Cooking Desserts

Desserts

Sweet Potato Pie

2 cups cooked mashed sweet potatoes
1 1/3 cups sugar (brown or white)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
3 eggs
1/2 cup milk or half-and-half
3/4 stick of butter

Peel and culbe sweet potatoes. Mash potatoes with all the above ingredients. Beat with mixer on medium speed until smooth (or you can mix it by hand until smooth). Place in pie shell. Bake at 350 degrees for about an hour, or until firm when touched in the middle.

Westridge Young Writers Workshop, Kids Explore American's African American Heritage. New Mexico: John Muir Publications, 1996.

Bread Pudding

Years ago, people could not afford to throw anything away. If they had a lot of leftover old bread (the bread that was made with flour, not cornmeal), they would crumble and save it. The whole message behind bread pudding is that people could not afford to waste or throw away food, so they rexyxled it. With bread pudding, they used the stale bread to make this delicious dessert.

4 cups dried bread crumbs
2 eggs beaten
2 cups milk
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
2 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 cups raisins

Mix all the above ingredients. Place in 350 degree oven. Bake for 45 minutes, or until the center is firm to the touch. Can be served hot or cold.

Cream Cheese Pound Cake

3 sticks of butter (the real thing is best!)
1 8oz pkg cream cheese
6 eggs
3 cups sugar
3 cups of flour
1 tsp lemon or vanilla extract

Cream the butter and cream cheese together with an electric mixer until well blended. Add 1 cup of sugar and blend well. Add 1 egg and blend well. Alternate 1 cup sugar and 1 egg until sugar is depleted. Add 1 cup of flour, blend well. Add 1 egg and alternate flour with egg until flour is depleted. Add extract and blend well. Pour into a greased and floured tube pan and bake in a pre-heated 325 degree oven for 1 hour and 25 minutes. Ice with lemon glaze.

LEMON GLAZE
About 2 cups of confectioners sugar
1 tbsp butter melted
milk
3 tbsp lemon juice
(all of these measurements are approximate)

Mix these ingredients until smooth and the consistency of a glaze (thicker than regular milk, but as thick as Eagle sweetened condensed milk) Pour over the cake.

Poppy Seed Cake

1 pkg yellow cake mix
1 small pkg instant vanilla pudding
4 eggs
1/3 cup poppy seeds
1/2 cup cream sherry
1/2 cup corn oil
1 cup sour cream

Mix all ingredients together well. Pour into a greased tube or bundt pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hr.

Pound Cake

1 cup butter or margarine
2 cups sugar
3 cups cake flour - sifted
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 eggs - separated
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla flavoring
1 teaspoon lemon flavoring

Cream the butter or margarine and sugar. Add the egg yolks. Beat well. Add sifted cake flour, salt and baking powder alternately with milk. Add vanilla and lemon flavoring and stiffly beaten egg whites. Bake in a greased tube pan at 350 degrees F. for 1 hour or until toothpick or cake tester comes out clean. (Makes 8 - 10 Servings)

Strawberry Pound Cake

1 box white cake mix
1 pkg strawberry jello (small)
3/4 cup oil
4 eggs
1 box strawberries (small)
3 tbsp self rising flour
1/2 cup of water

Mix cake mix, flour and jello. Add oil. Beat in the 4 eggs. Add 1/2 cup water with 1/2 of the strawberries. Beat and bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes.

ICING
2 cups powered sugar
1/2 stick butter and the rest of the strawberries

Mix together the sugar, butter and the rest of the strawberries. Ice the cake with this mixture.

Banana Pound Cake

1 package (18 1/2 ounces) yellow cake
4 eggs (room temperature)
1/3 cup oil
1/2 cup water
1 1/3 cups mashed bananas (about 4 medium)
1 package (3 3/4 ounces) instant vanilla pudding
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla


Combine all ingredients in large mixer bowl. Mix until blended, then beat at medium speed for 4 minutes. Turn batter into greased and lightly floured 10 inch tube pan. Bake in 350 degree oven for 1 hour or until done. If desired, dust with confectioner's sugar before serving.

Best Brownies

1/2 cup butter, creamed
1 cup sugar
2 eggs slightly beaten
2/3 cup sifted flour
1 tablespoon vanilla
2 squares bitter chocolate melted

Add sugar to creamed butter or margarine. Mix in eggs. Add vanilla and stir in flour. Add chocolate. Use 8 inch greased pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.
Serves: 9-10

Scripture Cake

Emancipation Proclamation Snackin' Cake

1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2/3 cup milk
2 1/2 cups flour (sifted)
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cream butter, add sugar gradually, blend well. Beat eggs well and add to butter and sugar mixture. Mix sifted flour, salt, and baking powder. Add milt a little at a time. Finally, add vanilla. Use two 9" x 12" buttered cake pans. Bake for 30 minutes at 375 degrees.

Westridge Young Writers Workshop, Kids Explore American's African American Heritage. New Mexico: John Muir Publications, 1996.

Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoon butter or margarine
1 can (30 oz.) pineapple slices
10 maraschino cherries
2 cups cake flour - sifted
2 tablespoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
1 egg - beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup milk

Sprinkle brown sugar in bottom of well-greased pan. Dot with butter. Drain pineapple. Place slices in pan with cherry in center of each pinapple slice. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Cream shortening. Add sugar gradually and beat until fluffy. Add egg and vanilla and beat well. Add flour mixture, a little at a time, alternately with milk. Pour batter over fruit. Bake at 350 degrees F. until brown. for 50 to 60 minutes. Turn upside down on servind plate. (Serves 8-10)



Stamp on Black History Home Page Menu