Recipes for Shabbat

Cakes

By Eileen Goltz

It's a sad truth that, for the most part, my menus for the holidays are set in stone. Not the 10 commandments kind of stone but rather the "this is the family recipe for brisket that, upon pain of excommunication, I MUST always serve to the family on Yom Tov". Deviation from the same chicken soup, gefilte fish, meat and farfel with bow ties is frowned upon and lo to the guest who suggests bringing something as no traditional as tomato bisque or a kiski instead of great grandma apple stuffing. OK, I'm exaggerating a little but my family, like most is big on the culinary traditions on the table.

It's with this caveat in mind that I'm suggesting the following pareve cake and cookie recipes as a way to vary the menu but keep the brisket tradition alive. All of the recipes can be made a few days ahead of time, freeze well and go well with whatever main course you serve.

CARROT AND PINEAPPLE CAKE (pareve)

Preheat oven 325. Grease and flour an angel food or bunt pan. In a large bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Mix to combine then add the eggs, oil, pineapple, and vanilla. Mix well and then add the carrots and nuts. Mix to combine. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 1 hour, or until a tester comes out clean. Let the cake cool on a rack for about 30 minutes and then remove it from the pan. Continue to cool it on the rack until it is room temperature. When the cake is cool, pour the lemon glaze over the top and serve. Lemon Glaze: In a bowl combine the powdered sugar, lemon juice, lemon rind, and non dairy creamer. Mix to  combine and then pour the glaze over cooled cake. Serves 8 to 10.

CHOCOLATE AND CHERRY UPSIDE DOWN CAKE (pareve)

A fast and easy variation on a classic Black Forest Cake.

Preheat oven to 350. Spread pie filling evenly in the bottom of a greased
9x13 inch baking pan. In a large bowl stir together the flour, sugar, cocoa,
baking soda, and salt. Set it aside. In another bowl combine the water, oil,
vinegar, and vanilla. Add these liquid ingredients to the flour mixture all
at once. Stir until just moistened. Pour the batter evenly over the cherry
pie filling. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes. Let cake cool for 10 minutes in pan
then invert cake onto a serving dish and continue to cool.

PAREVE SUGAR COOKIES (pareve)

Light and sweet, these easy rollout sugar cookies are great anytime and make a great gift for any hostess.

In a large bowl combine the powdered sugar, margarine, vanilla, ground  almonds, almond extract, and egg. Mix until combined Stir in remaining ingredients except granulated sugar. Cover and refrigerate 4 hours. Pre heat oven to 375. Grease cookie sheet lightly. Lightly flour a rolling surface.  Roll the dough to about 1/4 inch thick and cut into 2 inch rounds. *Sprinkle the top of each cookie with granulated sugar and place on the cookie on the prepared cookie sheet. Place the cookie sheet in the freezer for about 5 minutes before you bake them. Bake for 7 to 8 minutes or until edges are golden. Remove from cookie sheet to cool.

*You can also use colored sugar or candy decorations to sprinkle on top before you bake or you can omit the sugar and frost the cookies when they are cool. Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

PUMPKIN DATE CAKE (pareve)

Preheat to 350. Lightly grease and flour a 12-cup tube cake pan (preferably  nonstick). In a bowl combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. Set the mixture aside. In a medium bowl beat the margarine until it's creamy, about 1 minute. Add the sugar and brown sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, beat in the eggs one at a time. Add the pumpkin and gently fold it in. Add the flour mixture and fold it in making sure not to over mix. Stir in the dates and pecans. Scrape into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake until a long wooden skewer inserted in the cake comes out clean, about 1 hour. Cool for 10 minutes on a wire cake rack. Invert the cake onto the rack, unmold, and cool completely. Just before serving, dust with the confectioner's sugar. (The cake can be prepared up to 2 days ahead, covered tightly with plastic wrap and stored at room temperature.)

CHOCOLATE KRINKLE COOKIES (pareve)

I wish I knew who created this recipe so that I could thank them. It was sent  to me by a friend who is a chocoholic and she says makes them at least once a week.

In a mixing bowl combine the oil and melted chocolate. Mix well and then add the eggs and yolk and mix until combined. Add the vanilla and stir in the  sugar and salt. Add the flour and baking powder to the chocolate mixture and mix to combine. Add the nuts and chocolate chips and mix well. Cover and refrigerate the dough overnight. When you are ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°. Scoop the dough with a small cookie scoop. Drop the dough into a bowl with the powdered sugar, roll it around to coat heavily, pick up and shake off the excess, place on a sheet pan covered with parchment paper or on a greased baking sheet. Place on the cookie sheet with some room to spread, about 2 inches between each ball of dough.

Bake for 8-9 minutes, but keep a close eye after 7 minutes for the small  cookies. If they over bake, they lose their chewiness and become hard very  quickly. To test if they are done, you will need to look in the center of a  crack, you want to see moisture beading, but not gooey raw dough underneath.  If you are baking a cookie like this for the first time, I would recommend literally opening a cookie up and looking into the center. Simply take a knife and lift the top from the center. If the center is set, yet the cookie  is moist, it is done, take the pan out immediately. Once the cookie settles and cools, it will retain its chewy texture and not dry out so quickly.

Cool the cookies on the pan if you are baking on parchment, if you are using the greased cookie sheet, you will want to let the cookies cool for about 1-2 minutes, then lift with a spatula and finish cooling on a rack.

NOTE: The Yield of this recipe depends on the size you make the dough. This dough can be stored in the refrigerator for about 10 days and you can bake the cookies fresh as you need them! They can be stored in a container for about a week, but they will dry out eventually, it is better to store the dough and bake as you need them. Don't freeze the uncooked dough.

LINZER TORTE BARS (pareve)
A rich fruity bar cookie that is wonderful anytime of the year.

Heat oven to 375. In a large bowl combine all the ingredients except  preserves. Mix until combined, the mixture will be crumbly. Press about 2/3's of the mixture into ungreased 9X9 square pan. Spread the preserves on top of the dough... Sprinkle the top of the preserves with the remaining crumbs. Press the crumbs gently into the preserves. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until lightly golden brown. Cool completely; cut into bars. Makes 12 to 14 pieces.

PINEAPPLE GINGERBREAD CAKE (pareve)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Drain pineapple slices; reserve 1/2 cup syrup. In  10-inch cast iron skillet, melt 1/4 cup margarine. Remove from heat. Add 1/2 cup brown sugar and stir until blended. Arrange pineapple slices in skillet. Place 1 cherry in center of each slice. In large mixer bowl, beat remaining 1/4 cup margarine and 1/2 cup brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and molasses. In small bowl, combine flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon and salt. In small saucepan, bring reserved pineapple syrup to a boil. Add dry ingredients to creamed mixture alternately with hot syrup. Spread evenly over pineapple slices in skillet. Bake 30 to 40 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Let stand in skillet on wire rack 5 minutes. Invert onto serving plate. Serves 8 to 10.

Eileen Goltz, a professional chef and caterer, is the author of the new cookbook, Perfectly Pareve.