Chocolate Dessert #24, Of Course!

I made this cake from my 365 Chocolate Desserts cookbook; it's recipe #24.

UPDATED CHOCOLATE MAYONNAISE CAKE

1 cup boiling water
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup nonfat mayonnaise
1-1/4 cups sugar
1 teaspoon almond extract
2-1/4 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

In a bowl, mix the cocoa powder and boiling water; stir until the cocoa dissolves and set aside.  In your mixing bowl, beat together the mayonnaise and sugar until well combined; add the cocoa mix and beat until smooth.  Stir together the flour, soda and salt, beat into the chocolate mix, and divide between 2 well greased layer pans.  Bake 25 to 30 minutes, until a toothpick in the center comes out clean.  Cool, then frost with this suggested frosting:

COCOA MAYO ICING

1/2 cup nonfat mayonnaise
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp almond extract
1 pound powdered sugar
1 tbsp milk

Beat all together until smooth.  Frost the cake.

The cake was amazingly moist, and the almond extract gave it a nice flavor.  The frosting was only semi-sweet, and even Ryan opined that it was just too much chocolate; he said I should use the regular buttercream frosting next time.  All in all, however, this was a very successful cake, on everyone's "Make this again!" list.  Best of all, it's cholesterol free, and no one knew the difference.

Oh, and to answer Karin's question?  You know Ryan won the race for the cake.  He's eaten about 5 slices in 2 days, to Mark's 2.  Gee.  I wonder why Ryan outweighs Mark.

(To reduce the caloric content of the cake, use 3/4 cup sugar and 1/2 cup stevia instead of the 1-1/4 cups sugar.  Not that this will in any way make it a diet cake.  Just sayin'.)

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Daffodil Cake

Earlier this week, Louise posted a chiffon cake she'd made, and it inspired me.  So off to Fannie Farmer I went to peruse chiffon cakes, and found a recipe for Daffodil Cake, so called for its appearance, with an orange frosting!

DAFFODIL CAKE

9 egg whites
1-1/2 tsp cream of tartar
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup sugar
1 cup flour, sifted
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 tsp baking powder
3 egg yolks
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp orange rind
1 tsp orange extract.

Beat the egg yolks until thick; add the 1/4 cup sugar and beat until very light colored.  Add the orange extract and orange rind and set aside. (I added 3 drops of yellow food coloring because it didn't look yellow enough, and I didn't want my menfolk to complain about a lack of color).

Beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar, salt and vanilla until fluffy.  Add the 1 cup sugar a bit at a time and beat until stiff.  Sift together the flour, cornstarch and baking powder, and stir into the egg whites.  (OK, so I gently beat it in with my wire whisk attachment, and it worked fine.  But maybe you want to be a perfectionist about it.)  Take 1/3 of the egg white mixture and fold it into the egg yolk mixture.  Put alternating spoonsful of the white and yellow mixtures into a greased 10" tube pan (the recipe says ungreased, but I greased mine anyway), then bake at 350F for 28 to 35 minutes, until the cake tests done.  Turn upside down on a plate to cool before removing the pan from the cake.  Frost with Fannie's own Light Butter Frosting:

LIGHT BUTTER ORANGE FROSTING

1/4 cup butter at room temperature
1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
2 egg whites
1 tsp orange extract
1 tsp orange rind*
1 cup confectioner's sugar

Beat the 1/2 cup confectioners sugar with the butter until well combined, add orange peel if desired, and set aside.  Beat the egg whites until stiff with the orange extract, and beat in the 1 cup confectioners sugar.  Combine the egg white and butter mixtures, adding more confectioner's sugar if necessary to thicken.  Frost the sides and top of the cake.

The frosting was a little runny, even after I refrigerated it, and my dearly beloved and Ryan both opined that the orange rind in the frosting was a little bitter the first night (it mellowed the second day), so take that into consideration when making this.  But overall, they loved this cake.  And while not as "fat free" as Angel Food Cake, it's still not bad for you.

So, Louise, I'm linking this recipe up with you! 

Happy Wednesday, everyone!

Angel Food Cake!

Every year, Louise hosts an online picnic. I wasn't going to join in this year, because life in my little corner of the world is incredibly busy this year, but I made this cake, and she graciously gave me the letter A, so here I am!

I'm going on a picnic, and I'm bringing.....

