POTSDAM – The Potsdam Food Co-op has announced the winners of its 13th annual Baking Contest and Silent Auction in December.

There were 27 entries and more than 400 visitors crowded around the colorful tables, sampling the creations.

Winners received a $25 Good Food Gift Card from the co-op. Collectively, a total of $873 was raised for the Potsdam Neighborhood Center.

The winners are:

• Rachel Wallace of Potsdam - for her Graham Cracker Cake in the Dessert category

• Robin Crowell and daughters Emma & Naomi of Canton - for their Lime & Coconut Cookies in the Cookies category

• Susan Powers and daughters Ellie & Tera Siegfried of Potsdam - for their Flourless Chocolate Torte in the Special Diet category

Here are the winning recipes:

COCONUT-LIME SUGAR COOKIES
(Adapted from a Cook’s Illustrated recipe)

Created by Robin, Emma, & Naomi Crowell

2 1/4 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

2/3 cup shredded coconut – either sweetened or not, chopped fine

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/3 cups sugar, plus extra for rolling

4 ounces cream cheese, cut into 8 pieces

6 tablespoons butter, melted and still warm

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 large egg

1 tablespoon milk

1 tablespoon lime zest

2 tablespoons lime juice

Heat oven to 350F and make sure oven rack is centered. Whisk flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and coconut together in a medium bowl. In a different larger bowl, put 1 1/3 cups sugar and cream cheese. Place 1/2 cup sugar on a plate, shallow baking dish or pie plate and set aside. Pour warm butter over sugar and cream cheese and whisk to combine (some small lumps of cream cheese will remain but will smooth out later). Whisk in oil until incorporated. Add egg, milk, lime zest and lime juice. Continue to whisk until smooth. Add flour mixture and mix until soft completely mixed dough forms. Using hands, roll 2 tablespoons of dough in a ball and continue until all the dough is used up (about 30 cookies or so). Roll balls one at a time in reserved sugar to coat and evenly space on lightly greased cookie sheet, about 12 balls per sheet. Using the bottom of a drinking glass, flatten dough balls until 2 inches in diameter. You can either then sprinkle tops with sugar or frost. Before frosting though, bake until edges are set about 12 minutes. Cool cookies on baking sheet five minutes and then transfer to a wire rack.

We made a butter/confectioner’s sugar/lime juice frosting and then sprinkled the tops with coconut.

FLOURLESS CHOCOLATE TORTE
Created by Susan Powers and daughters Ellie & Tera Siegfried

2/3 C walnuts

1/2 C sugar

1/2 C butter (1 stick)

10 oz chocolate chips

8 eggs, separated, room temperature

1 TBSP vanilla

Melt the butter and chocolate.

Mix together egg yolks and sugar, add to cooled chocolate mixture, stir in chopped walnuts and vanilla. Beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks. Fold chocolate mixture into egg whites. Pour batter into 9" cake pan (use greased parchment paper on bottom)and bake 35 minutes at 325 F. Cool pan on wire rack. Invert cake onto wire rack.

Chocolate Icing

1/2 stick butter

2 oz semi-sweet chocolate

2 oz unsweetened chocolate

3 T heavy cream

2/3 C sifted confectioner's sugar

1 t vanilla extract

Melt butter and chocolates in double boiler, whisking constantly. Remove from heat. Whisk in cream. Whisk in confectioner's sugar and vanilla. Pour warm icing over cake. Spread with a spatula, including sides. Let rest for two hours.

GRAHAM CRACKER CAKE
(from Great Cakes by Carole Walter)

Created by Rachel Wallace

The Cake:

25 double graham crackers, broken

1/2 cup shredded desiccated coconut (unsweetened)

2 1/2 t baking powder

1/2 C unsalted butter

1 C superfine or strained sugar

4 large egg yolks

1 t vanilla extract

1 C milk

4 large egg whites

1/8 t cream of tartar

The Mocha Whipped Cream Filling:

2 1/2 C heavy cream, well chilled

1 t coffee zest (3 parts instant coffee to 1 part water)

1/3 C strained confectioner's sugar

3 T strained, unsweetened cocoa

2 T Kahlua

1/2 t unsweetened cocoa, for garnish

1. Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 350. Butter two 9-inch layer pans, line with parchment circles, and rebutter parchment.

2. Place graham crackers in coconut into the container of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Process until the graham crackers and coconut are ground very fine. Add the baking powder and pulse to blend.

3. Cut the butter into 1-inch pieces and soften with an electric mixer on low speed. Increase speed to medium high, and cream butter until smooth and light in color, 2 minutes.

4. Add the sugar, 1 T at a time, taking 6 to 8 minutes to blend it in well.

5. Add the egg yolks, 2 at a time at one minute intervals, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary. Beat one minute longer. Blend in the vanilla.

6. Reduce the mixer speed to low. Add the crumb mixture alternately with the milk, dividing the crumbs into 3 parts and the milk into two, starting and ending with the crumbs. Scrape the sides of the bowl and mix 10 seconds longer. Transfer to another bowl.

7. In a clean bowl with clean beaters, beat the egg whites on medium speed until frothy. Add the cream of tartar and increase the speed to medium high until the whites form firm, moist peaks. Fold in 1/4 of the whites to lighten the batter, taking about 20 turns. Fold in the remaining whites, taking about 20 additional turns.

8. Spoon the batter into prepared pans, smoothing the tops with the back of a tablespoon. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the cake begins to come away from the sides of the pan and is springy to the touch.

9. Remove the cake from oven. Set cakes on racks to cool slightly for 10 minutes, then invert onto racks sprayed with nonstick coating. Lift off the pans carefully and remove the parchment. Cool completely, then fill and frost.

10. To make the filling: pour the cream into a well-chilled mixing bowl. Beat, stirring in the confectioner's sugar and cocoa, and continue to beat on medium speed until the cream begins to thicken. Add the Kahlua and coffee zest. Continue whipping until cream reaches soft peak stage. Finish beating by hand using a wire whisk, whipping until the cream is quite thick but not grainy.

To Assemble the Cake:

1. Split each layer into halves. Set the first layer on a serving plate, top side down. Using a wide-bore decorating tip, pipe whipped cream 1/2 inch from the edge of the cake. Fill in the center and spread to cover with a large offset spatula. Repeat with second and third layers, placing them cut side up. Arrange to top layer cut side down, aligning layers so the sides of the cake are even.

2. Pipe 1/2 inch whipped cream dots onto the top layer, beginning at the outer edge. Each dot should touch the preceding one, forming a ring. Continue working toward the center of the cake until the entire surface is covered.

3. Place 1/2 t cocoa in a very fine mesh strainer. Gently tap the strainer over the surface of the cake to give it a light dusting of cocoa. Place the cake in the refrigerator uncovered to chill, but remove from the refrigerator at least 1 hour before serving.