Apple Sour Cream Cake

This recipe is adapted from Fantastic Apple Sour Cream Coffee Cake on Food.com. A Wahoo to Kittencalskitchen.

15 servings

Cake:

1/2 c butter
1 c granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 t vanilla extract
2 c flour
1 t baking powder
1 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
1 c sour cream
2 c sliced apples (2 large apples, peeled, quartered, and sliced)

Topping:

1 c chopped walnuts
1 c packed brown sugar
1 t ground cinnamon
1/2 t ground nutmeg
1/4 c butter

Heat the oven to 350°F. Butter and flour a 13" x 9" pan, or a large bundt pan, and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar for a couple of minutes. Add the eggs, and continue to cream the mixture for another 5 minutes.

In a bowl, mix together the remaining cake dry ingredients. In two additions mix in the dry ingredients alternately with the sour cream into the butter mixture. Carefully fold in the apples.

Mix together all of the topping ingredients in a bowl until the mixture is crumbly and the butter is incorporated.

If you are using a bundt pan, sprinkle 1/2 of the topping mixture in the bottom of the pan. Spread one-half of the cake batter in the prepared cake pan. Sprinkle with the rest of the topping mixture, and spread with the remaining cake batter.

If you are using a 13" x 9" pan, spread 1/2 of the cake batter in the pan. Sprinkle with 1/2 of the topping mixture. Spread the rest of the cake batter over the topping, and sprinkle the rest of the topping over the cake.

Bake 35 - 40 minutes for the 13" x 9" pan or 45 - 50 minutes for the bundt pan. Test the cake with a toothpick.

If you are using the bundt pan, let the cake cool for 5 - 10 minutes, then remove the cake from the pan, and finish cooling on a rack or plate.

The cake is best served warm with vanilla ice cream and warm toffee-caramel sauce.

Toffee-Caramel Sauce

This recipe comes (with some changes) from food.com. Thanks to ElaineM. I made this sauce for an apple cake. It's really good!

1/2 c butter
1/2 c brown sugar, packed
1/4 c white granulated sugar
1-1/2 T water
pinch of salt
1/2 c evaporated milk
2 t vanilla extract

Heat the butter, sugars, water, and salt in a pan over medium heat. Stir constantly, and after it begins to boil, cook for another 3 - 5 minutes. The longer it cooks, the thicker the sauce. Remove the pan from the heat, and stir in the milk and vanilla. The sauce will thicken as it cools.

Chocolate Coconut Meringue Pie

This recipe was inspired by my Aunt Virgie Lee. She recently served Coconut Meringue Pie and Chocolate Creme Pie, and she gave me a slice of each. I thought, hmmm, I could put these together. So with the help of Grace Parisi (Food and Wine) and Emeril Lagasse (Food Network) (and three or four other recipes), I came up with a custard that could be adapted to both the chocolate pie and the coconut meringue pie.

1 – 9” baked pie shell (see note)
3/4 c sugar
1/3 c flour
Pinch of salt
1 pint half and half
4 large eggs, separated
1 t vanilla
1 c sweetened shredded coconut, toasted (see note)
2 oz bitter-sweet chocolate baking chips
2 t butter
1/8 t cream of tartar
1/4 c sugar

1. In a saucepan, whisk together the 3/4 c sugar, flour, and salt. Whisk in the half and half until smooth. Cook over medium heat, whisking until the mixture is the thickness of sour cream, about eight minutes.

2. In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks, then whisk 1/2 c of the hot mixture into the egg yolks. Whisk the egg mixture back into the saucepan and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly until thickened, about two minutes. Stir in the vanilla.

3. Pour two-thirds of the hot custard into a medium mixing bowl.

4. In the saucepan, stir in the bitter-sweet chocolate baking pieces and the butter. Scrape into a small bowl. Press plastic wrap directly on the top of the custard. Refrigerate until chilled.

