A Peach of a Saint Pie

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For the feast of Saint Anne I looked for something special to make that had some significance to her. Apparently lobster is a traditional dish, but I wasn't planning to spend quite that much. ;-)

Catholicculture.org mentioned that fruit pie is a traditional treat because her feast day, and the feast of her husband St. Joachim, is mid-summer, and fruit is certainly plentiful, not to mention delicious. I decided a Peach Pie was in order because St. Anne is certainly a peach of a saint: the mother of the Blessed Mother, the grandmother of our Lord Jesus? Yup, she's a peach.

This recipe is based on my Apple Crumble Pie recipe, but with adjusted thickener and sugar and a splash or two of amaretto for added depth. The amaretto is not absolutely necessary but nice. And if you go for it, you can also add a handful of sliced almonds to the topping. I would have if I had any.

A Peach of a Saint Pie

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1/4 cup sugar, divided
1/4 c. flour
6 medium to large peaches, peeled and sliced in bite size pieces (just use a potato peeler)
1 T. lemon juice

2 T. amaretto (optional)

3 T. butter
Pastry for single-crust pie prepared and placed in 9" pie dish (the one I use is here)

1/2 cup sugar
½ cup flour
1/2 t. cinnamon
¼ cup butter

1/4 cup sliced almonds


Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

In a medium bowl (the same one you use to make the crust is fine), sprinkle peach slices with lemon juice and toss. Add 1/4 cup sugar and 1/4 cup flour and toss. Sprinkle with amaretto and toss. Pour in prepared crust. Dot with 3 T. butter cut in small pieces.

Combine remaining 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 cup flour and spices. Cut in 1/4 cup butter until crumbly. Add almonds, if using, and sprinkle atop peaches.

Bake for an hour. Serve warm or room temperature.

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Summer Supper #7

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I apologize for being such a poor blog host lately. I'm here, and I am still cooking, but I'm feeling rather lazy about posting recipes. I'll blame the heat; everyone else does! ;-)

I hope that you tried one of the red or green margaritas. Really, you must. On Sunday evening, I tried a variation of the strawberry by substituting a whole diced peach for the strawberries. Oh my goodness, it was really so very good -- and a whole serving of fruit. Yay!

Today's Summer Supper is what my husband calls the epitome of a good summer dinner. It's rather light (as in not a large quantity of food) but very tasty, with a little bit of grilling and some wonderful summer flavors.

I will warn you, it's a hot dog. "Yuck," you say. "I don't eat hot dogs." Well, I don't normally serve hot dogs for dinner, but the right kind can be quite a treat. I use good hot dogs (Nathan's or Hebrew National Beef almost exclusively) which you will pay a buck or two more for than pork dogs, but they are worth it. I have served this dish twice to my family and I think they would eat these dogs every week. They are really, really good. Try them.

I served them with a side of fresh fruit -- some watermelon or a bowl of diced fresh fruit, and some chips for ease of homemade potato salad. It's an easy meal and won't fill you too much.

Avocado Hot Dogs

 serves 8

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8 good beef hot dogs

8 hot dogs buns (I prefer split top)

2 ripe avocados, peeled and diced

1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, quartered or diced finely if they are large

a handful or cilantro, minced

2 T. finely diced red onion

1 clove garlic, minced

a few squirts of lime juice

a dash or two of salt

ketchup and mustard, if desired

Preheat the grill. 

In the meantime combine the avocado, tomatoes, cilantro, onion and garlic. Add a few squirts of lime juice (the plastic green lime kind is fine) and a dash or two of salt. Stir gently to combine and taste. Adjust lime juice or salt if needed.

Grill hot dogs until hot and with grill marks.

Place hot dogs in buns. Top with mustard or ketchup if desired and Avocado Relish.

Serve with cubed or diced watermelon or fresh fruit salad, and some chips or potato salad.

