If You Make This Old Fashioned Sour Cream Coffee Cake, You Will Be Delighted With The Outstanding Taste And Texture Of The Cake!

This was a cake my mother made at least two or three times every year. It was definitely one of my mother’s favorite cakes to bake and to eat. She got the recipe from Lorraine Klein who is my Aunt Sally’s sister-in-law. Lorraine is a wonderful lady, and through the years, I have always appreciated her good nature and sense of humor. I always look forward to having conversations with her every Mother’s Day at my Aunt Sally’s or my cousin Janie’s house. How lucky it is for me that I have been able to gather so many wonderful recipes from my mother and her contemporaries. You are lucky to have the opportunity to add this heirloom recipe for an old fashioned sour cream coffee cake to your collection. It is better than any recipe you will find even in the fanciest new cookbook!

for the cake:

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 stick unsalted butter or margarine at room temperature
• 2 extra large eggs at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups sifted unbleached flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 8 ounces (1/2 pint) sour cream
• 1 teaspoon baking soda

for the filling:

• 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 cup walnuts, chopped fine

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 10 inch tube pan well all over with butter or margarine.

for the filling: In a medium mixing bowl using a fork or spoon, mix the brown sugar, the cinnamon, and the chopped nuts by hand; set aside.

for the cake batter:

In a medium bowl, put the dry ingredients - the sifted flour, the salt, the baking powder; set aside.

Mix the sour cream with the baking soda by hand; set aside.

In large bowl of Kitchen Aid or electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter on medium to high speed with the sugar till light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time and mix on high speed until light and fluffy. Mix in the vanilla.

Add the flour mixture and the sour cream mixture alternately to butter, sugar, and eggs, and vanilla mixture beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Add the flour in 4ths and the sour cream in 3rds. This is the part of the mixing where you don’t want to over-mix. You are really just adding these ingredients on a very low speed just to blend. Scrape down the bowl one or two times during this process to get any batter off the sides of the bowl.

Spoon 1/2 of the batter evenly on the bottom of the prepared tube pan. Then distribute about 4/5 of the filling mixture evenly all over the surface of the batter. Then spoon the remaining 1/2 of the batter over the filling, and smooth over the filling with a rubber spatula to cover the filling. Sprinkle the remaining 1/5 of filling evenly over the top of the batter.

Bake in the middle of the preheated oven 45-50 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.

Note: When I make this cake, I usually cut the cake into thirds, but I keep one third out for the family. Then I freeze the other two thirds of the cake. When company comes over unexpectedly, I know I always have delicious homemade sour cream coffee cake in the freezer. It defrosts in no time, and then it can be sliced and served on a pretty cake plate.

Serve This Bread Pudding For Breakfast, Brunch, or Dessert!

I have a few recipes for bread pudding. This recipe is so easy to make, and it is delicious. Even if you don’t fancy yourself as a baker, you can definitely make this bread pudding! The taste reminds me of a really good cinnamon danish. Of course, this bread pudding isn’t low in calories, but unlike other bread pudding recipes, this recipe uses milk instead of half and half. So, it is lower in calories than some bread puddings. Yet, it still tastes sinfully rich. This dish makes a nice addition to a brunch buffet or even a dessert buffet. It really is comfort food at its best.

• 8 - 10 1 inch thick slices of challah
• 4 extra large or jumbo eggs
• 1 1/4 cups whole milk
• 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, plus extra for sprinkling
• 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/3 cup of raisins, currants, or dried cranberries

Grease an oval or rectangular 8 inches by 10 inches by 2 inch baking dish.

Slice the challah into 1/2 inch thick slices. Then cube the bread into 1/2

cubes. Cut the crusts off of the slices of challah. Put the bread cubes in

the prepared dish. It’s okay if you have 2 layers of bread cubes. Sprinkle

the raisins, currants, or dried cranberries throughout and on top of the

bread. In a mixing bowl, whisk the eggs, the milk, the vanilla, the

cinnamon, and the salt together. Ladle the custard mixture over the

bread making sure that you get the custard over all the bread uniformly.

Sprinkle the top with additional cinnamon. Cover the dish with

plastic wrap, and refrigerate at least 30 minutes or up to 4 hours. Preheat

oven to 350 degrees. Bake uncovered 40 to 50 minutes until a toothpick

inserted in the middle of the pudding comes out clean. Serve hot out of the

oven or at room temperature.

Note: Using challah that is a few days old is fine, because if the bread is just a little stale, it will soak up the custard even better. If you are using fresh challah, I recommend slicing it and letting it sit out on the counter for 1 or 2 hours to let it get a little stale.

 Try This Soft and Garlicky On The Inside And Crunchy On The Outside Garlic Bread!

