Saint Patrick's Day Bundt Cake

.
This is not my normal kind of cake, as I almost never use a cake mix. But I first tasted something like this at a family get-together, and I asked for the recipe. This is a modification, in honor of St Patrick's Day, and I only make it on St. Patrick's Day.

1 box yellow cake mix (I like Duncan Hines)
4 large eggs
1 small box instant pistachio pudding
some freshly grated nutmeg
3/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup cream sherry

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and flour one large or two small bundt pan(s), or tube pan(s). As with most cakes it will cook in any kind of pan you like, you just have to watch the time.
Combine the cake mix and the pudding mix in a large bowl, and give it a good stir. Add all the remaining ingredients into the bowl and beat until nicely combined, but don't over beat. Pour into the pan(s) and bake about 50 minutes for the large bundt pan, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool a bit on a rack, and then turn out of the pan before it's completely cool. If you let it cool completely it becomes rather difficult to remove.

Chocolate Roulade

.

my Christmas cake

I got this recipe from a friend in Hong Kong, Chris Duggan. Her family went to our church, St. Andrews, and we went to a Bible study at their house. Brian, her husband, was an engineering professor at the University of Hong Kong. They were from Birmingham England. She is an excellent British cook. This recipe is not like any other chocolate roulade I've seen. I've made it as our buche to Noel for years. I once made one five feet long for a co-workers 50th birthday, which of course is nothing compared to the one pictured below.
Cake:
6 eggs, separated
1/4 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup sugar
2 ounces cocoa

Filling:
4 ounces chocolate, like chocolate chips or bar
2 tablespoons liquid, like brandy

2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Find a jelly roll pan, they seem to come in all sizes.
Grease the pan a little, then put in a piece of parchment paper that comes up over the edges of the pan.
Grease the paper lightly.

Beat the egg yolks and the sugar and vanilla until very light yellow.
Add the vanilla and the cocoa. This will make a rather stiff mixture.
Beat egg whites until stiff, but not too stiff.
Dump the egg whites into the bowl with the yolks and fold the two together.

Spread the batter into the pan, and bake for about 20 minutes. Because pans differ, time differs.
Not long after taking the cake out of the oven, lift up the cake by the paper onto a cooling rack. When the cake is sufficiently cooled sprinkle granulated sugar onto the cake (not too much) and then place a tea towel over the cake and carefully flip the cake over. The gently peel off the parchment paper.  The cake can rest for a while like this.

Assembling the cake

Whip the cream and the sugar until nice and stiff, but not so stiff it's almost butter.
Put the chocolate and the liquid into a glass dish and put into the microwave for a little while, not long. You can sneak up on it.  Don't get the chocolate too hot as it can solidify. Stir up the chocolate mixture until smooth and using the back of the spoon, spread the melted chocolate over the cake.
Using a frosting spatula spread some, but not all, of the cream over the chocolate. Then, using the tea towel as a help, roll up the cake and carefully get it onto a platter.  Don't worry about any cracks, as the whipped cream will cover them.  Put on the rest of the cream. I like to reserve some of the cream so that I can pipe it on the cake, like around the ends and along the sides.

For a special decoration I like to add chocolate leaves on the top.  You melt up a handful of  chocolate chips with a dab of shortening.  Then get come camellia leaves, wash and dry them, and gently apply some chocolate to the bottom of the leaf, using the back of a small spoon.  Place the leaves on a small plate and put into the freezer for about 15 minutes.  Then carefully remove the leaves and place on the cake.  Be as artistic as you like.

Chocolate Truffle Cake

.
This is an awesome decadent dessert for a dinner party. It's easy and impressive and people really like it. It can easily be made as the second dessert, as two desserts are better than one à mon avis.

8 oz chocolate, semi-sweet or dark - your choice
2 oz butter (or 2 1/2)
1 Tbl flour
1 Tbl sugar
1 Tbl brandy
2 eggs, separated

1/2 cup whipping cream
1 Tbl sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
Grease the bottom of a 5 1/2 - 6 inch loose bottom pan.
Melt the chocolate and butter in a double boiler,
or a glass bowl placed over steaming water.
Add the flour, sugar, and brandy and blend well.
Add the egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Beat the egg whites until stiff, but not brittle.
Fold the chocolate mixture into the egg whites.
Turn into the pan and bake for 15 minutes.
The cake will look a bit undone.
Let cool and chill.

