Coconut Marble Cake

This recipe uses a can of Chocolate Frosting to make an easy chocolate swirl in the center, and glaze for the top of the cake.

Cake
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 1/4 cups All-Purpose Flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup coconut powder
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 drops to 1/4 teaspoon coconut flavor, to taste
1/2 cup milk
5 large eggs
12-ounce can Chocolate Frosting, divided

Glaze
1/4 cup heavy cream

Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9- to 10-cup bundt-style pan.

Beat the butter till soft and fluffy. Mix in the salt, sugar, flour, baking powder, and coconut powder to make a stiff batter.

Add the flavorings, milk, and 1 egg. Beat well. Continue to add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition, to make a fluffy batter.

Spoon 1/2 cup batter into a bowl and mix with 1/2 can (a heaping 1/2 cup) Chocolate Frosting. Reserve the remaining Frosting for the glaze.

Spoon the remaining batter into the prepared cake pan. Drop spoonfuls of the chocolate batter on top of the coconut batter and swirl together.

Bake the cake for 45 to 55 minutes, until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove the cake from the oven, and after 5 minutes turn it out to cool on a rack.

While cake is cooling, make the glaze. Heat the heavy cream just to a boil, and stir in the remaining Frosting. Stir until smooth, heating gently as necessary to make a pourable glaze. Drizzle over the cake, and let rest until the glaze has cooled and is set. Yield: 1 cake, 14 to 16 servings

Lemon Tea Cake

Ingredients:

9 oz. (2 cups) all-purpose flour; more for the pan
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. table salt
4 oz. (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened at room
temperature; more for the pan
1/4 cup lightly packed, finely grated lemon zest
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2 tsp. ground coriander
3/4 tsp. ground mace
3/4 cup whole milk, at room temperature
2 tsp. caraway seeds
Lemon Curd

Lemon Curd:

3 oz. (6 Tbs.) unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
2/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. grated lemon zest

How to make curd...

In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer, about 2 min. Slowly add the eggs and yolks. Beat for 1 min. Mix in the lemon juice. The mixture will look curdled, but it will smooth out as it cooks.

In a medium, heavy-based saucepan, cook the mixture over low heat until it looks smooth. (The curdled appearance disappears as the butter in the mixture melts.) Increase the heat to medium and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens, about 15 min. It should leave a path on the back of a spoon and will read 170°F on a thermometer. Don't let the mixture boil.

Remove the curd from the heat; stir in the lemon zest. Transfer the curd to a bowl. Press plastic wrap on the surface of the lemon curd to keep a skin from forming and chill the curd in the refrigerator. The curd will thicken further as it cools. Covered tightly, it will keep in the refrigerator for a week and in the freezer for 2 months.

Directions:

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F. Generously butter and flour a 4-1/2 x 8-1/2-inch loaf pan (Pyrex is fine).

Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together into a medium bowl. In a large bowl, beat the butter and lemon zest with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and smooth, about 1 minute (if you're using a stand mixer, use the paddle attachment). Add the sugar, eggs, coriander, and mace; beat until smooth. Add half of the milk and beat until just blended (the batter may look curdled; that's fine). Reduce the speed to low, add the flour mixture in two batches, beating just until blended and scraping the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Add the remaining milk and mix on low just until blended. Stir in the caraway seeds with a rubber spatula. Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan and smooth the top with a rubber spatula.

Bake until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean, 60 to 65 minutes. Let cool in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes. Run a table knife around the inside of the pan, invert the cake out of the pan, flip it right side up onto the rack, and let it cool completely. (The cake will keep, tightly wrapped, at room temperature for up to three days.) Use a serrated knife to slice (the slices are fragile, so take care not to make them too thin). Seve with lemon curd, if you like.

Apricot Swirl Cheesecake

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup finely ground almonds
  
• 1 cup dried apricots
  
• 1 cup water
  
• 1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
  
• 3 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
  
• 1 cup sugar
  
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  
• 4 eggs, lightly beaten
  
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
  
• 1 cup apricot preserves
  
• Whipped cream and toasted sliced almonds

Directions:

Grease the bottom and sides of a 10-in. spring form pan; sprinkle with ground almonds and set aside.

In a saucepan, cook apricots and water for 15 minutes over medium heat or until the water is nearly absorbed and apricots are tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in lemon peel; cool slightly. Transfer to a blender; cover and process until smooth and set aside.

In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add flour; mix well. Add eggs; beat on low speed just until combined. Beat in cream just until blended. Stir 1 cup into pureed apricots; set aside. Pour remaining mixture into prepared pan. Drop apricot mixture by 1/2 teaspoonfuls over filling. Cut through filling with a knife to swirl apricot mixture. Place pan on a baking sheet.

Bake at 350° for 50-55 minutes or until center is almost set. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Carefully run a knife around edge of pan to loosen. Cool 1 hour longer.

In a small saucepan, heat preserves. Press through a strainer (discard pulp). Spread over cheesecake. Refrigerate overnight. Remove sides of pan. Garnish with whipped cream and sliced almonds. Refrigerate leftovers. Yield: 12 servings.