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This is normally one of the most reliable cake recipes I have; it's an amaretto-espresso cake that's so simple that I can make it in my sleep. Any ideas why it did this rather than caking up correctly as it normally does? The moulds were filled to 1/2 full, which should have left plenty of room for expansion. All is not lost - the cake is actually cooked properly and will become some version of Darienne's "cake doohickeys". But that's not what I was shooting for! (ps - at 10,000 feet, my barometric pressure doesn't vary more than about 50 millibars between sunny and cloudy days, and rapid weather changes don't happen here.)

Last week I ruined a wonderful chocolate cake...didn't hear the timer...and made cake balls/pops/truffles with the crumb, dipped in tempered 70% chocolate. An interesting first. They were delicious. Oh my. Gave them all away. Serious complaints were forthcoming from friends who are attending next weekend's Annual Dog Weekend. So, I found an old...not too old I hope...Angel Food Cake mix in the cupboard and will add some 52% chocolate to the resulting crumb and then dip the balls into tempered 70% chocolate again. Question: what would be the shelf life of the "Cake Doodads"? They'll be eaten Friday August 17 until they are gone. How early next week can I actually make them? (I need to make as much as I can ahead of time to accommodate my old and doddering bod.) Thanks.

Quick question, oh great and knowledgable bakers out there. I'd like to flavour an Italian Meringue Buttercream icing with Manjar / Dulce de Leche / Arequipe. I'm certain it's possible, but I'd like to know if anybody out there has done it, and at which point in the process you added the Manjar, and how much Manjar you think I can get away with (I'd like the flavour to be quite strong) without compromising the icing texture. This is for three tiered christening cakes; the cake inside is apple spice with walnuts and raisins, and under normal circumstances I'd just cover them with Manjar and that would be it, but the customer has requested gum-paste decorations and I know from prior disasters that Manjar is too moist for that work. (And yes, I'll post pictures of the cakes when they're done and decorated.)

I like making desserts. I just don't like to pay for them. The cost of concocting ice creams and bruless is wreaking havoc on my finances. Given that most people only put up with me due to my culinary skills, I'd like to add to my repertoire one of the great Southern classics: the chess pie. The combination of scotch efficiency and massive cardiac risk embodies everything I loved about Tennessee. However, given that I didn't much care for the other 98%, I don't live there anymore, and nobody in Wisconsin knows how to prepare them. Can anyone suggest a recipe? Bonus points if it has enough cholesterol to make it a viable method of assassination.

Ok, first of all, hi everyone! This is my first time posting here. I have been a long time lurker, but I am working my way further and futher up the chain at the bakery I work at (to the point where I get some creative control over product YAY!), and I was looking for a good place to use as a springboard for ideas and discussion. So here's where I am. I am trying to create some kind of Red Vines based dessert, because I have a mad, and wildly obsessive love affair with them, and to my knowledge, it is an avenue that I haven't seen taken. My first thought was a Red Vine cupcake. I have seen a recipie for a Red Vine filling that a competitor on Cupcake Wars has made (and won with!), however, I am looking for someting slightly more all encompassing than a filling. My idea is a Red Vine Italian Meringue Buttercream. Do you guys think this would even work?! I have yet to try it out, but I plan to soon. Basically I was going to melt the Red Vines down in to a sugar syrup, and use it like I would the sugar syrup in IMBC. My only reservations are about the texture that might result from doing this, and the overall flavor this would impart. Any ideas?!

