Angel Food

Cake Contest

Elizabeth Pokrivka, of Seven Valleys, York County, took home first prize in the 2018 INCREDIBLE! Egg Angel Food Cake Contest.

Placing second was Steven Donough of Port Royal, representing the Juniata County Fair

Angel Food Cake Supreme Champion Recipe

Cake:

1 cup cake flour

1 1/4 cup powdered sugar

1/4 cup ground, walnuts

1 3/4 cups PEQAP or (PA produced) egg whites, room temperature

1 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon flavoring

Sift cake flour and the powdered sugar. Stir in ground nuts. Set aside in a medium bowl. In bowl of a stand mixer, beat egg whites until foamy. Add salt, cream of tartar and flavoring. Beat on high. Gradually add in sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, until all sugar has been incorporated. Beat until stiff peaks form. Gradually fold in flour mixture.

Pour into a tube pan and bake at 375 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes, or until done. Cool completely. When cooled, torte cake into 2 layers. Place bottom layer on cake board, cover with even layer of filling, top with cake layer, and frost with pumpkin frosting. Decorate with frostings, filling, pecans, or as desired.

Pumpkin filling:

2 cups canned pumpkin pie filling

1/2 cup evaporated milk

1/2 cup superfine sugar

1/4 cup cornstarch, for thickening

Combine pumpkin, milk, sugar and cornstarch in a pan and stir together. Bring to a boil. Mix, whisking to remove the lumps. Stir constantly over heat, until desired consistency is reached.

Pumpkin Frosting:

2 (16-oz.) containers frozen whipped topping

2 (4-serving size) boxes butterscotch instant pudding and pie filling

1/2 cup milk

Combine in a bowl until well mixed, frost cake as instructed above.

Whoopie Pie

Contest

Jim Harper, Pennsylvania Furnace, Centre County, won the blue ribbon, topping 25 entries in the third annual Whoopie Pie competition.

Third place went to Tina Wilt, of Middleburg.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Whoopie Pie

(First place)

3 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups cocoa

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup butter

2 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups buttermilk

1 teaspoon vanilla

Filling ingredients:

1 cup butter

1 cup peanut butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups 10X sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Combine first five ingredients and set aside.

Beat together butter and sugar.

Add eggs one at a time, blending well after each addition.

Add buttermilk and vanilla, mix well.

Add dry ingredients blending until just combined.

Grease cooking sheets.

Scoop 1 ounce of batter and drop onto pan.

Bake 12 minutes.

Allow to cool for 3 minutes before removing from pan.

To make filling, beat butter until smooth.

Blend in sugar until well incorporated.

Add vanilla and beat until light and fluffy.

Assemble whoopie pies by placing heaping spoonful of filling on one side and sandwiching the other side onto it.

Chocolate Whoopie Pies

(Second place)

1 cup butter

2 cups brown sugar

4 eggs

3 cups flour

1 cup cocoa

1 cup milk

2 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 teaspoons baking soda

Mix butter and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla. Add dry ingredients alternately with milk. Drop with cookie scoop. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 12 minutes. Put icing between 2 whoopie cookies.

Filling:

1 egg white

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 teaspoons flour

2 teaspoons milk

2 cups confectioner’s sugar

3/4 cup Crisco

Beat egg white until stiff. Add all other ingredients. Beat until smooth and fluffy. Drop icing with cookie scoop in the middle of cookie and place another cookie on top.

Chocolate Cake

Dolly Getz of Lancaster County took home first place and a $500 prize in the PA Preferred Homemade Chocolate Cake Contest.

Getz entered a decadent chocolate cake, a recipe that won a blue ribbon at the 2017 Elizabethtown Fair.

One of the judges for the competition was Val Edmiston, assistant plant manager of Asher’s Chocolate Co., Lewistown.

The recipe for the winning chocolate cake is featured below:

Chocolate Cake

Cake:

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour

2 cups sugar

3/4 cup cocoa

2 1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup milk

1/2 cup melted coconut oil

1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 large eggs

1 cup hot water

Coconut filling:

14 ounce can of sweetened condensed milk

3 cups of sweetened shredded coconut

2-4 tablespoons of slivered almonds, toasted

Coconut Frosting:

1 1/4 cups butter

1 1/4 cups shortening

10 cups powdered sugar

1 1/2 tablespoons coconut extract

5-6 tablespoons water or milk

Chocolate Ganache:

6 ounces/1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup of heavy whipping cream

Almond Joy candy bars (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and prepare three 8 inch cake pans with non-stick baking spray and parchment paper in the bottom.

Add the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt to a large mixer bowl and combine. Set aside.

Add the milk, oil, vanilla extract and eggs to a medium sized bowl and combine. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and beat until well combined.

Slowly add the hot water to the butter and mix on low speed until well combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to make sure everything is well combined.

Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cake pans and bake for 22 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs. Remove cakes from oven and allow to cool for 2 to 3 minutes, then remove to a cooling rack to finish cooling.

To make the coconut filling, add the shredded coconut and sweetened condensed milk to a medium bowl and stir to combine. Set aside.

