Brick Street Cafe Chocolate Cake

I am hoping to visit South Carolina someday, but for now I will settle for a big chocolate taste of the South. The Brick Street Cafe is in Greenville, SC and is famous for their cakes and pies. This recipe is said to be their cake named “The Best Chocolate Cake I’ve Ever Had”, it is definitely fudgy, chocolatey amazing!

Cake:
1 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
2 tsp vanilla
3 large eggs
2½ cups cake flour
1 cup unsweetened cocoa
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups buttermilk
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°. Liberally spray a bundt or tube pan. In large bowl with electric mixer, cream butter and sugar.  Mix in vanilla and eggs. Add cake flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt and buttermilk; mix thoroughly. Stir in chocolate chips. Pour into prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake 30 minutes, turn oven heat down to 325° and bake 30-40 minutes more. Test with cake tester. Cool in pan 15 minutes. Invert onto cooling rack and cool completely.

Chocolate Fudge Frosting:
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup water
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup unsweetened cocoa
3½ cups powdered sugar
2-4 Tbl heavy cream

In sauce pan over medium heat, melt and stir together butter, water, and vanilla. Remove from heat and stir in cocoa. Stir in powdered sugar. Stir in cream one tablespoon at a time, to achieve a creamy yet pour-able frosting to spread over top of cake and run slowly down the side and puddle. There is a lot of frosting, you can put half on and wait a bit for that to set up and then pour the remaining over frosting over (microwave the remaining frosting a few seconds to get it liquid enough to pour).

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Chocolate Cherry Bars

This is a recipe that I grew up with, a family favorite.  It is from pillsbury.com they call them bars but to me it is cake.  It is an incredibly moist fudgy cake with bites of sweet cherry, and a ganache like frosting.  Make a 13″x9″ cake or a sheet cake to feed more.  A quick fix for dessert at home or travels well to take and share with others.

1 chocolate cake mix
1 can (21 oz) cherry pie filling
1 tsp almond extract
3 eggs

Preheat oven to 350°.  Decide whether you will use a 13″x9″ pan or 15″x10″ sheet pan, spray with non-stick cooking spray and flour.  In large bowl with electric mixer, combine cake mix, cherry pie filling, almond extract, and eggs.  Mix until well combined.  Pour into prepared pan and bake for 25-35 minutes for 13″x9″ and 20-30 minutes for 15″x10″.  Watch carefully and test with toothpick in center to come out clean.  Make frosting.

5 Tbl butter
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup milk (I use cream)
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

In small saucepan, combine butter, sugar, and milk.  Bring to boil.  Boil 1 minute, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat and stir in chocolate chips until smooth.  Pour and spread over warm cake.  Cool completely.

One Year Ago Today:  Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies

If you are interested in Demarle bakeware & kitchen tools please visit mydemarleathome.com/kristenparker or simply click on the Demarle at Home logo below.

Peanut Butter & Chocolate Fudge Cream Pie

Time for pie!  Every once in a while it’s nice to have a piece of pie, splurge, indulge, and enjoy!

                       

                       

Single Prebaked Pie Crust:
1 cup flour
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup butter flavor shortening
3 Tbl ice water

Stir together flour, sugar, and salt.  Cut in the shortening.  Add 1 Tbl of water at a time, mixing with fork until dough holds together.  Make into a disc (handle as little as possible), wrap in plastic, and refrigerate at least 1/2 hour.  Preheat oven to 425°.  Roll out dough to about 12″ diameter circle, line 9″ deep dish pie plate, crimp edge, and prick bottom and sides with fork.  Gently line with sheet of foil, pour in pie weights (or beans) to keep crust from shrinking.  Bake at 425° for 10 minutes.  Remove from oven, gently pull out foil with weights, reduce heat to 350°, put back in oven and bake 10 minutes more.  Cool completely.

Peanut Butter Cream Pie Filling:
1/2 cup chopped honey roasted peanuts
4 cups milk (whole is best)
5 Tbl corn starch
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup sugar
4 egg yolks
1/2 cup peanut butter (creamy or crunchy)
2 tsp vanilla

Sprinkle chopped nuts over bottom of crust.  Combine milk, cornstarch, salt, and sugar in saucepan over medium heat.  Heat to boiling, stirring constantly.  Add a small amount of hot milk mixture to egg yolks to warm, and then add egg yolks to milk mixture.  Boil 1 minute stirring constantly until thick and smooth.  Remove from heat and stir in peanut butter, and vanilla.  Beat several times while cooling.  Pour into crust over chopped peanuts while slightly warm.  Cool in refrigerator until set, approx. 4 hours.

