Texas Chocolate "Sheath" Cake

First Published Here in 2008

How Hershey's Kisses, Hershey's Cocoa,
and Crisco Make my Cakes Perfect

There are a great number of chocoholics in this world! I guess I have loved chocolate ever since I tasted my first Kiss! Hershey's Kisses turned 100 years old in 2007, having first come on the market in 1907. Wow! They are a favorite of so many, too. But Hershey's chocolate can be found in Kit Kats, Ice Breakers, Almond Joy, Mounds, Twizzlers, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, York Peppermint Patties and more. Whatever your preference, Hershey's chocolate is sure to satisfy your sweet tooth.

For Hershey's Kisses birthday, Hershey created "The World's Largest HERSHEY'S KISSES Chocolate" in Hershey, Pennsylvania, The Sweetest Place on Earth. It weighed 30,540 pounds and was wrapped in silver foil with a giant plume. Guinness World Records weighed the giant Kiss at a private birthday party on July 7, 2007 and it was on display at Hershey's Chocolate World through July 12^th of last year.

Hershey's cocoa powder has been a staple in my grandmother's, mother's, and my kitchen since each of us set up housekeeping. Grandma began her marriage in 1919 with a box of the indispensable cocoa powder in her pantry. My stepmother began cooking for her family in 1942 and I began in 1964. I think it's amazing that that little brown box has been with us through all of these years!

According to their website "HERSHEY'S Cocoa debuted in 1894 when Milton Hershey founded Hershey Chocolate Company. The item was initially sold as a beverage mix. In fact, 'Great for Baking' was added to the can as a reminder that Cocoa could be included in baked goods as well. Today most HERSHEY'S Cocoa is used for baking... and it's still great!"

I want to share my recipe for one of the absolutely best chocolate cakes you have ever tasted. My stepmother used to make it for us often, and it is one that at least one of us kids asked for every time we had a special occasion. The cake found its way into the kitchen of my grandmother and aunt Irene often, as well. You can see Grandma Gailey working in her kitchen west of Mineral Wells in the late 1950s.

The cake is laced with the wonderful taste and aroma of cinnamon. Baked in a "sheath" pan - better known as a rectangular 9x13x2-inch baking dish or sheet pan - it is quick to make and very satisfying.

  

Directions and Ingredients

2 cups granulated sugar

2 cups plain flour

Place the above ingredients into a large mixing bowl.½ cup Crisco solid vegetable shortening

4 tablespoons Hershey's cocoa powder

1 stick margarine or butter

1 cup water

Bring the above 4 ingredients to a rapid boil in a saucepan. After it comes to a rapid boil, pour it over the sugar and flour mixture. Mix together using an electric mixer.

Add:

1 teaspoon vanilla flavoring

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ cup buttermilk

2 eggs

Pour into a prepared oblong baking pan that has been lightly greased with Crisco or butter and lightly floured to prevent sticking. Instead of using Crisco and flour, I sometimes use a no-stick spray such as Pam or Crisco no-stick spray with flour already in it, and then I sprinkle granulated sugar on top of that in the bottom of baking pan.

According to their website, "Crisco® Cooking Spray contains no alcohol and offers 575 servings per can. Also, it combines Crisco 100% Canola Oil with Pillsbury® flour for easier, tastier, and healthier baking."

Bake cake in a 350º oven for 30 minutes, or until it is done. Cake is done when it pulls slightly away from edges of pan and a toothpick placed into center of cake is clean when removed. It can also be tested for doneness when the cake springs back when touched lightly in center.

Icing

4 tablespoons Hershey's cocoa powder

6 tablespoons milk

1 stick butter

1 box confectioner's powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla flavoring

Chopped pecans or walnuts

Place first 3 ingredients into a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Then add the confectioner's powdered sugar, vanilla, and nuts.

Ice or frost the cake when both are cool.

I've found all kinds of helpful information at Hershey's. They have videos, baking tips, recipes, gifts, the history of Hershey's, a kids' section and more.

If you love chocolate and cinnamon, you'll love, love, love what we call in our kitchens, this Texas "Sheath" Cake!
Also published by Judy Shubert at Associated Content।

Cherry and Chocolate

Cherry Fudge Cake

1 box fudge cake mix
1 can cherry pie filling
2 eggs
1 teaspoon almond or vanilla

Mix by hand. Bake in tube pan at 325 degrees for 40-45 minutes.


Icing

1 cup sugar
1/3 cup milk
5 tablespoons oleo (margarine)
package chocolate chips

Bring to boil and cook for 1 minute. Remove from the stove and beat in chocolate chips with mixer. Spread on cake.

From Granny Marilee's Recipe Box

Irene's or Baker's One-Bowl Brownies?

As any of you who have read my blogs in the past knows, I am a total chocoholic! I could eat chocolate all day long; but alas, I fear I would get very, very sick by the time the sun went down.

Some days I can’t find a scrap or morsel of the smooth, velvety sweet that Hershey seemed to make famous. The other day I was digging in my pantry trying to find even a sweet tart, ANYTHING that had sugar in it. I was tired of eating a bowl of Special K with Splenda every day. Now don’t get me wrong, I do like Special K, and I prefer to sweeten cereals and iced drinks with Splenda. It’s much better than the “Pink” one or the “Blue” one!

