Texas Sheet Cake

Welcome to chaos. That's what I've been thinking the past 24 hours that my entire family, babies, grandparents, in-laws and all, have been gathered at my parents' house. It's not that there are so many of us, but more that we're noisy, opinionated, and always hungry. And boy do we have a serious sweet tooth (sweet teeth? sweet tooths?). Finding a way to satiate said sweet tooth is a lot easier with this cake because it's not a sissy-sized 9 x 13. It's a Texas-sized jumbo cake to feed the masses. So while we debate where to go, when to get up, and what to eat, at least we'll have plenty of sheet cake to munch on.

Frozen Brownie Sundaes

Okay, so this post is up a bit late today, but it is NOT too late to make these for your Independence Day celebration tomorrow. And trust me, after being in the scorching sun all day, you are going to WANT something cold and sweet. And this IS your answer. Brownie, Skor bar, ice cream, and strawberry. Seriously, all this in one dessert.

Black and White Angel Food Cake

Yesterday I pulled out the eggs and cracked 12 of them, separated the whites from the yolks, and let the whites stand on my counter for about 45 minutes. I put the yolks in the fridge and they shriveled; guess I should have put them in a Tupperware or something. Oops.  I grated some chocolate and ended up with brown, chocolatey fingers. And then I whipped the eggs into a massive froth. I turned on the oven, yes even in this temperature, and was delighted when I pulled a beautiful cake out 40 minutes later. The hard part was waiting for it to cool enough to glaze it and eat a piece with some cold milk. But it was worth the wait!

Chocolate Sponge Cake

I've made this cake for visitors three times in the past 6 weeks or so, and all of my guests have been suitably impressed (or they were very gracious guests/good liars). And yet it's really quite simple. With only 6 ingredients that I'm sure you have in the cupboard, you could go make it right now if you wanted to. Well, except for the parchment paper. Using parchment paper is pretty much a necessity with this cake. I suppose you could try it with aluminum foil, but I don't really recommend it. Go get some parchment paper and then make this cake and fill it with almost anything: ganache, raspberry jam, chopped strawberries, lemon curd? (I've been thinking about trying that one. Thoughts?), cream cheese frosting (or a mascarpone icing, which I did once and it was fabulous), powdered sugar...let me know if you have any other ideas.

Decadent Chocolate Cupcakes

Tempted? You should be. These Decadent Cupcakes are just that: supremely decadent or, in regards to food, excessively rich and delicious. Now dicitionary.com defines decadence as: the act or process of falling into an inferior condition or state; deterioration; decay. But I'll choose to ignore that definition and tell you that it also defines decadence as: unrestrained or excessive self-indulgence. Maybe that isn't any more positive? But, I can tell you this- if you make these you will enjoy every minute of their goodness in your mouth.

Momma's Fudge

My momma is a fudge connoisseur. Everywhere she goes, she has to try the local specialty fudge to see if it's as good or better than hers. More often than not, those other fudges are grainy, hard, crumbly, or not chocolate-y enough. But momma's fudge is creamy, rich, and smooth. It's firm. It tastes like chocolate. It's quite possibly the best fudge I've ever had...and it's definitely the best momma has ever had.

Magic Bars

I've been a grump lately, for various reasons which shall remain undisclosed. You did not, after all, trot over here to our blog to listen to me complain about the silly unimportant little things that irk me on a daily basis. Let's just leave it at this: I've really had to resist the impulse to drown my woes in buttery chocolatey treats and spend the evenings watching movies, reading tragedies, and definitely not exercising. To my credit (and surprise), I haven't been giving in, which is a good thing because if I glut myself on treats, it just makes me feel worse: not only will I be a grump, I'll be a rolly grump.

Chocolate Cream Pie

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It's been a crazy couple of weeks for the two of us lil "chefs." Between teaching 2 intensive block classes, planning our class excursion (camping, hiking, etc, with 20 foreign students), grading dozens of essays every week, and frantically visiting with as many friends as possible before I move in a few weeks, I've hardly had time to think, much less cook. Oh, and Caroline has a brand new baby, which definitely trumps pretty much everything.

