Heat the contents on HIGH for 90 seconds.
Take the bowl out of the microwave (use potholders or oven mitts) and attempt to stir the contents smooth. (Butterscotch chips sometimes maintain their shape even when they’re melted.) If you’re able to stir the mixture smooth, set the bowl on the kitchen counter and let it cool. If the chips aren’t melted yet, microwave them in 20-second intervals on HIGH until they are, and again, stir smooth.
When you’re able to cup your hands around the bowl comfortably and you don’t think the mixture is so hot it could cook the eggs, separate 4 eggs into yolks and whites. Refrigerate the whites, and add the yolks to the bowl with the butter and chip mixture.
Stir the bowl thoroughly.
Next add the 5 whole eggs, one at a time, to your mixing bowl, stirring after each egg is added. Mix until everything is well combined.
Sprinkle in the white sugar and stir it in thoroughly.
Mix in the flour and stir until the batter is smooth and lump-free.
Transfer the batter to the pans you’ve selected, dividing it as evenly as you can between the pans.
Then get out a baking sheet with sides and line it with foil to serve as a drip pan, transfer the baking dishes to the drip pan, and check your oven to make sure it’s risen to the proper temperature.
If your oven is ready, slide the baking dishes and drip pan into the oven and bake at 500 degrees F. for EXACTLY 7 minutes, no more and no less. Do this by setting a timer, and don’t open the oven door while your Butterscotch Sundae Cakes are baking.
Hannah’s 2nd Note: The success of this recipe depends on high, even heat for a limited amount of time. Your goal is to bake the outside of the cakes and leave the inside filled with hot molten butterscotch.
When your timer rings, immediately take the cakes and drip pan out of the oven, and place it on a wire rack or cold stovetop burner.
Hannah’s 3rd Note: The center of each cake will jiggle a bit when you remove them from the oven, but don’t worry. That’s the way they’re supposed to be.
Once the cakes are on the wire rack, give them 2 minutes to set up slightly. Then use potholders to upend them on dessert plates or bowls.
Use two forks to pull apart the tops to expose the sauce in the center.
Carry these cakes to the table and use a small ice-cream scoop to drop scoops of vanilla or chocolate ice cream in the center of the rich molten center.
Serve with plenty of strong hot coffee or icy glasses of milk and accept your guests’ rave reviews.
Yield: 9 cakes in large muffin tins, 6 cakes in large removable popover tins, 8 cakes in small soufflé dishes, 6 cakes in large soufflé dishes, or 6 cakes in disposable foil pot pie tins.
If you have leftover cakes, they can be reheated in the microwave, but they won’t be the same. They’ll still be tasty, but the centers will turn into moist cake.
Hannah’s 4th Note: If I want my dessert to be extra fancy, I make up some of the berry sauce I use on pancakes and create little designs around the edges of large dessert plates and set the cakes in the middle of the plate.
EUROPEAN PEACH CAKE
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F., rack in the middle position.
Ingredients:
4 cups frozen sliced peaches
3 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups white (granulated) sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
? teaspoon salt
2 cups all-purpose flour (pack it down in the cup when you measure it)
Directions:
Before you start assembling the cake, measure out 4 cups of frozen peach slices and put them in a large strainer to thaw. While you’re waiting for your peach slices to thaw, prepare your cake pan.
Prepare your pan by spraying a 9-inch by 13-inch cake pan with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray.
When the peach slices are thawed, pat them dry with several thicknesses of paper towels.
Arrange the peach slices on the bottom of the prepared cake pan the way you’d do for a pie.
Hannah’s Note: You can mix the cake batter by hand, or with an electric mixer. We use our electric mixer down at The Cookie Jar because we quadruple the recipe and make four European Peach Cakes at once.
In a medium-sized bowl, whisk the eggs with the oil until they’re thick. Then add the sugar and beat it in.
Mix in the vanilla, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Mix thoroughly.
Add the flour in one-cup increments, mixing after each cup.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Then give the batter a final stir with a spoon.
Use a mixing spoon to drop the batter over the peaches in spoonfuls. (Don’t worry if the batter doesn’t completely cover the peach slices—the batter will spread out during baking.)
Bake at 350 degrees F. for 60 minutes. (Mine took only 50 minutes.)
Cool the cake in the pan on a cold stovetop burner or on a wire rack.
Frosting Ingredients:
8-ounce package softened cream cheese (the brick kind, not the whipped)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 Tablespoon lemon juice (freshly squeezed is best of course)
4 Tablespoons (? stick, 2 ounces) salted butter, melted
2 cups confectioners (powdered) sugar (no need to sift unless it’s got big lumps)
If you forgot to take the cream cheese out of the refrigerator to soften naturally, unwrap it, place it in a microwave-safe bowl, and heat it for 20 seconds on HIGH. Check it to see if it’s soft. If it’s not, give it another 15 seconds or so, until it is.
Stir the vanilla extract into your cream cheese. Then add the lemon juice and the melted butter. Mix until it’s smooth.
Beat in the powdered sugar in half-cup increments, checking the consistency after each addition. You don’t want the frosting too runny, but you also want it thicker than a drizzle frosting.
When the mixture is the proper consistency, stop adding powdered sugar. (I didn’t add all of mine.)
This frosting is very forgiving. If it’s too runny, add more powdered sugar. If it’s too stiff, add a little more lemon juice or vanilla.
Yield: At least 12 squares of delicious cake, depending on the size you cut the pieces.
APPLE SCHOOL PIE
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F., rack in the middle position.
Hannah’s 1st Note: I adapted this pie from Edna Fergusson’s recipe. Edna is the head cook for the Lake Eden School District and she makes this pie for school lunches. This recipe makes Apple School Pie in a 9-inch by 13-inch cake pan.
The Crust:
Either buy a package of your favorite 2-crust frozen pie crusts, or make your favorite 2-crust pie pastry recipe.
Ingredients for the Filling:
1 and ? cups white (granulated) sugar
? cup all-purpose flour (pack it down in the cup when you measure it)
? teaspoon ground nutmeg (freshly ground is best, of course)
1 teaspoon cinnamon (if it’s been sitting in your cupboard for years, buy some new cinnamon!)
? teaspoon ground cardamom
? teaspoon salt
4 cups cored, sliced, and peeled apples (I used a combination of green Granny Smith and Fuji or Gala apples)
2 teaspoons lemon juice