Birthday
158 recipes found
Otis Lee’s Detroit Famous Poundcake
For 34 years, Otis Lee drew crowds to Mr. Fofo’s Deli, his Midtown Detroit restaurant, with sky-high corned beef sandwiches and lemon-glazed poundcake. Mr. Lee, who died in April 2020 from coronavirus complications, passed the poundcake recipe along to his son, Keith Lee, who shared it with The Times. This moist and flavorful recipe isn’t complicated, but it does require a few more steps than your average poundcake. It truly shines when the lemon glaze is poured over the warm, unmolded cake right out of the oven. (Do so on a platter, not on a rack. You want the extra icing to pool at the base of the cake, Keith Lee said.) Double the glaze if desired. (Watch the video of Keith Lee making his father's cake here.)
Key Lime Pie Bars With Vanilla Wafer Crust
Some say that a Key lime’s juice is slightly more floral than that of its more well-known cousin, the Persian lime, the kind you can find in every supermarket and corner deli. Key limes are hard to find, though, so use bottled Key lime juice or conventional lime juice in this easy recipe that's great for a crowd.
No-Bake Mango Lime Cheesecake
This creamy mango cheesecake has the unmistakable scent and taste of fresh limes and cardamom — and, best of all, it doesn’t require you to turn on the oven. Avoid using fresh mango pulp here: An enzyme in raw mango can prevent the gelatin from setting. (Canned mangoes don’t have that enzyme; it’s destroyed when they’re heated to high temperatures to be preserved.) If you must use fresh mangoes, purée the pulp, then bring it to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly, and cool before using.
Florida Lime Pie
Jane Nickerson was the food editor of The New York Times from 1942 until 1957, when she moved with her family to Lakeland, Fla. There, she eventually became food editor of The Ledger, in Lakeland, then owned by The Times. Her successor in New York was Craig Claiborne, whose star eclipsed hers for, among other things, systemic reasons we wrestle with still. But Ms. Nickerson was a hugely influential force in American home cooking, introducing ingredients and recipes from chefs and home cooks to a nation that met her first on a wartime footing and grew to find itself on a prosperous one. In Florida, she embraced local ingredients and foodways, and in 1973 published “Jane Nickerson’s Florida Cookbook,” an invaluable guide to the state’s appetizing abundance. Her lime pie is a little richer than the more well-known Key lime pie. I like that about it.
Skillet Brownie With Chocolate Ganache Frosting
This skillet brownie has it all: It’s chewy at the edges, and gooey in the center. (For maximum gooeyness, err on the side of underbaking slightly.) Topped with more chocolate and a sprinkling of flaky sea salt, this easy recipe is a chocolate lover’s dream.
Lemon Tart With a Touch of Lime
This is a classic French dessert — impressive, but easy to make, if you are organized and get ahead on the prep work. It’s essential to make the tart dough and lemon curd in advance, up to 2 days ahead; otherwise it becomes too much of a project. The buttery cookielike dough is pressed into the pan, not rolled with a pin.
Maple Pecan Caramel Corn
Made from a combination of maple syrup and brown sugar, the rich, buttery caramel on this popcorn has a brittle, candy-like crunch that’s heightened by plenty of toasted pecans added alongside. (Cracker Jack fans can substitute roasted, salted peanuts.) A small amount of baking soda keeps the caramel from becoming sticky, but note that you’ll need an instant-read thermometer to yield the best result. If you’d rather use an air popper to prepare your popcorn, you can — just skip Step 2. The caramel corn will keep in an airtight container for at least a week.
Strawberry Shortbread and Cream
In this summery dessert, golden-edged cookies are paired with syrupy strawberries and fluffy whipped cream for a result that’s a bit like strawberry shortcake, but crunchier and a lot more buttery. These cookies have a little more sugar than most shortbread recipes, so they’re especially crisp, but since they are on the sweet side, use a light hand when adding sugar to the berries. You just need enough to get the juices flowing. A few pinches should do it. And if you use cultured butter, the cookies will be even richer.
