Honey Orange Cake

This honey cake is delicious! It has a hint of citrus and crunchy walnuts for texture. Honey cake is a traditional desert for the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah, but I love this cake all year round. You can also add some coffee or bourbon in place of a few tablespoons of the orange juice for a few different variations!

4 Eggs
1 C. Sugar
1/2 C. Canola Oil
1 C. Honey
1 tbs. Orange Zest
1 C. Orange Juice
2 1/2 C. Flour
3 tsp. Baking Powder
1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
1/2 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Cinnamon
1 C. Chopped Walnuts

Preheat oven to 350'.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs, sugar, oil and honey together at a high spead until light in color-approximately 5 minutes. Add in orange zest. Sift together dry ingredients and at a low speed add them into the batter alternating with the orange juice -I usually do this in about four parts. When the batter is smooth, fold in chopped walnuts.

Grease and flour 2 loaf pans. Pour half the batter into each, and place in the middle of the preheated oven. Bake for 1 hour at 350'. After 1 hour, turn down the heat to 325' and bake for an additional 15 minutes.

-Enjoy for a sweet New Year!

Lemon Loaf

This delicious lemon loaf is made with Meyer lemons and non-fat Greek yogurt instead of butter
(so its healthy ... ) Its moist texture makes it irresistible and is great as a dessert or as a snack with a warm drink!

For the Loaf:

1 1/2 C. All purpose Flour

2 tsp. Baking Powder

1/2 tsp. Salt 

1 C. Non-Fat Greek yogurt

1 C. Granulated Sugar

3 Eggs

2 tsp. Lemon Zest

1/2 tsp. Vanilla Extract

1/2 C. Vegetable Oil

Simple Syrup:

1/3 C. Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice (you can use Meyer lemons or whatever looks fresh)

1/3 C. Granulated Sugar

For the Glaze:

1 C. Powdered Sugar

3 Tbsp. Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice

Preheat the oven to 350'. Grease well a loaf pan ( aprox. 8 1/2'' by 4 1/2'')

Into a medium sized bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.

In a large bowl combine eggs, lemon zest, vanilla and 1 C. of the granulated sugar.

Carefully mix in the vegetable oil, just until its incorporated.

Pour batter into prepared loaf pan and bake until golden brown (about 50 min)

Allow cake to cool almost all the way and remove from loaf pan onto a cooling rack.

In a small sauce pan cook together the remaining 1/3 C. granulated sugar and 1/3 C. lemon juice over low head until sugar has completely melted. (creating a simple syrup)

Pour simple syrup over cake and allow to cool completely.

While cake with simple syrup cools create the glaze.

For the glaze whisk together the powdered sugar with 3 tbsp. lemon juice.

Drizzle glaze over the lemon loaf and allow to set up and harden for a few minutes (or until you serve)

Enjoy!

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Muffins

   In the mood for some chocolate?... Try these muffins! 

      1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

2 tablespoons best quality cocoa powder

3/4 cup superfine sugar

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips, plus 1/4 cup for sprinkling

1 cup milk

1/3 cup vegetable oil (and some extra for greasing the muffin tin)

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Put the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa, sugar, and 1 cup of the chocolate chips into a large bowl. Mix the wet ingredients together separately and add them to the dry. Be careful not to over mix the batter, some lumps are ok. Spoon the batter into greased muffin tins (or you can use paper muffin cups) into the prepared muffin cases. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup chocolate chips on top and then bake for 20 minutes. J

Passover Nut Torte with Chocolate Orange Glaze

This cake is so delicious you wont even know its passover!

For the cake:
1 2/3 C. Toasted Almonds
1/4 C. Matzo Cake Meal
1 C. Sugar
4 Eggs separated
1 tsp. Lemon Zest
1/4 tsp. Salt

Pre heat oven to 350' and grease a 9'' spring- form pan.
In a food processor pulse nuts, cake meal and 1/4 C. sugar until finely chopped ( be careful not to make into a paste).
In a large bowl mix egg yolks and 1/2 C. sugar until thick and pale yellow. In a separate bowl beat egg whites and salt until soft peaks form.  Gradually beat in remaining 1/4 C. of sugar.
In batches, alternately fold in nut mixture and whites mixture into yolks.
Carefully spoon combined cake batter into spring-form pan and bake int the middle of the oven until golden, about 35 min.
Cool slightly. Run a knife along the side of the cake to loosen from pan and remove the sides of the spring- form.
Allow the cake to completely cool and invert onto platter.

