The Best Chocolate Cake

This recipe is from McClure United Church 30th Anniversary Cookbook - Come for T. It is so simple and so good that the same recipe was submitted by two different people.  I wrote it out on a recipe card since I have tried a lot of different chocolate cake recipes, but wanted to make sure I remembered that this one is my favourite. The card was so well used that I could barely make out the writing on it anymore.

The last time I used the recipe card, it didn't get put away and was misplaced. I spent about an hour looking for it before we found which cookbook it was from. As a result of that search, I am putting it here so that it won't be lost again.

The recipe doubles well. I don't know yet if it freezes well. It doesn't last long enough in our house!

2 eggs
2/3 cup oil
2 cups sugar
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups boiling water
2 2/3 cups flour
2/3 cups cocoa
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 9 x 13 pan.

Beat eggs, oil, sugar, and vanilla for 4 minutes. Sift together remaining dry ingredients (flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt). Alternate adding dry ingredients and boiling water to beaten mixture.

Pour batter into pan and bake approximately 30 minutes or until inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Notes: 
I sift the dry ingredients together through a strainer. It adds air and takes out any lumps in the flour and cocoa.

While we enjoy the cake warm from the oven, we like it better the next day. We store it in a Tupperware container once it is completely cool. Then it is really moist. 

I have thought of adding chocolate chips but haven't tried that yet. 

Banana Cream Pie

Banana is currently my daughter's favourite word. Recently we tried this recipe for the first time, and our family loves it. It comes from The Mennonite Treasury of Recipes. We realized how old this recipe is when reading the instructions it said, "... then remove the custard from the fire and add the butter and vanilla." We didn't have any fires on our stove while making it, which is a good thing.

6 Tablespoons sugar
5 Tablespoons flour 
¼ teaspoon salt
2 cups milk
2 eggs - separated. Beat whites until dry
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 medium sized bananas
1 baked pie shell
whipping cream (optional)

Mix together sugar, flour and salt in a small bowl. Set aside.

Scald the milk in the top of a double boiler. While milk is heating, use a whisk to stir the milk. Slowly add sugar, flour and salt mixture to scalded milk while stirring constantly. If you have difficulty sifting the dry ingredients into the hot milk, reserve part of the cold milk to moisten them with. But if you are careful and do this gradually, you can sift them in and there won't be a single lump.

Add the beaten egg yolks and cook 2 minutes longer, then remove the custard from the heat and add the butter and vanilla. Let this cool.Once cooled, fold in the stiffly beaten egg whites.

Slice one banana into bottom of pie shell. Spoon half of custard into shell. Then slice the other banana onto the custard in the pie shell and cover with remaining custard. Chill thoroughly.

Optional: Once chilled, cover top with whipping cream, or serve individual pieces with a dollop of whipping cream.

I had put slices of a third banana on top of the custard before putting it in the fridge to set. I wouldn't recommend this as the bananas turned brown and were harder to cut through after. Next time we will try just putting the whipped cream on top.

Fruit Crisp

This year our family has an abundance of frozen apples, rhubarb, strawberries, blueberries and mixed fruit. I thought one of the best and easiest ways for our family to consume all this frozen fruit was to make desserts. I don't have a lot of time, so was looking for fast and easy recipes.  I have a Lazy Day Cobbler recipe (which will hopefully make it onto this site eventually). The other fruit dessert I thought would be easy are crisps, but I couldn't find a good "crisp" topping. I have been experimenting and think I have finally come up with something we all enjoy, so I am putting it here for the next time.

Enough fruit to cover the bottom of a 9" x 12" baking pan (can use frozen fruit, but do not use canned fruit)
corn starch (optional)
Topping
1 cup (cold) margarine
1 cup brown sugar
3 cups quick oats
approx. 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon*
*I added ground cloves when I used strawberries and blueberries. You could also use ground allspice or nutmeg, if you like.  Add as much or as little as you like.

Preheat oven to 350°.  Place fruit on bottom of pan.* If using frozen fruit, sprinkle corn starch over the fruit if you do not want a runny crisp.

In separate bowl cut together margarine, brown sugar, oats and cinnamon until it looks crumbly. Evenly spread topping over fruit. Bake approximately 40 minutes or until done.

*If you want a sweeter dessert, you could sprinkle sugar over the fruit. You could also sprinkle cinnamon on the apples.

This crisp was approximately ¾ strawberry/blueberry and ¼ apple. Our kids both asked for 3 helpings after they already ate their supper. I didn't think it was too unhealthy, so I let them. 

Chocolate Amaretto Cheesecake

This recipe is from a Philadelphia Cream Cheese box. I think it must be a Kraft idea, because it is actually one of those kind of recipes that is basic with different sets of ingredients for you to make your favourite kind of cheesecake. They call this one Chocolate Lover’s Cheesecake, but I always think of it as Chocolate Amaretto or Chocolate Almond.

Base
1¼ cups chocolate crumbs
¼ cup melted butter

Filling
3 pkgs (250 g each) softened cream cheese
¾ cup sugar until smooth
3 eggs
6 squares semi-sweet chocolate (melted and cooled)*
¼ cup Amaretto liqueur

Topping
Enough melted chocolate to drizzle over top
Toasted almonds

Combine chocolate crumbs with melted butter. Press on bottom of 9 in. springform pan.

