Here are two of my favorite recipes for the Passover holiday.
Aunt Tillie’s Passover Cake
3 pkgs Passover Cake Mix
1 pkg Instant Pudding Mix (Kosher for Passover)
3 eggs
1/2 cup oil
1 1/2 cups water
1 tsp vanilla (or vanilla sugar)
Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9×13 baking pan.
Combine dry ingredients in a bowl.
Combine wet ingredients in a bowl. Add to dry ingredients and stir to mix thoroughly.
Pour into prepared pan. Bake in center of oven 40-45 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely.
Prepare frosting from the cake mix packages, replacing hot coffee (instant and/or decaff OK), for water. Add 1/4 tsp vanilla or a dash of cinnamon if desired. Frost cooled cake.
Barbara’s Sephardic-style Haroset
A food processor is very helpful for preparation. Make at least 1 day in advance.
10 oz package pitted dates, chopped fine
6 oz (or similar) package dried apricots, chopped fine
6 oz (or simiar) dried figs OR pitted dried plums, chopped fine
1 cup baking or jumbo red flame raisins, chopped
3 small or 2 medium apples, cored and chopped fine
1 cup pecans (or other nut of choice), chopped fine
1 can dark sweet cherries, drained and rinsed
juice and grated rind of one orange
1/4 tupelo honey
1/3 – 1/2 cup white passover wine or grape juice
1/8 – 1/4 teaspoon EACH: cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, dried ginger, coriander, cardamon
Combine the ingredients in a large bowl. Taste and adjust spices to suit. Refrigerate for a day or overnight. Check moisture level the next morning, adding more wine, grape juice or orange juice if mixture seems too dry.
Post-Seder uses for this haroset:
- Serve with mazto brei and sour cream
- Spread Passover cream cheese and haroset on matzo or a Passover ‘roll’ for a delicious lunch
- Mix with cream cheese and stuff celery sticks
- Great on Passover pancakes
- Mix with coconut and Passover cookie crumbs and form into ‘truffles’