Tag: Sheet Cakes

Cakes · Chocolate · Daily Thoughts · Desserts · Uncategorized

German Chocolate Sheet Cake

Chocolate Castles3 Comments

We are so excited to have friends coming in from California who have become like family. When we began to plan when they could come, I immediately knew what we would be having for dinner their first night here….chicken fried steak! So after deciding on the main course, and knowing the only things you MUST have with the steak is mashed potatoes, black eyed peas/green beans, we didn’t spend too much time on the side dishes. Looking through different recipes, I remembered that not only is German Chocolate cake is Randy’s favorite cake, it is also one of theirs. So I decided to make one. This one is a little different from the original. Because the homemade cake is so light, it doesn’t hold up well to what I wanted to do, so I used the Betty Crocker, pudding included German Chocolate cake mix and made it in a glass pyrex 9×13. When it was baked and still warm, I poked holes with the handle of a large wooden spoon so the homemade German Chocolate frosting could seep into the cake. This gives the cake such a gooey-gooey texture and allows for the coconut-pecan mixture to ooze through out the entire cake. Then, of course to cover up the holes, what does one do? Well, one makes homemake chocolate frosting to drizzle over the top of that. And to top it off, we will have a side dish of Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla, sitting ever so lovely beside it.

Directions:

Bake a Betty Crocker German Chocolate Cake according to instructions on box. While cake is still warm, poke homes and pour the homemade frosting over the top. Then drizzle the chocolate over entire cake.

Frosting:

3 egg yolks
1/2 cup butter
1 cup evaporated milk (not Eagle Brand)
1 cup light brown sugar
1 1/3 cup coconut flakes
1 teas vanilla
1 cup crushed pecans

In a medium size saucepan, combine the butter, egg yolks, milk and brown sugar. Stir continually until mixture is beginning to thicken. (about 7-9 minutes).
Remove from heat and add the vanilla, coconut and pecans. Stir until mixture has thickened a little more and then pour over the baked cake.

Chocolate drizzle:
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup cocoa
1 tables white Karo syrup
1/4 to 1/3 cup milk or half & half
2 cups powdered sugar
1 teas vanilla

Melt butter, cocoa, syrup together in microwave bowl. When butter is melted, stir until cocoa is dissolved in the butter. Add the powdered sugar, one cup at a time, stirring until lumps are gone and it is well combined. Add the vanilla.
Drizzle over the cake. If chocolate mixture is a little thick, you can thin with a little extra milk and/or place in microwave for about 15 seconds to get it easy to drizzle over the cake.

Cakes · Chocolate · Daily Thoughts · Desserts · Uncategorized

German Chocolate Sheet Cake

Chocolate Castles1 Comment

We are having friends over for dinner tonight and I know they are chocoholics so was wanting to make them something that I haven’t made them before. Looking through my old recipes, I came across this and since I had everything needed, it became the cake for dessert tonight. Whipped up some whipping cream to spoon over the top because, well, it has been several days since I have had whipped cream and a girl can only go so long without it. Taken from a Southern Living Magazine several years ago…

1 box of Duncan Hines German Chocolate Cake mix
1 large egg
2 large egg whites
1 3/4 cup water (I used milk)

Beat all above ingredients for 3 minutes and pour into a greased 15×10 jelly roll pan. Bake get 350 for about 15 min or until cake is done in center.

While cake is baking, combine the following:
1 (14 oz) can of Sweetened Condensed milk (eagle brand)
1/3 cup finely chopped pecans
1/3 cup coconut
2/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (the recipe didn’t call for these but I added them and am so glad I did)

Stir eagle brand, coconut, pecans and chocolate chips and spread over cake when it comes out of oven and still hot. Spread evenly and broil on lowest rack in oven for about 2 minutes or until bubbly. You can add a frosting if desired but I just sprinkled over a homemade hot fudge topping over the top after cooling the cake for about 15 minutes.
Serve with ice cream or whipped cream or both.

Cakes · Chocolate · Daily Thoughts · Desserts · Uncategorized

Pioneer Woman Chocolate Sheet Cake

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Trying to figure out what I wanted to take to Super Bowl party, Randy ask me to make the Texas Chocolate Sheet cake. A couple of years ago, when I was looking on line for the recipe (yes, I was too lazy to go looking through all my cookbooks) I came across the Pioneer Woman’s recipe for the sheet cake. It was amazing to see how different tasting her recipe was from the one I had always made, but it was really so much better. It is lighter texture and seems like using the two sticks of butter instead of using half shortening and half butter, really made a better cake. So hats off to Lee Drummond for giving us a most wonderful chocolate sheet cake. Just google “Pioneer Woman chocolate sheet cake” and it pops right up. It is worth the couple of extra steps she gives.