Mimosa
Like most mixed drinks, the Mimosa, that brunch staple, is better when the ingredients are of high quality. This doesn’t mean you should use that incredible bottle of Champagne you were given as a birthday present, but it does mean you should use a good, dry sparkling wine that tastes delicious without the addition of fruit juice. Cava, which may bring to mind Champagne more than prosecco does, is also substantially lower in price. As to the juice, squeeze it fresh — from whatever sorts of orange citrus you like best — and strain it.
Black and White Brownies
Baking big chunks of white chocolate into gooey, bittersweet brownies adds contrast of both color and texture. Even better, the edges of any exposed white chocolate chunks caramelize as they bake, turning golden and toasty-flavored. For the deepest flavor, be sure to use a good brand of white chocolate, one with cocoa butter as a main ingredient. The brownies will keep for up to 4 days stored in an airtight container at room temperature, and up to a week when stored in the fridge.
Coconut Macaroon Brownies
Chocolate and coconut are a perfect combination, one that can be reimagined in myriad ways, be it a coconut-filled candy bar or macaroons drizzled with bittersweet chocolate. Here, the two star in a pan of chewy brownies, with mounds of sweetened condensed milk-bathed coconut crowning the top. Half cookie, half candy, they’re over the top in the very best way. This recipe calls for an 8-inch square pan, but, if you only have a 9-inch square pan, shave a few minutes off the baking time.
One-Bowl Chocolate-Mayonnaise Cake
Born out of a scarcity of fresh eggs, chocolate-mayonnaise cake is one of those Depression-era recipes that sounds a lot stranger than it tastes. After all, cakes rely on eggs and fat for tenderness and richness, and mayo is made of exactly those things, plus some salt and vinegar to give it tang. But you don’t taste the tanginess of the mayo, and if you didn’t tell anyone it was there, they would never know. Which is to say, don’t let a lack of eggs or butter stop you from making cake. This cake is ridiculously good for the small amount of effort you put into it.
Yakgwa (Honey Cookies)
These not-too-sweet Korean honey cookies, fried and then soaked in gingery syrup, are uniquely soft and chewy on the outside and flaky on the inside. Called yakgwa (yak meaning “medicine” and gwa meaning “confection”), these treats originally from the Goryeo dynasty (918-1392) are seeing a resurgence in popularity from Seoul to the world, thanks to social media. Traditionally served on Korean festival days like Chuseok and Seollal, birthdays and ancestral rites like jesa, the anniversary of a loved one’s passing, yakgwa are also an encapsulation of Korea’s dessert history. At a time when sugar was not a main sweetener, sweetness was achieved with ingredients like rice syrup and honey, paired with ginger and cinnamon. Enjoy these on their own with a cup of tea or try them with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, which lends balance to the sticky sweetness. For a vegan option, the honey can be swapped with maple syrup for incredible results.
Blue-Cheese Steak and Endive Salad for Two
Why fuss with reservations when you can have your own bistro night at home? Hanger steaks are readily available, quick cooking and full of flavor. In this recipe, the steaks are seared, then slathered in blue cheese butter and served alongside an endive and radish salad dressed in a citrus vinaigrette, a perfect complement to the rich steak. This very special dinner comes together in about 30 minutes. If you'd like, toss baby potatoes with a little olive oil, salt and pepper and pop them into the oven to roast while you prepare the steak and salad.
Peanut Butter No-Bake Bars
These bars are perfect for when you’re craving a peanut butter cup, but can’t quite get to them. Inspired by buckeyes, they have that same fudgy-salty-sweet vibe, but with a layer of caramelized flavor from letting the butter turn golden brown after it melted. You can make these treats in just about any size pan, even a mini muffin tin for that true peanut butter cup feel. Cut them into bars or squares with a knife, or use cookie cutters to make cute shapes if you need a project for the kids. Or even the adults, because that sort of thing never gets old.
Pumpkin Fudge Torte
With a texture that falls somewhere between pudding and ganache, this bittersweet torte is silky smooth and very rich. The whipped cream topping, run through with spiced pumpkin purée, is a fluffy contrast to the torte’s denseness. You can make the torte two days ahead. Store it, well wrapped, in the refrigerator, then let it come to room temperature before serving.
Pecan Pie Brownies
Topping a panful of brownie batter with honey-spiked pecan pie filling adds a gooey sweetness and crunch to the fudgy bars beneath. You can substitute any other nut for the pecans: Walnuts, almonds, pistachios, cashews or a combination will all work perfectly. This recipe calls for an 8-inch square pan, but, if you only have a 9-inch square pan, shave a few minutes off the baking time.