Gluten Free White Cake This recipe has always turned out well for me! We even had it for our wedding cake. 3 eggs 1-1/2 c sugar 1/2 c butter 1-1/4 c rice flour; 1/4 c tapioca starch 1/2 c potato starch 2 tsp xanthan gum 1 tsp salt 3-1/2 tsp baking powder 1 c plain yogurt 1 tsp vanilla Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat eggs and sugar until fluffy and lemon yellow. Add butter and mix. Mix dry ingredients, add to egg mixture, and stir to combine. Add yogurt and vanilla and mix. Bake ~45 minutes for 9x13, ~30-35 minutes for two round 9” layer pans, 15-20 for cupcakes. Note: I recommend rice flour from the Asian market - it is a much finer grind and results in a better texture for baked goods. Keywords: Dessert, Cake ( RG1738 )

Japanese crab cake Serves 25 as Appetizer. See the brainstorming thread. 1 lb crab meat 4 T tempura batter (substitute cake flour) 3 T Kewpie-brand sweet mayo 3 T furikake seasoning (substitute seasoning of your choice) 4 T wakame seaweed, reconstituted 1 egg 1 tsp baking powder 1 c panko (substitute conventional bread crumbs) 1. Mix first seven ingredients and half of the panko together. Reserve remaining panko for dredging. 2. Optional: refrigerate for an hour so ingredients will adhere together. 3. Form cakes with hands, dredge in panko, fry. Keywords: Crab, Appetizer, Seafood, Japanese, Hors d'oeuvre ( RG1720 )

Apple Upside Down Cake Serves 8 as Dessert. This is more like an apple "brownie." It's baked in a cast-iron skillet lined with sliced apples, then flipped out of the pan bottom up. Of course, you can bake it in a baking pan too. 3 Tart apples (granny smith), peeled, cored, quartered, and sliced 1/8 in thick 3 T Sugar 1 tsp Ground cinnamon 2 Eggs (or scant 1/2 cup egg substitute) 1 c Canola or Safflower or Rapeseed oil 1/4 tsp salt 1/2 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/2 c coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans 3 T melted butter or unsweetened applesauce 1 tsp Vanilla extract 3/4 c sugar Preheat oven to 375 F. Spray an 8” oven-proof skillet (I use cast-iron) with Pam and dust with about 1/3 of the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Toss sliced apples with salt and 2 tsp cinnamon sugar. Spread a layer of apples in tbe bottom of the prepared skillet, overlapping neatly. Beat eggs, 3/4 C sugar, and vanilla until creamy; stir in applesauce or melted butter. Sift together flour, baking soda, and baking powder and fold into mixture. Fold in remaining apples and walnuts. Pour batter over apples in pan and dust top with remaining cinnamon sugar. Bake 45 minutes. Let rest 5 minutes in skillet. Run a knife around the rim of the skillet and invert onto a plate. Serve warm (with ice cream). Keywords: Dessert, Easy, Cake ( RG1699 )

Cinnamon Apple Cake Delicious cinnamon apple cake with crunchy cinnamon-sugar top crust. Originally from Cooking Light. 1-3/4 c sugar, divided 1/2 c stick margarine, softened 1 tsp vanilla extract 6 oz block-style fat-free cream cheese, softened(about 3/4 cup) 2 large eggs 1-1/2 c all-purpose flour 1-1/2 tsp baking powder 1/4 tsp salt 2 tsp ground cinnamon 3 c chopped peeled Rome apple (about 2 large) Preheat oven to 350`. Spray 8" springform pan evenly with nonstick spray. Beat 1 1/2 cups sugar, margarine, vanilla, and cream cheese at medium speed of a mixer until well-blended (about 4 minutes). Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Add flour mixture to creamed mixture, beating at low speed until blended. Combine 1/4 cup sugar and cinnamon. Combine 2 tablespoons cinnamon mixture and apple in a bowl, and stir apple mixture into batter. Pour batter into prepared pan and sprinkle with remaining cinnamon mixture. Bake at 350` for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until the cake pulls away from the sides of the pan. Cool the cake completely on a wire rack, and cut using a serrated knife. I prefer to use granny smith apples and real butter and bake in a 9" springform pan at 325 degrees for about 1 1/2 hours or until done. Keywords: Dessert, Easy, Cake ( RG1696 )

