Texas Sheet Cake: A Trip to Chocolate Land

Texas Sheet Cake

 Hi everybody :)

It been awhile since I been on a chocolate high, I got that caving again and it led me to this recipe. Want to join me on my trip to Chocolate Land? Where everything as far as your eyes can see, is made of chocolate of all variety, from the deep dark to the creamy white. I take this ride at least 2 -3 times a month, so hurry up and book your reservations. Tickets are free, all that is required is a blog subscription.  So, come along, buckle-up, and enjoy the view. Here's a chocolate treat for all of you :) 
Texas Sheet Cake

Yield: 12 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 22 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

For the Cake:
1 cup vegetable shortening
1 cup water
4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sour cream
2 eggs
1 teaspoon baking soda
For the Icing:
1/4 cup vegetable shortening
6 tablespoons whole milk
4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder (I used Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa) 
4 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 11x15-inch jelly roll pan.

Place the shortening, water, and cocoa powder in a large pot (at least 4 quarts) and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. 

Remove from the heat and whisk in the flour, sugar, and salt. Whisk well until thoroughly combined. 

Add the sour cream, eggs, and baking soda, and again whisk until thoroughly combined and batter is smooth.

Pour batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Bake for 22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Meanwhile, make the icing. In a 2-quart saucepan over medium-high heat, bring the shortening, milk, and cocoa powder to a boil. Remove from the heat and whisk in the powdered sugar and vanilla extract, mixing until smooth. Stir in the chopped nuts.

When you remove the cake from the oven, immediately pour the hot icing over the cake, gently spreading it into an even layer over the cake. Let the icing set for about 30 minutes. The cake can be served warm or at room temperature.
Source: Brown Eyed Baker

What I Did and/or Think:
The only thing I did differently was add the nuts on top per-serving for the non-nut-lover in the group (hubby).The recipe for the cake is easily put together in one pot, so is the icing.

The taste: The cake was moist and chocolatey, which is always a good thing for a chocolate cake. I used Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa for an extra chocolate flavor. It was CHOCOLATEY DELICIOUS and a sure REPEAT!

P.S. Don't miss my next trip to Chocolate Land! Subscribe Now!

ENJOY! Come again... 
Linked to:
Kathe With an E You're Gonna Love It 
 Show Me What You Got Tuesday's at ODH 
Tempt My Tummy Tuesday 
 Zentmrs: Tuesday Table  
The Winthrop Chronicles Link Party
 Titus 2 Tuesday
 Tasty Tuesday (Food Only) @ Naptime Creation
 33 Shades of Green-Tasty Tuesday
Show and Share Wednesday Semi-Homemade Mom 
Wednesdays Adorned From Above

Biscoff Sock-It-To-Me Pound Cake: Biscoff with a Southern Flair

Biscoff Sock-It-To-Me Pound Cake:  Biscoff with a Southern Flair

Biscoff Sock-It-To-Me Pound Cake

Hi everybody :)

It's a new year with new outlooks and new beginnings. I hope everyone had a safe and joyous holiday. Kicking the year off to a sweet start, have I got a recipe for you...

Have you heard of biscoff yet? Do worry, you're not alone, I just found out about it about a year ago. I won a jar from  The Spiffy Cookie , another great blog. IT. IS. AWESOME! The caramel cinnamon taste had me, craving for more. I became a desperate woman, because at first, biscoff was NOT sold where I lived! : (  If you can't find it in your area it sold here and here.) I found I better way of getting it, my daughter. When she's away at college I get her to sent it to me, or bring it whenever she comes home. : ) I STACK UP!!
   
I wanted to make a pound cake that SSCREAMMMM southern, and nothing more southern than a Sock-It-To-Cake. This cinnamon-bundt-cake-creation is usually made using a cake mix. But I wanted a made from-scratch cake, that's when a stumble across this one. It has the basic ingredients of a sour cream pound cake with a Biscoff flair. So I wanted to expand on the cinnamony taste by adding the filling of the Sock-It-To-Cake. Genius, right? Yeah, I know :) Well here's what I did...

