Lemon Cream Pie

November 29: National Lemon Cream Pie Day

Islander loves the lemon fresh taste in cakes. So naturally she likes them in pies, too. Although pumpkin, pecan, apple and sweet potato pies are popular during the current season, lemon cream pie is a nice alternative. The sweet-tart citrus flavor, smooth velvety texture and fluffy whipped cream topping bring to mind sunny and warm days. Make someone’s upcoming holidays happy with a pie and make lemon cream pie on National Lemon Cream Pie Day.

Recipe

(Adapted from Martha Stewart)

For the lemon pie

• ¾ cup fresh lemon juice (5-6 lemons)
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• ½ cup sour cream
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 pie crust (we used a graham cracker crust)

Directions

Juice the lemons and set aside. In a large bowl, beat the eggs with the sugar. Stir in the sour cream. Add the lemon juice.

Mix in the salt and blend well. Pour into the pie crust. Place on a baking sheet. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes. The middle of the filling will still jiggle slightly. Remove from the oven and set on a wire rack to cool completely. Prepare the cream topping.

For the whipped cream topping

• 1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream
• ¼ cup sugar
• lemon peel curls (optional garnish)

Directions

In a mixing bowl, whip the cream with the sugar until stiff peaks form. Spread on top of the lemon cream pie. Or fill a pastry bag with a decorating tip and pipe designs on top of the pie. Garnish with lemon peel curls (optional). Chill the pie for at least another hour before slicing and serving.

Notes

• If using a frozen pre-made pie shell, bake it in the oven according to the directions on the package until golden brown. Cool before filling.
• Do not worry if the lemon filling cracks during baking. They will be covered in cream and still taste delicious.
• The cream topping ingredients yield a generous amount. Feel free to half the recipe to cover/decorate the lemon cream pie.

Guava Chiffon Cake

November 26: National Cake Day

Islander’s all-time favorite cake is the guava chiffon cake from St. Germaine’s/Dee-Lite Bakery in Hawaii. Her Daddy would buy it for the ‘ohana (family) for Valentine’s Day and on Islander’s birthday. The light and fluffy cake is covered in a whipped cream frosting with a guava glaze gel on top. It truly is a delicious and dee-lite-ful dessert!

Apparently, this is also many people’s favorite cake as several have requested the recipe. But the bakery has kept its best-seller a secret! A similar recipe for guava chiffon cake has been posted in the state’s newspaper archives but it just doesn’t taste the same. Several foodie forums have featured frustrations, commentsand suggestions about the elusive recipe. But for now, everyone has to settle for this version. The cake is still good enough for a guava fix!

For National Cake Day, here is a recipe for guava chiffon cake.

Recipe

(Adapted from The Honolulu Advertister)

For the guava chiffon cake

• 2 ¾ cups cake flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 2/3 cup sugar
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• ½ cup water
• ¾ cup guava nectar concentrate (we used Hawaiian Sun brand), thawed
• 5 egg yolks (reserve the whites for the meringue), slightly beaten
• 2 teaspoons vanilla (we used Hawaiian Vanilla Company brand)
• 10-15 drops red food coloring

For the meringue

• 7 egg whites
• ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
• ½ cup sugar

Directions

Lightly grease the bottom of a cake pan (9×13-inch rectangle or 12-inch round) with cooking spray. In a mixing bowl, sift together the cake flour, salt, baking powder and sugar. Add the vegetable oil, water and guava nectar.

Beat the egg yolks and add to the mixture. Stir in the vanilla and food coloring.

Make the meringue by beating the egg whites witih the cream of tartar until soft peaks form. Gradually add the sugar and continue beating until stiff.

Gently fold the meringue into the batter. Then spread into the prepared pan. Bake in a preheated oven at 325 degrees F for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted. Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool completely. Transfer to a cake board or plate. Prepare the frosting and topping.

For the whipped cream frosting

• 2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 1/3 cup powdered sugar

Directions

In a mixing bowl, beat the cream until thickened. Add the sugar and continue to beat until stiff peaks form. Spread a generous amount of the frosting on top of the cake.

Frost the sides of the cake. Add decorative shell borders on the top and bottom edges.

For the guava topping

• ¾ – 1 cup guava nectar concentrate or juice
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons water
• red or pink food coloring, if necessary

Directions

In a saucepan, pour the guava nectar/juice and bring to a boil. In a cup, make a paste with the cornstarch and water. Stir this into the guava nectar/juice until thickened. If necessary, tint with food coloring. Remove from heat. Cool slightly.

Spread the guava topping evenly on the cake insde the frosting shell borders. Refrigerate the cake until ready to serve.

Notes

• This guava chiffon cake recipe yields a dense instead of airy cake. We recommend adding a few drops of guava oil/extract in the batter to boost the fruit flavor.
• Pink food paste instead of red liquid drops makes a deeper and more vibrant color in the cake batter.
• Double or triple the recipe for the whipped cream frosting if icing and decorating a multi-layered guava chiffon cake.
• National Cake Decorating Day is October 17. Search our blog for simple tips and techniques on decorating cakes.
• Prefer pies over cake? National Pie Day is on December 1 and National Pi (π) Day is March 14 (3.14). Search our blog for more pie recipes.
• Gaga for guava flavor? Try making guava macarons.

Cranberry Sauce Muffins

November 23: Eat a Cranberry Day

We are blessed with a bounty of food on Thanksgiving Day and appreciate leftovers. Highlander cooks the turkey and gravy, stuffing, sweet potatoes, rice, bread rolls and corn while Islander bakes the pies and makes Oreo turkey cookies in advance for dessert. Sometimes, though, we have an overabundance of side dishes, such as cranberry sauce, because Islander does not eat it and Highlander cannot finish it by himself. So Islander makes “morning-after cranberry sauce muffins.” They are great for breakfast on Black Friday or as a sporty-style snack when watching football games on television. Give new life to leftovers and make cranberry sauce muffins the morning after Thanksgiving and on Eat a Cranberry Day!

Recipe

(Adapted from Serious Eats)

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups (or 1 14-ounce can) cranberry sauce
  (we used Ocean Spray brand whole berry cranberry sauce)
• ½ cup milk
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 egg
• 1 cup flour
• ½ cup wheat flour
• 1 cup oats
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions

In a medium bowl, combine the cranberry sauce with the milk, oil and egg. Mix well and set aside.

In a large bowl, mix the flours, oats, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.

Fold in the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, gently stirring well until moistened. Scoop ¾ full into cupcake papers or the wells of a lightly-greased muffin pan. Bake in a preheated oven at 400 degrees F for 20-22 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and cool on wire racks. Yield: Approximately 1 ½ dozen.

Notes

• Add more fruit filling to these moist muffins by adding a half cup of fresh or dried cranberries to the batter. Add sweetness by sprinkling sugar on the top of the batter before baking.
• Search our blog for other recipes containing cranberries.