Russian Apple Cake from Molly Whitcomb

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This is a delicious yet wonderfully simple recipe. It always succeeds. I got the basics of the recipe in a Russian cookbook. But the title was Moscow apple cake. I know I’ve tweeked the recipe, but I’m not sure how. I saw a recipe from Volgograd that was very close to mine. The difference was no salt, cinnamon, or lemon. The lemon is my addition, for just incase your apples aren't tart.

3 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 cup flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
juice of 1/2 of small lemon, optional
2 to 3 apples, peeled, cored, and diced/sliced

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Grease and flour a flat bundt pan, with spring-form edge.
Put the eggs, sugar, flour, salt, soda and cinnamon into an electric mixing bowl and beat until light in color.
Peel and cored and quarter the apples.
Take each quarter, cut in half the long way, and slice the short way.
Toss apple slices in lemon juice if desired for tartness.
Fold apples into the batter and spoon mixture into the pan.
Bake for 45 to 60 minutes. This depends on how much apples you have used and how wide your pan is. The cake should spring back when touched if it is done.
Serve with sweetened whipped cream.

Gramma's Cottage Cheese Pancakes from Molly Whitcomb

I title these Gramma's because it's my girls who love these pancakes. I don't know if I've ever eaten them, as cottage cheese is never in my house. The girls loves staying over at Gramma's and having her make these for them at breakfast. One day recently, when poking around Mom's kitchen looking for something, I noticed that she had three recipe cards in the cupboard. This was one of the recipes I found.

Combine in a blender:
... 1 cup cottage cheese
... 4 eggs
... 1/2 cup flour
... 1/4 cup oil
... 1/3 cup milk
... 1/2 tsp vanilla

Cook as for pancakes or waffles. Also makes wonderful crepes.

Molasses Crinkles from Molly Whitcomb

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This recipe could be found on the Brer’ Rabbit molasses bottle. It can also be found in the I Hate to Cook Book as The Elevator Lady’s Cookies. Except I use butter. I LOVE these cookies.

¾ cup butter

1 cup sugar

1 egg

¼ cup molasses

2 cups flour

2 tsp baking soda

¼ tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

¾ tsp powdered cloves

¾ tsp powdered ginger

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.
Cream together butter and sugar.
Add the egg and then the molasses. It will look a bit curdles, but it's okay.
Combine the dry ingredients and add to the creamed mixture.
Put about 1/3 cup sugar into a flat dish and using a small scoop, drop into the sugar dish, about six at a time. Toss the dough balls in sugar and roll.
Place on cookie sheet and bake for about 9 to 11 minutes. Place on wrack to cool.

This recipe is also found, with a bit of variance in the Betty Crocker Cookbook. They used 1/4 cup more flour and brown sugar and a slightly different configuration of spices.

note: Martha Stewart has a cookie a lot like this. The difference is that she uses 1/2 tsp less baking soda, adds 1/2 tsp nutmeg instead of the ginger and clove, and 1/4 tsp more salt. She also bakes them for 10 to 15 minutes at 350, instead of 9 to 11 minutes at 375. All together that's not much difference. Her name for the cookie is "chewy molasses-spice cookies".

Grateful Pudding with Lemon Sauce from Molly Whitcomb

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This has become a very traditional Thanksgiving dessert at our house. It's a steamed pudding, and very easy to make.

1/2 cup sultanas
1/4 cup brandy
12 ounces white bread, bottom crusts removed, cut into 1/2 inch squares
2 cups light cream or whole milk
1 tsp vanilla
4 eggs
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp nutmeg or mace or any spice you like

Soak the raisins in the brandy overnight or for several hours.

Butter and sprinkle with sugar a 2 quart covered metal pudding mold, including the inside of the lid. I put a bunch of sugar into the mold, secure the buttered lid, and then shake and shake. This covers everything nicely.
Layer the bread alternately with the plumped sultanas in the mold, ending with the bread.

Beat the eggs with the sugar until light. Gradually pour in the cream. Add the nutmeg. Pour over the bread. This can now be stored in the refrigerator over night if you like. Or left to sit out on the table for an hour or two to soak and come to room temperature.

Secure the lid and place the mold on a rack in a covered kettle with enough water to come two thirds up the side of the mold. Steam the pudding for 1 hour over gently simmering water. I have also put it in the top of Nigella's big pot, with the water in the bottom, not actually touching the pudding mold. This worked quite nicely. It's all about steaming the pudding.

Lemon Sauce

3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 Tbl cornflour
1 cups hot water
1/4 cup butter
juice and zest of two tiny lemons

Combine the sugar and cornflour in a saucepan. Add the hot water and bring slowly to a boil. Add the butter, lemon juice, and zest and continue cooking until smooth, just a bit longer.

