Author: Chocolate Castles

Welcome to Chocolate Castles, a blog about food, family and stories that hopefully will bring a smile to your heart. Thanks for reading chocolate castles and may the recipes and stories help bring your family and friends a little closer around the table! Remember that Princess On The Porch is still available on Amazon! Makes a great gift for anyone who enjoys being in the kitchen and needs a little laughter in their lives.
Cakes

Teacakes

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These beautiful little cakes are in the new addition of Southern Lady and will be one dessert I will be making for different parties for Valentines!

Not only are they delicious, but they are beautiful and will make a gorgeous centerpiece for your dessert table.

1 cup butter, softened

2 cups sugar

4 large eggs

2 teas vanilla extract

3 cups flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teas salt

1 cup whole milk ( I will probably use Evaporated milk using 1/2 cup milk to 1/2 cup water…Gives it a more rich taste)

1/2 cup sour cream

Cream Cheese Frosting

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 13×9 ” baking pan with nonstick spray with flour

In large bowl, beat butter and sugar at medium speed with mixer until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time,m beating well after each addition. Mix in vanilla.

In another bowl, combine flour, baking powder (notice this is a TABLESPOON, not teaspoon),  and salt.

Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat until well combined. Beat in sour cream. Spread batter evenly into prepared pan.

Bake for 35-40 min or until a toothpick comes out clean from center of cake. Cool in pan for 10 min over wire rack. Remove from pan and cool completely on a wire rack.

Trim 1/2 ” off each side of cake. Level cake by using a serrated knife to trim off rounded top. Cut cake into 3×2″ pieces. Spoon Cream Cheese frosting on top of each cake piece. Garnish with Sugared Fruit, Mint and Zest, if desired

Cream Cheese Frosting

1 (8 oz) softened cream cheese

2 cups powdered sugar

1/4 cup whole milk

In medium bowl, combine cream cheese and powdered sugar. Beat at medium speed with mixer until smooth. Beat in milk

Sugared Fruit

1 egg white

1 tables water

Fresh raspberries

Fresh blueberries

Fresh mint sprigs

Sugar

In a medium bowl, whisk together egg white and water. Using a small paintbrush, brush raspberries, mint leafs  and blueberries with egg white mixture. Sprinkle with sugar, shaking off excess. Place on baking sheet lined with parchment paper to dry. Use on top of each little cake square.

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Red Velvet Parfaits

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Isn’t it fun to begin searching for just the perfect dessert for Valentines? I love all the pink and red colors of Valentines day, so when I saw this, I took notice. Since Red Velvet cake is one of those desserts that is such a favorite these days, this should be one of the recipes that end up in your little red recipe box.

Make a Duncan Hines Red Velvet cake according to directions on box for the 13×9 in baking pan which you have sprayed with Pam and then dusted with flour.

Makes 12 servings
Cool in pan on a wire rack for while you make the Coconut Mousse

1 (3.4 oz) box coconut cream-flavored instant pudding mix

1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened

1 cup sour cream

1/2 cup powdered sugar

2 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream

2 teas coconut extract

In a medium bowl, combine pudding mix and cream cheese. Beat at medium speed until creamy. Add sour cream and powdered sugar, beating until combined. Add whipping cream and extract. Beat at high or medium speed until stiff peaks form.

Layer cake crumbs in parfait glasses or in a punch bowl, if you would rather do a giant parfait instead of individual glasses. Pour 1/3 of the pudding mix over the top and make two more layers with cake crumbs and pudding mix…Making 3 layers in all, if you are doing the punch bowl. If you are using individual glasses, you will only need to make 2 layers. Top parfaits with toasted coconut and a little of the cake crumbs to add color to the tops.

Breads

Popovers

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These little gems are delicious with butter, syrup or jam. We have them for breakfast and sometimes we have them with pot roast, like they do at Lawry’s Steak House, served with their prime rib with plenty of au jus poured over it… only 4 ingredients and so easy to make.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees and grease either 6 ramekins or 9 muffin tins

2 eggs, slightly beaten

Add 1 cup flour to the beaten eggs and just stir until smooth. Add 1/4 teas salt. Slowly add 1 cup milk to the egg/flour mixture and just stir until smooth. Do not over mix. Pour and divide batter between the tins/ramekins. Bake for 20 min and then decrease oven temperature to 350 and bake for another 17-20 min or until popovers are browned and sound hollow when you tap the top….Remove from oven and serve immediately.

Chicken

Paper Bag Fried Chicken

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Just an FYI today. Talked to a friend of mine today that told me she “fries” her chicken in a paper bag in the oven. She just buys cut up chicken with the skin on and cleans it. Then coats the chicken in flour and places it in a brown paper bag which she has lightly greased the entire inside of the bag with Crisco or Pam and then places the bag on a cookie sheet  before laying the chicken inside. Turn the opening of the bag to where it is closed and place the bag of chicken in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 45 to 50 min and remove chicken from bag. Be careful as you open the bag because the steam will burn you if you are not careful. She says that it has the taste of fried chicken without all the oil. She said to leave the skin on for extra crunchiness……Not exactly “fat free” or low cal, but certainly better than deep frying chicken in a pot of oil…..I am going to try this probably on Sun night and let you know how it turns out. If you try it before me, please let me know what you think….have a blessed weekend and talk to you Mon……tkchocolate

Casseroles · Vegetables

Gratin of Vegetables

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I am in love with brussels sprouts. I have never really liked them until I ate them at my son, Jason’s house. He had bought them still on the stem and the taste is completely different than buying them frozen. So each time I see a recipe that includes these little precious gems, I look it over. This recipe uses my husbands fav cheese, blue cheese, and makes a great side dish to any juicy steak, baked chicken or fish! Found this in a little $1.79 magazine at the grocery store checking out the other day….

1 lb cabbage

1 lb brussels sprouts, trimmed, outer leaves discarded and halved

1 red onion, thinly sliced

3 tables EVVO (extra virgin olive oil) That always drove me crazy when a well known TV chef  would always say, “EVVO, extra virgin olive oil” If she was going to tell you every time what EVVO stood for, why did she bother to always say, “EVVO”?

1/4  teas sea salt, or table salt

1/4 teas pepper

4 oz crumbled blue cheese (about 3/4 cup)

Preheat oven to 425. Bring large pot of salted water to boil. Cut cabbage into thin wedges, leaving them attached at base. Add cabbage and sprouts to pot and bring back to boil. Cook 3 min and then drain and shake dry.

Arrange cabbage and sprouts with red onion in 13,9 baking dish which you have sprayed with Pam. Drizzle veggies with olive oil; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast, stirring halfway through cooking time, until veggies are tender, about 25 min. Sprinkle with cheese; return to oven for 3-5 min until cheese melts. Serve immediately while hot.

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Coffee Infused Angel Food Cake with Whipped Frosting

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One of the ladies brought this cake to a dinner we were at and I have to tell you…..it was wonderful. I NEVER go back for seconds in public because I don’t want them to see me doing that and think, “well, now we know why she weighs what she does”  I guess if they don’t see me eating for two, it will make them wonder if I just have a medical condition, ha……but I just had to have a two pieces, plus I ate the topping off of Randy’s plate, because he really doesn’t like sweets as much as I do. One of our sons from Austin was here and when I saw him eating the cake, you could tell he thought it was awesome also. Corky, thanks for sharing this recipe, it really is a great cake and I can’t wait to make it.

One Duncan Hines Angel Food cake mix, baked according to directions, except instead of baking it in a tube pan, make it in 3 9″ layer pans.

Let cool and set aside.

Frosting:

1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream

3 tables superfine sugar

1/4 cup very strong brewed coffee, which has been cooled to room temp or placed in fridge for a while to cool.

Whip cream until fluffy and add sugar and coffee and continue beating until medium soft peaks form.

To assemble cake (best done just a short time before serving):

frost cake generously with the whipped cream between layers of cakes, along with some smaller coffee crunch pieces (*this recipe will follow) Top with remaining whipped cream mixture and lots of the coffee crunch pieces.

Coffee Crunch Pieces

Unflavored vegetable oil

1 tables baking soda, sifted

1/4 cup strong brewed coffee

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1/4 cup light corn syrup

Generously oil a large baking sheet. Sift the baking soda onto a small sheet of wax paper or a small plate (you are setting this aside until ready to use and don’t want to have to measure it at the last minute.) Set nearby.