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Red and Green...Margaritas

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I don't know what it is about a Margarita that makes it such a quintessential summer drink. I guess the frostiness and the fruitiness -- I almost never want one in the winter. This summer my husband and I have been enjoying red and green -- he goes for the tartness of the lime margarita and I enjoy a strawberry -- with just a hint of tang. They are so easy to prepare -- it just takes a minute and you have a cool fresh drink in your glass. The basic ingredients are Rose's lime juice, silver tequila, and triple sec or orange liqueur.  Add five strawberries for the strawberry version. Just keep the ingredients on-hand and you'll always have the makings of a frozen summer beverage.

The key to the quick fixings and quick clean-up for me is the use of an immersion blender. You can certainly use a standard blender, but the immersion blender and the cup that comes with it is really all you need. It makes it super fast to make (less than 15 seconds of blending) and super fast clean up -- just drop the blade end and the blender cup in soapy dishwater.

One Minute Frozen Margarita (Optional Strawberry)

serves one

2 ounces Silver Tequila

1.5 ounces triple sec or orange liqueur

2 ounces Rose's lime juice

Fill the immersion blender cup (or standard blender) with 1 cup crushed ice. Add alcohol and lime juice. Using the immersion blender (or standard blender) blend for about 15 seconds until ice is completely blended (may take longer in a standard blender).

For strawberry version, reduce lime juice to1/2 ounce and add 5 whole large strawberries (washed and leaves removed) and 2 T. simple syrup.

Pour into margarita glass. If salt or sugar (for strawberry variety) is desired, rub edge of glass with a juicy lime slice, and dip glass upside down in a dish of coarse salt or sugar.

Simple Syrup: 1cup sugar, 1 cup water: In a small saucepan, bring sugar and water to a boil; simmer until the sugar is dissolved, a couple minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool completely. Store int he fridge for up to a month and use in other cold beverages like iced tea.

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Summer Supper #6

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This is the kind of dish I would order from any restaurant menu. I love summer vegetables, and if you pair them with bacon for flavor and pasta for a little filler, they make a great summer supper dish. I saw this recipe at MyRecipes.com, but switched it up a little in terms of pasta shape and variety of summer vegetable. You could really use a multitude of vegetables for this recipes -- whatever is growing in the garden, available at the farm market, or just needs to be used from the veggie drawer of the fridge.

All the kids enjoyed this dish (much to my surprise) and I can't wait to try it again. I modified the recipe to my taste, but feel free to substitute the veggies for what's available to you. I could not find cavatappi at my store, so I used Roman Rigatoni ( a curved variety of rigatoni) but would look for cavatappi in the future -- I love that shape.

Pasta with Bacon and Summer Vegetables

serves 4-6

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1 lb. uncooked cavatappi 

8 slices bacon, chopped 

2 T.  olive oil 

1 cup chopped red or green onion

3 cloves garlic, crushed or minced

1 medium zucchini, quartered lengthwise and cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices 

3/4 cup yellow pepper, sliced thin and cut in bite-size sticks

1 cup edamame

1 1/2 cups sugar snap peas, ends trimmed and strings removed

1 1/2 cups quartered grape tomatoes

1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded Parmesan cheese (or up to 1 cup, to taste)

1/4 cup small fresh basil leaves 

salt and pepper to taste

Cook pasta according to package directions; drain.

While pasta cooks, cook bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat 5 minutes or until crisp. Remove bacon from pan with a slotted spoon, reserving drippings in pan; add oil to drippings. Add onion and garlic to pan; sauté 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add zucchini and peppers; cook 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in edamame, tomatoes, and sugar snaps; cook 5 minutes or until tomatoes soften, stirring occasionally. 

Add hot pasta to vegetable mixture; toss. Cook 1 minute or until thoroughly heated, stirring frequently. Remove from heat. Add 1/4 cup cheese, basil, salt, and pepper; toss to combine. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.

