Banana Coconut Upside Down Cake

Banana Coconut Upside Down Cake

Lawsy mercy it has been a while since I've sat down and chatted with you.-- just about three months from the looks of it.  I've missed you all, but I have anonymously stopped by your blogs and oogled and ahhed over your recipes.

I hadn't been feeling tip top for about a year, mostly exhausted, and I thought it was just work-related stress.  Then I developed some unpleasant symptoms which could not be ignored, and to make a long story short, I had a totally unsuspected, potentially life-threatening diagnosis, followed up with some surgery.  I was out of work for six weeks, and have only been back four weeks.  I'm slowly getting my vim and vigor back,  and ever so grateful to be alive.  Time will tell the final prognosis but so far I've been given the green light.

I have to smile. Per doctor's orders, Ole Sweetie-Pi was in charge of the kitchen, grocery shopping, cat boxes, laundry, and just about everything else. I wasn't even supposed to go for car rides in the first stages of healing. Talk about cabin fever. I don't think I've eaten as many submarine sandwiches or frozen dinners as I did during those six weeks.  It's a time I'll look back with fondness.  Ole Sweetie-Pi really came through. 

Anyway, as I make my way back into the kitchen, I'm starting on light (as in weight and time involved, not so much in calories, smiles) cooking.  I used to be quite a snob when it came to boxed cake mixes, but not any more.  They are yummy good!  I found this recipe in one my daily food-related emails, probably Mr. Foods or Recipe Lion, but whatever the source, the recipe was linked to Tablespoon.com.  The minute I saw it, I knew I had to have it. 

This recipe, which makes two single-layer cakes,  is easy to prepare and the result far outweighs the effort.  I made it for dessert for a Saturday night dinner, but promptly ate it as a brunch cake the following Sunday morning.  It was perfect with a steaming cup of hot coffee. 

Banana Coconut Upside Down Cake

1 yellow cake mix
3 whole eggs
1/4 cup oil
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup water

6 bananas, sliced, divided between two pans
1 1/2 cups shredded coconut, divided between two pans

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 tablespoons lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350* Fahrenheit.  Spray or   grease and flour  two deep 8-inch round cake pans. (I think my cake pans are 8 inches round by 2 inches deep, and I had just barely enough space for the risen cake.)

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the cake mix, eggs, oil, water and sour cream on low until combined.  Increase speed to high and beat for 2 minutes.

Slice bananas evenly over the bottom of the two cake pans.

In a small saucepan, melt the butter.  Add the brown sugar and lemon juice and heat until dissolved.  Pour half of the brown sugar mixture into each of the two cake pans, over the bananas.  Sprinkle coconut over the brown sugar sauce.

Pour the cake batter on top of the coconut, dividing equally between the two pans.

Bake 35-40 minutes or until cake tests done with a toothpick.  Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes.  Invert onto serving platter.  Slice to serve.
Cake is probably best the day it is served, but leftovers can be stored overnight in the refrigerator. Much beyond that and the bananas might not be as appealing as you would wish.

Strawberry-Banana Trifle



 I wasn't going to post this, but Ole Sweetie-Pi kept yammering at me until I agreed to put this on the blog, smiles.  This is a dessert I've made for 30 years or more, and don't even have a handwritten recipe for it.  It's one of those easy, delicious, beautiful, make-ahead desserts that you can make without a lick of baking, or if you have the time and inclination, to make as much from-scratch as you wish.  I can't tell you how many times I've made this over the years, and it's still a favorite.  No trifle bowl?  No problem!  Fits nicely into a large pie plate.

Sweetie-Pi ate almost the entire pie-panful by himself!!

Soooo...no recipe...just a how to. 

Strawberry-Banana Trifle

One loaf pound cake, cut into an even number of slices
Strawberry jam
A bit of sherry (the kind you drink, not cooking sherry!)
3-4 bananas sliced
Vanilla pudding (two boxes prepared according to directions on box)
A pint of strawberries, rinsed, dried, sliced
Whipped topping

Make "sandwiches" wth the sliced pound cake and strawberry jam and line the bottom and sides of your pie plate with the sandwiches, cutting to fit as needed.  Doesn't have to be beautiful or perfect.

Sprinkle with the sherry.  Go careful or you can add too much and the sherry will overpower all other flavors.  Probably 3-4 tablespoons in total is more than enough.  I would urge you not to forgo the sherry.  It imparts a wonderful flavor and really is one of the ingredients that really makes this trifle.

Spread half of the vanilla pudding over the jam-pound cake sandwiches.

Scatter the sliced bananas over the pudding.

Spread the remaining half of the vanilla pudding over the bananas.

Add sliced strawberries.

If you have it, any extra vanilla can  be spead it over the strawberries, helps to keep the strawberries encased for longer freshness, otherwise it's not necessary.

Cover with plastic wrap and allow flavors to develop for several hours.  Serve with whipped topping of choice.

UMMM-ummm good! 

Last-Minute Chocolate Cake with Mocha Frosting

So you've been craving chocolate cake or company's coming and you need something delicious and fast.  You look in your pantry/  No eggs!  No baking powder!  No salt!  But you still want chocolate cake.  Yikes!  Now what do you do?

You absolutely must try this recipe!  I don't think I've ever had a moister or more delicious chocolate cake that was as easy as this to put together.  Talk about easy peasy-lemon squeezy.  Simple pantry items and you are on your way to  a nice square of chocolate cake heaven.

This makes a smallish 8" x 8" cake, which is a good size for me and Ole Sweetie-Pi.  There's no baking powder in it, so it does not rise to the top of the pan, probably about halfway as you can see.  The big bold chocolate flavor more than makes up for its diminutive size.

Last Minute Chocolate Cake
(From the Red Hat Society Cookbook)

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
3 (rounded) tablespoons cocoa**
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter melted
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup warm water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat your oven to 350*F.  Generously grease and flour an 8" x 8" baking pan and set aside.

In a large bowl sift together the flour, sugar, cocoa and baking soda.  Beat in the melted butter, milk, water, and vanilla. Pour into cake pan. 

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.  Let cool completely and frost.

