Pioneer Woman Chocolate Sheet Cake

I'm not a big fan of Texas sheet cake, but I saw this recipe a few months ago and thought it looked good. I came across it again last week and decided to make it on Friday. It was really good, and honestly may replace brownies for me. I liked it better warm, though, unlike brownies, it still tasted fantastic the next day.
Umm... it makes an entire sheet, so plan on sharing. Or if (like me) you didn't think ahead, then just eat the whole thing yourself. Hello, badonkadonk butt.

FOR THE CAKE:
2 cups Flour
2 cups Sugar
1/4 teaspoon Salt
4 Tablespoons (heaping) Cocoa
2 sticks Butter
1 cup Boiling Water
1/2 cup Buttermilk
2 whole Beaten Eggs
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1 teaspoon Vanilla

FOR FROSTING:
1/2 cup Finely Chopped Pecans (blech… leave ‘em out)
1-3/4 stick Butter
4 Tablespoons (heaping) Cocoa
6 Tablespoons Milk
1 teaspoon Vanilla
1 pound (minus 1/2 Cup) Powdered Sugar

Note: I use an 18x13 sheet cake pan.
In a mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, and salt.
In a saucepan, melt butter. Add cocoa. Stir together.Add boiling water, allow mixture to boil for 30 seconds, then turn off heat. Pour over flour mixture, and stir lightly to cool.
In a measuring cup, pour the buttermilk and add beaten eggs, baking soda, and vanilla. Stir buttermilk mixture into butter/chocolate mixture. Pour into sheet cake pan and bake at 350-degrees for 20 minutes.

While cake is baking, make the icing. Chop pecans finely. Melt butter in a saucepan. Add cocoa, stir to combine, then turn off heat. Add the milk, vanilla, and powdered sugar. Stir together. Add the pecans, stir together, and pour over warm cake.

Cut into squares and eat.

(I used a mix of Hershey's dark cocoa and normal cocoa and thought it tasted great that way. Google her recipe for pictures.)

You've got to try this...

Whipped Ganache

7 oz. chocolate, chopped
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 tsp. vanilla

Heat the cream on medium heat until barely boiling. Pour over the chocolate and let stand 1 minute. Add the vanilla and whisk until completely combined. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours.

Whip the ganache with an electric mixer until light, fluffy and spreadable.

I used 60% chocolate, and it was very dark. I'd probably mix some semi sweet with it next time so it's a little sweeter. It's fantastic as a frosting, cupcake filling, or by the spoonful, as I'm doing now. I think it would make good filling for homemade oreos as well, if you want something super rich. Enjoy!

~L

Oreo Cake Bites

No picture, but I couldn't let this one get by without posting. A-MA-ZING. It's pretty much a knock-off of the one you posted awhile back called "Cake Balls." I even used your recipe in consultation before beginning.

1 package regular Oreos
1 8-oz package of cream cheese, softened
Chocolate bark (or chocolate chips/shortening concoction)

Put the Oreos in a food processor until fine. Or crush them, if you're old-school. Then mix the crumbs with the cream cheese (use a mixer for sure). Ball the dough and then freeze the balls for awhile. Cover with melted bark or chocolate mixture. The bark at Dan's was Western Family, but it actually tasted better and had a better crunch than the chocolate chip stuff. Now my goal is to find really good bark somewhere...

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cheesecake

Crust:
1 C crumbs, about 30 Nila Wafers (I always do more because I like a thicker crust)
1/4 C cocoa
1/4 C powdered sugar
1/2 stick butter, melted

Heat oven to 350. Stir it all together and stir in butter. Press into 9-inch spring-form pan. Bake 8 minutes. Remove from oven, then turn oven up to 400.

