apricot jam

These light and flaky pastries, popular among American and European Jews, are adapted from a recipe by Dorie Greenspan, the prolific cookbook author and winner of four James Beard Awards. The crescent shape and layers of filling might look complicated, but the dough is quite simple to put together (hello, food processor!) and easy to work with. Beyond that, it's really just a matter of rolling, spreading and cutting. These are meant to be bite-sized – about one-inch long – but if you want them bigger, go right ahead. (Should you choose to go larger, Dorie suggests rolling the dough into rectangles instead of circles and cutting the dough into bigger triangles. In that way, you would ultimately get more layers of filling and dough.)

Rugelach

cold cream cheese,

(8 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces

all-purpose flour

salt

raspberry jam, apricot jam

sugar

cinnamon

chopped nuts (I prefer pecans, but you can use walnuts

plump, moist dried currants

bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped, or 2/3 cup store-bought mini chocolate chips

water

sugar, preferably decorating (coarse) sugar

To make the dough: Let the cream cheese and butter rest on the counter for 10 minutes — you want them to be slightly softened but still cool.

Put the flour and salt in a food processor, scatter over the chunks of cream cheese and butter and pulse the machine 6 to 10 times. Then process, scraping down the sides of the bowl often, just until the dough forms large curds — don’t work it so long that it forms a ball on the blade.

Turn the dough out, gather it into a ball and divide it in half. Shape each half into a disk, wrap the disks in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or up to 1 day. (Wrapped airtight, the dough can be frozen for up to 2 months.)

To make the filling: Heat the jam in a saucepan over low heat, or do this in a microwave, until it liquefies. Mix the sugar and cinnamon together.

Line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats. (Silicone baking mats are great for rugelach.)

To shape the cookies: Pull one packet of dough from the refrigerator. If it is too firm to roll easily, either leave it on the counter for about 10 minutes or give it a few bashes with your rolling pin.

Working on a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a 11- to 12-inch circle. Spoon (or brush) a thin gloss of jam over the dough, and sprinkle over half of the cinnamon sugar. Scatter over half of the nuts, half of the currants and half of the chopped chocolate. Cover the filling with a piece of wax paper and gently press the filling into the dough, then remove the paper and save it for the next batch.

Using a pizza wheel or a sharp knife, cut the dough into 16 wedges, or triangles. (The easiest way to do this is to cut the dough into quarters, then to cut each quarter into 4 triangles.) Starting at the base of each triangle, roll the dough up so that each cookie becomes a little crescent. Arrange the roll-ups on one baking sheet, making sure the points are tucked under the cookies, and refrigerate. Repeat with the second packet of dough, and refrigerate the cookies for at least 30 minutes before baking. (The cookies can be covered and refrigerated overnight or frozen for up to 2 months; don’t defrost before baking, just add a couple of extra minutes to the baking time.)

Getting ready to bake: Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

To finish: Stir the egg and water together, and brush a bit of this glaze over each rugelach. Sprinkle the cookies with sugar.

Bake the cookies 20 to 25 minutes, rotating the sheets from top to bottom and front to back at the midway point, until they are puffed and golden. Transfer the cookies to racks to cool to just warm or to room temperature.

Our traditional Battenberg cake is a delicious project for an afternoon in the kitchen. Bake this easy but impressive cake for a special occasion

Battenberg cake

butter

golden caster sugar

self-raising flour

ground almonds

½ tsp baking powder

eggs

vanilla extract

¼ tsp almondextract

x ingredients for almondsponge

pink food colouring,we used ½ tsp Squires rose food paste

x blocks white marzipan

little icing sugar,for dusting

Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 and line the base and sides of a 20cm square tin with baking parchment (the easiest way is to cross 2 x 20cm-long strips over the base). To make the almond sponge, put the butter, sugar, flour, ground almonds, baking powder, eggs, vanilla and almond extract in a large bowl. Beat with an electric whisk until the mix comes together smoothly. Scrape into the tin, spreading to the corners, and bake for 25-30 mins – when you poke in a skewer, it should come out clean. Cool in the tin for 10 mins, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling while you make the second sponge.

