by Joanne Fluke
1 cup (2 sticks) soft or melted butter
2 cups white (granulated) sugar
4 eggs
½ teaspoon salt
3 cups flour (you don’t have to sift it)
Once the above are thoroughly mixed, add the cooled date mixture to your bowl and stir thoroughly.
Butter and flour a 9-inch by 13-inch rectangular cake pan. (This cake rises about an inch and a half, so make sure the sides are tall enough.) Pour the batter into the pan. Then sprinkle the following on the top, in this order, BEFORE baking:
12 oz. chocolate chips (2 cups)
1 cup white (granulated) sugar
1 cup chopped nuts (use any nuts you like—I prefer walnuts or pecans)
Bake at 325 degrees F. for 80 minutes. A cake tester or a long toothpick should come out clean one inch from the center when the cake is done. (If you happen to stick the toothpick in and hit a chocolate chip, it’ll come out covered with melted chocolate—just wipe it off and stick it in again to test the actual cake batter.)
Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack. It can be served slightly warm, at room temperature, or chilled.
Chocolate Fruitcake
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F., rack in the middle position
These cakes pack a punch, especially if you have more than one piece.
If you’re planning to give them as Christmas gifts, bake them at least 3 weeks ahead of time, preferably right after Thanksgiving.
3 sticks melted butter (1 ½ cups, ¾ pound)
4 cups white (granulated) sugar
8 beaten eggs (just whip them up with a fork)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon cardamom (or 1 teaspoon cinnamon, but cardamom’s better)
½ cup unsweetened baking cocoa
½ cup molasses
1 cup milk (or light cream)
4 ½ cups flour (you don’t have to sift it)
1 cup brandy or rum*** (you’ll need an additional cup or two for the wrapping)
1 cup chopped dried apricots (or any chopped dried fruit)
2 ½ cups chopped nuts
1 cup chocolate chips
1 ½ cups coconut flakes
cheesecloth to wrap cakes
***If you don’t want to use alcohol, use a cup of fruit juice instead of the brandy, do not wrap in cheesecloth, and either give the cakes as gifts within a day or two of baking, or wrap them tightly in foil and freeze them in freezer bags.
Spray 8 baby loaf pans with Pam or other non-stick cooking spray. (My pans are stamped 5 ¾ x 3 x 2 1/8 on the bottom.) Line the pans with wax paper by cutting a strip to extend over the width of the pan, leaving “ears” on the side. You don’t have to worry about the ends of the pans—they’ll be okay unlined. Spray the whole thing again with Pam or other non-stick cooking spray, dump in some flour, and swish it around (over the wastebasket or sink) so that all the inner surfaces of the wax paper and the pan are dusted with flour. Knock excess flour out.
Melt butter in a large microwave-safe bowl. Add the sugar and mix it up. Allow it to cool slightly while you beat the eggs in another bowl.
When the butter and sugar mixture is no longer hot to the touch, mix in the beaten eggs. Then add baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and cardamom, and cocoa, stirring after each addition. Mix in molasses and milk.
Add the flour cup by cup, stirring after each addition. Then add the cup of brandy and mix some more. Dump in the apricots, nuts, chocolate chips and coconut and stir until everything is thoroughly mixed.
Fill the baby loaf pans ¾ full with batter. This batch should make eight or nine mini-cakes.
Bake at 300 degrees F. for 1 hour. Remove from oven, place pans on rack and let them cool for 10 minutes. Gently lift out cakes, put them back on the rack, and allow them to cool for another 10 minutes. Peel off the wax paper and finish cooling.
Open a window near your work surface. This sounds silly, but you can get pretty light-headed doing the next step, as it involves some powerful fumes.
Pour a cup of brandy into a bowl. Fold the cheesecloth over so it’s double thick and cut lengths that are long enough to wrap around the cakes. Dip lengths of cheesecloth in the brandy, one at a time. Spread the cheesecloth out on a breadboard or on wax paper on your counter, wrap the cake in the cheesecloth, and place it in a gallon freezer bag. (I put 2 cakes in each bag.) Seal the bags and store them in the bottom of the refrigerator for at least 3 weeks, taking them out every week to add more brandy to the cheesecloth. (I use a small bulb baster so I don’t have to unwrap them.)
If you give these cakes for Christmas, just take them out of the refrigerator, leave the cloth on, and wrap them in Saran Wrap. Then wrap them again in foil and stick a bow on top. These cakes are wonderful sliced and topped with ice cream!
NOTE: Cheesecloth has gotten really expensive. If you can’t find any on sale, I’ve substituted one thickness of unbleached muslin from the fabric store. Just wash the muslin in hot water with NO SOAP and dry it in your dryer. Cut it into lengths AFTER washing and drying (it’ll shrink in the washer and dryer,) and it’ll work almost as well as the cheesecloth.
Coffee Cake
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F., rack in the middle position
Note: Some coffee cake is more like sweet bread. Regina Todd’s is really a cake, so the cookbook committee decided to put it in the cake section.
