4th of July Cake: Red, White, and Blue Lemonade Bundt Cake

A moist Bundt cake made with America’s favorite summertime beverage, lemonade, will be a big hit at a Fourth of July party! This holiday dessert is based on one my best cake recipes for a Screwdriver Bundt Cake from my book, "Sophisticated Entertaining" I adapted it for an article, "Fourth of July Desserts," that I wrote for Celebrations.com, where I'm a Contributing Editor and Lifestyle Party Expert. Many 4th of July desserts are a variation of Strawberry Shortcake with layers of cake, red and blue berries, and whipped cream. If you are celebrating on a hot day, whipped cream can turn into a runny mess, not to mention the difficulty in transporting it to a picnic site. This bright and berryful Bundt cake is ideal for a 4th of July party in the backyard or at a park picnic with friends!

• 1 cup unsalted butter, melted, cooled
• 2 cups sugar
• 5 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup lemonade
• 2 tablespoons fresh grated lemon zest
• 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 2 cups mixed strawberries and blueberries

Preheat oven to 350F (170C). Butter a 12-cup Bundt pan.

Beat butter and sugar in a large bowl until combined. Add eggs, milk, lemonade, and zest and beat until smooth. Sift together dry ingredients and beat into mixture until blended. Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until knife inserted comes out clean. Cool in pan for 5 minutes and invert cake on to wire rack. Cool completely.

Place cake on serving dish and sift powdered sugar on top. Fill center of cake with berries and surround berries around the base of the cake as well.

Makes 12 to 15 servings

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Toasted Almond Doughnuts

We all love the ease of picking up a dozen doughnuts at the local shop. But with the world of epicurean quick-stops like Starbucks or corner cupcake boutiques maxxing out taste limits, why can’t a simple fritter have a little fun?

Give homemade cake doughnuts a flavor makeover with a sophisticated topping recipe that has Amaretto.

Or pick up a dozen plain doughnuts from the store and ice them with a spirited glaze. Think "bourbon pecan chocolate topping a chocolate cake doughnut" or a "White Russian cocktail doughnut"...is it happy hour yet?

• 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 2/3 cup milk, room temperature
• Canola or vegetable oil for frying
  Toasted Almond Glaze
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons Amaretto liqueur
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• 1 cup chopped almonds
  

Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. In a large bowl combine eggs, sugar, and vanilla. Beat until mixture thickens and becomes pale yellow. Stir butter into milk. Alternate adding dry ingredients and milk into eggs, beating until blended after each addition. Cover and chill 2 hours.

Roll out dough to 1/2-inch thickness on a floured surface. Use a 2 1/2-inch floured doughnut cutter to cut out doughnuts. Or use homemade cutters such as a drinking glass and a shot glass for the inside hole.

Fill a large pot about halfway with oil or enough to immerse doughnuts. Heat oil to 375F. Carefully add a couple of doughnuts to oil (doughnuts should not touch in pot). Fry for 1 minute one each side, flipping doughnuts over 1 time with a slotted spoon, until golden brown. Remove from oil on to a bed of paper towels to drain. Cool to touch.

Mix together powdered sugar, Amaretto, and cream until blended. Glaze doughnuts and top with chopped almonds. Serve warm.

Makes about 16 doughnuts

The New Gibson

Poolside cocktails can be tough for guys. I know my husband is not a fan of "fru fru" summer drinks like Pina Coladas. A Margarita is about as blended as he gets. While a Martini may be too "Mad Men" for poolside sipping during the day, this New Gibson cocktail with a splash of onion juice and sleek chive spears quenches without compromise.

• 1 oz. premium Gin
• 1/2 oz. dry Vermouth
• 3 oz. club soda
• splash of cocktail onion juice
• Chive spears
  
  Add gin, vermouth, club soda and onion juice over ice in a tall glass.
  Garnish with a couple of chive spears and serve.

Savory Éclairs with Spicy Crab Salad

I have a passion for vintage cookbooks. What's most remarkable about books from around 1920 and before are the chapters devoted to those convalescing at home with "receipts" for bouillon and consomme' designed to cure what ails one. Nice start for a delicious recipe, eh? "Remember all those diseases we used to fear around the turn of the century, and BTW, here's a great recipe for an afternoon tea!" I was inspired to make these Savory Eclairs from an old cookbook menu for a ladies' lunch. The original recipe listed tuna salad, but I thought crab a more contemporary choice. Pate a choux, the dough prepared for eclairs and cream puffs, is pretty easy to make and really tasty when seasoned in a unique way. Just sift dry spices in with the flour. I plan on experimenting with lemon peel and rosemary eclairs and may even a ginger-cinnamon blend eclair as a shell for curried chicken salad.