For the pink sponge, line the tin as above. Mix all the ingredients together as above, but don’t add the almond extract. Fold in some pink food colouring. Then scrape it all into the tin and bake as before. Cool.

To assemble, heat the jam in a small pan until runny, then sieve. Barely trim two opposite edges from the almond sponge, then well trim a third edge. Roughly measure the height of the sponge, then cutting from the well-trimmed edge, use a ruler to help you cut 4 slices each the same width as the sponge height. Discard or nibble leftover sponge. Repeat with pink cake.

Take 2 x almond slices and 2 x pink slices and trim so they are all the same length. Roll out one marzipan block on a surface lightly dusted with icing sugar to just over 20cm wide, then keep rolling lengthways until the marzipan is roughly 0.5cm thick. Brush with apricot jam, then lay a pink and an almond slice side by side at one end of the marzipan, brushing jam in between to stick sponges, and leaving 4cm clear marzipan at the end. Brush more jam on top of the sponges, then sandwich remaining 2 slices on top, alternating colours to give a checkerboard effect. Trim the marzipan to the length of the cakes.

Carefully lift up the marzipan and smooth over the cake with your hands, but leave a small marzipan fold along the bottom edge before you stick it to the first side. Trim opposite side to match size of fold, then crimp edges using fingers and thumb (or, more simply, press with prongs of fork). If you like, mark the 10 slices using the prongs of a fork.

Assemble second Battenberg and keep in an airtight box or well wrapped in cling film for up to 3 days. Can be frozen for up to a month.

Surprise your friends (and indeed yourself) with a batch of these homemade fondant fancies. Plus there’s plenty of fun to be had choosing your own colours and flavours.

Equipment and Preparation: You will need a piping bag, free-standing mixer and a 20cm/8in square tin.

Mary Berry's fondant fancies

flour

225 grams/8 ounces baking spread butter

caster sugar

lemon, grated rind only

free-range eggs

250 grams/9 ounces unsalted butter,

icing sugar

marzipan

white fondant icing

150 milliliters/5fl oz water

food colouring (any colour)

flavouring (any flavouring)

grams/3½oz chocolate

In this version of the classic Viennese Sacher torte, from Luisa Weiss's cookbook "Classic German Baking," two dense chocolate cake layers are filled and topped with rum-scented apricot jam, then coated in a fudgelike chocolate glaze. Making a perfect Sacher torte with a level top and pristine shiny icing takes patience and precision. But don’t let that discourage you from having a go. Even if the glaze is slightly smudged and the top a bit askew, it will still taste delicious, and there are few cakes as richly satisfying as this.

You can make a Sacher torte up to 3 days before serving. Store it under a cake dome or loosely covered, at room temperature.

(Update: Some readers were having trouble with the glaze seizing in the original recipe. Luisa Weiss retested it, and we made some updates to the recipe that should clear it up.)

Sacher Torte

unsalted butter

bittersweet chocolate (minimum 50 percent cacao)

eggs,

confectioners’ sugar

granulated sugar

cornstarch

dark rum

bittersweet chocolate (minimum 50 percent cacao), chopped

Place a baking sheet in the oven and heat it to 350 degrees. Line bottom of a 9-inch cake pan with parchment paper. Butter and lightly flour sides of the pan.

Make the cake: Place chocolate and butter in a metal bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water and melt, stirring, until smooth. Set aside.

Place egg yolks in bowl of a stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment. Place whites in a separate, clean bowl.

Add confectioners’ sugar to yolks and whip together until fluffy, creamy and pale, about 5 minutes. With the mixer on, slowly drizzle in the melted chocolate and butter, and beat until fluffy and incorporated.

Add salt to the bowl of egg whites and start beating them with a whisk or electric mixer. When whites show soft peaks, slowly add granulated sugar as you continue to beat. Do this until sugar has dissolved and egg whites are stiff and glossy.

In a separate bowl, sift together flour and cornstarch.

Fold a third of the flour mixture into egg yolk mixture. Fold a third of the egg whites into egg yolk mixture. Repeat two more times, alternating flour mixture and then egg whites, until no white streaks remain.