Kiev Cake Serves 8 as Dessert. In one of the Russian cooking forums this cake was a hit. After seeing countless pictures, I finally got around to making it. Did not bother with decorating, because I was making it to just see how it tastes. It actually reminded me of Russe Praline from The Art of the Cake: Modern French Baking and Decorating that I made some time ago. For meringue: The following ingredients and baking instructions are for ONE cake layer. We will need TWO of these, i.e. all amounts need to be doubled. Due to the volume of the whipped whites, it’s easier to make one layer at a time. 4 egg whites 1 cup super-fine sugar 1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar 1 cup chopped nuts (in the original, hazelnuts or cashews are recommended, but I used almonds and walnuts; both worked fine) 2 tablespoons potato starch (I used cornstarch) For buttercream: 3 egg yolks 1 cup sugar 1 cup milk 300 grams butter (1 stick is 113 grams) 1 tablespoon cocoa powder Make meringue: Preheat oven to 275 F. Beat together egg whites and cream of tartar on high speed until soft peaks are formed. Still beating on high speed, gradually add sugar intil whites form stiff and glossy peaks. Sift starch over whites, then sprinkle nuts on top. Fold nuts gently but thoroughly into meringue. Spread evenly onto baking sheet lined with parchment. Make sure there is room for meringue to spread when baking. I drew a 10-inch circle on the parchment, but I think this cake works better in a rectangular shape. Bake 1.5-2 hours, until firm and pale golden. Cool on rack; peel off parchment. Make buttercream: Stirring constantly, bring milk, sugar and yolks to boil; cook until thickens. Beat cooled mixture into butter; add cocoa. Assemble cake, layering meringue with buttercream; sprinkle with crushed meringue trimmings or nuts. Keywords: Cake, Eastern Euro/Russian, Intermediate ( RG1690 )

Reinvented Chocolate Pudding Cake Serves 4 as Dessert. Remember that great chocolate dessert you had as a child that when baked separated into a chocolatey cake layer with a pudding layer underneath? Tasting my mothers recipe for chocolate pudding cake after so many years, I discovered that with age related taste bud changes it was a bit watery and anemic. So I fiddled a bit by adding the bittersweet chocolate (hers only had cocoa), changed some of the milk to yogurt to get a bit more fullness in the cake part, cut the sugar way back, added expresso powder and mocca compound to round out the flavour and voila reinvented chocolate pudding cake! Mocha compound is a flavouring used by pastry chefs and chocolatiers. At home you can replace it with some expresso powder. Cake 2 oz bittersweet chocolate, melted 1 oz softened butter 1/2 c toasted pecans 2 T natural cocoa powder (not dutch processed) 1 c all purpose flour 2 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp kosher salt 1/2 c sugar 1/2 c plain yogurt 1/2 c milk 1 T mocha compound(or 1 tsp expresso powder) 1 tsp vanilla extract Topping 4 T cocoa 1 c brown sugar 1 T instant expresso 1 T mocha compound (optional) 2 c boiling water Mix together the cake ingredients in a bowl and place in 8 or 9 inch cake pan (I prefer pyrex). Sprinkle over the topping mixture, then pour over boiling water. Do not mix. Bake at 325 F for about 30 minutes. Keywords: Dessert, American, Chocolate, Easy, Pudding ( RG1659 )

