One of my favorite desserts: Lemon Poppy Seed Cake

LEMON POPPY SEED CAKE

CAKE:

1 c. butter
1 1/2 c. sugar, divided
1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese
5 eggs, separated
1 c. lemon juice
2 2/3 c. flour, sifted
1 1/4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/3 c. poppy seed
1 tbsp. grated lemon peel

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Beat 1 1/4 cups sugar and cream cheese in large bowl at medium speed with electric mixer until light and fluffy. Blend in egg yolks and juice. Add combined flour, baking powder and baking soda; mix well. Beat in poppy seed and lemon peel; set aside.

Beat egg whites until foamy. Gradually add reserved 1/4 cup sugar, beating until soft peaks form. Fold egg whites into batter. Pour into greased and floured 10-inch tube or bundt pan. Bake 55 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes; remove from pan. Cool.

GLAZE:

1/2 c. sifted powdered sugar
1 tbsp. lemon juice

Mix powdered sugar and juice. Drizzle over cake.

Lemon Ice Cream

I have fond memories of home-made ice cream!

Grown-up Lemon Ice Cream
6 Lemons
1 C Sugar
6 egg yolks
2 C heavy cream
pinch of salt
2 C evaporated milk (since many cans of evaporated milk are about 1.5 cups, you could also do 1.5 cups evaporated and .5 cup of regular milk)
1 t vanilla

Prep:
Use a grater and zest the 6 lemons into a bowl. Mix the sugar into the bowl with the zest. Squeeze 3/4 C of juice from the lemons and set it aside.

Cooking:
Whisk the egg yolks with the cream and salt in a heatproof mixing bowl. Put the evaporated milk and lemon-sugar mixture in a medium non-aluminum saucepan. Bring the liquid to a simmer, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Remove pan from heat. Slowly whisk the hot milk into the egg yolk mixture. Then return the combined stuff to the saucepan. Stir constantly over medium-low heat until the mixture begins to thicken slightly and coats the back of a spoon, about 5 minutes. Pour the hot custard into a bowl without straining (unless you are the nice mom who makes this for her kids). Stir in the vanilla. Put a sheet of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the custard to prevent skin from forming. Chill custard--can be refrigerated for up to 48 hours.

Freezing:
Stir the lemon juice into the cooled custard and transfer mixture to an ice cream maker and freeze. Makes about 1.5 quarts.

Great cookies

I remember these, unfortunately it was when I ate one that we all discovered my terrible allergy to tree nuts. I got so sick! They just don't taste the same without nuts.

The note attached to this recipe: Julius made these cookies for Ann's office parties.

Old English Apple Pie

Old English Apple Pie (no crust)

1 egg
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoons vanilla
Beat well, add,
1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
2 cups apples, peeled & diced

Pour into 9 inch pie plate that’s well greased.

Bake at 350° until brown about 30 minutes.

Note on card “Jeans Happy Talk” program.

To the best of my knowledge I never had this pie, but it sounds good.

Pound cake

Pound cake

1/2 # sugar 1 cup
1/2 lb. Butter 1 cup
1/2 lb eggs 1 cup
1/2 lb flour 2 cups
vanilla – 1 tsp.

Bake 370° – 1 hour or until baked when tested.

My grandfather wrote this recipe – since he owned two bakeries he probably had to think about the amounts since he would never have baked just one cake. The recipe is fine, I did beat the sugar and butter together and then add the eggs, gradually adding the flour.

Swedish Christmas Cookies

Swedish Christmas Cookies

(Yield: 3 dozen cookies)

Combine 2 cups of water and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a saucepan and heat. Separate 4 egg yolks from the whites and drop them from a saucer, on at a time, into the hot salted water. Cover and simmer until hard cooked. Mix 1/2 cup sugar with 1/2 cup butter or margarine and stir until fluffy. Blend in 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract and 1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract. Put the hard-cooked egg yolks through a sieve and add. Sift 1 1/3 cups sifted all-purpose flour with 1/2 teaspoon salt, add to the creamed mixture alternately with 2 tablespoons top milk or light cream. Mix well. Put mixture through a cookie press onto ungreased cookie sheets. Decorate as desired with colored sugar or glazed fruit. Bake 6 to 8 minutes in a preheated moderate oven (350 degrees F.)


(clipping probably from the Rocky Mountain News or The Denver Post)

Baked Rice Custard

My grandparents really liked rice custard (pudding), I think this is the recipe that they usually made.

Baked Rice Custard

[Julius’s recipe—my grandfather]

Bring to boil: 3/4 cup packaged precooked rice, 3 cups milk, and 1/4 cup raisins. Mix: 2 beaten eggs, 2/3 cup granulated or brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg. Add hot mixture, stirring. Pour into baking dish, and bake in pan of hot water in 375° oven, 35 minutes, stirring several times during first part of baking. Serves 4 to 6.

