Gary's pound cake

Here is a wonderful pound cake that holds up well at high altitude. Pound cake has so much butter in it that it tends to fall at high altitudes and this one uses shortening. I substituted butter flavor shortening for regular. Our friend, Gary Owens sent me this and I'm sharing it with you. Great gift for the holidays!!!

1. 1 cup butter flavor Crisco


2. 2 cups sugar


3. 1 teaspoon orange extract


4. 1 teaspoon lemon extract


5. 1/2 teaspoon butter flavor extract


6. 1 teaspoon vanilla


7. 6 organic Eggs


8. 2 cups flour


9. 1 teaspoon salt

Cream shortening and sugar and add the flavorings. Add eggs, one at a time, beating at high speed. Sift the flour and salt and fold into the egg mixture. Bake in a greased and floured tube pan at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Check with toothpick for doneness. Cool for 25 minutes in pan on rack. Remove from pan to cake plate and cool completely. Dust with powdered sugar. Enjoy!

Carrot Cake

I recently took my carrot cake to my bridge group for a birthday party and I've had so many requests from them for the recipe, I decided to post it. I've had this for years, and I prefer carrot cake without a lot in it, except I liked toasted pecans in the icing. this recipe comes from one of my favorite cookbooks, I have mentioned before "Kitchen Keepsakes". So for all those requests, here you go----

1. 2 cups unbleached flour( I use King Arthur or Pillsbury)
2. 2 cups sugar
3. 2 teaspoons cinnamon
4. 1 teaspoon salt
5. 2 teaspoons soda
6. 1 cup oil (I use Crisco for baking)
7. 4 eggs(organic or free range are far better)
8. 3 cups fresh, organic carrots, grated
9. 1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix dry ingredients. Add oil and vanilla and mix well. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each egg. Stir in grated carrots. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-60 minutes, depending on where you live, in 2 greased and floured 9 inch cake pans or one 9x13 inch pan . Cool, in pan, on a cake rack for 15 minutes and then remove from pan onto rack. If using the 9x13 pan, cool completely in the pan. Ice with cream cheese frosting below.

FROSTING

1. 1 - 8 oz. package cream cheese, softened
2. 1 Ib. powdered sugar
3. 1 stick butter or margarine( I use organic butter)
4. 1-2 Tablespoons milk, cream or half and half
5. 1 teaspoon vanilla
6. 1 cup toasted, chopped pecans

To make the frosting, cream together the cream cheese and butter, blend in powdered sugar and vanilla. Add enough milk or cream or half and half to make smooth. Stir in nuts.

Ann's famous Peach Cobbler and Peach/Blueberry Cobbler

This is my most requested dessert, in season. Even when I go back to Missouri, everyone wants me to make it. Of course, peaches have to be in season. I have always called this Peach cobbler, as Wilhelmina, the woman who taught me to make it when I was a child, called it that, it is really a peach pie too. She used to help my mom and Grandmother, Buggie with parties, and made the best biscuits, fried chicken and peach cobbler this side of heaven!! I owe her a great debt for this recipe. I've put the recipe for Peach/Blueberry too and the picture is of it.

• 1 recipe of mine for a 2 crust pie (look in index)



• 6-7 large ripe peaches(add a couple of more if smaller, to make 5 cups or so), peeled



• 3/4 to 1 cup of sugar



• 3 tablespoons of flour



• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg



• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon



• Dash salt



• butter



• small amount of milk



• cinnamon sugar

Roll out bottom crust and place in a 9 inch pie pan. Mix together the peaches, flour, sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon and salt. Place mixture in pie plate and dot with a few pieces of butter. Roll out other crust and cut in 1 inch strips. Place on top of pie in lattice pattern. Brush top with a pastry brush and a small amount of milk. Sprinkle entire top with cinnamon sugar,. Bake at 400 degrees for 45-50 minutes. I like to place fruit pies on a baking sheet so they don't run over into oven. check pie at about 35 minutes and cover with foil if getting too brown. Can serve with vanilla ice cream and make cinnamon crust with leftover crust from pie(See my index). Wait for the raves!!

Peach/Blueberry Cobbler

Take out a peach and add 1 cup of fresh blueberries. Continue with recipe as above

Coffee Angel Food Cake

Next to my confetti angel food and my peach cobbler, this would have to be my most requested dessert. It is my favorite birthday cake and I don't even drink coffee!!! My mom, Nancy Aton, always made it and so it is to her credit and greatskill in cooking that I have this recipe. I believe she told me long ago that it came from a Julia Child cookbook. Just look at my confetti angel food for the basic angel food cake recipe or you can start with a 2 step box angel food. the toasted almonds are our family addition. You're goin" love it!!!!

• One recipe of my angel food cake or one 2 step boxed angel food, to which you add 1 Tablespoon of powered instant coffee.

