Cookbooks

The lime version of the buttermilk cookie is a tart, refreshing treat—perfect for a summer day. You can also easily substitute lemon or orange for the lime; all are especially welcome at brunches or tea parties. This recipe directs you to spoon the icing over the tops of the cookies, but if you like the playfulness of the rounded bottoms from the Mini Black and White Cookies (page 77), you can flip them over and ice the bottoms using the same technique.

This cinnamon-glazed cookie is French toast in cookie form—a breadlike texture with cinnamon-sweet flavor. You can add chopped candied pecans by sprinkling them onto the cookie after it’s iced but while the icing is still wet. This recipe directs you to spoon the icing over the tops of the cookies, but if you like the playfulness of the rounded bottoms from the Mini Black and White Cookies (page 77), you can flip them over and ice the bottoms using the same technique.

This is a great dessert to vary, according to your cravings and mood, with different flavors of ice cream and sauces. I love the uncomplicated taste of vanilla bean ice cream with brownies, but go for any of your favorite flavors. The Caramel Sauce adds another dimension of flavor and color to the chocolate and vanilla, but many other traditional ice cream sauces will also work. I like to spoon a little of the sauce between the brownies and ice cream to prevent the brownie layer from tasting too dry. The sauce helps pack it together with a nice gooey consistency, so that it’s not too much of a textural contrast from the ice cream.

This is another great example of turning the flavors you like from a raditional dessert into a more modern form. Imagine the elements of tiramisù—ladyfingers, ricotta pastry cream, cinnamon, and coffee liqueur—and figure out the components of a cupcake that will best match up with those flavors. Then, voilà!, you have a new kind of cupcake. We assemble this cupcake without alcohol, but feel free to substitute Kahlúa or another coffee liqueur for the espresso (or in addition to the espresso) to give this dessert an extra punch.

This blueberry cake is a great alternative to classic cheesecake, especially in the summer, because it tastes less heavy. The Cream Cheese Icing makes this version of the cake less sweet than a typical vanilla cake. The graham cracker crumbs around the sides of the iced cake add a decorative touch, while completing the flavor and texture combination that brings cheesecake to mind. For an added element, try substituting Citrus Cream Cheese Icing (page 146) for the traditional icing.

Peanut Butter and Jelly is by far one of our most-asked-for cupcake flavors at the bakery. The Peanut Butter Icing is fairly thick, and it has a rich, intense peanut butter flavor, so a slightly tart jelly, such as raspberry, helps cut the richness. The composition is reminiscent of childhood’s favorite sandwich, but it has a sweeter edge to it. The Peanut Butter Icing also tastes great with Devil’s Food Cake (page 98) or as a filling for Sandwich Cookies (page 58).

Fresh strawberries add an element of tartness to the simple Vanilla Cake. The thin layers of strawberry jam inside the cake further enhance that flavor. At Tribeca Treats we typically offer this cake only when strawberries are at the height of flavor, making it a mouthwatering cake for a summer birthday celebration.

This is a traditional yellow cake. Pair it with Vanilla Icing (page 136), and that’s about as basic as you can get, but you’ll be surprised at what a buttery vanilla flavor it packs. For that reason, the Vanilla Cake/Icing combo is a favorite among both kids and adults. This cake is also a classic match for the Chocolate Icing (page 148), as well as for bolder variations, such as in the following recipes in this chapter.

The homemade version of the Girl Scouts’ Thin Mints cookies. Need I say more?

Like the Devil’s Food Cake recipe, this recipe is oil based, so it can easily be mixed by hand. Cake flour is used here, but not all grocery stores carry it. If necessary, you can substitute all-purpose flour—just use 1/4 cup less and be very careful not to overmix the batter. Also, you’ll notice that this is a raisinless carrot cake; that’s a personal preference. If you want to add raisins to yours, go ahead and add 1 cup. You can also omit the pecans, particularly if nut allergies are a concern.

Although you can use any of your favorite ice creams with the Chocolate, Vanilla, or Graham Cracker Cookie doughs, the Chocolate Cookie Dough pairs best with the widest variety of ice cream flavors.

These cupcakes have a lighter consistency than the other cakes in this chapter. Whereas the other cakes could almost double as bread, there’s no mistaking these as cake. Citrus Cream Cheese Icing (page 146) and the “Sassy” Cinnamon variation on the Vanilla Icing (page 136) are scrumptious toppings. Use the cream cheese combination for a brunch dessert or the sweeter cinnamon icing to dress them up for an autumn evening. The brown sugar and mix of spices in the batter augment the woodsy sweetness of the pecans. For a slight variation, peel and dice a sweet apple and add it to the batter before baking.

