Fresh Fruit Trifle

Fresh Fruit Trifle
English trifle is traditionally assembled in a large clear glass bowl, so that all the layers can be seen. We prefer to use fresh fruit, rather than the customary jam, but our trifle still conjures up images of Victorian English holidays. This dessert has a place in Italian cuisine also, where it is called Zuppa Inglese (English Soup). The variations are endless.

Ingredients:
5 to 6 cups leftover pound cake, broken into slightly larger than bite-sized chunks
1 cup liqueur (brandy, sherry, rum)
2 cups Vanilla Custard Sauce
2 cups fresh fruit (peaches, oranges, cherries, berries)
2 cups heavy cream, whipped with
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract and maple syrup, honey, or powdered sugar to taste

Procedures:
Prepare the fresh fruit. Peel, pit, and slice peaches. Peel, seed, and section oranges. Pit cherries.
Gaze fondly upon labor-free berries.
Using a large bowl or individual dessert cups, arrange a layer of pound cake chunks on the bottom.
Pour some of the liqueur over the cake and allow it to soak in. Spoon the custard over that and then sprinkle on the fresh fruit.
Layer everything again using all the ingredients. Top with whipped cream and decorate with more fruit. Chill.

Special Pound Cake (Recipe)

Special Pound Cake

Moist, dense, and buttery pound cake is our standard for cake at Moosewood — perfect unadorned, or served with fresh fruit and whipped cream, or frosted, or in a trifle. Once you've mastered the basic cake, try one of our variations and then make up your own.

Ingredients:

1 pound butter, softened

1 cup milk

3 cups sugar

2 teaspoons pure vanilla, almond, or lemon extract

6 eggs

4 cups unbleached white flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

Procedures:

Preheat the oven to 350°.

Generously butter and flour a 10-inch bundt pan and set aside.

Cream the butter and sugar. Beat in the eggs. Add two cups of flour and beat well. 

Mix in the milk and extract. Combine the baking powder and the remaining 2 cups of flour and then add to the batter. Beat well.

Pour the batter into the bundt pan. Bake about 1 hour, until the cake pulls away from the sides of the pan and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

When the cake is done, turn it upside down on a plate to cool, leaving the bundt pan on top of the cake for about 20 minutes, so the cake will hold its shape.

Variations

•Butterscotch Pecan Pound Cake: Use pure vanilla extract, replace the white sugar with brown sugar, and add 2 cups of toasted pecan halves.

•Oasis Cake: Use apricot juice or coconut milk (see Appendix) instead of milk and add 1/2 cup each of shredded coconut, chopped dried apricots, and chopped dates.

•Cashew or Peanut Cake: Use pure vanilla extract, replace half of the butter with cashew butter or peanut butter, and add 1 cup of cashews or toasted peanuts.

•Cherry-Almond Cake: Use pure almond extract, reduce the milk to 1/2 cup,add 1 cup ground toasted almonds with the flour, and at the last minute fold 1 1/2 cups of fresh, pitted whole cherries into the batter. The fruit adds a lot of liquid to the cake during baking, so this batter is stiffer than usual.

•Whiskey Cake: Replace all or part of the milk with whiskey. This is good served with Vanilla Custard Sauce (p. 278) and peaches.

•Chocolate Yogurt Pound Cake: Replace the milk with plain yogurt, reduce the flour to 31/2 cups, and add 1 cup cocoa. If you wish, brush melted sweet chocolate on the cooled cake.

•Marsala Walnut Pound Cake: Use pure vanilla extract, replace the white sugar with brown sugar, replace the milk with marsala, and add 1 cup chopped toasted walnuts.

•Layered Pound Cake: Carefully cut the cooled basic pound cake into 5 layers with a long, serrated bread knife. Spread raspberry butter or conserve between the layers as you rebuild the cake. Frost with chocolate butter cream frosting 

Amaretto Cake (Recipe)

Amaretto Cake

If you love the fragrance of almonds, this cake will drive you wild with its heady triple almond whammy — essence, nuts, and liqueur. A cup of capuccino is the perfect partner.

Igredients:
1 pound butter, softened
3 cups sugar
6 eggs, well beaten
2 teaspoons pure almond extract
4 cups unbleached white flour
3/4 cup milk
1 cup amaretto (almond liqueur)
2 teaspoons baking powder, sifted to remove the lumps
2 cups toasted almonds, ground

Procedures:
Preheat the oven to 350°.
Generously butter and flour a 10-inch bundt pan and set aside.
Cream together the butter and sugar. The butter should be soft, but not melted.
 Add the beaten eggs and almond extract and mix well. Blend in two cups of the flour.
Combine the milk and 1/4 cup of the amaretto and stir into the batter, mixing well.
Add the remaining flour and the baking powder, mixing well. Fold in the ground almonds and pour the batter into the bundt pan.
Bake for one hour or until a toothpick tests clean.
Cool the cake in the pan for 15 minutes and then pour the remaining 3/4 cup of amaretto over the warm cake.
Let the amaretto soak in and then invert the cake onto a plate. Remove the pan from the cake when thoroughly cool.

