Peach Almond Green Smoothie (with Swiss Chard) & other Green Smoothie recipes

Back in October my sister came to visit. She was reading a book about Beauty Detox when she came and although we didn't agree with everything in the book, we both decided that we would incorporate green smoothies into our diet. I had had them before, but not consistently, because I always felt that I was getting enough greens in my normal diet. Swiss Chard is my all-time favorite food. We eat tons of kale, spinach, swiss chard, beet greens, turnip greens, collards, etc., and even had a very successful first summer/fall of growing swiss chard in the garden. (I still have some sprouting up out there!)

Taking all of this into account, my sister and I started having a green smoothie almost daily. She went back to Utah and we would email or text our different recipes and ideas. I experimented with some of my own concoctions, some were delicious, some not so good-(which I still got drank, somehow). I also tried a bunch of different recipes that used different greens besides spinach, which I am going to share. I haven't taken a picture of every single one of these recipes, but I have enjoyed each of them 5+ times in the past few months. My go-to, on hand, I-don't-want-to-think green smoothie is banana, frozen mixed berries, spinach and cold water. I don't like using yogurt/milk or juice because it adds unnecessary calories, in my opinion.

Now I have some sort of green smoothie 3-4 days a week. I find they are very refreshing as an after workout snack/meal, but also are great as a breakfast or snack anytime of day. I don't add any honey/agave/sweetener because I think the fruit makes them sweet enough. My kids drink them with me and really like them. I know many people try to eat healthier as the New Year rolls around and green smoothies are a great and easy way to up the number of veggies/fruits you consume.

I have made and enjoyed each of the following Green Smoothie recipes at least 5 or more times. My kids love them too.

Peach Almond Green Smoothie (pictured above)

1 cup frozen peaches

1 sliced banana

2 cups chopped (torn) swiss chard

1 T raw almond butter

2 cups water+ a few ice cubes

Optional: 1 T ground flax seed

Blend all ingredients in blender until smooth

Blueberry Kale Smoothie

1 cup frozen blueberries

1 1/2 sliced bananas

2 handfuls (1 1/2 cups) chopped kale (I like to use red russian kale, it has a better raw taste)

2 cups water

handful of ice

Optional: 1 T ground flax seed

Blend all ingredients in blender until smooth

Grape Fig Cleanser

3 cups grapes (purple or green)

3-4 black mission figs

2 cups chopped spinach

2 cups water

1 cup ice

Optional: 1 T ground flax seed

Oat Berry Green Smoothie

1/4 cup oats (ground up in blender before other ingredients are added)
1 sliced banana
1/2 cup chopped fresh or frozen mango
1 cup frozen blackberries or blueberries (or mixed frozen berries)
2 cups spinach
2 cups ice cold water

Glowing Green Smoothie by Kimberly Snyder

1 1/2 cups water

1 head organic romaine lettuce, chopped

1/2 of large bunch of organic spinach (or 3/4 of small bunch)

3-4 stalks organic celery

1 organic apple, cored and chopped

1 organic pear, cored and chopped

1 organic banana

Juice of 1/2 organic lemon

Optional: 1/3 bunch organic cilantro (stems okay), 1/3 bunch organic parsley (stems okay)

Directions:

1. Add the water and chopped head of romaine and spinach to the blender.

2. Starting the blender on a low speed, mix until smooth.

3. Gradually moving to higher speeds, add the celery, apple, and pear.

4. Add the cilantro and parsley if you choose. Fresh herbs, like cilantro and parsley, have cleansing properties that help extract heavy metals and other toxins from the body.

5. Add the banana and lemon juice last.

Here is a link for Green Smoothie Cups that I plan to try really soon since I located coconut water at Trader Joe's last week

Fresh Fruit Pizza with Lemon Curd

We had our family Easter dinner a week early this year. Grandma had to work all of Easter weekend (bummer) and some family members were going out of town, so we just decided to move it up a week.