Source: modified from myrecipes.com

Serving suggestion: Serve with some crusty bread and a bowl of fresh fruit salad, or served with some grilled chicken breast for a heartier meal.

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Strawberry Ice Cream Bombe

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Last night we celebrated the birthday of my son's girlfriend -- her nineteenth (oh to be so young again!). She is not a dessert lover (totally can't relate there!), but I know that she enjoys ice cream from time to time, so I planned an ice cream style dessert. She also does not enjoy chocolate (???) so I created a fruity ice cream dessert for her to enjoy.

A bombe style dessert has an impressive presentation so I chose to make a Strawberry Vanilla Ice Cream Bombe. It tasted wonderful and I topped some of the individual servings with Marshmallow topping for an extra dose of sweet!

You can use store-bought ice cream and you'll have a perfectly edible dessert, but I used the opportunity to make my favorite Strawberry Gelato and Basic Vanilla Ice Cream which made it infinitely more yummy! You need a bowl with a nice round bottom to make a perfect bombe, and as you can see, mine was not -- it was flat on the bottom (top). A pyrex bowl makes a perfect bombe. I used a modified version of this strawberry cake and it was very tasty -- I will have to remember to make it to enjoy just the cake sometime.

Strawberry Vanilla Ice Cream Bombe

1 quart strawberry ice cream, softened

1 quart vanilla ice cream, softened

19-inch baked strawberry cake (recipe below)

1 large strawberry washed and sliced up to the greens

Strawberry Cake

1 cups self-rising flour
3/4 cups granulated sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
  1/2 cup pureed strawberries

1/2 t. pure vanilla extract
1 large egg

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray a 9-inch round cake pan with baking spray and dust with flour (I use the kind of spray that has flour in it).

In a large bowl, combine self-rising flour, sugar, oil, pureed strawberries, vanilla, and eggs, and stir until combined.

Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 20 to 22 minutes until toothpick comes out clean.

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Line a 3 to 4-quart bowl with plastic wrap. Spoon in the softened strawberry ice cream, spread smooth and freeze for an hour.

Spoon on the vanilla ice cream and spread smooth.





Freeze for an hour. After cake has cooled, top the vanilla ice cream with the cake, press firmly, but gently all around, and wrap with plastic wrap. When ready to serve wash and slice strawberry up from bottom to the greens, but not through. Unmold bombe and place upside down (ice cream side up) on serving plate. If necessary, smooth any "wrinkles" with a spatula. Top with strawberry fanned out.


Source: Cake modified from Dash of Sass, and strawberry gelato recipe from italylogue.com
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Asian Pasta Salad

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This recipe for pasta salad is one I have been eating and enjoying for years. A good friend made it for us once, probably almost 20 years ago, and I remember calling her at least twice for the recipe. Of course, I lost it twice as well, but it's easy enough that you really don't even need a recipe if you remember the basic ingredients. There is really nothing particularly Asian in it, but the flavors go so well with Asian food I always make it with some yummy Asian marinated meat on the grill. Mostly what you taste in the dish are the wonderful fresh vegetables -- they go so well together. I usually put the cashews in a dish on the side, not only because I have a nut-allergic child, but also because the cashews get soggy in the leftovers, which are otherwise wonderful. There is no vinegar in this recipe, so don't think you're missing something. ;-)

This pasta salad is best served at room temperature, so if you make it far enough in advance that you don't want it sitting out for hours, remember to remove it from the refrigerator at least an hour before serving time -- more if it is thoroughly chilled. There is no dairy in it and nothing that will spoil even if left out for several hours. I wouldn't go more than three.

Asian Pasta Salad

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1 lb. rotini pasta

3/4 cup yellow bell pepper, sliced thin and in bite-size lengths

3/4 cup red bell pepper, sliced thin and in bite-size lengths

1 cup sugar snap or snow peas, washed and string removed, halved

1/2 medium red onion, quartered and sliced thin

1/2 to 3/4 cup mild oil -- mild olive, canola or peanut

4 cloves garlic crushed

salt to taste

1 cups cashew pieces or whole cashews, salted

Cook pasta to al dente in a large pot of salted boiling water. Drain but do not rinse. Drizzle with a small amount of oil (a few tablespoons) to keep it from sticking and let sit to cool, tossing occasionally.