Best Chocolate Chocolate-Chip Cookies Ever

The first time I ate these babies I thought I had died and gone to heaven. The chocolate was still melty, but the cookie had set up just enough to be held in my greedy little hand. Each bite was sweet chocolatey perfection. So. Dang. Good. After 3 or 4 or maybe 5, I finally begged my friend Lindsey for the recipe, which she happily surrendered (she even wrote out the recipe with perfect handwriting, the kind every girl tries to mold her penmanship into during high school).

Now for some reason my cookies were a bit flatter than hers were. It could have been the extra egg I tossed in mine. I've noticed that my chickens are not always consistent in the size of egg they lay, so I'm not always sure if I'm getting 2 large eggs or 2 mediums or a large and a medium, and I'm often left to guess how much egg I'm actually using. Have I ever mentioned that I have chickens? I do- three lovely, well-fed, cheery little hens. Two of them are industrious layers, and one is a free loader that only lays when she feels like it. Their eggs have lush dark yolks, the whites separate so easily and whip up beautifully. Fresh eggs are a marvelous thing.

Anyway. Back to these cookies. There's one odd thing about them: the recipe directs you to add all the ingredients together (minus the chips) and THEN add the eggs, which I find very strange. I'll be making these again in the next few days, at which point I'm going to experiment with them to see if it's entirely necessary. I suppose I should have done so before posting this, but I know you'll want to try them as soon as possible. Let us know what you think!

Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Where I live it seems like Red Velvet Cake is all the rage. I see it being advertised, I see cakes and cupcakes being sold everywhere from the grocery store to cafes and restaurants. Of course I have been wondering what all the fuss is about, and I have also been wondering what is a red velvet cake? Well, from what I understand Red Velvet cake is a Southern specialty, and anyone that has seen the movie Steel Magnolias can't forget the red armadillo cake. Basically it is a very moist chocolate cake; but it is more than that - it is red for one thing, it really is velvety, and unlike other cake recipes this one calls for vinegar. It also calls for buttermilk which isn't too unusual in baking, but generally not in a cake recipe.

Chocolate Almond Torte

We probably should have posted this in time for Valentine's day. It's the perfect kind of decadent treat we crave on the lover's holiday. But quite frankly, I've never been one to avoid making a dessert because it's too fancy for a weekday. If it tastes good, you should eat it. And you're definitely going to want to try this.

Chocolate, almonds, and a bit of orange zest combine to make a perfectly divine, and rich, chocolate torte. Can we say tasty? If you look at the directions, you might think this is a bit tricky. But it's really not. Melt some chocolate and butter together (on a double boiler or in the microwave on short bursts of heat, stirring in between). Combine lots of eggs, ground nuts, melted chocolate and the rest of the cake-making ingredients and stir. Whip some egg whites and fold them in. Bake. Done. 

Turtle Graham Bars

Growing up one of my sisters made a simpler version of these graham bars. As I recall they were a layer of grahams, a layer of melted butter, and topped with a layer of melted chocolate. And I really only remember her making them around this time of year. Sadly, I don't remember what we called these tasty treats, but I do remember enjoying each bite that I was able to lay my hands on and get my mouth around. (Keep in mind that I grew up in a family with 8 children, so you had to be quick in getting to the treats before they disappeared).

Anyways, as time has passed I had forgotten about those early graham treats. But to my delight I came across this more mature, more layered, more delicious version of those early graham treats my sister used to make. So may I present for your tasting pleasure these wonderful and easy to make Turtle Graham Bars.

