Smooth Custard Surface

For the perfect, smooth custard top, don´t overbeat the eggs with milk or cream. Beating adds air to the custard, creating foam. The bubbles rise to the surface and break during baking, creating pockmarks.

Icebox Cakes

Icebox cakes are made of a cut up cake, cookies, or crackers that are layered in a pan with pudding, gelatin or whipped cream. The entire mixture is chilled until firm, then sliced. You can add fresh fruits or jam to the mixture too for more color, flavor and nutrition.

Chocolate Icebox Cake

8-1 oz. squares German sweet chocolate, chopped
3 tablespoons water
2 pasteurized egg yolks, beaten
2 tablespoons confectioners´ sugar
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 pasteurized egg whites
1-12 oz. package ladyfingers

Line two 8 x 4 x 3 inch loaf pans with waxed paper. Beat the egg whites until stiff. Beat the whipping cream until soft peaks form.

Melt chocolate in a double boiler and blend in water. Remove from heat, add egg yolks; beat vigorously until smooth. Add sugar, mixing well. Fold whipped cream into chocolate mixture. Fold in stiffly beaten egg whites.

Separate ladyfingers. Line bottom of each pan with single ladyfingers. Cut remaining ladyfingers in half crosswise, and use to line the sides of the pans. Fill with chocolate mixture. Chill 12 to 24 hours, then unmold and slice to serve. Serve with additional whipped cream if desired. Serves 20

Graham Cracker Icebox Cake

1-16 ounce package graham crackers
2-3.5 ounce packages instant vanilla pudding mix
3 cups milk
1-8 ounce container frozen whipped topping, thawed
1-16 ounce package prepared chocolate frosting

Blend the pudding mix, whipped topping, and milk in a medium sized bowl. Stir until well blended.

Lay one single layer of graham crackers in the bottom of a 9x13" baking pan. Do not crumble, leave whole. You can fill in gaps with crackers broken in half if needed. Spoon half of the pudding mixture over the crackers and spread evenly. Repeat with another layer of crackers. Spoon the remaining pudding mixture over the crackers and spread evenly again. Top with a final layer of graham crackers.

Spread the fudge frosting over the whole cake up to the edges of pan. If you find this step too difficult, you can cover the pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate cake for 30 minutes or so, to firm up the pudding mix, then frost cake. Once frosted, cover and refrigerate cake for at least 4 hours before serving. 14 servings

Making Custard

Custards need to be cooked over low heat, whether they are baked or cooked in a saucepan. High heat causes them to curdle. If your custard is cooked on the stovetop, use a double boiler. Check custard for doneness by lifting spoon and holding for 15-20 seconds - if the spoon doesn´t show through, your custard is done.

Serve It Quickly

Don´t hold mousses longer than 24 hours because the flavor and texture will begin to deteriorate.

Old Fashioned Chocolate Icebox Cake

I remember my mother making this cake for company in the 1960s. It´s so simple and so good! Make sure you chill it for at least four hours in the refrigerator so the cookies soften.

1 pkg. store bought plain chocolate wafer cookies (40 wafers)
2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Beat together cream, powdered sugar and vanilla until stiff. Spread a spoonful on each cookie and stack them on a serving plate to make a long log. When all the cookies are frosted and stacked, cover the entire log with more whipped cream to cover thoroughly. Cover and chill in refrigerator for at least four hours. Slice on a diagonal to serve.

Quick and Easy Dessert

This is one of my favorite desserts to make in the summertime. Purchase a prepared white angel food cake and cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces using a bread knife. Use three different fruits. A good combination is strawberries, blueberries and kiwi fruit. You can even use well-drained mandarin oranges and pineapple for a tropical flavor. Prepare a small package of instant vanilla or banana pudding. When it has thickened, fold in half of a container of whipped topping. Begin layering in this order- cubed cake, one fruit, pudding mix. Repeat layers, ending with the last fruit on top. Garnish with remaining whipped topping. Be sure and use a clear glass bowl to enjoy the beauty of the dessert.

