Apple Cake

What a great way to use some of those delicious apples that are in season. Mike made this Apple Cake from the SmittenKitchen blog recipe. Gala apples, cinnamon, sugar and toasted pecans are tossed together for the "filling". A basic quickbread batter is made and poured into a tube pan, then layered with the apple mixture. The remainder of the batter is poured over the filling, then the remainder of the apples are poured on top. This bakes into a wonderfully delicious Fall treat. Not too sweet, but sweet enough for dessert!

Sandwich Anyone?

These cookies make the perfect after school snack. Mike made these sandwich chookies with a recipe from the Martha Stewart Baking Handbook (page 111). Crisp, peanutty cookies are baked and feature a graphic line pattern (just grab your nearest fork)! Both the cookies and filing are made with natural peanut butter. Mike added a chocolate ganache filling - who can't resist the two together! Crunchy and delicious with a chocolate-peanut filling . . . pour yourself a glass of milk and enjoy!

Lemon Poppy Seed Cake

Have a few lemons laying around? Whynot make a Martha Stewart classic "Lemon Poppy Seed Cake". The recipe features plenty of fresh lemons (juice and zest), cream cheese, and a lemon-sugar glaze that finishes off this simple, but elegant dessert. The cake pan is a Martha Stewart Collection from Macy's "Bavarian" bundt pan, and sits atop a whiteware cake stand (also from the collection). Pucker up and enjoy a piece!

Red & Black Plum Tart

With just a few ripe plums, Mike made this Plum Tart with Cream Cheese Filling in no time. The crust is an example of "make it now, use it later" - a Martha Stewart pecan/nut crust recipe made a month ago and frozen. After a quick rollout and fitting into a tart pan, it is spread with a cream cheese-based filling. The plum topping is made with both red and black plums, sliced and cooked with cinnamon, butter and sugar until tender. Bring to room temperature, arrange the fruit and voila - a quick, delicious and elegant dessert!

A Triple Brownie Day

Friday was a triple-brownie day at the office. Mike, in a Thursday night brownie-baking frenzy, baked up three batches. All from Martha Stewart's Cookies cookbook, these confections were easy to make and packed with unique flavors. First was the Peanut Butter Swirl brownies, the company favorite, (pg. 268), then came Cream Cheese Swirl Blondies (pg 275) and finally, Chocolate-Ginger Brownies (pg 276) with fresh, grated ginger and bittersweet chocolate. With such a variety, everyone could pick and choose their favorite. Note for the future: bake twice as many Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies - these disappeared first!

Going Bananas!

Elaine has simply gone...bananas - with these moist and delicious banana cupcakes. Wonderful with a cup of tea, coffee or even as a simple dessert, these tiny cakes are moist, full of banana flavor and plenty good without the icing! Pull up a chair and a cup of your favorite beverage and let's chat over these delicious treats!

FORE! Watch out for Claudine's Confections!

Who couldn't resist one of these perfect, sporty, little golf balls! Claudine created these for her company's golf tournament - and boy were they a "hole in one"! The balls are made of chocolate using a golf ball candy mold. Green-tinted buttercream icing and a grass cake decorating tip give these cupcakes the finishing touches - so realistic, fun and delicious!

Kenn takes the Cake (and Cupcakes, too)!

Cake anyone? Or how about a delicious, festive and fun cupcake? Kenn made these delightful delectables for a recent Birthday celebration. Coconut and chocolate cupcakes feature a swirled buttercream frosting, and topped with a sugared daisies - perfect for Summer! A very special Birthday Cake was made for a very special person - Mary Rita was treated to luscious vanilla layer cake in a wonderful oval shape, topped with a beautiful, frosted message! Flanked by two gorgeous, sugared lilies. Happy Birthday Mary Rita!

Chocolate & Pear Tart

Have a few extra pears in your basket? Why not try an easy, delicious Chocolate & Pear Tart? Mike made for a Sunday dessert from an Everyday Food recipe. Everything is made in the food processor - featuring a ground almond-based batter with eggs, cocoa, vanilla and almond extract. Simply pour into your favorite tart pan (no rolling or pressing needed) and top with ripe, sliced pears. Bake for 50 minutes and voila! A glaze of warmed Apple Jelly finishes off this tart, or sprinkle with confectioner's sugar. Perfect for that quick and easy late Summer dessert!

Ginger Zucchini Cupcakes

Got some extra zucchini from your garden? Who doesn't this time of year! Mike baked a batch of Ginger ZucchiniCupcakes, made with honey, olive oil, chopped candied ginger, cinnamon and of course, zucchini. The frosting was a basic Martha Stewart Cream Cheese frosting, but with cinnamon and ground ginger added. The "cups" in these cupcakes are Wilton "nut" cups and they make for a neat little "mini cupcake". Moist, delicious and healthy!