Biscoff Pound Cake with Glaze  adapted from Ryan Bakes

Ingredients:

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
2 3/4 cups sugar
3 cups cake flour
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
6 eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup + 2 Tbs. Biscoff spread
2 tsp. vanilla

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Grease and flour a large 12 cup bundt pan. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy in the bowl of a stand mixer.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition.
In a separate large bowl, sift cake flour, baking soda, and salt.  Add a third of the flour mixture to the batter, alternating with the sour cream and the biscoff and ending with the flour mixture.  Blend ingredients until combined but do not over mix.  Add vanilla extract. 

Pour half batter into prepared bundt pan and distribute evenly. Spread filling all over the batter in the bundt cake pan . Pour the rest of the batter on top of that and swirl with a spatula, if desired.  

Bake at 325 until cake leaves the sides of the pan, about 1 hour and 10 minutes.  Test the cake to see if it's done by inserting a knife or toothpick into the middle to see if it comes out clean. Let set in pan for 10 minutes, flip out. Cool completely before glazing.

Biscoff Glaze:
Ingredients:
2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1/2 cup Biscoff spread
7 Tbs. milk (or more if needed to thin icing)(I used about 1/3 cup cream)
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Combine powdered sugar, Biscoff, and vanilla extract in the bowl of an electric mixer.  One tablespoon at a time, slowly add the milk until the icing is still think but is able to be drizzled on the cake.  Be careful not to make the icing too thin, use just enough to give it the right consistency of the pooling effect .

Cinnamon Filling :
1/2 tablespoon (1 1/2teaspoons) cinnamon
1/4 cup brown sugar
Mix the cinnamon and brown sugar together

BTW,  for those of you who don't know what Biscoff spread is;  go here for detail information.




What I Think:
I think all the Biscoff & Sock-It-To-Me fans will love this cake! The cinnamon taste is not overpowering, just right. The cake has a creamy moist tender texture of a sour cream pound cake. I LOVE IT! DEFINITELY A REPEAT!

Thank you Ryan, for sharing this delicious recipe, it will be a new go-to for family get-together.

I might try this later with the Nutty Biscoff and 1/4 cup chopped pecans in the Sock-It-To-Me Filling for a Nutty option. :)

*** UPDATE: BISCOFF IS NOW BEING SOLD AT WINN DIXIE!! 















ENJOY! Come again....
I  Was Featured On Sweet For Saturday!












Linked to
Zentmrs: Tuesdays Table 
Show Me What You Got Tuesday's at ODH
Jaime @ Mom's Test Kitchen
Flour Me With Love: Mix it up Monday!
Melt In Your Mouth Monday @ Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms     
Wednesdays Adorned From Above 
Bizzy Bake Recipe Box
What's Cooking Wednesday @ Confessions of an Overworked Mom
Cupcakes Garden: Just Desserts Thursday  
Foodie Fridays @ Designs By Gollum 
The Better Baker Weekend Potluck
Sweets for Saturday @ Sweet As Sugar Cookies
Mop Up Mondays - I Should be Mopping the Floor  
Sweet 2 Eat Baking: Sugar & Slice Sunday 

Fudge Pudding Cake with Ice Cream: Pink Ribbon Recipe

Fudge Pudding Cake with Ice Cream: Pink Ribbon Recipe

Hi everybody :)

The mere word 'Fudge' lured me to this recipe, then I saw the picture! WOW! Cake and ice cream, what a double treat!  This fantastic REPEAT bakes up with two layers a pudding on the bottom and a cake on top! A word of caution: make sure to use a tall pan when making the cake or your pudding layer will overflow. I LOVE this fudgey pudding cake, it taste like a brownie. 
 
This recipe may be a good choice for cancer patients because it's great for nausea and mouth sores, two of the most common side effects of cancer treatments.  The doctor advises  dessert can be an important part of a meal because it often provides plenty of calories per bite.

This is the last of my Pink Ribbon Recipes for Breast Cancer Awareness Month for now, but the fight of breast cancer survivors continue. This is all of our fight too, so stay strong, be healthy, get your mammogram ...please. 