I decided to make this Spring dessert to take to our Easter dinner.
I had some Meyer Lemon juice in the fridge that I had squeezed from my leftover meyer lemons, so I made the curd with that the night before.
I had some of my favorite sugar cookie dough in the freezer, so I knew that this would be easy to put together after we got home from church.
I did things a little bit differently than the recipe suggested. I used a square cookie sheet to bake my cookie dough. I cut the cookie into squares and topped each cookie square with the lemon curd individually. Then I placed a few berries on top.

I have made Lemon and Lime curd many, many times and I was surprised that this version from Cooking Light had just as much flavor and great texture even though it was a little bit lighter. It was fabulous.
This dessert disappeared very quickly. It was the perfect thing to celebrate Easter and Spring!


Here is the recipe for Fresh Fruit Pizza with Lemon Curd from Cooking Light
* I used this sugar cookie dough, because I had it in the freezer
* I didn't use a plum or the sprinkling of sugar at the end of the recipe
* I spread a little bit of blackberry or blueberry Simply Fruit
on top of some of the squares, before adding the lemon curd

Here is the recipe for Lemon Curd
*I used Meyer Lemon juice instead of normal lemon juice

Tartine's Pastry Cream

Recently, I took someone dinner and dessert.
Unbaked frozen tart dough sure comes in handy.

Last time I made mini tarts, I actually made the full amount of tart dough (Here is a great tutorial on making the tart dough) and pressed the dough that I didn't use into my large tart pan and put it into the freezer. When I needed it, all I had to do was pop it in the oven and bake it.

Since there are so many fruits that are in season right now, I decided that I would make a basic pastry cream and top the tart with fruit.
I remembered that Bridget mentioned Tartine's recipe for pastry cream, which uses whole eggs instead of just egg yolks and I wanted to try it.
I found the recipe here and gave it a try.
This pastry cream was so silky and smooth. Using whole eggs in the pastry cream lightened up the texture. It was still thick, but just lighter than pastry creams made with only egg yolks.

Plus, I didn't have to add to the 13 egg whites I already have in the freezer.

I decorated the tart with kiwis, strawberries, raspberries and blueberries.
I glazed it with this peach spreadable fruit, which I warmed for a few seconds in the microwave with a splash of water.

Tartine's Pastry Cream
2 cups whole milk
1/2 vanilla bean, cut open down the middle, seeded
1/4 tsp of salt
4 Tbls cornstarch
1/2 cup sugar
2 large eggs
4 Tbls butter, cut in small cubes

Heat the milk, vanilla seeds and salt in a pan and put over medium heat, and bring to a boil.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk the sugar, cornstarch and eggs until smooth. Slowly add 1/2 of the milk mixture into the egg and whisk constantly to temper them. Add the remaining milk and return the whole thing to the saucepan.
Cook until you get a thick consistency, whisking non-stop.
Remove from heat and pour into a bowl, let cool for 10 minutes and then incorporate the butter, one tablespoon at a time, until smooth .
Cover the surface with plastic wrap, directly touching the cream, let cool completely in the refrigerator.

TWD- Quick Classic Berry Tart and last week's Burnt Sugar Ice Cream

This week's TWD recipe, Quick Classic Berry Tart, was chosen by Cristine- who blogs over at Cooking with Cristine. You can find the recipe on her blog.
When I saw this pick my first thought was - Easy. Wierd, how Dorie's book has completely transformed me into a baker who thinks making pastry cream and a tart crust is a piece of cake. We have done it so many times with TWD that it is easy.

I took my girls to a local farm to pick strawberries, so I knew that strawberries would make an appearance on our tarts. I also found blackberries & blueberries on sale, so we had all three.
I decided to make mini tarts and give them away. I made 1/3 recipe of the pastry cream, using a combination of skim milk and half&half (I didn't have any whole milk) and the whole tart dough recipe. I made 3 mini tarts- pressed the dough into the pans and then pressed the rest of the dough into a larger tart pan. I put them all in the freezer. The next day, I baked the mini tart shells, filled them with cream and decorated them with berries. I used Simply Fruit (raspberry & blackberry) as the glaze on my tarts. The amount of pastry cream I made filled the 3 mini tarts perfectly.