To serve, unmold the warm pudding onto a serving plate and serve with a bowl of lemon sauce that has been slightly heated.

Mom’s Special Rolled Cookies from Molly Whitcomb

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This recipe was originally a winner in the Pillsbury Bake-Off some time in the late 50s or early 60s. I’m not sure what exactly the first recipe was like, but then my Mom is not known for tweeking recipes.

These are just about my favourite cookies. The only cookies that might beat it out for first are the macaroons at Ladurree in Paris. But what could compete with that?

1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon orange zest
1/4 cup orange juice
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg (new addition to the recipe)

glaze:
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup strong coffee
1/4 cup honey

ground almonds

Cream the butter and sugar. Add the zest and orange juice. Combine the dry ingredients and add to the creamed mixture. Divide the dough into about 3 blobs and wrap each with plastic wrap and form into flattened discs and chill for about an hour.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Make the glaze by heating all the ingredients in a small sauce pan until the sugar melts. Roll out the dough to about 1/6 inch and cut with a cookie cutter. A crescent or moon is a very nice choice. Bake for about 7 minutes, until just golden brown. While the cookies are still warm, brush on the glaze and then liberally sprinkle on the almonds. Let the cookies cool and set.

You need to keep an eye on the baking cookies, as they can burn quickly, being so thin. Also, to apply the almonds I often just take the glazed cookie and turn it upside down on the dish of almonds to get a nice coating. Once the cookies are glazed, almonded, and cooled, they are sturdier.

Chantilly Chocolate Tart from Molly Whitcomb

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This is a really yummy tart, and when I make it everyone eats it right up and I hardly get any. I think I should also make a little one and hide it, just for myself.

crust:
1 cup flour
1/4 tsp salt
6 Tbls butter
1 1/2 Tbls shortening
2 Tbls iced water

In a sturdy mixing bowl or in a food processor combine the flour and salt.
Cut in the butter and shortening until it looks like coarse cornmeal,
Blend in the ice water thuroughly but not to the point of looking doughy. It should still look like flour.
If using the food processor, dump the mixture into a bowl.
Smush the dough to for a solid mass.
Form into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap, flatten to a disc, and chill in refrigerator for 15 minutes or so.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Roll out the dough and place in a 8 or 9 inch tart dish.
Tuck in the extra bits, leaving a bit sticking up above the dish, and crimp.
The reason for leaving the dough a bit above the dish is because when you blind bake the shell it will shrink a bit.
Bake for about 13-15 minutes, till gently browned.
Let cool.

Filling:
50 grams of bittersweet chocolate (this is not an exact science, a little more or a little less is okay)
2/3 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornflour
pinch of salt
1 2/3 cups milk, any kind you like (rich milk is nice)
3 egg yolks
1/2 tsp vanilla

In a saucepan (copper is great) combine the sugar, cornflour, and salt and give it a good stir to combine.
Chop up the chocolate and add to pan.
Stir in the milk and cook on medium heat until the mixture comes to a boil, stirring all the while, as you don't want the milk to be stuck on the bottom of the pan.
Remove from heat and use a bit of the mixture to temper the egg yolks.
Return to heat and quickly stir in the yolks and bring back to a boil. This should take no time at all.
Turn off the heat and stir in the vanilla and pour into the prebaked tart shell.
Instead of vanilla one could stir in a bit of brandy or cointreau or ......
Let cool down a bit, and then chill in fridge. You can cover with plastic wrap or waxed paper if you like.

To serve:

Whip up 1 cup whipping cream and 1 Tbls sugar until a lovely stiffness, but not butter.
Stir in a little vanilla, and then spread cream over the cooled tart.

Chocolate Roulade from Molly Whitcomb

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I got this recipe from a friend in Hong Kong, Chris Duggan. Her family went to our church, St. Andrews, and we went to a Bible study at their house. Brian, her husband, was an engineering professor at the University of Hong Kong. They were from Birmingham England. She is an excellent British cook. This recipe is not like any other chocolate roulade I've seen. I've made it as our buche de Noel for years. I once made one five feet long for a co-workers 50th birthday.

Cake
6 eggs, separated
1/4 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup sugar
2 ounces cocoa

Filling
4 ounces chocolate, like chocolate chips or bar
2 tablespoons liquid, like brandy

2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Find a jelly roll pan, they seem to come in all sizes.
Grease the pan a little, then put in a piece of parchment paper that comes up over the edges of the pan.
Grease the paper lightly.

Beat the egg yolks and the sugar and vanilla until very light yellow.
Add the vanilla and the cocoa. This will make a rather stiff mixture.
Beat egg whites until stiff, but not too stiff.
Dump the egg whites into the bowl with the yolks and fold the two together.

