Boston Cream Pie
INGREDIENTS
½ Cup Softened Butter
1 Cup Sugar
3 Large Eggs
3 Large Egg Yolks
1 Tablespoon Vanilla
1 ¼ Cup Cake Flour
1 ½ Teaspoon Baking Powder
¼ Teaspoon Salt
½ Cup Milk
Vanilla Pudding
Chocolate Glaze
Preheat oven to 350° F. Line the bottom of an 8 inch round cake pan with parchment paper. Butter and flour the pan. Beat the butter and sugar together at medium high speed until fluffy. Beat in the eggs and yolks, one at a time and then add the vanilla. Stir the cake flour, baking powder and salt together. Reduce mixer speed to low and beat the flour mixture into the butter-egg mixture, adding it in thirds and alternating with milk. Beat until the batter is smooth. Transfer to the prepared pan and bake on the center rack of the oven until the cake is done – from 35 to 40 minutes. Remove when done and cool completely on a wire rack.
To assemble, split the unmolded cake using a long serrated knife. Spread vanilla pudding over the bottom half of the cake and place the top layer over the pudding. Pour chocolate glaze over the cake, allowing it to drip down the sides of the cake.
Vanilla Pudding
¾ Cup Milk
1 Cup Cream
1 Vanilla Bean
3 Egg Yolks
2 Tablespoons Cornstarch
½ Cup Sugar
¼ Teaspoon Salt
½ Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1 ½ Teaspoons Butter
Heat the milk, cream and vanilla bean until just simmering in a medium pot. Whisk the yolks, cornstarch, sugar and salt together and stream the hot milk mixture, while whisking continuously, into the eggs. Return to the pot and cook, while whisking over medium heat, until the mixture thickens and just begins to boil. Immediately transfer to a clean bowl. Pick out and throw away the vanilla bean. Stir in the vanilla extract and the butter. Press plastic wrap against the surface to cover.
Chocolate Glaze
½ Cup Heavy Cream
4 Ounces Chopped Dark Chocolate
1 Tablespoon Unsalted Butter
3 Tablespoons Corn Syrup
Heat cream to a boil and pour into a medium size and heatproof bowl filled with chocolate, butter and corn syrup. Let sit for 1 minute and stir until smooth. Let cool to thicken slightly. Use immediately and pour over the Boston Cream Pie.
Victoria’s Rum Cake
INGREDIENTS
4 Cups Cake Flour
½ Teaspoon Baking Powder
2 Sticks Unsalted Butter
3 Cups Sugar
9 Large Eggs
1 ½ Teaspoon Vanilla
¼ Cup Rum
Preheat oven to 325° F. Grease and flour a bundt pan.
Mix together flour and baking powder and set aside. In a large mixing bowl cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffly. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in vanilla and rum. Mix well. Gradually add the flour mixture and continue beating for about ten minutes. Transfer batter to pan and bake for about an hour or until done. Remove from oven and let cool for a short while before removing from the pan.
Sour Cream Pound Cake
INGREDIENTS
½ Cup Butter
4 Eggs
½ Cup Sour Cream
1 ½ Cups Unbleached Flour
¼ Teaspoons Baking Powder
1/8 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1 Cup Sugar
1 Teaspoon Vanilla
Preheat oven to 325° F. Grease and flour a 9x5x3 inch loaf pan and set aside. I like to use a glass loaf pan. Allow butter, eggs and sour cream to stand at room temperature for about 30 minutes. In a medium bowl stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for about 30 seconds. Gradually add sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla and then add eggs one at a time. Beat eggs one at a time, beating for about 1 minute after each addition and scraping the bowl frequently. Alternately add the flour mixture and sour cream to butter mixture, beating on low to medium speed after each addition just until combined. Spread batter evenly into the prepared pan.
Bake for 60 to 75 minutes or until done. Cool cake in pan on a wire rack for about 10 minutes. Remove from pan and cool thoroughly on rack.
You can experiment and add blueberries, lemon, chocolate or whatever strikes you.
Goes great with coffee!
Italian Cheesecake
INGREDIENTS
3 ½ Cups Ricotta Cheese
¼ Cup Unbleached Flour
Pinch of Salt
1 Grated Lemon Rind
1 Grated Orange Rind
1 Tablespoon Vanilla
4 Beaten Eggs
1 Cup Sugar
Mix all ingredients and place in a 9 inch spring form pan. Bake in pre-heated oven of 350° for 45 minutes to 1 hour – or until firm. Serve warm or chilled. Serves 6. Store in the refrigerator.
Russian Tea Cakes
I grew up eating these at Christmas. Sometimes I would see how many I could fit in my mouth at once!
