Grandpa celebrated his 89th birthday on April 17. I called Grandma up a couple nights earlier and asked if I could bring a cake: “Well, sure. That will save me having to bake something. I had thought, ‘maybe I could ask Kristina to bake a cake,’ but I know how busy you are.” Perfect! Coffee Chiffonlets were coming up in the heavenly cake bakers’ schedule, and if I know anything about my grandfather, it’s that he loves his coffee. It was almost a guarantee that he would love this cake.
Archive for April, 2010
Coffee Chiffon with Dulce de Leche Whipped Cream
Monday, April 26th, 2010Rhubarb Platz
Monday, April 19th, 2010I made this recipe this past weekend, with the first rhubarb out of our garden. Dad’s Aunt Florence heard about it on Facebook, and wanted to know what it was, so here’s the recipe! Kudos to Dad’s Aunt Betty from the other half of his family for the recipe. I guess this recipe goes hand in hand with the other Deutsch tradition this week (the whoopie pies), since this is a Mennonite dish.
Pastry
Mix in food processor (can be done by hand, if you roll that way):
3 cups flour
3 tsp baking powder
1 cup lard (or shortening)
1 tsp salt
Add all at once: 2 eggs + enough milk to make 3/4 cup liquid.
Pulse a few times until dough comes together, forming ball by hand if necessary.
Assembly
Roll 1/2 of the dough into 11×15″ pan. I’m lazy, so I just press it into the pan. Sprinkle with 1 tbsp minute tapioca.
Combine 1 cup sugar with 2 tbsp tapioca, and sprinkle over base. Spread 4-5 cups finely chopped rhubarb over sugar. Sprinkle with 1 cup sugar and 1 tbsp tapioca. Cover with remaining pastry. Again, I’m lazy, so I don’t roll it, I break it up into little bits with my fingers and spread it more or less evenly over the top.
Topping (this is the best part)
Combine:
1/2 cup margarine (unsalted butter won’t hurt here)
3/4 cup sugar
2 cups sliced almonds
1 pkg Dr Oetker’s vanilla sugar (using a whole package even if you’re halving the recipe won’t hurt here, either)
Cook gently 2 minutes or use microwave (basically to melt the butter and get it all nice and mixed). Spread over platz.
Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes, then 300 for another 30-40.
Excuse me while I go dig a piece out of the fridge and warm it up a touch.
Two Fat Cats Whoopie Pies
Monday, April 19th, 2010My Dad is an engineering professor at the University of New Brunswick. His office used to be in the Gillan wing of Head Hall, which was less than a block away from the Goody Shop bakery. The Goody Shop has been there as long as I can remember (at least since I was 5 or so), and during the time that I was living in Fredericton, it was still owned and operated by the same ancient man who baked all of the treats himself. I suspect that is no longer the case, but I prefer to think of the shop as I remember it. Regardless, the point is that I was introduced to Whoopie Pies when Dad first brought them home as a treat once upon a time when I was a very little girl. Right up through undergrad, my friends and I would occasionally pop down to the Goody Shop between classes for a treat. Some people went for those hot dogs that sit on the heating roller racks (the turnover was so high at this shop that those weren’t nearly as scary as they seem at gas stations and 7-11), but I was always there for the whoopie pies. Like so many things, this recipe isn’t quite the same as those childhood memories, but it’ll do in a pinch. 
Banana Refrigerator Cake with Dreamy Creamy White Chocolate Frosting
Monday, April 12th, 2010Mmmm.. bananas. I love banana cake, because it’s a good excuse to eat cake for breakfast. What? Why do you look at me like that? Hey, it’s better than when someone’s broken the build at work and everyone gets doughnuts for breakfast.
Sybil’s Pecan Torte with Coffee Cream
Monday, April 5th, 2010I’ll state right up front that I don’t really like pecans, and I absolutely abhor coffee (though I don’t mind the smell of it). That’s why I decided to make this week’s heavenly cake. That makes no sense, you say? Well, my logic goes like this: Rose’s recipes have a tendency to change peoples’ minds about certain flavour combinations. See posts from the other members of the group about the instant tea in the ganache from last week’s cake for an example.