Polish Pastries - Lemon Raspberry Wedding Cake

I grew up in a multicultural neighborhood near Detroit, MI in the 1960's. Most of the families settled there after WWII. Next door was a family who's Grandparents were born in Poland. "Buba" or the paternal Grandmother lived with her son, daughter in law and their five children. Jimmy was my age, and even though he was a boy, we got along fairly well.

One Christmas Jimmy invited me to watch his "Buba" make Angel's Wings. I was only ten and had was a little unsure what to expect, 'cookies with feathers?", but it sounded magical. The angel's wings turned out to be delicious, light, fried cookies made in the shape of wings by cutting the dough in a sort of rectangle and twisting them. I've made them a few times as "Buba' gave me her recipe. Mine are good, but never seem as good as the ones I had that Christmas. Years later I attended Jimmy's wedding and ate the most delicious wedding cake I've ever experienced, a lemon raspberry torte with cream cheese frosting. Here are the recipes:

ANGEL WINGS

1/2 tsp. salt

4 egg yolks

/2 c. confectioners' sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1 tbsp. rum (they used sweet red wine)

1 c. flour

Oil for frying - I use Canola oil but I think they used peanut oil or maybe even lard as it was a long time ago.

Add salt to eggs and beat 10 minutes. Add sugar, vanilla and rum, beat till blended and smooth.

Gently fold in flour

Transfer to a floured board and knead well until dough blisters. Cut in half; roll very thin and cut into strips about 4 inches long. Slit each piece in center and pull one end through the slit.

Fry in hot oil until lightly brown. Drain well, then sprinkle additional confectioners' sugar over angel wings.

LEMON RASPBERRY WEDDING CAKE

Yellow cake mix (I never did get the cake recipe)

1 jar of Lemon Curd

1 jar of Raspberry filling or preserves (preferably without seeds)

Enough Graham Cracker crumbs or chopped nuts (walnuts are traditional, but I prefer sliced almonds).

10 Maraschino Cherries

Cream cheese frosting (I use 3 8-oz packages of cream cheese, a pinch of salt, 1 tabs lemon juice and a stick of unsalted butter and about 3 cups of confectionary sugar, or enough to make a spread able icing).

After the cake has thoroughly cooled, carefully slice the layers in half, horizontally, so you end up with four ‘layers'.

Place the first layer (cut side down) on a decorative plate. Spread half of the lemon curd on the layer. Add the next layer and spread half the raspberry filling, add the third layer, spread with the res of the lemon curd, Place the fourth layer on top and spread with the remaining raspberry filling.

Carefully frost the entire cake with the cream cheese frosting, being sure not to pull the raspberry filling on the top layer into the frosting. Place the cherries around the top edge of the cake.

Enjoy!