Cakes, Pies & Cookies Answers

Success with pie crusts

I have had the worst experience making pie crusts. No matter what recipe I use - and I follow them to the "T" - it never comes out right. Either the crust is...

Read Answer
Can you build an edible castle for school?

I’m in 7th grade and for my history class I have to build a castle, and my family and I wondered about building an edible castle, but we really don’t know wh...

Read Answer
Baking soft cookies

What is the secret to thick, cake-like, soft cookies, à la Mrs. Field? Mine seem to spread in the oven. Is it the flour? eggs? shortening (butter vs. margari...

Read Answer
Keeping cakes fresh

Is there a way that I can make cakes keep longer. Someone told me that if I replace 1 tablespoon of oil with a liquid ingredient (e.g., egg/milk/water, etc.)...

Read Answer
Troubleshooting a brownie recipe

Lately, after baking brownies I notice craters or indentations on the bottoms. I can't figure out why this is happening. Should I try tapping the pan on a co...

Read Answer
Pumpkin pie without the crust

I would like to make pumpkin pie filling without it being in a pie shell. Is it possible to do this and if so, how do I do it?

Read Answer
Making Dobos Torte

Dobos Torte, a famous Hungarian cake, should be made with a special baking pan, multi-layered, so as to bake the 7 or 8 layers at the same time. Where can I ...

Read Answer
Jazzing up a boxed cake mix

Can I add unsweetened cocoa to a store-bought white cake mix to make chocolate cake mix? And how much cocoa would I add?

Read Answer
Creaming butter for cookies

Consumer Reports once did an article on the Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie, with their own tested recipe. I tried it and sure enough, it was the best I'd ever...

Read Answer
A pretty apple crisp

I recently made an apple crisp with red Rome apples. Long story short, the eye appeal of the finished dessert was less than appealing! Many of the apples tur...

Read Answer
What is apple hodgepodge?

What is apple hodge podge and can I find a recipe somewhere? An 80 year-old woman said that the recipe was very old and she couldn't remember the ingredients...

Read Answer
What is a torte/flourless chocolate cake?

I was wondering if you had a recipe for "flourless" chocolate cake, and is that also the same as a "torte?" I would prefer one with not so many eggs - maybe ...

Read Answer
Quadrupling a fruit cake recipe

I have to bake a 12-inch-diameter fruit cake for a wedding. Do you have any recipes or advice about quantities and cooking times, etc.? It can't be as simple...

Read Answer
Making a marshmallow cheesecake

I wonder how I could create a marshmallow cheesecake, but not by just adding it as a sauce or a topping. Would I be able to substitute some sugar and/or sour...

Read Answer
Making biscotti from a cake mix

Using a cake mix, flour, 2 eggs, vanilla and some other stuff I made biscotti. When the time came to cut the 12" x 2" log it was very crumbly. I baked it for...

Read Answer
Pavlova recipe

I'm looking for the recipe of an Aussie fruit desert that is supposed to be called "pavlovo." Know it?

Read Answer