Meanwhile, add garlic to remaining oil and cook to simmering in the microwave (or over the stove). Do not cook the garlic, you just want to infuse the oil with the flavor and lose a little bit of that raw garlic flavor. When oil has simmered for about 10 seconds remove from microwave and let cool.

When pasta cools to just a little warmer than room temp add oil and toss. You can start with a half cup and add more if it seems dry. Or save some of the oil and add it just before serving if you have a long hang time. Add peppers, onions and peas and toss. Salt to taste and let sit at room temp until ready to serve. Serve with cashews.

Source: my friend Gina

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Sunday Breakfast

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Elisa (and Kelly) shared these wonderful scones and we enjoyed them for breakfast this morning. Oh my, yum. Recipe to come but if you just can't wait, follow the links. :-)


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Peach Ice Cream

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 I apologize in advance for my photographs. My camera is being very fickle about which objects it would like to focus on and I can not anticipate its mood. I know that you know what Peach Ice Cream looks like, so you'll be o.k.

That said, this ice cream was much better than it looks, even in focus, and it looked pretty darn good. I have a love for peach ice cream about once a year in July. I used to go mad buying up UDF peach ice cream because you can only get it once a year and when it's gone, it's gone. But this year I decided to forgo a trip to UDF and make my own. I was a bit concerned that my peaches were not all that good, but in this recipe the peaches are cooked with sugar and lemon juice, and you probably know that almost any fruit is improved with cooking and sugar (except strawberries and melon -- I prefer those uncooked). They were wonderfully sweet and tender, and because I let the warm peaches sit in the cream base while they both chilled, the base tasted pretty peachy too.

The recipe came from Emily Luchetti's A Passion for Ice Cream, which I borrowed from the library but enjoyed enough to purchase. The book offers much more than ice cream recipes -- lots of yummy sauces, cookies and cakes, pies and other ice cream desserts, but so far I have only tried the straight stuff -- ice cream! I modified it just a little for expediency, but I don't think it was a major change. The base was very thick (probably due to the pectin in the fruit) and made a wonderfully creamy ice cream.

Peach Ice Cream

serves 8

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5 large ripe peaches (the recipe called for 2 pounds but I had 5 large peaches and had no idea how much they weighed -- be more precise and weigh if you like)

3/4 cup sugar, divided

large pinch kosher salt

1/t t. lemon juice

1 1/2 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup milk

Peel, pit, and chop the peaches (I cut them in a rather fine dice, but you can cut them more coarsely if you like).

Place them in a medium saucepan with 1/2 cup sugar, salt and lemon juice. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently until jamlike in consistency, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat.

Meanwhile, combine cream, milk and remaining sugar in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat until liquid begins to bubble around the edges, stirring occasionally.

Transfer to a bowl and add peaches and sauce. Place bowl in a bowl of ice water and let sit for about 30 minutes or until room temp. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled. 

Churn in an ice cream machine according to manufacturer's instruction. Freeze until scoopable to your preference.

Source: modified from A Passion for Ice Cream


Next up: Arnold Palmer Ice

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Penne Franco

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This dish may not look like much, but, oh my, is it flavor-packed! I first enjoyed this pasta dish at Carrabba's on the evening my second son, Joshua, graduated from high school, in May. After one bite I knew I would have to recreate it at home, and as it turns out, it was a breeze to make and tasted just like the original. Doug enjoyed it too, even though he usually doesn't enjoy pasta dishes without sauce (he's a saucy guy!), and though only the two youngest kids were home, they both enjoyed it very much, too (I made them macaroni and cheese and a piece of grilled chicken but neither could resist the smell of this dish).