Morning Blueberry Muffins

Who doesn't love a fresh, moist blueberry muffin in the summertime, or for that matter, anytime! Elaine baked this beautiful batch of Double Blueberry Muffins, a recipe from the Martha Stewart publication, Everyday Food. Adding cornmeal in the mix give these muffins a distinctly rustic flavor and lemon zest adds the "zing"! A dab of sweet, creamy butter would make these muffins melt in your mouth. Or perhaps a cup of tea or that first cup of morning coffee? Delicious!

Scones ala Blueberries

Here's a delicious solution when you have an excess of summertime blueberries. Mike made this batch of Blueberry Scones with a somewhat "puff pastry" technique. Frozen sticks of butter were grated, kept frozen and then mixed with the dry ingredients, milk and sour cream. The dough was rolled and folded like puff pastry, with only 2 turns. On the final rollout, frozen (fresh) blueberries were pressed into the flat dough, then rolled up and pressed into a flat log. This method helped keep the blueberries whole and the buttery, cakey treat is more moist than the traditional scone. Delicious with raspberries, blackberries... the list goes on!

A Cool Treat!

Aren't these just the perfect Summertime "cooler"? Elaine whipped up these Pineapple Cinnamon frozen pops -and just in time, now that the dog days of August are upon us. A healthy alternative to sugar-laden popsicles, these treats both look AND taste delicious! The recipe comes from the June Issue of Body + Soul (page 23). This recipe uses 3 cups of pineapple chunks (known for anti-inflammatory properties), 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, and 1/4 cup fresh orange juice. The wonderful "pop molds" are from the Martha Stewart Collection at Macy's. They're so COOL, aren't they?

Blueberry Nectarine Pie

You are looking at a "first". Mike's first "make & bake" pie came out better than expected. He used a recipe from "Baking with Julia" by Dorie Greenspan. Sliced nectarines and fresh blueberries make up the filling, half of which are sauteed in sugar, flour and lemon zest until gently boiling. When mixed with the remaining fruit, fresh lemon juice was added. The butter crust is Martha Stewart's pate brisee recipe - it turned out quite flakey, buttery and held up nicely with all the blueberry and nectarine juices. An egg wash atop the crust and a dusting of turbinado sugar finished the preparation and added just the right "sweetness"!

Chocolate Ginger Cookies

Mike calls these particular cookies "hybrids" - the best from Martha Stewart's Chewy Chocolate Ginger Cookies and Ina Garten's Ultimate Ginger Cookies. He loves how Ina makes hers with 1 1/4 cups of chopped, candied ginger, but wanted the chewy texture and chocolate chunks in Martha's. Combining the two recipes somehow worked. They are full of ginger: grated fresh, chopped candied and ground. The semi-sweet chocolate chunks combined with molasses and assorted spices (cinnamon and nutmeg) compliment and give these cookies a nice, rich flavor. Rolled in sugar, mmm!

Ginger Cheesecake Bars

What could be better in the heat of Summer than a refreshing and cool cream cheese bar? Mike made these bars using the recipe in Martha Stewart's Cookie Book (pages 272-273) and displays them on Martha's small, square cake stand from Macy's (a birthday present from Elaine - thank you)!  A non-traditional crust is made with ginger snaps instead of graham crackers, and chopped, candied ginger is mixed with the cream cheese filling. They make for a wonderful twist on the classic cream cheese bar, and are especially good slightly chilled!

Cupcake Anyone?

Perfectly swirled frosting atop the perfect little cake. What could be better? Kenn made these multi-flavored cupcakes for a party, and boy, were they the hit of the night. Presented on a stack of jadeite cake stands, no one could resist taking one (or two) for themselves. Freshly baked the "morning of" - they were a perfect party dessert. Easy to make, easy to present, and best of all, easy to eat!

5 Stars for Kenn!

What an absolutely creative and delicous way to bring smiles to the associates of a Macy's store, than to present them with Star Cookies - right before the Fourth of July! Kenn created these delectable bites with Martha Stewart's Star Cookie Cutters (available at Macy's). He gave them a flood of royal icing (in red, of course), and gave them to his favorite Macy's folk! Boy, were they surprised - and amazed that they were so nicely wrapped and presented.  It's a nice gesture that everyone should do when they have time. A little goes a long way, as they say. Although - I'm not sure the cookies lasted THAT long!

Luscious Lemon!

Somehow, lemon just says "Spring. Or Summer!". And what better way to infuse the season than with a glazed pound cake? Kenn's wonderful Lemon Pound Cake (taken from Ina Garten's recipe) looks especially delicious and delightfully presented with sliced lemons. Topped with a lemon glaze, who couldn't resist a piece of this traditional, tart dessert. Pound cakes make perfect hostess gifts and travel well. Anyone would be delighted to receive one of Kenn's Pound Cakes!