I took one to my neighbor across the street who gives me fresh eggs from his chickens- since I used his eggs. And the other 2 to my in-laws.

Of course all those who tasted the tarts raved about their deliciousness. Who thought anything else would happen?

Go check out the other beautiful tarts that my fellow TWDer's made this week!
Since I had the eggs out and was making a mess in the kitchen anyway, I decided to mix up the custard for the Burnt Sugar Ice Cream that was chosen by Becky last week. It was the most fun I have ever had making ice cream. Watching the caramel seize into a big blob when you add the cold milk/cream (I used 1 cup of skim milk & 1 cup of half&half instead of 2 cups whole milk) and then having it come together into a smooth mixture was so fun to experience. Everyone raved about it last week and rightfully so- It is one of the best ice creams I have ever tasted. My husband was amazed by the silky texture and delicious taste.
The recipe is HERE. If you need more encouragement to make it, check out the links from all the TWD members who made it.

CEiMB- Peach French Toast Bake

This week's Craving Ellie recipe was chosen by Liz of The Not So Skinny Kitchen. She chose Peach French Toast Bake.
When I first checked this book out from the library a year and a couple months ago, this french toast bake was one of the 4 recipes I had to make right away.

I made it with blueberries and blackberries, the first time, and have made it multiple other times, even made it into mini individual size servings.
It is fast and easy and I love that you can throw it together the night before. I have used different berries and was lucky enough to use the fresh peaches off my parents peach tree a couple of times when I made this.

Go check out what the other CEiMB-er's thought about this recipe by checking out the CEiMB Blogroll!

Recipe for Peach French Toast Bake

Lemon Cheesecake Squares with Fresh Berries

This is another dessert, one of the 7, that I made for a church gathering a couple of weeks ago.
Since I was making so many desserts in one day, I was looking for recipes that were fairly quick, but still had the flavors and taste that people would want.
Everybody loves cheesecake and I remembered a section of recent issue of Bon Appetit that featured bar cookies. Perfect for this type of baking madness!
I got out my trusty 3-ring binder full of torn out recipes from magazines and was able to find the bar cookie recipes in no time.
These little cheesecake bars needed to set up in the fridge, so I threw them together the night before.
I didn't use the recipe for the crust because I had graham cracker crumbs instead of graham crackers, so I just winged it. (I don't keep graham crackers in the house ever. They are too good dipped in milk and I have absolutely no self control when it comes to graham crackers.They are an absolute no-no for me.)
These bars couldn't be simpler and they have great cheesecake taste with lemon flavor. They were very popular. I doubled the recipe and cut them into small squares, so they ended up serving quite a few people.
Perfect if you need a make-ahead dessert that will please a crowd!



Recipe for Lemon Cheesecake Squares with Fresh Berries

One Year Ago-Fall Pear Galette

Breakfast Banana Split

I don't remember where I saw this idea, but I did see it in a cookbook somewhere and I thought it was too cute to pass up.
I am always looking for new ways to make breakfast healthier and more exciting.

This breakfast takes the idea of a banana split and makes it breakfast worthy (although I am not against eating ice cream for breakfast :-)

I found these cute little banana split dishes at Publix and thought they really just added another element of fun to this whole idea. This is also a versatile breakfast idea- you can change up the fruits and toppings with whatever you like best.

Breakfast Banana Split
1 banana, split in half lengthwise
assorted melon balls- I used canteloupe and honeydew
yogurt
granola
berries- I used blueberries and raspberries

Place your sliced banana in a dish. Top with melon balls and yogurt. Sprinkle granola and berries on top. Eat
Ta-da!
Wasn't that easy?

