baking recipes | Yum Kosher

RSS

Archive for the ‘baking recipes’ Category

my mother’s famous pesach sponge cake

04 Apr

Today I got to the best part – cooking in the Pesachdike kitchen! I made 5 recipes of this cake, 3 in tube pans, one on a huge cookie sheet, and one as 3 9-inch rounds. As you already know, my mother is a cook and baker par excellence. She puts her heart and soul into the food that she makes and it shows! This is her famous, classic Pesach sponge cake. It is elegant served all on its own or you can turn it into a strawberry shortcake by layering with strawberry jam and strawberry whipped cream.

INGREDIENTS:

8 eggs, separated

1 cup sugar

1/3 cup oil

1/3 cup orange juice

3/4 cup potato starch
DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat the yolks in a bowl with 1/2-cup sugar until pale yellow in color. Add the oil and orange juice.
Add potato starch. In a clean bowl with clean beaters, beat the egg whites until frothy. Slowly add the remaining 1/2-cup sugar, until the egg whites hold a definite shape, but are
not dry. Fold into the yolk mixture.
Pour into a 10” tube pan. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Turn the pan upside down to cool. Most tube pans have 3 “legs” to stand on. If yours doesn’t, turn the pan over and center the middle over a bottle that fits into the hole. Once cool, freeze the cake before removing from pan.

4 Comments

Posted in baking recipes, dessert recipes, gluten free, holiday, Pesach recipes, recipes

hamantaschen

06 Mar

Well, it is certainly that time of the year! Purim is almost upon us, and not only is our town a hustle and bustle of costume shopping and basket coordination, but as of a few weeks ago, the hamantasch cookie appeared on bakery and supermarket shelves with much competition. The Hamantash commemorates the 3 cornered hat that Haman wore. It’s only been in recent years that I’ve developed a liking to Hamantaschen, with my favorite brand being Reisman’s, and my preferred filling being raspberry. For some reason, you cannot buy a package of only raspberry filled cookies. The boxes are a combination of apricot and raspberry filled, so I am always evaluating the sealed packages to see which ones have more raspberry than apricot. Somehow, it always seems to look like they put the raspberry ones on top and inevitably, hide the apricot filled ones underneath! What I like most about the Reisman’s brand is its soft cookie dough with no crunch at all. When I can, I make a special trip to a local store (Feldman’s) which sells the cookies loose from a case and I can get as many raspberry filled Hamantaschen as I’d like.

Last year was the first year I made my own Hamantashen. They were fun to make and quite good to eat. I filled some with raspberry jam and some with prune jam (lekvar) and loved them both. I also seem to remember that I ate most of them myself, which means, that it remains to be seen if I will bake a batch of these yummy treats today!

Photo Credit: Jennysnoodle.blogspot.com, Recipe credit: Rivka Malka Perlman

INGREDIENTS

2 cups sugar
1 cup oil
6 eggs
3 tsp baking powder
6-7 cups flour

Filling choices can include: apricot jam, poppy seed filling, raspberry jam, strawberry jam and prune jam (lekvar).

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Mix ingredients together. On a floured surface, roll the dough thin with a rolling pin. Cut out 2-3 inch circles with a cookie cutter or upside down drinking glass. Put approximately 1 teaspoon of a filling of your choice in the center of each round. Lift the sides of the dough and pinch the cookie to form a triangle. Bake for about 7 minutes until very light brown begins to show (should be pale).

No Comments

Posted in baking recipes, recipes

a muffin that tastes like a donut

09 Dec

We all love doughnuts, but oh, the work involved in making them: the (sometimes yeasted) dough, the rising, the shaping, and then the frying. For most of us it’s a once a year project prompted only by the family’s pleading and anticipation of these homemade treats.

Now, what if you could have the flavor and texture of a doughnut without the frying? That caught my attention – was it possible? This is actually a muffin that tastes like a doughnut! Aside from being much, much easier to make, these doughnut muffins are simply delicious. A creamed batter yields a light, cakey interior, while a dip in melted butter mimics the satisfying “fried-ness” of a doughnut.

