Recipes

Some of our favorite recipes for cakes, cookies, icings and candies

Better Carrot Cake - Mary Reichelt

2-1/2 cups flour 3/4 cup vegetable oil

2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 cup applesauce

1 teaspoon baking soda 4 eggs

1-1/2 teaspoons salt 2 cups finely grated carrots

2 teaspoons cinnamon 1 8-ounce can crushed pineapple, drained

1 cup sugar 1/2 cup chopped pecans

1 cup brown sugar 1-1/2 cups shredded coconut (optional)

Sift dry ingredients. Beat eggs until very light and fluffy. While beating, gradually add oil. Stir in sugars and applesauce. Gradually stir in dry ingredients. Add carrots, pineapple, pecans and coconut, if desired. Pour into 3 parchment lined 9" round pans or a parchment lined 9" x 13" pan. Bake at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes for rounds or about 1 hour for sheet pan.

Shortbread Cookies - Carol Webb

3 cubes margarine

3/4 cup sugar

3 cups flour

Cream together margarine and sugar; add flour. Pat into 11" x 16" pan. Prick with a fork. Bake at 325 degrees for 24 minutes. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Cut into squares and let cool.

Cakes

Cookies

String Icing - Doreen Hellemn

1-1/2 pounds powdered sugar Pinch salt

1 cup icing shortening Flavoring

1/2 cup evaporated milk

Mix 1 pound powdered sugar with icing shortening and evaporated milk until smooth. Add the rest of the ingredients, scrape down bowl. Mix on high for 5 minutes. Use for decorating cakes with stringwork.

Icings

Chocolate Cake - Mary Reichelt

15 ounces flour 10-1/2 ounces sugar

3 ounces cocoa powder 3-1/2 ounces brown sugar

2 teaspoons baking soda 3 eggs

2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon salt 1 cup milk

3/4 cup butter 1 cup hot water

Blend dry ingredients, including sugars. Cut in butter until crumbly. Add eggs, beating after each one and alternating with milk. Add vanilla. Blend in boiling water and stir into two 7" round greased and floured pans. Bake at 325 degrees for about 40 minutes.

Candies

Marshmallows - Mary Reichelt

6 tablespoons cold water 1-1/2 cups sugar

2 packages unflavored gelatin powder 1 teaspoon vanilla or other flavoring

1/2 cup water Dash salt

Soften gelatin in 6 tablespoons cold water. Combine sugar and 1/2 cup water and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and add softened gelatin. Stir to dissolve, let cool. Skim scum from surface and beat 15 minutes with mixer. (Note: stand mixers need less than 10 minutes.) Add flavoring, salt and food coloring, if desired. Pour/spread into greased and cornstarch dusted pans or molds. Let sit until firm.

Basic Ganache - Mary Reichelt

8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate

1/2 cup cream

Heat cream in medium sized glass or ceramic bowl in the microwave on high for about one minute or until very hot, but not boiling. If you are using block chocolate, break it up so it melts easier. Put the chocolate in the hot cream and leave it sit for about 5 minutes to soften. Stir (don't beat it) to blend the cream and chocolate. If it's not quite smooth, microwave for another 15 seconds. Stir until smooth. Let cool. This should be firm enough to form into balls for truffles or it can be spooned warm over ice cream or stirred into hot milk for hot chocolate.

Variations: This is a base which can be altered in many ways. If you use darker chocolates, you may need to add more cream. If you use white chocolate, use about 1/4 cup of cream. It can be flavored with spices, liqueurs, extracts, coffee syrups, etc., but you may want to reduce the cream as you add other liquids. It can be made with alternatives to cream, such as almond milk, soy milk, oat milk, etc. You can add chopped nuts, dried fruits or fresh fruits, though be careful about fresh fruits as they may add liquid. You can adjust the consistency by adding more cream or chopped chocolate. Just warm the ganache gently for about 15 seconds in the microwave and add more cream if the ganache is too stiff or add more chocolate if it is too thin. Have fun and don't be afraid to think outside the box with this!