Cakes

Cheesecake
2 packages Philly cream cheese
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
2/3 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons vanilla
Crust:
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup brown sugar
3/4 stick butter, melted
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Beat cream cheese in a food processor. Add sugar and beat until smooth. Beat eggs in one at a time. Mix in sour cream, lemon juice, and vanilla, and beat until well blended. Pour into the crumb crust. Bake in 350° for 45 minutes. (For Passover, substitute 1 cup pulverized almonds and 3/4 cups Matzo meal for the cracker crumbs.)

Vinski's Red Currant Cake
4 deciliters sugar
4 eggs
2 deciliters milk
5 deciliters flour
1 stick butter, melted
2 teaspoons baking powder
Red currants, or other berries or sliced fruit
Beat eggs and sugar. Fold in other ingredients, making sure all the butter is mixed in. Pour into prepared 9x12 pan. Place berries (or sliced fruit) on top. Bake in 350° till slightly brown, 45-50 minutes. While the cake is still warm, sprinkle a little sugar on top.

Anne's Spice Cake
2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 stick butter, melted
1 egg, lightly beaten with fork
2-3 tablespoons molasses (or maple syrup)
1 cup buttermilk + 1 teaspoon soda
Mix the first six ingredients together. Add the butter, egg, and molasses; beat till smooth. Add the buttermilk with the soda mixed in. Beat till creamy. Butter a cake pan and dust with bread crumbs. Pour batter in and bake for an hour in 375°. (Warren likes it when I fold in a handful of raisins just before putting the batter into the pan.)
Rosh HaShanah version (that works at other times of the year as well): In addition to raisins, fold in an apple cut into small cubes and tossed with a little sugar, cinnamon, and honey. This adds a wonderful flavor and texture to an already great cake.

Pumpkin Cake
5 tablespoons butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup cooked pumpkin
1 1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup water
Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each. Add the pumpkin, stirring it in. Add the blended flour and baking soda alternately with the water. (Optional: Add 1/2 cup raisins and 1/2 cup chopped walnuts.) Pour into a prepared loaf pan and bake in 350° for 50-60 minutes.

Birthday Cake
1 1/2 ounces bittersweet chocolate chips (Ghirardelli 60% cocoa makes a nice rich cake)
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup boiling water
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1 cup brown sugar
1 cup flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
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1 egg
1/4 cup sour cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla or cognac
From Debbie Frederick, modified to use bittersweet chocolate. This is the recipe I used for most of David's and Rachel's birthday cakes.
Rub an 8-inch spring form pan with a pat of butter and sprinkle all around with bread crumbs. (Or use a round baking sheet liner made for cake pans.) Preheat the oven to 350°. Melt the chocolate and butter in the boiling water. Combine the sugar, flour, soda, and salt. Pour in the chocolate mixture; beat until blended. Then add the egg, sour cream, and vanilla, and beat for one minute at medium speed. (The batter will be quite liquid.) Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the cake separates slightly from the edges of the pan and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. - I typically topped it with whipped cream and strawberries, but these days I like to "frost" the cake with warm chocolate sauce (recipe below). Chopped walnuts or pecans sprinkled on top make it look nice.

Warm Chocolate Sauce (For cake or ice cream)
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate chips (Ghirardelli 60% cocoa makes a nice, rich cake)
1/2 cup whipping cream
Bring the cream and chocolate chips to boil in a small pot. Stir to prevent scorching or boil-over until melted. Let boil a moment to thicken it a bit. You can make it ahead of time, and it will become more like very soft frosting. It was even great the next morning.

Passover Banana Cake
8 eggs, separated
1 1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cup mashed banana
1/2 cup chopped nuts
1/3 cup potato starch
3/4 cup matzo cake meal
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
Beat the egg whites with half of the sugar. Beat the yolks with the salt and sugar. Add the banana and nuts to the yolks and beat for three minutes. Mix in the cake meal and potato starch. Fold in the beaten egg whites. Bake for an hour in 350°.

Passover Reine de Saba
4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
2 tablespoons coffee
1 stick softened butter
2/3 cup sugar
3 egg yolks
3 egg whites + pinch salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1/3 cup pulverized almonds
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 cup matzo cake meal
Melt the chocolate and coffee over hot water. Beat the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the yolks and beat till well blended. Beat the whites and salt until soft peaks form. Add sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. Stir the chocolate into the butter mixture. Add the almonds and almons extract; stir till blended. Stir in 1/4 of the egg whites to lighten the batter. Then fold in the matzo cake meal and the rest of the egg whites, alternating. Turn the batter into a prepared 8-inch pan and bake in a preheated 350°-oven for 25 minutes. The center will move when the pan is shaken. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn onto a rack.

Chocolate Decadence
1 pound bittersweet chocolate
5 ounces sweet butter
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon flour
4 whole eggs
Melt chocolate and butter in a small bowl over almost boiling water. Beat eggs and sugar. Fold in the flour. Stir 1/4 of the egg mixture into chocolate; then fold chocolate into eggs. Pour into a prepared 8-inch pan. Bake for 13 minutes in 400°. The center will be liquid. Freeze, unmold, and decorate with whipped cream and shaved chocolate.