Gently scrape batter into prepared pan and smooth top. Place on baking sheet in oven and wedge the handle of a wooden spoon in the oven door. Bake for 10 minutes and then remove spoon. Lower heat to 275 degrees, and bake for 40 to 45 minutes longer, or until a tester inserted into the cake's center comes out clean.

Place cake pan on a rack for 10 minutes to cool, then invert cake, remove pan and peel off parchment paper. Let cake cool completely upside down. Once cooled, slice it in half horizontally into two layers. Place rack over a piece of parchment paper and move top half of cake to a large plate.

Make the filling: Place jam and rum in a small pan, bring to a boil and continue to boil for a minute or two. Push apricot mixture through a sieve to get a smooth consistency. Let cool, then spread half of the mixture evenly on the bottom cake layer. Place second layer on top of the jam and press down slightly. Spread remaining jam over top and sides of cake. Let cool completely.

Make the glaze: Place the sugar, water, and chocolate in a small saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Clip a candy thermometer to the side of the pan. Boil, stirring frequently, until the glaze reaches 230°F/110°C, about 5 minutes. The mixture will be smooth, glossy, and pourable and will coat the back of a spoon. Remove from the heat and let stand just until the bubbles die down.

Slowly pour warm chocolate glaze evenly all over cake, letting excess drip down sides. Avoid using a spatula to spread glaze: It will stay glossiest if not touched. Reserve a little glaze in the pan to pour over any uncoated patches on the sides so that entire cake is coated. Gently wedge two spatulas under cake to transfer it to a serving plate. Let glaze set completely before cutting and serving.

Make the most of seasonal fruit by making your own jam. It is a simple pleasure which will reward you with jam that has a pure, fruit flavour. You will notice a tremendous difference between the home-made variety and commercially prepared jam.

Apricot Jam

water (60 ml)

lemon juice * (60 ml)

kg granulated sugar * (3 3/4 lb)

Wash the apricots and pat dry. Cut in half and remove the stones. Remove any blemishes*.

Place the apricots in a large, wide saucepan* and add the lemon juice and water.

Bring to the boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally with a long-handled wooden spoon*.

Cover the pot and cook, stirring frequently, until the apricots are tender and cooked through, 10-15 minutes.Meanwhile, put 2 small plates or saucers in the freezer.

Add the sugar to the apricots and stir constantly, without boiling, until the sugar has dissolved.

Once the sugar has dissolved, increase the heat to boil the liquid off. Continue to cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally to make sure the mixture does not catch and burn on the bottom of the pan.

For clear jam, skim off any foam that rises to the surface.As the mixture thickens and reduces, stir frequently. At this stage, the jam requires your attention so do not venture too far away from the stove.

When the jam looks thick, after boiling for about 20-30 minutes,* turn off the heat and put a small amount of jam on a chilled plate. Let it stand for a minute to cool then push your finger through the jam. If it wrinkles, even slightly, it is ready. If it is still quite liquid put it back on the heat for a further 5 minutes and check again.

When the jam reaches setting point, skim further if necessary and then set the jam aside for about 10 minutes. This helps any pieces of fruit to be evenly distributed when placed in the jar. Without standing, the fruit will rise to the top of the jar.Carefully ladle the jam into the heated, sterilised jars*. It goes without saying that you need to be very careful. Splashing yourself with hot jam will result in a very serious burn. In fact, I suggest you have clothing with long sleeves and ensure that you do not have children nearby.

Cover tightly with the metal lids straight away and leave to cool.Wipe the jars to remove any spills and store the jam in a cool, dark place.

When using the jam, always ensure that you use a clean, dry spoon to prevent mould. As a further precaution, store the opened jar of jam in the fridge.

Choose glass jars with an airtight, metal lid and ensure they have been washed by hand in hot soapy water then rinsed well. Check that the metal lids do not have rubber inserts.Preheat the oven to 130oC/270oF. Place upright jars and lids on a baking tray. Heat in the oven for at least 20 minutes, then remove and immediately fill with jam.