P.S. if you look closely at the spoon, you can see my reflection- kinda made me laugh

and you still have time to enter my giveaway!

One Year Ago- Grandma Ruthardt's Sloppy Joes on Prudy's Whole Wheat Hamburger Buns

Dorie's Tiramisu Cake with Mixed Berries and Lime Curd

Back in May, Megan chose Tiramisu Cake for Tuesday's with Dorie and I didn't make it for some reason or another, one of the reasons being that I don't drink coffee and didn't spend the time trying to figure out some kind of flavor substitute. Then, a few weeks later, the June issue of Bon Appetit arrived in the mail and it had a recipe for Mixed-Berry Tiramisu with Lime Curd. As soon as I looked at the recipe, I knew I would be making Dorie's cake and the berries/lime curd from Bon Appetit and somehow combining these 2 recipes for an awesome cake. I just didn't know when.
Fast forward a couple of months. My mother-in-law asked me to make a cake for her mother/my hubby's grandma's 89th birthday.

Without thinking twice- I knew this was the cake.

I made the cake and filling/frosting from Dorie's recipe (subbing 1/3 less fat cream cheese for the mascarpone because someone mentioned that it worked great when they did that for TWD) and the mixed berries, lime curd, and lime syrup from the Bon Appetit recipe.

The lime curd and berries are made the night before and then they sit in the fridge to chill.

The cake baked up perfectly. I soaked it with the lime syrup, then filled the middle with the lime curd, and frosted it.

It sat in the fridge for a couple hours and then everyone came to our house to eat the cake. (I was too scared to transport it in the heat/humidity-no one wants a melting cake!)
Everyone loved it. There were even a few requests that it be made again in the future. It would be great as a trifle too.

I am so glad my recipe mixing turned out so deliciously!

Tiramisu Cake from Dorie Greenspan's Baking: from my home to yours

For the cake:
2 cups cake flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
1 ¼ sticks (10 tablespoons) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 large egg yolk
1 ½ tsp pure vanilla extract
¾ cup buttermilk

For the espresso extract: I didn't make this
2 tbs. instant espresso powder
2 tbs. boiling water

For the espresso syrup: I didn't make this
½ cup water
1/3 cup sugar
1 tbs. amaretto, Kahlua, or brandy

For the filling and frosting:
1 8-oz. container mascarpone cheese
½ cup confectioners sugar, sifted
1 ½ tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tbs. amaretto, Kahlua, or brandy I didn't add this to my frosting
1 cup cold heavy cream
2 ½ oz. bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped, or about ½ cup store bought mini chocolate chips

Chocolate covered espresso beans, for decoration (optional)
Cocoa powder, for dusting

Getting ready: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter two 9 x 2 inch round cake pans, dust the insides with flour, tap out the excess and line the bottoms of the pans with parchment or wax paper. Put the pans on a baking sheet.

To make the cake: Sift together the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter on medium speed until soft and creamy. Add the sugar and beat for another 3 minutes. Add the eggs one by one, and then the yolk, beating for 1 minute after each addition. Beat in the vanilla; don’t be concerned if the mixture looks curdled. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients alternately with the buttermilk, adding the dry ingredients in three additions and the buttermilk in two (begin and end with the dry ingredients); scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed and mix only until the ingredients disappear into the batter. Divide the batter evenly between the two pans and smooth the tops with a rubber spatula.Bake for 28-30 minutes(I baked my cakes for 27 minutes and they were perfect!), rotating the pans at the midway point. When fully baked, the cakes will be golden and springy to the touch and a thin knife inserted into the centers will come out clean. Transfer the cakes to a rack and cool then for about 5 minutes, then run a knife around the sides of the cakes, unmold them and peel off the paper liners. Invert and cool to room temperature right side up.

To make the extract: Stir the espresso powder and boiling water together in a small cup until blended. Set aside.