Spread the batter into the pan, and bake for about 20 minutes. Because pans differ, time differs.
Not long after taking the cake out of the oven, lift up the cake by the paper onto a cooling rack. When the cake is sufficiently cooled sprinkle granulated sugar onto the cake (not too much) and then place a tea towel over the cake and carefully flip the cake over. The gently peel off the parchment paper. The cake can rest for a while like this.

Assembling the cake

Whip the cream and the sugar until nice and stiff, but not so stiff it's almost butter.
Put the chocolate and the liquid into a glass dish and put into the microwave for a little while, not long. You can sneak up on it. Don't get the chocolate too hot as it can solidify. Stir up the chocolate mixture until smooth and using the back of the spoon, spread the melted chocolate over the cake.
Using a frosting spatula spread some, but not all, of the cream over the chocolate. Then, using the tea towel as a help, roll up the cake and carefully get it onto a platter. Don't worry about any cracks, as the whipped cream will cover them. Put on the rest of the cream. I like to reserve some of the cream so that I can pipe it on the cake, like around the ends and along the sides.

For a special decoration I like to add chocolate leaves on the top. You melt up a handful of chocolate chips with a dab of shortening. Then get come camellia leaves, wash and dry them, and gently apply some chocolate to the bottom of the leaf, using the back of a small spoon. Place the leaves on a small plate and put into the freezer for about 15 minutes. Then carefully remove the leaves and place on the cake. Be as artistic as you like.

Emily's Chocolate Baby Cake with cherries and pecans

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I got a pan for Emily at Williams and Sonoma, 7" round by 2". Stuck to the pan was a recipe just the right size for the pan. We modified the recipe a bit, and it turned out to be a really nice cake.


5 ounces flour (140 gr)
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup Dutch cocoa (30 gr)

1 stick butter
1 cup of sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla

2/3 cup water

1/3 cup dried cherries
1/3 cup pecans
1 Tbl flour

or instead of cherries and pecans add 2 ounces of finely ground almonds and a bit of vanilla essence.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
Grease and flour the pan.
In a medium mixing bowl combine the first 4 ingredients.
Cream the butter and sugar, then add in the egg and vanilla.
Combing the wet and dry ingredients alternately with the water.
Mix well, but don't beat to death or you will expend the baking soda.
On a chopping board stir together the cherries, nuts, and 2 Tbls flour and chop up with a big knife. Add to the cake batter, and pour into the cake pan.
Bake for 45 minutes.
Cool for a bit and turn out onto a cooling rack.


Icing:

1 1/2 cups icing sugar
1/2 stick of butter - 2 ounces, room temperature
2 teaspoons kirsch or brandy or any thing you like
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
milk, needed only if the icing is not spreadable enough.

Put the icing sugar and butter and brandy and vanilla into a smallish mixing bowl and beat for about 2-3 minutes with a hand mixer, add the milk to get the consistency you want - spreadable.

Assembly: Cut the cooled cake in half. Place the bottom half on a cake plate and cover with icing. Put on the top layer and cover it with icing. Do not ice the sides. Save any left-over icing for graham crackers.

Sarah's Black Bean Salsa from Molly Whitcomb

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This is made by my daughter Sarah, and there's no exact quantities, but any good approximation is really really yummy. I can eat this until someone puts it away.

1 - 2 can of black beans
frozen corn
diced tomatoes, at least 2 big tomatoes
red onion, finely diced
avocado, diced
jalapeno, finely diced, 1 should do
cilantro, chopped up
lime juice, 1 or 2 limes
olive oil, just a little bit

Put the black beans and the frozen corn into a strainer and run warm water over them. This is to rinse the beans and help thaw the corn. Put into an appropriate sized bowl and add the remaining ingredients and mix gently. You've noticed that there are almost no quantities given. Sarah doesn't have any. She just puts these things together and there you have it. Serve just as it is, or with chips of any kind.

This type of recipe is very popular on the Food Network. Paula Deen, Emeril Legasse, and Rachael Ray all have a good looking recipe for this. And I saw a recipe that used mango, and that sounded pretty darn good also.

Poached Egg on Toast with Hot Milk from Molly Whitcomb

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This is one a my favorite breakfasts. When I was a child I only got this for breakfast when I was sick. Somehow it seems my mother thought a sick child should eat an egg. I remember once, when I was maybe in the first grade I told my mother that I was sick. She said I could stay home, but I would have to eat a fried egg. I went to school. It was winter, and I had to walk about a mile, but nothing was going to get me to eat a fried egg. Maybe that was my mother's way of seeing if we were really sick. But the poached egg was another thing all-together. Later that year, not much later, I got the chicken pox. I stayed home quite a while, and I got poached egg on toast with hot milk. I remember it was still very cold outside when I was finally well enough to go back to school. I had been given a present of a big new box of crayons and I was taking it to school. On the way I went through a woods on a hill and I fell and my crayons went all over the place, but I bet I made sure I found everyone of them before continuing on my way. I loved crayons - I still do.

