Raspberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake

Raspberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake

Summer here in southern BC is a veritable cornucopia of fresh, ripe berries of all kinds. Blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, and blackberries – all are plump and sweet from the summer sun. This Raspberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake is easy to whip together and highlights the best of our summer fruit.

Cake: it's what's for breakfast. Yep, you heard me.

Since summer has arrived in full force, I’ve been a busy bee; buzzing from one activity to the next. As a result, my garden has been — shall we say — gently neglected. Oh who am I kidding? It is overgrown on the west side with blackberries. 10-foot tall raspberry canes as thick as a baby’s arm, with razor-sharp thorns just waiting to bleed any unsuspecting passers-by. The up side? The branches are so heavy with giant, glossy berries, they are practically laying on the ground. We love berries of all kinds, and this is my absolutely favourite coffee cake to make with fresh berries. Any berry will do – use whatever you have.

Prepare to inhale several slices of this raspberry goodness.

Click through for the recipe....

Gluten-Free Apple Spice Cake with Bourbon Whipped Cream

Gluten-Free Apple Spice Cake with Bourbon Whipped Cream

I have noticed that more and more people are eating gluten-free. Chances are, you probably know someone who can’t tolerate gluten. I’ve been curious about trying a recipe, but had been holding back — the lack of flour-substitutes seemed an overwhelming hurdle to me. When I saw a gluten-free all purpose flour mix at my local grocery store, I knew I would seize the opportunity to try one!

If you like coffee cake, you'll love this spicy apple cake!

Now, what do you make when you only have 2 apples in the house, and some spankin’ new gluten-free all purpose flour? Apple Cake! This coffee cake-style cake is moist, spicy, with a bite of apples and a caramelized brown sugar & butter topping. It is excellent with whipped cream, and the Bourbon Whipped Cream is a special treat, indeed. Vanilla ice cream or caramel sauce would also rock.

Click here to read the recipe and instructions

Apricot Kuchen

Something's kuchen in das kitchen

As the grey, blah days continue, my thoughts drift back to summer and idyllic days driving through vineyard-covered hillsides. One of our vacation destinations this summer was the Okanagan. Anyone who reads my column regularly will know that it is a regular haunt of mine! We stayed with friends, and they sent us home with a generous box of apricots from their garden tree. What a wonderful gift! Our hostess, Margie, made us a version of this Apricot Kuchen, which I absolutely loved. “Kuchen” means cake, and fresh-picked fruit plus cake equals a summer treat like no other.

Behold my bounteous orbs!

These tiny apricots were at the peak of ripeness. I had to be extremely careful not to squeeze them too hard or they would burst! The cake is a simple short cake – it is really easy and doesn’t have many ingredients. Lay the fruit on top of the batter and it sinks down ever so slightly into the cake. A light dusting of cinnamon and sugar on top creates a smoky, caramelized crust on the fruit. After baking, brush the top of the cake with a glaze made from melted apricot jam. In the end you get a fruity little coffee cake, to enjoy in the afternoon with tea, or as I have been doing — with breakfast. This Apricot Kuchen was even better the next day, as the juices from the cooked apricots and the glaze soaked into the top of the cake. Yum! 

Fruity wheel of awesomeness

To peel or not to peel?That is a personal preference, for sure. My personal preference was to not fuss over peeling 12 tiny apricots! The fruit was so ripe that the skins were practically non-existent after baking. However, if I were to make this with peaches, I would definitely peel them. You can make this cake with any stone fruit such as peaches, plums or nectarines. Try it with cherries — I recommend you use a cherry pitter so you don’t go crazy!

This was my second breakfast.

Click through for the recipe and instructions