5. In the mixing bowl, stir in the coconut. Press plastic wrap directly on the top of the custard. Refrigerate until chilled.

6. Spread chocolate custard over the bottom of the pie shell. Spread the coconut custard over the top of the chocolate custard, being careful not to mix up the layers. Chill the pie.

7. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. In a large stainless steel bowl, beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar at medium speed until frothy. Increase the speed to high and beat until firm peaks form. Add the remaining 1/4 c sugar, 1 T at a time, and beat until glossy. Bake for seven minutes, or just until the meringue is golden.

Note: For a beautiful pie crust, pre-heat the oven to 350ºF. To make a dense pie crust, capable of standing up to custard, roll out the pie dough one inch larger all around than a glass 9” pie plate. Ease the dough into the pan. Fold the edge of the dough underneath itself, then flute or pinch the edge to make a rim. Chill the dough for fifteen minutes. Carefully press a sheet of aluminum foil into the rolled out dough, and pour pie weights (or a pound of dried beans) into the foil. Bake for 30 minutes (you may need to reduce the heat, if the crust is browning too much). Carefully remove the foil and weights, and return the crust to the oven for another 7 – 10 minutes. Remove from the oven, and cool completely before filling the pie.

Note: To toast the shredded coconut, preheat the oven to 350ºF, and spread the coconut evenly in the bottom of a 9" x 13" cake pan. Toast the coconut for two minutes. Remove it from the oven and turn it with a pancake turner. Return the coconut to the oven for one minute, then remove the pan from the oven and turn the coconut. Repeat the toasting and turning until the coconut is as brown as you like it. The coconut burns very easily, so never keep it in the hot oven for more than a minute.

Aunt Virgie Lee's Swedish Kringle

My Aunt Virgie Lee made this dessert for me on a visit. With desserts like this one, she always keeps me coming back!

Crust:

1-1/4 c flour
1/2 c butter
4 T cold water

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Cut butter into the flour. Add the water. Form into a dough, and press into the bottom of a jelly roll pan.

Filling:

1 c water
1/2 c butter
1 c flour
3 eggs
1 t vanilla

In a saucepan, boil the water and the butter. Remove from eat and add the flour all at once, stirring until combined. Add each egg, one at a time, beating until the egg is incorporated. Stir in vanilla.

Spread the filling over the crust. Bake for 20 minutes. Reduce the heat to 375°F, and bake for another 25 minutes.

Frosting:

2 c powdered sugar
pinch of salt
2 T softened butter
1 t vanilla
2 T evaporated milk

Beat together the sugar, salt, and butter. Stir in the vanilla. Beat in the milk. Frost the kringle while it is still slightly warm. Cut the kringle into bars.

Note: For a chocolate frosting, add 2 T cocoa to the powdered sugar and salt before beating in the butter.

Peach Cobbler

Fruit

2 large peaches, peeled, pitted, and sliced
juice of 1 small lime
1/4 t almond extract
2 T butter, melted
3 T brown sugar
1/2 t cinnamon

Cake

1/4 c butter
1/3 c granulated sugar
1 egg
1 t vanilla extract
1 c flour
1 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
1/3 c milk

Melt 2 T butter in an 8 x 8 baking dish. Preheat the oven to 325ºF. Sprinkle the brown sugar over the melted butter. Toss the peach slices with the lime juice and almond extract, then arrange the peaches on the brown sugar.

Cream together the 1/4 c butter and granulated sugar. Whisk in the egg.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Combine half of the flour mixture with the creamed mixture. Then add half of the milk and mix until smooth. Repeat adding the remaining flour and milk.

Pour the cake batter over the peaches. Bake for 35 minutes. Serve with ice cream, whipped cream, or cream.

Bread Pudding

1 baguette (10 oz)
2 T butter, melted
1/3 c raisins
3 eggs
1 pt half and half
1 c milk
1/3 c sugar
2 t vanilla extract
2 T apricot jam or orange marmalade
cinnamon
2 T Kahlua

Butter an 8-inch glass square baking dish.