When ready to serve, whip the cream and sugar and vanilla until fairly stiff, but not butter, and place on top.
The cake will likely have sunk in the middle, and placing the whipped cream on top fills in the sunken area beautifully.

If you double the recipe use an 8 inch pan and cook for a bit longer, say 20 minutes.

White Mountain Frosting

My children always loved this frosting. But I have to tell you right up front, it's a bit tricky.

1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup corn syrup
2 Tbls water
2 egg whites
1 tsp vanilla

Mix the sugar, corn syrup, and water in a saucepan.
Cover and heat over medium heat, till it comes to a good boil.
Uncover and heat to 242 degrees.
While heating the sugar, beat the egg whites until they are stiff, but not brittle.
When the sugar is hot enough, with the egg whites still being beaten, slowly pour the hot sugar mixture over the whites in a very thin stream. When thoroughly incorporated, add the vanilla. Beat on high speed until nice and stiff.

L'Opera

Adapted from Dalloyau from Paris Sweets: Great Desserts from the City's Best Pastry Shops by Dorie Greenspan (Broadway Books, 2002). Copyright © 2002 by Dorie Greenspan.



This is the recipe I use for making l'opera, and I think it is fabulous, and I would recommend Dorie's book for any one. It's not only for cooking, it's a good read, and fun to look at. I first bought the book because I thought it was soo cute. The following words are from Dorie's book. No point in messing with what really works. I found the words on the Splendid Table site. But the above picture is of a cake made by me.

It is hard to say exactly who invented the Opera Cake. Some sources claim there was a type of Opera Cake sold in Paris as long ago as 1890, and some think the Parisian specialty was created closer to 1950. But the point about which there is no controversy is the only important point: The greatest Opera Cake is made at Dalloyau. There, executive pastry chef Pascal Niau makes a cake as sleek and smooth as an opera stage and as gloriously delicious as La Boheme is affectingly beautiful.

The classic Opera Cake is a work in six acts. There are three thin layers of almond cake, each soaked in a potent coffee syrup; a layer of espresso-flavored buttercream; one layer of bittersweet chocolate ganache; and a topping of chocolate glaze. Traditionally, the cake is decorated with its name written in glaze across the top and finished with a piece of shimmering gold leaf. It is obviously a rich cake, but it is surprisingly not a filling cake, and I'm convinced this is because Maestro Niau has orchestrated the cake's elements so perfectly.

A note on size: This recipe makes a square Opera Cake that is a festive - and impressive - 10 inches (25 cm) on a side. If this is more cake than you need, don't cut down the recipe - you won't be successful with some of the cake's components, particularly the buttercream, if you reduce the quantities. Instead, make the full cake, cut it into smaller size cakes and stock them in your freezer.

Makes about 20 servings

The cake:

6 large egg whites, at room temperature
2 tablespoons (30 grams) granulated sugar
2 cups (225 grams) ground blanched almonds
2 1/4 cups (225 grams) confectioners' sugar, sifted
6 large eggs
1/2 cup (70 grams) all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons (45 grams) unsalted butter, melted and cooled briefly
The coffee syrup:

1/2 cup water
1/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons (7 grams) instant espresso or coffee

The coffee buttercream:

2 tablespoons (10 grams) instant espresso or coffee
2 tablespoons (15 grams) boiling water
1 cup (100 grams) sugar
1/4 cup (30 grams) water
Pulp of 1/4 vanilla bean
1 large whole egg
1 large egg yolk
1 3/4 sticks (7 ounces; 200 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature

The chocolate ganache:

8 ounces (240 grams) bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1/2 cup (125 grams) whole milk
1/4 cup (30 grams) heavy cream
4 tablespoons (2 ounces; 60 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature

The chocolate glaze:

5 ounces (150 grams) bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 stick (115 grams) unsalted butter

1. To make the cake: Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Line two 12 1/2-x15 1/2-inch (31-x-39-cm) jelly-roll pans with parchment paper and brush with melted butter. (This is in addition to the quantity in the ingredient list.)

2. Working in a clean dry mixer bowl fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks. Add the granulated sugar and beat until the peaks are stiff and glossy. If you do not have another mixer bowl, gently scrape the whites into another bowl.

3. In a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the almonds, confectioners' sugar and whole eggs on medium speed until light and voluminous, about 3 minutes. Add the flour and beat on low speed only until it disappears. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the meringue into the almond mixture, then fold in the melted butter. Divide the batter between the pans and spread it evenly to cover the entire surface of each pan.

