Vinegar Chocolate Cake

Submitted by Joyce Bayer, who says, “This recipe came from my cousin, Wilda Lee. It is really easy and wonderfully moist and heavy. It is terrific with whipped cream as a topping, especially if it is served warm.

  • 3 cups Flour
  • 2 cups Sugar
  • 6 Tablespoon Cocoa
  • 1 teaspoon Salt (optional)
  • 2 teaspoons Baking Soda
  • ½ cup Melted Shortening (or use vegetable oil)
  • 2 teaspoons Vanilla
  • 2 Tablespoons Vinegar
  • 2 cups Cool water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Sift all dry ingredients together into a large mixing bowl. Add water, vanilla, and shortening (or oil); mix well. Add vinegar.

Pour into greased and floured 9x13x2” pan. Bake 25-30 minutes, only until done—DO NOT OVERBAKE.

This cake can also be made in a 10” x 15” or 12” x 17” pan. Baking time will be considerably less, perhaps 15-20 minutes.

Serves 10-15

Heidi’s Famous Hamantaschen

From Heidi Press

  • 2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 Tablespoons half-and-half
  • 1/2 cup margarine
  • 1 teaspoon real vanilla extract
  • Filling of your choice – For fillings check out the Solo brand, especially for prune, poppy seed and apricot.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix and sift flour, baking powder and salt.  Cream together margarine and sugar. Add egg.  Add dry ingredients alternately with half-and-half.  Add vanilla.

If possible, it’s helpful to chill the dough for about 20 minutes before rolling it out.

Roll out to 1/4 inch thickness.  Cut into 2-inch rounds.  Fill with about 1/2 teaspoon of filling and draw up sides to form a triangle.

Bake at 350 until lightly browned on bottom and light on top, about 8 minutes.  (See doneness note below.)  Wait about 2 minutes until hamantaschen harden a bit before removing them from cookie sheet.  Enjoy!

Note:  This recipe is for the cookie dough style of Hamantaschen.  Since ovens are different, you may need to bake for 8 minutes, check for doneness, then add more time.

Nutty Matzo Farfel Chocolate Crumble

From Harriett Silverman who got it from Annabel Cohen

  • 3 cups semi sweet or milk chocolate chips
  • 1 cup peanut butter or almond butter
  • 4 cups matzo farfel, lightly toasted in the oven
  • 2 cups roasted cashews, peanuts or other nuts (salted is ok)
  • 1 ½ cups dried cranberries, cherries or other dried fruit
  • 1 cup sweetened, flaked coconut

Line a clean baking sheet with parchment or wax paper. Set aside.

Place chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl and cook on high for 2 minutes. Remove from oven and stir well, until melted. Stir in the peanut butter until smooth.

While the chocolate is melting, place remaining ingredients in a large bowl and toss well.

Drizzle the chocolate mixture over the farfel mixture and using a large spoon or plastic gloved hands, toss well to coat.

Spread the mixture on the baking sheet and cool at room temperature or cooler for one hour or more. Break up the crumble and place in a serving bowl.

Makes about 10 cups of crumble or 12 or more servings.

Man I love these Apricot Bars!

Submitted by Leslie Eldh Jaquez, who says:  “Great balance of sweet and salty and crunchy sides!”

  • 1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
  • 1 cup apricot jam

Cream butter until soft. Gradually add sugar and blend. Add egg yolks and vanilla. Blend. Gradually add flour. Blend. Divide dough into two sections, about 1/3 and 2/3. Take the 2/3 section and with your hands press into the bottom of a 9 X 13 pan that has been buttered. Spread the jam onto the dough, leaving about 1/4 space around the edges. If you like more jam, that’s cool!

Take remaining 1/3 section and tear off small chunks and slightly flatten with your fingers and very haphazardly lay them on top of the jam. It will not cover completely just ‘here and there’.

Next, sprinkle nuts on top and gently press them in .

Bake at 350 degrees for about 35 minutes or until very lightly browned, they seem to brown up a little more once out of the oven.

Apple Pudding Cake

Submitted by Rob Anning, from Pillsbury Classic Cookbooks – Down-Home Cooking and Baking – November, 1993 –

  • 1 cup  firmly packed brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup  butter or margarine; softened
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 cup all purpose or unbleached flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cup  chopped apples

Cinnamon Butter Sauce

  • 1/3 cup  butter
  • 2/3 cup  sugar
  • 1/3 cup  half-and half
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 8-inch square pan.

In large bowl, beat brown sugar and margarine until light and fluffy; beat in egg. Lightly spoon flour into measuring cup; level off. Add flour, baking soda, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, nutmeg and salt; mix well. Stir in  apples.  Spread batter in greased pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 35minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Meanwhile, combine all sauce ingredients in small saucepan. Heat over medium heat until butter melts and sauce is hot, stirring frequently. Serve warm sauce over warm cake. 9 servings.