ANGEL FOOD CAKE

12 egg whites
2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract
1 cup sugar
1 cup flour
1/4 cup cornstarch

Sift together the flour and cornstarch and set aside.

Bring the egg whites to room temperature and beat with the  cream of tartar until foamy.  Add the vanilla and almond extract and beat until soft peaks form.  Add the sugar 2 tbsp at a time and beat until stiff peaks form.  Fold in the flour mixture, turn into an ungreased 10" tube pan, and bake at 350F for 40 to 45 minutes.

My dearly beloved saw me separating the eggs, which he's evidently never witnessed before, and about jumped out of his skin in distress when he realized I was discarding the yolks, instead of keeping them for "something else."  It was rather amusing.

Ryan walked past the egg whites while they were beating, and declared that the scent was very tempting, and I should be sure to save some of this cake for when he got home from work.  Poor guy; as if I have ever failed to save him cake!

All in all, this is a much easier cake to make than one might imagine.  And just look at this light and fluffy texture!  It truly almost does qualify as "diet cake"!

On July 1, Louise will be featuring a roundup of all of the offerings for the Picnic Game, so be sure to check in with her then!  Happy Picnicking!

Coffee Coffee Cake

No, that is not an error in my title.  This is Coffee Coffee Cake.  Double your caffeine in the morning!

COFFEE COFFEE CAKE

3 cups flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 t cinnamon
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1/2 cup shortening

1/2 cup chopped nuts
1 tsp cinnamon

3 tbsp instant coffee
1 cup milk
2 eggs (or 1/2 cup egg beaters)
1/8 tsp baking soda

In a bowl, stir together the flour, powder, salt, sugars and 2 tsp cinnamon.  Cut in the butter and shortening until the mixture is grainy, then remove 1 cup of the mixture to another bowl.  To that 1 cup, add the chopped nuts and remaining cinnamon, stir together and set aside.

Take the remaining flour mixture, and add the instant coffee, milk, egg and baking soda.  Beat until smooth.  Pour into a greased 13x9 baking pan.  Sprinkle the reserved flour/nut mixture evenly over the top of the batter, and bake at 350F for 28 to 32 minutes.

I made this cake while my oldest son was here, before his wedding.  I do believe he consumed 3/4 of it in about 24 hours; it was just that good.


Happy Monday, everyone!

Apple Filled Coffee Cake

One of the hardest things to deal with in my husband's new, heart-friendly diet is that there is sodium in everything.  The amount of salt in a single slice of bread is just unnerving, so I have to make bread or rolls daily just for him to have sandwiches for lunch or bread product to go with egg beaters.  And then there was the time when he was clamoring for something tasty.  Well, I came up with it.

APPLE FILLED COFFEE CAKE

2/3 cup very warm water
1 tbsp yeast
2 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup stevia (use all sugar if it doesn't concern you)
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp cinnamon
3 tbsp powdered milk
2 tbsp vegetable oil

filling:
2 apples, diced or shredded in the food processor
1 tbsp cinnamon
2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp stevia (or sugar if you prefer)
1 tbsp cornstarch
2 tbsp water
1 tbsp soft margarine

Make the filling first:  Shred the apples in the food processor or dice them, if you prefer.  I just leave the skins on; they are not noticeable.  Stir in the cinnamon, sugar, stevia and cornstarch, then add the water and stir.  Cook on high in the microwave for 2 to 3 minutes, until the mixture bubbles for about 15 seconds.  Remove, stir in the margarine, and set aside.

Pour the 2/3 cup water into your mixing bowl or the workbowl for your bread machine.  Add the yeast, and the remaining ingredients in the order given.  Let it mix in your bread machine, or according to my directions (see link at the right), adding more flour if needed to form a smooth dough ball.  Let rise about 15 minutes, then punch down and roll out flat to about 12" wide by 15" long..  Remove to a greased baking tray, spoon the apple filling into the middle of the surface, and spread out to cover the middle of the dough from one end to the other.  Fold the two sides about 3" over toward the center, so they meet in the middle.  Brush the top with nonfat milk, and let rise until doubled in size, 30 to 45 minutes.  Bake at 350F in a convection oven or 375F conventional oven for 22 to 25 minutes, until it's nicely browned.  This can be served warm.

The boys enjoyed this, but my dearly beloved just adored it.  I've been making one of these every 2 to 3 days; that's how good it is.  Indeed, when I place my food order tomorrow, I'm going to need a case of yeast.  That's not something a regular household cook says often, is it?

