Tag: raspberry

Raspberry Torte

I started dating my husband during the beginning of our Junior year of college. The first time he brought me home to meet his parents, he did it by asking if I wanted to go apple picking. Turns out, his parents had a HUGE garden and well over a dozen fruit trees. He was asking me to pick apples at their house! But all of that produce that they grew (and continue to grow) leads to some delicious recipes being made in their kitchen, including raspberry torte. 

My mother in law is notorious for ALWAYS having an option for dessert. Not just a piece of chocolate. There will always be a pie, a torte, cookies, something sweet to eat after both lunch and dinner. I, for one, am not complaining. 

One of the favorites is her black raspberry torte and they grow an impressive amount of berries. Now we grow them, but not near as many. I also prefer red raspberries and we grow and preserve a lot of them. So I thought, “How does this torte translate into a red raspberry torte?” 

That answer: It translates so well! And my family would say it gets better over a few days as the filling gets to rest. The first time I made it, the Mr gave me a sly eye and said, “It’s good. I think you definitely need to practice and make another one,” with a large large grin on his face!

So this is my take (just a few tweaks) on my mother in law’s raspberry torte. I hope you enjoy it as much as everyone has in my husband’s family! 

Your Ingredients for Raspberry Torte

Crust

  • 1 stick butter, softened
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 cup + 2 tablespoons flour

Filling

  • 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
  • 1 cup powdered sugar 
  • 4 ounces cool whip 
  • 5 cups red raspberries, measured from frozen
  • Zest and juice of 1 lemon
  • ½ cup sugar 
  • 3-4 tablespoons cornstarch 
  • ⅓ cup cold water 

Your Steps  

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and grease a 9×13 inch pan. In a medium bowl, cream butter. Prepare the crust by adding the flour, ¼ teaspoon salt, and 1 tablespoon sugar. Cream until well combined. Press into the prepared pan and bake for 10-15 minutes. 

Allow the crust to cool. Once cool, prepare the filling. In a large bowl, combine the cream cheese, powdered sugar. Mix with an electric mixer until smooth. Spread over the cooled crust. 

In a medium sauce pan, combine the raspberries, sugar,  and lemon zest and juice. Cook until broken down and a smooth-ish sauce is made. That is, the raspberries should have mostly broken down. In a small dish, combine the cold water and cornstarch. Stir into the raspberries over a med-high heat and bring to a boil. Cook until the berries have thickened, about 4 minutes. 

Allow the berry mixture to cool. Then spread on top of the cream cheese layer. Now, I would eat it almost immediately. My family said it got better a few days later, but I will let you be the judge! 

Also, if you want to modify the amount of sugar added to the berries you absolutely can. Give them a taste before you add the cornstarch and water slurry and see if you want to add more. You can also add a little less, but I think ½ cup is the sweet spot, personally.

Crust and filling!
Let’s make some raspberries!
Ready for that topping.
I love the color!
Layers on layers!
Let’s eat!

Raspberry Torte

Make this easy raspberry torte with a buttery crust, cream cheese filling, and raspberry topping. A tasty treat from Jess in the Kitchen.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 12

Equipment

Ingredients
  

Crust

  • 1 stick butter softened
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 cup + 2 tablespoons flour

Filling

  • 8 ounces cream cheese softened
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 4 ounces cool whip
  • 5 cups red raspberries measured from frozen
  • Zest and juice of 1 lemon
  • ½ cup sugar
  • 3-4 tablespoons cornstarch
  • ⅓ cup cold water

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and grease a 9×13 inch pan.
  • In a medium bowl, cream butter. Prepare the crust by adding the flour, ¼ teaspoon salt, and 1 tablespoon sugar. Cream until well combined.
  • Press into the prepared pan and bake for 10-15 minutes.
  • Allow the crust to cool.
  • Once cool, prepare the filling. In a large bowl, combine the cream cheese, powdered sugar. Mix with an electric mixer until smooth. Spread over the cooled crust.
  • In a medium sauce pan, combine the raspberries, sugar, and lemon zest and juice.
  • Cook until broken down and a smooth-ish sauce is made. That is, the raspberries should have mostly broken down.
  • In a small dish, combine the cold water and cornstarch.
  • Stir into the raspberries over a med-high heat and bring to a boil. Cook until the berries have thickened, about 4 minutes.
  • Allow the berry mixture to cool. Then spread on top of the cream cheese layer. Serve immediately or keep chilled.

