Praline Pumpkin Pie

I hurriedly harvested all our buttercup and volunteer pie pumpkins before our first snowstorm early Thursday morning. Hubby and I also picked every tomato that showed any sign of ripening.

We love pumpkin dessert of any sort. We tried substituting butternut for pumpkin last year and thought it delicious. When I mistakenly planted buttercup instead of butternut this spring, I was relieved to find that ’cup squash is also a good pumpkin substitute.

Thursday morning, I told Marilyn that I was about to prepare squashes for pie filling. She said I had to do one additional step before freezing them: “You must first, first, first bake us a pumpkin pie for tonight!”

I made her choice, “Pumpkin Praline Pie”, with butternut squash Hubby’s parents had grown, plus a standard pumpkin pie with our buttercup squash. Both were judged delicious by the ladies at our Bible study. They couldn’t tell whether I’d used pumpkin or one of the squashes, but they decided the praline pie was the tastier pie.

Hubby devoured the pies when he got home Friday morning.

To prepare the squash for baking, I cut one in half and microwaved it on high for 22 minutes. We have a wimpy microwave. With a decent microwave, start at 15 minutes. After that, I peeled it and pureed it in our processor. Let the squash cool before peeling it; they are hot. One medium ’cup or ’nut squash is about the equivalent of one can of pumpkin.

Pumpkin Praline Pie

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Recipe is adapted from the Kitchen Klatter cookbook.

Crust ingredients:
2 T. butter
1/3 C. brown sugar
1/3 C. pecans, chopped
1 unbaked pie shell

Method:
Combine butter, brown sugar and nuts. Mix well. Spread over bottom of pie shell. Bake at 425º for 10 minutes.

Filling ingredients:
1½ C. pumpkin
1 can evaporated milk
3 egg yolks
¼ C. sugar
¼ C. Splenda
½ C. brown sugar
1½ t. cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice
½ t. salt
1 t. burnt sugar flavoring
Whipped cream


Method:
Combine and mix well. Pour over praline layer and bake at 325º until center is firm.

Top with whipped cream.

Carrot Spice Cake

Kathy and friend Dallynn get ready to taste a bit of the cake.

Kathy turned 57 Tuesday, so we celebrated with a cookout.

When I think of the number 57, I think of Heinz’s 57 varieties. I suggested that we all give Kathy a bottle of some Heinz product and asked about what cake to make. I inadvertently sent the email to her, too.

She said, “Personally, I prefer 57 on my steak and not on my cake!”

That was the end of making Heinz 57 frosting. Sigh. I still carried out the Heinz 57 idea, though. The cake topper reads “Kathy, est’d 1951: 57 years and in a pickle. Happy birthday!”

Donna suggested I make a carrot or spice cake for Kathy’s cake. So I made a combination:

Carrot Spice Cake

This recipe comes from Kitchen Klatter Cookbook, which is unfortunately now out of print. The batter is very thick, more like brownie batter than cake batter.

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Ingredients:
5 oz. matchstick carrots broken in half, 5 oz. grated baby carrots or 3 large carrots
2/3 C. sugar
2/3 C. Splenda/Alterna
1/3 C. shortening
¼ t. butter flavoring
1 C. raisins
1 t. cinnamon
½ t. nutmeg
½ t. cloves
½ t. salt
1 t. vanilla flavoring
1 1/3 C. cool water
2 C. sifted flour
1/2 t. soda
1 C. chopped nuts

Method:
Combine all ingredients except flour, soda and nuts in saucepan and cook over low heat for 20 minutes. Cool 10-15 minutes and add flour and soda which have been sifted together. Stir in the nuts and pour into 9X13 inch pan which has been greased and floured. Bake for 1 hour in 325º oven.

Top with spicy whipped cream or cream cheese frosting.

Peach Custard Pie

Donna loves peach pie, so I made this pie for her birthday. I’ve never tried this recipe before. Nothing like using your friends as guinea pigs!

This recipe originated in the “Better Homes & Gardens New Cookbook”, the best cookbook I’ve ever found for quick breads.

