Potica, Povitica, Makowiec, or Nokul

Potica (Po-tee-tsa) is a traditional Eastern European nut bread that is served at Easter, Christmas, weddings and other special occasions. This particular recipe came from the hills of Poland. Warning: this is not a project to be undertaken lightly. Potica making is an all day process and like most Polish cuisine is best if done with family or friends. When I make this I must at least have my husband's help but like 2 other people. For a detailed demonstration please refer to the video.

3 pkg yeast dissolved in ½ cup warm water and 2 tsp sugar

1.    1 ½ cups scalded mild

Add into hot milk: 2 cubes butter, 2 T shortening, 1 cup sugar, 2 tsp salt. Cool with 1 ½ cups water

2.   In a medium bowl

      Beat:    6 eggs (with electric beater)

      Add:     3 cups sugar

                     2 tsp vanilla

3.   In a large bowl

      Mix:     4 cups flour

                 Yeast mixture

                 Milk mixture (1)

4, Add Egg mixture (2) to Flour mixture (3)

5. Add to above mixture

         8 cups flour, stirring (12 total) (About 5 min)

         (Add more until dough is right: about 2 cups)

(14 total) (2 minutes)

Let dough set 15 minutes

Knead 15 minutes by hand or ½ hour in mixer.

Grease large Tupperware- put in dough.

Let rise 1 hr (until double)

Punch down and let rise 1 ½ - 2 hrs.

Filling: 4 lbs. walnuts – ground

          2 squares butter

          6 beaten eggs

          3 tsp vanilla

          2 cans evaporated milk

Divide dough

Roll dough out as thin as possible

Put filling on – spread with knife

         1 cup on 1 lb.

         4 cups on large

Roll up and place into greased pans

         1 lb dough into 7 ½” pan – snake 3 times

         2 ½ lbs into angel food cake pan, twist around twice

Grease top of loaves

Let rise ½ - 1 hour

Prick with fork

Bake at 325°

         Small – 1 hour

         Large – 1 ½ hour

         Rolls –  10-15 min

9 ½ lbs dough.

1 – 2 ½ lb.  8 - ¾ lb.  6-7 - 1 lbs.

Sticky Toffee Pudding (cake)

I was totally clueless about the amazing dessert sticky toffee pudding until Hagaan Daz introduced an ice cream flavor of the same name a few years ago (sorry it was limited edition and no longer in stores) and I am obsessed. These are an English pudding which means they are an ooy gooy cake. If you love caramel like I do these are a dream come true. Be sure to use dark sugars to get the tawny toffee flavor to come through, otherwise it is more caramel.

SAUCE 1 cup packed dark brown sugar 2/3 cup heavy whipping cream 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut up 2 tablespoons dark corn syrup CAKES 1 cup all-purpose flour 1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 2/3 cup packed dark brown sugar 2 eggs 1 egg yolk 1 cup unsalted butter, melted TOPPING 1 cup heavy whipping cream 1 tablespoon sugar 1 Heat oven to 350ºF. Spray 12 muffin cups with cooking spray. Heat all sauce ingredients in small saucepan over medium heat 2 to 4 minutes or until sugar and butter are melted and mixture comes to a boil. Spoon 1 tablespoon sauce into each muffin cup; reserve remaining sauce. (Sauce can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Warm sauce in small saucepan over medium-low heat before using.) 2 Whisk flour, baking powder and salt in small bowl. Whisk 2/3 cup brown sugar, eggs and egg yolk in large bowl until blended; whisk in melted butter. Whisk in flour mixture until almost smooth. Spoon about 2 1/2 tablespoons batter into each muffin cup. 3 Bake 18 to 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean and cakes spring back when gently touched. Immediately run small knife around edge of each muffin cup to loosen; invert onto large rimmed baking sheet. Cool 5 minutes.  4 Meanwhile, beat 1 cup cream and sugar in medium bowl at medium-high speed until soft peaks form. Serve warm cakes topped with warm reserved sauce and whipped cream. (Cakes can be made 1 day ahead. Cool completely and store in an airtight container. To serve, heat in 350ºF. oven 3 to 5 minutes or until warm.) 12 servings

Molton Chocolate Cakes

This is such a simple recipe that I make it when I get a serious chocolate craving that needs to be satisfied quickly. Any dark chocolate will do. My husband is a dark chocolate fiend so I usually melt his chocolate bars down to make this. Serve with a huge glass of milk or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

what you need

4 ounces Semi-Sweet Chocolate

1/2 cup  butter

1 cup powdered sugar

2 whole  eggs

2 egg yolks

6 Tbsp.  flour

make it

HEAT oven to 425°F.

BUTTER 4 small custard cups; place on baking sheet.

MICROWAVE chocolate and butter in large microwaveable bowl on HIGH 1 min. or until butter is melted; whisk until chocolate is completely melted. Stir in sugar. Add whole eggs and egg yolks; mix well. Stir in flour. Spoon into prepared cups.

