Tonight is the first night of Hanukkah. You still have time to whip up one of these easy, delicious holiday desserts.
Polish Hanukkah Apple Cake
Gâteau de Hannouka
From “Quiches, Kugels and Couscous: My Search for Jewish Cooking in France,” by Joan Nathan. Tested at high altitude. Makes 1 cake.
Ingredients
1 cup vegetable oil, plus more for greasing pan
5 apples (3 Fuji and 2 Granny Smith, or any combination of sweet and tart apples), peeled, cored and cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 6 cups)
Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
1/3 cup walnut halves, roughly chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons chopped almonds
1 1/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons sugar
4 large eggs
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and grease a bundt pan or a 9-by-13-inch baking pan.
Toss the apples in a large bowl with the zest and juice of the lemon, the walnuts and the cinnamon.
Pulse together the flour, baking powder, salt, almonds and 1 1/4 cups of the sugar in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. With the food processor running, add the eggs, oil and almond extract, processing until just mixed.
Spoon 1/3 of the batter over the bottom of the pan. Scatter the apples on top, and cover the apples with the remaining batter. Sprinkle the top with the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar (you’ll need less if using a bundt pan).
Bake for 45-60 minutes, or until golden and cooked through. (The cake will take less time in the shallow rectangular pan.)
Ida’s Mandelbrot
A tender-crisp, walnut-studded cookie (traditionally made with almonds, or mandel in Yiddish) from Eating Well magazine, available at . Makes about 40 cookies.
Ingredients
2 cups whole-wheat pastry flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar, divided
1/2 cup canola oil
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Directions
Position rack in center of oven; preheat to 350 degrees. Coat 2 large baking sheets with cooking spray or line with parchment paper.
Whisk whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. In another large bowl, whisk eggs and 1 cup sugar until combined. Add oil and vanilla; whisk to combine. Stir in the dry ingredients and walnuts with a spoon until just combined.
Combine the remaining 1 tablespoon sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. With lightly oiled hands, divide the dough in half and spread it into two 3-by-12-inch-long logs on one of the prepared baking sheets. The logs of dough will be side by side and about 3/4-inch thick each.
Bake until lightly browned on the edges and beginning to firm, 20 to 30 minutes. Cool on the pan on a wire rack for 20 minutes. (Keep the oven on.) Slice each log into 1/2-inch-thick cookies; divide the cookies between the baking sheets, cut-side down, and sprinkle with half the cinnamon-sugar mixture.
Move the racks to the top and bottom thirds of the oven. Bake the cookies for 5 minutes. Turn the cookies over, sprinkle with the remaining cinnamon-sugar mixture and bake for 5 minutes more. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