4. Bake the cakes for 5 to 7 minutes, or until they are lightly browned and just springy to the touch. Put the pans on a heatproof counter, cover each with a sheet of parchment or wax paper, turn the cakes over and unmold. Carefully peel away the parchment, turn the parchment over and use it to cover the exposed sides of the cakes. Let the cakes come to room temperature between the parchment or wax paper sheets. (The cakes can be made up to 1 day ahead, wrapped and kept at room temperature.)

5. To make the syrup: Stir everything together in a small saucepan and bring to the boil. Cool. (The syrup can be covered and refrigerated for up to 1 week.)

6. To make the buttercream: Make a coffee extract by dissolving the instant espresso in the boiling water; set aside.

7. Bring the sugar, water and vanilla bean pulp to a boil in a small saucepan; stir just until the sugar dissolves. Continue to cook without stirring until the syrup reaches 255 degrees F (124 degrees C), as measured on a candy or instant-read thermometer. Pull the pan from the heat.

8. While the sugar is heating, put the egg and the yolk in the bowl of a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and beat until the eggs are pale and foamy. When the sugar is at temperature, reduce the mixer speed to low and slowly pour in the syrup. Inevitably, some syrup will spin onto the sides of the bowl - don't try to stir the spatters into the eggs. Raise the speed to medium-high and continue to beat until the eggs are thick, satiny and room temperature, about 5 minutes.

9. Working with a rubber spatula, beat the butter until it is soft and creamy but not oily. With the mixer on medium speed, steadily add the butter in 2-tablespoon (30-gram) chunks. When all the butter has been added, raise the speed to high and beat until the buttercream is thickened and satiny. Beat in the coffee extract. Chill the buttercream, stirring frequently, until it is firm enough to be spread and stay where it is spread when topped with a layer of cake, about 20 minutes. (The buttercream can be packed airtight and refrigerated for 4 days or frozen for 1 month; before using, bring it to room temperature, then beat to smooth it.)

10. To make the ganache: Put the chocolate in a medium bowl and keep it close at hand. Bring the milk and cream to a full boil, pour it over the chocolate, wait 1 minute, then stir gently until the ganache is smooth and glossy.

11. Beat the butter until it is smooth and creamy, then stir it into the ganache in 2 to 3 additions. Refrigerate the ganache, stirring every 5 minutes, until it thickens and is spreadable, about 20 minutes. (The ganache can be packed airtight and refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for 1 month; bring to room temperature before using.)

12. To assemble the cake: Line a baking sheet with parchment or wax paper. Working with one sheet of cake at a time, trim the cake so that you have two pieces: one 10-x-10-inches (25-x-25-cm) square and one 10-x-5-inches (25-x-12.5-cm) rectangle. Place one square of cake on the parchment and moisten the layer with coffee syrup. Spread about three-quarters of the coffee buttercream evenly over the cake. (If the buttercream is soft, put the cake in the freezer for about 10 minutes before proceeding.) Top with the two rectangular pieces of cake, placing them side by side to form a square; moisten with syrup. Spread the ganache over the surface, top with the last cake layer, moisten, then chill the cake in the freezer for about 10 minutes. Cover the top of the cake with a thin layer of coffee buttercream. (This is to smooth the top and ready it for the glaze - so go easy.) Refrigerate the cake for at least 1 hour or for up to 6 hours; it should be cold when you pour over the glaze. If you're in a hurry, pop the cake into the freezer for about 20 minutes, then continue.

13. To glaze the cake: Bring the butter to a boil in a small saucepan. Remove the pan from the heat and clarify the butter by spooning off the top foam and pouring the clear yellow butter into a small bowl; discard the milky residue. Melt the chocolate in a bowl over—not touching—simmering water, then stir in the clarified butter. Lift the chilled cake off the parchment-lined pan and place it on a rack. Put the rack over the parchment-lined pan and pour over the glaze, using a long offset spatula to help smooth it evenly across the top. Slide the cake into the refrigerator to set the glaze and chill the cake, which should be served slightly chilled. At serving time, use a long thin knife, dipped in hot water and wiped dry, to carefully trim the sides of the cake so that the drips of glaze are removed and the layers revealed.

