blackberry peach cake

this cake combines two of my absolute favorites: blackberries and peaches. blackberries make an appearance pretty frequently around here, so it's no surprise they're one of my favorites, but i have yet to profess my love of peaches.

blackberry jam & blackberry syrup

so you just happen to fall into cups and cups and cups of berries - any kind - and wish you could eat them until christmas? yea, me too. i don't like to freeze fresh berries too much. it seems no matter what i do, they stick to each other and end up as frozen blobs. and they just don't taste the same. same for pies. for me, it's jam all the way.

sometimes i wonder if people realize how insanely simple (and cheap) jam is to make. especially when i see it in the store for $4 a half pint.

i decided to end the week with how i started the week. i made the jam and syrup the day after i picked the berries, when they were still fresh and hadn't yet started to get mushy or soft. and except for some straining to make the syrup, they're exactly the same. and the only thing you need to know is that it's fruit and sugar. i used a 2:1 ratio of berries to sugar for the jam and 6:1 berries to sugar for the syrup, but it's totally up to you, depending on how sweet you like your jam and your syrup. and of course they can be scaled up or down, depending on your berry situation.

but the syrup. omg. it's so good i had to stop myself from eating it by the spoonful after it was made. lucky for me, i canned a pint of it, so sometime in mid february when i'would kill for a berry, i can pretend it's summer again while i have blackberry syrup over my pancakes on a lazy, snowed in saturday morning.



if you're sick of jam on your toast/bagel/english muffin/other baked good, try it on top of a cracker with some peanut butter. it makes a great afternoon snack.

and in case you missed it, here's a recap of blackberry week -
kicked it off with my mom's blackberry sangria
then moved on to a moist blackberry crumb cake
i tried my hand at blackberry half moons, but they weren't as berry-ey as i would have liked
and recreated the blackberry pancakes i had on vacation this summer in waffle form
ah, nothing like sweet tart blackberry ice cream on a humid summer night
and last night i made an amazing white layer cake filled with blackberry buttercream that i can't wait to try with other fruits

blackberry jam
makes 3 pints

6 cups blackberries
3 cups granulated sugar

1. in a large saucepan, heat the blackberries and sugar until boiling. use the back of a spoon to crush the berries while heating.
2. if you like your jam thinner (with less chunks of whole berries), use an immersion blender to smooth it to your liking.
3. boil until the jam thickens to your liking, about 15-20 minutes for thinner jam.
4. process in a water bath canner for 10 minutes.

blackberry syrup
makes 1 1/2 pints plus just enough extra for a round of pancakes

3 cups blackberries
1/2 cup granulated sugar

1. mash and strain blackberries and discard the pulp. you should have about 1 cup of juice.
   
2. in a small saucepan, heat the juice and sugar over medium heat until the sugar dissolves.
3. remove from heat. syrup can be canned in a water bath canner for 10 minutes. or refrigerate if using immediately.
   

white layer cake with blackberry buttercream

i don't remember the last time i made a layer cake. (turns out it was this chocolate peanut butter marble cake back in april.)

there's no sign of them on here. sure, i've made plenty of cupcakes, but layer cakes just seem so much fancier. they seem like they take more time, more fussing, more waiting for the layers to cool so i can ice it. but i bet all in all, cupcakes and layer cakes take the same amount of time and fussiness to make.

in the last year or so, jason and i have become big fans of cook's illustrated and america's test kitchen. i found this recipe looking for who really knows and ended up on their white layer cake. i was sold as soon as i read "almond extract" in the ingredients list.

in fact, the cake is so good, it could definitely win on it's own. with a light vanilla or chocolate glaze, it would make the perfect sheet cake. so even if you aren't a fan of blackberry buttercream - or buttercream in general - make the cake. it's that good.

but let's get on to the star of the show - the blackberry buttercream. it's the perfect blend of super sweet and creamy, like any buttercream, and tart from the berries. i've said it before, but i'll say it again - the tartness of the blackberries is a really nice compliment to the sweetness of the buttercream. and the almond in the cake. it's the perfect combo.

white layer cake
adapted from cook's illustrated
40 minutes plus cooling time, serves 12