Combine coffee, sugar and corn syrup in a deep heavy 4 qt saucepan.  Place over medium low heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar dissolves. When the mixture is clear and it begins to boil, increase the heat to medium high and cook until the mixture reaches 290 degrees on a candy thermometer. Toward the end of cooking, around 270 degrees to 280, stir occasionally to prevent mixture from scorching and becoming too foamy. Remove from heat and stir in baking soda. The mixture will foam up vigorously. While mixture is still foaming, pour it out onto the oiled baking sheet. Do not spread, just let it cool undisturbed for about 1 hour. Break or crush into very small pieces by placing between 2 sheets of wax paper and tapping or rolling with rolling pin. Store in airtight container until ready to use on cake. 

This cake is really worth the effort and time. 

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Sweet Potato Pound Cake

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If you are like any typical mom who has trouble getting veggies down your little darling’s throats, try this cake. It is full of sweet potatoes, but they will never know it. So when you are spending the afternoon with a grandchild or trying to figure out what to have for dinner that is good for the family, try this cake. Never mind that it has cream cheese, sugar and eggs included. Just focus on the sweet potatoes that are in it and don’t worry about the other stuff. The good will outweigh the bad, ha…..This is from the Nov, 2011 Southern Living…Goes great with a Chai Latte for an afternoon snack…

1 (8 oz) cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup butter, softened

2 cups sugar

4 eggs

2 1/2 cups cooked, mashed sweet potatoes

3 cups flour

2 teas baking powder

1 teas baking soda

1/4 teas salt

1 teas ground cinnamon

1 teas vanilla

Preheat oven to 350. Beat cream cheese and butter at medium speed with a mixer until creamy. Gradually add sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until yellow disappears. Add sweet potatoes and beat well.

Stir together flour, next 3 ingredients and cinnamon in a bowl. Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture, beating at low speed just until blended after each addition. Stir in vanilla. Spoon batter into a greased and floured 10″ tube pan. Bake at 350 for 1 hour and 10 min or until a long wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.

You can bake this cake in 2 greased and floured 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 ” loaf pans instead. Bake and cool but your baking time will be less. Test for doneness after about 40 min…..

Breads

Angel Biscuits

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The Christmas tree is put away and the Egg Nog is gone. We have turned one of our Christmas trees into a Valentine Tree and am already looking through new issues of Southern Lady or Taste of Home for recipes that my “Valentine” will love coming home and sitting down to gaze upon.(well, actually we graze more than we gaze). This recipe for Angel Biscuits will go perfectly with breakfast or dinners and you will be able to turn any husband into an “Angel” when he takes one bite of these. They are simple and delicious.

Makes about 2 dz. The addition of yeast will guarantee fluffy biscuits every time. Do NOT let the word “yeast” scare you off.

1 envelope active dry yeast (1/4 oz)

1/4 cup warm water (just be sure it is barely warm, certainly not really warm as this kills the yeast)

2 tables sugar (do not use sugar substitute as the yeast needs the real stuff to activate)

1 tables baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1/2 cup shortening, cut into pieces and 1/2 cup cold butter, cut into pieces

1 1/2 cups buttermilk

Preheat oven to 400. Combine yeast and warm water in a 1 cup glass measuring cup; let stand 5 min.

Meanwhile, whisk together flour and next 4 ingredients in a large bowl; cut in shortening and butter with a pastry blender until crumbly.

Combine yeast mixture and buttermilk and add to flour mixture, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead about 1 min.

Roll dough to 1/2 ” thickness. Cut with a 2 in round cutter or into 2 ” squares. Place on ungreased baking sheet.

Bake at 400 for 12 to 15 min or until golden brown.

Daily Thoughts

Return to Chocolate

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I know, I know, a couple of days ago, I said that I was going to go green at least on the blog home page, but I just couldn’t do it. Everytime I looked at the stark green page, all I could think about was how it just didn’t look like my blog, so came back to the chocolate themed look. Made me want to cook more than the green. Sorry guys, guess I’m more into chocolate than “going green”. But I promise I will try harder to recycle and turn the lights out when leaving the kitchen.