We serve this seasonal cake from October through December, but it’s so good that people ask for it all year-round. I especially love it with the “Sassy” Cinnamon variation on the Vanilla Icing (page 136), though Cream Cheese Icing (page 144) and the Cinnamon variation on the Cream Cheese Icing (page 144) are good matches as well. Pumpkin Cake or cupcakes are a great dessert to contribute to Thanksgiving dinner, and are often a welcome variation to all the pies.

This cake is a less dense version of banana bread, so it can be served in many ways. At Tribeca Treats we typically serve it with Chocolate Cream Cheese Icing (page 150), but it also tastes great with Cream Cheese Icing (page 144), the “Sassy” Cinnamon variation on the Vanilla Icing (page 136), or even consider baking it in a loaf pan, cutting off a slice, and serving it alongside chocolate mousse or whipped cream and fresh berries. The key to this recipe is to use overripe bananas. Typically, the browner the peel, the sweeter the banana has become. Since bananas are usually on the greener side in the grocery store, plan on buying them several days in advance of when you’ll be making the cake. Keeping them in a closed paper bag at room temperature will speed the ripening process.

Although just a minor variation on the Vanilla Icing (page 136), the addition of Marshmallow Fluff makes this version a bit lighter and more smooth. The marshmallow flavor is not overwhelming, and it’s a pleasant addition to the Devil’s Food Cake (page 98) in the Mini S’mores Cupcakes (page 101). We also use this icing, along with sweetened white coconut, atop Devil’s Food Cake and call it the “Snowball” during the winter or the “Bunny Tail” for Easter celebrations. Partnered with a smear of peanut butter, this icing is much loved on Vanilla Cake (page 115) in our “Fluffer Nutter,” or substitute Banana Cake (page 126) for Vanilla in the Fluffer Nutter version to get “The Elvis.” Marshmallow Icing can even be paired with Pumpkin Cake (page 128) in a dessert twist on candied yams.

Many peanut butter icings achieve a thin, smooth consistency by diluting the peanut butter with sugar and heavy cream, but ours is concentrated and stays true to the nutty flavor. It can be more challenging to achieve a smooth finish when icing a cake with this icing, so be prepared for your cakes to have a more textured finish.

Cookies and Cream Icing is a serious crowd-pleaser. It’s a little more distinctive than classic vanilla or chocolate icings, but it’s still basic enough to appeal to traditionalists. The texture and dappled look of the icing make it easy to ice cakes with because you don’t need to spend so much time smoothing the final coat. We serve it exclusively with our Devil’s Food cakes or cupcakes (see pages 98–112), but feel free to pair it with any favorite cake.

Twenty years ago this icing was more commonly made with vegetable shortening than with butter. Even now, some grocery stores and lower-end bakeries still use shortening to save money. When the frosting is made with shortening, the sugar is really the only flavor you taste. To enhance the flavors, and because of an overall avoidance of trans fats (which are common in shortening), today at high-end bakeries and at home, butter is more commonly used for the base of this icing. The secret to this simple-to-make butter icing is beating it in a mixer for a good 5 to 8 minutes total, so that it is light and fluffy. Our recipe differs from others out there because it uses far less sugar, but this is still inherently a very sweet icing. In addition, using less sugar results in a naturally more yellow color, so if you want to get a bright white or if you’re planning to tint it a different color, beat the icing in a standing mixer until it is colorless—the more air you incorporate, the whiter it will be. To make our “Sassy” Cinnamon Icing, which pairs well with all of the cakes in the Banana Cake chapter (page 125), just add one tablespoon of ground cinnamon and mix until combined.

In this icing, the acidity of the citrus enhances the tanginess of the cream cheese. Orange, lemon, and lime all work well. Although the orange icing is my favorite, lemon is especially flavorful with fruity vanilla cakes, such as the Blueberry “Cheesecake” (page 123), and the lime icing spread over a vanilla cupcake and sprinkled with graham cracker crumbs, or sandwiched between two homemade graham crackers (see Graham Cracker Dough, page 86), can evoke a Key lime pie.

Typically, I don’t add food coloring to my icings unless a customer (or my daughter) requests it, but for this icing I make an exception. Just a drop or two of green food coloring makes the icing a nice shade of pale green and hints at the mint flavoring. It looks so festive atop a chocolate cupcake or mini cupcake, garnished with green sparkling sugar, that it is a natural choice for St. Patrick’s Day or other springtime celebrations. The cream cheese subdues the mint essence a little, creating a softer, rather than spicy, mint flavor. Whereas the Peppermint variation on the Swiss buttercream (page 156) is more of a seasonal option, this mint icing is popular all year long.