Notes

If you want to modify the amount of sugar added to the berries you absolutely can. Give them a taste before you add the cornstarch and water slurry and see if you want to add more. You can also add a little less, but I think ½ cup is the sweet spot, personally.
Keyword cream cheese, dessert, desserts, raspberries, Raspberry, raspberry torte, torte, tortes
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Looking for other sweet treats?

Give some of these a try! Or you can always check out my baking page!

JessLeave a comment

Black Raspberry Jalapeño Sorbet

This one sounds like a wild one. A combination of flavors and techniques that perhaps don’t belong together. But I’ve been experimenting more and more with flavors and techniques that are perhaps beyond the Midwestern gal I am. So when an online foodie friend of mine (Shout out to you Mandy in the UK!) recommended I try a Black Raspberry Jalapeño Sorbet to use up our abundance of berries, I had to give it a go. 

I used my Raspberry Nectarine Sorbet recipe as a jumping off point. Four cups of fruit. Some sugar and orange juice. A bit of lemon juice. Then I added the jalapeño. I am a bit of a baby when it comes to spice, so I started with one. I gave the mixture a try and thought, “Hm, I can hardly taste it.” In went a second. “No, not quite right yet.” 

So I went with three jalapeños, and it seemed just right. A bit of heat and a combination of earthy flavors between the jalapeño and black raspberry. Let me tell you, I was beyond excited for this recipe! 

So I went with three jalapeños, and it seemed just right. A bit of heat and a combination of earthy flavors between the jalapeño and black raspberry. Let me tell you, I was beyond excited for this recipe! 

I know it is different and perhaps not for everyone, but I hope you are willing to give this flavor combination a try! Let’s get creating! 

Your Ingredients for Black Raspberry Jalapeño Sorbet

  • 4 cups black raspberries 
  • 2-3 jalapeños, diced small 
  • ½ cup orange juice 
  • ½ cup white sugar
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice 

Your Steps

Combine fruit and diced jalapeño. Use a blender or immersion blender to break fruit down. If I use an immersion blender, blend right in the kettle I will be heating them in. I have also liked using my large food processor. Add remaining ingredients. Blend everything together once more, making sure to break down the peppers. Once combined, heat over medium heat until the mixture is beginning to simmer, stirring often. Pour into a 9×13 pan, cover, and place in the freezer and allow to freeze solid. 

Once fully frozen, remove and allow to sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes. This will make it easier to remove the sorbet. Working in small batches, puree frozen sorbet. There are lots of options for this. You can use a blender, a food processor, or an immersion blender. I dig the immersion blender because clean up is so easy. Scoop the puree into freezer safe containers, leaving ½ inch headspace at the top. I like to use 4 ounce jelly jars for ½ cup servings ready to go! Be sure to label and return to the freezer until you’re ready to enjoy them! 

A few notes

Looking for an adult version? I found that adding ½ cup of alcohol can be fun. However, be mindful of how much alcohol you add as it will affect the ability of the sorbet to freeze. 

Have a sweeter tooth? Feel free to add more sugar to suit your own tastes. I think the fruit flavor is great the way it is and doesn’t need the extra sugar. 

Black Raspberries and jalapenos
The color!
Diced up!
Blended fruit and pepper
Break it down.
Frozen sorbet
Freeze it up!
Portion it up!
Ready to serve
Serve it up!

