Preparing the pan with butter and a parchment round on the bottom is also very important, ensuring your cake will not stick to the bottom or the sides. You can easily trace your cake pan onto a piece of parchment paper and cut it out or purchase pre-cut parchment rounds.
I highly suggest when baking from scratch to measure out dry ingredients with a baking scale. Your recipes will turn out so much better, since just a couple ounces of extra flour can make your cake very dense.
Almond flour can be clumpy and so can baking powder. After I whisk my dry ingredients together I sift them together. This is really important when baking from scratch.
The recipe calls for two cups of raspberries placed in a single layer on top of the cake batter. This amount will not completely cover the top. If you add more raspberries to make a completely full single, this will increase your baking time.
Serve with freshly whipped cream, it goes great!
Let the cake cool 15 minutes in the pan before sliding a knife around the edges and flipping it out. Let it cool for one more hour before serving. It really tastes good warm, but is also great at room temperature.
After 24 hours the cake should be refrigerated and will last a week in the refrigerator. Pop it in the microwave for ten seconds if it’s cold.

Testing Cake Doneness

This cake has a large surface area and takes 50-60 minutes in the oven to be completely baked.

When testing for doneness, stick a toothpick into the cake closer to the edge before testing the cake in the middle. You should feel the same resistance on the edge of the cake as you do in the middle when the toothpick is inserted. If you don’t, the middle is not completely baked and you’ll need to leave in the oven longer. Test again in five minutes.

The finished cake will be dotted with raspberries along the edges and on the top.

The outer crumb of the cake is a delicious blend of flavor with lots of nuttiness from the flours and wheat germ.

Other Raspberry Recipes You Might Enjoy:

A slice of this warm cake on a sunny day in the backyard is what I’m dreaming about!

Since this cake is large, it is perfect to take to a special gathering or potluck. No one will believe this is not made completely with white, all-purpose flour.

Make sure you have plenty of fresh raspberries to serve with each slice.

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Healthier Raspberry Cake

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword Healthier Raspberry Cake, Raspberry Cake, Raspberry Cake Recipe

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 1

Cooling 1

Total Time 2 30

Servings slices

Calories 434kcal

Author Cathy Pollak

Ingredients

1 cup (227 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for greasing
1-1/4 cups (140 grams) almond flour
3/4 cup (90 grams) whole wheat flour
1/2 cup (64 grams) all-purpose flour
4 tbsps (30 grams) wheat germ
2-1/4 tsps (9 grams) baking powder
2 cups (400 grams) + 2 tbsps (25 g) sugar
2-1/4 tsp kosher salt
2 tbsp (30 ml) pure vanilla extract
7 large eggs, room temperature
2 cups (250 grams) fresh raspberries, plus more for serving*, room temperature
freshly whipped cream for serving

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 10-inch round cake pan and line the bottom with parchment paper. Butter the paper after you have placed it in the pan.
In a medium sized bowl whisk together all the flours, including the wheat germ and baking powder. (I also like to sift these ingredients together as almond flour can be clumpy and sifting is a great way to disperse the baking powder evenly - I highly recommend doing this.)
In the bowl of a stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, combine the butter with two cups of the sugar and kosher salt until pale yellow and fluffy in appearance; about three minutes. Beat in the vanilla and eggs, one at a time. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. (The mixture will look broken.)
Add the dry ingredients on very low speed, just until incorporated.
Scrape the batter into the prepared cake pan and smooth the top.
Arrange the two cups of raspberries in a single layer on top . Sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar.
Bake for fifty minutes , until the cake is golden brown and toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes.
Run a thin, sharp knife around the edge of the cake. Turn the cake out of the pan onto a plate or cake stand. Remove the parchment paper from the bottom.
Let cool until warm, about 1 hour.
Serve with whipped cream and raspberries.
The cake can be stored at room temperature overnight, but after that place in the refrigerator.

Notes

* Two cups of fresh raspberries will not completely cover the cake in a single layer. You can add more to create a complete single layer, but this will add to your baking time.

Make sure to read the Recipe Tips in the post for the best outcome of this recipe.

