East Hampton Chocolate Icebox Cake

East Hampton Chocolate Icebox Cake
Source: Maida Heatter's Cakes (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 2011 ed.), pg. 313.

(Note: A reader tells me that ladyfingers were indeed smaller than the ones sold today.)
 
Okay, as you see from the photo, I didn't do a great job at putting this together! I debated over posting the recipe at all but since it was delicious, I thought I would go ahead with it. I think my problems arose with the ladyfingers. Maida says to use two 3-oz packages of ladyfingers. The ones I found (at Publix) were in 7 oz. packages so I bought one pack. When she wrote this recipe, maybe ladyfiners were smaller in size? Whatever the case, I'm not sure if they were supposed to stand so tall above the cake and there were not enough to go around the cake and cover the base (I ended up using vanilla wafers for the base). In hindsight, I suppose I could have cut the ladyfingers in half but she didn't say to do that.

This was very good though but be warned, it is a heavy dessert and a little slice goes a long way!

2  3-oz. packages ladyfingers
7 oz. semisweet chocolate
9 oz. milk chocolate
6 eggs, separated
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 cup Grand Marnier
1/2 tsp. unflavored gelatin
1 tsp. cold water
Pinch of salt
1/4 cup granulated sugar

The recipe says to use a 9x3 inch springform pan. Arrange the ladyfingers over the bottom and around the sides of the pan. (As you can see, my ladyfingers rose way above the pan - I don't think this is correct)

Melt both chocolates in the top of  double boiler over warm water on low heat.

Beat the egg yolks for about 5 minutes until they are pale and thick.

Stir in the vanilla and 1/3 of the Grand Mariner.

Sprinkle the gelatin over the water in a small glass custard cup and let stand for 3-5 minutes.

Add the remaining Grand Marnier to the gelatin mixture.

Place the custard cup in shallow hot water in a small pan over low heat. Stir occasionally until the gelatin is dissolved.

 

 

Add the warm gelatin into the egg yolks and beat at high speed.

Reduce the speed and add the melted chocolate. Remove the bowl and set aside.

In a separate mixing bowl with clean, chilled beaters, beat the egg whites with the salt until a soft shape is achieved.

Lower the speed and gradually add the sugar to the egg whites. Increase the speed to high again until the whites hold a definite shape.

In 3 additions, use a rubber spatula and fold about 1/3 of the whites into the chocolate. Then add the chocolate to the remaining whites and again fold gently until thoroughly incorporated (do not handle more than necessary).

Pour the chocolate mixture into the prepared pan. Cover the pan with a paper towel or napkin and then lightly cover with plastic wrap (the paper will prevent moisture from forming). Place in the refrigerator for 6 hours or overnight.

Whipped Cream

1 cup heavy cream
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 TBS. confectioners sugar

In a chilled bowl and chilled beaters, whip the ingredients until they hold a shape. Spoon the whipped cream over the top of the cake or use a pastry bag to make rosettes. The cake can also be decorated with chocolate shavings or orange slices.

(Note: You may have to leave the cake on the springform pan bottom to serve. It can be transferred to another plate but you will have to be extremely careful. Good luck!)

Peanut Butter Pillows

Peanut Butter Pillows
Source: Maida Heatter's Cookies (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 1997 ed.), pg. 176.

I was watching Michael Symon make peanut-butter sandwich cookies on The Chew and thought I would see if Maida had a similar recipe. This sounded the same but after they bake, the two layers almost completely meld together (or at least they did for me), so they looked nothing like the ones Symon made. Still, these are delicious!

When I first read this recipe (and always read the entire recipe before you begin!), I thought this might be difficult but it turned out to be a breeze. The dough must be refrigerated a few hours so keep that in mind if you are in a rush. My cookies turned out more oblong that I thought they should be but then when I thought about it, I realized that pillows are shaped like that so maybe they are correct.

The cookies have a sandy texture and are quite soft. They are very fragile and would not travel well. They are so good and if you are a peanut butter lover, you will love them!

1 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
4 oz. (1 stick) unsalted butter (softened)
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1 TBS. milk
Additional peanut butter for filling (about 1/2 cup)

Makes 16-20 cookies

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

In a mixer bowl, cream the butter.

To the creamed butter, add the peanut butter.

 

Add the sugar.

Add the corn syrup.

Add the milk.

On low speed, add the dry ingredients.

Turn the dough out onto a work surface and knead it slightly. Then form the dough into an oblong shape about 7 inches wide and 2 1/2 inches in diameter. Wrap the dough in wax paper and refrigerate. Let it stay there for several hours or longer.

Preheat the oven to 350. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Use a sharp knife to cut half of the dough into slices about 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick. Place them about 2 inches apart on the wax paper. (The cookies will spread while baking - I should have placed these farther apart. They ended up touching)

Place a teaspoon of peanut butter on each cookie.