Mocha Frosting

(From the Red Hat Society Cookbook)

1 1/2 teaspoons instant coffee**

1/2 cup cocoa
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups confectioners' sugar, or more if needed

Mix the coffee, cocoa and water together in a medium bowl to make a paste.  Add the softened butter, vanilla and confectioners' sugar to make a spreadable consistency.  Spread the frosting over the cake.

Can't you almost taste this!

**MY NOTES:  The original cake recipe just simply calls for 3 tablespoons of cocoa.  I thought it didn't sound like enough and "rounded" the measuring.  In in the end I probably added 3 tablespoons with an extra teaspoon of cocoa (rounded measurements are different than heaping, but you know that, right?).

**The mocha frosting recipe called for 1 tablespoon instant coffee.  Gosh, that's a lot. I reduced the measuring to 1 1/2 teaspoons, and there was just enough hint of coffee flavor that greatly enhanced the chocolate flavor without overpowering it.  I would suggest starting with the smaller amount, sampling it, and adding more if you want a more assertive coffee flavor.  It's certainly easier to add than it is to take away.

Maraschino Cherry Cake with Fluffy Cherry Frosting



When I was a girl, I dreamed of this kind of cake, all pink and soft with fluffy pink cloud frosting.  It was the cake that I imagined princesses ate.  I had forgotten about those dreams until I ran across the recipe for Maraschino Cherry Cake in The American Century Cookbook (The Most Popular Recipes of the 20th Century) by Jean Anderson.  The moment I saw the recipe I couldn't get it out of my head.  My memories came back to haunt me; I needed to put them to rest.  Even in this present day, as I baked it, I imagined little girls in big shoes and big summer hats with bright silk flowers and lots of opera pearls slung about their necks enjoying this beautiful cake.

After making this cake, I can see why my mother never made it, smiles.  This is not a cake for the distracted, disorganized, or harried cook.  And for the safety of all, it would be wise not to have dashing pets and children in the kitchen.  The steps are not complicated, but there is some preparation involved.  While making the syrup for the frosting, you must be attentive or serious burn injury could result.  The frosting, while very good, is sticky and tends to string and flow about when and where you don't want it to. 

Regardless, if you want to feel like a princess or you know a little girl who is, this cake is fulfills all those dreams.

Read through the recipe first to get a feel for how the recipe flows.

Maraschino Cherry Cake

3 cups sifted cake flour

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup butter, room temperature

1/3 cup vegetable shortening

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/4 cup maraschino cherry juice

3/4 cup milk

1/2 cup coarsely chopped nuts

16 maraschino cherries, cut into eighths

5 egg whites, stiffly beaten

Prepare ahead of time:  Coarsely chop 1/2 cup  nuts.  Cut 16 maraschino cherries into eighths and set aside.  They can be put  together in the same bowl as they will be added at the same time. 

Combine the 1/4 cup maraschino cherry juice and 3/4 cup milk in a one cup measure.  Set aside.

The timing of the stiffly beaten egg whites is a little tricky.  Wait too long and they deflate and get weepy.   After creaming the sugar and butter and shortening, I washed off my egg beaters and then beat my egg whites just before the step that adds the nuts and cherries. 

Now onto the cake...

Preheat oven to 350*F.  Generously grease and flour two 9-inch round** layer cake pans and set aside.

Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together onto waxed paper or in a medium bowl; set aside.

Cream butter, shortening, and sugar in a large bowl until fluffy (about five minutes). 

Add sifted dry ingredients to the creamed mixture alternately with the milk-maraschino cherry juice mixture, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients.  Beat well after each addition.

Fold in nuts and cherries, then fold in the beaten egg whites.

Divide the batter between pans and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until springy to touch.

Cook cakes in pans on wire racks for about five minutes.  Using a thin blade knife loosen carefully around edges and turn out onto the racks.  Cool to room temperature.

Pink Cherry Maraschino 7-Minute Frosting

2 1/2 cups sugar

1 tablespoon light corn syrup

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup maraschino cherry juice

3 egg whites, stiffly beaten

Mix sugar, corn syrup, water and cherry juice in medium heavy saucepan, covered, but with lid askew, and heat for five minutes over moderate heat.  Remove lid, insert candy thermometer, and heat, without stirring, until syrup reaches 242*F. (takes about 10-15 minutes).

In the meantime, put three egg whites in a medium sized bowl and beat until stiff peaks form.

When the syrup reaches 242*F, add the hot syrup to egg whites in a fine stream, beating hard the entire time.  Continue beating until mixture peaks stiffly, about 7 to 10 minutes.

**A final word ~ I used two 8" round 2" high cake pans to obtain a nice tall cake.  Baking time was increased by approximately 6 minutes because of the smaller sized pan.

This kind of frosting is best enjoyed on the day it is made.  It looks okay the second day, but by the third it is definitely weepy and crystallized looking.  I would suggest forgoing this frosting on a day with high humidity as it may not set up well for you.

I found the cherry flavor to be delicate.  The recipe does not call for it, but I am thinking perhaps a bit of almond extract might brighten the flavor.  I would be careful about adding cherry extract; you might end up with something akin to cough syrup.

Lemon Squares

As much as I love lemon flavor, I have never made lemon squares until recently.  Let me assure you, this recipe comes together quickly and easily.  In these cold and dark winter days, it was heartening to have something so bright and citrusy.

I combined two recipes to add lemon zest and more lemon juice, and this still came out too sweet for me.  However, upon taking a small square of it the next day, the lemon flavor had become more pronounced, but was still quite sweet.  Even with the increase in lemon, this still  is not lemony enough for me, but I think I have a sour tooth along with my sweet tooth.

Lemon Squares

Crust:
1 cup butter (no substitutes), room temperature, plus additional to butter the baking pan
2 cups flour
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
pinch of salt (omit if using salted butter)

Filling:
4 eggs
2 cups sugar
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup lemon juice (about one large lemon)
zest of one lemon
1 teaspoon baking powder

Additional confectioners' sugar for decoration

For the crust:  Combine all crust ingredients, using pastry crust, two knives, or food processor, or your impeccdably clean hands,  and press into a  buttered 9" x 13" inch pan.  Bake at 350*F for 15 minutes and set aside for a few minutes while you're making the filling.  Leave oven on.

