Sweet Potato Pie

 

     Truth in labeling. This is, in fact, a pie. A sweet potato pie, a southern staple that I grew up with. My mom has been making this pie for as long as I can remember. (And that's a pretty long time.)

   

     My mom is amazing. She still cooks a huge Sunday dinner every week. I'm there most Sundays, as are my sister and brother and any of our kids (and spouses and grandkids) that happen to be around. She's been doing this forever. And she always has dessert. Sometimes it's her famous cold oven pound cake, or even yellow cake with chocolate frosting. But quite often, it's sweet potato pie.

      A true Southern sweet potato pie is not a pumpkin pie wannabe. You'll not find cloves, nutmeg, or even cinnamon here. Just a little sugar, butter and vanilla added to the custard so the delicate sweet potato really shines through. My mom says "When I want a pumpkin pie, I'll make a pumpkin pie!" It's also an all season pie, too good to relegate to the fall and winter.

     This recipe makes two pies. My mom always bakes one plain and one with flaked coconut on top. There are those who prefer one or the other, but I am equal opportunity when it comes to pie.

    Sweet potatoes are readily available year round, and full of fiber and other things that are good for you. So sweet potato pie is like having dessert with benefits, right? I like to think so. And I hope you do too.

My Mom's Sweet Potato Pie Recipe

Printable recipe here

Ingredients

3 cups cooked, mashed sweet potato (you can either bake or boil your potatoes until tender)

Use a potato masher or a fork- not a food processor

2 eggs, beaten

Scant cup of sugar (My mom says a full cup is just too sweet for her.)

1 tsp. vanilla

3/4 of a 12 oz. can of evaporated milk- (about 1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons) Save the rest to brush on the crust before baking

2 Tablespoons butter, melted

dash of salt

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350F.

Mix  all ingredients together and pour into two regular (not deep dish) unbaked pie shells.

Sprinkle top with sweetened, flaked coconut if desired. Brush crust with reserved milk.

Bake about an hour, or until filling is puffed and crust is nicely browned. (The amount of moisture in your sweet potatoes will determine the exact time.) If your crust browns too quickly, cover crust with foil. Cool and serve.

The Best Carrot Cake

     Carrots are good for you, right? And pineapple, coconut and walnuts? The stuff dreams are made of. This cake is full of 'em. Topped right out of the oven with a dreamy hot buttermilk glaze (that's really more of a butterscotch caramel glaze) and then with a layer of cream cheese frosting, this is a cake I look forward to making again.

     I made this for Easter dinner at my Mom's house. It was good the first day, and even better the next. I recommend making this when there are people to help you eat it. Trust me, no one will complain.  Next time I'll make layers- I needed this one to travel so I opted for a sheet cake. More layers = more frosting per bite. That can't be a bad thing, can it? I followed the recipe as written, and wouldn't change a thing. You can find the recipe- from Southern Living-  here.
   

Happy Earth Day!

Cherry Almond Coconut Breakfast Loaf- Gluten Free

  

     It’s a "misty, moisty morning" and the dogwoods seem to have appeared overnight, mingling with the redbud trees to make a glorious spring pageant. After Saturday’s rain I can smell the earth just begging for the tiny little tomato plants growing in the windowsill. Spring has sprung.

     The warm weather and longer daylight hours have rekindled my enthusiasm for bringing my camera back into my kitchen, so I'm going to try to be more consistent with posting on my little blog. There are lots of things waking up around here that I can't wait to share!

   

  

     Sunday morning I woke up early, before the rest of the household stirred, and prepared these little loaves for breakfast. The original recipe for this lovely gluten-free-no-added-sugar-breakfast/snack came from Anja's Food 4 Thought. I changed it up just a bit to accommodate what I had on hand, and these loaves were the serendipitous results. As tasty as they were wholesome, they were a delightful addition to our morning. They disappeared so quickly that next time I'll be sure to double the recipe. Hmmm... Pineapple and macadamia nuts maybe?

     

Cherry Almond Coconut Breakfast Loaf

adapted from Anja's Carrot Coconut Breakfast Loaf

Ingredients

3/4 cup almond meal (I used almonds ground in my food processor.)

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

2 eggs

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 tsp. almond extract

1/4 cup coconut oil

1/2 cup mashed banana (about 2 medium bananas)

1/2 cup dates, pitted and chopped (If your dates stick together while chopping, sprinkle with some almond meal.)