Happy Wednesday, everyone!

Wordless Wednesday

The end of the St. Patrick's Day Cake!

Happy Wednesday, everyone!

Royal Raspberry White Cake

Quite a name, right?  I dreamed it up all by myself (small accomplishment, I know, but still....)

This is my Valentine's Day cake.  It was beautiful.  It was delicious.  It was lower in calories than your average cake.  It was heart friendly.  I need to make another.  Maybe tonight.

ROYAL RASPBERRY WHITE CAKE

Cake:

2-1/4 cups flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 cup Stevia*
1 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 egg whites
1-1/3 cups sour milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract

Pour 2 tbsp lemon juice or white vinegar into a 2-cup measuring cup, and add nonfat milk to make the 1-1/3 cup; set aside.  In a large bowl, stir together the flour, cornstarch, sugar, Stevia, baking powder and baking soda with a whisk (this has the same effect as sifting, but with less work).  Add the egg whites, oil, sour milk and extracts, beat on low until combined, then on high for 2 minutes.  Turn into 2 layer cake pans, and bake 27 to 35 minutes, or until they test done.  Let them cool 10 minutes in the pan, and then to room temperature on a rack.  While it's baking, make the Raspberry Filling so it can properly cool.

Raspberry Filling:

1 cup frozen raspberries, not thawed
1/4 cup Stevia*
1/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp cornstarch
1/4 cup water

In a small saucepan, stir the raspberries with the sugar, Stevia and cornstarch until the berries are coated.  Add the water, and cook at medium heat until the berries start to fall apart and the sauce thickens.  Remove from the heat, and let it cool to room temperature.  (This is more than enough for the cake; store the leftovers in the fridge, because it's seriously great on rolls for breakfast.)

Royal Frosting:

1 cup sugar
1/3 cup water
1 egg whites
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract

Beat the egg whites until they are somewhat fluffy.  In a saucepan, whisk together the sugar and water; cook for 3 to 5 minutes until the sugar is entirely dissolved and the mixture simmers (it will be clear with no visible grains).  Stir the extracts into the sugar, and then, with the mixer running at low speed, drizzle the melted sugar into the egg whites.  Turn the mixer up to high speed and beat for 7 minutes.  It has to be the full 7 minutes, or the frosting will be too soft, and start to slide off your cake the next day, instead of looking pretty.

Assembly:

Pretty obvious, really,  Put one layer of the cake on a plate.  Top with Raspberry Filling.  Put the other layer on top of the filling.  Frost with your Royal Frosting.  Be prepared for everyone to admire your beautiful cake.  And then be prepared for everyone to eat it all, if not that night, then for breakfast the next day.

*Note: Stevia reduces the sugar in the cake. You can replace this with sugar, if you're not watching your caloric intake, or if you don't happen to have it in the house.  No one can taste the difference, believe me.

Happy Thursday, everyone!

Carrot Cake

A few days after Thanksgiving, my dearly beloved announced that he wanted a piece of my carrot cake; he looked positively crestfallen when I told him that it had all been consumed by the herds of people who had been running rampant through the house.  So I made him another one (which, of course, he shared with the boys).

Given Chan's desire for the carrot cake recipe, I decided to run with this today.  I've made this cake much more pre-diabetic and cholesterol friendly, but am including the original ingredients (where I've changed them) in case you aren't concerned about cholesterol, sugar or even just plain extra calories.

CARROT CAKE

2 cups flour
1 cup sugar plus 1 cup splenda (or 2 cups sugar)
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup egg beaters (or 4 eggs, or 2 eggs plus 3 egg whites)
3 cups shredded carrot (about a pound)
1 cup chopped walnuts

Put all of the dry ingredients in your mixing bowl and stir vigorously with a wire whisk.  (This saves you from having to sift them together.  You'll be happier, trust me.)  Add the oil, egg and vanilla extract; beta about 2 minutes at low speed, until smooth.  The batter will be very dense.  Stir in the walnuts and carrot, mixing well.  Turn into a well greased 13x9 baking pan (unless you want to make a layer cake, which is, of course, your prerogative), and bake at 350F for 40 to 50 minutes, until a tester inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean.  Remove from the oven and let it cool  Frost with this cream cheese frosting:

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter, softened
2 tsp vanilla extract
1-1/2 pounds confectioners' sugar
heavy cream

Beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla together to combine.  Beat in the sugar to combine, and then beat in cream until it's smooth.  Frost the cake generously.

