Slice of Life: Baking

Sometimes you’re on a culinary deadline and you feel like you just gotta cut a few corners. You try to justify why buying a, gasp, store bought cake is ok when really what you should be doing is utilizing these one bowl recipes that make home made even easier than running to the store.

The following recipes take less than 10 minutes to whip up and clean up. You can make them in an electric mixing bowl or by hand, either way, they are simple enough for a 10 year old with a desire to help in the kitchen to make without supervision freeing you up to do what you do best, 27 things at once.

One-Bowl White Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting (dairy)

Ingredients:

• 2 cups flour
• 1¼ cup sugar
• 1 Tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ cup butter or margarine, softened
• 1 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 eggs

Frosting:

• 8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
• 8 Tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup powdered sugar, plus extra if the frosting is too thin

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Grease and flour two 8-inch cake pans. In a large mixing bowl sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
3. Add the butter, milk, and vanilla and mix to combine. Add the eggs and mix for 2 to 3 minutes to make sure everything is combined (you can do this in the bowl of an electric mixer if you like) 
4. Pour the batter equally into the greased and floured pans. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
5. Cool the cakes in the pans for 10 minutes before you remove them from the pans to cool on cooling racks.
6. Frost when cool.

Cream Cheese Frosting:

1. In a bowl (I typically do this with a hand held electric mixer in the bowl I made the cake in) combine the cream cheese and butter and mix until light and fluffy, gradually beating in the butter until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and mix to combine.
2. Slowly add the powdered sugar while beating until you have the consistency you like. You may need to add a bit more powdered sugar if the consistency is too thin.

Submitted by Tanya Montgomery Indianapolis, IN (modified)

One-Bowl Chocolate Cake (dairy or pareve)

6 to 8 servings

Ingredients:

• 3 oz. semi-sweet chocolate
• 6 Tablespoons butter or margarine
• ¾ cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1¼ cups flour, divided
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¾ cup water

Chocolate Glaze:

• 2 oz. semisweet chocolate
• 1 Tablespoon butter or margarine
• 1 cup fresh berries (your choice, blueberries or a mix)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 9-inch round baking pan.
2. In a microwavable bowl combine the chocolate and butter and microwave on HIGH for approx 2 min. or until butter is melted. Mix by hand until chocolate is completely melted. Add the sugar and mix vigorously until combined. Add the eggs and beat vigorously until blended. Add the vanilla and mix to combine. Add ¼ cup flour and baking soda; mix to combine. Add in the remaining flour alternately with the water mixing to combine with each addition. Pour into the prepared pan.
3. Bake 30 min. or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 min.; remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack.
4. In a microwave bowl combine the 2 oz. chocolate chips and the butter. Microwave for 30 seconds or until the butter is melted. Mix to combine.
5. Place the cake on a serving plate, drizzle the glaze over the top.
6. You can refrigerate the cake at this point and decorate the top with the berries just before you serve it.

My files, modified from a BAKERS CHOCOLATE recipe.

One-Bowl Coffee Brownies (dairy or pareve)

8 servings

Ingredients:

• 4 oz. unsweetened chocolate, broken into pieces
• ¾ cup unsalted butter or margarine
• 1¾ cups sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 teaspoons instant coffee
• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts or hazelnuts

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 13×9-inch pan with piece of foil long enough to extend over the ends of the pan. Grease and foil as well as the rest of the pan.
2. In a large microwaveable bowl combine the butter and the chocolate and microwave for about a minute. Remove the bowl, stir to combine and then microwave 20 to 30 more seconds until everything is melted. Mix to combine.
3. Add the sugar, eggs, and vanilla to the chocolate mixture and mix to combine. Add the flour, instant coffee and nuts and mix to combine. Spread the batter into the foiled and greased.
4. Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out crumby.
5. Let the brownies cool in the pan for ½ hour then gently remove the brownies from the pan using the foil that is hanging over the sides.

Modified from a BHG recipe

One-Bowl Very Very Banana Bread (dairy or pareve)

6 to 8 servings

Ingredients:

• 4 ripe bananas
• ¼ cup melted butter or margarine
• 1 egg
• ¾ cup sugar
• 1½ cups flour
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.Grease and flour a loaf pan and set aside.
2. In a large bowl mash the bananas then add the remaining ingredients. Mix to combine.  Pour the batter into prepared loaf pan.
3. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes (it will be very golden brown on top) or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
4. Cool for 30 minutes and then remove the loaf from the pan. Cool on a cooling rack until room temperature.

The words of this author reflect his/her own opinions and do not necessarily represent the official position of the Orthodox Union.