29 December 2010

Spice Cake with Brown Sugar Frosting

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups sifted cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup butter, soft
1/2 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups buttermilk

Sift together the flour, baking powder, soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg. Cream butter in a mixing bowl; add brown sugar, granulated sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract. Beat at high speed of an electric mixer for 5 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Scrape bowl often. Add sifted dry ingredients, alternating with buttermilk, mixing at lowest speed just until smooth.
Pour batter into two greased and floured 8-inch round layer cake pans. . Bake at 350° 30 minutes, or until a wooden pick or cake tester inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on rack for 5 minutes, turn out of pans onto racks to cool completely.

Brown Sugar Frosting

2 egg whites
1 1/2 cups light brown sugar, firmly packed
1/3 cup cold water
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Combine all ingredients in top of double boiler. Beat 1 minute at high speed of electric mixer. Place over rapidly boiling water and cook, beating constantly, 7 minutes or until peaks form. Remove from heat and continue beating until spreading consistency is reached. Frost tops and sides of cooled spice cake.

15 December 2010

goodnight you

goodnight you, across the miles
millions it seems, insurmountable
mountains of lies behind smiles,
in dreams, waking to a doubtable

reality creeping round like mist,
dangling broken pieces still to mend,
remembering feeling we wished
to be facing each other again

but you can't plan the past
no matters how much it hurts
bandage up and soldier fast
to the road ahead and back to the work

And it's only in dreams late at night
before the world, from the truth
in the quiet beyond all sight
when I let you and I be everything to


5 December 2010

Penuche

Brown sugar / Penuche Fudge

Ingredients

3 cups brown sugar
1 cup evaporated milk
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup chopped nuts, optional
3 tablespoons butter

Preparation:

In a medium saucepan (2 to 3-quart size), combine brown sugar with evaporated milk and corn syrup; bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Continue boiling, stirring frequently, to soft ball stage or when candy thermometer registers 234° to 238°.

Remove from heat and add vanilla and butter; do not stir. Let cool for about 25 minutes, then beat with a wooden spoon until the fudge just begins to thicken. Add chopped nuts and beat for a few more minutes, until it begins to lose its gloss but is not too thick. Pour or spread in a greased pie plate or 8-inch square pan. Score when set and cut into squares when firm.

To test for soft ball stage:
Use fresh cold water each time you test the candy. In about 1 cup of cold water, spoon about 1/2 teaspoon of hot candy. Put you hand into the water and push the candy to form a ball. Gently pick the formed ball up (if it will not form a ball, it is not done) - the soft ball will flatten slightly when removed from water.