Passover Chocolate Spice Cake

The cakes I'm most familiar with for Passover are sponge cakes. This Chocolate Spice Cake is no exception. If you're ever reading through a cake recipe for Passover and wondering how it will turn out, or what kind of cake it is, check the ingredients list and see if you have to separate a bunch of eggs. Whisking the egg whites to stiff peaks is a sign the cake will be light and airy and spongy.

Be sure also to gently fold those perfectly whipped egg whites into your batter rather than stir them in. If you're going to go to the trouble of painstakingly separating 10 eggs and then stand over the mixer and watch them like a hawk as they whip up and fill with air without overbeating, you'll kick yourself if you then carelessly stir them into your batter, thereby deflating them. So the key is, gently fold! Ok, I promise I won't lecture for the remainder of this post.

I love the flavor of this cake, featuring cloves and cinnamon along with the chocolate. It really doesn't need the toasted almonds, and my sister would actually insist that you don't add them in (since she's adamantly opposed to nuts in baked goods), but I appreciated the element of surprise in getting an occasional crunch in my mouthfuls. You'll see I drizzled a little glossy chocolate glaze on top. It's not called for in the recipe, but I had some left over from making the Macaroon Fudge Bars and I thought it looked pretty.

Potato starch is not the easiest thing to work with when greasing and "flouring" a pan during Passover as it tends to clump and not shake off if you hit the bottom of the pan. That was a frustrating experience. But all the more reason I decided to add that chocolate glaze on top to hide some of the pockets created by excess potato starch. I used a pastry brush to flick away some of the extra but at a certain point you just have to say c'est la vie and move on. Your guests won't even notice. It's good practice in the kitchen to turn off your perfectionist tendencies now and then (oh, am I describing myself?). Good luck with that!


Passover Chocolate Spice Cake
Recipe by Marcy Goldman in A Treasury of Jewish Holiday Baking
Makes 10 servings

10 eggs, separated
2 cups sugar
1/3 cup Passover wine or warm coffee
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon plus a pinch of salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/3 cups matzoh cake meal
1/4 cup potato starch, plus extra for pan
1 1/4 cups finely chopped toasted almonds

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line a 10-inch tube or angel food pan with parchment paper. Lightly grease and dust the sides with potato starch.

In a medium bowl, beat the egg yolks with 1 1/4 cups of the sugar until very thick and pale yellow, about 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the wine or coffee, the cocoa powder, salt, cloves, and cinnamon. Stir in the matzoh cake meal, potato starch, and the chopped almonds.

In another large bowl, with clean, dry beaters, gently whisk the egg whites with a pinch of salt to break them up. Increase the speed to high, and, gradually dusting in the remaining 3/4 cup sugar, beating until the whites are stiff and glossy but not dry. Briskly and thoroughly fold about one third of the beaten whites into the yolk mixture to lighten it. Then, in 2 separate batches, fold in the remaining egg whites, taking care not to deflate the egg whites but to blend the batter properly.

Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 55 minutes, or until the cake springs back when gently touched. Cool by inverting onto a serving plate. Cake will unmold itself as it cools.


Step-by-Step in Pictures

Beat the egg yolks with sugar...

Stir in the wine or coffee, cocoa powder, cloves, cinnamon, and salt...

Stir in the matzoh cake meal and potato starch...

Add the toasted almonds...

In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites with the remaining sugar until they form stiff peaks...

Fold about one third of the egg whites into the batter to lighten the batter...

In two stages, gently fold in the rest of the beaten egg whites to the batter...

Pour the batter into the prepared pan...

Bake for about 50 minutes at 325 degrees F...

I tested for doneness by inserting a sharp thin knife...

Let cool completely by inverting onto a cooling rack or serving tray...

Drizzle chocolate glaze if you want...

Kosher for Passover Macaroon Fudge Bars

Here is a delicious, fun way to use up your leftover Passover macaroons. Every year I buy a container because it's tradition, but 8 days later, Passover is over and I usually have more than half the container left. No more waste! I love repurposing ingredients. Marcy Goldman came up with this genius recipe where you basically make a Kosher for Passover brownie and then fold in chopped macaroons. It tastes even more delicious if you use her glossy fudge frosting on top. These are dense, not light, so I'd recommend cutting the brownies into bite-size pieces. And if you really want to keep things interesting, try using other macaroon flavors than chocolate. Doesn't Manischewitz make a toffee flavored one? And a banana split flavored one! Mmmmm.