Cheesecake:
3 packages cream cheese, though I only put in 2 1/2 because it makes too much for my pan.
1 C sugar
3 TBS flour
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 C pumpkin
4 eggs
1 1/2 C mini chips

Beat cream cheese, sugar, flour and pie spice until smooth. Add pumpkin and eggs. Stir in chocolate chips. Pour into crust. Bake 10 minutes. Reduce oven to 250 and bake 50 more minutes. I cook it until the center looks done, otherwise it will be runny. But be careful because if you over-cook it, the edges will be tough. I also let it cool with the oven off for a good long while. Then I cool it on the cupboard. THEN I cool it in the fridge. I've noticed this keeps it from falling.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Quest

While I wouldn't say my sweet tooth is back, I can now eat small amounts of sugar without getting sick, so I have made a couple of chocolate chip cookie recipes the last couple of weeks that I've been wanting to try for a while. The first was from America's Test Kitchen and claimed to be the best ever Chocolate Chip Cookie. They browned the butter before using it to give it a carmel flavor, then before adding the flour, they stirred the batter and let it sit for a few minutes several times to get all of the liquid absorbed into the dry ingredients. The taste was good, but they were greasy and really flat, so I'm not going to bother posting the recipe.

The second recipe I tried was from the NY Times and also claimed to be the best ever Chocolate Chip Cookie. I'll let you read the article about it because I found the science behind it really interesting. This recipe calls to refrigerate the dough for 24 to 36 hours. I made the first batch at about 22 hours, and they were all right, but not amazing. Then I got lazy and left the dough in my fridge for a week before I made the second batch, and it was AWESOME! I'm sure they would have tasted good about 36 hours as well. The other key is to sprinkle the dough with sea salt right before baking. Just go with it. They were fluffy, had a great texture and flavor and will probably replace my childhood recipe when I've got the time to make them ahead.

Here's the article link: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/09/dining/09chip.html

NY Times Chocolate Chip Cookie
2 cups minus 2 T cake flour (8 1/2 oz)
1 2/3 cup bread flour (8 1/2 oz)
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp course salt (I used Real salt)
2 1/2 sticks butter
1 1/4 cup light brown sugar (10 oz)
1 cup plus 2 T sugar (8 oz)
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 1/4 lbs bittersweet chocolate disks (the article talks about what kind to use. I used a mix of Ghirardelli's bittersweet chips and semisweet.)
Sea salt

Sift flours, baking soda, baking posder and salt in a bowl. Set aside.

Cream butter and sugars together until very light. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla. On low speed, add dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Gently stir in chocolate pieces. Press plastic wrap against dough and refrigerate 24-36 hours. Can be refrigerated up to 72 hours. (or a week...)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Scoop 6 3 1/2-ounce mounds of dough (the size of generous golf balls) onto baking sheet. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt and bake until golden brown but still soft, 18-20 minutes. Transfer sheet to a wire rack to cool 10 minutes, then slip cookies onto another rack to cook a bit more. Eat warm.

I actually measured the ingredients on the kitchen scale to make sure it was accurate, though I'm sure it would turn out if you measure it. And I made them the size it called for, which produced an amazing cookie.
~L

The Cake I'm Most Proud Of!

So this recipe is long and pretty much took all day. I made two full chocolate cakes, then had a chocolate moose/cream filling, then made a ganache that failed once because the recipe was bad (Solid ganache?). My dad had bought the serving plate for my mom for her birthday, and I was in charge of making a "presentation" of it.

Chocolate Potato Cake

I can't believe I haven't posted this. I have made it more than once and found easy success. This is a very moist cake (nice change for a cake) but make sure you eat it day of.
1/2 c cocoa
2 c flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 c butter
3/4 c sugar
3 eggs
1 c cold, unseasoned, mashed potato (I used a dry mix -- and it is the only reason I have a box in my house. Makes it quick for this recipe.)
1/2 c milk

Oven at 350. Butter and flour a 10-inch tube pan (Finally get to use that bunt?) Mix the flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt in a bowl, set aside. Beat butter and sugar in large bowl, add the eggs one at a time, beating until just blended after each addition. With mixer on low, gradually beat in potato, followed by the dry ingredients, alternating with milk. Spoon into pan, bake about 30-40 minutes (toothpick test). Cool cake in pan, then turn onto rack. SMOTHER with frosting. Here's the recipe they gave, which is a nice compliment to this particular cake:
3 c powdered sugar
1 c butter
1 c cocoa
2/3 c mik

Blend up butter, gradually adding sugar. When it's all in, beat for a bit. Add in cocoa, then slowly add milk. VERY nice.

