CRANBERRY ORANGE BREAD
2 cups all-purpose or pastry flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 large egg
1 teaspoon grated orange peel
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3/4 cup orange juice
1 1/2 cups chopped cranberries
1 1/2 cups walnut pieces
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl. In another bowl, stir the egg, orange peel, oil and orange juice together.
Make a well in the flour mixture and add the liquid mixture. Stir just until blended. Stir in cranberries and nuts.
Turn the batter into well greased and floured mini-loaf pans. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until done. (Baking times will vary depending on the size of the pans. Test for doneness by inserting a toothpick in the center of the loaves. If it comes out clean, it should be done.) Let the loaves cool for ten minutes and then remove them to a wire rack to cool completely.
HOLIDAY FRUITCAKE
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup sour cream
1 cup chopped dates
2 cups raisins
1/2 cup chopped glazed cherries
1 cup chopped walnuts
2 cups all-purpose flour (divided into 1/4 cup and 1 3/4 cups)
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 egg, room temperature
Grated rind of one orange
1 teaspoon salt
1 Preheat oven to 325°F. In a small bowl, mix together the baking soda and sour cream; set aside.
2 Combine the dates, raisins, cherries, and nuts with 1/4 cup of the flour and toss to coat the fruit and nuts. Set aside.
3 Cream together the butter and sugar. Mix in the egg, then the orange rind, then the sour cream/baking soda mix. Add the flour and the salt and mix together. Combine fruit/nut mixture with creamed ingredients and mix well to distribute the fruit and nuts evenly.
4 Pour batter into a prepared loaf pan (see note) and bake at 325°F for one and a half to two hours or until a toothpick or wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Place a pan of water in the oven when the cake goes in. Water may need to be replenished during baking.
5 Wrap tightly with aluminum foil and plastic wrap to store. If you want, you can sprinkle on a few ounces of Bourbon, especially if you would like to store the fruit cake for a while.
Makes one loaf.
Note:
Line the loaf pan with greased parchment paper or brown baking paper, cut to fit the pan. Place one piece to run the length of the pan and stand up above the rim about an inch. Place the other piece or pieces to cover the other sides. When the cake comes out of the oven, you can easily remove it by holding the sides of the paper and lifting the cake out of the pan. Once the cake has cooled completely, you can pull off the paper.
CHOCOLATE-CHERRY FRUITCAKE
Makes 2 loaf pan-sized cakes
1 1/2 cups dried cherries, well-chopped
1/4 cup plus 6 tablespoons rum, whisky, or amaretto
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (Dutch-process or natural)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
10 tablespoons butter (salted or unsalted), at room temperature
2 cups sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup buttermilk or plain yogurt (regular or low-fat)
1 cup walnuts, pecans, or almonds, toasted and finely-chopped
3/4 cup chocolate chips
1. A day or so before you make the cake, toss the cherries in ¼ cup of liquor. Cover, and let macerate.
2. To bake the cakes, grease two 9-inch loaf pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper or dust with cocoa powder. Preheat the oven to 350F.
3. Sift together the flour, cocoa, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside.
4. In the bowl of a standing electric mixer, or by hand, beat the butter and sugar until very light and fluffy. Stir together the eggs and yolk with the vanilla, then dribble them in while beating.
5. Mix in one-third of the flour/cocoa mixture, then half of the yogurt or buttermilk. Then mix in another third of the dry ingredients, then the rest of the yogurt. Finally add the remaining dry ingredients, and gently stir in the nuts, chocolate chips and cherries. (Which should have absorbed all the liquid. If not, add that as well.)
6. Divide and smooth the batter into the two prepared loaf pans and bake for 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let stand on the countertop for about 15 minutes.
7. With a skewer, poke 50 holes in the cake and spoon 3 tablespoons of liquor over each cake. Let cool.
Storage:
These cakes will last, well-wrapped, for about a week. If you want a really boozy cake, you can brush with additional liquor every few days before serving.
They can also be frozen, although if you choose that route, don't add liquor to them. You can rewarm them once they're thawed and add it later
QUICK CHRISTMAS BREAD
1 pound Frozen Bread Dough
1/2 cup Candied Mixed Fruit
1/2 cup Walnut, chopped
1/4 cup Mincemeat
1 cup Confectioners sugar
4 teaspoons Milk
1/8 teaspoon Cardamom, ground
Thaw frozen bread dough according to package directions. On a lightly flowered board pull dough out until it is 12 inches long. Knead in the fruit, mincemeat and the nuts into the dough.