My mother made this garlic bread to go with one of her Tuesday or Thursday night dinner specials, spaghetti with meat sauce.  Although my mother got the recipe for the meat sauce from her sister-in-law (and my aunt), Sally Hindes, my mother used her own recipe for garlic bread rather than making my Aunt Sally’s amazing garlic toast recipe.  We all loved my mother’s garlic bread in our house, but I know my father loved it best.  In fact, I think the reason my father enjoyed the spaghetti dinner in the first place was because of how much he adored the garlic bread.  My father ate this meal with his fork in one hand and a piece of garlic bread in the other.  When there was no more bread left, he was done eating.  How he loved his bread, and in this case his garlic bread!  I promise that if you try this recipe for garlic bread, your days of buying Pepperidge Farm Frozen Garlic Bread will be over!

• 1 loaf of Italian bread
• one stick of Fleischmann’s margarine or 1 stick of butter at room temperature
• good garlic powder (I use McKormick)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 

Slice the bread once horizontally all the way through so that you have 2 halves.  Then spread a good amount of margarine or butter on each cut side of the bread.  Then sprinkle each side heavily with garlic powder.  Put the bread back together again.  Wrap the bread up in heavy-duty aluminum foil.  Make sure that you use a big enough piece of foil.  Place the bread right in the center of the foil.  Then bring up the foil on each side of the bread so that you can close the foil at the top of the bread.  This way, none of the margarine or butter can leak out of the aluminum foil package as it is baking.  Bake about 30-45 minutes until the bread is starting to get crunchy on the bottom. (I always check the bread after about 25 minutes to see if it is getting too brown.)  When it is done, take it out of the aluminum foil, and cut slices, and serve.

Variation for cheesy mozzarella garlic bread: 

After garlic bread has been cooking for about 30 minutes, take it out of the oven.  Unwrap it from the foil.  Then lay both sides cut side up on a half sheet pan or a cookie sheet that you have covered with foil.  Then sprinkle grated mozzarella cheese over the tops.  Use about 1- 8 oz. bag of grated whole milk mozzarella altogether- 4 oz. on each side.  Put back in the oven on a middle rack, and put the oven on broil.  Open the oven door after about 5 minutes.  What you want is to see the mozzarella cheese browning in little spots and bubbling.  It is done when it has those little brown spots all over.  Watch carefully to make sure the cheese doesn’t start to  burn.  Take out and serve when the cheese is browned and bubbly after about 5-7 minutes.

I Hope You’re Not On A Diet, Because You Will Not Be Able To Eat Only One Slice Of This Delicious Garlic Toast!

This is my Aunt Sally’s famous garlic bread recipe that she always made to go with her delicious spaghetti with meat sauce.  My cousin Janie (Sally’s daughter) makes this as well.  I never formally asked for this recipe, but I watched my aunt and my cousin while they made this, so I’m reasonably sure this recipe is accurate.  In Janie’s house, this garlic bread is a staple, because Janie still serves her spaghetti and meat sauce once a week (it is her family’s absolute favorite meal), and what good is spaghetti and meat sauce without garlic bread to go with it?  I just made this garlic toast for a family get together, and I got lots of compliments.  This tasty treat is definitely worth the calories!

• One loaf of Italian bread (or 2 loaves)
• at least one stick of margarine or butter, melted
• lots of garlic powder (use a good brand such as McKormick) or lots of fresh crushed garlic (I used the fresh garlic, but my Aunt Sally and cousin Janie use the garlic powder.  Both are equally as delicious, but I think the garlic powder gives the bread a more garlicky taste, while the fresh garlic is milder.)
• paprika (adds color and flavor)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Slice the bread about one inch thick.  Then melt the margarine or butter in a small saucepan or in the microwave.  Then sprinkle a good amount of garlic powder or the fresh crushed garlic  into the bowl with the melted margarine or butter.  Add a good sprinkling of paprika and mix.  Then dip each slice of bread into the melted butter/margarine and garlic and paprika mixture on both sides of the bread. 

Place each piece of bread side by side on a half sheet pan that has been covered with aluminum foil. Place in preheated oven for about 15-20 minutes until the bread starts to brown on the underside.  Then turn each slice of bread over.  Bake another 10-15 minutes till brown on the bottom.  Serve immediately. 

This Delicious Recipe For French Toast Bread Pudding Will Warm You On A Cold Winter Morning! 

My family adores french toast. My mother, Shirley Fried, especially loves my French toast. Every once and awhile, I make a batch for her when she comes down to visit me and the kids. I love cooking for my mother, especially since she is my number 1 fan. (My father was my other number 1 fan, but tragically for me, my mother, and my children, the most wonderful man in the world, Murray Fried died 6 years ago. Anyway, I’ve cooked yummy French toast for breakfast for my family for years, and everyone loves it. I sometimes make my french toast using challah, which is an egg bread that is very similar to brioche. Many diners serve French toast made with challah because it has become quite popular. When you use challah to make your French toast, you are definitely kicking the standard recipe up a notch. Anyway, I decided that I needed to adapt my challah French toast recipe so that I could serve it at family gatherings and feed a lot of people without having to stand at the stove while my guests were over. Plus, I wanted to be able to prepare the dish in advance, and you really can’t do that with French toast. I experimented until I came up with the most amazing version of French toast bread pudding, using challah. I served it at a Chanukah party this past Sunday which was given by the wonderful Marsha Greenhouse. Marsha Greenhouse is my daughter Randi’s mother-in-law. Marsha is a warm and genuine from the heart person (a real mensch), and she hosts the best family get togethers imaginable. I love going to every party and gathering at her house. Plus, she kindly lets me cook and bake for these parties to my heart’s content. One of the dishes I made for this gathering was my challah French toast bread pudding. It was delicious! I got lots of compliments, and of course I love that! I think one of the best moments for me was when Marsha’s boyfriend, Al Berman asked me for another piece of the bread pudding. When he put a bite in his mouth he said, “Ooh, this is sooo good.” And Al knows his food. (He’s an excellent cook himself!) There is just nothing as gratifying for me as cooking and baking for people I care about. Please try this recipe. When you take a bite into this yummy challah French toast bread pudding, which truly tastes every bit as good as regular French toast, you will vow to make this again and again for your friends and family, too.