BAKE 13 to 14 min. or until sides of desserts are firm but centers are still soft. Let stand 1 min. Carefully run small spatula or knife around cakes to loosen; invert into dessert plates. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

Swedish Apple Pie

My mom brought me a bunch of apples from her tree last week so I needed to come up with creative and healthy ways to use them. I came across this recipe in a cooking magazine and loved it! This recipe is a mix between cake and a crustless pie. The ingredients come together so quickly I couldn't believe it. This is also a great substitute for coffee cake. The best part about it is the 175 calories per slice, most apples pies are between 400-600. I made it even healthier by substituting 1/3 cup agave for the 1/2 cup sugar. If you don't like nuts you can omit them for a cakier pie. I did a half and half since my husband likes nuts and I don't. He said the nuts made it for him, but I liked it without. Serve with vanilla ice cream if you want.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 egg
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 medium apples, chopped
• 3/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans, toasted
• Confectioners' sugar, optional

Directions

• In a large bowl, combine the sugar, flours, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. In a small bowl, whisk egg and vanilla. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in apples and walnuts.
• Transfer to a 9-in. pie plate coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar if desired. Serve warm. Yield: 8 servings.

Yummy, Moist Chocolate Cake...with a Twist!

OK, so some of my readers may be aware that I have put myself on a "no dairy" diet for the sake of my darling baby. She is 6 months old and I am nursing her still. When I eat dairy her cheeks get red and scratchy, her nose runs, she gets a cough and she projectile vomits. She is most likely allergic to the protein in milk, which actually is quite a common problem for babies. Anyhow, it's been a TOUGH road for me. And I cheat more than I should, causing her grief. Because dairy is in EVERYTHING it seems like. It's of course in milk, cheese, yogurt, most salad dressings, cream soups (goodbye creamy casseroles and soups), ice cream, chocolate, but it's also in stuff like peanut butter chips, granola bars, some breads and cereals, doughnuts and of course all cakes. And I don't have a lot of willpower. So I cheat. And she throws up and is miserable.

But recently I have discovered the fabulous thing that is Almond Milk. And it is SO much better tasting than Soy! It costs about the same (under $3 for a 1/2 gallon carton) - you can find coupons easily and there's only 40-60 calories per serving depending on the variety you buy. What does any of this have to do with chocolate cake? Well I was using it for cereal mostly, but one day got this crazy idea that I could start cooking with it. I used it to make cornbread one day and it turned out so good. Better than when I use regular milk in fact --it was much moister and a better texture. So the other day I tried a white cake...yummy! ( I will post the recipe for that soon too!) Today, it was chocolate cake.

And now I am finally at peace :). Do you know what it's like to go without chocolate???? But plain cocoa doesn't have milk in it...so I substituted the buttermilk for almond milk and "voila!" Chocolate fix granted! I'll tell you I am in HEAVEN today! And again this is better than any chocolate cake you can buy or make from a box. I am getting to the point I might be done with milk for good just because I WANT to! Life is good today...

OK to the recipe...

Dairy Free Moist Dark Chocolate Cake (OK, so the name needs work...any suggestions?)

2 C Flour

2 C Sugar

3/4 C Baking Cocoa

2 tsp Baking Soda

2 large eggs

1 tsp salt

1 C Almond Milk (original recipe called for buttermilk, if you really don't want to try it with AM...but you will really thank me if you try it this way...I promise!)

1 C Vegetable Oil

1 1/2 tsp Vanilla

1 C Boiling water

Preheat oven to 300 degrees (yep! this is a SLOW bake cake). Grease and flour a 9 x 13 pan. Place all ingredients in a bowl. Mix on medium speed until everything is blended and smooth. Pour into your pan. It will be thin. Bake for one hour. Test by sticking with a fork or toothpick. It is done when it comes out clean. Cool and serve with your favorite icing...or by itself!

Also - Did you know you can substitute applesauce or black beans for oil? I haven't tried it with this recipe, but will let you know if I do...if you try it, let me know the results!

Busy Day Cake and Cream Cheese Frosting

My sister introduced this recipe to me and it is my go-to recipe for a quick cake or cupcakes. This make a fabulous cupcake. It's so quick and easy I never buy boxed cake mix anymore. In fact, I was supposed to make peanut butter cupcakes for a church function tonight. They just would not turn out for me no matter what I did. I ended up running out of cocoa powder and had to give up. I whipped up a batch of these cupcakes in no time. I topped them with cream cheese frosting and a strawberry sliver. No one (except those who asked me to make the peanut butter ones) was the wiser. In fact, many people said these were their favorite ones.

Busy Day Cake

1 1/3 cups flour
2/3 cup sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
2/3 cup milk
1/4 c. butter, softened
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla

Combine flour, sugar and baking powder. Add milk, butter and vanilla. Beat with mixer on low until combined. Beat on medium speed for 1 minute. Pour batter into greased and floured 8" round baking pan. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Frost with your favorite frosting.

For cupcakes bake 20 minutes.