Keeping: Each element of the cake can be made ahead, as can the assembled cake. The cake can be kept in the refrigerator, away from foods with strong odors, for 1 day, or you can freeze the cake, wrap it airtight once it is frozen, and keep it frozen for 1 month; defrost, still wrapped, overnight in the refrigerator.

An American in Paris: I rarely play around with this classic, but when I do, it's to add a little crunch to the mix by pressing toasted sliced almonds onto both the buttercream and the ganache.

For more details on how I made this cake look here and here.

French Chocolate Cake

.
I first made this cake because Emily had tried to help me with bringing in the groceries, and she chose help carry the eggs. Five eggs were broken by the time I got to her. They were cracked, rather than smashed, so I put the broken ones in a bowl.

1 cup (2 sticks) of butter, softened
2 cups sugar
5 eggs
1 tsp vanilla

8 ounces of flour (scant 2 cups)
2 ounces of cocoa (1/2 cup)
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsps baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda

1 cup sour cream


Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Grease and flour 1 large, or 2 small bundt pans.
If you like, you can also use either 2 8" or 2 9" or 3 7" pans. When using the flat pans, you'll want to paper the bottoms of the pans.

Cream the butter and sugar. Then add the eggs, and beat until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla.
Combine the dry ingredients, and put them through a sieve or strainer to make sure all the lumps are out.
On low speed, mix in the dry ingredients alternately with the sour cream.
Spoon the batter into the pans, and gently level it out.
Bake until a tooth pick comes out clean. It will look rather moist, but that's okay.

I served this with ice cream.

Almond Carrot Cake

I love almonds, but I've not been so fond of carrot cake.  This is because it's heavy and rich.  I especially dislike cream cheese frosting.  But this cake is quite different.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Grease and flour a pan of your choice.  I put mine into two small bundt pans.  Since it was such a good fit, I would say that you can also use one large bundt pan, or tube pan, or maybe a loaf pan.

1/2 pound of carrots - this is two or three, or 225 grams, there's no exact science here, peeled and cut into chunks

50 grams of blanched almonds, about 1/2 cup

2 eggs

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup softened butter

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon almond extact

2 cups flour - 9 ounces

1/2 - 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 - 3/4 teaspoon ginger

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

Put the carrots and the almonds into the food processor and process until nice and fine.

You can also throw in some dried cherries or raisins if you like.

In a mixing bowl cream the sugar, butter, and eggs.  Add the extracts.

Mix in the carrots and almonds.

Combine the dry ingredients and mix in.

Put the mixture into the desired conveyances and cook until done.  In the small bundt pans this should be about 35 minutes.  And in a large bundt I would guess about 45 minutes.  Make sure that the cake springs back when gently prodded.  

Let cool for about 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack to cool.

Emily's Chocolate Baby Cake with cherries and pecans

I got a pan for Emily at Williams and Sonoma, 7" round by 2". Stuck to the pan was a recipe just the right size for the pan. We modified the recipe a bit, and it turned out to be a really nice cake.


5 ounces flour (140 gr)
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

1/3 cup Dutch cocoa (30 gr)

1 stick butter
1 cup of sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla

2/3 cup water

1/3 cup dried cherries
1/3 cup pecans
1 Tbl flour

or instead of cherries and pecans add 2 ounces of finely ground almonds and a bit of vanilla essence.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
Grease and flour the pan.

In a medium mixing bowl combine the first 4 ingredients.
Cream the butter and sugar, then add in the egg and vanilla.
Combing the wet and dry ingredients alternately with the water.

Mix well, but don't beat to death or you will expend the baking soda.
On a chopping board stir together the cherries, nuts, and 2 Tbls flour and chop up with a big knife. Add to the cake batter, and pour into the cake pan.
Bake for 45 minutes.
Cool for a bit and turn out onto a cooling rack.


Icing:

1 1/2 cups icing sugar
1/2 stick of butter - 2 ounces, room temperature
2 teaspoons kirsch or brandy or any thing you like
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
milk, needed only if the icing is not spreadable enough.

Put the icing sugar and butter and brandy and vanilla into a smallish mixing bowl and beat for about 2-3 minutes with a hand mixer, add the milk to get the consistency you want - spreadable.

Assembly: Cut the cooled cake in half. Place the bottom half on a cake plate and cover with icing. Put on the top layer and cover it with icing. Do not ice the sides. Save any left-over icing for graham crackers.