For the filling:  Combine eggs and sugar and beat well.  Add flour, lemon juice, zest, and baking powder.  Pour over the warm crust and bake at 350*F for 20 minutes.

Cool.  Sift or sprinkle a little additional confectioners'sugar on top of squares for decoration.  Serve.

"Ultimate" Chocolate Brownies



As I've  previously mentioned, I am reluctant to use the words "best" or "ultimate" in connection with any recipe because we all have our own definition of what makes something the best or the ultimate. Brownies are no exception.  Do you like fudgey or cakey, made with melted chocolate squares or powdered chocolate, or maybe you like them blonde? Thick or thin? Frosted or unfrosted? With nuts or without?  See what I mean?  Lots of variables before one can apply the moniker "ultimate" but as this recipe was entitled "Ultimate Chocolate Brownies," I decided to leave the name alone and let you decide if they deserve the designation.

Personally, I like a thick cakey brownie with walnuts.  I'm not crazy about fudgey brownies, because if I wanted fudge, I'd make fudge, but sometimes with a cakey brownie, they can be, well, too cake-like.  Enter the "uultimate" brownie.  This brownie seems to have the best of both worlds.  The chocolate flavor shines through brilliantly, with just enough flour to hold it together and give it a  moist, cake-like texture without being too fudgey.  I love the sugary crust that formed on the top as it baked, a mark of an appealing brownie to my eyes.

The directions are easy-peasy, lemon squeezy, but you will  need a stand mixer or be able to stand and mix for what seems like forever in order for the brownies to develop the volume required. 

Ultimate Chocolate Brownies

(http://baking.about.com/od/brownies/r/ultimate.htm)

8 one-ounce squares of unsweetened chocolate

1 cup butter

5 eggs

3 cups sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla

1 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

2 1/2 cups chopped pecans or walnuts, lightly toasted

Grease a 9" x 13" baking pan.  Preheat oven to 350*F (or 325*F for glass or dark metal pan). 

Unwrap the chocolate squares.  In a small to medium sized saucepan, over low heat, melt the chocolate and butter, stirring constantly to prevent burning the chocolate.   Remove from heat and set aside.

While the chocolate is cooling, in a mixer beat the eggs, sugar and vanilla at high speed for ten minutes. 

Blend in the chocolate mixture, flour and salt until just mixed.  Stir in the nuts.  Pour into prepared pan.

Bake brownies for 35 to 40 minutes, taking care not to overbake.  Cool before cutting. 

Egg Custard Pie by Moody's Diner

Ever overbuy on a particular ingredient and then run out of time to use it?  I'm surprised at how many bunches of celery I have, or butter (I have at 8 pounds of butter most times), and eggs and milk.  It's like every time I go to the grocery store, these items jump into my cart and follow me home.

This week, I had two dozen eggs I had to use.  I get hinky when foods get close to their sell-by date, (I know that's not the same as expiration date, but nevertheless, for me it's use it or lose it) and that prompts me to pore through my cookbooks, which lead me to custard pie. 

I cannot tell you the last time I had a custard pie ~ probably when my own beloved grandmother made them decades ago.  When I asked Sweetie-Pi about custard pie, he had fond recollections of his grandmother's custard pies, so it must be a grandma thing, smiles. Regardless, if you have grandchildren or not, when you have plenty of eggs and milk you need to use up, and only pantry items to make dessert, you can't go wrong making this.  It goes together quickly and easily, with nothing fancy but plenty of delicious reward..

Grandmas aren't the only ones who have a reputation for their custard pies.  They seem to be a mainstay dessert of many roadside diners. I love the diner experience:  unpretentious food,  the booths with Formica topped tables and red vinyl bench seats, stools at long counter tops, chalkboard menus, and waitresses who seem to call everyone "Hon."   Here in New England, one of the better known diners is Moody's Diner, located in Waldoboro, Maine.  I haven't had the good fortune to eat there (though Sweetie-Pi claims he has when he lived in Maine, and says their deserve their renown) but I do have the good fortune of having their cookbook, What's Cooking at Moody's Diner.  When I saw their recipe, I knew it was the one I had to make.

Moody's Custard Pie

(from What's Cooking at Moody's Diner)

8 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 level tablespoon flour
1 teaspoon salt
5 cups milk

In a large bowl, beat eggs with flour, salt, sugar and nutmeg. Stir in milk** and pour batter through strainer into deep 9-inch pie shell.  Bake 15 minutes at 400*F and reduce heat to 325*F and bake 25 to 30 minutes** or until pie is set.

My Notes:  This makes a lot of custard.  Even with my deep dish Pyrex pie plate, I still had probably a half a cup of custard that wouldn't fit into the pie plate. Would have made a nice single cup of custard if you wanted to take the time to cook it in a hot water bath, I think.

Do not skip straining the custard through a sieve.  It helps to smooth out the custard, removing any lumps of flour or strings of egg.

No way did this cook in the time allotted.  At the end of  30 minutes, my pie was very undercooked.  In total, I probably added another 15 minutes of cooking time.  Let me forewarn you, however.  My oven does not like to cook custard anything; I have the same issues with bread pudding.  Your best bet is to use a very thin knife at the end of 25 minutes and pierce the center of the pie.  If the knife comes out clean, the pie is done.  The center will still look wobbly, but that's fine as the pie will firm up once it's cooled completely.  Be careful not to overcook the pie as it will turn watery. 

Old Fashioned Butter Cake

How to start this post?  YUMMMM...we loved this cake...we couldn't stay away from it...we ate it for dessert and then we ate it for breakfast...  This beautiful cake recipe is a 100 year old treasure and a keeper!  Reeni of Cinnamon Girl discovered this recipe in an old McCall's cookbook published in 1910, and she too fell in love with this fluffy, moist, easy-to-prepare cake and was good enough to share it with the rest of us so that we could enjoy it as well.  Thank you, Reeni!  If you are not familiar with Reeni's blog, please take a few minutes to go and visit her.  Her food is fabulous, and her photography makes you want more!