You will notice, of course, that all of the healthy alterations I made to the original recipe are negated by the frosting.  But I figure that a little improvement is better than none. And this is the recipe that Andrea loved at Thanksgiving, so you have her word on it.

Happy Monday, everyone!

"Cheap Sponge Cake"

Back to Mary at the farm for a variation of one of my husband's favorite desserts ever.  I can't say this is any cheaper than any other version of sponge cake I've tried, but it was good, and that's what counts.  I might very well make this again, like tonight.

CHEAP SPONGE CAKE

4 egg whites
4 egg yolks
1-1/4 cups sugar
1-1/2 cups flour
1-1/4 tsp baking powder
pinch salt
flavoring
1/4 cup boiling water

Beat the egg whites until stiff, and set aside.  Beat the egg yolks with the sugar until light and fluffy.  Stir together the flour, powder and salt.  Add the egg whites to the yolks, then the flour combination and any flavorings (I used 1 tbsp orange juice powder from Spice Barn, 1 tsp grated orange peel and 1/4 tsp orange extract), then gently beat in the boiling water.  Turn into a greased bundt pan, and bake at 350F for about 35 minutes.

Everyone liked this cake.  This picture is what was left the next day around noon.  Testimony enough, right?

Easter Cake

My nurse daughter has to work Easter weekend, so she came home this past weekend with her sister, to have an early Easter celebration.  Well, why not?  Holidays are fun, and I'm sure more holidays are more fun!

Of course, one of the things that we absolutely must have for Easter is the traditional 2-color cake.  I only had strawberry and orange flavored gelatine mix, but I prefer to use brighter color contrast.  No matter; everyone loved it.  So, here is a new, healthier recipe for this traditional favorite (no one noticed the change in ingredients, although everyone loved it):

TWO COLOR CAKE

3 egg whites
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 cup margarine
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 tsp vanilla extract
2-1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp baking powder
1 cup milk
2 4-ounce boxes flavored gelatine dessert mix (sugar free or regular)
2 tbsp water

Beat the egg whites with 1/4 cup sugar and cream of tartar until stiff, and set aside.  Cream the margarine and 3/4 cup sugar, and add the salt and vanilla.  Beat in the flour, powder and milk until stiff.  Stir in the egg whites, and divide in half.  Into each half of the batter, beat one box of gelatine (Jell-o or store brand) and 1 tbsp water, until the color is even, and pour each into a greased 8" layer pan.  Bake at 350F for 25 to 30 minutes, until the cake layers test done.  Let the layers cool, and frost with whipped cream.  Keep refrigerated.

Later this week, a couple more traditional Easter recipes are planned.  Let's see if the world will allow me to carry out my plans!

Happy Monday, everyone!

Carrot Cake

The last time the boys went for milk, Ryan came back with the biggest sack of carrots he could find, plopped them in front of me, and demanded carrot cake.  Soon.  I complied.

CARROT CAKE

2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup egg beaters (or 4 eggs)
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups finely shredded carrot (I used 5 big ones)
1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts

Put all of the dry ingredients in a bowl, and stir together with a wire whisk: this sifts them together with much less trouble than using the actual sifter.  Add the oil, vanilla and egg beaters (or eggs, if no one in you house counts cholesterol), beat at low speed until combined, and then for about 2 minutes on medium speed, until smooth.  Stir in the walnuts and shredded carrot.  Pour into a greased 9x12 pan (my choice), or two layer pans (traditional).  Bake at 350F 42 to 45 minutes for the sheet cake, or 30 to 35 minutes for the layers.  Frost with cream cheese frosting (8 ounces cream cheese, regular or low fat, 1 pound confectioner's sugar and 2 tsp vanilla extract, beaten until smooth: it is much softer than regular buttercream frosting).

I always prefer making a sheet cake, so I eschewed the traditional carrot cake look, and while Ryan howled that it didn't look right, here's what was left the next morning (which was a snow day):

That's right; the poor cake never even got to have a nice picture taken (not that my hordes often let me take nice pictures of food)!

