Sisterhood Recipes

“Kappa’s Favorite” Pretzel Salad
In celebration of Kappa–Illinois’ chapter centennial, this strawberry pretzel salad honors long-time house chef, Annie, who made dessert every night.

Ingredients 
6 cups of pretzels
1/4 cup + 1/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup melted unsalted butter
6 oz Instant raspberry or strawberry Jello
5 cups of fresh strawberries
8 oz of cream cheese softened
1 cup of powdered sugar
1/4 tsp Kosher salt
1 cup heavy cream
1 tsp Vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups water

Preparation
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours, 10 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours, 30 minutes

• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Add pretzels and 1/4 cup of granulated sugar into a food processor and pulse. Add melted butter until the mixture holds together. Press the crust into an even layer and bake for 10 minutes, then cool completely.
• Slice 5 cups of strawberries into a large bowl. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup granulated sugar and stir. Let sit for 15-20 minutes.
• Boil 2 1/4 cups of water. Remove from heat and whisk Jello until fully dissolved. Fold in strawberries and juice. Chill for 2 hours to partially set so it’s not runny.
• In a large bowl, beat softened cream cheese, powdered sugar, and kosher salt until smooth. Set aside. Whip cream and vanilla extract on high until soft peaks form. Fold the cream cheese mixture into the whipped cream gently. Chill the cream cheese layer until assembly.
• Spread the cream cheese evenly over the cooled crust. Press into the edges to prevent Jello leakage. Pour the partially set Jello and strawberry mixture on top. Chill until fully set, then cut and serve cold.

“The Torch’s Apple Cake” 
National President Emily Freed (Alpha Epsilon–Purdue) has a special love for sharing this apple cake with her family using a recipe she’s worked hard to refine.

Ingredients
Butter for greasing pan
3 cups flour, plus more for dusting pan
1½ cups of vegetable oil
2 cups of  sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp of salt
1 tsp of cinnamon
1 tsp of baking soda
1 tsp of vanilla
3 cups of peeled, cored and thickly sliced Honeycrisp apples
1 cup of chopped walnuts
1 cup of raisins
Vanilla ice cream

Preparation
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour, 15 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes

“Hot Buttered Os cake”
Inspired by one of Tiffani Ziemann’s (Alpha Upsilon–Bradley) favorite childhood treats, this brown butter cake is topped with honey butter cream and toasted honey nut cheerios for a tasty throwback treat.

This recipe is made by using a quarter sheet pan and then cutting out the rounds using a 6 inch cake ring. You can also use 3-inch cake pans, but will need to adjust the bake time accordingly.

Tools needed
Stand mixer with paddle attachment
Quarter sheet pan
6 inch cake ring
Acetate strips

Brown Butter Cake Ingredients
1 stick of unsalted butter, room temperature
— brown ½ of the stick of butter, let it completely cool in the fridge and return to room temperature before beginning the recipe.
1 tablespoon milk or water
250 grams granulated sugar (235 for high altitude)
60 grams light brown sugar (53 grams at high altitude)
3 eggs
110 grams buttermilk (160 grams at high altitude)
75 grams grapeseed oil (can use canola or vegetable oil)
185 grams cake flour (204 grams at high altitude)
4 grams vanilla
4 grams baking powder (2 grams at high altitude)
4 grams (1 teaspoon) kosher salt

Soak (optional) Ingredients
55 grams milk (or water)
15 grams (2 tsp) honey or more to taste

Whipped Honey Buttercream Ingredients
115 grams (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
72 grams (4 tablespoons) honey
275 grams (2 cups) powdered sugar
15 grams (1 tablespoon) heavy cream
.75 grams (or taster) salt

Cheerio Filling Ingredients
180 gram honey nut cheerios
1.5 grams salt
15 grams butter

Cake Preparation

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (375 at high altitude). Spray a quarter sheet pan with baking spray, line it with parchment paper, and spray the top of the parchment and the sides of the pan.
• Combine butter, brown butter, milk or water, granulated sugar and brown sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Cream on medium high for 2–3 minutes until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides halfway through and again at the end.
• Add eggs one at a time making sure each is fully incorporated before adding the next, beating on high for one minute after each addition. After you add the last egg, scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat on high for four more minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl again.
• Combine the buttermilk with oil and vanilla, and with the mixer on medium , stream in very slowly– approximately 3 minutes to add these liquids. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, increase the mixer speed to medium high and paddle for an additional 2–3 minutes until the mixture is practically white, twice the size of your original fluffy butter and sugar mixture, and completely homogeneous Note: Don’t rush this process. There should be no streaks of fat or liquid left when you stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl. If there are keep mixing.
• Whisk together the cake flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium container or bowl. On the lowest mixer speed slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet all at once and mix for 45 to 60 seconds just until the batter comes together. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and either hand mix in any remaining pockets of flour with your spatula or mix on low for an additional 45 seconds.
• Pour the batter into the prepared quarter sheet pan and using a spatula or knife or back of a spoon spread the cake batter in an even layer.
• Bake the cake for 30–35 minutes rotating the pan halfway through baking. The cake will rise and puff –doubling in size– but will remain slightly buttery and dense. Around 30 minutes use your finger to gently poke around the outsides in the center of the cake it should bounce back very slightly and not be jiggly at all. Leave the cake in the oven for an additional 3 to 5 minutes if it doesn’t pass these tests.
• When baked, remove the cake and allow it to cool completely at room temperature on a wire rack. The cooled cake can be stored in the fridge and wrapped in plastic for up to five days.