Rhode Island Clam Cakes Serves 6 as Side. Rhode Island clam cakes aren't cakes. They aren't like crab cakes, either. They're savory fritters, sort of like hushpuppies with chopped clams, intended to be served as the primary side for clam chowder in the Biggest Little State in the Union, Rhode Island. They're also seriously addictive no matter where you live. This recipe uses quahogs (KOH-hogs), the titanic east coast clam that is steamed, chopped, and served in chowder, stuffies, and clam cakes. You can substitute cherrystones, if you'd like, but the sweetness of littlenecks is wasted here. And don't use steamers, please. Really. Trust me. Once you've got your batter down, you can fiddle with it a bit (bacon, scallions, corn kernels). But don't get all nouvelle. These are meant to be salty, greasy, hearty explosions of slightly briny, slightly corny crunch, with nuggets of chewy clam in each bite. This recipe is adapted from two excellent cookbooks: Jane and Michael Stern's 1986 Real American Food and Jasper White's Cooking from New England (1989). 5 lb quahogs or cherrystones in the shell 2 tsp baking powder 2 c AP flour 1 c johnnycake or corn meal 3 eggs, beaten 1 c milk 4 T butter, lard, or bacon fat, melted salt pepper corn or peanut oil for deep frying 1. Steam the clams in a scant cup of water just until they open. Chop the clam meat roughly, salt and pepper it liberally, and set it aside. Strain the clam juice (the steaming water) through a wet paper towel or cheesecloth and set it aside, too. 2. Combine the dry ingredients well; combine the eggs, milk, 1/2 c of the clam juice (save the rest just in case), and melted fat well. Pour the wet into the dry and combine until smooth, then fold in the chopped clams. 3. Put the batter into the fridge for an hour or so; you want to soften up that corn meal. Meanwhile, heat a couple of inches of the oil to 375F in a deep fat fryer, cast iron skillet, or dutch oven. When you take out the batter, it should be thicker than pancake batter but not so thick that it won't fall easily from your spoon. If it's too thick, just add a bit of the clam juice. 4. Drop, ever so carefully, the batter into the oil, one heaping tablespoon at a time. Don't crowd them; you want that oil to surround the cakes comfortably. Fry for 2-3 minutes until the clam cakes are golden brown. Serve immediately while hot with chowder. Keywords: Side, Appetizer, Seafood, Intermediate, American, Deep Fryer ( RG1656 )

Mom's Orange Cake 4 eggs 3/4 + 3/4 cups sugar (1 1/2 at all) 1/2 cup oil 3/4 cup orange juice (=2 large oranges) 2 cups flour 1 3/4 tsp baking powder the peel of 1 orange The baking pan you need: A teflon tube pan=baba pan(oil it and powder it with flour) How to do: Preheat oven to 180C (350F) 1. Separate the eggs. 2. whip the egg yolks with 3/4 cup of the sugar, add 1/2 cup of oil & the orange peel. 3. Add in the orange juice alternately with the flour (mixed before with the baking powder) 4. whip the egg whites in a mixer bowl, add the rest of the sugar,and mix for few minutes. 5. Fold this carefully into the cake mixture. 6. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan,and bake for 50 minutes ,or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. 7. Cool completely on wire rack,dust with powdered sugar. Keywords: Cake, Easy, Jewish ( RG1630 )

Flourless Molten Lava Chocolate Cake by PercyN Serves 2 as Dessert. There are many versions of this recipe floating around and I found this one to be easy and time tested. 1/3 lb semi sweet or bitter sweet chocolate 2 tsp Butter 3 Egg Yolks 1/4 c Light or Heavy Cream Melt 1/3 lb semi-sweet chocolate (place chips in a microwave for 1 min) Make a ganache by adding some heavy cream and heating to incorporate until chocolate is shinny. Whip 3 egg yolks with 2 tbsp sugar until sugar dissolves. Add eggs to warm (but not too hot) chocolate ganache and incorporate. Butter the edges of 2 ramekins (you can optionally dust the edges with flour but shake out any excess that does not stick to the buttered edges) and fill with the mixture. Bake in 350F oven for 11-14 minutes (9 min in my convection oven). Edges should start to form, but center should still be soft. Remove from ramekin carefully by running a paring knife along the edge and serve (you can use a touch of flour to dust the ramekins if you want to cheat). Keywords: Dessert, Chocolate ( RG1624 )