Extraordinary Macaroon Fudge Bars
Recipe by Marcy Goldman in A Treasury of Jewish Holiday Baking
Makes about 30 squares

6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter or unsalted Passover margarine
1 1/4 cups granulated or brown sugar
1 tablespoon Passover vanilla sugar (or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract)
3 eggs
3/4 cup matzoh cake meal
1/4 cup potato starch
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups lightly packed quartered or coarsely chopped Passover macaroons (any brand or flavor)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease an 8x10-inch or 7x11-inch brownie pan or (in a pinch) a 9x9-inch baking pan will do.

In a saucepan, melt the chocolate and butter or margarine over low heat. Cool to room temperature. Stir in the brown and vanilla sugars, eggs, cake meal, potato starch, and salt. Stir in the macaroon pieces.

Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until the top seems set and is beginning to take on a crackled appearance. Do not overbake. The brownies should be set and seem dry to the touch, but there should no be a dry crust around the sides.

Cool the brownies in the pan until serving time or, let them cool to room temperature if frosting. Cut into squares.


Glossy Fudge Frosting
2/3 cup water or brewed coffee
7 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons unsalted butter or Passover margarine, softened

Heat the water or coffee in a small saucepan. As it comes to a boil, reduce the heat and stir in the chopped chocolate. Remove the pan from the stove and stir until the chocolate is thoroughly melted. Cool in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes. Whisk in the softened butter or margarine and spread the frosting on top of the cooled brownies. Decorate the top by running the tines of a fork through the frosting.


Step-by-Step in Pictures

Melt the chocolate and butter together, then cool to room temperature...

Stir in the sugar and vanilla...

Add the eggs...
Then add the matzoh cake meal, potato starch, and salt...

Add the coarsely-chopped macaroon pieces into the chocolate batter...

Spread into a prepared pan and bake for 40 to 50 minutes at 350 degrees F...

Cool completely...

Prepare the Glossy Fudge Frosting and spread over the cooled brownie surface...

Let the frosting set, then slice and serve!

No way! Yes way! Rocky Road Brownies for Passover

My cousin Rachael is famous for her Fudgy Chocolate Marshmallow Brownies. They're requested at all sorts of events - birthdays, get-togethers, catered events, and various milestones. They're essentially Rocky Road Bars on account of the chocolate and marshmallow combination. They are extremely rich and sweet with all the right textures and flavors going on. They look beautiful on a cookie tray and, well, you just can't say enough good things about them. But oh yeah, one more thing, they are NOT kosher for Passover. Doh!

So thank goodness for Marlene Sorosky, who developed a Rocky Road Brownie recipe that IS kosher for Passover. It's no cousin Rachael's, but it's good, and to think you could have anything remotely like the original during a holiday when flour is a no-no? Um, yeah, I'll take what I can get!


Rocky Road Brownies
Recipe by Marlene Sorosky in Fast and Festive Meals for the Jewish Holidays

Brownies
4 ounces (4 squares) semisweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 pound (2 sticks) margarine or butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 large eggs
1 cup matzah cake meal
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup chocolate chips
2 cups mini marshmallows, or large marshmallows, cut up
1 cup chopped walnuts, toasted

Topping
1 cup mini marshmallows, or large marshmallows, cut up
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped walnuts, toasted

Place oven rack in center of oven and preheat to 325 degrees F. Grease or spray with nonstick spray a 9x13-inch baking pan.

To Make Brownies: In a large microwave-safe bowl, melt chocolate and margarine on high (100%) for 1 to 2 minutes, or until melted. Stir well. Stir in sugar and cool slightly. Whisk in eggs, one at a time. Stir in cake meal and salt. Stir in chocolate chips, marshmallows, and walnuts. Pour into prepared pan. Spread evenly.

To Bake: Bake for 30 minutes, or until set.

