Merry Christmas! Christmas Cookie Cake & Cannoli Cake (Cake Mix) / Anna Sultana's Pound Cake & Cannoli Pound Cake / A Big Kid’s Christmas by Margaret Ullrich

                             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.

Anna Sultana's Lemon Loaf

This has been a dreary winter for all of us here in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Here’s how our weather usually works: 

Our normal winters are packed with short days filled with lots of sun.
But along with the sunshine we get temperatures that can go as low as -40º C.
Don't do any math... at -40º it doesn't matter if it's -40ºC or -40ºF. 
It's the same freaking cold. Really.

When we have overcast skies the temperatures are milder, but it can be depressing and disorienting.
Quite the choice.
I mean, if we'd wanted cloudy, damp weather we'd have moved to Vancouver.

It was cloudy on Groundhog Day, so we’ll have Spring in another month or so.

If we don't get another blizzard in April, as we had in 1997.
Yep, we had a record-setting blizzard, followed by the flood of the century.

Life's never dull on the prairies.

Everyone will be having a new moon tomorrow, so the sky will be really dark at night.

I don’t know about you, but I could use a bit of sunshine right now.

I really need to make something with lemon.

I've heard that the Lemon Loaf is really popular at Starbucks.

This recipe isn’t exactly like theirs.

It doesn’t have Mono And Diglycerides, Modified Cellulose, Xanthan Gum, Soy Lecithin, Guar Gum, Propylene Glycol, Sodium Citrate or Glucose.

It just has ingredients you probably have in your kitchen.

This recipe makes a nice moist loaf that keeps well for several days in a cake keeper.

It won't last long, so making two is a good idea.

Hints:

If you don’t have lemon zest you can use 2 Tablespoons lemon extract.

Want something a bit different? 
Add 1/4 Cup poppy seeds or dried cranberries. Blueberries are also nice.

You can put a strip of parchment paper in the bottom of the pans, leaving a bit hanging out, to take the loaves out more easily.

If you want a more lemony and lighter glaze for one loaf, try:

1 Cup confectioners' sugar

3 Tablespoons lemon juice, more or less, for spreading consistency
1 teaspoon lemon extract (optional)

If you don’t like glazes you can halve the recipe or not use it.

If you love glaze make a bit extra and spread it on a slice’s cut surface to make a moist and lemony open-face sandwich. 

The loaves will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Unglazed and well-wrapped, the loaves keep in the freezer for up to 6 months.

Don’t store these loaves in the fridge. That will dry them out.

                        Lemon Loaf (2 Loaves)

                        

The loaves

Grease and flour two 9 x 5-inch glass loaf pans

Place in a bowl

6 large eggs

Allow to warm to room temperature.

Place in a large bowl 

3 Cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

Combine and set aside.

Place in a large mixer bowl

the warmed large eggs

2 Cups sugar

4 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Mix on low until combined. 

While the mixer is running, slowly add

2/3 Cup lemon juice
4 teaspoons lemon extract

Preheat oven to 325º F

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until smooth. 

Add

1 Cup canola oil

zest of two lemons 

Stir until completely mixed.

Pour the batter into the two prepared loaf pans.

Bake for 55 minutes.

A toothpick inserted into the centre of the loaves should come out with just a few moist crumbs but no batter attached.

Remove the pans from the oven and place on wire cooling racks. 

Cool for at least 30 minutes. A few hours is better.

The Glaze

Place in a medium bowl 

1 Cup confectioners’ sugar

2 Tablespoons whole milk 

1/2 teaspoon lemon extract

Mix together until smooth.

When the loaves have cooled completely, remove from pans and place one on a platter.

Drizzle glaze over the loaf.

When the glaze has set, slice and serve. 

Anna Sultana's Cherry Pound Cake for Valentine’s Day / Full Snow Moon

We’ll be having a full moon this weekend - the Full Snow Moon, to be exact.

It will signal the end of the Chinese New Year festivities, which folks have been celebrating over the past two weeks. But, all good things come to an end, and now people are eating leftovers and getting ready for the Lantern Festival. 

After that it’s back to normal - whatever that is.

The Full Snow Moon will be the fourth-largest and fourth-brightest full moon this year. 

It’s called the Snow Moon because of the heavy snowfall we usually get in February. 

Yes, I know that doesn’t apply to folks everywhere, but that is it’s traditional name.

It will be considered a supermoon by some, since the Moon will be closer than normal. 

Some would disagree, as April’s full Moon is the true supermoon of 2020.

I know… it’s always something.

If you’re feeling sad because the Chinese New Year festivities are drawing to a close, Valentine's Day is this Friday.

This post has links for Romantic Dinners for Two, as well as the recipe for Anna Sultana's Lava Cakes.

Those recipes - or a reservation at a nice restaurant - will take care of the big day.