1 cup soft butter (2 sticks, ½ pound)
1 and ¾ cup white sugar (granulated)
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
6 eggs
3 cups flour (no need to sift)
The Filling:
3 cups chopped fruit (or crushed berries—the fruit can be fresh, frozen, or canned***)
1/3 cup white sugar (granulated)
1/3 cup flour
The Crumb Topping:
½ cup brown sugar (tightly packed)
1/3 cup flour
¼ cup softened butter (½ stick, 1/8 pound)
***If you choose to use drained canned fruit, make sure it’s been canned in its own juice or in water.
Grease the inside of a 9-inch by 13-inch rectangular cake pan, or spray it with non-stick cooking spray.
Mix the cup of soft butter with the white sugar until it’s fluffy. Add the salt, vanilla, and baking powder. Mix thoroughly.
Add the eggs one by one, mixing after each addition.
Add the flour in one-cup increments, mixing thoroughly after each addition.
Spoon one-half of the batter in the cake pan and spread it out with a rubber spatula. Leave the rest in the bowl for later.
The filling: In another bowl, mix the fruit, sugar, and flour. (If you’ve used chopped apples, peaches, or pears, add ½ teaspoon cinnamon to the mix.) Spoon the fruit mixture on top of the batter.
Drop spoonfuls of the remaining batter on top and spread them carefully with a rubber spatula. (The fruit doesn’t have to be covered completely—the batter on top will fill in as it bakes and the crumb topping will cover the rest.)
The crumb topping: Mix the brown sugar and the flour in a small bowl. Add the softened butter and cut it in until it’s crumbly. (You can also do this in a food processor with chilled butter and the steel blade.)
Sprinkle the crumb topping over the pan as evenly as possible.
Bake at 350 degrees F. for 45 to 60 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and let the coffee cake cool on a wire rack.
Andrea, Bill, and Bill’s father like this served warm, right from the pan. Regina likes it thoroughly cool.
Regina told me that one time she wanted to make this coffee cake, but she didn’t have anything in the pantry except a can of cherry pie filling. Instead of mixing the ingredients for the filling, she just dumped in the whole can of pie filling and it worked just fine.
Jell-O Cake
/> Preheat oven to whatever it recommends on the cake mix box.
This recipe is from Andrea, who makes it for Tracey’s birthday every year. Tracey’s friends love it because it’s colorful. Andrea loves it because it’s easy and she’s the undisputed Jell-O Queen of Lake Eden.
1 package white cake mix (1 pound 2.25 ounces)
The ingredients called for on the cake mix box
2 three-ounce packages dry Jell-O in contrasting colors
1 small tub of Cool Whip, or one can of whipped cream
Preheat the oven to the temperature it recommends on the cake mix box.
Grease and flour a 9-inch by 13-inch rectangular cake pan.
Mix up the cake using the directions on the box. Bake the cake for the required amount of time. Let the cake cool to room temperature.
When the cake has cooled, dump one package of Jell-O into a small bowl. Add one cup boiling water to the Jell-O and stir until it’s dissolved (about one minute.)
Poke holes in the top of the cake with a fork, punching it all the way to the bottom of the cake pan. Make about 30 punches.
Pour the Jell-O evenly over the top of the cake. Give it a minute or two to sink down into the holes you punched.
Refrigerate the cake for an hour.
Prepare the second package of Jell-O, mixing the contents with 1 cup boiling water and stirring for one minute, or until it’s dissolved.
Punch more holes in the top of your cake, crisscrossing the first holes. Pour the second bowl of Jell-O liquid over the top of the cake. Give it a minute or two to sink down and then cover it with plastic wrap or foil. Refrigerate the cake for at least 4 hours. Overnight is fine, too.
Andrea says to warn you that the top is going to look ugly and that’s why you’ll frost it with Cool Whip or whipped cream.
When it’s time to serve, “frost” your cake with Cool Whip or whipped cream and cut into square pieces.
To Make A Layer Cake:
For a truly gorgeous cake, divide the batter into two 8-inch round pans and bake it according to the package directions. Then divide the Jell-O between the two pans.
To frost, remove the cakes from the pans, use Cool Whip or whipped cream between the layers and to frost the sides and top. Everyone will ooh and ahh when you slice the cake.
Andrea made a confession to me the night of the Christmas potluck dinner. She said she doesn’t bake the cake. She buys an unfrosted sheet cake at the Red Owl, does the part with the Jell-O, and frosts it with Cool Whip. I thought about this for a few minutes and decided it’s probably a good thing.
Lady Hermoine’s (Hannah’s) Chocolate Sunshine Cake
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F., rack in the middle position
4 one-ounce squares unsweetened baking chocolate
1 cup frozen orange juice concentrate, melted and at room temperature
½ cup soft butter (1 stick, ¼ pound)
2 ½ cups white sugar (granulated)
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon orange extract (or ½ teaspoon vanilla)
2 eggs
2 cups flour (no need to sift)
½ cup milk
1 cup chopped pecans (or walnuts)
Grease (or oil, or spray with non-stick cooking spray) the inside of a Bundt pan. Dust with flour, or cocoa, knocking out the excess.
