Tag: family recipe

German Sweet Chocolate Cake

German Sweet Chocolate Cake

by Andi Cohen-Rabiner ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

A Recipe from Florence Jones’ Recipe Box (19??)

About the Recipe

There are a few core memories that pop up when I think about going to Grandma in Washington’s house growing up. There are the walls covered with family photographs. There are the artifacts from her travels all over the world. But more than almost anything else, there’s German Chocolate Cake.

Every time we had a family celebration or holiday, especially one that had to do with my father, my grandma made a German Chocolate Cake. She made hers with two layers. Take a minute and check out the recipe. 3 layers. There are 3 layers in that recipe. We endlessly gave her a hard time about it. She laughed it off with her usual “oh, shit!” knowing that we were going to love the cake no matter the number of layers.

Indeed, this was the cake that she was best known for. In all the years that she made it, I kept asking for the recipe. Her answer was always no. “It came off the back of the box, Andi! It’s nothing special.”

My grandma passed away on September 14, 2025 at the age of 94. A few years ago, she gifted me her recipe boxes and her cookbooks, as well as most of her pans. When I received the news of her passing, the first thing I wanted to do was bake this cake. I found the recipe card stuffed in one of her recipe boxes. And y’know – it was right off the back of the box!

This cake is a labor of love. It’s a little bit tricky, and the icing takes an awfully long time to get just right, but it’s worth it.

Some tips from my time making it and all the years of Grandma serving it:

  • The layers freeze exceptionally well. She always had a few spare layers and frosting waiting in the freezer. Let everything thaw in the refrigerator overnight, and you’re good to go.
  • The icing takes awhile to get just right. I stirred for about 25 minutes until I got the right color and thickness.
  • For your eggs: Separate them when they’re cold, then let them come to room temperature before baking.
  • I used butter; Grandma used margarine (so that the cake is kosher pareve). Both work.
  • There are enough egg whites leftover from the icing to make a delicious meringue.
  • Always double the icing. A thick layer in the cake serves well, and people always want to nibble the extra.

For more recipes from my family recipe box, check out my Recipes from Grandma page.

About the book

A quick note to say that the recipe on the back of the current Baker’s German Chocolate is slightly different than this one. I didn’t try that one, so I can’t speak to it.

The Recipe!

Ingredients:

1 package (4 ounces) Baker’s German’s Sweet Chocolate
1/2 cup water
2 cups flour
1 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
1 cup (2 sticks) margarine or butter, softened
2 cups sugar
4 egg yolks
1 t vanilla
2 cup buttermilk
4 egg whites

COCONUT-PECAN FILLING AND FROSTING:
1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk
1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) margarine or butter
4 egg yolks, slightly beaten
1 1/2 t vanilla
1 package (7 ounces) Baker’s Angel Flake Coconut (about 2 2/3 cups)
1 1/2 cups chopped pecans

Directions:

Heat oven to 350*F. Line bottoms of 3 9-inch round cake pans with wax or parchment paper.

Heat chocolate and water in heavy 1-quart saucepan on very low heat, stirring constantly until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Remove from heat.

Mix flour, baking soda and salt; set aside. Beat margarine and sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add egg yolks, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in chocolate mixture and vanilla. Add flour mixture alternately with buttermilk, beating after each addition until smooth.

Beat egg whites in another large bowl with electric mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form. Gently stir into batter. Pour into prepared pans. Bake 30 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched in center. Immediately run spatula between cakes and sides of pans. Cool 15 minutes; remove from pans. Remove wax paper. Cool completely on wire racks.

Spread Coconut-Pecan Frosting between layers and over top of cake. Makes 12 servings.

COCONUT-PECAN FILLING AND FROSTING

Mix milk, sugar, margarine, egg yolks, and vanilla in large saucepan. Cook and stir on medium heat about 12 minutes or until thickened and golden brown (it took me about 25 minutes before the color and texture were right). Remove from heat. 

Stir in coconut and pecans. Beat until cool and of spreading consistency

Makes about 4 1/4 cups.

Mama Koppelman’s Noodle Kugel

Mama Koppelman’s Noodle Kugel

by Andi Cohen-Rabiner ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

A Recipe from the Koppelman Family Recipe Box (????)

About the Recipe

For many of us, there are recipes that live in our hands and brains and hearts. We recognize the ingredients when they’re set out on the counter. We recognize the smell as we come down the stairs. It’s the recipe made by our family over and over again, consistently on every family holiday table. It’s the recipe we share with friends and pass on to our children. This is that recipe in my family.

Just as every Italian family has a family tomato sauce recipe, every Ashkenazi Jewish family has a kugel recipe. This recipe came to me from my grandma on my mother’s side and my mother. That side of the family came to America through Ellis Island in a journey that began in Lithuania. I have no doubt that it’s been iterated on and changed over the years (I’m pretty sure that we didn’t have cans of crushed pineapple in the old country).

Here are a few variations and tips to consider that the family has gathered over the years:

  • Margarine can be substituted for the butter for a kosher parev version
  • My father loves the addition of golden raisins, about 3/4 to 1 cup
  • I always have measured the cinnamon sugar with my heart
  • Substitute a good pie spice for the cinnamon for a bit more depth of flavor
  • I use crushed pineapple in juice, my mother prefers the heavy syrup version, any variation is fine as long as it’s about a 15 oz. can
  • Great to make ahead and either refrigerate or freeze until your meal. If frozen, thaw in the refrigerator and then reheat in the oven. If just refrigerated, reheat in the oven.
  • My mother often divided this recipe into 2-8″x8″ smaller kugels and then froze them. She would freeze them and thaw them to give to friends or as a last minute bring-along to a potluck.

For more recipes from my family recipe box, check out my Recipes from Grandma page.

About the book

At this point, this recipe lives rent-free in my brain. I know I have a written down version somewhere, but I honestly don’t even know where at this point. Trust me when I say – this is the right one for today, and this is how it goes:

The Recipe!

Ingredients:

1 lb. wide or extra wide egg noodles
1/2 lb. unsalted butter or margarine, divided
large can (~15 oz.) crushed pineapple
6 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup cinnamon sugar, divided
pinch of salt

Directions:

Cook and drain egg noodles. Melt 1/4 lb. of the butter. Add the melted butter, pineapple, eggs, about half of the cinnamon sugar, and the salt to the noodles. Mix well and pour whole mixture into a 9″ x 13″ x 2″ baking dish.

Melt the remaining butter and sprinkle it over the whole top of the noodle mixture. Sprinkle the remaining cinnamon sugar over the butter. Bake at 350*F for 55-60 minutes, until the top is browned and the mixture is bubbly. 

Serve hot and enjoy leftovers hot or cold.