News

For Don Finch, Natrona Heights, who wanted a recipe for a sweet potato cake with coconut in the batter that is baked in a Bundt pan. From the Trib Food staff. This wasn't in our archives, but it sounds similar to what you requested. It's from an America Online members' site called Sweet Potato Cafe, and was contributed by Gwen Stacy of Natchitoches, La. Stacy says she removes the aluminum foil from atop the Bundt pan during the last 15 to 20 minutes of baking.

Sweet Potato Surprise Cake

• Vegetable cooking spray
• 3 medium-size (1 pound) sweet potatoes
• 1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, softened
• 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 (8 ounces) package cream cheese, softened
• 1 box (2-layer size) Duncan Hines yellow cake mix
• 4 large eggs
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/3 cup shredded coconut
• 1/2 cup pecans, chopped
• Icing (recipe follows)

Coat a Bundt pan with vegetable cooking spray. Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Boil the sweet potatoes until soft. Drain, peel and mash. You should have about 12/3 cups sweet potatoes.

Beat the sweet potatoes with the butter, brown sugar and cream cheese. Add the dry cake mix, eggs, granulated sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, oil and water. Beat until smooth. Stir in the coconut and pecans.

Pour the batter into the prepared Bundt pan. Bake for 35 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake for 40 minutes more or until the cake is set and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Invert onto a serving plate and let cool completely.

Prepare the Icing and spread over the cooled cake.

Icing

• 1 (1 pound) box confectioners' sugar
• 1 (8 ounces) package cream cheese, softened
• 1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup pecans, chopped

Combine the confectioners' sugar with the cream cheese, butter and vanilla and mix well. Stir in the pecans.

For Maxine Wellan, Indiana, Pa., who wanted a Home Plate-winning recipe for pizza rolls. From the Trib Food staff. This doesn't use frozen bread dough, but it was a winner in the 41st Pillsbury Bake-Off in Hollywood, Calif., last year. The contributor was Patty Ankney of Somerset.

Pizza Bubble Ring

• Vegetable cooking spray
• 6 to 8 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
• 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 (12 ounces each) cans Pillsbury Golden Layers Refrigerated Flaky Biscuits dough
• 40 small slices pepperoni (about 3 ounces)
• 8 ounces mozzarella cheese, cut into 20 pieces
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 1/4 cups pizza sauce, heated

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 12-cup fluted tube pan with vegetable cooking spray. Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a small bowl, mix the melted butter, Italian seasoning and garlic powder.

Separate 1 can of dough into 10 biscuits. Press or roll each into a 3-inch round. Place 2 pepperoni slices in the center of each biscuit round. Top each with a piece of mozzarella cheese. Bring the dough up around the filling and press the edge to seal. Shape each into a ball. Roll in the butter mixture. Place the 10 balls in the prepared pan.

Sprinkle the dough balls with the Parmesan cheese. Repeat with the remaining can of biscuits, placing those balls over the first layer in the pan. Pour the remaining butter mixture over the top.

Bake for 33 to 38 minutes or until deep golden brown. Cool for 5 minutes. Gently loosen the bread from the sides of the pan. Place a large heatproof plate upside down over the pan; turn the plate and pan over. Remove the pan. Serve warm with warm pizza sauce for dipping.

Makes 20 servings.

Clarification

Two relatives of the late John Coury, founder of the former Omar Khayyam restaurant in Oakland, have notified Recipe Exchange that the recipe for the establishment's salad dressing printed on Page E4 in the May 4 Food section is not correct. Although the recipe appears in "Three Rivers Cookbook" Volume 1 as Omar Khayyam Dressing, it is not similar.

Mary Coury Gantz, John Coury's daughter, says Lebanese salad dressing is traditionally a mixture of olive oil, corn oil, cumin, mint, "lots of garlic and fresh lemon," salt and pepper. The original recipe is a family secret.

The original dressing still is served at Salatino's restaurant, 534 McKean Ave., Charleroi, which is owned by Gantz's brother, Paul Coury. Details: 724-483-4400

Does anyone have this recipe?

I have been trying to duplicate the chocolate macaroons like the ones I get at Glisan's Restaurant along Route 40 outside of Uniontown. They have the best coconut center.

-- J. Ray, Monongahela

Want to participate?

Want to participate? Send requests and replies to Recipe Exchange in care of Living, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, D.L. Clark Building, 503 Martindale St., Pittsburgh, PA 15065; fax (412) 320-7966; or e-mail kwelzel@tribweb.com. Recipes and requests cannot be taken over the phone.

Please include your full name, street address and daytime phone number so a staff member can contact you for more information, if needed. This information is strictly confidential. Indicate whether you want your full name or just your initials used for publication.

In a request, describe the dish as best as you can, offering a recipe name or some of the ingredients, if possible. If you send in a recipe, try to include box and can sizes (or a measured amount of an ingredient), pan sizes, oven temperature and the approximate baking time or a way to test for doneness. Include the number of servings, too, if possible.

• Most Read
• Most E-mailed
• Latest News