Cream Cheese Frosting

8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 tsp vanilla
5 3/4 c - 6 1/4 c powdered sugar

Cream together cream cheese, butter and vanilla with an electric mixer. Gradually add powdered sugar until you reach the desired consistency.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes

I have been put in charge of making/delegating/finding cupcakes for an upcoming church function. I have been scouring the planet looking for the most amazing cupcake recipes. I came across this beauty on a blog and was amazed at how delicious it was. I did simplify it a bit, but these are very easy chocolate cupcakes with a rich and creamy peanut butter frosting. The frosting is TO DIE FOR! To add a little richness, place a few chocolate chips on the top of the cupcake immediately after taking them out of the oven. After they have melted, spread the chocolate over the top of the cupcake. After they are completely cooled, frost as usual. For those who are not expert at frosting cupcakes (I include myself in this category), I found a video on youtube that was extremely helpful for me. Go to the bottom of the post for the video. Enjoy!

Chocolate Cupcakes
makes 12-14 cupcakes

Ingredients
1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
3/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup milk, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla

Method
Preheat oven to 375, then turn it down to 350 just prior to baking

Beat the butter with an electric mixer until it is soft, then add sugar. Beat about 3 minutes.

Add the eggs, one at a time beating until they are well combined.

In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients and whisk them to incorporate them.

Add 1/3 of the dry ingredients to the butter and sugar and beat it just to combine. Add 1/2 of the liquids (milk & vanilla), scrape down bowl and beat to combine. Continue adding the dry and wet ingredients alternately making sure you END WITH THE DRY.

Fill cupcake liners 2/3’s of the way.

Bake for about 20-22 minutes. Do not overbake! Allow to cool, then frost.

Peanut Butter Frosting

Ingredients
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup peanut butter
3 cups powdered sugar
2-4 tablespoons milk
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 small pinch cayenne pepper (optional)

Method
In large bowl, combine butter, peanut butter, sugar, salt, vanilla, and 2 tablespoons milk. Mix well, adding more milk as needed to make a fluffy spreadable frosting. Sprinkle with a very small pinch of cayenne pepper if desired.

Ice Cream Cake (like you buy)

My mom came up with this method for ice cream cake. It is so simple that I will never spend $30 on an ice cream cake again when I can make it myself for around $5. My grandma requested this recipe, so I am posting it. You can watch a demo video at the bottom of the post.

• 1 spring form pan (a must) 8 or 9"
• 1 box favorite cake mix
• 1.5- 2 quarts favorite ice cream
• frosting:
• 8-12 oz cool whip
• 4 oz instant pudding package
• 1 c. milk
• 1/4 c. powdered sugar
• optional stir in's to put on top of (or in the middle of) the ice cream before the cake layer goes on top:
• brownies, (goey undercooked works best) broken in dime size pieces, crushed candy canes, candy bars, chocolate/carmel sauce, cookie pieces, pie filling etc, etc, etc.

DIRECTIONS:

1. mix cake batter as directed on box. (you may use one egg)

2. Pour about 1/2 cake mix into prepared (spray with PAM) spring form pan and bake as directed on package about 20-25 minutes. If you have 2 pans bake both at the same time.

3. remove cake from pan by running a knife around edge to loosen, taking off side and flip onto a cookie sheet covered with wax paper or aluminum foil. Don't worry if it is lopsided, falls apart or whatever. It will be covered by “forgiving” icing. set aside. This will be your cake top.

4. Bake the other half of cake mix in the same spring form pan if you haven’t before. If you have two spring form pans the same size or 1" difference, you can cook both at the same time. Do not remove second cake from pan. This is your cake bottom Let cool by setting in the freezer or on counter.

5. When cake and pan are cool, remove ice cream from freezer to soften. Start scooping ice cream onto the cake in the spring form pan. Smooth the ice cream as you go and fill in all holes or gaps. Don’t be afraid of really pushing the ice cream on the cake to get rid of air holes. If you want to use optional stir in's, this is the place, on top of the ice cream, or in the ice cream. Put the reserved cooked cake on top and gently push down to not have any gaps, this will fill in the sides. Place in freezer until frozen. This depends on your freezer temp, overnight is best. Make the frosting.

FROSTING:

6. mix 1 c. milk with the

7. 4 oz instant pudding and whip. This will be a thick pudding. Add the 1/4 c. powdered sugar and stir in 8-12 oz. of cool whip.

8. When mixed, remove cake from spring form pan by sliding a knife around the edge. You may need to put your knife in water. Unclamp the pan and gently take off. You will serve the cake on the bottom of the spring form pan.

9. Frost the top and sides making sure not to miss any areas. You may need to get the counter messy or put the cake on another pan to get if off the counter. Quickly put into freezer for at least 3 hours. I don’t cover it. Will keep uncovered 5+ days.

10. To serve: let sit on counter 10 minutes or we just saw through frozen cake.

11. 2:1 favorite is chocolate cake, mint chocolate ice cream and chocolate instant pudding. My personal favorite: white cake, strawberry ice cream, cheese cake pudding.