Cakes · Daily Thoughts · Uncategorized

Oatmeal Cake

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Last evening at dinner, Randy and I were sitting at the table and since I had devoured my food way before he was finished, as I usually do, I began to tell him about a chicken and rice dish my mom use to make. Getting up to go get the cookbook that I believed had that old chicken rice recipe, I discovered looking through the pages, a recipe that my mom and Aunt Gladys had made too many times to count. I remember always thinking “why did they like that boring cake that didn’t have frosting 3″ thick and no sprinkles or chocolate anywhere close to it” so I really ate too much of it. As I began to read the recipe to Randy, he told me that it sounded pretty good to him, so since I had everything in the house needed to make it, I began to gather the ingredients.

The result was this amazing cake with a baked on topping that maybe is just good to “older” folks that don’t like a lot of sweet gooey frosting. Some of our friends drove their golf cart over this morning early to show off their grandson and took some home. They loved it. Randy has taken a piece overtime he walks through the kitchen, and so do I.

The recipe was from a cookbook put out by the workers from school cafeterias in Corpus Christi back in the 60’s. I never did find the chicken and rice recipe, but will keep looking!

Ingredients: Makes a 9×13″ cake Preheat oven to 350.

1 1/4 cup boiling water

1 cup regular oats

1 stick (1/2 cup) softened butter

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup light brown sugar, packed

2 eggs

1 heaping teas cinnamon

1 teas vanilla

1 1/2 cups flour

1 teas soda

Pour boiling water over oats in a small bowl and allow to sit for at least 20 minutes.

Cream butter and both sugars. Add unbeaten eggs, cinnamon and vanilla. Mix well and then add oats, flour and soda.

Pour batter into greased 9×13 pan and bake for about 40 minutes or until cake is just done. While cake is baking prepare topping.

Topping:

Combine 4 tables butter, 2/3 cup light brown sugar, 1 cup coconut, 1 cup chopped pecans, 4 tables Eagle Brand Condensed milk and 2 egg yolks. Mix well and pour over cake as soon as you take it out of the oven. Return to oven and bake another 10 minutes. *That is why you just want to bake, just until it is almost finished baking, when you pour the topping over, since it will finish baking those last 10 minutes.

 

Cakes · Daily Thoughts · Desserts · Uncategorized

Bonnie Butter Cake

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Cannot tell you why this is called Bonnie Butter Cake, but leafing through my spiral notebook from the early 70’s that I copied different recipes into, I came across this one today.  Since Randy loves white (or yellow) cake with chocolate frosting, I told him I would make this for him. This sound crazy, but I love all the stains from grease and little fingerprints that had cocoa or butter on them, that are all over this precious memory spiral book. It just always takes me back to days of having 3 little kids pulling up chairs to the cabinet begging to “help” mix or stir. Isn’t it odd that when you are in those days, sometimes we think, “oh how nice it would be to just come in the kitchen and be able to bake a batch of cookies without all “mother’s little helpers”…it would go so much faster and smoother and easier. Then years down the road we see things like I am looking at right now and wish we could go back and have “mother’s little helpers” still pulling up to the cabinets. Moms and dads, don’t wish your years away. Enjoy them and savor each moment that they want to “help”…trust me, it goes much quicker than you will realize. Memories are so wonderful, so don’t wish away the years in which you are making them.

Ingredients

2/3 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 3/4 cup sugar

2  large eggs, room temperature

1 1/2 teas vanilla

3 cups cake flour or 2 3/4 cup all purpose flour

2 1/2 teas baking powder

1 teas salt (if you used salted butter I would only use 1/2 teas salt)

1 1/4 cups milk

Grease and flour 2 9” cake pans (or one 9×13)

In a large bowl, mix butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla until light and fluffy. Beat for 5 minutes on high speed.

In another bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, salt and stir until well combined. Add to butter mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture.

Pour into prepared pans and bake until cake tests done. Cool completely before frosting.

Quick Fudge Frosting

1 cup sugar

4 tables cocoa

4 tables butter

1/2 cup milk

2tables corn syrup

Dash salt

2 cups powdered sugar

1 teas vanilla

Mix sugar with cocoa in a small saucepan. Add butter, milk, corn syrup and salt. Heat to boiling, stirring frequently. Boil for 3 minutes stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and cool about 5 minutes. Add powdered sugar and vanilla and beat until no lumps appear. If mixture is too thick to spread over cake layers, add milk about 1 tables at a time and continue beating until mixture is smooth and right texture to frost cake.