Black Bottom Cupcakes Serves 12 as Dessert. These are great for picnics and for kids: no messy icing. They freeze well. Filling: 3 or 4 ounces cream cheese 1 egg 1 egg yolk (reserve white for cake) 1/4 c sugar Dash of salt 1/2 c chocolate chips or chopped chocolate Cake: 1-1/2 c sifted flour 1/4 c cocoa 1 c sugar 3/4 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp salt 3/4 c water 1/3 c salad oil 1 egg white 1 T mild vinegar 1 tsp vanilla extract Topping: 3/4 c chopped toasted almonds 1 T sugar Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place 12 paper cupcake liners in a muffin tin. You can combine the filling ingredients with a food processor if you double this recipe; otherwise I think a hand mixer is best. Place all ingredients except chocolate chips in a small bowl and combine until smooth. Stir in chocolate chips and reserve. In a large bowl, combine flour, cocoa, sugar, baking soda and salt with a whisk. Dump out onto waxed paper (we’re saving a bowl). In same bowl, combine water, oil, egg white, vinegar and vanilla with same whisk. Pour dry ingredients all at once over wet ingredients and fold in with a rubber scraper until no flour remains visible. Divide chocolate batter between the cups. Place a spoon of cream cheese filling on top. Now sprinkle with the almonds, then the sugar. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes, testing with a skewer or toothpick. Cool a few minutes before removing to rack to finish cooling. Keywords: Dessert, Chocolate, Cake, Easy ( RG1622 )

Million Dollar Pound Cake Serves 12 as Dessert. 1 lb Butter, softened 3 c Sugar 6 Eggs 4 c all-purpose Flour 3/4 c Milk 1 tsp Almond Extract 1 tsp Vanilla Extract Cream butter, gradually add sugar, beating well at medium speed. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Add flour to creamed mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour. Mix, just until blended after each addition. Stir in extracts. Pour batter into a greased and floured 10" tube pan. Bake at 300º for 1 hour and 40 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted in center of cake comes out clean. Cool in pan 15 minutes; remove from pan, and cool on a wire rack. Keywords: Dessert, Easy, Cake ( RG1599 )

Cold Oven Pound Cake After trying a variety of recipes my sister and I found this one to be our favorite. It has a really buttery flavor and a lighter crumb than usual pound cakes. I am unsure where it originally comes from. My sister has had it in her files for a while. It makes two cakes. Perfect to keep one and gift the other. 1 c unsalted butter, softened 3 c granulated sugar 5 large eggs, room temperature 3 c all-purpose flour, sift three times before measuring 1 tsp salt 1 tsp baking powder 2 tsp vanilla 1 c whipping cream Butter and flour two 9 by 5 inch loaf pans. Whisk salt and baking powder into presifted flour. Set aside. Cream butter and sugar together in an electric mixer until light, fluffy and almost white, 4 to 5 minutes, stopping mixer to scrape down sides. Add eggs one at a time slowly, beating well after each addition. Add one third of the flour mixture into the mixer set at low speed. Add half the whipping cream. Continue alternating flour and cream, ending with flour. Add vanilla. With a rubber spatula scrape down sides and bottom until completely mixed. Pour into loaf pans, up to 2/3 full. **Start in a cold oven.** Place pans on middle rack of oven. Turn oven to 325 degrees. Bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. (Note: It only took mine 55 minutes, so check early.) * My favorite combination of eggs is 5 eggs with an extra yolk or two. Supposedly the seven egg version in Elvis' favorite pound cake. Keywords: Dessert, Easy, Cake, American ( RG1598 )

