Flo's Standbys

Rhubarb Crisp

Servings: 6

7 c Rhubarb	1/2 pt Strawberries (optional)
3/4 c Sugar	3 T Flour
1/2 c Walnuts	7/8 c Flour
1/3 c Brown Sugar	4 t Sugar
1/8 t Cinnamon	1/3 c Butter

Toss rhubarb, strawberries, 3/4 cup sugar and 3 T flour together and put in pan. Mix rest of ingredients as topping. Bake 375 degrees for 45 minutes.

This is a Chez Panisse recipe.  - Flo Leighton 1993

Banana Cake

Servings: 12

2 Ripe bananas, mashed	2 Eggs
1 3/4 c Flour	1 1/2 c Sugar
1/2 c Oil	5 T Buttermilk
1 t Soda	1 t Vanilla
1/2 t Salt

Grease a 9 by 9 cake pan. Combine ingredients in usual cake method, adding bananas with egg to sugar and oil. This is a Christie recipe, who figures anyone should know how to put a cake together. Just ask Arthur.

Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour and 20 minutes. Do not double the recipe.

Frost with a mixture of 1 cup chocolate chips melted with 3 T butter.

© Flo Leighton 1993

Chocolate Imperial Cake

Servings: 12

4 oz Semi-sweet chocolate	4 oz Butter
2/3 c Sugar	Zest of 1 orange
1 T Grand Marnier	4 Eggs
6 oz Ground walnuts	4 oz Semi-sweet chocolate
2 oz Butter	2 t Light corn syrup

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease and flour 8 inch springform pan. Line with parchment paper.

Melt 4 oz chocolate and 4 oz butter. Add sugar while warm. Add orange zest. Transfer to mixing bowl. Cool slightly. Add Grand Marnier. Add eggs.

Mix in not beating in. Lastly, stir in ground walnut flour. Pour into pan and bake for 30 minutes. (Check at 25). Remove from oven and cool before removing sides. Turn upside down on rack and remove paper. Let cool but not get completely cold.

Make glaze by melting the 4 oz of chocolate and 2 oz butter over hot but not boiling water. Add corn syrup and pour over cake. Tilt to cover cake, trying not to have to do any spreading. This is an excellent glaze.

This is a Flo Braker recipe. - Flo Leighton 1993

Filled Cupcakes

Servings: 18

1 1/2 c Flour	1 c Sugar
1 t Soda	1/2 c Cocoa
1 c Water	1/3 c Oil
1 T Vinegar	1 t Vanilla
8 oz Cream cheese	1 Egg
1/3 c Sugar

Sift together flour, 1 cup sugar, soda and cocoa. Add water, oil, vinegar, and vanilla. Mix well. Fill 18 medium muffin tins with this mixture. Mix softened cream cheese, egg, and 1/3 cup sugar and drop by teaspoons into center of cupcakes. Bake 25 to 30 minutes in a 350 degree oven.

© Flo Leighton 1993

Stars Lemon Bars

Servings: 24

1 1/2 c Flour	1/2 c Powdered sugar
6 oz Butter	6 Eggs
3 c Sugar	1 c Lemon juice
1/2 c Flour

Mix 1 1/2 cups of flour, powdered sugar, and butter until crumbly and press into 9 by 13 pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes, or until lightly browned.

Combine the eggs, sugar, lemon juice (may add 2 tablespoons more for tarter flavor), and 1/2 cup flour. Pour over baked crust and bake at 300 degrees for 40 minutes more.

I usually add some lemon zest to the crust.

These are VERY LEMONY. This recipe is from Christie. - Flo Leighton 1993

Congo Bars

Servings: 16

2/3 c Butter	2 1/3 c Brown sugar
3 Eggs	2 t Vanilla
2 3/4 c Flour	2 1/2 t Baking powder
1/2 t Salt	12 oz Chocolate chips

Melt butter. Add brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Mix well. Measure flour and add salt and baking powder. Stir in until mixed. Add chocolate chips. Pour into 9 by 9 inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes. Cut in bars when cool but not cold.

© Flo Leighton 1993

Chocolate Sauce

Serve with White Chocolate Mousse.

Servings: 4

2 oz Unsweeted chocolate	3/4 c Sugar
1/2 t Salt	1 T Cornstarch
1/2 c Corn syrup	1/2 c Milk

Melt chocolate in top of double boiler. Mix in sugar, salt, and cornstarch. Add corn syrup and milk. Cook over hot water until thick. Remove from heat and add 2 T butter and 2 t vanilla. Cool. Make pool of sauce on plate and put a serving of white chocolate mousse on it.

