Yummy Gooey Cake!

 

Every year friends of our have a get-together on the Saturday evening after Thanksgiving. It’s sort of a pot luck affair, with everyone bringing something to contribute to the main meal, plus an appetizer or dessert.

We had a house full of company this year, and took several of them with us. My sister Cindy Corum (whom you have met before on this blog) was here from Knoxville and made a cake which was a big hit with the crowd.

You know I don’t care much about dessert, but I have to admit this was just gooey and yummy enough to tempt me too. There was still some left over and we stuck it in the fridge. Two days later we pulled it out and it was still fine. That makes it a great candidate for your holiday entertaining—you know how I love dishes that can be made ahead!

CINDY’S BUTTERFINGER CAKE

1 package German chocolate cake mix
1 15-oz bottle of Smuckers caramel sundae sauce
3 Butterfinger candy bars
1 box instant French vanilla pudding mix
1 8-oz tub Cool Whip, defrosted

Prepare and bake cake mix as directed on the package in a 9x13 pan. As soon as you take it from the oven, poke holes in it with handle of wooden spoon (about 1" apart) and pour the caramel sauce over it. Let cool. Crush the candy bars and sprinkle over the top when cool. Make the pudding according to the direction on the box, then fold the Cool Whip into it. Spread on top of the cake. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Makes 12 to 16 servings.

A Wonderful Latino-Style Cake

A few weeks ago, I was a little under the weather due to emergency surgery. As one might expect, friends came through with tasty treats to keep me nourished. One of the treats was a wonderful cake, a rich chocolate cake topped with a flan typical of Latino cooking.

Although I’m not much of a sweets eater, or maker either for that matter, I found this so good I had to ask for the recipe. My friend told me she’d gotten it from an out-of-town newspaper a good while back. I went online looking for it, and found that there are various recipes for it, from many sources, but I didn’t find this one, using Coke instead of water to make the cake.

I’ve not specified the eggs and oil, if needed, for the cake mix since different brands use different amounts. Just use what the box calls for, substituting Coke (not diet) for the amount of water called for.

Most of the recipes called for cajeta. This is a Mexican caramel sauce made with goat’s milk. I couldn’t find it, and used Smuckers caramel ice cream sauce instead, with excellent results.

Once made, it is essential to chill before turning out onto a plate. And be sure to use a plate with a rim, because the caramel will run down the sides of the cake and pool around the edges. I hope you’ll enjoy this as much as we did!

LATINO CHOCOLATE FLAN CAKE

1 cup Smuckers caramel sauce
1 devil food cake mix, made as directed, using Coke for the liquid called for
1 12-ounce can evaporated milk (not skim)
1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk (I always use Eagle brand)
3 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Coat a 12 cup bundt cake pan heavily with cooking spray. Pour the caramel sauce in the bottom, spreading evenly. Pour the prepared cake mix on top.

In a large bowl, whisk together remaining ingredients until very well blended. Pour down one side of the cake pan. Some of it may float on top but most will sink. Don’t worry if it looks weird.

Place the cake pan in a larger pan and pour about an inch of hot water into the larger pan. Bake for 45 minutes to an hour, or until cake layer tests done.

Cool to room temperature, then chill completely. A couple of hours before you plan to serve it, take from the fridge. Place a large plate with a rim over the top of the pan. Carefully turn it over, and let set with the pan on top. When ready to serve, lift the pan off. Most of the caramel will have run over the top and down the sides of the cake.

Cut into slices to serve, and refrigerate any leftovers. Makes 12 generous servings.

Pain d'Epices aux Poires

 





















I was having dinner with a group of friends recently and they asked what my next column would feature. When I told them, there was general astonishment: "Dessert? You're doing a dessert?! But you don't DO dessert!!"

I told them to just wait. It is an established fact that dessert is not one of my strong points. Mostly, I get my feelings sort of hurt if you're still hungry at dessert time. But this one is so easy!

Back in November, my friends Mimmye and Larry Goode invited me for dinner. Mimmye had a pear upside-down spice cake that she had made for Thanksgiving, and sent some home with me. I loved it; it wasn't overly sweet and sticky.

I asked about the recipe and found that she had used fresh pears that she poached and then made the cake from scratch. And that was the end of it for me, I thought. That was way too much work for a dessert in my own opinion.

But I got to thinking and here's what I did: I got canned pears and used gingerbread mix for the cake. It was easy, quick and delicious.

A couple of tips: the first time I made it I used a store brand of pears. They were of uneven size, several were broken, and the texture was a bit mushy. The next time I used name brand pears with much greater success.

And secondly: I tried both Hodgson Mills organic whole wheat gingerbread and Betty Crocker brand. Both were quite yummy but I preferred the texture of the Hodgson Mills.

Wrapped, this keeps well, and in fact gets better after a day or so. It reminds me very much of the taste and texture of the French spice cake "pain d'épices," so that's what we'll call it. Enjoy!