1 egg
2/3 cup milk
1 buttered piece of toast (I like wheatberry best)
a pinch of salt
a dash of pepper

Put the milk in a small pan and start heating it up.
Make the toast and put it into a soup plate.
When the milk is getting visibly warm add the egg and salt and pepper.

Continue heating and when it gets foamy put a lid on it.
At this point you need to keep a careful watch on the pot, as the milk can boil over at the drop of a hat. If this should happen, add a bit more milk to replace what is now all over the stove, and a bit more salt and pepper.
When the egg is done to your likeness, turn off the heat, and using a pan cake turner, put the egg on the toast.
Then pour the milk over it and enjoy.

Banana Tea Cakes from Molly Whitcomb

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7 ounces flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
a grating nutmeg
1 stick butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1/4 tsp almond extract
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
little bit of rum and/or whiskey,
at least a tablespoon or two
2 ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 cup sour cream or plain yogurt or buttermilk,
or any combination thereof
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
1/2 cup dried fruit (I used sultanas, currents, and cherries)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Grease and paper two 5 1/5 inch x 2 inch cake pans.
Combine the flour, soda, salt, and nutmeg.
Cream the butter and sugar.
Then mix in the egg, beating very thoroughly.
Mix in the extracts and alcohol.
Mash the bananas in a small bowl and mix into the creamed mixture.
Add the sour cream or yogurt or buttermilk (or any combination there of) to the creamed mixture and stir well.
Mix in the dry ingredients.
Stir in the nuts and dried fruit.
Pour into the pans and bake until done, this was maybe 50 minutes.
Note: If you want to use a single pan use an 8 inch x 2 1/2 inch pan.
Or put the batter into a normal sized bundt pan.
Just cook it until it's done, having a tooth pick come out clean.

The Perfect Chocolate Cake from Molly Whitcomb

I came across this cake at a friend’s house. She did not make it exactly the way I do, but I knew at the time that it was a great cake. It’s an often requested birthday cake, and I made for my oldest daughter’s wedding, as the second cake. Actually I asked a friend to make the layers for me. She is from Denmark. The other friend that I asked to help with the baking is French. My third friend who I consider to be a fabulous baker is German. And my very dear friend from England can make excellent pies. I do not have so may American friends who I consider to be good cooks. But there are two, Lynn Goodwin and Sue (who got remarried and I don’t know her last name). One of them gave me this recipe. I honestly don’t know which one. (I've since learned that it was Lynn who gave me the recipe)

It’s a classic american recipe and has been around a long time. Except all the other recipes put the whipped cream inside, and the butter cream on the outside. I’ve never wanted to do that. I think that the whipped cream would squish out.



Cake:

1 cup cocoa, best quality (80 gr)
2 cups boiling water

2 1/2 cups flour (11 oz)
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder

1 cup of butter
2 1/2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla

Whipped Cream Frosting:

1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons sugar
 
Chocolate Butter Cream:

1 cup butter
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 oz semi-sweet chocolate

2 1/2 cups icing sugar (10 oz)


Cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease, paper, grease and flour three 9 inch round cake pans. Stir together the cocoa and boiling water. Set aside to cool. Sift together the flour, baking soda, salt and baking powder, set aside.


In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Add the dry ingredients alternately with the cooled cocoa mixture. Mix only until combined. Divide evenly between the three prepared pans, and spread the batter out flat.


Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean, and the cake pulls away from the sides of the pan. Cool cakes on a wire rack.


Chocolate Butter Cream: In a microwavable bowl, put the semi-sweet chocolate, butter and cream, and place in microwave for about 2 minutes. After taking out of microwave stir until everything looks melted and well mixed. If not so, put back in microwave for a little bit. When well mixed, add to the icing sugar in an electric mixing bowl and continue to whip until very smooth. It will be runny looking. Just leave the beaters in the mixture, cover with plastic wrap and put into the refrigerator or freezer until very solid, but not frozen.

When ready to assemble the cake, put the filling back in the mixer and with a good grip on the bowl, whip until very smooth and spreadable. The mixture will turn from dark brown, to a very pale brown.

I put the butter cream mixture between the layers of the cake and the put a very light coating all over the cake and put the cake into the refrigerator until ready to be served. There will probably be left-over butter cream. It is very good between graham crackers.


Whipped Cream Frosting: Put the whipping cream into an electric mixing bowl, add the beaters and put into the freezer for about 15 minutes. Remove from freezer and beat, adding the vanilla and sugar. Make the cream stiff, but not butter.

Get the cake out of the refrigerator and put most of the cream all over the cake, reserving some for piping however you please. Et Voila!