Sunday Dessert – An 86th Birthday Cake

Since my 86 years have started to catch up with me, I don’t cook as often, particularly experimenting with new recipes that I can share. I do still cook the family holiday meals, though, and every Sunday fix lunch for my two daughters which features a favorite recipe and is followed by 3 hours of various kinds of needlework and chatting. For these lunches, I always make something they especially like from my blogs of over 10 years and I thought it might be fun to share my Sunday desserts each week.

Today’s dessert is special because it commemorates my 86th birthday – a White Velvet Cake with Caramel Frosting made by my younger daughter. She made her first county fair prize-winning cake as a teenager and made this Best-of-Show cake as a young mother. It’s the cake I always request for my birthday. From my 2008 post, two wonderful cake recipes:

https://lillianscupboard.wordpress.com/2008/07/22/county-fair-white-cake/

My youngest daughter’s adventures with baking award-winning cakes for our county fair started in 1983 when she was a 13-year-old 8th grader and never that interested in fairs – to attend or to exhibit. But her older sister and her mother were immersed in getting things ready for the Hamilton County (Cincinnati) Fair and she decided to enter the cake division.

Cakes were not allowed to be frosted, so all of the attention was centered on the attributes of the cake itself. She made the cake, I took it to the fair and she won a Blue Ribbon and even got her recipe printed in our community newspaper. Here is the recipe:

Blue Ribbon White Cake

• Servings: 8
• Print

2-3/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1-2/3 cups granulated sugar
4-1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 cup milk
2/3 cup Crisco shortening
1/3 cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla
5 egg whites
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In large mixer bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add one cup milk and Crisco. Beat with electric mixer for 2 minutes at medium speed. Add 1/3 cup milk and vanilla and beat until smooth.

Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Fold into batter. Pour batter into two greased and floured 9?x1-1/2? round cake pans. Bake approximately 25 minutes until cake tests done when a toothpick is inserted near the center.

Cool in pans for 15 minutes, remove from pans and cool on wire rack. Frost as desired.

The years passed by, she married, had two children, and out of nowhere in 2006, 23 years after her first blue ribbon, she decided to enter again. But this time she was adamant that she was going to get a Best of Show Rosette. Her sister and I, seasoned fair exhibitors, tried to tell her it was very difficult to get the rosette which would represent the best cake out of all kinds of cakes – white, chocolate, spice, layer, sponge, angel food, pound, etc. She said the Rosette was all she really wanted and she would retire from fair competition after winning it. In spite of a broken oven, coping with two young children and taking the cake to the fairgrounds on a day so hot that we were afraid the cake itself would dissolve – she did it. She won the blue ribbon and the Rosette for Best of Show.

The cake was a favorite she had been baking for quite a few years as my birthday cake – White Velvet Cake from the Cake Bible cookbook.

• Servings: 8
• Print

4-1/2 large egg whites (4 full liquid ounces)
1 cup milk, divided
2-1/4 tsp. vanilla
3 cups sifted cake flour
1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 Tblsp. plus 1 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
12 Tblsp. butter, softened

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a medium bowl lightly combine the egg whites, 1/4 cup milk and vanilla.

In the large bowl of an electric mixer combine the cake flour, sugar, baking powder and salt and mix on low speed for 30 seconds to blend. Add the butter and remaining 3/4 cup milk. Mix on low speed until dry ingredients are moistened. Increase to medium speed and beat for 1-1/2 minutes. Scrape down sides. Gradually add the egg mixture in 3 batches, beating for 20 seconds after each addition.

Pour batter into prepared pans and smooth surface with a spatula. Pans will be about 1/2 full. Bake 25-35 minutes or until a tester inserted near the center comes out clean. Cakes should start to shrink from the sides of the pans only after removal from the oven.

Let cakes cool in pans on racks for 10 minutes. Loosen sides with a small metal spatula and invert onto wire racks. To prevent splitting, reinvert so the tops are up and cool completely.

Frost as desired.

Note: Two 9×1-1/2-inch cake pans should be greased, bottoms lined with parchment or wax paper and then greased again and floured.

Can be frozen for two months. Texture is most perfectly moist the same day as baking.

