#passover dessert

Passover Orange Cake with Roasted Oranges and Zabaglione

When I was growing up the standard Seder dessert was sponge cake. Everyone made fun of it and said it was true to its name and that frankly, biting into a sponge was not a good thing.

I actually never cared because as long as I got chocolate covered macaroons I was a happy girl.

By the time I began to host the Seders, flourless chocolate cakes had become fashionable and my aunt Rozzie's recipe for sponge cake was tucked away in a recipe file.

Now more time has gone by and my family got bored with flourless chocolate cake. So I spent years experimenting with flourless rolled cakes and cakes made with nut crumbs instead of wheat and going fancy with layers of jelly-roll pan cakes. Some of those were absolutely fabulous.

But a few years ago I decided to pull out the family recipe. That sponge cake isn't spongy at all. The trick is not to overbeat the egg whites, which are supposed to be thick and glossy with tips that fall over slightly (not so beaten that you can cut a chunk off). Also — fold in the beaten whites rather than mixing them in vigorously.

Although the cake is just fine, plain or served with sorbet, I have served it with a rich and creamy zabaglione sauce and some roasted oranges, which provide a tangy contrast to the sweet cake. They also make a plain sponge cake a bit more festive looking, so it’s a good bet for the holiday.

Bonus: you can make all parts in advance!

PASSOVER ORANGE CAKE WITH ROASTED ORANGES AND ZABAGLIONE

12 large eggs, separated, at room temperature

1-3/4 cups sugar

6 tablespoons orange juice

1/4 cup lemon juice

2 tablespoons finely grated orange peel

1 tablespoon finely grated lemon peel

1 cup matzo cake meal, sifted after measuring

1/3 cup potato starch

Passover Zabaglione

Roasted Orange Slices

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line the bottom of a large (10-1/2-inch - 11-inch springform pan with parchment paper and lightly grease the paper. Beat the egg yolks and 1-cup of the sugar in a mixer bowl at medium-high speed for 3-4 minutes or until the mixture is thick and pale yellow. Stir in the orange juice, lemon juice, orange peel and lemon peel, mix thoroughly and set aside. In another bowl, beat the egg whites at medium speed until they are foamy. Continue to beat, gradually increasing the speed and gradually adding the remaining 3/4 cup sugar. Beat until the whites are stiff but not dry, and look glossy. Stir about one-quarter of the beaten whites into the yolk mixture. Gently fold the remaining beaten whites into the yolk mixture, until the mixture is uniform in color. In a small bowl whisk the matzo cake meal and potato starch until they are thoroughly blended. Using about 1/4 of the matzo meal mixture at a time, fold the mixture into the egg mixture until the ingredients are thoroughly blended. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 55-60 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack. When ready to serve, spoon some zabaglione onto serving dishes, place a slice of cake on top and surround with some roasted orange slices. (Or serve with sorbet, whipped cream, ice cream, etc. to suit your meal.)

Makes 12 servings

PASSOVER ZABAGLIONE

8 large egg yolks

3/4 cup sugar

2 tablespoons finely grated orange peel

1/2 cup sweet white Passover wine

fresh mint as garnish

Place the egg yolks, 3/4 cup sugar and the orange peel in the top part of a double boiler set over barely simmering water. Beat the ingredients with a hand mixer at medium speed for about 3 minutes or until the mixture is thick and pale yellow. Continue to beat, gradually increasing the speed to high and gradually adding the wine. Beat for 8-10 minutes or until the mixture is thick and fluffy. You may use the zabaglione warm, immediately, or let it cool to room temperature.

Makes about 3 cups

ROASTED ORANGE SLICES

6 navel oranges

2 tablespoons melted coconut oil (or butter)

1 tablespoon sugar

ground cinnamon (approximately 1/2 teaspoon)

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Peel the oranges removing as much of the white pith as possible. Cut the oranges crosswise into 24 even slices (there should be 4 center slices from each orange; reserve the ends for other purposes). Place the slices on the baking sheet. Brush the tops with the coconut oil. Sprinkle with the sugar. Sprinkle lightly with cinnamon and the mint. Roast for about 4 minutes. Turn the slices over and roast for another 4-6 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from the oven and set aside.

Po raz pierwszy zrobiłam paschę kilka lat temu na Wielkanoc u Teściowej. 

Wyszła tak rozkosznie kremowa, bogata a jednocześnie subtelna, że stała się obowiązkowym elementem świątecznego menu.

Nie jest trudna do wykonania, ale trzeba poświecić jej trochę czasu. Cały proces - trzykrotne mielenie twarogu, gotowanie masy, a potem tężenie - trwa minimum 11 godzin. 

Są dwa rodzaje paschy: gotowana i ucierana na zimno. Lubię obie, ale bardziej skłaniam się ku gotowanej. Jest według mnie nieco bardziej jednolita i gładka.

Kolejną zaletą tego deseru jest możliwość wzbogacania go dowolnymi bakaliami. Tradycyjnie są to rodzynki, skórka pomarańczowa, orzechy włoskie i migdały, ale można dodać co się lubi: suszone morele, figi, daktyle, żurawinę itd. Dzięki urozmaiceniu za każdym razem jest nieco inna. Ale zawsze pyszna.

Jeśli jeszcze nie robiliście tego deseru, najwyższy czas to zmienić. Spróbujecie, zrozumiecie!

Składniki:

1 kg dobrego twarogu (u mnie kremowy ze Strzałkowa lub wiejski) 250 g cukru pudru 250 g masła     6 żółtek     250 ml kremówki 30% 50 g rodzynków 50 g kandyzowanej skórki pomarańczowej   50 g suszonych fig     50 g suszonych daktyli     60 g suszonych moreli 70 g orzechów włoskich     70 g blanszowanych migdałów szczypta soli łyżeczka skórki otartej z cytryny (opcjonalnie)   tabliczka gorzkiej czekolady 50 ml kremówki

Wykonanie:

Zalać wrzątkiem rodzynki, morele, figi i odcedzić po 10 minutach. Posiekać nie za drobno morele, figi i wypestkowane daktyle. Orzechy i migdały z grubsza posiekać i zrumienić na suchej patelni.

