Cakes | Chickens in the Road

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Apr
13

Cakes, The Farmhouse Table

Isn’t this cake beautiful? I said that about five times when I got it out after dinner and then everyone said, “CUT IT ALREADY!”

But it is pretty, isn’t it? I like to bake pretty things and admire them before I eat them. (Some people are so impatient!!)

How to make Frozen Black Forest Fudge Cake:

The Cherry Filling–
15 ounces frozen dark sweet cherries
2/3 cup juice (berry-flavored)
1 tablespoon cornstarch

In a small saucepan, combine ingredients. Cook and stir till thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir two more minutes. Cover and chill completely.

The Fudge Cake–
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 3/4 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/3 cups water
1/2 cup shortening
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
3 1-ounce squares unsweetened chocolate, melted
2 1-ounce squares semi-sweet chocolate, melted

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add water, shortening, and vanilla. Using an electric mixer, beat well. Add eggs and melted chocolate; beat till combined. Pour batter into three greased cake pans. (These will be thin layers.) Bake at 350-degrees for 20 minutes. Cool on wire racks.

The Fudge Frosting–
1/3 cup butter
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
4 1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar
1/4 cup milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

In a bowl, beat butter and cocoa till fluffy. Gradually add 2 cups of the powdered sugar, beating well. Slowly beat in the 1/4 cup milk and the vanilla. Beat in remaining powdered sugar a little a time, adding more milk if necessary.

You’ll also need whipped cream to put the cake together. Here’s how:

Spread a ring of frosting over the bottom layer. Spoon a little less than half of the cherry filling into the middle, then top with the second cake layer. Spread another ring of frosting over the middle layer, then top with a ring of whipped cream.

Spoon most of the rest of the cherry filling in the middle of the frosting/whipped cream ring, then top with the final layer. Frost top and sides of cake. Add a ring of whipped cream, then place more whipped cream in the middle and top with remaining cherry filling. Freeze cake for at least a couple of hours; let stand at room temperature about 15 minutes before serving.

Then cut it, CUT IT ALREADY. Or people will be yelling at you.

P.S. Take shortcuts by using a cake mix, canned cherry pie filling, and store-bought frosting if you choose! You’ll still end up with a beautiful cake.

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Posted by Suzanne McMinn @ 5:05 am | Permalink
Tags: cherries, chocolate

Feb
11

Cakes, The Farmhouse Table

Rich and chocolaty, topped with cream and berries….. This sinfully easy, sweet, and romantic dessert is perfect for Valentine’s Day, but I could eat it every day. Like, for the rest of my life. In fact, I think I’m going to stock up on chocolate and do just that. You?

How to make Chocolate Lava Cakes:

5 1-ounce squares semi-sweet baking chocolate
1/4 cup butter
2 eggs
2 more egg yolks
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 tablespoon instant coffee
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
whipped cream and strawberries

Grease four ramekins (individual serving size oven-safe custard or souffle cups). Melt butter and chocolate in a small pan and set aside to cool. Meanwhile, combine eggs, egg yolks, sugar, vanilla, and instant coffee in a bowl.

Using an electric mixer, beat egg mixture for about five minutes, until it thickens. Add flour and melted chocolate/butter; stir to combine. Pour batter into baking dishes.

Bake immediately, or if you’re preparing ahead, cover the dishes with plastic wrap and refrigerate to bake and serve warm later. (If refrigerated, let the dishes come to room temperature before baking.)

Preheat oven to 400-degrees. Bake for 10 minutes. If you stick a toothpick in the middle, it’ll look like it’s not done. Take it out anyway. It’s all that melted chocolate ERUPTING LIKE LAVA. Okay, not really, but it does make it gooey. And it will not leave your home coated in volcanic ash, so it’s all good. Let cakes cool for five minutes. Slide a knife around each cake and invert onto dessert plates.

How beautiful are these strawberries? I love strawberries…..

Oh, back to the cakes…. Load on the whipped cream and sliced berries! Think of all the calcium and…you know, some kind of other vitamins. This is practically health food. This is why you could eat it every day. Plus, it’s soooo good. In fact, I’m heading back to the kitchen. I gotta make more Chocolate Lava Cakes. You know, for my health.