As to the monster storm threatening the northeast, well, "everyone in school" said today would be a day off, and the teachers even warned the kids to take their books home to study for midterms over the weekend.  There's not a school within 40 miles of me that closed or even delayed.  And the sun looked like it might come out a few minutes ago.  But I have a goodly stock of food, and I even have electricity now, so I'm not afraid.  But I doubt it will be a "monster storm of historic proportions" nonetheless.

Happy weekending, everyone!

White Cake with Boiled Frosting

This came from a Better Homes and Gardens cookbook I picked up at a used book sale a while back.  I felt like making a light cake, and, being low on confectioner's sugar, decided to try my hand at a boiled frosting.  After all, that's what the mixer's function in life is, right?

WHITE CAKE

4 egg whites
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
2-1/8 cups flour
2 tbsp cornstarch
1 tbsp baking powder
1 cup milk
1/4 tsp almond extract
1 tsp vanilla extract

Beat the egg whites with 1/2 cup sugar until stiff; set aside.  Beat together the shortening, sugar and salt; add the remaining ingredients and beat at low speed until combined, then at medium speed for 2 minutes.  Beat the egg whites in with the mixer at its lowest speed, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl.  Scoop the batter into 2 layer pans or a 13"x9" sheet pan (my choice)  Bake at 350F about 25 minutes for layers or 35 minutes for the sheet cake, until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.

See?  Despite all of the ingredients, it was pretty simple, right?

BOILED FROSTING

1 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp light corn syrup
3 egg whites
1 tsp vanilla extract

Stir together the sugar, water, salt and corn syrup in a small saucepan.  Heat to a boil, stirring occasionally, then put a candy thermometer in it and cook without stirring to 260F (hard ball stage).  When the sugar mix starts to boil, start beating the egg whites until they are very stiff.  When the sugar mix reaches the hard ball stage, drizzle it slowly into the egg whites while beating at low speed.  Add the vanilla, then beat at high speed for about 5 minutes, until peaks form.  (Actually, you could probably use strawberry extract for a different flavor to the frosting, in contrast to the white cake, if desired).

All in all, this is a relatively low calorie dessert, and pretty tasty, too!  And, since I can't find the picture I took of it, here's a look at my front yard!

Devil's Food Cake

In reading the Sunday papers, all of the so-called food experts (and why are they experts anyway?  Do they feed a dozen people every night?) say you should have one cake and 2 pies for Thanksgiving dinner.  I do believe that my hungry hordes would say that was way too meager a dessert selection, so I make much more, as you may have noticed.  Besides, dessert makes everyone ecstatic.  A great meal makes them happy, but everyone remembers dessert.

So, if you're going to just make one cake, my boys would respectfully suggest that this is the one you should choose.  I found it in the red plaid cookbook, and I've made it at least 493 times since July, in an effort to create the very best variation for you.

DEVIL'S FOOD CAKE

2 cups flour
2 cups confectioner's sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
6 tbsp milk powder
1-1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup egg beaters or 2 eggs
1-1/2 cups water

Preheat oven to 350F.  Put all of the dry ingredients into a bowl, and stir with a wire whisk until the mixture is light tan.  (Side note: this has the same effect as sifting all of the dry ingredients together, without the bother of using the little turn-the-handle thingy.  Use this trick any time you have to sift stuff.  Another Marjie Time Saver.)  Add the remaining ingredients to the bowl, beat at low speed until combined, then beat at medium speed for 2 minutes.  Pour into a greased 13x9" pan or a bundt pan.  Bake the 13x9 for 35 to 38 minutes, or the bundt for 38 to 42 minutes.

(That's all that was left the next morning.  Should be testimony to its goodness.)


Important notes:  You can use regular sugar.  The confectioner's sugar gives it a finer grain.  Reduce the flour by 2 tbsp and add 2 tbsp cornstarch when using regular sugar if you want, but the boys really didn't notice.  If you don't have dry milk, you can replace the water with milk.  You can use eggs or egg beaters with the same texture result; 3 egg whites will make the cake a little stickier, but just as flavorful.  Lastly, the oil.  The recipe called for shortening.  Shortening makes a smoother cake, oil makes a flakier cake, butter or margarine makes the cake flakier and a little more flavorful.  The boys concluded oil gave it the best flavor and texture combination overall.

Cool the cake as per your usual procedure, then frost.  I like vanilla buttercream frosting best, but the boys are always clamoring for chocolate buttercream.  The choice is yours.

Poke Cake

This is one of those things that couldn't be easier to make, and everyone loves it.  Well, everyone except my littlest fussbudget.  He has to do something to prove he's a fussbudget, right?

