recipelink.com Chat Room
10-22-99 Just Desserts - Part 2

eggy/oz (10:12:14) : Fresh Orange Sponge Cake (not tried)
(one 10-inch tube cake)

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup egg whites (about 8)
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/3 cup egg yolks (about 6)
2 tablespoons grated orange rind (orange part, or zest, only)
1/3 cup strained freshly squeezed orange juice

Preheat the oven to 350'F.
Combine the flour and salt and sift them together twice; set aside. Put the egg whites into a large mixing bowl and beat until foamy. Gradually add 1/2 cup of the sugar, and continue beating until the whites are stiff but moist, and stand in peaks that droop slightly when the beater is lifted. In a separate mixing bowl, beat the egg yolks until they have thickened slightly, then slowly add the remaining 3/4 cup sugar, and continue to beat until the mixture is thick and lemon-colored. Add the orange rind and juice and blend well. Sift the flour over the yolk mixture, and stir gently until smooth, with no drifts of flour visible. Gently stir in one quarter of the beaten whites. Pour the remaining whites on top, and fold them into the yolk mixture until smooth and blended.

Spread the batter evenly in an ungreased 10-inch tube pan. Bake for about 40 minutes, or until a straw inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean. Remove the cake from the oven and invert it. Let cool completely before removing from the pan.

Mountain Frosting

1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup water
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 egg whites (about l/2 cup)
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Combine the sugar, water, cream of tartar, and salt in a saucepan and set over high heat, gently swirling to mix the ingredients. Let boil, swirling occasionally, until mixture is perfectly clear, about 4 or 5 minutes. Clap the lid on the pan and let cook for 1 minute. Uncover and attach a candy thermometer, not letting the tip touch the bottom of the pan. Let the syrup boil, uncovered over high heat until it reaches 240'F.

Meanwhile start beating the egg whites in a large bowl to stiff but moist peaks. When the syrup is ready, continue beating at moderately high speed, and with your other hand pour the syrup on in a thin, steady stream. Continue beating for 2 or 3 minutes more until the frosting has cooled a little and is stiff enough to stand in tall peaks. Beat in the vanilla. You use this generously and will have enough to fill and frost two 8-inch layer cakes or a 10-inch tube cake.

Orange Mountain Frosting.
Decrease the water to 1/4 cup, and add l/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice and 1 tablespoon grated orange rind to the syrup before you cook it.

Lemon Mountain Frosting.
Decrease the water to 1/3 cup and add 2 tablespoons lemon juice and 1 tablespoon grated lemon rind to the syrup before cooking it.

eggy/oz (10:11:31) : Triple Layer Brownies (not tried)

Bottom Layer:

1 C. quick-cook rolled oats
1/2 C. all-purpose flour
1/2 C. brown sugar, packed
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
6 T. butter or margarine, melted

Combine first five ingredients, then add melted margarine. Mix well, pat into 11 x 7 1/2 x 1 1/2 inch baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees F. for 10 minutes.

Middle Layer:

2/3 C. all purpose flour
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 C. milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla
3/4 C. granulated sugar
1/4 C. butter or margarine, melted
1 oz. unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled
1 egg

In small bowl, combine dry ingredients. In separate bowl, combine milk and vanilla. Set aside. In large bowl combine sugar, butter and melted chocolate; add egg. Beat well. Add flour mixture in small amounts, alternating with milk mixture, stirring well after each addition. Spread over baked bottom layer, bake at 350 degrees F. for 25 minutes. Cool.

Top Layer:

1 oz. unsweetened chocolate
2 T. butter or margarine
1 1/2 C. sifted powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
Hot water (about 2 T.)
1/2 C. chopped walnuts (Optional)

Melt chocolate and butter in small saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly. Remove from heat when melted, stir in sugar and vanilla. Blend in hot water to make almost pourable consistancy. Spread over middle layer, top with walnuts if desired. Cool and cut.

eggy/oz (10:10:35) : Easy Orange Glazed Strawberry Pie

GLAZE:
2 tbsp granulated sugar
3/4 cup orange juice
1-1/2 tbsp. Cornstarch
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup orange liquer

Combine sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl; mix well. Stir in orange juice and corn syrup. Stir over medium heat until mixture comes to a boil. Cook 1 minute longer. Remove from heat. Stir in liqueur. Set aside to cool. Stir occasionally.

