DARN GOOD CHOCOLATE CAKE

Before we left on our escape from the cold to spend two weeks in Hilton Head , SC, I was trying to get together some food to take since we were driving from my pantry instead of buying once we got there. Since we were going to be there for two weeks, I decided I would take the ingredients or most of them anyway, to make a dessert for us to enjoy while we were there. I thought I would make a cake of some sort and dug out my Cake Doctor cookbooks by Anne Byrn because I always have lots of luck when I use her recipes.This cake came from her Cake Mix Doctor Returns cookbook with 160 All-New Recipes. 

We checked into our Resort Island Links on Sunday afternoon just in time to watch our Kansas City Chiefs beat the Titans for the AFC championship which means they will be playing in the Super Bowl next Sunday for the second time in 50 years. The weather has been a little crazy everywhere with very cold weather so our first couple of days in HHI were below normal by about 10 degrees. While it was cold, it was hard to complain knowing it was really cold back in KCMO, but nevertheless it was cold.

We drove around to get reacquainted with the island as we were here a few years ago with our friends Janice and Leon and found the Hilton Head Diner to eat lunch. The food was great and I had half a sandwich to take back to our place for Wayne to enjoy for dinner that night. We found a place to park near the beach and walked for a bit on the beach. It helped that the sun was out with not a cloud anywhere in sight, but walking back into the wind was a little bit uncomfortable. We drove around some more and then I told Wayne we could go back to our place and I would make my cake.

Before I could start I had to call maintenance to see if they had a mixer available as they don't have one in every condo, but that only delayed me a few minutes. The only ingredient I didn't have was the vanilla, but that is the only reason I omitted it. (I had packed my tube pan once I had decided what I was going to make since I didn't figure they would have one of those at the resort.)

The cake turned out so-o-o-o-o good. All I needed was a scoop of ice cream to have taken it over the top, but trust me, it was awesome without it.  All of the chocolate chips gave it a pudding taste in a rich chocolate cake. I used a sugar-free devil's food cake mix and a sugar-free instant chocolate pudding. The yogurt I used was non-fat that was also plain.

It was so funny when Wayne walked in the kitchen and saw the cake, he asked me who I was going to give it to. I laughed and told him it was for us that I had reduced the sugar as much as I could so that helped. I will definitely have to go to the fitness room every day if I eat a piece every day.

DARN GOOD CHOCOLATE CAKE

1       package plain chocolate cake mix (I used a sugar-free Devil's food chocolate cake mix)
1       package (4-serving size) chocolate instant pudding mix (I used a sugar-free chocolate instant pudding mix)
4       large eggs
1       cup reduced-fat sour cream or plain or vanilla yogurt (I used plain non-fat yogurt)
2/3    cup water
1/2    cup oil
1       teaspoon vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups (10 ounces) semi-sweet chocolate chips (I used dark chocolate chips)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly spray a tube pan with non-stick cooking spray. Then lightly dust pan with flour. Shake off excess. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, add cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, sour cream or yogurt, water, oil, and vanilla.

(I mixed up the cake and pudding mix first before adding the other ingredients.)

Mix the ingredients on low initially to incorporate the ingredients (I used a whisk to do this as the mixing bowl was just big enough and I didn't want to make a mess) and then after scraping the sides of the bowl with a spatula (I brought mine just in case they didn't have one, but they did.),

beat the mixture for 1-1/2 minutes until smooth and thick.

Fold in the chocolate chips and

then pour batter into cake pan smoothing out the top.

Bake for 55 to 60 minutes until top springs back when lightly touched with fingers.

Cool in pan on wire rack for 15 to 20 minutes before removing. (I used a rack from the oven that I removed before I preheated the oven to have a rack to cool the cake.) Remove cake by inverting pan over large platter/plate (Surprise! Surprise! When I found a large platter in the cabinet. They must have known I was coming. lol)

When cool, dust with powdered sugar. Cut and get ready to be totally delighted!













Since I didn't have a cake cover, I had to figure out what I was going to cover the cake with after we cut it.

First I tried to use this pot but the handles on the sides are a little higher than the top of the pot so they kept the pot off the plate.

Then I found this big glass salad bowl and it worked just perfect!

Here is a picture of our lunch that we enjoyed at the Hilton Head Diner.

