Blackberry Limeade Bars

My friend KC emailed me the other day, saying that she had made the strawberry lemonade bars. It always makes me happy when people make the recipes that I post. She was asking about other flavor combinations and suggested blackberries and limes. Done and done. So here we are. Thanks, KC!

Tart, sweet, and smooth, these blackberry limeade bars scream summer. They cut clean and transport well (place in a tupperware and lay with sheets of waxed paper). I used key lime zest and juice, because, I'll admit it, I'm a lime snob (and they are so cheap to buy in Tucson). Take advantage of blackberry season while you can with these delightful, jewel-toned gems.

Blackberry Limeade Bars

yields one 8-by-8 inch pan of bars

Ingredients:
Crust
1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt

Blackberry Lime Layer
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon lime zest
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups blackberries, fresh or frozen, thawed
3 large egg whites
1 large egg
2/3 cups freshly squeezed lime juice

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350˚ F.  Line an 8-by-8 inch baking pan with parchment paper.  In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter and sugar.  Beat on medium-high speed until smooth, 1-2 minutes.  With the mixer on low speed, mix in the flour and salt just until incorporated.  Add the dough to the prepared baking pan.  Press into an even layer over the bottom of the pan.  Bake for about 25 minutes or until light golden brown.  Remove from the oven, maintaining the temperature.

While the crust is baking, make the top layer.  Combine the sugar, flour, lime zest and salt in a large bowl and whisk to blend.  Puree blackberries and press through a fine mesh sieve, mashing with a spatula, to extract as much juice and pulp as possible, straining out the seeds.  Add the egg whites and egg to the bowl with the dry ingredients and whisk well to blend.  Whisk in the blackberry puree and lime juice until smooth.

Pour the mixture over the crust and bake until the center is just set and not longer jiggles when gently shaken, about 30 minutes.  Transfer to a wire rack to cool to room temperature.  Cover and chill well in the refrigerator, at least 2 hours.  When ready to serve, use the parchment paper to lift the bars from the pan.  Place on a cutting board and slice into bars.

Enjoy.

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Blackberry Pear Upside-Down Cake

Apparently, there is a second blackberry season that nobody ever told me about, because they are practically giving away blackberries for free at the grocery stores around here. This is good news for you and me - more blackberry recipes!

My mom often makes this cake with raspberries, so I thought I'd give it a go with blackberries and pears. The result is winning. I left this pretty little thing out on the counter and my roommates ate almost all of it within 24 hours. This cake can be made with any fruit, but this combination won't let you (upside) down. Bon Appétit! 

          

Blackberry Pear Upside-Down Cake

adapted from Gourmet

yields one 8 inch cake

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups fresh blackberries

3 pears, sliced lengthwise

1/2 cup + 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 cup well-shaken buttermilk

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Line bottom of a buttered 8- by 2-inch round cake pan with 2 rounds of parchment paper, then butter parchment. Dust pan with some flour, knocking out excess.

Arrange pears, and then blackberries in 1 layer in cake pan. Sprinkle berries with 11/2 tablespoons sugar.

Whisk together 1 cup flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Beat together butter and remaining 1/2 cup sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add egg, vanilla, and cinnamon and mix at low speed until just incorporated. Alternately add flour mixture and buttermilk in 3 batches, mixing at low speed until just incorporated.

Spoon batter evenly over berries, smoothing top, and bake in middle of oven until top is golden and a tester comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes.

Run a thin knife around edge of pan, then invert a large plate over pan and, using pot holders to hold plate and pan together tightly, flip cake onto plate. Peel off parchment and serve cake. 

Enjoy.

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Profiteroles with Blackberry Mascarpone, Chocolate, and Pistachio

Happy New Year! Let us hope 2012 brings happiness to us all. I rung in the new year with these little fellows: flaky profiteroles filled with blackberry mascarpone, dipped in chocolate, and sprinkled with pistachio. I love the colors and the flavors in this dessert. I hope that you'll give them a try sometime this year. Take care, and best wishes and blessings!

Profiteroles

adapted from La Fuji Mama

yields four dozen mini profiteroles

Ingredients:

1 cup water

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

4 large eggs

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 F.

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. Bring the water to a boil in a medium-size saucepan over medium-high heat.  Add the butter.  When the butter has melted, add the flour mixture all at once and stir vigorously.  Cook and stir until the mixture forms a ball that doesn’t separate. Remove from the heat and cool slightly (about 1 minute).  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each one until the dough is smooth.

Drop heaping tablespoons of dough about 2-inches apart onto a lined baking sheet.  Or transfer the batter to a pastry bag with a round tip and pipe circles about 2-inches in diameter and about 1-inch apart onto lined baking sheets.  Bake the puffs for about 30 minutes until they are golden brown and puffy.  If the puffs are medium-size, bake for about 25 minutes, and if the puffs are mini-size, bake for about 20 minutes.  Remove the cream puffs from the oven and cool on a cooling rack.

Blackberry Mascarpone

Ingredients:

2 cups blackberries

1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest

2 tablespoons orange juice 

1/4 cup sugar

16 ounces mascarpone, at room temperature

1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

Directions:

Place blackberries, orange zest, orange juice, and sugar in a saucepan over low heat. Mash blackberries as they cook down. Leave on low for 15 minutes.

Strain blackberry mixture through a fine mesh sieve. Let cool.

With an electric mixer on low speed, combine mascarpone, confectioners' sugar, and the blackberry mixture until combined.

Assembly

Melt 8 ounces of chocolate on a double broiler. Grind 1/4 cup shelled pistachios into a fine powder.

Pipe blackberry mascarpone into the profiteroles. Dip tops of profiteroles in melted chocolate and immediately sprinkle with pistachios. Let chocolate cool and harden. Can be stored in an air tight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

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Mini Vanilla Cupcakes with Blackberry Frosting

Warning: Mini cupcakes are dangerous. You think you can eat five in one sitting because they're only little... Please proceed at your own risk.

Simple, elegant, and flavorful, this two-bite dessert quickly charms its way into your stomach. Any lunch, party, or bridal shower would welcome the arrival of this pretty, petite palate-pleaser.  

I cannot get over the stunning color of this frosting. All praise the blackberry! It reminds me of the blackberry cabernet gelato that Frost sells (probably because it's 105 F outside and I wish I had some ice cream right now... or because I always wish I had some ice cream right now regardless of the temperature...). If you can make this frosting before gobbling up all of the blackberries in the carton (power to you!), then you can make this recipe, and I highly recommend it. 

Vanilla Cupcakes
adapted from My Baking Addiction

yields 2 dozen cupcakes or 6 dozen mini cupcakes

Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups milk
4 large egg whites
8 tablespoon (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line cupcake pan with paper liners.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk and egg whites.

In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar at medium speed until the butter and sugar are very light and fluffy. Add in the vanilla extract and one third of the flour mixture, still beating on medium speed. Beat in half of the milk-egg mixture, then beat in half of the remaining dry ingredients until well incorporated. Add the rest of the milk and eggs, beating until the ingredients are fully incorporated and the batter is smooth. Then add the last of the dry ingredients, beating until, yes, that's right, the ingredients are fully incorporated.

Using a large scoop/spoon, distribute the batter between the muffin trays, filling each muffin liner until 1/2 to 2/3 full.

Bake for 20-24 minutes for cupcakes, and 16-18 minutes for mini cupcakes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centers comes out clean. Cool on wire rack. While cupcakes are cooling, make Blackberry Frosting...



Blackberry Frosting

yields about 3 cups of frosting

Ingredients: 8 tablespoons (1 stick) of butter, softened
1 cup blackberries
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups confectioners' sugar

Directions:
Beat the butter, blackberries, lemon juice, and vanilla. Add sugar, one cup at a time, until fully incorporated. Slather on cupcakes. Top with blackberries.

Enjoy.
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