Then I remembered my Aunt Irene’s brownies that she served sometimes when she didn’t have the famous Duncan Hines Brownie Mix in the house. They were just as good to me and better yet, she said they were so easy she stirred them up in a hurry.

That’s what I needed – something in a hurry. My sweet tooth was about to get the better of me.

I found that I did have a box of Baker’s chocolate squares in my pantry and there was the recipe for Irene’s One Bowl Brownies right inside the box! Why, the One Bowl Brownies must be a Baker’s recipe – you mean Aunt Irene didn’t just come up with it all by herself? Ah, well. It’s still chocolate, right?

BAKER’S ONE BOWL Brownies

4 squares BAKER’S Unsweetened Baking Chocolate

¾ cup (1-1/2 sticks) butter or margarine

2 cups sugar

3 eggs

1 tsp. Vanilla

1 cup flour

1 cup coarsely chopped PLANTERS Pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 13x9-inch baking pan with foil, with ends of foil extending near sides of pan. Grease foil.

Microwave chocolate and butter in large microwavable bowl on HIGH 2 min. or until butter is melted. Stir until chocolate is melted. Stir in sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Add flour and nuts; mix well. Spread into prepared pan.

Bake 30 to 35 min. or until toothpick inserted in center comes out with fudgy crumbs. (Do not overbake.) Cool in pan on wire rack. Remove brownies from pan, using foil handles. Cut into squares. Store in tightly covered container.

Makes 24 servings, 1 brownie each. Serve with a large glass of milk.

Cream Cheese Brownies: Prepare batter as directed, using 4 eggs; spread into prepared pan. Beat 1 pkg. (8 oz.) softened PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, 1/3 cup sugar, 1 egg and 2 Tbsp. Flour until well blended; drop by spoonfuls evenly over brownie batter. Swirl with knife several times to marbleize. Bake as directed, increasing baking time to 40 minutes.

Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies: Prepare batter as directed, reserving 1 Tbsp. of the butter and 2 Tbsp. of the sugar. Spread batter into prepared pan. Melt reserved butter. Add to reserved sugar along with 2/3 cup peanut butter, mix well. Spoon over batter in pan. Swirl with knife several times to marbleize. Bake as directed.

My only trouble with this delicious chocolate snack: I did not grease the foil well enough and they stuck. But, hey, I’m not above digging that chocolate out of that pan!

Thanks BAKER’s Chocolate!!

Graphic by June at Art Freebies

Granny Shubert's Christmas Candies

As the Thanksgiving feast fades into our memory of another year our memories of sweet treats rise to the surface. NOW is the time to start thinking of the desserts you want to serve your friends and family during the Christmas holidays. I enjoy making cookies and candies to have on hand during that time.

Everyone seems to like these sweets that Granny Shubert used to make during the month of December. I don’t know where she got the recipes, but I have a recipe card for each of them written by her. I have copied them just as she wrote them. Maybe you’d like to give them a try and see if your family and friends like them as much as mine do.

She always claimed, as her children did, that she didn’t cook much; but, she always seemed to have trays of these around when we came home for the holidays. Remember them?

ORANGE BALLS

1 box vanilla wafers, crushed

1 stick oleo or butter, melted

1 box powdered confectioners’ sugar

1 small can orange juice (not diluted)

1 cup nuts, chopped very fine

Coconut (optional)

Mix all together except coconut and form very small balls. Roll in crushed coconut. Makes approximately 6 dozen. If dough becomes too dry to handle, add a few drops of water.

Keep in refrigerator or freezer. No cooking needed!

CHOCOLATE BALLS

1 box powdered confectioners’ sugar

1 cup graham cracker crumbs

½ cup crunchy peanut butter

1 small can Angel Flake coconut

2 sticks margarine or butter

1 package chocolate chips

¼ block paraffin

Mix first 4 ingredients in large bowl. Melt 2 sticks of margarine, pour over dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. Shape into balls about ¾-inch in diameter. Melt margarine, chocolate chips and paraffin. Dip balls into chocolate mixture and place on waxed paper to harden.

BOURBON ROLL

1 box (1 pound 2 ounces) vanilla wafers, crushed

1 cup Eagle Brand milk

1 cup chopped candied cherries

1 cup chopped candied pineapple

1 cup coconut

1 pound chopped pecans

5 tablespoons bourbon

Mix all together and shape into 4 long rolls. Roll in powdered confectioners’ sugar and wrap in foil. Chill and cut or freeze.

Pictured in photo from left to right: Sue DeLozier Davis,

William Spence Davis, and Granny Marilee Davis Shubert

My Favorite German Chocolate Cake

German Chocolate Cake is one of my family's favorite desserts for special occasions. I always thought it a little tricky to make because of the use of three layers. But as I've gotten older and more experienced in the kitchen I've found it's not difficult at all. There are a few tricks that will help you in the construction of this beautiful 3-layer German Chocolate Cake.