Strawberry Jelly Cake
This layer cake is affectionately referred to as “Grandma’s Cake” by many Southerners. Using jelly as the filling and the frosting is a wonderful way to add fruity flavor to a cake year-round. The jelly seeps into the cake, so there’s no need to brush on a simple syrup to keep it moist. This recipe uses cake flour, which has less protein than all-purpose flour and yields a more tender crumb. But it can be prone to clumping. Sift it into the mixing bowl, or use a whisk to aerate it and break up any lumps. “Frost” the sides of the cake with jelly or buttercream, or just let it drip down the sides. When making this cake in the summer, you can top it with sliced fresh strawberries.
Parsnip Sheet Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting and Ginger
Like carrot cake, parsnip cake is lightly spiced, exceedingly moist and slathered with cream cheese frosting. This version, adapted from Susan Spungen’s cookbook, “Open Kitchen,” is less sweet than most. In her original recipe, Ms. Spungen candies slices of fresh ginger root to make a spectacular presentation, but store-bought crystallized ginger tastes just as spicy-sweet and delicious.
Salted Pretzel Brownies
Sprinkling flaky sea salt on brownies makes their bittersweet nature pop; it’s the kind of flavor contrast that keeps you coming back for more (as if the brownies themselves weren’t enough). Here, pretzels work in the same way, adding crunch and a toasty character as well. Hiding beneath the brownie batter, a graham cracker and crushed pretzel crust gives the bars a cookielike appeal run through with salted caramel notes. Go ahead and try to eat just one.
Almond, Black Pepper and Fig Cake With Tamarind Glaze
This cake celebrates the sweet, jamlike texture of juicy ripe figs against the backdrop of a fragrant almond cake, with a sweet-and-sour tamarind glaze as contrast. As the cake bakes, the fresh figs release their juices, which begin to caramelize and take on the flavor of black pepper. Tellicherry black peppercorns and long pepper, if available, are wonderful options to explore for their unique aromas. Frozen fresh figs will also work in this cake. Just remember to thaw them to room temperature and drain off any excess liquid before using. And, make sure to use tamarind paste, not concentrate. Thick, syrupy concentrates lack the fruity flavor of tamarind and carry a noticeable artificial aftertaste.
Mixed Apples Pie
This is essentially a classic double-crusted apple pie, packed tight with fruit, but it calls for a wide variety of apples, giving it far more flavor. For the most nuanced filling, use as many different types as possible: A mix of sweet, tart, crunchy and tender apples will yield complex tastes and textures. The sharp acidity of lime juice heightens the tanginess of your blend, half of which should be firm apples to keep the filling from collapsing. To ensure success with the crust, keep the ingredients cold, popping them into the freezer if needed, and work quickly with a gentle touch. A generous layer of spiced cookie crumbs prevents the bottom crust from getting soggy and lends even more warmth.
Pretzel Shortbread
Flecked with sea salt on the outside, buttery and supremely crunchy within, this pretzel shortbread leans to the savory side, both salty and sweet. This version, created by Lost Bread Company in Philadelphia, mixes crumbs from the bakery’s own sourdough pretzels into the dough. But any pretzels will give the shortbread the necessary tang. The bakery also dips the shortbread into a lye solution before baking to give them that characteristic glossy surface. This simplified version calls for either using baking soda or an egg white. The slightly bitter baking soda mixture adds some of the complex flavor of the lye, but using an egg white is simpler, and the cookies are nearly as delicious.
Fresh Strawberry Bundt Cake
Strawberries from the farmers' market are tiny, packed with flavor, red all of the way through, and they put their supermarket counterparts to shame. This summery Bundt packs a double dose of strawberry flavor, so use the very best ones you can find. (You'll need 1 pound of strawberries for the cake and glaze.) A couple of tips for Bundt unmolding success: Make sure to butter and flour the pan generously and evenly, and let the cake cool for 15 minutes on a cooling rack, then flip it out on to the rack to cool completely. Don’t worry too much if your cake isn’t perfect: The blanket of pink glaze will cover many mistakes.