2 1/4 cups cake flour
1 cup whole milk, room temperature
6 egg whites, room temperature
2 teaspoons almond extract
1 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter, room temperature

1. set oven rack in the middle position. preheat oven to 350F. spray two nine inch cake pans with non stick spray. dust pans with flour.
2. whisk together milk, egg whites, and almond and vanilla extracts. set aside.
3. in a separate bowl, mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. add butter and mix until it forms coarse wet crumbs.
4. add all but 1/2 cup of the milk mixture and beat at medium speed for 1 1/2 minutes. add remaining milk mixture and beat another 1 minute.
5. divide batter evenly among the two pans. smooth out the batter so it's even in the pan.
6. bake 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.
7. let the cakes cool in the pan a couple minutes before inverting. cool completely on a wire rack, about 2 hours. frost with blackberry buttercream.
   

blackberry buttercream
adapted from the novice chef
10 minutes, makes plenty for a two layer cake (divide in half if your crew doesn't care for buttercream so much)

2 sticks (1 cup) butter, room temperature
6 cups confectioners sugar
6 tablespoons strained blackberry puree
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1. beat butter on medium speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes.
2. slowly add 1 cup sugar and beat until smooth.
3. add blackberry puree, vanilla, and almond until blended.
4. add remaining sugar half a cup at a time, blending after each addition.
5. when all the sugar is added, beat on medium high until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

blackberry ice cream

you really didn't think i would let this week pass without some ice cream, did you?

jason says this is the best ice cream he's ever had. period. a little ecstatic for me (my favorite definitely involves chocolate), but i agree it's probably the best fruit ice cream i've ever made. the berries keep just enough of their tartiness so the ice cream isn't too sweet. the perfect balance.

this ice cream is pretty simple if you remember two things -

1. please please please crush the berries and strain them. someone i know - i won't name names - took a shortcut and decided to keep the berries whole. needless to say, the ice cream itself has little to no flavor and since the berries are whole, when you find one, it's like a block of ice in your ice cream. really, it's not so good. take the time to strain it. it's well worth it. (i mashed & strained mine a couple days before i made my ice cream. i kept the juice in the fridge and it was fine. shake it up good before using it.)

2. be careful when making the custard. don't let it cook too long. the first time i made this batch, i let the egg and half & half mixture cook too long. instead of "coating the back of a spoon" i had a pan full of scrambled eggs. it was awful. luckily i had enough half & half and eggs to redo. but don't make the same mistake. once you put the egg mixture on the stove to thicken, don't stop mixing. and as soon as the mixture coats the back of the spoon - run your finger through it, does it hold the path? or does it run? when it holds the path, it's done - remove it from the heat and strain into the heavy cream. and make sure you strain so if there are any small bits of cooked egg, they don't end up in your ice cream. if frozen berries are bad, i can't imagine what biting into a piece of cooked egg would be like. either way, it's not good.

blackberry ice cream
adapted from david lebovitz's raspberry ice cream in the perfect scoop

4 cups blackberries
1 1/2 cups half & half
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
4 egg yolks
1 tablespoon lemon juice

1. crush the berries and strain them with a cheesecloth or fine metal strainer. you should have about 1 2/3 cup juice.
2. in a sauce pan, heat the half & half and sugar over medium low heat until the sugar dissolves.
3. while the half & half and sugar are heating, place the heavy cream in the bottom of a bowl. place a strainer above it. in a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks.
4. when the sugar is dissolved, remove from heat. pour a small amount (about 1/4 cup) of the mixture into the eggs, whisking constantly. when incorporated, whisk in the remaining sugar mixture.pour the mixture back into the saucepan.
5. heat the custard over medium low heat, whisking constantly, until it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. be careful here - don't let it go too long or you'll have a pan of scrambled eggs.
6. remove from the heat and pour through the strainer into the heavy cream. stir to incorporate.
7. add the blackberry and lemon juices and mix thoroughly.
8. chill overnight (or a few hours) and churn according to your ice cream maker. david has great instructions for making ice cream if you don't have an ice cream maker.
   