But we still have to eat during the next week, and it might be nice to eat something with a bit of holiday flare to it.

Hints:

Want to make this for St. Patrick’s Day? Use green candied cherries.

This is a traditional recipe for Christmas in Newfoundland.

If you’re planning on serving it for Christmas, it would be festive to have a mixture of green and red cherries.

To make a Chocolate Chip Pound Cake just replace the almond extract with vanilla and use regular or miniature chocolate chips instead of the cherries.

Do not over bake or the cake will be dry.

To store, tightly wrap the cake in one layer of foil or two layers of plastic wrap, or place it in a heavy-duty freezer bag. It can be frozen up to one month. 

When ready to serve, remove it from the freezer and let thaw, wrapped, at room temperature overnight. Once thawed, remove the wrap and serve.

                        Cherry Pound Cake

                        

Grease and flour a 12-cup bundt or tube pan 

Well drain and quarter

1 to 2 cups red maraschino cherries

Place them in a medium bowl and toss with 

1/4 Cup flour

Set aside.

In a medium bowl combine

2 3/4 Cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

Set aside.

Place in a large mixer bowl

1 1/4 Cups butter, softened

2 3/4 Cups sugar

5 large eggs

1 teaspoon almond extract

Beat at low speed until the mixture is blended, then at high speed for 5 minutes, until it is light and fluffy.

Preheat oven to 350º F

Add dry ingredients to mixture alternately with

1 Cup evaporated milk

(3 dry, 2 liquid additions)

Mix lightly after each addition.

Fold in the quartered cherries.

Turn batter into the prepared pan.

Bake for 55 minutes.

Cover loosely with foil and continue baking for 15 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.

Let cool in pan for 5 minutes.

Turn cake out onto cooling rack and let cool completely.

Just before serving dust with

confectioners’ sugar (optional)

Anna Sultana’s Sweet Heart Pound Cake for Mother’s Day

The weather’s been so odd lately.

Guess what - Mother’s Day is this weekend.

You’ve been reminded.

A light cake goes well with anything, whether it's a formal meal or a barbecue.

Speaking of Mothers and cake, I just remembered a cake that Ma surprised us with one Spring day.

She told us that the clipping said that it had a sweet tart flavour.

I forget who started it, but we started to tease her about making a sweet heart cake.

Well, you know how family jokes go… from then on we called it Ma’s Sweet Heart Cake.

And we enjoyed it every time she made it.

Actually, that name suits it.

It’s delicious and uses up whatever you have in your fruit bowl.

In my book, anything that is that accommodating is a sweet heart of a recipe.

Hints:

You can line a greased regular loaf pan with parchment paper leaving about a 2 inch overhang on the sides, so that you can remove it easily.

This is a cake that is open to suggestions.

You can use 1 Tablespoon each of your favourite three from the following: orange zest, lemon zest, lime zest and grapefruit zest, finely grated, instead of 3 Tablespoons of just one type of zest.

Or you can use half and half, or two to one. Your choice. It’s your cake.

Zest is a handy thing to have. You can wrap zest in plastic wrap or aluminum.

You can also place it in a small freezable bag or container.

It stays good up to a month.

Instead of the orange or lemon extract you can use 2 Tablespoons of any citrus juice or vanilla extract in the cake.

You can also top the cake with a Simple Syrup:

Place in a heatproof measuring cup or bowl

3  Tablespoons water

Heat water in a microwave 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 the simple syrup over the completely cooled cake. 

Let the simple syrup soak into the cake before serving, at least 15 minutes.

About the syrup… 

instead of the lime juice and zest, you can use orange, lemon or grapefruit.

If you’re in a rush, or Mom prefers a dusting of confectioners’ sugar, that works, too.

Like I said: it’s your cake.

Your Mom prefers banana pound cake? No problem. Make

Anna Sultana’s Banana Pound Cake With Caramel Glaze

                                                Sweet Heart Pound Cake

Heavily grease and flour a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan

Sift together in 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

1  teaspoon orange or lemon extract

3 Tablespoons of orange, lemon, lime or grapefruit zest, finely grated (or see hints)

Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350º F

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

Add half of the dry ingredients into the large mixer bowl.

Blend on low speed until just combined. 

Add in all of the sour cream mixture. Mix until well blended. 

Add in the remaining dry ingredients. Blend just enough to combine.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

Place into the preheated oven. 

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.

Carefully remove the cake from the pan.

Place onto a wire cooling rack to cool completely.

When cooled, place the cake on a pretty serving platter.

While the cake is baking, prepare the frosting:

                                                Frosting 

Place in a medium bowl

3 Cups confectioners' sugar

1 teaspoon lemon or orange extract

Add 

1/4 Cup water gradually, beating until the glaze is  smooth.

Spread the frosting over the cake.