To make the syrup: Stir the water and sugar together in a small saucepan and bring just to a boil. Pour the syrup into a small heatproof bowl and stir 1 tablespoon of the espresso extract and the liqueur or brandy; set aside.

To make the filling and frosting: Put the mascarpone, sugar, vanilla and liqueur in a large bowl and whisk just until blended and smooth. Working with the stand mixer with the whisk attachment or with a hand mixer, whip the heavy cream until it holds firm peaks. Switch to a rubber spatula and stir about one quarter of the whipped cream into the mascarpone. Fold in the rest of the whipped cream with a light touch.

I used the lime curd, lime syrup, and mixed berry recipes below

Recipe for Mixed-Berry Tiramisu with Lime Curd from Bon Appetit

Recipe for Lime Curd from Bon Appetit

One Year Ago- Peaches and Cream Chiffon Cake, Raspberry-Lime Sorbet, and Vanilla-Raspberry Ice Cream

3 Flavors of Lemonade- Watermelon-Berry, Basil, and Cool-as-a-Cuke

I saw these 3 lemonade recipes in a recent issue of Better Homes and Gardens Magazine.

At first I was only going to make the Watermelon-Berry version for our 4th of July celebration, but then I decided to try them all. We have quite a few cucumber lovers in our family and basil makes everything amazing, so I halved each of the recipes and we had all 3 flavors!

All 3 of these lemonades can be made ahead of time, so that made the preparation very easy.
The watermelon-berry was the most popular. It was definitely the favorite of all the kids, but the other flavors were just as delicious and everyone was glad that we had so many varieties to choose from.

I figure we still have some hot days ahead and I might just make a couple more batches of any of these lemonades and turn them into some kind of frozen ice pops.

We are driving to Nashville tonight to go see Andy Davis in concert. I am pretty excited. Have a great weekend!

Recipe for Watermelon-Berry Lemonade

Recipe for Basil Lemonade


Recipe for Cool-As-a-Cuke Lemonade

TWD- Caramel Crunch Bars and Rewind- Mixed Berry Cobbler

This week's Tuesdays with Dorie recipe, Caramel Crunch Bars, was chosen by Whitney over at What's left on the table? You can find the recipe on her blog or go to this POST and find the recipe from when I made these last year. This recipe is one of the pictures in the book that really catches your eye. I made them last year when my hubby needed some treats for work and I made them into ice cream bars, like Dorie suggests, which turned out to be a very messy adventure. No one seemed to mind the fact that they were so messy. They disappeared quickly. The picture isn't great, but hey, it was taken many months ago. I rarely make something more than once, unless it is unbelievably the best dessert ever. Just because I like baking new things all the time. I haven't made these again, but I do remember them being a hit.
I also did a rewind this past week. For some reason back in June, I skipped out on the Mixed Berry Cobbler. I needed one to take to a get together recently, so I went back and made it. Very good. I doubled the fruit and 1 1/2x the crust, to make it fit in a 9x13-inch pan. I used mostly blackberries, but also some raspberries, blueberries and a few strawberries and lime zest. You can find the recipe for the cobbler- Here.
Now go and see what the other TWD'ers did with this weeks recipe!

Up Next- Pork Tenderloin with Blueberry Sauce

Fun Lunch for Kids- Kung Fu Panda Noodles and Berry Smoothie

My husband loves fast food. I mean, he really loves it. He actually thinks that it tastes good. Me- not so much. I really don't care for it, but occasionally take the kids to meet dad for lunch somewhere. Last time we went to Carls Jr and they gave the kids these cute little take-out containers as their toy. I put them in the car and on the way to the grocery store, I came up with an idea for a cute lunch at home. Kung Fu Panda Noodles. If you have seen the movie, then you know that Po (the Panda) works for his dad serving noodles at their restaurant. Perfect!

I love the fresh Chinese noodles that they have in the refrigerated section, by the tofu and wonton wrappers. They cook up really quickly and taste great with Asian or Thai dishes.

