Canada

Maple Cake


Serves 6

Ingredients
3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup butter, melted
3 tablespoons maple syrup
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup finely chopped pecans, toasted

Glazed Pecans:
3 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/3 cup pecan halves

Frosting:
1 package (3 ounces) cream cheese, softened
3 tablespoons butter, softened
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon maple syrup
1-1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

Directions
1. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugars, baking soda and salt. Combine the buttermilk, butter, syrup and vanilla; stir into dry ingredients just until combined. Fold in chopped pecans.
2. Pour into two 6-in. round baking pans coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely.
3. In a small saucepan, bring corn syrup to a boil. Cook and stir for 1 minute or until slightly thickened. Remove from the heat; stir in pecan halves until coated. Place in a single layer on a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake at 425° for 2-3 minutes or until golden brown. Cool.
4. For frosting, in a small bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter and syrup until smooth. Beat in confectioners' sugar. Place one cake layer on a serving plate; spread with 1/2 cup frosting. Top with second layer; frost top and sides of cake. Garnish with glazed pecans. Store in the refrigerator.




Canadian Apple Pie


Serves 8

Ingredients
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
5 to 6 medium (2 pounds) green tart cooking apples
2 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
1 to 2 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon granulated sugar

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Prepare pie pastry.
2. In a large bowl, combine sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves; set aside.
3. Peel, core, and slice apples approximately 1/4-inch thick. Toss apple slices in sugar mixture until well coated.
4. Spoon apple filling into pastry-lined pie plate and dot with butter. Cover with remaining pastry and flute. Cut slits in pastry so stream can escape. Brush milk over top and then sprinkle 1 tablespoon sugar onto top of pie crust.
5. Bake 45 to 50 minutes or until crust is golden brown and apples are tender. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack before cutting and serving.
6. Serve warm or at room temperature.



Butter Tart


Makes 12 Minitarts

Ingredients
Pastry:
2 cups flour
1 cup shortening
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 tablespoon vinegar
2 tablespoons cold water

Filling:
1 egg
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup corn syrup
1 tablespoon melted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup raisins (optional, or can be replaced with chopped pecans or walnuts)

Directions
Pastry
1. Blend the shortening, salt and the flour with a pastry cutter, or two knives, until you've created a uniform mixture that is crumbly and about the size of frozen peas.
2. In a separate bowl, mix 1 egg, 1 tbsp white vinegar and 2 tbsp cold water. Add to shortening and flour mixture.
3. Mix all ingredients together, but only until just mixed and no more.
4. The key to flaky pastry is not to overhandle the dough.
5. For ease of handling, make a ball of the dough, wrap in cellophane and place in freezer for 10-15 mins. Roll out dough onto floured surface to about the thickness of a CD case.
6. Using either a cookie cutter or something like a jar lid, cut out circles from the dough. Press dough circles into a muffin pan.

Filling
1. In another bowl, mix well corn syrup, brown sugar, melted butter and egg. Add vanilla and stir in raisins.
2. Spoon filling into pastry shell to just below the rim.
3. Bake at 400 for about 10 mins until golden brown.


Canadian Brown Sugar Pie


Serves 8

Ingredients
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups packed brown sugar
1 1/2 cups evaporated milk
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200°C).
2. In a saucepan, combine flour and sugar.
3. Stir in milk, butter, salt and vanilla.
4. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil.
5. Pour into an unbaked pie shell.
6. Bake at 400°F (200°C) for 5 minutes. Reduce heat to 350°F (175°C) and continue baking for 25 minutes.


Beaver Tails 
(or Elephant Ears)




Serves 6

Ingredients
1/2 cup warm water
5 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 pinch white sugar
1 cup warm milk
1/3 cup white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
5 cups whole wheat flour, or as needed
1 quart oil for frying
2 cups white sugar, or as needed
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)

Directions
1. In a large bowl, stir together the yeast, warm water, and a pinch of sugar. Let stand until slightly foamy, about 5 minutes.
2. When the yeast is foamy, add the other 1/3 cup of sugar, milk, vanilla, eggs, oil and salt, and stir until smooth. Mix in about 3 cups of the flour, stirring with a spoon, then gradually add more flour, turning the dough out onto a floured surface when it is firm enough to handle. Knead for 5 to 8 minutes adding flour as needed to form a firm elastic dough. Place dough in a greased bowl, and cover. Let rise until doubled, about 30 to 40 minutes.
3. Gently deflate the dough, and pinch off a golf ball-sized piece of dough. On a lightly floured surface, use a rolling pin to roll the ball out to an oval. Set aside to rest covered with a tea towel, and continue with remaining dough.
4. Heat about 4 inches of oil for frying in a deep-fryer to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). If you do not have a deep fryer, a wok or Dutch oven will work
5. Just before placing the dough in the oil, stretch the ovals out into a tail shape, thinning and enlarging them as you do. Carefully place the tails in the hot oil one or two at a time. Fry, turning once, until the tails are a deep brown, about 1 to 2 minutes per side. Remove using tongs and drain on paper towels.
6. Place remaining 2 cups of sugar in a large bowl, and stir in cinnamon if you are using it. Toss fried dough in the sugar bowl while they are still hot. Shake off excess.


