Traditional Jewish Baking: Retro Recipes Your Grandma Would Make… If She Had a Mixer

By Carine Goren

Celebrate Beloved Keepsake Recipes with Modern Techniques

Learn the best of Grandma’s baking secrets, and make them approachable with new and simple techniques. Thanks to Carine Goren, a baking phenomenon on Israeli TV, you can learn how to make deliciously nostalgic treats straight from the homeland like Bubbe would. Carine spent years researching and testing grandmothers’ loved and cherished recipes to learn what “as it feels” and “by the eye” really mean.

Carine shows readers how to re-create the best versions of timeless and traditional Jewish baked goods in today’s cutting-edge kitchens—from exceptional cakes, distinctive pies, standout cookies, festive holiday desserts and special homemade candies to some delicious new favorites—all of which are bound to satisfy any sweet tooth. Enjoy a tasty trip down memory lane, and let the incredible flavors of the past go straight to your heart.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Macmillan Publishers
• Release date: Oct 11, 2016
• ISBN: 9781624142758

Book preview

THE CRÈME DE LA CRÈME

Nostalgic creamy desserts and whipped cream cakes—to me they are the best reason for having teaspoons in the house!

Black Forest Cake

Decadent, impressive and gorgeous, the Black Forest cake was the most festive creation in old-day confectionary shops (I dare you to wrap your tongues around its German name—Schwarzwälder kirschtorte). My version is a moist chocolate cake (a torte would be drier), with layers of whipped cream and cherries, and the most important thing—as corny as possible—with whipped cream roses, chocolate garnish and, of course, candied cherries. In my opinion, if you put in the time and effort to make such a cake, then you might as well go all out!

ONE 9-INCH (23-CM) CAKE

FOR THE CHOCOLATE CAKE

2 eggs

½ cup (120ml) vegetable oil

1 cup (240ml) buttermilk

1 cup (240ml) water

2 cups (400g) sugar

¾ cup (100g) cocoa

½ tsp salt

2 cups (280g) all-purpose flour

2 tsp (8g) baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

FOR THE CHERRIES AND SYRUP

1 (24-oz [680-g]) jar cherries in light syrup

Kirsch liquor or sweet wine (optional)

FOR THE WHIPPED CREAM FILLING AND GARNISH

3 cups (750ml) whipping cream

½ cup (100g) sugar

3 tbsp (30g) vanilla-flavored instant pudding mix

6 oz (150g) dark chocolate, divided

12 candied cherries

To make the cake, preheat the oven to 325°F (160°C). Line two 9-inch (23-cm) pans with circles of parchment paper and grease the paper.

In a mixer on low speed, beat the eggs, oil, buttermilk, water, sugar, cocoa and salt for about 1 minute, until fully combined. Add the flour, baking powder and baking soda, and beat for another minute, until the batter is smooth and a little runny.

Pour the batter into the prepared pans, and bake for 40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with moist crumbs. Remove from the oven and let cool completely. Slice each cake in half horizontally so you have 4 layers.

To prepare the cherries, strain the canned cherries, and save the syrup to moisten the cake. You may add a little Kirsch liquor or sweet wine to the syrup. Check for pits; you don’t want any in the cake.

To make the whipped cream, in a mixer, beat together the whipping cream, sugar and pudding mix to a firm whipped cream. Spoon about a quarter of the whipped cream into a piping bag with a serrated tip and keep in the refrigerator (to decorate the cake later on).

Place one layer of cake on a serving platter, brush with the syrup, and spread an even layer of whipped cream. Spread one-third of the cherries over the cream. Put a second layer of cake on top, brush with syrup, spread an even layer of whipped cream and spread a handful of cherries. Repeat the layers one more time. Put the fourth and last layer of cake on top, and cover the whole assembly with the rest of the whipped cream.

In a microwave oven, melt 4 ounces (100g) of the chocolate. Put the melted chocolate in a small piping bag (or use a sandwich bag and cut the tip off).

On a parchment-lined baking tray, pipe crisscross lines of the melted chocolate, creating little chocolate meshes slightly taller than the cake itself. Put in the freezer for 5 minutes to set.

Use the cream you put in a piping bag earlier to pipe 12 roses on top of the cake, and put a candied cherry on top of each rose. Stick the chocolate crisscross garnishes to the sides of the cake. With a vegetable peeler, make chocolate curls from the remaining 2 ounces (50g) chocolate, and pile them in the center. Keep in the refrigerator and serve cold.

Place one layer of cake on a serving platter, brush with syrup, and spread with whipped cream. Spread a handful of cherries.

Put a second layer of cake on top, brush with syrup, spread an even layer of whipped cream and spread a handful of cherries.

Repeat the layers one more time, put the fourth layer on top, and frost the cake with the rest of the whipped cream.

Stick the chocolate crisscross garnishes to the sides of the cake.

GRANDMA KNOWS BEST

You can make buttermilk at home; it’s very easy. Mix 1 cup (240ml) of milk with a teaspoon of vinegar, set aside for 10 minutes and—hey, presto—homemade buttermilk!

Shulah’s Upgraded Meringue Whipped Cream

I met my own private chef when we were seventeen. He was a cadet at the military boarding school in Haifa and I attended the adjacent Reali High School, so we were in the same class. During a break, we snuck into his room and he offered me a cake his mother had brought when she came to visit on Shabbat. It stuck in my memory as the best thing I had ever eaten in my life, probably because at that point, I was already head-over-heels …

This is a time-honored Hanna Shaulov recipe, upgraded and upgraded again by my mother-in-law, substituting the margarine with butter, store-bought syrup with homemade chocolate ganache and so on. This cake is best prepared and assembled a day ahead, because it improves after a night in the refrigerator.

