Retro Coffeecake

This recipe goes back to my early days of marriage in 1952.  It came from either a Crisco or Sunbeam mixer cookbook (two of my favorite sources at that time) and I made it countless times.  The crumb topping is very sparse and light but is just right for the cake which is richer than most coffeecakes.  I have always called it my “best coffeecake”.

BEST COFFEECAKE

• 1/2 cup shortening (Crisco)
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 Tblsp. baking powder
• 1 cup milk

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Grease and flour a 9″ baking pan.

In the large bowl of an electric mixer, place the shortening, sugar and egg.  Beat until light and fluffy.

In a separate medium bowl, mix together the flour, salt and baking powder.

Add the flour mixture to the sugar mixture alternately with the milk, beginning and ending with flour, and beating until well blended after each addition.

Pour into a greased and floured 9″ pan.  Sprinkle the following topping on the top of the cake:

TOPPING

• 1-1/2 Tblsp. melted butter
• 4 Tblsp. granulated sugar
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 Tblsp. flour

In a small bowl, mix together the butter, sugar and cinnamon.  Stir in the flour and mix well.  Crumble over the top of the unbaked cake.

Bake cake @ 400 degrees F for approximately 25 minutes, until cake tests done.

Cool for 10 minutes on a rack.  Cut into squares to serve while still warm.

In the early 1960s my husband and I were raising three children in a 1922 house on Maple Drive in Oakley (Cincinnati).

I used to bake this cake as a treat during the evening when we didn’t have money for snacks like potato chips and soft drink.   I would omit the crumb topping and after it was cool, frost it with some powdered sugar icing and sprinkle raisins on top.

ICING FOR TOP OF CAKE

• 1 Tblsp. softened butter or margarine
• 1 Tblsp. undiluted evaporated milk
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla
• 1 cup powdered or confectioners’ sugar
• Dash of salt

Place all of the above ingredients in a mixer bowl and beat until smooth.  An additional drop or two of evaporated milk can be added gradually to make a good spreading consistency.  Frost top of cooled cake while still in the pan and sprinkle about 3 Tblsp. of raisins on top.

The three kids (age 2, 6 and 8), my husband and I would eat the entire cake that evening while watching television.

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The 100,000 Hit

I just noticed that I had reached the 100,000 hit on this blog.  I’m amazed that so many people have checked out a blog by a great-grandmother that largely deals with cooking, quilting and memories.

Thank you.  It has been so much fun.

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Apricot Nut Cookies with Amaretto Icing

My youngest daughter is a busy stay-at-home mom who always finds time to get together with me on Fridays for lunch.  I try to make meals that are tasty, quick and easy, and reduced in fat and calories.  Here is the meal we had this week.

This week, I fixed an “un-diet” type meal, but adjusted the portions so my daughter could still stick to her Weight Watchers points.

This past week, I had watched Giada de Laurentiis on Food Network make some intruiging cookies.  I happened to have all of the ingredients on hand and thought I would try to make small cookies with just a smidgen of icing as dessert for my Friday lunch with Shannon.  These cookies are so delicious and a little bit of Amaretto icing goes a long way, especially for someone who has been dieting all week.  The only change I made to the ingredients was to make a smaller amount of icing.

APRICOT AND NUT COOKIES WITH AMARETTO ICING

• 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup plus 2 Tblsp. granulated sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 large egg
• 1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup dried apricots, coarsely chopped
• 1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted
• 2 Tblsp. pine nuts, toasted

In a large bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and salt until light and fluffy.  Beat in the egg.  Stir in the flour until just blended.  Mix in the apricots…

…almonds and pine nuts.

Divide the dough in half and form each into a 12″ long log.  Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Remove one log from refrigerator and divide in half.  Cut each half-portion into quarters and then each quarter into three 1/2″ slices.  Place slices on ungreased cookie sheet, leaving 1-1/2″ to 2″ between each slice.

Bake @ 350 degrees F for about10-12 minutes, until cookies are golden brown.  Remove to rack to cool.  Then place a dab of Amaretto icing on each cookie.

AMARETTO ICING

• 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
• 2-3 Tblsp. Amaretto

Add Amaretto to sugar gradually, stirring until mixture is of a drizzling consistency.

Yield:  48 small cookies

Nutrition per DietPower for one cookie:  58 calories, 2.71 gr fat, 10.2 mg cholesterol, 21.4 mg sodium, 27.2 mg potassium, 7.52 g carbohydrates, 0.243 g fiber, 0.806 g protein

Weight Watchers count for each cookie:  2 Points/Plus

Refrigerate or freeze remaining log and icing to make fresh cookies another time.  Diet-wise, it’s better not to have too many of these on hand at a time – they’re just too hard to resist.

For our entree, I chose an old favorite, (see my recipe here -  Impossibly Easy Seafood Pie and made individual portions equaling 1/6 of the recipe.