PIE FILLING:
1 pt. Strawberries, halved
1 tbsp. Milk
1 (3 oz.) pkg cream cheese (softened)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 (9 inch) pastry shell, baked and cooled
1/2 c. granulated sugar

Mix cream cheese and sugar. Gradually, stir in milk and vanilla extract. Spread over bottom of pastry shell. Spoon half of cooled orange glaze over filling. Cover with prepared strawberries in any desired pattern. Spoon remaining glaze over strawberries.

Chill thoroughly for at least 3 hours. Yield: 8 servings.

eggy/oz (10:08:34) : Cake Top Chocolate Pudding

3 T butter, melted
1 tsp Vanilla
1/2 cup milk
1 cup flour
1 cup sugar, divided in half
3 tsps, plus 1/3 cup, Unsweetened Cocoa
2 tsps baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 2/3 cups hot water
1/4 cup sliced almonds (optional)
Chilled Heavy Whipping Cream or Vanilla Ice Cream

Preheat Oven to 350 degrees. Grease bottom of heavy 2 Quart Cassarole with butter. Combine melted butter, vanilla and milk, set aside. In cassarole, mix well flour, 1/2 cup sugar, 3 T cocoa, the baking powder and salt. Stir in liquid mixture just to blend. Sprinkle evenly with remaining 1/3 cup cocoa and 1/2 cup sugar. Pour hot water over top gently.

Bake on middle oven rack 20 mins or until crust has formed. Sprinkle with almonds, bake 10 to 15 minutes longer. Spoon at once into dessert dishes, top with whipped cream or softened vanilla ice cream.

Makes about 4-6 servings.

eggy/oz (10:07:18) : Gooey Butter Cake

1 stick margarine or butter
1 box yellow cake mix (I prefer using Lemon Cake Mix)
1 egg

Mixture the above ingredients together and put in 13x9x2 pan. This mixture is very thick. I dropped it by spoonful's into the pan and then patted it in place with my fingers.

Top Layer:
8 oz. Philadelphia Cream Cheese
1 box of powdered sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla

Mix these together and pour over the bottom layer.
Bake 30-35 minutes at 350 degrees.

eggy/oz (10:06:19) : Moist Chewy Brownies

1 cup margarine, melted
2 cups white sugar
8 Tablespoons cocoa
4 eggs
1-1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 Tablespoons corn syrup
2 cups broken pecans or walnuts, optional

Combine flour, baking powder, cocoa and salt in a bowl. In a large bowl, beat the eggs until light; add sugar and beat again; beat in margarine. Stir in dry ingredients; blend well. Stir in vanilla, corn syrup and nuts. Mix well by hand. Pour into a greased 9 x 13-inch pan. Bake at 350: F about 35 minutes or until firm to the touch but not hard.

eggy/oz (10:04:55) : Easy Prune Cake

Pre-heat oven to 350

Combine:
1/2 C oil
1 C buttermilk
1 jr. jar or 2 small jars baby food, prunes or plums
2 C flour
2 C sugar
1 tsp salt
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp allspice
1 tsp baking soda

Place in greased bundt pan; bake one hour. Meanwhile, combine
1 stick butter
1 C sugar
1/2 C buttermilk
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp vanilla

Cook over low heat for 5 minutes. Pour over hot cake in pan. Let cake
sit for about 2 hours, then remove from pan.

eggy/oz (10:03:38) : The following appeared in BGH, Feb-99. I like it because I can make the
variety preferred by whomever is visiting that day.

"A few tweaks in the ingredients in chocolate chip cookies can dramatically change the outcome. Want a crispy thin cookie? Use an all-butter dough. Because butter melts more quickly than shortening in a hot oven, the dough spreads. For a puffy cookie, use shortening to keep the dough from flattening. Get a softer cookie by sweetening it only with brown sugar. Combine brown with granulated sugar for a crispier cookie. Our tinkering resulted in three versions: Our Best Basic, Thin-and-Crispy, and Soft-and-Cakelike." By Jeanne Ambrose, BHG

Best Basic Chocolate Chip Cookie
Prep: 25 min
Bake 8-10 min per batch

1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
2 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Thin-and-Crispy
Prep 25 minutes
Bake 10-12 min per batch

1 cup butter
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate pieces
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Soft-and-Cakelike
Prep: 25 minutes
Bake 9-11 minutes per batch

1/2 cup shortening
1 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 slightly beaten eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
8 oz sour cream
1 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate pieces
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Preheat oven to 375. FOR BASIC OR THIN COOKIES: in a bowl beat shortening and/or butter on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add brown sugar, granulated sugar, baking soda and salt; beat until combined. Beat in egg or eggs and vanilla until combined. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with a mixer. With a wooden spoon, stir in remaining flour. (Typists notes: If you use the bread beaters on your electric mixer, you can skip the wooden spoon.) Stir in chocolate pieces and nuts. Drop dough by rounded teaspoons 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake Basic cookies 8-10 minutes, and Thin cookies 10-12 minutes or until edges are browned. Cool on wire rack. Makes 60 cookies.

