Prize Winning Desserts Food

PRIZE-WINNING GLUTEN-FREE SPONGE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 180C (350F). Coat 2 spring form pans with baking spray, then line with baking paper. The baking spray helps keep the paper from moving around.
• In a microwave bowl or small saucepan, place the sugar and water. Bring to a boil. Stir every now and then to dissolve the sugar.
• Beat the egg whites with an electric mixer until stiff. Slowly drizzle in the hot sugar mixture with the mixer running. Then beat really hard for 3 minutes. Mix in egg yolks and vanilla.
• Sift together cornstarch, baking powder and salt. Carefully fold these into the egg mixture. Pour into prepared pans.
• Bake 18-20 minutes. As soon as you remove them from the oven, drop the pans from knee height, square on the floor - seriously! This is a strange sponge making trick that 'shocks' the cake and stops it from deflating.
• Then immediatly turn sponges out onto a wire rack or baking paper to cool upside down.
• Beat cream and vanilla until soft peaks form. Warm jam for a few seconds in the microwave.
• Place one sponge on the serving plate. Spread first with jam, then whipped cream.Top with strawberry slices. Then put second sponge on top. Dust with icing .

AWARD WINNING ALMOND DESSERT BARS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350F with rack on lower middle position. Grease a 9x13 pan and set aside.
• Make the Crust: In a large bowl, combine the butter and powdered sugar; using electric (or stand) mixer fitted with paddle attachment, mix together on medium high speed until light and fluffy, 3-4min. Gently add flour and mix on low speed just until combined. Mixture will be crumbly, so use hands to form a dough ball. Press evenly into prepared glass pan to form bottom crust (I use bottom of a flat glass cup to press down evenly.) Bake 18 minutes or until lightly browned and set. Remove from oven, but leave oven on.
• While the crust is baking, make Filling: In a large bowl, combine eggs, very-soft cream cheese, and sugar. Whisk together until creamy and no lumps remain (it really helps if your cream cheese is quite soft to start with.) Add almond extract and mix to combine. Evenly pour the filling over crust, using rubber spatula to scrape all filling. Bake 15-20 min or until set. Let dessert cool completely on wire rack.
• Frost the Bars: In a bowl, combine all frosting ingredients. Whisk until smooth and no more lumps. Evenly frost over cooled dessert bars (be sure bars have cooled completely before frosting.) Cover, chill, and serve with almond slices on top.

AWARD-WINNING MASCARPONE POUND CAKE

Steps:

• Coat a 10-inch tube pan or bundt pan with solid vegetable shortening, then sprinkle with granulated sugar. Or, spray with cake release, my favorite!
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F
• In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter, shortening, and mascarpone until smooth.
• Add sugar and beat until fluffy, mixture will lighten in color slightly.
• Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition.
• Slowly add flour to mixture and combine.
• Add vanilla, butter, and almond extracts and combine.
• Spoon batter into prepared pan. Bake 1 hour and 15 to 20 minutes or until pick inserted in center comes out clean or with 'dry' crumbs.
• Allow to cool on the countertop on a wire rack 15 minutes before inverting on a serving tray. Cool completely before covering.
• Cake can be stored in an air-tight container on the counter-top for 3 to 4 days or refrigerator for one week.

ELSIE'S FAIR PRIZE WINNING ANGEL FOOD CAKE

Steps:

• OK FOLLOW THIS EXACTLY. She doesn't say but prepare the Angel Food pan in the normal manner.
• NOTE: Sift the flour and the sugar together five time.
• Put the whites, salt in a bowl and beat on number eight until foamy then add the tartar and beat on number 8 until stiff and stand in peaks, that is about 2 1/2 to 3 minutes. DO NOT OVER BEAT UNTIL DRY.
• Sprinkle in gradually: the granulated sugar while beating on number seven speed. Beat only until sugar is blended, about 1 1/3 minutes then turn to number one speed and add the vanilla and almond extracts.
• Sprinkle the sifted flour and sugar. Mix evenly and quickly. Beat only enough to blend for about 1 1/2 minutes.
• Pour into pan. Cut thru the batter with a knife three times.
• Bake at 375°F for 35 minutes.
• Remove from oven and cool in pan upside down for about 1 hour.