Black Bottom Cupcakes

When I was a kid my mom would make these in mini cupcake papers and serve them at parties. They were my favorites I could eat a dozen!

Black Bottom Cupcakes

1 8-ounce package cream cheese (room temperature)
1 egg, beaten
1/3 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 6-ounce package chocolate chips

Batter

1 and 1/2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup water
1/3 cup oil
1 teaspoon vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Beat together cream cheese, egg, one-third cup sugar and 1/8 teaspoon salt. Stir in chocolate chips and set aside.

In a sifter (my mom never really sifted), combine flour, one cup sugar, cocoa and baking soda and sift into mixing bowl. Make well in center and in it place water, oil, vinegar, and vanilla; beat to make smooth. Fill miniature cupcake holders with one tablespoon of cocoa mixture, then place a teaspoon of the cheese mixture on top in center of each. Bake in a 350 F. oven about 20 minutes. This makes 48 little cakes.

You can make them in a regular cupcake pan (my sister-in-law Tami does) just bake them for about 24-27 minutes (just watch them).

Mom's Pineapple Upside Down Cake

My mom made the best Pineapple Upside Down Cake. I haven't made this in a long time. I might have to give it a try.

PINEAPPLE UPSIDE DOWN CAKE

For cake batter

1 cup sifted cake flour
1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup vegatable shortening
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

For bottom of Pan
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
1 and 1/2 cups fruit (pineapple rings and then my mom would put a half a maraschino cherry in the center of the ring)


Mix and sift flour, baking powder, and salt. Cream shortening and sugar. Add egg and beat well. Add flour mixture alternately with milk to creamed mixture. Add vanilla.

Melt butter in a round 9 inch cake pan. Sprinkle brown sugar evenly over butter. Add lemon rind. Arrange fruit in cake pan. Pour batter over this. Bake in a moderate oven (375 F.) 30 minutes. Turn out at once. serves five.

Max's favorite chocolate banana cake

This is my nephew's favorite cake. My mom always made it for him. It is so simple. It's great if you have lots of overripened bananas. If you knew my mom, you know that she was all about chocolate.

Chocolate Banana Cake

2 ounces unsweetened chocolate
8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter or margarine
1 cup sugar
2 large very ripe bananas, mashed
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour an 8" square pan

Melt chocolate and butter/margarine together. Remove from heat, and mix in sugar, bananas, vanilla and eggs.

Measure the flour in a 2 cup measuring cup and thoroughly mix in the baking soda. Add to chocolate mixture and mix well

Pour into pan and bake in oven for 45 minutes (usually only about 30 minutes) or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan a few minutes and remove to cake rack.

Note from my mom at the bottom of the recipe... I usually scatter chocolate chips on the batter in the pan prior to putting in the oven... you can probably add chopped nuts too. Enjoy!

Rosh Hashanah - Taiglach

• This is something my mom made that her grandmother would make. My mother was somewhat superstitious and you are suppose to eat Taiglach for a sweet year.
  
  Taiglach
  
  2 tablespoons sugar
  1 cup honey
  1/8 teaspoon ground ginger (or more)
  1 (or 1 and 1/2) large box of soup nuts (these are found in the kosher aisle of the supermarket, they are not real nuts)
  1/2 cup chopped walnuts
  1/2 cup or more raisins
  1/4 cup or more cut up maraschino cherries
  1 tablespoon cold water
  
  Dissolve honey and sugar. Add soup nuts, nuts, cherries and raisins. Boil for seven minutes. Stir occasionally (use a wooden spoon) and add the cold water. Stir gently over low heat, until mixture is a deep, golden brown. Pour out onto waxed paper. When it has cooled a little, (using cold water on your hands) form into balls and put in small cupcake papers. Store in a covered containere. My mom says they store indefinitely, but I assume just through the holiday week.

Honey Cake for Rosh Hashanah

• This is my mom's honey cake recipe that my brother David absolutely loves. I'm copying exactly as she wrote it in an email to my brother...
  Honey Cake for Rosh Hashanah
  
  4 eggs
  1 cup sugar
  1 cup strong black coffee (cooled)
  1/4 cup melted shortening or Crisco oil
  1/3 cup whiskey
  1 lb jar honey
  5 cups flour
  2 teaspoons double acting baking powder
  1 teaspoon baking soda
  1 teaspoon cinnamon
  1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
  1/8 teaspoon black pepper
  1 cup raisins (dark or golden)
  3/4 cup chopped nuts (walnuts or pecans)
  1/2 cup cut up maraschino cherries
  
  Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9" tube pan or 3 foil loaf pans
  Sift flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and pepper. Put aside. In a large mixing bowl at medium speed, beat eggs well and gradually add sugar. Continue beating while ading honey, oil and whiskey. Alternately add flour and coffee. Add raisins, nuts and cherries. Continue mixing on high or medium speed until you see air bubbles. The secret of this cake depends upon beating it well. You may hear a crackling sound with air bubbles, this is good. Put in 9' pan and bake for about 1 hour. You can put nuts and cherry halves on the top before putting it in the oven. Bake in the loaf pans for about 40 minutes. Test cake with a tester to make sure it comes out clean when inserted. It is delicious sliced and served with cream cheese for breakfast when you tire of eating it plan... if this should happen. Also, makes nice xmas gifts.. Bubbe Nettie used to do this. This was my grandmother's recipe so treasure it as I have.
  
  (As always, when my mom gave us a recipe she always ended it with...Any questions you know where I am.) So, at this point no one should have any questions. I'm sure you can ask my brother because he has made this and it turned out well.

Cherry Squares

These are very simple little cakes that my mom made that everyone seemed to love. They look difficult but are really easy to make.

CHERRY SQUARES

• 1 and 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup margarine
• 4 eggs
• 2 cups sifted all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 can cherry pie filling (my mom always used cherry but you can use other flavors)
• Powdered sugar sifted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl cream sugar and margarine together. Add eggs, flour and vanilla extract. beat well; spread batter evenly into greased jelly-roll pan. With a knife mark batter into 20-24 squares and place one tablespoon of pie filling in the center of each square. Bake in the oven for 40 minutes (watch them)! Remove from oven and cool and sprinkle with the powdered sugar. The cherry filling absorb the sugar and they will look beautiful. Cut into squares.

Mom's refrigerator cookies or "Bubbe Cookies"

These are my mom's famous vanilla sugar cookie. Very easy. My kids call them Bubbe cookies. Even when she was very sick she still made these for everyone.

• Bubbe Cookies
• 1/2 cup butter or margerine
• 1/2 cup vegatable shortening (like Crisco)
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 cups flour
• Cream butter, shortening, sugar, egg and vanilla together. Add flour. Using wax paper, shape the dough into logs and then roll in sprinkles. Wrap in the wax paper. Refridgerate for 4 hours or more (if you put these in the freezer the cookies will be ready in about an hour). Slice and back at 350 degrees until just turning golden. Cool and eat! makes dozens!