For the Glaze:
3 oz. Bittersweet Chocolate
3 Tbsp. Orange Juice
3. Tbsp. Unsalted Margarine
3. Tbsp. Sugar

Combine all ingredients in a heavy saucepan over low heat and whisking often. Allow to cool for a few minutes before pouring warm glaze over torte.

Enjoy!

Sesame Seed Cookies

These sesame cookies are so good! They are also not so bad for you :) and they are super easy to make.

2 Eggs

3/4 C. Granulated Sugar

4 Tbsp. Olive Oil

1/2 Tsp. Baking Soda

1 C. Flour

2 C. Sesame Seeds

Cream together with an electric mixer the eggs, sugar and olive oil until smooth. Add the Baking soda and flour slowly into the wet ingredients.  Fold in the sesame seeds until they are combined.  

Spoon the cookies into rounded teaspoons onto a greased baking sheet. Press town the top of each cookie gently with the back of a spoon or your finger.

Bake at 350' for about 20-22 minutes until cookies are golden brown.  Move to a wire cooling rack and allow to cool throughly.  

These cookies get better the longer that they sit! 

Carrot Cake

This carrot cake is great, the pineapple keeps it really moist and there is nothing better than good cream cheese frosting!!!  I first saw a carrot cake with pineapple on the Food Network. I thought this was odd so I did some more research and found that it is a popular ingredient.  I took the measurements and ingredients from a few recipes to come up with the chunky cake consistency that I love.

This recipe makes a layered cake but if you would like to make a sheet cake it works great as well, simply make 3/4 (about) of the frosting recipe rather than the whole thing since you will not need to frost a layer between the two cakes. 

For the Cake:

2 C. granulated sugar

1 1/3 C. canola oil

3 eggs

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

2 1/2 C. all purpose flour

2 tsp. cinnamon

2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 C raisins

1 C walnuts (chopped finely)

1 lb. carrots finely grated

1/2 C chopped canned pineapple

Beat the sugar, oil, and eggs together in a large bowl with an electric mixer. Add the vanilla. 

In a medium size bowl, sift together 2 1/2 cups flour, the cinnamon, baking soda, and salt.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Toss the raisins and walnuts with 1 tablespoon flour (in addition to the 2 1/2 cups listed above). Tossing these ingredients in flour keeps them from falling to the bottom of the pan when baking.

Fold in the carrots and pineapple to the batter. Grease and flour the cake pans.

For a layer cake use 2 8'' round cake pans, if making a sheet cake use one 10''x15'' cake pan.

Bake at 350' F for 55 minutes (check on cake as ovens may vary!)

For the frosting:

3/4 lb. (2 sticks) cream cheese at room temp.

1/2 lb. (2 sticks) butter at room temp.

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 lb. powdered sugar

Beat together the cream cheese, butter and vanilla until smooth.

Slowly add the powdered sugar.

When the cake is fully cooled, frost, and decorate with slices of pineapple and or walnuts!

ENJOY!

Rugelach

Delicious rolled cookies!

8 oz Cream cheese at room temperature
1/2 lb. (2 sticks) Unsalted butter
1/4 C. Granulated Sugar
1/4 tsp. Kosher salt
1 tsp. Vanilla extract
2 C. all-purpose flour
1/4 C. Brown sugar, packed
1 1/2 tsp. Cinnamon
3/4 C. Raisins
1 C. Walnuts, finely chopped
1/2 C.Apricot preserves, pureed in a food processor
1 Egg beaten with 1 tablespoon milk

Cream the cheese and butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add the granulated sugar, salt and vanilla.  With the mixer on a low speed, slowly add the flour in small batches until it is fully combined.  Roll the dough into a ball and cut into quarters. Wrap each dough ball in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour.

In a bowl make the filling by combining 6 tablespoons of granulated sugar, the brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, raisins and walnuts.

Flour the board or counter top well and roll each ball of dough into approximately a 9-inch circle.  Spread the dough with 2 tablespoons of apricot preserves and sprinkle with 1/2 C. of the filling. It helps to press the filling lightly into the dough.   Cut the circle into 12 equal wedges. Starting with the wide side of the wedge, roll up the cookies and place on a baking sheet with the points tucked under.

Chill in the refrigerator for approximately 30 min.

Preheat the oven to 350' F

Brush each cookie with the egg wash ( by combining the egg and milk).  If desired, combine cinnamon and sugar and sprinkle over the cookies.

Bake for 20 minutes until lightly browned. Let cool and enjoy!

(Adapted from Ina Garten)