Black Raspberry Jalapeño Sorbet

Sweet meets heat in this bold Black Raspberry Jalapeño Sorbet from Jess in the Kitchen—unexpected, refreshing, and totally irresistible.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Freeze Time 6 hours
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 6 servings

Equipment

Ingredients
  

  • 4 cups black raspberries
  • 2-3 jalapeños diced small
  • ½ cup orange juice
  • ½ cup white sugar
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice

Instructions
 

  • Combine fruit and diced jalapeño. Use a blender or immersion blender to break fruit down. If I use an immersion blender, blend right in the kettle I will be heating them in. I have also liked using my large food processor.
  • Add remaining ingredients. Blend everything together once more, making sure to break down the peppers.
  • Once combined, heat over medium heat until the mixture is beginning to simmer, stirring often. Pour into a 9×13 pan, cover, and place in the freezer and allow to freeze solid.
  • Once fully frozen, remove and allow to sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes. This will make it easier to remove the sorbet. Working in small batches, puree frozen sorbet using a blender, a food processor, or an immersion blender.
  • Scoop the puree into freezer safe containers, leaving ½ inch headspace at the top. I like to use 4 ounce jelly jars for ½ cup servings ready to go. Be sure to label and return to the freezer until you’re ready to enjoy them.

Notes

Looking for an adult version? I found that adding ½ cup of alcohol can be fun. However, be mindful of how much alcohol you add as it will affect the ability of the sorbet to freeze.
Have a sweeter tooth? Feel free to add more sugar to suit your own tastes. I think the fruit flavor is great the way it is and doesn’t need the extra sugar.
Keyword black raspberry, Jalapeño, raspberries, Raspberry, raspberry recipes, raspberry sorbet, sorbet, sorbet recipe
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Looking for other fun raspberry recipes?

Here are a few of my favorites! You can also check out my canning and preserving page as well as my baking page!

JessLeave a comment

Raspberry Currant Jam

It’s been a summer of rain, rain, and more rain. Which means my berry bushes are producing more and earlier than they have in the past, including my currants! So exciting, right? If you are a gardener like me, you find yourself planting perennial bushes and trees and not getting as much produce as you would like, so you plant more, failing to remember that eventually they will produce SO MUCH FRUIT. Oops. Or maybe you have more foresight than I do. What this means in my garden is that I am finally getting a lot of currants. They are this perfect tart berry that I decided would pair so well with red raspberries for a delightful raspberry currant jam. 

This go, I gave low sugar pectin a try and I am digging the results. Perhaps its the combination of berries, but I am giving the pectin the credit. It makes this lovely, not “too jelled” jam that has a near perfect texture and consistency. In addition, less sugar allows the fruit flavor to shine through. Needless to say, I am in love and will be making this for years to come!

While we are here, I will give you all the information you need to successfully can a batch of jam. However, if you are new to canning, you may likely want to gather additional information. My favorite places to learn more are The Ball’s Book of Canning or the National Center for Home Food Preservation. 

The Supplies

Your Ingredients

  • 7 cups red raspberries (If frozen, measure first. Then thaw)
  • 3 cups red currants
  • 4 cups sugar 
  • 1 package powdered low sugar pectin
  • ¼ teaspoon butter, optional

Your Steps to Raspberry Currant Jam

Begin by measuring out your sugar in a large bowl. Remove ¼ cup of the sugar and mix it with the powdered pectin in a small bowl. It’s important to have all your ingredients prepared before beginning the canning process so don’t skip this step. I also highly recommend reading through the steps more than once before beginning (I know that we are all guilty of flying by the seat of our pants when cooking). 

Fill the canning kettle with enough water that the jars will be covered by at least ½” water. More is better in this case so over estimate. Begin to heat over high heat. Place the canning rack so that it is hooked over the side of the canner and put clean jars on it to keep them warm. Note: You don’t have to keep the jars in the rack, although it is helpful to keep them warm. You want the jars warm to prevent breaking when they are being filled. 

Set the clean rings aside. I like to simmer my lids on low low heat in a small saucepan. Not necessary, but I like to think it helps them seal better. 

Now to Create the raspberry currant Jam 

In a large, preferably shallow kettle, smash the raspberries and currants with a potato masher. (I actually really really like my fermenting tamper for this job). Stir in powder pectin with the ¼ cup sugar. Add butter if desired. It will decrease foaming while the jam is cooking, but is not necessary. The foam isn’t bad. It just makes the jam a little less pretty. 