When I first ate this dish I had it without the chicken, but I did enjoy it with the chicken at home, so I'll make it that way again. This is definitely a meal you could make in under 30 minutes, so keep the ingredients on-hand and try it soon!

Penne Franco

serves 4-6

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7 cloves garlic, sliced

7 T. extra-virgin olive oil
four sun-dried tomatoes, rehydrated and sliced in thin slices (or use oil-packed)
8 oz. mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
1 can artichoke heart quarters, drained
15-20 kalamata olives, pitted and roughly chopped (according to taste)
3-4 chicken breasts (use the greater amount if you have big meat-eaters)

1 lb. Penne pasta (I used Roman Rigatoni because I forgot to buy penne, but the original recipe included penne)

Salt and pepper, to taste
Parmesan cheese, shredded

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt and add pasta, stir and cook until al dente. Keep warm.

Salt and pepper chicken breasts and grill until done. Let sit for a few minutes and then slice crosswise in thin slices. Keep warm.

In a medium skillet over medium heat, cook mushrooms in a small amount of olive oil until tender (about five minutes). Drain. 

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, and saute garlic for about a minute.  Add sun-dried tomatoes and artichokes. Cook until heated through. Add mushrooms, chicken and cooked penne pasta and stir. Make certain all ingredients are hot. Season with salt and pepper. 

Place in serving dish and top with shredded cheese to taste.

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Just Pics

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I am trying to get caught up with all the dishes I've made recently and intend to post here, but for now I have "just pics." This was my birthday cake this year and homemade vanilla ice cream. Though we were out of town on my actual birthday, I squeezed in a cake over the weekend. This is the third year in row that this has been my birthday cake: Caramel Buttermilk Cake and Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream (found here).


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Strawberry Freezer Jam (and, of course, some biscuits to go with)

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I have been making strawberry freezer jam every year for about 10 years. It's so simple -- really not much more complicated than mixing strawberries with sugar. And though I have been tempted to try to make "real" jam (cooked and processed instead of frozen) I really prefer the flavor and texture of fresh strawberries. That's the difference between this jam and "real" jam -- the strawberries are not cooked in this recipe, so you get that yummy fresh fruit flavor every time you open a jar. It's the best thing on toast -- nothing else compares. Yum!

This is just the recipe from the package of Sure-Jell. I noticed the last time I bought it that they now sell a Freezer Jam package. I don't know if the product was any different -- I think just the packaging. It tasted just like the jam I make every year.

I have just a few notes in the recipe in italics -- those are just my thoughts, learned from experience. You can double this recipe, and I did, though I wouldn't do that with just any jam recipe.

The biscuit recipe is easy as pie (easier, actually) and is the most wonderful recipient for that delicious, mouth-watering jam.

Strawberry Freezer Jam

2 cups crushed strawberries (buy 1 qt. fully ripe strawberries)

4 cups sugar, measured into separate bowl

3/4 cup water

1 box Sure-Jell Fruit Pectin

 

Rinse 5 (1-cup) plastic containers and lids with boiling water (or use any combination of glass jars and plastic containers -- I like the small jars because I am the only one who eats it -- yes my kids are picky about chunks of fruit in their jam). Dry thoroughly. 

 These are just grocery store berries, bought when they were super cheap. If you have a glut of garden berries, please do use those. I don't get more from the garden than we eat fresh, so I use grocery store berries, which are just wonderful for this purpose -- plenty of sugar to make up for any mediocre flavor.

Cut, but not yet crushed

Stem and crush strawberries thoroughly, 1 cup at a time (I cut the berries into smaller parts and crush about 2 cups at a time). Measure exactly 2 cups prepared fruit into large bowl (do not use more than 2 cups or your jam will not set up -- if you have leftover crushed berries, sugar them, and eat them over ice cream). 

