by Joanne Fluke
SALLY’S FLOURLESS CHOCOLATE CAKE
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F., rack in the middle position.
Hannah’s Note: This cake is going to fall in the center. There’s just no way around it since there’s no flour to hold it up. That really doesn’t matter, because it’s so delicious. Just be prepared to cover up the crater in the middle with plenty of whipped cream – Sally whips two cups of cream sweetened with cup of powdered sugar, spreads it on the top, and shaves some bittersweet chocolate on top of that.
1 stick (½ cup butter, ¼ pound)
8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips (1 and cups –
I used Ghirardelli)
4 egg yolks (save the whites in a separate bowl for later)
½ cup white (granulated) sugar
½ teaspoon rum extract (or vanilla if you don’t have rum)
4 egg whites (the ones you saved)
¼ cup white (granulated) sugar (you’ll use ¾ cup in all)
sweetened whipped cream to decorate top
shaved chocolate or chocolate curls to decorate top (optional)
sliced or whole berries to decorate top (optional)
Spray an 8-inch Springform pan with Pam or other non-stick cooking spray. (An 8½-inch Springform will also work, but a 9-inch is too big.) Line the bottom of the pan with a circle of parchment paper (wax paper will also work). Spray the paper with Pam or other nonstick cooking spray.
In a small microwave-safe bowl, combine butter and semi-sweet chocolate chips. Melt for 1 minute on HIGH, stir, and heat for an additional 20 seconds if necessary. (Some chocolate maintains its shape even when melted. Stir before you microwave for the additional time.) Cover your bowl, or put it back in the microwave, to keep it warm.
In a medium bowl, beat ½ cup of granulated sugar with the egg yolks until they’re light yellow in color. Mix in the rum extract. (This is easy with an electric mixer, although you can do it by hand.)
Stir a bit of the egg yolk mixture into the melted chocolate to temper it. Then add the chocolate to the egg yolk mixture and stir until it’s well blended.
In a large bowl, using clean beaters, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Continue beating while sprinkling in the remaining ¼ cup granulated sugar. Beat until stiff peaks form (about ½ minute).
Stir just a bit of the egg white mixture into the bowl with the chocolate to temper it. Now add the chocolate to the bowl with the rest of the egg whites and gently fold it in with a rubber spatula. Continue folding until the mixture is a uniform chocolate color.
Pour the batter into the cake pan and smooth the top with a rubber spatula. Bake at 375 degrees F. for 35 minutes or until a wooden pick or cake tester inserted in the center comes out dry.
Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Run a knife around the inside of the rim of the pan, invert the pan on a serving plate, and cool for another 10 minutes. Release the catch on the Springform pan and remove it. DON’T PEEL OFF THE PARCHMENT PAPER UNTIL THE CAKE IS COMPLETELY COOL TO THE TOUCH.
When you’re ready to serve, fill in the crater in the center and frost the top of the cake with sweetened whipped cream. If you want it to look fancy, decorate it with chocolate shavings, chocolate curls, and/or a sprinkling of raspberries or strawberries. Slice it and serve it on dessert plates with plenty of excellent coffee.
Hannah’s 2nd Note: This is really a type of chocolate soufflé and it’s delicious!
SCANDINAVIAN ALMOND CAKE
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F., rack in the middle position.
Before you start to mix up this recipe, grease (or spray with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray) a 4-inch by 8-inch loaf pan. (Mine was Pyrex and I measured the bottom.)
Cut a strip of parchment paper (or wax paper if you don’t have parchment) 8 inches wide and 16 inches long. Lay it in the pan so that the bottom is covered and the strip sticks out in little “ears” on the long sides of the pan. (This makes for easy removal after your cake is baked.) This will leave the two short sides of the pan uncovered, but that’s okay. Press the paper down and then spray it again with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray.
¼ cup sliced almonds (optional – they make your cakes
look pretty)
1 stick (½ cup, ¼ pound, 4 ounces) salted butter
1 and ¼ cups white (granulated) sugar
1 egg (I used an extra large egg)
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 and ½ teaspoons almond extract
cup cream (you can also use what Grandma Ingrid used
to call “top milk” or what we now call half and half)
1 and ¼ cups flour
If you decided to use the sliced almonds, sprinkle them in the very bottom of your paper-lined loaf pan. (This cake is like a pineapple upside down cake – the bottom will be the top when you serve it.)
Hannah’s 1st Note: Now don’t let this next step scare you. It’s extremely easy, and it will keep your cakes from turning too brown around the edges.
Place the stick of butter in a one-cup Pyrex measuring cup or in a small microwave-safe bowl. Zap it for 40 seconds on HIGH, or until it’s melted. (You can also do this in a small saucepan on the stove.) Now pour that melted butter through a fine-mesh strainer, the kind you’d use for tea (or a larger mesh strainer lined with a double thickness of cheesecloth). After the melted butter has dripped through, dump the milk solids that have gathered in the strainer in the garbage (or throw away the cheesecloth, if you’ve used that method). What you have left is clarified butter.
Set your clarified butter on the counter to cool while you. . .
Mix the white sugar with the egg in a medium-sized bowl or in the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat them together until they’re light and fluffy.
