Apples & Dried Cherry Honey Cake

Adapted from the Joy of Kosher Magazine

Printable Recipe

Prep time: 15 minutes
Baking time: 40-45 minutes

Serves 10 - unless you have my four year old grandson over.  He loved it so much, he had 3 helpings!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup canola or grape seed oil
1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (I even used the pulp)
2 large eggs
1 cup dark honey
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tsp instant coffee dissolved in 1 tsp hot water
1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg (I like to grate my own.  A whole nutmeg lasts forever and the fresh grating gives a heavenly aroma)
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 cup shredded apples (I love MacIntosh)
1/2 - 1 cup dried cherries, coarsely chopped (raisins, currants, cranberries are other good choices)
1/2 cup pecans, coarsely chopped (optional)

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F/175 degrees C and prepare a 9x13" baking pan.  Lightly grease the sides and line with parchment paper.

2. In a large bowl, combine the oil, juice, eggs, honey, vanilla and coffee.  Whisk well.

3. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger.  Add the dry mixture to the liquid until well mixed and no lumps.

4. Fold in the shredded apples, dried cherries and pecans,( if using).

5. Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish and bake for 45 minutes or until the top is golden and a toothpick test in the center of the cake comes out dry.

6. Rest on a rack in the pan until cool.  To remove from the pan, loosen around edges, place a large cutting board or bottom of a baking sheet over the top and invert.  Gently let the cake release.  Peel off the parchment and place the serving platter on top.  Flip and VOILA!  Now just cut the cake into squares for serving.

Parsnip Cake

Parsnip Cake
From Kitchen Sense

Printable Recipe

Hands on time: 10 minutes or so
Baking time: 40 minutes
Serves 8

Ingredients:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, plus enough to grease the pan – should be softened to room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar
4 large eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
3 cups shredded, peeled parsnips
1 cup pecans or walnuts, toasted and chopped

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C and butter a 9”x13” baking dish or 2 (9”) round pans to make a layer cake. (I place parchment paper to fit for easy cake removal)

2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter with the sugars until light and fluffy. Beat the eggs in one at a time. Beat in the vanilla and salt.

3. The book suggests changing to a wooden spoon at this point, but I missed that in the instructions and continued to use the paddle. But first, I mixed one cup of flour with baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon (oops, I forgot that altogether) and stirred to combine. After mixing that into the egg/sugar mixture with the paddle, I added the resto of the flour and mixed that in.
4. Change to a wooden spoon to stir in the grated parsnips and toasted nuts. Once well blended, transfer to the baking dish and spread evenly to fill out the pan (the batter is very thick).

5. Bake until the cake has risen, set, browned and pulls away from the sides of the pan ( about 30 minutes for round pans, 35-40 minutes for the large pan). The cake is ready when it springs back to the touch and a tooth pick comes out dry.

6. Remove from the oven and place the baking dish on a rack to cool for 15 minutes in the pan. Unmold onto a wire rack, (flip upside down and remove the parchment, if you’re using, then flip right side up) until completely cooled… at least if your family will wait that long.

Old Fashioned Apple Cake

Old Fashioned Apple Cake
From The Comfort of Apples: Modern Recipes for an Old-Fashioned Favorite

Printable Recipe

Prep time: 5 minutes
Baking Time: 60 minutes or (in my case a bit longer)

Makes 1 large slab cake

Ingredients:
1 1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 cups granulated sugar
2 eggs
3 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp nutmeg
1 tsp vanilla
3 tart apples, peeled, cored & small diced

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C grease a 9x13” baking pan. Line with waxed or parchment paper and grease the paper.

2. In a large mixing bowl, beat the oil, sugar and eggs together until well blended. In a smaller bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla. Add to the egg/sugar mixture and beat for 2 minutes at medium speed. The dough will be very thick.

3. Remove the bowl from the mixer and fold in the apples. Pour the cake batter into the prepared baking dish , smoothing the top to make it even across. Bake for 25 minutes and reduce the heat to 300°F/150°C. Continue to bake for another 35-40 minutes. Cake is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. (Ruth’s note: at this point, the cake was definitely not cooked through, so I increased the heat back to 350°F/180°C and continued to bake for another 10-15 minutes. The top was golden, and the toothpick clean.)

4. Remove the cake from the oven and set aside on a cake rack to cool for 5 minutes. Carefully turn the cake out of the pan and remove the paper. (Ruth’s note: I use either another cake rack if it covers the entire top of the cake or a large cutting board to invert the cake.) Instantly flip the cake back, right side up.