FOR CAKELIKE COOKIES: in a bowl, beat shortening and brown sugar on medium to high speed until combined. Add eggs and vanilla; bean until combined. Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Alternately add flour mixture and sour cream to shortening mixture, beating after each addition. With a wooden spoon, stir in chocolate pieces and nuts. Drop by rounded teaspoons 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 9-11 minutes or until edges are browned. Cool on wire rack. Makes 60 cookies.

eggy/oz (10:02:35) : Italian Sour Cream Saronno Cake (tried, but not by me)
Vita Viviano D'Artega

2 eggs, separated
1 cup shredded coconut
1/2 cup plus 2 tsp. ground pecans or walnuts
1 pkg. pudding included butter recipe cake mix
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup water
2 eggs
1/2 cup Amaretto di Saronno liqueur
6 maraschino cherries
Glaze (recipe below)

In a small bowl, beat 2 egg whites until foam. Gradually add brown sugar. Beat until stiff peaks form, about 3 minutes. Fold in coconut and ground nuts. Spread meringue on bottom and up sides of generously greased 10-inch tube pan to within 1 inch of the top of the pan. In large bowl, blend cake mix, sour cream, Amaretto, water, whole eggs, and remaining 2 egg yolks at low speed until moistened. Beat 2 min. at high speed. Pour batter evenly on top of meringue in pan.

Bake at 350 for 55-60 minutes until done (use toothpick test). Cool upright in pan for 10 minutes. Loosen sides and invest into serving plate. Cool completely. Spoon glaze over top of cake, allowing some to run down sides. Sprinkle with remaining 2 tsp. ground nuts and garnish with cherries.

GLAZE:
1 cup sifted confectioners/powdered sugar
2 Tbsp Amaretto liqueur
2 - 4 Tbsp. water
1 Tbsp. corn syrup
2 Tbsp. cocoa
1 Tbsp. butter/margarine - softened

In a small bowl, blend all ingredients until smooth.

note: Many voyagers who visited Italy became interested in this delicious cake. Perhaps the company that produces the popular Amaretto di Saronno liqueur also introduced the recipe.

susannahoh (09:05:01) : STRAWBERRY BROWNIE TORTE

1 (21.5 or 23.6-ounce) package brownie mix
1 (14ounce) can Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk (NOT evaporated milk)
1/2 cup cold water
1 (4-serving size) package instant vanilla flavor pudding mix
1 (4-ounce) container frozen non-dairy whipped topping, thawed
1 quart fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced

Grease two nine-inch round layer cake pans. Line with wax paper, extending up sides of pans; grease wax paper. Prepare brownie mix as package directs for cake-like brownies; pour into prepared pans. Bake at 350 degrees for twenty minutes or until top springs back when touched. Cool. In large bowl, mix sweetened condensed milk and water; beat in pudding mix. Chill five minutes. Fold in whipped topping. Place one brownie layer on serving plate. Top with half each of pudding mixture and strawberries. Repeat. Refrigerate leftovers.
Yield: 8 to 10 servings

YUMMY LAYERED CHOCOLATE DESSERT

1/2 cup margarine
11/4 cup flour
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
1 cup powdered sugar
1 large container Cool Whip
2 small boxes instant chocolate pudding
3 cups milk
Chopped pecans

Bottom layer: mix margarine, flour and chopped pecans into nine by thirteen-inch baking pan. Bake crust for twenty minutes at 350 degrees. Let cool. Next layer: Whip together cream cheese, powdered sugar and one-half of the Cool Whip. Spread it over crust and cool thoroughly. Next layer: prepare instant chocolate pudding with milk. Refrigerate until firm. Spread onto previous layer. Top: spread remaining Cool Whip and sprinkle with chopped pecans. Cool well between each layer and before serving.