To Sterilise the Jars

https://content.jwplatform.com/videos/35cdwSAp.mp4

This easy recipe for apricot jam is perfect for the beginners who want to try their hand at canning or preserving beautiful summer produce.

Easy Apricot Jam for a Canning & Preserving Novice

¼ pounds fresh apricots, unpeeled, halved and pits removed

lemon juice

jars

Canning jar funnel

Large stockpot

Tongs with rubber ends

Potholder

Wire rack

Place a small plate in the freezer while you make the jam.

Place the apricot halves and the water in a large non-reactive pot or a Dutch oven. Cover with a lid and cook over medium heat, stirring often, until the apricots are tender and cooked through.

Add the sugar to the apricots and cook/simmer over medium heat, uncovered, until the mixture becomes thick and jam-like. Be sure to stir the fruit often as it cooks to prevent burning, and skim off any foam that rises to the surface while cooking.

While the jam cooks, fill a large canning pot with water. Add the glass jars you plan to use to the water and bring the entire pot to a boil. Add the jar lids and rings to a shallow dish. Boil the jars for 10 minutes, then carefully remove them with a potholder and tongs. Transfer the jars to a wire rack and let them dry upside down. Transfer a few ladle fulls of boiling water to the shallow dish with the lids and rings. Add enough water to cover them and set aside. Keep your large pot of water warm over low heat while you finish the jam.

Once the fruit mixture has thickened and become jam-like, remove your plate from the freezer and add a small dollop of the jam to it. Place the plate back in the freezer for 5 minutes. Remove from the freezer and gently nudge the jam with your finger (see photo above). If the surface wrinkles, the jam is ready to can. If it does not wrinkle and remains loose, continue cooking the jam and try this test again after 5 minute increments of additional cooking.

Once the jam is ready, stir in the lemon juice (or cider vinegar) and  bring your large pot of water back to a boil over high heat.

While the water heats, carefully ladle the jam into your canning jars, leaving a ½ inch of space at the top of the jar (a funnel will help you do this safely and easily). Remove the canning lids from the dish with water and carefully pat dry with a towel. Place a lid on each jar, followed by the ring. Place the ring on top and screw it on just enough to close - don’t turn it too tightly or the lids will not seal properly!

Carefully place the jars into the boiling water with your tongs. You want the water to cover the jars with about an inch of water over the tops. Boil for 5 minutes. Carefully remove the jars with your tongs and a potholder and place them on top of a kitchen towel. Let them cool, undisturbed, for an hour. Then check to see if the jars have sealed by carefully pressing on top of the lid. If it doesn’t spring back or make a popping sound when you press on it, congratulations! You have a proper seal. If it does spring back, immediately place the jars in the refrigerator and enjoy your jam over the next couple months. You can still enjoy the jam even if the jars did not seal properly. Let your sealed jars rest on the towel for 24 hours before storing in your pantry or opening for use.

Date and label your sealed jars and enjoy the fact that you just made your own delicious homemade jam!

“This is a classic recipe for the simplest jam tart pastry with an almost cake-like crumb. It’s usually made with a blackberry or apricot jam. This tart can be made in a pinch with 250g of your favourite ready-made jam and by simply following the recipe for the pastry crust,” says Emiko Davies. This is an edited extract from Torta della Nonna by Emiko Davies (Hardie Grant Books, $34.99).

Crostata di marmellata (apricot jam tart) recipe

ripe apricots

cold unsalted butter

(250 grams) plain (all purpose) flour

whole egg, plus 1 egg, beaten (save the white to brush the pastry)

lemon

Apricot And Apple Charlotte

(about 6 medium) Granny Smith apples

orange juice

orange

butter (more as needed), melted

egg yolks, beaten

Peel and core apples, and cut them in two. Cut the two pieces into 8 chunks, and put in a saucepan. Add orange juice, zest, sugar and 1/3 cup apricot jam. Place pan over high heat and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and cook at a lively simmer until apples are soft but still keep their shape, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Brush butter onto bottom and sides of an 8-inch springform pan. Paint both sides of each slice of bread with butter (or dip briefly into butter) before lining pan with dampened pieces. Fit pieces of bread together like a jigsaw puzzle with no gaps. Paint joints with egg white to help seal them, and press them together.