Put the chocolate and the orange juice concentrate in a microwave-safe bowl and heat it for one minute on high. Stir it and then heat it on high for another minute. Stir until the chocolate has melted. Set the bowl aside to cool. (You can also do this in the top of a double boiler.)
The following steps are a lot easier if you use an electric mixer: Combine the butter and sugar, and mix until fluffy. Mix in the baking powder, salt, and orange extract. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing after each addition.
Add half of the flour to the bowl. Mix thoroughly. Mix in the milk, and then add the rest of the flour.
When the chocolate mixture is cool enough to touch, add it to your bowl. Mix thoroughly. Scrape down the bowl with a rubber spatula and then add the nuts. Give a final mix.
Let the batter rest for several minutes, and then pour it carefully into the prepared Bundt pan.
Bake at 325 degrees F., for 60 to 70 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center of the ring comes out clean.
Remove to a wire rack and let cool for 25 minutes. Loosen the cake around the outside and inside edges with a sharp knife and tip it out onto the wire rack.
Let the cake cool completely and then glaze. (Or, if you don’t feel like making a glaze, just dust the cool cake with confectioner’s sugar.)
Chocolate Glaze:
1 cup chocolate chips
1/3 cup cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
Combine in a microwave-safe bowl. (I use a one-quart glass measuring cup.) Microwave on HIGH for one minute. Stir until chocolate chips are melted. If the glaze is too thick, add a little more cream. If the glaze is too thin, add a few more chips.
Drizzle the hot glaze over the crest of the cake and let it drip down the sides.
Poppy Seed Cake
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F., rack in the middle position
This recipe is from Shirley Dubinski.
1 box yellow cake mix (1 pound, 2.25 ounces)
One package (4.3 ounces) lemon pudding & pie
filling (NOT sugar free)***
4 Tablespoons poppy seeds
½ cup lemon juice
½ cup water
½ cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
*** You can substitute a 3.4 ounce package of Jell-O Lemon Instant Pudding and Pie Filling if you can’t find the kind of pudding you have to cook.
Grease and flour a Bundt pan.
Dump the dry yellow cake mix in a large bowl. Mix in the dry lemon pudding and pie filling. Add the poppy seeds, lemon juice, water, and oil. Mix until well-blended.
Add the eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition.
Beat 2 minutes on medium speed with an electric mixer or 3 minutes by hand.
Pour the cake batter into the Bundt pan.
Bake at 350 degrees F. for 45 to 50 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out dry.
Cool on a rack for 15 minutes. Loosen the outside edges and the middle, and tip the cake out of the pan. Let the cake cool completely on the rack.
When the cake is cool, drizzle Vanilla Glaze in ribbons on the top and down the sides. (Or, if you don’t feel like making a glaze, just let the cake cool completely and dust it with confectioner’s sugar.)
Vanilla Glaze:
1 cup powdered (confectioner’s) sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
6 Tablespoons cream
Measure powdered sugar into a small bowl. Stir in vanilla and cream. Stir until thoroughly mixed. The glaze should be the proper consistency to drizzle over the cake. If it’s too thick, add a bit more cream. If it’s too thin, add a bit more powdered sugar.
Drizzle the glaze over the crest of the cake and let it drip down the sides.
Refrigerate until serving.
Rose’s Famous Coconut Cake
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F., rack in the middle position.
A note from Hannah: Rose McDermott called to give me this recipe the day before I had to turn everything in to our editor. This has come close to convincing me that the man in the red suit with the sleigh is real. Tracey asked for seven things in her letter to Santa, and she got three of them. If she gets that puppy she wants, I’m a believer.
1 ½ cups softened butter (3 sticks)
2 cups white (granulated) sugar
4 eggs
1 cup sour cream*** (you can substitute plain yogurt for a lighter cake)
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon coconut extract (if you can’t find it, you can use vanilla)
1 ¾ cups flour (not sifted)
2 cups flaked or shredded coc
onut (pack it down when you measure it—more is better in this case)
*** Measuring sour cream is messy—it’s easier just to buy the one-cup (half pint) container and use the whole thing.
Generously grease (or spray with non-stick cooking spray) a Bundt pan. Dust it liberally with flour and knock off the excess.
Cream softened butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer. (You can mix this cake by hand, but it takes some muscle.) Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat until they’re nice and fluffy. Then add the sour cream, baking powder and coconut extract.
Put the flour and the coconut in a food processor. Process with the steel blade until the mixture looks like fine cornmeal. (You don’t have to do this if you don’t have a food processor, but most folks like it better.)
Add half of the flour/coconut mixture to the bowl. Mix thoroughly. Add the rest of the flour/coconut combination and mix until the batter is smooth.
Let the batter rest for five minutes or so. Then pour it into the Bundt pan, smoothing the top with a rubber spatula.
Bake at 325 degrees F. for 60 to 70 minutes. The cake should be golden brown on top and a wooden skewer inserted in the center of the cake ring should come out clean.
Cool in the pan on a rack for 25 minutes. Run a knife around the inside edges of the cake to loosen it and don’t forget to loosen it around the funnel in the middle of the pan. Turn the cake out on the rack and let it cool completely.
When the cake is completely cool, glaze it with Coconut Glaze.
Coconut Glaze: