Cast Iron

Fruit Topped Bundt Cake (for cast iron pan)

• 1½ cups butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 5 eggs
• 2¼ cups flour
• ½ cup corn meal
• 1 tsp baking powder
• rind of ½ lemon, grated
• rind of ½ orange, grated
• 1½ tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp orange juice
• ¼ cup rum

1. Grease and flour bundt pan. Preheat oven to 325.
2. In large bowl, cream butter and sugar until pale and fluffy.
3. Beat in eggs, one at a time.
4. Sift flour and baking powder together, add corn meal, fold gently into creamed mixture.
5. Gradually fold in rum, lemon and orange juice and peels. Let batter rest 15 minutes.
6. Place pan in oven until warm to the touch. Spoon in small layer of batter into fruit impressions, then fill the pan with the remaining batter. Smooth the surface.
7. Bake 75-90 minutes or until wood skewer inserted in center comes out clean. (Cover with foil if cake is becoming too brown.)
8. Cool 20-35 minutes upright with cake in pan. Invert and remove cake from pan, decorate with confectioners sugar and/or fruit glaze.

If using this recipe for individual muffin or cookie molds, reduce baking time to 20-25 minutes, or until edges are golden brown.

Cinnamon Muffins (for cast iron pan)

• 1½ cups sifted AP flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• pinch of salt
• 1 tbsp cinnamon
• ½ cup soft butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• ½ cup milk

1. Preheat oven to 250.
2. Sift flour again with baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.
3. In a separate bowl, cream butter and sugar thoroughly.
4. Beat in eggs, one at a time, beating harder after each addition.
5. Stir in the flour mixture and milk arternately.
6. Pour into greased muffin pans and bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out dry.
7. Frost with Cinnamon Frosting.

Cinnamon Frosting

Combine 1 cup hevay cream with ¼ cup sugar. Chill in refrigerator at least 2 hours, then beat with rotary beater until stiff. Flavor with ½ tsp cinnamon.

Cornbread Muffins (for cast iron pan)

• 1 cup AP flour
• ¼ cup sugar
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 1 cup yellow corn meal
• 1 egg, well-beaten
• 1 cup milk
• 5 tbsp butter, melted

1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. Mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add corn meal.
3. Add to mxture: egg, milk, and melted butter. Beat until smooth but don’t over-mix.
4. Bake in greased muffin pan at 375° for 12-15 minutes or until lightly browned.

Popovers (for cast iron pan)

• 1 cup sifted AP flour
• ½ tsp salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil

1. Preheat oven to 425. Grease muffin pan and set aside.
2. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and beat until smooth.
3. Heat pan in oven and remove.
4. Fill pans slightly less than half full.
5. Bake about 35 minutes.

Swiss Cookies (for cast iron pan)

• 14 tbsp (7 oz) unsalted butter
• ½ cup confectioner’s sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 2½ cups flour

1. Preheat oven to 450.
2. Beat butter until light, then beat in sugar.
3. Add vanilla and lemon juice.
4. Mix in the flour until the dough is smooth and stiff. You will have to do this with your hands.
5. Press into molds. Bake at 425° for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown.

Sugar Cookies (for cast iron pan)

• 1 cup butter, softened
• ¾ cup sugar
• ½ tsp salt
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 3 cups AP flour

1. Mix butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
2. Add salt, eggs, and vanilla, mix well.
3. Add flour and stir until mixture is well combined.
4. Press dough into molds.
5. Bake at 350° for 15-18 minutes or until golden brown. (Note from Grammy: don’t let the tops brown)
6. Let cool 1 minute, place cooling rack over mold and invert carefully. Remove mold and allow cokies to cool.

Gingerbread (for cast iron pan)

• 3½ tbsp butter
• ½ cup honey
• ¼ cup + 1 tsp sugar
• ¼ tsp ground ginger
• dash ground allspice
• dash ground cinnamon
• 2¼ cups AP flour
• ½ tsp baking soda
• pinch salt
• 1 egg

1. Combine butter, honey, sugar, ginger, allspice, and cinnamon in a small saucepan. Stir over low heat until sugar is dissolved. Cool.
2. Sift flour and baking soda into a large bowl, add salt, egg, and cooled honey mixture.
3. Knead until dough is smooth. Cover and let sit overnight at room temperature.
4. Preheat oven to 375.
5. Grease pan and firm dough into molds until they are just full.
6. Bake at 375° for 12-15 minutes. Allow to cool 10 minutes before removing from mold.

Chocolate Shortbread (for cast iron pan)

• 1 cup butter at room temperature
• 1 cup 10X (powdered) sugar
• 6 tbsp cocoa
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1½ cup flour
• 2 tbsp cornstarch
• ¼ tsp salt
• ⅔ cup finely chopped walnuts (optional)

1. Grease and flour cast iron mold.
2. Cream butter. Add sugar and cocoa and cream until light.
3. Add vanilla.
4. Sift flour, cornstarch, and salt together. Stir in nuts and mix into creamed mixture.
5. Press into mold and trim.
6. Bake at 325° for 20 to 30 minutes until cookie is firm. Cool 10-15 minutes before turning out.

Scotch Shortbread (for cast iron pan)

• 1 cup butter at room temperature
• ¾ cup confectioners sugar
• 2 cups AP flour
• ½ tsp vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Cream butter, blend in sugar gradually.
3. Add flour gradually, add vanilla.
4. Press mixture into greased cookie mold and bake in the cent of a moderat 350° oven for 15 minutes, ro until light brown on top. (Be careful, these cakes brown very quickly near the end of the baking time.)
5. Let shortbread cool in molds 5-10 minutes before removing.