1 box graham crackers
1 lb. walnuts
1 lb. pecans or other nuts
1 lb. dark raisins
1 lb. light raisins
1 lb. currants
1 can Eagle Brand Milk
1 jar maraschino cherries
1 jar green cherries
1 sm. bag miniature marshmallows
1 sm. box figs
1 sm. box dates

Mix together and press into buttered cake mold. Leave in refrigerator for 24 hours (covered). To remove from mold, press hot towel around pan. Keep refrigerated.

Cake:
Cooking spray
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
4 large eggs
1 3/4 cups sugar
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon grated orange rind
1/2 cup fresh orange juice (about 3 oranges)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups thinly sliced Granny Smith or other tart apple (about 3/4 pound)
2 teaspoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Glaze:
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons low-fat buttermilk
1/4 teaspoon baking soda

Preheat oven to 375°.
To prepare cake, coat a 10-inch tube pan with cooking spray; dust with 1 tablespoon flour.

Beat eggs in a large bowl at medium speed of a mixer until foamy; gradually add 1 3/4 cups sugar, beating well. Lightly spoon 3 cups flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine 3 cups flour, baking powder, and next 4 ingredients (baking powder through nutmeg), stirring well with a whisk. Combine rind, juice, oil, and vanilla. Add flour mixture to egg mixture alternately with juice mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Combine apple, 2 teaspoons sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon.

Pour half of batter into prepared pan. Arrange half of apple mixture over batter, overlapping slightly. Repeat procedure with remaining batter and apple mixture. Bake at 375° for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack 20 minutes. Carefully remove cake from pan.

To prepare glaze, combine 1/4 cup sugar, buttermilk, and baking soda in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat 2 minutes or until foamy, stirring constantly. Drizzle glaze over warm cake. Cool completely on rack.

Yield: 18 servings

CALORIES 253 (27% from fat); FAT 7.6g (satfat 1.5g, monofat 2.3g, polyfat 3.2g); PROTEIN 3.8g; CARBOHYDRATE 43g; FIBER 1.1g; CHOLESTEROL 49mg; IRON 1.3mg; SODIUM 180mg; CALCIUM 60mg;

3/4 cup heavy (whipping) cream
3 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon tequila (preferably gold)
8 slices pound cake (each 1/2 inch thick)
2 to 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Pineapple Salsa (recipe follows)
4 fresh mint sprigs, for garnish

1. Place the cream in a chilled mixer bowl or in a large metal bowl. Beat with a mixer until soft peaks form, starting on the slow speed and gradually increasing the speed to high. The total beating time will be 6 to 8 minutes. When soft peaks have formed, add the confectioners’ sugar, cinnamon, and tequila. Continue beating the cream until stiff peaks form, about 2 minutes longer. Don’t overbeat the cream or it will start to turn to butter. The tequila whipped cream can be made several hours ahead. Refrigerate it, covered, until ready to serve.

2. Lightly brush each slice of pound cake with butter on both sides. Cook the pound cake, following the instructions for any of the grills in the box on the previous page, until lightly toasted. If desired, rotate each slice a quarter turn after 1 minute to create a handsome crosshatch of grill marks. You may need to cook the pound cake slices in more than one batch.

3. Place the pound cake slices on plates. Top each serving with a spoonful of Pineapple Salsa and a dollop of tequila whipped cream, garnish with a sprig of mint, and serve at once.

Pineapple Salsa
Makes about 2 cups

2 cups fresh pineapple cut into 1-2-inch cubes
3 tablespoons thinly slivered fresh mint or lemon verbena
1 to 2 jalapeņo peppers (preferably red), seeded and minced (for a hotter salsa, leave the seeds in)
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, or more to taste
1 tablespoon light brown sugar, or more to taste

Place the pineapple, mint, jalapeņo(s), lime juice, and brown sugar in a nonreactive mixing bowl, but don’t mix them until 5 minutes before you are ready to serve. Taste for seasoning, adding more lime juice and/or brown sugar as necessary.

Variation: Slivered mint keeps this salsa in the realm of a salad. If you really want to push the limits try substituting chopped fresh cilantro for the mint.