Crisped pudding johnnycakes Serves 4 as Main Dish. I was looking for a recipe for pancakes with cornmeal, but could only find recipes with a trivial quantity of cornmeal. I started with a few basic proportions from online recipes, then pumped up the cornmeal while decreasing the flour. The use of higher-gluten flour and extra eggs compensates for the decreased flour, but the final texture is still like a corn pudding on the inside. The yogurt-and-milk combination is a substitute for buttermilk, because I usually have the former in my fridge, and rarely the latter. Just use 1.5 cups buttermilk instead of the milk and yogurt if you like. Fry these in butter for a thin, crisp exterior, or on a nonstick pan with no grease for a soft cake. These will brown much more slowly than all-flour pancakes, so keep in mind that they'll be done well before they turn deep brown. 1-1/2 c cornmeal 1 c milk 1-1/2 c water 1/2 c plain yogurt 2 large eggs, beaten 2 T oil 1 c bread flour 1/3 c sugar 1 tsp salt 1 tsp baking powder 3/4 tsp baking soda Combine the cornmeal, milk and water in a saucepan and bring to a boil while whisking constantly. When the mixture thickens, shut off the heat and whisk in the yogurt. Let the mixture cool a bit before whisking in the eggs and oil. Mix the remaining ingredients. Add the cornmeal mixture and stir just to combine. Fry over medium heat until browned on both sides. Insides will have a pudding-like texture even when cooked well. Serve drizzled with condensed milk. Keywords: Breakfast, Dessert, Pudding, Easy ( RG1597 )

Cream Cheese Pound Cake Serves 16. This is a moist, rich, tender poundcake. Melts in your mouth. 1-1/2 c butter 8 oz cream cheese 3 c white sugar 1 T vanilla extract 1 tsp almond extract 6 eggs 3 c all purpose flour Grease one 10 inch tube pan. Cream together the butter, cream cheese, and sugar until light. Stir in the vanilla and the almond extracts. Add the flour and the eggs alternately, beginning and ending with the flour. Pour batter into the prepared pan. Place cake in cold oven. Bake at 325 degrees F (165 degrees C) until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Make take from 1 hr 15 mins to 1 hr 45 mins. Usually 1 1/2 hrs is about right. Keywords: Dessert, Cake ( RG1596 )

Peanut Butter Cup Cheesecake Serves 12 as Dessert. Smooth, rich and creamy. Tastes like a peanut butter cup. Peanut Butter Cup cheesecake 1-1/2 lb cream cheese 1 c sugar 3 eggs 1 c peanut butter 1 tsp vanilla 3/4 c heavy cream Crushed roasted peanuts (reserve for garnish) Ganache 6 oz semisweet chocolate 3/4 c heavy cream 1/2 tsp vanilla Chocolate cookie crust 3/4 c flour 1/4 c cocoa 1/4 c sugar 1/4 tsp salt 1/4 c butter 1 egg yolk For Crust: Pulse dry ingredients together in food processor. Add butter in cubes, pulsing until coarse crumbs form. Add egg yolk, pulsing just until combined. Spread crumbs in greased 9" pan. Pat down and bake in 350 degree oven until edges begin to brown and smell fragrant. Cool. Reduce oven temp. For the cheesecake: Preheat oven to 300. Cream softened cream cheese and peanut butter in bowl of electric mixer until smooth and creamy. Add sugar and continue mixing. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl. Add heavy cream and vanilla and continue mixing, at low speed, until smooth and lump free. Scrape sides again. Add eggs one at a time, mixing till just incorporated. If using springform pan, wrap in double layer of heavy duty foil. Place pan inside larger pan and fill outer pan about 1" deep with hot water. Bake in a 300 degree oven in a waterbath for about 1 1/2 hours or until barely jiggles in center. Remove from waterbath and cool until room temp and then refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight (or freeze for one or two hours). Then, unmold and place on a 9" cardboard. Cover with lukewarm ganache. Chill again briefly. Once ganache is almost set (about 10 minutes), Cover the sides with chopped roasted peanuts. Serve well chilled. For Ganache: Chop chocolate (or use 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips) and place in heatproof bowl. Bring heavy cream to simmer and pour over chocolate. Let stand about 5 minutes. Stir until mixture is smooth and shiny. Add vanilla and stir to incorporate. Let cool until warm, but still very pourable. Keywords: Cake, Dessert ( RG1591 )