Turtle Graham Bars

Recipe by Claire Robinson

Pictures by Caroline

Ingredients
Approximately 14 graham crackers (if each graham cracker is 5" x 2.5")
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 cup chopped pecans
Kosher salt, to taste
12 ounces dark chocolate, finely chopped *Use good quality chocolate, very important

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Line a rimmed baking sheet with a silicone mat or spray with nonstick cooking spray. Arrange the graham crackers in a single layer on the lined baking sheet.
3. Put the butter, brown sugar, pecans, and a pinch of salt in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Boil for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Pour the butter mixture evenly over the graham crackers and bake for 15 minutes. Remove and set aside.
4. Meanwhile, melt the chocolate in a glass bowl placed over simmering water. Pour the chocolate over the toffee-covered graham crackers and spread evenly. (If desired, sprinkle flaky sea salt over the dark chocolate layer.) Chill completely in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes. Cut into bars.

Baker's German Sweet Chocolate Cake

I love German's Sweet Chocolate Cake. When I was a kid, my mom used to make it and cut off the tops of the round cakes to level them off, and I would always sneak the leftover cake bits. With or without frosting, it was divine. And I realized this week that it had been a long time since I'd had a bit of sweet German-y goodness AND my birthday was rapidly approaching, which meant an occasion for more sweets! But after last year's fiasco involving me making my own birthday cake twice because the first one turned out so dreadfully I had to start over (and the second being barely edible), my sister gallantly volunteered to make my birthday cake. I guess a person shouldn't make their own cake. 

Having never made this cake before, my sis did an admirable job. The cake itself was perfect; the frosting had a slight glitch (your frosting should be a little stickier than shown here), but tasted great. Thanks, sister, for the celebration!

And finally, my disclaimer: this picture is not beautiful; the cake was. My camera (or maybe it's the user) is having issues with the lighting in my house unless it's the middle of the afternoon on a sunny day. I promise not to post such a bad picture in the future, but I just really wanted you to have this recipe. 

Baker's German's Sweet Chocolate Cake

Recipe from Baker's Chocolate

Picture (sadly) by Kelly

Cake:

1 pkg. (4 oz.) Baker's German Sweet Chocolate

1/2 cup  water

4 eggs, separated

2 cups  flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp.  salt

1 cup butter, softened

2 cups  sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1 cup  buttermilk

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Cover bottoms of 3 (9-inch) round pans with waxed paper; spray sides with cooking spray. Microwave chocolate and water in large microwaveable bowl on HIGH 1-1/2 to 2 min. or until chocolate is almost melted, stirring after 1 min. Stir until chocolate is completely melted.
2. Beat egg whites in small bowl with mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form; set aside. Mix flour, baking soda and salt. Beat butter and sugar in large bowl with mixer until light and fluffy. Add egg yolks, 1 at a time, beating well after each. Blend in melted chocolate and vanilla. Add flour mixture alternately with buttermilk, beating until well blended after each addition.
3. Add egg whites; stir gently until well blended. Pour into prepared pans.
4. Bake 30 min. or until toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Immediately run small spatula around cakes in pans. Cool cakes in pans 15 min.; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. Spread Coconut-Pecan Filling and Frosting between cake layers and onto top of cake.

Frosting:

4 egg yolks

1 can  (12 oz.) evaporated milk

1-1/2 tsp. vanilla

1-1/2 cups sugar

3/4 cup (1-1/2 sticks) butter or margarine

1 pkg.  (7 oz.) coconut (about 2-2/3 cups)

1-1/2 cups chopped Pecans

1. Beat egg yolks, milk and vanilla in large saucepan with wire whisk until well blended. Add sugar and butter; cook on medium heat 12 min. or until thickened and golden brown, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.
2. Add coconut and pecans; mix well. Cool to room temperature and of desired spreading consistency.

Cream Cheese Brownies

With the exception of my friend Zillah's grandma's brownies, I usually don't love homemade brownies. I actually kind of hate them. Give me a Betty Crocker box mix over most recipes any day. If you read  this blog with any regularity, you know that I'm not one to prefer industrialized food over fresh. Like I said- I'm not big on brownies from scratch.

