Category: Sweets – Cakes

Fruitcake

The only fruitcake worth making – no citron!  A three generations favorite.  Make it before Thanksgiving so it can “age”.

Ingredients:

  • 2 lb white raisins
  • 1 lb fruit cake mix
  • 1/4 lb yellow pineapple
  • 1/4 lb red pineapple
  • 1/4 lb  green cherries
  • 1  lb red cherries (reserve 20 for decoration)
  • 1/2 c bourbon
  • 1 1/2 lb butter, softened
  • 3 c sugar
  • 15 eggs
  • 2 lb pecans (reserve 60 whole halves for decoration)
  • 1 1/2 lb cake flour
  • 1 egg and a little milk for the glaze
  • more bourbon for watering

Directions:

The night before:

  1. Cut fruit into smaller pieces. (except cherries)
  2. Mix fruit with raisins. (except 20 cherries saved for decoration.
  3. Pour bourbon over the mixture and let stand covered overnight.

Mixing:

  1. Preheat oven 300°.
  2. Cream butter well.
  3. Add sugar slowly.
  4. Add eggs one at a time, mixing between each egg.
  5. Transfer to very large bowl.
  6. Stir in fruit and pecans with a spoon. (except decorations)
  7. Sift in the flour while stirring with a spoon or hands.
  8. Carefully line bread pans with heavy duty foil.  Small pans ( ?x?) make 1 lb, medium (?x?)1 1/2 lb.
  9. Scoop the batter into pans within 1/2 in of the top.
  10. Decorate with reserved fruit and pecans.
  11. Brush with egg/milk glaze.
  12. Place a large pan of hot water on the rack below the rack for the fruitcake. (You may have to refill it while baking)
  13. Bake for approximately 1 hr 20 min for small, 1 hr 50 min for medium pan.  They are done when a toothpick comes out clean.  Do not remove fruitcake from pans at this time.
  14. Brush with glaze twice during baking.
  15. Watering: Sprinkle the cakes with a little bit of bourbon once or twice a week from Thanksgiving to Christmas.  Also keep the air saturated with bourbon.
    Method A:  Place pans in covered container with a shot glass of bourbon.
    Method B:  Place in a closed room with 3.6 liters of bourbon dumped on the floor.  Be careful not to drown the fruitcake.
  16. Now you can take the fruit cake out of the pans.  Leave the foil on and place in ziplocks.
  17. Enjoy, gift, freeze (it will keep for years in the freezer)

Serves:  Makes 3 medium and 6 small pans, or 4 medium and 5 small pans.  ( Large 8 1/2 x 4 12 (6 cups), Med 7 1/2 x 3 3/4 (4 cups), small 6 x 2 1/4 (3 cup))

Source:  Winifred Kleerup – contributed to the Kenilworth Union Church Cookbook,

 

 

 

 

Buche de Noel

Everyone needs to make this once, just to prove you can!  

Ingredients – Cake:

  • 1 box chocolate cake mix
  • eggs
  • oil
  • coffee

Ingredients – Frosting:

  • 1 pkg Dream Whip (dry)
  • 2 c Crisco
  • 1/4 c flour – sifted
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 lbs powdered sugar (8c)
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1/3 c water

Ingredients- Soft Fudge Icing:

  • 1 c whipping cream
  • 1/2 lb bittersweet chocolate (8 oz) chopped
  • 3 Tab Kahlua

Ingredients – Holly Leaves:

  • jellied spearmint leaves
  • cinnamon red hots

Ingredients – Chocolate Mushrooms

  • 8 foil covered kisses
  • 8 nonpareil candies (flat chocolate candies)

Directions – Cake:

  1. Preheat oven to whatever the box says.
  2. Mix according to package directions, substituting coffee for water.
  3. Make 6 regular size cupcakes.
  4. Line a 11×18 pan with parchment paper.
  5. Pour remaining batter into pan.
  6. Bake until done – not very long.
  7. Dust a tea towel with powdered sugar.
  8. Turn out the cake onto the towel.
  9. Trim the edges of the cake.
  10. Starting with the 18 inch side, roll the cake and the  towel into a log. (like a jelly roll)
  11. Let cool.
  12. Save the cupcakes.

Directions – Frosting

  1. Mix Dream Whip, Crisco,  flour and salt.
  2. Add the powdered sugar alternately with the vanilla and water/coffee.
  3. Beat until smooth.
  4. Color if desired.

Note: Needs no refrigeration.

Directions – Soft Fudge Frosting:

  1. Heat cream to a gentle boil.
  2. Stir in chocolate until melted.
  3. Stir in Kahlua.

Cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally, until of thick fudge consistency.

Directions – Holly Leaves

  1. Split leaves in half.
  2. Position on cake in groups of 2 0r 3.
  3. Place 3 redhots at the base of each leaf group.

Directions – Chocolate Mushrooms

  1. Unwrap kisses.
  2. Melt one candy in a small dish.
  3. Dip points of there candies in melted chocolate.
  4. Position nonpareil candy on the tip of each kiss.
  5. Eat extra nonpareil.