POKE CAKE

1 cake: white, yellow or pound, preferably sheet form, but loaf will do
1 box of jello mix (3 ounce)
hot water
ice
whipped cream (cream, vanilla extract, sugar)

You can make a white or yellow cake from mix or scratch, or a pound cake, or just buy one unfrosted at the store - it is, after all, summer, and therefore too hot for normal people to bake, right?  If you bake it, let it cool.  Pour 1 cup boiling water into a 4 cup measuring cup, sprinkle the jello over it, then stir with a wire whisk to dissolve and blend thoroughly.  Add 2 cups of ice cubes, and stir with a slotted spoon until the jello starts to thicken and is partially set.  Using the handle of a wooden spoon, poke holes in your cake mercilessly - lots of holes, with about 1" of cake around each hole.  Pour the jello into the holes and over the top of the cake.  Frost with the whipped cream, refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and serve.

You can take this to a 4th of July picnic.  Use blue jello and red-colored whipped cream to be really festive looking, or be like me, and use whatever you have on hand.  Either way, it won't last long!

Chocolate Buttermilk Cake

My boys wanted a chocolate cake for dessert.  That's not a surprise, now, is it?  Boys want chocolate.  Boys want cake.  It's the natural order of the world, I think.

Anyway, I found a recipe in my older Fannie Farmer cookbook, the 1950s version, and adapted it a little bit to suit my needs and available ingredients.  The cake was a bit more crumbly than most, but Ryan pronounced it just as good as any cake, and Mark said it was much better.  No consensus there, eh?

CHOCOLATE BUTTERMILK CAKE

1-2/3 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
4 tbsp buttermilk powder*
1-1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup oil
1 cup water*

Sift together the dry ingredients.  Add the vanilla, oil and water, beat for 2 minutes, turn into a greased 9x12 pan, and bake for 25 to 30 minutes.  Cool and frost.

*The buttermilk powder can be eliminated and the water replaced with buttermilk if you have some around.  Milk can be soured by pouring 2 tbsp of either lemon juice or white vinegar into a measuring cup and adding milk to total one cup, then stirring and letting it sit for 5 minutes to substitute for these ingredients, too.

My frosting is colored yellow in this picture, because Ryan was stomping about the kitchen waving the food coloring box at me, chanting, "Make the cake interesting!"  Kids.  Sheesh.

Heart Cake, or Manly Pink Cake

I always buy the kids boxes of candy for Valentine's Day; it's my hope they'll always remember the day fondly, but without great expectations. I also always bake a cake, usually just decorated with red sprinkles, or pink frosting, or something. This year, I went just a little different, and extrapolated a white cake recipe from a recipe in the Good Housekeeping Cookbook (copyright 1990) that I bought at a used book sale in the last year or so. I needed to make the recipe smaller, and this really was terrific.

WHITE HEART CAKE

2 egg whites
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup flour
1 tbsp cornstarch
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup shortening
1/2 cup skim milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract

In a bowl, beat the egg whites until foamy; add 1/2 tsp vanilla and slowly add the 1/4 cup sugar, beating until very stiff. Set aside. In another bowl, stir together the flour, cornstarch, 1/2 cup sugar, powder and salt with a whisk until well combined and fluffy. Add the remaining ingredients, and beat 2 minutes, until smooth. Beat in the egg whites at low speed, until just combined. Turn into a greased heart shaped pan (I used the springform pan from Pampered Chef - see Chan if you want one), and place in a preheated 375F oven. Bake 22 to 26 minutes, until it's lightly browned and tests done with a thin knife or toothpick. Warning: If you open the oven too early, the center of the cake will sink. It will still taste great, but it won't be as pretty.

My eldest daughter was exhorting me to make a "Manly Pink" cake, so I whipped 1/2 cup cream with 1/4 cup confectioner's sugar and 1 tsp strawberry extract, which is pink. So far, so good. But then I added 1/2 cup chopped strawberries and beat them it. Uh oh! The whipped cream became rather thin. So I stuck it to the sides of the cake, where it barely stayed. Then I stirred 1/2 cup of sliced strawberries into the remainder of the whipped cream and piled it on top of the cake. It stayed there long enough for me to take a picture.

