Christmas Fruitcake

Fruitcake.  You either love it or you hate it.  

While fruitcake is often the dreaded Christmas gift and the butt of bad jokes, I think this recipe might change the perspective of fruitcake haters!  This fruitcake is not baked so you don't have to worry about burning anything.   It looks difficult, but is really easy to make.  Ingredients are typically easy to find with all the holiday baking goodies at the local grocery.

Holiday time often triggers childhood memories.   This year it was the memory of making fruitcake with mom at the kitchen table in this huge pan.  It was a treat because it requires a lot of ingredients that are seasonal, such as candied fruit and combined with nuts, dates, raisins, etc. it becomes quite expensive to make.  Growing up, we had this for many years and the first year we didn't have it, I remember mom saying that the ingredients cost too much. 

This week I set out on a mission to find my mother's fruitcake recipe and recreate some memories.  This fruitcake doesn't contain any spirits nor is it baked, but rather made with a prebaked spice cake that gets crumbled up and mixed with all sort of goodies and packed into a 9x13 pan.  I was able to get all the ingredients at my local Walmart with the exception of candied red cherries.  I called and visited multiple stores in a two county area and no one had them!  Well, I was not about to have my plans derailed!  I bought some maraschino cherries and made the candied red cherries myself!

I learned that the recipe mom used is a Betty Crocker Recipe that originated in 1957 and was called Mystery Fruitcake.  I took a few liberties with the recipe, making some modifications to the quantity of some of the ingredients to avoid waste.  I also added a container of candied pineapple as well.

Give this recipe a try and create some new memories and start a new tradition!

Persimmon Pudding

This recipe is from Grandma Burkhart's collection or recipes. In the collection, there were several persimmon pudding recipes but this one was marked as the "best".  The only notable change to the recipe she had made was to increase the amount of butter. I used her revised version that contains more butter.  Butter makes everything better, right?

As I mixed this recipe, I used an old family crockery bowl and grandma's metal 1 cup measuring cup.  I used grandma's kitchen timer to track my baking time.
Today's foray in the kitchen was nostalgic.  I had a humorous moment during the preparation. While I was sifting the dry ingredients, my battery powered sifter stopped.  I giggled thinking that my grandmother, born in 1900, would have never imagined that there would be such a thing as a battery powered flour sifter!  And you know what, her old hand crank model always worked and didn't require batteries.

Hopefully, you live where you can find persimmons to collect and make your own pulp, or can purchase the pulp at a local market.  I scored pulp on my last trip back to Indiana and was pretty excited because I've been craving Persimmon Pudding since last fall and there doesn't seem to be persimmons here in Kansas, or at least not that I've seen or heard about!

This recipe is quick and easy to mix up and delicious.  For me it is extra special as it is sweetened not only with sugar, but with memories of my grandmother.

Grandma's Recipe

No Crust Apple Pie

How about a dessert that you can easily whip up with ingredients you have on hand?
You know, for those times when you need something in a hurry for a drop in guest or when you are just in the mood for something sweet.  Sound good?  Yes?  You will find this recipe quick and easy.  I acquired it from a cooking class during last year's trip to Italy.

Recently, a good friend and I have had some fun debating whether this recipe is a pie or a cake.  You see, the name in the recipe is pie and it is made in a pie plate, implying that it is a pie.  However, it doesn't have a crust, which for me is essential for pie and the texture is more cake like, so I say it is a cake.

The result of our  cake vs. pie debate?  We  agreed on one key point....  It is Delicious!!
I'll leave it to you to decide for yourself!

Lemony Gooey Butter Cake

Lemon.....ah, my favorite flavor.  I love anything lemon and I've read about gooey butter cakes and I don't recall if I've ever had one.

I got a new stove yesterday and I needed desperately to try the oven.  Well, okay, so maybe not desperately, but I did want to try it out.

I decided that a lusciously lemony gooey butter cake would be just the ticket.  I found this recipe of Paula Deen's and decided since she's know for good southern cooking and desserts laden with butter, it has to be good, right?  I can tell you from the sample that I tasted during the photo session that it is awesome!    Continue on for the recipe.

