Cookies and Cakes | Rosie's Riveting Recipes

Very Berry Upside Down Cake

I don’t remember where this recipe came from, but I obviously found it somewhere. It was for a blackberry upside down cake, but I’ve made it with other kinds of berries, including raspberries and blueberries, and it always comes out well. I’ll bet you could even create a black forest upside cake with raspberries, strawberries and blackberries. Come to think of it, that does sound good, so I’ll just call it a very berry upside down cake.

This recipe is great if you’re trying to avoid processed foods and go back to basics, just like they did in Rosie’s day. In fact, I’m sure Rosie would have approved.

Gayle Martin

A Very Berry Upside Down Cake

Topping

1/4 cup brown sugar
4 tablespoons butter
2 cups fresh berries, such as blackberries, raspberries or blue berries
1/4 cup sugar

Cake

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350F.

Prepare the topping by melting butter and brown sugar in saucepan over medium heat. Add berries. Stir until mixture begins to bubble, about 1 to 3 minutes. Add sugar, stir and crush berries slightly for approximately 5 minutes, or until berries at hot and slightly broken down. Remove from heat and pour into a 9-inch square baking pan.

Prepare the cake batter by creaming the sugar and butter together in a mixing bowl with a mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs and mix. In a separate bowl whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together. Alternately add flour and milk to the butter mixture. Add vanilla and mix. Pour batter over the berry mixture. Batter may be thin.

Bake 35 to 40 minutes. Cool until pan is slightly warm, about 30 minutes. Run a knife along the edge of the cake to separate it from the sides of the pan. Place a cake plate over the pan and flip. Lift pan to slowly release the cake.

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Imagine the government telling you how much meat or chicken you could buy, or how much sugar or flour you could have. Strange as it may seem, at one time it actually happened. Rosie’s Riveting Recipes gives a glimpse into life on the WW 2 home front. A cookbook and a history lesson in one with more than 180 economical, back-to-basics World War 2 ration recipes.

Rosie’s Riveting Recipes is available on Amazon, Barnesandnoble.com, and with other online booksellers.

Eggless White Cake

Even with food rationing, eggs, like many other everyday items, were in short supply in Rosie’s day. Food companies had to come up with new recipes to make scarce ingredients go further, or even eliminate them completely. This delicious historic recipe, from Rosie’s Riveting Recipes cookbook, omits eggs.

For those who like chocolate cake, but without eggs, here is a recipe for an eggless chocolate cake.

Gayle Martin

EGGLESS WHITE CAKE

¼ cup shortening
1 cup sugar
2 ¼ cups sifted cake flour
or 2 cups sifted flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla

Cream shortening with sugar. Sift together flour, baking soda, baking power and salt. Add alternately with buttermilk. Blend in vanilla. Pour into greased and floured 8 ½ inch square pan. Bake 30 to 35 minutes in moderate oven (350º).

Eggless Spice Cake

In eggless white cake sift 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ½ teaspoon nutmeg, and ¼ teaspoon cloves with dry ingredients.

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Imagine the government telling you how much meat or chicken you could buy, or how much sugar or flour you could have. Strange as it may seem, at one time it actually happened. During WWII, the United States government devised a food rationing program to help insure that every family would have enough to eat. Rosie’s Riveting Recipes gives a glimpse into life on the WW II home front. A cookbook and a history lesson in one with more than 180 economical, back-to-basics World WarII ration recipes with short tales of life on the American home front interspersed throughout.

Rosie’s Riveting Recipes is available on Amazon, Barnesandnoble.com and with other online booksellers.

Eggless Upside-Down Cake

In many ways it seems like post pandemic supply chain issues we are experiencing today are reminiscent of WWII supply chain issues. Back in the nineteen-forties many shoppers found empty store shelves and had to improvise to create healthy, tasty meals. To help ease the shortages, food producers reformulated recipes to use less of those ingredients which were in short supply. Eggs were among those items in short supply.

Adding to today’s supply chain issues is avian flu. It’s creating egg shortages in our own time. Thankfully, those eggless recipes from Rosie’s day are as helpful today as they were in her time.

Gayle Martin

EGGLESS UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE

2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1/3 to ½ cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1 ½ cups canned pineapple wedges, peach slices, or cooked prunes
½ cup broken pecan meats, if desired
1 recipe Delicious Cottage Pudding (below)

Melt butter in 8 x 8 x 2-inch pan or 8-inch skillet over low flame. Add brown sugar and cook and stir until thoroughly mixed. On this arrange fruit; sprinkle nuts over top.

Mix Delicious Cottage Pudding batter below as directed and pour over contents of pan. Bake in moderate oven (350º F) 50 to 60 minutes, or until done. Loosen cake from sides of pan with spatula. Turn upside down on dish with fruit on top.

DELICIOUS COTTAGE PUDDING

2 cups cake flour
2 teaspoons baking powder*
½ teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons shortening
1 cup sugar
1 cup milk
½ teaspoon vanilla

Sift flour once, add baking powder and salt, and sift again. Cream shortening, add sugar gradually, and cream together well. Add flour, alternately with milk, a small amount at a time, beating after each addition until smooth. Add vanilla. Bake in greased pan, 8 x 8 x 2 inches, in moderate oven, (350F), 50 to 60 minutes, or until done.