Assembly:

  1. Unroll cake.
  2. Fill with 1/2 the Dream Whip Frosting.
  3. Frost cupcakes with rest of frosting.
  4. Garnish with whatever is left of the candies.
  5. Reroll cake without the towel.
  6. Place seam side down on serving plate.
  7. Frost with soft fudge icing.
  8. For bark effect, lightly score lengthwise with fork dipped in water.
  9. Garnish with holly leaves and chocolate mushrooms.

Good Job! Reward yourself with the cupcakes.

Serves:  16-18 if you really want to cut into this beautiful dessert.

Source:  4 cookbooks and Margie

 

 

 

Eggnog Cream Cheese Frosting

A good frosting, especially at Christmas when you can buy eggnog.

Frosting Ingredients:

  • 4 oz cream cheese, softened
  • 4 oz salted butter, softened
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract (or rum extract or spiced rum)
  • 1/4 c eggnog
  • 2 1/2 c powdered sugar

Frosting Directions:

  1. Mix softened cream cheese and butter together.
  2. Whip in vanilla extract.
  3. Add half of the eggnog and powdered sugar and mix until blended. Slowly add the remaining eggnog and powdered sugar and mix until combined.
  4. Spread on cooled cookies.

Serves: Makes enough for approximately 5 dozen small cookies

Source: northpole.com – Karen Hamlin, strongertogether.coop.com

Peppermint Frosting

Pretty for Christmas.  And it uses up some of those candy canes.

Ingredients:

  • ½ c butter
  • 3 c powdered sugar
  • 1/3c milk
  • ½ tsp peppermint extract
  • 2 drops red food coloring
  • 5 candy canes, crushed

Directions:

  1. Combine butter and sugar in the bowl of a standing mixer until smooth.
  2. Mix milk, food coloring and peppermint.
  3. Add to butter/sugar in mixer and mix until fluffy
  4. Transfer all of the frosting to the cooled cookie dough and spread evenly.
  5. Immediately sprinkle with the crushed candy canes and chill.
  6. Cut 6 x 10 to make 60 pieces.

Serves: makes enough for a 9 x 13 pan

Source: heathercristo.com

 

Cheese Cake – Cheese Torte (with Zwieback)

Not your traditional cheese cake – no cream cheese.  This is one of Jim’s favorite cakes – usually his birthday cake.

Ingredients:

  • 1 pkg Zwieback (6 oz)
  • 2 c sugar (divided)
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 c butter, melted
  • speck of salt
  • 1/2 lemon, juice and grated rind
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1/2 pt cream (1 c) or canned milk
  • 1 1/2 lb cottage cheese (24 oz)
  • 1/4 c flour (4 Tab)
  • 4 eggs
  • 1/4 c pistachio nuts, chopped (optional-never used)

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 300°
  2. Roll zwieback fine. (food processor works great)
  3. Mix with 1 cup sugar, cinnamon, and melted butter.
  4. Set aside 3/4 cup of this mixture to sprinkle over top.
  5. Butter a 9 inch spring-form pan well.
  6. Spread and press mixture on bottom and sides of spring-form pan. (or spread fresh unmelted butter on the bottom and sides of the form, and press cinnamon and zwieback mixed, into the butter.)
  7. Beat unseparated eggs with remaining cup of sugar until light.
  8. Add salt, lemon, and vanilla.
  9. Stir the cream in well.
  10. Then add cheese and flour.
  11. Mix all together.
  12. Strain through a sieve (I never do this).
  13. Stir until smooth.
  14. Pour into zwieback lined pan.
  15. Sprinkle remaining mixture over the top.
  16. Add nuts.
  17. Bake in 300° oven 1 hour.
  18. Turn off heat and let stand in oven until cooled. (overnight).
  19. Remove rim of spring form pan place tin bottom on serving plate.

Serves: 12

Source: Winnifred Kleerup – contributed to the Kenilworth Cookery (original edition)

Revised 9/2022 when I discovered the original typed recipe, almost unreadable, in a book.

Cherry-Fudge Cheesecake Dessert

So- company for dinner, what for dessert??? Only thing in the cupboard is brownie mix.  Not brownies again!  Bless the internet.  This is delish! fast and easy.  I, of course did not have cherry pie filling, but I did have some cream left, powdered sugar, cocoa powder and almond extract.  Vola! Magic topping.  Thank you Betty Crocker.

Ingredients:

  • 1 box (1lb 2.4 oz) Betty Crocker Original Supreme Premium brownie mix (or equivalent weight of Ghirardelli’s brownie mix with chocolate chips)
  • 3/4 c flour
  • 1/3 c butter, melted
  • 2 packages (8 oz each) cream cheese softened
  • 1 1/2 c whipping cream
  • 1 can cherry pie filling

Directions:

  1. Heat oven to 350°.
  2. Stir together 3/4 cup brownie mix, flour, and butter.
  3. Press in the bottom of ungreased springform pan (9×3 inches) or a square pan 9×9 inches.
  4. Beat cream cheese in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed about 2 minutes, scraping bowl frequently, until smooth.
  5. Add remaining brown mix and whipping cream.
  6. Beat on medium speed, scraping bowl frequently, until smooth. (Ignore chocolate chips)
  7. Pour over crust in pan.
  8. Bake 45-50 minutes for springform pan, 35 – 40 minutes for 9 inch square pan, or until set. (barely set, slight wiggle in the middle)
  9. Run (narrow) metal spatula along side of cheesecake to loosen before and after refrigerating.
  10. Spread pie filling over cheesecake.
  11. Cover and refrigerate until chilled, about 2 hours.
  12. Cover and refrigerate any remaining cheesecake.