3 Banana
1 1/2 c Sugar
1/2 c Margarine
3 Egg
3 tb Amaretto liqueur
1 ts Vanilla extract
1 1/3 c All-purpose flour
1/3 c Unsweetened cocoa powder
1 ts Baking soda
1/2 ts Salt
1/2 c Dole chopped almonds

Banana Chocolate Glaze:
1 Small Dole banana
1 oz Semisweet chocolate
Mash bananas (1 1/2 cups).

Recipe Directions
Beat sugar and margarine until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, liqueur and vanilla.

Combine dry ingredients. Stir in almonds. Add to beaten mixture alternately with bananas. Beat well.

Turn batter into greased 10-inch bundt pan. Bake in 350 degree F. oven 45 to 50 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out nearly clean and cake pulls away from sides of pan. Cool 10 minutes. Remove cake from pan to wire rack to cool

BANANA CHOCOLATE GLAZE:
With a wire whip, beat pureed banana into melted chocolate.

3/4 cup butter
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
20 ounces pineapple rings in juice – sliced in half
1 cup walnuts or pecans – chopped coarse
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
5 eggs – separated
1 1/2 cups sugar
8 tablespoons pineapple juice

Recipe Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Melt butter and brown sugar in a 13 x 9 x 3 baking pan (1/4 sheet). Arrange pineapple slices in any pattern in pan and cover with walnuts. Set aside.

Using an electric mixer beat the yolks with 3/4 cups sugar until light and creamy. Add the pineapple juice and mix slightly. Add the flour, baking powder and salt.
Whip the egg whites with 3/4 cups sugar to a soft peak. Now fold the whipped egg whites into the flour mixture and pour into the pineapple/walnut covered baking pan.

Bake for 40-45 minutes. Cool 5 minutes and invert onto serving plate. Cool completely.

Notes:
Use two 9″ pans instead of a 1/4 sheet pan.
Add cherries to pineapple pattern for additional color.

11/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (11/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
21/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
2 egg whites
1 teaspoon coconut extract
1 cup buttermilk OR: sour milk
1 cup shredded sweetened coconut
Cherry Filling:
3/4 cup currant or cherry jelly
1/2 cup dried cherries
Frosting:
1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons 10X (confectioners’) sugar
3/4 cup shredded sweetened coconut
Raspberries and cherries, for garnish (optional)

Recipe Directions
1. Heat oven to 350°. Line a jelly-roll pan with waxed paper. Lightly coat paper with nonstick vegetable-oil cooking spray.
2. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl.
3. Beat together butter and sugar in second medium-size bowl until light and creamy. Add egg whites and coconut extract; beat until fluffy. On low speed, alternately beat in flour mixture and buttermilk in 3 additions. Fold in coconut. Spread evenly in prepared pan.
4. Bake in 350° oven for 25 minutes or until cake springs back in center when lightly pressed with finger. Cool cake in pan on rack 10 minutes. Remove cake from pan to rack to cool completely. Trim 1 inch from short ends of cake. Cut crosswise into thirds.
5. Meanwhile, prepare filling: Combine jelly and cherries in saucepan. Bring to simmering; cook 8 minutes. Place in blender. Whirl until smooth. Transfer to bowl; cool.
6. Spread half of filling over one layer. Top with another layer and spread with remaining filling. Top with third layer.
7. Prepare Frosting: Beat together the heavy cream and sugar in medium-size bowl until thickened. Spoon the cream into a pastry bag fitted with large star tip. Pipe the cream decoratively over top of cake as pictured.
8. Place cake in refrigerator overnight to firm up cake for easier slicing. Sprinkle the shredded coconut over the top of the cake. Garnish with raspberries and cherries if you wish.