Add the baking powder and the almond extract. Mix well.
Cup your hands around the bowl with the clarified butter. If you can hold it comfortably and it’s not so hot that it might cook the egg, add it to your bowl now and mix it in. If it’s still too hot, wait until it’s cooler and then mix it in.
Hannah’s 2nd Note: In the following steps, you’re going to add half of the cream and then half of the flour. You don’t have to be precise and measure exactly half. Just dump in what you think is approximately half, and it’ll be just fine.
Add half of the cream and mix it in.
Add half of the flour and mix it in.
Now add the rest of the cream and mix.
And then add the rest of the flour and mix thoroughly.
Pour the batter into the loaf pan you’ve prepared, and smooth the top with a spatula.
Bake the cake at 350 degrees F., for 50 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Let the loaf pan sit on a wire rack or a cold burner for 15 minutes. Then loosen the cake from the short sides of the pan (the sides without paper) with a metal spatula or a knife.
Tip the cake out on a pretty platter, and remove the parchment paper. Let it cool, and then dust the top with powdered sugar if you wish.
Hannah’s 3rd Note: Mother’s friends, Joyce and Nancy, have special half-round loaf pans especially for baking Scandinavian Almond Cake. Joyce’s cake bakes for the same length of time as mine does. Nancy’s pan has a dark nonstick surface. It’s heavier than Joyce’s pan, and the dark surface makes it bake faster. Nancy bakes her cake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE SWENSEN
Serves 12 (or 6 if they ask for second helpings)
To make this dessert, you will need: Pound Plus Cake ***, three boxes of ripe strawberries, and a bowl of Hannah’s Whipped Crème Fraiche (Pronounce it “Cremm Fresh” and everybody will think you speak French.)
POUND PLUS CAKE
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F., rack in the middle position.
1 and ½ cups softened butter (3 sticks, 12 ounces, ¾ pound)
2 cups white (granulated) sugar
4 eggs
> 1 cup sour cream (you can substitute unflavored yogurt for
a lighter cake)
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups cake flour (DO NOT SIFT – use it right out of the box)
Hannah’s Note: Pound Plus Cake must chill for 48 hours. Make it 2 days before you plan to serve it. You can also bake it, cool it, wrap it in plastic wrap and then in foil, and freeze it until you need it. This recipe makes 2 cakes. Each cake serves six people.
Generously butter and flour two 9-inch round cake pans. (Don’t use Pam or spray shortening — it won’t work for this cake.)
Cream softened butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer. (You can mix this cake by hand, but it takes some muscle.) Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat until they’re nice and fluffy. Then add the sour cream, baking powder and vanilla. Mix it all up and then add the flour, one cup at a time, and beat until the batter is smooth and has no lumps.
Pour the batter into the pans and bake at 325 degrees F. for 45 to 50 minutes. (The cakes should be golden brown on top.)
Cool in the pans on a rack for twenty minutes. Run a knife around the inside edges of the pans to loosen the cakes. Then turn them out on the rack.
After the cakes are completely cool, wrap each one in plastic wrap, sealing tightly. Wrap these packages in foil and store them in the refrigerator for 48 hours. Take them out an hour before you serve, but don’t unwrap them until you’re ready to assemble the dessert.
THE STRAWBERRIES
(Prepare these several hours before you serve.)
Wash 3 boxes of berries and remove stems. (The easiest way to do this is to use a paring knife to cut off the top part of the berry.) Slice all but a dozen or so, reserving the biggest and best berries to top each portion. Taste the berries and add sugar if they’re too tart. Stir and refrigerate, covered tightly.
HANNAH’S WHIPPED CRÈME FRAICHE
(This will hold for several hours. Make it ahead of time and refrigerate it.)
2 cups heavy whipping cream
½ cup white (granulated) sugar
½ cup sour cream (you can substitute unflavored yogurt,
but it won’t hold as well and you’ll have to do it at the
last minute)
½ cup brown sugar (to sprinkle on top after you assemble
the dessert)
Whip the cream with the white sugar until it holds a firm peak. Test for this by shutting off the mixer, and “dotting” the surface with your spatula. Once you have firm peaks, gently fold in the sour cream. You can do this by hand or by using the slowest speed on the mixer.
ASSEMBLING STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE SWENSEN
Cut each Pound Plus Cake into 6 pie-shaped wedges and place on dessert plates. Top with the sliced strawberries. Put several generous dollops of Hannah’s Whipped Crème Fraiche on top and sprinkle with the brown sugar. Garnish with the whole berries you reserved. Serve and receive rave reviews.
*TAPIOCA CHEESECAKE
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F., rack in the middle position.
FOR THE CRUST:
2 cups vanilla wafer cookie crumbs (measure AFTER
crushing)29
¾ stick melted butter (6 Tablespoons)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pour melted butter and vanilla extract over cookie crumbs. Mix with a fork until they’re evenly moistened.
Cut a circle of parchment paper (or wax paper) to fit inside the bottom of a 9-inch Springform pan. Spray the pan with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray, set the paper circle in place, and spray with Pam again.