At first I was skeptical that a cake recipe made with all-purpose flour could be be both fluffy and moist; in the past, I've only achieved that kind of result when using cake flour.  Also, I pretty consistently only have King Arthur Flour in the pantry, which tends to make a denser (but still delicious!) cake.  Imagine my surprise when my first bite revealed a cake that surpassed all expectations.  I don't know if it's the one tablespoon of baking powder or the four minutes total of beating, but whatever, the secret, this recipe works!
This will be a recipe that I will turn to again and again.

Old Fashioned Butter Cake
(from Reeni's Cinnamon Girl blog) 

2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
1  1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 eggs

Preheat oven to 350*F.  Grease and flour two 8 inch x 2 inch baking pans and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.

Add butter, milk, and vanilla.  With a hand mixer, beat for  2 minutes, occasionally scraping down the sides of the bowl. 

Add eggs and beat for 2 minutes more.

Pour batter into prepared pans, dividing equally between the pans.  Bake 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.  Remove from oven.

Cool in the pans for 10 minutes and then turn cakes out onto a cooling rack to cool completely.

Frost with your favorite frosting.  I used my favorite chocolate frosting, the one on the back of the Hersey's cocoa can. 

"Perfectly Chocolate" Chocolate Frosting

1 stick (1/2 cup) butter or margarine
2/3 cup Hershey's cocoa
3 cups powdered sugar (confectioners' sugar)
1/3 cup milk  (plus an additional few drops to make a nice consistency)
1 teaspoon vanilla

Melt butter.  Stir in cocoa.  Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, beating on medium speed to spreading consistency.  Add more milk if needed.  Stir in vanilla.  About 2 cups frosting

Blueberry Crumb Bars

I've been chuckling off and on all week at the comments and emails I've received after my last post of Perfection Salad.  Most agreed they could live without salad in a gelatin mold, and that's okay; I still love it.

Here's a recipe that's probably a little more universally appealing.  This  recipe that is pretty darned simple to make and the results are greater than the effort expended.  Ole Sweetie-Pi loved this for breakfast, remarked several times how good it was, and he's one not to emote over how much he liked what he ate.  I shared several pieces with my next door neighbors and they ate for dessert, reported back to Ole Sweetie-Pi that it was declared delicious.  No matter when you eat indulge, this is good!

I was perusing the King Arthur Flour's Baking Circle, and a member had posted this recipe. The poster attributed the recipe to Smitten Kitchen, who had adapted it  from one she discovered on Allrecipes.  The recipe on the KAF forum had a slight change (no egg was used), and that's the recipe I went with.  The crust is similar to a shortbread cookie, and works well here.

Blueberry Crumb Bars
(King Arthur Flour Forum)

For the crust topping:
1 cup of white sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 cups all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt (a good pinch)
Zest of one lemon
1 cup of cold butter

For the filling:
4 cups (2 pints) fresh or frozen blueberries
1/3 cup sugar
4 teaspoons cornstarch
Juice of one lemon

Preheat oven to 375*F.  Have ready an ungreased 9 inch x 13 inch pan. (There's enough butter in the crust to preclude the need of having to butter the pan.)

Rinse the berries, pick out anything that looks undesirable, such as stems or berries that look too smushed.

Combine the dry ingredients.  Cut the butter in using two knives in a criss-cross cutting motion, or a pastry blender, or freeze it first and grate it in.** Mix until the mixture is crumbly.  Pat half the mixture into the pan and reserve the remaining half for the crumb topping.

To make the filling, combine the dry ingredients with the blueberries.  Sprinkle the lemon juice over the berries and gently stir.  Pour the berries over the crust in an even layer.

Sprinkle the remaining crust topping over the blueberries.  Bake for 45 minutes or until golden brown.  Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.  Cut into squares when cool.  Refrigerate unused portion.
Still very good the next day.

**My Notes:  Depending on how tactile you are, using your impeccably clean hands, first dice the cold butter and add to the dry ingredients.  Rub the butter into the flour mixture with your fingers.  The flour will start to look raggedy, and once that happens, grab a wee handful and gently squeeze it; if it holds together, stop, and go on with the rest of the recipe.

Strawberry Rhubarb Coffee Cake (?)

Buttery, sugary, buttermilk tender, strawberry rhubarb-y,  jammy-oozy coffee cake.  But is this really a coffee cake?  Is it for breakfast or dessert?  It doesn't matter to me, this is very good!  I probably should have waited before cutting into this cake and photographing it, but the aroma was so irresistible that I had to.  Warm, it was like a cobbler with a bottom crust. After completing cooling, the filling was less oozy,  but still delicious, more like a coffee cake. 

We were visiting Sweetie-Pi's sister's home, and her beloved offered fresh-from-their-garden rhubarb, with the warm earth still clinging to the long green and red stalks. He handed me a huge bagful and my eyes lit in anticipation, as I thought of strawberry rhubarb pies and coffee cake.  I found this keeper recipe on Southern Food About.com. 

Strawberry Rhubarb Coffee Cake

(found on Southern Food About.com)

Filling

3 cups sliced rhubarb, (1 inch pieces) fresh or frozen

2 pints fresh strawberries, mashed

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 cup sugar

1/3 cup cornstarch

Cake

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup butter, cut in small pieces

1 1/2 cups buttermilk

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Topping

1/4 cup butter or margarine

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 cup sugar

Generously butter a 9 x 13 inch baking dish and have ready a cookie sheet or jelly roll pan (or tin foil on the baking rack) to place under the baking dish to allow for any fruit bubbling over. Preheat oven to 350*F.

In a large saucepan, combine the rhubarb, strawberries, and lemon juice.  Cook for 5 minutes over medium heat.  Combine the sugar with the cornstarch and add to the fruit mixture.  Bring to a boil over medium heat and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly, until the mixture is thickened, and the cornstarch mixture looks clear.  Remove from heat.

In a large bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Cut the butter in with a pastry blender, or use your fingers to rub the butter into the dry ingredients, until you have a mixture that resembles coarse crumbs.  In a separate bowl beat together the eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla.  Add to the dry ingredients and mix to combine. 