Try 1/2 cup sugar—too sweet

Chocolate Frosting

Chocolate Frosting

Melt 6 squares unsweetened chocolate. Beat 3 egg yolks until thick add 1 1/4 cup sugar, 3/4 cup milk and 1 1/2 tablespoons butter. Cook in a heavy sauce pan over very low direct heat, stirring constantly. (Watch and stir). Bring to a boil. Boil 1 min. Remove from heat stir in the melted chocolate a pinch of salt and 2 teaspoons vanilla. Beat until it will spread nicely. Put the layers together with a good layer of icing, then frost the sides and top of the cake. This chocolate frosting has a gloss stays soft and doesn’t run.

(Handwritten in pencil on small piece of paper)

I remember this frosting and the cakes were always beautiful. I've used it a few times and I love the way the cakes look.

Sand tarts

Sand Tarts

Cream together 1/2 cup butter or margarine and 3 heaping tablespoons sugar until light and frothy. Add 1 1/4 cups sifted flour (preferably cake flour), 1/2 teaspoon vanilla and 1 cup pecans or walnuts, ground – run through the food chopper. This is refrigerated half and hour or so until the dough is firm enough to roll into small balls. Press flat with a fork and put a nut in the center of each cooky. Bake 12 to 15 minutes in a moderate (350°) oven. While hot dust with granulated sugar. These are delicately brown and frosty with sugar.

(Handwritten in pencil by grandma)

Chocolate Icebox Pie

Chocolate Icebox Pie

This recipe will take some interpretation and since I have not made it I will leave this to my audience.

Filling:

1 pkg. sweet chocolate (I will assume my grandmother means semi-sweet chocolate chips – I could be wrong)

3 Tbls. water. 1 tsp. Vanilla
1 cup cream whipped

Melt chocolate in water over low heat stirring constantly. Cool until thickened, add vanilla and then fold in whipped cream.

Pour into graham cracker shell, and chill 2 hours. Decorate with whipped cream.

Crust:

20 graham crackers
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup softened butter

(Handwritten by grandma in pencil on 3 x 5 card)

Pineapple Angel Pie

First I hope everyone has a wonderful New Year!

This dessert is one I would never eat, I really don't like pineapple or maybe it doesn't like me since I always get a very upset stomach when I eat it. I remember my grandmother making this for my aunt.

Pineapple Angel Pie

1 c chopped pineapple
1 c pineapple juice or water
1 c sugar
1/4 tsp salt
6 tbs. cornstarch
2 tbs. sugar
1/2 c cold water
3 egg whites
1/2 pt whipping cream
Pecans and maraschino cherries

Combine pineapple, pineapple juice and sugar bring to boil add cornstarch which has been mixed with cold water and cook until clear, stirring constantly. Cool. Beat egg whites with salt and sugar until creamy. Fold into pineapple mixture. Pour into cooled baked pie shell. Cover with whipped cream. Use nuts and cherries as garnish.

Black Magic Dessert

I don't remember eating this but it sounds pretty good if you like rich desserts!

Black Magic Dessert
Makes 8 servings

Melt in double boiler:
1 6 ounce package semi-sweet chocolate pieces

Add – 2 teaspoons water, 1 teaspoon sugar

Stir in gradually – 4 egg yolks, well beaten.

Beat well; let cool to room temperature.

Beat – 4 egg whites
Add 1/4 of the beaten egg whites to the chocolate mixture; blend.
Fold in remaining beaten egg whites.

Whip -- 1 cup heavy cream. Fold into chocolate mixture.

Tear into bite size pieces: 1 – 10 inch angel food loaf cake.

Grease 9 1/2 x 5 1/4 x 2 3/4 inch loaf pan.
Fill loaf pan by alternating layers of cake pieces with chocolate.
Top with layer of chocolate; chill 24 hours.

(Handwritten by grandma in pen on 3 x 5 index card)

Chocolate Dainties

My grandmother enjoyed desserts and cookies and she tried any new recipe that she found. I don't remember these.

Chocolate Dainties

Cream together 1 cup butter or margarine and 1 cup C and H Powdered Sugar*; add 1 teaspoon vanilla and 1 tablespoon water. Sift, then measure 2 1/4 cups enriched flour and sift again with 4 tablespoons cocoa; stir into butter-sugar mixture. Add 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts; mix well. Form into small rolls about 2” long. Bake on un-greased cooky sheet in slow oven (300°) about 20 minutes. While hot, roll in powdered sugar; cool and roll in powdered sugar again. Makes about 3 dozen small cookies.

*…pure CANE, of course!

(Recipes obviously cut from a powdered sugar box)