Cakes · Desserts

Trisha Yearwood’s Key Lime Cake

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Just watched Trisha make this cake on her program. It sounds so good and will be perfect for the last weeks of hot weather. The frosting is, of course, cream cheese frosting. So don’t forget the 3 oz box of lime jello at the grocery this weekend.

1 (3 oz) box of lime jello

1 1/3 cups sugar

2 cups flour

1/2 teas salt

1 teas baking soda

1 teas baking powder

1 1/2 cup oil

3/4 cup orange juice

1 Tables lemon juice

1/2 teas vanilla

5 eggs, slightly beaten

Preheat oven to 350

Mix the lime jello, sugar, flour, salt, baking powder & baking soda in a large mixing bowl. In another bowl, mix oil, orange juice, lemon juice, vanilla and the beaten eggs. Mix well and then pour over the dry ingredients. Beat until batter is smooth and mixed well.

Pour into a 9×13″ greased pan. Bake in preheated oven for about 25-35 minutes or until cake tests done when pick inserted in center comes out clean.

Let cool in pan 5 minutes before turning out on a plate. If you are leaving cake in pan, wait about 5 minutes and then pierce cake with a fork and drizzle the glaze over the top of the cake, allowing it to sink into the cake.

Glaze for Cake

1/2 cup Key Lime Juice (about 25 small key limes or 4 regular size limes)

1/2 cup powdered sugar

Mix the key lime juice and powdered sugar and stir until mixture is smooth.

Allow cake to cool completely then frost with Cream cheese frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

1/2 cup (1 stick) of unsalted butter, softened

1 (8 oz) cream cheese, softened

1 (1 lb) box of powdered sugar (about 3 1/2 cups)

Beat the butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy. Add the powdered sugar and beat until sugar is well incorporated. Spread over the top and sides of completely cooled cake. (Or the top, if you left it in the pan)

Cakes · Desserts

White Texas Sheet Cake

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Years ago, a friend and I were in charge of a bake sale at First Bapt Dallas. We came up with the idea of putting all the ingredients for this cake in bags and selling them. All the buyer needed to do was to add the eggs, sour cream, butter and water. We sold out and I put it in my cookbook, as I love the almond flavor and the easiness of preparation. I don’t have a clue where she got the recipe, but it is a great cake and since it is made in a jelly roll pan (10×15″), it serves a lot.

Cake

1 cup unsalted butter (I use 1 stick butter and 1 stick margarine)

1 cup water

2 cups sugar

2 cups flour

1 teas baking soda

1 teas salt

2 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup sour cream

1 teas almond extract

Frosting

1 stick butter

1/4 cup milk

1 (1 lb box) powdered sugar or 3 1/2 cups

1 teas almond extract

Pecans, chopped for topping, if desired

Cake

Mix butter and water in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat and let cool. Stir in sugar before adding any other ingredients. Add eggs, beins sure hot mixture has cooled somewhat so eggs do not cook in the batter as you mix together. In a separate bowl, mix flour, baking soda and salt. Add to sugar-butter mixture and stir until no lumps remain. You can use mixer on low speed if desired.

Pour into greased and floured jelly roll pan. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 18-20 minutes, or until cake tests done. It does not take long, so be sure to watch it the last couple of minutes. Do not over bake.

Cool while preparing frosting.

Frosting

Combine milk and butter in a saucepan. Cook over low heat until butter is melted. Pour over powdered sugar and beat until smooth. Add almond extract and mix. Pour over warm cake and spread over entire cake. Sprinkle chopped pecans if desired.

Cakes · Chocolate · Desserts · Super Bowl Recipes

Chocolate-Peanut Butter Sheet Cake

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SUPER BOWL DESSERT!!! Perfect for the dessert table Sunday. I was needing one more recipe other than the pecan pie bars and oatmeal cookies and Chocolate Cream Cheese Brownies and here it is. Love love love the flavor of peanut butter and chocolate.

2 cups flour

2 cups sugar

1 teas baking soda

1/2 teas salt

1 cup water

1/2 cup butter, cubed

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/4 cup cocoa

3 eggs

1/2 cup sour cream

2 teas vanilla

Frosting

3 cups powdered sugar

1/4 cup softened butter

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

1/2 cup milk (add gradually as it might not require the whole 1/2 cup)

1 teas vanilla

1/2 cup chopped peanuts

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 13×9″ baking pan. In large bowl, whisk flour, sugar, baking soda and salt.

In a small saucepan, combine water, butter, peanut butter and cocoa; bring just to a boil, stirring occasionally. Add to flour mixture, stirring just until moistened.

In a small bowl, whisk eggs, sour cream and vanilla until blended. Add to flour mixture, whisking constantly. Transfer to prepared baking pan. Bake 25-30 min or until cake tests done.