But these brownies were different. They were homemade and actually good-tasting. I think it must have been the cream cheese....cheese does make everything taste better. And it's great fun to swirl the cream cheese mixture around the batter. And unlike box brownies, I didn't need to eat 2 whole rows to feel my sugar craving dissipate. So I think the next time I have a craving for something chocolaty, I'm going for cream cheese brownies. Like maybe tonight. ;)

Chocolate Pudding

When I was a kid, I remember going up to my grandma's house for a visit...and a treat. And every once in a while pudding was on the menu. I liked pudding, but I wasn't always thrilled about it. Sometimes a scary little skin was on top of the pudding, choking me with every bite. I still shudder to think of it, but it left me with a strong dislike for custard or pudding or anything with potential for skin (gravy, soups, hot milk, etc). 

But then I learned that if you put a bit of plastic wrap touching the pudding, it would prevent the nasty skin. I could finally eat pudding and enjoy it! Because when it really comes down to it, pudding from scratch is a whole lot better than pudding from a box. It's rich and creamy, with a satisfying, but not overwhelming, chocolate taste. And with a slight variation. you can use this recipe to make a fantastic chocolate cream pie.

Chocolate Pudding
Recipe from The All American Dessert Book
Pictures by Kelly


2/3 cup sugar
3 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch*
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 1/2 cups whole or 2% milk
2 tablespoons unsalted butter (optional)
4 oz bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
whipped cream for serving (optional)

1. In a large saucepan, stir in the together sugar, cornstarch, cocoa, and salt until well blended. Add about 3/4 cup of the milk, stirring until smoothly incorporated. Gradually stir in the remaining milk and the butter. 
2. Bring mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Once boiling, continue cooking until mixture bubbles and thickens slightly, 2 to 2 1/2 minutes. Immediately remove from the heat.
3. Add chopped chocolate, stirring until it completely melts and the mixture is smooth. Stir in the vanilla.
4. Strain the pudding through a medium fine sieve into a large bowl. Lay plastic wrap directly onto the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 1/2 hours. Serve with whipped cream, if desired.

*Increase cornstarch to 1/4 cup for pie filling. Strain the mixture into a baked and cooled pie shell. Cover and refrigerate at least 8 hours. Top with whipped cream.

Chocolate Mousse

Chocolate mousse is one of the desserts that looks and sounds so much harder than it actually is. Kind of like fudge (for which I also have an excellent recipe, but for now shall remain a secret). However this little gem I will share with you, and I promise that whoever eats this mousse will be instantly impressed by your amazing cooking prowess.

Using different types of chocolate-semi- sweet vs, milk; cheap vs. expensive- will greatly affect your mousse. The better the chocolate, the better your mousse. And at a mere 6 oz (or thereabouts) it's not going to break the bank to spend a few extra dollars for good chocolate. But in a pinch, chocolate chips will suffice. It's not like it will be sitting around long enough to contemplate what you actually used anyway.

Strawberry-Chocolate Layer Cake

This is one of the most impressive yet simple layer cakes I've made recently. Topped with strawberries and whipping cream, it looks as though you spent all afternoon molding the perfect cake...when in reality it took almost exactly 1 hour (including preparation, baking, cooling, and eating. 

Truth be told, I cheated a little on this one. Not that there's anything wrong with cake mixes, but I generally make my cakes from scratch. I think they taste better, especially the batter, and I'm trying to teach myself how to make the perfect cake without looking at a recipe (I still have a long way to go) so you usually don't find a cake mix in my cupboards. But tonight I was tired and sore and didn't really have the umph left in me to get out my Bosch mixer and more than 4 ingredients. So instead I sent my husband, who was quite delighted to get to eat a box cake, the 4 blocks down the street for a cake mix, and voila. Cake. If you're a purist, try making this with my Grandma's Chocolate Cake.

I like the tussled, disorganized look of the strawberries and whipped cream. It looks fresh and summery, and doesn't require perfection in the "frosting" process, which is a good thing, since I'm not always the tidiest with layer cakes. So feel free to be as artistically messy as you'd like.

