Yesterday was one of those days that you just want to stay curled up in a blanket by the fire.  It was quite cold and rainy. I just wanted to stay home, but I had shopping to do.   My niece, that is in pharmacy school, is getting married in June and next Saturday she is having her first wedding shower in Savannah.  We picked up her gift and wouldn’t you know it they had Lenox Butler’s Pantry on sale.  I have wanted it since the first day I set my eyes on it.  Yes, I bought  eight place settings and three serving pieces.  Now if you know someone who wants Vintage Vine in beige, please let me know.  I really need to unload it!  GI Joe said,”Well, Happy Anniversary, Valentine’s Day and Birthday!”  It is so worth it though.

Since having a light dinner last night, I really wanted to go to downtown Villa Rica to Gabe’s.  Their Bread Pudding is the best.  Not wanting to venture out in the rain and cold,  I stood in front of the pantry with the  door open and all I saw was  sweetened condensed milk and semisweet chocolate pieces.  I told myself not to make those bad Chocolate Magic Bars, but myself did not listen. 

At 9:30 they were in the oven.  While they were baking GI Joe and I played PW’s Smarty Pants Word Game.  What nerds!! Out of the oven in 25 minutes and the fight for the pan began.

This recipe is great for beginner cooks  It is easy, quick and good to the last crumb.  Open the pantry now I’ll bet you have all of the ingredients.  In fifteen minutes you can have these in the oven.  Eat them while their hot right out of the pan.  The chocolate will be hot and gooey, the toasted pecans crunchy. the coconut sweet and the cracker crust buttery!

Check out the photos on a previous post  Fruitcake Bars.  It is the same recipe.  Just replace the fruit with chocolate.  Easy as magic.

Chocolate Magic Bars

• 1 stick of butter or margarine
• 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
• 6 ounces semisweet chocolate morsels
• 1 1/3 cups (3 1/2 oz) flaked coconut
• 1 15 oz. can sweetened condensed milk

Pour melted butter or margarine onto the bottom of a 13 x 9 inch pan.  Sprinkle crumbs evenly over melted butter or margarine.  Sprinkle chopped nuts evenly over crumbs.  Scatter chocolate morsels over nuts.  Sprinkle coconut evenly over chocolate morsels.  Pour sweetened condensed melt evenly over coconut.  Bake in a moderate oven  350 degrees for 25 minutes or until lightly browned on top.  If you are using a dark or a glass pan lower the temperature by 25 degrees.  Cool in the pan for 15 minutes.  Cut into bars.

Enjoy,

The Teacher Cooks

Dark chocolate is a downfall of mine.  I love it!  I had rather have a good salad than a bowl of ice cream, but when it comes to dark chocolate I cannot turn it down.   This recipe for this sinful Chocolate Cake appeared in Bon Appetit in September 2006.  The picture on the front cover  looks as if you could take a bite right from the fork.  I let the magazine sit for about a year before I decided to tackle it.  Why did I wait so long,  I am asking myself now.  The recipe is simple.  The ingredients are sugar, water, chocolate, butter , eggs and heavy cream.  That’ s it!   But it does call for twenty-six ounces of semisweet chocolate!  It is a dessert made in heaven.  It is not for the weak.  Using a 10-in. springform pan it yields sixteen servings.  It is not a very large serving, but I am here to tell you after making this four times that most people cannot eat much more.  It packs a punch!  If you are a chocolate lover like me when you put a bite of this decadent La Bete Noire  into your mouth and  hits your tastebuds you will think that you have died and gone to heaven.  Dark Chocolate heaven, that is. 

Here is how to make it for yourself! 

La Bete Noire -  from Bon Appetit - Jason Aronen, Executive Chef, Wilde Roast Cafe, Mineappolis 

16 servings 

Cake 

• 1 cup water
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 9 Tablespoons ( 1 stick + 1 Tablespoon) unsalted butter, diced
• 18 ounces bittersweet chocolate (not sweetened) or semisweeet chocolate, chopped
• 6 large eggs

Ganache 

• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 8 ounces bittersweet (not sweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped

For Cake:  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Butter 10-in-diameter springform pan.  Line bottom of pan with parchment round: butter the parchment paper.  Wrap 3 layers of heavy-duty foil around outside of pan, bringing foil to top of rim.  Combine 1 cup of water and sugar in small saucepan.  Bring to boil over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves.  Simmer 5 minutes.  Remove from heat. 

Melt butter large saucepan over low heat.  Add chocolate and whisk until smooth.  Whisk sugar syrup into chocolate: cool slightly.  Add eggs to chocolate mixture and whisk until well blended.  Pour batter into prepared pan.  Place cake pan in large roasting pan.  Add enough hot water to roasting pan to come halfway up sides of cake pan. 

Bake cake until center no longer moves when pan is gently shaken, about 50 minutes.  Remove from water bath; transfer to rack.  Cool completely in pan. 

For Ganache:  Bring whipping cream to simmer in small saucepan over medium heat.  Remove from heat.  Add chocolate and whisk until smooth.  Pour over top of cake still in pan.  Gently shake pan to distribute ganache evenly over top of cake.  Refrigerate cake in pan until ganache is set , about 2 hours. 

Can be made 2 days ahead.  Cover and keep refrigerated. 

Run knife around pan sides to loosen cake. Release sides.  Cut cake into wedges and serve with whipped cream.  