Muffin Pics

Fudgelike v. Cakelike

This one is for those who like their brownies in the former category (and honestly, who doesn't?). Take a look at the chocolate to flour ratio, and all doubts as to the goodness of this brownie will be resolved. Credit goes to Judith Sutton (I don't know her, but I would like to after these).

Fudgy Brownies

1 cup unsalted butter, cut into chunks
6 ounces high-quality unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate coarsely chopped
4 large eggs
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
7 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped or cut into shards

Combine the butter, unsweetened chocolate and 2 ounces bittersweet chocolate in a medium, heavy saucepan and melt over low heat, stirring frequently until smooth. Remove from the heat.
In a large bowl, beat the eggs and both sugars with an electric mixer on low speed just until smooth. Beat in the salt. Beat in the melted chocolate mixture, then beat in the vanilla. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Beat in the flour in two additions (the batter will be thick). Stir in the 7 ounces chocolate.

Scrape the batter into a 9x13" pan lined with foil w/ extensions on the narrow end of the pan. Smooth the top. Bake for 23 to 25 minutes at 350 degrees, or until the top is set but still soft and the edges are puffed and just beginning to pull away from the sides of the pan. A toothpick inserted in the center will come out still gooey (be brave!--underbaking the brownies is one of the secrets to their fudgy texture). Transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool completely.

She recommends using Scharffen Burger or a really high quality chocolate, but I have a hard time spending $8 on chocolate for brownies, so I just used Baker's unsweetened chocolate and Guittard chocolate chips. I would still chop the chips a bit before stirring them in because the smaller pieces of chocolate were better. And unless you're serving more than 8 people, half the recipe.

Would you rather spoon...

I'm not a huge cake fan, but since I've started decorating cakes, my intake of them has dramatically increased. I was experimenting with a new chocolate frosting recipe this week, and it was a-mazing. It made a mediocre cake taste awesome, and it was great on its own. It's a little more work than the normal cocoa/powdered sugar variety, but it's worth it... even if you just use it on graham crackers.

Fudgy Chocolate Frosting
3 oz. unsweetened chocolate
3 oz. bittersweet chocolate
1 cup butter, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
2 tsp. vanilla

Melt the chocolate in a bowl over barely simmering water, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and let cool until tepid.

Beat butter on low until smooth and creamy. Slowly add powdered sugar and beat until fluffy, about 1 minute. Beat in the vanilla. Add the melted chocolate and beat until mixed, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Turn to medium and beat until aerated slightly, 1-2 minutes.

I didn't want as fluffy an icing, and I needed more, so I increased the sugar by 1 cup and didn't beat it as much. The result is yummy – I think owing to the fact that it uses chocolate instead of cocoa... and that cup of butter probably helps as well.

Any of you ever tried icing that requires cooking/beating eggs? I'm wondering if it's worth the time...

Blueberry Streusel Muffins

I neglected to take a picture of these before I ate mine and sent the rest with Jon, so this post is pictureless, but you can imagine what they look like. The lemon adds an awesome tang, and they left nothing to be desired. Yum.

Streusel:
1 1/4 cups flour
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
Pinch salt
7 Tb. butter, melted


Muffins:

4 Tb. butter, melted then cooled slightly
2 cups flour
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. lemon zest
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 T baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups frozen blueberries


For the streusel:

Combine dry ingredients in a bowl. Drizzle with butter and mix with a fork until it forms large chunks with some pea-sized pieces throughout.


