Merry Christmas!
Holidays are for merriment and baking, for sure. Since you are baking, it might be a good time to check your baking soda, baking powder and spices to be sure they are not too old. I usually change my baking soda every six months, throwing the remaining in the sink to refresh the drain. With our humidity, the baking powder would probably be lumpy and need replacing, and many of your spices that you use once a year might be smelling moldy. Replace them because even if the recipe calls for only one teaspoon because if that spice is old, it will make a difference in your finished product.
So now that we have checked our ingredients, let’s start baking some holiday goodies.
We think of eating fruitcake during the holidays, but how about fruitcake brownies?
Fruitcake
Brownies
Makes 24 brownies
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 13x9x2-inch baking dish.
Combine in a medium saucepan:
2 sticks unsalted butter
9 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
Set over low heat until chocolate melts and mixture is smooth. Cool to lukewarm.
Using an electric mixer, beat in a large bowl until very thick and pale, about 3 minutes:
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
3 large eggs
Stir in:
Melted chocolate mixture
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Whisk in a medium bowl:
1 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
Stir the dry ingredients into the chocolate mixture.
Mix in:
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/3 cup chopped dried apricots
1/3 cup dried figs
1/3 cup dried dates
1/3 cup dried sour cherries or dried currants
Transfer batter to prepared pan and smooth tops. Bake until the top cracked and the tester inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, about 35 minutes. Cool in pan on rack.
For frosting:
Combine in a food processor:
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 stick unsalted butter at room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Blend until smooth, scraping down sides of bowl occasionally.
Add and process to blend:
2 cups sifted powdered sugar
Spread frosting over brownies. Refrigerate until the frosting is well chilled, about 2 hours.
Cut brownies into squares. Arrange on a platter, garnish with walnuts.
Robin Benedict of Honolulu submitted this easy recipe in the 1990s for the Honolulu Advertiser recipe contest and won with her Sensational and Simple Mango Dream Cake. She learned how to cook from her grandmother as her mother passed away when she was young.
Can you imagine living on Oahu and having an abundance of mangoes in the summer? This recipe would be perfect for the bumper crop but if not available, bananas are a good substitute.
Sensational and Simple Mango Dream Cake
Makes one 9×13-inch cake
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
For the cake, combine all the following ingredients and pour into a 9×13-inch pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray.:
1 box yellow cake mix
1/2 cup oil
4 large eggs
1 cup ripe mangoes or banana puree
1/2 cup water
Bake for 30 minutes until the cake is done.
For the topping:
Combine all the following ingredients and set in the refrigerator until the cake is cooled. Do not remove the cake from the pan.
Pour the topping on the cooled cake and return to the refrigerator for one hour before serving for best results.
Joanne Weir did not care for coconut, but her friend served this dish and changed her mind.
Budino is a custard but this recipe magically separates itself into three layers.
Caramelized Coconut Budino
Joanne Weir, from her cookbook “More Cooking in the Wine Country.”
Serves 8
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Place on a baking sheet and toast until light brown, tossing occasionally, 10-12 minutes:
2-1/2 cups very finely grated sweetened coconut
Let cool slightly. Place in a food processor and pulse until finely ground. Reserve. Increase oven temperature to 375 degrees.
In a large, heavy stainless steel frying pan, melt over medium heat:
1 cup sugar
Do not stir with a spoon, instead, swirl the pan to melt the sugar uniformly. Cook until the sugar starts to turn golden brown. Immediately remove the pan from the heat and pour the mixture into an 8-inch baking pan. Turn the cake pan to coat the bottom and sides with caramel. Set it aside.
Whisk in a bowl:
8 large eggs
Add and stir together until well mixed:
1 cup sugar
3 cups whole milk
Finely ground coconut
3 tablespoons flour
Pour the coconut mixture into the caramel-lined pan, and place in a larger pan. Pour boiling water into the larger pan to a depth of one inch. Bake in the oven until set and a skewer goes into the center comes out clean, 55 to 65 minutes.
Remove the cake pan from the larger pan and let it set for 10 minutes. Then invert the coconut budino onto a serving plate and serve.
Merry Christmas!
Email Audrey Wilson at audreywilson808@gmail.com.
