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Quick & EasyBy Beverly Barbour
June showers rain on beautiful bridesApril showers bring May flowers but June showers are held to honor bevies of brides. It is still the custom to equip them for married life by showering them with gifts. And, isn't it fun? A friend and I gave a shower a few years ago for a bride-to-be who was asked how she had met her fiancée who was a fitness trainer. She laughed and said that they had met at the gym but that she had been very much attracted, not to his physique nor to his beautiful smile, but to his compelling eyes. Later when they had fallen in love and decided to marry she asked him what he had thought when he first met her. He replied, "I noticed your ab's needed work."She married an honest man! Showers have changed a lot since my bridal shower but the friends who attended all brought a recipe card with their favorite recipe on it. I still treasure those cards and think of that particular friend each time I see her handwriting in my recipe file. Here are ideas for something pretty to serve at a bridal shower, a tea or just anytime that you would like a handsome dessert. WEDDING RING CAKE WITH FRESH FRUITA simple sponge cake baked in a ring mold - the kind with a rounded bottom and a large center hole. You could us a 9-inch tube pan (read angel food) instead, but you will need to either cut it into two round cakes or serve the fruit alongside. And, if you wish, use your own sponge cake recipe or buy a mix to make the ring. Sponge Cake Ring: Fruit Filling & Glaze: Cake: Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly oil an ovenproof ring mold with a 6- to 7-cup capacity. Dust the mold with flour, covering all of the area; shake out the excess flour. Sift cake flour together with baking soda into a bowl; set aside. Beat eggs and egg whites together. Add sugar and beat on medium speed for 3 minutes, or until mixture is pale and fluffy. On low speed, beat in lemon juice, vanilla and flour, just until flour is blended in. Then beat in the hot milk. Pour into prepared mold and bake for 22 to 25 minutes or until it tests done. Cool in pan on a rack for 5 minutes. Run a knife around the pan sides to loosen the cake. Invert onto wire rack to cool while you make the glaze. Fruit Filling and Glaze: Stir sugar and 1 cup water over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and stir in brandy or juice. Pour half of the syrup into a small container and set aside to cool. Add butter to remaining syrup, stirring until butter has melted. Brush some of this glaze over the bottom sides of the cake. Invert cake onto serving dish (a footed cake server is lovely to use here). Brush top of cake with remaining glaze. Cover and leave at room temperature until serving time. Combine fruit and the reserved cooled syrup. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 3 hours. Just before serving fill the center of the cake with the mixture of fresh fruits. Spoon syrup remaining in the bowl over the fruit. Makes 10 servings. BERRY AMBROSIA SERVED IN A WINE OR CHAMPAGNE GLASSAny colorful combination of berries or fruits can be used. Tie ribbons in the bride's chosen colors around the stem of each wineglass. 1/2 cup honey, preferably a berry or lavender blossom honey Combine honey, lime juice and 2 large mint sprigs; warm over low heat only until honey melts. Remove from heat and let steep for 5 minutes then discard the mint. Place fruit in a large bowl and pour honey mixture over; stir gently. Divide berry mixture among goblets and refrigerate until ready to serve, up to l hour. Just before serving, pour wine over the fruit. Garnish each glass with a sprig of mint and serve. Makes 12 servings. CHOCOLATE HEART CAKEExtremely rich and moist this cake is baked in a large heart-shaped pan. Or bake in a 10-inch round pan, 2-inches deep. Yes, 21 ounces of chocolate is correct. Better bake two cakes because everyone will have seconds. The recipe originally came from Martha Stewart. 21 ounces semi-sweet chocolate Butter the cake pan and line with waxed paper. Preheat oven to 350°F. Put a pan, large enough to hold the cake pan, in the oven and fill halfway with boiling water. Melt both chocolates with coffee, water and rum over barely simmering water. Stir until smooth. Beat the eggs and granulated sugar in a double boiler over simmering water for 10 to 15 minutes, until thick and fluffy like whipped cream, and almost tripled in volume. Whip the cream in a chilled bowl until it forms soft peaks. Add the confectioners sugar and vanilla. Fold the smooth melted chocolate into the egg mixture. Fold the whipped cream into the batter as gently as possible. Pour the batter into the cakepan and set immediately in the pan of hot water in the oven. Bake 35 to 40 minutes, or until it tests done. Remove from oven let cool in the water bath. When cool, cover the dessert and refrigerate. To serve, warm the pan slightly in an inch of warm water. Invert onto a serving tray. If a round pan was used you can either leave it round or trim it to make a heart shape. Pipe sweetened whipped cream to outline the edge of the cake, if you wish. Or, decorate around the cake with fresh flowers. Makes 10 to 14 servings. HAPPY IS THE BRIDE THAT A SHOWER RAINS UPON
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