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----- Original Message -----
From: "Nancy"
To: phaedrus
Sent: Tuesday, December 09, 2003 8:15 PM
Subject: Christmas cookies
Hi!
My grandma always makes springerli cookies with a special rolling pin.
My dad wants to know what springerli means and how the recipe originated.
My grandpa always got these cookies for christmas from his Godparents.
Thank you so much for your help. I have my grandma's recipe, but if you
find a good one I would love to compare or learn the secret to making them.
Merry Christmas And thanks a million!
Nancy
Hi Nancy,
There are three recipes below.
Note that it's also spelled "springerle."
Springerle cookies originated in the German province of Swabia in the 15th
century. They were originally baked to honor Church Holy Days, but more
recently they have become especially a Christmas cookie. Food historians
have suggested that the name "springerle' may have come about because the
cookies rise or "spring up" while cooking. Another theory is that they got
their name because one of the most popular molds is a picture of a leaping
(or "springing") horse. There are several other cookies that are made the
same way except for the molding, such as "Wurzburger marzipan", Nuremberg
"Eierzucker", and Swiss "anisbritli." (reference: "The Penguin Companion to
Food" by Alan Davidson)
Phaed
Springerle #1
Yield: 80 cookies
4 eggs
1 pound confectioners sugar
1 pound cake flour
1/2 of an anise seed, powdered
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
softened butter and flour for baking sheets
German cookie molds with Christmas motif (Springerle mold)
1.Coat four large baking sheets with butter and dust with flour.
Shake off excess flour.
2.In a large bowl beat the eggs and sugar together with an electric hand
beater for about 15 minutes, until they are thick, fluffy and lemon in
color.
3.Add baking soda and anise, incorporate flour with a wooden spoon or
hands, do not overwork dough.
4.Shape the dough into a ball, pat flour on top and bottom, then flatten.
Place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to an hour.
5.Quarter the dough and roll each quarter out into a rectangle about
1/4-inch thick on a lightly floured board. Press the cookie molds firmly
down into the dough to print the pattern as deep as possible. Place
cookies separately on the prepared baking sheets.
6.Let rest in a cool place overnight, then bake in a 325°F oven for 10-15
minutes or until pale cream color.
7.Remove to wire racks and allow to cool.
8.Place in an air-tight tin or box. A piece of apple placed inside the tin
will prevent the cookies from hardening, replace apple when necessary. A
few crushed anise seeds inside the tin will improve the flavor.
------------------------------------------------------
Springerle (Molded Christmas Cookies) #2
12 servings
4 Eggs; Large
2 Cups Sugar
1 Teaspoon Anise Extract
4 1/2 Cups Cake Flour; Sifted
NOTE: Beat eggs until very light and fluffy. Gradually add sugar; beat
for 15 minutes. DO NOT underbeat. Fold in anise extract and flour.
Roll dough 3/8-inch thick. Thoroughly flour springerle mold or rolling
pin. Press molds firmly to dough. Cut cookies apart and place on
greased and floured cookie sheet. Let dry overnight at room
temperature, covered with paper towels, or uncovered. Preheat oven to
375 degrees F. Place cookies in oven and immediately reduce
temperature to 300 degrees F. Bake for 15 minutes. Cookies should not
brown. Store cookies 2 to 3 weeks to mellow flavor. These cookies are
very hard and may be used for dunking in coffee, tee or cocoa. For
Christmas, paint designs with egg yolk colored with food coloring.
Makes 6 dozen.
----- Original Message -----
From: "nancy"
To: phaedrus
Sent: Tuesday, December 09, 2003 7:18 PM
Subject: Ox Blood Cake
Dear Phaedrus.
I'm looking for a recipe for Ox Blood Cake. I remember my Mother making this
cake when I was a little girl back in the 60's, The name came from the color
of the cake, a deep red with a dark chocolate frosting. My Mother believes
she got the recipe from a small local paper called the Advanced. After
asking many people about this cake I had someone tell me they had heard of
it and it was the predecessor to the Red Velvet cake. All I remember is the
cake was made with cold coffee and the icing was very liquid and poured over
the cake. It was very dark, rich and a lovely childhood memory for me. I
would appreciate any help you could give me by locating this recipe.
Thank you so much,
Nancy
Hi Nancy,
See below.
