Whole-Wheat Raspberry Ricotta Scones

Recipe from Smitten Kitchen

Makes 9 Square Scones

Husband-Tested in Marimar’s Kitchen (Alice’s Daughter-in-Law)

Our daughter-in-law made these beautiful scones during our family vacation this spring.  They were so yummy with our morning coffee.

1 cup (120 grams) whole wheat flour

1 cup (125 grams) all-purpose flour

1 Tablespoon baking powder

¼ cup (50 grams) granulated sugar

½ teaspoon Kosher salt

6 Tablespoons (85 grams) cold unsalted butter

1 cup (136 grams or 4¾ oz.) fresh raspberries

¾ cup (189 grams) whole milk ricotta

1/3 cup (79 ml) heavy cream

Preheat oven to 425 F.  Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.  In the bottom of a large, wide bowl, whisk the flours, baking powder, sugar and salt together.  With a pastry blender, add the butter (no need to chop it first) and use the blender to both cut the butter into the flour mixture until the bigger pieces are the size of small peas.  Toss in the raspberries and use the pastry blender again to break them into halves and quarter berry sized chunks.  Add the ricotta and the heavy cream together and stir them in to form a dough with a flexible spatula.  Using floured hands, gently knead the dough into an even mass, right in the bottom of the bowl.  Don’t fret if the raspberries get muddled and smudge up the dough. This is a pretty thing.  With as few movements as possible, transfer the dough to a well-floured counter, flour the top of the dough and pat it into a 7-inch square about 1-inch tall.  With a large knife, divide the dough into 9 even squares.  Transfer the scones to the prepared baking sheet with a spatula.  Bake the scones for about 15 minutes, until light golden at the edges.  Cool in pan for a minute and then transfer to a cooling rack.

To do ahead:  Scones are always best the day they are baked.  However, if you wish to get a lead on them, you can make them, arrange them on the parchment paper and freeze them.  When frozen, transfer them to a freezer bag or container.  No need to defrost them.  Bake them 2 to 3 minutes longer.

Nutrition Info: (Per 1 of 9 servings) 215 calories; 13.8 g fat (8.6 g sat. fat); 43 mg cholesterol; 205 mg sodium; 19.4 g carbohydrates; 1.5 g fiber; 6.8 g sugars; 4.2 g protein; 128 mg calcium; 1 mg iron; 223 mg potassium

Cranberry Scones

Makes 10 scones

Recipe from Annie’s Eats

Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

I thought these were just "scrummy" as Mary Berry would say.  I love that I can make and freeze the dough and then pop them in the oven when hunger strikes.  

1 ½ Tablespoons freshly grated lemon zest

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour

½ cup plus 3 Tablespoons granulated sugar, divided

1 Tablespoon baking powder

½ teaspoon Kosher salt

6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled, cut into small pieces

1 ¼ cup fresh or frozen cranberries, coarsely chopped

1 large egg plus 1 large egg yolk

1 cup heavy cream

Sparkling sugar or granulated sugar for sprinkling over the top

Preheat the oven to 400 F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone mat.

In a food processor, combine the lemon zest, flour, ½ cup sugar, baking powder, and salt.  Pulse briefly to blend.  Add in the cold butter pieces and pulse again briefly until the mixture resembles coarse meal and the butter pieces are no larger than peas.  Transfer to a large mixing bowl. (You can do this part using pastry blender or two knives if you don’t have a food processor.)

In a small bowl, toss together the chopped cranberries with the remaining 3 Tablespoons sugar.  Stir this in to the flour-butter mixture.

In another small bowl, combine the egg, egg yolk and cream; whisk to blend.  Add the liquid ingredients to the bowl with the dry ingredients and stir gently with a spatula or wooden spoon just until all the dry ingredients are moistened.  Be careful not to overwork the dough. 

Using a 2 ½ to 3 inch dough scoop, scoop out the batter and drop onto the prepared baking sheet 2-3 inches apart. Sprinkle lightly with the sparkling sugar.

To freeze before baking, flash freeze at this point.  Place the baking sheet with the shaped scones into the freezer and chill until frozen.  Transfer the frozen scone dough to a freezer-safe container or plastic bag and store until read to bake.)

Bake in the preheated oven until light golden brown, about 15-20 minutes.  If baking from the freezer, bake the frozen scones for 20-25 minutes.)

By my calculations, one of 10 scones is 367 calories.

Chocolate Cloud Cake

Makes one 8-inch cake serving 6-8 (This is very rich. Cut it into six wedges for decadence or 8 wedges for the more sensible.)

Recipe from Richard Sax via Food52

Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

This is the cake you make when a special occasion dessert is called for.  This is quite easy to prepare and so indulgently delicious, especially for chocolate-lovers.  You can make the cake in the morning of a party and while the cake is cooling, the pan can be washed and stored away.  When dessert time comes, brew up some coffee and whip the cream.  Wowza!

Cake:

8 oz. (225 g) best-quality bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

½ cup (110 g) unsalted butter, room temperature and cut into 1-Tablespoon pieces

6 large eggs, room temperature

1 cup (200 g) sugar, divided

2 Tablespoons cognac or Grand Marnier

Finely grated zest of 1 orange

Whipped Cream:

1 ½ cups (355 g) heavy cream, very cold

3 Tablespoons powdered sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Unsweetened cocoa powder and/or bittersweet chocolate shavings, for decoration

To make the cake, heat the oven to 350F (175C) with a rack in the center.  Line the bottom of an 8-inch (20 cm) springform pan with parchment paper.  (Do not butter the pan and parchment.)

Melt the chocolate in a heatproof owl set over but not touching gently simmering water in a saucepan.  You can whisk it occasionally to help it along.  When the chocolate is melted, remove the bowl from the heat and whisk in the butter until smooth.  Set aside.

In two small bowls, separate 4 of the eggs.  In a large bowl, whisk 2 whole eggs and the 4 egg yolks with ½ cup (100 g) of the sugar just until combined.  Slowly whisk in the warm chocolate mixture.  Whisk in the cognac and the orange zest. 

Using a mixer with a whisk attachment and a separate bowl, beat the 4 egg white until foamy.  Gradually add the remaining ½ cup (100 g) sugar and beat until beautifully glossy, soft peaks form that hold their shape but aren’t quite stiff and dry.  Very gently, fold about a quarter of the beaten egg whites into the chocolate mixture to lighten it, then gently fold in the remaining whites.  Scrape the batter into the prepared springform pan and gently smooth the top. 

Set the pan on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until the top is puffed and cracked and the center is no longer wobbly, 35-40 minutes.  Be careful not to bake the cake beyond this point.

Let the cake cook in the pan on a rack.  The center of the cake will sink as it cools, forming a sort of crater.  This is a good thing!  Let the cake cool completely on a rack.

While the cake is cooling, put the bowl you plan to use to prepare the whipped cream in the refrigerator along with a whisk.  Whipping cream is much easier to make when everything is quite cold. 

Whip the cream, powdered sugar and vanilla in a large bowl with a mixer that has a whisk attachment.  Whip until the cream is billowy, soft (not stiff) peaks form.

Just before you plan to serve the cake, top it with the cream.  Using a spatula, fill the sunken center of the cake with the whipped cream, swirling the cream to the edges of the crater.  Dust the top lightly with cocoa powder.  (If you wish, you can top it with chocolate shavings.)

Run the tip of a knife around the edge of the cake, carefully remove the sides of the pan, and cut into wedges to serve.

Store any leftovers airtight in the refrigerator.  The cake won’t be as presentable and will have a more mousse-like texture.