PAIN D'EPICES AUX POIRES

3 tbsp unsalted butter
1/3 cup dark brown sugar
6 or 7 pear halves, from a large can
1 package gingerbread mix, prepared as directed,
but substitute milk for the water called for
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
Whipped cream for garnish

Preheat the oven to 350F. Put the butter and sugar in a deep 9-inch cake pan and put into the oven until the butter is melted. Remove, stir well and spread the sugar out evenly. Put the drained pear halves, rounded side down and pointy end toward the center, in the pan. Use six or seven, depending on how big they are. Don't crowd them.

Prepare the gingerbread mix as directed, using milk instead of water. Stir in the cinnamon and cardamom. Gently spoon over the pears, covering them completely and spreading the batter evenly. Bake as directed.

Let the cake cool on a rack for only five minutes (any longer and it might be hard to remove from the pan). Invert the pan on a cake plate and let cool. Cut into wedges to serve and garnish with whipped cream. Serves 6 to 8.

Weekend Brunch for a Bunch

  I grew up in Louisville, where there are two holiday seasons: the month of December and the couple of weeks leading to Derby Day, the first Saturday in May. Both are a whirl of parties and entertaining. The trick for both was to plan your party so you would have the most people come, and your wouldn’t miss a really good one given by someone else.

As a young bride, I found a solution that worked best for me. I tended to be a bit more moderate in my fun-having than some. So my traditional party was a brunch, the Sunday after Derby Day in May, and on New Year’s Day in January. Everyone came, since I was the only one entertaining on those days, and all appreciated not having to cope with getting breakfast together themselves.

The trick to this is to have dishes that can be mostly prepared in advance. Recently a group of friends got together for a leisurely brunch. We set out a platter of assorted cheeses and crackers to start. The main event was a made-ahead mushroom-cheddar sauce with hard-cooked eggs and Canadian bacon on toasted English muffins and served with a salad. For a sweet, we had an easy lemon coffeecake from a recipe I’ve had for a while. It probably came off the back of a Bisquick box.



The last minute work on this is minimal. The day before, make your sauce, cook your eggs and make your cake. Then for the brunch. all you have to do is reheat the sauce and add the eggs, warm the Canadian bacon and toast the muffins. Toss a bag of spring greens with a small can of Mandarin oranges (drained), sliced strawberries and purchased poppy seed dressing. Make a big pot of coffee. Set out pitchers of orange and tomato juices with bottles of vodka and sparkling wine if that’s your inclination.

We made a sort of Kir Royal with champagne and pomegranate juice (available in the produce section of most supermarkets). It was an experiment and a felicitous one, since it wasn’t too sweet.

Why don’t you start your own New Year’s Day tradition? Invite your friends, feed them and then let them put their feet up to watch the football games, work the crossword puzzle or just nap a bit. They’ll be so grateful!

Mushroom-Cheddar Brunch Muffins

1 lb white mushrooms, divided
8 tbsp unsalted butter (one stick), divided
6 tbsp all-purpose flour
2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 cup half-and-half
1 tsp each dry mustard and sugar
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup dry sherry
12 ounces sharp cheddar, shredded
1/2 small onion
1 cup sliced black olives
1 jar (12-ounce) roasted red peppers, drained and sliced
24 slices Canadian bacon
12 English muffins
12 eggs, hard cooked, peeled
Sweet paprika, for garnish

Slice about half the mushrooms. In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons of the butter and sauté the sliced mushrooms over medium heat until lightly browned. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add the remaining butter to the pan. When it starts to foam, whisk in the flour and cook, stirring constantly for a couple of minutes. Whisk in the stock until smooth, then whisk in the cream. Add the mustard, sugar, Worcestershire sauce and sherry. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until thickened.

Meanwhile in a food processor, combine the remaining mushrooms and the onion and pulse to make fine “crumbs.” When the sauce is smooth and thick, add this mixture and continue to simmer for about five minutes, stirring often. Add the reserved sautéed mushrooms, the olives and the roasted peppers. Stir in the cheese until melted. At this point you can cover, cool and refrigerate until ready to use, up to three days.

When ready to serve, peel and slice the eggs. Warm the sauce and gently stir in the eggs. Split the muffins and place on a baking sheet. Put the slices on Canadian bacon on another sheet. Preheat the broiler. Place the Canadian bacon on a lower shelf with the muffins above. Toast the muffins, watching carefully (they go from toasted to charred very quickly!). On dinner plates, place two muffin halves, top each with a warmed Canadian bacon slice, then the sauce. Sprinkle with paprika and serve immediately.

You can also put the sauce in a chafing dish, set out the muffins and Canadian bacon, and let folks serve themselves as they wander in. Serves 12.



Bisquick Lemon Coffee Cake

2-1/2 cups Bisquick baking mix
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp poppy seeds
1 lemon (peel and all) warmed, seeded and cubed
3 eggs
1/3 cup butter, softened
2 tbsp milk
1 cup powdered sugar
5 tbsp fresh lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350o. Stir together Bisquick, sugar and poppy seeds. In a blender or food processor blend lemon pieces until finely chopped. Add eggs and butter and blend well. Pour into dry ingredients. Add milk and stir until just moistened. Pour into a greased 9-inch cake pan. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until lightly browned. Cool about 15 minutes.
In a small bowl, stir together powdered sugar and lemon juice. Drizzle over the cake. To store, let glaze set, then wrap in plastic wrap and store at room temperature. Makes 12 modest sized servings.