*Note: At the time this recipe was written not all baking powders were double-acting. Less baking powder may be needed.

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Rosie’s Riveting Recipes is available on Amazon, Barnesandnoble.com and with other online booksellers.

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

Sometimes you want a chocolate chip cookie. Other times you want an oatmeal cookie. Why not have both at the same time? While this delicious recipe isn’t included in the Rosie’s Riveting Recipes historic cookbook, it’s nonetheless easy to prepare, and delicious.

By the way, I use almond extract instead of vanilla, and it really gives the cookies some extra zing.

Gayle Martin

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract*
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups quick oats
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350F.

Cream together butter, brown sugar and white sugar in a large mixing bowl until smooth. Beat in eggs. Add vanilla and stir. Combine flour, baking soda and salt in a separate bowl and blend into butter mixture a little at a time. Mix in the quick oats and fold in the walnuts, (if desired), and chocolate chips. Drop by heaping spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets covered with parchment paper. Bake for approximately 12 minutes. Allow cookies to cool for about 3 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

*Almond extract may also be used.

Imagine the government telling you how much meat or chicken you could buy, or how much sugar or flour you could have. Strange as it may seem, at one time it actually happened. During WWII, the United States government devised a food rationing program to help insure that every family would have enough to eat. Rosie’s Riveting Recipes gives readers a glimpse into life on the WWII home front. A cookbook and a history lesson in one Rosies’s Riveting Recipes includes more than 180 economical, back-to-basics World War II ration recipes and short tales of life on the American home front interspersed throughout.

Rosie’s Riveting Recipes is available on Amazon and Barnesandnoble.com.

Eggless Chocolate Cake

Food was scarce back in Rosie’s day. Many common items on grocery shelves were hard to come by, even with rationing. Food companies had to come up with new recipes to make scarce ingredients go further, or even eliminate them completely. This delicious historic recipe, from Rosie’s Riveting Recipes cookbook, omits eggs.

By the way, a rotary beater was another term for an eggbeater, although most of us today use whisks.

Gayle Martin

EGGLESS CHOCOLATE CAKE

2 squares unsweetened chocolate
1 cup milk
1 3/4 cups sifted flour
3/4 teaspoon soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup shortening
1 teaspoon vanilla

Combine chocolate and milk in top of double boiler and cook over rapidly boiling water 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Blend with rotary egg beater; cool.

Sift flour once, measure, add soda, salt, and sugar, and sift together three times. Cream shortening, add flour, vanilla, and chocolate mixture. Stir until all flour is dampened. Then beat vigorously 1 minute. Bake in two greased and lightly floured 8-inch layer pans in moderate oven (375 F) 20 minutes, or until done. Spread frosting between layers and on top of cake.

Cocoa Cake: Substitute 1/3 cup cocoa for chocolate. Sift it with the dry ingredients; add cold milk with vanilla.

Rosie’s Riveting Recipes is available on Amazon, Barnesandnoble.com and with other online booksellers.

Peppermint Candy Layer Cake

Just in time for Christmas baking, this delicious holiday dessert from the pages of the Rosie’s Riveting Recipes historic cookbook, is perfect for the season.

Gayle Martin

PEPPERMINT CANDY LAYER CAKE

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup margarine
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
2/3 cups milk
2 cups cake flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

Cream together margarine, sugar and salt. Stir in beaten eggs. Sift flour with baking powder twice. Add flour mixture alternately with milk, about 1/2 of each at a time. Pour into two 8-inch layer pans, lined with paper or greased with margarine and floured. Bake at 375F for 35 minutes. When cool put layers together with white icing. Decorate with peppermint candy using whole sticks on top, crushed on sides.

Modern Variation: Since today’s baking powders are double-acting decrease baking powder to 1 1/4 teaspoon. For best results use a small (6 cup) bundt pan, a medium (8 x 4 inch) loaf pan, or an 8 x 8 inch square pan. To add some peppermint flavor add 3/4 teaspoon peppermint extract. If desired, top with Whipped Cream Topping.

WHIPPED CREAM TOPPING

1 cup whipping cream
1/2 cup crushed peppermint candy
or 1/2 cup crushed peanut brittle
or 4 tablespoons jam or marmalade

Whip whipping cream until stiff. Fold in crushed candy or jam or marmalade.

Modern Variation: For peppermint candy topping add 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract to give the topping more peppermint flavor

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chocolate may have been rationed in Rosie of Rosie’s Riveting Recipes day, but fortunately for us, those days are long gone. There really is no such thing as too much chocolate. Certainly not when you’re a chocolate lover like me. During the holidays what better way to celebrate than to add a few touches to a classic recipe and go for the chocolate. This recipe is my own creation, inspired by the classic Nestle Toll House recipe.

