Blueberry Lime Cake Recipe

This is the cake I made for Ry Guy's birthday. It seemed to be a big hit at the party, so I thought I'd share it with you as well. I understand that it's a little odd to be posting a fresh blueberry recipe in the middle of October, but better late than never, right? And now you have the benefit of thinking about making this cake all winter long. :)

The cake itself is pretty simple - it's just a basic yellow cake. I healthified it up a little bit by doing it from scratch.  If I wasn't going to make it for a party, I'd do half white whole wheat flour (or pastry flour) and half unbleached all purpose. But since I had several non-health-food peeps at the party, I just went with all unbleached all purpose.

The complicated part of the recipe is the frosting. But let me just tell you right now.... totally worth it! It's creamy, totally pipe-able, tastes great and firms up just right in the fridge. LOVE IT.

So, without further ado, here's the recipe.  Drool over it. Keep it in the back of your brain. Make it as soon as blueberries are in season in your area. You won't regret it - promise!

Blueberry Lime Cake

by Raye

Cook Time: 20-25 minutes

Keywords: bake dessert blueberry cake summer

Ingredients (12 servings)

• 2-1/4 c. flour
• 1-1/4 c. sugar (evaporated cane juice or granulated sugar)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 c. (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 3 eggs
• 1-1/4 c. milk
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 batch Cream Cheese German Buttercream
• Zest of 1 lime
• 1/2 pint fresh blueberries
• 1/4 c. frozen limeade concentrate, thawed

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350*F. Grease 2 (9-inch) round cake pans. Set aside.
• In a large mixing bowl, beat butter until fluffy. Add sugar and cream together for about 1 minute. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
• In a small mixing bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Add flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with the milk. Mix well.
• Divide batter equally between cake pans. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the sides pull away from the pan and the center springs back when lightly touched.
• Turn out onto a cooling rack and cool completely before continuing with the recipe.
• Prepare the frosting according to recipe directions.  Fold in lime zest. Chill frosting for about 30 minutes. Load frosting into a piping bag fitted with a decorating tip (if using).
• Brush cooled cake layers with lineage concentrate. Pipe (or spread) frosting onto bottom layer. Top with 1/3 of the blueberries, then the top layer of cake. Pipe (or spread) frosting on the top layer and pile on the remaining blueberries.
• Chill cake in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

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Maple Nut Granola Recipe

My friend, Beka, recently posted about granola. That got me thinking I might want to make some myself. Yummmmmm....I love granola! In my opinion, homemade granola tops store-bought, pretty much always. Especially this granola!

I finalized this recipe about 2 years ago, but just realized I although I had added it to my Recipage, I never did a post about it. Ooops. The inspiration for this recipe came from Good Cheap Eats, but I gave it the ol' maison|raye tweak until it suited our tastebuds.

Things I love about this granola:

• Yummy (duh)
• Portable
• Crunchy
• Uses a natural, "real food" sweetener
• Don't have to stir it while baking! (This is HUGE for me)
• Can sub use any kind of nuts you like or have on hand
• Uses basic ingredients always in my pantry (I buy pretty much all the ingredients in bulk)
• Is allergy-friendly (dairy-free, peanut-free, egg-free, soy-free and gluten-free if you use certified gluten-free ingredients)
• It actually holds together in large-ish pieces, which are easy to grab

Side note, this is an awesome, portable snack to take camping or on vacation (or to keep in a container in your desk at work). And, it makes fab yogurt/fruit/granola parfaits.

I sometimes pour the little crumblies into a bowl, add a small handful of dried or fresh berries and top with milk (previously cow milk or Ashley's Cereal Sauce, but lately I use coconut or almond milk). I wish I had a picture of all that yum-ness in a bowl, but I ate it. Sorry.

You definitely need to try this granola. Hear that?  NEED!!!!

Maple Nut Granola

by Raye

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Keywords: bake stove top breakfast snack oatmeal nuts maple syrup

Ingredients (8 servings)

• 5 c. old fashioned rolled oats (do not use quick oats)
• 1 c. chopped nuts, such as pecans or almonds
• 1 c. shredded, unsweetened coconut
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 c. maple syrup
• 1/2 c. coconut oil
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 300* F.
• In a small saucepan over low heat, combine syrup, vanilla, salt, coconut oil and cinnamon and stir until smooth.
• Stir together nuts, coconut and oats in a large mixing bowl. Pour warmed liquid ingredients over the oat mixture. Stir to coat evenly. (It will seem like there's not enough liquid to go around at first. Just keep stirring. It may take about a minute to get the dry ingredients totally coated.)
• Press into a 15x10 jelly roll pan (rimmed baking sheet). Bake for 40-45 minutes without stirring. Remove from oven and gently break up with a spatula.
• Cool completely before serving or storing. Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
• Note, may omit nuts during the baking process and simply add pecans or a dried fruit/nut mix or nut/seed mix when serving to accommodate individual tastes within your family.