Sprinkle over the top

3 Tablespoons of lemon or orange zest, finely grated

About the sky, thanks to the folks at The Farmers' Almanac…

Look to the southeast after dark to see Jupiter, shining at magnitude -2.5 in Libra. The king of the planets reached its opposition to the Sun on May 8th, so it’s up practically all night this month. Jupiter is edging slowly westward toward from the 2½-magnitude star Alpha (α) Librae (Zubenelgenubi) nearby.

May 15 - New Moon, 7:48 a.m. In this phase, the Moon is not illuminated by direct sunlight and is completely invisible to the naked eye.

May 17 - Look to the west-northwest sky at dusk to see the slender crescent Moon, 9-percent illuminated, to the left of the brilliant planet Venus. Venus hangs at practically the same height, moderately low in the west-northwest during twilight all through the month of May.

Anna Sultana’s Banana Pound Cake With Caramel Glaze

Our grocery store recently had a pretty good sale on bananas.

So I got way more than we could finish before they started turning brown.

Which was just fine by me.

They’re perfect for making a cake.

Canadian Thanksgiving is next week.

Squash, carrots and/or yams are usually served with the turkey.

Now that’s quite a bit of orange coloured food for one meal.

Pumpkin pie - yes pumpkin is another squash - always seemed like just too much of a good thing to serve at the same meal.

Ma’s Banana Pound Cake With Caramel Glaze looks very festive.

And it uses four overripe bananas. 

Now would be a perfect time to make it.

Still have a few more overripe bananas?

Why not make a few loaves of Ma’s Banana Bread?

Hints:

Have a fluted tube pan or bundt pan?

Now’s a great time to use it.

If you’d like a stronger caramel flavour in your glaze you could use only brown sugar.

Don’t like caramel? Use only regular sugar.

Don’t want to make a glaze?

After the cake has complete cooled, place it on a pretty platter and then dust it with confectioners’ sugar.

Hey, you worked hard enough making the turkey dinner!

                        Banana Pound Cake

Heavily grease and flour an angel food cake pan

Sift together

3 Cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt 

Set aside

Peel and place in a large bowl

4 large very ripe bananas

Mash well.

Preheat oven to 325º

Combine in a large mixer bowl

1 Cup butter
1/2 Cup vegetable shortening
2 Cups brown sugar
1 Cup sugar

Beat until light and fluffy.

Add the mashed bananas.

Add, one at a time, beating well after each addition

5 large eggs

Beat in

2 teaspoons vanilla extract 

Add the sifted dry ingredients alternately with

1/2 Cup milk

(3 liquid, 2 dry additions)

Stir just enough to blend.

Stir in

1 Cup chopped pecans 

Stir just enough to evenly blend in the nuts.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

Bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes.

A toothpick inserted into the centre should come out clean.

Cool cake in the pan for 10 minutes before removing.
Run a knife around, between the cake and the cake pan, to loosen the cake.

Carefully remove the cake and cool it on a wire rack.

Place the cake on a pretty serving platter.

While the cake is baking, prepare the glaze:

                        Caramel Glaze

Combine in a small bowl

1/4 Cup brown sugar 

1/4 Cup sugar 

1 Tablespoon cornstarch 

Place in a medium saucepan

1/2 Cup butter 

Heat over medium heat until the butter is melted.

Stir in

the sugar / cornstarch mixture

Stir continuously over medium heat until it is thickened. 

Stir in

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

1/4 Cup heavy cream

Simmer for 1 minute.

Cool for 20 minutes.

Pour over the cooled cake.  

Carmela Soprano's Mom's Pear and Grappa Pound Cake

Okay… there are families.

And then there are families.

Some families are better faced with a bit of lubrication.

In one form or another.

Carmela's Mom is Sicilian.

So were some of my Aunts.

Some of our family get-togethers were a bit tense.

Nobody pulled out a knife or a piece.

But the bottles of wine and liquor were handy.

Just to keep the family lubricated.

Carmela's chapter Feeding My Family in Artie's The Sopranos Family Cookbook 

has a recipe called Mom's Pear and Grappa Pound Cake.

Grappa is Italian brandy… strong brandy.

Yeah, this sounds like something my Aunts would serve the family.

Grappa was served as an after-dinner drink, to help digest heavy meals. 

Some of my Uncles added Grappa to their espresso coffee.

Grappa went well with salted peanuts, pistachio nuts and other relatives.

Hint:

Canned fruits often vary.

You should have 1 1/4 Cups pears and 1/2 Cup liquid for the batter.

Yes, it's alright to have fruit in its own juice instead of heavy syrup.

To measure: pour 1/2 Cup pear liquid into a 2 Cup measuring cup.
Add chopped pear pieces until the liquid reaches the 1 3/4 Cup line.
Then you'll have just enough liquid and pear slices!

