Old-Fashioned Fudge Cake

Old-Fashioned Fudge Cake
Source: Maida Heatter's Book of Great Chocolate Desserts (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 2006 ed.), pg. 62.

This recipe is simple to do. Even the icing, which involves beating it in a bowl in a bowl of ice water, is foolproof. And I must add, the icing is delicious! The cake itself is also very good, dense and rich. This is not an overly moist cake. Be sure not to overbake!

3 oz. (3 squares) unsweetened chocolate
1 3/4 cup sifted cake flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 lb. (1 stick) butter
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 TBS. plus 1 1/2 tsp. white vinegar
1 cup milk 

Preheat oven to 350. Butter (or spray) two 9-inch cake pans and line the bottoms with baking liners or wax paper. Dust with flour. Set aside.

Melt the chocolate in the top of a double boiler. Set aside to cool slightly.

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

 

In a mixing bowl, cream the butter. Add the sugar and mix well.

Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until fully incorporated.

Mix in the vinegar. The mixture will look curdled.

Add the melted chocolate, beating until smooth.

On low speed, add the flour mixture...

alternating with the milk. Mix well, scraping the bowl as necessary.

Pour the mixture into the two pans - smooth the tops.

Bake for 20-30 minutes, until the layers begin to pull away from the sides of the pan and the tops spring back when lightly touched. Allow to sit in pans for about 5 minutes before removing. Cool completely.

Whipped Chocolate Icing

6 oz. (6 squares) unsweetened chocolate
1/4 lb. (1 stick) butter
2 1/4 cups confectioners sugar
2 large eggs
3 TBS. hot water
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Melt the chocolate and butter in the top of a double boiler.

Place all the remaining ingredients in the small bowl of an electric mixer. Beat just to mix. Remove the bowl from the mixer and set it in a larger bowl filled with ice and water.

Add the melted chocolate and butter and beat until the mixture thickens slightly (an electric mixer is probably your easier route).

Use a rubber spatula and stir the icing until it thickens to the consistency of thick mayonnaise.

Old Fashioned Jumbo Lemon Wafers

Old Fashioned Jumbo Lemon Wafers
Source: Maida Heatter's Cookies (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 1997 ed.), pg. 79.

These lemon cookies are simple to make. The recipe calls for mace which is part of the outer shell of nutmeg. Michael says he doesn't like this flavor although I thought it was fine. Nutmeg can be substituted for mace or I suppose you can leave it out altogether if you are like him and don't like the taste.

I am always hesitant to use lemon extract because it is so powerful. I made a cake one time and lemon extract ruined it. This calls for 1/2 tsp. I confess I used slightly less than that amount. The cookies were wonderfully lemony but I would not have minded had they been a bit stronger. Therefore, I think the 1/2 tsp. should be fine. 

These are fragile cookies and they don't travel well.

(Makes about 14 large cookies)

1 1/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. mace (or you can substitute nutmeg)
6 oz. (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter (softened)
1/2 tsp. lemon extract
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 egg plus 1 egg yolk
Finely grated rind of 2 or 3 lemons
Crystal sugar or additional sugar (to sprinkle on tops)

Preheat oven to 350. Line cookie sheets with parchment, foil or silicone sheets.

Sift together flour, salt, baking powder, mace and set aside.

Cream the butter in a mixing bowl and add the lemon extract.

 

Add the sugar and beat for 2-3 minutes.

 

Add the egg and the egg yolk and beat for additional 2-3 minutes.

 

On low speed, add the sifted dry ingredients.

Remove the bowl from the mixer stand and add the lemon zest.

The dough will be very thin. Use a tablespoon scoop to place 5 or 6 spots of dough on the cookie sheet (the cookies will need room to spread during baking). Use a wet spoon to press down on the dough to spread it out a little - they should be about 3/4 inch thick. Sprinkle the tops with sugar.

Bake for about 10 minutes. When the cookies are done, they will be slightly brown around the edges and be semi-firm to the touch. Do not underbake.

Store the cookies airtight.

St. Louis Chocolate Layer Cake

St. Louis Chocolate Layer Cake
Source: Maida Heatter's Book of Great Chocolate Desserts (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 2006 ed.), pg. 52.

This is a light devil's food cake with the most delicious old-fashioned marshmallow icing. I took part of this cake to work where it got many rave compliments. This cake cannot be froze after it has been iced. A great cake for a special occasion! 

If you are using a stand mixer and have two bowls, that will save you time since you will need to beat the egg whites in a clean bowl. I always put the bowl I will use for beating egg whites in the freezer along with the whisk attachment while I'm preparing the first part of the cake. Then I retrieve the bowl from the freezer when I get to the egg whites preparation. The cold bowl and whisk make them whip easier. 

The icing may sound scary to make but it is actually not too difficult if you follow the instructions exactly. In the book, the recipe for the icing is almost an entire page and looks quite intimidating. I have condensed it quite a bit but still included all the crucial steps. It is advisable to have everything ready and at your fingertips. You will need a candy thermometer.

Cake

1 3/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/8 tsp. salt
2 oz. (2 squares) unsweetened chocolate
1/3 cup water
6 oz. (1 1/2 sticks) butter
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs, separated
3/4 cup milk

Preheat oven to 375. Butter 2 9-inch round layer cake pans and dust with flour. Set aside.

Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. 

Place the chocolate squares and water in a small saucepan over low heat until the mixture has melted. Set aside to cool slightly.

 

In a mixing bowl, cream the butter. Add the sugar and mix well.

 

Add the egg yolks and beat until well mixed. Scrape the bowl as necessary.