Fudge Pudding Cake with Ice Cream adapted Betty Crocker Living with Cancer Cookbook

Start to Finish: 1 Hour 10 Minutes    9 servings     Prep Time: 15 Minutes

 















1 cup all-purpose flour (I will use 1 1/2 cups next time)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons unsweetened baking cocoa  (I used Hershey's Cocoa Special Dark) 
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup chopped nuts (I sprinkled over top to served; walnuts)
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup baking cocoa(I used Hershey's Cocoa Special Dark)
1  3/4 cups boiling water
4  1/2 cups vanilla ice cream
 
Heat oven to 350°F. In ungreased 9-inch square pan, (I would suggest using a pan with tall sides or your pudding will overflow out) mix flour, granulated sugar, 2 tablespoons cocoa, the baking powder, and salt. 

Stir in milk, oil and vanilla with fork until smooth. Stir in nuts. Spread evenly in pan.

In small bowl, mix brown sugar and 1/4 cup cocoa; sprinkle over batter 

Pour boiling water over batter

Bake 40 minutes. Let stand 15 minutes. 

Spoon cake and  sauce into individual dishes. Top each with ice cream.

     Microwave Directions: In 2-quart microwavable casserole,  mix flour, granulated sugar, 2 tablespoons cocoa, the baking powder and salt Stir in milk, oil and vanilla. Stir in nuts. Spread evenly in  casserole. In small bowl, mix brown sugar and 1/4 cup cocoa, sprinkle over batter. Pour boiling water over batter. Microwave uncovered on Medium (50%) 9 minutes. Rotate casserole 1/2 turn; microwave uncovered on High 5 to 7 minutes longer or until top is almost dry.

Good source of calcium and fiber

1 Serving: Calories 490 (Calories from Fat 180); Total Fat 20g (Saturated Fat 6g, Trans Fat 0g); Cholesterol 30mg: Sodium 240mg; Potassium 310mg; Total Carbohydrate 71(Dietary Fiber 3g); protein 7g % Daily Value: Vitamin A 6%; Vitamin C 0%; Calcium 20%; Iron 10%; Folic Acid 8%; Magnesium 15%  Exchanges: 2 Starch, 2 1/2 Other Carbohydrate, 4 Fat Carbohydrate Choices: 5

In Conclusion...
There will not be a post tomorrow, I'm taking a day off in commemoration of all those who lost their battle to breast cancer. This post is in honor of my mom, who lost her battle the end of this month, eight years ago.
 





















ENJOY! Come again...

Linked to:

Tasty Tuesday (Food Only) @ Naptime Creation  
Tuesday-Talent-Show:  # 60  Chef In Training  
Take-a-Look Tuesday Sugar Bee Crafts 
Show Me What Ya Got  # 97
Crazy Sweet Tuesday Crazy for Crust 
Kathe With an E You're Gonna Love It   Week 28
Trick or Treat Tuesday: Inside BruCrew Life 
Tasty Confessional: Crafty Confessions

Caramel Cupcakes: A Milestone Celebration

Caramel Cupcakes: A Milestone Celebration

Caramel Cupcakes: A Milestone Celebration

Hi everybody :)

I'd like to talk about accomplishments for a little bit. When I think of the word "accomplishment," it means something completed successfully, an achievement. So when I look up the word "achievement," it means something accomplished successfully, especially by means of exertion, skill, practice, or perseverance. So with those two words in mind, I'd like to introduce you to a very special young man in my life, my son, Pernell.

He exerts himself to overcome obstacles daily. You see, at 17, a few days after his brithday, a point when a young man's life is really just beginning, my son was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. The blow hit us really hard. For me, it was a double whammy, because around that same time my mom's breast cancer was back.

My son accomplished his goal to graduate high school, despite the fact that I was told by a DOCTOR, that he would never finish. And he went on to face several challenges. So don't let anybody put limits on what you can do! My mom lost her battle years ago, but she was a fighter to the end.

Pernell turned 26 this month, so this marks a milestone for him. He's doing great. In honor of Pernell's accomplishments and achievements, at his request, I made these caramel cupcakes.

Rich and Tender Yellow Layer Cake adapted from Cook's Illustrated

Serves 10 to 12
1/2 cup whole milk, room temperature
4 large eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups (7 ounces) cake flour
1 1/2 cups (10 1/2 ounces) sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
16 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 16 pieces and softened

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease two 9 inch round cake pans, line with parchment paper, grease parchment, and flour pans. Whisk milk, eggs, and vanilla together in small bowl.

