Sweet Selections

In 1989, What’s Cooking in the Bluegrass featured recipes from readers for entertaining. Here are recipes that would go great on a dessert buffet.

Vanilla wafer cake

6 eggs
2 cups sugar
2 sticks butter, softened
1⁄2 cup milk
7 ounces coconut
1 cup pecans or walnuts
1 12-ounce box vanilla wafers, crushed
Cream together eggs, sugar and butter. Add milk, coconut, pecans or walnuts, and crushed vanilla wafers.
Mix well. Bake in greased and floured tube pan at 350 degrees for 50 to 60 minutes or until cake is done. Let cake completely cool before frosting with a cream cheese frosting. Can be left unfrosted.
To make frosting: Cream together 1 stick butter and 8 ounces cream cheese. Add 1 pound powdered sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Mix well.
-- Loretta Mullins of Stanville

Old-fashioned raisin pie

2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 heaping tablespoon flour
Pinch of salt
1 cup raisins
1⁄2 cup boiling water
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 9-inch pie crust, unbaked
Combine softened butter, sugar, flour and salt until crumbly. Add raisins, boiling water and vinegar. Mix well and pour into unbaked pie crust. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.
-- Donna Seaborn of Lexington

Fruit pizza

1 roll sugar cookie dough
8 ounces cream cheese
8 ounces frozen whipped topping, thawed
1⁄3 cup sugar
1 can pineapple tidbits
1 can mandarin oranges
6 ounces frozen strawberries, thawed
Spread cookie dough onto a pizza pan. Bake at 350 degrees until done, about 8 to 10 minutes. Cool.
Make filling by combining cream cheese, whipped topping and sugar. Mix well and spread on cookie dough. Drain fruits and place on top of filling.
-- Marcella Hilterbran of Nicholasville

Punch bowl cake

1 yellow cake mix
1 6-ounce box vanilla instant pudding
1 16-ounce container frozen whipped topping, thawed
1 21-ounce can cherry pie filling
4 bananas, sliced
1 20-ounce can crushed pineapple
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 13- by 9-inch cake pan. Prepare cake mix according to directions on package. Bake and cool. While cake is baking, mix pudding and refrigerate until firm.
To assemble: Use large glass punch bowl. Start with a large dab of whipped topping in the bottom. Cut cake into squares and place for the next layer. Pat with hands until no cracks are showing. You may have to cut squares to make it a tight fit. Spread half of prepared pudding on top, very thinly, trying to fill in the cracks of the cake squares. Use 1⁄3 of the canned pie filling for the fourth layer. Next use 2 bananas, 1⁄3 can pineapple and 2 inches of whipped topping. Layer again pushing the cake squares into the whipped topping just a little. Repeat layers using the remaining ingredients. Serve chilled.
Note: Lemon pudding and strawberry pie filling may be substituted.
For the holidays, arrange whipped topping on top to look like a wreath, use cherries and spearmint leaves or holly leaves for garnish.
-- Barbara Sundrup of Nicholasville

Pumpkin cheese pie

1 8-ounce package cream cheese
3⁄4 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
1⁄4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 16-ounce can pumpkin
1 5.33-ounce can evaporated milk
3 eggs
1 9-inch unbaked pie shell
Nut-crunch topping
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In large bowl, with mixer at medium speed, beat cream cheese and next 6 ingredients until blended. Add pumpkin, evaporated milk and eggs; beat just until blended; pour into unbaked pie crust; bake 30 minutes. Prepare nut-crunch topping and spoon over pie. Bake 15 minutes longer. Cool.
Nut-crunch topping: In saucepan over low heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter, stir in 3⁄4 cup chopped walnuts and 1⁄3 cup brown sugar. Spoon over pie.
-- Shirley Miller of Lexington

Easy jam cake

1 carrot cake mix
3 eggs
2⁄3 cup oil
1 cup water
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup blackberry jam
1⁄2 cup English walnuts, optional
1⁄2 cup raisins, optional
Pour all ingredients, except walnuts and raisins, into large mixing bowl and blend well with electric mixer. Pour into a 9- by 13-inch pan and bake in preheated 350-degree oven for 35 to 45 minutes, or until top springs back to touch. Frost with caramel icing or cream cheese icing. Store 24 hours before cutting. If cut before storage, cake will be dry, but after 24 hours it is moist and rich. When baked in a it serves 20.
-- Brenda Wade of Paris

