As the first entry to “The Secret Ingredient”, I’ve written about my secret that gets the best reviews from children.  After all- those little guys know what’s best, right?!

 It all began on Shavuos. I was hosting 30 guests that I found out I was having the day before.  As a big dessert person, I always start at the end.
So I opened my cookbooks, checked out magazines and called my sister...

It seemed like ice cream got the most votes, with some sort of cake of course...

As I was reaching for my sugar, my eyes fell on the Nestlé Rolo syrup. Not being one who thinks too much in the kitchen, I threw some into my ice cream, covered it and froze it (I did not even taste it, it was one of my better diet days). My cake never happened and when I got to dessert, my heart sank. My guests were getting antsy so I had to begin. All my regrets of not trying anything new on guests surfaced.

I cut up some extra watermelon, and began to serve... The reaction I got was unexpected. Everyone wanted doubles and triples, kids and adults alike all loved my lightly flavoured, slightly caramel ice cream.

Since then I have started buying a few bottles of Rolo at a time. I use it in creams for cakes, my kids' milkshakes, my coffee, and of course, ice cream!

My Easiest Ice Cream Recipe

Ingredients:
2                   large dessert whip (500 mL)
4                   eggs
1/2 - 3/4 C  sugar
A few squeezes of Nestlé Rolo syrup (or any other flavour of your choice)

Directions:

Whip up the whip until it is stiff. Add the eggs, sugar, and syrup. Mix just until all ingredients are smooth.  Freeze.

My Famous/Infamous Coffee Cake

I recently got a phone call from a very irate friend. It took me some time to understand what I was being accused of.  It seems she ate at my house when she was in seminary, and took down the recipe for her favorite cake.  Now she has moved on, she is married and was hosting her mother-in-law for the first time. Wanting to impress her, she took out the recipe for my coffee cake and began to bake. Her downfall was that she had gushed to her new mother-in-law about the special cake she was making for her.  Much to her embarrassment, the cake tasted like any good 'ole coffee cake, nothing more, nothing less. So now I was being accused of hiding ingredients!

Truth be told, I guess I was. You see the recipe says "coffee", but in all recipes that call for coffee (or recipes that don't ), I add in my own special coffee. I take a few Taster's Choice flavored instant coffees, and mix them together. If I don't have time to mix them, I use only hazelnut. The resulting flavour is rich and unidentifiable. My coffee cakes, chocolate cakes, iced coffee, kokosh cake, ice creams, and frostings, all get a little bit. Sometimes more than a little bit.

Ingredients:

1/4    cups flavoured coffee

3/4    cups boiling water

2       cups sugar

1       cup oil

4       eggs

1       pkg vanilla sugar

2       cups flour

1/4   cups cocoa

2       tsp baking powder

Glaze:

1        tsp flavored coffee

2.5    Tbsp boiled water

2.5    Tbsp oil

1       cup confectionary sugar

Directions:

1.  Dissolve coffee in water, set aside to cool.

2.  Beat sugar and oil over high speed for 5 min, add eggs and vanilla and beat for another 2 min.

3.  Sift together dry ingredients. Reduce speed of mixer and add dry ingredients, alternating with coffee mixture.

4.  Pour into well greased 9" bundt pan. Bake at 350 for 45 min.