The fair exhibit rules called for a single layer with no frosting, but I’m including the recipe for the luscious caramel frosting that she always uses for my two-layer birthday treat.

QUICK CARAMEL FROSTING (Fannie Farmer Cookbook)

6 Tblsp. butter
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup milk
3 cups confectioners’ sugar

Melt butter and brown sugar in a heavy-bottomed pan, stirring over moderate heat until sugar is dissolved. Add the milk and blend. Cool in the pan. Then beat in the confectioners’ sugar until the frosting is thick enough to spread.

Sunday Dinner Dessert – Brown Velvet Cake

Since my 85 years have started to catch up with me, I don’t cook as often, particularly experimenting with new recipes that I can share. I do still cook the family holiday meals, though, and every Sunday fix lunch for my two daughters which features a favorite recipe and is followed by 3 hours of various kinds of needlework and chatting. For these lunches, I always make something they especially like from my blogs of over 10 years and I thought it might be fun to share my Sunday desserts each week.

Dessert this week was Brown Velvet Cake from a 1988 recipe clipping. I won a ribbon for the cake at the Harvest Home Festival (Cincinnati area) and still agree with my notation from then: “My favorite chocolate cake.” From my 2010 post: https://lillianscupboard.wordpress.com/2010/08/15/brown-velvet-cake/

Brown Velvet Cake

• Servings: 8-10 slices
• Print

The Cake:

1 cup of chocolate chips (I used Ghirardelli Milk Chocolate)
1/2 cup boiling water
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup softened butter
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup dark brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs plus 2 egg whites
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup buttermilk (or 1 Tblsp. white vinegar in a standard measuring cup with milk to equal one cup)

To Make the Cake:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease well and lightly flour two 9-inch round cake pans.

Combine the chocolate chips and boiling water. Let stand, stir and cool.

Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream the butter and peanut butter. Gradually add brown sugar and granulated sugar, creaming well. Add 2 unbeaten eggs and 2 unbeaten egg whites, plus vanilla and cooled chocolate mixture, mixing well.

Add dry ingredients to this batter alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Blend well after each addition.

Turn into the two greased and floured 9-inch cake pans. Bake @ 350 degrees F for 35-40 minutes until a tester inserted in the center of a cake comes out clean. Let cakes rest in pans on a wire rack for 5 minutes, then remove from pans and let cool on the rack.

The Filling:

1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed
1 Tblsp. cornstarch
1/2 cup undiluted evaporated milk
1/4 cup water
2 egg yolks
1/2 cup chopped peanuts
1 Tblsp. creamy peanut butter
1/2 tsp. vanilla

To Make the Filling:

In a medium pan, combine the brown sugar and cornstarch. Add evaporated milk, water and egg yolks. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until thick and mixture begins to bubble. Remove from heat, stir in all but 2 Tblsp. of the chopped peanuts, the peanut butter and the vanilla. Set aside to cool.

The Frosting:

2 Tblsp. butter
2 Tblsp. creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted
1 tsp. vanilla
3 cups confectioners’ sugar
4-5 Tblsp. evaporated milk, undiluted

To Make the Frosting:

Cream together the butter and peanut butter. Add the melted chocolate chips and vanilla. Blend in the confectioners’ sugar alternately with the evaporated milk to spreading consistency.

To Assemble the Cake:

Place one cooled cake layer on a plate and spread the top with the filling. Place the second layer on top of the filling and frost the top and sides of the cake. Sprinkle the reserved 2 tablespoons of chopped peanuts over the top of the frosted cake. 

This makes a tall (3-1/2 inches) impressive cake …. and it’s delicious.

Also served: A 1940s era Tuna Casserole, like the one my Aunt Mabel used to make. I didn’t have any cheese crackers on hand this time and used a topping of buttered breadcrumbs. Old-fashioned goodness.  From my 2010 post:  https://lillianscupboard.wordpress.com/2010/02/13/a-snowy-day-retro-meal

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sunday Dinner Dessert – Blackberry-Pear Kuchen (Cake)

Since my 85 years have started to catch up with me, I don’t cook as often, particularly experimenting with new recipes that I can share. I do still cook the family holiday meals, though, and every Sunday fix lunch for my two daughters which features a favorite recipe and is followed by 3 hours of various kinds of needlework and chatting. For these lunches, I always make something they especially like from my blogs of over 10 years and I thought it might be fun to share my Sunday desserts each week.

