RFCJ RECIPE ARCHIVE
Posted by : Karen Selwyn Mocha-Hazelnut Cake, Mina Pachter's - dairy
Mina Pachter was 70 when she was sent to Terezin in 1942. She, along with other women in the camp, would try to hold on to some semblance of normalcy by talking about home, food, and family. Mina recorded the women's recipes on whatever scraps of paper she could find and stitched them together in a book. Mina died in Terezin on Yom Kippur, 1944, but before her death she entrusted a package of poems, photographs and the book to a friend requesting that he get it to her daughter, Anny Stern, who had escaped to Palestine. Years after the request, the book was delivered to Anny. David, Mina's grandson, and Anny worked with Cara da Silva and Bianca Steiner Brown, herself a Terezin survivor, to bring the book to the point where it could be published. Beyond the challenge of deciphering writing on brittle, yellowed paper in three languages, ingredients were omitted and directions were scanty or halted in mid-sentence, a reflection of the starvation of mind and body experienced by the women of Terezin. Karen Selwyn * * * * * Mina Pachter's Mocha-Hazelnut Cake 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened 3/4 cup granulated sugar 2 large eggs 2 egg yolks 2 egg whites, stiffly beaten 3 1/2 oz semisweet chocolate, melted and cooled 3 tablespoons strong coffee 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel 1 1/4 cups ground hazelnuts 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour Preheat oven to 350 degrees Farenheit. Lightly grease and flour 8-inch springform pan. In the large bowl of electric mixer, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in chocolate, and coffee 1 tablespoon at a time, alternating with half ground hazelnuts, flour and the lemon peel. Fold in beaten egg whites, mixing alternately with remaining ground hazelnuts and flour. Pour batter into prepared cake pan, smoothing the top. Rap pan twice on hard surface to expel any air bubbles. Bake 30-35 minutes until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cake cool in pan on wire rack 10 minutes. Invert on rack and let cool completely. Bianca Brown's suggestions for presentation: Spread with strained apricot preserves. Glaze with chocolate icing or sprinkle cake with confectioner's sugar and serve with lightly sweetened whipped cream. Source: In Memory's Kitchen: A Legacy from the Women of Terezin Cara de Silva, editor Bianca Steiner Brown, translator
