Walnut Gingerbread Cake with Lemon Sauce

  

Some of my kids requested that I post this recipe, a favorite from their childhood. One of my favorites too, especially on a cold winter evening, with a cup of coffee or tea.

                                                                    

1/2 cup butter                        

1/4 cup honey

1 cup molasses

3 eggs

3 cups flour

2-1/2 tsp cinnamon

2 tsp ginger

2 tsp baking powder

1 cup buttermilk

1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts (optional)

Cream together 1/2 cup butter and 1/4 cup honey. Add the molasses and the eggs and beat well.

Sift together flour, cinnamon, ginger, and baking powder. Add to butter mixture alternately with the buttermilk. Stir in walnuts if using.

Pour into greased 9x13 pan. Bake 35 - 40 minutes at 325.  Cool in pan for 10 minutes before cutting into 3x3 squares.

Serve with warm lemon sauce (applesauce or whipped cream are also good).

Lemon sauce:

1 cup water

1/2 cup honey

1 Tbsp cornstarch dissolved in 1 Tbsp water

2 Tbsp butter

2 Tbsp lemon juice

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp salt

Bring water to a boil. Stir in honey and cornstarch. Lower to a simmer and simmer for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. 

Add the rest of the ingredients.  Simmer and stir until thickened.

Saint Joseph's Day Cream Puffs (Zeppole di San Giuseppe)

 March 19 is the feast of Saint Joseph, widely celebrated in Italy. While some regions may call this traditional dessert by a different name, and recipes are widely varied, here is one that I really like. 

Make cream puffs using your favorite recipe.  I like the recipe Bim posted, particularly the one that uses butter (I think this is identical to Mom's recipe).  After the puffs have been baked, dried, and cooled, fill with the following mixture:

 30 ounces whole milk ricotta that has been well-drained overnight

2 cups sugar

4 tsp almond extract

2 tsp cinnamon

2 Tbsp freshly grated orange zest

1/4 cup + 2Tbsp semi-sweet mini chocolate chips

Melt additional chips with a bit of vegetable oil to drizzle over the top and garnish with a sprinkle of crushed pistachios.

Mangia!

Cinnamon Loaf

 This recipe is from one of our favorite little tea shops in London. Baking ingredients are slightly different in the UK so I had to modify this by trial and error. After about half a dozen tries I finally came up with something that rises just the right amount and does not sink in the middle. The result is pretty close to what we get in London, minus the lovely atmosphere of an English tea shop.  

Preheat the oven to 350. Butter a loaf pan and line the bottom with parchment paper. 

Mix together and set aside: 1 1/3 C. flour, 1 tsp. powder, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon. 

In electric mixer, cream together 2/3 C. butter (room temperature) and 1 C. granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Add 2 eggs and 1/2 tsp. vanilla. Add half of the dry ingredients, then 1/2 C. sour cream, then the rest of the dry ingredients, stirring after each addition. Mix just until blended. Pour into the prepared loaf pan. Bake 40-45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. Cool for 15 minutes. Remove from pan and let cool completely. Frost (below) when cool. 

Frosting: In electric mixer, mix together 1/4 C. butter and 1/2 C. cream cheese (both at room temperature). Add 2 C. confectioners sugar and 1 tsp. cinnamon. Spread over entire loaf. 

German Cream Cheese Brownies

 This is one of Mom's recipes. She often made these brownies for parties at my house. She always wanted to contribute something delicious!

4 oz. German sweet chocolate

5 Tbsp butter

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

1 cup sugar

3 eggs

1-1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp almond extract

1/2 cup + 1 Tbsp flour

1/2 cup chopped nuts, optional          

Melt chocolate and 3 Tbsp butter. Set aside to cool.

Cream remaining butter with cream cheese until soft and fluffy. Gradually add 1/4 cup sugar, continuing to cream. Stir in 1 egg, 1Tbs flour, and 1/2 tsp vanilla until blended. Set aside.

Beat remaining eggs until light in color and fluffy. Gradually add remaining 3/4 cup sugar, beating until thickened. Fold in baking powder, salt, and remaining 1/2 cup flour. Blend in cooled chocolate mixture.

If desired, stir in coarsely chopped nuts. Add almond extract and remaining 1 tsp vanilla. Set aside 1 cup of chocolate mixture.