Spread half of the batter mixture into the prepared 9 x 13 inch baking pan.  Top with the strawberry rhubarb mixture, carefully spreading as necessary.  Using a tablespoon, drop the remaining batter onto the filling.

For the topping, melt the butter either in your microwave or in a small saucepan over low heat.  Add the flour and sugar and mix until the mixture is crumbly.  Sprinkle over batter.

Place baking dish on the baking sheet and bake for approximately 45 minutes or until the cake is done.  A toothpick inserted into the center of the batter will probably have the fruit mixture cling to the toothpick, but you are looking to see that the batter is cooked. 

Cool cake on rack.  Cut in squares to serve.  Will easily make 12 squares. 

Notes:  This may be sacrilege, but I preferred this cake slightly warm and the filling all sweet, gooey, and oozy. 

Cake took an extra 10 minutes to cook in my oven, a total of 55 minutes.

Strawberry Summer Cake

"Do you want a bite of this?"  I offered  a towering forkful of this strawberry cake to Sweetie-Pi.  "Nah, I don't think so.  I don't feel like anything sweet."  I shrugged, a little disappointed.  "Well, maybe a little bite," he said. He took a little nibble. "Yummm, this is good,"  he said.   "It's really good!"  He wedged the remainder of the cake and whipped cream into his mouth and gave me back an empty fork. Ole Sweetie-Pi showed more self-restraint than I; I ate two pieces and called it dinner.

If you like strawberry shortcake, or strawberry trifles, or just about strawberry anything, I believe you'll really like this. This is going into my keeper file and will be seen on the family groaning board when we are together next.  I can't wait to share it with them.

Reportedly, this is a good keeper, will stay fresh about two days, if properly covered, either at room temperature or refrigerated.  Let me know if this delicious cake last that long in your house, smiles.

 
Strawberry Cake
(originally at Martha Stewart)

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more to grease the pie pan
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 pound strawberries, rinsed, dried, hulled, cut in half
2 tablespoons sugar

Preheat oven to 350*F.  Generously grease a ten-inch pie plate.**

In a small bowl  whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.  Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about three minutes.  Then add the egg, milk, and vanilla and mix until just combined.

Add the flour mixture and mix until blended.  Transfer batter to buttered pie plate.  Batter is thick, so you may have to level it a bit with a knife or an offset spatula.

Add the strawberries, cut side down, in a single layer, as closely as possible on top of the batter.  Sprinkle the two tablespoons of sugar over the strawberries.

Bake the cake for 10 minutes at the 350*F temperature.  Then reduce the oven to 325*F about 50 to 60 minutes.  Bake until a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out free of batter, though it will likely have a bit of strawberry clinging to it.  

Let cool in pan on wire rack. Cut in wedges and top with your favorite whipped topping, if desired. 

**I used a deep dish 9-inch, Pyrex pie plate and it worked very well, I thought.  My cake was done at 50 minutes.

Orange Fool Pudding

This is a "hmmmm" dessert. I loved the orange flavor and the bit of spice that enhanced the flavor.  This was easy enough to do, the ingredients are simple enough.  So what's the issue?  Texture.  This is a very soft pudding, with consistency similar to  melted ice cream, not thick the way one imagines a pudding to be.  It doesn't put me off, but others may not feel quite so inclined. This is a terrific dessert if you want something that can be made hours ahead of time as it needs to be cold when served.

Orange Fool Pudding

Juice of 3 large oranges
2 tablespoons orange rind (I used dried orange rind)
3 eggs, well beaten
2 cups cream
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
2/3 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon butter

Combine all the ingredients in a heavy saucepan  or double boiler.  Cook very slowly until mixture thickens slightly, about 25 minutes.  Do not allow the pudding to boil or it could curdle. 

Pour the cooked pudding into individual dishes or wine glasses.  Chill thoroughly; serve cold.

My notes:  I felt that the pudding had not really thickened at the end of 25 minutes so I cooked it an additional 10 minutes (I was using a makeshift double boiler and turned up the heat a bit as well). 

It takes several hours to chill thoroughly which does help it to thicken a wee bit, but as I said, this is a very soft custard.

Spumoni Cake

This fun and delicious cake starts with a box of yellow cake mix, batter divided into three, with special additions added to give it the spumoni appeal.

I thought this recipe was lost to me forever.  When my mother used to work in a factory making smoke detectors, her company had an employee newsletter where the company would impart  business news and the employees would share personal news such as marriages, births, and recipes.  It was in one of  those newsletters that I saw this recipe, made it once years and years ago, and then lost my copy.  When my mother recently went into a nursing home, I was the lucky recipient of some of her recipes, and this, happily, was among them.

This cake is easy enough to do, just a little time consuming and perhaps a bit messy because of dividing up the batter and the addition of added ingredients, but when it all comes together and you serve it, the effort is worth the smiles.

I suggest reading through the recipe first to see what needs to be added for each layer.

Spumoni Cake

Mix together, until well blended:
1 package (18.5 ounce) white or yellow cake mix
4 large eggs
3/4 cup vegetable oil
8 ounces sour cream
1 small package vanilla instant pudding (either instant or regular is okay)

Divide batter into three bowls.

To bowl 1, add:
1/3 cup chopped walnuts or peacans
4 ot 6 drops green food coloring
1/2 teaspoon almond extract

To bowl 2, add:
1 jar (4 ounces) cut up marachino cherries
5 or 6 drops red food coloring

To bowl 3, add:
2 squares unsweetened chocolate, melted

To assemble cake:  Grease one large tube or bundt pan.  Into this pan pour all the green batter, then the red batter, and then the chocolate.  Be sure not to swirl the batter.  Bake at 350*F for 50-60 minutes.  Test with a toothpick. If toothpick comes out clean after being inserted in center of cake, the cake is done.  Cool slightly andturn upside down onto platter.  When cool, drizzle with chocolate icing.

I made a sour cream ganache to go with this because I didn't have whipping cream on hand to make the classic recipe.  Boy, it was, shall we say, interesting, smiles.  It seemed like a good idea, but the sour cream was too tangy and just didn't go well with the bitter sweet chocolate.  Won't be making that again!