Best Brownies

Last night I just wanted something really chocolaty and easy to make. So I decided on a brownie. I found this recipe online for "Best Brownies" and I figured I couldn't go wrong with a name like that. It was a reaction similar to the reaction of Will Ferrell's character in the movie Elf where he sees a sign for "The World's Best Coffee" and figures it must be true. While I don't know if these are truly the best brownies, they were tasty. They are very gooey, chocolaty, and rich. In fact the frosting is almost like fudge on top of the brownie, and the hint of honey makes it unique.

Four Layer Dessert

This is one of my husband's favorites. But as ashamed as I am to admit it, I usually do my fair share of eating a pan of this goodness...like maybe half a pan. I just can't help it. The combination of cream cheese and chocolate makes my taste buds take over all my other senses, including logic. Do I really need a fourth piece? Probably not. Am I now going to have to work out for an extra 30 minutes today? Definitely. Is it worth it? Absolutely.

There are dozens of versions of 4 layer dessert on the internet, many of which may be quite similar to this one. But my mother-in-law first sent me this recipe, so the credit for it shall go to her (thanks Martha!).

Four Layer Dessert
Recipe from Kelly's mother-in-law
Picture by Caroline

1 cup flour
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
8 oz package cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
2 cups Cool Whip*
2 small packages instant chocolate pudding
3 cups milk

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Combine flour, butter, and walnuts in a small bowl. Pat dough into an ungreased 9 x 13 inch pan. Bake 15 minutes. Remove from oven and cool.
2. Meanwhile, cream together powdered sugar and cream cheese. Stir in 1 cup cool whip. Spread over cool crust.
3. In a separate bowl, combine pudding and milk. Spread over cream cheese layer.
   
4. Top with remaining cool whip. Sprinkle with a few tablespoons chopped walnuts, if desired.

*Cool whip comes in both non-dairy and dairy varieties. I personally think the dairy tastes much much better, but it doesn't make a difference which one you use for this recipe.

Nanaimo Bars

In honor of the current Olympic games being held in Vancouver, Canada, I decided to make a dessert that originates from Canada - Nanaimo Bars. After doing a little research, I have learned that these bars were named after the West-Coast city of Nanaimo, British Columbia. There are three layers - a chocolate, coconut, graham cracker layer, a buttercream, filling layer, and a chocolate top. They are rich and tasty.

One of the key ingredients in the middle, buttercream layer, is the custard powder, however if you live in the States, custard powder is not readily available. You might be able to find it at a specialty store (Bird's Custard Powder is the most popular, pictured above). If you cannot find it, just substitute an equal amount of instant vanilla pudding powder (or marry a Canadian who has family living in Canada, like I did).

I would suggest you that you make these today or tomorrow and enjoy them while watching the closing ceremonies of the 2010 Olympics.

Nanaimo BarsRecipe from Lynda
Directions altered from the Joy of Baking (I found some clearer directions on this website than the ones I followed)
Pictures by Caroline

Ingredients:
3/4 c unsalted butter
1/4 c sugar

5 tbsp. cocoa

1 beaten egg

1 tsp. vanilla

2 cups graham cracker crumbs

1 cup coconut

4 oz. semi sweet chocolate

1 tbsp. butter

1/4 c butter
3 tbsp. milk

2 tbsp. vanilla custard powder (Bird's Custard Powder) *or substitute instant vanilla pudding powder

2 cups icing sugar (or as we in the States call it, powdered or confectioners' sugar - icing sugar is the name used in Canada)

Directions:

Butter a 9x9 inch pan.

BOTTOM LAYER: In a saucepan over low heat, melt the butter. Stir in the sugar and cocoa powder and then gradually whisk in the beaten egg. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens (1 - 2 minutes). Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract, graham cracker crumbs, and coconut. Press the mixture evenly into the prepared pan. Cover and refrigerate until firm (about an hour).

FILLING: In your electric mixer cream the butter. Beat in the remaining ingredients. If the mixture is too thick to spread, add a little more milk. Spread the filling over the bottom layer, cover, and refrigerate until firm (about 30 minutes).

TOP LAYER: In a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, melt the chocolate and butter. Spread over the filling and refrigerate.

**If you follow these directions, you should have three distinct layers, more so than you see in my picture above.