Four Seasons in My Kitchen: Cakes and Desserts

By Alena Surgeon

Four Seasons in my Kitchen believes that baking is not difficult if one knows the
correct steps in the process. Readers will gain new knowledge on how to create
butter fillings for cakes, desserts, pastries and rolls. They will also learn how to make
fruit sauces and purees, icings of different tastes and flavored whipped creams.
Young, middle-aged, elderly, non-professional and professional will definitely love
this book as it shows them many delectable ways to enjoy baking.
Todays society is a fast food, junk food eat-on-the-go type of environment. The
author hopes that this book reminds people to slow down and enjoy the simple things in life. She aims to tell readers that baking desserts is easy and rewarding. She hopes that they can experience the joy of baking and the feeling of accomplishment as they improve their cooking skills.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Jul 31, 2013
• ISBN: 9781483669090

Book preview

Copyright © 2013 by Alena Surgeon. 120633-SURG

Library of Congress Control Number: 2013912714

ISBN: Softcover     978-1-4836-6907-6

ISBN: Hardcover    978-1-4836-6908-3

ISBN: EBook          978-1-4836-6909-0

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Rev. date: 07/26/2013

To order additional copies of this book, contact:

Xlibris LLC

0-800-443-678

www.xlibris.co.nz

[e-mail]

CONTENTS

BUTTER FILLINGS FOR CAKES, DESSERTS, PASTRIES, AND ROLLS

Basic Butter Filling

Egg Yolk Filling

Whipped-Cream Filling

Pudding Filling

Roux Filling

Condensed-Milk Filling

Walnut Filling

Coconut Filling

Chocolate Filling

Caramel Filling

Stracciatella Filling

Mango Filling

Parisian Filling

FILLINGS

Cream Cheese Filling 1

Cream Cheese Filling 2

Poppy-Seed Filling 1

Poppy-Seed Filling 2

Walnut Filling 1

Walnut Filling 2

Apple Filling

FLAVORED WHIPPED CREAMS

Whipped Cream (Basic Recipe Using Powdered Sugar)

Coffee Whipped Cream

Cocoa Whipped Cream

Caramel Whipped Cream

Almond Whipped Cream

Orange Whipped Cream

Eggnog Whipped Cream

FRUIT SAUCES AND PUREES

Raspberry Sauce

Strawberry Sauce

Mango Puree

Peach Puree

Strawberry Puree

ICINGS

Lemon Icing

Egg Yolk Icing

Egg White Icing

Coffee Icing

Rum Icing

Milk Icing

Cocoa Icing

Caramel Icing

Orange Icing

CAKES

Alena’s Fruitcake

Almond Cake

Banana Cake

Bee Bee Cake with Grapes

Caramel Cake (Serves 12)

Cherry Cake

Christmas Coconut Cake (Serves 12)

Cuban Cake

Double Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Cream

Harlequin Cake

Exotic Chocolate Cake with Bananas

Honey Cake (Serves 12)

Mandarin Orange Cake

Mixed Fruitcake with Gelatin

Mocha Nut Cake

Raspberry Chocolate Cake

Strawberry Cake (Serves 12)

Summer Paradise Cake

Vienna Cake (Serves 12)

DESSERTS

Blueberry Bars

Cherry Chocolate-Vanilla Dessert

Cream Cheese Nut Triangles

Honey Dessert with Vanilla Pudding

Mandarin Orange and Ricotta Dessert

Mini Cheesecakes

Poppy-Seed Dessert with Strawberry Cream

Punch Dessert

Raspberry Dessert

COFFEE CAKES

Berry Coffee Cake with Vanilla Pudding

Pear and Raspberry Coffee Cake

COBBLERS

Apple Cobbler with Pudding

Chocolate Apple Cobbler with Cream Cheese

BREAD

Hazelnut Bread

FRUIT DUMPLINGS

Blueberry and Strawberry Steamed Dumplings

Cream Cheese Dumplings with Strawberries

Potato Dumplings with Plums

NO BAKE CAKES

No-Bake Blueberry Cheesecake (Serves 12)

No-Bake Chocolate Pumpkin Cheesecake

No-Bake Mango–White Chocolate Cheesecake

No-Bake Pineapple Cake

No-Bake Raspberry–White Chocolate Cheesecake

No-Bake Strawberry Cheesecake (Serves 12)

