The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
Thinking Out Loud
by Natalie (Dowell) Schmitt – mnschmitt@jetup.net
Sweets for my Sweetie
Mark never needed to look at a calendar to know when it was Valentine's Day. His mother always made his dad a heart-shaped chocolate cake with chocolate frosting for their special day.
Mary Lou passed her cake pan on to me, and I continued the tradition for a while. Now, I'm passing the pan on to Katie. Actually, she asked for the pan to make a special treat for a benefit bake sale.
This week I've focused on sweet treats for Valentine's Day or for Fat Tuesday or both. Now that we've whittled through all the Christmas candies, it's time for some different types of chocolates.
One of my favorite combinations is chocolate and raspberries.
My niece has won best of show with this cake at their county fair. She found the recipe in the 2010 Taste of Home recipe book. It may sound difficult but it is well worth the extra effort to pull off a sweet Valentine treat.
Raspberry Chocolate Cake
3 c. sugar
2 3/4 c. flour
1 c. baking cocoa
2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. baking powder
1 1/4 c. buttermilk
3/4 c. canola oil
3 tsp. vanilla extract
3 eggs
1 1/2 c. strong brewed coffee, at room temperature
Filling:
3 Tbsp. flour
6 Tbsp. milk
6 Tbsp. shortening
3 Tbsp. butter, softened
3 c. powdered sugar
2 Tbsp. raspberry liqueur
1/4 tsp. salt
2 drops red food coloring, optional
4 Tbsp. seedless raspberry jam, melted
Frosting:
1 pkg. (8 oz.) cold cream cheese
1/3 c. butter, softened
1/2 c. baking cocoa
1 Tbsp. raspberry liqueur
4 c. powdered sugar
Line three greased 9-inch round baking pans with waxed paper and grease the paper; set aside.
In a large bowl, combine the first six ingredients. Combine buttermilk, oil and vanilla; add to the dry ingredients. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition; beat for two minutes. Gradually add coffee. Batter will be thin. Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely; discard the waxed paper.
For the filling:
In a small saucepan, whisk together flour and milk until smooth. Cook over medium heat for one minute or until thickened, stirring constantly.
Remove from heat and let stand until cool.
In a large bowl, cream the shortening and butter.
Gradually add the powdered sugar; mix well.
Gradually add the cooled milk mixture; beat for four minutes or until light and fluffy. Beat in liqueur, salt and food coloring.
Level tops of cakes if necessary using dental floss to slice off any mounds. Place one layer on a serving plate; spread with about 2 Tbsp. jam. Place remaining layers on waxed paper; spread one of the remaining layers with the remaining jam. Let stand for 30 minutes. Spread 1/2 c. filling over cake on plate to within 1/4 inch of edges. Top with jam-covered cake layer then spread with remaining filling. Top with remaining layer.
In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add cocoa and liqueur; mix well. Gradually beat in powdered sugar until light and fluffy.
Frost top and sides of cake. Store in refrigerator.
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Left over cheesecake from Christmas?
This is a great way to use it up and is easy to make. The only hitch is it takes a day to make and a day to set up. Just make sure you have a bunch of people around to help you eat it. Very rich and good.
Turtle Cheesecake
2 c. vanilla wafer crumbs
1/2 c. butter, melted
14 oz. caramels
1 can (5 oz.) of
evaporated milk
2 c. chopped pecans, toasted, divided
4 packages (8 oz. each) cream cheese, softened
1 c. sugar
2 tsp. vanilla extract
4 eggs
1 c. (6 oz.) semisweet chocolate chips, melted and slightly cooled
Whipped cream
Combine crumbs and butter; blend will. Press into the bottom and 2 inches up the side of a 10-inch spring form pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes or until set; cool. In a saucepan over low heat, melt caramels in milk, stirring until smooth. Cool for five minutes.
Pour into crust; top with 1 1/2 c. pecans. In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Slowly add sugar and vanilla; mix well. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add chocolate; mix just until blended. Carefully spread over pecans.
Bake at 350 degrees for 55 to 65 minutes or until filling is almost set. It should have a slight jiggle to it.
Cool to room temperature. Chill overnight. Garnish with remaining pecans and whipped cream.
If you don't have much time to make something sweet for your sweetie, try these quick candy bar treats. You can make them within 30 minutes.
Homemade Candy Bars
8 oz. Waverly or Club crackers, divided
1 c. butter
1/2 c. milk
2 c. graham cracker crumbs
1 c. packed brown sugar
1/3 c. sugar
2/3 c. creamy peanut butter
1/2 c. milk chocolate chips
1/2 c. butterscotch chips
Place a third of the crackers (about 25) in the bottom of an ungreased 9- by 13-inch pan. In a saucepan over medium-high heat, melt butter. Add milk, graham cracker crumbs and both sugars; bring to a boil. Boil, stirring constantly for five minutes. Pour half of the mixture over crackers, carefully spreading to cover. Place half of the remaining crackers (about 25) on top. Spread with remaining sugar mixture. Top with remaining crackers.
In a saucepan over low heat, stir the peanut butter and chips until melted and smooth. Spread over crackers. Chill until firm, about an hour. Cut into small squares.