Christmas Fruit Bread

It's the most beautiful time of the year
The street are decorated with lights and snowy look.
The shops are full with last minute buyers
Everything is so special and magical.

This was the first time I made Christmas fruit bread, each year I see the recipets in the food magazines and this year I decided to bake one.

Filled with dried fruit and currants, delicious and festive.

Happy Holidays !




Christmas Fruit Bread - Adopted from my 2 pee'north

(for one loaf)

125 g butter
125 g sugar
4 medium sized eggs
peel of one lemon
250 g rye flour
2.5 teaspoons baking powder
300 g dried fruit of your choice
125 g raisins
125 g currants

Preheat oven to 350F.
Grease loaf pan with butter. Then add all-purpose flour to it to cover the butter layer.
Remove any flour which don't stick to the butter.
Put loaf pan into freezer until use. Butter, flour and freezing will make it easier to remove bread after baking.

Cut the dried fruit into small cubes.
Use the fruit you like most.
Mix butter and sugar until creamy.
Add one egg and mix on medium speed for about one minute. Repeat step with the remaining three eggs.
Add the finely grated peel of one lemon.
Mix the flour with baking powder, sieve and add to the butter mixture.
Mix just until combined.
Fold in dried fruit, raisins and currants.
Pour into the prepared loaf pan form.

Bake for 30 minutes at 350 F. After 30 minutes increase temperature to 375 F. and bake for another 30 minutes. Fruit bread is done when a toothpick comes out clean.
Let the fruit bread cool in form for about 10 minutes.
Remove from pan and let cool completely on a cooling rack.
Wrap tightly in aluminum foil and store for at least one day.

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Italian cherry cream cheese coffee cake

For our Christmas/Hanukkah party in the office I received several amazing cook books.
I guess my friends began to understand my passion for baking.

I was skimming one of the cookbooks, and I found this beautiful Italian coffee cake, I couldn't wait for the right time to make it.

In the original receipt they used plum, but because this isn't the season, I decided to use cherries.


Using the cherries was a good decision on my part, the cake was not just beautiful, it was also
tasty.

Italian Cherry cream cheese coffee cake - Adopted from a passion for baking

Cake:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
3 tablespoons sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt

Filling
30 cherry, halved and pitted
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 teaspoon pure lemon extract
1/4 teaspoon pure almond extract
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Direction:
Preheat over t0 350 F.
Generously spray a 9- or a 10 inch spring-form pan or a fluted, deep tart pan with nonstick cooking spray and place pan on parchment paper-lined baking sheet.

For cake:
in a food processor, cream butter and sugar until well blended
add eggs and vanilla and blend until smooth. Fold in flour, baking powder, and salt to make a soft batter.
Spread batter on bottom and sides of pan (Batter will appear thin in pan).

For Filling:
Prepare cherry. Place them cut sides down on cake batter in pan.
Mix cream cheese and remaining ingredients in a small bowl with a whisk and spread over fruit in pan.
Bake until top is browned and appears set. about 45 t0 50 minutes.
Cool well before serving.

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Jelly Doughnuts

I love the holidays, festival of light, Hanukkah.
8 days of celebration and great food.
Every year I search for the best jelly doughnuts , the kind that reminds me the one's I used to eat back home, the perfect amount of sprinkled powder sugar -
and red strawberries jam inside.

This year a friend of mine who's learning in the culinary institute, sent me a brand new recipe. She warned me that I should forget everything I knew before about doughnuts, because these is the winning recipe.
I didn't think twice, checked that I have all the ingredients and ran into my kitchen to prepare them.



The best jelly doughnuts ever!

7 cups + 2 Tbsp. flour
3 envelope active dry yeast
3.5 oz. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
4 yolk
2 eggs
1 3/4 room temp. milk
2 1/2 ounces of butter room temp.

Strawberry jam for filling
Sugar powder for dusting
Canola oil for frying the doughnuts

Direction:
In a large mixing bowl, stir together all the ingredients for the dough except the butter and mix it for 7 min.
add the butter and mix for another 4 min.
Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover with a clean towel and let it rise for 50- 60 minutes, or until the dough double his size. (the best way is to keep refrigerated over night).

Divide the dough to equal 50 gram balls and and round them on a oily surface.
It is important to starch and band the dough downwards.
Keep the balls on oily surface and let them rise again for 40 minutes.

In a deep fryer or a wok, heat 4 inches of oil to 380 degrees F.
(Check the temperature with your cooking thermometer.)

add the doughnuts to the oil and fry for 3 minutes each side.
They will be golden brown on both sides when done.
Lift the doughnuts out with a slotted spoon or tongs and drain them well on paper towels.
Dust lightly with confectioners sugar.
Add to each doughnuts a good strawberry jelly
Enjoy!



Happy Holiday !

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