Kitchen Moxy

In my family this was always a welcome dessert. This is a very dressy, and refreshing dessert in the summer months. Enjoy

Ingredients

• 1 Angel Food Cake (boxed cake mix is fine)
• 2 pints of fresh strawberries (or blueberries or 2 cans of Mandarin oranges sliced lengthwise)
• 1 Large container of Cool Whip
• 1 regular size box of instant vanilla pudding
• 1 stick of butter (soft)
• 1 lb of Confectioners sugar

Cake

• Prepare cake according to box directions, cool completely
• Slice into 2 layers

Filling

• Add 1 cup of milk to 1 regular size box of instant vanilla pudding – beat 2 minutes
• Add ½ size Cool Whip container, blend pudding mix and cool whip with a spoon
• Spread ½ of the pudding mix on the first layer
• Spread sliced strawberries or whatever fruit you choose on top of the filling
• Cover with first layer of cake
• Repeat steps above and put top of cake on second layer

   

Frosting

1. Beat the butter until smooth
2. Add confectioners sugar
3. Stir in the other half of the container of cool whip
4. Frost sides of cake and then the top. Decorate with sliced fruit

This is the best pound cake I’ve ever

Yummy Pound Cake

eaten. It is truly an old fashioned, dense pound cake. Enjoy it with powdered sugar sprinkled over its cracked top or drizzle with a butter glaze, dress it up with whipped cream and strawberries!

Ingredients

• ½ pound of butter (2 sticks)
• 3 cups granulated sugar
• 1 cup sour cream
• 5-6 large eggs – separated
• 3 cups flour
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• ¼ teaspoon lemon extract
• 1 teaspoon almond extract

Preheat oven to 300 degrees

1. Cream sugar and butter
2. Add egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition
3. Add sour cream, mix thoroughly
4. Add flavorings
5. Mix in 1 cup of flour
6. Beat egg whites in a separate bowl until stiff peaks form (do not over-beat)
7. Fold egg whites into sour cream mixture
8. Stir in remaining dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, salt)
9. Turn into a greased tube pan
10. Bake 1 to 1-1/2 hours (or more) until a pick inserted comes out clean

You can use any recipe for cream puffs or this one.  I make mine small and fill them with a Mascarpone Cheese Whipped Cream Filling – so sweet and yummy. The recipe sounds daunting but really very easy once you get into it.

CREAM PUFF RECIPE

• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup butter (4 ounces)
•  1 cup all-purpose flour
•  1/4 teaspoon salt
•  4 large eggs

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour and salt.

3. Bring the water to a boil in a medium-size saucepan over medium-high heat.  Add the butter.  When the butter has melted, add the flour mixture all at once and stir vigorously.  Cook and stir until the mixture forms a ball that doesn’t separate.

4. Remove from the heat and cool slightly (about 1 minute).  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each one until the dough is smooth.

5. Drop heaping tablespoons of dough about 2-inches apart onto a greased baking sheet.  Or transfer the batter to a pastry bag with a round tip and pipe circles about 2-inches in diameter and about 1-inch apart onto greased baking sheets.

6. Bake the puffs for about 30 minutes until they are golden brown and puffy.  If the puffs are medium-size, bake for about 22 — 25 minutes, and if the puffs are mini-size, bake for about 17 — 20 minutes.  Remove the cream puffs from the oven and cool on a cooling rack.

MASCARPONE CHEESE WHIPPED CREAM FILLING

MASCARPONE CHEESE WHIPPED CREAM FILLING
• 2/3 cup mascarpone cheese
• 2/3 cup heavy whip cream
• 4 tablespoons powder sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
•
1. In a chilled bowl beat the Mascarpone cheese and vanilla until creamy
2. Add the powdered sugar and whipping cream
3. Beat on high speed until thick and fluffy
4. Cut cooled puffs in half
5. Divide the cream mixture between halves and put the top back on.
6. Drizzle with melted bittersweet chocolate or dust with powdered sugar

I got this fabulous recipe from my good friend Judy.  It is a very easy dessert to make and you can substitute apples with rhubarb!

Apple Facts

• The crab-apple is the only apple native to North America.Two pounds of apples make one 9-inch pie.
• 2,500 varieties of apples are grown in the United States.
• 7,500 varieties of apples are grown throughout the world.
• 100 varieties of apples are grown commercially in the United States.
• Apples are fat, sodium, and cholesterol free.
• A medium apple is about 80 calories.
• The pilgrims planted the first United States apple trees in the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
• Apple varieties range in size from a little larger than a cherry to as large as a grapefruit.
• Apples were the favorite fruit of ancient Greeks and Romans.
• Apples are a member of the rose family.
• Charred apples have been found in prehistoric dwellings in Switzerland.
• It takes the energy from 50 leaves to produce one apple.
• In colonial time, apples were called winter banana or melt-in-the-mouth.
• In 1730, the first apple nursery was opened in Flushing, New York.
• Archeologists have found evidence that humans have been enjoying apples since at least 6500 B.C.
• It takes about 36 apples to create one gallon of apple cider.
• The old saying, “An apple a day, keeps the doctor away.” This saying comes from an old English adage, “To eat an apple before going to bed, will make the doctor beg his bread.”
• Many apples after harvesting and cleaning have commercial grade wax applied. Waxes are made from natural ingredients.

Apple or Rhubarb Cake

1 cup granulated sugar
½ cup margarine
1 egg
1+1/2 cup flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ cup warm coffee (the secret ingredient!)
2 cups of cut-up apple or rhubarb

Topping

½ cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ cup chopped nuts

Mix in order given. Pour in a greased and floured 8x12x2 inch pan (or close to it) Sprinkle the brown sugar mixture on top. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.  Enjoy!