Christmas Fruitcake...

Fruitcake at Christmas time is an old holiday tradition. It's one of those foods that you either love or hate. Those who hate fruitcake can't imagine why anyone would want to eat it. Another holiday tradition is fruitcake jokes. Fruitcake bashers often refer to them as bricks or door stops.

But...People really do eat fruitcake! Some people ~ like me ~ REALLY love fruitcake. It's our passion and the highlight of the Christmas season.

While the practice of making cakes with dried fruits, honey and nuts may be traced back to ancient times, food historians generally agree that fruitcake ~ as we know it today ~ dates back to the Middle ages. Early versions of the rich fruit cake, such as Scottish Black Bun dating from the Middle Ages, were luxuries for special occasions. Fruitcakes have been used for celebrations ever since, in the early 18th century the bride cakes and plumb cakes, descended from these enriched bread recipes.

My love of fruitcake comes from my Scottish ancestors. For me, it's impossible to imagine a Christmas without fruitcake. Every year in late summer, my great- Aunt Lillian would make her Fruitcake using her great- grandmother's recipe, wrapped it in several layers of cheesecloth and safely stored them on the top shelf in the pantry -- beyond anyone’s reach. Weekly she would bring all of them down and pour a generous amount of her homemade peach brandy over them ~ letting it soak deeply into each cake.

Aunt Lillian loved her Christmas cakes; because they were fruit-filled, moist, and absolutely delicious. The first week of December, she would wrap them up and mail them out to all her relatives. It became a daily question when I got home from school, “Has the fruitcake arrived?”

So, throughout the holidays, whenever visitors came, they could never leave without first sampling a piece or two of Aunt Lillian’s fruitcake. Now you can use the same old-fashioned Christmas Fruitcake recipe to make your own delicious memories.


Dark Christmas Fruitcake

Ingredients:
4 cups raisins
1 cup candied cherries - halved
1 cup candied pineapple
1 cup diced candied mixed fruit
1 cup pecan halves
1 cup thinly sliced almonds
2 cups flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 cup brown sugar
6 eggs - separated
1 cup vegetable shortening
1½ teaspoon cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1½ teaspoon ground cloves
½ square unsweetened baking chocolate (melted)
¼ cup lemon juice
¼ cup orange juice

Preheat oven to 300 degree F.

Thoroughly grease a 4 x 10 -inch cake pan or 2 large loaf pans. Line the bottom and sides with aluminum foil. Lightly spray the foil with nonstick cooking spray; set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the fruit and nuts. Toss the mixture with 1 cup flour to coat. In a second bowl, sift the remaining flour with the baking soda and spices.

In a very large bowl, at medium speed, beat the shortening and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the melted chocolate & mix well. At low speed, alternately beat in the flour/spice mixture and the fruit juices.

In a separate bowl, with clean beaters, beat the egg whites until stiff. Fold the beaten egg whites into the batter. Add the fruit and nut mixture and stir in by hand until all the ingredients are well mixed. Turn the batter into the prepared pan (1 tube pan or 2 large loaf pans or 3 small loaf pans).

Bake in a preheated oven at 300 degree F – If using a tube cake pan for 2 hours and 20 minutes; or if you are using 2 large loaf pans for 1 hour and 45 minutes. Cool completely in the pan, on a wire rack. Remove the cooled cake from the pan and wrap it well in cheesecloth.

Make sure to make about two month before you plan to serve. That way, you can soak it in the brandy of your choice several times ~ allowing the brandy to penetrate through out the fruitcake.