Our Sunday dessert this week is another version of an easy fruit kuchen, made this time with fresh blackberries and pears.  The cake layer is thin which lets the good fruit really shine and the flavors are wonderful.  From my 2017 post:
https://lillianscupboard.wordpress.com/2017/08/30/blackberry-pear-kuchen-cake/

Blackberry Pear Kuchen

• Servings: One 8-inch cake - 6 servings
• Print

3 Tblsp. sour cream
3 Tblsp. milk
3 Tblsp. vegetable oil
1/4 cup granulated sugar
¼ tsp salt
1 cup + 2 Tblsp. all-purpose flour
¾ tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. baking soda
1 cup blackberries
1 cup pear slices

Cinnamon-Ginger Topping: 2 Tblsp. granulated sugar
and 1/4 tsp. each of cinnamon and ginger, mixed together

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8-inch baking pan

In medium bowl, whisk together the sour cream, milk, oil and sugar.

Mix together the salt, flour, baking powder and baking soda, and gradually stir into sour cream mixture. Place batter in greased pan. The dough will be stiff and somewhat sticky. Dampen your fingers with water and then press the dough into the pan.

Arrange the blackberries and pear slices over the top of the cake.

Bake @ 350 degrees F for 20 minutes. Sprinkle Cinnamon-Ginger Topping over top of cake and continue baking for 5 more minutes.

Place on wire rack to cool for 5 minutes before cutting into 6 servings. 

Also served: A great crunchy chicken salad which features veggies (snow peas, green onions, red/yellow peppers, coleslaw mix and romaine) plus an interesting dressing.  From my 2012 post:  https://lillianscupboard.wordpress.com/2012/07/24/crunchy-oriental-chicken-salad/

Sunday Dinner Dessert – Blueberry Crumb Cake

Since my 85 years have started to catch up with me, I don’t cook as often, particularly experimenting with new recipes that I can share. I do still cook the family holiday meals, though, and every Sunday fix lunch for my two daughters which features a favorite recipe and is followed by 3 hours of various kinds of needlework and chatting. For these lunches, I always make something they especially like from my blogs of over 10 years and I thought it might be fun to share my Sunday desserts each week.

Our Sunday dessert this week is taking advantage of the wonderful blueberries available at our farm market and making use of a recipe that has been a favorite since 1995.  It’s an easy cake to put together and always so good.  The optional topping just adds an extra halo.  From my 2013 post:  https://lillianscupboard.wordpress.com/2013/07/05/blueberry-yogurt-crumb-cake/

Blueberry Yogurt Crumb Cake

• Servings: 6 to 8
• Print

2-½ cups (1 pt.) blueberries, divided
½ tsp grated lemon peel
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour, divided
1 cup granulated sugar
¾ cup (1-½ sticks) butter
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp. salt
1 egg
1 cup blueberry yogurt (two 4 oz. packets)
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F

Butter 10-inch baking dish or 10-inch spring form pan.

In a medium bowl, toss berries with lemon peel. Set aside

In a large bowl, combine 2 cups flour with sugar. Cut in butter. Set 1-½ cups of this mixture aside for crumb topping.

In a small bowl, combine remaining ¼ cup flour with soda. Add to mealy mixture in large bowl and rub in.

In the same small bowl, beat egg lightly. Stir in yogurt and lemon juice. Add to dry ingredients in large bowl and stir briefly with wooden spoon until blended. Fold in 1 cup blueberries.

Spread batter in prepared pan and scatter remaining blueberries on top.

Sprinkle with reserved crumb mixture.

Bake @ 400 degrees F approximately 45-60 minutes or until top is lightly browned and a tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.

Serve warm or room temperature.

Delicious plain or with the following tangy yogurt cream on the side.

YOGURT CREAM

2 cups frozen whipped topping, thawed (Cool Whip)
1 tsp. lemon juice
1/2 cup of blueberry yogurt (4 oz. packet)

In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients and whisk until thoroughly blended. Refrigerate covered at least 30 minutes before serving.