This cake has been entered into the "Not Quite Nigella"

Ultimate Chocolate Cake Contest.

To find out about it just click here.

This is not my only ultimate chocolate cake, but I could only enter one. There is also "the perfect chocolate cake" and "chocolate roulade", and "orange chocolate gateau", to name some.

Orange Chocolate Gâteau

.

Cake:

3/4 cup dark cocoa, best quality (60 gr)
1 1/2 cups boiling water

8 ounces flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/3 tsp salt
1/3 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 sticks butter
a scant 2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla

Chocolate Orange Butter Cream:

1 1/2 sticks butter, softened
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
4 teaspoons orange liqueur
or 1 teaspoon orange essence (Penzey) plus 1 tablespoon brandy
5 oz dark chocolate, copped up (I like to use Trader Joe's Pound Plus)

2 cups icing sugar (8 oz), sifted to remove any lumps

Whipped Cream Frosting:

1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup sugar
 
Make the cake first: preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Grease and paper and grease two 8 inch cake pans with at least a 1 1/2 inch side.
Combine the cocoa and the boiling water and stir to dissolve the cocoa and leave to cool somewhat.
Cream the butter and sugar, and then mix in the eggs, beating until rather light.
Mix the dry ingredients and add them to the creamed mixture alternately with the cocoa mixture.
Make sure all is mixed well, but don't over-beat.
Pour the batter into the pans and tap the pans on the counter to flatten and remove any bubbles.
Bake for about 35 minutes, until done. While the cakes are cooking make the ganache.
Remove from oven and place onto a cooling rack. After about ten minutes run a knife carefully around the edges of the cakes, then turn the pans over on the rack and leave to let the cakes fall out.

While the cake baking put all the ingredients for the butter cream except the icing sugar into a microwavable dish and heat in the microwave just enough to melt the butter and the chocolate. Remove from the microwave and give a good stir to make all smooth. Add the icing sugar and beat with a hand mixer to make all smooth. Eject the beaters and leave them in the chocolate mixture, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator until very hard. This will take at least two hours.

When the butter cream is good and hard, take from the refrigerator, remove the beaters and place them in the machine, and starting on a slow speed, and increasing as you go, beat the butter cream until nice and smooth and spreadable. As you beat it it will warm up a bit and become spreadable. You want it to be soft enough to spread on the delicate cake. Then get the plate for the cake (put a doily on it if you like). Cut the layers in half. Put the first half layer on the plate, cover with about 1/4 of the butter cream, and so on. When you put on the last layer, do not cover it with the butter cream, but instead, use the remaining butter cream to fill in the chinks on the side of the cake, so that the edge of the cake is all even and smooth. Then put the cake into the refrigerator to chill thoroughly.

When ready to finish the cake, put the whipping cream into a bowl and place in the freezer for about 10 to 15 minutes to chill. Then place the sugar and vanilla into the bowl with the cream and beat until nice and thick for spreading on the cake. If you like you can reserve a bit of the whipped cream for piping on the cake. Cover the cake with the whipped cream.

Lemon Blueberry Bundt Cake

.


I made this for the baby shower/tea for Sarah, and it was a really big hit.

2 sticks butter (1 cup or 8 ounces)
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
zest of 1 lemon

1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 pound flour
a pinch of salt

1 cup buttermilk (or sour milk or sour cream)

Several handfuls of blueberries, washed and dried

juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Grease and flour a bundt pan.

In a large mixing bowl, and using a wooden spoon, cream the butter, sugar and eggs.

Stir in the vanilla and the lemon zest

Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt.

Stir in the dry ingredients alternately with the buttermilk, adding them in three additions each.

Spoon 1/3 of the batter into the bundt pan.

Carefully place blueberries on top of the batter.

Carefully spoon on another 1/3 of the batter, and then carefully add more blueberries.

Add the remaining batter.

Bake for about 60 minutes, making sure a toothpick comes out clean.

Let cool for about ten minutes, and then invert to remove the cake, and place on a wire rack to cool.

When cool, mix the lemon juice and sugar, and heat a bit in the microwave to melt the sugar.

Place the cake on a serving plate, and carefully poke little holes in the cake in a symetrical pattern.  Then slowly spoon the lemon syrup over all of the cake until it's all spooned on.