Serves 12


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George’s notes:

• The Society for the Protection & Preservation of Fruitcake wants to defend this cake's reputation and make sure it's part of every Christmas season for generations of future fruit cake lovers.
• One of the classic phrases regarding the longevity of fruitcake was coined in 1983 by Russell Baker: "Fruitcake is forever."
• Another goes… "Thirty-four years ago, I inherited the family fruitcake. Fruitcake is the only food durable enough to become a family heirloom. It had been in my grandmother's possession since 1880, and she passed it to a niece in 1933."
• Here's a good one... "When my great- grandmother inherited it, it was already 86 years old, having been baked by her great-grandfather in 1794 as a Christmas gift for President George Washington. Washington, with his high-flown view of ethical standards for Government workers, sent it back with thanks, explaining that he thought it unseemly for Presidents to accept gifts weighing more than 80 pounds, even though they were only eight inches in diameter...There is no doubt...about the fruitcake's great age. Sawing into it six Christmas ago, I came across a fragment of a 1794 newspaper with an account of the lynching of a real-estate speculator in New York City."
• "Take the story of the travelling fruitcake, years on the road like the Flying Dutchman or the Man Without A Country. One family received it on some long ago Christmas from distant friends. On the following Christmas, they wrapped it in elaborate packaging and sent it back to the givers. On the next holiday, it returned. And so on and so on - the gift that keeps on giving." --- Let Them Eat Fruitcake, by Mary Lou Healy
• Just in case you were interested...The oldest fruitcake company in the United States is the Collin Street Bakery, Corsicana Texas [1896]

Red Velvet Cake...

Red Velvet Cake is a mellow chocolate cake with an intense red color. A white cream cheese icing is traditional, preferably applied with such care that when you cut it, the cake’s redness is a surprise.

A Southern specialty, the Red Velvet Cake owes its red color to history. Originally, its deep red color was thought to be due to a reaction between early varieties of cocoa and baking soda. But this reaction also gave the cake a soapy taste. Thereafter, cooks and bakers must have opted for food color or an edible red dye to get the effect. In the Southern states, where the Red Velvet Cake originated, it was made with cocoa and beet, hence the original red color effect. The contrasting white frosting completes the effect that has been related to the contrast between Good and Evil.

From the time I was old enough to speak my will, I would ask for a Red Velvet Cake for dessert. Why? Because it was the cake my mother always made at Christmas; thus I equated Red Velvet Cake with wrapped presents & toys ~ a little of the “evil wanting good”.

The recipe was first published in Mrs. Rorder's New Cook Book by Sarah Tyson Rorer, and found its way across magazines and cookbooks by 1913. The Waldorf Astoria Hotel has often been credited for developing this delicious dessert, but the venue hasn't provided enough proof to support its status as the world's first red velvet cake producer. Today, the hotel still serves a rich Red Velvet Cake that has many similarities to the original recipe. Here is a classic recipe used for at least four generation in my family. I hope you will give this recipe a try. Enjoy!

Classic Red Velvet Cake

Cake:
1½ cups sugar
½ cup shortening
2 eggs
2½ cups cake flour
1 cup butter milk
2 ounces red food coloring
2 tablespoons cocoa
1 teaspoon salt
1½ teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon soda
1 tablespoon vinegar

In a mixing bowl, cream sugar, shortening and eggs. Gradually stir in flour and buttermilk. Combine food coloring, cocoa, salt and vanilla. Stir into flour mixture. Dissolve soda in vinegar and stir into batter.
Pour batter into 3 greased layer pans. Bake at 350° F for 25 minutes. Cool on wire racks.

Cream Cheese Icing:
2 8-ounce packages cream cheese
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
½ cup butter
1¾ cups confectioners' sugar, sifted

In a large bowl, beat cheese, vanilla, butter and sugar; until light and fluffy. Spread icing between layers, on top and side of cake. Serve at room temperature.

Serves 12


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George’s notes:

• “It’s the Dolly Parton of cakes: a little bit tacky, but you love her,” said Angie Mosier, a food writer in Atlanta about the Classic Red Velvet Cake.
• In the 1989 film Steel Magnolias the groom's cake (another southern tradition) is a red velvet cake made in the shape of an armadillo.
• It has been told, that if a young lady sleeps with a slice of groom's cake under her pillow, she will supposedly dream of the man she will marry.
• In Canada a Red Velvet Cake was a signature dessert in the restaurants and bakeries of the Eaton’s department store chain in the 1940s and 1950s. Promoted as an "exclusive" Eaton's recipe, with employees who knew the recipe sworn to silence, many mistakenly believed the cake to be the invention of the department store matriarch, Lady Eaton.

