CHEESECAKE CUPS

These delicious desserts with a swirl of chocolate are similar to cheesecake, but have no bottom crust.
Makes six 4 oz ramekins.

16 oz Neufchatel cream cheese
2/3 cup sugar
3 egg yolks
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon cocoa

Mix the egg yolks and sugar with a hand-held mixer until pale. Add the vanilla, combine until smooth. Add the cheese and whip until there is no clumps, just a smooth-looking cream.

Divide between the ramekins, reserving 2 tablespoons. Add cocoa to the reserved cream, mix well. Squeeze the cocoa cream on top of the ramekins, swirl the top with a toothpick. Place ramekins in a small cookie sheet with sides and place in a preheated 325°F oven. Pour boiling water around the ramekins and bake for 1.5 hour.

Turn the oven off and open the door to cool. Remove the ramekins when the oven has cooled and place in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, best overnight. Serve with raspberry or orange sauce.

LEMON POPPY SEED CAKE

Dry ingredients:
2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
zest of 1 lemon

Wet ingredients:
1/2 cup sour cream
3.5 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon lemon oil
4 eggs
6 tablespoons melted butter

3 tablespoons poppy seeds
boiling water

Frosting:
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 cup powder sugar

1 bundt cake pan buttered and floured.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place the poppy seeds in a cup, pour boiling water over them, and let stand for 2 minutes. Drain over a fine sieve, let cool.
Place all of the dry ingredients and the poppy seeds in a bowl of a mixer, stir to mix. Place all wet ingredients in a smaller container and mix with a fork to combine thoroughly. With the mixer equipped with a paddle and running on low, add the liquid in a slow stream to the dry ingredients, when mixed turn on high for 30 seconds. Pour into the prepared pan, and bake 60 minutes until the wooden skewer comes out clean (210°F on the cooking thermometer inserted into the center of the cake). Remove from oven and reverse onto a cookie rack after 5 minutes.
Make frosting by stirring the lemon juice and powdered sugar in a small cup until combined. Place the cake on the rack over a cookie sheet to catch the drippings and pour the frosting in swirls over the top of the cake. Let cool.

WAFFLES

4 oz/110 g butter
1 cup/160 g white flour
2/3 cup/160 g white sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
4 large eggs
1/2 cup warm water
1/2 cup sour cream

Turn the oven on to 200°F. Start heating the electric waffler or the waffle iron.
Melt the butter in a large measuring cup. Add the water and sour cream,
mix until smooth, best with a fork pressed against the inside wall of the cup.
Add the eggs, mix only until the egg white combines, do not whip.

Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and add the egg mixture to the dry
ingredients, mixing with a fork only until the dry ingredients are incorporated,
do not whip. Bake in a waffle iron, until golden on both sides, transfer to the
oven and place directly on oven racks. Leave in the oven for 10-20 minutes,
while making the rest of the waffles.

The waffles will be very soft and floppy when they come out of the waffle iron,
but they will dry out in the oven and will be quite crispy. Open the oven from
time to time to let the steam escape.

Serve with warm maple syrup, heated raspberry jelly and whipped cream,
or sliced fruit and powder sugar.