ONE 13 X 11-INCH (33 X 28-CM) CAKE

FOR THE CRUST

2 cups (280g) all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

½ cup (100g) sugar

7 oz (200g) cold butter, diced

4 egg yolks (save the whites for the meringue)

FOR THE MERINGUE

4 egg whites

1 cup (200g) sugar

FOR THE COFFEE-FLAVORED WHIPPED

CREAM FILLING

2 cups (480ml) whipping cream

½ cup (100g) sugar

1 tbsp (8g) instant coffee powder

FOR THE GARNISH

1 oz (30g) dark chocolate

2 tbsp (30ml) whipping cream

To make the crust, preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line a 13 x 11-inch (33 x 28-cm) cake pan with parchment paper.

In a food processor, mix together the flour, baking powder, sugar and butter cubes to a flaky consistency. Add the yolks, and mix only until a ball of dough is formed. Press the dough into the prepared pan and bake for about 20 minutes, until the crust has risen, is golden and is baked all the way through. Set aside to cool.

To make the meringue, lower the oven temperature to 250°F (120°C).

In a mixer, beat the egg whites at medium speed for 1 minute, until a white froth with large bubbles forms. Gradually, add the sugar and beat until stiff and shiny.

On a sheet of parchment paper, draw a rectangle the size of the baking pan. Place the parchment sheet face down (so the ink doesn’t touch the meringue) on a baking sheet. Spread all of the meringue in a thick layer within the lines marked on the parchment sheet. Bake for 3 hours, until the meringue is dry to the touch, beginning to turn gold and easily comes off the paper. Set aside until completely cool.

Right before assembly, make the coffee whipped cream filling. In a mixer, beat together the whipping cream, sugar and instant coffee, until thick and firm. Spread the whipped cream on the baked base, cover with the meringue and press down carefully.

To make the garnish, in a microwave oven, heat the chocolate and whipping cream until melted through, and whisk together to get a smooth sauce. Decorate the meringue by drizzling with the chocolate sauce.

Keep in the refrigerator for 2–3 hours (preferably overnight) before serving. Serve cold.

GRANDMA KNOWS BEST

If you don’t have an extra 2 tablespoons (30ml) whipping cream for the chocolate sauce, you can steal 2 tablespoons (30ml) from the filling (or simply mix the melted chocolate with a teaspoon of oil to make it thinner).

Israeli Cremeschnitte (Napoleon Cake)

Not to be confused with the delicate Parisian mille-feuille (French for a thousand leaves), the cremeschnitte (or Napoleon, as it is sometimes called) is its flaky sister from the ‘hood. Whereas the mille-feuille has thin, dense layers of pastry, baked under the weight of another baking tray, the cremeschnitte has thick, fluffy layers of puff pastry, and its only garnish is tons of powdered sugar on top. The European variety was originally made with a single layer of filling between two sheets of pastry; however, in Israel, another layer was added for a more impressive result.

ONE 14-INCH (35.5-CM) CAKE (8 SERVINGS)

FOR THE CRÈME PÂTISSIÈRE

2 cups (480ml) milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

4 egg yolks

¼ cup (40g) cornstarch

½ cup (100g) granulated sugar

FOR THE PUFF PASTRY LAYERS

1 lb (450g) frozen, pre-rolled puff pastry, defrosted

About 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar, for sprinkling

FOR THE WHIPPED CREAM

2 tbsp (25g) granulated sugar

1 cup (240ml) whipping cream

FOR THE GARNISH

Powdered sugar

To make the crème pâtissière, begin at least 4 hours before you plan to serve, to allow time for cooling and setting. In a large pot over medium-high heat, heat the milk and vanilla until almost boiling. At the same time, in a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, cornstarch and granulated sugar to a light, creamy consistency. Pour a ladle of the hot milk into the yolk mixture, and whisk quickly. Transfer the yolk mixture back to the pot with the hot milk, and heat again over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the first bubbles appear (it should look like porridge).

Remove from the heat, pour into a clean bowl and immediately cover with plastic wrap (the plastic should cling to the cream to prevent a skin from forming). Let cool and then put in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, until the cream is very cold and set.

To make the puff pastry layers, preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Generously sprinkle the granulated sugar over your work surface, and lay down the pastry sheet. Sprinkle some more sugar on the pastry sheet, and roll with a rolling pin just a little to make the sugar stick, and to get a slightly thinner sheet of pastry (about ¼-inch [6-mm] thick). Cut the pastry sheet into 3 long and narrow rectangles. Transfer the pastry rectangles to baking trays lined with parchment paper, and poke with a fork. Bake for approximately 20 minutes, until golden and very fluffy. Let cool completely.

Use an empty (and clean) baking tray to gently press down on the baked pastry sheets to flatten and achieve an even thickness. Turn the pastry sheets upside down (crumbs will fall, but that’s okay). The edges may have twisted slightly during baking. If you want a straight and symmetrical result, use a serrated bread knife to trim about ¼ inch (6mm) off each side.

To make the whipped cream, in a mixer, beat the sugar and cream to a very firm whipped cream. Transfer the whipped cream to another large bowl. In the mixer bowl (no need to wash it), put the now chilled and solid crème pâtissière. Beat at high speed for 1 minute, until the crème pâtissière regains its smooth and creamy consistency. Add the crème pâtissière to the whipped cream in the big bowl, and gently fold them together with a rubber spatula.

To assemble the cake, lay the first pastry rectangle on a platter and spread (or pipe) half of the whipping cream mixture on top. Lay another rectangle on the cream and press down lightly. Spread or pipe the rest of the cream. Cut the third rectangle into smaller squares (the size of an individual portion), and lay them close together on top (this will make cutting the cake easier). Place in the refrigerator for 1 hour, so the filling will set. This ensures smooth and precise slicing. Slice and sprinkle with the powdered sugar for