Mlik Mixture

2.Using stand mixer fitted with paddle, mix flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt on low speed until combined. Add butter, 1 piece at a time, and mix until only pea-size pieces remain, about 1 minute.

3. Add all but 1/2 cup milk mixture, increase speed to medium-high, and beat until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Reduce speed to medium low, add remaining 1/2 cup milk mixture, and beat until incorporated, about 30 seconds (batter may look slightly curdled). Give batter final stir by hand.

4. Divide batter evenly between prepared pans and smooth tops with rubber spatula. Bake cake until toothpick inserted in centers comes out with few crumbs attached. 20 to 25 minutes. Let cakes cool in pans on wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove cakes from pans, discard parchment, and let cool completely, about 2 hours, before frosting. (Cooled cakes can be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and kept at room temperature for up to 1 day. Wrapped tightly in plastic, then aluminum foil, cakes can be frozen for up to 1 month. Defrost cakes at room temperature before unwrapping and frosting.)

Uncooked Cupcakes

For Cupcakes  adapted from here

Batter enough for a 2-layer cake makes about 24 regular-sized cupcakes or 60 mini-cupcakes.

Line cupcake cups or muffin tin with paper liners. Lines can be found in various colors and seasonal designs. 

Fill liners 2/3 full of batter (about 1/3 to 1/2 cup regular sized and 2 tablespoons for mini cups). For a larger cupcake, add more batter. Remember that the batter may spread over the edges of the pan. Be sure to lightly grease pan edges when making large cupcakes.  

Bake cupcakes in a 350 degrees F. oven. It takes about 21 to 26 minutes for regular-sized cupcakes and about 10 minutes for mini-cupcakes. Be sure to read the recipe for exact instructions as the batter density may vary.

Cooked Cupcakes

Caramel Frosting V adapted from All Recipes  with Teresa 's tips

1 pound light brown sugar
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup butter
Powdered Sugar
1/4 cup chopped pecans (optional) 

Set aside 2-3 tbs. heavy whipping cream.  In a medium, heavy saucepan, bring the brown sugar and cream to a rolling boil; boil 1 minute. Add baking soda; boil 1 more minute. 

Frosting Boiling

 Remove from heat. Add butter, but DO NOT STIR. Let the mixture cool COMPLETELY in refrigerator for at least 4 hours or overnight.  

It will look like a thick, gooey, paste. 

Remove from fridge, and mix with mixer. Add the 2-3 tbs reserved heavy whipping cream alternately with powdered sugar until desired consistency. Beat well. 

Stir in pecans if desire. I recommend making this frosting before you make the cake. Yield 3 cups or 12 servings.

What I Did:
For the cupcakes: I used 2 jumbo muffin/cupcake pans, jumbo-size muffin liners and nonstick cooking spray. I baked them at 350 F for 27 minutes. I halved the frosting, and followed the tip. The cupcakes were THE BEST. We love them, so this will be my new go-to-cake recipe for a yellow cake. I love the frosting too.

BTW, Pernell is the reason I'm able to blog. He did the set-up for me, with some help from my daughter. I don't know where I would be without them.... They taught me EVERYTHING I know about computers.

Way to go Pernell.  KEEP DOING IT, BABY...this is for you!

ENJOY! Come again.....

Linked  to: 
Flour Me With Love: Mix it up Monday! 
Cupcakes Link Party 

Red Velvet Poke Cake

Red Velvet Poke Cake - Daughter's Craving.

Red Velvet Poke Cake

Hi everybody : )

Remember the Carrot Poke Cake with Cheesecake Filling I did a while back? Well..my daughter doesn't share my love for carrot cakes. She's a red velvet cake lover, (like hubby). Hey all you carrot cake fans. we got traitors in our mist! : ) I love red velvet too, but if I had to choose....carrot cake takes the prize.

This cake is the basically the same as I did for the carrot poke cake, just subbing out the carrot cake mix for the red velvet cake mix. So here it goes.
 
Ingredients:
Cake:

1 box red velvet cake
ingredients needed to make cake (eggs, oil, & water)
Filling:
2 (3.4 oz.) boxes instant Cheesecake-flavored pudding
4 cups milk
Topping:
1 (8 oz.) tub Cool Whip, thawed
4 oz cream cheese ( 1/2 of 8-oz pkg.) (softened) 
2 tablespoons powdered sugar  (or a little more if desired)
1/2 cup chopped nuts or coconut if desired
  
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Prepare cake batter as directed on package. Pour into 13x9-inch baking pan.