Beat softened cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, and mix until just blended. Stir in semi-sweet chocolate (melted and cooled) and Amaretto liqueur.

Bake at 350°F for 45-50 min. or until centre is almost set. Cool completely, then refrigerate 3 hr or overnight.

Add the finishing touch – drizzle melted chocolate and top with toasted almonds.

*Note: I usually use about 6 oz melted semisweet chocolate chips because that is what we usually have in the house at all times rather than buying the squares of chocolate. It still turns out nice.

My cake always cracks, but after I drizzle chocolate and add the almonds (and sometimes I drizzle more chocolate on top of the almonds) you can’t really tell until you are cutting into it.

Brownies

This has become my ultimate favourite brownie recipe. It is found in a family recipe book that was collected and compiled in 1991 and was submitted by my Auntie Susan. What I especially like is how quickly you can make up the batter, so it is that much sooner to be able to enjoy eating the brownies!

½ cup butter or margarine, melted (1 cup)
1 egg (2)
1 cup brown sugar (2 cups)
3 Tablespoons cocoa (6 Tablespoons)
½ cup nuts or coconut, optional (1 cup)
¾ cup flour (1½ cups)
½ teaspoon baking powder (1 teaspoon)
½ teaspoon vanilla (1 teaspoon)

Mix melted butter and sugar; beat in egg, then remaining ingredients. Pour into pan and bake at 350° for 25 minutes or until done.

The recipe doesn’t specify what size pan, but I use a square pan (about 8 x 8 or 9 x 9). The amounts in brackets are doubled, and I bake this in my 9 x 12 pan. If I make this for a church lunch, I double the doubled amounts and bake the brownies in a Costco pizza pan (approximately 12 x 17).

Plumi Moos

(Dried Fruit Soup)
This recipe is from The Mennonite Treasury of Recipes. Since we have joined the Orthodox Church, it has become a Lenten staple in our house. I use mostly prunes, raisins and dried apricots, and add other dried fruits, such as apples, mangos, and berries for variety. This dish has elicited many positive comments when brought for potlucks and can be a main dish or dessert.

4 quarts water
3 cups mixed dried fruit (I use 4 cups)
1 package cherry jello
4 Tablespoons cornstarch
1½ cups sugar

Cook fruit in water until very well done. Mix cornstarch and sugar with enough water to make a thin paste. Let it cook a few minutes to take away the starchy taste. Remove from stove and add cherry jello powder.

I have stopped adding sugar as dried fruit bought from the store often already has sugar added to it.

Chocolate Fondue

This is a wonderful dessert dish and the final course of our 3-course fondue meal that we always have for my birthday. This recipe was originally found by us in Kraft's What's Cooking magazine, Winter 2002 issue. It has been modified slightly to our tastes/ingredients. TIP: to prevent chocolate from burning to fondue pot, put pot in pie plate with water and then put over heat.


8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
1/3 cup whipping cream
3 Tablespoons Amaretto or Kirsch (or liqueur of your choice)

Melt chocolate and whipping cream over hot water (or in microwave. If using microwave, make sure you do not overcook chocolate or it will burn). Blend until smooth. Stir in liqueur (or an additional 3 Tb cream). Transfer to fondue pot. Serve with fresh fruit, cookies, and/or cake (pound or sponge work well).

Deep Dish Apple Pie

This is another recipe from The Mennonite Treasury of Recipes. Bruce loves apple pies. He loves them so much that when he was a kid he would tell his mom, “When we get there if I’m asleep just say, ‘apple pie’ and I’ll wake up!”

1 unbaked pie shell
3-4 apples
1 cup brown sugar
1 Tablespoon flour
½ cup sour cream
Ground cinnamon, nutmeg & allspice

Peel the apples and cut into eighths. It takes three or four depending on the size, the pie must be well filled. Arrange slices in an unbaked pie shell.
Mix sugar and flour with the sour cream, pour this over the apples, sprinkle with cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice, dot with butter if you want it extra rich. Bake in hot oven 425°F for ten minutes then reduce heat to 350°F, continue baking for 30 minutes, or until apples are tender and the top is crispy brown. The brown sugar and cream will curdle, but they form delicious crumbs and flakes over apples.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

I don't remember where I first got this recipe from. I have it on a recipe card now. The amounts in brackets are when I quadruple the batch in my huge Tupperware bowl (Thatsa Bowl). Then I roll the dough into balls, place them on a cookie sheet to freeze. Once frozen I put the balls into freezer bags so that whenever we want fresh-baked cookies, all we have to to is pull them out of the freezer, put them on a pan and stick them in the oven.

2 1/2 cups four (10 c)
1 teaspoon baking soda (4 tsp)
1/2 teaspoon salt (1 1/2 tsp)
1/2 cup butter/margarine (2 c)
1/2 cup shortening (2 c)
1 cup packed brown sugar (4 c)
1/2 cup sugar (2 c)
2 eggs (8)
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla (2 Tb)
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (5-6 c)
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans optional (2 c)

Stir together flour, baking soda and salt. Beat together butter, shortening. Add brown sugar and sugar. Beat until fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. Add dry ingredients - mix well. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts. Drop by teaspoon on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 375° 8-10 minutes. Cool on wire rack.