Add egg yolks to cooled apple filling and spoon mixture into bread-lined pan. Layer with more butter-painted bread, and carefully spread remaining 3 tablespoons jam over top. (Jam may be heated, if desired, for ease in spreading.)

Place pan on a baking sheet. Bake until browned on edges and top, about 45 minutes. Place on a cooling rack until warm or room temperature. To serve, remove side of pan, and slice like a cake.

We bring you these delicious hot cross buns just in time for Easter.

Hot cross buns

(375 milliliters) warm milk

tsp (1 sachet/7 grams) dried yeast

(55 grams) caster sugar

butter, melted

egg, lightly whisked

(600 grams) plain flour

(260 grams) sultanas

(80 grams) currants

tbsp mixed spice

(40 grams) plain flour, extra

(120 grams) apricot jam

My family can't get enough of this malva pudding from South Africa, with its light sponge and rich toffee sauce, says Valli.

Malva pudding

unsalted butter, softened

tbs apple cider vinegar

(125 milliliters) milk

(220 grams) caster sugar

tsp vanilla extract

(185 grams) plain flour, sifted

tsp bicarbonate of soda, sifted

Vanilla ice cream, to serve

(250 milliliters) pure (thin) cream

unsalted butter, chopped

(110 grams) caster sugar

tbs brandy

https://resources.newscdn.com.au/cs/video/vjs/stable/build/index.html?id=5348771529001-5981857416001&=domain=del

5348771529001-5981857416001

During the traditional Mimouna celebration at the end of Passover, many Israeli Jews lay out an elaborate table with sweets. Because dietary rules during the holiday ban flour from the house (including frozen cookies that contain it), the treats are usually flourless. Here, ground coconut turns the texture of these cookies into a soft and pleasantly cloudlike.

Baked Coconut Balls

unsweetened shredded coconut,

baking powder

Ground pistachios, slivered almonds or rainbow sprinkles

Make the cookies: Heat oven to 325 degrees. In a medium bowl, add the coconut, jam or syrup or honey, baking powder and egg yolks and beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until well combined.

Squeeze the mixture together to form small balls, about 1 inch wide, and roll them in confectioners’ sugar to fully coat. Transfer the balls to a parchment-lined baking sheet lightly coated with cooking spray, spacing them 1 inch apart. Bake for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the glaze: In a small pot over medium-low heat, whisk together the apricot jam and 1/4 cup water until warm. Remove from heat and pour into a small bowl.

Let the balls cool completely on the sheet pan, then dip one side into the glaze. Return to the pan, glaze side facing up, and sprinkle immediately with the pistachios, almonds, sprinkles or anything else you wish.

This striking tart is all about the apples, and — believe it or not — it’s fairly simple to make. The crust is the pat-in-the-pan variety, and a mandoline makes quick work of slicing. For the most beautiful results, use firm tart apples with red or pink skin like Honeycrisp, Empire or Cortland, and stand the slices up vertically, rather than laying them flat. This tart is best the day it's made, but the shell can be made a day in advance, if you’d like to break up the work a bit. If you keep vanilla sugar in your pantry, this would be a great place for it. A sprinkle of cardamom wouldn’t hurt either. However you choose to embellish, make sure to use a smooth apricot jam, rather than chunky preserves, for a smooth finish.

Rose Apple Tart

water,

tart apples

unsalted butter,

kosher salt

Make the crust: Combine the flour, confectioners' sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Pulse a few times to combine. Scatter the butter pieces on top, and pulse until the butter is the size of small peas. Add the egg yolk and vanilla extract, and pulse until incorporated. Pulse in the water, about 2 teaspoons at a time, until the dough starts to hold together. It will appear to be a bit crumbly, but should hold together easily when pressed.

Lightly butter a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom, and pour the dough mixture into it. Press the mixture evenly on the bottom and up the sides of the pan. (Use a lightly floured straight-sided measuring cup to help press the dough into the corners of the pan.) Reserve extra dough to repair any cracks after the shell is baked.

