Italian Almond Coffee Cake

Supermoist banana and almond cake. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

By Juvy S. Iliwiliw


The almond brittle adds texture to a coffee cake inspired by the Italian crostata di ricotta. To make the brittle, grease a baking sheet and a large metal spatula. In a large, heavy frying pan over medium heat, cook 1/3 cup (3 oz/90 g) granulated sugar, shaking gently, until it liquefies and turns golden. Take care not to splash, the sugar will be scalding hot. Remove from the heat and stir in 2/3 cup (3 oz/90 g) slivered blanched almonds. Pour onto the prepared sheet and press with the spatula into a single layer. Let cool to room temperature, then break into 1/2-inch (12-mm) pieces.

Gingerbread With Maple Whipped Cream

It had a nice undertone of spice. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

By Juvy S. Iliwiliw


Among the earliest-known baked sweets, gingerbread is most recognizable as a soft, dark, most cake flavored with dark molasses, ground dried gingerroot, and other spices such as cinnamon. It is related to firm, dry-textured cookies or breads, such as the French pain d' epices and the English parkin. For the best gingerbread, use fresh ground ginger that is gently spicy hot. Keep in mind that spices lose potency after long storage, so before preparing gingerbread, replace any spices that are more than 6 months old.

Chocolate Coffee Cake

Chocolate Carrot Cake (Photo credit: scubadive67)

By Juvy S. Iliwiliw


Unsweetened cocoa powder is made from chocolate liquor, the base for all chocolate preparations. Once the cocoa butter has been pressed out, what remains of the liquor is ground into a fine powder. Dutch-process cocoa powder is treated with an alkali, which makes it darker in color, less bitter, and richer in flavor than nonalkalized cocoa. Recipes with Dutch cocoa use slightly more baking powder to maintain the proper acid-alkaline balance. Good brands of cocoa include Droste, Poulain, Baker's, van Houten, Hershey's European-style, and Ghirardelli.

Strawberry-Rhubarb Breakfast Cake

Angel food cake (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

By Juvy S. Iliwiliw


Fresh field-grown rhubarb is sold in long, crisp, red or pale pink stalks in the late spring and early summer. Hot house-grown rhubarb is available year round in some regions. Before the crop reaches market, the leaves are trimmed from the stalks and discarded since they contain high amounts of toxic oxalic acid. Although tart rhubarb is technically a vegetable, it is cooked and sweetened like a fruit. Combining rhubarb with strawberries is a popular pairing. The flavors are pleasantly contrasting, and the berries help sweeten the rhubarb.