German Chocolate Cake

I actually made this a while ago (in October) and took a picture of it thinking I might use it in some way. Now that I've created this blog, I can put it to use! German Chocolate Cake is a favorite in my family. My grandfather on my dad's side loved this cake and my mom always brought it to family events. My grandmother on my mom's side made this cake a lot as well. She always used the recipe on the back of the Baker's German Chocolate box, and this is the one my mom used. This cake is very moist and the frosting is wonderfully rich. You can't go wrong!

My parents' birthdays are close together and they came for a visit between their birthdays. Before they came, I told them that they could request any dessert and I would make it so we could celebrate. They both decided that they wanted a German Chocolate Cake, so that's exactly what I decided to make. Traditional German Chocolate Cake does not have frosting on the sides, so I didn't forget to frost it! Here's the recipe for German Chocolate Cake:

4 ounces Baker’s German’s Sweet Chocolate
1/3 cup boiling water
2 cups sifted cake flour
¾ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) butter or margarine
1 1/3 cups sugar
3 eggs, separated
¾ teaspoon vanilla
¾ cup buttermilk
Coconut-Pecan Filling and Frosting

Preheat oven to 350. Line bottoms of 3 (9-inch) round cake pans with wax paper. Mix chocolate and boiling water; stir until chocolate is completely melted. Cool.

Mix flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside. Beat butter and sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in chocolate and vanilla. Add flour mixture alternately with buttermilk, beating well after each addition.

Beat egg whites in small bowl with electric mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form. Gently stir into batter. Pour evenly into prepared pans.

Bake 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Immediately run a spatula around side between cakes and side of pans. Cool 15 minutes; remove from pans. Remove wax paper. Cool completely on wire racks. Spread Coconut-Pecan Filling and Frosting between layers and over top of cake.

Coconut-Pecan Filling and Frosting

4 egg yolks
1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla
1 ½ cups sugar
¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) butter or margarine
1 (7-ounce) package coconut (about 2 2/3 cups)
1 ½ cups chopped pecans

Beat egg yolks, milk, and vanilla in large saucepan with wire whisk until well blended. Add sugar and butter; cool on medium heat 12 minutes or until thickened and golden brown, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.

Add coconut and pecans; mix well. Cool to room temperature and of desired spreading consistency.

YIELD: 1 (3-layer) cake

SOURCE: Baker’s Chocolate

Fudge

Fudge has become my new addiction. I have made so many batches in the past month or so. The first time I made it, I used a recipe from allrecipes (look several posts below), but this time I tried the recipe for "Fantasy Fudge." This is the one you get right from the jar of marshmallow creme. This is the fudge my mom always made, which is also the one my grandmother always made. Of the two recipes, I like this one best. The fudge was so smooth and creamy. It's hard to stop eating it! I will definitely be making this again, and likely soon, because I know I will eat it fast! Here's the recipe:

3 cups sugar
¾ cup butter or margarine
1 small can (5 ounces) evaporated milk (2/3 cup)
1 ½ package (12 squares) semisweet baking chocolate, chopped
1 (7-ounce) jar marshmallow crème
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 teaspoon vanilla

Heat sugar, butter, and evaporated milk to full rolling boil in 3-quart heavy saucepan on medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil on medium heat until candy thermometer reaches 234, stirring constantly to prevent scorching, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat.

**I also used the cold water test. To do this, have a cup of ice-cold water ready, and drop a small amount of the mixture into the cup. If the mixture forms a soft ball, then it is ready. Using both the cold water test and the candy thermometer ensures that the fudge is cooked properly.

Stir in chocolate and marshmallow crème until melted; stir in vanilla and walnuts.

Spread immediately in foil-lined 9-inch square pan. Cool at room temperature at least 4 hours; cut into 1-inch squares. Store in airtight container.

My Birthday Cupcakes!

When I was in elementary school, my mom would always make cupcakes for me to take to school and share with my class at lunch. This year, my 23rd birthday was on a Wednesday, which is when we have dinner with our church group. I decided to make cupcakes to bring just like I used to when I was a kid. I decided to make the cupcake version of Hershey's "Perfectly Chocolate" Chocolate Cake. I had heard good things about this recipe, and it did not let me down. The cupcakes were nice and moist and the frosting was rich and creamy. The frosting, as usual, was the best part for me! I also decided to decorate them with sprinkles and add a Hersheys Kiss on top. Here's the recipe from Hershey:

2 cups sugar
1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
¾ cup cocoa
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
½ cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water
“Perfectly Chocolate” Chocolate Frosting

Heat oven to 350. Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans. Sift together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla; beat on medium speed of electric mixer for 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Pour batter into prepared pans.

Cupcakes: Line muffin cups (2 ½ inches in diameter) with paper liners. Heat oven to 350. Fill cups 2/3 full with batter. Bake 22 to 25 minutes. Cool completely. Frost. Makes about 30 cupcakes. **I got 22 cupcakes from the batter**

“Perfectly Chocolate” Chocolate Frosting

1 stick (1/2 cup) butter or margarine
2/3 cup cocoa
3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Melt butter. Stir in cocoa. Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, beating to spreading consistency. Add small amount of additional milk, if needed. Stir in vanilla.

Makes about 2 cups frosting.

Banana Bread

I've been making this banana bread recipe from the Better Homes & Gardens cookbook for many years now. This is the recipes my mom always used. I made a loaf as a Christmas gift this year. A nice thing about this bread is that you can freeze it. I also like to add a bit more bananas than the recipe calls for. I usually add 3 bananas. This makes for an especially moist bread. I also love how this bread cracks at the top while baking. Here's the recipe:

1/3 cup shortening
½ cup sugar
2 eggs
1 ¾ cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup mashed ripe banana
½ cup chopped walnuts

Cream together shortening and sugar; add eggs and beat well. Sift together dry ingredients; add to creamed mixture alternately with banana, blending well after each addition. Stir in nuts.
Pour into well-greased 9x5x3-inch loaf pan. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes or until done. Remove from pan; cool on wire rack.

Butter and Jam Thumbprints

These cookies are so much fun to make! I love how you can make them different by adding different types of jam. For this batch of cookies, I made about half with strawberry jam and half with peach jam. I've made these cookies before, but I've never found a recipe to stick with. I will definitely be sticking with this recipe though. It's called Butter and Jam Thumbprints, which came from the Food Network. I made these as a Christmas gift and they were a big hit. Next time I make these cookies, I would love to try them with raspberry jam. Here's the recipe:

1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon fine salt
¾ cup unsalted butter (1 ½ sticks), softened
2/3 cup sugar, plus more for rolling
1 large egg
½ vanilla bean, seeds scraped from pod, or 1/8 teaspoon vanilla bean paste, or 1
teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup raspberry, cherry, or strawberry jam

Preheat oven to 350. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a bowl.
In another bowl, whip the butter and the sugar with a hand-held mixer until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in the egg and vanilla until just combined. Slowly beat in the dry ingredients in 2 additions, mixing just until incorporated.
Scoop the dough into 1-inch balls with a cookie or ice cream scoop and roll in sugar. Place about 2 inches apart onto the prepared baking sheets. Press a thumbprint into the center of each ball, about ½-inch deep. Fill each indentation with about ¾ teaspoon jam.
Bake cookies until the edges are golden, about 15 minutes. (For even color, rotate the pans from top to bottom about halfway through baking). Cool cookies on the baking sheets. Serve.
Store cookies in a tightly sealed container for up to 5 days.

*I got about 3 dozen cookies from this recipe.

Mexican Wedding Cookies

My grandmother used to make these cookies and so did my mom. I found a similar recipe from Paula Deen's collection and made them this year as a gift. These cookies are so easy to make and look really pretty too. The recipe says to make them into crescents, but I've also rolled them into balls and they turn out the same. Everyone loved these and they were eaten very quickly! I will definitely be making these again. Here's the recipe from Paula Deen:

1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ cup confectioners’ sugar, plus more for coating baked cookies
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting hands
1 cup pecans, chopped into very small pieces

Preheat the oven to 275. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Using an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar at low speed until smooth. Beat in the vanilla. At low speed, gradually add the flour. Mix in the pecans with a spatula. With floured hands, take out about 1 tablespoon of dough and shape into a crescent. Continue to dust hands with flour as you make more cookies. Place onto prepared cookie sheets. Bake for 40 minutes. When cool enough to handle but still warm, roll in additional confectioners’ sugar. Cool on wire racks.

*I got about 3 dozen cookies from this recipe.

Christmas Dessert: Carrot Cake

Carrot cake is a very popular dessert with my family. My mom got this recipe from a friend many years ago and we've been using it ever since. We've never had it at Christmas- it's usually an Easter dessert or made for a birthday or other special event, but my dad requested it for Christmas this year, so I made one. I love this cake because it's so moist. I also love the cream cheese frosting. I don't even bother trying out new carrot cake recipes because I love this one so much! This is also David's favorite cake and he generally requests it for his birthday or anytime we go somewhere where I need to bring something. Here's the recipe:

1 ¼ cups canola oil
2 cups sugar
4 eggs, beaten
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup black walnuts (optional)
3 cups grated carrots

Mix oil and sugar; add eggs and blend. Sift together dry ingredients and add to creamed mixture. Stir in nuts. Add carrots slowly, blending well. Pour batter evenly into 3 greased and floured pans. Bake at 325 for 30 minutes.

Frosting and Filling:

1 stick margarine
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese
1 box confectioners’ sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup chopped nuts

Mix all ingredients; blend until smooth and creamy. Add a small amount of half-and-half or milk if it is too stiff. Spread between layers and top and sides of cake.