Anna Sultana’s German Chocolate Cake and April’s Full Pink Moon

It’s been a while since I posted a chocolate cake recipe.

I think the last one was about a year ago... 

the recipe for Ma’s Mocha Cake.

The most popular chocolate cake recipe I've ever posted - it’s received over 2,000 visits - was Carmela Soprano’s Baci Cake.

Baci Cake does take quite a bit of work...

but then, don’t most delicious recipes?

Well, it’s definitely time for me to post another chocolate cake recipe. 

And with Easter coming, why not go for a special one.

German Chocolate Cake is like Baci Cake in that it takes a bit of work, and is delicious.

Mrs. Kekelia had given me a slice when I was four years old.

Well, I told Ma about it, Ma asked Mrs. Kekelia for the recipe, Mrs. Kekelia kindly gave her a recipe, and Ma made her usual tweaks.

Don’t ask me which version I found most delicious.

I don’t have Mrs. Kekelia’s recipe, but luckily I have Ma’s recipe.

And now, so do you.

Hints:

To make soured milk place 2 teaspoons vinegar in a measuring cup and add enough milk to make 3/4 Cup soured milk.

                        German Chocolate Cake

For the Cake:

grease and flour 2 8x2 inch round pans

tap out excess flour   

Line bottom of pans with waxed paper.      

Sift together

1 3/4 Cups cake and pastry flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt 

Put in a heatproof bowl

4 ounces sweet chocolate, chopped

1/3 Cup water 

Microwave until chocolate is almost melted (about a minute).

Stir until chocolate is completely melted. 

Remove from heat and let cool.

In a mixer bowl, beat at medium speed until foamy

3 large egg whites

Increase the speed to high and beat until stiff peaks form when the beaters are lifted.

Place in a large mixer bowl

3/4 Cup butter, cut into small pieces

1 1/2 Cups sugar

Cream until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

Add, one at a time

3 large egg yolks

Beating after each addition.

Blend in 

3/4 teaspoon vanilla 

the melted chocolate

Preheat oven to 350º           

Making 3 dry and two liquid additions, alternately add 

the flour mixture 

3/4 Cup soured milk

Blending at low speed.

Blend at medium speed for 1 minute.

With a spatula gently fold about a quarter of the egg whites into the mixture.

Repeat 3 times.

Spread batter in prepared pans.

Bake 40 - 50 minutes, until cake tester inserted in centre comes out clean.

Remove from oven. Immediately run small spatula around the cakes. 

Let the cakes cool in the pans on a wire rack for 15 minutes.

Remove the cakes from the pans and let them cool completely.

For the Frosting:

Chop

pecans to make 2/3 Cup

In a saucepan combine 

2/3 Cup sugar

2/3 Cup evaporated milk

1/3 cup butter

2 large egg yolks

3/4 teaspoon vanilla 

Cook over medium heat about 5 minutes, stirring, until mixture comes to a full boil.

Stirring constantly, cook about 2 more minutes, until mixture is a caramel colour.

Stir in 

1 Cup flaked coconut

2/3 Cup chopped pecans 

Cool.

Place an upside down layer on a serving platter.

spread half of frosting over the layer.

Top with second layer and cover with the remaining frosting.

Would you like recipes for German bread, cookies or kuchen?

Here are a few of my old favourites, compliments of Mrs. Kekelia:

Mrs. Kekelia's German Rye Bread

Mrs. Kekelia's Stollen, German Christmas Bread

Mrs. Kekelia's Zimtsterne, German Christmas Cookie

Mrs. Kekelia's Pfeffernuesse, German Christmas Cookie

Mrs. Kekelia's Anise Springerle, German Christmas Cookie

Apple Kuchen

About the sky this week and next, thanks to the folks at The Farmers' Almanac…

April 2 - Look toward the west after nightfall to see the waxing crescent Moon (40% illuminated) inside the Winter Circle asterism. This formation of stars looks more like a hexagon than a circle, and is made up of seven colorful stars:  Sirius (white), Rigel (blue), Aldebaran (orange), Capella (yellow), Castor (white) & Pollux (orange), and Procyon (yellowish-white).

April 6 - Look to the southeast and dusk to see the Moon less than 2 degrees from the star Regulus. Regulus is the brightest star in the constellation Leo the Lion.

April 7 - Jupiter is at opposition, meaning opposite the Sun. It will rise in the east near sunset and will remain in the sky all night long. Around this time it is closest to Earth for the year.