Peach Custard Pie

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Ingredients:
1 unbaked pie crust
3 C. sliced, peeled peaches
2 eggs
¼ C. Splenda/Alterna
¼ C. sugar
3 T. flour
1 t. vanilla
½ t. peach flavoring
1/8 t. ground nutmeg
¾ C. milk

Method:
Line pastry with double layer of foil. Bake crust in 450º oven 8 minutes. Remove foil. Bake 4-5 minutes more or until set and dry. Layer peaches in pastry shell; set aside.

For filling, slightly beat eggs with rotary beater or fork. Stir in dry ingredients. Gradually stir in milk, just until combined.

Place partially-baked pastry shell on oven rack. Carefully pour filling over fruit in shell. Cover edge of pie with foil or crust cover. Reduce oven temperature to 350º and bake for 25 minutes. Remove foil. Bake for 20-25 minutes more. Pie is done when knife inserted into center comes out clean.

We had a hard time getting the pie to finish baking. After 30 minutes, it still was not done. We increased the temperature to 450º and baked it for 5 minutes. That finished it.

Pineapple Fizz Cake

Fizz cake is my birthday cake of choice. A birthday without fizz cake just doesn’t seem like my birthday.

Saturday wasn’t my birthday, but I did not have time to make a fancy dessert for the dinner party we were having. So I chose to make fizz cake. Mother got this recipe from Kitchen Klatter, a recipe radio show. Kitchen Klatter made wonderful flavorings. I can always tell a recipe that originated from that program because it has some kind of flavoring in it. Of course, I’ve tweaked it a bit. I never can resist a bit of tweaking.

The company is now called X-Tra Touch and still offers a wide range of flavorings. While making this, I noticed that I am nearly out of butter flavoring. If I cannot find that flavoring locally, I’ll order it from X-Tra Touch.

Pineapple Fizz Cake

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Cake ingredients:
1 box lemon cake mix
4 eggs
1 3-oz. box instant French vanilla pudding mix
1 12-oz. can Sprite/7-Up/Sierra Mist
1 t. vanilla

Cake method:
Mix mixes and eggs well. Add Sprite and vanilla. Pour into greased 9x13x2-inch pan. Bake at 350°.

Topping ingredients:
3 eggs
1 stick butter (do not substitute)
1/8 t. butter flavoring
¾ C. Splenda/Alterna
¾ C. sugar
1 C. crushed, undrained pineapple
1 T. flour
¼ t. pineapple flavoring
1 C. coconut

Topping method:
Combine all ingredients but coconut in saucepan on medium heat. Cook until thick (approximately 10 minutes). Add coconut and pour over cake when cake has cooled.

Southern Pecan Cake

I made two Southern Pecan Cakes for Hubby's office party cakewalk. They didn’t last long. Cake is very easy and it looks and tastes delicious. Unfortunately, I forgot to photograph cakes before they were gone.

I obtained this recipe from a Duncan Hines press kit.

Southern Pecan Cake

Ingredients:

1 pkg. Moist Deluxe French vanilla cake mix (do not substitute)
2 C. pecan pieces — Toast on baking sheet at 350° for 4-5 mins. Chop fine.
1 pkg. (four serving) vanilla instant pudding mix
4 eggs
1 C. water
1/3 C. oil
1 pkg. cream cheese frosting

Method:
Combine cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, water and oil. Beat at medium speed for 2 mins. Fold in 1½ C. pecans. Pour into 2 greased and floured 9" round cake pans or one greased and floured 9 X 13 pan. Bake at 350° for 35-40 mins. or until toothpick is clean.

Cool in pans 15 mins. Invert onto cooling rack. Cool completely. Frost cake. Garnish with reserved pecans. Refrigerate until serving.

Dirt Dessert

Dirt Dessert centerpiece. Note the gummi worms at pot edges.

Mostly emptied Dirt Dessert serving pot. Note that the serving utensil is a garden trowel and that pot is lined with foil. Use new pot and trowel for serving food.

