Category: CAKES & PIES

GRANDMA’S STREUSEL COFFEECAKE
2 + 1/3 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 + 1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 + 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 + 2/3 cups sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon grated orange peel
6 + 6 tablespoons butter, room temperature
2 JUMBO eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vinegar
1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts
2 cups blueberries

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Sift together the 2 cups flour, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 2/3 cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, nutmeg and orange peel in a large mixing bowl.
• Whisk together the eggs, 6 tablespoons butter, buttermilk and vanilla.
• Gently fold in the blueberries.
• Pour liquid mix into flour mixture and beat until smooth with a hand mixer.
• Pour into a prepared 9×9 pan.
• In a small food processor process all the remaining ingredients except the walnuts until smooth.
• Using your hands form small flat pancakes with the mixture and scatter over cake batter until well covered.
• Poke a few holes down into the cake for the streusel to run into or run a knife through creating a swirl.
• Scatter walnuts evenly over top.
• Bake 1 hour.
• Serve warm with a dab of butter melting on top of each piece.

CAKE:

• Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. 
• Mix together the cake mix and pudding mix. 
• Add the oil and milk, beat well.
• Add eggs one at a time beating well after each addition. Beat until smooth. 
• Pour into a well greased 9×13 baker. 
• Bake 45-60 minutes (or until center springs back). 
• While cake is baking mix together the pineapple and sugar on top of stove until sugar has dissolved. Bring to a boil and let cool slightly. 
• While cake is still hot, punch holes in cake with a large round chopstick and pour hot pineapple mixture over cake. 
• Let cool.

• Beat cream cheese and butter until smooth. 
• Add lemon juice. 
• Add powdered sugar gradually and beat until creamy. 
• Spread over cooled cake. 
• Refrigerate to set frosting.

*Also good with white or butter cake
**DO NOT USE sugar free!

• Butter a 9-inch springform pan—choose one that has high sides. Mine is square.
• Stir the crumbs, sugar and salt together in a medium bowl. Pour over the melted butter and stir until all of the dry ingredients are uniformly moist.
• Turn the ingredients into the buttered springform pan and use your fingers to pat an even layer of crumbs along the bottom of the pan and about halfway up the sides. Don’t worry if the sides are not perfectly even or if the crumbs reach above or below the midway mark on the sides.
• Center a rack in the oven, preheat the oven to 350°F and place the springform on a baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes.
• Set the crust aside to cool on a rack while you make the cheesecake.
• Reduce the oven temperature to 325°F.

• Working in a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the cream cheese at medium speed until it is soft and truly creamy, about 5 minutes.
• With the mixer running, add the sugar and salt and continue to beat another 4 minutes or so, until the cream cheese is light. Beat in the vanilla and blackberry extract.
• Add the eggs one by one, beating for a full minute after each addition. Reduce the mixer speed to low and stir in the sour cream and/or heavy cream.
• Give the batter a few stirs with a rubber spatula, just to make sure that nothing has been left unmixed at the bottom of the bowl, and scrape the batter into the springform pan.
• Bake the cheesecake for 1 hour and 30 minutes, at which point the top will be browned (and perhaps cracked) and may have risen just a little above the rim of the pan. Turn off the oven’s heat and open the door a crack.
• Allow the cheesecake to sit for another hour.
• After 1 hour, carefully remove from the oven and leet the cheesecake come to room temperature on a cooling rack.
• Run a knife around the edge of the pan to loosen sides.
• When the cake is cool, cover the top lightly and chill the cake for at least 6-8 hours, although overnight would be better.

• Remove springform sides. The easiest way to cut cheesecake is to use a long, thin knife that has been run under hot water and lightly wiped. Keep warming the knife as you cut slices of the cake.

• Wrapped well, the cake will keep for up to 1 week in the refrigerator or for up to 2 months in the freezer. It’s best to defrost the still-wrapped cheesecake overnight in the refrigerator.

When I was a little girl Boston Cream Pie was my FAVORITE Sunday dinner dessert and my grandma made it for me regularly until I was about 10 years old and then Sunday dinners as we knew them stopped on a regular basis. Since then I have craved Boston Cream Pie on a regular basis and finally have resurrected her recipe.

According to about.com, Boston Cream Pie is “Not a pie, but not your average cake, Boston Cream Pie is one of the city’s signature recipes. A descendant of pudding-cake pie, the Boston cream pie is considered to be the creation of French chef Sanzian of the Parker House Hotel (now the Omni Parker House). In 1996 the Boston Cream Pie was named the official dessert of Massachusetts.”

CAKE

• 1 cup sugar
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 JUMBO egg
• 1 1/4 cup cake flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup whole milk

CUSTARD***

• 1/3 cup sugar
• scant 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 1/2 cup whole milk
• 3 JUMBO egg yolks
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter

GLAZE

• 2 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 tablespoons hot water

CAKE

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour a 9 1/2-inch springform baking pan. I use a square one to make pieces easier to cut.
• Combine the butter, sugar, and vanilla in a bowl. Cream together using an electric mixer until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating thoroughly after each one.
• In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, cream of tartar and salt. Combine with the creamed mixture and add the milk.
• Pour batter into the prepared pan*. Bake in the middle of the oven for 50 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove from oven and let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack.

• Combine the cornstarch, sugar, milk, eggs, cream, vanilla extract, and salt in a saucepan. Whisk until smooth.
• Bring the custard to a boil over moderate heat, whisking constantly. Continuing to whisk, let the custard boil for two minutes.
• Remove from heat, and whisk in the butter. Set custard aside to cool, continuing to whisk occasionally.

• In a double boiler, melt together the chocolate and butter until smooth. remove from heat and stir in powdered sugar and vanilla. Stir in hot water 1 teaspoon at a time until desired consistency.