blackberry waffles

i had the most amazing whole wheat blackberry pancakes when we were in gloucester massachusetts this summer at the atlantis inn on atlantic road. sweet and tarty whole berries with the nutty wheat pancakes made the perfect breakfast. jason always jokes that he should order whatever i order in restaurants, because inevitably, when the food comes, he's jealous of what i got. these pancakes proved it. but when is he ever going to learn? while he had forkfuls of eggs and bacon (which were also good), i was stuffing these tarty homemade pancakes into my face.

i knew as soon as i got my hands on some blackberries those pancakes were on the list. you know the list, right? the list of food you have on vacation and want to immediately recreate at home. the foods you mentally recreate at home while you're still eating them on vacation. i can't be the only person that does this, am i?

anyway, back to the pancakes. the only problem is, they're pancakes. my track record with them is not very good. they burn. they're under cooked. etc. etc. i was flipping through my joy of cooking when it hit me. duh. make waffles. they're foolproof! anyone can see when the green light goes off on the waffle iron to tell me they're done. the only thing i need to worry about is not over mixing. and be sure to grease the waffle grates. there's nothing worse than a stuck waffle.

so i took the generic "waffles" recipe from joy of cooking, added some wheat flour (honestly, i was a little too afraid to go 100% whole wheat, so i went half & half this time) and the berries. along with some vermont maple syrup i picked up on our trip this summer, homemade blackberry syrup, and some scrambled eggs these made a great weeknight dinner. yep, i had waffles for dinner.

and i froze the leftovers. let them cool to room temp and freeze in zip top storage bags. toast in a toaster oven or toaster and serve. they'll make a quick breakfast before hitting the public market this weekend!

blackberry waffles
adapted from joy of cooking
30 minutes, serves 4 (makes 8 waffles)

3/4 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup wheat flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup blackberries

1. preheat your waffle iron.
2. in a large bowl, whisk together the dry team - all purpose flour, wheat flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. set aside.
3. in another bowl, whisk together the wet team - eggs, melted butter (make sure it's not too hot or you'll have scrambled eggs), and milk.
4. make a well in the center of the dry team and add the wet team all at once. mix just until incorporated. gently stir in the berries.
5. fill waffle iron about 2/3 full of batter and cook according to your waffle maker directions. keep cooked waffles warm in a 200F oven while the rest of the waffles are cooking. waffles are best enjoyed with real maple syrup or homemade blackberry syrup.
   

blackberry half moons

i had high high hopes for these cookies.

half moons are my favorite. or black and whites if you're downstate. whatever you call them, they're my favorite. there used to be a time when i couldn't walk past the two pack in the wegmans bakery without tossing them in my cart. so i thought blackberry half moons would be even better with the tartiness of the berries balancing the super sweet glaze.

not so much.

it's not that they're bad. they just aren't very blackberry-ey.

which is a bummer since they came out so nice and purple. too bad i didn't spread them out with a spoon so they're all misshapen and look like a sixth grader made them. but the purple is just different enough to be intriguing. but when you take a bite, it's just a plain old half moon.

not that i won't stop eating them. the texture is spot on so is the sweetness. and the glaze is perfect. perfect rendition of the glaze from a bakery half moon.

it's just too bad the berry doesn't really shine through. i put these in my "retry" file. along with some others i haven't even mentioned.

...maybe it's the berries. blackberries aren't as strongly flavored as raspberries and strawberries. maybe it's a bad choice of berries. i guess i'll have to wait until next summer to see.

blackberry half moons
adapted from a lot of places, but mostly smitten kitchen, joy the baker, and all recipes
makes 18 medium sized cookies in 60 minutes

for the cookies -
1/2 cup room temperature butter
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
2 eggs
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup strained blackberry puree
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cup cake flour
1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

for the glaze -
6 cups confectioners sugar
4 tablespoons corn syrup
2 tablespoons melted or room temp butter
3 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted
hot water

