Mountain Breaths One Year Blog Anniversary

It's hard to believe it's been one year since I started blogging.


177 journal entries...


Thousands of insightful comments...


and one year later....


It's been journal/diary of my life. Sharing the world through my eyes. My supportive husband has been at my side, encouraging, "offering" to give me ideas (most them of I just crack up at). Like the other day, when he took me for a drive to show me something that I needed to take a picture of. It was a huge wasp's nest hanging off a tree! Too funny, he felt that it was blog material. Maybe it is...if you want to see it, just ask.


I've never kept a diary, well maybe for a few weeks when I was a teenager. I can honestly say that blogging is a commitment of time. When I started blogging, I really didn't have a clear game plan other than sharing random thoughts, recipes and pieces of my life with my family, friends and loved ones. I want to thank all my dear readers for visiting to see the world through my eyes.


On this anniversay, I'll just share a dessert that brings countless visitors to my blog. I also want to thank Feedjit. It provides useful information about who is coming to my blog. Unknown vsitors come from many countries.

Lemon Berry Cake
 with Mascarpone Filling

Some of you may remember this lemon berry cake that I previously blogged about. We very much enjoyed a lemon berry cake at a restaurant, and I obsessed and tried for weeks to re-create it for my birthday.  The cake is made by Sysco, and their website states the following: "Two layers of moist cream cake with cranberries, blueberries and cinnamon streusel baked into each cake then filled with fruit and a lemon mascarpone cream. If anyone comes up with a recipe, I would love to hear about it. 

Thank you for your visit!

Debbie

Lemon Berry Cake with Mascarpone Filling

We enjoyed a lemon berry cake with a mascarpone filling at a restaurant, and I was inspired to duplicate it for my birthday.

The restaurants that serve the lemon berry cake buy it ready-made from Sysco Foods. The information on the Sysco website states: "Two layers of moist cream cake with cranberries, blueberries and cinnamon streusel baked into each cake then filled with fruit and a lemon mascarpone cream."

The recipe I used is for a firm cake. If you prefer a moister cake, you may want to use a different recipe for the cake part. One of my readers told me they used Joy of Cooking's Sour Cream Cake recipe for the cake part., and said it was "light, moist and incredibly yummy!"

Lemon Berry Cake with Mascarpone Filling
=============================


Ingredients for Two Layer Cake:
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 pound (1 stick) salted butter
1/4 cup finely minced lemon zest
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 cup sour cream


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter two 8" round baking pans and set aside. Prepare crumb topping and set aside.


Streusel topping:
1 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup granulated sugar
grated zest of 1 lemon
dash of cinnamon
8 Tbs. (1 stick) of butter, melted


Using a pastry cutter, cut in butter until your crumb topping resembles peas. You want crumbs, so don't overmix.


Cake instructions:


Sift together flour, baking powder and baking soda, and set aside.


With a mixer, cream butter and lemon zest until the butter is soft. Add the sugar and beat to mix well. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition until thoroughly incorporated. Scrape down the bowl as needed. On low speed, add the dry ingredients in three batches alternately with the sour cream in two batches, beating only until incorporated after each addition. Scrape batter into buttered pans and smooth the top. Sprinkle each cake batter with half of crumb topping and 1/2 cup (or more) of mixed berries (I used a frozen mixture of blackberries, blueberries, strawberries and raspberries). Bake for 30 to 45 minutes, until a cake tester or toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean and dry. Baking time may vary with different ovens and types of pans.


Once cake has cooled, remove from pans. (Once cool, I wrapped each layer individually in foil and kept refrigerated until I was ready to use)


Prepare the mascarpone cream filling:
12-ounces mascarpone cheese, cold
1/4 cup light cream (half & half)
4 tbsp powdered sugar, or to taste
grated zest of lemon - optional


Beat all ingredients together with a whisk until soft peaks form. If you want to make the filling sweeter, then add a bit more sugar. You might have to add a little more cream to keep the filling from getting too stiff. Spread cream filling over a cake layer, sprinkle with a handful of fresh blueberries, and top with the second cake layer. Refrigerate at least two hours and serve cold.


My notes:


This dessert is served cold, and keeps well in the fridge for 3-4 days.


You can drizzle some raspberry sauce on the plate for a nice presentation.


I sprinkled with confectioners sugar.

Thank you for stopping by!

Debbie

Flashback and Foodie Friday - Lemony Risotto with Asparagus and Shrimp

Seems the week went by so quickly, which means it's time for another Foodie Friday where I can share a recipe or two and get inspiration from the many wonderful cooks out there. To see what else is cooking for Foodie Friday, check out Gollum's blog. Designs by Gollum



Do you ever plan a meal, just for yourself? I'm used to cooking for a family, and my husband will eat just about anything I cook, but he draws the line when it comes to anything creamy (he despises milk and mayonnaise). So I save certain recipes, when it's just me. I set the table with my girly dishes :-) The black and yellow plates are from the Spode Archive Collection - British Flowers Rosa. First introduced c 1831.

A funny story for those of you who watch the television show "Survivor". Joe tried out for Survivor twice, but wasn't selected. I told him he didn't show enough skin in his photo :-) Well anyways, we were watching the show a few years ago, and the contestants had to drink blood and milk from a cow. He said he would have been in trouble at that point, since he cannot get himself to drink milk. He would drink the blood, but not the milk!!

Here's a recipe that I tried tonight, just for me. (Joe is in the Big Apple for the day, and I hope his arms will be full of goodies when he arrives home a little later tonight) I served this as my main course, it would have been a side dish for Joe :-) And I will have leftovers to take to the office to share.

Lemony Risotto with Asparagus and Shrimp
Serves 4 (main course) or 6 to 8 (side dish)
Active time: 45 min Start to finish
May 2009 - Gourmet

3 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 cups water
3/4 lb asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 small onion, finely chopped
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
1 1/4 cups Arborio rice
1/4 cup dry white wine
3/4 lb medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
1/4 cup grated parmesan
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
Bring broth and water to a simmer in a medium saucepan. Add asparagus and simmer, uncovered, until just tender, about 4 minutes. Transfer asparagus with a slotted spoon to an ice bath to stop cooking, then drain. Keep broth at a bare simmer, covered.
Cook onion in 2 Tbsp butter with 1/4 tsp salt in a 4-qt heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes.
Add rice and cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute. Add wine and simmer, stirring constantly, until absorbed.
Stir in 1/2 cup broth mixture and briskly simmer, stirring frequently, until absorbed. Continue adding broth, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring frequently and letting each addition be absorbed before adding the next, until rice is creamy and tender but still al dente (it should be the consistency of a thick soup), about 18 minutes. (There will be leftover broth mixture.)
Stir in shrimp and cook until just cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes.
Stir in asparagus, zest, remaining 2 Tbsp butter, parmesan, parsley, and pepper to taste. (Thin risotto with some of remaining broth if necessary.)

Thanks so much for stopping by!  Debbie