1/2 cup carrots, grated

1/4 cup desiccated coconut

1/4 cup almonds, chopped

1/2 cup cherries (sweet or sour) pitted and chopped

Directions

• Preheat oven to 375° F (180° C). Line three small loaf pans (or one standard size loaf pan) with lightly greased parchment paper.

• In a small bowl, mix together almond meal, baking soda and cinnamon.

• In another bowl, mix together eggs, extracts, coconut oil and mashed banana. ( I had trouble with my coconut oil not mixing well with the other ingredients, so I whirled the mixture around a few times in the food processor.)

• Add almond meal mixture to wet ingredients; stir.

• Gently stir in the remaining ingredients. Mix well to ensure that the chunky bits are evenly distributed.

• Pour batter into prepared loaf pan(s) and bake for 40 minutes (35 for smaller loaf pans) or until a cake tester in the center of the loaf comes out clean.

Ode to a Pink Sno Ball

Oh lovely Sno-Ball, your glowing pink coconut beckons. Your silken vanilla creme- a treasure hidden deep within your chocolate deliciousness- concealed under your marshmallow dome. You stole my heart years ago, and I am still hopelessly smitten.

 How about you? Do you hold the same affinity for that time honored Hostess treat? Do you watch for the changing colors of Sno Balls like you watch for the changing of the seasons?

 One of my students gave me the January Cook's Country magazine for Christmas (Thanks again, M.!) and this Chocolate Snowball Cake was pictured inside the back cover. Being a long time lover of those tasty Hostess treats, I knew I had to pay homage to the Sno Ball I've known and loved, by baking this tasty tribute.

 It was absolutely wonderful even though it hasn't replaced the original Sno Ball in my heart of hearts. (It must be something about the preservatives and the crinkly plastic wrapper that keeps bringing me back.) It has, though carved out its own special place in my world, the perfect treat for a birthday or as a special sweet for my Valentine.

No special pan is needed to make your own little bit of nostalgia. You could even use a cake mix if you want. If you're not a chocolate fan, make your cake any flavor you like. It won't be a Sno Ball, but I'm sure it will still be yummy!

For the Sno Ball Cake, you'll need:

• Two nine-inch layers of cake- I used Hershey's Black Magic cake (recipe follows) but you could use your favorite.
• A two-quart bowl- I used a Pyrex bowl. It is helpful if the bowl is glass so you can see through it when you arrange your cake in it. Mine was opaque though, and it worked fine. (original recipe called for a 1 1/2 quart bowl)
• Plastic wrap to line your bowl
• One recipe of Marshmallow Frosting (recipe follows)
• Two cups of shredded sweetened coconut plus 2 drops of red or pink food color

Marshmallow Frosting
Ingredients:
1/2 cup water
2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin
10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, softened (as in not liquid but really, really soft)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 cups marshmallow cream (about 9-10 oz)
Directions:
Combine water and gelatin in large bowl and let sit until gelatin softens, about 5 minutes. Microwave until mixture is bubbling around edges and gelatin dissolves, about 30 seconds. (Mine took at least a minute, but my microwave is small. Your mixture does need to heat and be bubbling around the edges.) Stir in butter, vanilla and salt until combined. Let mixture cool until just warm to touch, about 5 minutes. (Mine did not take this long to cool.) Whisk in marshmallow creme until smooth. I whisked about one third of the marshmallow creme at a time. When you finish, the mixture will be thin. Refrigerate the mixture until it is thick and spreadable, about 30 minutes.

To Assemble Sno Ball Cake:

•  Prepare Marshmallow Frosting and put in refrigerator to set. 
• Combine coconut and food coloring (I whirled it together in my food processor)
• Line your bowl with plastic wrap, leaving the ends overhanging the edges of the bowl.

• Cut one of the cooled cake layers into 8 even wedges. Line the bowl with the cake wedges, packing gently so there are no spaces between wedges. This was where I ran into trouble the first time I made it. I couldn't get them to fit together in the bowl.The second time though, I trimmed the top edge (diagonally) off of each of the three sides of each wedge. After trimming the wedges they fit together nicely. There shouldn't be any gaps on the inside or in the parts touching the bowl. If you have any gaps on the inside, fill them with with parts you trimmed off.

• Fill cake lined bowl "cavity" with one cup of the marshmallow frosting.
• Top with the remaining nine inch layer cake, trimming it to fit the inside of the bowl.
• Pull the edges of the plastic wrap over the cake, and put it in the refrigerator about one hour.
• Unwrap the cake and carefully invert it onto serving dish. Remove plastic.