Heat berries and pectin over medium high heat, stirring constantly. Once it is close to a boil, stir constantly until you cannot stir down a rolling boil. On more than one occasion, I have thought I reached this point only to go a little longer and see what a “real rolling boil” looked like. 

Once a rolling boil has been reached, quickly stir in the sugar. I find a strong whisk is helpful to make sure there are no clumps of sugar in the jam. Continue to heat over medium-high heat until a rolling boil is reached again, stirring constantly. Once the roiling boil is reached, time for EXACTLY one minute. Remove from heat. 

Love the color!
Smash those berries.
Cook them down!

TIme to Can

Ladle hot jam into jars using the canning funnel, leaving ¼” head space. Wipe rims of the jars as you go, top with a lid, and put on a ring so that it is fingertip tight. Fingertip tight means you know it’s tight but you aren’t sealing it so much so that it wouldn’t leak on its side, if that makes sense. (Any leftover jam can go in a small container and get placed in the fridge to be enjoyed immediately)

Place jars in JUST about boiling water bath canner. Cover and raise heat until a rolling boil is reached. Cook jam for 10 minutes (adjusting for your altitude…under 1000 feet, you’re good. Over? Add 5 minutes for every 1000 feet). Once the time is complete, remove the canner from heat and remove the cover. Allow the jam to sit in the canner an additional 5 minutes. Then remove and place on a towel on the counter. 

Afterward

Listen for the ping as the jars seal and just let them be for 24 hours. I know it will be hard to let them be because you’ll be so proud, but it’s recommended to make sure you get a good seal. Any jars that do not seal can be refrigerated and enjoyed right away. Note: It is recommended to store canned goods with their rings removed so that you can know if a false seal occurs. I generally just loosen them as loose as they can go. 

Raspberry Currant Jam

In this homemade low sugar raspberry and currant jam, the sweet and tart flavors of the berries unite to create an irresistible fusion of taste.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Course Appetizer
Cuisine Canning
Servings 8 jars

Equipment

Ingredients
  

  • 7 cups raspberries
  • 3 cups red currants
  • 4 cups sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon butter optional
  • 1 package powder pectin

Instructions
 

  • Prepare your water bath canner. Fill the canner with enough water so that once the jars are in the canner, they will be covered by at least one inch of water. Cover and begin to heat over a medium-high heat.
  • Measure out sugar. Remove 1/4 cup of sugar and combine the 1/4 cup with powdered pectin in a small bowl.
  • Place the raspberries and currants in a large, non reactive kettle. Crush them with potato masher. Add ¼ teaspoon of butter, if desired, to reduce foaming.
  • Sprinkle and stir in the pectin and 1/4 cup sugar mixture. Cook over high heat until a rolling boil is reached, stirring consistently.
  • Once a rolling boil is reached, slowly stir in remaining sugar.
  • Continue to stir until you reach another rolling boil that can not be stirred down. Once a rolling boil is reached, cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
  • Ladle jam into prepared jelly jars, wipe the rims with a damp cloth, add lids, and tighten rings to fingertip tight. Put into the water bath canner. When the canner has a steady boil going, time and process for 10 minutes, adjusting for altitude (if you are about 1000 feet, add 5 min)
  • Once the jam is done processing, remove the canner from heat and let jars rest in the water for an additional 5 minutes. Finally, remove jars from the canner and allow to cool for 12-24 hours before moving.

Notes

  • Make sure you are using powdered pectin rather than liquid pectin. They do not set the same. 
  • If you have never canned, you can reference the instructions within the pectin box for additional, more detailed directions. 
  • Sealed jars are shelf-stable, meaning they can be stored on a shelf unrefrigerated. If your jars don’t ping (a sign that they have sealed), they are still good. You will just need to store them in the refrigerator. 
  • Most sources recommend removing the rings from jars for storage so that you will know if they unseal for any reason. I generally just loosen them as much as I can without removing them.
Keyword Canning, currants, Jam, Jam Recipes, preserving, Raspberry, raspberry jam, raspberry recipes, red currants
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Looking for other tasty raspberry treats?

Give any of these a try!

JessLeave a comment