New York Cheesecake

To me, this is the single best cheesecake I have ever had.  I discovered this in Jim Fobel's cookbook about 20 years ago, and it is the one I return to again and again.  It is creamy smooth, lightly sweet, with a touch of lemon.  This cheesecake has become the favorite of family and friends who've had the good fortune to be served this slice of heavenly goodness.

Ordinarily I don't serve a topping because it is so good, but for those of you who like a cheesecake with a little something, I opened up a can of blackberry pie filling and put a nice dollop on the top.  I do this for you.

You may have noticed that this cheesecake does not have any kind of crust, neither bottom or sides. 

You may also have noticed that there are no cracks in the top.  That is because this cheesecake is baked in a bain-marie, a water bath.  This is one of the secrets to a truly creamy cheesecake.

You'll need advance planning to prepare this recipe, but if you do, I believe you will fall in love with this recipe as much as I have.

 

In the comments section, there has been some discussion about the leaky springform pan dilemma.  You have been kind enough to share a number of solutions, but a reader sent me a really good sounding solution that I want to include here. 

 

Brandy G. says:   I too have suffered from water leaks into my crust however I started using crock pot liners instead of foil. The liners accommodate the pans perfectly and withstand the overheat. I just roll the sides down some so they are not over the cake and voila!  It has saved so many cheesecakes...I hope it helps others too!  

 

Now doesn't that sound like a nifty solution!

New York Cheesecake

(Jim Fobel's Old-Fashioned Baking Book)

5 large eggs, room temperature

2 cups (one pint) sour cream, room temperature

4 8-ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature

8 tablespoons (one stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

Generously butter the inside of a 10-inch springform pan.  Wrap a double layer of heavy-duty aluminum foil tightly around the outside bottom and sides, crimping and pleating the foil to make it conform to the pan.  This will help to prevent water seeping into the pan when you put it into the bain-marie.  Position the baking rack in the center of the oven; preheat the oven to 300* Fahrenheit. 

In a large mixing bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the eggs with the sour cream until well blended.

In a medium-sized bowl, beat the cream cheese with the butter until smooth and creamy.  Add this to the egg-sour cream mixture and beat until smooth. 

Add the sugar, cornstarch, vanilla, lemon juice and lemon zest and beat thoroughly, about 2 minutes. 

Pour into the prepared springform pan and place in a roasting pan (or other pan) large enough to prevent the sides from touching.  Place in the oven and carefully pour in enough very hot tap water to reach halfway up the sides of the springform pan.

Bake for 2 hours, 15 minutes, or until the cake is very lightly colored and a knife inserted in the center emerges clean.  Remove from the water bath and carefully peel the aluminum foil from around the pan.  Let stand at room temperature until completely cool, about 4 hours.  Refrigerate, covered, until well chilled.  For best flavor and texture, this cheesecake is best chilled overnight.

**My Notes:  I can't stress enough how important it is to let those first 4 ingredients in this recipe come to room temperature.  I've hurried the cream cheese and have had unsightly lumps of it in my batter. 

**I've italicized the mixing instructions to emphasize blending the ingredients to achieve the desired texture.

** Have a platter or other large dish that will hold the hot and drippy springform pan after you remove it from the bain-marie.  When you remove the bain-marie from the oven, the water is very hot, so please exercise extreme caution.

Before removing the roasting pan, have a plan on where you are going to set it so you are not holding the pan, desperately searching for a clear space to set it down.  I find it impossible to remove the cheesecake from the bain-marie while it is in the oven, so I remove the entire set-up from the oven.  I make every effort not to burn my wrists or the back of my hands while removing the springform pan; I haven't been burned yet, but I have soaked the edges of the potholders in the hot water, and it's amazing how fast that steaming water is wicked up to my tender fingers!

**When you first remove the cheesecake from the oven, it looks light and puffy, and there may be some hairline cracks in the top.  Do not despair.  As the cheesecake cools, it will gently deflate and the hairline cracks disappear.

Slow Cooker Sour Cream Cheesecake

This cheesecake was a delicious and delightful surprise. It is creamy, smooth, with a hint of almond. And it's made in a slow cooker; no baking involved! 

It was Ole Sweetie-Pi's birthday this past week and typically I make the Hershey's Chocolate Cake with 7-minute frosting (his birthday cake of choice since he was a boy), but it has been rainy, hot and humid here all week, and the frosting just doesn't work well for me under these conditions. So, Plan B went into effect.  We really enjoy cheesecake, but my favorite recipe makes enough to feed a small nation, much too much for just the two of us.  And then I found this recipe on Food and Wine, made in the slow cooker.  At first I pooh-poohed the idea, thinking that it would never work.  But then....I make my favorite cheesecake in a bain-marie (water bath), plus this recipe had the added bonus of making a much smaller cheesecake.

I don't have the 6-inch by 3-inch springform pan called for in the recipe, but I do have four 4 1/2-inch by 1 1/2 inch pans.  I used three pans with just a dab of batter remaining that I could easily have used now knowing that the batter will not rise and spill over the top of the pans. 

My slow cooker is oval shaped and could only hold two pans at a time, but I refrigerated the third pan and cooked it after the first two were done; had I been thinking, I could have used my round slow cooker for the third pan and they all could have been done at the same time.  Or maybe I'll just buy a 6-inch pan, grins.

Recipe takes some time to put together but it's mostly slow cooker and then cooling times.  Actual preparation time is perhaps 20 or 30 minutes, but then I made my own graham cracker crumbs.  I hope you try this.  It is creamy good and the rewards exceed the effort; my kind of recipe.  I served it with my favorite Blueberry Sauce.  

Slow Cooker Sour Cream Cheesecake

(www.foodandwine.com)

3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
2 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon sugar
Pinch of salt (equivalent to about 1/16 of a teaspoon)

12 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
2/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 large eggs
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pure almond extract **
1 cup sour cream

In a medium bowl, mix the graham cracker crumbs with the melted butter, cinnamon, 1 tablespoon of the sugar and a pinch of salt. Press the crumbs over the bottom and 1 inch up the side of a 6-inch round x 3-inch deep springform pan.