No-Bake Sunday Cheesecake

MERINGUES

Almond Meringues with Chocolate Cream

Chocolate-Covered Strawberry Meringue

RICE PUDDING

Mango Rice Pudding

Rice Pudding with Peaches

Strawberry Rice Pudding

Vanilla Rice Pudding with Hot Raspberry Sauce

PARFAIT

Hot Raspberry Sauce for Vanilla Ice Cream

Silky Chocolate-and-Banana Parfait

Whipped Blackberry Parfait

Whipped Strawberry Parfait

SORBET

Strawberry Champagne Sorbet

Summer Pink Grapefruit Sorbet with Orange Liqueur

FRUIT

Chocolate-Covered Bananas (Apples)

Chocolate-Covered Strawberries

Chocolate Pudding–Filled Peaches

Fried Pineapple

Fried Pomegranate

SOUPS

Spring Strawberry Soup

Christmas Soup

DRINKS

Hot Red Wine

Hot White Wine

Eggnog Coffee

Mountain Coffee

Royal Coffee

BREAD PUDDING

Apple–Cream Cheese–Meringue Bread Pudding

Strawberry–Cream Cheese Bread Pudding

Vanilla Bread Pudding

PUFF PASTRY

Apple Strudel

Phyllo Pastry Apple Strudel

Puff Pastry Hugged Bananas

Puff Pastry Vanilla Dessert with Peaches

TART DOUGH

Blueberry Silky Tart

Mini Tart Dough

PUFF DOUGH

Mocha Cream Éclairs

Puff Dough for Cream Puffs or Éclairs

YEAST DOUGH

Basic Yeast Dough

Blueberry Pastry (Blueberry Kolach)

Bavarian Doughnuts

Sweet Apple Pastry (Kolach)

Sweet Nut Pastry (Kolache)

Sweet Poppy-Seed Pastry (Kolache)

CANDY & RUM BALLS

Chocolate Volcanoes with Eggnog

Christmas Victorian Candy

Coconut Candy Raffaello 2

Marzipan (Paste)

Mountain Candy

Mozart Rum Balls

Nutty Rum Balls

Raspberry–White Chocolate Rum Balls

Toasted Walnut Balls

White Chocolate–Almond–Cherry Candy

White Chocolate–Covered Marzipan Candy

Raspberry Chocolate Pralines

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would like to thank Xlibris Publishing Company with special thanks to publishing consultant Eda Rose.

The team at Xlibris did a great job putting everything together to get my book into distribution.

I also want to thank the members of my team for their help and encouragement throughout the project. As I developed my recipes, they were written in Czech and translated to English by Sylvia Harding and Jarmila Wlaschinska. Jousie Tedford, English Professor at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, NC reviewed and corrected the grammar. Robert Waltman, Photograph Professor at Aims Community College in Greeley, CO and his team of students including Rebbecca Romine and Kellie Sapp provided many of the photographs and were very patient while teaching me how to take pictures. My brother Ladia Surma taught me how to style the food for proper presentation in the picture. Last but not the least, my husband Bryan Surgeon did a great job by making the recipes easy to understand and follow in a simple step-to–step format.

GENERAL ADVICE BEFORE YOU START

Read the entire recipe well and gather all the ingredients before you start. Also, make sure you have the right equipment on hand, including the baking pan.

Since every oven bakes differently, the timing in the recipe is only a guideline. When following a recipe for the first time, check often and take notes. Remember that convection ovens bake faster than nonconvection ovens.

Some recipes allow you to skip or substitute an ingredient.

Let your butter and eggs stand at room temperature for about two hours. When in a hurry, it is possible to speed up this process by cutting the butter into smaller pieces. All the ingredients must be at the same (room) temperature. If they are not, the mixture will curdle. If this happens, it is still possible to save it by cooking the mixture over a water bath (water must be hot but not boiling) while constantly whisking.

When whipping heavy cream, make sure it is cold, and start your hand mixer on low speed for a minute or two. Then gradually increase the speed to medium. If you start at high speed, the mixture will clump.

When whipping egg whites, they must be at room temperature first. The bowl and whisk attachments must be absolutely clean and dry since even a trace of fat, yolk, or water can prevent the whites from thickening. Start at low speed and gradually speed up. Always use granulated sugar. Add it slowly and gradually.