Slice the baguette into 3/4-inch slices. You won't need the whole loaf, but cut about 20 slices. Place the slices on a broiler rack, and toast them on both sides under the broiler until browned. Break each slice into four or five pieces and put the toasted pieces in a large bowl. You should have about 2 cups of toast pieces. Drizzle the butter over the toast pieces and stir to coat. Place the toast pieces in the baking dish. Scrape any melted butter over the pieces. Sprinkle the raisins over the toast pieces.

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. In a saucepan, bring a quart of water to a boil. While the water is heating, mix the eggs, half and half, milk, sugar, vanilla, and jam until fully combined. Pour over the toast pieces. With the back of a spoon, push the toast pieces into the liquid so that the toast absorbs the custard mixture. Sprinkle the top of the pudding with cinnamon.

Place the baking dish in the center of a 9-inch x 13-inch cake pan. Pour the boiling water into the cake pan. Carefully, place the pudding and its water bath in the preheated oven and bake 35 - 40 minutes. The pudding is done when a knife stuck in the middle of the pudding comes out clean (rather than coated with pudding). Do not overcook!

Remove the pudding's baking dish from the water bath. Spread the Kahlua over the top of the bread pudding. Refrigerate it until serving. The pudding can be served cold, at room temperature, or slightly warm.

Peach-Apricot Cobbler

This recipe was modified using a similar recipe from the Washington Post Food Section, March 18, 2009, Page F8. From David Hagedorn.

2-12 oz packages frozen peaches, defrosted
4 oz dried apricots, diced (about 1/2 c)
2 oz crystallized ginger, diced (about 1/3 c)
1 stick unsalted butter
1-1/4 c flour
1-1/4 c sugar
1/4 t salt
1 T baking powder
1-1/4 c whole or low-fat milk
1 t almond extract
1 t vanilla extract

Mix together well the fruits, ginger, and sugar. Set aside at room temperature for an hour.

Preheat the oven to 325ºF. Cut the butter into pieces, and place in a 10" cast-iron skillet, then place the skillet in the oven to melt the butter. It should turn brown, but not burn.

Mix together the flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder in a large mixing bowl. Beat in the milk and extracts until the batter is smooth.

Remove the skillet from the other. Pour the batter into the skillet; a crust will begin to form around the edge. Use a slotted spoon, and arrange the fruit on top of the batter, taking care not break the crust around the edge.

Bake in the oven for an hour until the crust has a deep golden brown. Cool slightly and serve with vanilla ice cream.

Note: I fixed this dessert in too small a skillet (the original recipe says "medium" but does not define medium. I used a 9-inch skillet which was much too small. Happily, the dessert tastes so wonderful that it really doesn't matter what the dessert looks like coming out of the oven!

Cornbread Mix

So you like cornbread, but the mix that you've used FOR YEARS suddenly disappears from the supermarket shelves. That happened to me, so I made my own mix.

3 c flour (I use whole wheat)
3 c yellow cornmeal
3 T sugar
2 T baking powder
2 t salt

Mix all the ingredients together and store in a tightly covered container.

Cornbread

1 T butter or cooking oil
2 T cooking oil
1/2 c milk
1 egg
1 c cornbread mix

Preheat the oven at 400°F. Add 1 T butter (or cooking oil) to an 8-inch cast iron skillet, and heat the skillet in the oven while you mix the cornbread.

Whisk together the oil, milk, and egg. Pour over the cornbread mix, and stir together until mixed. Pour the batter into the heated skillet and bake for 12 - 14 minutes. Do not overbake.

Corn Cake

1 c cornbread mix
1/3 c sugar
1/4 c yellow cornmeal
1/4 t baking soda
3 T cooking oil
1 egg
2 t vinegar
1/2 c milk
1 t vanilla

Heat the oven to 350°F. Grease and sprinkle cornmeal in an 8-inch cake pan.