Soak Preparation 

• In a small container mix together milk or water and honey until you get a clear homogeneous consistency. Set aside.

Buttercream Preparation 

• In a stand mixer using lip paddle attachment and cream together butter and honey for two minutes.
• Add 1 cup of powdered sugar: begin with the mixer on low speed until sugar is incorporated and then increase the speed to medium. Beat until smooth and creamy, about 3–5 minutes.
• Add another cup of powdered sugar again mixing on low speed to incorporate.
• Add heavy cream at low speed. Mix on medium for ~2 minutes until mixture is smooth. You may need to add additional powdered sugar for desired consistency.
• Set aside until ready to use (store in fridge if not using immediately, but let it come back to a spreadable temperature before assembling your cake).

Filling Preparation

• In a skillet on the stove top, combine your Cheerios, salt, and butter over low heat.
• Stir together until toasty and all Cheerios are coated
• Set aside until ready to use.

Build your cake!

• To assemble your cake lay out all of your ingredients:
  • Prepared cake
  • Prepared filling
  • Prepared soak
  • Prepared frosting
• Place your cooled cake on the counter and use a sharp object to loosen the cake from the sides of the sheet pan. Place a piece of piece of parchment or a baking mat on the counter. Invert the cake onto the mat, giving the far edge of your overturned pan a sharp rap on the counter to release the cake. Peel off the parchment stuck to the cake and discard it.
• Using your cake ring, stamp out two circles from the cake: one from the upper right hand corner and one from the lower left hand corner. These will form the top and middle layers of your cake. Be sure to plan out your circles so you know exactly where to stamp before completing the step. You can lightly mark them on your sponge using your cake ring. Use the ring to stamp out two half circles from the remaining sponge which will come together to create the bottom of the cake. Note: If using 3-6 in cake rounds, cool completely and turn them out.
• Clean the cake ring and place it on an 8 inch cardboard round or any other cake board platter or parchment lined pan. Use a strip of 5 to 6 inch tall acetate to line  the inside of the cake ring. if your acetate strips are shorter than 5 inches, you can add a second one once your cake is built high enough. Note: If you do not have a cake ring or acetate you may do this freehand, but be careful to balance your cake as you are stacking.
• Place the two half circles of the cake together inside the ring, spongy (not the browned) side up and fill in the gap between them with the additional pieces of cake scraps. Use the back of your fingers to press the cake scraps together in a flat even layer.
• Using a spoon or pastry brush, splash or brush 1/3 to 1/2 of the soak over the bottom layer of the cake. Spread 1/3 of the frosting in an even layer of the cake using the back of a small spoon that fits into the acetate collar or spoon you’ve bent into a ladle-like shape.
• Sprinkle 1/3 of the cheerio filling across the top of the frosting on the bottom layer.
• Place your middle layer of the cake on top of the frosting passing it through the acetate collar at an angle to help set it in. If one of the two cake rounds looks nicer save it for the final layer and use the other one in the middle. Repeat the process of splashing or brushing the layer of the remaining soak spreading it with 1/3 of the frosting, sprinkling on 1/3 of the Cheerios
• Nestle the remaining cake round onto the frosting. Cover the top of the cake with the remaining frosting and add any visual desired effects like spikes or swirls and garnished with the remaining Cheerios.
• Transfer the cake to a freezer and freeze for a minimum of three hours or overnight to set the cake and the filling. The cake will keep into the freezer for up to two weeks
• At least three hours before you’re ready to serve the cake pull the cake out of the freezer slide, off the cake ring. If you need to, use your fingers and thumbs to pop out the cake out of the ring. Then peel off acetate and transfer to a cake platter or cake stand, whatever you want to serve it on.
• Defrost for two or three hours, slice and serve!

Wrapped well in plastic, the cake be refrigerated for up to five days.