Cheesecake

In case you don't already know what one is: a spring-form pan is a pan that comes in two pieces. There's a flat disc that's the removable bottom, and another piece that wraps around to form the vertical side. The side piece opens and closes with a latch, so when its open its actually bigger around than whatever you just made, and is easy to remove without damaging your cake. They come in lots of different sizes.

I'm mostly a plain cheesecake fan, but you can top it with pineapple, strawberries, raspberries or blueberries.

Graham Cracker Crust

1 and 2/3 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup softened butter
Dash of cinnamon (optional)

Blend ingredients well, then press evenly into the bottom and about halfway up the sides of a 10-inch springform pan.

Cheesecake Filling

6 eggs
2 and 1/2 cups sugar
6 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon salt
Juice of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 pounds cream cheese (softened to room temperature)
1 and 1/2 cups light cream

Beat eggs for five minutes, gradually adding sugar. Add in flour, salt, lemon and vanilla.
In another bowl, beat the cream cheese until fluffy, then gradually beat in the cream until smooth.
Add egg mixture to cheese and keep beating.
Pour in graham cracker crust and bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour. Turn off the heat; open the oven door and let the cake stand in the oven until cool (overnight is fine). Refridgerate 8 hours before serving.
Warning: don't try to cool the cake too fast, because the filling will split and develop deep cracks.

Scripture Cake and Burnt Sugar Syrup

I first came across references to Scripture Cake in a mystery novel, of all places; it intrigued me enough to hunt down a recipe. The cake appears to come from the hills of Appalachia. There are several variations of it; this is, to me, the best of the three that I've personally tried. This is also the only one I've seen that adds any kind of icing, or gives a specific oven temperature.

Traditionally a Scripture Cake recipe would only list a Bible verse and a quantity for each ingredient; you were supposed to look up each verse to figure out what that ingredient might be. But to make your life easier, I'll be nice and give that information too!

Scripture Cake

1 cup Judges 5:25 (butter)
1 and 1/2 cups Jeremiah 6:20 (sugar)
3 Isiah 10:14 (eggs, yolks & whites separated)
2 cups 1-Kings 4:22 (flour)
2 teaspoons Luke 13:21 (baking powder)
3 teaspoons 1-Kings 10:10 (one each of cinnamon, mace and cloves)
1/2 teaspoon Leviticus 2:13 (salt)
1/2 cup Judges 4:19 or Genesis 43:24 (milk or water)
1 tablespoon Proverbs 24:13 (honey)
2 cups 1-Samuel 30:11 (one each of raisins and finely chopped figs)
1/2 cup Genesis 43:11 (almonds)

Dredge figs, raisins and almonds in 1 tablespoon flour, set aside. Mix together all other dry ingredients.
Cream together butter, sugar and honey; add egg yolks one at a time. Alternately add in dry intredients and milk, beginning and ending with dry. Stir in fruit; batter should be stiff.
Beat egg whites to peaks; stir into batter one cup at a time. Spoon into greased 8x11 baking dish.
Bake at 375 degrees one hour. Cool on a wire rack for at least ten minutes before removing from baking dish.

Burnt Sugar Syrup for Scripture Cake

1 and 1/2 cups Jeremiah 6:20 (sugar)
1/2 cup Genesis 24:45 (water)
1/4 cup Genesis 18:8 (butter)

Melt sugar in saucepan over low heat; stir occasionally, until deep golden brown. Add water, stirring frequently, until smooth. Remove from heat. Add butter and stir until it melts. Allow to cool; drizzle over cooled Scripture Cake and garnish with whole almonds.

Stollen

This was originally from a recipe of my Grandmother F.'s, but the copy I found is in my mother's handwriting: I honestly don't know if this is Grandmom's original dry-as-dust version or one improved, possibly by my sister L. The fact that it has a whole cup of shortening points towards it being an improved version: Grandmom was greatly affected by her and my grandfather's poverty during the Great Depression years, and her cooking always showed it --- she'd have found it hard to 'waste' this much shortening, whether butter, margarine or even lard, on one cake. Make this recipe at your own risk!

The recipe doesn't specify quantities, but I'd go with at least a teaspoon of lemon rind and a cup of raisins or dried currents.

2 packages dry yeast
4 cups flour
2 beaten eggs
lemon rind
raisins
1 cup softened shortening
5 tablespoons sugar

Mix together all ingredients. Let rise in warm place for one hour, punch down and let rise for another hour. Roll out on a floured surface, fold in half. Brush the top with another beaten egg. Bake on a cookie sheet for 30 minutes at 325 degrees.

Zweibelkuchen (Onion Cake)

Let's start this off with an oldie: this is the German onion cake recipe my grandmother used to make once a year for my grandfather's birthday. I've tried it once; it was interesting, savory rather than sweet of course. (No idea what she used for a crust: but it's a sure bet that my German grandmother did NOT use a pizza dough! I used a frozen pie crust, and got something resembling a quiche.)

4 thick slices of bacon, diced
2 cups chopped yellow onions
2 well-beaten eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 package Pillsbury 10 oz. pizza crust

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Saute bacon until just clear, drain most of the fat from the pan. Add onions, saute until clear. Do not brown. Set aside to cool.
Beat eggs and sour cream together; add flour, salt and pepper and beat in.
Prepare pizza crust as directed on the package in a 10x15 inch pan. Spread onion & bacon mixture over the dough. Make sure edges are about 1/2 inch high to hold it in. Pour sour cream mixture over top.
Bake 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake for another 15 minutes or until cake is nicely browned. Serve hot.