(Topping: Mix 3 Tab cocoa powder, 1 cup powdered sugar, add 2 Tab melted butter, 3 Tab warm water [cream], and 1/2 tsp almond extract.  food.com, Junebug)

Serves: 16

Source:  Mostly Homemade Mom from a Betty Crocker recipe

Chocolate French Pastry Cake

THE Kleerup family birthday cake.

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 c Dutch cocoa
  • 3/4 c boiling water
  • 2 c sugar
  • 1/2 c butter (1 cube)
  • 3 eggs, separated
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 c sour cream
  • 1/4 tsp instant coffee
  • 2 c sifted cake flour
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • pinch of salt

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven 375°.
  2. Mix cocoa in boiling water and let cool.
  3. Cream butter and sugar.
  4. Add beaten egg yolks.
  5. Add sour cream in which soda and coffee have been dissolved, cooled cocoa mixture, flour, and salt.
  6. Fold in beaten egg whites and vanilla.
  7. Bake in 3 layers or a 9×12 pan 20 – 25 minutes in a 375° oven.

Frosting

  • 2 1/2 c confectioners sugar (powdered sugar)
  • 5 Tab Dutch cocoa
  • 5 Tab butter
  • 5 Tab hot water (or hot coffee)
  • 1 tsp vanilla

(No directions were included for the frosting – everyone knows you cream the sugar, cocoa, vanilla and butter and add enough water/coffee to make it spreadable.)

Serves:  12

Source:  Kenilworth Union Church Cook Book, contributed by Mrs. Bertel J.  Kleerup

 

Orange Chocolate Cheese Cake

This is an old recipe from the 60’s – not instant but worth the effort.  Cheesecakes are good because they can be made the day before.

Ingredients, crust:

  • 1 1/2 packages chocolate wafer, finely ground (food processor does great)(or use OreoToday cookie bits -1 lb of bits=2 heaping cups = 4 c crumbs)
  • 3/4 c butter, melted
  • 1 Tab sugar
  • 1/8 tsp grated orange peel (micro-plane for the win!)

Ingredients, filling:

  • 3 eggs
  • 1 c sugar
  • 24 oz cream cheese (the block kind.  Do not use whipped/spread kind.)
  • 12 oz semi sweet chocolate, melted
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 1/4 c frozen orange juice concentrate
  • 1 c sour cream

Ingredients, topping:

  • 1 c heavy cream
  • 2 Tab powdered sugar

Directions, crust:

  1. Preheat oven 400°.
  2. Combine ground wafers, melted butter, orange peel and sugar.
  3. Mix well.
  4. Press into a well greased 10 inch springform pan.
  5. Bake 10 min.

Directions, filling:

  1. Beat eggs with sugar until light.
  2. Beat in cream cheese until smooth.
  3. Add melted chocolate, vanilla, salt and sour cream.
  4. Turn into crumb crust and bake at 350° one hour or until the cheesecake is just firm when the pan is gently shaken.
  5. Cool and refrigerate covered, over night.

Directions, topping:

  1. Whip cream and sugar until firm enough to hold shape.
  2. Decorate cake with pastry tube.

Serves:  16

Source:  Ladies’ Home Journal

 

 

 

 

Golden Rum Cake

“My family requests this rummy Bundt cake from me at all our get-togethers. The butter rum glaze makes it special. An easy way to glaze your cake is to pour half of the glaze into Bundt pan, reinsert cake, then pour the rest of glaze over the bottom of the cake. Let absorb well then invert back onto platter.”

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 (18.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix
1 (3.4 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix
4 eggs
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup dark rum
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup water
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup dark rum

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
2. Grease and flour a 10 inch Bundt pan.
3. Sprinkle chopped nuts evenly over the bottom of the pan.
4. In a large bowl, combine cake mix and pudding mix.
5. Mix in the eggs, 1/2 cup water, oil and 1/2 cup rum.
6. Blend well.
7. Pour batter over chopped nuts in the pan.
8. Bake in the preheated oven for 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.
9. Let sit for 10 minutes in the pan, then turn out onto serving plate.
10. Brush glaze over top and sides.
11. Allow cake to absorb glaze and repeat until all glaze is used.

To make the glaze:
1.In a saucepan, combine butter, 1/4 cup water and 1 cup sugar.
2. Bring to a boil over medium heat and continue to boil for 5 minutes, stirring constantly.
3. Remove from heat and stir in 1/2 cup rum.

Serves: 12

Source: allrecipes.com, submitted by Jackie Smith

Notes: At KOA we cooked the cake in round cake pans.  1 10″ Bundt pan = 2 9″ cake pans.
We used instant lemon pudding and lemon rum.