German Chocolate Cake

Otherwise known as: my birthday cake, every year. Luckily, Marc has become a master at making it.

from the German's Sweet Chocolate box
(makes 16 servings)

1 pkg. German's sweet chocolate (4 oz.)
1 c. butter, softened
1/2 c. water
4 eggs, separated
1 t. vanilla
2 c. sugar
2 c. cake flour
1 t. baking soda
1/4 t. salt
1 c. buttermilk

Line bottoms of 3 9" cake pans with wax paper; grease sides of pans.

Microwave chocolate and water on high 1 1/2-2 minutes or until chocolate is almost melted, stirring after each minute. Stir until chocolate is completely melted.

Mix flour, baking soda, and salt set aside. Beat butter and sugar in large bowl until light and fluffy. Add egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in chocolate mixture and vanilla.

Add flour mixture alternately with buttermilk, beating until well blended after each addition.

Beat egg whites in another large bowl on high speed until stiff peaks form. Gently fold into cake batter. Pour evenly into prepared pans.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted into centers comes out clean. (Grandma taught me to check it as soon as it becomes fragrant.) Immediately run spatula between cakes and sides of pans. Cool 15 minutes; remove cake layers form pans and remove wax paper. Cool completely on wire racks. Spread Coconut-Pecan Filling between layers and on top of cake.

Coconut-Pecan Filling and Frosting

1 can evaporated milk
1 1/2 c. sugar
3/4 c. butter
4 egg yolks, slightly beaten
1 1/2 t. vanilla
7 oz. shredded coconut
1 1/2 c. chopped pecans

Mix milk, sugar, butter, egg yolks, and vanilla in a large saucepan. Cook on medium heat for 12 minutes or until thickened and golden brown, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.

Add coconut and pecans; mix well. Cool to room temperature and of desired spreading consistency. Makes about 4 1/2 c. or enough to fill and frost top of a 3-layer cake (or 24 cupcakes).

Lazy Daisy Cake

{This is the kind of dessert you can make almost any time because it is quick and easy and you most likely have the ingredients on hand.}

1/2 c. milk
1 c. flour
1 T. butter
1 t. vanilla
2 eggs
4 T. brown sugar
1 c. sugar
5 T. butter
1/2 t. baking powder
4 T. canned milk
1/4 t. salt
1/2 c. coconut

Heat milk to scalding and remove from heat. Add butter. Beat eggs and add sugar, baking powder, salt and milk/butter mixture. Add flour and vanilla and beat well. Pour into an 8”x8” square cake pan (or double recipe for a 9”x13”).

Bake at 375 for 20 minutes.

Mix together brown sugar, butter, canned milk and coconut for topping. Spread over still warm cake and place under the broiler just until topping is lightly browned and bubbly.

Cream Pie

(Just so you know, I had never made just a plain vanilla one before Jill requested it. I usually pour the custard over sliced bananas or mix in shredded coconut, but to each his own!)

mix in a medium saucepan:
2/3 c. sugar
1/4 t. salt
rounded 1/3 c. flour

whisk in:
3 c. milk (whole is delicious here)

Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it comes to a boil. Boil for one minute.

Remove from heat and pour about 1/3 of the mixture into a heatproof bowl with 3 egg yolks, slightly beaten. (I use the Pyrex measuring cup that I used to measure the milk.) You must whisk the egg yolks the whole time you are pouring in the hot mixture.

Immediately pour the egg mixture back into the pan and return to a boil (this will be very fast). Cook for 1 additional minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in 4 T. butter and 1 1/2 t. vanilla.

Prepare an ice bath. I plug up one side of my sink and put in lots of ice cubes and about 3 inches of cold water. Place the hot pan in the ice bath. (This cools the custard down more quickly.) Stir every 5 minutes or so to prevent a skin from forming on the custard. When it has reached room temperature, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

**To make a delicious chocolate cream pie, increase the sugar to 1 1/2 c., the flour to a rounded 1/2 c., and add 1 1/2 oz. unsweetened baking chocolate when you add the milk.**

To assemble the pie, pre-bake a pie crust, let cool, and pour in the chilled custard. Top with a generous amount of whipped cream. Sprinkle with toasted coconut for coconut cream pie, chocolate shavings for chocolate pie. I have tried a lot of different pie crusts, but, truth be told, I am not a crust connoisseur. For me, the crust is just a vehicle for the filling. Lately, I have been using this recipe from the old Betty Crocker cookbook.

For a 9" pie crust:

Mix together 1 c. sifted flour, 1/2 t. salt. Cut in 1/3 c. shortening with a pastry blender or two knives until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle with 2 T. ice water and quickly mix with fingertips. (You don't want to handle the dough too much or it will not be tender and flaky.) Gather the dough together and press firmly into a ball. Roll out into a circle about 1" larger than your pan. Fit pastry loosely into the pan -- avoid stretching to prevent shrinking. Crimp the edges and prick all over with a fork. Bake in a 400 degree oven for about 10 minutes.