With a sharp knife cut dough into 3 ropes, 12 inches long. Press the 3 ropes together on one end and braid on a greased cookiesheet. Let rise in a warm (90) degree place until double in bulk, about 1 1/2 hours.
Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F for 25-30 minutes. Cool.
Combine the sugar, milk and cardamom, spread this glaze over bread.
CHRISTMAS BREAD
Maraschino cherries, bananas and macadamia nuts are a perfect trio in this quick bread.
1 (10-ounce) jar maraschino cherries
1/3 cup butter or margarine, softened
2/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup mashed ripe bananas
1/2 cup chopped macadamia nuts or walnuts
Drain maraschino cherries, reserving two tablespoons of juice. Coarsely chop cherries; set aside.
Combine butter, eggs and brown sugar and reserved cherry juice in a bowl. Mix on medium speed with a mixer until ingredients are thoroughly combined. Combine flour, salt and baking powder; mix well. Add mixture of flour and mashed bananas alternately, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Stir in drained cherries and nuts. Lightly spray a 9x5x3-inch baking pan with non-stick cooking spray. Spread batter evenly in pan.
Bake in a preheated 350° F oven one hour, or until golden brown and wooden pick inserted near center comes out clean. Remove from pan; let cool on wire rack. Wrap in plastic wrap or store in a tightly covered container.
Makes 1 loaf, about 16 slices.
HILLVILLA PUMPKIN PIE
2 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 (16 oz.) can pumpkin
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar - dark or golden
2 1/2 tsp. Special seasoning (recipe follows)
1 cup Evaporated milk
1/2 cup Half and half
1/2 cup Granulated sugar
1 (9") unbaked pie shell
Mix together the eggs, vanilla, pumpkin, brown sugar and seasoning mix. In a saucepan, mix the evaporated milk, half and half, and granulated sugar; cook over low heat until the sugar dissolves. Add to the pumpkin mixture. Pour into unbaked pie shell and bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes;
lower heat to 350 and cook 25 minutes. Store in the refrigerator.
Hillvilla Special Seasoning Mix
4 Tbsp. Ground cinnamon
2 Tbsp. Ground allspice
2 Tbsp. Black pepper
2 Tbsp. Salt
1 Tbsp. Ground nutmeg
1 Tbsp. Ground cloves
1 Tbsp. Ground ginger
Combine cinnamon, allspice, pepper, salt, nutmeg, cloves and ginger. Store in an airtight container for use in other baking.
Makes about 3/4 cup.
Note:
Sounds like a recipe from a feature that ran on the late Eddie Palaske, who was a baker and chef at the Hillvilla Restaurant. The recipe was repeated with his obituary, because he was so well known for it. It made the best pumpkin pie.
TRIPLE ORANGE ANGEL FOOD CAKE
1 (15-ounce) can mandarin oranges in light syrup
1 (16-ounce) box angel food cake mix
1 teaspoon orange extract
1 tablespoon orange zest
1 (8-ounce) container whipped topping
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Move a rack to the bottom position.
Drain the mandarin oranges and reserve the liquid. Measure the reserved liquid and add enough water to equal 1 1/4 cups. Measure out 1 cup mandarin oranges, reserving the remaining oranges for garnish.
In a large mixing bowl, combine angel food cake mix, mandarin water, orange extract and orange zest. With an electric mixer, beat on low speed for 30 seconds. Scrape down sides of bowl and beat on medium for 1 minute. Pour into angel food tube pan. Carefully place 1 cup of orange segments around top of cake batter. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until top of cake is cracked, dark golden brown, and not sticky.
Remove cake from oven and invert onto glass bottle to cool.
Frost cake with whipped topping and garnish with reserved orange segments.
Cook's Note:
Excessive stirring will cause whipped topping to become watery.
CAKE MIX FRUITCAKE
You can vary the fruits to suit your taste. The addition of applesauce really makes a moist cake. You can change up the flavor of this fruitcake by using a chocolate, white or spice cake mix instead of a yellow one.
1 pound dates, chopped
2 cups pecans, chopped
8 ounces candied pineapple, chopped
8 ounces red and green candied cherries, halved
1/4 cup flour
1 package yellow cake mix
1 cup applesauce
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 teaspoons lemon extract
2 teaspoons orange extract
Grease two 9-by-5-by-3-inch loaf pans. Line with parchment or waxed paper. Spray with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
Preheat oven to 275 degrees.