ICING

• 2 Tablespoons powdered coffee


• 1/2 cup butter, softened


• 1/4 teaspoon salt


• 3 cups powdered sugar


• 3-4 tablespoons milk


• 1 teaspoon vanilla


• 1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted in a little butter until light brown

Cream butter, add salt and sugar. Add vanilla and milk, a little at a time, beating until light and fluffly and it spreads easily. Ice cake and spread toasted almonds over the top and into the sides. FABULOUS!!

Cherry Slices coffee cake

This is a wonderful recipe for breakfast or coffee with a big group. It makes lots!! Even though it calls for a can of cherry pie filling, blueberry and peach work well too. I got this recipe from a quilting friend, many years ago and have used it lots. Hope you enjoy it!

• 1 cup shortening


• 1 3/4 cups sugar


• 4 Eggs


• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla


• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract


• 3 cups flour


• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder


• 1/2 teaspoon salt


• 16 oz. can of cherry pie filling(can use blueberry or peach, too)

Cream together the shortening and sugar thoroughly. Add the 4 eggs one at a time, beating well after each one. Add the vanilla and almond extract. Add the flour, baking powder and salt, Mix thoroughly. Set aside one cup of the dough and spread the rest into a greased 10x15 jelly roll pan. Spread a can of cherry pie filling over the dough to within 1/2 inch of the edges. Drop remaining 1 cup batter by spoonfuls over cherry pie filling. Bake 40-45 minutes at 350 degrees until light golden brown. When cool drizzle with powdered sugar frosting. Use about 2 cups of powdered sugar, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, and enough milk to make it drizzle over cake. Enjoy!!!

Confetti Angel Food Cake

Guess this is the recipe that I use more than any other!! The original recipe came from Springfield, Missouri, from a friend of my family, Freda Fielder. She was a fabulous cook, we can only hope to emulate. Made the best Apple pie this side of heaven. It is my daughter's favorite birthday cake with "whippy" pink frosting; and, along with some variations, many of my friends and family's favorite. I'm going to start with the basic angel food and how to make it confetti and then the "Whippy frosting, which is a cooked frosting, much like a White Mountain but much easier in that you don't use a candy thermometer. To me, this is a True Birthday Cake and sooo pretty!!!

• 1 1/2 cups egg whites (large and I use 12 or 13 )


• 1/2 teaspoon salt


• 1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar


• 1/2 teaspoon almond


• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla ( I often use all Mexican vanilla and eliminate the almond extract)


• 1 cup granulated sugar


• 1 cup CAKE flour


• 1 1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar


• If making confetti angel food, you will need a small bottle of confetti sprinkles

In large metallic bowl(DO NOT use PLastic), add salt, cream of tartar and extract to egg whites. Beat until foamy and soft peaks form( peaks droop when you "stand them" with the beaters). Add granulated sugar gradually until satiny and fine grained. Sift flour and measure. Sift powdered sugar and measure. Combine flour and powdered sugar and sift together 4 or 5 times. Fold powdered sugar/flour mixture into egg white mixture. If making confetti angel food, add half a bottle of sprinkles now, folding them into batter. Rinse a tube or loaf pan with cold water. Turn the batter into the pan. Bake at 375 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes. after cake is done, invert cake upside down in pan to cool. Let cool for several hours and remove.

WHIPPY PINK FROSTING

• 1 cup sugar


• 1/2 cup light corn syrup


• 3 Tablespoons water


• 3 Large Egg Whites


• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar


• 1/4 teaspoon salt


• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

In top of a double boiler, combine sugar, corn syrup, water, egg whites, cream of tartar and salt. Cook over rapidly boiling water, beating with mixer until mixture stands in peaks. Remove from heat; add vanilla extract. continue beating until frosting holds deep swirls. Add food coloring drops to make any color you desire.this frosts a 3 layer cake or Angel Food Cake.

Myrtle's Rolls

A super fast yeast roll recipe!! I got this from a cooking class I took back in the 1970's when I was a young wife. Makes quite a few rolls in a 9x13 pan. If you are just starting to bake, this is a good one to try. Also, I now use the King Arthur White Whole Wheat Flour, which still gives a fluffy finish, but has more nutrition and you are getting some whole grains. Perfect in this recipe!!

• 1 Heaping Tablespoon solid Crisco


• 1/4 cup sugar


• 1 tsp. salt

Combine above and pour one cup of boiling water over it. Let stand until cool. Beat 1 whole Egg and add to the above. Add 3 1/2 cups flour( Use either unbleached or the King Arthur White Whole Wheat), one cup at a time, beating well to mix. If you have a mixer with bread beaters, it does well with this recipe or you can mix by hand. Get out your pastry cloth and roll the dough out to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut with a biscuit cutter, dip in butter, fold in half and place side by side in a 9x13 pan. Let rise about 45 minutes. Bake at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes (until golden brown). Makes 36-42 small rolls. Break out your good jelly or jam, fabulous with these!!