We chose a theme of “Marilyn is older than dirt” for her Friday surprise party. Going along with that theme, Kathy and Donna made Kathy’s Dirt Dessert recipe. It’s simple, fun and delicious.

Dirt Dessert

1 pkg. of crumbed Oreo sandwich cookies (I use my food processor. Should be the consistency of potting soil.)
12 oz. pkg. Cool Whip
8 oz. pkg. cream cheese
4 oz. box of instant vanilla pudding
1 C. powdered sugar
¼ C. butter

Cream butter, cream cheese and sugar together and set aside.

Mix pudding according to box directions and fold in Cool Whip. Mix together with the cream cheese mixture.

May be put together in a flower pot or served in individual cups. Lay cookie crumbs on bottom, then filling, then another layer of cookie crumbs. Gummi worms finish the idea of dirt dessert. Plastic flowers can be added for a final touch.

Black Forest Cake

Last year, I asked Marilyn what her favorite cake was so I could make it for her birthday.
She told me she liked Black Forest Cake.

I had no idea what that was so looked it up on the Internet. I found it in About.com's Southern Food section. I made it for her. She loved it and has described the recipe as “to die for” ever since.

Since she turns the Big 5-0 this year, I had to make it again.

Although I am the pastry chef in our house, Chef Hubby cannot resist tinkering with ingredients and I cannot resist tinkering with the method. Here is our version of Black Forest Cake. (Printer-friendly PDF)

Black Forest Cake

Ingredients:

1 dark chocolate cake mix (or your own from scratch)
¼ C. kirschwasser (cherry brandy)
1/8 C. amaretto
1 can extra fruit cherry pie filling
16 oz. heavy whipping cream
½ C. confectioners’ sugar
Maraschino cherries, drained, optional, for garnish
milk chocolate curls or shavings, for garnish

Preparation:
The day before serving —

Drain 1 can extra fruit cherry pie filling in a colander to remove most of the thickened juices. Leave filling in colander on plate in refrigerator overnight for best drainage.

Make cake, following package directions. Bake cake, as directed, in two 9-inch layer cake pans. I buy the dark chocolate fudge cake mix.

When cool, run knife around outside of cake to break any clinging pieces from the sides. Holding cake with one hand, turn cake pan on its side and tap on the counter while gently turning pan. This should loosen the cake. Remove cakes from pans. Place on separate plates. Sprinkle mixture of kirschwasser and amaretto over both cake layers. Insert toothpicks on top and in sides of cake and wrap in cling wrap. Let stand overnight.

Chill electric beaters and large mixing bowl; beat heavy whipping cream until it thickens slightly. Gradually add confectioners’ sugar and beat until thick enough to hold its shape. Refrigerate overnight.

Using a cheese plane (preferred) or vegetable peeler, shave chocolate; refrigerate until ready to serve. I found that the side of the chocolate my hand had warmed was the best to shave. Once the chocolate became difficult to shave, I switched sides to rewarm the chocolate. Store in covered container at room temperature or below overnight.

The day of serving —

Assemble cake.

Place one layer on serving plate. Dilute ½ C. of whipped cream mixture with water until it becomes a glaze. Spread glaze over top of bottom layer. Wait half hour, then spread its top with layer of whipped cream to total ½ inch. Strew the cherries over the cream, leaving about ½-inch margin around border of cake with no cherries.

Set other layer on top of cherries. Spread remainder of glaze on top and sides of cake. Wait half hour, then spread top and sides of cake with remaining cream, shaping cream into decorative swirls on top.

With fingers, gently press chocolate curls into cream on sides of cake. I completely cover sides of cake with the chocolate curls or shavings, whichever I’ve managed to produce. This both looks good and covers up any frosting boo-boos.

Garnish top with any remaining cherry filling and maraschino cherries or with a few chocolate curls. I like the look of the cherry juice on the white frosting.

I inserted bamboo skewers through top of cake to hold it together during transport to party, then removed them when I arrived. I added the topper just before serving.

Enjoy!