Wednesday Desserts
We're half-way through the work week. If we made it this far, we should be able to hold on until the weekend.
Of course, we could use some yummy desserts to help us through the day. To that end, here are six yummy dessert recipes to help out, including Grandma's Creamy Peanut Butter Fudge and Cherry-Cola Dump Cake. Enjoy!
LEMON-GINGERBREAD ICE CREAM SANDWICHES
This comes from Vegetarian Times (July/August 2005 issue, page 62), and begins, "These ice cream sandwiches will become a year-round favorite." Serves 12
To view this online, go to https://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipes/lemon-gingerbread-ice-cream-sandwiches/.
Ingredients
1/3 cup molasses
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 cup boiling water
2 cups all-purpose flour
2-1/2 tsp. ground ginger
2-1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. each ground cloves, ground nutmeg, ground black pepper and salt
8 Tbs. (1 stick) soy margarine, softened
1/2 cup light brown sugar
2 pints lemon sorbet
4 cups vanilla soy "ice cream"
Preparation
Put molasses in heatproof bowl. Sprinkle baking soda over top. Add boiling water; whisk with fork.
Blend flour, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, pepper and salt in large bowl. Cream margarine and brown sugar in another bowl. Add molasses mixture; beat until soft dough forms. Divide in half, wrap each in plastic wrap and chill 1 hour.
Put 1 dough ball between 2 sheets wax paper. Roll into 8 1/2 x 12 1/2-inch shape; remove top wax paper. Using sharp knife, trim dough edges; cut dough into 12 2×4-inch rectangles. Prick with fork. Transfer on wax paper to cookie sheet; chill 30 minutes.
Repeat with remaining dough.
Preheat oven to 325F. Grease 2 cookie sheets. Transfer rectangles from wax paper to cookie sheets.
Bake 8 to 10 minutes, or until set but still soft to the touch. Transfer to wire rack, and cool completely.
Meanwhile, scoop sorbet and ice cream into large bowl; blend with wooden spoon. Freeze 20 minutes or longer, or until mixture is firm.
When completely cool, spread 1/2 cup frozen lemon filling onto bottom of one cookie. Pat filling down with spatula. Place second cookie on top (pricked side up), and gently press down. Scrape away any filling that spreads past edges, and use it to fill in corners. Smooth edges. Repeat with remaining cookies. Wrap sandwiches in plastic wrap, and freeze until firm, about 30 minutes.
OH-SO-BLUEBERRY ICE
This comes from Vegetarian Times (July/August 2005 issue, page 62), and begins, "Serve with dairy-free vanilla ice cream - yum!" Makes 6 servings
To view this online, go to https://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipes/oh-so-blueberry-ice/.
Ingredients
1 16-oz. pkg. frozen blueberries, thawed, or 2 cups fresh blueberries
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup lemonade concentrate, thawed
1-1/2 cups ginger ale
Preparation
Bring blueberries, 1/2 cup water and sugar to a boil over medium heat. Cover, simmer 5 minutes; let cool. Purée mixture, then stir in lemonade and ginger ale. Pour in 9×9-inch baking pan; freeze 1/2 hour. Remove; scrape ice crystals into mixture. Refreeze. Scrape every 20 to 30 minutes.
Mound slush into 6 dishes; serve.
CHERRY-COLA DUMP CAKE
This yumminess comes from Betty Crocker, and begins, "Super easy to prepare: Just mix devil's food cake mix with cola and pour over cherries. Bake for one hour and voila!"
Prep Time: 5 minutes; Total Time: 60 minutes; Servings: 9
To view this online, click here.
Ingredients
1 jar (16 oz) maraschino cherries with juice (without stems)
1 box Betty Crocker™ Super Moist™ devil’s food cake mix
1 cup cola-flavored carbonated beverage
Directions
Heat oven to 350°F. Into ungreased 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish, “dump” cherries with cherry juice.
