The Frugal Foodie Cookbook (24 page)

S
urprisingly, cheesecake is among the simplest desserts to make, and it’s such a crowd pleaser that it would be worth far more effort than it takes. Use frozen berries for the sauce in the winter or any seasonal berries you may find.

CRUST:

2 cups graham cracker crumbs

3 tablespoons sugar

1 stick butter, melted

CHEESECAKE FILLING:

3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened

1 cup sugar

3 eggs

¼ cup half-and-half

¾ cup low-fat buttermilk

1½ tablespoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

BERRY SAUCE:

2 cups fresh or frozen mixed berries

cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon brandy

1½ teaspoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon cornstarch

Berries for garnish (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°F. To make crust, mix together crumbs and sugar. Melt butter; stir into crumb mixture until well combined. Press into bottom of greased springform pan; set aside. With hand mixer, combine cream cheese and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, then gradually mix in half-and-half and buttermilk; add lemon juice and vanilla. Pour over crust. Place springform pan in large baking dish filled with water. Bake 50–60 minutes, or until golden brown and firm. Let cool to room temperature before removing from pan. To make berry topping, combine berries, sugar, brandy, and lemon juice in medium saucepan. Simmer until berries begin to break down, about 10 minutes. Strain through sieve into bowl, pressing to extract as much juice as possible. Return strained juice to saucepan; bring back to simmer. Add cornstarch; continue to simmer until sauce begins to thicken, about 5 minutes. Let cool; serve over cheesecake with fresh berries.

Hot Fudge Pudding Cake

price
$12
servings
6
price per serving
$2

T
his cake tastes like warm brownie batter that you can scoop over ice cream for the tastiest chocolate delight imaginable.

1 cup flour

¾ cup sugar

2 tablespoons plus ¼ cup cocoa powder

2 tablespoons baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

½ cup milk

2 tablespoons melted butter

1 cup brown sugar

1¾ cups hot water

Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine flour, sugar, 2 tablespoons cocoa powder, baking powder, salt, milk, and melted butter in large bowl; mix well. Spread into ungreased 8" × 6" brownie pan. In small bowl, mix brown sugar and ¼ cup cocoa powder; sprinkle evenly over batter. Gently pour hot water over entire mixture. Set brownie pan on cookie sheet; bake 45 minutes. Transfer to cooling rack for several minutes; serve warm with ice cream.

Moist Apple Cake with Sherry Glaze

price
$20
servings
8
price per serving
$2.50

T
his cake is heart-meltingly moist and thick, as it’s packed with chopped apples, nuts, and spices. The sherry glaze crystallizes beautifully over the cake and adds a complementary kick to each bite. This also happens to be our favorite cake batter, and we think the opportunity to lick the bowl is itself a reason to bake this cake.

3 cups all-purpose flour

1½ teaspoons baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

teaspoon nutmeg

1 cup butter

2 cups sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla

3 eggs

1 cup sour cream

2 cups walnuts, chopped

3 cups Gala apples, peeled, cored, and chopped

SHERRY GLAZE:

½ cup sherry

1½ cups sugar

Preheat oven to 350°F. In small bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. In large bowl, use mixer to cream together butter and sugar until thick. Add vanilla; beat in eggs 1 at a time. Alternate beating dry ingredients and sour cream into butter mixture. Stir in nuts and apples. Pour batter into greased tube or Bundt pan. Bake 90 minutes; remove from pan and transfer to cooling rack. To make glaze, combine sherry and sugar in small pan over medium heat. Bring to a boil; boil 8 minutes, then let cool 10 minutes, until it begins to become opaque. Pour glaze over cake; let drip down sides. Serve once glaze has cooled.

Peanut Butter Ice Cream Cake

price
$18
servings
6
price per serving
$3

I
ce cream cakes are a tradition for birthdays in Alanna’s family, and this one is ideal for peanut butter lovers. Half of the cake is frozen whipped cream and the other half is peanut butter icing, so each bite contains a delicious duo of sweet and light cream with thick peanut butter. The chopped peanuts and chocolate wafer crust lend texture and crunch.

3 pints peanut butter ice cream

1 box chocolate wafer cookies

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1½ cups well-chilled heavy cream

1 teaspoon vanilla

¾ cup peanuts, chopped

Begin preparing cake 1 day ahead. Set out ice cream 15 minutes to soften. Grind wafers in food processor until they resemble coarse meal. Set aside ¾ cup cookie crumbs; add melted butter to remaining crumbs to form crumbly crust. Press crust into bottom and 1" up sides of a 9" springform pan. Freeze crust 30 minutes. After crust has been freezing for 30 minutes, remove ice cream from freezer to soften for 15 minutes. Spread softened ice cream evenly over crust. Return to freezer for 30 minutes. Use electric mixer to whip heavy cream with vanilla until soft peaks form. Gently fold reserved cookie crumbs and chopped peanuts into whipped cream. Spread over cake; cover with foil and return to freezer for at least 4 hours, or overnight. Before releasing cake from pan, wrap warm, dampened kitchen towel around outside of pan to loosen cake. Remove cake, transfer to large plate, and serve immediately.

Pie Crust

price
$8
servings
8
price per serving
$1

H
ere’s a pie crust recipe that turns out exactly how we like it—flaky yet soft.

1¼ cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons granulated sugar

½ teaspoon salt

7 tablespoons cold butter, cut into ½" pieces

3 tablespoons cold water

Combine dry ingredients. Use hands, fork, or food processor to rub dry ingredients into butter until coarse meal forms. Drizzle with cold water; stir until dough comes together. Wrap in plastic wrap and flatten into a disk. Refrigerate at least 1 hour before rolling out.

Pumpkin Bread

price
$8
servings
8
price per serving
$1

W
e love the amazing smell of warm and spicy pumpkin bread as it begins wafting from the oven. Here, the combination of spices is balanced, not overwhelming.

3½ cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 teaspoons baking soda

½ teaspoon ground cloves

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 teaspoon ground allspice

3 cups sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

4 eggs, beaten

12-ounce can pumpkin

cup water

Preheat oven to 350°F. In medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cloves, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice. In separate bowl, combine sugar, oil, and eggs; add pumpkin. Gradually add dry ingredients to wet ingredients. Add water; stir until combined. Pour into 2 greased loaf pans; bake 1 hour.

Festive Angel Food Cake

price
$12
servings
8
price per serving
$1.50

A
s huge angel food cake fans, we were thrilled to discover that we could add sprinkles to the batter. They look great and don’t discolor the entire cake as we feared they might. This cake is fluffy and soft, and it’s surprisingly easy to eat through half of it before you even realize it.

1½ cups powdered sugar

1 cup flour

¼ teaspoon salt

12 egg whites, room temperature

1½ teaspoons cream of tartar

1 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ cup rainbow sprinkles

Preheat oven to 350°F; set oven rack in lower
of oven. Sift powdered sugar, flour, and salt together; set aside. Beat egg whites with mixer until frothy. Add cream of tartar; beat at medium speed until whites form soft peaks. Gradually beat in granulated sugar until thoroughly combined; beat in vanilla. Gradually sprinkle sifted flour mixture into batter; fold in with spatula. Fold in sprinkles. Pour batter into angel food cake pan. Bake 40 minutes, until top is lightly golden. Invert pan; cool completely. To remove, run knife around outer edge of pan and shake gently. Serve with Cool Whip, fresh fruit, or chocolate sauce.