• Remove the cake from the pan and cut it in half horizontally with a long serrated knife.
• Place one half of the cake on a plate with the cut side facing up. Top with custard.
• Place the other half of the cake on top, with the cut side down.
• Coat the top of the cake with glaze allowing it to drip down the sides.
• *I like to use my square spring form pan for a couple of reasons; it make cutting pieces a lot easier since the slices when it is cut as a pie tend to try and fall over and my serving plate is rectangular in shape.
• ***The traditional custard substitutes in this recipe for a pineapple custard which is what we like to do.
  

Cheesecake Factory inspired Pineapple Upside-Down with CARAMEL SAUCE

3 tablespoons maraschino cherry juice

2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
6 tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup butter, softened, plus 1/2 cup, melted
2 1/4 cups sugar
5 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 tablespoons Malibu coconut or pineapple rum
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
1 1/2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
Two 20-ounce cans pineapple slices in juice, drained well

Cheesecake Factory Pineapple Upside-Down Cheesecake Recipe

• Make the cheesecake filling as directed below.
• Pour batter into the springform pan and slowly drizzle maraschino cherry juice on top; Use a knife to swirl cherry juice into the batter.
• Cook the cheesecake according to the directions outlined in the original recipe.
• Cover and place in the refrigerator to cool for 4 hours so.

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit; Spray two 9-inch round cake pans with nonstick cooking spray and cover with flour.
• In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat the softened butter until creamy. Gradually add sugar and beat until fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, and beat well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla and rum and set aside.
• Combine flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt. Add the flour mixture into the egg mixture alternately with the buttermilk.
• Place ¾ cup brown sugar into each pan. Pour ¼ cup melted butter over the brown sugar. Arrange the pineapple slices over the brown sugar.
• Pour equal amounts of batter over the pineapple and bake for about 40-45 minutes. The cakes are done when a toothpick inserted in center of the cakes comes out clean. #Remove cakes from the oven and allow them to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Invert the cakes onto wire racks to cool completely.

• Place one layer of pineapple upside-down cake on a serving platter.
• Carefully place the cheesecake layer on top of the pineapple upside-down cake and top with the second pineapple upside-down cake layer.
• Cut cheesecake into slices and serve garnished with fresh whipped cream.

Original Cheesecake Factory Cheesecake Ingredients

• Heat the oven to 475 degrees
• Set a large shallow pan or skillet filled with 1/2-inch of water into the oven. The cheesecake pan should be able to fit inside easily.
• In a large bowl, mix the graham crackers, nuts, and cinnamon.
• Slowly pour in the butter. Mix with hands to distribute butter evenly.
• Wrap aluminum foil around the bottom of a greased, 9-inch springform pan (to prevent leakage from the water bath).
• In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese with an electric mixer on low speed.
• Gradually beat in the sugar, eggs, sour cream, flour, vanilla and lemon juice.
• When mixture is blended, pour it into the springform pan.
• Place the cheesecake pan into the water bath in the oven. 

1/2 cup heavy cream
4 tablespoons butter, softened
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
3/4 cup sugar
2+ tablespoons water

• Combine the cream and butter in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer, stirring frequently to prevent scorching. Remove from the heat.
• In a medium saucepan cook the corn syrup over a medium heat until bubbly. Fold in 1/4 cup of the sugar and continue to cook until the edges begin to turn a light amber color. Add in 1/4 cup sugar more and repeat until all the sugar is blended in. Continue cooking until amber color darkens stirring constantly.
• Remove from the heat and carefully fold in the cream mixture.
• Cook over medium heat stirring frequently until caramel is bubbling.
• Serve warm.
• Makes 1 1/2 cups. Refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.
• Microwave20-30 seconds to soften refrigerated caramel before serving.

ROCKY ROAD FLUFF CAKE **
1 package milk chocolate chips
4 eggs, separated
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 pint whipping cream
1/4 cup chopped pecans
3/4 cup marshmallows
1/2 cup Heath Bar pieces
1 angel food cake broken into bite sized pieces
optional ~ sliced strawberries added throughout
optional ~ serve with French vanilla ice cream

• Melt chocolate chips in the microwave 30 seconds at a time so they don’t burn. Cool slightly.
• Beat the egg yolks and add to chocolate mixture.
• Beat egg whites. Add sugar.
• Add egg white mixture to chocolate mixture also.
• Stir in vanilla and salt until well blended.
• Stir in nuts and Heath Bar pieces.
• Whip the cream until soft peaks form.
• Fold cream into chocolate mixture.
• Place a layer of angel food pieces on the bottom of the pan.
• Pour 1/3+ of chocolate mixture over top.
• Sprinkle marshmallows over top.
• Top with the rest of the angel food cake pieces.
• Pour remaining chocolate mixture over top.
• Chill overnight.
• Invert on a plate.
• Enjoy.

RUSTIC STRAWBERRY CREAM CHEESE PIE
1 package Pillsbury pie dough (or homemade if you have time)
2 eggs
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup sugar + 3-4 tablespoons
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 pound strawberries, cleaned and sliced
whipped cream

• In a medium mixing bowl sprinkle 3-4 tablespoons of sugar over sliced strawberries and toss. Set aside.
• Fit crust into pie plate, prick bottom in a couple places with fork tines and bake 5 minutes at 400 degrees.
• In a mixing bowl combine cream cheese, eggs, 3/4 cup sugar and vanilla. Beat until well blended.
• Pour into pie plate and bake cream cheese mixture 15 minutes until slightly thickened. You will need to lay a piece of foil over top for part of the time to prevent crust from burning.
• Spread over “pizza” rounds.
• Top with spoonfuls of strawberries.
• Add whipped cream and top with Caramel Sauce and Mocha Hot Fudge Sauce.
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