Spread remaining chocolate batter in a greased 9"x9" square pan. Pour cheese batter over the top. Drop remaining chocolate batter onto cheese batter with a tablespoon. Swirl with spatula to marble. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 - 40 minutes.

Holiday Pound Cake

 A delicious and moist pound cake that we have enjoyed every Christmas morning for many years. One of Mom's recipes.

Cream 1lb butter very thoroughly. Gradually blend in 2 cups sugar, beating well. Add 2 tsp vanilla extract.

In second bowl, beat 8 - 10 room-temperature eggs until light and fluffy. Add to butter alternately with 4 cups of all-purpose flour that has been sifted with 1-1/2 tsp salt.

In third bowl mix 8 oz glazed cherries; 2 cups walnut meats, chopped; 1-1/2 cups dried currants.

Grease and flour pans. Sandwich 3 layers of batter and 2 layers of filling.

Bake at 325.
10" tube pan - 2 hours
2 loaf pans - 90 minutes
3 small loaves - 75 minutes

Cool in pan 10 minutes. Remove and cool on rack.

My notes (not written on Mom's original recipe card):

• I use unsalted butter and 10 extra-large eggs.
• I cut the cherries in half as it makes it easier to distribute them in the layers
• I find that the cake stays more moist in smaller pans; the biggest pans I use are  1-1/2 quart loaf pans. They measure 7"x3".  The recipe makes 2 cakes this size.

Pecan Pie (Trisha's, Food Network Magazine)

I made this for Thanksgiving and my pecan-pie-loving husband said it was the best-ever! I loved that the pecans on the top stayed nice and crunchy. 

9-1/2" deep-dish pan, lined with your favorite pastry

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

2 cups pecan halves, 1 cup chopped and 1cup left whole

1 stick unsalted butter, melted

2 Tbsp whole milk

1 Tbsp all-purpose flour 

1-1/2 tsp vanilla extract 

2 Tbsp white rum (my addition)

Preheat oven to 325.

In large mixing bowl, whisk the sugars and eggs until creamy. Add the chopped pecans, melted butter, milk, flour, extract, and rum and stir to combine.

Pour mixture into pie shell. Arrange pecan halves on top in a circular pattern.

Bake for about 55 minutes. Check for doneness by shaking the pan slightly; the pie should be firm with a slight jiggle in the center. Let cool on a rack, about 2 hours. Serve topped with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

Strawberry Rhubarb Dumplings

I devised this recipe myself, based on things I had eaten before. Variations: You can use all strawberries or all rhubarb, but I usually use a combination. Also you can make dumplings from scratch (use 2 C flour) but I usually cheat and make them with Bisquick. 

2 C chopped rhubarb
1 C hulled strawberries
1 C sugar
1 C water
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 C Bisquick mix
1 T sugar
2/3 C milk

Preheat oven to 425. Prepare fruit and place in large casserole or 13x9 baking dish. Combine sugar and water in saucepan and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Take off heat and add vanilla extract. Pour over fruit. Mix remaining ingredients to make dumplings. Place large spoonfuls of dumplings over fruit. Cover and cook for 10 minutes. Uncover and cook an additional 10 minutes.

Fruit Crumble

2 C. fresh fruit (e.g., strawberries, blueberries, cherries, peaches, etc.)
2/3 C. sugar (depending on sweetness of fruit)
1 T. flour
1/2 C. butter
1 C. brown sugar
1 C. flour
1 C. oats
1/4 tsp each baking powder and baking soda and salt

Combine fruit, sugar, and 1 T. flour in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer, stirring often, until thickened. While the fruit is cooking, prepare the crust: Melt the butter, add the dry ingredients and mix. Pat half into a 9x9 baking pan. Pour the fruit mixture over it. Cover the fruit with the rest of the crust mixture. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

German Cheesecake

This is from Mom's recipe box. She got the recipe from the mother of one of my friends in Ramblewood. It is a light, fluffy cheesecake.