In a large bowl, combine the cream cheese with the flour,  2/3 cup of sugar and 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Beat at medium-high speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the side of the bowl and add the eggs and the almond extract. Beat at medium speed until blended. Add the sour cream and beat until smooth. Pour the batter into the springform pan.

Fill a 6- to 7-quart round or oval slow cooker with 1/2 inch of water and position a rack (I used an openwork cast-iron trivet)  in the bottom. Set the cheesecake on the rack. Cover the slow cooker with a triple layer of paper towels  (to capture the steam and prevent it from dripping on the batter) and place the lid. Turn the cooker to high and cook for 2 hours without peeking. Turn off the heat and let stand until the slow cooker has cooled, 1 hour.

Remove the lid and the paper towels and transfer the cheesecake to a rack to cool to room temperature, about 1 hour. Cover the cheesecake with plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled, at least 4 hours.
Heat a sharp, thin-bladed knife under hot water; dry the knife. Carefully run the knife around the edge of the cheesecake. Release the spring and lift the cheesecake out of the mold. Cut into wedges and serve
**For my tastes, the almond flavoring was too strong; I would either reduce it to 1/2 teaspoon, or replace it with either vanilla or lemon.

Chocolate Cream Pie

Lately, I am on a bit of a pie kick,  Perhaps it's because summertime is rapidly approaching and the season here is all too short so I must have as many light and creamy and fruity pies as I can.  Perhaps it's just because I love pies, irregardless of the season. That's probably more closely related to the truth, smiles.

I've mentioned before that I am not a great fan of chocolate, preferring citrus and vanilla and fruit flavors, but perhaps I should recant that and refine it to say I am not a great fan of bad chocolate, but, then, is anyone.  I have been on a years-long quest to find a really good chocolate cream pie, and so far this one is as close as I've come; it's not perfection, but it is very good and worth the small effort it takes.

I have two chief complaints about chocolate cream pies.  One is that they can be too chocolaty (or worse yet, tastes like watered down chocolate)  for my tastes, and secondly, they do not seem to have that smooth, creamy mouth feel that I am looking for. (When I make those prepackaged hot chocolate mixes, I always add more cream because I know that it's not creamy enough for me.)  This recipe uses a combination of milk and heavy cream and gives the option of adding additional chocolate for a richer chocolate flavor.

Why isn't this pie perfection?  Well, I went ahead and added the extra chocolate (see recipe) and it made it too chocolaty (even for Ole Sweetie-Pi who is the chocolate lover in this house and the reason I made the pie) and it could still do with a bit more cream, so I will change the milk to cream ratio next time.  Then we'll see.  I think I'm onto something here.

However, as everyone has their own idea of what's perfect, so I'm going to share the recipe.

Chocolate Cream Pie
 (From the cookbook The Perfect Pie by Susan G.Purdy)

Prebaked 9-inch pastry shell (I use this recipe)

1 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon
2 1/2 cups milk**
1/4 cup heavy cream
4 ounces semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate
3 tablespoons Dutch-processed coco, optional
2 large egg yolks, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

Blind bake your favorite pie crust recipe.  My current favorite for blind baking is the one from Penzey's that I posted here.

Melt the four ounces of chocolate in the top of a double boiler.

In a medium-sized sauce pan combine the sugar, cornstarch and salt (and the 3 tablespoons of cocoa if you are using it.). 

In a bowl, add the egg yolks, then whisk in the milk and cream.

Slowly whisk the egg-milk mixture into the cornstarch-sugar, taking care to ensure that all the cornstarch is picked up from the bottom of the pan and is dissolved.

Set the pan over medium heat and cook the mixture for about 12 minutes:  Stir frequently the first five minutes using a  wooden spoon,  then whisk constantly for about 7 minutes, until the mixture is thickened and reaches a boil.  You should see fat heavy bubbles work up to the surface and burst.  Boil for 1 full minute while stirring constantly.

Remove from heat and stir in the butter, vanilla, and melted chocolate.  

Strain the cream ** into a bowl, then spoon into the prepared pastry shell.  Cover the hot cream with plastic wrap or dab with butter to prevent a skin from forming.  Set the pie aside to cool, and then chill until shortly before serving.

Top with your favorite whipped topping.

**The recipe only says "milk," but I would be inclined to say "whole milk," especially if you, like me, enjoy a creamier tasting cream pie. 
**I wouldn't bother straining the cream unless I thought there were undissolved lumps.  Otherwise I think this is an unnecessary step.

Tomato Soup Spice Cake

It was one of my father's Vermont cousins who originally introduced us to her tomato soup cake. She brought it as a hostess gift when she came visiting, and delighted the family with guessing what the secret ingredient was.  Like me, Mother enjoyed quirky, secret-ingredient recipes, and the idea of tomato soup in a cake was just too much for her to pass up, so she asked for and received the recipe and it immediately frequented our table.

There are a number of versions of this cake but I  added the word spice to the title. The spices definitely stand out, but when one reflects upon the taste, there is a definite pleasant, but not usual, background flavor, smiles, and that would the tomato. Tomato is, after all a fruit, and we should not be surprised or dismayed to see in in sweet recipes.

I've had this cake with both a butter cream and cream cheese frosting and in this instance used cream cheese as I had it on hand. It seems to go well with the spicy flavors and aromas.   The one caveat to this cake is, in my estimation, is that it's a little dry.  As a result, it is best enjoyed with a glass of milk, tea or coffee.

I don't think this will ever have the popularity of a great chocolate cake, but as an heirloom recipe it's worth remembering and enjoying. I know we do.

Tomato Soup Spice Cake
(Best Recipes from the Backs of Boxes, Bottles Cans and Jars by Ceil Dyer)

2 1/4 cups cake flour (or 2 cups all-purpose flour)
1 1/3 cups sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons allspice
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1-10.75 ounce cake condensed tomato soup
1/2 cup shortening, softened
2 eggs
1/4 cup water

Preheat oven to 350 F. 

Generously grease and flour two round 8- or 9-inch layer pans, or a 13x9 inch oblong pan. 