GOOD COFFEE CAKE (APPLE COFFEE CAKE)

We have been to Lynchburg, Tennessee and toured the Jack Daniel Distillery but I don't think we ate at Miss Mary Bobo's Boarding House. I think I would remember if we did. I found the cookbook,  Miss Mary Bobo's Boarding House Cookbook (1994) at an estate sale and thought I would check it out and then offer it to one of Wayne's cousins who live "nearby". It may be a while before any of them get it though. 

I love finding cookbooks like this and reading the history of the restaurant. Miss Mary and her husband Jack bought the boarding house in 1908 and took in boarders along with serving them a southern meal. Her husband died in 1948 and Miss Mary continued to welcome guests until a few years before she died in 1983 at the age of 101. The restaurants continues today by reservations. Check it out HERE.

I decided to try her Good Coffee Cake and shared it with the ladies in our Blankets of Hope quilting group at church. It isn't a good coffee cake (even though I don't drink coffee). It is an excellent coffee cake!

GOOD COFFEE CAKE

1/2       cup butter, softened
1/2       cup shortening
2          cups sugar
2          eggs, slightly beaten
3          cups flour
2          teaspoons baking powder
1          teaspoon baking soda
1/4       teaspoon salt
1-3/4    cups buttermilk
2          apples, cored, peeled, and thinly sliced
1/2       cup sugar
1          teaspoon cinnamon
3          tablespoons butter
1/2       cup pecans, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 9 x 13 - inch baking pan. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, cream 1/2 cup butter, shortening, and 2 cups of sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.

Add the eggs, and

blend.

In another mixing bowl sift together 3 cups of flour, the baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Alternately add the flour mixture and

buttermilk to the creamed mixture.

Spread half of the batter in pan.

Arrange the apple slices over the batter.

Spread the rest of the batter over the apples.

This is the best way to do this as you are dealing with a minimum amount of batter. Drop most of what is left in the bowl over the apples and

then spread the batter out.

Make sure you use a rubber spatula to get every little bit of batter that you can.

In a small bowl combine the remaining flour, sugar, and cinnamon.

Cut in 3 tablespoons of butter into the flour mixture with a pastry cutter.

I always end up using my fingers. Stir in the nuts and

sprinkle the topping over the batter.

Bake for 45 minutes or until done.

Cool slightly and cut into squares to serve.

COCONUT BLUEBERRY CAKE

With all of our traveling, I haven't had much time to be in the kitchen. Yesterday afternoon Friend Fran was hosting the Mexican Train group. Earlier this week she told me I didn't have to make a dessert that she would give me a break. I told her ok but it wasn't a problem that it gave me a recipe to share here. So she said I could.

The first recipe I made I realized I left out the 6 eggs it called for. I was really upset because it was another recipe from the Amish that I have been wanting to make for a blackberry cake. I couldn't believe I did it. I went on and let it cook since it was in the oven. It looked okay but it took almost an extra hour to bake. 

Yesterday morning I looked and found another Amish recipe this time for a Coconut Blueberry Cake of Regina Gingerich from LaValle, WI. It was In Wanda E. Brunstetter 's Amish Friends Cookbook. It sounded good and I had all of the ingredients the recipe called for. 

The recipe says it was done in 22 to 24 minutes, but I cooked it at least twice that long. I have decided it must be my "new" decorative glass 9 x 13 - inch dish I got at an estate sale just before Christmas. I don't remember if I had used it, but when it took twice as long to bake something two times in a row when using that dish, makes me feel that is too much of a coincident.  So I don't think I will be making another dessert in it any time soon.

I was concerned that the cake would be dry cooking it so long but it wasn't. Friend Sue said she had never thought of combining coconut and blueberries in the same recipe. Everyone agreed it was very good.

COCONUT BLUEBERRY CAKE

 2       cups flour
1        cup sugar
3        teaspoons baking powder
1/4     teaspoon salt
2        eggs
1        cup milk
1/2     cup oil
1-1/2  cups fresh or frozen blueberries (I used frozen wild berries - they are real small)
1        cup flaked coconut

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray or grease a 9 x 13 - inch pan.

In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt with a whisk.

In a separate bowl, beat eggs, milk, and oil with the whisk.

Pour into flour mixture and stir with a spoon just

until moistened.

Fold in blueberries.

Pour into pan.

Sprinkle the coconut evenly over top.

Bake for 22 to 24 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Cool in pan on wire rack. 

Cut in squares to serve.