Just Desserts

Mom’s Cherry Nut Cake  | Makes 8 to 10 servings

Photo by Peter Goskov

Growing up, every Christmas morning brought surprises wrapped in paper and stuffed into stockings. But one wonderfully predictable treat was a constant: my mother’s cherry nut cake, which we ate for breakfast with scrambled eggs and sausage. For me, it is the flavor of Christmas day, tender and moist and scented with cherries, almond extract, vanilla and walnuts. I make a double batch now and give out little cakes as gifts, but this single recipe will yield enough for one standard cake.

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for the pan

2½ teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon table salt

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for the pan

8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

1¼ cups granulated sugar

4 large eggs, at room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon almond extract

¾ cup halved maraschino or other pitted, canned (or jarred) cherries (not cherry pie filling), with all but 3 tablespoons of their juices drained

⅔ cup chopped walnuts

Garnish: Powdered sugar

Instructions:

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

Preheat your oven to 350° and set a rack to the middle position. Grease a standard 12-cup Bundt pan with the butter, then dust all over with the flour. Shake out any excess flour. Set the pan on a baking sheet and set aside.

In the bowl of a standing mixer, cream the butter and cream cheese for 1 minute. Add the sugar and mix on medium speed until light and very fluffy, about 5 minutes. Scrape the bowl. Lower the speed and add the eggs one at a time, scraping between additions. Still on low speed, add the vanilla and almond extracts. Staying on low speed, add the flour mixture and stir until blended, then add the cherries with their reserved juices and the nuts.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and transfer on the baking sheet to the middle rack of the oven. Bake until the cake is fragrant and golden brown and a cake tester comes out clean, 45 to
50 minutes. Let cool, then dust with powdered sugar and serve.

Chocolate Bread Pudding | Makes 8 to 10 servings

Photo by Liz Neily for Yankee Magazine

Bread pudding is a simple dish of milk, stale bread, sugar, eggs, and vanilla—more comfort food than fancy-dinner-party material. However, this version is both a straightforward pudding you can assemble the night before and a decadent chocolate dessert. 

Note: If your bread is fresh, lightly toast the cubes by spreading them out on a baking sheet and placing them in a 325°F oven for 10 minutes.

Ingredients:

1 pound loaf of stale challah or brioche, crusts removed, cut into 1-inch cubes

2 cups (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips, divided

4 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup whole milk

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

2½ cups heavy cream

¾ cup granulated sugar

Instructions:

Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish, evenly spread out the bread cubes, and sprinkle 1⅓ cups chocolate chips over the bread. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, vanilla and salt. Set aside.

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, whisk together ⅓ cup milk and the cocoa powder until a smooth paste forms. Add the remaining milk and then the cream, whisking until combined. Whisk in the sugar, then add the remaining ⅔ cup chocolate chips, stirring until the mixture is mostly smooth. Remove from heat and slowly ladle a small amount of the hot chocolate mixture into the egg mixture while whisking vigorously to warm the eggs. Slowly pour the warmed egg mixture back into the saucepan, whisking until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes.

Pour the chocolate custard over the bread cubes, gently pressing down on any pieces of bread that aren’t submerged. Let the pudding sit for 30 to 45 minutes at room temperature. Preheat your oven to 325°F, then bake until the center is set, about 45 minutes. Allow to cool for 10 minutes and serve warm with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

Maura Kilpatrick’s Earthquake Cookies |  Makes 2 dozen cookies

Photo by Amy Traverso

I’ve baked and tasted a lot of cookies over the years, but I have three hands-down holiday favorites: My Aunt Madeline’s Pecan Puffs, classic Molasses Clove Cookies, and these Earthquake Cookies, which were created by chef Maura Kilpatrick of Cambridge’s Sofra and Oleana restaurants. You may have made or tasted other chocolate crinkle cookies, but true to their name, these beauties will rock your world. What makes these chocolate crinkle cookies good? Maura packs intensely rich chocolate flavor into each one. And the texture is the perfect mix of crisp exterior and chewy, brownie-like interior.

Ingredients:

1¼ cups all-purpose flour

½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon fleur de sel or kosher salt

1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into 1/4-inch cubes

1½ cups firmly packed light brown sugar

2 large eggs

8 ounces extra-bittersweet chocolate (70% cacao), melted and cooled

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

⅓ cup whole milk

1½ cups confectioners’ sugar

1½ cups granulated sugar

Instructions:

Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt; set aside.

Combine the butter and brown sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until light and very fluffy, about 5 minutes. Scrape the bowl. Lower the speed and add the eggs one at a time, scraping between additions. Still on low speed, add the chocolate. Mix until well combined, about 1 minute. Add the vanilla to the mix. Staying on low speed, alternate adding the flour mixture and the milk. Begin and end with the flour mixture in three additions, scraping the bowl between additions.

Transfer the dough, which will resemble very wet batter, to a bowl; cover and refrigerate at least overnight,
and up to 1 week.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Put the confectioners’ sugar and the granulated sugar in separate bowls.

Use a 2-tablespoon cookie scoop or portion scoop and shape the cookies into a ball. Roll each ball into the granulated sugar first and then into the confectioners’ sugar, coating completely.

Place the cookies onto the prepared baking sheet 1/2 inch apart. Bake until puffed and cracked and just set around the edges, 14 to 16 minutes. The centers will still be soft and appear under-baked. Cool completely
on the baking sheet. Serve right away or store in an airtight container for up to 4 days.