High Altitude: Above 3500 feet: Increase flour to 1-1/4 cups. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes.

330 calories, 14 g fat, 45 mg cholesterol and 330 mg

Easy Cardamom Coffee Cake

Submitted by Rob Anning

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 sticks (1/2 pound) unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into 12 chunks
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting

Directions

  1. Set the oven rack in the middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 10-inch Bundt pan and set aside.
  2. Combine the flour, cardamom, baking soda and salt in a large bowl.
  3. In a separate bowl (or the bowl of a mixer) cream the butter and sugar until the mixture is pale and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Add vanilla and combine, scraping bowl down as necessary.
  4. Add about 1/3 of the flour mixture, followed by about half the sour cream, mixing until just incorporated.
  5. Add half of the remaining flour mixture and the rest of the sour cream. Mix until just incorporated.
  6. Mix in the remaining flour and mix until batter is thoroughly incorporated.
  7. With a spatula, scrape the batter into the Bundt pan and smooth the top. Bake until the cake is golden brown and is just beginning to come away from the sides of the pan, about 40 minutes. A toothpick inserted into the center of the cake should come away clean.
  8. Place the cake (still in the pan) on a wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes. Turn the cake out of the pan onto rack and let cool completely.
  9. Dust with confectioners’ sugar, if desired.

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

Submitted by Rob Anning.  I don’t know if he planned to coin the term, “cobeat”, but I like it!

  • ¾ cup sugar
  • ½ cup softened butter
  • 2 mashed ripe bananas
  • ½ cup sour cream
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¾ cup miniature chocolate chips
  • ½ cup nuts

Heat oven to 350’. Grease and flour bottom only of loaf pan. In large bowl, cobeat sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add bananas, sour cream, and eggs; blend well. Stir in flour, baking soda, and salt; blend well. Fold in chips and nuts. Pour into pan.

Bake at 350’ for 55 to 65 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 15 minutes; remove from pan. Cool completely.

Store in refrigerator wrapped tightly.

Note: I sprinkle the top very lightly with cinnamon sugar before baking.

Gingerbread Martini Bars

Submitted by Rob Anning

  • 3 sticks butter
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 3 cups light brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 large egg yolks 1/3 cup + 3 teaspoons Gingerbread Martini (recipe below)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and line a 10½ by 16 baking pan with parchment paper. Butter the lining, too.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl.

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan; add sugar and whisk until combined and sugar is melted, about 5 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl and let cool slightly. Whisk in the eggs and gingerbread martini until combined. Add the flour and whisk until just incorporated. Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan.

Bake for 24 to 27 minutes or until the top is firm to the touch and a skewer inserted into the center comes out with moist pieces clinging to it. Remove to a wire rack and let cool completely. Remove the bars from the pan and frost with Gingerbread Martini Frosting. Cut into 2-inch squares.

Drink leftover martini. Yum!

Gingerbread Martini Frosting

  • 1 stick softened butter
  • 1 pound powdered sugar
  • 7 Tablespoons Gingerbread Martini (maybe 8.)

Beat butter and sugar until creamy. Slowly incorporate gingerbread martini.

Gingerbread Martini

  • 2 ounces Irish Cream
  • 1 ounce Kahlúa
  • 1 ounce Vanilla Vodka
  • 1½ ounces Gingerbread Syrup

Combine.

ANZAC Cookies

Submitted by Rob Anning, who writes: “History has it that ANZAC biscuits, or cookies to Americans, were baked by women during WW1 for their sons/husbands/brothers/fiances etc overseas on deployment.  Basically they are a rolled oat biscuit made without eggs in order that they keep longer.  The golden syrup is the binding agent, golden syrup is basically a light treacle.”

  • 1 cup flour
  • pinch salt
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup coconut
  • 1 cup rolled oats
  • 1 stick butter
  • 1 Tablespoon golden syrup
  • 2 Tablespoon water
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

Sift the flour and salt together into a large bowl. Stir in the sugar, coconut, and rolled oats Melt the butter, golden syrup and vanilla together. Dissolve the baking soda in the boiling water and mix into the flour with the melted butter, stirring until all the ingredients are combined. Roll tablespoonfuls of the mixture into balls and place on greased trays. (Flatten lightly with a fork.) Bake at 350’ for about 12-15 minutes until the biscuits have flattened out and have become a reddish brown. Transfer to a cake rack to cool. They will crispen as they cool. Store in an airtight container. Makes 3 dozen.

From my Australian Nurse friend

Mix together:

  • 1 c coconut
  • 1 c flour
  • 1 c oats
  • 1 c sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 Tablespoon boiling water
  • 1 Tablespoon golden syrup
  • 1 stick butter

In medium saucepan melt butter and syrup. Mix soda and water. Add soda water to butter mix. Add butter mix to flour mix.

Shape into balls.

Bake at 300’ to 325’ for 20 min.