Freeze the formed dough in the pan until completely firm, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, heat oven to 375 degrees.

Line the tart shell with a piece of aluminum foil, making sure to tuck it into the corners and over the edges. Bake the shell for 20 to 25 minutes or until the dough appears dry and lightly golden. If the dough puffs up while baking, gently press it back into the pan with an offset spatula or similar tool. If necessary, repair any cracks with the remaining raw dough. Cool slightly while you prepare the apples.

Cut the apples from their cores in 3 pieces: Stand the apples up, with the stems facing up, and, using a sharp knife, cut 1 face of the apple, then rotate the apple about 120 degrees, slice again, and finally slice the last piece from the core. You should have a triangle-shaped piece of core left and 3 pieces of apple with flat bottoms.

Reserve a smaller piece of apple, and carefully slice all the other apples into very thin half-moons, about 1/8-inch thick. (A mandoline makes this move quickly, but, if you are using a knife and working slowly, it’s a good idea to squeeze a little bit of lemon juice over the sliced apples to prevent browning.) Make sure to keep the slices together as you cut to make the assembly easier. 

Once the apples are sliced, build the tart: Sprinkle 1 tablespoon flour and 1 tablespoon sugar on the bottom of the blind-baked tart shell. Starting at the outer edge, arrange the apples in tight concentric circles, overlapping each slice about halfway over its neighbor. Take care to stand the apples up vertically, with the cut edges down and the peel edge pointing up. Pack the rows very tightly, stopping periodically to check your work.

As you move toward the center, the apples will become trickier to bend into place. If you find the slices are breaking, slice the reserved piece of apple even thinner to make it easier to bend. Roll the last few slices into a circle and tuck it in the center. 

Sprinkle the remaining 3 tablespoons sugar and a pinch of salt over the apple slices. Take care to sprinkle the sugar between the apple slices, rather than on top. Scatter the butter pieces on top, and bake the tart for 40 to 45 minutes or until the apples begin to brown just slightly on the edges and the crust is a deep golden brown. Check the tart periodically to make sure the shell is not over-browning at the edges. If it is, cover the edges with foil.

Cool the tart on a rack for about 10 minutes, then prepare the glaze: In a small saucepan, warm the jam and a few drops of water over medium-low heat until it is runny. Use a pastry brush to very gently brush the warm tart with jam. Avoid brushing jam on the crust, but a thin layer all over the apple slices. Serve warm or room temperature.

This traditional cake has been jazzed up with lots of ginger - you'd never know it's gluten-free and dairy-free. Perfect for weddings and Christmas

Top 20 apricot jam recipes from across the web

The most viewed apricot jam recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine

Top Tags

Rugelach

Battenberg cake

Mary Berry's fondant fancies

Sacher Torte

Apricot Jam

Apricot Jam

Apricot Jam

Easy Apricot Jam for a Canning & Pr...

Crostata di marmellata (apricot jam...

Apricot And Apple Charlotte

Hot cross buns

Malva pudding

Baked Coconut Balls

Rose Apple Tart

Gingered rich fruit cake

Apricot Pudding

Pear, hazelnut & chocolate cake

Mary Berry Chicken Coronation

30 Minute Homemade Apricot Jam

Simple Low Sugar Apricot Jam with L...

Top 20 apricot jam recipes from across the web

The most viewed apricot jam recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Rugelach

Battenberg cake

Mary Berry's fondant fancies

Sacher Torte

Apricot Jam

Apricot Jam

Apricot Jam

Easy Apricot Jam for a Canning & Pr...

Crostata di marmellata (apricot jam...

Apricot And Apple Charlotte

Hot cross buns

Malva pudding

Baked Coconut Balls

Rose Apple Tart

Gingered rich fruit cake

Apricot Pudding

Pear, hazelnut & chocolate cake

Mary Berry Chicken Coronation

30 Minute Homemade Apricot Jam

Simple Low Sugar Apricot Jam with L...

The most viewed apricot jam recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine