Happy Holidays, everyone.
Wishing you and yours
a Christmas filled with all you hold dear!
Thank you for visiting ~
Margaret
Well, the big day has come!
We’ve made it!
Hope you are having a lovely day, filled with everything you wished for.
You’ve earned it… all that baking, ready for everyone to eat.
Soon it’ll all be gone.
No problem. There’s always something new for you to bake.
Hints:
About the Pound Cake…
You can line a greased loaf pan with parchment paper leaving about a 2 inch overhang on the sides so that you can remove it easily.
Instead of the orange or lemon extract you can use 2 Tablespoons of vanilla or any citrus juice in the cake.
You can use 1 Tablespoon each of your favourite three from the following: orange, lemon, lime and grapefruit zest, finely grated, instead of 3 Tablespoons of one type of zest.
Or you can use half and half, or two to one. Your choice. It’s your cake.
While you’ve got the grater out it wouldn’t hurt to grate a bit extra. You can wrap zest in plastic wrap or aluminum, then place in a container and freeze up to a month.
About the Cannoli Pound Cake…
Instead of the chocolate topping you can top the cake with a Simple Syrup:
Place in a small pot
3 Tablespoons water
Heat until hot.
Add
1/4 Cup sugar
Stir to dissolve.
Stir in
1 Tablespoon lime juice *
1 Tablespoon lime zest, finely grated *
Allow simple syrup to cool to room temperature.
Brush over the completely cooled cake.
Let the syrup soak into the cake at least 15 minutes before serving.
* Instead of lime juice and zest, you can use orange, lemon or grapefruit.
If you’re in a rush, or prefer a dusting of confectioners’ sugar, that works, too.
It’s your cake.
Christmas Cookie Cake
Grease well a 9 inch springform pan
Heat oven to 325º F
Place in a large mixer bowl
1 box French vanilla cake mix
15 ounces ricotta cheese
3/4 Cup heavy cream
1/2 Cup olive oil
4 large eggs
1 teaspoons almond extract
Beat until smooth.
Pour batter into prepared pan.
Bake for 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean.
Cool completely.
Run a knife around, between the cake and the cake pan, to loosen the cake.
Place the cake on a serving platter.
Place in a small bowl
1/2 cup heavy cream
4 Cups sifted confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
Beat together, then drizzle over cake.
Sprinkle with multi-coloured sprinkles.
Allow frosting to set 1 hour before slicing and serving.
Cannoli Cake
Grease and flour two 9 inch round cake pans
Prepare and bake according to package directions
1 box French vanilla cake mix
A toothpick inserted into the centre should come out clean.
Cool for 10 minutes.
Run a knife around, between the cake and the cake pan, to loosen the cake before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely.
For filling
Place in a large mixer bowl
16 ounces ricotta cheese
1/2 Cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon rum extract
1 teaspoon vanilla
Beat until blended.
Stir in
2 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped or miniature chips
For frosting
Place in a clean large mixer bowl
16 ounces Mascarpone cheese
3/4 Cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
1/4 Cup whole milk
2 teaspoons almond extract
1 teaspoon vanilla
Beat on medium speed until creamy. Do not over mix.
Place one cake layer on a serving plate.
Spread with 3/4 of filling.
Top with second cake layer.
Spread remaining filling over top of cake to within 1 inch of edges.
Spread frosting on sides and top, covering the area within 1 inch of edges.
Press into sides of cake
1 Cup sliced almonds
Sprinkle over the seam where the frosting and filling meet on the top
4 Tablespoons miniature semisweet chocolate chips
Refrigerate until serving.
Pound Cake
Heavily grease and flour a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan
Sift together into a medium bowl
1 3/4 Cup + 1 Tablespoon flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
Set aside.
Combine in a small bowl
1/4 Cup sour cream or plain yogurt
1 teaspoon orange or lemon extract
3 Tablespoons zest, finely grated
Set aside.
Place in a large mixer bowl
1 Cup butter
1 Cup + 2 Tablespoons sugar
Beat until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
Add, one at a time, beating well after each addition
4 large eggs
Preheat oven to 350º F
Add half of the dry ingredients into the large mixer bowl.
Blend on low speed until just combined.
Add the sour cream mixture and mix until well blended.
Add the remaining dry ingredients and blend just enough to combine.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
Place into the preheated oven and bake for 70 to 75 minutes.
A toothpick inserted into the centre should come out clean.
Remove from oven and allow the loaf to cool in the pan for 10 minutes.
Run a knife around, between the cake and the cake pan, to loosen the cake.
Remove the cake from the pan and place on a wire rack to cool completely.
When cooled, place the cake on a serving platter.
Cannoli Pound Cake
Chop finely
8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
Cut horizontally into 4 slices
1 prepared pound cake
Place in in medium mixer bowl
1 package (4-serving size) vanilla instant pudding
1 Cup cold milk
1/2 teaspoon orange extract or orange juice
Beat 2 minutes.
Stir in
1/2 Cup ricotta cheese
1/4 Cup chopped chocolate
Fold in
1 1/2 Cups frozen whipped topping, thawed
Place bottom cake slice on serving plate.
Spread 1/3 of the pudding mixture over the layer.
Place a layer of cake on top and spread the pudding mixture over it two more times.
Top with remaining cake slice.
Place in a small pot
the remaining chocolate
1 Tablespoon butter
Place the pot over low heat and cook, stirring constantly, until butter and chocolate are melted and mixture is blended.
Spread on top of cake and allow to drip down sides.
Refrigerate until serving.
~~~
In 2004 I wrote a story about when I was 5-years-old and worried if Santa Claus would find me after we moved. I read it on our CKUW radio show '2000 & Counting - Older & Wiser'. For a few years it was an annual tradition for ‘2000 & Counting’ and for ‘Better Than Chocolate’.
After I had first read the story we chatted about when we were children and had realized that our parents were Santa’s main helpers. Here is what I remember of that discussion. Merry Christmas!
So, Santa did find me and my nine-month-old sister.
My fifth Christmas was a time of change for our family. I was becoming American. Thank you, Nonni.
Christmases marked the milestones in my family’s changes. The next Christmas, in addition to a sister, I had a 15-day-old brother. Well, it was the 1950s.
That was a huge Christmas for our family. Santa was in a very generous mood that year. Pop was in his glory. He finally had a son, an heir. Pop's dynasty could begin. He was one up on England’s Prince Philip. We had his family's name. Visions of grandsons were dancing in Pop's head. And there'd be hundreds of descendants to come. He'd be another Abraham. In the 1950s all things were possible.
Another thing that was possible was my learning how to read and write. The next year I was able to write my own letter to Santa. I wanted a bicycle. I asked my parents if they thought Santa would give me a bike. Pop said that I'd been a good girl, helping Ma with the two babies. Ma agreed, saying that I was becoming really good at changing diapers and giving bottles. Yes, they thought Santa would grant me my wish.
My siblings were also growing and going after what they wanted. While George had barely been aware of his first Christmas, that year he was a toddler and was fascinated by the Christmas tree. He kept trying to grab the ornaments. Every chance he got, he'd climb onto the sofa and reach out to the branches.
We weren't worried. He just sat on the couch and reached.
Then George figured out that he'd get closer to the tree if he got on the armrest and then reached for a shiny ball or two. I think he'd have done it, if he hadn't lost his balance and landed on the three kings' camel. That camel wasn't exactly built to carry a toddler. No problem. There were more camels in the 5 & 10.
The big day came.
I got my bike.
It was blue.
I called it Blue Bird.
I was so glad that I had learned how to write and read. I read anything and everything I could, including the labels on Blue Bird. The seat had been made in one country. The tires in another. The frame in yet a third.
Suddenly, I had an awful thought.
The parts of my Blue Bird had been made in different countries.
Not one label said made in the North Pole.
Nothing had been made in the North Pole.
Nothing had been made by Santa's elves.
My parents looked at each other, shrugged, and finally admitted that, yes, my bike hadn't been made by Santa's elves. They had bought it. Didn't I like it? Was blue still my favourite colour?
I admitted it was perfect. But what about Santa? Didn’t he like me any more?
They smiled, hugged me and said I was a big girl. I was too big to still believe in Santa. But, since I was a big girl, it was now my job to help the babies believe in Santa for as long as possible.
I was seven… the oldest… not a baby anymore.
In a way I was proud when they called me a big girl.
But I was also scared.
I wasn’t ready to be a big girl.
I felt like I was George reaching for the shiny balls.
I was afraid I would lose my balance and fall on the camel.
