1 cup Earth Balance non-hydrogenated margarine, softened
1 jar banana baby food
2 eggs
32 oz. jar of natural applesauce
4 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 Tbsp. baking soda
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Cream margarine and bananas. Add eggs and mix well. Pour in applesauce, beating well, then add dry ingredients. Fold in nuts.

Pour batter into a greased 9" x 13" pan and bake for about 1 hour or until toothpick inserted into middle comes out clean.

Note: You may substitute almonds or coconut for the walnuts or omit them entirely.

Doing a survey of all our friends and relations, we found that no one we knew really liked the traditional dark honey cake, whether homemade or store-bought. No one liked the flavor. Challenged, we tried it with espresso. We tried it with brandy. We even tried it with tea. But it always seemed to come out heavy and dry - until this one. Inspired by the Romanian Jewish honey cake – which is light rather than dark - this version is light as a feather and really delicious. It’s certainly the best honey cake we’ve ever tasted. Adapted from The Essential Book of Jewish Festival Cooking by Phyllis Glazer with Miriyam Glazer

Makes one 12” or two 9” loaves

1 cup walnuts or pecans, chopped
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 1/4 cups honey
6 large eggs, separated
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ginger
Pinch cardamom
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 cup sugar

Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Lightly grease a 12” loaf pan or two 9” loaf pans and line the bottom and sides with parchment paper to facilitate removal. Set aside.

Place the chopped nuts in a baking pan and toast for 10 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally. Remove from the oven and let cool. Lower heat to 300ºF (150ºC). In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the oil, honey, egg yolks and spices. Sift the flour and baking powder and blend into the honey mixture till smooth. In a separate bowl, beat egg whites till foamy. Add the sugar gradually, continuing to beat till the egg whites are stiff. Fold a small amount of the egg whites into the honey mixture, then fold in the rest gradually, mixing gently each time until incorporated. Stir in the nuts. Carefully pour the batter into the prepared pan(s). Bake on the middle shelf of the preheated oven for 60-75 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center is almost dry (it will have fine crumbs stuck to it). Place baking pan(s) on a rack and let cool for 20 minutes before turning out on a rack to finish cooling.

Variations: Add ? cup finely chopped crystallized ginger to the batter instead of the nuts. Add 1/2 cup finely chopped candied citron to the batter instead of or in addition to the nuts.

Every cookbook has an apple cake recipe. This is standard but good.

4 cups sliced granny smith apples
3 tablespoons cinnamon
5 tablespoons sugar
4 eggs
1 cup oil
1/4 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon vanilla
3 cups flour
2 cups sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine apples, cinnamon and sugar and set aside. Beat together eggs, oil, orange juice and vanilla. Stir in dry ingredients. Pour 1/3 of the batter into a greased bundt pan. Add half the apples, the 1/3 of the batter, then remaining apples and remaining batter. Bake for 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until done. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan.

Easy and good. A slight adaptation of my friend Debbie?s recipe.

4 pounds cooking apples (Golden Delicious, Rome Beauty or Mackintosh), peeled and cut into chunks
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large glass pan, combine apple chunks with sugar, vanilla and cinnamon. Cover pan with foil and bake for 40 minutes. Uncover and bake 20 minutes more. Mash with fork or puree in food processor. Delicious warm or cold, smooth or chunky. For variety, can include some pears.

Or mandelbroit, if you prefer the more traditional, less-yuppified name. These are delicious after any meal, and at any other time of the day!! They are very easy and everyone will want the recipe. (Thanks Holly)

1 cup canola oil
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
3 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup finely chopped pecans (optional)
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 tablespoon sugar mixed with 1 tablespoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Beat together oil, sugar and eggs. Add flour and baking powder and mix well to combine. Stir in nuts, if using, and chocolate chips. Divide dough into 4 loaves and place on lightly greased baking sheets. Sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar mixture. Bake for 20 minutes. Cut into 1/2 -inch slices and bake another 15 minutes. Hide some away for yourself!

2-1/2 cups pitted dates (about 1-1/4 pounds)
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla
1-1/2 cups flour
1-1/2 cups oatmeal
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup (2 sticks) margarine, cold and cut into chunks

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine dates, 2/3 cups brown sugar, water and vanilla in a small saucepan. Bring to simmer over medium heat. Cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Place flour, oatmeal, 1cup brown sugar, baking soda and cinnamon in work bowl of food processor. Combine. Add chunks of margarine, pulsing until mixture is crumbly. Pat 1/2 mixture onto bottom of lightly greased 9-inch square baking pan. Cover with date mixture, spreading evenly. Top with remaining crumb mixture. Bake until golden, 30 to 40 minutes. Cool and then refrigerate.

This is a nice fall dessert that evokes the harvest. Delicious served warm with ice cream, cold with ice cream or alone. The recipe calls for apples but you can substitute any fruit. I?ve made it with peaches, with peaches and blueberries combined, with strawberry and rhubarb combined...the possibilities are endless.

10 large Granny Smith apples (about 5 pounds), cut into slices
¾ cup sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1-1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
5 tablespoons margarine, softened
1 cup sugar
1 large egg white
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup flour
¾ cup oats
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine apples, ¾ cup sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon and nutmeg and spread over bottom of a deep 9x13 ? inch pan. Cream margarine with sugar. Beat in egg white and vanilla. Stir in flour, oats and cinnamon and crumble over apple mixture. Bake for about 1 hour.