Spicy Crab Salad

• 4 large eggs
• 1 cup canned crabmeat
• 2 tablespoons Mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon minced chives plus chive stems
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 Savory Éclair Shells (recipe below)
  

Place eggs in a medium saucepan and cover completely with water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and then continue to cook the eggs for 15 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold running water.

When cool to the touch, peel eggs and finely chop. Add eggs and crab to a mixing bowl. Stir in Mayonnaise, chives and salt until combined. Use immediately or cover and refrigerate up to 24 hours. When ready to serve, slice an éclair in half lengthwise and spoon crab salad on bottom éclair half. Place top éclair half on crab salad and serve immediately.

Makes about 2 cups

Savory Éclair Shells

• 1 cup flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 cup water
• 6 tablespoons butter
• 4 eggs

Preheat oven to 425F. Sift together dry ingredients and set aside. Combine water and butter in a small pot over medium heat and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and dump the flour mixture in all at once. Stir with a wooden spoon or paddle to incorporate.

Return the pot to high heat and cook, stirring constantly, for about one minute. The mixture will form a dough ball and coat the pan with a thin film.

Transfer the dough into a bowl and stir for a minute to release some of the heat. Add the eggs, one at a time, stirring each one to fully incorporate before adding the next. Stir vigorously until thickened.

Fit a pastry bag with a wide round tip and fill with the warm dough. Line a baking sheet with parchment or wax paper and adhere it to the tray with a little dab of the dough at each corner.

Pipe 2-inch long mounds about 2 inches apart on the baking. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until golden and puffed. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake for another 10 minutes or until golden brown. Turn off oven and allow the éclairs to dry for another 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and use immediately or when cool.

Makes about 24 éclairs

Caesar Salad in a Parmesan Bowl

Topped with toasted capers, lush with garlic, and served up in a lacy Parmesan cheese bowl, this Caesar Salad is a sensational start for a dinner party. I've made the dressing for years and originally developed this recipe for my book Sophisticated Entertaining. The Parm bowl is something I had always wanted to try and after a bit of experimenting found that a piece of toast in the bottom of the bowl helps it keep its shape. What I like about this recipe for a dinner party is that you can make the Parm bowls, dressing, and toasted capers ahead of time and then toss it all together with the Romaine lettuce when it's time to serve.

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoons capers, drained
• 1 head Romaine lettuce, washed, cut into bite-size pieces
• 1 cup croutons
  
  For Each Parmesan Bowl
• Olive oil
• 1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
• 1 piece toast (white bread)
  
  Caesar Dressing
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1 (2 oz.) can anchovy fillets, drained
• 1/2 cups mayonnaise
• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1/2 tablespoon capers
• 1/2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon grainy brown mustard
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Heat oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add capers and cook, stirring occasionally, until capers are crisp and toasted, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside. Cool to room temperature.

To make Parmesan Cheese Bowl: Use a soup-size bowl as a mold, and turn it upside down on a dinner plate. Lightly coat the entire surface of a large, non-stick skillet with olive oil, and heat over high heat. Scatter shredded Parmesan cheese in skillet; scatter up sides as well for a larger bowl. Place the toast in the center of the skillet, lightly pressing down into the cheese. Cook for 30 – 60 seconds, until the surface of the cheese appears dry and the sizzle sound stops. Use a spatula to carefully peel the cheese, in one whole piece, from the skillet and immediately invert cheese on to upside down bowl. The toast should be centered on the bowl, and the cheese sides will drape down, forming a ruffled edge. Cool completely.

To make Caesar Dressing: Place garlic and anchovies in a food processor and process until minced. Add remaining ingredients and process until mixture is smooth and blended. Pour into a large plastic container with an airtight lid. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 day or until ready to serve.

Just before serving add lettuce, croutons, and dressing into a large bowl. Toss salad until thoroughly coated and transfer to Parmesan cheese bowl that is set on a dinner plate. Top each salad with toasted capers and serve.

Makes about 4 servings

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