Gayle Martin

CHOCOLATE CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

• 2 sticks butter or margarine, softened
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup cocoa
• 2 tablespoons coffee (if desired)
• 2 1/4 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 large (12 oz) package of chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350F. Place flour, baking soda and salt on a piece of wax paper and set aside. Cream butter, sugar, brown sugar and vanilla together in a large mixing bowl. Blend in eggs, mixing thoroughly. Add cocoa and coffee, if desired, and mix thoroughly. Blend in dry ingredients, a little at a time, until moistened. Fold in chocolate chips. Drop by rounded teaspoon full onto an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for approximately 10 to 12 minutes.

Note: If the batter should become too dry and crumbly after adding flour simply add small increments of coffee or water, (one tablespoon or smaller), until moistened.

For a little more zing, use pumpkin spice flavored chips, if available, or add a teaspoon of cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice.

The Rosie’s Riveting Recipes historic cookbook is available on Amazon and Barnesandnoble.com.

Orange Chocolate Chip Cookies

I love finding new recipes. I also love baking. So, whenever I find a recipe I like I’ll add my own touches to make it my own. The following is one such recipe. I made a few changes and tested it on a few musician friends. Musicians are great guinea pigs. They’ll try anything, and they’ll give you honest feedback. This recipe is musician tested and musician approved.

ORANGE CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tablespoon orange zest*
1 teaspoon orange juice
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup chocolate chips (semi-sweet or white chocolate)
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350F. Grate one medium to large orange into a small bowl and squeeze its juice into a separate small bowl. Set both bowls aside. Stir flour, baking soda and salt into a medium sized bowl and set aside. Cream softened butter, sugar and brown sugar together in a large bowl until fluffy. Beat in eggs and add orange zest and orange juice. Mix until well blended. Stir in dry ingredients in small increments until well blended. If dough is too stiff add small amounts of water until desired consistency. Add chips and walnuts, if desired. Drop tablespoons of dough onto ungreased baking sheets and bake 10 to 12 minutes.

*Orange zest is another name for grated orange peel.

By the way, Rosie’s Riveting Recipes includes many delicious historic cookie recipes. It’s available on Amazon and Barnesandnoble.com.

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bundt Cake

I experimented with several different zucchini bread recipes back when I was growing zucchini in my backyard garden. I’d tweak this and add that, and this is the one I liked the best. It includes a box of cake mix which helps save prep time. However, batter tends to be thick and heavy, so I highly recommend using a KitchenAid or other heavy duty mixer.

By the way, in Rosie’s day people grew victory gardens, so I think she would have approved.

CHOCOLATE CHIP ZUCCHINI BUNDT CAKE

1/2 cup butter, softened (4 ounces or 1 stick)
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup sour cream
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 package of cake mix with pudding in the mix *
1 medium zucchini — grated
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
1/8 cup powdered sugar (optional)

Preheat oven to 325F. (350F for a light colored pan).

Place softened butter in KitchenAid mixing bowl and beat the butter until light. Add eggs, vanilla and almond extract. Beat in the sour cream, add the cinnamon and mix until all ingredients are well blended. Slowly add in cake mix, a little bit at a time, and mix thoroughly. (Batter will thicken considerably as cake mix is added.) Fold in the zucchini, chocolate chips and nuts.

Spoon the mixture into the bundt pan and gently blend mixture around the pan until it’s level. Firmly tap the bundt pan on the counter top several times so that air bubbles can work their way to the top. Bake 45 to 50 minutes. Cake will be done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Place on cooling rack for 10 minutes, then place cake plate on top of bundt pan and invert. Allow cake to finish cooling. Sprinkle powdered sugar, if desired.

Variations: Use peanut butter or white chocolate flavored chips with a chocolate or devil’s food cake mix.

* Most cake mixes, such as Pillsbury, Duncan Hines and Betty Crocker, have pudding in the mix. White, classic yellow or devil’s food are recommended for theis recipe.

Rosie’s Riveting Recipes is available on Amazon and Barnesandnoble.com.

Orange Chocolate Chip Loaf

We have an abundant supply of citrus in southern Arizona. So, what do you do when someone gives you a big bag full of fresh oranges? You do what Rosie would have done. Use them to create something wonderful. This recipe is easy to prepare and delicious. I had a dear friend who absolutely adored it.

Gayle Martin

ORANGE CHOCOLATE CHIP LOAF

1/2 cup butter (softened)
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tablespoon orange zest *
1/2 cup orange just
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

OPTIONAL GLAZE

1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup sugar

Preheat oven to 350F. Mix flour, baking powder and salt in a medium-size mixing bowl. Set aside.

Cream butter and sugar together in a large mixing bowl. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Add orange zest and orange juice. Mix until well blended. Add flour mixture, a little at time. Fold in chocolate chips. Pour into a greased 9 x 5 x 3 loaf pan. Bake for one hour.

If desired, make glaze by stirring sugar and orange juice together in a saucepan and cook over medium heat until the sugar is completely dissolved. Pour over loaf. Let stand for 10 minutes before removing from the pan.

Orange zest is a term for grated orange peel.

Rosie’s Riveting Recipes is available on Amazon and Barnesandnoble.com.