Fruity Nutty Carrot Cake

10 ounces of flour

2 teaspoon baking powder

2 teaspoon baking soda

2/3 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 1/3 cup sugar

1 cup light olive oil

4 eggs

1/2 cup golden raisins, soaked in 3 tablespoons of sherry

1 cup chopped pecans

1 cup shredded coconut, sweetened

3 cups shredded carrots

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

Grease and flour a 10 inch flat tube pan, see picture.

Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.

In a large bowl, using a wooden spoon, mix the sugar and the oil.

Stir in the eggs, one at a time.

Stir in the dry ingredients.

Stir in the raisins and sherry.

Stir in the pecans and coconut.

Lastly, add the carrots.

Spoon into the pan, and bake for 65 minutes.

Let cool for about 10 minutes, then loosen the ring, and carefully turn the cake out onto a proper sized cake plate.

If you like, you can serve this with a cream cheese frosting on the side.

Let people who are eating the cake cut a piece and then they can spread on the icing like jam on a piece of bread.

Brandy Cream Cheese Icing

8 ounces cream cheese, full fat
3 tablespoons softened butter
12 ounces icing sugar
1 + tablespoon brandy

Put into a not too big bowl, and beat with a hand mixer until smooth.
If you want it thicker, add more icing sugar

Streusel Pound Cake

The is a really nice cake, especially if you need to travel with it.

1/2 cup nuts + 2 tablespoons sugar + 1 teaspoon cinnamon ground up in a food processor

2 sticks butter (8 ounces)
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt
1 cup sour cream or yogurt or buttermilk or sour milk

Amply butter and flour a 10 inch bundt pan
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Cream the butter, sugar, and eggs
Mix the dry ingredients.
Add the dry ingredients and the liquid to the creamed mixture.
Put half of the streusel mix into the pan, spreading it around as much as possible.
Put half of the batter into the pan.
Put in the other half of the streusel.
Put in the rest of the batter.
Bake for about 50-60 minutes.

Cool for about 10 minutes, then turn the cake out onto a rack.

Lemon Pound Cake

I don't know where this recipe came from, but it is great to use when you have a crowd to feed and you need several cakes.

2 sticks butter (1 cup or 8 ounces)
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup buttermilk (or sour milk or sour cream)
1 pound flour
a pinch of salt
1 teaspoon almond or vanilla extract
zest of 1 lemon

juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Grease and flour a 10 inch tube pan, or a large bundt pan.
Cream the butter sugar and eggs.
Mix the dry ingredients and lemon zest.
Add the milk and the dry ingredients alternately.
Stir in the extract.
Put into the pan and bake for about 55-60 minutes.
When done, cool about ten minutes and then turn out onto a rack.
Put the lemon juice and equal amount of sugar into a glass dish and heat in the microwave to melt the sugar.
Spoon the lemon sugar mixture very carefully over the cake so that it is absorbed. Sometimes I poke holes in the cake so that the juice sinks in.

Strawberry Meringue Torte

This is a recipe I got from a friend. We had at for dinner at his house, and I haven't yet made it myself. I can't remember if he got the recipe from his mother or grandmother, or great aunt.

cake layer:

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
4 egg yolks
1/2 cup milk
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/4 cup sifted cake flour (about 5 ounces regular flour, sifted)

Meringue:

4 egg whites
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoons cream of tarter

filling and topping:

berries for the middle of the cake, lightly sweetened
1/2 cup slivered almonds, for the top


Preheat the oven for 325 degrees.
Grease, paper, and grease two cake pans.
Cream the butter, sugar, and egg yolks.
Mix the dry ingredients, and add to the creamed mixture, alternately with the milk.
Put into the pans.

Make the meringue by mixing the egg whites, and cream of tartar and beating until foamy, then gradually add the sugar and beat until nice and stiff.
Spoon the meringue onto the batter, sprinkle with the almonds, and bake for 30-35 minutes.
Cool a bit, them remove from pans and cool on a wrack.

When cool, find a lovely serving plate and place the first layer on the plate with the meringue side down. Then spoon on the sweetened berries, and place on to the second layer, with the meringue side up.

Orange Almond Angel Food Cake

.

285 grams egg whites (about 10 egg whites)
125 grams sugar
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
115 grams of cake flour
1/2 tsp orange essence
1/4 tsp almond essence

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
Beat the egg whites and the cream of tartar until the whites are foamy. Then gradually add the sugar while the mixer is beating. Beat until the whites are stiff but not brittle. Then shortly beat in the orange and almond essence. Then sift the flour slowly over the egg whites a bit at a time and fold in.
Put into an ungreased 20 cm tube pan.
Bake for about 40 minutes. Then turn upside down to cool.

