Dessert is always appropriate and certainly appreciated by your family and guests. Some would argue that it is the
best part of the meal! Depending on the meal you serve, of course, you will want to serve a dessert to compliment and satisfy,
but not send your guests off bloated and miserable! Fresh fruits, a favorite "dessert" in the Middle East, is light enough
to be appropriate for the finale of any meal you serve.
DESSERTS RECIPES
Turkish Coffee Low Fat Moist Chocolate Cake
Rose's Famous Hummingbird (Banana-Walnut) Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting Rose's Rich Coconut Cake
Israeli Carrot Cake
Moist Chocolate Cake
Israeli Honey Cake
Crustless Cheesecake Carol's Huge Cinnamon Rolls
Carol's Giant Poppyseed Muffins
Carol's Giant Banana-Walnut Muffins
Israeli Baklava
Jaffa Orange Cake
Sufganiot (Donuts for Hanukkah)
Rich Lemon Cake
Brandy Fruit & Nut Cake
Ron's Cream Cheese Dessert Delight
Giant Chocolate Cookies
Gribeh - Syrian Butter Cookies
Ma'Moul - Molded Nut filled Cookies
Watermelon & Feta
Fruit Platter
Fruit & Yoghurt Finale
Baked Fresh Fruit Cobbler
Baked Fresh Fruit Crisp
Stuffed Dates
Holiday Sugared Fruit
Yeast Dough
Use this dough to make giant Cinnamon Rolls, savory rolls for appetizers, etc. A versatile dough that can be kept
in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.
Ingredients:
2 pkgs cake yeast (fresh yeast, not dried, found in refrigerator section of store)
1/2 cup lukewarm water (not too hot, not cold)
2 tblsps sugar
3/4 cup butter (melted) or use oil and pour into:
1 cup boiling water
1 cup cold water
3/4 cup sugar
2 tsps salt
2 eggs slightly beaten
7-8 cups flour
Procedure:
Mix the yeast with 1/2 cup lukewarm water, and 2 tblsps of sugar (use the little finger test by inserting your finger
and counting comfortably to 10 - no less, no more). Cover and set aside until the yeast forms a "sponge." Mix the dry ingredients
into the big bowl. In a smaller bowl, beat eggs; set aside. Add boiling and cold water together.
When the sponge is ready, add all the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, adding the yeast last. Mix well and stir
until the dough starts to come away from the bowl. Put in a sack and refrigerate. this dough will keep up to 7 days.
To make Cinnamon Rolls:
Pinch off a generous amount of dough. Roll out in rectangle shape until fairly flat. Brush the surface generously with
melted butter. Sprinkle very generously with cinnamon and then fine white sugar. Carefully roll up the dough towards you as
evenly as possible. Measure each roll about 2-3 inches - or desired size - and use serrated knife to cut down the length of
the roll. Then, go back and cut through, placing each roll on a pan leaving the same space between each roll. Cover with kitchen
cloth in a warm place for about 45 minutes. Bake in pre-heated oven of 350 F degrees for about 12-15 minutes - or until done.
Take them out of the pan immediate and transfer them to a serving platter. Let them cool about 5 minutes and then generously
add thick frosting if serving immediately. To serve later, cool completley and wrap each one individually until ready
to serve. Pop in microwave for about 10 seconds and add frosting.
Turkish Coffee Low Fat Moist Chocolate Cake
Ingredients:
1 3/4 Cups all-purpose flour
1 cup white sugar (I use 1/2 cup)
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/8 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup applesauce
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup hot Turkish coffee (or use very strong coffee)
Procedure:
Preheat oven to 350 F degrees. Make 1 cup of Turkish coffee or regular strong coffee and set aside. Prepare a 12-cup
Bundt pan with margarine and flour dusting, invert and shake out the excess, or coat it with nonstick cooking spray.
In a large mixing bowl, sift dry ingredients. In another bowl, mix buttermilk, brown sugar, eggs, oil, applesauce and
vanilla. Add these ingredients to the sifted dry ingredients; beat with an electric mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes. Whisk
in hot coffee until completely incorporated. (The batter will be quite thin.)
Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, or until the cake tester inserted in the center comes
out clean. Cool the cake in the apn on a rack for 10 minutes; remove from the pan and let cool completely.
Cake Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp pur vanilla extract
1-2 tblsp buttermilk or low-fat milk
In a small bowl, whisk together powdered sguar, vanilla and enough of the buttermilk or milk to make a thick but pourable
icing glaze. Set the cake on a serving plate and drizzle the glaze over the top.
Moist Chocolate Cake
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
3 tblsps cocoa
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp soda
1 tblsp vinegar
5 tblsp vegetable oil
1 cup water
Procedure:
Preheat oven to 350 F degrees. Prepare a 9x13. Sift dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl. In the center of the dry
ingredients, quickly add the measured wet ingredients: water, oil and vinegar last. Stir quickly and pour the batter into
the baking pan. Bake for 25 minutes. Frost with chocolate frosting or simply dust sifted powdered sugar on top.
Chocolate Frosting
Ingredients:
12 oz semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup sour cream
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Procedure:
In saucepan, stir chocolate chips over low heat until melted. Remove from heat; stir in sour cream and valilla. Ice cake
between layers, on sides and on top.
Crustless Cheesecake
Ingredients:
3 - 8oz pkgs cream cheese
1 cup white sugar
1/2 tsp finely grated lemon zest
1/4 tsp salt
5 eggs
1 cup sour cream
2 tblsp white sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
Procedure:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). In a large bowl, combine cream cheese, 1 cup sugar, lemon zest, eggs and
salt. Beat until smooth. Pour into a greased deep dish pie plate.
Bake at 325 degrees F (165 degrees C) for 45 to 50 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for 20 minutes.
To Make Topping:
Combine sour cream, 2 tablspoons sugbar and 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract and stir until smooth. Spread evenly on top
of the b aked cheesecake, then bake 10 minutes at 325 degrees F (165 degrees C) to set the top.
Let cool, refreigerate several hours before serving. I suggest you use sugared fresh strawberries, or you can use your
favorite canned fruit pie filling and put a dollop on each pie serving.
Israeli Honey Cake
Ingredients:
4 cups unbleached flour
3 tblsps baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsps cinnamon
3 eggs, beaten
1 cup honey
2 cups applesauce
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup raisins
1/3 cup chopped almonds or walnuts, optional
Honey
Procedure:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. In another bowl, combine eggs, honey,
applesauce and vanilla; stir together until smooth.
Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the liquid mixture. Stir until thoroughly combined, then
stir in raisins and optional nuts. Divide the batter among two lightly oiled 9- by 5-inch loaf pans. Bake 50 to 60 minutes,
or until a knife inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean.
Take out of the oven, and transfer to a cooling rack. Brush honey on the top of cake.
Sufganiot - Israeli Donuts for Hanukkah
Watermelon & Feta Cheese
Ingredients:
Serving of ice cold watermelon, sliced and cubed
slab of Feta cheese (about 25-30 grams), crumbled or cubed
Procedure:
In a wide serving bowl, lay in the watermelon pieces. Add the Feta cheese and serve.
Holiday Sugared Fruit
Ingredients:
White & purple grapes, lemon leaves
1 egg white, beat well
White sugar
Procedure:
Lay out the clusters of washed and air dried grapes. Brush on the egg white and roll in the white sugar. Set aside to
dry. Use them as decoration for holiday food platters.
