70's Coffee Can Lofthouse Cookies

In the 70's, one of the first recipes I learned in home ec 101 was how to make lofthouse type cookies.  Tin coffee cans (remember those?) were used to store the cookies and keep them soft. I'll never forget how good they were and how easy they were to make because a box cake mix was used. This is the recipe I've used throughout the years. When I first tasted lofthouse cookies from the store I smiled, because these were the cake box cookies I'd been making since high school. Here's my version. Enjoy!

Cake Box Lofthouse Cookies

Cookie Directions: 1 box white cake (It's better to use moist with pudding mix, something they didn't have back in the day :)
1 cup flour, divided into 2/3 cup for the cake and 1/3 for the work board
2 large eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons milk or buttermilk (I like using butter milk for the flavor)

Cookie Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl, mix cake mix, eggs, milk and oil.  Beat until mixture incorporated and a cookie like consistency.  Use a spoon or an ice cream scoop or roll into a log and slice into 1/2 inch thick slices. Press cookies down if necessary and bake on a parchment lined baking sheet.  Bake time should be  approximately ten minutes, however you want to continue to check the cookies to insure the bottoms are not browning. Remove from pan and allow to cool completely before frosting. Store in a coffee can or plastic ware to keep soft.

Frosting Ingredients:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened (I use 1 cup of butter and no shortening when I'm frosting cakes.)
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
4 to 5 cups powdered sugar (should take 4 cups, but I have had to use more)
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/4 cup heavy cream

Icing or food color
Sprinkles or sanding sugar

Frosting Directions:
Add butter and shortening to the bowl of your mixer and using a paddle attachment, beat until smooth. You can do this with a hand mixer, no problem. Don't over beat.  Add in confectioners sugar a little at a time until well incorporated. Add salt, vanilla and cream. Allow the mixer to go on medium for about 5 minutes. Frosting should be fluffy and smooth. If you are coloring your icing add now and mix until color is blended thoroughly. If using more than one color. Separate frosting into individual bowls as needed and add color to each and stir until incorporated. Ice cookies and sprinkle with your favorite decorations.  

Blackberry Galette

Dough Ingredients:
1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
1 Tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 ½ sticks butter, cold
¼ cup ice water or more if needed

1 egg, beaten (for brushing crust)
Sugar for sanding crust

Directions:
Combine flour, sugar and salt in a mixing bowl. Add cold butter to flour mixture and cut in with a pastry blender, fork, clean hands or a processor, which I use. Don’t over-mix. It will make the crust tough. You want tender and flaky and for this you need about pea sized bits and no smaller. The bit are what will make the dough flaky.

Add ice water gradually, until the dough just holds together in a ball. Again, don’t over mix! Wrap in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator. Let dough rest a bit while you make the fruit filling.

Blackberry Filling:
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 ½ tablespoons cornstarch
2 pounds fresh (or frozen) Blackberries
¼ cup sugar, or more depending on the sweetness of the berries

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk lemon juice and cornstarch together until smooth. Add berries and sugar and gently mix to combine.

Remove dough from refrigerator and let it sit for 5 minutes. Lightly flour your surfaced, and roll dough out into a circle about 12 inches in diameter and no less than ¼ inch thick.

Place dough on a parchment lined baking sheet. Pinch and crimp edges together to form a bowl-ish shape. Just enough to keep filling from running all over your work surface.

Pour berries into crust and continue to tighten up the Galette, by pulling the edges in tighter (folding) and pinching them in place. Rustic is beautiful in this case.

Brush crust with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar.

Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until golden brown and bubbly. Allow to cool and thicken on baking sheet. Enjoy this scrumptious dessert with whipped cream, hot or at room temperature.

Mama's Lemon Pie

Nothing says spring to me like lemons. I don’t even know when their season ends or begins, because they are imported from all over to enjoy year round now. I just know that’s the time of year my Mom started making her pies. We had a lemon tree with lemons the size of grapefruit in California and it seems it was always full, as we had a long growing seasoning. We shared the lucious fruits with everyone from all around. The pies were amazing!

Is there really such thing as enough lemon pie? Never! My beautiful Mother made the best lemon pies in the world. She had “It”. That magic touch for just the right taste. My fondest memories as a child was licking every utensil I could get my hands on when she was finished with them, and always, always getting a special warm bowl of the lemon filling just for me. I will never forget it and I will never have “It”, that is clear. I couldn’t boil water until sometime in my late twenties when I suddenly caught on to this cooking thing. But, I will never stop trying to make my Mama’s lemon pie. I keep trying for a close second. When that happens, I will be happy.


Important Note: Measurements in parenthesis are for 1 pie, if you do not want 2 follow this.