Add the chocolate and mix well.

On low speed, add the sifted dry ingredients...

alternating with the milk in two additions. Mix well and set aside.

In a clean mixing bowl, beat the egg whites until they hold a firm shape but are not dry.

Fold the egg whites into the chocolate mixture.

Divide the batter between the two prepared pans. Smooth the tops. Bake for 15-25 minutes, depending on your oven temperature. The cakes are done when they barely spring back after being lightly pressed with your fingertip. Do not overbake.

Let the layers cool for about 15 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Marshmallow Icing

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2/3 tsp. cream of tartar
2/3 cup water
1/8 tsp. salt
2/3 cup egg whites (from 4-5 eggs)
1 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract

Place the sugar, cream of tartar and water in a saucepan capable of holding 6 cups (so that the candy thermometer will reach the mixture). Stir with a wooden spoon until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture starts to boil. Cover and let boil for 3 minutes.

Uncover and insert the candy thermometer. Adjust the heat to high and let the mixture boil without stirring until it reaches 242 degrees.

Shortly before it reaches the required temperature, add the salt to the egg whites and beat them until they are stiff.

When the syrup is ready, increase the speed of the mixer to high and add the syrup to the egg whites in a steady stream.

Continue beating the egg whites about 4-5 minutes until the icing is thick and stiff. Mix in the vanilla.

It is okay to start using the icing while it is still warm (the cake, of course, should be fully cooled). To avoid a mess, place pieces of parchment paper underneath the cake layer and pull them out after the entire cake has been iced. Spread 1/3 to 1/2 inch thick between the layers.

Top with the remaining layer and finish icing the sides and top. You can form the icing into swirls and high peaks, it will stay in place nicely. You can also use a pastry bag.

Yum

Indian River Sweet Orange Bread

Indian River Sweet Orange Bread
Source: Maida Heatter's Book of Great Desserts (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 1999 ed.), pg. 134.

This is a delicately flavored orange bread that can be eaten as is or it can be toasted and served with butter, cream cheese or honey butter. My oranges didn't make quite enough juice that the recipe called for so the flavor was not as intense as I like it. You have the option of adding raisins or nuts (or both). I added raisins to one of the loaves and left the other one plain. 

I have always loved the combination of chocolate and orange and wondered afterward if adding chocolate chips might be good. I may try that the next time.

I froze one of the loaves for later. When I do serve it, I'm going to whip up a orange glaze to go over it.

If you like this, you might also be interested in the Texan Orange Cake and the Spanish Orange Cake.

4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 TBS. plus 1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
3 large oranges (to yield 1 1/3 cups juice)
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/3 cup water
3 TBS. butter
3 eggs, slightly beaten
Optional: Walnuts or pecans and/or currants or raisins

Adjust oven rack to 1/3 from the bottom. Preheat oven to 350. Butter (or spray) 2 loaf pans, 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 2 1/2 inches and coat with fine, dry bread crumbs.

Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a large mixing bowl and set aside.

Zest the oranges and squeeze the juice (you need 1 1/3 cups of juice). Set aside.

Place the orange zest, sugar and water into a large saucepan. Stir over high heat until the sugar is dissolved and it comes to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and boil for 5 minutes.

 

Remove the pan from the heat and add the butter. Stir until the butter has melted.

Add the orange juice and the eggs and stir.

Pour the orange juice mixture over the dry ingredients.

Stir until the dry ingredients are moistened.*

Pour the batter evenly into the 2 pans and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour (until
cake tester comes out dry).

Cool in the pans for about 10 minutes, then remove the cakes to a cooling rack to cool completely.

* 1/2 cup of nuts or raisins may be added to the batter if desired. You can always have one cake with raisin and the other with nuts or whatever you prefer.

Banana Nut Cake

Banana Nut Cake
Source: Maida Heatter's Book of Great Desserts (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 1999 ed.), pg. 100.

It has been about 3 weeks since my last post and I've been itching to get baking. After 20 years, we replaced all of our kitchen appliances and this is the first Maida recipe I have made in our new oven. I've talked in detail in the past about Maida's recipes getting done much quicker than the time she notes in her recipes. I was anxious to see if this new oven was any different. Well, this recipe indicates at least 1 hour and the cake was done for me in about 52 minutes. So, I will continue to take her baking times with a grain of salt and set my timer 10-15 minutes ahead of the time she instructs.  I don't know - maybe ovens are just hotter now than they were in the 70s when she wrote her books.

We had some overly ripe bananas so I decided to make the Banana Cut Cake. It tastes just like banana bread that is made in loaves. It is simple to make and very delicious.

2 cups (7 oz.) pecan halves or large pieces
2 1/2 cups sifted all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
3 large or 4 small bananas (to make 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 cups mashed)
1/4 lb. (1 stick) butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 eggs
1/4 cup buttermilk

Adjust oven rack 1/3 from the bottom. Preheat to 375. Butter a 9 x 3 1/2 tube pan and dust it lightly with fine, dry bread crumbs.

Toss the nuts with 1 TBS. of the flour to coat them thoroughly. Set aside. Sift remainder of the flour with baking soda and salt. Set aside.

Beat the bananas on low speed to mash. Set aside.

 

In a separate bowl but with the same beaters, cream the butter and add the vanilla and the sugar.

Add the eggs and beat for 1-2 minutes.

On lowest speed, add half of the dry ingredients...

alternating with the milk. Add the remaining dry ingredients.

Stir in the bananas and the nuts.

Turn the batter into the prepared pan.

Bake for 1 hour to 1 1/4 hours or until tester comes out dry (start checking after 50 minutes).