Mississippi Mud Cake (Recipe)

Mississippi Mud Cake

This is a very dark, moist, adult chocolate cake. It keeps well and travels well. The recipe is from Sarah Begus, a famous Baltimore hostess.

Ingredients:

2 cups unbleached white flour

5 ounces unsweetened chocolate

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup butter

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 cups sugar

13/4 cups strong freshly brewed coffee

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1/4 cup bourbon, brandy, or a coffee,chocolate, or mocha liqueur

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Procedures:

Preheat the oven to 275°. (Yes, that really is 275°.)

Generously butter a 10-inch Bundt pan and dust it with cocoa.

Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Heat the coffee and liqueur on low heat for about 5 minutes. 

Add the chocolate and butter and stir until melted. When this mixture is smooth, add the sugar and stir until dissolved. 

Let the mixture cool for several minutes and then transfer it to a large mixing bowl. 

Add the flour mixture to the chocolate mixture about a half-cup at a time, beating after each addition until smooth. 

Then add the eggs and vanilla. Beat for another minute.

Pour the batter into the Bundt pan and bake for about 11/2 hours, until the cake pulls away from the sides 

of the pan and springs back when touched in the middle. Remove the cake from the oven and allow it to cool for 10 minutes in the pan. 

Then invert the cake onto a plate. Remove the Bundt pan when the cake is completely cool.

This cake is good plain or with whipped cream. 

Or brush the surface of the cake with 2 or 3 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate, melted and mixed with 1 or 2 tablespoons of cream or coffee.

Russian Chocolate Torte (Recipe)

Russian Chocolate Torte

Dense and moist with potatoes, crunchy with almonds, frosted with mocha, flavored with rum, oozing with preserves, this is a rich, rich, rich, Russian sweet.

Ingredients:

CAKE

1 cup softened butter

2 cups sugar

4 eggs, separated

'/2 cup heavy cream

1 cup mashed potatoes 1 cup ground almonds

4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 teaspoons rum

1 teaspoon cinnamon

11/2 cups unbleached white flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

FROSTING

3 tablespoons butter, softened 11/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted

2 tablespoons strong, warm freshly brewed coffee

1 ounce unsweetened chocolate, melted 1 tablespoon strong, dark rum

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract FILLING

1/2 cup raspberry butter or jam or 1/2 cup stewed dried apricots, pureed

16 whole almonds or 1/2 cup slivered almonds

Procedures:

Preheat the oven to 325°.

Generously butter and flour a 10-inch springform pan.

Cream together the butter and sugar. Beat in the egg yolks, one at a time, and then add the next four ingredients, beating until smooth. 

Mix in the vanilla and rum. Sift together the cinnamon, flour, and baking powder and add to the batter, mixing well.

 Beat the egg whites until stiff, but not dry, and fold them into the batter. 

Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 11/2 hours or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. 

Allow the cake to cool about 15 minutes in the pan, then slide a knife between the sides 

of the cake and the detachable side of the springform pan.  Remove the pan.

While the cake is cooling, prep= the frosting. Cream together the butter and powdered sugar. 

Add the rest of the ingredients and beat until smooth.

Perfect Chocolate Cake (Recipe)

Perfect Chocolate Cake

Yields a 3-layer 9-inch cake

This cake is a fantasy fulfilled of that perfect, one-cherry-on-the-top cartoon cake served by Minnie Mouse at Pluto's birthday party. We have on occasion doubled this recipe (baking it in 13-inch round cake pans) and satisfied masses of chocolate lovers.

Ingredients:

CAKE

1 cup cocoa (unsweetened)

2 cups boiling water

23/4 cups unbleached white flour 

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup butter

21/2 cups sugar

4 eggs

11/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

BUTTER CREAM FROSTING

6 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate 

1 cup butter

1/2 cup heavy cream

21/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted 

FILLING

1 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup powdered sugar

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

Procedures:

Preheat the oven to 3500

Butter and flour three 9-inch round cake pans.

Combine the cocoa with 2 cups of boiling water, stirring until smooth. Cool completely. 

Sift together the dry ingredients. In a large bowl, beat together the butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla. 

Add the dry ingredients alternately with the cocoa mixture to the creamed mixture. 

Do not overmix. Blend just enough to moisten the dry ingredients.

Pour the batter into the cake pans. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. 

Cool in the pans for 10 minutes and then remove the cake from the pans to cool completely before frosting.

While the cake is cooling, prepare the frosting. In a medium saucepan, melt the chocolate and butter. 

Stir in the cream until smooth. Remove the pan from the stove and place it in a large bowl filled with ice. 

Using a whisk orelectric mixer, beat in the powdered sugar until the frosting holds a stiff shape. Chill.