For some of us though, nothing but the real thing will do, so I am including a recipe for traditional “Sufganiyot”. Either one is sure to be a winner!

A MUFFIN THAT TASTES LIKE A DOUGHNUT

This recipe originates from Fine Cooking Magazine and is dairy. I would make it that way, but if you want, you may make substitutions for a parve muffin.

INGREDIENTS

For the Muffins

12 oz. unsalted butter, warmed to room temperature. (The butter should be somewhat firm but soft enough to easily poke a finger into.)
1 3/4 cups sugar
4 large eggs
1 lb 11 oz. (6 cups) all-purpose flour
1 Tbs. plus 2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 3/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground nutmeg (I personallydon’t care for nutmeg and would omit it)
1 2/3 cups milk
1/4 cup buttermilk*

For Dipping:

8 oz. unsalted butter; more as needed
2 cups sugar
2 Tablespoons ground cinnamon

DIRECTIONS

1. Put a rack in the middle of the oven and heat the oven to 350 degrees. In a stand mixer or a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until it is light and fluffly. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until just mixed in.

2. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg, if using.

3. Combine the milk and buttermilk.

4. With a wooden spoon, mix a quarter of the dry ingredients into the butter mixture. Then mix in a third of the milk mixture. Continue mixing in the remaining dry and wet ingredients alternately, ending with the dry. Mix until well combined and smooth, but don’t overmix.

5. Grease and flour a standard-size muffin tin. Scoop enough batter into each tin so that the top of the batter is even with the rim of the cup about 1/2 cup. (a #16 standard ice-cream scoop gives you the perfect amount.) Bake the muffins until firm to the touch, 30 to 35 minutes.

Melt the butter for the dipping mixture. Combine the sugar and cinnamon. When the muffins are just cool enough to handle, remove them from the pan, dip them into or brush them all over with the melted butter, and then roll them in the cinnamon sugar. (If you want you can dip only the tops of the muffins.)

*to make your own buttermilk, place 1 tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice in a measuring cup. Add enough milk or parve milk to make 1 cup. Use as much as needed.

Yield: 24

Photo: Steve Hunter

SUFGANIYOT (Israeli Jelly Doughnuts)

INGREDIENTS

Dough

1 (1/4 oz.) package (2 1/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water (105 to 110 degrees)
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup milk or nondairy creamer
6 tablespoons (3/4 cup) unsalted butter or margarine, softened
3 large egg yolks, or 2 large eggs
1-teaspoon table salt or 2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg or mace (optional)
About 3 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
About 5 cups vegetable oil, safflower oil, peanut oil, or vegetable shortening for deep-frying
About 1 cup jelly (I use one specifically meant for jelly donuts and cookies. It is a beautiful color and just the right consistency)
Confectioner’s or granulated sugar for dusting

DIRECTIONS

1. Dissolve the yeast in the water. Stir in 1-teaspoon sugar and let stand until foamy, 5 to 10 minutes. Blend in the milk, remaining sugar, butter, egg yolks, salt, nutmeg if using, and 2 cups flour. Beat in enough of the remaining flour to make a smooth, soft dough. Cover and let rise until double in bulk, about 1 1/2 hours.

2. Punch down the dough. Fold over and press together several times. Let stand for 10 minutes. Roll out the dough 1/4 inch thick. Cut out 2 1/2 -to 3 1/2-inch rounds. Place in a single layer on a lightly floured surface, cover, and let rise until double in bulk, about 1 hour.

3. Heat at least 2 inches of oil over medium heat to 375 degrees.

4. Using an oiled spatula, carefully lift the doughnuts and drop them topside down, into the oil. Fry 3 or 4 at a time without crowding the pan, turning once, until golden brown on all sides, about 1 1/2 minutes per side. The temperature of the oil should not drop below 350 degrees. Drain on a wire rack.

5. Place the jelly in a cookie press or a pastry bag fitted with a 1/4-inch hole or nozzle tip, Pierce one end of each doughnut with the tip and squeeze the filling until the doughnut is full. Roll the doughnuts in sugar.