Icebox Cake...

One of the simplest, most eye-catching desserts ever is for a delicious, not too sweet, 14-inch long icebox (that's a refrigerator for those born after WWII) cake made simply by sticking together thin chocolate wafers into a "roll" with lightly flavored whipped cream and frosting the roll with more of the delicious cream. Once chilled, the whipped cream firms up nicely and the wafers soften to look and taste like very thin cake layers. The cake is sliced at a 45-degree angle so that each serving resembles a piece of multi-layered cake.

I’m talking about the Famous Nabisco Chocolate Wafers Icebox Cake. It has got to be one of the easiest, simplistic recipes around. It’s the same luscious icebox cakes our grandmothers and mothers made back in the 50s and 60s. These dark chocolate wafers are crunchy; thin and tasty and appear to have not been changed over the years. The wafers continue to be the product of choice in recipes calling for a chocolate crumb crust.


Growing up, I was always attracted to the picture on the box of chocolate wafers, covered with whipped cream. It soon became my most requested dessert… and luckily, my mom’s, too.

Famous Chocolate Wafers are the chocolate wafers kids in my generation grew up with. They were delicious munched out of hand and good with a cold glass of milk when we burst through the door; home from a day at school.

If you have never tasted the icebox cake illustrated on the box of Famous Chocolate Wafers; you need to, for its simplistic taste is a real treat. I recently made this for a birthday dinner - and it was a tremendous hit. It's so easy to make, and in just a few hours ~ you have a delicious dessert!



Famous Chocolate Wafer Icebox Cake

3 cups heavy cream
5 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 boxes Nabisco Famous Chocolate Wafers

In a chilled metal bowl, whip the cream until very frothy; add sugar and vanilla, and continue whipping until fairly stiff peaks form. Spread one-half tablespoon whipped cream. Begin stacking wafers so they stand on edge on the platter to make a 14-inch log. Once finished stacking the wafers, neatly frost the log with remaining whipped cream.

Chill for four to six hours or overnight. Garnish with chocolate curls, chocolate sprinkles and slice at a 45-degree angle so each serving has zebra stripes.

Serves about 8-10

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George’s notes:

• If possible, make this cake on an aluminum pan or glass plate; that will help chill this cake to perfection.
• Sometimes these wafers can be hard to find. But, believe me they are worth the hunt.
• You can order Nabisco Famous Chocolate Wafers through Amazon.com, but I have never tried that method.

Ambrosia and Coconut Cake..

What is a Thanksgiving feast without that sweet treat after the meal? The most recognized Thanksgiving dessert is pumpkin pie, and while pies are certainly a hit around my families Thanksgiving table, there are several other kinds of traditional desserts that are always served mainly for the memories they bring to the meal. Here are just two of those long remembered recipes and possible ideas for your delicious Thanksgiving desserts.

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The first one is my mom’s white cake smothered in whipped topping and fresh coconut ~ a real treat for those with a sweet tooth.

Twomama's Coconut Cake

Ingredients:
Cake
2¼ cups cake flour, sifted
2½ teaspoons double-baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1½ cups sugar
½ cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
4 egg whites

Icing
2 cups sugar
2 cups sour cream
18-ounces frozen coconut, thawed, divided
1 cup heavy cream, sweetened and whipped

To make cake: Sift together the dry ingredients and set aside. In a mixing bowl, cream the sugar and butter until smooth and fluffy. Add the milk and vanilla gradually, blending well.

Gradually add the flour mixture to the batter, a little at a time, incorporating well after each addition. Continue stirring until batter is smooth.

In a small bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff pecks form. Fold them lightly into the batter. Pour batter into 2 greased and floured 9-inch cake pans.

Bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes, or until cake tester comes out clean. Cool for 15 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pans and cool completely.

To make the icing: In a large bowl, combine the sugar, 1 cup sour cream and half of the thawed coconut; set aside. In a large metal chilled metal bowl, whip heavy cream until soft pecks form. Add remaining sour cream and beat until smooth and thick. Fold in remaining coconut, but 1 cup for garnish.

To assemble: Using a bread knife, carefully cut the two 9-inch rounds in half. Place one half on a cake plate and spread half of the sugar/sour cream mixture on top. Repeat with two more layers. The last layer place on top and ice the entire cake, top and sides, with the heavy cream mixture.
Sprinkle with reserved coconut.

Refrigerate cake, covered, for at least 2 to 3 days before serving.

Serves 12

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Ambrosia refers to the food of the Gods in Greek mythology and this dessert lives up to its name. A delicious simple blend of flavors makes this a perfect dessert for holidays or any time of the year.

Here is the original recipe for Ambrosia from Mrs. S. R. Dull's cookbook Southern Cooking, circa 1928. This recipe called for coconut out of a real coconut. I can remember my mother cracking open whole coconut ~ holiday after holiday… once she even stabbed her hand opening the coconut, but that did not stop her making the ambrosia after returning from the emergency room with about 5 stitches in the palm of her hand. Now I use frozen coconut, but there is a difference. The Ambrosia is always served out of a crystal bowl and in champaign glasses.

Ambrosia


Ingredients:
6 oranges, peeled and chopped into ½ -inch pieces
1½ cups frozen coconut, thawed
¾ cup sugar

Mix all ingredients well. Refrigerate and let the flavors mingle for at least a day. Serves 4

This recipe is easy to multiply as needed, to serve your guest.

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George’s notes:

• The other day, Debby at A Feast for the Eyes featured Ida Garten’s coconut cake, which is also a delicious coconut cake.
• In previous post I have two wonderful pies for your Thanksgiving feast ~ Cranberry-Apple and Aunt Esther's Cranberry Pie.

Chocolate Cake...

Who doesn’t like chocolate cake? If you enjoy sweets you are sure to love this. Chances are some of you have either tried this recipe or make it on a regular basis. This is the legendary classic Hershey’s chocolate cake recipe. What I love about this cake is; that it has an amazing chocolate flavor, is easy to make and it’s always very moist. You can frost the cake with any of your favorite frostings; but here I have made a chocolate ganache to frost mine. Just to be aware, after I added the water I was a little worried because the batter seemed thin; but it baked up beautifully. This cake can either be made in two 9 -inch round cake pans or a 13×9 -inch pan. If you want to please your family and friends with an extremely delicious chocolate cake, give this recipe a try. Enjoy!



Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:
For the cake
1¾ cups flour
2 cups sugar
1½ teaspoons baking powder
1½ teaspoons baking soda
¾ cup Hershey's baking cocoa
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
½ cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
¾ cup boiling water

For Ganache frosting
1 pound fine-quality semisweet
1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
¼ cup unsalted butter

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F and grease two 9 -inch round baking pans. In a large bowl mix flour, sugar, cocoa, baking power, baking soda and salt. Add eggs, milk, vanilla extract, and oil. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water with a spatula or spoon. Evenly pour batter into both baking pans.

Bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to fully cool.


Ganache frosting:
Finely chop chocolate.
In a 1 ½ - to 2-quart saucepan bring cream, sugar, and corn syrup to a boil over moderately low heat, whisking until sugar is dissolved. Remove pan from heat and add chocolate, whisking until chocolate is melted. Cut butter into pieces and add to chocolate mixture, whisking until smooth.

Transfer frosting to a bowl and let it cool, stirring occasionally, until spreadable (depending on the type chocolate used, it may be necessary to chill frosting until it reaches a spreadable consistency). Spread frosting between cake layers and over top and sides.

Cake keeps ~ covered and chilled for 3 days. I suggest bringing the cake to room temperature before serving.

Serves 12 to 14