1. preheat your oven to 375F and grease or line two sheet pans with parchment.
2. in a medium bowl, cream the butter and sugar for about 5 minutes, until light and fluffy. add the eggs, milk, berry puree, and vanilla and mix until smooth.
3. in a separate bowl, combine flours, salt, and baking powder. add dry ingredients to wet ingredients in batches, until combined.
4. place heaping tablespoons of batter two inches apart on baking sheets. use the back of a spoon to make a nice round circle out of the dough. bake about 10 minutes, depending on the size of your cookies. cool completely before icing.
5. while the cookies are cooling, make the icing. in a bowl, combine 3 cups sugar, 2 tablespoons corn syrup, 1 tablespoon butter, and 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla and whisk. add enough hot water to achieve the right consistency. remember - you can always add more water if it's too thick, but it's a pain to add more sugar if it gets too thin. this is your white glaze. set aside.
6. make the chocolate glaze. in a separate bowl, in a bowl, combine 3 cups sugar, 2 tablespoons corn syrup, 1 tablespoon butter, 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla and the melted chocolate and whisk. add enough hot water to achieve the right consistency.
7. when the cookies are cool, spread the white glaze across the bottom half of each cookie. let sit about 15 minutes or until set before spreading the chocolate glaze. let glaze set and store in an airtight container.

blackberry crumb cake

i love a good coffee cake. a good breakfast cake with fruit in it. like raspberries. or peaches.

i've just never made one.

why?

that's what my mom does. ever since i can remember my mother has been baking up something. fallen over birthday cakes. homemade cookies in the cookie jar. and since i've grown up, it's a toss up between cinnamon rolls and coffee cake first thing in the morning whenever we stay at their house. for me, it's my mother through and through. and only comes out for special occasions.

so next time you have house guests and want them to feel extra special, whip up this cake. it's easy, tasty, and super moist. i used fresh berries, but i bet frozen would work too. and swap out the blackberries for raspberries if you prefer them. it's your cake! make it how you want it.

blackberry crumb cake
adapted from real simple, july 2010

for the topping:
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup flour
2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter

for the cake:
1/2 cup cold unsalted butter cut into pieces
2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 eggs
1 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups blackberries (about 1 pound)

1. preheat the oven to 350F. grease an 8 inch square baking dish.
2. in the bowl of a food processor, making the crumb topping by pulsing all ingredients until crumbly. pour out of the processor and set aside.
3. make the cake in the food processor too. pulse the butter, flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon until crumbly. in a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, and vanilla together. add the dry ingredients from the processor to the egg mixture and mix until combined.
4. pour the cake batter into the pan and top with the blackberries. sprinkle the topping over the cake. bake about 55-60 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. let the cake cool in the pan before serving. and cool completely. otherwise you might end up with berries down your shirt and a soupy piece of cake.
   

blackberry sangria: the kickoff to blackberry week!

i've mentioned before that i come from a long line of berriers. so it's no surprise that last weekend, jason, my parents, and i spent an hour picking loads and loads of blackberries growing like crazy behind my mother's uncle's house.

in that one hour, we picked a good 7 quarts of berries. yea, a lot. so this week is all things blackberry!



there's cake and ice cream and jam. i'm kicking off my week with my mom's blackberry sangria and stay tuned every day this week for a new recipe featuring blackberries!



i first had this sangria last august at my bridal shower. and mom and i made it again this year just because we can.

but watch out. one minute you're sitting in a chair, surrounded by the important women in your life, opening gifts while others oooh and aaah and bring you sangria refills. an hour later when you finally get up, you'll be a little weak in the knees. and it will take you a second to realize you drank three glasses of this stuff in the last hour!

that's how good it is.



blackberry sangria
adapted from better homes and gardens
30 minutes, makes ~13 cups

4 cups blackberries
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups water
2 750ml bottles of rose wine
1 cup orange liqueur (Grand Marnier)
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 peaches, thinly sliced
handful or two of ice

1. combine 2 cups of the berries, sugar, water, and a dash of salt in a medium saucepan. bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. remove from heat and cool slightly. crush the berries and strain through a colander. discard the smushed berries and let the syrup cool.
2. in your sangria pitcher, combine the cool syrup, wine, liqueur, lemon juice, peach and remaining 2 cups of berries.
3. when you're ready to serve, fill the pitcher (or glasses) with ice and add sangria. mom likes hers with a splash of carbonated water for fizz.