Crust:                                                                           
1 cup flour                                                              
1/4 cup sugar                                                         
1 Tbsp lemon peel                                                 
1/2 cup butter                                                        
1 slightly beaten egg yolk                                        
1/2 tsp vanilla                                                         
                                                                              
Filling:
5 eggs, yolks and whites separated
1 cup sugar, divided
3-8 oz cream cheese
1 pint sour cream
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp orange peel
1 tsp lemon peel                                                      
1 Tbsp flour
cinnamon for dusting


Crust:
Combine flour, sugar and lemon peel. Cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. Add egg yolk and vanilla.
Blend thoroughly. Pat 1/3 of dough onto bottom of spring-form pan (sides removed). Bake 6 minutes at 400 degrees, until golden. Cool,
Butter sides of pan and attach to cooled bottom. Pat the remaining dough around sides. It will only come about half-way up. Set pan aside and prepare filling.

Filling:
Beat 5 egg whites stiff but not dry, adding 1/2 cup sugar gradually.
In separate bowl, beat cream cheese and remaining 1/2 cup sugar until creamy. Add sour cream, 5 egg yolks, vanilla, orange and lemon peels and flour. Blend well. Fold in egg whites.
Pour into pan and sprinkle all over with cinnamon.

Bake at 500 degrees for 8 minutes. Without opening the oven door, turn temp down to 250 degrees. Bake for an additional hour. Cool for 3 hours on rack. Refrigerate. Serve chilled.
                                                                                    

Cheese Cake (no crust)

This is from Mom's recipe box.

Cake:                                                                                     
3  8 oz packages cream cheese
1 cup sugar
5 medium eggs
1/8 tsp salt
3/4 tsp vanilla

Topping:
16 oz sour cream
1 tsp vanilla
about 1/4 cup sugar - just enough to sweeten 

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Put all cake ingredients in bowl. Beat with electric mixer until smooth and thick. Pour into lightly greased 9" spring-form pan. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes.

Remove from oven and place on rack. Let cool for 20 minutes.

Stir together topping ingredients. Pour over cooled cake and put back in the oven at 325 degrees for 10 minutes or so, until topping is set.

Cool. Place in refrigerator. Serve cold.

Fresh Orange Loaf Cake

This is from Mom's recipe box. 

2 C. sifted cake flour
1 1/4 C. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 C. shortening (butter)
1/2 C. liquid (grated rind and juice from 1 orange, with water to make 1/2 C.)
2 large eggs

Sift dry ingredients together into bowl. Add shortening and liquid. Beat 2 minutes. Add eggs. Beat 2 more minutes. Pour into loaf pan.

Bake 350 degrees, 60-65 minutes.

Pear Tart

We have a pear tree in the backyard and the pears are like Asian pears: a little crispier than say a Bartlett, and therefore a little better for baking. 

1 pie crust to fit a 9 inch tart pan

2-4 pears, peeled, cored, and sliced, enough to form a single layer in pan

1/4 C. butter

1 C. sugar

2 eggs, slightly beaten

1 T. vanilla extract

1/4 C. flour
Nutmeg

Lay the pie crust in the tart pan, letting the edges hang over the edges of the pan. Lay the pear slices on the top of the pie crust. In a separate bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla extract. Stir in flour. Pour custard mix over the pears. Fold the pie crust edges back over the custard. Sprinkle a small dusting of nutmeg on top. Bake at 350 for approximately 1 hour, until the pears are soft and the custard is light brown. Cool completely so the custard sets before serving. 

Tira Misu

This is Lisa Joy's recipe. I believe she learned to make this in her Italian cooking class at Lansing Community College. I added some comments in parentheses.

4 Tablespoons rum, divided
1/2 cup strong black coffee or espresso
2 Tablespoons Brandy
16-20 ladyfingers (Savoiardi cookies work better, as they are drier to begin with, so don't

tend to fall apart when dipped in the coffee mixture)
1 lb marscapone cheese
2 eggs, separated
5 Tablespoons confectioner's sugar
4 oz. dark bitter chocolate, grated

Mix 2 Tablespoons rum with coffee and brandy. Dip ladyfingers in the mixture and lay in a shallow dish. Pour remaining mixture over them. In a mixing bowl, beat together marscapone, egg yolks and sugar, and add remaining rum. Beat egg whites until stiff but not dry and fold into marscapone mixture. Spoon over ladyfingers. (My Italian cookbook says to do 2 layers alternating cookies, mascarpone mixture, cookies, mascarpone) Sprinkle with chocolate. Refrigerate overnight. (My cookbook says "Do not refrigerate. Cover loosely and leave in a cool place." Coincidentally, I've only made it in the winter, so I've left it in my bedroom, under a slightly opened window.)