Chocolate Espresso Cake with Lemon Mascarpone

This recipe is one I found on Savoring Time in the Kitchen blog as Torta Caprese with Lemon Mascarpone which was adapted from a magazine.  It looked delicious and kept whispering to me...well, actually it was  screaming loudly.

Knowing I had a friend coming for her annual fall visit, I decided this would be the perfect desert to try while she was here.  Yes, those who know me, are very aware if you spend time at my table, you will be subject to my trying new recipes.  So far I only recall one recipe that wasn't well received by a guest, so my batting average is pretty good.

For my gluten free friends, I think this cake may work for you since it does not contain any flour, but rather uses ground almonds.

I will admit to being a little skeptical of the chocolate and lemon combo.  Both are flavors I love, but typically would not consider putting them together.  However, the lemon mascarpone is so light and subtly flavored, it pairs well with the richness of the cake.  Feel free to double the recipe so you can slather it on thick!

Stone Fruit Cobbler/Cake

When I am asked what my favorite fruit is, I always say fresh peaches.  There just isn't anything better than eating a fresh peach, juice dripping off your chin and fingers all sweet and sticky.

I also like other fresh stone fruits like plums and nectarines.  This recipe is adaptable to whatever stone fruit is in season or available.  You can use a single fruit or or you can use a mixture.  Since I love peaches  I used fresh peaches for this recipe.  It's not a cobbler and not a cake, so let's just call it good!

Pineapple Angel Food Cake

Okay folks, this has to be one of the easiest and most delicious angel food cakes I have ever made.
It requires 2 ingredients and about 5 minutes to mix up, so grab a pencil and paper and make a note of the ingredients on your shopping list!

I found this on Pinterest and was intrigued.  My first attempt making this recipe failed because I didn't notice one key thing about the cake mix.  You absolutely MUST get the single step angel food mix. 

I was doing my shopping and going from memory, and just bought a box of angel food cake mix...well, it was a two step cake mix (had two bags inside, so be sure to read the mixing instructions).  I thought, what the heck, and tried it anyway.  Seriously, how bad could it be?

Well, it came out of the oven a whoppin' 1/2 inch thick, rather than what you would expect a fluffy angel food cake to be!  I know you are dying to know if I ate it.  Well, yes I did.  I didn't want to throw it away!  The result had a good flavor, but the texture was not at all light and airy.    So learn from my lesson....Be sure to get a 1-Step Cake Mix! 

Nutella Ice Box Cake

Nutella, what a sweet addiction! It's October, the time of year my best friend Wanda comes for a visit. 

During a trip to Italy in 2007, we discovered Nutella. Oh my gosh, we were in love! So...in preparation for her visit, I made this Nutella Icebox Cake as a surprise. It is easy, an luscious and I think she would agree that it is awesome!

If you have kids that love Nutella, you could just mix up the pudding portion of this recipe and pour into individual bowls and refrigerate. 

I'll leave you with the recipe and one word - YUM!  Enough said!

Nutella Icebox Cake

Ingredients:

2/3 cup whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup granulated sugar
4 large egg yolks
2 tbsp cornstarch
6 1/2 oz Nutella
2 tbsp Frangelico
36 graham crackers

Directions:

Line a 9" square cake pan with plastic wrap. Set aside.    The crackers will not fit perfectly, so break them up and fit as needed.

Scald the milk, cream, and 1/4 cup of sugar in a small saucepan.

In the mean time, whisk together egg yolks, 1/4 cup of sugar, and cornstarch in a large mixing bowl until smooth.

Temper the eggs by pouring in a bit of the hot milk into the egg mixture while whisking. Keep adding milk to eggs and continue whisking until incorporated. Pour mixture back to saucepan.

Cook over medium high heat and stir constantly with a silicone spatula or wooden spoon. When it starts to boil, the custard will thicken considerably. Keep stirring vigorously for another 15 seconds. Remove from heat.

Empty the cooked custard into a large mixing bowl. Whisk in Nutella and Frangelico until smooth. You now have Nutella pudding! 

This is what 6 1/2 oz. of Nutella looks like.