This is the dessert I served to Kate her first Christmas at my house.

© Flo Leighton, 1992

German Sweet Chocolate Cake

Servings: 12

1 pk German Sweet Chocolate	1/2 c Boiling water
1 c Butter	2 c Sugar
4 Egg yolks	1 t Vanilla
2 1/4 c Sifted all purpose flour	1 t Soda
1/2 t Salt	1 c Buttermilk
4 Egg whites, stiffly beaten

Melt chocolate in boiling water. Cool. Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Blend in vanilla and chocolate. Sift flour with soda and salt; add alternately with buttermilk to chocolate mixture, beating after each addition until smooth. Fold in beaten egg whites. Pour into three nine

inch layer pans, lined on bottom with wax or parchment paper. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes. Cool. Frost tops only.

For frosting combine 1 cup evaporated milk, 1 cup sugar, 3 slightly beaten egg yolks, 1/2 cup of butter and 1 teaspoon of vanilla. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened, about 12 minutes. Add 1 1/3 cup of angel flake coconut and 1 cup chopped pecans. Cool until thick enough to spread, stirring occasionally. Makes 2 1/2 cups.

This is a grass roots recipe that swept the country to become a classic. It is the original recipe from the German sweet chocolate package. There were simpler versions later, but I notice now that they have gone back to the original version.

I make this cake for Hudson's birthday on January 4th. I make it again for Arthur's birthday on August 23rd. - Flo Leighton, 1992

Angel Cake

Servings: 10

1 c Cake flour	1 1/2 c Sugar
2 c Egg whites	1 1/2 t Cream of tartar
1 t Vanilla	1/4 t Salt

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Adjust oven rack so it is one third of the way up from the bottom.

To measure the flour: Dip a 1 cup dry measure into the cake flour container, scoop up the flour, and sweep off the excess with a knife. Combine the measured flour with half the sugar (3/4 cup), stirring them together. Tear off two good-sized sheets of wax paper. Pour the combined flour and sugar into a sifter and sift them together onto one sheet of waxed paper. Pick up the paper, pour into sifter, and sift again onto the other piece. Repeat once more so flour and sugar are sifted three times. Place the remaining sugar in a small cup.

Put the egg whites in mixer bowl and attach the beaters or whip. Turn to lowest speed. After about a minute, when the whites are broken up and resemble foamy syrup, stop beating and add cream of tartar, vanilla, and salt. Take about 30 seconds to gradually turn to medium speed, then, holding the reserved 3/4 cup sugar at the edge of the bowl, gradually let sprinkles of it drift into the whites. Stop beating when all the sugar is added, and scrape around the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Resume beating at medium speed until whites are stiff but moist. Egg whites are stiff but moist when they hold their shape in a sharp, angular way and stand in peaks that droop slightly when the beater is lifted.

Sift about one third of the flour-sugar mixture over the top of the egg whites (still in the bowl) and, using the same beaters, turn the machine to lowest speed and blend for a few seconds. Scrape sides of bowl and add remaining flour-sugar by halves.

When mixed scrape immediately into a 10 inch ungreased tube pan, run a knife in circle through batter to break up any air bubbles. Smooth the top.

Bake 40 to 45 minutes (begin testing with a straw at 30 minutes). When done invert immediately either on pan legs or a bottle. Cool completely. Carefully remove from pan with spatula.

Frozen egg whites work fine, though not quite as much volume as fresh. The pitfall in this recipe is to divide the sugar. This recipe is from The Fannie Farmer Baking Book by Marion Cunningham.
- Flo Leighton, 1992

Andy's Fresh Ginger Cake

Servings: 9

1/2 c Butter	1/2 c Water
1/2 c Light brown sugar	1/4 c Light molasses
1/4 c Dark corn syrup	1 Egg
3 T Pared and grated ginger	1 1/2 c Sifted flour
1/4 t Salt	1 t Soda

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour an 8 inch square pan. Melt 1/2 c butter with water in a saucepan--do not simmer. Remove from heat and whisk in sugar, molasses, syrup, and then the egg. Then add ginger, and sifted dry ingredients. Whisk or beat a minute or two until smooth and light. Pour into prepared pan and bake 35 to 40 minutes, or until cake is pulled away from the sides of the pan and top is springy to the touch. Cool a few minutes, then turn out onto cake rack. While still warm dust with confectioner's sugar or spread with simple vanilla icing.

© Flo Leighton, 1992