Hi everyone! What a w eek! (Do I always say that?) I had the pleasure of doing a presentation on reminiscing with recipes with a lovely group of around 90 seniors who are Holocaust Survivors in NJ. They covene every two weeks for a lunch through Metro West, many transported from their homes, to a synagogue in South Orange. Here’s a link to the program:
http://www.jfsmetrowest.org/café-europa
They were so engaging and eager to speak about their favorite recipes. Blanka , as seen above, dictated her famous sponge cake recipe for me.
It was an opportunity to talk with my kids about the Holocaust in an age appropriate fashion and to also discuss how food memories and recipes are so important in families.
Unfortunately, not everyone can cook by themselves or even has the money to buy food. For this reason, our non-profit, Parents Who Rock, has decided to spend this year raising awareness and funds for local programs for the hungry. We’ll tell you more about it later but here’s a recent article discussing it:
http://www.northjersey.com/news/151831945_Easing_the_unending_struggle.html?c=y&page=2
For now, enjoy Blanka’s delicious recipe. It is not too sweet so you can add fresh fruit , whipped cream or an orange glaze like I did by mixing a few TBS of Orange juice with a cup of powdered sugar to pour on top.
Blanka Berger’s Sponge Cake:
8 eggs at room temperature, yolks and whites separated
1 1/3 cup of sugar, separate out 1/2 cup for first part
1 1/2 cup flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup O.J.
1/3 cup canola oil
2 tsp vanilla
optional squeeze of lemon
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Take the egg whites and whip them into stiff peaks and gradually add in the 1/2 cup of sugar. Set aside in large bowl.
Whip together yolks and the rest of the sugar.
Add in the oil, O.J., flour, baking powder and vanilla.
Fold the stiff egg whites into the rest of the batter.
Grease a bundt pan and pour in batter.
Bake at 325 degrees for 25 minutes, then cover with tin foil and bake at 350 degrees for another 40 minutes.