I decided to make a quick peanut sauce, cook up the noodles and some veggies and serve them in the cute little Kung Fu Panda containers. My daughter was looking through a recent Kids cookbook, a Disney themed one, and told me she wanted me to make her the smoothie in the picture. Complete with the pink straw, which has a berry on it. Smoothies are easy, so I complied with her wishes and served up this great lunch. It was fun and an easy way to spruce up an everyday lunch!

Kung Fu Panda Noodles by Mary Ann

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

3-4 Tbls reduced sodium soy sauce

1/4 cup water

garlic salt

2 tsp dark sesame oil

3 cups broccoli florets

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 large carrot, thinly sliced

1 cup frozen edamame

2 pkg. fresh chinese noodles

Combine the broccoli, bell pepper, and carrot in a large microwavable bowl. Add a little bit of water. Cover with plastic wrap and steam until veggies are tender.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add edamame and boil for 2 minutes. Add fresh noodles and cook for 3 more minutes. Drain.

In a small glass bowl combine peanut butter and 1 Tbls soy sauce. Heat in the microwave for 20 seconds and stir. Add another Tbls of soy sauce and heat for 20 more seconds. Stir and add water to thin it out a little bit.

Add more soy sauce to taste.

In a large bowl, toss noodles with freshly steamed veggies and peanut sauce. Stir until all noodles are evenly coated and veggies are distributed. Serve in little take-out containers or in a bowl.

Berry Smoothie adapted from Disney Cookbook

1 banana, sliced

1 1/2 cups assorted berries (we used strawberries and blackberries)

6 oz vanilla yogurt

3/4 cup skim milk

drizzle of honey

Combine all ingredients in blender. Serve with a straw, which has a berry through it.

Up Next- Tuesdays with Dorie- World Peace Cookies

Tuesday's with Dorie- Berry Surprise Cake- My Pick!

This week's Tuesday's with Dorie selection was brought to you by ME! That's right, it was my turn to choose and what a difficult task. When I joined TWD last March, I really never thought I would see the day that I would be able to choose the recipe, because there were so many members ahead of me.
Well, the day came! I was trying to decide if I should choose something decadent that I have never attempted before, like Chocolate Souffle or Pots de Creme or if I should go with a fabulous looking tart. I wanted to try one of the Bread Puddings, the Raspberry Blanc-Manger, or the most interesting looking dessert in the book in my opinion, Coconut-Roasted Pinapple Dacquoise.
But the one recipe that I kept coming back to was the Berry Surprise Cake. There wasn't a picture, which is a little bit interesting. Besides, I enjoy baking cake the most and this particular cake sounded light and airy, with a fabulous contrast coming from the berries, kind of like berries and cream.
My apologies about the berries- I know they are out of season and super expensive right now, but I figured this was my one chance to command about 400 other bakers and so, I chose the Berry Surprise Cake on pages 273-275 of Dorie Greenspan's Baking: from my home to yours. (If you still do not own this book, get a copy of it!)

I made a full recipe in my 8-inch springform pan and was careful to follow Dories instructions. She gives great instructions, with very accurate times. I let my egg/sugar mixture get just warm, beat it into beautiful, pale fluff, folded everything very gently and put my batter in the oven. It was beautiful and when I checked through the window, it had great height. When I checked a few minutes later, it had fallen a little bit. It wasn't horrible, but I wanted the cake to be perfect-so I whipped up another half batch and made it in my new 4-inch mini springform pans. Same thing. except this time I watched. I sat by the oven and saw the beautiful height and then saw them fall. Yikes! I actually asked Dorie about it and she was kind enough to respond to me in an email. She said, "Genoise cakes can sometimes sink a bit in the center - not attractive,but not really a problem with this cake, since you'll be hollowing it out and covering the top. Usually, the culprit with this cake is the folding, but it sounds as though you were gentle with the ingredients. It could be that your eggs were too hot, but I doubt that, too. The cake always rises high in the oven early on in its bake and then sinks some as it continues to bake and, as I said, it can sometimes form a dip in the center." Hey, if it isn't a problem with Dorie, it isn't a problem with me.