I?ve done a lot of experimenting, I?ve made chocolate chip honey cake, chocolate honey cake, honey cake made with coffee, honey cake made with tea etc. etc. in search of the best honey cake. I think this simple one is it.

4 eggs
1 cup sugar
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 cup oil
1 cup honey
1 cup orange juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 10-inch bundt pan. Beat eggs and sugar together. Combine dry ingredients. Stir together oil, honey and orange juice. Add dry ingredients and oil mixture to eggs alternately, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 50 minutes. Let cool in pan 10 minutes and remove.

This recipe comes from my good friend Jyl. I?m not sure what the connection to Yom Tov is except that this is a delicious dessert with an interesting twist.

1/2 cup margarine
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 cup water
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup non-dairy creamer combined with 1 teaspoon white vinegar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon instant coffee

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine margarine, cocoa and 1 cup water in small saucepan. Bring to a boil and remove from heat. Combine flour and sugar and then stir in cocoa mixture. Add rest of ingredients. Pour into greased 9x13 ? inch pan and bake for 20 minutes.

Icing:
1 16 ounce box confectioner?s sugar
1/2 cup melted margarine
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/4 cup non-dairy creamer
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon coffee
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Combine all ingredients and mix well. Ice while cake is still slightly warm.

In the Succot spirit, we are trying to feature a wide variety of fruit and vegetable items. The dried cherries add color and a chewy bite to these already delicious cookies.

1 cup margarine, softened
1-1/4 cups brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2-1/2 cups oats, quick or old-fashioned
2 cups (1 package) semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup dried cherries

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cream margarine and both sugars. Add eggs and vanilla, beating well. Stir in flour and baking soda. Then add oats, chocolate chips and cherries, mixing well. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for approximately 10 minutes. Cook for 1 minute on cookie sheets, then remove to racks until completely cool.

This dessert is beautiful, easy and refreshing.

2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup margarine, melted
1 pint strawberry sorbet
1 pint lemon sorbet
1 pint raspberry sorbet
1 pint peach sorbet

Combine graham cracker crumbs and margarine. Press into bottom of 10-inch springform pan and refrigerate for 1 hour. Allow sorbet to soften slightly. Cover your hand with plastic (a small baggie works great) and pat the strawberry sorbet down on the crust spreading to the edge. Repeat with other flavors. Freeze. Remove sides of pan before serving. Garnish with fresh fruit if desired. Can also substitute any other flavors of sorbet or can use ice cream and make it dairy.

No holiday is complete without one good coffee cake. If you wish to make this for a meat meal, substitute margarine for the butter and tofutti sour cream for the dairy sour cream. It will be very delicious but a little less rich.

1 cup (2 sticks) butter
1 cup sugar
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup sour cream

Topping:
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs and mix well. Stir in vanilla. Mix baking soda into sour cream. Combine dry ingredients. Add flour mixture and sour cream alternately to egg mixture, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Do not over beat. Pour half of batter into greased 10-inch bundt pan. Combine topping ingredients and pour ¾ of mixture over batter in pan. Add rest of batter and cover with rest of topping. Bake for 50 minutes or until cake tests done. Cool in pan for 10 minutes before removing.

Everyone has a favorite chocolate cake. This one, from my friend Elizabeth is definitely the best (from my unbiased perspective!)

1 box devil?s food cake mix
1 box (4-1/2 ounces ) instant chocolate pudding
1/2 cup brewed coffee
4 eggs
1 cup tofutti sour cream
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup kahlua
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips, for those who like it very rich

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients together, adding chocolate chips last, if using. Pour into a greased bundt pan and bake for about 55 minutes. Cool in pan for 10 minutes before removing. Wait for cake to cool completely, then glaze.

Glaze:
1 box (1 pound) confectioner?s sugar
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 tablespoons margarine, softened
1/3 ? 1/2 cup hot brewed coffee

Combine all icing ingredients, adding more coffee if glaze is too thick. Pour over cake. Enjoy!

These are very colorful and nice for a dairy lunch, especially at Succot time.

1/2 cup margarine, softened
1-1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1-1/2 cups dried cranberries
1 cup white chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream margarine and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla, beating well. Mix in flour and baking soda, then cranberries and chocolate chips. Shape into 3 logs and place on lightly greased baking sheets. Brush with beaten egg white. Bake until logs are golden, about 1/2 hour. Cool slightly on baking sheet, then slice logs into 1/4- 1/2 inch slices. Place side down on baking sheets and bake an additional 10 minutes. Transfer to rack to cool.

In Italy, coffee granita is served in tall glasses filled halfway with granita and topped with whipped cream. We've added some white chocolate and anise-flavored liqueur.

4 cups freshly brewed strong coffee (made from 6 cups water and 2 1/2 cups ground Fresh roast coffee)
1 cup sugar
1 tbsp. grated orange peel
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tbsp. sambuca or other anise-flavored liqueur

Stir first 4 ingredients in a bowl until the sugar dissolves. Pour into 13 X 9 X 2 metal pan. Chill 2 hours; mix in sambuca.

Freeze coffee mixture until icy at edge of pan, about 45 minutes. Whisk to distribute frozen portions evenly. Freeze again until icy at edge of pan and overall texture is slushy, about 45 minutes. Whisk to distribute frozen portions evenly. Then freeze until solid, about 3 hours. Using fork, scrape granita down length of pan, forming icy flakes. Freeze at least 1 hour. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; keep frozen.)

Top with 2 cups parve whipping cream.

Makes 8 servings.