Crumb topping for Coffeecakes Serves 12 as Dessert. This recipe makes a large amount of streusal topping and can be used for two cakes depending on how much cake topping is desired. 3 sticks of butter 2-1/4 c white sugar 3 c all purpose flour 1-1/2 tsp cinnamon Mix well in a food processor or in a large bowl with a pastry cutter. Put into the refrigerator overnight, covered, or in the freezer for 1 1/2 hours. This is better when frozen first! Crumble by hand over the baked coffeecake. Keywords: Easy, Topping/Frosting, Kosher, Dessert, Cake ( RG1589 )

Fresh Ginger and Buttermilk cake Serves 8 as Dessert. **As with all gingerbreads, this cake tastes better when it's been allowed to mature overnight (or at least 12 hours.)** This delicious ginger cake is based on a recipe by Chef Karen Barnaby from Vancouver. I found the recipe in her cookbook, The Passionate Cook. My version includes a few extra spices, and a little less molasses than the original recipe. I also increased the amounts of both the crystallized ginger and the fresh ginger. The cake would be fabulous layered with a chocolate cinnamon mousse and covered in a light, chocolate whipped cream! I haven't made this cake into a torte yet, but I will very soon. The intense flavours of the cake would probably be best with lighter fillings, like a milk chocolate mousse, rather than heavier fillings, like a dark Valrhona ganache*. *This is probably the only time in my life that I will say this...haha! 3/4 c unsalted butter 1/2 c brown sugar, packed 2 eggs 14 T fancy (or mild) molasses 2 T light corn syrup 4 T finely grated fresh ginger 4 T chopped crystallized ginger 1 c AP flour 1 c whole wheat pastry flour 2 tsp baking soda 1/4 tsp sea salt 1 tsp ground ginger 2 tsp ground cinnamon 1/2 tsp ground black pepper 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg 1/4 tsp ground five spice powder 1 c buttermilk or yogurt (Karen bakes her cake in a greased and floured 10" springform pan, but I prefer to use two 9" greased non-stick pans. The choice is up to you!) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Beat the eggs into the mixture one at a time, and then add the molasses, and both the fresh and crystallized ginger. In a separate bowl, blend the flours, baking soda, salt, and dried ginger and spices, and add to the butter/sugar alternating with the buttermilk. Bake on the center rack for about 50 minutes if using the 10" springform pan. The two 9" cakes will be ready in about 30 minutes. Keywords: Dessert, Easy, Cake ( RG1582 )

Potato Pancakes with Smoked Salmon and Fried Eggs Serves 4 as Main Dish. Hands-on time: 25 minutes Total preparation time: 35 minutes I love smoked salmon with eggs. I love smoked salmon with potatoes and smoked salmon with horseradish. So I thought I would put it all together and garnish it with the perfect smoked salmon accompaniments, red onion and capers. I'm from New York -- I know about smoked salmon. Serve with Grated Carrot Salad (page 293) or Sauteed Beets with Balsamic Vinegar (page 305). 1—2 small baking potatoes (about 12 ounces) 1/4 c plus 2 tablespoons vegetable oil Kosher salt and freshly milled black pepper 8 large eggs 4 oz thinly sliced smoked salmon 1 recipe Horseradish Sauce (page 316), optional Thinly sliced red onion and drained, bottled capers, optional 1. Peel the potato and grate it, preferably using the grating disc of a food processor (or the coarse side of a box grater). Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Sprinkle the potatoes into the pan to form 4 pancakes, about 4 inches in diameter and 1/3 inch thick. Press them down with a spatula and cook them for 5 to 6 minutes or until the underside is golden brown. Season the top side with salt and pepper, turn the pancakes over, and cook them for 5 to 6 minutes more or until golden. Season the second side with salt and pepper. 2. When the potato pancakes are almost done, fry the eggs. In a large skillet heat the remaining oil over medium-low heat until hot. Gently break the eggs into the skillet, keeping the yolks intact, and cook, covered, 5 minutes, or to desired doneness. Season with salt and pepper. 3. To serve, arrange 1 pancake on each of 4 plates; top with one-fourth of the salmon and 2 fried eggs. Spoon some of the Horseradish Sauce on top, if using, and garnish with red onion and capers. Excerpted from Sara's Secrets for Weeknight Meals, published by Broadway Books and reprinted with permission. Copyright © 2005 by Sara Moulton. Pages referenced in this recipe are from the book. Click here for a discussion of potato pancakes and a picture of this dish. Keywords: Main Dish, Lunch, Intermediate, Dinner, Potatoes, Fish, Brunch ( RG1574 )

