German Chocolate Cake

German Chocolate Cake what could sound better. Wait it is mid-spring and most of my time has been spent on my knees in the garden.  I was thinking of Coconut this morning while planting some more butterfly flowers. The recipe usually make a very nice 3 layer cake. BUT this time I am going to make one layer and some cupcakes. Let us call this a German Cake test run!



Ingredients for Cake

1/2 cup water
4 (1 ounce) squares German sweet chocolate
1 cup butter, softened
2 cups white sugar
4 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk
2 1/2 cups cake flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 egg whites
Preheat oven to 350 degrees This recipe makes one 3 layer cake.
Grease and flour 3 - 9 inch round pans.
Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.





In a small saucepan, heat water and 4 ounces chocolate until melted. Remove from heat and allow to cool.








In a large bowl, cream 1 cup butter and 2 cups sugar until light and fluffy.









Beat in 4 egg yolks one at a time.


Blend in the melted chocolate mixture and vanilla.













Beat in the flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk, mixing just until incorporated.













In a large mixing bowl, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form.








Fold 1/3 of the whites into the batter, then quickly fold in remaining whites be gentle










Pour into 3 - 9 inch pans Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.







Allow to cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then turn out onto wire rack. I think I could have cooked it for about 5 minutes less time. The edges look to cooked to me?



Coconut Pecan Frosting

1 cup white sugar
1 12 oz. can of evaporated milk
1/2 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 egg yolks, beaten
2 1/3 cups flaked coconut
1 ½ cups chopped pecans

 

In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar, milk, butter, egg yolks, and vanilla.









 Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thickened, about 10 minutes.  




















Transfer to a bowl add the coconut and pecans stirring occasionally.









Allow to cool to room temperature before frosting the cake


 

I do have other pictures of this cake in layers and looking much prettier but this was a rushed cake. !

Carrot Cake

 
 It is my little brother Pace's 50th birthday and he requested a home made Carrot Cake what better way to use yet another one of my vintage cookbooks. 

You can make this recipe round or flat I will show you pictures of both. 







Better Homes & Gardens Complete Step by Step Cook Book...........1978

Carrot Cake
2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups of sugar
1 tsp of baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
3 cups finely shredded carrot (9 carrots)
1 cup cooking oil
4 eggs

Cream Cheese Frosting follows ...

Serves 12-14

Grease and lightly flour a 13x9x2 baking dish or two round cake pans.

In a large mixer bowl stir together flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.
Add carrot, oil, and eggs.
Mix until moisten, beat at medium speed of electric mixer for 2 minutes.













Pour into prepared pan.










Bake in a 325 Oven for 50 to 60 minutes or until a wood pick inserted comes out clean. You can make your frosting while you bake.

Cool on a wire rack. Once cooled transfer to any thing you need to be able to frost. I use a cookie sheet I know not fancy but it works.












 Time to frost

Cream Cheese Frosting

1 3-ounce package cream cheese
1/4 cup butter or margarine
2 cups sifted powder sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup chopped nuts to sprinkle on the top of the frosted cake.

Soften cream cheese and butter or margarine
Beat together until fluffy.















Gradually add powdered sugar, beat till smooth, stir in vanilla.

Spread over cake sprinkle with nuts.










And frost ! Yes I am a over froster!









This cake weighed 30 pounds and was delicious!

Homemade Twinkies

Well I have wanted to make these for the longest time and today with the cooler weather why not? So I gathered all the ingredients. My recipe is from the Chew. I had to make the little molds to put them in it was daunting but they sure did work well.







I also put some into cupcake molds to see if that will work after all it is just a shape. Wrong the cupcakes were to brown on the bottom and not as fluffy. So no go with the cupcake tray.

I have a separate post showing how to make the holder's.


Ingredients

Nonstick cooking spray or vegetable oil
1/2 cup cake flour
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons milk, preferably whole
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 large eggs, at room temperature (separated)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon cream of tarter

Filling Ingredients below

Preheat oven to 350 degrees





Whisk the flour , baking soda and salt together
in a bowl and set aside

Heat the milk and butter in a small sauce pan over low heat until the butter melts.
Remove from the heat and add the vanilla.
Let it sit

Put the egg whites in your mixer and beat till you have them just foamy. Now add 6 tablespoons of the sugar and the cream of tarter continue to beat till you get the nice soft peaks. Put this in a bowl and set aside

Now put your yolks into the mixer (Same bowl no need to clean it) and mix them with the rest of the sugar on medium high speed until it is thick and well blended. This take 4 to 6 minutes.
Turn off the mixer add about a ¼ of the egg whites and incorporate them.





Now add the rest of  egg whites but do not mix it yet. Grab the flour and sprinkle it on top of the mixture turn on your blender  mix on low just until blended but not completely combined count to 10 and stop.
 
Grab your butter mixture and make a well in the center of the egg mixture and pour the butter in
No more mixing fold this all together until the mixture is combined evenly.




This is crazy cool it get’s like bread starter and is bubbly and light. Truly Twinkie magic. Fill the little molds about half way full.

Bake until the cakes are just light brown and they spring back. While they cook let us make the filling !




 Ingredients for the Filling

6 tablespoons unsalted butter (room temperature)
1 ½ cups of confectioner sugar (Powdered Sugar)
½ tsp vanilla extract
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup of marshmallow fluff
2 tablespoons heavy cream
2 tablespoons condensed milk



In a bowl with a mixer beat the butter, confectioner sugar,vanilla extract ,salt and marshmallow fluff until blended. Add the cream and condensed milk and beat till just smooth. Transfer the frosting to a pastry bag fitted with a ¼-inch round tip. Or use a plastic bag with one corner cut out.

Pipe frosting into three spots on the underside of the Twinkies, careful not to over fill . You think no stuff is going in but if you watch really carefully you will see the Twinkies expand slightly with the filling. Yes two of mine exploded and I HAD to eat them right away!

Very Exciting.

This is a long process but a delight when you eat one.