Pie Crust: First let me say that there are so many good pie crusts on the market. If you are so inclined, buy your pastry. This pie will be delicious either way.
This will make 2--9 inch crust. For one crust, use first measurements in parenthesis.
Ingredients:

(1 1/8) 2 1/4 cups AP Flour

(½ ) 1 teaspoon Kosher salt

(1 ) 2 sticks Ice Cold unsalted Butter, cut into pats

(3 to 5) 6 to 10 tablespoons Ice Cold Water

Directions:
Add the flour, salt and butter to a food processor and pulse until crumbly, but not sand. Leaving some pellet sized pieces of butter, makes for a flaky crust. If you are doing this by hand, add ingredients to a bowl and blend to crumbly pellets with a pastry blender, fork or your fingers. Add one tablespoon of water at a time, pulsing or blending after each addition. Continue until it starts to form a dough. Gather pastry dough and press together with your hands. Divide the dough in half if you are making 2 pies, form into balls and then flatten into disks and wrap with plastic cling. Refrigerate for at least 40 minutes or more.

Preheat oven to 375.

Flour a clean, even surface and roll out dough into 11” circles. Allow cold pastry to soften a bit if rolling is difficult. Fold circle in half and again and place into pie pans. Unfold and straighten in pan, leaving an overlap. Fold overhang under edge neatly and pinch dough between fingers all the way around or use a fork and press into dough edge. Repeat, if making 2.



Pick bottom of pastry with a fork and blind bake shell (s) for 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly brown. Set aside to cool and make filling.




Pie Filling:

Ingredients:

(3) 6 egg yolks

(1 ½) 3 cups sugar

(1/3) 2/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons cornstarch

(1 ½) 3 cups water

(3) 6 tablespoons butter or margarine

(1) 2 tablespoon grated lemon peel

(½) 1 cup lemon juice


Directions:

Reduce oven temperature to 350° F.

In a bowl, stir egg yolks with fork and set aside. In medium saucepan, add sugar and cornstarch and gradually stir in water. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and bubbles. Boil and stir for about a minute more.

Gradually, stir some of the hot mixture into egg yolks to temper eggs. This keeps them from cooking and scrambling. Now, pour the tempered mixture back into the saucepan. Cook, stirring constantly for 2 to 3 minutes and remove from heat. Add in butter, lemon juice and zest of lemon. Pour into pie crust.



Meringue:Ingredients:
(3) 6 egg whites

(½) 1 teaspoon cream of tartar

(6) 12 tablespoons sugar, plus additional for sprinkling


Directions:
In a stand mixer bowl or in a bowl, if using a hand mixer or whisk, beat egg whites with cream of tartar on high speed until foamy. Beat in sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time; continue beating until glossy stiff peaks form. Add vanilla. Pile meringue onto pie and spread meringue to edge of pie to prevent it from pulling away. Swirl with spatula to form a peak.


Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until meringue is lightly browned. Sprinkle lightly with sugar crystals while still hot. Cool for at least 3 hours on counter. Refrigerate until served.

Creamy New York Cheese Cake

Serves 8
Ingredients:

For Crusts:
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 ½ cups ginger snaps, finely ground
¼ cup granulated sugar

For Filling:
4 8-ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature
½ cup heavy cream
1 ½ cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
zest of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions :
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter an 8 inch round spring form pan. In a medium bowl, mix all crust ingredients and press firmly into the bottom of a spring form pan and up the sides by 1 inch or so; set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat cream cheese, cream, and sugar until smooth. Add eggs one at a time, and beat until incorporated. Mix in zest and vanilla.

Pour into prepared spring form pan. Wrap foil around bottom of spring form pan tightly so that no water can get into the pan. Set the spring form pan inside a larger pan and fill the larger pan with water, about 2/3 of the way up. Bake for 2 hours or until firm. Remove from oven and cool. Refrigerate for at least 5 hours or overnight. Remove from pan and plate. Serve with your choice of toppings.

Chocolate Decadence Cake with Strawberries

Chocolate Decadence Cake with Strawberries

This is such a delicious cake and I’m not even a chocolate person. I love the strawberries. Not only are they delicious, but it's such a pretty touch too. The cake is awesome, but the frosting…is amazing! This is my daughter Leslie’s frosting. She was the baker at our restaurant and we won "The Best Bakery and Desserts in the City" because of desserts like this. The cake pictured is a baby cake version of this recipe, but you're going to want the Full Monty. I hope you enjoy!

Cake Ingredients:

1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
¾ cup cocoa powder
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
1 ¾ cup milk
½ cup vegetable oil
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 large chocolate bar, chopped into bits

1 recipe frosting (below)
Fresh strawberries, if desired washed, whole and 5 to 6 sliced lengthwise

Cake Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Spray or Grease and flour 3- 8inch, or 2- 9 inch round cake pans. I always use three layers. Mix together flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla. Beat on medium speed for 3 to 4 minutes or until creamy smooth. Add chocolate bar bits and stir well by hand. Pour into prepared cake pans.

Bake 30 to 35 minutes and depending on your oven, begin checking for doneness by inserting a toothpick in the center. If pick does not come out clean, continue baking for an additional 5 minutes and check again. Do this until done. The chocolate bar bits make baking time a little tricky, but this cake is so chocolaty good! Cool cakes and remove from the pan. My rule on cakes is, in the freezer until frozen or almost frozen. This is the secret to a deliciously moist cake. You can frost the layers frozen, as they will thaw very quickly, unless you hard freeze them for days. If you want to make cakes ahead of time and freeze them, be sure to wrap them in plastic cling or foil.

