Maple Cinnamon Cookies

I love maple syrup. So, when I found this recipe in Mom's recipe box, I knew I had to try it. The cookies are very delicious. They remind MDS of his Grandma's snickerdoodle cookies, which is probably a result of the cinnamon. The cookies are soft and chewy. As a result of the maple syrup, the cookies are slightly sticky, so use wax paper between layers to keep them from sticking together.

This recipe is simple. The dough is made in advance, formed into a log and refrigerated. When you are ready to make the cookies, just slice the dough and brush with maple syrup. I had some extra syrup, so I brushed it on after the cookies came out of the oven to give them some extra maple flavor.

Maple Cinnamon Cookies 

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 1/2 cup flour
• 1 tdp. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• Maple Syrup

Cream the butter with the sugars until light and fluffy. Add the egg and beat thoroughly. Add in the flour, cinnamon, salt and soda. Mix well. Shape the dough into a roll about 2 1/2 inches in diameter. Wrap in wax paper and chill until firm. When ready to bake, slice about 1/4 inch thick. Place on ungreased cookie sheet.Bruch with maple syrup. Bake at 400 for 10 minutes or until delicately browned. Cool on wired rack. Enjoy!

Drunken Cherry Cake

MDS and I first tried this delicious cake at Shokolad in the Ukrainian Village in Chicago. We had so much good food there, that I have already posted one recipe, Buckwheat, and may post another in the future. Living in Chicago, we are lucky to have excellent cuisine from all over the world. MDS said that my version of this cake is better than what we had at Shokolad, but I think he is just preserving his role as official taste-tester of this blog.

The cake is bit like a Black Forrest Cake, but rather than using layers, after baking the cake the inside is scooped out to mix with the sweet cream and Kahlua-soaked cherries, which is then filled into the cake. The chocolate cake batter uses many eggs resulting in a dense cake that can hold in all the cream, cherries and cake filling. I really like the cherry and chocolate combination, but another fruit could be used, such as blueberry or apricot. Despite the number of steps needed to make this cake, the end result is work it.

Drunken Cherry Cake 

Cake
10 eggs
1 3/4 cups sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda mixed with 1 tablespoon vinegar
1 3/4 cups sifted flour

Cream
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup butter softened at room temperature
1 cup whipping cream
1/3 cup powdered sugar
3 oz dark chocolate, shredded
1 cup Kahlua
1 cup cherries (fresh, frozen or dried)

The day before you plan to make the cake, soak the cherries in the Kalua overnight.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Beat eggs and sugar until light and fluffy with a mixer on high speed. Add baking soda with vinegar and cocoa. Continue to mix on medium speed. Add flour and carefully mix on low speed. Pour batter into a buttered 9 inch x 3 1/4inch springform pan. Bake for about 55 minutes, or until done. Cool the cake completely before assembling.

Cream: Beat butter on medium for  a few minutes, adding the sweetened condensed milk slowly. In a separate bowl, beat the whipping cream with powdered sugar. Reserve about one cup of the whipped cream to top the cake. Combine remaining whipped cream with the butter cream.

Assembling: Take out the inside of the cake and put it in a mixing bowl. Spread some cream blend on inside of the cake. Add the rest of the cream to the cake in the bowl. Add the cherries to the bowl with cake, and mix everything together until the cream, cherry and cake is well combined and no dry pieces of cake is seen. Fill the inside of a cake with cake, cherry and cream mixture. Spread the reserved whipped cream on the cake. Top with with shredded chocolate. Refrigerate for 2 hours. Enjoy!

Bee Sting Cake

I first discovered Bee Sting Cake at Chicago's Christkindlmarket, which takes over Daley Plaza every December with a German market. Known as Bienenstich, this cake is delicious and unique. The name derives from the honey topping that is placed on the cake just before baking, making a crunchy and sweet top to the cake. When December is over, it can be very difficult to find, so I decided to try to make it on my own.

The directions for this cake may appear to be too complicated, but push through and try it because the result is so good. The cake batter uses yeast, but that should not intimidate you. Just follow the directions and you can't go wrong with the batter. Also, making the pastry cream is worth it, even though it is a delicate process. I struggled to get the honey almond topping. Although I spread the almonds evenly before baking, some of the almonds sunk into the cake, leaving a somewhat uneven distribution in the resulting cake. I mixed the almonds in with the honey, but next time, I will brush the honey mixture on first, then sprinkle on a layer of almonds on top of the honey. Being a layer cake, this cake might not travel well, but putting the springform siding back on the cake might help make it portable.

Bee Sting Cake 

Cake

• 2 1/4 tsp. yeast
• 3/4 cup milk, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 2 eggs
• 4 Tbsp. butter, at room temperature

Honey Almond Topping

• 6 Tbsp. butter
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 3 Tbsp. honey
• 2 Tbsp. heavy cream
• 1 1/2 cups sliced almonds

Pastry Cream Filling

• 1 cup milk
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 3 egg yolks
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 3 Tbsp. flour
• 2 Tbsp. butter

Cake: Combine all the cake ingredients in a mixing bowl, stirring for about five minutes. Cover and let rise in a warm place for one hour. Butter a 9-inch springform pan. Stir the batter a few times, then spread into the bottom of the pan to fill the bottom. Cover and set aside to rise for half an hour.

Topping: In a small saucepan, heat the butter, sugar, honey and cream until the butter is melted. Let the mixture stay just at a boil, stirring continuously for about five minutes. Set aside to cool.

Preheat the oven to 350. Once the cake has finished the second rise, brush the top with the honey mixture, then spread the sliced almonds as evenly as possible on top. Bake the cake for 20 to 25 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool for about ten minutes, then run a knife around the outside edge to make sure the cake is not sticking. Allow the cake to thoroughly cool before assembling the cake.

Pastry Cream: Warm the milk and vanilla. In a sauce pan, whisk the egg yolks and sugar for about a minute. Whisk in the flour. Slowly add the warm milk and vanilla to the eggs, whisking continuously. Place the saucepan on the stove over medium heat until it begins to bubble, then lower the heat and simmer for three minutes, whisking continuously. Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter. Allow to cool completely.

Assemble the cake by removing the side of the springform pan. Use a serrated knife to divide the cake horizontally in half. Spread the pastry cream on the bottom half. Place the top half on the pastry cream. Enjoy!