In medium bowl, mix cake mix and carbonated beverage. “Dump” mixture over cherries.
Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool about 15 minutes before cutting and serving cake.
Expert Tips
Serve with whipped cream and additional cherries.
You could substitute cherry pie filling in place of the maraschino cherries and juice.
PINEAPPLE UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE
This is from Betty Crocker, and begins, "Can you imagine a world without pineapple upside-down cake? Neither can we! And this recipe is by far the greatest of all time. Brown sugar and butter create a rich, caramel glaze that coats juicy pineapple rings, maraschino cherries and a golden-brown cake—what’s not to love? But the true secret to this cake’s beauty is in the “flip” that happens when you remove it from the oven. It might sound intimidating, but it’s so much easier than you think! The result is a picture-perfect upside-down pineapple cake made from scratch."
Prep Time: 15 minutes; Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes; Makes 9 servings
To view this online, click here.
Ingredients
1/4 cup butter
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
9 slices pineapple in juice (from 20-oz can), drained
9 maraschino cherries without stems, if desired
1-1/3 cups Gold Medal™ all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup shortening
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup milk
1 egg
Directions
Heat oven to 350°F. In 9-inch square pan, melt butter in oven. Sprinkle brown sugar evenly over melted butter. Arrange pineapple slices over brown sugar. Place cherry in center of each pineapple slice.
In medium bowl, beat remaining ingredients with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds, scraping bowl constantly. Beat on high speed 3 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Pour batter over pineapple and cherries.
Bake 50 to 55 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Immediately place heatproof serving plate upside down over pan; turn plate and pan over. Leave pan over cake a few minutes so brown sugar mixture can drizzle over cake; remove pan. Serve warm. Store cake loosely covered.
Expert Tips
The cake needs to be turned out of the pan shortly after it’s removed from the oven or the fruit will stick. Be armed with hot pads and a cake plate or board. Allow the fruit to stop bubbling, then place the plate on top of the pan. Carefully lift up the pan, holding the plate firmly in place, and invert the pan. Let it stand for a few minutes before lifting the pan off.
Considered a classic American cake, pineapple-upside down cake first appeared when canned pineapple become available. But the method of creating a lusciously caramel-like topping for a cake, pastries (like caramel rolls), or bread has a long baking history.
The ratio of butter and brown sugar is fairly low, enough to create the rich carmely syrup in the pan, but not so much that the flavor of the fruit is lost.
Skip the brightly colored cherries and replace them with candied or crystallized ginger pieces or a cluster cranberries.
Try fresh chopped herbs or dried spices added to the brown sugar and butter mixture for a flavor twist.
LAURIE COLWIN'S GINGERBREAD
This is from Laurie Colwin, and adapted by The New York Times on their The New York Timescooking site. It begins, "The writer Laurie Colwin had an obsession with gingerbread, publishing a few different essays and recipes exploring its charms. In the essay that precedes this moist, cakelike rendition, from her book “Home Cooking,” she writes that it is “home food” — not fancy restaurant food, that is, but soothing cold-weather food that is simple to make, ideal for an afternoon spent holed up indoors. The essay is also a paean to Steen’s cane syrup, from Louisiana, which comes in cheerful yellow cans. Steen’s is easy to find online, if not at your local supermarket, but the recipe does not suffer if you use another brand of light molasses instead. Serve the cake plain with whipped cream, or with fruit and a dollop of crème fraîche, or glazed with lemon icing, as Ms. Colwin often did."
Yield: One 9-inch cake; Time: 45 minutes
This was featured in "Laurie Colwin: A Confidante in the Kitchen", and can be viewed online at https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1016198-laurie-colwins-gingerbread.
Ingredients
4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter, additional for buttering pan
1/2 cup light or dark brown sugar
1/2 cup light molasses
2 large eggs
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1-1/2 tablespoons ground ginger, or to taste
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
2 teaspoons lemon brandy or vanilla extract (see note)
1/2 cup buttermilk (or milk with a little plain yogurt beaten into it)
Preparation
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-inch cake pan and set aside. Cream remaining 4 ounces butter with the brown sugar. Beat until fluffy, add molasses, then beat in eggs.