Nutrition per 1/6 of Impossibly Easy Seafood Pie, using low-fat Bisquick and 2% milk:  208 calories, 13.6 g fat, 134 mg cholesterol, 251 mg sodium, 71.9 mg potassium, 8.58 g carbohydrates, 0 g fiber, 12.5 g protein

Weight Watchers count for 1/6 of Impossibly Easy Seafood Pie:  6 PointsPlus

This meal was a good example of how we can enjoy some of our favorite foods so long as we watch the portions.

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My Easier Lemon Meringue Pie

My oldest daughter was here for Sunday dinner and I asked her to choose what dessert I should make.  As usual when she has a choice, it was lemon meringue pie.

I make my lemon filling a little different from what the cookbooks say but I think it’s easier and it always turns out great.  Rather than trying to mix egg yolks into hot filling, I make a slurry with the eggs using cold water, then adding hot water,  and I’ve never had a problem with lumps or cooked egg in the filling.

LEMON MERINGUE PIE

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

• 1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 3 Tblsp. cornstarch
• 3 Tblsp. all-purpose flour
• Dash of salt
• 3 slightly beaten egg yolks
• 1/2 cup cold water
• 1 cup hot water
• 2 Tblsp. butter
• 1/2 tsp. grated lemon peel
• 1/3 cup lemon juice
• 1 baked 9″ pastry shell*
• Meringue using 3 egg whites (see below)

In a medium saucepan, mix sugar, cornstarch, flour, salt.  Add egg yolks and then gradually add cold water, whisking until smooth.  Whisk in hot water and place over medium high heat.  Cook and stir to bring to a boil.  Cook two minutes longer, whisking constantly.  Remove from heat and add butter and lemon peel.  Gradually add lemon juice, whisking well.  Allow to set in sauce pan while making meringue:

THREE-EGG-WHITE MERINGUE

• 3 egg whites
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla
• 1/4 tsp. cream of tartar
• 6 Tblsp. granulated sugar

In an electric mixer bowl, place egg whites, vanilla and cream of tartar.  Beat until soft peaks form.  Gradually add the sugar, a tablespoon at a time, beating until stiff peaks form and all sugar is dissolved (be careful not to get it stiff to the point of dryness).

Stir and pour hot pie filling into baked pie shell.  Immediately top with meringue, sealing to the edge of the pastry shell.  Bake @ 350 degrees F for 12-15 minutes until meringue is golden.

Cool on a wire rack.  Allow time for pie to cool completely before serving.

*Here is my favorite recipe for pie crust.  I use half of the recipe for a 9″ shell and freeze the remainder for another time.  After the pastry is in the pan, prick generously on the bottom and sides of crust.

Place a piece of foil in the bottom of the pan and fill with dry beans.

Bake @ 410 degrees for 10 minutes.  Remove from oven and take out the foil and beans.  Return to oven and bake for 8-10 minutes longer until crust is golden brown.  Place on a rack to cool.

Note from my recipe binder:  “From cookbook, “Better Homes & Gardens Pies & Cakes”.  Made 7/95 for Sunday dinner.  David declared it the best lemon pie I ever made.”

Update: To answer a question about the beans – they are used to keep the crust from “bubbling up”.  I keep dry beans in a quart jar and use them over and over again.

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Carrot Bars with Orange Cream Frosting

We got our first major snowfall of the season and my oldest daughter came to spend the day with me and do a little shoveling.  For supper, I made our go-to meal on a cold winter day – potato soup with homemade yeast rolls.

Here are my previously posted recipes for Potato Soup and Yeast Rolls.

For dessert, I went back to a recipe I had first made in 1989 from a cookbook called Blue Ribbon Cookies.   It was a nice finish to a hearty, body-and-soul warming meal.

CARROT BARS WITH ORANGE CREAM FROSTING

Carrot Bars:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Grease and flour a 9×9″ baking pan

• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1 egg
• 2 Tblsp. water
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 Tblsp. sour cream
• 1/4 tsp. vanilla
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 1/8 tsp. ground ginger
• 3 Tblsp. chopped nuts
• 3 Tblsp. raisins
• 1/2 cup grated carrots

In a medium bowl, whisk together the oil, egg, water, sugar, sour cream and vanilla.

In a separate small bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, salt and ginger.  Add the dry ingredients to the oil mixture and blend well.  Stir in the nuts, raisins and grated carrots.

Spoon mixture into a 9×9 greased and floured baking pan.  Bake @ 375 degrees F for 20-25 minutes until the top is golden brown.  Cool in pan placed on a rack.

When the bars are cool, frost with:

ORANGE CREAM FROSTING

• 1 Tblsp. softened butter
• 1-1/2 oz. softened cream cheese
• 3/4 Tblsp. orange juice concentrate
• 1 cup confectioners’ sugar

Place above items in a small bowl and whisk until smooth.  Frost top of bars.

Cut into squares to serve.

I’m not a big fan of snow, but being able to share a meal with my daughter in front of the fireplace makes it a lot more pleasant.

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