Spread the peanut butter slightly with a knife or spoon. Leave a 1/2 to 3/4 inch border.

Slice the remaining dough the same way as before and place a piece on top of each cookie. Let it sit for a few minutes.

Take a fork and press the tops of the cookies slightly to seal them together. They will crack but don't worry about this.

Bake for 12-15 minutes. If you are using more than 1 pan, reverse and swap them half-way through baking. If you are only using 1 pan, bake them high in the oven). Let the cookies cool for a minute or two before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Oreo Cookie Cake

Oreo Cookie Cake
Source: Maida Heatter's Cakes (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 2011 ed.), pg. 80 and Maida Heatter's Book of Great American Desserts, Knopf, 1985, pg. 123.

Oreo cookies make anything taste better, right? Thoughts of oreo cookie ice cream immediately come to mind. I've eyed this recipe for a long time and came across it again last weekend and decided it was time to make it. It has been a while since I've purchased Oreo cookies (I usually tend to avoid the cookie aisle as it is dangerous) and I was amazed by the variety of Oreo cookies available. Good grief - every flavor and color known to man took up 2 shelves. It took me a minute to find the Original Oreos!  

This cake is a white sour cream cake that Maida Heatter added Oreos to at the last minute after talking to a reporter about the popularity of cookies and Oreos.

We bought a container of chocolate ice cream and crushed up our remaining Oreos and mixed it into the ice cream. It was fantastic with this cake!

14 to 15 Oreo sandwich cookies
2 3/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
8 oz. (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. almond extract
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3 eggs
1 cup sour cream
Optional: confectioners sugar

Preheat oven to 350; adjust oven rack one-third up from the bottom. Butter or spray a tube pan (10-12 cup capacity) and dust with fine, dry bread crumbs.

Cut each cookie into quarters. Set aside.

 

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

Beat the butter until soft and add the vanilla and almond extracts.

Add the sugar.

Add the eggs, one at a time, until blended.

On low speed, add the sifted flour ingredients alternately...

with the sour cream (dry ingredients in 3 additions, sour cream in 2.)

Place 1 1/2 cups of the batter into the cake pan and use a spoon to form a shallow trench in the mixture.

To the remaining cake batter, add the cookies and fold in.

Add the mixture with the cookies to the trench with a teaspoon.

After the batter has been added, smooth it out with the bottom of the spoon. This is the bottom of the cake. To prevent it rising in a domed shape, spread the batter slightly up the sides of the pan, leaving a depression in the middle.

Bake the cake for 50 minutes - 1 hour or until a tester comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 15 minutes before removing the cake to a rack to cool completely. The cake can be served as is or you can add the following glaze.

Glaze (optional)

6 oz. semi-sweet chocolate
2 oz. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
About 1 TBS. whipping cream

Melt the chocolate in the top of a double boiler over warm water.
Cut the butter into small pieces and add it to the chocolate, stirring until melted and smooth.
Stir in the cream gradually.
Pour the glaze around the cake and over the top, letting it run down unevenly.
Let the cake stand until the glaze has set.

Cowtown Chocolate Cake

Cowtown Chocolate Cake
Source: Maida Heatter's Cakes (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 2011 ed.), pg. 78 and Maida Heatter's Book of Great American Desserts, Knopf, 1985, pg. 114.

It has been awhile since I've made a chocolate cake. That is an odd statement since I absolutely love chocolate cakes (or anything chocolate for that matter). A few weeks ago I made this cake which hails from Fort Worth, Texas (aka "Cowtown"). It is wonderfully dense and fudgy and the icing is a wonderful soft icing that stays soft. 

Watch your baking time carefully. When I took the cake out of the oven (about 20-25 minutes) it looked dry and I was sure I had overbaked. However, it just appears that way and it was fine and actually quite moist. 

1 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably Dutch-process)
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. powdered (not granular) instant coffee or expresso
5 oz. unsweetened chocolate
4 oz. (1 stick) unsalted butter (softened)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
1 cup white sugar
3 eggs, separated
1 1/4 cups buttermilk

You can get the full directions here. 

Be sure to sift several times!

 

Icing

1 cup whipping cream
1 cup sugar
4 1/2 oz. unsweetened chocolate
Pinch of salt
4 oz. (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into slices
1 tsp. vanilla extract

In a medium saucepan, stir the cream and sugar over medium heat until it comes to a boil. Reduce the heat and let the mixture simmer for 6 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

Remove the pan from the heat and add the chocolate, stirring until melted. Add the salt, butter and vanilla and stir until the butter is melted and the mixture is smooth.

Place the pan in a large bowl of ice water and scrape the bottom constantly for a few minutes with a rubber spatula until the icing is cool and slightly thickened. Transfer the mixture to a small bowl and beat with an electric mixer at high speed for a few minutes until the icing is thick enough to hold its shape.

Spread the icing between the cake layers and around the sides.