Chocolate Guinness Cake

Thanks to one of our favorite cooking blogs, Simply Recipes, for this fantastic recipe. I've made only very slight changes, as it was wonderful as it was in the original. What could be more perfect for St. Patrick's Day than a cake made with Ireland's favorite beer? The cake is moist and rich, with an old-fashioned texture.

Chocolate Guinness Cake

Ingredients

1 c. Guinness (or other Stout variety)
10 tablespoons salted butter
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 c. white sugar
1/2 c. dark brown sugar
3/4 cup sour cream
2 eggs
1 T pure vanilla extract
2 c. all-purpose flour
2  t. baking soda
1 t. baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cream cheese frosting recipe

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 8 or 9-inch springform pan with butter or cooking spray and line the bottom with a round of parchment paper.

In a large saucepan place the beer and butter. Place over medium-high heat until the butter has melted. Add the cocoa powder and sugars and whisk together. Take off heat and allow to come to room temperature.

In another bowl beat together the sour cream, eggs, and vanilla extract until fluffy and somewhat homogenized. Add to the butter and beer mixture and whisk together.

In another bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add to the beer-butter mixture and whisk together until it just comes together. Pour into the prepared pan and give the pan a few short drops onto the counter to shake the larger air pockets in the batter to the surface and out of the cake. Bake for 50-60 minutes. Touch the center of the cake lightly to test doneness before testing with a skewer or it may cave in. If it doesn't bounce back to a light touch give it another five minutes or so before testing again.

Allow to cool on a wire rack. Run a knife around the edge to separate the cake from the pan and pop the ring off the springform. Leave the cake on the pan bottom when placing it on the serving plate. If the pan bottom tends to slip around on the plate use paper doilies under it to minimize the slipping.

Spread a thin layer of the cream cheese frosting on the top of the cooled cake and serve.

Makes one 8 or 9-inch cake

Pumpkin Roll

This has been a holiday favorite in our family for many years. It's easy to make, freezes well, and is always a hit at parties.

Preheat oven to 375°F.
Mix:
1 c. pumpkin
1 c. sugar
3 eggs
1 t. salt
1 t. baking powder
1 t. ginger
1 t. cinnamon
1 t. lemon flavoring or juice
1 c. flour
Pour into 11x17 greased jelly roll pan. Sprinkle with chopped walnuts, almonds or pecans.

Bake 13-15 minutes, or until done (do not overbake!). Sprinkle with powdered sugar and roll from the long edge. Cool in refrigerator. When cool, unroll and fill. [I admit I've always been challenged by this step. The cake often wants to crack. I have had pretty good luck turning the cake out onto a clean dish towel - the smooth cotton type, or waxed paper - and rolling it with the towel or paper, which helps to keep it supported when you unroll it.]

Filling
cream together:
1 c. cream cheese
1/2 c. powdered sugar
4 t. butter
1 t. vanilla
1 t. lemon (I often use more, or include some grated zest)
Blend until smooth, spread on the unrolled cake and then re-roll.
Roll the completed cake roll in foil and refrigerate.

This keeps well, and freezes well, so is a great make-ahead for the holidays.

It's Apple Harvest Time!

September is apple season and that means making as much applesauce and as many apple cakes and frozen pie stuffers as possible before the crop goes to waste. Of course, the cow next door (Larry) doesn't mind the windfalls a bit!
Last year my sister Darlene and I were making pie filling to freeze and working by oil lamp light, as the power had gone out! Fortunately it came back on just in time to freeze the pie fillings we'd assembled. The process is easy. Just line a pie pan with foil, fill with the chopped apples, spices and whatever thickener your recipe calls for. Then wrap tightly, put in an air tight bag and freeze. Just pop into a pastry shell and bake whenever you are hungry for a homemade pie!


Fresh Apple Cake (aka Apple Pudding Cake)
This was one of our Aunt Roberta's favorites.
Blend together 1/2 c. butter or vegetable oil
1-1/2 c. sugar (half white and half brown)
2 eggs (or egg substitute)

Stir in 4 c. shopped apples (1/4 inch bits)
1 c. coarsely chopped walnuts
1 c. raisins
2 t. vanilla
1/2 t. salt
2 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. nutmeg
1/2 t. allspice

Thoroughly blend 2 t. soda with:
1-1/2 c. all purpose flour
1 c. whole wheat flour
Stir into the apple mixture. The apples provide all the moisture needed.

Spread in 9x13 prepared pan. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes or until the cake tests done.