To assemble icebox cake, line cake pan with a layer of graham cracker.

Top the graham crackers with 1/2 cup of pudding. Smooth pudding evenly using a large spoon. Repeat with another layer of graham cracker and pudding three more times until you have 8 layers in total. The top layer should be Nutella pudding. Level with offset spatula. You may have a bit of pudding leftover...get yourself a spoon and take care of it!

Wrap the pan with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for 24 hours.

During this time, the moisture from the pudding will soften the graham crackers until they take on a cakey texture. Don’t rush it! If you want very clean neat cuts, I would put it in the freezer for 3 hours until solid.

To serve the cake, lift it out of the cake pan with the help of plastic wrap. Peel off the plastic wrap and transfer cake to serving plate. Cut with a knife dipped in hot water and divide into 9-12 pieces. If the cake had been frozen, let it stand at room temperature for about 30 minutes before serving.

 ...and that's What's Cooking at Cathy's ~ Enjoy!

Cherry Cornmeal Upside Down Cake

I follow several cooking and food related blogs.  This recipe was on one of the blogs that I follow and it spoke to me.  I don't think I've had upside down cake, other than the standby pineapple (which is also good).  Since I had fresh cherries in the fridge, I decided to give it a try today.

While I was washing the cherries, I glanced at the bag they were in.  Normally I don't give a second glance to the standard plastic bag but this one caught my attention.  The cherries I used came from Washington State, specifically Jackass Mt. Ranch.  I looked up their website and it was interesting.  There is a video about raising cherries and the labor involved.


I used Bordeaux Cherry Balsamic Vinegar from the Olive Tree and it gave the cherry topping a wonderful richness.  I was sampling it right out of the skillet!  Of course you can use regular Balsamic, but I'd recommend if you are nearby go pick up this wonderful Balsamic or order a bottle online.

This cake takes a little time and effort to prepare and it is a huge help if you have a cherry pitter.  I got mine at Bed Bath & Beyond for under $20 and it has proven to be worth every penny.  It removes the pits from four cherries at a time, has a handy catch tray for the seeds,  saves a ton of time and cleans up in the dishwasher. 

Let's get down to cooking!

Cherry Cornmeal Upside-Down Cake
Serves 10

Ingredients:

3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature, divided
1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 tsp Bordeaux Cherry Balsamic Vinegar  

4 cups whole pitted fresh sweet cherries
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup yellow cornmeal
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs, separated
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract
1/2 cup unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk
1/4 tsp cream of tartar

Directions:
1. Position rack in the center of the oven. Preheat to 350.  Combine 1/4 cup butter with brown sugar and vinegar in a heavy skillet.  Stir over medium heat until butter melts and sugar dissolves.  Increase heat to high.  Add cherries and bring to a boil.  Set aside.

2. Whisk flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.

3.Separate  Eggs.  Using clean, dry beaters, beat egg whites in another medium bowl until foamy.  Add cream of tartar and beat until whites are stiff  but not dry.  Set Aside

4. Using an electric mixer, beat 1/2 cup butter in a separate large bowl.  Add sugar.  Beat until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes.  Beat in egg yolks, vanilla and almond extracts.  Add flour mixture alternatively with almond milk in two additions each, beating just until blended and scraping down the sides after each addition.

5. Using a rubber spatula, fold 1/4 of the egg white mix into the batter.  Fold in remaining whites in three additions.

6. Pour the batter over the cherries, spreading evenly to cover the cherries.  Bake cake until top is golden and a tester inserted in the center comes out clean, about 45 minutes. 

7. Cool in pan, on rack, for 5 minutes.  Run a spatula around the sides to loosen.  Place a large serving platter on top of the cake, and flip over.  Let sit for 5 minutes to make sure all the cherries release.  Let cake cool at least 45 minutes.  Cut into wedges and serve.  Add a scoop of ice cream on the side or a little whipped cream to make it extra special!

 Enjoy!

Pecan Pie Muffins

I don't recall where I learned about this recipe but have seen it several times on various blogs and it is so simple and so good that I wanted to pass it along to you.