When I offered the boys some Manly Pink Cake for dessert, the little boys declined, but Dan declared, "I love pink cake of the Manly variety!" and helped himself to a big slice. He declared it quite good, and had more for breakfast. This from the guy who claims to only like chocolate cake. Testimony enough for me!

Carrot Cake

Who doesn't love carrot cake? Family members love it because it's delicious, and we Moms love it because it sneaks lots of veggies and so forth into the kids and hubby. Really, it's a win-win. I tweaked this recipe a little to make it a tiny bit healthier (but not much).

CARROT CAKE

1-1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2 cups sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup vegetable oil
3 cups shredded carrot
1/2 cup chopped walnut

In a bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, powder, soda, salt and cinnamon with a wire whisk. Add the eggs, vanilla and oil, and beat for 30 seconds to combine, then 2 minutes until smooth. Stir in the shredded carrot and walnuts. Turn into two greased layer cake pans, and bake at 350F for 30 to 35 minutes, until a knife or toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool 10 minutes, then remove from the pan to a cooling rack.
When completely cooled, frost with:

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

8 ounces cream cheese
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 cups confectioner's sugar

Beat until smooth; you might need up to 1 cup more powdered sugar to give the frosting enough body. Enough for filling and frosting one cake.

This is a very filling cake with a very rich frosting. It actually lasted 2 days, which is some kind of record in our house. It's not that everyone didn't love it; they just took small slices because it was so filling. That's a bonus in my book.

Next time, I'll be trying it with egg substitute, to see how it tastes. I'll also be baking it in a 13"x9" pan, because I really hate fussing with layers. Picky, picky, picky, right?

Lemon Sponge Cake

My dearly beloved simply adores sponge cake, especially lemon sponge cake. I decided last night to make it "lower" cholesterol (that's not "no" cholesterol, just a little healthier). So here's the new recipe I came up with. It was all gone by noon, so I'm thinking it was a pretty big success!

LEMON SPONGE CAKE
Lower Cholesterol Version

4 egg whites
1 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp lemon extract
2 egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1-1/4 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tbsp water
minced rind from one orange

Combine the egg whites and cream of tartar , and beat until foamy; add the lemon extract and 1/2 cup sugar, and beat until very stiff. Set aside. Beat the egg yolks until light colored and fluffy, add the remaining sugar, salt and water, and beat for about 30 seconds. Stir together the flour and baking powder; add them to the egg yolk mixture along with the lemon juice, and beat until well combined. Beat in half of the egg whites and orange rind, and then fold in the remaining egg whites. Bake in a well greased Bundt pan at 325F for 35 to 40 minutes, until the cake tests done. Cool about 10 minutes, then turn out of the pan. Sprinkle with powdered sugar when the cake is cool.

It's not a very big cake, but it packs a lot of flavor. Best of all, no one noticed that I'd cut the egg yolk content down!

Convection Oven: A Learning Curve

I've been experimenting with the new convection ovens for almost a week now. I'm ready to declare them a success.

First, look at this stove top. Two dual sized burners at the front, 2 small burners at the back, and the circle in the middle is a "keep warm" burner. Yep, poke a little button on the control panel and it will hold something at a warming temperature, so you can use the real burner to cook something else. I'm thinking it would be handy for something like mashed potatoes.
I've never seen an oven with 3 racks before. My girls will have to try out baking 3 racks of cookies at once when they get home; I really and truly don't like baking cookies. That's probably because I know at least 5 or 6 dozen will never make it beyond the cooling rack, and it's frustrating to have little to show for all that work. But the girls will spend a few hours together baking quadruple recipes of cookies that won't last more than 2 days, and enjoy beating their brothers off with wooden spoons. It's very entertaining, really.

Now, on to what you want to know: cooking.

Meat: Fabulous. I've made turkey breast, boneless chicken breast, ham, roast beef and fish with the convection oven. I cooked them all at the same temperature as I would have used in the conventional oven, but for 1/4 to 1/3 less time, and using exactly the same seasonings I've always used. The flavor was much better. Everyone has said the same thing every night. My dearly beloved and I don't even like boneless chicken breast (it was a goof by my food supplier), because it tends to be dry, but the flavor was greatly improved. Katie, I'll be happy to give you more specifics if you want them; just let me know.

Baked goods: Yeast bread: Winner! The crust is evenly browned, and the loaf cooked in about 19 minutes instead of 25. The crust was also a little crunchier and nicer, but not thicker.

