Welfare Cake Food

POOR MAN'S PUDDING CAKE (POUDING CHOMEUR)

Steps:

• In a saucepan melt butter or margarine; stir in brown sugar.
• Add water and vanilla.
• Bring to a boil.
• Meanwhile, make the dough.
• Cream butter or margarine; add sugar.
• In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt.
• Add to butter mixture alternately with milk.
• Pour syrup into a 9 X 13 baking dish.
• Drop dough by teaspoons over syrup.
• Bake at 350 F for 30 minutes.

ANGEL FOOD CAKE

Steps:

• Adjust the oven rack to the lower middle position and preheat oven to 325°F (163°C).
• In a food processor or blender, pulse the sugar until fine and powdery. Remove 1 cup and set aside to use in step 3; keep the rest inside the food processor. Add the cake flour and salt to the food processor. Pulse 5-10 times until sugar/flour/salt mixture is aerated and light.
• In a large bowl using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip egg whites and cream of tartar together on medium-low until foamy, about 1 minute. Switch to medium-high and slowly add the 1 cup of sugar you set aside. Whip until soft peaks form, about 5-6 minutes. See photo and video above for a visual. Add the vanilla extract, then beat just until incorporated.
• In 3 additions, slowly sift the flour mixture into the egg white mixture using a fine mesh strainer, gently folding with a rubber spatula after each addition. To avoid deflating or a dense cake, don't add the flour mixture all at once. Sift and very slowly fold in several additions. This is important! Pour and spread batter into an ungreased 9 or 10 inch tube pan. Shimmy the pan on the counter to smooth down the surface.
• Bake the cake until a toothpick inserted comes out clean, about 40-45 minutes. Rotate the pan halfway through baking. The cake will rise up very tall while baking. Remove from the oven, then cool the cake completely upside-down set on a wire rack, about 3 hours. (Upside-down so the bottom of the tube pan is right-side up, see photo and video above.) Once cooled, run a thin knife around the edges and gently tap the pan on the counter until the cake releases.
• If desired, dust with confectioners' sugar. Slice the cake with a sharp serrated knife. Regular knives can easily squish the cake. Serve with whipped cream and fresh berries.
• Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

WELFARE COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Spray your baking pan with cooking spray OR line with aluminum foil.
• Line cookie sheet with the crackers, breaking the end pieces to fit the pan.
• Melt the butter in a saucepan, stir in the sugar; bring to a boil stirring constantly until the the sugar is melted and turns a light caramel color.
• Spread sugar mixture on crackers and place in oven for 10 minutes.
• Remove pan from oven& sprinkle chocolate chips over all.
• Spread with a knife when chips melt enough to do so.
• Sprinkle with crushed walnuts.