Stir in sugar. Let stand 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

 Crushed with sugar

In the meantime, mix water and pectin in small saucepan. Bring to boil on high heat, stirring constantly. Continue boiling and stirring 1 minute. Add to fruit mixture; stir 3 minutes or until sugar is almost dissolved. (A few sugar crystals may remain.)

 

Fill all containers immediately to within 1/2 inch of tops. Wipe off top edges of containers; immediately cover with lids. Let stand at room temperature 24 hours. (this last time I froze them right away and it turned out just the same)

Jam is now ready to use. Store in refrigerator up to 3 weeks or in freezer up to 1 year. Thaw in refrigerator before using (because jam has no preservatives, use it withing a month of removing it from the freezer).

Buttermilk Biscuits
makes about a baker's dozen

3 c. flour
1 T. baking powder
1 T. sugar
1 t. baking soda
½ t. salt
⅔ c. shortening
1 c. buttermilk

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
Combine flour, baking powder, sugar, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Cut in shortening. Add buttermilk and stir into a soft dough. Knead dough on floured surface and cut into rounds with a biscuit cutter. 

Place on a baking sheet and bake 10-12 minutes.


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Summer Supper #5

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This salad used to be a favorite of mine in the days when we used to eat out. By the time my husband and I had our third child we could no longer eat out cheaply and so it's been a long time since we ate out regularly. But I remember this salad fondly and my homemade version lived up to the memory.

It's a simple salad -- very few ingredients, but topped with a yummy piece of grilled chicken and some crunchy pumpkin seed kernels, it's filling and satisfying. I modified my Cilantro Ranch Dressing because I can never remember to buy tomatillos, but its still good and I think with all that cilantro the tomatillos get a little lost anyway.

Grilled Chicken, Romaine and Pepito Salad
serves 4 dinner servings

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2 heads Romaine lettuce, chopped and washed and dried
several slices red onion, quartered
3 Roma tomatoes diced
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Mexican Marinade (below)
1/2 c. pepitas (pumpkin seed kernels), roasted and salted (buy them roasted and salted)
Cilantro Ranch dressing (below)



Place four chicken pieces in a bowl with marinade. Marinade for several hours.

In a large bowl, toss lettuce, onion and tomato.
Chill until ready to serve.

When ready to serve, preheat grill and grill chicken until cooked through.
Allow chicken to sit for five minutes and then slice across the grain thinly.


Top salad with chicken breast and sprinkle with pepitas. Drizzle with salad dressing and serve.



Marinade

1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup lime juice
2 cloves garlic minced
1/2 t. cumin
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper



Cilantro Ranch Dressing

1 pkg. Ranch Buttermilk Dressing mix
1/2 c. mayonnaise (you could use sour cream also)
1/2 c. sour cream
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup fresh cilantro
heavy dash cayenne pepper


In a food processor, place dressing mix, sour cream, mayo and buttermilk. Add cilantro and process under cilantro is finely chopped. Add cayenne if desired. Refrigerate for at least one hour.

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Firecracker Sugar Cookies

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Maybe you can't decide whether to prepare an Apple Pie or something chocolatey for your Fourth get-together, or maybe you are looking for something cute and kid-friendly to add to your dessert buffet. Either way this is an idea I think will make a big bang (pun intended) on the dessert table this holiday weekend.

I saw the idea executed at Recipe Girl, baked my favorite sugar cookies and used some store-bought decorating aids to create these sweet little firecrackers. I admit I was not nearly as particular as Recipe Girl about my decorating, partly because I am never that fussy about how food looks -- come on...we eat it -- and also because my nine-year-old daughter, Faith, was helping.

I used Wilton's Cookie Icing to top the baked and cooled cookies with white icing and then used Wilton Icing Writer in blue and red to make the fireworks. Just follow the directions at Recipe Girl, or just give the stuff to the kids -- they'll figure it out. It's an easy and cute idea and your crowd will love them. (I tasted the icing and it's really not bad at all. Faith thought it was good and licked her fingers a lot!).

