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Tender layers of sponge
cake are sandwiched together
with a cherry-banana filling and
prettily garnished with
cherries, banana "petals"
and whipped cream.
Family Weekly Cookbook
MELANIE DE PROFT, Food Ediio,
Cherry-Banana Sponge Cake
1 l-lb. can pitted dark sweet cherries,
drained (reserve sirup)
2 tablespoons cornstarch
3 tablespoons apricot preserve
Vt teaspoon salt
Vt teaspoon grated lemon peel
1 cup chilled whipping cream
Vt cup confectioners sugar
'i teaspoon vanilla extract
Vt teaspoon almond extract
4 medium-sized all-yellow bananas
2 tablespoons orange juice
2 9-in. sponge cake layers (see recipe)
1. Add enough water to cherry sirup to yield 1
cup. Stir small amount of the sirup into corn
starch in a saucepan; blend until smooth. Mix
in apricot preserve. Add remaining cherry sirup
and salt; bring to boiling and boil 3 mm., stir
ring constantly. Stir in lemon peel and cherries
(reserve about 12 for garnish); cool and chill.
2. Just before assembling cake, whip cream un
til soft peaks are formed; with final few strokes,
blend in the confectioners' sugar and extracts.
Set in refrigerator.
3. Cut three of the bananas in half crosswise:
slice each half lengthwise into 3 or 4 petals;
drizzle with orange juice.
4. Slice remaining banana into 'i-in. 'slices and
mix into cherry filling.
5. Place one cake layer on serving plate and
spoon on the filling; top with second cake layer.
Arrange banana petals around top edge of cake
and pile whipped cream in the center. Garnish
with a rinn of reserved cherries (see photo).
One 9-in. filled layer cake
Burnt-Sugar Cake
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3 cups sided cake flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
J4 cup butter or margarine
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 Vt cups sugar
3 eggs, well beaten
Vt cup cooled burnt-sugar sirup"
1 4 cup milk
1. Lightly grease (bottoms only) two !)-in.
round layer cake pans; line bottoms with waxed
paper and grease paper; set aside.
2. Blend together the flour, baking powder, and
salt. Set aside.
3. Cream butter and extract. Add sugar gradu
ally, creaming well after each addition.
4. Add eggs in thirds, beating thoroughly after
each addition.
5. Combine the burnt-sugar sirup with the milk,
stirring until thoroughly blended. Alternately
add dry ingredients in fourths and milk mixture
in thirds to creamed mixture, beating only until
blended after each addition. Turn into pans.
6. Bake at 350" K 30 to 35 min., or until cake
tester inserted in center of each layer comes out
clean.
7. Remove from oven to cooling racks and cool
10 min. Remove from pans, peel off paper, and
cool completely.
8. Fill and frost cake with Burnt-Sugar Frost
ing. Sprinkle top with chopped toasted pecans,
if desired. One 9-in. layer cake
Burnt-Sugar Frosting
6 tablespoons batter or margarine
1 1 ; teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
Few grains salt
2 tablespoons cream
Vt cup cooled burnt-sugar sirup
1. Cream butter and extract until softened.
2. Add sugar with salt gradually, beating well
after each addition. Gradually add a mixture of
the cream and burnt-sugar sirup, beating until
frosting is creamy and of spreading consistency.
Enough to fill and frost a 9-in. two-layer cake
Burnt-Sugar Sirup (about 1 cups) Heat 2
cups sugar in a heavy, light-colored skillet over
low heat; using back of wooden spoon, gently
keep sugar moving toward center of skillet un
til melted. Heat until a rich brown and foam ap
pears. Remove from heat and very gradually add
1V6 cups boiling water, stirring constantly. Re
turn to heat and stir until bubbles are the size of
dimes, about 5 min. Cool completely. (Store sirup,
covered, in refrigerator.)
Old-Fashioned Molasses Cake
COBW HII1IW S
Toi this cake with a creamy butter frosting or a
sprinkling of confectioners' sugar. Serve with
fragrant hot coffee and vanilla ice cream.
4Vt cups sifted flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
J4 teaspoon baking soda
1 1 1 teaspoons salt
I tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 'i teaspoons ground ginger
i teaspoon ground cloves
Vt cup butter
Vt cup sugar
I Vt cups light molasses
3 eggs, well beaten
1 Vi cups hot water
1. Grease (bottom only) a 13x9Vfcx2-in. pan.
2. Blend together the first seven ingredients,
3. Cream butter until softened ; add sugar grad
ually, creaming until fluffy. Blend in molasses.
4. Stir in V4 cup of the flour mixture. Add eggs
in thirds, beating well after each addition.
5. Alternately add the remaining flour mixture
in fourths and hot water in thirds, beating only
until smooth after each addition. Turn into pan.
6. Bake at 350F 50 min., or until cake tests done.
Cool completely. One I3x9-in. cake
Hot Milk Sponge Cake
1 cup sifted cake flour
I teaspoon baking powder
Vt teaspoon salt
3 eggs, well beaten
1 cup sugar
2 or 3 teaspoons lemon juke
6 tablespoons hot milk (do not boil)
1. Blend first three ingredients; set aside.
2. Add sugar gradually to the beaten eggs, beat
ing well after each addition. Mix in lemon juice.
3. Sift dry ingredients over egg mixture about
one-fourth at a time; gently fold in until just
blended after each addition.
4. Add hot milk all at one time and quickly mix
just until smooth. Turn batter into two 9-in.
round layer cake pans (do not grease).
5. Bake at 375F about 15 min., or until cake
surface springs back when lightly touched. In
vert cake pans and rest on edges of two cooling
racks; let cake hang in pan until cool. Remove
from pans. Two 9-in. sponge cake layers
rami'v WMkly. April 14. IM3