Thursday, June 18, 2009

Raspberries: 2 ways





Summer session is starting at my son's daycare and the children are having a party to celebrate. Some of the children are leaving and going on to elementary school in the fall so it will be a last chance for the kids to see each other if they will not be going to the same schools. Parent's have been asked to bring some sort of food platter and I have offered cupcakes because I want to guarantee that my son can have dessert. Its' that pesky artificial food coloring thing again. I was able to make a lovely pink icing with raspberry coulis. I was a little worried initially about the raspberry coulis doing something funky (not in a good way), to the icing but that didn't happen. I wish I knew my food science a little better as it would help with the experimentation. My son loves raspberries, by the way, and doesn't mind pink (yet).



For the Raspberry coulis: I used 2 cups of frozen raspberries expecting to make use of the leftover coulis but if you just want to color your icing use 1 cup of berries. I place the raspberries and a few spoonfuls of white superfine sugar *(depending on how sweet you want it), in a fine mesh sieve over a bowl and as the raspberries melt I press down on the berries with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula to squeeze the juice through. The sugar dissolves in the process. How long this takes depends on whether you use fresh or frozen and how much energy you devout to the squishing of the berries. That's it!

*You can omit the sugar if the coulis is intended for icing only, as the icing sugar is sweet enough.

Raspberry Butter icing
  • 1 cup (250 ml) butter, softened
  • 5 cups ( 1.25 L) icing sugar
  • 2/3 cup (150 ml) raspberry coulis

In a large bowl beat together butter and icing sugar. Gradually beat in raspberry coulis. If too wet, add more icing sugar in 25 ml ( 1 tbsp plus 2 tsp) additions.


The cupcakes are made from a white butter cake recipe and the icing is you basic butter icing with raspberry coulis instead of milk. With the remaining coulis I made raspberry Popsicles. The white butter cake recipe that I used is a go to recipe for me for birthday cakes and so on . I have a preference for white cake over chocolate cake (most of the time),and I also prefer fruit based desserts...It must be the Brit in me.



The cake recipe is Canadian living Magazine's and although I have cut out the recipe I still found it on their site! Click below for recipe:







Raspberry Popsicles

  • 1 cup (250 ml) raspberry coulis
  • 1/4 cup (60 ml ) of 35% cream*
  • 3/4 cup (180 ml ) milk

Whisk together and pour into molds. Freeze.


Yields: 2 cups


*The cream can be omitted here in which case you will get a less ice creamy Popsicle but still a very nice treat.


I am really enjoying these molds! When the Popsicles are frozen I can remove them from their stand and jam them in wherever they fit to make room for other things. Such as lamb shoulder but that is another post.

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