Common Sense Agriculture's Blog

Blackout Cake

Prep: 30 minutes, Cook: 35 to 40 minutes, Serves: 12 to 16

This is a moist, dark chocolate cake, sure to be enjoyed by those who live on chocolate J

1 ½ sticks of softened butter

3 cups of sugar

3 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

4 (1 ounce) squares unsweetened chocolate, melted

3 cups flour

3 teaspoons baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

¾ cup buttermilk

1 1/3 cups boiling water

1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease two 9” round pans. Dust with flour and tap out the excess.
2. In a large bowl, beat together butter and sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla and beat until well blended. Add chocolate and beat 1 to 2 minutes.
3. Mix together flour, baking soda and salt. Add to chocolate mixture in two additions alternately with the buttermilk. Beat until well blended. With mixer on low-speed, add boiling water and beat until smooth (the batter will be thin). Pour batter into prepared pans.
4. Bake 35 to 40 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool in pans 10 to 15 minutes, then unmold onto racks and let cool completely.
5. Cover a cake layer on top. Frost top and sides of cake with remaining ganache. Refrigerate cake 3 to 4 hours, or until ganache is firm, before serving.

Chocolate Ganache

Prep: 5 minutes, Cook: 3 minutes, Chill: 1 to 1 ½ hours

Makes enough to fill and frost a 2 layer 9” cake.

18 ounces semisweet chocolate chips

1 ½ cups heavy cream

2 tablespoons butter, cut up

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. In a 2 quart glass bowl, combine chocolate chips and heavy cream. Heat in a microwave on High for 3 minutes or until melted and smooth when stirred. Stir in butter and vanilla.
2. Cover and refrigerate 1 to 1 ½ hours or until ganache holds its shape and is thick enough to spread on cake.

Both of these recipes are from Natalie Haughton’s “365 Great Chocolate Desserts.”

Having traveled the country as a National Director for the American Junior Hereford Association and also through opportunities in Farm Bureau, I have had the pleasure of sampling a multitude of food. I felt it was time to take a break from the regular blog posts and share some of my favorite recipes for a variety of foods. Since it is closing in on Christmas, I always find myself in the kitchen periodically dabbling with desserts, so as I whip up my favorites, I’ll try to share them with y’all to enjoy as well. Feel free to let me know how you like them.

WARNING: These should NOT be utilized in any weight loss program!

CAKES

Chocolate Ice Water Cake

¾ c butter
2 ¼ c sugar
1 ½ tsp vanilla
3 eggs
3 (1 oz) sq unsweetened chocolate, melted
3 c sifted cake flour
1 ½ tsp baking soda
¾ tsp salt
1 ½ c ice water

Preheat oven to 350.
Cream thoroughly butter, sugar and vanilla.
Add eggs; mix well.
Add melted chocolate.
Sift flour, baking soda and salt.
Add dry ingredients alternately with ice water.
Bake in three 8 inch round baking pans and bake for 30 to 35 minutes.
Cool 10 to 15 minutes before removing from pans.
Frost with Chocolate Cream Cheese Icing.

Chocolate Cream Cheese Icing

2 sq unsweetened chocolate
1 (3 oz) pkg softened cream cheese
2 Tbsp milk
2 c powdered sugar
2 Tbsp milk
1 ½ tsp vanilla
2 ½ to 2 ¾ c powdered sugar

Melt chocolate; cool.
Beat together cream cheese and 2 Tbsp milk.
Add powdered sugar; mix well.
Beat in melted chocolate, another 2 Tbsp milk and vanilla.
Add enough additional powdered sugar (2 ½ to 2 ¾ cups total) to make spread consistent.
Will frost center and sides of two cake layers.

Recipe from Lois Schlickau, Kansas

This recipe won the Hershey Chocolate Award and Sweepstakes at the Kansas State Fair in the open division years ago.

Applesauce Cake

1 c butter
2 c sugar
2 c applesauce
1 c pecans, broken
1 c raisins
3 c flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp ground cloves
1 ¾ tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla
¼ tsp salt
½ sm jar apricot jelly
2 Tblsp vinegar

Preheat oven to 325.
Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Add applesauce, raisins and pecans which have been dredged in ¼ cup measured flour.
Sift all dry ingredients together; add to mixture.
Pour into a loaf pan and bake for 2 hours.

For icing, empty ½ small jar of apricot jelly into a saucepan.
Add vinegar.
Heat until just hot.
After poking holes in the top of the cake, pour the hot apricot jelly over the cake.

Recipe from Donna Huizenga, Henderson, IL.

Choco-Scotch Marble Cake

1 pkg yellow cake mix
1 pkg instant butterscotch pudding
4 eggs
1 c sour cream
1/3 c vegetable oil
½ c butterscotch chips
1 (1 oz) sq unsweetened chocolate, melted

FROSTING

1 ½ c butterscotch chips, melted
1 sq unsweetened chocolate, melted
5-6 Tblsp half & half
2 Tblsp finely chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350.
Combine cake mix, pudding, eggs, sour cream and oil; beat on low speed for 2 minutes.
Divide batter in half.
Stir butterscotch chips into half and chocolate into other half.
Spoon half of butterscotch batter into greased 10 inch fluted tube pan and top with half of chocolate batter.
Repeat layers.
Cut through batter with knife to swirl.
Bake for 40 to 45 minutes.

Frosting
Combine butterscotch chips and chocolate.
Beat in enough cream until smooth.
Spread over top of cake.
Sprinkle over top with pecans.

Recipe from Sara Watson Pfeiffer, Peoria, AZ.

Rum Cake

1 c butter
2 c sugar
4 eggs
1 c milk
3 ½ c sugar
3 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
1 tsp rum flavoring or 2 Tbsp dark rum
1 cup chopped nuts

Preheat oven to 325.
Mix butter, sugar and 4 eggs thoroughly.
Add flour (that has been sifted with salt and baking powder) alternately with milk.
Mix well.
Add rum.
Pour into a greased and floured Bundt pan.
Bake for 1 hour.

Icing

1 c brown sugar
1 c white sugar
½ c water
Pinch of salt
2 Tbsp dark rum or 1 tsp rum flavoring

Mix brown and white sugar with water and salt; boil well.
Add rum and pour ½ of the icing over the hot cake in the pan.
Let cake cool and remove from the pan.
Turn cake upside down on a plate and pour the other ½ of the icing over the cake.

Recipe from Carlitta Harvey, New Mexico.