‘Bakery’ Articles
Written by Walter Greenspan on 11 March 2008
The one-day rabbinic Jewish Festival of Purim (PU-rim, PAWR-im), a very merry celebration of the events in the Megillah (m’-GILL-uh) Hadassah (Book of Esther), begins at sundown on Thursday, March 20 on the civil calendar, and with its costumes, noisemakers, food baskets, hamantashen cookies, a festive meal and carnivals, Purim is a favorite Jewish holiday for children and adults alike, especially for those with a great thirst because Purim requires more alcohol consumption than does St. Paddy’s Day.
Ashkenazi (Central and Eastern European) Jews eat hamantaschen (HAH-men-TAH-shen), tri-cornered fruit-filled cookies in reminiscence that the Persian Prime Minister, the evil Haman, was supposed to have worn a tri-cornered hat.
Photo by Ariela at Baking & Books
For a Blue Ribbon hamantaschen recipe, click more Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Cakes & Sweets, Ethnic, Jewish, Kosher, Recipes | 2 Comments »
Written by Rebecca Schmitz on 05 November 2007
Do you have any zucchini still hanging around your kitchen? You know, those gargantuan stringy seedy suckers no one likes to eat? If so, great, because they’re perfect to use in this simple cake recipe. If not, than any size zucchini will do. This is one of my favorite things to make in the autumn, when overgrown zucchinis are everywhere and the warm smell of cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg perfectly complements the fall foliage.
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 3/4 cups sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup sour milk (if you don’t have any going bad in the fridge right now, 1/2 cup milk with 1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar stirred into it will do)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
4 tablespoons cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 cups unpeeled grated zucchini
1/2 cup good quality bittersweet chocolate chips (or, if you’re like me, as much as you can put on top of the batter)
Preheat oven to 325 degrees, and butter and flour a 9″ x 12″ pan. Cream together the butter, oil and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, vanilla and soured milk. Beat all these ingredients until well blended. Mix the dry ingredients together in a separate bowl. Add to the creamed mixture and beat well. Gently fold in the zucchini. Be sure not to over mix the batter at this point. Pour it into the cake pan and evenly scatter the chocolate chips on top. They will sink into the batter as it bakes. Bake the cake at 325 degrees for 40 to 45 minutes, or until a toothpick or cake tester comes out clean. You can serve it as is, or decorate it with a dusting of powdered sugar.
Posted in Cakes & Sweets, Dessert, Recipes | 1 Comment »
Written by Mike on 26 September 2007
It may no longer be Huckleberry season, as I alluded to in my last post, but the majority of pears coming to market at this time of year are fresh and American. Pound for pound the best American pears I’ve ever tasted are the Royal Riviera variety, which are sold domestically by Harry and David (and perhaps others as well). You absolutely must have fresh pears for this recipe, canned just won’t work, and if Royal Riviera are not an option, a slightly under ripe Bartlett will work.
- 1 stick plus 1 Tbsp salted butter
- 4 large pears or 6 small ones (substitute apples, apricots, plums…)
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons ground almonds
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Melt the butter in a small bowl and set aside to cool. Butter a non-stick 8-inch cake pan.
Wash, peel and cut up the pears. Lay the pieces of fruit at the bottom of the pan.
In a food processor or a medium mixing-bowl, blend the sugar with the eggs until the mixture whitens slightly. Add in the flour, almond powder and baking powder, and blend well. Pour in the butter, and blend again. Pour the batter evenly over the fruit, and put into the oven to bake for 40 to 50 minutes.
Let the cake settle on a cooling rack for a few minutes. Invert it on a plate (the fruit side will be on top). If any bit of fruit has stuck to the bottom of the pan, simply scrape them and place them back where they belong on the cake. Use a second plate to invert the cake again, the fruit side will then be at the bottom. Let cool and serve slightly warm or at room temperature.
Enjoy!
Posted in Bakery, Cakes & Sweets, Recipes | 7 Comments »
Written by Mike on 26 September 2007
OK, so I realize Huckleberry season has come and gone, which is why it’s prudent to make good use of a food dehydrator, or have some in the freezer. This recipe started out as one for a blueberry cake and was altered slightly with the addition of a small amount of applesauce to help overcome the lack of moisture in the huckleberry.
1.5 cup of all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
3 egg whites
1/3 cup of applesauce
3 tablespoons buttermilk
1/2 cup of fresh huckleberries
1/3 cup chopped walnuts (almonds work too)
Preheat oven to 350F. Butter the cake pan.
In a bowl mix together flour, sugar, cinnamon, salt, and baking powder. In another bowl beat the egg whites until soft picks, add applesauce and buttermilk. Finally add dry ingredients and mix well. Add huckleberries and walnuts.
Pour the batter into pan and bake for 45 minutes.
Enjoy.
Posted in Bakery, Cakes & Sweets, Recipes | No Comments »
Written by Randy on 26 September 2007
This is a recipe I got from a former co-worker and being a cheesecake and brownie man I was skeptical about this recipe. I tried it and I love it. If you love lemons you’ll love this cake. I don’t know where she got it. For all I know she got it from the back of a Jell-O box. Best of all, it’s about the easiest cake I have ever baked! Let me know what you think.
JoAnne’s Lemon Cake
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Posted in Cakes & Sweets | No Comments »
Written by Mae on 12 September 2007
I don’t know about at your house but around here getting kids to eat breakfast can be challenge. Missy P, my almost 17 year old, is the worst. She hates eggs, cold and hot cereal and almost anything else that has to do with breakfast. This morning a made a treat and she actually ate it. Overnight Coffee Cake. I love that it is so easy. Make it the night before and put it in the fridge overnight. The key to the recipe is to use real buttermilk. Not the powdered stuff in the can. The recipe and easily be doubled and put in a 9 x 13 x 2 inch pan.
Overnight Coffee Cake
1/3 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup buttermilk
In mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs; mix well. Combine the flour, baking pwder, baking soda and cinnamon; add to creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk. Beat well. Spread into greased 8-inch square baking pan. Combine the TOPPING INGREDIENTS: 1/4 cup packed brown sugar, 1/4 cup finely chopped pecans, 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon. Sprinkle over the batter. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Bake, uncovered at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until the cake tests done.
Posted in Bakery, Cakes & Sweets, Recipes | No Comments »