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter or margarine, plus extra for greasing baking dish
• 1 cup lightly packed dark brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons maple syrup (I actually use 2 tablespoons of Log Cabin and 1 tablespoon of pure maple syrup, but I don’t think it matters which type of syrup you use)  *see note at bottom
• 1 large loaf of challah bread
• 8 extra large or jumbo eggs (I usually use the extra large)
• 2 cups of light cream (you may substitute half and half to save a few calories, but I don’t)
• 2 teaspoons sugar (optional- you may eliminate if you want to reduce sugar in recipe))
• 1/8 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt (I use this but you may cut it out for a low salt diet)
• sugar and cinnamon (McKormick) to sprinkle on top before you bake

Generously grease the bottom and sides of a 13 x 9 x 2 inch oval or rectangular baking dish (I bought an inexpensive, beautiful white oval baking dish at IKEA). Slice the challah about 1 1/2 inches thick. Then cut the slices into pieces. They don’t all have to be exactly the same size, but they should be somewhere around 2 inches square. You definitely should use the crust- do not cut the crust off! In a small saucepan, melt the margarine over a low flame. Then add the brown sugar and the syrups; mix until the brown sugar is dissolved. Then pour the syrup mixture into the prepared baking dish. Place the pieces of challah in the prepared dish in one layer. Fit the pieces right up against each other, like puzzle pieces. It’s okay to squeeze them a little so they all fit.

In large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, light cream, vanilla, salt, sugar,  cinnamon. Ladle the custard mixture over the challah evenly. Then press down with your hands lightly on bread, so challah soaks in all the custard. Cover the dish with foil or plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 2 or 3 hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and take bread pudding out of the refrigerator, and uncover it. Sprinkle the top lightly with sugar and cinnamon (I use McKormick cinnamon and sugar). Bake uncovered in the middle of the oven until puffed and golden for about 35 to 45 minutes. Serve immediately.

Note:  The last few times I made this, I used 2 tablespoons of pure maple syrup and 1 tablespoon of light corn syrup.  I think this combination works the best. 

This is a very simple, but perfect recipe for blueberry muffins.  I adapted this recipe from one I got from a mother of one of my daughter Randi’s friends when Randi was in the second grade.  So I’ve been making this recipe for about 17 years.  And in all that time, I have never tasted a better muffin than this.  I have given this recipe out to countless friends and family.  One of my mother’s and my wonderful friends, Sherill, who is a marvelous baker, adores this recipe.  Whenever she sees me, she thanks me for giving her this recipe.  If you bake a batch, you will discover the wonderful taste and texture of these muffins, and you will be hooked, too!

• 1 1/2 cups unbleached flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 extra large egg at room temperature
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil (I use corn, canola, or extra-light olive oil)
• 1/4 cup whole milk
• 1/4 cup orange juice (no pulp, and not from concentrate)
• about 1 1/2 cups fresh (preferably) or frozen blueberries, rinsed and then dryed with a paper towel

Preheat oven to 375 degrees, and put muffin cups into a standard 12 muffin tin.  In a large mixing bowl, put flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Whisk by hand just to blend the dry ingredients.  Set aside.

Measure the oil, and pour it into a smaller mixing bowl.  Measure the milk, and the orange juice, and pour those in to the same bowl.  Then crack the egg in and mix the wet ingredients with a fork. 

Make a well in the dry ingredients.  Pour the wet ingredients in; fold the wet ingredients into the dry with a rubber spatula only until they are just blended.  Do not overmix! When the mixture is still lumpy, gently fold in the blueberries.  Spoon the batter into the muffin cups- about 3/4 cup full.  Bake them about 25-30 minutes until they are browned on top.  Cool the pan on a wire rack until the muffins are cool enough to take out.

Note- I make another variety by using jam instead of blueberries.  I spoon a little batter in each muffin cup.  I use a miniature ice cream scoop to measure out enough batter just to cover the bottom of the muffin cup.   Then I put about a teaspoon or so of either raspberry, strawberry, cherry jam on top of the batter.  Then, I top the jam off with another scoop of batter.  Just pop these jam muffins in the oven.  Your children will love these as much as mine do!

Another variation is to leave the berries out, and mix in about 6 oz of semi-sweet chocolate chips with the batter.