Place the moistened cookie crumbs in the bottom of the pan and press them down over the paper circle. Continue to press them until they reach one inch up the sides of the pan. Put the Springform pan in the freezer for 30 minutes while you prepare the rest of the cheesecake.
FOR THE TAPIOCA:
1 can (13.5 ounces) coconut milk (I used Dole) 30
2 large eggs
½ cup white (granulated) sugar
¼ cup quick-cooking tapioca (I used Kraft Minute Tapioca) 31
In a medium-size saucepan, off the heat, whisk the coconut milk and eggs together until they’re a uniform color.
Add the sugar and the dry tapioca. Mix it all up and leave it on a cold burner for 5 minutes. You’ll prepare the cheesecake topping while you wait.
FOR THE TOPPING:
2 cups sour cream
½ cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
Mix the sour cream, sugar, and vanilla together in a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F., rack in the middle position. It’ll have plenty of time to come up to temperature while you cook the tapioca and make the cheesecake batter.
Cook the tapioca mixture over MEDIUM-HIGH heat, stirring CONSTANTLY. (Be careful — it’s easy to burn.) Bring it up to the boil and then pull it off the heat, give it a couple more stirs until it’s no longer boiling, and let it cool while you make the cheesecake batter.
FOR THE CHEESECAKE BATTER:
1 and ½ cups white (granulated) sugar
3 eight-ounce packages cream cheese at room temperature
(total 24 ounces)
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon coconut extract **32
Place the sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer. Add the blocks of softened cream cheese and whip it up at medium speed until it’s smooth.
Add the tapioca mixture a spoonful at a time, mixing it all into the batter.
Feel the sides of the mixing bowl. If the contents aren’t so hot they’ll cook the eggs, add them now, one at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition.
Shut the mixer off, scrape down the bowl, and then turn it back on again to add the vanilla and the coconut extracts.
All this should have taken you 30 minutes. Even if you’re faster than I am, take your crust out of the freezer now; 10 minutes more or less won’t make a difference.
Pour the batter you just made on top of the chilled crust, set the pan on a cookie sheet to catch any drips (I use a cookie sheet with sides), and bake it at 350 degrees F. for 70 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven, but DON’T SHUT OFF THE OVEN.
Starting in the center, spoon the sour cream topping over the top of the cheesecake, spreading it out to within a half-inch of the rim. Return the pan to the oven and bake for an additional 15 minutes.
Cool the cheesecake in the pan on a wire rack. When the pan is cool enough to pick up with your bare hands, place it in the refrigerator and chill it, uncovered, for at least 8 hours.
To serve, run a knife around the inside rim of the pan, release the Springform catch, and lift off the rim. Place a piece of waxed paper on a flat plate and tip it upside down over the top of your cheesecake. Invert the cheesecake so that it rests on the paper.
Carefully pry off the bottom of the Springform pan and remove the paper from the bottom crust.
Invert a serving platter over the bottom crust of your cheesecake. Flip the cheesecake right side up, take off the top plate, and remove the waxed paper.
If you’d like to decorate your cheesecake, you can sprinkle on toasted coconut, place slices of fresh fruit around the edge, dot the top with berries in season, or sprinkle it with white chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate shavings. You could also melt either white chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate chips and drizzle them in threads across the top. Or... if you’re like Lisa and handy with a pastry bag, you could decorate the top of your cheesecake with whipped cream rosettes in a white-on-white design. Your choices are limited only by your own imagination.
“I’m dying to hear about Andrea’s lemon pie experience,” Claire said once she’d flipped through the pie, cake, and frosting recipes.
“You said she followed your recipe?” Edna asked.
“That’s right.”
“The same recipe we have in here?” Grandma Knudson asked.
“Exactly the same.”
“But that’s the recipe you gave me to use down at the cafe,” Rose said, looking confused. “And everybody loves your Lemon Meringue Pie.”
Andrea gave a little groan. “Well, some of us can cook and some of us can’t. And I’m in the group that can’t. I thought I was following Hannah’s directions exactly, but I goofed. Tell them, Hannah. It’s okay.”
Hannah began to smile. “It was a simple mistake for someone just learning how to cook. Andrea took everything literally. When the list of ingredients called for four whole eggs, she set four whole eggs out on the kitchen counter. And when the recipe read, Beat the egg yolks with the whole eggs in the top of the double boiler, Andrea did exactly that.”
“But. . . what’s wrong with that?” Ellie asked.
Andrea started to laugh. “It’s like Hannah said, I took everything literally. I put the egg yolks in the top of the double boiler and then I added the four whole eggs.”
“Oh, no!” Claire said, covering her face with her hands. “You didn’t!”
“She did,” Hannah took up the story. “It was heartbreaking. Andrea was so proud of herself for baking a pie. It was Bill’s birthday and lemon meringue pie is his favorite. We all got together for dinner at my place and I served Andrea’s pie for dessert. I was impressed when I saw it. The meringue was absolutely perfect.”
“If I’d known then what I know now, we would have just eaten the meringue and dumped the rest of the pie,” Andrea commented.
“But we didn’t,” Hannah continued, “and Andrea did a beautiful job of slicing it and putting it on the antique dessert plates Mother gave me.”