Add flour, baking soda, ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves and allspice.
Add lemon brandy or vanilla extract and buttermilk and turn batter into pan.
Bake for 20 to 30 minutes (check after 20 minutes). Cool on a rack.
Tip
Lemon brandy is hard to find, but recipes for homemade lemon brandy can be found online and in cookbooks. Do not use lemon extract.
GRANDMA'S CREAMY PEANUT BUTTER FUDGE
This is from AllRecipes, and begins, "This old-fashioned style of peanut butter fudge is not that easy to find out there. The ones I tend to run across always seem to be the soft, creamy version, which is not what I'm into. If it's going to feel like peanut butter in my mouth, then what's the point? No, I want something that feels dense and firm in my fingers but will almost instantly liquefy in when it hits my tongue."
Prep Time: 15 minutes; Cook Time: 5 minutes; Additional: 1 hour; Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes; Servings: 64; Yield: 64 small cubes.
To view this online, go to https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/276663/grandmas-creamy-peanut-butter-fudge/.
Ingredients
1 pound powdered sugar
1-1/4 cups unsalted butter
1-1/2 cups creamy peanut butter
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Directions
Sift sugar through a fine-mesh strainer into a large bowl.
Heat butter and peanut butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk to combine and cook until bubbles appear on the edges, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in salt and vanilla extract. Pour over powdered sugar in the bowl. Mix together using a spatula until smooth.
Spread mixture into an 8x8-inch baking pan lined with plastic wrap. Wrap fully and refrigerate until firm enough to cut but not too hard, 1 to 3 hours.
Unwrap fudge and cut into small cubes. Let warm up on the counter before cutting if needed.
Chef's Notes:
This technique will work with other nut butters, smooth or chunky, like almond or cashew.
Use 1/4 teaspoon fine salt instead of kosher if desired.
Of course, we could use some yummy desserts to help us through the day. To that end, here are six yummy dessert recipes to help out, including Grandma's Creamy Peanut Butter Fudge and Cherry-Cola Dump Cake. Enjoy!
LEMON-GINGERBREAD ICE CREAM SANDWICHES
This comes from Vegetarian Times (July/August 2005 issue, page 62), and begins, "These ice cream sandwiches will become a year-round favorite." Serves 12
To view this online, go to https://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipes/lemon-gingerbread-ice-cream-sandwiches/.
Ingredients
1/3 cup molasses
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 cup boiling water
2 cups all-purpose flour
2-1/2 tsp. ground ginger
2-1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. each ground cloves, ground nutmeg, ground black pepper and salt
8 Tbs. (1 stick) soy margarine, softened
1/2 cup light brown sugar
2 pints lemon sorbet
4 cups vanilla soy "ice cream"
Preparation
Put molasses in heatproof bowl. Sprinkle baking soda over top. Add boiling water; whisk with fork.
Blend flour, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, pepper and salt in large bowl. Cream margarine and brown sugar in another bowl. Add molasses mixture; beat until soft dough forms. Divide in half, wrap each in plastic wrap and chill 1 hour.
Put 1 dough ball between 2 sheets wax paper. Roll into 8 1/2 x 12 1/2-inch shape; remove top wax paper. Using sharp knife, trim dough edges; cut dough into 12 2×4-inch rectangles. Prick with fork. Transfer on wax paper to cookie sheet; chill 30 minutes.
Repeat with remaining dough.
Preheat oven to 325F. Grease 2 cookie sheets. Transfer rectangles from wax paper to cookie sheets.
Bake 8 to 10 minutes, or until set but still soft to the touch. Transfer to wire rack, and cool completely.
Meanwhile, scoop sorbet and ice cream into large bowl; blend with wooden spoon. Freeze 20 minutes or longer, or until mixture is firm.
