One of the best parts of the Holiday season is the fun new recipes you can try out! Whether you’re entertaining a lot of guests or just whipping up a sweet treat for the family, these cookie and cake recipes are guaranteed to sweeten any gathering. All of these recipes came from our 2019 State Fair of Texas Cookbook. Take a peek and bon appétit!
Cherry-Vanilla Cloud Cake
Ellen J. Ritchie
Saginaw, TX
1st Place – Cake Contest
2 ¾ cups flour
1 2/3 cups sugar
1 T. baking powder
1 tsp salt
¾ cups butter, softened
6 egg whites
1 cup plain yogurt
1 tsp clear vanilla
1 cup cherry fruit spread or jam
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease 3 (9-inch) round pans and line with parchment. Mix all flour, sugar, baking powder and salt until blended. Add softened butter and mix until crumbly. Add egg whites, one at a time, beating well and scarping bowl after each addition. Add yogurt and vanilla. Beat 1-2 minutes, until fluffy. Spread butter into prepared pans. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a tester inserted into center comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool before removing from pan. Place layers on serving plate and fill with cherry fruit spread.
Frosting:
4 T. butter, softened
½ cup milk
¼ tsp vanilla
Pinch of salt
6 cups of powdered sugar
Mix all ingredients in a small bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add more milk or powdered sugar, if necessary, to achieve desired consistency. Frost sides and top of cake.
Cranberry White Chocolate Nut Roll
Cake Batter:
4 eggs, separated
½ cups sugar, divided
1 cup cranberries, cut in half
½ cups chopped walnuts
1/3 cups cake flour
2 T. cornstarch
1 tsp. cinnamon
T. butter, melted
*Powdered sugar, for rolling & cooling cake
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease a jellyroll pan and line with parchment paper, then grease paper. In a large bowl beat egg whites until foamy. Gradually add ¼ cup sugar and beat until stiff peaks; set aside. In medium mixer bowl beat egg yolks and remaining sugar until light and fluffy. Fold in cranberries, walnuts, flour, cornstarch, and cinnamon. Fold in egg white mixture, then fold in melted butter. Spread in jellyroll pan. Bake 20 minutes. Loosen sides of cake from pan, sprinkle towel with powdered sugar; insert cake onto towel. Peel off the parchment paper. Starting at one end, roll cake into a towel with more powdered sugar and sit seam side down. Let cool completely on wire rack.
White Chocolate Buttercream:
12 ounces white chocolate chips
½ cups heavy whipping cream
1 ½ cups butter
2 cups powdered sugar
Prepare white chocolate buttercream. Melt white chocolate chips with heavy cream in microwave in 30-second increments. Beat in butter and powdered sugar and continue beating until light and fluffy. Unroll cooled cake carefully, then frost inside of the cake. Re-roll up and frost outside of cake. You can pipe this portion for a more decorative outside.
Holiday Cinnamon Toffee
Tonya Benson
Fredericksburg, TX
Best in Show, 1st Place – Domino/C&H Sugar Candy Contest
Ingredients:
1 cup almond slices, lightly toasted*
¾ cup unsalted butter
½ cup C&H or Domino sugar
½ cup C&H or Domino golden brown sugar
1/8 tsp sea salt
½ tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon
1 cup dark chocolate chips
1 cup cinnamon chips
¼ cup finely chopped, toasted pecans *Toast in oven on a lined baking sheet at 350 degrees for 3-4 minutes until lightly toasted.
On a parchment-lined 9 x 13-inch baking sheet or silicon bake sheet spread toasted almond slices evenly over 9 x 13-inch area. In a heavy 2-quart saucepan, combine butter, sugars, salt, and vanilla. Then, cook over medium-high heat for 7-10 minutes, stirring constantly with a clean wooden spoon until smooth and silky. (Note – It will start smoking slightly.) Stir in cinnamon. Immediately pour over almonds to cover completely. Sprinkle chips evenly over hot candy and wait 1 minute. Spread melted chips evenly over candy. Sprinkle with pecans. Cool completely. Break into pieces. Store in a tightly covered container in a cool place.
The Apple Spice Cake
Anna Jones
Coppell, TX
2nd Place – Cake Contest
Filling:
6 cups chopped apples
½ cup unsalted butter
½ cup sugar
2 tsp apple pie spice
Filling: Combine apples, butter, sugar, and spice. Cook over medium heat until apples have softened, and mixture has thickened. Set aside to cool completely (about 2 hours); if not using after cooling, cover and chill until ready to use.
Cake:
1 cup butter, softened
2 cup sugar
5 large eggs, separated
1 ½ tsp apple pie spice
3 cups flour
1 cup buttermilk
1 tsp. baking soda
1 cup pumpkin butter
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 3 (8-inch) cake pans, line with parchment paper and grease and flour paper. In large mixing bowl, beat butter at medium speed until creamy. Gradually add sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Add egg yolks, one at a time, beating just until blended after each addition. Stir together apple pie spice and flour in medium bowl; stir together buttermilk and baking soda in large glass measuring cup. On low speed, add flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with buttermilk mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Fold in pumpkin butter. In separate clean mixing bowl, beat egg whites at high speed with a whisk attachment until stiff peaks form. Stir about 1/3 of egg whites into batter; fold in remaining egg whites. Divide batter among prepared cake pans. Bake for 28-30 minutes or until toothpick inserted near center comes out with moist crumbs. Remove from oven to wire rack to cool for 10 minutes. Invert out of pan onto cooling rack to cool completely. Once cake and apples have cooled, make frosting. Assemble cake by layering cake then apples, repeat, and top with final cake layer. Frost top and side with frosting as desired.
Hint of Cream Cheese Frosting:
1 cup butter, softened
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
6 cups powdered sugar, sifted
In a large mixing bowl, beat butter, cream cheese, and vanilla until smooth. Gradually add powdered sugar; continue beating until light and fluffy.
Chocolate Lovers Delight
Franklin Creed
Euless, TX
1st Place – Cookie Contest
Ingredients:
½ cup unsalted butter, softened
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 ½ cup granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla
4 large eggs
2 T. buttermilk
1 cup Hodgson Mill all-purpose flour
½ cup cocoa powder
½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp salt
11 ounce package of semi-sweet chocolate chunks
Preheat your oven to 325 degrees and prepare cookie sheets with parchment paper. Put butter and unsweetened and semisweet chocolates in a microwave-safe bowl and melt on half power until smooth (about 2 minutes total but stir after 1 minute). Stir and heat again, if necessary. Meanwhile, stir light brown and granulated sugars and vanilla into the chocolate mixture with a wooden spoon. Add eggs and buttermilk and beat vigorously until thick and glossy. In another bowl, whisk Hodgson Mill flour, cocoa, cinnamon and salt together. Add dry ingredients to wet and stir until mixed. Then, stir in chocolate chunks. Drop batter by heaping tablespoon onto parchment and bake 17-20 minutes. Cool cookies on baking sheets and store in an airtight tin for up to 1 week.