April 11 - April’s Full Pink Moon will be astronomically full at 2:08 a.m. This is the first full Moon of the spring season.   

               A full Moon in April brings frost. If the full Moon rises pale, expect rain.

Anna Sultana’s Pfeffernüsse (German Christmas Cookies)

I just posted a link to an old Christmas post 

‘Christmas on the Cheap’.

It’s the sort of stuff I wrote when I was a host on the radio.

Yes, that was in the last century.

But, here we are, in the twenty-first century, still having to buy Christmas gifts.

Progress, eh?

In that essay I wrote:

While you're shopping, get yourself some treats.  

I have a friend who picks up a bag of pfeffernusse cookies every year.  When she feels like all she's doing is giving, giving, giving, she pops a pfeffernusse and gives herself an old time Christmas.  It doesn't take much.  

Of course I just got an e mail asking for the pfeffernuss recipe.

No problem.

Pfeffernüsse were popular in College Point, and Ma got the recipe from a friend.

The recipe she received called for rolling the cookies in powdered sugar until completely covered.

Ma preferred making them with icing, and this is the recipe she used.

First a bit of history….

Pfeffernüsse have been a part of the holiday season since the 1850s.

They are linked to the December 5th feast of Sinterklaas in The Netherlands, when children received gifts from good old St. Nicholas. 

So we are talking a traditional Christmas recipe here.

Pfeffernüsse cookies are like a stew.

Better if they’ve had a chance to age a bit.

Just so you know when you make them next year.

But they smell so good, everyone enjoys eating them fresh from the oven.

Still, it’s nice to know the leftovers will be even better.

Back to the  ‘Christmas on the Cheap’…

Now's the time to serve the family a plate or two of pasta fagioli.

God bless us, everyone. 

Hints: 

After forming the ropes, wrap them in wax paper or cling wrap and refrigerate them for a half an hour or longer, even overnight.  

Chilling the dough makes it easier to handle, but you can skip this if you're in a rush.

Roll enough dough balls to fill one baking sheet, then bake them while you make more.

Even though you’re baking one sheet at a time, grease 3 sheets so you will have a cool sheet available each time.

It's best to place the dough on cool cookie sheets so they will keep their shapes better.

About the royal icing and raw egg whites…

If you’re absolutely sure about your grade A eggs, you can use 4 egg whites.

But please be careful.

Salmonella is no joke. 

You can find cartons of pasteurized egg whites in the dairy section.

If you don’t want to make the icing, roll the cookies in powdered sugar while they are still warm.  

If the cookies are cold the powdered sugar won’t stick as well to them.

Pfeffernüsse are soft when first baked, but quickly become harder.  

As they age, they soften.

When Pfeffernüsse are hard, they are great dunked in hot tea or milk.  

Pfeffernüsse will store up to 8 weeks in airtight containers at room temperature. 

                        Pfeffernüsse 

Makes about 100 cookies          

Grease 3 cookie sheets 

Place in a large mixer bowl 

1 Cup butter

1 Cup sugar

Beat until fluffy.

Add and mix well after each addition

2 large eggs 

1/2 Cup white corn syrup

1/2 Cup molasses

2 Tablespoons ground anise seed (more or less)

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon allspice

1/2 teaspoon cloves

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

Combine in a measuring cup

1/3 Cup warm water

1 teaspoon baking soda

Add to the mixture and blend well.

Gradually stir in

6 1/2 Cups flour

The dough will be stiff.

Don't be shy about using your hands to get the dough mixed.

Take a portion of the dough and form a rope about one inch in diameter.  

Repeat until you’ve formed all of the dough into ropes.

At this point you can wrap and chill the dough (see hints).

When you are ready to bake, place the oven rack in the centre of the oven.        

Preheat oven to 375º F

Cut one inch pieces of dough from the ropes and roll them into small balls.  

Place the balls on a prepared cookie sheet, leaving about an inch between them.

Bake one sheet at a time, if you have the time.

Bake cookies for 10 to 12 minutes, until they are brown on top.

Remove cookies from the pans and cool them on wire racks.

                        Royal Icing

After the cookies are completely cooled, place the wire racks on the cookie sheets.

Place in a clean large bowl 

3 ounces pasteurized egg whites

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Beat at high speed until foamy. 

Mixing at low speed, gradually add 

4 Cups sifted confectioners’ sugar        

The mixture will be shiny. 

Turn the speed up to high and beat until the mixture forms stiff peaks (about 5 to 7 minutes). 

Dip each cookie into the icing to coat all over and place them on the wire racks to allow the excess icing to drip off. 

Make sure the icing is hard on the top and bottom before removing them.

Anna Sultana’s Sugar Cookies and Royal Icing

Ah… the holiday season!

Ah… the holiday baking!

Ah… the holiday cookies!

Ah… the holiday time crunch!

Okay, if you’re in a rush, the stuff in the refrigerator section of the supermarket are handy.

But, with all the worry over the ingredients we’re eating, never mind allergies, many prefer whipping up a batch of cookies in the kitchen.

And why not?  Sugar cookies are pretty simple to make.

And the kids have fun making them.

Hints: 

If you prefer orange, almond, anise, rum, brandy extract or totally vanilla, fine.

You can also tone down or boost the flavouring.

They're your cookies.

If you don't have coloured sugar, no problem.  Just use the regular stuff.

If you want to decorate the cookies with royal icing, first let the baked plain cookies cool thoroughly on wire racks before icing them.

The kids want holiday cookies and your Christmas cookie cutters are in a safe place.

Where ever the hell that is...

No problem.

Ma’s Easy Sugar Cookies look festive and are perfect for dunking.  

All you need is the bottom of a drinking glass - any size - glass, metal or plastic.  

                        Sugar Cookies 

Makes about 24 cookies          

Have on hand

red and / or green-coloured sugar (or about 1/4 Cup regular)

Sift together

2 Cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

Place in a large mixer bowl 

1/2 Cup butter

1 Cup sugar

Beat until fluffy.

Blend in 

1 large egg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon lemon extract

Stir in the flour mixture.

Cover with plastic wrap and chill 1 to 2 hours.

grease 3 cookie sheets          

preheat oven to 375º 

Roll the dough out to 1/8 inch thickness. 

Cut out cookie shapes with cookie cutters. 

Place the cookies on the prepared cookie sheets, leaving about an inch between them.

Sprinkle the cookies with the coloured sugar before baking.

If you are going to ice the cookies, do not decorate with sugar.

Bake cookies for 8 to 10 minutes, until they are golden.

Remove from pans and cool on racks.

                        Royal Icing

In a medium bowl combine

1 2/3 Cups confectioner’s sugar        

2 Tablespoons warm water

If you want different coloured icing, place portions of the mixture in small bowls.

Add a few drops of food colouring to each batch to make the colours you want.

The icing should be slightly runny.

Decorate the cooled cookies with a drizzle of Royal Icing.

Anna Sultana’s Apple Kuchen and The False Dawn

This is my 900th post!

I know, time just flies!

Thank you for visiting and for commenting here and on my FB page.

Also a big thank you to those who are following me on Twitter.

Love those retweets and favorites!

It’s been a while since I posted a recipe.

Here we are in September.

Yes, it's back to school time.

Don’t forget to bring an apple to the teacher.

First impressions mean a lot.

Apples are really coming into their own right about now.

Why not buy them while they are on sale and bake a few old favourites?

College Point in the 1950s was mostly made up of German and Irish families.

Ma worked with a lot of German women at Lily Tulip.

Well, you know how it is… the moms exchanged recipes.

Some were clipped from the papers and some were things they had always made.

Ma brought home quite a few recipes.

She also got a few German recipes from Mrs. Kekelia.

Of course the recipes were good as they were.

But, Ma liked to add her own touches.

Which were also good.

Want to get an early start on your Christmas baking?

Here are a few of my old favourites, compliments of Mrs. Kekelia:

Mrs. Kekelia's Stollen, German Christmas Bread

Mrs. Kekelia's Zimtsterne, German Christmas Cookie

Mrs. Kekelia's Pfeffernuesse, German Christmas Cookie

Mrs. Kekelia's Anise Springerle, German Christmas Cookie

Hints:

If you prefer regular sugar in the cake, that’s fine.

I’ve been asked if regular or skim milk should be used.

To be honest, Mrs. Kekelia used butter and whole milk.

Back in the 50s who knew about cholesterol?

About the apples…

Back then we didn’t have as many apple varieties as we have now.

Our moms usually used macs since that was what was most available.

I’ve tried this recipe with Granny Smiths and it was quite good.

Use what you have and see what works best for you.

                        Apple Kuchen

Grease a 9 x 13 inch pan

Preheat oven to 375° F

In a medium bowl sift together

3 Cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

In a measuring cup place

1 Cup milk

Mix in a small bowl

1/4 Cup sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

In large mixer bowl place
1/2 Cup margarine, softened
1 1/2 Cups brown sugar

Beat at medium speed until light and fluffy.

Blend in
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
Add the flour mixture alternately with the milk (3 dry, 2 wet).

Mix well after each addition.

Spread the batter in the prepared pan.

Top with

3 Cups apples, peeled and sliced 

Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar over the apples.
Bake 40 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the centre comes out clean.
Serve topped with whipped cream (optional).

About the moon next week…

According to the Farmers Almanac:

On September 10 look to the east before dawn to see the ‘false dawn’.

It’s visible for the next 2 weeks. 

Don’t mistake the Zodiacal Light for morning twilight.  It’s a very faint, whitish, diffuse glow.  Its shape resembles a tilted cone, wedge or slanted pyramid.  
It is sunlight being reflected off of debris left over from the formation of the planets.

Omar Khayyam called it a “false dawn” in his poem ‘The Rubaiyat’.

Also look for the tiny waning crescent Moon team up with Venus in the predawn sky. 

If the sky is dark enough, look for Mars to the left of the pair.

New Moon on September 13.  You can’t see it, of course.

Anna Sultana's Anise Cookies, Maltese Style

About seven months ago I posted the recipe for Ma’s Christmas Cookies.

I’m very pleased to see how popular that post has become.

I know those cookies are a nice light dessert.

But, wow… almost 1700 hits!!

That’s a lot of cookies!!

It’s time for another of Ma’s cookie recipes.

Anise cookies are always good.

Anise and anisette were staple items when I was growing up.

A bottle of anisette was always kept in the house, right next to the wine.

Some of my Sicilian relatives added anisette to their coffee.

Ma made sure she always had both wine and anisette on hand.

A bit of booze always helped when the family gathered.

Anise has a licorice flavour and is often good for whatever ails you.

At the end of feasts the Ancient Romans served cakes with aniseed as a digestive.

They knew what they were doing.

Anise is also taken as a digestive after meals in India.

It has also been used to treat menstrual cramps and colic.

Here’s some more info on anise.

A bit of trivia…

The Biblical anise mentioned in some translations of Matthew 23 is actually dill. 

Hints:

Ma always used anise for these cookies.

If you don’t have anise, you can use lemon, orange or any flavour you want.

When making the icing use a liquor, juice or water instead of the anisette.

They won’t be the same, but they’ll still be good.

If you prefer you can shape the cookies in this way:

Cut a small piece and, by hand, roll it into a thin, long strip about 1/4 inch thick.

Cut the strip into sections about 1 inch long.

Connect the two ends by pressing them together with your fingers to form a circle.

Or you can roll it in your hands to form a log and then twirl it into shape. 

                              Anise Cookies

Makes about 6 dozen cookies

Cookies

Grease 4 large cookie sheets

In a medium bowl sift together

4 Cups flour
4 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

In a large bowl place

1 Cup sugar

1 Cup butter

Mix at medium speed until light and fluffy.

Beat in, one at a time

6 eggs

Add

1 teaspoon anise flavour

Gradually add

the flour / baking powder mixture.

Mix at a low speed until the dough is firm. 

Knead and if necessary add flour to keep the dough from sticking to your hands.

Pinch off about a tablespoonful of dough.

Roll it into a rope and coil it into a circle on a cookie sheet. 

Repeat with the remaining dough, placing them 1 inch apart on the cookie sheets.

Preheat oven to 350º F

Bake cookies 15 minutes until lightly golden.

Transfer to wire racks and cool completely.

Icing

Combine in a medium bowl

1 1/2 Cups sifted confectioner’s sugar

2 Tablespoons anisette

Stir, adding more anisette as needed, until creamy.

Place wax paper under the wire racks to collect the dripping icing.

Dip the cookies into the icing and place them on the wire rack.

Repeat the process for the remaining cookies.

Sprinkle over the cookies

rainbow coloured sprinkles

Here are some more anise recipes:

Anise Speculaas, German Christmas Cookie

Mrs. Kekelia's Anise Springerle, German Christmas Cookie

Carmela Soprano's Biscotti d' Anise - Anise Cookies

Anna Sultana's Anise Biscotti, Maltese Style

Anna Sultana's Biskuttini tar-Rahal #2 (Village biscuits / Maltese Style Cookies)

Anna Sultana's Qaghaq ta' l-Ghasel (Honey or treacle rings, Maltese Style)

Anna Sultana's Qaghaq tal-ghasel #2 (Treacle Rings, Maltese Style)

Anna Sultana's Imqaret (Deep-fried Date Slices, Maltese Style)

Anna Sultana's and Mrs. Kekelia's German Rye Bread and Sourdough Starter

About four years ago I posted the recipe for 
Mrs. Kekelia's Stollen, a German Christmas Bread she made every year. 

It’s about time I posted another one of her excellent recipes.

Mr. and Mrs. Kekelia, a childless couple, both worked at Kleinert’s, a fabric manufacturing company in College Point.

As they were my parents’ tenants, they lived in the apartment above the store.

We lived in the apartment behind the store.

Often while my parents were both working at the local branch of Lily Tulip, the cup manufacturer, Mrs. Kekelia babysat me.

Mrs. Kekelia’s talents and skills were wasted at Kleinert’s.

She really should’ve been a cook in a five star restaurant.

At Christmas I couldn’t eat enough of her Stollen.

The rest of the year I happily snacked on her buttered homemade bread.

Ma asked for the recipe and sometimes made it instead of the White Bread.
But I liked it better when I had it with Mrs. Kekelia.

Hints:

This bread recipe uses a sourdough starter.

If you don’t have some, you have to make the starter two days before you need it.

If you want to make extra starter, add 4 cups flour and 4 cups warm water to the sourdough starter on the second day, and beat until smooth. 

Let stand at room temperature for 24 hours before using. 

After stirring once, use half for a recipe, and save the other half for the next time. 

If freezing the starter, use within 2 weeks.

Mrs. Kekelia liked to add a little variety to her bread making.

Sometimes she added a tablespoon or two of coriander, fennel, anise, or caraway seeds to the dough.

Sometimes Mrs. Kekelia crushed the seeds before adding them to the dough. 

Sometimes she didn’t. 

The seeds can also be ground in a blender.

Fennel tea is very soothing and helps settle the stomach.

If you have a box of fennel tea you could take a bag or two, empty out the contents and grind it, and then add that.

Humidity and heat play a big role in making this bread. 

It may not work as well if it is too humid and hot outside. 
In New York it always seemed to have problems during the summer.
But it was still good.

The bread, in a zip lock bag, freezes very well.  Thaw it in the CLOSED bag. 

                        German Rye Bread

Makes 1 large loaf or 2 long loaves

Sourdough Starter

In a medium glass or ceramic bowl put

2 Cups warm water 

2 Tablespoons sugar 

2 Tablespoons yeast 

Let sit 10 minutes.

Gradually stir in

4 cups flour 

2 Cups warm water 

Stir until all the lumps are gone.

Cover with a dish towel, and let sit for 24 hours at room temperature.

After 24 hours, stir well and cover.

Let stand another 24 hours. 

It will be a thin, light-colored sourdough which is then ready to use.

The Bread

In a large bowl combine

8 Cups rye flour
4 Cups flour
2 Tablespoons salt
1 teaspoon sugar 

Using a wooden spoon,mix in the sourdough starter.

Stir in

2 Cups warm water 

Turn the dough out onto a large floured surface.

Knead the dough for 20 minutes to get a smooth dough.  

If it is too stiff add a few tablespoons of water. 

Place the dough in a large greased bowl, rotate to cover the surfaces, cover, and let rise until doubled, 1 to 2 hours.

Scrape the dough out of the bowl and back onto the floured surface. 

Knead for about 5 minutes to activate the gluten. 

Shape into 1 large loaf or 2 long loaves. 

Place a dish towel on a baking sheet, then sprinkle it with flour. 

Place the loaf (or loaves) on it for the second rising, for about 1 hour. 

Your finger should leave an impression when you poke the bread gently.

Lift the dish towel holding the bread off of the pan.

Grease the pan.

Invert the bread onto the pan.
The tops will be a bit floury. That’s okay.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). 

Bake the bread for about 45 minutes for 2 loaves, 1 1/2 hours if you made one big loaf. 

Don't worry if the crust is dark. 

The bread and the crust will be delicious. 

Cool completely before cutting.