CHOCOLATE BUTTER GOOEY CAKE

 

Recipe:



*      1 (2-layer) package butter-recipe chocolate cake mix
*      10 tablespoons butter, melted
*      1 egg, lightly beaten
*      8 ounces cream cheese, softened
*      1 (1 pound) package confectioners’ sugar
*      2 eggs
*      ½ cup chocolate chips

 

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine the cake mix, butter, and I lightly beaten egg in a mixer bowl and mix well. Press into a greased and floured 9 by 13-inch baking dish. Beat the cream cheese, and confectioners’ sugar in a mixer bowl until light. Add 2 eggs and mix well.  Stir in chocolate chips. Spread over the layer in the prepared baking pan. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until light brown. Cut into squares to serve.

 

**Variation:  For Vanilla Butter Gooey, use a yellow cake mix and omit the chocolate chips.

COCONUT ALMOND POUND CAKE

Makes 2 loaves

* 1 cup vegetable shortening

* 2 cups sugar

* 5 eggs, beaten

* 2 cups flour

* 1-1/2 teaspoon baking powder

* 1 teaspoon salt

* 1 cup buttermilk

* 1-1/3 cups coconut flakes (one 4-ounce can)

* 1 tablespoon coconut extract

* 1-1/2 cups Glaze ( see below )

 

 

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease two standard loaf pans (9 x 5 x 3-inch).
2. Beat shortening and sugar together. Beat in eggs.
3. Sift flour, baking powder and salt together. Alternately add flour mixture and the buttermilk to the sugar mixture, stirring vigorously.
4. Fold in coconut flakes and coconut extract. Bake for 45-55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached.
5. Remove from oven and cool 5 minutes. Poke many holes on top of each loaf with a toothpick or a bamboo skewer and pour half the glaze on each cake. Cool another 10 minutes and remove from pan to a cooling rack to completely cool.

 

 

Glaze



Makes 1-1/2 cups

 

* 1 cup water

* 1/2 cup sugar

* 1 teaspoon almond extract

* 1/2 teaspoon coconut extract

 
1. Place all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium high heat.

2. Boil 2 minutes and remove from heat.

3. Cool slightly and pour over cakes that have been punctured with a toothpick or skewer.

 

COCONUT SQUARES

This sweet and tasty treat is actually Moroccan in origin.

2 c. grated coconut

*      3/4 c. half and half

*      1 1/2 c. sugar

*      3 tablespoons butter

*      3 tablespoons lemon rind

 

Combine the coconut, the half and half and the sugar in a heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat to low. Simmer until a soft ball is formed when a spoonful of the mixture is dropped into cold water. Add the butter and lemon rind and mix. Let cool to room temperature. Transfer to a bowl and with an electric mixer, mix the batter until thick and glossy. Pour into a small buttered pan and chill. Cut into squares and serve.

DATE FRUIT CUP

This is the season of Ramadan and one of the traditional foodstuffs of this holiday are dates.  The date market in Cairo is full to overflowing with a variety of dates in all shapes and sizes during this festive season.
Date palm paintings can be found in the tombs of the Pharaohs, indicating that this stately tree and sweet fruit has been cultivated in Egypt since the time of hieroglyphs.  Here is a simple but sweet recipe.

 

* 4 C. water

* 2 cups pitted dates

* 1/3 cup sugar

* 1/4 cup raisins, washed

* 6 whole cloves

* 2 tablespoons lemon juice

* 1/2 cup whipping cream

 
Heat the water in a pot until boiling, then add the dates and cook for 5 minutes.  Remove the dates with a slotted spoon, cool and peel, then set aside.  Reserve the cooking water.

Bring the reserved water to a boil, add the sugar and stir until the sugar dissolves. Stir in the raisins, cloves, and dates, and cook for 15 minutes over medium heat.  Add the lemon juice and cook for another 5 minutes, then remove from heat and allow to cool.

Place in fruit cups. Whip the cream until frothy, then spoon over the dates before serving.

GHREYBA - NORTH AFRICAN BUTTER COOKIES

Ingredience:

 

* 1 cup warm "samn" (veg. Oil or melted butter)

* 1/2 cup powdered sugar

* 3-4 cups of flour

 
Instructions:

 

* Mix "samn" and sugar well.

* Add flour gradually and mix.

* Shape into little balls and press down gently to flatten into shape.

* Garnish with an almond.

* Bake in a preheated oven at 400 ƒF (200 ƒC) for 10 to 15 minutes.

KEEKA BALADI BIL SHOKOLATA

EASY AND DELICIOUS CHOCOLATE CAKE

2 cups flour

· 2 cups sugar

· 1 teaspoon baking powder

· 2 teaspoons baking soda

· 1 cup milk

· 1/2 cup vegetable oil

· 3/4 cup dutch processed cocoa

· 1 tablespoon vanilla

· 2 eggs

· 1 cup hot coffee

 

 
Mix all ingredients together in large bowl. Pour into greased 9x13 pan. Bake at 350F degrees for 30-35 min.
Top with your favorite frosting, powdered sugar or whipped topping.

KONAFA BIL GIBNA

After slicing the cheese, put the slices in a large bowl and cover with water and let it stand for 1 hr. Drain the water and add fresh water and let it stand for another hour. What you are doing is getting rid of all the salt in the cheese. After the 2nd hour drain the water from the cheese and arrange the slices on paper towels and cover them with clear plastic wrap until they are ready to use.

 

 

If you are making this for yourself only (1 person) I advise you to use a small baking dish for one to two serving. This dish is no good if you have left overs. I usually make enough to be eaten at the time and keep the rest of the konafah and cheese in the fridge until I want to make it again in a couple of days. But, if you are only making this once, then you can use some of the konafah for this dish and make the rest into konafah with nuts.

 
Butter a baking dish and put some cut-up kohafah in the bottom of it (enough to cover 1/3 of the depth of the dish. Sprinkle some butter all over the konafah, you don't have to use a lot of butter with the cheese filling since it has enough fat in it! Arrange on layer of cheese slices, by the way the slices should be 1/4-1/2 cm in thickness. Add for cut-up konafah to cover the cheese and to almost reach just before the edge of the dish. Sprinkle some more butter on the surface and you might want to put a little more than the bottom layer. Bake it in a 350 oven until it turns golden.

 

 

While it is baking make the syrup. Combine the sugar, water and lemon juice and let it boil on mid-high heat for about 15 minutes. as soon as the konafah turns golden, spoon the syrup over it and stick it back into the over for 1-2 minutes. Serve immediately and watch out you don't burn your mouth! Now I am hungry for it!