Strawberry Tall Cake

.
I first made this cake over 20 years ago for my youngest daughter's birthday cake. She was crazy about Strawberry Shortcake (the doll). The reason I called it tall instead of short is because I made genoise for the cake instead of shortcake. It's a really awesome cake. The proportions I will give here are not exact, as I usually don't worry about such things. I think that any amout of genoise, strawberries, and whipped cream together is a wonderful dessert. My recipe for the genoise comes from "The Art of Fine Baking" by Paula Beck. The page for the recipe has actually fallen out, but I keep it in place. It's a bit tricky to make, and doesn't always turn out the way you'd like, but it's really good when it does. I haven't made this is a while, and as strawberry season is soon upon us I should make it.

Genoise:

Now genoise has a reputation for being a bit hard to make. But that shouldn't stop you. Though even the best of bakers can have a bad moment with this cake, as is attested to by Rose Levy Beranbaum. This recipe uses butter, but you can also make it without the butter.

6 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 cup sifted flour (about 4-4.25 ounces)
1/2 cup butter, melted and clarified*
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease, paper, and grease 1 of the following:

2 9-inch cake pans
1 tall 9-inch pan
3 7-inch cake pans
1 11x16 inch jelly roll pan
2 shallow 10-inch cake pans

As this cake is a fluffy batter and not a rising with leavening batter, you could put a parchment collar on the round pans.

Put the eggs and sugar into the kitchenaide mixing bowl and then set over a pan of gently simmering water, not touching the bowl. Heat, stirring from time to time, until the sugar is visibly dissolved. This will take maybe five minutes. When the eggs are lukewarm to your touch remove from the heat. Put the bowl into the mixer and beat with the whisk attachment on high speed for 10 to 15 minutes. The mixture will about triple and look like whipped cream.

Remove from the mixer and fold in the flour by sprinkling it a little at a time on top of the egg mixture and folding in gently with a spatula. Then gently fold in the clarified butter and vanilla. Be especially careful not to over-mix. What you want is to have the flour and butter suspended in the foamy egg and sugar mixture.

Pour the batter into the pan of choice. For the strawberry tall cake I used the 7 inch pans and bake for 20 to 30 minutes, all depending on the pan. Keep you eyes on the cake. I should say keep your nose alert. It's always been my observation that a cake that is almost done will suddenly be smelled in the house.

*clarifying butter: Melt the butter slowly. Let it sit for a bit to separate. Skim off the foam that rises to the top, and gently pour the butter off of the milk solids, which have settled to the bottom. Then let the butter cool down before putting it into the cake batter.

Strawberries:

strawberries, a pint or two
sugar, 2 to 4 tablespoons

Wash, hull, and slice up the berries.
Sprinkle on the sugar, stir gently, and let sit for a while to get the juices running.


Whipped Cream:

1 pint of whipping cream
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

The first step for good firm whipped cream is to put the mixing bowl and beater into the freezer for about 15 minutes. Then add the cream and sugar and vanilla to the well chilled bowl and whip until it's thick, but not until it's butter. My mother likes runny whipped cream, but that will not work here or the cake will slip right off.

Assembly:

Put down a layer of genoise, put on 1/3 the berries, top with 1/3 of the whipped cream. Repeat two more times. This cake is not meant to look like a fancy bakery cake with smooth whipped cream completely covering the cake. It is meant to have a homey strawberry shortcake look, except that it's tall instead. And when you cut it it is a bit of a mess, but very tasty.

Cockeyed Cake

.
This cake has many names, I know of cockeyed cake, wacky cake, and crazy cake. It has no eggs, and I suspect it could have been a depression or war cake.

Any mother who wants to teach her children how to make cake from scratch needs to have this recipe. It is practically impossible to fail. Though once my daughters forgot the vanilla and they felt that that was a failure. This cake batter can be made into just about any type cake, like layered, bundt, or cupcakes. The page in the book that my children used for this recipe looks like a war zone. They must have spilled most of the ingredients on it at one time or another.

