Mad About Maida

  F.B.I. Chocolate Layer Cake  (Source:  Maida Heatter's Book of Great Chocolate Desserts   (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 2006 ed.), pg. 64.   The story goes that J. Edgar Hoover was having dinner with Maida's family and her mother served this cake. He liked it so much that he threatened an F.B.I. investigation if she did not give him the recipe. It is a good cake with a dense texture and delicious chocolate flavor. It reminds me of Devils Food Cake.  I made this cake in the midst of a snow/ice event that lasted five days. Our driveway is on a downhill slant so when this happens, we cannot get out even when ice and snow is partially melted. After I made the cake layers, I discovered that I did not have enough whipping cream to make the frosting. So I wrapped the cake layers and put them in the freezer.  A few days later, our neighbor John said he was braving the elements and heading to the  grocery store. Would we like anything? A few minutes ...

Old Fashioned Butterscotch Pie Source:  Maida Heatter's Pies & Tarts   (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 1997 ed.), pg. 55 and  Maida Heatter's New Book of Great Desserts  (Alfred A. Knopf, 1982. pg. 178. A reader had requested this recipe some time ago so here it is (finally!). I think this is the first time I've made a butterscotch pie.  I used a frozen pie shell instead of making my own but you have that option. The nuts added to the crust are also optional but is a step that I would recommend.  One goof on my part - I forgot to separate the eggs (the whites are not used, just the egg yolks). I'm not sure what effect this had on the pie as it is very tasty.  I'm afraid this will not win any awards for presentation and it was messy and did not slice well (could the egg whites have changed the consistency?) It took me several slices to get a decent photo. 1 9-inch baked pie shell 1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional) 3 egg yolks 3 oz. (3/4 stick) unsa...

Walnut Rum Raisin Cake (Source:  Maida Heatter's Cakes  (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 2011 ed., pg. 42) A Christmas present was this beautiful Nordic Ware cake pan - I could not wait to try it and finally decided on the Walnut Rum-Raisin Cake to share with company on New Year's Eve. It was a great success and I was thrilled with the pan. I prepared it well (see my notes) and there was no sticking. This is a delicious cake and the orange and lemon hints make it especially wonderful. The recipe calls for dark rum and I only had golden rum on hand. I'm not sure how much difference that would make in the recipe. 1 cup light or dark raisins (or a mixture of both) 1/3 cup dark rum 2 1/4 cups (8.5 oz.) chopped walnuts (3/4 of which are finely ground) 2 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg 8 oz. (2 sticks) butter 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 cup granulated sugar 2 eggs 1 cup buttermilk Finely gr...