In a mixing bowl, mix together the cornbread mix, cornmeal, sugar, and soda. In a measuring cup, mix the vinegar and milk. Add the egg, oil, and vanilla. Pour the liquids over the dry ingredients, and stir until well mixed. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

Bake for 25 minutes, or until done. Cool the cake for about 10 minutes, and turn it out onto a rack to cool completely. You can frost the cake, or serve the cake with jam or jelly.

Note: Add the zest of an orange or a lemon to the dry ingredients. Add the juice of the lemon or lime and enough milk to make 1/2 cup to the other liquid ingredients. Dust with powdered sugar.

Chocolate Waffles

1 c sugar
1/2 c butter
2 eggs
1/2 c milk
1 c chopped walnuts
1-1/2 c flour
1 t baking powder
2 squares chocolate, melted

Mix in order given. Drop by tablespoon, one in each section of a waffle iron. Bake three minutes. Do not substitute shortening for butter.

Note: These were a special dessert when we were kids. Mom served them with whipped cream.

Chocolate Chip Fudge

4 c sugar
1/2 lb butter
1 large can evaporated milk
1/8 t salt
14 oz chocolate chips
1 pint marshmallow creme
1 t vanilla

Cook to a soft but firm ball, stirring most of the time. When it has reached the right consistenc, add the chocolate chips and the marshmallow creme. Beat until cool, and add the vanilla. Optionally add nuts, raisins, coconut, or peanut butter.

Fudge Squares

3/4 c sifted cake flour
1/2 t baking powder
1/8 t salt
1/3 c shortening
2 oz (squares) chocolate
1 c sugar
2 eggs, well beaten
1/2 c chopped walnuts
1 t vanilla

Sift flour, baking powder, and salt. Melt shortening with chocolate. Beat sugar into eggs, add chocolate mixture and blend. Add sifted ingredients, nuts, and vanilla, and mix well. Bake in a greased 8"x8" pan in a moderate oven (350°F) about 35 minutes

Cool and cut into squares. Makes about two dozen

Meringue

3 or 4 large egg whites, beaten stiff (including a pinch of salt)

Fold in:
1 c sifted sugar
10 small soda crackers crushed very fine
1 t baking powder
1/2 c chopped nut meats
1 t vanilla

Bake for 30 minutes in ungreased pie pan at 335°.

Walnut Meringue Torte

I'm sure that my Mother never made this recipe, at least never made it after I was born.

3 egg whites
1/4 t cream of tartar
32 California walnut halves
2 c heavy cream
1 to 2 pt of slightly soft butter pecan ice cream

Day before:

1. On two pieces of wax paper draw a 9-inch circle; place each on a greased cookie sheet. Heat oven to 300°.

2. In a medium bowl, with mixer at high speed beat egg whites with cream of tartar until frothy. With mixer at low speed, beat in 1 c sugar, 2 T at a time. Beat at high speed until very stiff and glossy.

3. With half meringue mixture in decorating bag and pastry tube no. 5, make a ring around inner ring of one of the circles. Then top entire circle quickly with parallel lines of meringue in one direction, then three more, crisscrossing them.

Repeat step 3 on the remaining circle. Bake both meringue rings in the same oven for 30 minutes or until light brown, exchanging lower sheet for upper in 15 minutes. When done, peel wax paper from meringues at once on cake rack.

5. In small skillet, over medium heat, melt 2 c sugar until it forms a golden syrup. Drop walnuts a few at a time, into syrup, coating all sides. With fork, place 2 walnut halves together.

Next day, about 15 minutes before serving:

1. Whip cream until stiff. On large cake plate, spread a thin layer of cream in same circle as meringue. Place one of the rings on the whipped cream.

2. Now spoon ice cream evenly over meringue. Then top with second ring. With some remaining whipped cream, in decorating bag with pastry tube no. 5, fill each of the 16 holes in lattice pattern with a mound; top each with a glazed walnut.