Pumpkin Pie

This is Joey's favorite. The secret is using fresh pumpkin, rather than canned.

Buy a pie pumpkin. Poke a few holes in it with a fork and put it in a 350 degree oven for a few hours until it is soft when pierced with a fork. Let cool. Scoop out the pulp (without the seeds) and put through a ricer.

Line a pie pan with pie crust.

Mix together:

2 C. pumpkin (from above)

1/4 C. brown sugar

1/2 C. white sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ginger

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

1/4 tsp. ground cloves

2 slightly beaten eggs

1 can (12 oz.) evaporated milk

Pour into the crust. Bake 15 min at 425 degrees, then 45 minutes (or more) at 350 degrees, until pie is solid and does not "jiggle" when shaken. Cool and refrigerate overnight.

When ready to serve, whip heavy cream with confectioner's sugar and a bit of vanilla extract. Serve a dollop of sweetened whipped cream on top of each slice of pie. Garnish with a sprinkling of nutmeg.

Kahlua Cake (Aunt Jean's)

Bim says, "This cake is awesome. Aunt Jean was a great cook and loved to entertain. Whenever I was out in NJ to see Jimmy I would try to stop by her house. She always made way too much food!"

1 chocolate fudge cake mix
1 small box instant vanilla pudding mix
1 pint sour cream
4 eggs
3/4 c. vegetable oil
1/3 c. Kahlua
1 6 oz. pkg. chocolate chips

Combine all ingredients in bowl. Mix by hand until smooth. Pour into greased bundt pan. Bake at 350° for 40-60 minutes.

Perfect Three-Layer Chocolate Cake

CAKE:
1 c. cocoa (unsifted and unsweetened)
2 c. boiling water
2 3/4 c. all-purpose flour, sifted
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 c. butter, softened
2 1/2 c. sugar
4 eggs
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

FROSTING:
1 6 oz pkg semi-sweet chocolate pieces
1/2 c. light cream
1 c. butter
2 1/2 c. unsifted confectioner's sugar

FILLING:
1 c. heavy cream, chilled
1/4 c. unsifted confectioner's sugar
1 tsp. vanilla

In a medium bowl, combine cocoa with boiling water, mixing with wire whisk until smooth. Cool completely. Sift flour with soda, salt and baking powder.

Preheat oven to 350°. Grease well and lightly flour three 9" layer pans.

In large electric mixer bowl, beat butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla at high speed until light (about 5 minutes). At low speed, beat in flour mixture (in fourths), alternately with cocoa mixture (in thirds). Do not overbeat (always good advice). Divide evenly in three pans, smoothing tops. Bake 25-30 minutes. Remove from pans and cool on racks.

In medium saucepan, combine chocolate pieces, cream and butter. Stir over medium heat until smooth. Remove from heat. With whisk, blend 2 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar. In bowl with ice, beat it until it holds shape. Whip cream with sugar and vanilla. Refrigerate.

To assemble cake, place a layer on plate, top side down. Spread with half of filling. Place 2nd layer, top side down, and spread with remaining filling. Place 3rd layer top side up.

Frost. Refrigerate at least one hour before serving.

Pumpkin Squares

This is really easy, since you start with a cake mix.

1/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup oil

3 eggs

1, 15-ounce can of pumpkin (or 15 ounces fresh pumpkin)

1 package butter-flavored cake mix

3 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

1, 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup butter, softened

3 cups confectioners sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Heat oven to 350. Grease and four a 15x10 inch jelly roll pan. In a large bowl combine sugar, oil, eggs, and pumpkin. Beat one minute at high speed. Add cake mix and spice. Beat 2 minutes. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 25-35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center of cake comes out clean. Cool completely before icing.

To make icing, combine cream cheese and butter and cream at high speed until smooth. Add confectioners sugar one cup at a time, making sure each addition is blended. Add vanilla and beat at high speed for 1 minute. Frost cooled cake and cut into squares.

Pumpkin Tira Misu

I used a recipe I had for tira misu to make up the recipe for this pumpkin version. It's a bit of work, but well worth it. I used fresh pumpkin, but canned will work just as well.

