Apple Cranberry Pie courtesy of Lillian Lippard with Lillian’s
It’s the holidays! And when it comes to food, there is no disagreement that Thanksgiving is at the top of this list. The bountiful and abundant horn of plenty spills over with fruits and vegetables suggestive of a generous harvest, a delicious and important part of the meal. However, nothing compares with the anticipation of Thanksgiving desserts … the triumphant crescendo of the perfect Thanksgiving celebration.
Enjoy the following desserts with your family this year, courtesy of some of the very best kitchens in Columbia!
Coconut Cake, courtesy of Tiffany’s Sweets, Eats, & Meeting Place
2¼ cups all-purpose flour
¼ cup cornstarch
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ cup unsalted butter, softened
5 tablespoons vegetable oil
1⅔ cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs, room temperature
1½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon coconut extract
1¼ cups coconut milk
1 cup shredded coconut
Frosting
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
3 to 4 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ cup coconut milk
½ cup shredded coconut, for garnish
Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease and flour two round 9-inch cake pans. Combine dry ingredients: whisk flour, cornstarch, and baking powder in a bowl.
Cream butter and sugar in a separate bowl until light and fluffy. Add wet ingredients: beat in eggs one at a time, then vanilla and coconut extracts.
Alternate dry and wet by gradually adding dry ingredients alternately with coconut milk, starting and ending with dry. Fold in shredded coconut.
Divide batter between pans and bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cakes cool in pans for 10 minutes, then invert onto wire racks to cool completely.
To make the frosting, beat butter until smooth. Gradually add powdered sugar, vanilla, and enough coconut milk to reach desired consistency. Place one cake layer on a serving plate; top with frosting. Add the second layer and frost the top and sides. Garnish with shredded coconut.
Enjoy your delicious and moist coconut cake!
Tips for a moist cake:
• Room temperature ingredients: Ensures even mixing and a light texture.
• Don’t overmix: Mix until just combined to avoid a tough cake.
• Cool completely: Prevents frosting from melting.
• Store airtight: Keeps cake moist for longer.
Apple Cranberry Pie, courtesy of Lillian Lippard with Lillian’s
1 sheet of homemade or store-bought pie crust
1 store-bought pie shell, or homemade if desired
6 Granny Smith apples
1 cup fresh cranberries
½ cup sugar
⅓ cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1½ teaspoon cinnamon
Juice of half a lemon
Mix all ingredients except the pie crust and shell together in a bowl, and let it sit for 15 minutes, then fill the pie crust with the mixture. Cut leaves, acorns, or pumpkins out of the pie sheet and arrange on top of the filled pie. Brush with egg wash, made from whisking 1 egg with 1 tablespoon of milk. Refrigerate for 20 minutes, then bake at 375 F for approximately 1 hour or until filling is bubbly and crust is golden brown.
Fresh Apple Parfait, courtesy of Leré Robinson with Alive Again!
This recipe is perfect for a Thanksgiving brunch or as a lighter dessert to enjoy after your festive meal.
3 organic red, green, and yellow apples
2 tablespoons almond butter, raw and runny
¼ cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon almond extract
3 tablespoons pecans, walnuts, or almonds, chopped
2 tablespoons unsweetened coconut, plain or toasted
Optional: 1 cup whipped coconut cream
Using a hand whisk, mix the almond butter, maple syrup, and almond extract until smooth. Set aside. Core the apples and cut them into bite-sized pieces. Arrange the apple pieces in decorative glass bowls for serving. Drizzle the sauce over the apples, then sprinkle with chopped nuts and coconut for garnish.
Layering Method: Alternate layers of ingredients with the whipped cream for a beautiful parfait presentation.
Simple Topping Method: Simply top each parfait with a generous dollop of coconut whipped cream.
Enjoy!
Double Chocolate Cheesecake, courtesy of Elizabeth Mounce
1½ cups chocolate wafer crumbs (I suggest thin Oreos)
3 tablespoons butter, melted
4 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened
1¼ cups sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
¼ teaspoon salt
5 large eggs
1 8-ounce container sour cream
2 teaspoons vanilla
1½ cups whipping cream, divided
12 ounces chocolate chips (60 percent melts best), divided
8 ounces white chocolate
Optional garnishes: shaved chocolate, pecans, whipped cream, and/or cherries
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease a 9-inch by 3-inch, or a 10-inch by 2-inch springform pan. In a bowl, mix chocolate wafer crumbs and butter; press into the bottom of the springform pan.
Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, remove, and refrigerate while preparing the filling. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese with a mixer until light and fluffy. In a small bowl, mix sugar, cornstarch, and salt; gradually beat into the cream cheese until blended. With mixer at low speed, gradually beat in eggs, sour cream, vanilla, and 1 cup whipping cream until blended and smooth.
Divide batter evenly into two 4- to 8-cup measuring cups, or containers with a pouring spout. In a small saucepan over low heat (or microwave), melt 8 ounces chocolate chips. In another saucepan, melt white chocolate. Stir dark chocolate into one measuring cup and the white chocolate into the other.
Pour half of the dark batter in the springform pan. Holding the white batter about 2 feet above the pan, pour half of the white batter directly in the center. Alternate pouring the dark and white chocolate two more times ending with white chocolate. The batter will spread to the sides each time you pour into the center.
Bake cheesecake for 30 minutes at 350 F. Turn the oven down to 225 F and bake 1 hour and 45 minutes longer or until center is set. Turn off the oven; let the cheesecake remain in oven for 1 hour. Remove cheesecake from oven and run a thin bladed knife around the edges to loosen from the side of the pan. Cool cake, then refrigerate at least 6 hours.
Glaze
In a 1-quart saucepan over medium heat, heat the remaining ½ cup heavy cream until small bubbles form around the edge of pan. Remove from heat and stir in the remaining 4 ounces chocolate chips until melted and smooth. Cool for 10 minutes. Remove cake from pan to a cake plate and spread glaze over the top and sides — you can spread or let the glaze drip down the side. Refrigerate until the glaze sets, garnish with shredded chocolate, pecans, or whipped cream and cherries.
Apple Cranberry Mule, courtesy of Lillian Lippard with Lillian’s
2 ounces vodka
¾ ounces lime juice
¾ ounces cranberry simple syrup (recipe below)
2 ounces apple cider
1 to 1½ ounces ginger beer
Pour ingredients over ice into a mule cup and garnish with apples, limes, cinnamon sticks, and cranberries.
Cranberry Simple Syrup
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1 bag fresh cranberries
Add the ingredients into a pot and bring to a boil. Simmer for 10 minutes. Let cool for another 10 minutes and strain into a bowl, pressing cranberries to extract all the syrup and cranberry flavor.
Sweet Potato Pie, courtesy of Tiffany’s Sweets, Eats, & Meeting Place
3 medium sweet potatoes, baked or boiled until tender
½ cup butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs, beaten
½ cup milk, whole or evaporated
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 unbaked 9-inch pie crust, store-bought or homemade
Prepare the sweet potatoes; if baked, let cool slightly, then peel and place in a large bowl.
To make the filling, mash sweet potatoes until smooth. Add butter and mix until well combined. Stir in sugar, vanilla, eggs, milk, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Mix until smooth, then pour filling into pie crust.
Bake at 350 F for 50-60 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool completely before serving.
Tips:
• For a richer flavor, use brown sugar instead of granulated sugar.
• Add a pinch of ground ginger or cloves for extra warmth.
• Top with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.
Turkey Sugar Cookies, courtesy of Lillian Lippard with Lillian’s
3 sticks unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 cups all-purpose flour
Beat the butter and sugar in a bowl with an electric mixer until smooth. Add eggs, vanilla, and finally, flour until all ingredients are completely mixed. Chill for 1 hour.
Dust a work surface with flour and roll dough to desired thickness — ¼ to ½ inches — and cut into turkey or other shapes with a cookie cutter. Bake at 350 F for 15-20 minutes. Cool and dip in caramel icing (recipe at right), and then decorate with store-bought or homemade buttercream icing (recipe at right).
Caramel Icing
½ cup butter at room temperature
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
⅓ cup half-and-half or whipping cream
2 cups unsifted powdered sugar
Melt butter in a 2- to 3-quart pan. Add the brown sugar and half-and-half. Quickly bring to a full boil and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Remove from heat and let cool to lukewarm. Add powdered sugar and beat until blended and smooth. Use at once.
Homemade Buttercream Icing
2 sticks unsalted butter
2 cups powdered sugar
1½ teaspoon vanilla
1½ to 2 tablespoons whole milk
Beat all above ingredients until smooth and lump-free. Separate in bowls to make desired colors by adding 2 to 3 drops of food coloring for each different color bowl. Mix the color into the icing.