Phaed
Ox Blood Cake
Ingredients :
For Large:
2/3 c. Crisco
2 c. granulated sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
2 1/2 c. King Arthur Flour, sifted
1 c. soured milk (use lemon or vinegar to sour milk)
3/4 c. Hershey's cocoa
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
3/4 c. boiling water
Preparation :
For small: 1 c. granulated sugar 1 egg, room temperature 1 1/4 c.
King Arthur flour, sifted 1/2 c. soured milk (use lemon or vinegar
to sour milk 1/3 c. plus Hershey's cocoa 1 tsp. baking soda 1/2 tsp.
salt 1/3 c. boiling water Make paste of boiling water and cocoa in
bowl. Set aside. Sift together flour, baking soda, salt; set
aside. Beat together in large bowl Crisco, sugar, eggs; add cocoa
paste. Add soured milk; add sifted ingredients. Beat together
until very smooth. Pour into large tube pan or bundt pan or 13 x 9
inch pan (grease pan with butter or margarine). Cook at 350 degrees
approximately 1 hour. Leave in pan right side up for about 1 hour.
Will then slip out of pan easily. Serve with flour frosting.
----- Original Message -----
From: Kim
To: phaedrus
Sent: Tuesday, December 09, 2003 6:26 PM
Subject: cheese danish
> Hi there again
>
> I am loving this site. You have been a huge help to me. My question is
> about cheese Danish, bear claws, etc., I need a good yeast base dough for
> my Danish and Christmas morning crowd. Do you have any winners. Need not
> be easy, as I am an expert baker! Perhaps a sturdy dough to hold up to the
> cream cheese.
>
> Thanks, I appreciate your time!
>
> TA for now
>
> Kim
>
Hi Kim,
The below recipe is a good one.
Phaed
Danish Dough Recipe
By Chef Peggy Cullen
Yields 2 pounds
This is a general Danish dough recipe
1 envelope active dry yeast
3/4 cup milk, warm (about 110 degrees.)
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cold
In a large bowl sprinkle the yeast over the milk. Let sit for about 5
minutes. Add the egg, sugar, salt and vanilla. Whisk gently to combine. Set
aside.
Quarter each stick of butter and cut into 9 or 10 pieces. Toss the diced
butter and flour together in a medium bowl.
(Optional method) Put the flour in the bowl of a food processor. Cut each
stick of butter into 1/4 inch slices and mix into the flour. Pulse machine 8
to 10 times, just to cut the pieces of butter into 1/2 inch pieces. If there
are any larger pieces, break them with your fingers.
Add the flour and butter mixture to the wet ingredients and fold with a
rubber spatula until the flour is completely moistened. Transfer the dough
to a smaller bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
Remove the dough from the refrigerator. On a heavily floured surface, pat it
into a rectangle about 8 x 6 inches, and then roll it into a larger
rectangle about 14 x 24 inches. Brush off any excess flour and fold both
edges in so that they meet in the center. If the dough is sticking
underneath, release it with a long flexible metal palate knife. Dusting off
any excess flour and fold the dough in half when the edges meet. This is
called a "book or 4-fold". Rotate the rectangle of dough 1/4 turn on the
table. This is called a "turn". Roll into a rectangle measuring about 24 x
12 inches, loosening the dough underneath with a the metal spatula,
reflouring as necessary. Brush off any excess flour and give it another book
fold. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for 20 to 30 minutes.
Remove the dough from the fridge and repeat this process two more times,
rolling the dough out each time to 12 x 24 inches. There are 4 book folds in
all. After the final turn, shape the package into a rectangle measuring
about 9 x 6 inches. Brush off any excess flour, wrap in plastic and
refrigerate for up to 2 days or freeze for up to one month.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Michele"
To: phaedrus
Sent: Wednesday, December 10, 2003 11:47 AM
> I am looking for a recipe I found in a magazine (I think) about passover
recipes. It was for a Honey cake (Jewish). It was baked in a bundt/tube
type pan. It had some walnuts I believe in it. The way it baked created a
wonderful semi-crunchy type of crust. It was delicious and I am so sad that
I lost the recipe. Can you help?
