Me in my ugliest sweater.

This is Cafe Florian in Venice. It is often full of the most flamboyant people in costume during the Carnivale season. I have had tons of desserts there and throughout Italy. I thought it would be an appropriate picture for the beginning of the dessert section. This is one of my last trips with longish hair. I suppose I will have to buy a wig or grow out again if I plan to go in costume.

Aunt Rose's Cheesecake with an Easy Mock Crust

This recipe comes from Rose Cafarella Worth. She grew up in Malden but moved to West Hartford Connecticut to raise her family. Her husband was a history teacher and then the coach of the Hartford Nights of the University of Hartford. We didn’t get to see them very often but when we did Aunt Rose always had great recipes. She was an excellent cook and as the wife of the football coach of a university went to many gatherings bringing her wonderful food. Aunt Rose passed away in an auto accident a number of years back but I still have very fond memories of her. She was the sister of Col. Joe of Malden. Her only daughter Deborah Worth Faller passed away last year of lung cancer so nobody is available to send in any recipes from that part of the family. Therefore, I thought I’d pass this recipe on so a part of her would be included in the family cook book and thoughts of her would remain in the family along with her recipes.


Preheat oven to 75 degrees

This recipe has no crust. The corn starch falls to the bottom of the pan to form a mock type crust. Also, I’d just put everything in a large food processor in stages stopping to scrape down sides of bowl and adding eggs one at a time through hole in top of food processor.

4 8 oz. packages cream cheese (softened)

1 16 oz. package sour cream (room temp)

5 eggs (room temp)

¼ lb. butter (soft or melted and cooled)

1 ¼ c. sugar

1 tsp. lemon juice (I’d put more or add the grated rind also)

1 ½ tsp. vanilla

2 Tbs. corn starch

Let cream cheese, sour cream, eggs and butter stand out at room temperature for 1 hour. Blend softened cream cheese, sour cream and butter together in a bowl and mix with electric mixer till smooth. Add corn starch, sugar, vanilla and lemon juice/grated rind and beat until well blended. Beat in one egg at a time until well blended and very smooth.

Flour and grease spring form pan. Wrap outside of pan with large size heavy duty aluminum foil. Place in large roasting pan. Add batter to pan. Open oven and put pan on middle rack of oven. Gently pour hot water into roasting pan to fill half full but don‘t fill it over the line of the aluminum foil or else the cake will be soggy. Bake at 375 degrees for 1 hour or until golden brown. Turn off oven. Leave cake in oven with door open for 1 hour. Let stand at room temperature 2 hours. Refrigerate at least 6 hours before serving. Top with desired topping or canned fruit topping.



Thanks to Janice Cafarella Crossen for posting this.

Chocolate Cake from Alberta Burrill

1 square bakers chocolate, melted with butter the size of an egg.

Add:
1 cup Sugar
1 cup sifted flour mixed with:
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup milk
2 eggs unbeaten.

Beat all together by hand.

Bake 30 minutes. Temperature not given. Process not given.


MOCHA FROSTING

sift together:

1 cup powdered sugar
2 Tablespoons cocoa

Beat in butter the size of an egg,

Beat in 2 tablespoons strong coffee.

Apple Upside Down Cake from Alberta Burrill

1/4 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 cups tart sliced apples

Melt the butter in the bottom of an 8 inch cake pan.
Spread the brown sugar over the butter and arrange the apple slices over the sugar. cover with the cake batter.
Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes. Turn out on a serving platter with the fruit side up. Do not allow the butter and sugar to harden before unmolding it.

The cake batter:

1 1/4 cups sifted flour
1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
5 tablespoons boiling water


Sift the flour, baking powder and salt several times together.
Beat the eggs with a beater until thick and light.
Add the sugar gradually beating as you go.
Add lemon juice.
Fold in the dry ingredients alternately with the boiling water.
Blend well after each addition till all is completely incorporated.

This will work with pineapple or a number of other hard fruits that do not weep too much.

Date Bread from Alberta Burrill

1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 package of dates
Butter the size of two eggs
2 cups boiling water
2 teaspoons soda
2 1/2 cups flour

Put chopped up dates, boiling water and butter together and allow it to stand till cool.
Add the other ingredients only barely beating the eggs.
Put into a waxed paper lined loaf tin.
Bake in a moderate oven. No time given.

I would place in a greased pan rather than a waxed paper lined pan. at 350 for 45 minutes or till done in the center. Timing heavy moist breads like this is an issue for me...very easy to leave it damp in the center.

Use this to make tea sandwiches filled with cream cheese or just alone. This would be wonderful too, if the cheese were slightly sweetened and mixed with grated orange rind.

Spice Cake from Alberta Burrill

1 cup buttermilk
1 cup sugar
6 Tablespoons melted fat
1 teaspoon soda
2 1/2 cups flour
1 cup raisins
grated rind of one orange
salt(no measure)
mixed spice(no measure or proportions)


No method. I would mix the wet. Mix the dry. Add the dry to the wet in thirds.
Bake in greased and floured pan.


FROSTING:

1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup milk or cream


Cook to soft ball stage without stirring after the initial combining mix.
add butter the size of a walnut.
Beat well till light and spreadable.

Sponge Cake in an Angel Ring from Alberta Burrill

6 eggs
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons cold water
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup cake flour

Beat the eggs with 2/3 of the sugar,
beat in the cream of tartar, salt, water, lemon juice and vanilla till the volume has increased to four times the volume and the batter looks light and glossy. Sift the remaining 1/3 cup of sugar into the flour.
gradually add the flour mixture, beating at least 15 seconds.
bake in a 10 inch angel cake pan at 325 degrees for one hour.
Cool upside down on a rack for an hour.