Apricot Almond Rose Cake

What does one do with a box full of over ripe apricots? Mike whipped up some apricot preserves and then began with a Martha Stewart Almond Pound Cake recipe. Half the batter was poured into 10-cup bundt pan, and a layer of the apricot preserves and sliced, toasted almonds came next. The added the remaining batter. Mike used (christened) his new, "Rose" bundt pan from Williams Sonoma. When the cake was cooled (and, thankfully, easily removed), a glaze of apricot puree, confectioner's sugar and vanilla was brushed on. More toasted almond slices were sprinkled around to finish it off. It was a delicious way to dress up a basic pound cake, for summer, or anytime of the year.

Pucker up!

Mike dusted off (with flour, of course) the ol' cookie sheets! These Dark Chocolate  Cookies with Sour Cherries from the Martha Stewart Cookies book (pages 98-99) will sure to please any fruit and chocolate lover. The tart, chewy, dried cherries contrast nicely with the bittersweet chocolate chunks (along with dark brown sugar and dutch processed cocoa) to make a deliciously dense cookie. Chewy, decadent and quite flavorful - they are highly recommended for a rich, dark, "bite of summer".

Buckle Up!

Have a few leftover blueberries in your refrigerator? Why not use them in this tasty, summertime treat - a Blueberry Buckle. Buckles are a type "cakey cobbler" with a crumble, streusel topping. As it bakes, cracks and crevices form, "buckling" the cake as it rises. This particular buckle recipe can be found on marthastewart.com. Mike baked this in a springform pan and served it with sweetened creme fraiche (heavy whipping cream, sour cream, confectioner's sugar and vanilla). It made for a perfect mid-week dessert.

Cobbler - Peach & Blueberry Style

Mike went a little crazy with the cobbler dough, here. Underneath this sugar-sanded, cream and butter-based topping are sliced peaches and sweet blueberries. Taken from a recipe from Martha Stewart, this cobbler makes good use of the Martha Stewart Collection "Oven to Table" bakeware, available at Macy's. A dollop of vanilla ice cream, fresh-whipped cream or even creme fraiche would top this dessert off perfectly!

Bars and More Bars

Mike celebrates the first weeks of summer with Blackberry Almond Shortbread Squares (from Martha Stewart's 2004 Annual Recipes) and Raspberry Bars.  Both incorporate a shortbread-based crust and streusel toppings that adds a sweet crunch. The blackberries are tossed with orange zest and the Raspberry Bars have a cup of fresh raspberries mixed with preserves as the filling. Perfect with a cold glass or sun tea or freshly-squeezed lemonade!

A SweetTart!

Fresh raspberries, cool, rich pastry cream and a pecan tart shell. Mike adapted this recipe from a variety of Martha Stewart "sources". A filling of pastry cream with honey from Everyday Food, a pecan tart shell from Martha Stewart's Pies & Tarts, and ripe raspberries... from nature. All three combine to form the perfect summer tart. A dollop of creme fraiche or whipping cream adds that final sweet touch!

Apricots make great tarts!

A perfect tart for the summer season! Elaine's Apricot Tart recipe (taken from the June issue of Everyday Food) shows just how easy this tart can be made. The fluted crust couldn't be easier (no rolling), just mix and press. A delicious filling of pastry cream (made with honey) and topped with sliced apricots finish it off in style.

Claudine's Delicious Salute!

How fitting for the Fourth of July, than to unveil a marvelous Red, White & Blue Tart. Claudine recreated this Martha Stewart classic recipe, a spectacular display of color, texture and taste. This dessert features fresh blueberries and raspberries, sitting atop a luscious creme fraiche filling. The long, rectangular tart shell shows off this holiday dessert in true patriotic style. Magnifique!

Elaine's Peach Cobbler - Just "Peachy"!

What a Peach! Elaine made good use of a neighbor's gift of peaches with this traditional summertime Peach Cobbler (a recipe available at marthastewart.com). Made with cinnamon, dark brown sugar and of course, the best peaches, who couldn't resist a bowlful of this delectable dessert. All that's missing is a nice, cold scoop of vanilla ice cream!

Ooh La La!

Claudine does it yet again. She presents a French classic in such a stylish manner (and plate)! Her "French Macaroons" (left photo) look so tempting and scrumptious, with the recipe coming from Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook (right photo). Not to be confused with American Coconut Macaroons, these French treats are crispy on the outside, light and airy inside, due to the luscious Swiss Meringue Buttercream! Bon apetit!

Tender, Cakey Chocolate Chip Cookies!

Elaine continues the Chocolate Chip brigade with these Cakey Chocolate Chip Cookies from Martha's Cookies book (page 198). They look so tender and delicious - and beautifully presented. All that's needed is a big glass of ice cold milk! Who could resist?