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
11/4 cups sugar
3 eggs
11/2 teaspoons vanilla
11/2 cups heavy cream, whipped
1 jar (10 ounces) cherry jam
Whipped Cream Frosting (recipe follows)
6 ounces fresh cherries
Mint sprigs

Recipe Directions
1. Heat oven to 350°. Grease two 8-inch-square baking pans. Line bottoms with waxed paper. Grease paper; flour paper and pans.
2. Sift flour, baking powder, salt and 3/4 cup sugar onto waxed paper.
3. Beat eggs, vanilla and remaining sugar in bowl. Beat in flour mixture just until combined. Fold in whipped cream. Scrape into prepared pans.
4. Bake in 350° oven 25 to 30 minutes, until tops of cakes spring back when lightly pressed. Cool pans on racks 10 minutes. Remove cakes from pans to racks to cool completely.
5. Split cakes in half horizontally with serrated knife, using wooden picks as a guide to mark center of layer. Place 1 layer, cut side up, on serving plate. Spread with one-third of jam. Repeat with remaining layers and jam, leaving top plain. Frost sides and top with Whipped Cream Frosting (recipe below). Garnish with cherries and mint.
Whipped Cream Frosting: Beat 11/2 cups heavy cream and 3 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar to soft peaks.

2 frozen pound cakes (10 3/4 ounces each), thawed
1/2 gallon brick-style Neapolitan or vanilla ice cream, slightly softened
4 ripe bananas
1/4 cup chocolate syrup
1/4 cup finely chopped pistachio nuts
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
Garnish (optional):
Finely chopped pistachio nuts and maraschino cherries

Recipe Directions
1. Using long serrated knife, split cakes horizontally into 3 equal layers. Place 2 bottom layers on serving plate, long sides together.
2. Cut two 1/2-inch-wide lengthwise slices of ice cream and position on the bottom cake layers on the serving plate (photo 1, page 212). Place in freezer along with the remaining ice cream until hardened. Keep remaining cake layers covered.
3. Remove ice cream and cake layers from freezer. Top ice cream with 2 of the bananas, cut into thin slices. Drizzle with half the chocolate syrup and sprinkle with half the pistachio nuts (photo 2).
4. Repeat layering, with cake, ice cream, syrup and nuts; fill in any spaces on ends of layers with additional strips of ice cream. Finish top with cake layers. Return to freezer until hardened.
5. About 15 minutes before serving the cake, beat together the heavy cream, confectioners’ sugar and vanilla in a small bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until soft peaks form. Spread the beaten heavy cream mixture with a spatula over all four sides of the cake and the top to completely cover.
6. Garnish the cake, if desired, with chopped pistachios and maraschino cherries.

2 cups candied red and green cherries, chopped
2 cups walnuts, chopped
1 cup chopped dates
1/2 cup chopped citron
11/2 cups packed light-brown sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened
1/2 cup light molasses
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
2 cups boiling water
4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
Glaze:
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 tablespoon bourbon
1 tablespoon butter or margarine, at room temperature
1 to 2 tablespoons hot water
Assorted berries and grapes, for garnish

Recipe Directions
1. Heat oven to 325°. Generously coat two 6-cup fluted tube pans or two 9 x 5 x 3-inch loaf pans with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Combine cherries, walnuts, dates, citron, sugar, butter, molasses, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves in large bowl. Pour 2 cups boiling water over mixture; stir until butter is melted. Stir in flour and baking soda until well mixed. Scrape into prepared pans, dividing evenly.
3. Bake in 325° oven, 1 hour for tube pans, 65 to 70 minutes for loaf pans. Cool cakes in pans on wire rack for 15 minutes. Unmold cakes onto rack. Cool completely.
4. Meanwhile, prepare glaze: Whisk together confectioners’ sugar, bourbon and butter in small bowl until smooth. Gradually stir in enough hot water to make good drizzling consistency. Cover; set aside.
5. When cake is cooled, drizzle with glaze. Let stand until glaze hardens. Decorate with berries and grapes.

1/4 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup nuts
1 cup sliced peaches

2 eggs
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup milk
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder

Recipe Directions
Melt the 1/4 cup of butter in 9-inch skillet and add brown sugar and nuts. Arrange peaches on top.

Beat eggs gradually, adding salt and sugar. Add milk, butter and vanilla and mix. Blend in flour and baking powder. Pour batter over fruit and bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes. Turn cake upside down on platter. Serve with whipped cream.