Pesach Chocolate Sponge Cake
Serves 6–8, depending on how generous you want to be with the slices…
- 8 eggs
- 1¼ cups sugar
- 5 T. cocoa
- 2½ - 3 & 1/2 T. potato starch
Preheat the oven to 350°F / 180°C.
Prepare a large 10" tube pan. Although most sponge cakes say not to grease
the pan, I do grease it very lightly. Then dust it lightly with a bit of
cocoa, shaking off the excess. Set aside.
Separate the eggs, putting the yolks into one bowl and the whites into
another bowl. Beat the whites until they are nearly stiff. Then add in half
the sugar while continuing to beat the whites. Turn off the beaters and set
the whites aside.
Beat the yolks until they are thick. Add the remaining sugar, and beat them
until they are creamy. Add in the cocoa and potato starch and beat just
another minute or two until they are incorporated. Turn off the beaters.
Fold both mixtures together using a rubber spatula. While folding, if the
batter seems too liquidy, you may add in a bit more potato starch. Pour this
into the prepared tube pan.
Bake for 50–75 minutes, checking to make sure it does not burn. When the
cake is done, remove it from the oven and place on a wire rack. Leave it for
15 minutes.
Now there are two options of how to release the cake, whole, from the pan.
After the first 15 minutes, turn the cake upside down by balancing it onto
several flipped over cups and allowing it to cool while in this upside down
position. My mother always does it this way and it usually works. Then, when
it's completely cooled, you release the cake from the pan with a sharp knife
and gently take it out of the pan.
The second way, which is how I usually do it, is: prepare a large piece of
foil, lined with one or two paper towels on it. After the cake has cooled
for 15 minutes, slide a long, sharp knife around its edges, as well as
around the innermost edges. Carefully flip the cake pan over onto the
prepared foil. Remove the pan. Leave the cake to sit until it has cooled
more, then wrap it up gently and freeze until the day of use.
To create the delicious glaze you see featured here which I also use when
making brownies:
1 cup powdered sugar
2 T. oil
2 T. cocoa
2 T. very hot water
Mix this all together in a small bowl by hand with a spoon. If it's too thin
and runny, add a bit more powdered sugar to it. If it's too thick, add drips
off water to it until it is still thick but can be spread. Allow it to drip
and run all over the top of the cake, downwards, into its crevices and
dents. You can then top it off with chocolate curls, just like in the photo.
The cake itself can be frozen; I then add the topping to it directly before
I want to serve it.
Mandarin Orange and Beet Salad
This ratio makes enough for 4 people
- 2- 2 1/2 cups cooked and shredded beets, which is about 3 medium sized beets
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. fresh lemon juice or vinegar
- 1/4 cup juice from what the beets were cooked in; (or just use the mandarin
- orange juice below, if you threw out the beet juices by accident)
- 1/4 cup almond slices
- 6 dried apricots, diced
- 1/3 cup white raisins, optional
- 1 can mandarin orange pieces, juice included
- 1/4 -1/2 cup pine nuts for garnishing, optional (this depends if you can find it in your area with a Pesachdik hechsher)
Mix together the beets, sugar, salt, and juice and water. Refrigerate until
serving. Right before serving, add in almond slices, diced apricots, and
white raisins, tossing just a bit. Decorate with the mandarin orange slices
arranged nicely on top, along with the pine nuts and serve.
Butternut Squash Kugel
Here's another vegetable recipe that is sure to please, and I bet you didn’t realize you could do this idea without using any flour! I got this idea from Rebbetzin Sarah Meisels of Bobov and it works so amazingly well. However, don’t freeze it. It is best used the same day it's made or one day later after you put it into the fridge and re-warmed it.
Makes one 8x11-inch tray; serves approx. 8
OR 1 medium sized loaf pan
- 2½ cups (20 oz) cooked and mashed butternut squash (about 2 medium squashes)
- 5/8 cup potato starch
- ½ cup oil
- ½ cup sugar
- 3 eggs
- 2 tsp. cinnamon
Cut the butternut squash in half lengthwise. Place the pieces in a large pot
with about 2 inches of water, and cover the pot. Bring to a boil and cook
them for 30 minutes, until the squash is fork tender. Remove the squash from
the pot and let it cool. Scoop out the meat from the skin, discarding the
skins. Mash the squash meat and measure out the amount needed.
Tip: Any extra squash can easily be frozen and used later in a vegetable
soup.
Preheat the oven to 350°F / 180°C.
Sift the potato starch over the mashed squash with a small sifter or tea
strainer. (This prevents lumps.) Add in the oil, sugar, and eggs. Mix
together, by hand, very well until the batter is smooth.
Line an 8x11-inch baking pan or two medium sized loaf pans with baking paper
OR spray them with baking spray. Pour the batter into the pan(s). Sprinkle
the cinnamon over the top of the kugel. Bake for 40–45 minutes, until the
center of the kugel tests firm when pierced with a knife. The center of the
kugel, even when firm, should still be a bit moist. Be careful not to
overbake the kugel. When it is done, it also cracks slightly on top.
Tip: This kugel slices neatest when it is cold. Make it one day in advance.
The next day, slice it into neat squares and then it can be served cold or
warmed up again, covered, for 10 minutes before serving.