Measure  and sift dry ingredients into large bowl; add soup and shortening. Beat at low to medium speed for 2 minutes  

Add eggs and water. Beat 2 minutes more, scraping bowl frequently. 

Divide batter equally between pans or if using the one oblong pan, spread the batter evenly. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes; remove. Cool.

Frost with butter cream or cream cheese frosting.

Old Fashioned Banana Cream Pie

There are certain foods that just say summertime fun to me, whether it's for a family picnic, 4th of July party,  barbecue or homecoming.  I like love fancy layered cakes, but to me there's still nothing homier than a pie.  And at the top of that list is a a beautiful cream pie, custardly good with gorgeous, perfectly ripe fruit flavoring every bite.  And to me, I have found the perfect banana cream pie.  Ole Sweetie-Pi loved this pie.  I loved this pie.  We loved this pie!  This is now my go-to banana cream pie recipe.

I also tried another pat-in-pan crust recipe, and this time I had much better success.  It's an oil crust and did a terrific job of holding its crispy-flaky shape after being blind baked.  It doesn't have the same desirable buttery flavor I like to associate with a pastry crust, but I'm so pleased with the way it turned out, that I will use this crust for future prebaked crust recipes. 

Old Fashioned Banana Cream Pie

(Recipezaar #14979)

One prebaked pastry crust, cooled (recipe to follow)

3 cups whole milk
3/4 cups white sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 egg yolks, beaten
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 ripe bananas

In a large saucepan scald the milk.  Remove any milk solids that might develop.

In a separate saucepan, combine the sugar, flour and salt; gradually whisk in the scalded milk.  Over medium heat, stirring constantly, cook until thickened.  Cover, cook two minutes more, stirring occasionally.

In a small bowl, have the 3 egg yolks, slightly beaten, ready. Stir a small amount of the hot mixture into beaten yolks (tempering the yolks with the hot liquid so as not to curdle them).  When thoroughly combined, stir yolks into hot mixture.  Cook for minute more more, stirring constantly. Stir in the butter and vanilla. 

Let custard sit until lukewarm.

When ready, pour about a cup of the custard into the bottom of the prepared pie crust.  Slice 3 ripe bananas over the top and then pour the remainder of the custard over the bananas.

Wrap in plastic wrap to prevent a crust from forming on the custard and refrigerate until cold and custard is set.

Serve with either a meringue made from the leftover egg whites or nice dollops of whipped cream.

No Roll Pie Crust
(Recipezaar #73041)

1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar **
1/8 teaspoon vanilla**
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup canola oil
3 tablespoon milk

Preheat oven to 375*F.

Put all ingredients into a 9-inch pie plate.  Mix with a fork until well blended and pat into the pan. Push the pastry up the sides and make a nice edge.

Generously prick the crust with a fork to prevent bubbling during baking (I pricked every 1/4 inch or so around the sides and across the bottom).

Bake 15-17 minutes, or until nicely browned.

**The original recipe calls for one tablespoon vanilla sugar, a product I do not keep on hand.  I substituted one tablespoon sugar and added a couple drops of vanilla extract.  Seemed to work fine, and was especially nice to use with a pie that called for vanilla as part of the flavoring.

Chocolate Buttermilk Cupcakes

My bloggy friend, Kim, from The Ungourmet, is a cupcake and muffin maven.  Honestly, she's got it all  and is such an inspiration to me. Every time I see one of her posts, I think, "I have must do this!"  And then I chicken out.  I have a shameful past.

I can't tell you the last time I made cupcakes.  I love the idea, that single serving cakelet all to myself, with all the frosting and goodness of a slice of cake.  Except cupcakes are tactile ~ I can eat it with my hands, grins.  That is, unless you've had one of my earlier cupcakes.  Dry, dry, dry and disappointing overall; I understood why people wanted a glass of milk.  With my cupcakes, you needed  several glasses of milk.  That's the honest truth. So I gave up on cupcakes.  And then I tried this recipe from Food Network TV.  My mind is changed.  My cooking horizons have been opened.  I can make cupcakes that are actually, well, in a word, wonderful!

By all rights these were going to be ganache covered, creamed filled, chocolate cupcakes. I wanted the cake recipe but was going to swap out the cream filling from another; I didn't want to use all that corn syrup.   Someone (who shall remain nameless) left two swirls of the marshmallow fluff  I needed as an ingredient for the filling, leading me to believe I had a full jar.  Since I was making these for Mr. Nameless because he's the chocolate lover, and because he was the one who was giving me the big pleading blue eyes, and because the cupcakes were already made, I decided to just frost them and save the cream filled ones for another day. 

 

Moist, fluffy, and chocolaty delicious.  

Chocolate Buttermilk Cupcakes

(from the Foodnetwork TV)

1 1/4 cupcs cake flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder***
1/2 teaspoon salt
10 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup strong coffee, hot

Generously grease a 12-cup muffin-cupcake tin and set aside (or use paper liners). I found that I made 12 standard sized cupcakes and had enough  remaining batter  to make 3 super-sized cupcakes.  Preheat over to 350*F. 

Sift the flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt together three times.  Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar together at high speed for 15 seconds.

Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated. Continue beating until light and fluffy, about 6 minutes more.

With the mixer on its lowest setting, beat in a third of the flour mixture.

Beat in the buttermilk and vanilla, then another third of the flour.

Beat in the coffee and then the remaining flour.

Fill the cups of the muffin tin two-thirds full and bake for 15 minutes, or until the centers spring back when lightly pressed and a cake tester comes out clean. Set the pan on a rack to cool.

Remove cupcakes from tin before frosting, and frost as desired.

***I was working with two recipes simultaneously, and they were quite similar in ingredients, forgot where I was supposed to be looking and inadvertently added 1/2 teaspoon baking powder instead of 1/4 teaspoon called for in the original recipe.  No way to take it out so I forged ahead.  Fortunately, it worked just fine.

Hershey's Perfectly Chocolate Chocolate Frost 

This time I swapped heavy cream for the milk in the original recipe.  Add additional cream as necessary to make a desirable spreading consistency and don't be afraid to beat this well.  It makes for a luscious, creamy frosting and is a dream to pipe.