Texas Sheet Cake

Are you SO jealous of my Texas platter? I got it for my wedding -best present ever!

I am from Texas, it's true. Well, I grew up mostly in Texas and some in Colorado, so I can technically claim BOTH states. Oh yes, I do. And I love them both, but Colorado pride is just not as fun as good ole' Texas Pride. I love to sing  Texas pride songs to my husband and he LOVES it!

So I was feeling in a chocolaty-Texas mood so what better than Texas Sheet Cake?!

This was my first time making THIS recipe and it was delicious! If you're a small family like mine you can freeze the leftovers in individual slices wrapped in plastic wrap and stored in freezer bags. This cake is almost as good straight from the freezer (it's chocolate so, yeah). I particularly like the frosting in this recipe, it has just the right "Texas Sheet Cake" flavor if that makes sense at all.

Texas Sheet Cake from Our Best Bites 

½ c. real butter

½ c. shortening

2 1-oz. squares baking chocolate

½ c. buttermilk

2 eggs, beaten

2 c. sugar

1 c. water

2 c. flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. vanilla

FROSTING:

6 Tbsp. milk

1 tsp. vanilla

½ c. butter (I used salted butter, gives it the flavor I like for this frosting-LB)

2 1-oz. squares baking chocolate

1 lb. powdered sugar

½ c. chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 11 x 17 jelly roll pan (you can also use a 9×13 pan, but you may die of sugar shock–there’s something to be said for spreading the love in this recipe).

2. Combine ½ c. butter, ½ c. shortening, 2 oz. chocolate, and water in a small saucepan. Heat until chocolate is melted.

3. In a separate small bowl, combine flour and baking soda. Set aside.

4. In a large mixing bowl, combine sugar, buttermilk, eggs, cinnamon, and vanilla. Combine with chocolate mixture. Add flour mixture and mix very well. Pour into pan and bake 20-25 minutes or until a pick comes out clean. Five minutes before cake is done, make frosting.

FROSTING:

Combine milk, chocolate, and butter in a large (or medium-large) saucepan. Heat until bubbles form around the edge. Remove from heat and add powdered sugar and vanilla and beat until smooth. If desired, add 1 c. nuts (optional, preferably chopped walnuts or pecans). While icing is still warm, pour over cake.

Mmm! Does it make you hungry?!

What to do with leftover pie crust...

I have been making my own pie crusts ever since my wonderful friend Jenny taught me how and I realized it's really not that difficult (thanks Jenny!). Since then I have had the (fortunate) problem of being left with extra pie crust after finishing my pies. No tears here! I usually just put a little butter on them and sprinkle them like crazy with cinnamon sugar but the other day I decided to change it up a little. I didn't know what exactly to call these so I called them turnovers. If you know their proper name let me know!


Easy Leftover Pie Crust Turnovers

Leftover Pie Crust
Chopped Apples (you want them small so they will cook in the oven well)
Margarine or butter
Cinnamon Sugar

Gather all of your leftovers into one ball of dough and re-roll it out. Shown is the leftovers from making two chicken pot pies (one for the freezer of course!) so I had more than usual.

Cut your pie crust into even segments the size of the tart you want to make. I cut mine into 4ths.

Spread your margarine over the pie crust as best you can then plop even amounts of apples on each section. Now sprinkle the heck out of the apples and the pie crust. I didn't put enough cinnamon sugar because I was worried about overdoing it. Is that even possible with cinnamon sugar? I don't think so.

Fold your turnovers neatly or like mine (messy!).

Cook in your already hot oven from cooking your pie :) at 425 for about 10-12 minutes. I actually didn't really time mine so I'm guessing on that.

Enjoy!

The ingredients

My amazing folding skills

Mmmm...nothing better than sugary cinnamon apples.

Homemade Ding-Dongs

The other day I had a sudden and intense pregnancy craving for ding dongs. But not the slightly-stale grocery store variety. I wanted a luscious, cream filled chocolate cupcake that would melt-in-my-mouth.  At first I could only find recipes that included coffee, which we do not drink in our house. I was getting slightly discouraged and decided to scan the recipe index of one of my favorite cooking websites- Our Best Bites. I found the PERFECT recipe. The filling is unbelievably delicious and the entire cupcake just tastes amazing! I made 12 and between my husband and I we polished them off in 24 hours (we even grudgingly shared one with our 2 year old!)


Most of the recipe from Our Best Bites

Do this first, it can take a looong time to cool down:

Chocolate Ganache Topping (recipe by me)
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup half-and-half  (it is what I had, I've also used whole milk)
1 tsp vanilla

Combine chocolate chips and half-and-half in a small saucepan over low-medium heat and stir until chocolate is melted and mixture is well combined. Add vanilla and a pinch of salt if needed. Stick it in the refrigerator and stir it occasionally until it is cooler and thicker. It really can take a long time for it too cool down enough, though you don't want to leave it in so long that it becomes a solid, otherwise you will have to stick it in the microwave and start over with the cooling process.

Do this second and let them cool on a wire rack:

Devil’s Food Cupcakes (Our Best Bites)

1 C Flour

1/4 C unsweetened cocoa powder

3/4 t baking soda

1/4 t salt

1/2 C granulated sugar

1/2 C firmly packed brown sugar

4 T unsalted butter at room temperature

1 large egg, at room temperature

1 t vanilla extract

1/2 C luke warm water

1/4 C buttermilk

Position rack in the middle of oven and preheat to 350. Line a standard 12 cup muffin tin with liners. Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt into a bowl.

In another bowl, with an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat the granulated sugar, brown sugar, and butter together until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined.

Add the flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the water and buttermilk, beating on low speed until just combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat on medium high speed just until no traces of flour remain, about 30 seconds; do not over beat.

Divide the batter evenly among muffin cups. Do not fill more than 2/3 full, it is better to throw a little bit of batter away then to end up with overflowing cupcakes that are hard to get out of the pan. I learned this the hard way!

Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Anywhere from 15-20 minutes. Remove cupcakes from pan and let cool on a wire rack.

Do this while the cupcakes are baking:

Perfect Cupcake Frosting and Filling (Our Best Bites)

3 T Flour

1/2 C milk (whole milk is best)

1/2 C real butter

1/2 C granulated sugar

1 t vanilla extract

Whisk together the flour and the milk. Heat in a small sauce pan on medium heat.

Whisk continuously until it starts to thicken. Let it cook, while stirring with a rubber spatula, until you can start to see the bottom of the pan.   Continue to cook until mixture has the consistency of pudding.

Put mixture in the fridge and let it cool completely, it’s fine if it stays in there long enough to get chilly, you just don’t want it warm at all. As it’s cooling, feel free to stir it occasionally to speed up the process and keep it from forming a crust on top.

It an electric stand mixer, beat the butter and the sugar for a minute or two until well combined and fluffy. You’ll want to use the whisk attachment on a stand mixer if you have one, instead of the flat paddle. Then while beating, add in the thickened milk mixture and the vanilla. Beat to combine and then scrape down the sides. Mixture will separate and look messy, keep beating!  Continue beating until mixture comes together and is light and fluffy, about 7-8 minutes, but time varies.  Take a sample of frosting between your fingers; frosting is done when light and fluffy and sugar granules are dissolved.

I added even more filling the second time I made these (not pictured)  because it is THAT good

I have made these TWICE in the last couple of weeks. Yumm!

With Love,

Lindsey