Wonderful, easy cakes for everyone
Regina Murphy
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
When Deirdre Tollakson came for a visit, she left a cookbook with me called “Cooking with Daisy” by Josie Klafkowska. Nigella Lawson said, “This is a wonderful book and one which ... is a joy to read and cook from.”
The impetus for this book was a personal tragedy in the Klafkowska family — the death of Josie’s 18-month-old daughter, Daisy. According to the author’s biography, Daisy loved her food and was a wonderful little cook. This book is a tribute to Daisy and all of the recipes were donated by parents, including well-known European celebrities Delia Smith, Nigella Lawson, Antony Worrall Thompson, Nigel Slater and Emma Forbes.
Every recipe has been scored for its nutritional value and helpful hints are given on how to feed difficult children. All of the proceeds will be donated to the United Kingdom’s Isabel Medical Charity, which aims to help doctors diagnose less-recognized and rarer conditions as well as common pediatric illnesses and thereby prevent children dying because their condition has been misdiagnosed. What a great cause!
Because this is a British recipe, you might check the diameter of your cake pans (many of which are 8 inches), and test for doneness a little sooner than called for. Caster sugar is a “superfine sugar” — finely pulverized granulated sugar that dissolves much more quickly than regular sugar. It is not as fine as confectioner’s sugar, which is very fine and often mixed with powdered starch to prevent clumping. If you are baking, you can substitute regular granulated sugar.
DEIRDRE’S ‘GOOD OLD VICTORIA SPONGE’
6 oz. butter, softened
6 oz. caster sugar
3 large eggs, beaten
6 oz. self-rising flour
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Grease and line the bottoms of two cake tins, about 7 inches in diameter.
In a mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar to a pale, fluffy consistency. Add the beaten eggs, a little at a time, beating continually. Using a mixing spoon, first stir in half of the flour, and then fold with the spoon until well-incorporated. Repeat with the remaining flour until you have a smooth, yet firm consistency.
Pour half the sponge mixture into each pan, and smooth the top with the backside of your spoon. Bake about 30 minutes until the sponge is golden brown and springy to the touch. Cool on a wire rack.
When both cakes are thoroughly cooled, turn them upside down and spread whipped cream on one side and jam on the other. Sandwich them together, and cover the top with more whipped cream or a sifting of confectioner’s sugar.
This cookbook is very nice, with lots of helpful, medically approved nutritional and dietary information alongside great stories of Daisy and other children and plenty of bright color photographs of kids in the kitchen. Each recipe is signed by the person who submitted it, as in “Sarah Kerr, Mummy to Isabel, Natasha & Imogen.”
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Judy Patton had dropped off this recipe back when we were trying to find a specific sour cream chocolate cake. We had so many recipes to publish I left this one out, but it’s decadently good!
HERSHEY’S CHOCOLATE MARBLE CHEESECAKE
Graham Crust:
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
2 Tbsp. sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted
3 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
2 cups sour cream
1 1/4 cup sugar, divided
3 tsp. vanilla, divided
3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
4 eggs
1/4 cup Hershey’s cocoa
First, prepare the crust. Combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar and melted butter, press onto bottom and one inch up the sides of a springform pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Cool.
Combine the cream cheese, sour cream, 1 cup sugar and 2 tsp. vanilla in a large mixer bowl. Beat on medium until smooth.
Add flour 1 tablespoon at a time, blending well. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Reserve 2 cups batter; pour remaining batter into crust. Thoroughly combine cocoa and remaining 1/4 cup of sugar. Gradually add the reserved 2 cups batter to cocoa mixture, blending well. Add remaining teaspoon of vanilla.
Spoon chocolate batter into the existing batter in the crust and swirl with a spatula or knife to create a marbled effect.
Bake at 300 degrees for 75 minutes. Turn off oven and leave in oven for 1 hour without opening the door. Remove and cool at room temperature. Cover and chill at least 8 hours or overnight.
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Local cookbook epicurean Blake Eyman has buried me under a mound of nonetheless fascinating cookbooks from decades past. This recipe came out of a Hawaiian collection called “Favorite Island Recipes.” I love it! I think I’m going to try grilling it in an iron skillet, and see if I can win a barbecued dessert competition somewhere. Don’t spill the beans!
MANGO UPSIDE
DOWN CAKE
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
2 cups ripe mangos, sliced
1 Tbsp. butter
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup fat (try vegetable shortening)
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup milk
Pour lemon juice over the mango slices and allow to stand 15 minutes. Melt butter in an 8-inch pan or casserole. Add brown sugar and cover with a layer of mango slices. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
To prepare the cake batter, first cream the fat. Add sugar and cream together, then add beaten egg. Sift dry ingredients and add alternately with milk. Pour over mangoes and bake 50 to 60 minutes.
When cake is done, turn it out upside-down onto a cake plate and serve while still warm with whipped cream or a lemon or lime dessert sauce.
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Here is another tropical fruit cake, which is a little richer than your average banana bread. Make it in a Bundt pan and drizzle a little banana rum-laced confectioner’s sugar icing on top.
BLAKE’S BANANA CAKE
1 stick butter
1 1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. evaporated milk
2 tsp. water
1 3/4 cup flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1 cup mashed bananas
1 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)
Cream butter with sugar and add eggs one at time, finishing with the evaporated milk and water. Sift together flour, soda and baking powder, and mix this with the creamed items. Fold in mashed bananas and walnuts.
Pour in well-greased Bundt pan and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Cool slightly before turning out onto a cake plate.
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To help move all those sweets through your system, we’ll look at some nifty whole grain recipes next week! They’re easier than you think, and add some inexpensive variety to the diet.
It’s almost baseball season — opening day is April 6. So, in honor of America’s National Pastime, let’s look at a variety of hot dog recipes. How do you dress your dog? Send your recipe or idea to Murphy’s Menu, 517 Merchant St., or murphysmenu@yahoo.com. Let’s get cooking.