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Allergy Friendly Raspberry Rhubarb Crisp Recipe

About a month ago, Ry Guy and I were diagnosed with multiple food allergies, including eggs, soy, dairy, gluten, and peanuts. Looks like the allergies are connected to our eczema, too.  I'm in mourning.

{insert sniffle here}

I confess, I was pretty depressed about it for a few weeks. Then, I decided to not let it control my life. I've found that there is hope and you can actually reverse some food allergies. In fact, I'm taking an online class right now on reversing food allergies and I'm learning so much already. I hope to see improvement in both Ry Guy's and my eczema soon...

Anyway, I wanted dessert this past week when I was up visiting my family, so Mom suggested I do something with the raspberries she had in the freezer or the rhubarb from the garden out back.

So, I did something with both of them. At the same time. Here's the result.

Don't you just want to snatch that right off the page and stuff it in your mouth?  If you like tart desserts, this is for you.

Mini Apple Pear Galettes

I find myself drawn to little things. You know, anything tiny equals cuteness. Like miniature ceramic tea sets, or petit fours. Or mini cheesecakes. Or mini pies. Is that a girl thing? Or just a me thing?

Anyway, I threw together these mini galettes and was quite pleased with the results. M gave them the thumbs up, too. His evaluation: "Not too sweet, just right. And I like the hand-held size. Really good. Can I have more?"

So of course I said yes. He may not be miniature, but he's definitely cute.

Glazed Brown Sugar Cookie Recipe

There are SO many cookie recipes out there. Some are incredibly complex. Some use gourmet ingredients. Some are gorgeous works of art. Some require a culinary degree to create. Some will send you into a sugar coma after two bites.

But sometimes, you just want a simple, yummy cookie. Something that won't upstage your designer coffee. No frills. Just simple goodness.

This is one of those cookie recipes. Simple. Tasty. Healthy-ish. Whole wheat. 8 ingredients.

What are you waiting for?

Glazed Brown Sugar Cookies

by Raye

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 9-11 minutes

Keywords: bake cookie

Ingredients (2 dozen)

Cookie

• 1-1/4 c. whole wheat pastry flour (or white whole wheat flour)
• 1/2 c. organic whole cane sugar, such as Rapadura or sucanat (or a free-flowing brown sugar)
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 6 Tbsp coconut oil (in solid state)
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Glaze

• 1/4 c. organic whole cane sugar, such as Rapadura or sucanat
• 1 Tbsp whole milk (or more, if needed)

Instructions

• Cream together coconut oil and organic whole cane sugar. Mix in vanilla and egg.
• In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix well. Chill for 1 hour, or up to overnight.
• After at least 1 hour, preheat the oven to 375*F. Roll dough into 1-inch balls (approximately 1 rounded teaspoon; .75 oz ea).
• Arrange cookie dough balls on a cookie sheet. Sprinkle lightly with salt. Bake at 375*F for 9-11 minutes, or until edges are set. Remove from oven and allow cookies to cool completely on the pan. They will look under-done when you take them out of the oven - that's ok! They will finish cooking and set up perfectly as they cool on the pan.
• While cookies are cooling, prepare the glaze. In a small bowl, combine milk and organic whole cane sugar. If the glaze seems too thick, add additional milk 1 teaspoon at a time until it reaches a 'drizzle-able' consistency. (Note, you can sub in a non-dairy milk here, if desired)
• Drizzle glaze over cooled cookies; allow glaze to dry. Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

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Molasses Thumbprint Cookie Recipe

Food is so intertwined with memories for me. I smell these cookies baking and I'm instantly transported back in time to my mom's tiny kitchen, helping her roll out molasses cookies and spoon in the homemade mincemeat filling. YUM. The warm spices combined with the sweet molasses cookies are a perfect combination and a perfect treat for a cold, blustery, winter day.

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Cupcake Recipe

I love me a good cupcake! What I don't love is cupcake remorse. You know, that "Crud.... how many minutes of cardio do I have to do to work that off?" kind of remorse.

What's a cupcake loving, cardio loathing girl to do?  Work smarter, not harder.

Ok, so I'll be the first to admit, this recipe is not calorie free, fat free, sugar free or taste free. Or anything free for that matter. You will probably still need to do cardio to burn it off.

BUT, it's a healthier, more "real food" alternative if you're looking for a sweet treat. And man alive, does it deliver!

The recipe below is for just the cupcake part. You can frost it with your personal fave. I am in love with German Buttercream (shown here), so if you'd like to give that a try, pop over to my recipage to get the scoop on my Cinnamon Brown Sugar German Buttercream.

