Tasty and Easy Recipes

Ingredients:
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 tablespoon walnuts, chopped
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
4 large baking apples
1 tablespoon reduced-calorie margarine
2 tablespoons maple syrup
Cinnamon sticks, to garnish

Method:
Preheat oven to 375°F; place water in an 8″ square, baking dish.
In a small bowl, mix brown sugar, walnuts, and cinnamon.
With a small knife, core the apples, but do not cut all the way through the bottoms; peel about 1/2″ of skin from the tops of the apples. Place apples in the baking dish.
Fill each apple with the brown-sugar mixture; dot with the margarine, then drizzle with the maple syrup.
Bake, basting the apples occasionally with the pan juices, until just tender, about 40 minutes.
With a slotted spoon, transfer the apples to dessert plates. Pour the pan juices over the apples. If you like, garnish each apple with a cinnamon stick.

Ingredients:
Cake:
6 ounces (180g) semisweet chocolate
3/4 cup (180g) granulated sugar
3/4 cup (180g) butter or margarine
6 eggs, separated
2-1/2 cups (180g) toasted hazelnuts, ground

Decoration:
2 tbsp. apricot glaze (see below)
3-1/2 ounces (100g) semisweet chocolate
1 tbsp. butter or margarine
2 tbsp. water
Hazelnuts, chopped and toasted

Method:
Melt the chocolate and let cool. Beat all but 3 tablespoons sugar with the butter until pale and fluffy. Mix in the egg yolks and chocolate.
In another bowl, whisk the egg whites into soft peaks. Whisk in the reserved sugar. Stir 2 spoonfuls into the main mixture. Gently fold in the nuts and remaining egg whites.
Pour the mixture into the prepared 9″ springform cake pan, which has been greased and lined, and bake in a preheated 350°F oven for 45 to 55 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let stand for 5 minutes. Invert onto a wire rack and peel off the lining paper.

Make Decoration:
Brush the top of the cake with the apricot glaze and let cool.
Melt the chocolate with the butter and water. Pour onto the cake and spread over the top and sides. Sprinkle with the chopped nuts and let set.

Make Toasted Hazelnuts:
Toast on a baking sheet at 350°F until lightly browned and with flaking skins. Pour the hot nuts onto a cloth. Fold the cloth over them and rub gently to remove the skins. Cool before using, then grind.

Make Apricot Glaze:
Put 1 cup (125g) apricot jam and 3 tbsp. water in a small pan and let stand over gentle heat until the jam has melted. Pour into a sieve over a small bowl and press through with a wooden spoon.

Keeps in the refrigerator, in a sterilized screw-top jar, for 2 weeks. Warm it before use. Cake keeps for about a week. Freezes for 1 to 2 months undecorated.

Serves: 12
Ingredients:
Cake:
1 18-1/4-ounce package yellow cake mix
4 eggs
1 5.1-ounce package instant cheesecake or instant vanilla pudding mix
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2 tablespoons almond liqueur

Glaze:
2 cups sifted confectioner sugar
1/2 cup almond liqueur

Method:
Make Cake:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 10″ Bundt pan.
In a large bowl, combine cake mix, eggs, instant pudding, water, oil, almond extract and amaretto liqueur; blend together well.
Pour batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove cake from oven and, while it is still warm, poke holes into the surface. Drizzle with about half of the amaretto glaze (below), making sure the glaze fills the holes.
Let the cake cool for at least 2 hours before removing from the pan. Drizzle remaining glaze over the top of the cake.

Make Glaze:
Sift the confectioner sugar, and combine it with almond liqueur. Blend until smooth. You may add more liqueur as desired.