For the muffins:

Preheat oven to 375. Grease or line a muffin tin.

Whisk egg in medium bowl until pale and evenly combined, about 30 seconds. Add vanilla, sugar and zest and whisk vigorously until thick, about 30 seconds. Slowly whisk in melted butter; add buttermilk and whisk until combined.


Reserve 1 Tb. flour and mix remaining flour, BP and salt in a large bowl. Fold in egg mixture until almost combined. Leave blueberries in freezer until this point. Toss them in the 1 Tb. flour and fold them in the batter until just combined.


Divide batter in muffin tins (the batter was closer to a soft cookie dough for me) and top with streusel. Bake until light golden and a toothpick comes out with a few dry crumbs clinging to it, 23-27 minutes. Cool in tins 20 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and finish cooling. Or just eat them warm. :)

Cheese Souffle

This is my nod to Judith, Julia's editor and friend.

2 tsp butter
1 Tbs grated Parmesan
1 Tbs flour
1/3 C milk
Large pinch of salt
Small pinch of paprika
1 egg yolk
1 egg whites (annoying?)
Grated cheese (I used cheddar, but she leaves it up to you)
Chopped/minced ham
Sauteed onions and mushrooms

Butter and Parmesan your ramequins. Preheat oven to 425.

Melt 2 tsps of butter in small pan, stir in flour. Let cook over low heat for a minute (yeah, that's Judith being vague. Does she mean 1 minute or a minute?), then remove from heat. Vigorously whisk in milk and return to medium-low heat to simmer for a minute (Damn her!), stirring constantly as the sauce thickens. Season with salt and paprika. Remove from heat and whisk in egg yolk.

Beat eggs until soft peaks form. Add a dollop of egg whites to pot, and mix in along with about half the cheese. Fold in remaining egg whites and other ingredients. (Ok, I didn't like her measurements for the ham, mushrooms, cheese. I just eyeballed it. If I want more cheese, I'm gonna put it more cheese.) Transfer to souffle dishes. Place them on a baking sheet. Turn heat down to 375 and bake 18 minutes or until lightly browned.

Eric and I both really liked them. But this recipe only makes a max of about 3. Definitely double it (at least). We had it for dinner with a salad, but I can see it being good for a Sunday afternoon breakfast.

Parisan Warm Chocolate

I made hot chocolate last night. It was amazing. It walked that line between drinking melted chocolate and drinking milk with chocolate flavoring beautifully. Yes, it might shorten your heart's lifespan by a few months, but it's totally worth it.

1 cup whole milk (starts off well...)
1/3 cup cream (getting even better...)
1/4 cup sugar
5 oz. semisweet chocolate

Simmer the milk, cream and sugar until just boiling (scalded). Stir in the chocolate until melted. Don't let it boil.

I made adjustments to it for my taste as follows:
*I didn't have whole milk, so I used a variety of 2%, half and half and cream to get the desired amount of dairy product... you can vary it if you're being health conscientious, but as the recipe said, "No need for spices or other flavors when you have real chocolate and cream."
*I also lessened the sugar by about one third. Jon thought it needed more; I thought it was perfect.
*For the chocolate, I used about half 60% cacao Ghirardelli chocolate chips and half semisweet chocolate chips. It gave it more of a dark chocolate flavor.
*I added extra milk to the mug as I served it to thin it out a bit.
It even tasted good reheated this morning for breakfast.

I know you people are baking. Now start posting...

Cranberry Mousse

We did the Thanksgiving spread pour deux this year, and Jon wanted to try a new dessert. I usually eat pumpkin pie in an obligatory holiday gesture (a carryover from my "squash should stay out of dessert" days), so I agreed. I didn't do anything for this but whip the cream that went on top, but it was pretty good. I'd serve it in small portions and sweeten the whipped cream quite a bit because this mousse is true to its tart, cranberry flavor.



1/2 lb. fresh cranberries, washed and picked over

1/2 cup sugar, divided

1/4 cup orange juice (about 1 orange)

1 T orange zest

2 T orange liqueur (we used Grand Marnier)

1/2 T unflavored gelatin (half an envelope)

1/4 tsp ground ginger

1 cup whipping cream

Whipped cream and cranberries for garnish

Put the cranberries in a small saucepan with 1/4 cup sugar, oj, zest and liqueur over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and continue cooking, stirring frequently, until the cranberries break down -- about 15 minutes.

Remove from heat, sprinkle with gelatin, and allow gelatin to bloom. Transfer to a blender or food processor and process until smooth.

Force cranberries through a sieve, discarding solids. Cool, then refrigerate until it just begins to thicken.

In a bowl, whip the cream to soft peaks. Add the sugar and beat to stiff peaks. Gently fold in cranberry mixture. Spoon into small dishes and chill for 3 hours. Serve with more whipped cream and cranberries. (I had to get my chocolate in the dessert somehow, so I added mini chips.)

Leave the gun; take the cannoli

We had a murder mystery dinner on Saturday, speakeasy-style. You can't have a Chicago mobster dinner without cannolis, so I attempted to make them using a conglomeration of recipes I found online. The result was pretty tasty. Measurements weren't exact. The amount I used made about 10-12 cannolis.

16 oz. part-skim ricotta cheese
1 cup cream, whipped
1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 -1 tsp. almond extract
mini chocolate chips
phyllo dough
4 T. melted butter
sugar
1 egg white, beaten

For the shells:
Thaw the phyllo and place one sheet on your working surface. Spread butter over the surface with a pastry brush then sprinkle lightly with sugar. Repeat with a second sheet. Cut the dough into about 4-inch strips.

If you don't have cannoli molds, using heavy duty aluminum foil, cut it into 6-inch strips and loosely roll, jelly-roll fashion, with a 1-inch opening. Pinch part of one end to keep it rolled up. Spray well with cooking spray.

Roll a strip of the dough around a mold and brush with egg whites. Place it, seam side down, on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Cook at 375 degrees for 12 minutes. Cool completely before removing the mold or filling.

For the filling:
Beat the ricotta with powdered sugar, vanilla and almond until smooth. Add half of the whipped cream and beat until mixed well. Fold in the other half of whipped cream and a handful of mini chips. Put the filling in a pastry bag or ziploc bag and cut the tip off. Fill the shells right before serving. Dust with cocoa and/or powdered sugar. (If you use the normal ricotta, most recipes said to drain it in cheese cloth for a few hours, but the part skim shouldn't require it.)

This wasn't much more time intensive than cookies, and it makes a fun alternative to the usual cookies/cakes dessert.

~L

Beef Stew with Winter Vegetables

Really? I'm posting a stew recipe? Yes, because it's really, really good... I think owing to the Balsamic vinegar and red wine. I adjust the veggie levels depending on how many I'm trying to feed.

2 lbs. stew meat
1/4 cup flour
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 T butter
1 large onion, cut into 1/2" thick wedges
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup red wine (burgundy was awesome)
3 cups beef stock
1/4 cup Balsamic vinegar
1 bay leaf
1/2 -1 tsp sage
1 lb. butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1" pieces
1/2 lb. parsnips, peeled and cut into 1" pieces
2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1" pieces
2-3 potatoes, peeled, and cut into 1" pieces
Cornstarch

Combine flour, salt and pepper in a plastic bag, and toss the meat to coat with mixture. Place the meat single layer in a wide saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook until browned on all sides, and transfer meat to the crockpot as pieces are cooked.

In same pan, melt the butter. Saute the onion and garlic until translucent. Add to the crockpot.

Deglaze the pan with red wine and bring to a simmer, scraping up all the browned bits from bottom of the saucepan. Pour into the crockpot. Add all of the other ingredients to the crockpot and cook on low 6-8 hours or high 4-5. I like a thicker stew, so I add cornstarch mixed with water during the last 30-45 minutes of cooking.

I always cook in a crockpot even though the recipe doesn't call for it, otherwise stew meat is always too chewy for me. It melts in your mouth if you cook it all day. If you want to do it on the stove, just simmer the meat and onions for 1 hour then add the veggies and cook until tender.
~L

Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscana

I'm glad to see we are both back into this. I made this soup the other day and LOVED it. It's probably cheaper and easier just to go to Olive Garden, but the pot lasted awhile.

1 lb Italian sausage (I thought this was a bit much. I'd cut it down a link.)
2 large potatoes (Again a change: I'd do more), cut up
1 large onion, chopped
1/2 can bacon bits (REALLY? A CAN? That made me laugh really hard. I fried up some bacon until it was about 1/2 a cup, crumbled)
2 cloves minced garlic
2 cups kale (This was the first time I'd used kale. I didn't even know if it was animal, veg, or mineral. I had to ask.)
2 cans chicken broth
1 quart water
1 cup heavy whipping cream

Cook sausage in a 300 degree oven for 30 minutes. (Yeah, that didn't work. I cooked it as stated, and then ended up frying it to finalize the cooking.)
Drain sausage and cut into slices (I would say cut into SMALL chunks...smaller than you think)
Place onions, potatoes, broth, water, and garlic in pot, and cook on medium heat until potatoes are done.
Add sausage and bacon
Salt and pepper to taste
Simmer for 10 minutes
Turn heat to low and add kale and cream

Creamy Lowfat Pesto

Because I like pesto but hate paying for expensive nuts and because I had leftover ricotta cheese, I made this pesto. Add pasta, cooked chicken, a can of drained, diced tomatoes, and a can of great northern beans to make a fairly easy dinner. I think I'll use the leftover pesto on sandwiches, too.

4 garlic cloves, unpeeled
3 cups fresh basil leaves (no stems)
1 oz Parmesan cheese, grated (1/2 cup)
1/4 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1 shallot, minced (3 T)
2 T olive oil
salt and pepper

Toast the garlic in a small skillet over medium-heat, shaking the pan occasionally, until the color of the cloves deepens slightly, about 7 minutes. Transfer to a plate to cool, then peel the cloves and chop.
Place basil in a bag and pound with a rolling pin until leaves are slightly bruised. (This deepens the basil flavor.)
Process the ingredients and ½ tsp salt until smooth, about 30 seconds, stopping to scrape down the sides as needed. Transfer to a small bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Thank you, ATK.
~L

Ricotta Cookies

2 1/2 cups cake flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
Measure together and set aside.

10 1/2 Tbs butter, softened
1 1/3 cups sugar
Cream together.

1 cup ricotta
1 eggs, beaten
1 tsp vanilla
Add to butter and mix well.

Add dry ingredients and mix.

Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes.

I've had this recipe for years and finally tried it. It's good, but you can't really taste the ricotta. It seems like it mainly affects the texture. You can do a bunch of variations on it, so I also tried the lemon poppy seed (add lemon zest and poppy seeds to dough), which was voted as the favorite, and chocolate marble (add a few tablespoons melted chocolate to half the dough). I iced the plain and lemon cookies with a cream cheese frosting, and put a chocolate glaze (melted chocolate with butter added) to the chocolate marble ones. Makes very soft and moist cookies.

The Winner?

Chocolate Chip Cookies
By Our Foods Teacher Lisa

2/3 C shortening
2/3 C butter
1 C sugar
1 C brown sugar
2 eggs
3 C flour
1 tsp soda
1 tsp salt
12 oz chocolate chips (I like mini)

Cream shortening, butter, sugars. Add eggs, mix. Add dry, mix. Then chips. Drop onto greased sheet. 350 for 8-10 minutes.