Prepare frosting while cake is baking. In a large bowl, beat the powdered sugar,  butter,  peanut butter, milk and vanilla until smooth. Remove cake from oven when done and place on wire rack. Immediately spread with frosting; sprinkle peanuts over top if desired. Cool completely and cut into squares.

Uncategorized

Grandbabies & Gluten

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In the last few days I have learned several things. First of all I learned that you cannot substitute gluten free pasta when making one pot pasta casseroles. They end up like a pot of mush. Secondly, yesterday we learned that no matter how many grandkids you have, there is always room in your heart for another. Our son and his wife gave us the most beautiful little girl last night and I just keep looking at the pictures over and over. She has already stole our hearts. Since we have to share with the other grandparents we came home and I just took a banana cake out of the oven to take to the daughter-in-law that is now first in our will for giving us this precious little bundle. When our daughter, Christi saw that I was baking Mandy a cake, she quickly informed me that she had given me a precious little girl 3 years ago and I didn’t bake her a cake. So I had to promise her that a cream cheese pound cake will be waiting for her when she walks in the door on Saturday. I told her that if they would move our sweet little Kenley from Florida to Texas, we would bake her all the cakes she wants.

This banana cake that I am posting was posted on Face Book the other day and it caught my eye. It really is delish. I did add cream cheese frosting to it. Everything is better with cream cheese frosting, right? The cake is light and has a mellow banana flavor with a crumb topping.

Preheat oven to 300 and grease a 9×13″ baking pan.

Cake

2 cups all purpose flour

1 1/2 teas baking powder

1 teas baking soda

3/4 teas salt

3/4 cup sugar

1 stick butter, melted

1/2 cup buttermilk, divided

2 eggs

1 teas vanilla

2 ripe bananas, mashed

Topping

1/4 cup flour

1/4 cup dark brown sugar (I only had light, and it worked fine)

1/2 stick butter

To make the cake, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar. Blend in the melted butter until mixture is moist. Pour in 1/4 cup of the buttermilk and stir until well combined. Mix the 2 eggs and vanilla with the remaining 1/4 cup buttermilk and then pour over flour mixture. Beat for 1 minute. Pour into greased 9×13″ baking pan.

For the topping, combine the brown sugar, flour and cold butter. With pastry cutter, blend in the cold butter until mixture resembles crumbs. Sprinkle evenly over batter. Bake cake for 32-38 minutes in preheated 300 degree oven.

As soon as the cake came out of the oven I drizzled some of the cream cheese frosting over the cake. When cake cooled, I poured the rest of the frosting over the cake and spread evenly over cake.

Cakes · Chocolate · Desserts

Texas Style Chocolate Sheet Cake (More Chocolatey than Original One)

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Sunday evening we had some couples over to just visit and have cake. Going through a few of my cookbooks, I found this new version of the Texas Sheet Cake and decided to make it. I will never go back to the original recipe. The brown sugar and the chocolate squares make such a difference. Out of 9 people here, I think I was the only one that didn’t go cut a 2 or 3rd piece and that was simply because I had had one even before company arrived.

1 cup butter

5 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped

1/2 cup water

1 cup sugar

1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 teas vanilla

2 cups flour

1 teas baking soda

1/4 teas salt

1/2 cup buttermilk

Poured Chocolate Frosting (recipe follows)

Preheat oven to 350. spray a 13×9″ baking pan with baking spray and flour.

In a small small saucepan combine butter, chocolate and 1/2 cup water. Cook over medium-low heat until chocolate and butter are melted, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and let cool for 15-20 minutes.

In a large bowl, beat sugars, eggs and vanilla with mixer on medium until mixture is fluffy.

In a small bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. Gradually add to sugar mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture, beating just until combined after each addition. Stir in chocolate mixture. Pour batter into prepared pan.

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until cake tests done in center. Pour over warm Chocolate Frosting while cake is still warm. Let cool for at least 30 minutes before serving. Cover and store in fridge up to 3 days.

*I ended up making the homemade caramel sauce from the chocolate-caramel filled cupcakes recipe and poured it over the cake, topped with vanilla ice cream then drizzling the caramel sauce over all. Was delish….

Frosting

1/2 cup butter

3 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped

1/2 cup buttermilk

4 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1 teas vanilla

1 1/2 cups chopped pecans (opt)

IN a medium saucepan, combine butter, chocolate and buttermilk. Cook over medium low heat until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Remove from heat and pour over powdered sugar and beat until smooth. Add the 1 teas vanilla and stir in pecans if desired. Pour over warm cake.