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!

Grandma Holmes's Lemon Chess Pie

This recipe is one of the many dessert recipes in Grandma Holmes's recipe collection. Lemon Chess Pie is considered a classic Southern dessert. I suspect that Grandma Holmes encountered this dessert and recipe in one of her many road trips that she took in her van. Grandma Holmes wandered around the country on her own and occasionally met up with other single travelers that she knew through the group Loners on Wheels. Grandma Holmes lived an adventurous life.

When I made this recipe, I substituted a graham cracker crust for a standard pastry pie crust. You could us any type of crust. In fact, I might even try a chocolate cookie crust next time. Instead of fresh squeezed lemon juice, I used store-bought lemon juice. And, because I did not have lemons on hand, I skipped the grated rind, but I am sure the pie would only be improved by the addition of the rind. This pie reminds me of Grandma Holmes's Lemon Squares, which are one of MDS's favorite treats.

Lemon Chess Pie 

• 3 Tbsp. cornmeal
• 2 cups sugar
• juice of 3 lemons (6 Tbsp.)
• grated rind of 1 lemon
• 4 eggs, separated
• 1 stick butter
• uncooked pie crust

Sift the cornmeal with the sugar. Then mix in the lemon juice and rind, the egg yolks and the butter. Mix for five minutes. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff. Fold the egg whites into the yolk mix. Pour into an unbaked pie crust in a nine-inch pan. Bake at 325 for 45 to 60 minutes. Allow to cool before cutting. Enjoy!

Ribbon Brownies

Recently, I was looking for a recipe that used cream cheese. When I found this recipe in Mom's recipe box, I knew I had to try it. Cream cheese swirl brownies are quite common, but what exactly are "ribbon" brownies? Reading through the recipe, the chocolate brownie batter is layered above and below a cream cheese batter layer creating a ribbon layer as you can see by this photo. They are as delicious as they look.

Because the recipe is an older recipe, it calls for two three-ounce packages of cream cheese. I don't think I have ever seen a three-ounce package of cream cheese, so I used one eight-ounce package. Perhaps using a little too much cream cheese made my batter a bit thicker than it should have been, as the picture below shows the spreading in process. But these rich brownies seemed to cook up just fine despite the extra thick batter. And I really liked the addition of almond extract to this recipe. You could leave it out, but give it a try because the almond flavor gives these brownies a unique taste.

Ribbon Brownies 

• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 4 ounces bakers chocolate
• 8 ounce package cream cheese
• one cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 tsp. almond extract
• 1 tsp. vanilla

Melt the chocolate over very low heat; cool. In a separate bowl, cream the cheese. Add sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Blend in eggs, flour, baking powder, salt and almond extract. Measure out about one half cup of the batter and set aside. Blend the cooled chocolate and vanilla into the batter. Spread about half the chocolate batter into a greased eight-inch square pan. Spoon the measured cheese batter into the pan, spreading carefully to cover the chocolate batter. Spread the remaining chocolate batter over the cream cheese batter. Bake at 350 for 35 minutes or until the top springs back when lightly pressed. Cool. Enjoy!

Baked Pasta

This recipe for baked pasta is so simple and flexible, and especially good on a cold winter day, that I have to share it here. It is not a family recipe, but rather, something that I have popularized in the family. I have made it for Easter get-togethers hosted at my home and also brought it to family parties. It is so delicious that it always disappears quickly. But I recommend trying to save some for another day because it is even better as a leftover.

The basic ingredients include pasta, tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese. The flexibility comes from all the other ingredients that you could add in, if desired. My favorite version includes Italian sausage, especially because the flavor of the sausage gets soaked up by the pasta. I also like adding a good amount of vegetables, such as spinach, onion, kale, carrots, zucchini or peas. You could also vary the cheese used by including some Parmesan or pecorino. So you can be creative as to what you add into this baked pasta.

Baked Pasta 

• 1 pound rigatoni, or similar pasta
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 16 ounces tomato sauce
• seasoning, such as oregano and garlic, to taste
• 1 pound Italian sausage
• 3 onions, chopped
• 2 cups frozen spinach, thawed

Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Meanwhile, crumble and brown the sausage on the stovetop. When the sausage is browned, add in the vegetable and cook until tender. In a 13x9 baking pan, combine the pasta, tomato sauce, seasoning, sausage and vegetables. Stir about half the cheese into the mix. Sprinkle the other half of the cheese on top. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes, or until the cheese on top is just starting to brown. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 10 to 15 minutes. Enjoy!

Brandy Drops

These cookies are eggnog in cookie form. It must be the brandy and nutmeg that give them this distinctive egg nog flavor.  Because I love egg nog, naturally, I loved these cookies. The cookies make a great addition to a Christmas cookie plate or can just be enjoyed any time.

The recipe itself is very simple. I did find that the cookies spread when baking, so be sure to place the dough two inches apart. The use of powdered sugar instead of granulated sugar results in a very delicate cookie. I followed the recipe and topped each cookie with a pecan, but if you are concerned about nut allergies, you could easily leave the pecans off.

Brandy Drops 

• 1 cup softened butter
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 2 eggs, beaten slightly
• 2 1/4 cups flour
• 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 2 Tbsp. brandy
• Pecan halves

Cream butter; add sugar and cream again. Beat in eggs. Stir in the dry ingredients alternating with the brandy. Chill. Drop by heaping teaspoonfuls two inches apart on a greased cookie sheet. Top each cookie with a pecan half. Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes. Remove from sheet; cool on rack. Enjoy!

Orange Sugar Cookies

Can basic sugar cookies be improved? These orange sugar cookies just might be an improvement. The recipe is the basic sugar cookie with the addition of grated orange rind. The resulting cookies are delicious with a subtle orange flavor that improves but does not overwhelm the cookie.

I used Christmas cookie cutters for these cookies to match the season when I was making them. But, you could use any shape to cut the cookies because they would be delicious any time of the year. If you do not want to actually grate orange rind, you can find dried grated orange rind at the grocery store. I topped the cookies with a basic vanilla sugar glaze and sprinkles. But as MDS can attest, the cookies are delicious even without frosting, especially straight out of the oven. I brought these cookies to a standard Saturday night at Mom's house, and the cookies were a hit with the nieces and nephews.

Orange Sugar Cookies 

• 3/4 cup butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 2 tsp. grated orange rind
• 3 1/2 cup flour
• 3 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1/3 cup milk

Cream the butter and sugar. Beat eggs and rind into mixture. Sift together the dry ingredients. Add one half of the dry ingredients to butter mixture. Mix well. Add vanilla and milk, then the remaining dry ingredients. Chill well.

Roll 1/8-inch thick on lightly floured surface. Cut into shapes with cookie cutters. Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet at 375 for about eight to ten minutes. Cool on a wire rack. Frost, if desired. Enjoy!