Combine the dates, pecans, candied pineapple, candied cherries and flour in a large bowl. Toss with hands until fruit is coated with the flour.
In another large bowl, combine cake mix, applesauce, eggs and extracts. With a mixer, mix on medium speed for two minutes.
Add fruits and mix by hand until fruit is coated and evenly disbursed. Spoon into prepared pans.
Put in the oven and bake for two hours, 45 minutes, or until a pick inserted in the cake comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove cake from pans and cool completely. Remove paper.
Make two 2-pound loaves.
NOTE:
You also can use 16 ounces mixed candied fruit instead of candied pineapple and candied cherries.
LEMON CHERRY LOAF
6 tbsp. butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
rind of 1 lemon, grated
1/2 cup maraschino cherries, chopped
1/2 cup nuts, coarsely chopped
In a large bowl, mix in given order. Pour into greased and floured 9 x 5 inch loaf pan. Bake at 275º for 1 hour and 55 minutes, or until it tests done when thin paring knife stuck in the middle comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes and pour glaze over. Cool about 15 minutes until glaze hardens and remove from pan.
GLAZE
Mix together well in small bowl; 1/4 cup sugar and juice of 1/2 lemon.
When completely cold, wrap well in plastic wrap. This keeps for quite awhile in the refrigerator, and is so tangy and delicious!
ITALIAN CREAM CHEESE CAKE
1 stick real butter
1/2 c Crisco
2 c sugar
2 c all purpose flour
1 t baking soda
1 c buttermilk
5 eggs-separate and beat whites stiff
1 t vanilla flavoring
1 can Angel Flake coconut
1 c pecans-chop fine
FROSTING
8 oz cream cheese-soft
3 oz cream cheese-soft
6 T real butter
1-1/2 t vanilla flavoring
1 lb box + 2 c confectioner's sugar
1 c pecans-finely chopped
Cream butter and Crisco well. Add sugar and beat smooth. Add egg yolks and mix until all are blended well. In a medium bowl, mix and sift dry ingredients. Add to batter alternately with buttermilk-beginning and ending with flour. Stir in vanilla, nuts, and coconut well. Fold in stiff egg whites by hand with a large spoon gently. Pour evenly into 3 prepared 9" cake pans and bake 350* for 25-30 minutes or until done. Let cool in pans 10 minutes, then turn out on wire racks to completely cool. Mix frosting and ice cake completely. Mix butter, cream cheeses, and sugar well. Add vanilla and nuts, blend well and ice cake all over.
****You can freeze the layers for 2-3 weeks with good results. Just defrost room temperature and frost as directed.
WHITE CANDY CANE FUDGE
12 oz white chocolate, coarsely chopped
14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
1/4 c coarsely chopped peppermint candies
Butter an 8-inch square baking pan; line bottom and sides
with foil allowing foil to extend over sides of pan by
about 1". Butter foil. Over medium-high heat in top of
double-boiler or heatproof bowl set over pot of hot water
combine white chocolate and condensed milk. Cook, stirring
frequently, until melted and smooth, 5 minutes. Pour mixture
into pan; sprinkle candy over top. Using knife lightly swirl
candy into chocolate mixture. Refrigerate until firm, about
6 hours or overnight. Cut into 1" squares, diamond shapes or
rectangles. Store in refrigerator.
RUM CAKE W/GLAZE ICING
CAKE:
1 box Duncan Hines Yellow Cake Mix (I am sure you can use any cake mix)
1 regular size package of Jello vanilla INSTANT pudding
1/2 c. Crisco Oil
1/2 c. water
4 eggs
Beat all 5 ingredients together, and then add:
1/2 c. (light) rum (Bacardi)
1/2 (small) bottle rum extract
Mix together.
Lightly grease a 9"; loaf pan and place 1/2 c. chopped pecans in the bottom (completely cover bottom in one layer). Pour batter over the pecans. Bake at 250 degrees F for approx. 1 hour 20 minutes.
ovens vary; test for doneness with a cake tester or toothpick).
ICING:
1 stick of butter or margarine (butter)
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
Mix together and bring to a rolling boil. Remove from heat and add:
1/4 cup (light) rum (Bacardi)
1/4 (small) bottle rum extract
Make toothpick holes on cake.
Pour (warm) over (still warm) cake while in pan. Let soak in. Cool
completely. Slice and serve.