Always sift flour and sugar before using them.

Use unsalted butter for all recipes.

Feel free to adjust the amount of sugar in each recipe. Everyone’s personal tastes and preferences are different.

When making a frosting, use the freshest butter/whipping cream. The bowl and the whisk should be chilled prior to use for the best results.

When working with unflavored gelatin, after the gelatin is mixed with water and stands for five minutes, there will still be some undissolved granules. For best results, put the mixture in a microwave oven on high for five to seven seconds to dissolve the rest of the granules.

Give your fresh fruits a really good wash and then pat them dry. Before adding them into the batter, give them a nice coat of flour. Doing so will prevent the fruit from sinking to the bottom.

I always refer to large eggs in my recipes, unless stated otherwise. Once again, use fresh eggs to get the best results.

Do not open the oven during the first ten to fifteen minutes because this sudden temperature drop might cause the batter/dough not to rise.

Line the baking pans with parchment paper. Not only will it prevent your food from sticking, but it will also make your cleanup easier.

My last advice is that if the dessert does not come out well at the first go, do not get discouraged. Try again. You will learn and grow from your experience. You will be proud of yourself when your friends and family compliment you.

Bon appétit and the best of luck,

Alena

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BASIC BUTTER FILLING

2 sticks (8 ounces [225 g]) unsalted butter

1 cup (8 ounces [225 g]) powdered sugar

½ tablespoon (7.5 ml) vanilla extract

5 tablespoons (75 ml) heavy whipping cream

Mix the butter and sugar in a mixer until it is light and fluffy. While still mixing, slowly add the vanilla extract and the heavy whipping cream. Continue to mix for three minutes or until fluffy. This basic filling can be modified by adding different ingredients such as walnuts, coconut, jam, pudding, etc.

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EGG YOLK FILLING

2 sticks (8 ounces [225 g]) unsalted butter

1 cup (8 ounces [225 g]) powdered sugar

4 egg yolks

5 tablespoons (75 ml) heavy cream

Mix the butter and sugar in a mixer until it is light and fluffy. While still mixing, slowly add one egg yolk at a time, and then slowly add the heavy whipping cream. Continue to mix for three minutes or until fluffy.

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WHIPPED-CREAM FILLING

⁷⁄8 cup (7 ounces [200 ml]) heavy whipping cream

2 sticks (8 ounces [225 g]) unsalted butter

1 cup (8 ounces [225 g]) powdered sugar

4 egg yolks

1½ teaspoons (7.5 ml) vanilla extract

Slowly bring the heavy whipping cream to a boil, and cook for one to two minutes. Remove from heat and let the heavy whipping cream cool to room temperature. Mix the butter and sugar in a mixer until it is light and fluffy. While still mixing, slowly add one egg yolk at a time, add the vanilla extract, and then slowly add the heavy whipping cream. It is important to start mixing on low speed and, after all the ingredients are combined, to gradually increase the speed.

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PUDDING FILLING

2 cups (16 ounces [500 ml]) milk

1 box (3.4 ounces [96 g]) of cook-and-serve vanilla pudding mix

1 cup (8 ounces [225 g]) powdered sugar

2 sticks (8 ounces [225 g]) unsalted butter

Cook the pudding according to instructions on the package. Stir the pudding as it cools to prevent clumping. Mix the butter and sugar in a mixer until it is light and fluffy. While still mixing, slowly add the vanilla pudding. It is important to start mixing on low speed and, after all the ingredients are combined, to gradually increase the speed.

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ROUX FILLING

2 cups (16 ounces [500 ml]) milk

7 tablespoons (105 g) Gold Medal Wondra Quick-Mixing All-Purpose Flour

2 sticks (8 ounces [225 g]) unsalted butter

1 cup (225 g) powdered sugar

1½ teaspoons (7.5 ml) vanilla extract

Mix the milk and flour until smooth. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook for five minutes. Let the mixture cool to room temperature, stirring constantly. Mix the butter, sugar, and vanilla extract until it is light and fluffy. While still mixing, slowly add the mixture of milk and flour. Continue to mix for three minutes after the ingredients are combined.

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CONDENSED-MILK FILLING

1 can (12 ounces [350 ml]) condensed milk

3 sticks (12 ounces [350 g]) unsalted butter

1 tablespoon