Country Rhurbarb Cake

Country Rhubarb Cake
from Epicurious thanks to my cousin Arlene

Printable Recipe

Prep time: 15 minutes
Baking time: 30-40 minutes

Ingredients:
1 lb/450g fresh rhubarb stalks, cut into ½”“ pieces (3 cups), or 3 cups frozen rhubarb, thawed after measuring
¾ cup packed light brown sugar
2 cups cake flour (not self-rising), sifted
¾ tsp baking powder
½ cup plus 2 tbsp granulated sugar
1 stick (½ cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into ½” cubes
1/3 cup whole milk
2 large eggs (1 separated)

Directions:
1. Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 400°F/200°C. Butter a 10-inch glass or ceramic pie plate or a 2 ½ quart oval gratin dish and chill.
2. Toss rhubarb with brown sugar in a bowl until coated and set aside.
3. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and ½ cup granulated sugar in a large bowl until combined well. Blend in butter with a pastry blender or your fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal – or you could use frozen butter and grate it into the flour.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk together milk, whole egg, and yolk.
5. Make a well in center of flour mixture and add milk mixture, stirring with a wooden spoon to gradually incorporate flour and form a soft, sticky dough.
6. Transfer half of dough to the chilled pie plate and pat out over bottom and halfway up side with well-floured hands, then spoon rhubarb and any juices onto dough. Using a soup spoon place the remaining dough in small mounds evenly over top. Lightly beat egg white with a few drops of water, and lightly brush cake with egg wash. Sprinkle remaining 2 tbsp granulated sugar over top.
7. Bake cake until top crust is golden and rhubarb is tender, 30 to 40 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool, about 30 minutes.
Eaten warm, it’s delicious, but I must warn you, the rhubarb will get soupy and make a soggy crust – not so great the day after.

Cassata alla Siciliana

Cassata alla Siciliana
From Time Life Foods of the World Series – Cooking of Italy
Note: Patrick, who originally asked for the recipe created a fantastic sounding version using a combo of this and another Italian recipe:
“Cake was a real hit today !!!! Made it for a friend who was celebrating 10 years of sobriety.
( I used juice instead of booze...) I combined 2 recipies. Yours and an Italian one... it had 5 layers... cherries, peaches, dried blueberries, choc chips.... could NOT find dried currants so I used dried blueberries... Made my own pound cake.
Choc Frosting was a combo of the 2. One called for Coffee one for cherry syrup....I USED BOTH !!! Everyone loved it...”

Hands-on time: 15 minutes for filling; 30 minutes for frosting; 5 minutes for assembly
Refrigeration time: at least 2 hours for the first part (although I left the cake with filling overnight before the frosting; at least 8 more hours after frosting.

Serves 6-8 (depending on the size of the pound cake and your appetites)

Ingredients:
A fresh pound cake about 9”long x 3”wide
Filling:
1 lb/450g ricotta cheese
2 tbsp heavy cream
¼ cup sugar
3 tbsp Strega (I used Grand Marnier, but any orange flavored liqueur will do)
1 tbsp mixed candied fruit, coarsely chopped
2 oz/56g semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
Chocolate Frosting: (this was actually twice as much as I needed for the pound cake I had)
12 oz/340 g semi sweet chocolate, cut into small pieces (melts faster)
¾ cup strong black coffee, hot
½ lb/227g unsalted butter, cut into ½” pieces and thoroughly chilled

Directions:
Cake and filling:
1. With a sharp knife, slice the end crusts off the pound cake and level the top if it’s rounded. Cut the cake into horizontal slices about ½” thick. As you can see in the photo, I only got three layers, but you could make them thinner.

2. Rub the ricotta through a coarse sieve into a bowl with a wooden spoon and beat it with a hand-held electric mixer until smooth. Beating constantly, add the cream, sugar and liqueur. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the candied fruit and chocolate pieces.

3. Center the bottom slab of cake in the center of a serving plate and spread the top generously with ricotta filling. Carefully place the next layer of cake over top, keeping sides and ends even and spread more filling. Continue until all the cake slabs are reassembled and the filling used up. (Actually, I had lots left over and perhaps I’ll make some cannoli). End with a plain slice of cake on top. Gently press the loaf together to make it as compact as possible. It will be a bit wobbly, not to worry, chilling firms the loaf. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours until the filling is firm. (I left it overnight, loosely wrapped in plastic wrap.

Frosting:
1. In a medium saucepan over low heat, melt the chocolate with the hot coffee, constantly stirring until the chocolate has completely dissolved.

2. Remove the pan from the heat and beat in the chilled butter, one tiny piece at a time with an electric hand-held mixer. Continue beating until the chocolate mixture is smooth (took quite a while – at least 15 minutes, if not longer…or maybe it just felt like it. I wasn’t timing it).

3. Chill until it’s the right consistency for spreading (I left it in the fridge for 5-10 minutes). Too thick will just crumble the cake, too thin and it will just flop onto the plate.