The cookie icing was firm and stackable after about two hours.

PS Wilton's icing products found at Michael's.
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Breakfast of Champions

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The other night when my brother's family was over for dinner, I made a huge pan of this Blueberry Crisp (I added some peaches so it, too). Oh my goodness I do love that dessert, but because my children are incredibly finicky when it comes to fruit desserts -- there is only a small handful they will eat -- I only make this dessert if other adults are coming over to share. Of course, I completely overestimated how much everyone would eat (and since I also made Rice Krispie Treats the kids were not at all tempted) and had half a pan left over.

Thus...I present the Breakfast of Champions. It's fruit, and oats, and cream -- sounds like breakfast to me. Yum.

Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream -- Basic Recipe

1 cup whole milk

3/4 cups granulated sugar

2 cups heavy cream

2 t. pure vanilla extract

In a medium mixing bowl, use a whisk to combine the milk and granulated sugar until the sugar is dissolved, about 1 to 2 minutes.

Stir in the heavy cream and vanilla. Turn the ice cream churner on; pour the mixture into freezer bowl, and let mix until thickened, about 20 to 25 minutes. The ice cream will have a soft, creamy texture. If a firmer consistency is desired, transfer the ice cream to an airtight container and place in freezer for about 2 hours. Remove from freezer about 15 minutes before serving.

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Rich Chocolate Cake and Sweet Vanilla Buttercream

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My brother was in town from Maryland for his birthday this year. We usually don't see each other on our birthdays -- mine is just two days after his -- one year and two days apart, but this year he was in town for my grandma's 95th birthday party, the same day as my birthday -- we have a lot of late June birthdays in my family.

My brother asks every year for a chocolate cake with white frosting and this year I was able to oblige him. I made my favorite dark chocolate cake and a variation of my favorite vanilla buttercream frosting -- a wonderful combination. I split my cake batter up into three pans for a super tall cake -- makes for great presentation. I piped a pretty edge around the top and bottom, shaved some Lindt dark chocolate on top and studded the bottom edge with dark chocolate covered espresso beads. It was a sight to behold if I do say so myself. ;-) Fortunately it tasted just as good as it looked.

My house was nice and cool so the cake sat on the dining room table awaiting the singing of the birthday song, but if it's at all warm in your house you will want to make room on a refrigerator shelf -- this buttercream frosting is very soft and will not hold up to heat.

 

Deep Dark Chocolate Cake

2 c. sugar
1¾ c. flour
¾ c. cocoa
1½ t. baking soda
1½ t. baking powder
1 t. salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
3/4 cup oil
2 t. vanilla
1 cup boiling water

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
Grease and flour two (or three) round 9” pans.
In a large mixing bowl combine dry ingredients.
Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla.
Beat on medium speed for two minutes.
Stir in boiling water by hand (batter will be thin).
Pour into prepared pans.
Bake for 30-35 minutes for two round pans about 20-25 for three (toothpick test).
Cool 10 minutes before removing from pans.
Cool completely before frosting.

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

3 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 pounds powdered sugar
1 T. vanilla extract

milk as needed to make frosting of spreading consistency

2 oz dark chocolate for grating

dark-chocolate covered espresso beans or other decorative candy

Using the wire whisk attachment of your stand mixer, whip the butter on medium-high speed for 5 minutes, stopping to scrape the bowl once or twice.

Reduce the speed to low and gradually add all of the powdered sugar. Once all of the powdered sugar is incorporated, increase the speed to medium-high and add the vanilla, mixing until incorporated. Whip at medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes, adding milk by the tablespoonful and scraping the bowl as needed until frosting is fluffy and spreadable.

Frost cake (using a crumb coat first because the chocolate crumbs will show on the white frosting). Using a grater, grate a layer of chocolate shavings over top of cake. Pipe a scallop around top and bottom edge if desired and stud bottom edge with coffee beans.

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