When completely cool, spread 1/2 cup frozen lemon filling onto bottom of one cookie. Pat filling down with spatula. Place second cookie on top (pricked side up), and gently press down. Scrape away any filling that spreads past edges, and use it to fill in corners. Smooth edges. Repeat with remaining cookies. Wrap sandwiches in plastic wrap, and freeze until firm, about 30 minutes.
OH-SO-BLUEBERRY ICE
This comes from Vegetarian Times (July/August 2005 issue, page 62), and begins, "Serve with dairy-free vanilla ice cream - yum!" Makes 6 servings
To view this online, go to https://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipes/oh-so-blueberry-ice/.
Ingredients
1 16-oz. pkg. frozen blueberries, thawed, or 2 cups fresh blueberries
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup lemonade concentrate, thawed
1-1/2 cups ginger ale
Preparation
Bring blueberries, 1/2 cup water and sugar to a boil over medium heat. Cover, simmer 5 minutes; let cool. Purée mixture, then stir in lemonade and ginger ale. Pour in 9×9-inch baking pan; freeze 1/2 hour. Remove; scrape ice crystals into mixture. Refreeze. Scrape every 20 to 30 minutes.
Mound slush into 6 dishes; serve.
CHERRY-COLA DUMP CAKE
This yumminess comes from Betty Crocker, and begins, "Super easy to prepare: Just mix devil's food cake mix with cola and pour over cherries. Bake for one hour and voila!"
Prep Time: 5 minutes; Total Time: 60 minutes; Servings: 9
To view this online, click here.
Ingredients
1 jar (16 oz) maraschino cherries with juice (without stems)
1 box Betty Crocker™ Super Moist™ devil’s food cake mix
1 cup cola-flavored carbonated beverage
Directions
Heat oven to 350°F. Into ungreased 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish, “dump” cherries with cherry juice.
In medium bowl, mix cake mix and carbonated beverage. “Dump” mixture over cherries.
Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool about 15 minutes before cutting and serving cake.
Expert Tips
Serve with whipped cream and additional cherries.
You could substitute cherry pie filling in place of the maraschino cherries and juice.
PINEAPPLE UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE
This is from Betty Crocker, and begins, "Can you imagine a world without pineapple upside-down cake? Neither can we! And this recipe is by far the greatest of all time. Brown sugar and butter create a rich, caramel glaze that coats juicy pineapple rings, maraschino cherries and a golden-brown cake—what’s not to love? But the true secret to this cake’s beauty is in the “flip” that happens when you remove it from the oven. It might sound intimidating, but it’s so much easier than you think! The result is a picture-perfect upside-down pineapple cake made from scratch."
Prep Time: 15 minutes; Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes; Makes 9 servings
To view this online, click here.
Ingredients
1/4 cup butter
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
9 slices pineapple in juice (from 20-oz can), drained
9 maraschino cherries without stems, if desired
1-1/3 cups Gold Medal™ all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup shortening
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup milk
1 egg
Directions
Heat oven to 350°F. In 9-inch square pan, melt butter in oven. Sprinkle brown sugar evenly over melted butter. Arrange pineapple slices over brown sugar. Place cherry in center of each pineapple slice.
In medium bowl, beat remaining ingredients with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds, scraping bowl constantly. Beat on high speed 3 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Pour batter over pineapple and cherries.
Bake 50 to 55 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Immediately place heatproof serving plate upside down over pan; turn plate and pan over. Leave pan over cake a few minutes so brown sugar mixture can drizzle over cake; remove pan. Serve warm. Store cake loosely covered.
Expert Tips
The cake needs to be turned out of the pan shortly after it’s removed from the oven or the fruit will stick. Be armed with hot pads and a cake plate or board. Allow the fruit to stop bubbling, then place the plate on top of the pan. Carefully lift up the pan, holding the plate firmly in place, and invert the pan. Let it stand for a few minutes before lifting the pan off.