I also decided to go all fancy-schmancy and garnish these puppies with some cinnamon sugared pecans. Pretty easy. I tweaked this recipe here for those. (Just did the topping, swapped coconut oil for butter.) Impressive taste and presentation for practically no work. Gotta love that.

Don't you just want to dive in?

Cupcake remorse optional.

Pumpkin Cupcakes

by Raye

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 22-25 minutes

Keywords: bake dessert pumpkin cupcake fall winter

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Ingredients (15 cupcakes)

• 3/4 c. cake flour (or all purpose flour)
• 3/4 c. whole wheat pastry flour
• 1-1/2 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1-1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 3 eggs
• 1-1/2 c. pumpkin puree (not pie filling)
• 1 c. organic whole cane sugar, sucanat or free flowing brown sugar
• 3/4 c. coconut oil

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Line standard muffin cups with paper liners or grease well.
• In a small mixing bowl, whisk together flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices.
• In a large bowl, cream together coconut oil (in solid state) and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
• Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients alternately with the pumpkin, beginning and ending with the pumpkin.
• Divide batter equally between muffin cups, filling each cup approximately 3/4 full.
• Bake at 350°F for 22-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove cupcakes from the pan immediately and cool on a wire rack.
• Cool completely before icing. Store unfrosted cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

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Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake Recipe

Great news for all you readers out there searching for an allergen-friendly dessert for the holidays.  Look no further! I made this awesome Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake this year for Thanksgiving.  It's egg-free, soy-free, and gluten-free.

I spent a good bit of time looking for an egg-free cheesecake recipe, only to find that most of them either used cashews (a bit pricey) or tofu (soy is a no-no for me) as fillers. Grrr... So, then I found this egg-free cheesecake recipe and was inspired to make it my own.

Who knew you don't really need eggs, wheat, tofu or cashews to make an amazing cheesecake with a really great cheesecake texture?  News to me.  But, trust me, it's totally possible.

And totally delicious.

Walnut Oat Pie Crust Recipe (Gluten-Free!)

Planning to cook for a gluten-free somebody this holiday season? I don't know about you, but I love me a good pie. Bummer for those who can't have the gluten in the pie crust (or the filling)...it makes baking a little trickier.

Here's a solution: Walnut Oat Pie Crust.

It's really simple to throw together and really reminds me of a graham cracker crust, both in texture and taste.  It's definitely less sweet than a traditional graham cracker crust and actually, kind of tastes like a granola bar...now that I think about it...

Quite Possibly The Perfect Cookie

These awesome cookies were a result of another pregnancy craving.  I wanted oatmeal cookies in the worst way... oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, to be precise.

I did a quick recipe search and stumbled across the Brown Eyed Baker's recipe for oatmeal chocolate chip cookies.

After a few adjustments and "healthifications", I baked my masterpieces and then offered them to my #1 taste tester.  With a glass of milk on the side, of course.

I was stoked when he said, "these are the PERFECT cookies - not too sweet, just the right texture."

Awww... I love it when he's honest. :)

I have to admit, they turned out really well.  The coconut oil and almond meal keep the texture moist and chewy, while the butter just kicks the flavor into high gear.

The perfect cookie equation goes like this:

oatmeal + butter + coconut oil + almond meal + chocolate chips = total awesomeness.

Not convinced?  Need proof?

Take these little babies to your next potluck or get-together and experience the happiness first hand.  Just don't eat the entire batch in less than 2 days...unless you have help. Just sayin'.

Oh, and if you need the nutritional information, pop over to my recipage, here.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

by Raye

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 14-16 minutes per pan

Keywords: bake dessert chocolate oatmeal almond cookie

Ingredients (3-1/2 dozen cookies)

• 1-1/4 c. all purpose flour (or 3/4 c. all purpose, 1/2 c. white whole wheat)
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 stick (1/2 c.) unsalted butter, softened
• 6 Tbsp coconut oil (use refined if you don't want the coconut taste)
• 1/2 c. brown sugar (I use Rapadura or Sucanat)
• 1/2 c. + 2 Tbsp granulated sugar (I use evaporated cane juice)
• 2 eggs
• 3 c. old-fashioned (rolled) oats
• 1/2 c. almond meal
• 1 to 1-1/2 c. semisweet or dark chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350*F. In a small bowl, whisk together flour(s), baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl, beat together sugars, butter, and coconut oil (coconut oil should be in its solid state) until fluffy, about 1 minute. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
3. Add flour mixture to the butter/sugar mixture and beat until combined. Stir in almond meal and oats. Fold in the chocolate chips.
4. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto a cookie sheet. Feel free to use a non-stick baking mat, or parchment paper. (I used a cookie scoop and a stoneware pan).
5. Bake each pan for 14-16 minutes, or until the edges begin to turn golden brown. Cool on the pan for about 1 minute, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.
6. Store cooled cookies in an airtight container up to 5 days, but beware... they may not last that long!

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