To make the frosting, cream the butter and shortening in a large mixer bowl and mix together until well combined. Add half of the powdered sugar and mix until smooth. Add the coconut extract.

Slowly add the remaining powdered sugar and mix until smooth. Add water or milk, as needed.

To build the cake, use a large serrated knife to remove the tops of the cake layers so that they’re flat. Place the first cake layer on a serving plate or cardboard cake circle then pipe a dam of coconut frosting around the edge of the cake. Add about half of the coconut filling inside of the dam, then spread evenly into an even layer.

Sprinkle 1 to 2 tablespoons of slivered almonds over the top and press into the filling. Add the next cake layer, then top it with another dam of frosting, the remaining coconut filling and more slivered almonds. Add the final cake layer to the top of the cake. Smooth out the frosting on the top and sides of the cake.

Set the cake aside and make the chocolate ganache. Put the chocolate chips in a heatproof bowl.

Microwave the heavy whipping cream until it just begins to boil, then pour it over the chocolate chips. Allow it to sit for 2 to 3 minutes, then whisk until smooth. Use a squeeze bottle or a spoon to drizzle the chocolate around the edges of the cake, then fill in the top of the cake and smooth it with an offset spatula. Allow the ganache to firm a bit, about 10 minutes, then top with remaining frosting, a little more shredded coconut, almond slivers, and Almond Joy candy bars.

Cookie, Brownie, Bar Contest

Madison Shaw, of Dauphin County, won the 30th Annual PA Preferred Cookie, Brownie and Bar Contest.

Caramel Apple

Cheesecake Bars

Crust:

1 cup flour

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup PA Preferred butter

Cheesecake:

8 ounces cream cheese

1 large PA Preferred egg

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

Apple Filling:

2 cups diced PA Preferred apples

2 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon cinnamon

Crumble:

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup flour

1/2 oats

6 tablespoons PA Preferred butter

Caramel:

1 1/2 cups sugar

9 tablespoons PA Preferred butter

3/4 cup heavy cream

Combine crust ingredients and press into a parchment paper lined 9 x 9 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.

Blend cheesecake ingredients in a large bowl and set aside.

Peel and core apples for apple filling. Dice them into a bowl. Top with other ingredients and mix well. Set aside.

In a bowl, combine the sugar and flour for the crumble. With a fork, cut in the butter. Stir in the oats.

Over medium heat, in a saucepan, melt the sugar for the caramel stirring constantly. When melted, stir in butter. Remove from heat and carefully stir in heavy cream. Set aside.

Pour cheesecake mix over crust, then layer with the apple filling and top with crumble. Bake for 50 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Top with melted caramel sauce.

Thumbprint Cookies

Last year’s runner-up in the Pennsylvania Farm Show thumbprint cookie contest, Shelley Pokrivka of Seven Valleys, York County, found a winning recipe this year.

Shelley’s Farm Show Thumbprints

1/4 cup butter (soft)

1/4 cup shortening

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 egg, separated

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup finely chopped walnuts and pecans (1/4 c and 1/8 cup each)

2 cups favorite jelly or preserves (elderberry)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix butter and shortening until creamy, add egg yolk and vanilla. Mix dry ingredients together and combine.

Shape by teaspoons into balls. Roll each ball into beaten egg white and then nuts.

Place 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Using finger or wooden spoon handle, make indentation into the center of each ball. Bake for 10 minutes. Fill each cookie with jelly or preserves. When all are filled, put back into oven and bake for 2 minutes. Cool and serve.

Yield: 3 dozen thumbprints

Sticky Bun

Contest

Marel King, of Harrisburg, won first place in the Sticky Bun Contest.

Pecan Sticky Buns

Dough:

1 teaspoon sugar

1 packet active dry yeast

1/2 cup warm water

1/2 cup milk

1/4 cup sugar

1 stick butter, melted

1 teaspoon salt

2 eggs, beaten

3 cups flour

Syrup:

1 stick butter

1 pint TURKEY brand table syrup by Good Food, Inc.

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup chopped pecans, divided

Filling:

1/4 cup butter, melted

1/2 cup cinnamon sugar

1/2 cup chopped pecans

In large mixing bowl, dissolve sugar and yeast in warm water. Let stand for 10 minutes.

In separate bowl, combine melted butter, milk, 1/4 cup sugar and salt. Add milk mixture, eggs and half the flour to yeast mixture. Mix well. Add remaining flour and stir until flour is incorporated. Turn out dough onto floured surface and knead for eight minutes. Place into large greased bowl. Cover and let rise for 1 1/2 hours.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In small saucepan, melt 1 stick butter. Add Turkey syrup and 2 cups sugar. Bring just to boiling, stirring continuously. Remove from heat. Pour evenly into two 8x 8-inch baking pans. Sprinkle 1/2 cup pecans over syrup in each pan.

On floured surface, roll dough into a rectangle, about 15x 18 inches. With a pastry brush, apply melted butter to surface of dough. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar and then 1/2 cup pecans over buttered dough. Roll-up dough from long edge to form a long roll. Cut rolled dough into 18 slices. Arrange rolls, cut side down, in baking pans.Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Cool 10 minutes and then invert rolls onto serving tray.