Variation:

You may substitute whipped cream, pastry cream (custard), or pudding for the jelly.

1 Comment

Posted in baking recipes, bread recipes, dessert recipes, recipes

chocolate chestnut layer cake

23 Nov

In Hungarian they’re called gesztenye (GES-ten-yeh), in Russian Kashtan, and in Flemish they similarly say kastanje (kas-TAN-yeh) for the delicacy we know as chestnuts. If you walk down a Manhattan street on a cold winter’s day, and get a whiff of freshly roasting chestnuts emanating from the corner street cart, you will be immediately warmed by at least 10 degrees. Although we refer to them as nuts, the meat inside a chestnut is soft and starchy, more akin to grains than crunchy-like traditional nuts. It is the only nut primarily treated as a vegetable due to its starch content. The chestnut’s flavor is an acquired taste, and not everyone appreciates their taste. Growing up, my mother served boiled chestnuts on winter Friday nights. It wasn’t until I was a little older that I started to like them, and now continue the tradition in my home. The versatile chestnut, cannot be eaten raw. The skins need to be sliced before baking or can be cooked in water without slitting. Cooked chestnuts are used in savory soups and stuffings, as well as in sweet desserts.

Harvested from October through March, December is the prime month for fresh chestnuts. Choose fresh nuts that are smooth and glossy, free of blemishes. They should feel heavy for their size. Avoid any that are shriveled, cracked, or rattle in their shell. I usually squeeze the nut between my fingers and if the shell doesn’t indent, I know they’re fresh. Today, kosher chestnuts are sold cooked and peeled in a foil bag, making it easy to use in recipes and even just to snack on.

This delectable cake is a Hungarian specialty. If you know where to find kosher chestnut puree, you can use it for the filling, and please be so kind as to let me know where I can get it.

Chocolate Jelly Roll Cake:

INGREDIENTS

6 eggs, separated
pinch of salt
6 1/2 Tbsp. sugar
3 Tbsp. cocoa
1/4 tsp. baking powder
3 1/2 Tbsp. flour

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a clean, dry bowl, beat the egg whites till they begin to foam. Add a pinch of salt. When the whites start to fluff into a snow, add the sugar. Beat until stiff but not dry. (Stop the mixer as soon as it is stiff. Do not continue to beat.)

2. In a separate bowl, combine egg yolks, cocoa and baking powder.

3. Fold 1/3 of the whites into the yolk mixture. Sprinkle with all the flour. Fold in the the rest of the whites in 2 additions.

4. Pour into parchment lined 10×15-inch cookie sheet. Bake for 15 minutes or until cake bounces back when gently pressed with a finger.

5. Remove cake from oven and invert onto a clean towel. Gently peel back the parchment paper, using a knife to separate the cake from the paper, if necessary. Cover and cool cake.

My Grandmother’s Chocolate Cream:

INGREDIENTS

2 eggs
1 cup confectionery sugar
1 Tbsp. cocoa
3 oz. good quality chocolate
1/3 lb shortening
dash of whiskey (optional)

DIRECTIONS

1. In a small pot over a medium flame, cook the eggs and sugar, mixing the whole time, until smooth. Add the cocoa and chocolate, mix until melted and smooth.

2. Remove from flame. Add the Shortening, mix until melted. Add the whiskey if desired. Cool.

Chestnut Cream:

INGREDIENTS

1 lb. cooked and peeled chestnuts
1 stick margarine, room temp.
3-4 cups confectionery sugar
2 Tbsp. vanilla sugar
3 Tbsp. chocolate cream

DIRECTIONS

1. Process chestnuts in the food processor with the S blade until smooth. Add the margarine, 3 cups of confectionery sugar, vanilla sugar, and chocolate cream. Taste to see if it needs more sugar. Add accordingly.

Topping:

INGREDIENTS

1 whip topping (8-10 oz.)

1/4 cup confectionery sugar

1 Tbsp. vanilla sugar

DIRECTIONS

Whip all ingredients together until stiff.