Chocolate Fudge Layer:
1 cup chocolate chips (semi-sweet, or dark)
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream

Place chocolate chips in glass bowl.  Heat cream in small saucepan, bring to boil.  Pour hot cream over chocolate, let sit a minute, then stir until chocolate melts and mixture is combined and smooth.  Set aside 2 Tbl of ganache for garnish.  Let remaining ganache cool slightly, then pour over the peanut butter cream filling and refrigerate until firm.

Whipped Cream Layer & Garnish:
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 Tbl powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
reserved 2 Tbl ganache, softened (in microwave, not too hot)
1/4 cup chopped honey roasted peanuts

Whip cream in medium bowl to stiff peaks.  Fold in powdered sugar and vanilla.  Spread or pipe whipped cream on top of cold pie, sprinkle with chopped peanuts and drizzle with ganache.

One Year Ago Today:  Chewy Coconut Oatmeal Cookies

If you are interested in Demarle bakeware & kitchen tools such as the Roul’Pat & Beechwood Rolling Pin please visit mydemarleathome.com/kristenparker or simply click on the Demarle at Home logo below.

Triple Chocolate Hazelnut Pie

I wanted a rich, creamy chocolate pie with all the elements that I love wrapped together in one beautiful slice.  Asking a lot I know, but this is my creation.  I love a chocolate cookie crust and also wanted a little crunch so I added nuts.  I love smooth, thick, rich feel and taste of ganache so the truffle layer goes next.  Then, I wanted the creamy, smooth, fluffy mousse and finish off with cool, sweet cream.  This is, in my mind and mouth, the perfect chocolate pie.  Oh, no it’s not.  Perfect chocolate pie would have zero calories!

Chocolate Cookie Crust:
2 cups fine cookie crumbs, Nabisco Famous Chocolate Wafers
8 Tbl butter, melted
Preheat oven to 375.  Stir together chocolate crumbs and butter.  Press into bottom  and 1” up sides of sprayed 9” springform pan (would work well in a large deep dish pie plate).  Bake for 8 minutes.  Cool.

Truffle Layer:
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate pieces
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup chopped toasted hazelnuts
Put chocolate pieces in heatproof bowl.  In small microwave safe measuring cup, heat heavy cream hot, almost boiling.  Pour hot cream over chocolate pieces, let sit for 1 minute.  Gently stir to melt chocolate.  Pour over crust, sprinkle chopped nuts over and refrigerate.

Chocolate Mousse:
3/4 cup Nutella
1 ( 4.4 oz) Lindt Hazelnut Milk Chocolate bar, broken into small pieces
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
2 cups whipping cream
Warm Nutella and pieces of milk chocolate slowly in microwave, just until melted.  Stir in sweetened condensed milk.  Chill in fridge for 10 minutes.  Whip cream to stiff peaks.  Gently fold cooled chocolate mixture into whipped cream.  Spoon in and spread over nuts.  Refrigerate for at least 5 hours, preferably overnight to set up as much as possible.

Whipped Cream:
1 cup chilled whipping cream
1/4 cup powdered sugar
With electric mixer, whip cream to stiff peaks and add powdered sugar and vanilla.  Spread on pie or add a big dollop when serving each slice.  Sprinkled with chocolate curls and chopped toasted hazelnuts.

If you are interested in Demarle bakeware and kitchen tools please visit mydemarleathome.com/kristenparker or simply click on the Demarle at Home logo below.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake

This is one of my favorite cakes!  Well, to be honest, I have about twenty favorite cakes, don’t you?  This is so easy to mix up and pop in the oven and out comes a moist delicious cake.  Sprinkle with powdered sugar for a quick topping or drizzle chocolate ganache for a more formal presentation.

Cake:
2½ cups sugar
1 cup oil
3 eggs
3 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cloves
1 (15 oz) can pumpkin
1- 1½ cups mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°.  Spray with non-stick spray and flour a Bundt pan.  In large bowl with electric mixer, blend sugar and oil.   Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.  In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and cloves.  Add dry ingredients to sugar/egg mixture alternately with pumpkin.  Stir in chocolate chips.  Pour into Bundt pan and bake for 60-65 minutes.  Cool in pan for 10 minutes, invert onto wire rack and cool completely.  When cool, sprinkle with powdered sugar or drizzle with chocolate ganache.

Chocolate Ganache:
1 cup chocolate chips (milk, semi-sweet, or bitter sweet)
1/2 cup heavy cream

Put chocolate chips in heat resistant bowl.  Bring cream in saucepan to boil.  Pour over chocolate chips, let sit for a minute.  Whisk gently as chocolate melts and mixes into cream.  Pour over cake.

If you are interested in Demarle bakeware and kitchen tools please visit mydemarleathome.com/kristenparker or simply click on the Demarle at Home logo below.