Temptation squares

1⁄3 cup shortening
1⁄2 cup canned pumpkin
1 unbeaten egg
1⁄2 cup sugar
2⁄3 cup flour
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1⁄2 teaspoon nutmeg
1⁄2 teaspoon ginger
1⁄2 teaspoon cinnamon
1⁄4 teaspoon cloves
1 cup chocolate chips
Cream first four ingredients well and beat until fluffy. Sift dry ingredients together. Sift into pumpkin mixture and beat until blended. Stir in chocolate chips. Pour into a greased and floured 8-inch square pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Makes 16, 2-inch squares.
-- Celeste M. LaReau of Lexington

Peanut butter brownie cheesecake

1 package walnut brownie mix
3⁄4 cup creamy peanut butter
12 ounces cream cheese
1 1⁄2 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons milk
8 ounces frozen whipped topping, thawed
Prepare mix as directed on package and pour into a 9-inch springform cake pan. Bake according to package directions and do not overbake.
Cream peanut butter, cream cheese and powdered sugar. Add milk and whipped topping. When cake is completely cooled, top with cream cheese mixture. Refrigerate at least 4 hours. Serve with a spoonful of caramel sauce. May be made in advance and stored in refrigerator or freezer.
-- Betty P. McWhorter of Danville

No-bake chocolate chip cake

2 12-ounce packages chocolate chips
1 12-ounce package butterscotch chips
1⁄2 cup butter
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups nuts, if desired
Melt chips, butter and condensed milk in heavy pan until chips are almost melted. Remove from stove and beat until smooth. Blend in vanilla and nuts. Pour into tube pan lined with strips of waxed paper. Let cool before removing from pan. Do not refrigerate to cool. This cake requires no frosting. Pecans may be placed on top if desired.
-- Naomi Johnson of Frankfort

Holiday cheesecakes

2 8-ounce packages cream cheese
3⁄4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla
24 vanilla wafers
Cranberry glaze:
3⁄4 cup sugar
1⁄2 cup water
2 cups fresh cranberries
Red food coloring
2 tablespoons cornstarch, dissolved in 1 tablespoon cold water
For cakes, beat cream cheese, sugar, eggs, lemon juice and vanilla until light and fluffy. Line small muffin tins with 24 paper cups. Place a vanilla wafer in bottom of each. Fill cups two-thirds full with cheese mixture. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes or until set. Top each with 1 tablespoon cranberry glaze and chill.
To make glaze: Dissolve sugar in water. Add cranberries and boil rapidly until berries pop open (about 5 minutes). Stir in cornstarch. Add a few drops of red food coloring. Makes 1 pint of sauce.
-- Pam Pennington of Winchester

Cream wafers

1 cup soft butter
1⁄3 cup whipping cream
2 cups plain flour
Granulated sugar
Creamy filling (recipe below)
In a large mixing bowl, blend butter, whipping cream and flour. Cover and chill 30 minutes to 1 hour. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Roll about one-third of dough at a time to 1⁄8-inch thick on floured, cloth-covered board. (Keep remaining dough chilled.)
Cut into 1 1⁄2-inch rounds. Transfer rounds with spatula to piece of waxed paper that is heavily covered with granulated sugar; turn each round so that both sides are coated with sugar. Place on ungreased baking sheet. Prick rounds with fork about 4 times. Bake 7 to 9 minutes or just until set, but not brown. Cool. Put cookies together in pairs with creamy filling.
To make creamy filling: Cream 1⁄4 cup soft butter or margarine, 3⁄4 cup powdered sugar and 1 tablespoon vanilla until smooth and fluffy. Tint with few drops food color. (Use a color to match your decorations.) Add few drops water if necessary for proper consistency. Makes about 3 dozen cookies.
-- Pat Burchell of Manchester

Double chocolate cheesecake

1 1⁄4 cups chocolate wafer or graham cracker crumbs (about 18 wafers or 16 squares)
2 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons butter, melted
2 8-ounce packages plus 1 3-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
1⁄4 cup cocoa
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 eggs
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix crumbs and 2 tablespoons sugar; mix in butter. Press mixture evenly in bottom of ungreased 9-inch springform. Bake 10 minutes. Cool.
Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees. Beat softened cream cheese in large mixing bowl. Gradually add 1 cup sugar and the cocoa, beating until fluffy. Add vanilla. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Pour over crumb mixture.
Bake until center is firm, about 1 hour. Cool to room temperature. Refrigerate at least 3 hours. Loosen edge of cheesecake with knife before removing side of pan. Refrigerate any leftover cheesecake.
-- Royetta Stamper of Ezel