> Thank you,
> Michele
>
Hello Michelle
Honey cake is a traditional Jewish holiday dish. The first two recipes below
are the traditional variety. I did not find one with walnuts, but the third
one has almonds.
Phaed
Honey Cake (Lekach)
Makes 16 servings
1/2 cup strong coffee
1 cup honey
1 tablespoon brandy, optional
2 eggs
2 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 cups flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
Combine coffee, honey and brandy; mix well. Beat eggs in mixing bowl. Add
oil and brown sugar. Combine flour, baking powder, baking powder, baking
soda and spices; mix well. Add flour mixture and honey mixture alternately
to egg mixture. Pour batter into greased 9-inch square pan. Bake at 300°F 55
to 60 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched.
--------------------------------
Honey Cake
Honey cake is often served during Rosh Hashanah because honey symbolizes
wishes for "sweet" things to come. The cake becomes moister and its flavors
deepen a day or two after it's made.
Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 3 hr (includes cooling)
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 cup honey (preferably buckwheat)
2/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup freshly brewed strong coffee, cooled
2 large eggs
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons whiskey or bourbon
Special equipment: a 9- by 5- by 3-inch loaf pan
Put oven rack in middle position and preheat to 350°F. Oil loaf pan well and
dust with flour, knocking out excess.
Whisk together flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, baking powder, and ginger
in a small bowl. Whisk together honey, oil, and coffee in another bowl until
well combined.
Beat together eggs and brown sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at
high speed 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low, then add honey mixture and
whiskey and mix until blended, about 1 minute. Add flour mixture and mix
until just combined. Finish mixing batter with a rubber spatula, scraping
bottom of bowl.
Pour batter into loaf pan (batter will be thin) and bake 30 minutes. Cover
top loosely with foil and continue to bake until cake begins to pull away
from sides of pan and a wooden pick or skewer inserted in center comes out
clean, about 30 minutes more. Cool on a rack 1 hour.
Run a knife around side of cake, then invert rack over pan and invert cake
onto rack. Turn cake right side up and cool completely.
----------------------------------
Apricot Honey Cake
1/2 cup dried apricots, roughly chopped
1/4 cup dark rum
2 large eggs
1 cup clover honey
1/3 cup vegetable oil
Grated peel and juice of 1 lemon
Grated peel and juice of 1 orange
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup apricot jam
1 3/4 cups white rye or unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cake or unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup slivered almonds, or roughly chopped walnuts or cashews
In a small bowl, soak the apricots in the rum for at least 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350° and grease a 10- by 5-inch loaf pan.
In a mixing bowl, beat the eggs with a whisk. Stir in the honey, vegetable
oil, grated lemon and orange rind and juice, sugar, salt, and apricot jam.
Sift the 2 flours and the baking soda into another bowl.
Strain the apricots, reserving the excess rum.
Add the flour alternately with the rum to the honey cake mixture. Fold in
the apricots. Scoop the batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle with the
nuts.
Bake in the oven on the lower rack for 50-55 minutes, or until the center of
the cake is firm when you pres sit. Remove from the oven and cool on a rack.
Makes 1 Cake.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Gail"
To: "Phaedrus"
Sent: Tuesday, December 09, 2003 10:07 AM
Subject: Kitty Litter Cake Recipe
I have been asked to make a Kitty Litter Cake for an individual at work. It
is her birthday. I have never seen this recipe. I was told that you use
Miniature Tootsie Rolls on the cake. Can you help me out. I have no idea
where to look for this or what to use to decorate it with. Nuts or
something cover it and it looks like the litter. Thanks for your help in
the past. I have appreciated the recipes you found for me.
Gail
Hello Gail,
See below.
Phaed
Kitty Litter Cake
Ingredients :
1 pkg. pecan sandies cookies
1 (6 oz.) pkg. vanilla instant pudding
3 c. milk
1 (12 oz.) Cool Whip
1 (6 oz.) cream cheese
1/2 c. margarine
1/2 c. powdered sugar
Bite size tootsie rolls
Preparation :
Crumble pecan sandies as crust in 9 x 13 inch baking dish (save a
few for topping). Mix together: pudding, milk and Cool Whip. In
second bowl, mix together: cream cheese, margarine and powdered
sugar. Mix these two filling together and pour over cookie.
Crumble cookies of top and place bite size tootsie rolls on top.
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