3. With rest of whipped cream make rosettes around sides. Serves 12

Substitute raspberry sherbet for butter pecan ice cream, and fresh raspberries for glazed walnuts.

Chocolate Angel Food

11 egg whites
2/3 c flour
1/3 c cocoa
1-1/2 c sugar
1/2 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
1 t cream of tartar
1 t vanilla

Beat whites, before stiff add salt and cream of tartar. Add sifted sugar and baking powder. Add flour and cocoa which are sifted together. Vanilla. Bake as other angel food cakes.

Note: Beware of the pitfalls of this recipe. Usually the flour is folded into the whites in angel food recipes. This looks like an interesting cake, though - chocolate angel food?

Orange Jello Angel Cake Dessert

Lois Skoog

1 package orange jello. Add 1 c boiling water, juice of 1 lemon, and 1 c orange juice. Allow mixture to thicken in refrigerator (about 25 minutes). Whip. Whip 1 c of cream, fold this whipped cream with the whipped jello. Pour over 1 large angel food cake broken in pieces. Add 2 c small marshmallows. Top with whipped cream (and a cherry, if desird). Will serve 12 to 15. 9" x 13" pan. (It took my jello a lot longer to jell than this said.)

Spicy Applesauce Cake

1/2 c shortening
1/2 c sugar
1 c light corn syrup
2 well beaten eggs
2 c flour
1/2 t salt
1 c raisins
1/2 t soda
1 t cinnamon
1 t allspice
1/2 t cloves
1 c thick, unsweetened applesauce
1 T grated orange peel
1 t baking powder
1/2 c chopped walnuts

Thoroughly cream shortening and sugar. Gradually add corn syrup. Beat thoroughly. Add eggs. Beat well. Stir in sifted dry ingredients alternately with applesauce. Mix just until smooth. Stir in remaining ingredients. Bake in greased 8 x 12 inch pan in moderate over 350° about 60 minutes.

Chocolate Applesauce Cake

2/3 c butter
2 c sugar
4 egg yolks
3/4 c cold applesauce
1/2 c milk
2-1/2 c cake flour
3 t baking powder
1 t cloves
1 t cinnamon
1/2 t nutmeg
1/2 t allspice
4 T cocoa
1 t vanilla
2/3 c raisins
1/2 c nut meats
4 egg whites

Cream butter; add sugar; add egg yolks & applesauce. Beat until smooth, then add milk alternately with cake flour, which should be sifted 4-5 times with baking powder, cocoa, and spices. Add vanilla, raisins, and nuts. Fold in whites. Turn into greased layered cake tins and bake in moderate overn for 40 minutes.

Lemon Cake

1 white cake mix
1 package lemon jello (dry)
3/4 c Wesson oil
3/4 c water
4 eggs

Frosting:
2 c powdered sugar
juice and rind of 2 lemons

Combine, beat, and bake (with jello) as the cake mix package directs. Use a 15 x 8 pan. When baked and still hot, prick all over top surface with a toothpick & pour on mixture of lemon and sugar.

Date Loaf

Crush: 1/2 lb graham crackers
Remove pits & cut into pieces: 1 lb dates (2 c)
Cut into pieces: 1/2 lb marshmallows
Chop fine 1 c nut meats (1/4 lb)
Whip: 1 c heavy cream
Fold in: 1 t vanilla

Combine 1/2 cracker crumbs with dates, marshmallows, nuts, & whipped cream. Shape into a roll. Roll in remaining cracker crumbs. Chill roll for 12 hours. Serve it cut in slices with cream or whipped cream.

Jelly Pancakes

1/2 c flour
1 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
1 egg
1 c hot milk
3 T melted shortening

Sift flour, salt, baking powder together. Whip egg until light. Add hot milk to shortening. When slightly cool, stir into other ingredients. Whip until smooth. Bake on ungreased griddle (about 1/4 c mixture for each pancake). Spread with jelly and roll.