• Spread remaining marshmallow mixture evenly over the cake and sprinkle with coconut. (I found the frosting to be  difficult to spread evenly, but the coconut covered it nicely.)
• Slice, serve and enjoy your little bit of nostalgia! :)

Hershey's Black Magic Cake
Recipe from Hershey's
Ingredients
2 cups sugar
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
2 eggs
1 cup strong coffee
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350°F 
• Grease and flour 2 nine-inch round cake pans.
• In your mixer bowl, combine dry ingredients.
• Stir in eggs, coffee, oil and vanilla.
• Beat on medium speed for two minutes.
• Divide batter evenly between the two pans. (Batter will be thin.)
• Bake 30-35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
• Remove from oven and cool on wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pans and finish cooling on racks.

This post is linked to Ingredient Spotlight: Cocoa @ Eat at Home,  Full Plate Thursday at Miz Helen's Country Cottage, and  Sweets for a Saturday at Sweet as Sugar Cookies.

Triple Coconut Macaroons

I truly believe that coconut and chocolate were made for each other, and these macaroons are proof. Dipped in dark chocolate, the chewy sweet bundles of coconut goodness put Mounds bars to shame. Each one is a perfect "two-bite" treat just waiting to be enjoyed with a cup of tea or coffee. I only made half of a recipe, leaving me with a half can of Coco Lopez. Piña Coladas anyone?

Triple Coconut Macaroons  (printable recipe)
slightly adapted from Cooks Illustrated magazine
(Makes about 4 dozen cookies)

Ingredients:
1 can (15 oz.) can cream of coconut (I used Coco Lopez)
2 tblsp. light corn syrup
4 egg whites (from 4 large eggs from happy hens, of course)
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. almond extract
1/2 tsp. salt
3 cups unsweetened shredded desiccated coconut- you can find this in the natural or organic foods section of most larger grocery stores
3 cups sweetened flaked coconut
10 ounces semisweet chocolate chips (optional) for dipping
Directions:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 
• Whisk together cream of coconut, corn syrup, egg whites, extracts and salt in a small bowl; set aside.
•  Combine both types of coconut in a large bowl; mix together, breaking up clumps.
• Pour set aside ingredients into coconut and gently mix together. Chill for about 20 minutes.
• Roll coconut mixture into small (about an inch) balls and place about 1 inch apart on parchment covered baking sheets.  If you have more patience than I did, shape the balls into pyramids with moistened fingers. :)
• Bake until light golden brown, about 15 minutes. Cool on cookie sheets until slightly set, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
• Melt chocolate (if desired) in a double boiler or in microwave on 50% power. Dip the bottom of each macaroon into the chocolate and then place on parchment paper to set. Let cool until chocolate hardens.

Dulce de Leche Squares

 

These Dulce de Leche bars were a delicious mistake invention. They were supposed to be Caramel bars with  a lovely homemade caramel in the middle, but we won't discuss what happened there. Luckily I remembered the can of Dulce de Leche hiding in the cupboard, and voila...Dulce de Leche bars! With the coconut in the crust, the caramel and chocolate, they reminded me of Samoas, one of my favorite Girl Scout cookies. They just needed some toasted coconut on top (which I didn't have because I'd used it all in the macaroons that I'll post later.) I liked that the crust was not sweet... it made a perfect base for the creamy caramel and fudgy frosting. They were very easy to make, and would be perfect for the special time when you want to make someone happy. And that includes yourself. Cut these small..share the love.

 

Dulce de Leche Bars (printable recipe)

Ingredients
Bottom crust:
1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 scant teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup desiccated coconut (This can often be found in the organic or health food section of the grocery store.)
1 stick butter
Middle layer:
1 can Dulce de Leche (I found it in the Mexican food section of my grocery.)
Topping:
4 squares semi-sweet chocolate (I used Bakers) broken into pieces for easier melting
1/2 stick butter
2 teaspoons light corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease an 8"x8" baking pan. Cut parchment to fit into the bottom to make the bars easier to remove. Lightly grease parchment.
• For crust: Mix together flour, baking powder, salt and coconut. Melt butter and mix with the dry ingredients. Press into prepared pan.
• Pour Dulce de Leche over the crust. Bake at 325 degrees for about 15 minutes. Remove from oven and cool.
• Place butter, chocolate and corn syrup into a small saucepan or double boiler. Melt over very low heat to avoid burning the chocolate. When chocolate and butter have melted, remove from heat and add vanilla. When mixture has partially cooled, whisk together until smooth and glossy. Pour over cooled Dulce de Leche. Allow chocolate layer to harden, and cut into small squares.