If you are making a bundt cake or cupcakes, follow the above directions with the exceptions noted here. For a bundt cake you will need to adjust the cooking time to 45 to 50 minutes, depending again on your oven. You are baking one thick layer instead of two or three thinner layers, so more baking time is needed. For cupcakes, place cupcake liners in cupcake pan/muffin tin and fill cups about 2/3 of the way with batter. Bake for about 20 to 25 minutes. Check for doneness with toothpick. Makes about 2 dozen cupcakes.

Leslie’s Frosting

Frosting Ingredients:
1 sticks unsalted butter
½ cup shortening
2 pound bag confectioners sugar, sifted thru a strainer
1 heaping cup cocoa
2 teaspoons vanilla
Pinch of salt
⅓ heavy cream or more or less as needed

Frosting Directions:
In a stand mixer or you can use a hand mixer, beat butter and shortening. Turn mixer to low speed and add sifted confectioners sugar and cocoa powder a little at a time, until incorporated. Next add, vanilla, a pinch of salt and mix well. Slowly start adding heavy cream a small amount at a time. You don’t want frosting that is too thick or too thin, so watch for just the right consistency and continue to beat for about 4 to 5 minutes.
Frost cake or cupcakes. * For a bundt cake or for decorative fudge frosting, see notes below.

Cook’s Notes: As always, I will tell you first,that if you don’t want to make the cake from scratch, buy a box mix. But make the frosting. You won’t regret it! I have made this recipe a hundred times or more and I’m not sure I have ever used the same amount of cream twice. Depending on the X of the confectioners sugar, the cocoa, or just holding my mouth the wrong way. I don’t know. So go with your instinct on consistency and you will do fine. It should be a little thicker than canned frosting and feel more substantial when spreading.

If desired, you can put a small amount of this finished frosting in a bowl and microwave it in 15 second intervals until melted. Use it to drizzle over the frosting and strawberries for a festive look.

*Or for a bundt cake, you can microwave frosting as per instructions above and pour over bundt cake for a delicious fudgy icing.

Also, you may substitute the heavy cream for milk for a lighter version, or substitute heavy cream for whipping cream if you would like whipped cream frosting instead. Just beat until fluffy.

Cheater, Cheater, Lemon Cake Eater!

This cake is simply delicious and easy. It's a cheater version of one of the most loved cakes we made at our restaurant years ago. You don't have to slave hours over these luscious layers of sweetness. This whimsical Strawberry Shortcake like torte will impress everyone that sees it!

Ingredients:

For filling:
1 can of your favorite lemon pie filling
zest of 1 lemon, (add zest to can of filling and stir in)

Cake Layers:
Bakers spray or shortening and flour (to grease and dust pans)
1 box of your favorite butter yellow cake mix
3 eggs
1 stick butter, softened but not mushy
1 1/4 cups water

Cream Cheese Frosting:
1 package cream cheese (8 ounces), softened
1/4 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 pound confectioners sugar, sifted through a strainer

You will need:
3- 8" or 9 "cake pans
1 tooth pick
2-3 lemon slices, sugared (dipped in granulated sugar)
Decorating bag with star tip or zip lock bag with a tiny hole cut into the corner of the bag
Parchment paper
Spatula/spoon

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray cake pans. In a mixing bowl or your stand mixer bowl, mix cake ingredients. Pour 1/3 of the batter into each prepared cake pan and bake according to package directions or 25 to 35 minutes, depending on your oven and cake pans used. Insert a toothpick into center of cakes. If it comes out clean, cakes are done. Let cake layers cool 10 minutes and remove from pans.  Off load cakes onto plates or wrap with cling wrap if desired and place in freezer. This is the secret to unbelievably moist cakes.

While the cakes are freezing, make the frosting. Sift the confectioners sugar in a mixing bowl or onto parchment paper.  In a mixing bowl cream the butter, cream cheese and vanilla together. Turn mixer down to lowest speed and add sifted confectionsers sugar slowly. Mix until light and fluffy. About 3 to 4 minutes. Add frosting to your decorators bag with tip or baggie.

Assemble: Take the cake layers out of the freezer. Put the first layer on cake stand or plate. Starting with the bottom layer, spread 1/3 of the lemon filling to within 1 1/2 inches of the side of the cake. Add the cream cheese frosting to the edge of the cake in any pattern or motion you desire. The frosting should encircle the lemon filling on each layer. Repeat this method on the next two layers.  For the top, you can decorate with sugared lemon slices, frosting patterns or anyway you desire. The frozen layers will  practically be thawed before you finish the cake.


Cooks Notes: Feel free to use a canned cream cheese frosting to cut down on more time.  As a rule I'm not big on canned frosting, but that said, they are making canned frostings better than ever. Cakes do not have to be frozen hard, but it is best if they are at least parcially frozen or extremely cold.