Also served:  Buttered corn-on-the-cob and spicy Sirloin strips with homemade soft wrap bread – the bread recipe from my 2011 post is here:  https://lillianscupboard.wordpress.com/2011/10/05/good-soft-wrap-bread/

 

Sunday Dinner Dessert – Peach Kuchen

Since my 85 years have started to catch up with me, I don’t cook as often, particularly experimenting with new recipes that I can share. I do still cook the family holiday meals, though, and every Sunday fix lunch for my two daughters which features a favorite recipe and is followed by 3 hours of various kinds of needlework and chatting. For these lunches, I always make something they especially like from my blogs of over 10 years and I thought it might be fun to share my Sunday desserts each week.

This Sunday‘s dessert is a thin cake topped with fresh peaches and cinnamon/sugar, adapted from a German recipe. Each year, the first purchase of peaches from our local farm stand ends up in this kuchen. It’s a simple cake to put together and works just as well as a breakfast coffeecake.

The original post from 2007 is here: https://lillianscupboard.wordpress.com/2007/09/23/fresh-fruit-kuchen/

Fresh Peach Kuchen

• Servings: 8 or 9 inch cake
• Print

3 Tblsp. sour cream

3 Tblsp. milk

3 Tblps. vegetable oil

½ cup granulated sugar

½ tsp lemon peel

¼ tsp salt

1 cup + 2 Tblsp. all-purpose flour

¾ tsp. baking powder

¼ tsp. baking soda

1 lb. fresh fruit, peeled and cored, in thin slices

Cinnamon topping: 2 Tblsp. granulated sugar and 1 tsp. cinnamon, mixed together

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

In medium bowl, whisk together the sour cream, milk, oil, sugar and lemon peel. Mix together the salt, flour, baking powder and baking soda, and gradually stir into sour cream mixture. Place batter in greased 8 or 9-inch pan. The dough will be stiff and somewhat sticky. Dampen your hands with water and then press the dough into the pan.

Arrange the peach slices over the top of the cake.

Bake @ 350 degrees F for 20 minutes. Sprinkle cinnamon topping over top of cake and continue baking for 5 more minutes.

Place on wire rack to cool for 5 minutes before cutting.

Best when eaten warm from the oven.

Also served: Corn on the cob and  open-faced tuna sandwiches with fresh tomato and cheese – broiled to a golden brown. First posted in 2009: https://lillianscupboard.wordpress.com/2009/11/06/tuna-melt-and-butterscotch-kahlua-mousse/

Any kind of good, substantial bread would be fine, but I happened to have some Cracked Wheat bread I just made this week and this worked very well. From 2013: https://lillianscupboard.wordpress.com/2013/03/14/cracked-wheat-yeast-bread/

Blackberry Pear Kuchen (Cake)

I’ve been making a version of this kuchen for many years. Originally, it was a German recipe which used quark, something that is not available in most of our Cincinnati-area grocery stores. I’ve found that sour cream or yogurt are good substitutes. This is very easy to put together with a variety of fruit toppings, not too sweet and a consistency that I haven’t found in other cakes. This was a good version with some leftover blackberries and a big Bartlett pear.

Blackberry Pear Kuchen

• Servings: One 9-Inch cake - 6 servings
• Print

3 Tblsp. sour cream
3 Tblsp. milk
3 Tblsp. vegetable oil
1/4 cup granulated sugar
¼ tsp salt
1 cup + 2 Tblsp. all-purpose flour
¾ tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. baking soda
1 cup blackberries
1 cup pear slices

Cinnamon-Ginger Topping: 2 Tblsp. granulated sugar
and 1/4 tsp. each of cinnamon and ginger, mixed together

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9-inch baking pan

In medium bowl, whisk together the sour cream, milk, oil and sugar.

Mix together the salt, flour, baking powder and baking soda, and gradually stir into sour cream mixture. Place batter in greased pan. The dough will be stiff and somewhat sticky. Dampen your hands with water and then press the dough into the pan.

Arrange the blackberries and pear slices over the top of the cake.

Bake @ 350 degrees F for 20 minutes. Sprinkle Cinnamon-Ginger Topping over top of cake and continue baking for 5 more minutes.