Considered a classic American cake, pineapple-upside down cake first appeared when canned pineapple become available. But the method of creating a lusciously caramel-like topping for a cake, pastries (like caramel rolls), or bread has a long baking history.
The ratio of butter and brown sugar is fairly low, enough to create the rich carmely syrup in the pan, but not so much that the flavor of the fruit is lost.
Skip the brightly colored cherries and replace them with candied or crystallized ginger pieces or a cluster cranberries.
Try fresh chopped herbs or dried spices added to the brown sugar and butter mixture for a flavor twist.
LAURIE COLWIN'S GINGERBREAD
This is from Laurie Colwin, and adapted by The New York Times on their The New York Timescooking site. It begins, "The writer Laurie Colwin had an obsession with gingerbread, publishing a few different essays and recipes exploring its charms. In the essay that precedes this moist, cakelike rendition, from her book “Home Cooking,” she writes that it is “home food” — not fancy restaurant food, that is, but soothing cold-weather food that is simple to make, ideal for an afternoon spent holed up indoors. The essay is also a paean to Steen’s cane syrup, from Louisiana, which comes in cheerful yellow cans. Steen’s is easy to find online, if not at your local supermarket, but the recipe does not suffer if you use another brand of light molasses instead. Serve the cake plain with whipped cream, or with fruit and a dollop of crème fraîche, or glazed with lemon icing, as Ms. Colwin often did."
Yield: One 9-inch cake; Time: 45 minutes
This was featured in "Laurie Colwin: A Confidante in the Kitchen", and can be viewed online at https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1016198-laurie-colwins-gingerbread.
Ingredients
4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter, additional for buttering pan
1/2 cup light or dark brown sugar
1/2 cup light molasses
2 large eggs
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1-1/2 tablespoons ground ginger, or to taste
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
2 teaspoons lemon brandy or vanilla extract (see note)
1/2 cup buttermilk (or milk with a little plain yogurt beaten into it)
Preparation
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-inch cake pan and set aside. Cream remaining 4 ounces butter with the brown sugar. Beat until fluffy, add molasses, then beat in eggs.
Add flour, baking soda, ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves and allspice.
Add lemon brandy or vanilla extract and buttermilk and turn batter into pan.
Bake for 20 to 30 minutes (check after 20 minutes). Cool on a rack.
Tip
Lemon brandy is hard to find, but recipes for homemade lemon brandy can be found online and in cookbooks. Do not use lemon extract.
GRANDMA'S CREAMY PEANUT BUTTER FUDGE
This is from AllRecipes, and begins, "This old-fashioned style of peanut butter fudge is not that easy to find out there. The ones I tend to run across always seem to be the soft, creamy version, which is not what I'm into. If it's going to feel like peanut butter in my mouth, then what's the point? No, I want something that feels dense and firm in my fingers but will almost instantly liquefy in when it hits my tongue."
Prep Time: 15 minutes; Cook Time: 5 minutes; Additional: 1 hour; Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes; Servings: 64; Yield: 64 small cubes.
To view this online, go to https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/276663/grandmas-creamy-peanut-butter-fudge/.
Ingredients
1 pound powdered sugar
1-1/4 cups unsalted butter
1-1/2 cups creamy peanut butter
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Directions
Sift sugar through a fine-mesh strainer into a large bowl.
Heat butter and peanut butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk to combine and cook until bubbles appear on the edges, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in salt and vanilla extract. Pour over powdered sugar in the bowl. Mix together using a spatula until smooth.
Spread mixture into an 8x8-inch baking pan lined with plastic wrap. Wrap fully and refrigerate until firm enough to cut but not too hard, 1 to 3 hours.
Unwrap fudge and cut into small cubes. Let warm up on the counter before cutting if needed.
Chef's Notes:
This technique will work with other nut butters, smooth or chunky, like almond or cashew.
Use 1/4 teaspoon fine salt instead of kosher if desired.
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