Whip all the filling ingredients together until stiff. Chill.

Construct the cake when all the parts are cool. Spread the filling between the layers and the frosting on the top and sides.

Plan to serve the cake soon after completion or provide a large space in the refrigerator to keep it cool until it is served.

Spice Cake with Prunes and Pecans Cake (Recipe)

Spice Cake with Prunes and Pecans

A rich, dark, nutty cake that will stay moist almost forever. It's particularly good for the holidays, with all its spices and nuts. With this cake you never know.

 is one slice enough? Are three too many?

Ingrdedients:

1 cup prune purée

1 cup vegetable oil

2 cups sugar

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

3 eggs, beaten

1 cup buttermilk

2 cups flour (a mixture of unbleached white flour and whole wheat pastry flour is good)

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground allspice 

1 teaspoon ground cloves 

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

11/2 cups pecans, chopped

Procedures:

Preheat the oven to 350°.

Butter and flour a 10-inch bundt pan or a 9 X 13-inch baking pan and set aside.

In a large bowl, beat together the oil, sugar, vanilla, eggs, buttermilk, and prune purée. 

Sift together the flour, spices, salt, and baking soda and stir these into the wet ingredients. 

Mix well, then fold in the pecans.

Pour the batter into the pan. Bake for 30 to 45 minutes, depending on the size of the pan, 

until a knife inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.

Aunt Minnie's Fresh Apple Cake

Aunt Minnie's Fresh Apple Cake

Our Sara Robbins' Aunt Minnie was a renowned Southern cook. This easy-to-make, homey, and moist cake is one reason why.

Ingredients:

11/2 cups vegetable oil

2 cups brown sugar

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

3 eggs

3 tablespoons apple juice, milk, orwater

3 cups sifted flour (half whole wheat

3 cups chopped apples white flour works well)

  pastry flour and half unbleached

1 cup chopped nuts (pecans, walnuts,or almonds) 

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

3 tablespoons sesame seeds

1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom powdered sugar 

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Procedures:

Butter a 10-inch bundt pan, two 9-inch round cake pans, or one 9 X 13-inch sheet pan. 

Sprinkle the bottom and sides of the pan with the sesame seeds.

Preheat the oven to 350°.

Beat the oil and sugar until creamy. Add the eggs one at a time,

 beating well after each addition. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, leavenings, and spices. 

Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture along with the apple juice and vanilla, beating with a wooden spoon until the batter is smooth. 

Fold in the chopped apples and nuts.

Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 30 to 45 minutes, depending upon the size of the pan, until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. 

Sprinkle the top with sifted powdered sugar when the cake is cool.

Special Ginger Mouse Cakes

Special Ginger Mouse Cakes

Yields 1 cake or 12 muffins

Maureen Vivino was given this old Irish family recipe by Stella Malloy, her grandmother. We like it because it has all the dark spiciness of gingerbread with the bouyant spring of a cake.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter

scant 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup molasses

11/2 teaspoons baking soda

21/2 cups unbleached white flour

1 cup hot water or hot strong freshly

1 teaspoon cinnamon

brewed coffee

Procedures:

Butter an 8 x8-inch cake pan or a muffin tin and set aside.

Cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. In a large bowl, 

beat the egg into the molasses and add the creamed mixture. 

Sift together the dry ingredients, except the baking soda. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.

Preheat the oven to 3500

Dissolve the baking soda in the water or coffee and add it to the batter, beating vigorously for several minutes. 

Spoon the batter into the cake pan or muffin tin. Bake the cake for 45 minutes to an hour or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. 

Bake muffins about 30 minutes.

Top Ginger Cakes with Lemon Custard Sauce (p. 276) for a real treat.

Jewish Honey Cake (Recipe)

Jewish Honey Cake

This is the traditional Jewish honey cake or lekach eaten at the beginning of a new year to ensure a sweet year. Once you try it, you'll want to have it much more than just once a year.

Ingredients:

3 eggs, beaten

1 cup sugar

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

31/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour 

2 teaspoons baking powder 

1 teaspoon baking soda 

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger 

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon cinnamon pinch of ground cloves

1 cup honey

1 cup warm, strong, freshly brewed coffee

1/2 cup almonds or walnuts, chopped

powdered sugar

Procedures:

Preheat the oven to 325°.

Butter and flour a 5 x9-inch loaf pan and set aside.

Beat the eggs and sugar until well mixed. Add the oil, stirring until smooth. 

Sift together all the dry ingredients and spices and set aside. 

Dissolve the honey in the coffee. Add the dry ingredients and the coffee mixture alternately to the egg mixture, about half of each at a time. Stir until the baiter is smooth. Then add the nuts.

Pour the batter into the loaf pan and bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. 

Cool for 15 minutes and remove from the pan. Dust with powdered sugar.

This cake keeps very well if tightly wrapped or covered and often tastes even better one or two days later. 

We like it with a "shmear" of cream cheese or a scoop of ice cream.