21/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder dash salt stick butter, plus 111 /2 Tablespoons, softened
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
2 Tablespoons sour cream
Frozen Vanilla Frosting
1 stick butter at room temperature
21/3 cups powdered sugar
2 Tablespoons cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
For the Cookie Bars:
Gently combine Frozen Vanilla Cookie Bar ingredients, starting with beating butter with sugar, then beating in eggs, sour cream and vanilla. Combine dry ingredients, make a well in them, then pour in wet ingredients and beat until just combined. Do not overbeat.
Chill for half an hour or freeze for 10 minutes and then press gently into a lightly greased glass 13 by 9 inch pan or two 9-inch glass pie pans.
Bake at 375 degrees until golden brown on the edges and bottom, usually about 20 minutes for two pans or 35 for the larger pan but your oven may vary, so please check.
Let cool before frosting or you will melt the frosting. If necessary to frost while still hot, call it Vanilla Glaze and make sure it covers all the top of the cookie bars and also cool the glazed cookie bars by putting them in a cool place or in the fridge.
For the Frosting:
Beat butter with powdered sugar and cream.
Chill in the freezer for 5 minutes.
Smooth over completely cool vanilla cookie bars.
Cut in squares.
Eat as soon as they are ready.
Keep in the fridge, covered.
Note: you may add a little fruit on top, if your family likes that, blueberries or strawberries, etc.
Mel’s Summ er Skies
A Blueberry Cake with Cheesecake Middle Layer and Cream Cheese Icing
Blueberry Cake
1 cup blueberry puree, strained
1/2 cup milk
5 eggs
21/4 cups flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons vanilla
13/4 cup sugar
11/2 sticks butter, softened
Beat butter with sugar and then vanilla. Beat in eggs. Combine flour with baking powder, then beat flour mixture into butter mixture, in three parts, alternating with milk and blueberry puree.
Bake at 325 degrees for 35 or more minutes, in two greased and floured 9-inch glass pie pans, or until a skewer thrust through the middle comes out with moist crumbs only.
Let cool, completely.
Make one of these:
Cheesecake I (starkly white for contrast)
Note: crustless for this recipe but you can add a standard graham cracker crust if you wish, to use either of these recipes for a standalone crusted cheesecake.
2 cream cheese packages, 8 ounces each, at room temperature
2/3 cup sugar
2 Tablespoons powdered sugar (lumpless) 3 eggs dash salt 1/2 cup sour cream 1/2 cup heavy cream 1 teaspoon vanilla Beat cream cheese with sugars, then beat in eggs and salt. Add sour cream, then heavy cream and lastly vanilla. Pour into a 9-inch glass pie pan. If there is extra, pour into another 9- inch glass pie pan (and bake for less time, if it isn’t a full layer.) Bake at 325 degrees, until the middle jiggles only a tiny bit, usually about 35 to 40 minutes. Let cool.
Cheesecake II (with blueberries in the middle)
2 cream cheese packages (8 ounces)
3 Tablespoons melted butter, cooled but still liquid
11/3 Tablespoons lemon juice
3/4 cup granulated sugar, blended to fine in a blender, to be like the English caster sugar
1 Tablespoon corn starch, level
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
2/3 cup blueberries
Beat cream cheeses with melted butter and lemon juice. Add sugar. Add corn starch. Then beat heavy cream until it is whipped into stiff peaks and then gently combine with the cream cheese mixture. Pour into one or two 9-inch glass pie pans. Cover bottom with batter, sprinkle blueberries into the middle, then add the rest of the batter on top. Bake at 325 degrees until the middle jiggles only a little, usually 35 to 40 minutes but it does depend on how deep the cheesecake is. Let cool.
Cream Cheese Frosting
12 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 stick butter, plus 1 Tablespoon, all softened
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 Tablespoons cream
31/3 cups powdered sugar or more, if needed
Beat cream cheese and butter together. Add vanilla and cream and then gradually stir in powdered sugar, as needed.
To assemble cake:
Put one layer of the blueberry cake on a large plate or platter. Frost lightly. Arrange cheesecake layer on top, then top that with another blueberry cake. Dab frosting on top of cheesecake if needed to keep blueberry cake on top. Then, holding cake carefully, gently frost the whole outside of all the layers and frost the top beautifully. Although some people use wooden supports in a larger cake, do not do this with the cheesecake layer as it is too delicate. Good luck. This takes a little practice. if you have too much trouble, slice both cakes and the cheesecake into the same size pieces and put together each into layers on individual plates, blueberry cake-cheesecake-blueberry cake and frost the outside, top and back edge on each individual plate. No one will know the difference if you do this or if you have cut the big cake. It is delicious and for now pretty unique, although I think this will become quite popular. Enjoy!
— Mel Baker is an experienced chef, caterer and cafe manager. She resides in York County and has published “The Noisy Oven” since 2006. Email her a noisyoven@gmail.com.
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