Chocolate Cake

My friend loves the Broadway musical RENT, and yesterday was her birthday party. I said that I would make a cake. I used black m&ms to write RENT and sparkly green edible gel to write happy birthday. This recipe is amazing.

Chocolate Cake

from allrecipes.com

4 cups white sugar

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder

3 tsp. baking powder

3 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. salt

4 eggs

2 cups milk

1 cup vegetable oil

4 tsp. vanilla extract

2 cups boiling water

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and flour two 9x13" pans.

In a large bowl, stir together the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add the eggs, milk, oil and vanilla, mix for 2 minutes on medium speed of mixer. Stir in the boiling water last. Batter will be thin. Pour evenly into the prepared pans.

Bake 30 to 35 minutes in the preheated oven, until the cake tests done with a toothpick. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

The best part of making a layer cake are the scraps that you can make into a mini cake :)

Peace and Dee Love,

Sophia

Butterscotch Blondie Pie

On Thursday, I was at Costco and there were a bunch of food magazines on sale. I decided to get Paula Deen's "Best Desserts" issue. I was looking through it yesterday and saw a bunch of recipes that I wanted to try (so there will be more coming:D). I wanted to surprise my parents with dessert, but I wanted something fast. This was what I decided on. It's very rich, so it will feed quite a few people. It is sort of like pecan pie with butterscotch chips. Enjoy!

Butterscotch Blondie Pie

Ingredients:

1 single pie crust (just the bottom), uncooked

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup butter, melted

1/4 cup dark corn syrup

3 large eggs

1 cup butterscotch-flavored morsels

1 cup toasted and chopped pecans (I didn't toast them)

Instructions:

Preheat oven 350F.

On a lightly floured surface, unroll pie crust. Roll pastry into a 12-inch circle. Press pie crust into a 9-inch pie crust, crimping edges if desired. 

In a medium bowl, combine sugars and flour. Whisk in melted butter, corn syrup, and eggs until mixture is smooth. Stir in butterscotch morsels and pecans. Spoon mixture into prepared pie crust. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until center is set. Cool for at least 30 minutes before cutting. Serve warm with butterscotch topping and vanilla ice cream, if desired.

Peace and Dee Love,

Sophia

Strawberry Torte

I know, I know, I haven't posted in a long time. I'm sorry. But that doesn't mean that I haven't been baking. This is a torte that I made with my mom on Saturday. The original recipe was from allrecipes. I followed one of the reviews for the sauce, but there are a few things that I think could be changed. The following recipe is what I think the recipe should be, so try it and let me know if it works! It should, so don't be scared    :)

Strawberry Torte (adapted from allrecipes.com)

Ingredients: 

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

3/4 cup minus 1 tablespoon white sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon almond extract (if you don't have this, use another teaspoon vanilla)

1 pint minus 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream

2 12 oz packs ladyfinger cookies (you won't use them all, but 1 pack isn't enough)

1  1/2   16 oz. packs frozen strawberries

1 1/2 tablespoons corn starch

3/4 cup white sugar

1 envelope unflavored gelatin

fresh strawberries

Instructions:

In a sauce pan, cook 1 pack frozen strawberries and 1 tablespoon cornstarch until strawberries are soft and sauce is thick. Remove from heat and puree with 1 tablespoon cornstarch. 

In a separate sauce pan, cook 1/2 pack frozen strawberries with 1/2 tablespoon corn starch. Puree with 1/4 cup sugar. 

Whip cream cheese, sugar (1st measurement given above), and vanilla together.

In a separate bowl, beat whipping cream until stiff peaks form. Fold whipped cream into cream cheese mixture.

Arrange ladyfingers around sides and bottom of an 8 or 9 inch springform pan, standing ladyfingers lengthwise around sides of pan. I found that this was easiest by standing some one the side, then against them on the bottom, and repeating this until it was done. 

Pour 1/2 of the filling into the pan, then another layer of ladyfingers. Take the smaller batch of strawberry sauce and pour it over the ladyfingers.

Pour remaining filling over sauce. Mix gelatin into larger batch of strawberry sauce. Pour over the filling. 

Let cool for a little and decorate with fresh strawberries. 

Chill until serving.

Peace and Dee Love,

Sophia