I was relieved to find out a little sinkage was perfectly normal and decided since I had a large 8-inch and 2 small 4-inch cakes, that I would cut 2 4-inch rounds out of the large cake and use them to cover my small cakes. I sliced the 8-inch cake in half and then cut out some cute little tops. Cheating? maybe, but it worked!

My hollowed out mini cake, which was soaked in the yummy syrup

Thin layer of filling

A few raspberries

Covered with filling

Topped with my cut-out round from the larger cake and Ta-da! no one will ever know, except you all, because I told you. I thought the finished cake was delicious. I let it sit in the fridge overnight and the flavors were really great the next day. This would be the perfect cake to serve at party. Yum- great pick, if I do say so myself! I hope everyone else liked it- To see if they did, go check out the TWD Blogroll!

Berry Surprise Cake from Baking: from my home to yours by Dorie Greenspan

Makes 8 servings

Serving: Cut the cake at the table using a serrated knife. It can be served just as it is or you can drizzle a little Raspberry Coulis (page 467) over each slice.

Storing: While you can bake the cake up to 1 day ahead and keep it wrapped at room temperature (a day-old cake is a bit easier to cut than a fresh cake), or freeze it well wrapped for up to 2 months, once the cake is assembled, it is best to serve it the same day.

Playing Around: The filling is so good you might want to use it without the cake. If so, add sugar to it, or not, and splash the fruit with a little liqueur (eaux-de-vie, liqueurs such as Chambord or brandies like kirsch are freally good with soft fruits) if you'd like. Spoon the fruit into pretty bowls or glasses-everything looks good in champagne flutes- and top with the cream filling.

"One of the great pleasures of my New York City childhood was clutching a handful of coins, walking to the luncheonette about ten blocks from home and buying a charlotte russe. Charlotte russe, a sweet rarely seen these days, and certainly not at corner luncheonettes, was originally made of ladyfingers and custard, whipped cream, and perhaps some fruit. The charlotte russe of my youth was a mixture of sponge cake, fruit or jam, and gobs of whipped cream, topped by an unnaturally red cherry. But its real appeal was its packaging-the dessert came in a cardboard cylinder with a pointy rick-rack border. First you ate the swirls of whipped cream that extended at least a mile above the cardboard rim, then-and this was the best part-you pushed the round of cardboard on the bottom, and, in a feat of brilliant engineering, the cake rose up so you could eat every last bit of it. You could even lick the base, as I did, and so did everyone else I knew.

This cake doesn't have any moving parts, but the fact that it's made by hollowing out a place in the center of the baked cake for some cream and berries is reminiscent of the spirit of charlotte russe.

The container for this surprise is a sturdy genoise, a whole-egg sponge cake that will hold up when you cut out its center and excavate a cozy nest for the filling. The filling, a mixture of cream cheese and heavy cream, is very simple to make, but because of the tang of the cream cheese, it tastes complex and is awfully good with red berries. Most of the time I use raspberries as the surprise, but strawberries or a combination of berries is also fine. Naturally the cake is finished with whipped cream."

For the cake:
2/3 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 tsp baking powder

pinch of salt

4 large eggs

2/3 cup sugar

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

2 Tbls unsalted butter, melted and cooled

For the syrup:

1/3 cup water

3 Tbls sugar

1 Tbls kirsch, Chambord, framboise, or raspberry syrup (I used 2 tsp. raspberry extract)

For the filling:

6 oz cream cheese, at room temperature

1/2 cup + 2/3 cup heavy cream

1 Tbls sugar (I added an extra Tbls)

1 1/2 tsps pure vanilla extract (I added an extra 1/2 tsp)

For the topping:

1 cup cold heavy cream

3 Tbls confectioners sugar, sifted

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1-1 1/2 pints fresh raspberries, for filling and topping

Getting ready: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 3-inch-high 8-inch springform pan, dust the inside with flour, tap out the excess and line the bottom with parchment paper. Put the pan on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat.