White Cake This recipe is based on the recipe for white cake in the Scott Peacock & Edna Lewis book "The Gift of Southern Cooking." I've played with the amount of sugar used in this cake and had the cake still come out fine. 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter 2 cups sugar 3 1/2 cups cake flour 1 tbsp baking powder 1/4 tsp salt 1 tsp vanilla 1 cup milk 8 egg whites cream butter & sugar till fluffy, sift together bkg pwdr and salt and flour, combine milk and vanilla, alternate ingreds while mixing, whip egg whites till peaks form, carefully blend into batter, bake at 325 for 20-25 minutes (in three 9 inch pans that are buttered & floured). Frost however you like. The White Cake Thread that inspired it all... Keywords: Cake, Dessert ( RG1570 )

Tickle Me Cake My grandson Zach, age two, is a bit young to understand the concept of menu planning. However, he isn't shy about offering, ne demanding, input into selecting food for his immediate gratification. Lately he's taken up grabbing me by the hand, leading me into the kitchen, and saying, "Cook Poppa." Last night, having preparation for dinner well in hand, I asked what he thought I should cook. "Cake!" Zach replied. (He's only recently learned to distinguish various baked sweets from each other. They all used to fall into his catchall category of "cookie".) I didn't have a lot of extra time before dinner, so I decided to throw together a simple pan cake previously known as Mock Chocolate Cake: For Cake: 3 c AP Flour 2 c Sugar 1/2 c Carob Powder (Cocoa would work as well, but more on that later) 2 tsp Baking Soda 2 c Strong Black Coffee (room temp) 2/3 c Vegetable Oil 2 T Vinegar 2 tsp Vanilla For Frosting: 1 Stick Butter 1 c Brown Sugar 1/4 c Milk 1 tsp Vanilla 2 c Powdered Sugar Preheat Oven to 350 degrees In a 9x13 Baking Pan combine all dry ingredients. Add all wet ingredients and mix well with flat wisk or fork. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until toothpick comes out clean. You can eat it unadorned or sprinkle it with powdered sugar. I like to use this Caramel Frosting: Melt Butter in heavy medium-sized Pan over Med Heat. Stir in Brown Sugar and bring to a boil for 2 minutes. Add Milk, return to boil 1 for 1 minute. Allow mixture to cool to room temp and add Vanilla and Powdered Sugar. Stir until smooth and apply thick coat atop cooled Cake In honor of Elmo, the Muppet character we'd been playing with on the computer, Zach and I renamed the cake "Tickle Me Cake". Besides being distinctive, this name provides me with the opportunity to ask, whenever the subject of the cake comes up, (which is quite often), "What kind of cake is it?", to which Zach has to reply, "Tickle me!". Then he gets tickled and laughs uproariously. It works every time. The reason Tickle Me Cake uses Carob rather than Cocoa is because a significant portion of everything Zach eats ends up on the floor and is subsequently consumed by our three dogs. Chocolate isn't healthy for dogs, but they can eat carob. (In fact, the reason I used carob in this recipe the first time was because I had some left over from making Dog Brownies.) Zach always eats the frosting off his cake first and then asks for more. When told he must finish what he has on his plate first he either stuffs the entire piece into his mouth at once, or sneaks some to his fore-mentioned four-footed cohorts. Ah, a handful of Tickle Me Cake, a Sippi Cup of chocolate milk, and a Shrek dvd. That's Bein' Small and Livin' Large! Keywords: Dessert, Easy ( RG1557 )