Here are the photos to make this decadent dessert even easier for you to make at home. 

Place water and sugar in saucepan . Boil over medium heat and then let it simmer for 5 min. Remove from heat.

Dice Butter

Chop 18 ounces of bittersweet or semisweet chocolate ( I used Baker's)

Melt butter and stir in chocolate

Whisk sugar syrup into chocolate; cool slightly

Stir in 6 large eggs making sure the chocolate is cool enough . Don't scramble your eggs!

Pour in springform pan. Place in a roasting pan. Add hot water to roasting pan to come halfway up side of cake pan.

Bake for 50 minutes or until center no longer moves when pan is gently shaken.  Remove from the water bath.  Use the foil as handles to grip the pan. 

Take out of the water bath and cool.

After the cake is cool prepare the Ganache . 

1 cup of heavy cream and more chocolate ( 8 ounces)

Bring cream to simmer over medium heat and add chocolate and whisk together.

Pour over top of cake while still in pan and refrigerate.

Words cannot tell you how good this is.  You will have to try for yourself.  It is easy yet so elegant to serve.  Go for it if you want a dessert that will be a big hit! 

BON APPETIT!!!

Happy cooking, 

The Teacher Cooks

Here is the recipe and all the pictures to make your baking a little easier. 

Chocolate Pound Cake  

• 1 cup butter plus 1/2 cup shortening
• 3 cups sugar
• 5 eggs
• 3 cups cake flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup cocoa
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/4 cups milk
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Cream butter and shortening, add sugar and beat until light.  Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition.  Sift flour, baking powder, cocoa, and salt.  add dry ingredients alternately with milk.  Add vanilla extract before last flour.  Bake in a greased and floured tube pan 1 hour and 15 minutes at 325 degrees.  

Sift 3 cups of Cake Flour

Grease and flour tube cake pan with removable center

2 sticks softened Butter and 1/2 cup shortening

Add 3 cups Sugar

1/2 cup cocoa, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder & 1/4 teaspoon salt

Make sure baking powder date has not expired!!!

Sift dry ingredients together

5 eggs at room temperature

Cream fat and sugar

Add eggs 1 at a time and beat after each egg

Batter after all eggs added and mixed

Add dry ingredients alternately with milk

Adding milk alternately with dry ingredients

YUM! YUM!

As needed scrape the side of the bowl

I love this photo!! 1 Tablespoon of vanilla is added.

Ready to bake at 325 degrees for 1hr. 15 min.

When a toothpick or cake tester comes out clean when inserted in the middle of the cake it is done.    Let it cool for at least 15 minutes before taking it out of the pan.  Please allow to cool or else it will fall apart!  Run a straight edge around the cake and the tube.  Carefully remove the cake from the pan by pulling out the center tube. 

Run a straight edge under the bottom

Put cake back in the pan and cover with a plate.

Flip it over and remove pan

Put cake platter on top and flip it over

Here you go!!

 Hope you enjoy!  Gosh I’m tired after all that!  

Happy Cooking, 

The Teacher Cooks

A Chocolate Lovers Dream!!

The last two days here have been bad!!  I am praying for all the families that have lost loved ones in this horrible rain. We have been very blessed, but I can tell you first hand what it is like to have your house flooded.  It is just stuff, though.  Anyway…….. We need something to make us all feel better so let’s talk chocolate.  This is my GO TO dessert for company, ALTA, potluck, parties and brunch.  You get the picture. It works for most any event.  I promise you all your friends and family will love it!!!

I first became acquainted with this special cake when I was a new teacher in Wilkinson County. Marjoe Baisden gave me her version.  Since then I have tweaked it a bit.  So here it is for you to just put your face into it if you want to.  That is what GI Joe wants to do every time that I make it.  He likes it hot with vanilla ice cream, but I have seen him eat right out of the pan with a spoon.

Yummy Chocolate Sheet Cake

• 2 cups sugar
• 2 cups self rising flour
• 2 sticks of butter
• 1 cup water
• 1/4 cup cocoa
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix dry ingredients.  In saucepan melt butter, cocoa and water on low heat.  Add to dry ingredients. Mix. (DO NOT use a mixer)   Slightly beat eggs, buttermilk and vanilla.  Add to mixture.  Mix. Pour into a 15 x 10 x 1 in. jelly roll pan that has been greased and floured. Bake about 20 min. at 400 degrees.

Frosting

• 1 stick butter
• 3 Tablespoons cocoa
• 5 Tablespoons milk
• 1 box powdered sugar
• 1 cup chopped pecans

Melt butter, cocoa, and milk.  Do this on low heat.  If heated at too high a temperature the butter will clarify making your icing  separate.  Add to sugar and nuts.  Mix.  Frost cake while hot.  Place icing by the  tablespoon all over the cake then smooth out the frosting.  This will keep  from tearing the cake as you frost it.   Here are pictures to guide you along.  Enjoy!

Flour and sugar in a mixing bowl

Melting butter, water and cocoa

Greased and floured jelly roll pan

Melted butter, cocoa and water

Whisking eggs, buttermilk and vanilla

Mixing dry and wet ingredients

Ready to bake

Frosting - melting butter and cocoa

Powdered sugar, chocolate and nuts for frosting

Chocolate Icing

Cooked cake

Ready to dig into!!!