Nutrition

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The post Healthier Raspberry Cake appeared first on Noble Pig.

Fruit Salad with Ginger-Mint Syrup

Cathy Pollak — Thu, 05 Sep 2019 23:36:14 +0000

Almost any fruit is excellent here – even peaches, nectarines and cherries would work well. Use what strikes you for dessert and serve with sugar cookies. The ginger-mint syrup is especially good when your fruit needs a little extra sweetness.

Fruit Salad with Ginger-Mint Syrup

When you’re not sure what to serve as a side dish, you can’t go wrong with this tasty Fruit Salad with Ginger-Mint Syrup. This salad is perfect for brunch, backyard barbecues or anytime you are craving something delicious. It does help that this fruit salad is so simple to put together. The ginger-mint syrup really takes this salad to a new level.

Using a syrup in a fruit salad is especially helpful during the non-peak fruit months (the shoulder months of summer). This is when fruit needs a little assistance in the sweetness department. We all love a beautiful fruit salad in the spring, but many times fruit is just not at it’s best. Using the ginger-mint syrup will bring new life to your fruit salads and you never have to worry about picking the perfect (sweet) melon again.

How Do I Make Ginger-Mint Syrup

It’s so easy. Ginger-mint syrup is basically a simple syrup, made by combining sugar, water, fresh mint and fresh ginger and bringing to a boil. Reducing the ingredients by half, over heat, concentrates the flavors, making them stand out. Be careful not to overcook the syrup as it will become thick and bitter. Overall, it takes about ten minutes to make this syrup on the stove. Cooling time on the counter and in the refrigerator are also required.

When Do I Add The Syrup

There are a couple of different answers to this question. I personally like to let the syrup come to room temperature and chill it (about two hours). I gently stir in the syrup with the fruit right before serving. The longer the syrup is in contact with the fruit, the more flavorful the fruit becomes. However, the syrup can soften the fruit a bit so I tend to add it right before serving, but that’s my personal preference. However, adding the syrup to the fruit and letting it chill together in the refrigerator for several hours does work well. If your fruit is not as ripe as you’d like it, I would let the fruit and the syrup sit longer together before serving.

What Kind Of Fruit Works Best In This Fruit Salad

Melon – Watermelon, Cantaloupe, Honeydew
Berries – Raspberry, Strawberry, Blueberries, Blackberries
Stone Fruits – Peaches, Nectarines, Mangoes, Plums, Cherries
Apples and Pears
Pineapple

How Long Will This Fruit Salad Last

The short answer is three to five days. To maximize the shelf life of this fruit salad keep it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Leaving this or any fruit salad out at room temperature for more than two hours will allow it to deteriorate quickly.

MORE FRUIT SALAD RECIPES

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Fruit Salad with Ginger-Mint Syrup

Almost any fruit is excellent here - even peaches, nectarines and cherries would work well. Use what strikes you for dessert and serve with sugar cookies. The ginger-mint syrup is especially good when your fruit needs a little extra sweetness.

Course Dessert, Side Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword Fruit Salad with Ginger-Mint Syrup

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 10

Chilling time 2

Total Time 2 40

Servings cups

Calories 188kcal

Author Cathy Pollak

Ingredients

Syrup:

1 cup sugar
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup fresh mint, coarsely chopped
3 tbsp fresh ginger, coarsely chopped
zest and juice of one lime

Fruit:

2 cups watermelon balls
2 cups cantaloupe balls
2 cups honeydew balls
2 cups fresh pineapple chunks
2 pints blueberries
2 pints blackberries
2 pints raspberries

Instructions

For the syrup, simmer the sugar, water, mint, ginger, lime zest and juice in a saucepan over medium heat until reduced by half, about ten minutes. (You do not want to overcook or the syrup will become bitter and thick.)
Strain the syrup into a small bowl and let come to room temperature. Place in the fridge to chill for at least two hours.
Prepare fruit and chill at least one hour.
Right before serving toss fruit and syrup together in a large bowl. Serve immediately.

Nutrition

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

The post Fruit Salad with Ginger-Mint Syrup appeared first on Noble Pig.