Broiled Coconut Frosting

This is a wonderful cake topping, and very easy to make. It works perfectly on a sheet cake of any size.

It can turn a simple breakfast bread/cake into a dinner dessert in minutes.

I think you can also boil this up in a sauce pan and let it cool and then spread it.

It would be similar to the frosting for a German Chocolate cake.

So enjoy. It’s versatile enough to use on many different cake bases.

 

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/3 c melted butter
• 1/2 brown sugar
• 3/4 c sweetened coconut
• 3 tbsp cream
• 1/2 c chopped nuts (any kind that you like)

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Mix everything together, spread on the cake.
2. Place it under the broiler, and watch carefully.
3. Remove when it starts to bubble. Again, watch so it doesn’t burn.

Serves: about 1 1/2 – 2 cups

Note: consider lemon, orange zest depending on your cake base.

Marvelous Meringue

No masochists need apply.

If you want a “never weep” meringue, then this is not your stop.

All a weeping meringue is, is one that has little amber droplets of sugar that fall off the tips of the peaks of the meringue on day two. They affect the taste not one bit. And the effort to make a “weepless” meringue is not worth my time.

So.

This is just a basic meringue that works wonderfully and makes a luscious top on a lemon pie or chocolate.

And it’s pretty easy to make.

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 lg egg white (about 1/2 c at room temperature
• 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
• 1/2 c sugar (superfine is preferrable, but you can take regular and whirr it up in the food processor and get the same thing)
• 1/2 tsp vanilla

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. In a grease-free dish (avoid using plastic), beat the egg yolks until foamy
2. Add the tartar and beat until peaks have formed, soft, but obvious
3. Add the sugar gradually and then crank it up and beat until stiff and glossy
4. Add the vanilla
5. Spread immediately over a hot pie filling and bake as directed.

Serves: enough for one pie, heaping.

Related articles

• Weep No More! (pastaprincessandmore.wordpress.com)

Howl at the Moon Chocolate Frosting

I admit it.

I often use the tried and true powdered sugar, milk, butter, and chocolate something for frosting.

It’s fast, and it’s actually quite good.

But this is simply BETTER. Better as in better than 7-minute frosting. It doesn’t harden. It is silky.

This goes so well with my Double Down Chocolate Cake.

When showing you care, matters, this is the recipe you want.

INGREDIENTS:

• 16 oz semi-sweet chocolate bits, melted
• 8 Tbsp butter, melted
• 1/3 c sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 2 tsp corn syrup
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 1/4 c cream

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. In a mixer, beat butter, sugar, vanilla, corn syrup and salt until light and fluffy
2. Add the chocolate and whisk until combined
3. Add the cream. Remove bowl from mixer and place in ice bath and stir until frosting is room temperature.
4. (You can skip the ice bath, stir now and again and let it sit until the butter has become solid again, making the frosting spreadable) And if you want to make it nice and fluffy, throw it back under the mixer whip when it’s nice and cool,  and whip away for a bit.

*Add some shaved semi-sweet shavings from a candy bar on the top to really pretty it up.

 

 

Black Magic Cake

I have made a lot of chocolate cakes in my time. I’ve made the mayonnaise cake and ones from Cook’s.

They were good. They were fine.

They were not this one however.

My husband is not a big cake fan. He ate three pieces of this one.

Best of all, i made it in a baking dish 9 x 13 to be specific, and it was probably 3 inches high and well, I’ll not waste time with layers again!

This is so moist it makes ya cry. It’s so chocolatey that your taste buds shiver.

If you don’t make this and love it, you are not human, plain and simple.

This delight comes from Lisa Glass, at JustaPinch.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 3/4 c all-purpose flour
• 2 c sugar
• 3/4 c cocoa powder
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 c strong coffee, cooled
• 1 c buttermilk (for a substitute if you have none on hand, see my page “tips and tricks” )
• 1/2 c vegetable oil
• 1 tsp real vanilla extract

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Combine all dry ingredients in a mixing bowl
2. Add all the wet ingredients.
3. Batter will be quite thin.
4. Pour it into a greased and floured 9 x 13 pan or 2 9 inch cake pans.
5. Bake in a pre-heated oven  at 350° for 35-40 minutes for the 9 x 13, or 30-35 for the cake pans.
6. Cool on a rack. And then frost with the following frosting (or your favorite )

STANDARD POWDERED SUGAR FROSTING

   INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 c  butter softened or melted
• 2 oz (2 wrapped squares) unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled
• 3 c powdered sugar
• 3 TBSP milk
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Combine all in a mixer and beat until well mixed.
2. Let set until it has firmed up (the chocolate with firm up and the butter will as well) meaning wait until it is spreadable without running.
3. Frost the cooled cake.
4. Hide a piece in the glove compartment of your car, since your family will sneak it all up within a day. 

Related articles

• Perfect Gooey Dark Chocolate Cake (bakebabybake.wordpress.com)
• World’s Best Chocolate Cake (jayellebee.wordpress.com)