Something Warm from the Oven: Baking Memories, Making Memories

by Eileen Goudge

Overview

A trove of classic recipes from the New York Times bestselling novelist Eileen Goudge One of six children, Eileen Goudge learned to bake at an early age, inspired by her mother, who made everything from scratch and baked all her own bread. She has fond memories of the banana cake, apple crisp, and baked Alaska she loved as a child, and many of her novels feature temptations in the form of sweets, from the fine chocolates of Such Devoted Sisters to the icebox cookies of One Last Dance. In this volume, Goudge collects the best of her mother’s recipes, adds some of her own, and includes a few from friends and readers. She tells the story of each dish in mouthwatering detail, giving glimpses of her childhood and noting which treats are best for picnics, parties, and other special occasions. These are not difficult recipes, but they are brilliant, and each one is designed to soothe the soul as well as please the palate. This ebook features an illustrated biography of Eileen Goudge including rare photos from the author’s personal collection.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781453223062
Publisher:	Open Road Media
Publication date:	11/29/2011
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	312
Sales rank:	890,595
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

Eileen Goudge (b. 1950) is one of the nation’s most successful authors of women’s fiction. She began as a young adult writer, helping to launch the phenomenally successful Sweet Valley High series, and in 1986 she published her first adult novel, the New York Times bestseller Garden of Lies.
 
She has published fifteen novels in all, including the three-book saga of Carson Springs, Thorns of Truth—a sequel to Gardens of Lies—and 2012’s The Replacement Wife. She lives and works in New York City.
Eileen Goudge (b. 1950) is one of the nation’s most successful authors of women’s fiction. She began as a young adult writer, helping to launch the phenomenally successful Sweet Valley High series, and in 1986 she published her first adult novel, the New York Times bestseller Garden of Lies. She has since published twelve more novels, including the three-book saga of Carson Springs, and Thorns of Truth, a sequel to Gardens of Lies. She lives and works in New York City.

Read an Excerpt

Something Warm from the Oven

Baking Memories, Making Memories

Pineapple Marzipan Cake

Serves 10 to 12

This is an old family recipe, translated from German, that was sent to me by one of my readers. My husband, Sandy, is a huge marzipan fan (he wanted it for our wedding cake, which I nixed, reminding him that not everyone is as crazy about it as he is), so I was eager to try it out. The result is sure to satisfy hardcore marzipan lovers, and will even gain some new converts. It's rich yet light, with just the right blend of fruitiness and marzipan.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
7 ounces marzipan, cut into small chunks (see Note)
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 large eggs, at room temperature
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon lemon zest
One 10.6 ounce can crushed pineapple, well-drained

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Grease and flour an 8-cup Bundt pan.

Cream the softened butter together with the marzipan in a large bowl with an electric mixer. Add the sugar a little at a time, beating until pale and fluffy. Add the vanilla, and mix at medium speed for several minutes more. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Sift the flour together with the baking powder and salt. Add to the creamed mixture, beating on low speed just until incorporated. Add the zest and pineapple, mixing gently just until blended. Spoon into the pan, smoothing the top with the back of the spoon and pushing the batter higher around the sides of pan (to keep a dome from forming while baking). Bake in the oven for 1 hour, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pan before inverting onto a serving plate.

Note: It's best if you soften the marzipan in the microwave before creaming it with the butter: Cut it into chunks and place in a small microwave-safe bowl; heat, covered, on high for 30 seconds.

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Orange-Cranberry Cake

Serves 12 to 14

I adapted this cake from the 1950 (the year I was born) Pillsbury Bake-Off by substituting dried cranberries for the raisins called for in the original recipe. The whole orange is used -- pulp, peel, and all -- which gives the cake a powerful citrus punch. With a food processor, it's literally a whiz to make.

Ingredients:

For the cake

1 medium navel orange
1 cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup walnuts or pecans
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
2 large eggs, at room temperature

For the topping For the topping
1/2 cup walnuts or pecans
1/3 cup sugar
Ground cinnamon
1/3 cup reserved orange juice from the cake

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 9 X12-inch baking pan.

Squeeze the orange, reserving 1/3 cup of the juice. Toss the remaining pulp and rind (cut into quarters) into the food processor along with the dried cranberries and nuts. Whir for several seconds, then pulse, scraping down the inside of the bowl once or twice, until it forms a sticky mass (1 minute or less). Set aside.

Place the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, milk, butter, and eggs in a large bowl. Beat with an electric mixer at medium speed for 3 minutes. Add the orange-cranberry mixture and mix until thoroughly blended. Scrape into the pan, smoothing the top with a spatula or the back of a spoon. Bake in the oven for 30 to 35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Meanwhile, make the topping: Whir together the nuts, sugar, and cinnamon in a food processor until the nuts are finely ground. Set aside. Immediately after removing the cake from the oven, drizzle with the reserved orange juice and sprinkle with the topping. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Continues...

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Excerpted from Something Warm from the Oven by Eileen Goudge Copyright © 2005 by Eileen Goudge. Excerpted by permission.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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Editorial Reviews

"I love baking almost as much as I do writing. So what better way than to bring the two together than this book of my favorite recipes?" True to her word, novelist Eileen Goudge (the Carson Springs Trilogy) shares her favorite baking treats and stories in this entertaining confection. The 150 recipes include goodies like Birthday Bhana Cake, Pumpkin Chiffon Pie, Granola Bread, and Kahlua Brownies.

Goudge is the author of the best-selling "Carson Springs" trilogy and several of the "Sweet Valley High" novels, among other books. She loves to bake, as do some of her characters, and she has always featured her favorite recipes on her web site. In her first cookbook, she offers 150 mostly simple, homey recipes, from Peaches and Cream Cake to Blackberry-Rhubarb Cobbler. Each chapter opens with a quotation from one of Goudge's books, and her own reminiscences accompany the recipes. Sure to be in demand. Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

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