5 large eggs

1 cup sugar

1 cup Frangelico liqueur

1 cup water

1 1/2 cups pureed pumpkin

1 pound mascarpone cheese, at room temperature

40-45 ladyfingers (I prefer the imported Italian "savoiardi", they are the hard kind)

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. cloves

1/2 tsp. ginger

Separate the eggs. Put enough water into the pan of a double-boiler so that it does not touch the bottom of the bowl and bring to a simmer.

Put the egg yolks into the bowl of the double boiler and whisk lightly. Add 1/4 cup of the sugar and mix to blend. Set the bowl over the simmering water and whisk constantly as the mixture begins to cook (you may need to scrape the sides of your bowl with the whisk). After about a minute or so, the mixture will begin to thicken. Add the pureed pumpkin and the spices. Continue whisking and cooking over the simmering water for 5 minutes or longer, until the mixture expands and thickens. Remove from heat and let it cool.

Pour the Frangelico, the water, and 1/2 cup of sugar in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring to disolve the sugar. Boil for 5 minutes so the alcohol evaporates. Remove from heat and let it cool.

In a large bowl, stir the mascarpone until it seems creamy. Whip the egg whites and remaining 1/4 cup sugar until they hold firm peaks. When the pumpkin mixture is cooled, fold it into the mascarpone in several additions. Then fold the egg whites into the mascarpone mixture, again using several additions.

Pour the cooled frangelico syrup into a jelly-roll pan. Working with one ladyfinger at a time, roll the ladyfinger in the syrup and place it in a 9x13 pan. Wet each ladyfinger only briefly. Continue wetting the ladyfingers and arrange in a single layer in the bottom of the pan. You should use around 20 ladyfingers or so. Scoop half of the pumpkin-mascarpone mixture onto the ladyfingers and spread it to cover them completely. Dip and arrange a 2nd layer of ladyfingers in the pan and cover it completely with the remainder of the pumpkin-mascarpone mixture. If desired, you can sprinkle the top of the tiramisu with cinnamon or cinnamon-sugar. Cover the tiramisu with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, or overnight, before serving.

Cream Puffs (Robert D'Angelo)

Robert D'Angelo is an obstetric anesthesiologist -- and a really nice guy -- that I know through work connections. He was recently in town on business and we had dinner and got to talking Italian foods. He sent this recipe when he got back home (North Carolina). It's awesome! Thanks Robert.

Cream Puffs: Crisco Recipe

Preheat oven to 450 degrees

½ cup Water

½ cup Crisco

1 cup Flour

¼ teasp salt

Bring water, Crisco, and salt to a boil, add flour and mix until it forms a thick ball

Remove from stove and Let cool about 10 min

4 extra-large eggs (beaten), add to above mixture and stir until it smooth

Drop heaping tablespoons onto well greased pan (makes 9-10 puffs)

Bake at 450 degrees for 10min, then 400 degrees for 18-20 min

Remove and let cool about 10 min, then cut small hole on top of each puff

Place back into turned off but still warm oven to dry (about 15-20min); this step is optional but puffs will be a little softer if you don’t dry them.

Remove, let cool, fill with cream, place cap on top, and sprinkle puff with powdered sugar

Cream Puffs: Butter Recipe

Preheat oven to 450 degrees

1 cup Water

1 stick Butter

1 cup Flour

Bring water and butter to a boil, add flour and mix until it forms a thick ball

Remove from stove and Let cool about 10 min

4 extra-large eggs (beaten), add to above mixture and stir until it smooth

Drop heaping tablespoons onto well greased pan (makes 9-10 puffs)

Bake at 450 degrees for 10min, then 400 degrees for 18-20 min

Remove and let cool about 10 min, then cut small hole on top of each puff

Place back into turned off but still warm oven to dry (about 15-20min); this step is optional but puffs will be a little softer if you don’t dry them.

Remove, let cool, fill with cream, place cap on top, and sprinkle puff with powdered sugar

Cream Filling

½ cup Sugar

¼ cup Flour

¼ teasp Salt

1 ¾ cup Milk

Mix dry ingredients above, then add to milk and cook using low-to-medium heat, stirring constantly until it comes to a rolling boil and thickens into pudding

Remove and let cool about 10min

2 Eggs (beaten), add to cooled pudding, mix well, and reheat until it begins to boil, remove

1 ½ tablspn Butter

1 ½ teasp Vanilla, add butter and vanilla, mix and let cool in refrigerator before adding to puffs