                        Mom's Pear and Grappa Pound Cake

Drain, reserving the liquid

16 ounce can pear halves or slices

Chop into 1/2 inch pieces.

Preheat oven to 350º

Grease a 10-inch Bundt or tube pan

Dust with flour and tap out the excess.

In a medium bowl stir together

3 Cups flour

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

In a large mixer bowl, beat at medium speed

1/2 pound unsalted butter, softened

1 1/2 Cups sugar

Beat until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.

Add, one at a time

3 large eggs

Beat well after each addition.

Beat in

the reserved pear liquid

3 Tablespoons Grappa, rum, or brandy

1 teaspoon vanilla

The batter will look curdled.  That's okay.

Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the flour mixture.

Scrape the sides as necessary, and beat until blended, about 1 minute.

With a spatula, stir in the chopped pears.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan.

Bake 1 hour and 15 minutes.

The edge of the cake should pull away from the pan's sides.

A toothpick inserted into the center of the cake should come out clean.

Place the pan on a wire rack and cool for 10 minutes.

Invert the cake onto the rack and remove the cake from the pan.

Let cake cool completely on the rack.

Before serving, dust with

Confectioners' sugar

Would I make Carmela's Mom's Pear and Grappa Pound Cake again?

With relatives coming?  Oh, yeah.

And I'd keep the bottles and nut dishes handy.

The booze goes well with the nuts... and relatives.

One recipe down.  Fifteen more to go.

Carmela Soprano's Zuppa Ingles, Neopolitan Trifle

I hope you found my Ma's Cannoli to be a nice simple recipe.

Something you can whip up on short notice.

Or on a hot summer day.

We had a couple of below-freezing nights last week.

I still have hope that Spring will come.

And Summer.

Call me a cock-eyed optimist.

Cannoli is an easy recipe, using items usually in the house.

Wish I could say the same for Carmela's Zuppa Inglese.  

In the Holidays chapter of Carmela's Entertaining with The Sopranos, Carmela has a recipe for Neopolitan Trifle, Zuppa Inglese. 

I know... Zuppa Inglese translates into English Soup.

Some say it's a little joke to tease the English about their love of rum.

Some say there was so much rum in the first Zuppa Inglese that it had to be eaten with a soup spoon.

Some say it was first served to Lord Nelson and Lady Hamilton in the 18th century.

Whatever...

There are many variations.

This is Carmela's.

Brace yourself.

This is not a quicky.

Not by a long shot.

And it requires stirring boiling liquids.

Not fun in the Summer.

Not as healthy as Ma's recipe, either.

We're talking all-butter pound cake, heavy cream, plus 6 large egg yolks.

What can I say?

Tony uses bullets, garrots, knives.

Carmela has her own way of getting rid of people.

I wonder...

How many servings would it take to get rid of Janice?

Did Janice binge and purge?

Nah...  Once down, her food stayed for the count.

Maybe Janice built up a tolerance...

                             

                              Zuppa Inglese 

Place a mixing bowl and beaters in the refrigerator to chill.

----

In a large heavy saucepan combine

2 Cups milk

1 Cup heavy cream

1/2 Cup sugar

Stirring to dissolve the sugar, bring to a simmer.

Remove from heat.

In a large heatproof bowl, whisk

6 large egg yolks

1 Cup milk

Sift into the egg / milk mixture

1/2 Cup flour

Whisk until smooth.

Gradually beat in all of the hot milk mixture.

Pour the mixture back into the large heavy saucepan. 

Return to the stove.

Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture begins to boil.

Reduce heat and cook 30 seconds more.

Remove from heat and stir in

2 teaspoons vanilla

Use the custard immediately or transfer to a bowl, 

cover with plastic wrap pressed against the custard,

and refrigerate up to 24 hours.

----

In a large serving bowl, make a layer of 1/3 of

12-ounced all-butter pound cake, cut into thin slices

Sprinkle the slices with 

1/4 Cup Marsala, cherry liqueur or rum

Spread with

1/3 Cup sour cherry preserves

Pour on half of the custard.

Repeat with a second layer of cake:

Sprinkle the slices with 

1/4 Cup Marsala, cherry liqueur or rum

Spread with

1/3 Cup sour cherry preserves

Pour on half of the custard.

Top with remaining cake slices.

----

In the chilled bowl, whip until soft peaks form

1 Cup very cold heavy cream

2 teaspoons confectioners' sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

Spread the cream on top of the cake.

Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Just before serving, garnish with

fresh berries or shaved chocolate

Like I said, not something to whip up on short notice.

Especially in the Summer.

Yes, Summer will come.

At least for a few days.

Would I make Zuppa Inglese again?

Nope.

My Ma's Cannoli is simpler and healthier.

And way cooler to make on a summer day.

Another recipe down.  Nineteen more to go.