To Top: After 30 minutes, sprinkle brownies with marshmallows. Return to oven for 3 to 4 minutes, or until puffed but not browned. Remove from oven. Place chocolate chips in a small, heavy plastic bag. Microwave on high (100%) for 60 to 90 seconds, or until melted and smooth when pressed with fingers. squeeze chocolate into one corner of bag. Cut a small tip off the corner and drizzle chocolate over brownies. Sprinkle with nuts. Cool completely. Cut with a serrated knife into 1 3/4 x 2 1/4-inch bars. (Brownies may be refrigerated up to 4 days or frozen.)

Makes: 30 brownies.


Step-by-Step in Pictures

Melt the chocolate and margarine together...

Add in the sugar...

Add the eggs...

Then stir in the cake meal and salt...

Get rid of all lumps...

Stir in the marshmallows, chocolate chips, and toasted nuts...

Spread the batter into a prepared pan...

Bake for about 30 minutes at 325 degrees F...

When the brownies are done, top with more marshmallows and return to the oven to bake until they're puffed up...

Pipe melted chocolate through a plastic piping bag or sandwich bag across the top of the brownies...

Sprinkle with more toasted nuts, then you're done!...

Passover Recipe Roundup from the Happy Go Marni Archives

I've posted a handful of Passover recipes since this blog's incipience, and with Passover just getting going, I thought I'd remind you all of the past deliciousness. Here are my Passover recipes from days gone by, pulled from The Happy Archive! Now you'll have no excuse to go hungry on Passover, or at least, here's proof that Passover doesn't have to taste like cardboard.


Surprise Meringues --> Recipe


Strawberry Sponge Cake --> Recipe


Caramel Matzoh Crunch --> Recipe


Matzah Meal Pancakes --> Recipe


Passover Rolls --> Recipe


Pistachio Macaroons --> Recipe

Spinach Matzah Quiche for Passover

I decided that for Passover this year, I was going to make one casserole-type dish that could last me the week so I wouldn't have to cook again. I sifted through several Jewish holiday cookbooks and ultimately decided on this Spinach Matzah Quiche by Marlene Sorosky. I went vegetarian because I still haven't recovered from the barbecue overload of my recent trip to Austin, Texas.

The original quiche recipe called for 10 eggs and I wanted to cut back on all that cholesterol. Since the quiches I'm used to have milk in them, I replaced some of the eggs with a cup of milk. The result was brilliant. I gave myself a big pat on the back. This is a FABULOUS quiche! I would make this any time of year it's so good. Plus, what a great way to use up leftover matzah after Passover.

Happy Passover to you!


Spinach Matzah Quiche
Adapted from a recipe by Marlene Sorosky in Fast and Festive Meals for the Jewish Holidays

3 matzot, broken into 2-inch pieces
3 large eggs
2 egg whites
1 cup milk
2 cups regular, low-fat, or nonfat cottage cheese
2 cups shredded jalapeno Jack cheese or regular Jack cheese (about 8 ounces)
1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 pound trimmed and stemmed spinach, baby leaves preferred (I used frozen baby spinach and defrosted it)

Place oven rack in center of oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Grease or spray with nonstick spray a 9-inch square baking dish.

To Make Quiche: Place matzot in a colander in the sink and pour boiling water over. Let soak 2 minutes. Squeeze out liquid. In a large bowl, whisk eggs and whites together with the milk. Stir in cottage cheese, Jack cheese, matzot, salt, and pepper. Stir in spinach. Pour into prepared pan. It may seem like too much; just pack it in tightly.

To Bake: Bake, uncovered, for 1 hour, or until puffed and golden. (Quiche may be cooled and refrigerated, covered, overnight. Before serving, bring to room temperature. Reheat at 350 degrees F, uncovered, about 10 minutes, or until heated through.

Makes: 8 servings.


Step-by-Step in Pictures

Pour boiling water over the matzah pieces and let soften for 2 minutes...

Squeeze out the excess liquid from the matzah; set matzah aside...

Combine eggs and milk in a large bowl...

Add the cottage cheese and Jack cheese...

Add the matzah, salt, pepper, and spinach...

Spread the mixture compactly into the prepared baking dish...

Bake for about 1 hour at 350 degrees F...