Jewish Apple Cake Monday, Dec 3 2007 

Cake amateurbaker 1:47 am

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I made this Jewish Apple Cake for Thanksgiving to take to my boyfriend’s parents house.  I was really happy with the way it turned out, and despite the long bake time (1.5 hours), and having to core/peel 8 apples, it was a pretty easy cake.

A few weeks ago, we had a bake sale at work and the first thing to go was the Jewish Apple Cake.  It looked and smelled so good that I had to take a stab at it.  I loved this cake, and on top of eating lots of turkey, I ate two slices of this cake.  It reminds me of a pound cake, but with cinnamon apples in it.  It was de-lish!!

I found the recipe on RoadFood.com, who originally got the recipe from a restaurant called Dutch Kitchen in Frackville, PA.

Recipe Source: Dutch KitchenPreparation Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 90 minutes
Servings: 12One of the curious specialties that we’ve seen in a couple of places in Pennsylvania coal country, but nowhere else, is Jewish apple cake. It’s a dense coffee cake with a top that is laced with slivers of sweet, soft-cooked apple. A glorious coffee companion!

Ingredients:

3 cups unsifted flour
1/2 cup orange juice
2-1/2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 cup canola oil
2-1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon baking powder
8 apples
2 teaspoons cinnamon

Directions:

  1. Beat eggs.
  2. Mix in oil, orange juice.
  3. Add flour, 2 cups sugar, baking powder. Add vanilla.
  4. Peel & core apples. Cut in slices & mix with cinnamon & 1/2 cup of sugar.
  5. Pour 1/2 batter into greased bundt pan. Put apple mixture on top of batter & top with remaining batter.
  6. Bake at 350 for 1-1/2 hours

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Low Fat Lemon Cheesecake Monday, Nov 5 2007 

Cake amateurbaker 1:57 am

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My parent’s anniversary was last week, on Mischief Night to be exact.  They were celebrating by going out to dinner this past Saturday night.  I offered to bake them a dessert, and my mom suggested a low fat cheesecake.  My mom loves chocolate cake, and I was hoping to try out a Mexican Chocolate Cake, or the Devil’s Food White Out Cake…  but I’m always happy to cater to my mom when she wants to eat healthy. 

So after researching some recipes online, I came across Joanne’s Almost Fat-Free Lemon Cheesecake.  The cheesecake is not completely fat free due to the butter included in the crust, and the egg yolk/butter in the lemon curd.  Overall, it is much healthier than the original rich cheesecake, and the taste is still there! 

My mom and dad loved this cake, as did my grandmother and my aunt, and my boyfriend :)   My mom kept raving about the lemon curd, how it reminded her of the lemon curd they used in her father’s bakery when she was growing up.  They bought their lemon curd, so this home made curd was pretty damn good!

 I had no problems making the cake, it all came together quite nicely and the lemon curd was very easy to make.  The cake is very fragrant with the lemon, and the taste was perfect.

You can follow the link above for the recipe, or I’ve included it below.  Enjoy!

Crust:
Cooking spray
1 3/4 cups fat-free vanilla wafer cookie crumbs, or any fat-free cookie crumbs of your choice
1/4 cup unsalted butter, meltedFilling:
3 (8-ounce) packages fat-free cream cheese
1 cup fat-free sour cream
2 cups sugar or sugar substitute (recommended: Splenda)
3 large eggs or 3/4 cup egg substitute
2 teaspoons lemon zest
2 tablespoons lemon juiceLemon Curd:
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon zest
6 tablespoons lemon juice
1 large egg, plus 1 large egg yolk
1/2 cup sugar or sugar substitute (recommended: Splenda)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into bits, or any fat-free butter substituteMake crust: Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.Lightly spray a (9-inch) springform pan with cooking spray. Mix crumbs and melted butter in a bowl. Press crumb mixture onto bottom and 1 1/2 inches up side of pan. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are lightly golden and crust is set. Cool on rack.Make filling: In large bowl with electric mixer on medium-high, beat cream cheese and sour cream for 2 to 3 minutes until fluffy. Gradually beat in sugar or sugar substitute. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, just until incorporated. Beat in zest and juice. Pour into crust. Bake for 1 hour to 1 hour, 15 minutes, or until center is almost set, but still slightly jiggly. (Do not overbake, as it will firm as it cools). Let cool completely.Make lemon curd: In the top of a double boiler, combine lemon zest, lemon juice, egg, egg yolk, and sugar or sugar substitute over gently simmering water. Whisk until hot and frothy, about 5 minutes. Gradually whisk in butter and continue whisking for 7 minutes or until thickened and coats back of spoon. Remove from heat and cool for 30 minutes.Run a thin blade around the edge of the springform pan and remove sides. Transfer to a serving plate. Spread lemon curd over top. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Garnish with raspberries and zest, if desired. Cool cheesecake in refrigerator several hours or overnight before serving.

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