To Assemble Cake:

Smear the chocolate cream on the jelly roll cake. Top with most or all of the chestnut cream. Cut the cake into 3 strips lengthwise. Put one strip on top of the other until all the layers are stacked into one cake. Cover with whip topping and decorate any way you like.

4 Comments

Posted in baking recipes, dessert recipes, recipes

pumpkin bread

22 Nov

In the last year or two, I’ve noticed a new trend – baking with olive oil. Olive oil not only adds an incredible depth of flavor, but used in place of butter or shortening, it makes quick breads better for you by supplying healthy fat and antioxidants. I made this recipe before Rosh Hashana and served it as a side dish – it was a hit! The recipe is from Ellie Krieger/Fine Cooking Magazine and it is easy and yields a moist bread. Pumpkin seeds are an optional topping here, but they add a nice crunch.

INGREDIENTS

Cooking spray
3-1/4 oz. (3/4 cup) whole wheat flour
3 oz. (2/3 cup) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp. table salt
2 large eggs
1 cup canned pumpkin purée
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup honey
2 Tbs. unsalted pumpkin seeds (also called pepitas; optional)

DIRECTIONS

1. Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9×5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk both flours, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, nutmeg, and salt. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, pumpkin, sugar, oil, and honey until well combined. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir with a large spoon just until evenly incorporated.

3. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Tap the pan on the counter a few times to settle the batter. Sprinkle the top with the pumpkin seeds (if using), pressing them down lightly. Bake until the top is browned and a wooden skewer inserted in the center comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. (If the bread begins to brown too much before it’s fully baked, lay a piece of aluminum foil on top.) Cool in the pan for 15 minutes and then transfer the bread to a rack to cool completely before slicing.

As an alternative, you can make these in mini muffin or muffin size. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes for minis and 25-30 minutes for the muffin size.

nutrition information (per serving):
Calories (kcal): 290; Fat (g): 12; Fat Calories (kcal): 100; Saturated Fat (g): 2; Protein (g): 5; Monounsaturated Fat (g): 7; Carbohydrates (g): 45; Polyunsaturated Fat (g): 2; Sodium (mg): 280; Cholesterol (mg): 45; Fiber (g): 3;

photo: Scott Phillips

No Comments

Posted in baking recipes, bread recipes, recipes, side dish recipes

plum torte

05 Oct

Plums are one of the few fruits that are better eaten cooked than raw, since cooking enhances their sweetness. This recipe was printed many years ago in the NY Times. My friend has the original copy and has been making it for years. Yesterday, when I saw a box of Italian plums beckoning in Costco, it reminded me of these delicious pies. Aside from its’ good old-fashioned taste, it is also easy to prepare. The recipe calls for a springform pan, but will work well with a 9-inch pyrex pie plate or a disposable pan.

Ingredients

3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick)
1 cup unbleached flour, sifted
1 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of salt
2 eggs
24 halves pitted Italian purple plums
Sugar and cinnamon for topping.
Sprinkle of lemon juice

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Cream sugar and butter in a bowl. Add flour, baking powder, salt and eggs, and beat well.

3. Spoon the batter into a spring form of 8, 9 or 10 inches. Place the plum halves skin side up on top of the batter. Sprinkle lightly with lemon juice, and (up to 2 tablespoons of) sugar, depending on the sweetness of the fruit. Sprinkle with about 1/2-1 teaspoon of cinnamon, or to taste.

4. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes. Remove and cool; refrigerate or freeze if desired (but first, double-wrap the tortes in foil, place in a plastic bag, and seal). Or cool to lukewarm, and serve.

5. To serve a torte that has been frozen, defrost and reheat it briefly at 300 degrees.

Yield: 8 servings

Total time: 1 hour 15 minutes

No Comments

Posted in baking recipes, dessert recipes, recipes

kid’s quick honey cookies

23 Sep

So this blog post is being forced upon me by my two nieces who have the perfect recipe and 4 hands to get these cookies done in thirty minutes. Thirty minutes from start to finish includes baking time, but not cleanup. They are kids after all.

So here is the recipe:

Ingredients