Nanaimo bars


Serves 12

Ingredients
1 cup (250 mL) graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup (125 mL) sweetned flaked coconut or shredded coconut
1/3 cup (75 mL) finely chopped walnut halves
1/4 cup (60 mL) cocoa powder
1/4 cup (60 mL) granulated sugar
1/3 cup (75 mL) butter, melted
1 egg, lightly beaten

Filling:
1/4 cup (60 mL) butter
2 tbsp (30 mL) custard powder
1/2 tsp (2 mL) vanilla
2 cups (500 mL) icing sugar
2 tbsp (30 mL) milk, (approx.)

Topping:
4 oz (113 g) semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 tbsp (15 mL) butter

Directions
1. In bowl, stir together graham crumbs, coconut, walnuts, cocoa powder and sugar. Drizzle with butter and egg; stir until combined.
2. Press crumb mixture into parchment paper–lined 9-inch (2.5 L) square metal cake pan. Bake in 350°F (180°C) oven until firm, about 10 minutes. Let cool in pan on rack.
3. Filling: In bowl, beat together butter, custard powder and vanilla. Beat in icing sugar alternately with milk until smooth, adding up to 1 tsp (5 mL) more milk if too thick to spread. Spread over cooled base; refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.
4. Topping: In heatproof bowl over saucepan of hot (not boiling) water, melt chocolate with butter. Spread over filling; refrigerate until almost set, about 30 minutes.
5. With tip of knife, score into bars; refrigerate until chocolate is set, about 1 hour. (Make-ahead: Wrap and refrigerate for up to 4 days or overwrap in heavy-duty foil and freeze for up to 2 weeks.) Cut into bars.


Steamed Chocolate Pudding


Serves 6

Ingredients
Pudding:
1/3 cup (75 mL) butter, softened
1 cup (250 mL) packed brown sugar
2 eggs
6 oz (170 g) bittersweet chocolate, chopped and melted
1 tbsp (15 mL) orange liqueur or orange juice concentrate
2 tsp (10 mL) grated orange rind
1-1/4 cups (300 mL) all-purpose flour
1/3 cup (75 mL) cocoa powder
1-1/2 tsp (7 mL) baking powder
3/4 cup (175 mL) milk

Chocolate Syrup:
1/3 cup (75 mL) granulated sugar
1/3 cup (75 mL) water
2 oz (57 g) bittersweet chocolate or semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 tbsp (15 mL) orange liqueur

Directions
1. Grease 6-cup (1.5 L) tubed pudding mould or Bundt pan; set aside.
2. Pudding: In large bowl, beat butter with sugar until fluffy. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time; beat in chocolate, liqueur and orange rind.
3. In separate bowl, whisk flour, cocoa powder and baking powder. With wooden spoon, stir into butter mixture alternately with milk, making 3 additions of flour mixture and 2 of milk. Scrape into prepared pan, smoothing top. Place waxed paper cut to fit directly on surface. Cover with lid. (Or for Bundt pan, make 1-inch/2.5 cm pleat across middle of large piece of foil and fit over top. Trim edge, leaving 3-inch/8 cm overhang; press down side. Tie string securely around mould about 1 inch/2.5 cm from rim; fold foil overhang up over string.)
4. Place on rack in deep pot; pour in enough boiling water to come halfway up side of mould. Cover and bring to boil; reduce heat and simmer, adding boiling water as necessary to maintain level, until skewer inserted comes out clean, 1-1/2 to 2 hours. Remove from pot; let cool slightly. Remove lid and paper; invert onto rack.
5. Chocolate Syrup: Meanwhile, in small saucepan, bring sugar and water to boil; stir in chocolate and boil hard until consistency of maple syrup, 2 minutes. Stir in liqueur. Brush over pudding until soaked in. (Make-ahead: Let cool. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 1 week. Or overwrap in heavy-duty foil and freeze for up to 1 month; thaw. To reheat in microwave, turn out onto serving plate and cover with large microwaveable bowl. Reheat at High until hot, about 5 minutes.)
6. To serve, cut into wedges and serve with White Chocolate Pouring Custard.


Sucre à la crème


Serves 10

Ingredients
1 cup of white sugar
1 cup of brown sugar
1 cup heavy cream

Directions
1. Mix all the ingredients together and cook in the microwave at full power for 10 minutes then let stand for 5 minutes.
2. Mix it with an electric beater for 4 minutes then pour into cube shape containers and refrigerate for 1-2 hours.



Maple Syrup on Snow



Ingredients
Canadian maple syrup
snow

Directions
1. Heat the  Canadian maple syrup in a pan.
2. Pour it out on snow in a long lane
3. Place stick on on end of the syrup lane and roll it up.

The French sometimes refer to this as the “Tire” dessert or it’s also known as Maple Taffy. In Canada this is a tradition that still happens to this day.