Twaróg zmielić trzykrotnie lub przecisnąć tyleż razy przez praskę.

Do dużej ceramicznej (najlepiej żaroodpornej) misy wybić żółtka, przesiać cukier puder i ubijać mikserem do momentu, aż masa będzie puszysta i jasna (ok. 5 minut). Wlać śmietankę i dokładnie wymieszać.

Miskę z masą włożyć do garnka z wodą uważając, aby dno misy nie stykało się z wrzątkiem. Doprowadzić wodę do wrzenia i cały czas ubijać masę mikserem, aż zacznie gęstnieć (ok. 30 minut).

Miskę wyjąć z garnka (uwaga, będzie gorąca!), ustawić na kuchennym blacie i cały czas ucierając składniki dodawać na zmianę po łyżce miękkiego masła i twarogu.

Kiedy masa będzie jednolita, dodać szczyptę soli, bakalie (większą część moreli zostawić do ozdoby), skórkę otartą z cytryny i całość delikatnie, dokładnie wymieszać.

Duży durszlak, sitko lub naczynie z otworkami wyłożyć cienką lnianą ściereczką bądź gazą. Wlać masę twarogową, od góry przykryć bokami ściereczki i obciążyć. Zwykle na naczyniu z paschą stawiam talerz, a na nim coś ciężkiego. Pod durszlak podstawić talerz, ponieważ wypłynie z niego trochę serwatki.

Wstawić do lodówki na minimum 10 godzin (zwykle schładzam dłużej, ok. 12).

Po tym czasie zdjąć z wierzchu paschy boki ściereczki, podłożyć paterę i odwrócić deser do góry dnem. Zdjąć durszlak i ściereczkę.

W ceramicznej miseczce umieścić połamaną czekoladę i kremówkę. Podgrzewać w mikrofalówce 30 sekund, wyjąć, energicznie wymieszać i podgrzewać jeszcze 15 sekund. Wymieszać i rozprowadzić na passze.

Fluffy Matzo Meal Sponge cake that only a grandmother could bring to the table.

(Reposted from my website)

Grandma made this for over 50 years! I ran out of strawberries, but whipped cream never fails.

On June 25, 1921, my grandma was born to Isadore and Lena Sachs in Chicago, Illinois. She grew up there, then married my grandpa Maurice in 1943. Nine years later, she had my uncle Neil. Five years after that, my mom was born in 1957.

I asked my mom how far back she remembered having this recipe and she said, "From the time I was a little kid, she made it. It could be from before that."

Grandma Bernice Hecht sitting on a bench.

When my grandmother passed away, I searched through her piles of loose recipes that she had clipped from magazines and newspapers in the '60s. Underneath the stack of papers was a page from her Jewish cookbook. On it was her Matzo Sponge Cake recipe. She had used it so much over the decades the page had fallen out. The corners of the paper crumbled off, so I quickly walked it to the table and snapped a photo to preserve it. She uses a spring-form pan similar to this one here.

WATCH THE TUTORIAL:

Grandma Hecht's 4 ingredient matzo sponge cake

The photo I snapped of the recipe she used.

Grandma Hecht's 4 ingredient Matzo Sponge Cake

The original one is hard to read and a bit out of order, so I adjusted the recipe to make more sense.

Ingredients

8 eggs, separated

1½ cups sugar

1 cup sifted matzos cake meal

½ lemon grated, rind, and juice

salt

a glass coke bottle

Grandma's sponge cake, just as I remember it!

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Coat your springform with cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, beat yolks until light, add sugar and beat again; then add a pinch of salt, the lemon, then the matzos cake meal.

In a separate bowl, beat the whites until stiff but not dry.

Fold the egg whites into the mix.

Pour the mixture into the coated springform.

Bake in the oven for 45*minutes until a light brown color on top.

Remove from oven (see notes below). Allow 20 minutes to cool before removing from the spring form.

When you remove the spring form from the oven, carefully flip the form onto a glass coke bottle sitting on a large cutting board. My grandma always said this prevented the cake from falling.

*It may need to bake a bit longer depending on the oven.

INGREDIENTS FOR THE WHIPPED CREAM

2 c. cold heavy cream

1/4 c. powdered sugar

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

FOR THE CHOCOLATE GANACHE

3 c. chocolate chips

1 1/2 c. heavy cream

FOR THE CAKE ASSEMBLY

8 large matzoh crackers

Chocolate shavings, for garnish

Make it…

Make whipped cream: In a large bowl using a hand mixer or in the bowl of a…

Lemon Tart with Coconut Macaroon Crust

This one speaks for itself:

Lemon Tart for Passover

Lemon Tart with Coconut Macaroon Crust

For the crust:

3 ½ cups sweetened coconut

3 large egg whites

¾ teaspoon vanilla extract

For the filling:

4 large egg yolks

1-14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

2 large lemons, juiced (1/2 cup) and zested

To make the crust:

Preheat oven to 375°F. Generously butter a 9-inch tart…

Almond Macaroon Cookies, Two Ways

Chocolate Almond Macaroon Cookies

Chocolate Almond Macaroons

Ingredients:

3 ounces chocolate, melted and cooled

1 cup ground almonds (I use Trader Joe’s Almond Meal but you can grind your own using blanched almonds)

2/3 cup sugar

2 egg whites

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325° F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

Mix together the almonds and the sugar, then mix in the egg…