Bake 35 to 40 min. or until wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from oven.    Let cool for a few minutes. Then, with a wooden spoon handle, large fork or skewer poke holes in the warm cake at 1/2-inch intervals. Be sure to poke right down to the bottom of the cake. You want holes big enough so that the pudding has plenty of room to get to the bottom.

Cake with holes

In a medium bowl, prepare instant pudding with milk, whisking until all the lumps are gone. Pour pudding over cake. Making sure to get right into the holes as much pudding as possible. Cover and put in the refrigerator to set for about 2 hours.

BEAT cool whip, cream cheese, and powdered sugar in large bowl with electric mixer until well blended. Spread onto cake. Sprinkle with nuts or coconut if desired. Eat! Store leftovers in refrigerator.

Oh by the way, my daughter made this one; she's a very picky eater and thinks that since carrots are vegetables, they don't belong in cakes. She doesn't know what she's saying, I think law school is affecting her taste buds : )

Cake with Cheesecake Filling

I didn't get a chance to take a picture of the finished cake. They woofed it down too fast. The piece above is the ONLY slice I ate : (  The cake was good obviously.

Before you go....

 Make A Difference:  Justice for Brandon C. Jackson

I like to call your attention to the new widget I have on the top left side of my blog. It's about the injustice treatment of Brandon C. Jackson. I don't know him, but his story have touched my heart.  I like to implore you to take a little time, if you will, to read his story, sign his petition and pass it along.

ENJOY! Come again.....

Carrot Poke Cake with Cheesecake Filling

Feeding My Obsession : Carrot Poke Cake with Cheesecake Filling 

  

Carrot Poke Cake with Cheesecake Filling

Hi everybody, I'm so excited about today post! If you've been following me on Pinterest, you know I have a thing for anything carrot cakey. I found out there's a whole world of carrot cake lover out there. I pinned every thing from carrot cake popcorn to carrot cake ice cream! (I gotta try that!) Cakey is that a word? Oh well.

This idea came to me when I saw Carrot Poke Cake on Kraft Foods and Red Velvet Poke Cake on  The Country Cook  and Cool Whip Cream Frosting. I wanted to make a carrot poke cake that had the tangy sweet taste of a cream cheese frosting. So, I toss all their ideas up in my head  :)  and here's the result.

Ingredients:

For the Cake:

1 box Carrot Cake Mix -  I use Duncan Hines Classic Carrot Decadent   

ingredients needed to make cake (eggs, oil & water)

For the Filling:
2 (3.4 boxes) instant Cheesecake-flavored pudding
4 cups milk

For the Topping:
1 (8 ounces) tub frozen whipped topping, thawed (Cool Whip)
4 ounces cream cheese (1/2 of 8 ounces packages), softened

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 - 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
1/2 cup chopped walnut, pecan or coconut, toasted; optional

Preparing the Cake:
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Prepare cake batter as directed on package; stir in carrots and raisins. Pour into 13x9-inch baking pan.

Bake 35 to 40 min. or until wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from oven.    Let cool for a few minutes. Then, with a wooden spoon handle, large fork or skewer poke holes in the warm cake at 1/2-inch intervals. Be sure to poke right down to the bottom of the cake. You want holes big enough so that the pudding has plenty of room to get to the bottom.

Cake with Holes

Preparing the Filling:
In a medium bowl, prepare instant pudding with milk, whisking until all the lumps are gone. Pour pudding over cake. Making sure to get right into the holes as much pudding as possible. Cover and put in the refrigerator to set for about 2 hours. Do not skip this step!!

Cake with Filling

Preparing the Topping:
Beat cool whip, cream cheese, cinnamon and  powdered sugar  in large bowl with electric mixer until well blended. Spread onto cake. Sprinkle with nuts or coconut. Eat! Store leftovers in refrigerator.

What I Think:
I love the cinnamony taste of the topping. The recipe turn out great, so it will be on my repeat list. I'll might have to downside it because only my son and I are the only carrot cake lovers in our house, those traitors : )

Linked to:

Sweet Tooth Friday @ Alli-n-Son