INGREDIENTS
1 Cup Softened Butter
½ Cup Powdered Sugar
1 Teaspoon Vanilla
¼ Teaspoon Salt
2 ¼ Cups Unbleached Flour
¾ Cup Finely Chopped Walnuts
Additional Powdered Sugar
In a large bowl combine first 6 ingredients on the low speed of a mixer for about 1 minute. Gradually add flour at low speed until just combined. Next stir in the nuts. Roll dough into 1 inch balls and place them about 1 inch apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350° F for 8 to 10 minutes or until firm to the touch – but NOT brown. Do NOT over bake. While warm, roll in additional powdered sugar. Cool and re-roll in powdered sugar before serving.
A holiday favorite!
Shortbread Cookies
INGREDIENTS
1 Cup Unbleached Flour
¼ Cup Sugar
½ Cup Salted Butter
Preheat the oven to 300° F.
In a large bowl mix together the flour and sugar. Add the butter, but don’t over mix. Evenly press the shortbread mixture into a tart pan. If you don’t have a tart pan then you may use a pie pan. Smooth the top and prick the surface with the tines of a fork. Bake on the middle rack for approximately 40 to 50 minutes. You will know when it is done when shortbread turns a light biscuit color. Remove and place on a rack to cook for about 5 minutes. Cut into approximately 16 wedges.
Super Fudge Brownies
INGREDIENTS
1 Cup Unsalted Butter
2 ½ Cups Sugar
1 ¼ Cups Dutch Cocoa
1 Tablespoon Coffee
1Teaspoon Salt
1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
1 Tablespoon Vanilla
4 Large Eggs
1 ½ Cups Unbleached Flour
2 Cups Chocolate Chips
Preheat oven to 350° and grease 9×13 inch baking pan.
Mix melted butter and sugar in a medium sized mixing bowl. Stir in the cocoa, coffee, salt, vanilla and baking powder. Next add the eggs, beating until smooth. Now add the flour and chocolate chips and stir until well combined. Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan.
Bake the brownies for approximately 30 minutes or until done. The brownies should feel set both on the edges and in the center. Remove from the oven and after 5 minutes loosen the edges with a knife. Cool completely before cutting and serving. Makes approximately 2 dozen brownies.
Blueberry Muffins
INGREDIENTS
½ Cup Softened Butter
1 Cup Sugar
3 Large Eggs at Room Temperature
1 Tablespoon Vanilla
2 Teaspoons Baking Powder
¼ Teaspoon Salt
3 Cups Either Fresh or Frozen Blueberries
2 Cups Unbleached Flour
½ Cup Buttermilk or Sour Milk
For The Topping: 1 Tablespoon Sugar Mixed With ¼ Teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
Pre-heat the oven to 375° F and grease either 18 regular size muffin tin or 12 large size muffin tin. In a mixing bowl, mix butter and sugar until creamy. Add eggs one a time – beating after each addition. Mix in vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. With a spoon, fold in half of the flour and then half of the milk into the batter. Repeat. Fold in blueberries. Spoon into greased muffin tin and sprinkle topping onto each muffin. Bake 20 to 30 minutes or until golden brown. You may use paper muffin cups if you wish. Sometimes I do and sometimes I don’t. Depends on my mood and I can be very moody!
Camille’s Pumpkin Cookies
Ingredients
1 cup unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup cooked, pureed pumpkin (fresh or canned)
1 egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups unbleached flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
1 cup raisins
Icing: (optional)
2 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 tablespoons whipping cream, fresh orange juice or rum
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add pumpkin, egg and vanilla and mix well. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir into butter mixture until well blended. Add nuts and raisins. Drop by teaspoonful onto parchment covered baking sheet, about 2 inches apart. Bake about 15 minutes, or until golden. Cool.
Icing: Cream confectioners’ sugar and butter. Add remaining ingredients and beat until smooth. (If icing is too thin, add more confectioners’ sugar; if too thick, add more cream, orange juice or rum.) Drizzle over cookies.
Camille added a cup of chocolate chips and a whole can of pumpkin. If you decided to add chocolate chips and more pumpkin then bake the cookies for 20 minutes instead of 15.
Victoria’s Old-Fashioned Gingerbread
INGREDIENTS
2 Cups Unbleached Flour (usually a good idea to sift)
1/3 Cup Sugar
1 Teaspoon Salt
½ Teaspoon Baking Powder
1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1 Teaspoon Cinnamon
1 ½ Teaspoons Ground Ginger
½ Teaspoon Ground Cloves
½ Cup Melted Butter
1 Cup Molasses
2 Eggs
½ Cup Buttermilk
¼ Cup Hot Water
Preheat oven to 350° F. Sift together the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, baking soda and spices. Stir in melted butter, molasses, eggs and buttermilk. Beat in hot water. Pour batter into a generously greased and floured 8 inch square man. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched with finger.
Serve gingerbread with whipped cream.
*Note: If you do not have buttermilk you can use sour milk (1 teaspoon vinegar and enough milk to make ½ cup)