2 cups flour (9 ounces)
1 1/3 cups sugar
1/2 cup cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
1/s tsp salt

1/3 cup cooking oil
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/3 cups cold water

Preheat the oven to 350.
Grease and flour what pan you are going to use, or put muffin papers into the cupcake pan.
Combine the dry ingredients in a big bowl.
Add the wet ingredients and stir well, but don't stir to death or the baking soda will be spent.
Bake until the cake springs back to the touch,
This is about 15 minutes for cupcakes, and longer for layers or bundt.

When cooled it can be nice to frost cupcakes.

Vanilla Butter-cream

1 cup icing sugar
1/4 cup soft butter
1 tsp vanilla
1 pinch of cinnamon
enough cream (or milk) to make a good consistency

Put the icing sugar and butter into a bowl and mix with a hand mixer until the sugar looks nice and yellow.
Add the vanilla, cinnamon and about 1 tablespoon of cream for starters.
Whip up very thoroughly, and add more cream a very little at a time to make a good spreading consistency.
You can also add cocoa powder to this icing, just sift it first, as the lumps will not taste good.

Another way to eat this cake that children really like is to make very small cup cakes and serve them with a very big bowl of whipped cream that the children can apply to the cupcakes themselves.

If you make a bundt cake, and we like to make two smaller bundt cakes, you can dust the cake(s) with icing sugar.

Also, this cake can easily be make bigger or smaller because there are no eggs in the recipe, so no math problems.

Banana Tea Cakes

I now have pictures of this cake, and I made a double batch because of how fast the family ate it last time. note: this is still a recipe for two little cakes. 

7 ounces flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
a grating nutmeg
1 stick butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1/4 tsp almond extract
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
little bit of rum and/or whiskey,
at least a tablespoon or two
2 ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 cup sour cream or plain yogurt or buttermilk,
or any combination thereof
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
1/2 cup dried fruit (I used sultanas, currents, and cherries)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Grease and paper two 5 1/5 inch x 2 inch cake pans.
Combine the flour, soda, salt, and nutmeg.
Cream the butter and sugar.
Then mix in the egg, beating very thoroughly.
Mix in the extracts and alcohol.
Mash the bananas in a small bowl and mix into the creamed mixture.
Add the sour cream or yogurt or buttermilk (or any combination there of) to the creamed mixture and stir well.
Mix in the dry ingredients.
Stir in the nuts and dried fruit.
Pour into the pans and bake until done, this was maybe 50 minutes.
Note: If you want to use a single pan use an 8 inch x 2 1/2 inch pan.
Or put the batter into a normal sized bundt pan.
Just cook it until it's done, having a tooth pick come out clean.

Linda's Cinnamon Apple Coffee Cake

.


2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup butter (that would be a stick and some)
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 cup buttermilk or sour milk*
1 cup peeled, cored, and chopped green apples

topping:

1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2-3/4 cup nuts, chopped
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

Preheat over to 350 degrees.
Butter a 9x13 baking dish.
Combine the first 5 ingredients.
Cream the butter, sugars, and egg.
Mix in the dry mixture alternately with the buttermilk into the creamed mixture.
Fold in the chopped apple.
Put into the baking dish.
Mix the topping ingredients and sprinkle over the batter.
Bake for 35-40 minutes.


* You make sour milk by combining 1 tablespoon of vinegar with 1 cup of milk and letting it stand for 5 minutes.

Sweet Short Cake

.
This is the basis of what is called "shortcake." My mother makes the kind with no sugar, and I think she uses Bisquik. It was by accident that I ended up with this recipe. I was having a group of people over one evening, but during the afternoon I was frantically sewing something. So I asked my girls to help me out. I told them that as I sewed I would tell them what to do. Well the shortcake that evening was a huge hit, but I quickly realized that something about the cake was different. Upon investigation it was realized that the girls had misheard me on the sugar. They added considerably more than the recipe called for, but we all decided that we liked it a lot that way, and we've done it ever since.

2 cups flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup butter, cut into many little pieces
1 cup milk

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Butter the bottom of a 7 or 8 inch spring form pan.
Mix the dry ingredients.
Add the butter, and using your fingers work the butter into the flour.
Stir in the milk using a fork. Don’t over mix, mix just till combined.
Put into pan and gently flatten out.
Bake about 20-25 minutes. It mustn’t jiggle.

Cool the cake, split in half and on the cake plate put cake, fruit, whipped cream, cake fruit whipped cream, and lastly a bit more fruit. I add some sugar to the fruit to bring out the juices, but not too much sugar.