Cake and Banana Nut Bread: Not as big a fan. Both cooked about 25% faster (28 minutes for the Bundt cake instead of 39 to 42, and 48 minutes for the nut bread instead of 65 minutes). Because the rising of goods leavened with baking powder and baking soda is dependent upon oven heat, my yellow cake and nut bread didn't rise as much, and were therefore denser. They got eaten (as the end of the banana bread here shows), just weren't as much enjoyed. I made another yellow cake and a loaf of cranberry nut bread using the conventional bake cycle, and they were exactly as expected. So I'll be baking these goods with the conventional cycle unless I'm in a huge hurry.

Brownies were a resounding success. I made 3 batches of brownies this week, using the Pampered Chef stoneware pan and fudge brownie mix (my kids hate scratch brownies). None lasted more than 18 hours, including sleep time. They were fudgy throughout, no raw spots in the middle, no hard edges. 24 minutes cooking time instead of 32 minutes. This will be the formula for brownies in my house forevermore. Thank you, Chan, for the stoneware pan, which I would otherwise never have tried. (She sells great Pampered Chef stuff without you having to attend a party, if anyone wants something. Just saying.) No pictures of brownies, what with them not lasting and all. Sorry.

But I can't leave you with all this food and no recipe, so how about that chocolate frosting on the yellow cake above? Ryan found it in a cookbook and begged for it (he always wants "exciting" frosting).
BUTTERMILK COCOA FROSTING

1/4 cup butter
1 pound confectioners sugar
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/4 cup to 1/2 cup buttermilk OR
2 tbsp buttermilk powder plus water to thin the frosting

Place all the ingredients in your mixing bowl. Start with the smallest amount of buttermilk or water, then add more to make the frosting creamy. Plenty to frost a 9x12 cake, 2 round layers or a Bundt cake.

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend, not too stressful before Christmas, Hanukkah or whatever other holidays you celebrate!

Election Day is Coming...

...and with it, Election Cake.

I found this a few years back in my Fannie Farmer cookbook, and we enjoyed it. Since it's supposed to sit and rise for 6 hours, there are no pictures of the cake. But here's the recipe, so you can get started on your own, and be primed to go out tomorrow and vote.

ELECTION CAKE

1 cup warm water
3 tsp yeast
1 tbsp sugar
2-1/2 cups flour
1 tbsp oil

Sprinkle the yeast over the water and let soften. Add the other ingredients, beat together, and set aside to rise for 6 hours or overnight.

1 cup butter
2 cups brown sugar
4 eggs
1 tbsp lemon rind
1 tbsp lemon juice
1-1/2 cups flour
1-1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups raisins
1 cup whiskey*

Sift together the dry ingredients and set aside. Cream the butter with the brown sugar, and add the eggs, one at a time. Beat in the lemon rind and juice, then the dry ingredients. Then beat in the yeast mixture until thoroughly combined. Add the whiskey (if desired) and raisins. Turn into 3 greased loaf pans, and let rise for about an hour, then bake 40 to 50 minutes at 350F.

It can be a real pain to get up early or get home late because you've dragged your sorry behind to the polling place, and it seems even worse during an "off year" election. But let me tell you about why I'm voting in my little corner of the world: My town government is all good. Town taxes are low, plowing is good, police are friendly. No changes needed there. School board? Well, a union leader is running for a seat on the school board, and it is incumbent upon me to stop this. There can be no negotiation if the union has seats on both sides of the table. Plus, with salaries eating up 75% of the school district budget, we need non-union people to try to keep tax increases in check. No one in this school district could possibly be happy with our school taxes, and they're talking 4% to 5% increases next year even without bigger increases in salaries. (Sorry, Pam, I know you're a teacher, but teachers make more money here than average citizens do, and that's just backward) As for the county? Twenty One Million Dollars in debt, facing at least a $3,000,000 shortfall next year, the county commissioners decided not to submit a budget on October 15 as required by law, instead announcing that an "outside committee" was going to advise them after the election of what they should do for the budget shortfall. Oh, by the way, the current commissioners have a 6 part plan to reduce the deficit. Hmmm. I wonder why they didn't implement it in the last 4 years. Curiouser and Curiouser, as Lewis Carroll's characters would say.

We can make a difference at the local level, even if we feel like our vote doesn't amount to much in the national elections. And on that cheery note, how about a lovely picture of our sky yesterday?