Place on wire rack to cool for 5 minutes before cutting into 6 servings.

Delicious as a breakfast coffee cake or as a dessert. Especially good warm from the oven.

 

Raspberry Mountain

In the 1980s-90s, my husband and I lived in a rural area called Blue Jay, located on the Ohio/Indiana border.  My husband had a huge garden and every kind of berry bush and fruit tree that does well in our area.  My favorites were the black raspberries and we got bumper crops year after year.  I used them in every conceivable way, but regret that I found this recipe after we had to leave our country home and all the wonderful berries.  It’s a quick, easy way to turn 1-½ cups of fresh raspberries into a delicious dessert with a little cake and lots of berries.

Butter is melted in the oven in a 9-inch pie plate.  Then cake batter is poured over the butter (no stirring) and berries are scattered on top along with a sprinkling of sugar.  The cake rises up over the berries to form a thin layer and is delicious warm from the oven or at room temperature.

• Servings: 6
• Print

¼ cup butter, cut into small pieces
½ cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
Dash of salt
¼ tsp. nutmeg
¾ tsp. baking powder
1/4 cup plus 2 Tblsp. milk
1-½ cups fresh raspberries
Additional 1-1/2 Tblsp. granulated sugar for topping

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and melt butter in 9-inch pie plate   Heat until butter is melted but not brown.

Meanwhile, mix flour, 1/4 cup granulated sugar, salt and baking powder in bowl.

Stir in milk.  Pour this batter over the melted butter – DO NOT STIR.

Drop berries over top, scattering evenly over surface.  DO NOT STIR.

Sprinkle 2 Tblsp. granulated sugar on top and bake for 30 minutes @ 350 F degrees.

The butter and batter rise to make a thin top crust that is buttery, sugary and crunchy at the edges.

Delicious plain or with a bit of whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. 

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Italian Cream Cake with Raspberry Puree

A couple of weeks ago, I hosted a birthday lunch for my younger daughter at Bucca di Beppo restaurant in Cincinnati.  I ordered three of their (large) desserts for the six of us to share:  cheesecake, cannoli and Italian Cream Cake.  I expected the Italian Cream Cake to be the one I’m familiar with that has pecans, coconut and a cream cheese frosting.  The cake here was light-textured with a mascarpone/cream cheese filling/frosting and a drizzle of raspberry sauce.  It seemed to have a very light touch of lemon either in the cake or in the filling.

It was delicious but especially memorable because my 15-year-old grandson loved it so much.  He said he was in heaven when he tasted a piece of this cake – this from a boy who will eat no kind of pie except apple.

I knew I had to try to duplicate the cake.  I could find no copycat recipes  and spent time looking through recipes for cream cakes, mascarpone filling and raspberry puree to come to this adaptation.

• Servings: 8-10
• Print

2 eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1-½ cups cake flour
2 tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. salt
1 cup heavy whipping cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
Grease and flour a 9-inch square cake pan or round pie pan.  I used a vintage tube pan and increased the baking time about 10 minutes.

In a large mixer bowl, beat eggs, sugar and vanilla, beating well.

Combine flour, baking powder and salt.  Add the flour mixture alternately with the whipping cream to the egg mixture, beginning and ending with flour and beating well after each addition.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake at 350 degrees F for 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

Place on wire rack to cool for 5 minutes.  Run a knife around the edges to loosen and invert onto a rack.  Allow to rest for 5-10 minutes, then lift the cake pan off and allow the cake to cool completely.

When cake is completely cool, separate into layers by placing cake on a piece of parchment paper and inserting toothpicks at the midpoint of the sides of the cake, leaving 3 inches or so between toothpicks.

Resting a serrated knife on the toothpicks, carefully slice around the cake.  Go around a second time cutting toward the center until cake has been cut in two.

Place the bottom of the cake on the serving cake plate.

Mascarpone Filling
1-½ cups heavy whipping cream
2/3 cup powdered sugar, divided
8 oz. mascarpone cheese at room temperature
½ tsp. lemon extract

In the large bowl of a mixer and using whisk attachment, beat whipping cream and 1/3 cup sugar until stiff peaks form.  (Don’t whip too long to form butter.)

