Recipes & Tips

The following recipes were featured in the book "Savannah Classic Desserts: Recipes from Favorite Restaurants" by Janice Shay.

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Rum Runners Hummingbird Cake

Serves 16-20

3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3 large eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
1 (11-oz) can crushed pineapple, with juice
2 cups diced bananas
2 cups pecans
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Icing:
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
mil (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butte two 9-inch cake pans.

To make the cake,combine the flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon, and baking powder in a large bowl. Mix until well blended with a wire whisk. Add the eggs and oil and stir with a wooden spoon until moist. Add the pineapple, bananas, and vanilla. Stir until well blended. Pour into the prepared pans.

Bake for 25 minutes, until a tester inserted near the center of one of the cakes comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Invert onto the racks and remove the pans. Finish cooling before frosting.

To make the icing, beat the cream cheese and vanilla until very soft. Add the confectioners' sugar gradually, beating until fully blended and a soft spreading consistency has been reached. Add a little milk if necessary to achieve a spreading consistency. Spread over top of one layer. Set the second layer on top and frost the top and sides of the cakes.

Rum Runners Canasta Cake

Serves 12

Buttercream Icing

1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 pound confectioners' sugar
1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Chocolate Glaze
2 (5-ounce) cans evaporated
1 (12-ounce) bag semisweet chocolate

Cake
1 (18.25 ounce box) devil's food cake mix
3 large eggs
1 1/3 cups water
1/3 cup vegetable oil

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9 inch by 13 inch baking dish.

To make the cake, combine the cake mix, oil, and water in a large bowl. Beat until well blended. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish, making sure the mixture is level. Bake according to directions on box. Cool the cake in the pan for 10 minutes. Then invert onto a wire rack to finish cooling.

To make the frosting, cream the butter with the confectioners' sugar until well blended. Add the milk and vanilla and beat together until smooth.

To make the glaze, pour 1 can of the evaporated milk into a glass bowl. Add half the chips and heat in the microwave until the chips are melted. Stir to blend. Continue stirring in more chips or more evaporated milk, whichever is needed, until the mixture is thick and smooth.

To assemble the cake, pipe the buttercream icing around the edge of the top of the cake. Pour the chocolate glaze over the entire top of the cake. When the glaze has set, carefully move the cake onto a cake board. Decorate the top with the remaining buttercream as desired.

Variations
Instead of serving the cake whole, slice the cake into 1 inch by 2 inch finger food servings. Pour chocolate glaze over each and let set. Then decorate as desired with the buttercream.

Tiramisu
2 chocolate cake layers
6 egg yolks
11/4 cup sugar
11/4 cup mascarpone cheese
13/4 cups cream
1/3 cup brandie espresso
sweetened whipped cream
chocolate curls for garnish
Beat egg yolks and sugar until thick (about 1 minute)
Place on top of double boiler over boiling water
Reduce heat to low and cook 8 - 10" stirring constantly
Remove from heat
Add mascarpone cheese, beating well
Fold whipped cream into egg yolk mixture and set aside
Brush chocolate layers with brandied espresso(enough to moisten; don't overdo)
Spoon half of egg yolk-cream mixture over one layer
Add second layer
Spoon remaining mixture over layer
Ice sides with whipped cream
Garnish with chocolate curls.
A variation is to use chocolate mousse on the top of the cake instead of the egg mixture. This works best with three of more layers.