To make the cake: Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.

Place the eggs and sugar in the bowl of a mixer of another large heatproof bowl and whisk to blend. Put the bowl in a skillet with an inch or two of simmering water and continue to whisk until the sugar dissolves completely and the mixture is just warm to the touch, about 3 minutes. Remove the bowl from the heat and whisk in the vanilla.

Working with a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or with a hand mixer, beat on medium speed for about 5 minutes, until the mixture almost triples in volume and forms a ribbon that holds it shape for about 10 seconds when the beater is lifted.

Switch to a large rubber spatula, sift over half the dry ingredients and fold them in gently- don't overmix, you'll have another chance to gather up any recalcitrant ingredients. Fold in the cooled, melted butter, then sift over the remaining dry ingredients and very gingerly fold them in. The beautifully beaten eggs are fragile and must be treated like the divas they are. Check that you don't have a puddle of melted butter at the bottom of the bowl-a frequent hazard- then scrape the batter into the pan and jiggle the pan gently to even it.

Bake the cake for 30-33 minutes, or until the top is springy to the touch and the sides are starting to pull away from the pan. (A thin knife inserted into the center would come out clean, but it would also deflate the still-fragile cake a little.)

Transfer the cake to a rack and let it sit for 5 minutes, then run a blunt knife between the cake and the pan and remove the sides of the pan. Invert the cake and remove the base of the pan and peel off the paper, then invert again and cool to room temperature right side up. ( When cool, the cake can be wrapped and kept at room temperature overnight- it will cut a little more easily if it rests- or wrapped airtight and frozen for up to 2 months)

To make the syrup: Stir the water and sugar together in a small saucepan, bring to a boil and boil for 1 minute. Pour the syrup into a heatproof bowl. Stir in the liqueur and let the syrup come to room temperature.

To make the filling: Working with a stand mixer, preferably fit with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the cream cheese at medium speed until soft, smooth and fluffy. While beating, gradually add 1/2 cup of the cream, the sugar and vanilla and continue to beat until the cream is absorbed and the cheese is smooth. Scrape the mixture into a medium bowl. Pour the remaining 2/3 cup cream into the bowl you beat the cream cheese in (there's no need to wash it) and, using the whisk attachment or the hand mixer, whip the cream until it holds firm peaks. Stir about one quarter of the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture, then fold in the rest. There's no need to wash the bowl-you'll be using it for the topping.

To make the topping: Just before you are ready to assemble the cake, whip the cream until it holds medium peaks. Add the sugar and vanilla and continue to whip until the cream holds firm peaks. Cover the cream and refrigerate.

To assemble the cake: Using a serrated knife, slice off the top 1/2 inch of the cake and set this layer aside. If it crumbles- that can happen to the best of us- just save the pieces. With the knife, sketch a circle on top of the cake that is 1/2 inch in from the edges of the cake. Cut down through the outline, stopping between 1/4 and 1/2 inch from the bottom. Using the knife and your fingers, carefully pull out the cake within this circle, leaving a little nest that will house your surprise. Transfer the cake nest to a platter or a cardboard round.

Brush the inside of the cake with some of the syrup, discarding what remains, and spoon a thin layer of the filling over the bottom. Toss in 1/2 pint of the berries-more if you'd like- and cover with the remaining filling. Lift the reserved top layer onto the cake and press it down gently to form the cake. If all you have are scraps, fret not; just arrange them over the top of the cake and press them gently to reconstruct a layer.

Using a long metal icing spatula, frost the top and sides of the cake with the topping. Finish with some raspberries, placing berries carefully around the top of the cake, or piling them up in the center. Refrigerate the cake for at least 1 hour (or for up to 6 hours) before serving.

Up Next- The ABSOLUTE, BEST Dip EVER!