Just A Little Trifle!

This dessert came about through a series of inspirations and culinary failures.  The end result was, I believe, a consummate success!  I will quote my friend Kelly on the end result, "I could seriously picture myself in a chair eating that trifle until I go into a coma."  That statement, my friends, is what every baker dreams of hearing, honestly!!!  So, here's the inspiration portion of the creation.  I wanted to make trifle, but my husband can't eat chocolate anymore.  So what to do?  I decided to make a fruit and vanilla pudding trifle.  For the cake.... Harvey Wallbanger, a Buegge family (or Whitley family) tradition!  I adjusted it and didn't add the pudding and exchanged orange juice for lemon juice (because of other ideas that were percolating in my head at that moment).  I had blueberries in the freezer that I had picked the previous summer, sumptuous blueberries that would taste great with a lemon flavor somewhere in the trifle!  Now for the failure turned inspiration portion.  I had a box of instant pudding, which normally goes in Harvey Wallbanger, but would be kept out to layer instead.  I tried to use almond milk in place of regular milk.  This was not a success, it was soupy.  Soooooo, change of plans..... make your own pudding from scratch; vanilla-lemon pudding!!!  So I had my layers, Harvey Wallbanger cake, vanilla-lemon pudding, blueberries and whip cream, Oh My!  It does take a bit of time to do this, but the results are so very worth it.

Here's to your trifle coma!!!

Blueberry Banger Trifle 
Ingredients:
Cake -
1 box yellow cake mix
3 eggs
3/4 cup oil
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup Vodka
1/4 cup Galliano
1/4 cup lemon juice
Pudding -
3/4 cup sugar
2 Tbsp. flour
2 cups milk
2 egg yolks, beaten
4 Tbsp. butter
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 tsp. lemon juice
Rest of the trifle
Blueberries (about 2-3 cups)
Whip cream (enough to layer 2 times)

Method:

 

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• Mix all cake ingredients together and bake for 30-40 minutes.  I bake the cake in a lightly greased bundt pan.  Then cut the cake into cubes.  

• In a medium saucepan combine 3/4 cup of sugar and 2 Tbsp. flour and slowly add 2 cups of milk, while stirring/whisking.

 

• Cook mixture on low (this is important because milk can easily scald - I will warn you, this feels like it takes forever and honestly, it kinda does - it's the longest part of this dessert).
• Once the mixture thickens and bubbles, add 4 Tbsp. of the hot mixture to the beaten eggs and stir in.  Then add the eggs to the full sugar/milk mixture.
• Cook for 2 more minutes.
• Then remove from heat and add butter, vanilla and lemon juice.  Stir.
• Now you are ready to layer.  Cake pieces, pudding, blueberries, whip cream, blueberries, cake, pudding, blueberries and whip cream!

Enjoy!!!

Click here for printable recipe

More Blueberries!

Sadly, this is my last post about blueberries for a bit.  I have used up the last of these frozen wonders from last summer.  The good news is that there will be plenty more to come since we've just planted our own blueberry patch!!  Woo-hoo!  I love all the things we are able to grow here in this beautiful valley and the huge yard God has blessed us with.  Although this is the last of the blueberry recipes  for awhile, it's a great one to end on.  This was originally called a "breakfast cake", but I think it's too sweet for that, so we're just going with dessert on this one; small group dessert to be exact.  When I found the recipe at the "Alexandra's Kitchen" food blog, I knew right away I'd be making it, and soon!!  How can you resist a recipe with blueberries AND buttermilk?!  I couldn't and turns out I was glad I couldn't.  We put the small in small group that night with only 4 adults and 2 kids.  Regardless, we put a HUGE dent in this dessert.

Banish the midweek "blues" with this blueberry goodness tonight!!