This recipe stirs up  quickly with only five simple ingredients that I bet you have in your pantry right now.  While they are baking your house smells delectable.

If you love pecan pie or know someone who does, give this recipe a try and wait for the compliments to come your way!

I've made these for my neighbor who came over unsolicited with his snow blower this winter to clear my driveway and have a batch in the oven right now to send to my brother for his birthday!

Pecan Pie Muffins

Ingredients:

1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 cup chopped pecans
2/3 cup butter, softened
2 eggs

Directions:

Oven Ready

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 C).

1. Liberally coat mini-muffin tins with non-stick spray.
2. In a medium bowl, stir together the brown sugar, flour and chopped pecans.
3. In a separate bowl, beat the softened butter and eggs until smooth.
4. Stir egg and butter mixture into the dry ingredients and mix well.
5. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling to 3/4 full.
6. Bake at 350 degrees (175 C) for 20-24 minutes.
7. Cool on wire racks when done.

Wait until the muffins are completely cool before trying to remove them from the muffin pan.  Run a knife around the edges of the muffin pan to make removal easier.  The muffins have a tendency to stick.  That's okay though....the baker needs to sample them for recipe quality control! 

Yield:  24 mini muffins.

Warm from the Oven

Angel Food Cake

My kitchen has smelled heavenly this weekend, but then again it should.  Yesterday, I baked an Angel Food Cake!

I have some luscious strawberries and I just love angel food cake with strawberries.  Growing up, we had angel food cake often, mostly from a boxed mix, served plain without frosting.  Grandma used to make a glaze for hers, but  mom never frosted her angel food cakes.  Like mom, I'm a purist when it comes to angel food cake.  I want mine without frosting.

I've been known to be lazy and just buy a ready-made cake at the grocery, but not this weekend.  When I saw that they wanted nearly $5 for one, I drove my cart straight to the dariy section and purchased a dozen extra large eggs and came home and made my own.  It took very little time and while had hoped for a loftier result, it is sufficient and it is a perfect combination of light sweetness.

The cake preparation took me on a trip down memory lane.  Most angel food cakes require a tube pan.  The tube pan I have belonged to my grandmother.   It is still shiny but it definitely shows its age.  The other thing I needed was a glass soda bottle that I had stored under the sink.  That is needed for inverting the cake so it cools upside down and doesn't collapse.  Lastly, I had to go to the cabinet in the garage for the cake carrier, yet another memory because it was my grandmothers carrier.

Now let's go warp speed to this century to newer kitchen gadgets.  One of my all time favorites, a battery powdered sifter.  Don't knock it until you've tried it.  This is the second one I've owned.  My first one was broken during a a move and I finally found a replacement.

Think of it as a power tool for girls!

Angel Food Cake

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups egg whites (I used 9 extra large eggs)
1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
1 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup granulated sugar




Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Separate eggs, taking extreme care to not break the yolks.  If you break a yolk, put the whole egg in another bowl and start with another egg.  Getting even a speck of yolk will cause your egg whites to not beat up properly.  Use a separate bowl for catching the egg white and add it to the collection bowl for measuring only after you are sure there is absolutely no yolk in it.
3. Measure the egg whites.  You will need 1 1/2 cups.  Depending on the size of your eggs it could take as few as 9 or as many as 12.
4. Place the whites in a mixing bowl.  Make sure that your bowl, beaters and utensils are grease free. 
5. Let the egg whites stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, sift the powdered sugar flour together three (yes three) times; set aside.
7. Add the cream of tartar, vanilla and almond extracts and salt to the bowl wth the egg whites.
8. Beat on high speed.  
9. Gradually add the granulated sugar, 1/4 cup at a time, beating until the sugar has dissolved and stiff peaks form.
10. Fold in the flour mixture 1/4 cup at a time until blended.
11. Gently spoon into an ungreased 10 inch tube pan.  Cut through the batter with a knife to remove air pockets.
12. Bake at 350 degrees F. for 40-45 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched.
13. Immediate invert pan onto glass soda bottle; cool completely before removing from pan.



Angel Food Cake with Strawberry-Rhubarb Jam and Whipped Cream