Holiday Recipes

Jeanne Kemper’s Jam Cake

5 eggs, lightly beaten

2 cups sugar

3 cups flour

1 cup butter

1 cup buttermilk

1 teaspoon soda

¼ teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons cinnamon

½ teaspoon cloves

¼ teaspoon allspice

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

1 cup raisins

1 cup chopped pecans

1 ½ cup seedless raspberry jam

 

Cream butter, gradually add sugar. Cream till light and fluffy. Add eggs. Sift flour before measuring, add spices and salt. Sift several times. Dissolve soda in buttermilk. Then add to flour mixture. Then add raisins and nuts, then jam. Grease and flour four 9-inch round cakes pans. Bake in 325-degree oven for about 25 minutes.

 

 

 

Jeanne Kemper’s Red Velvet Cake

17 chocolate-cream filled chocolate sandwich cookies, crushed

¼ cup butter, melted

1 tablespoon sugar

 

Filling:

3 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese softened

1 ½ cups sugar

1 cup sour cream

3 tablespoons baking cocoa

2 tablespoons vanilla extract

4 eggs, lightly beaten

1 bottle (1 ounce) red food coloring

 

Frosting:

1 package (3 ounce) cream cheese, softened

¼ cup butter, softened

2 cups confectioner’s sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

 

Place a greased 9-inch spring form pan on a double thickness of heavy duty foil (about 18 inches square). Securely wrap foil around pan.

In a small bowl, combine the cookie crumbs, butter and sugar. Press into the bottom of prepared pan. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Beat in the sour cream, buttermilk, cocoa and vanilla. Add eggs. Beat on low speed just until combined. Stir in food coloring. Pour over crust. Place spring form pan in a large baking pan. Add 1 inch of hot water to larger pan. Bake 325 degrees for 60 to 70 minutes or until center is just set and top appears dull. Remove spring form pan from water bath. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Carefully run a knife around edge of pan to loosen. Cool 1 hour longer. Refrigerate overnight. Remove sides of pan.

For frosting, in a small bowl, beat cream cheese and butter until fluffy. Add confectioner’s sugar and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Frost top of cheesecake. Refrigerate until serving. Yield: 16 servings.

 

 

 

Phyllis Hedges’ Pumpkin Crunch Torte

Crunch Topping:

1 ½  cup walnuts, finely chopped

1 ½  cup vanilla wafer crumbs

1 ½  cup packed light brown sugar

¾ cup margarine, or butter, melted.

 

Cake Batter:

1 ¼  cup sugar

¾ cup butter or margarine, softened

1 cup solid pack pumpkin

2 ½  cups flour

½ cup plain yogurt

1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice

3 large eggs

2 ¼  tsp baking powder

¾ tsp baking soda

½  tsp salt

2 cups heavy whipping cream

 

Directions:

In large bowl, mix all crunch topping ingredients until well blended. Reserve a small amount to top the cake with.

Measure ¼  of the topping into the bottom of 4 9-inch round cake pans. Pat evenly to cover the bottoms of the pans; set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In large bowl, on low, beat sugar and margarine/butter just until blended. Increase speed to medium, beat 10 minutes until light and fluffy.

Reduce speed to low. Add pumpkin and next 7 ingredients. Beat until well mixed. Increase speed to high, beat 2 minutes (batter will be thick).

Spoon batter over topping in pans, spreading evenly.  Stagger the 4 pans on 2 oven racks so no pan is directly over another. Bake 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Rotate pans between upper and lower rack after 10 minutes to bake all layers evenly.

Cool cake layers in pans on cooling racks 10 minutes. Loosen cakes, invert onto wire racks to cool completely.

In large bowl, with mixer at medium speed, beat whipping cream until stiff peaks form.

Place first cake layer crunch side up on serving plate. Top with ¼  of the whipped cream. Repeat with each layer, sprinkling top layer with some of the reserved cookie wafer crumbs.

Chill at least 3 hours, keep refrigerated until ready to serve.