Buttermilk Blueberry Cake 
Ingredients:
½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature

2 tsp. lemon zest or more — zest from 1 large lemon

3/4 of a cup packed brown sugar

1 egg, room temperature

2 tsp. vanilla

2 cups flour (white whole wheat worked great)

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. kosher salt

2 cups fresh blueberries

½ cup buttermilk

1 tablespoon granulated sugar for sprinkling on top

Method:

• 1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Cream butter with lemon zest and 3/4 cup of the sugar until light and fluffy.
• 2. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined. Meanwhile, toss the blueberries with ¼ cup of flour, then whisk together the remaining flour, baking powder and salt.
• 3. Add the flour mixture to the batter a little at a time, alternating with the buttermilk. Fold in the blueberries.
• 4. Grease a 9-inch square baking pan (or something similar) with butter or coat with non-stick spray. Spread batter into pan. Sprinkle batter with tablespoon of granulated sugar. Bake for 45 minutes. Check with a toothpick for done-ness.  Depending on your oven you may need more or less time.  Start checking for done-ness and desired "golden-ness" (I'm liking the "ness" words today!) at about 35 minutes. 
• Let cool at least 15 minutes before serving.

Click here for printable recipe

Heavenly Blueberries

I've taken a bit of a vacation from blogging; not by design, just by necessity.  The end of the school year sees an increase in referrals for speech and language services and that means testing and paperwork galore.  I haven't been able to find moments to blog but I have CREATED moments to bake.  It's my stress relief and a necessity when the end of the school year rolls around.  Luckily I have a great excuse, my small group Bible study.  I HAVE to provide yummy treats for them each week.  Not because they make me, but because I need to.  It provides the perfect reason to drop everything and bake.  A few weeks ago my younger son joined me in the kitchen to create some of the tastiest treats yet. Living in the Yakima valley for the past almost 2 years, we've discovered a treasure trove of fresh fruit, ours for the picking, literally.  We have taken full advantage of all opportunities and with the help of my canning equipment and a large garage freezer; we've been able to enjoy the "fruits of our picking labor" all year round.  For this recipe I grabbed some of the amazing blueberries we picked last summer. (I have since decided that almost any berry would be great in this recipe.) We went blueberry picking with some great friends and my obsessive compulsive side reared its head.  I could not pull myself away as long as there was a single berry left on a bush.  My husband had to intervene.  I dreamt of picking berries that night.  I digress.  The original recipe comes from The Smitten Kitchen food blog.  I really didn't change much since it is such a simple, straight forward recipe that there was no need.  In fact, my 4 year old kitchen helper did much of the work.  (He is, however, a trained professional, enrolled for the past 5 months in his pre-school's cooking class.)  Don't let the simplicity fool you though.  It looks and tastes completely AMAZING!!!  I made a second dessert on top of this one.  There was one small piece left by the end of the night.  There were only 9 people at small group!!!  If that isn't a testimony to the sheer deliciousness of these bars, nothing is. 

Grab some berries and getting cracking on this pan of deliciousness.

Blueberry Crumb Bars  
Ingredients:
3/4 cup white sugar (I cut this down from 1 cup - hey, every little bit helps right?)
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
Zest and juice of one lemon  (thinking of trying lime next time)
1 cup cold unsalted butter (2 sticks or 8 ounces)
1 egg
4 cups fresh blueberries
1/4 cup white sugar  (also cut this in half because I knew these blueberries were sweet already)
4 teaspoons cornstarch

Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease a 9×13 inch pan.
2. In a medium bowl, stir together 3/4 cup sugar, 3 cups flour, and baking powder. Mix in salt and lemon zest. Use a fork or pastry cutter to blend in the butter and egg. Dough will be crumbly. Pat half of dough into the prepared pan.

My happy little helper!

Grinning Fiendishly

Working hard

3. In another bowl, stir together remaining 1/4 cup sugar, cornstarch and lemon juice. Gently mix in the blueberries. Sprinkle the blueberry mixture evenly over the crust.

He has to get is perfectly even.

4.  Crumble remaining dough over the berry layer.

Seriously cute kitchen elf

Up close look before the oven.
 Makes me want to eat it now!

5. Bake in preheated oven for 45-60 minutes, or until top is slightly brown. (It took a full hour in my oven to reach desired color.)

Click here for printable recipe