4. Spread the frosting over the top and sided of the cake. You can decorate with a piping bag, I just did the basics this time. Chill until the chocolate is hard enough to cover with plastic wrap (about 30 minutes) and let it ripen in the fridge for at least 24 hours before serving.

Trust me, it is worth the wait!

Chocolate Spice Loaf

Chocolate Spice Loaf
More of a tea or coffee cake than a rich dessert cake
From The Seven Sins of Chocolate

Hands-on time: 10 minutes
Baking time: 45 minutes or until the toothpick comes out clean

Makes 1 loaf

Ingredients:
¾ cup wildflower honey
1¾ cups all purpose flour
½ cup rye flour
¼ cup Dutch processed cocoa powder
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice or ½ tsp each ground cinnamon, cloves, cardamom and ginger
1 large egg
½ cup milk
5 tbsp unsalted butter, softened (that’s ½ cup + 1 tbsp)
½ cup pecans or walnuts, toasted and chopped (optional)

Directions:
1. Pre heat the oven to 350°F/170°C and prepare a 8”x4” loaf pan (rub with butter and then lightly flour).

2. In a small saucepan, bring the honey to a boil and then remove it from the stove. Allow to cool to lukewarm.

3. In a large bowl, sift together both flours, cocoa powder, baking powder and spices.

4. Using an electric mixer and another bowl, beat the sugar and egg on high speed until the sugar mixture turns light yellow. Add the milk and butter and then the warm honey on a lower speed so you don’t have batter everywhere.

5. Stir in the dry ingredients (this is where I’d add the nuts) with a wooden spoon and mix well until smooth.

6. Pour in to the prepared loaf pan and bake in the center of the oven for 45 minutes. Test for doneness by sticking a wooden toothpick in the center. If it comes out dry, it’s done, if not keep checking every five minutes or so.

7. Cool in the pan on a cake rack for 5 minutes. Remove from the pan and continue to cool completely.

Plum Sour Cream Kuchen

Plum Sour Cream Kuchen
From The Complete Canadian Living Baking Book

Prep time: 15 minutes or so
Baking time: 1 hour & 20 minutes (or until a toothpick comes out dry and clean)

Makes: 1 cake

Ingredients:
Cake:
4 large plums, pitted and cut into ¼” thick slices
2 tbsp packed brown sugar
½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ cup unsalted butter, softened
1 ½ cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 tbsp grated orange zest (from half a large orange)
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 ¼ cups all purpose flour
1 ½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 ½ cups sour cream
½ cup pecan pieces
1/3 cup vegetable oil
Glaze:
¾ cup apricot jam

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C and grease a 10” spring form pan. Dust with flour and set aside.

2. Toss sliced plums with brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and set aside.

3. In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate large bowl, combine sour cream and vegetable oil.

4. Using a mixer (I used my KitchenAid stand mixer) beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (about 5 minutes). Beat in eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Beat in the orange zest and vanilla. Stir the dry ingredients into the butter mixture, alternating with the sour cream mixture. (Canadian Living suggests 3 additions of dry and 2 of wet). Scrape into the prepared pan and smooth the top.

5. Arrange the plum slices in 2 concentric circles on top, leaving about ½” between circles.

6. Bake in the center of the oven for one hour and 20 minutes or until the toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan on a rack for at least 20 minutes before removing the sides.

Canadian Living says you can make the cake up to this point and cover with plastic wrap, stored at room temperature for a day or overwrapped in heavy duty tin foil in the freezer for up to 2 weeks.

For the glaze: (we had it without and it was sweet enough for us, but…)
Transfer the cake to a flat serving plate. In a small saucepan or microwavable bowl, melt the jam and strain and brush over the top of the cake. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.

Gingery Carrot Loaf

Gingery Carrot Loaf
From WomenHeart's All Heart Family Cookbook

Hands-on time: 5 minutes
Baking time: 1 hour (or until the toothpick comes out clean)

Makes 1 loaf

Ingredients:
1¾ cups whole wheat pastry flour (I just pulsed my regular whole wheat flour in the food processor a few times)
½ cup pecans, toasted and chopped
2 tbsp crystallized ginger, coarsely chopped
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
1 cup grated carrots
2/3 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
½ cup vanilla soy milk (probably the only time I’ll use soy milk is in baking)
3 tbsp light olive oil
1 large egg

Directions:
1. Pre heat the oven to 350°F/170°C and coat a 8”x4” loaf pan with cooking spray.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, pecans, ginger, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

3. In a small bowl combine carrots, sugar, milk, oil and egg. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and add the carrot mixture to it, stirring just until blended.

4. Pour in to the prepared loaf pan and bake in the center of the oven for 60 minutes. Test for doneness by sticking a wooden toothpick in the center. If it comes out dry, it’s done.

5. Cool in the pan on a cake rack for 5 minutes. Remove from the pan and continue to cool completely.