Baking Custard

Custard is baked in cups that are set into a pan of water. Bake just until firm. You can test for doneness by inserting a knife near the edge. If it comes out clean, the custards are done.

Luscious Strawberry Parfait

Use tall or parfait glasses...start with a dollop of whipped cream. Add large pieces of cleaned bright red fresh strawberries, layer more whipped cream, more strawberries, more whipped cream...then pour some chocolate-mint liqueur over the top. Decadent.

Blueberry Shortbread Parfaits

Try using other fruits in this super easy recipe too.

1 cup shortbread cookie crumbs
3 Tbsp. melted butter
1 cup purchased lemon curd
1 cup frozen whipped topping, thawed
2 cups fresh blueberries


In small bowl, combine cookie crumbs and butter and mix.

Using 4 parfait glasses, layer 2 Tbsp. buttered cookie crumbs, 2 Tbsp. lemon curd, 2 Tbsp. whipped topping and 1/4 cup blueberries. Repeat layers until glasses are full. Chill in refrigerator until serving time.

Cool It!

Make sure that any cooked part of a mousse recipe is thoroughly cooled before you fold in whipped cream or beaten egg whites. Hot mixtures will deflate the foam very quickly.

Raspberry Icebox Cake

24 graham crackers, crushed
1/3 cup butter
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1-6 ounce package raspberry flavored gelatin
1 cup boiling water
15 ounces frozen raspberries
20 large marshmallows
1/3 cup milk
1 cup heavy whipping cream, whipped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Mix graham cracker wafer crumbs, butter and brown sugar until well combined. Set aside 1/4 cup of this mixture for topping and press the remainder into one 9x13 inch pan.

Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 10 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Dissolve raspberry gelatin in the boiling water and add the frozen raspberries, stirring until melted. Chill until partially set and spread on cooled crust.

Melt marshmallows with the milk. When cool, fold in whipped cream and spread on top of raspberry mixture. Sprinkle with remaining crumbs. Chill for 3-4 hours before serving.

Strawberry Icebox Cake

STRAWBERRY ICEBOX CAKE

1 6-serving size pkg. strawberry jello
2 10-oz. pkgs. frozen sliced strawberries
2 Tbsp. sugar
pinch of salt
2 small angel food cakes, torn into pieces
3 cups whipped topping

Dissolve jello with 1/4 c. boiling water..Stir in strawberries, sugar and salt until thick. Fold in whipped cream. In a 9" x 13" pan, cover the bottom with cake pieces and pour half of the strawberry mixture over top. Repeat the layers, cover and refrigerate. This would work just as well with raspberries and raspberry jello.

Keep that pudding smooth

When you are chilling puddings, place a sheet of plastic wrap on the surface. This will prevent a skin from forming on the top as it cools.

Lemon Icebox Cake

1 purchased angel food cake
2 cups boiling water
1 6-serving size package lemon flavored gelatin
1 6-oz. can frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
1-1/2 cups whipping cream

Pour boiling water on gelatin in a large bowl and stir until gelatin is completely dissolved. Refrigerate 30 minutes or until thickened but not set. Add enough cold water to lemonade concentrate to make 2 cups and stir into gelatin. Beat with electric mixer until foamy. Beat whipping cream until stiff, then fold into gelatin.

Tear cake into 1" pieces and fold into gelatin-whipped cream mixture. Spread in 13x9" baking pan. Cover and chill at least 4 hours. Cut into squares to serve.

Easy Banana-Caramel Cake

Easy is the key word! Start with a frozen butter pound cake, thawed...cut into half-inch slices...add slices of ripe bananas...generously drizzle with a good caramel topping. Easy, cheap, most everyone will enjoy it. (Forget the calories!)

Ingredients

Use leftovers when making parfaits. Any leftover pudding can be lightened with whipped cream, then layered with crumbled cookies or cake crumbs, crushed candy, or fruit for an easy and fast dessert.

Gelatin

Gelatin helps stabilize a mousse by forming a web of molecules through the egg or whipped cream foam.