In a separate bowl with whisk attachment, beat mascarpone cheese, 1/3 cup sugar and lemon extract until creamy and smooth.

Fold the mascarpone mixture into the whipped cream.

Spoon the mascarpone filling generously on the top of the layer on the plate.  This makes a lot of filling, so you can be generous.

Place the top layer, cut surface up, on the bottom layer and continue to spoon filling on the top of cake.

If there is filling left over, it can be placed in a bowl and served along with the cake or refrigerated in a covered container to use as topping on pudding, Jello, etc.  The mascarpone will keep the whipped cream stabilized for about a week.

Refrigerate the cake until ready to serve and refrigerate any leftovers.

Serve with just a drizzle of raspberry puree.

Raspberry Puree
Two 12-oz bags frozen unsweetened raspberries
2-4 Tblsp. granulated sugar (to taste)

Remove berries from bag and allow to defrost in a strainer over a bowl for 6-8 hours (or overnight).  Microwaving them will take away some of the flavor.

Press with a wooden spoon and then force through a fine sieve to remove seeds.  I used a food mill first and then pressed through a large fine sieve.

Stir in the granulated sugar, cover and refrigerate.  I like to remove the puree at dinner time and let it set at room temperature until dessert is served.  This makes about 1-½ cups of puree.  Place in a pretty pitcher to drizzle over the cream cake.

The puree is very strong-flavored and intense, so a drizzle is just right to complement the cake and filling.  Six to eight servings.

The cake was delicious, although not exactly like Bucca di Beppo’s, but the important thing was that my grandson loved it just as much and asked to take some home with him – I sent him off with the remaining half-cake.

Banana Pumpkin Cupcakes with Maple Glaze

I adapted this recipe from one found on Veronica’s Cornucopia for Wacky Pumpkin Spice Cake.   Without eggs or milk, this makes a wonderfully moist, soft cake and the light glaze makes a cupcake that’s not too sweet or rich.

• Servings: 12
• Print

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
½  tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ginger
½ tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
½ cup banana puree
1/2 cup pumpkin puree (not pie filling)
¾ cup water
1/4 cup vegetable oil (Canola)
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 tsp. banana extract
½ cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 12 cupcake sections or insert 12 paper or silicone cups.

In a large bowl mix together the flour, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, salt, and baking soda.  In a separate bowl, whisk together the banana, pumpkin, water, oil, vinegar, and banana extract.

Whisk the wet ingredients into the dry until thoroughly combined. Stir in the chopped nuts.  Pour into the prepared cupcake pan …

…and bake for approximately 22-24 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center of a cupcake comes out clean.

Allow the cupcakes to stay in the pan for five minutes. After five minutes, remove the cupcakes from the silicone liners and allow to cool completely on a rack.

Maple Glaze
¼ cup powdered sugar
1 Tblsp. maple syrup
¼ tsp. oil (Canola)

Mix the sugar, syrup and oil with a spoon until smooth.

While the cupcakes are still warm, place about ½ tsp. of Maple Glaze on top of the cakes and swirl around with the back of a spoon.

Yield:  12 cupcakes

Delicious Date Cake

This recipe is from a favorite cookbook I received as a gift in 1982 – Seasoned with Sunshine, a collection of recipes from Florida.  This is a thin, delicious, moist cake that is easy to make.  It makes a nice luncheon or supper dessert.

• Servings: 6
• Print

• ½ cup dates, chopped
• 1/2 tsp. soda
• 1/2 cup boiling water
• ¼ cup butter, softened
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 1 egg
• ¾ cup all-purpose flour
• 1/8 tsp salt

Preheat oven @ 350 degrees F.  Grease an 8×8 inch pan.

In a small bowl, mix dates, soda and boiling water; set aside to cool.

By hand or in an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar, add egg.  Sift flour and salt together and add to creamed mixture.  Blend in cooled date mixture with liquid.  Pour into well-greased 8×8 pan.  Sprinkle on Pecan Topping* ingredients, beginning with brown sugar, then pecans and then the chocolate chips.

*Pecan Topping:

• 1/4 cup light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup pecans, chopped
• ½ cup chocolate chips

Bake @ 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

6 servings.  Delicious plain ….

… or with ice cream, whipped cream or whipped topping.