Category Archives: Food Tales

Apricot Kolaches: Complicated Scrumptious Christmas Cookies

My grandmother was an Old World cook. She made everything from what we’d call scratch, but in her day, I don’t believe they had pre-packaged foods. She spent a good deal of her time in the kitchen and turned out delicious meals.

My grandmother was Slavic, but she and my grandfather (both immigrants) lived in the Pittsburgh area. Every December she homebaked hundreds of Kolaches, a traditional flaky Baltic pastry filled with small amounts of sweet jam or pulped fruit, such as apricots or prunes. My favorites were the apricot-filled treats, but she also made some with prune filling.

Homemade Apricot Kolaches for Christmas
A plate of apricot kolaches.
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Turning the Mostly Apples Cake into the Mostly Apple Hurricane Cake

I was in a hurry as we in Florida were expecting a hurricane, and that likely means a power outages.  I wanted a quick and easy bake, something without a lot of bowls and pans to clean-up. But, I needed a recipe with ingredients that were already in the house. That meant I couldn’t make my Easy Blackberry Cobbler.

 I had recently seen the recipe for a Mostly Apples Apple Cake from King Arthur Baking site and it caught my eye. The cake looked like a cross between an apple pie and apple cake, more like a cobbler but not as fruity.

A slice of Mostly Apple Hurricane Cake closeup.
A slice of Mostly Apple Hurricane Cake

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Lemon Blueberry Cake Using the Reverse Creaming Method

I’ve made this recipe three times and declared each one a winner; a light, creamy cake with a burst of lemon and blueberry goodness. The first time I baked it for Easter, and the following two times for birthday celebrations. You can make it any season of the year by substituting frozen blueberries for fresh. 

For a tall and impressive presentation, I divide the batter between three pans to make a three-layered cake. However, you can use two larger pans and adjust the baking time. 

A three-layer lemon blueberry layer cake.
Lemon Blueberry Triple Layer Cake

The most significant difference in preparation, at least for me, involves the reverse creaming method. You don’t cream the butter and sugar to start. Instead, you begin by adding softened butter one tablespoon at a time into the flour mixture. It looks like sand or pie dough before the liquid is added. The reasoning behind this method is to ensure the butter gets evenly dispersed throughout the batter.  

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