I found this written up in the Dallas Morning News twelve or fifteen years ago and added it to our Family Cookbook. You can find my article here on the pitfalls and successes of publishing our Family cookbook entitled "How to Put Your Family's Recipes Into a Cookbook Using WordPerfect."

I use this particular version of German Chocolate Cake when making cakes for a birthday party, a Christmas get-together, a reunion, or other special occasions.

The ingredients are as follows:

1 (4-ounce) package Baker's German's sweet baking chocolate

½ cup water

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks) margarine or butter, softened

2 cups sugar

4 egg yolks

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup buttermilk

4 egg whites

Coconut-Pecan Filling and Frosting (recipe follows)

Preheat your oven to 350° F. Line the bottoms of 3 (9-inch) round cake pans with wax paper and set them aside. In a microwave, heat the chocolate and water in a large bowl on high for 1½-2 minutes or until the chocolate is almost melted, stirring halfway through heating time. Stir until the chocolate is completely melted.

Mix flour, baking soda and salt and set the mixture aside. Beat margarine and sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until mixture is light and fluffy. Add the egg yolks, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.

Stir in chocolate mixture and vanilla.

Add flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk, beating after each until smooth.

Beat egg whites in another large bowl with electric mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form. Gently stir egg whites into batter. Pour into prepared pans.
Bake 30 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched in the center. Immediately run a spatula between cakes and sides of pans. Cool 15 minutes; remove from the pans. Remove wax paper. Cool completely on wire racks. Spread coconut-pecan filling between layers and over top of cake.

Coconut-Pecan Filling and Frosting:

In a large saucepan, mix 1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk, 1½ cups sugar, ¾ cup (1½ sticks) margarine or butter, 4 egg yolks (slightly beaten) and 1½ teaspoons vanilla. Cook and stir over medium heat about 12 minutes or until the mixture is thickened and golden brown. Remove from heat. Stir in 1 (7-ounce) package shredded sweetened coconut (about 2⅔ cups) and 1½ cups chopped pecans. Cool to room temperature.

The Bad News:

The Dallas Morning News reports that each serving has about 848 calories, 51 grams fat and 152 mg cholesterol. But, it sure is gooooood!

Helpful Hints:

If you freeze the layers for 30 minutes or an hour after they cool on the counter it will be easier to spread frosting on them. Lightly brush off any crumbs from the frozen layers and place them on wax paper as you're working on the frosting.

Place one of the cake layers in the middle of a cake plate, frost with about 1 cup of icing and top with a second cake layer. Frost the second layer and place the third cake layer on top. Frost the third layer with the rest of the icing. This cake typically does not have icing around the edges so if you want to frost the edges you will have to make more icing.

To make perfect egg whites use perfectly clean utensils. Place bowl (preferably glass or metal), electric mixer wire whip, and egg whites in refrigerator to get completely cold before beating.

Buttermilk Substitution

If you don't have buttermilk, mix up some soured milk to use as a substitute.

To make 1 cup of soured milk, place 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar in a 1‑cup glass measuring cup. Add enough low‑fat (1% milkfat) milk to measure 1 cup; stir until mixed. Let the mixture stand for 5 minutes in the refrigerator before using.

Hope you try this recipe and use it often!

Judy's Chocolate Cream Pie

Chocolate cream pie has been one of my favorites for as long as I can remember. In my family chocolate cream pies were made for every get-together; but some family members liked one kind of pie more than another, so we usually had a chocolate cream, lemon meringue, coconut cream, and chess pie. One for every taste bud!

Most cream pies start with the same basic recipe with the addition of chocolate or coconut, etc. I found my mother-in-law's recipe for chocolate cream pie in a recipe book from her high school in Maryville, Tennessee. I use it every time I create one of these luscious desserts! My husband especially likes pie. He complains that I don't cook them nearly often enough.

My Tips and Suggestions

When I first started making this pie I wondered why the instructions said to stir a portion of the hot mixture over the beaten egg yolks. So I conveniently skipped over this step. Then I noticed my pie mixture had stringy cooked egg pieces all through it, similar to that found in fried rice! I reread recipe and followed it to the letter next time, and like magic, no more stringy cooked egg pieces.

I like to sift my cocoa with my sugar, salt, cornstarch, and flour before placing in saucepan. This eliminates any lumps forming while heating.

While making meringue and after pouring the chocolate pie mixture into baked pie shells, gently place a piece of Saran Wrap or other similar wrap over the chocolate, pressing out the air bubbles forming underneath the Saran Wrap and pushing it to the edges of crimped pie shell. This prevents the chocolate pie mixture from forming a layer of thickened "skin" on top.

I follow my stepmother's advice while making meringue. She always added about ¨û teaspoon baking powder - she called it a "pinch" when adding the sugar. The baking powder makes the meringue higher and fluffier.

I also find that the modern version of meringue works better: beat the sugar into egg whites 1 tablespoon at a time, beating on high speed of mixer about 4 minutes more or till mixture forms stiff, glossy peaks and sugar dissolves (rub a little of the meringue between your fingers - it should feel completely smooth).

I hope you'll try making a cream pie of your own. They are delicious.

Ingredients:

2 baked pie shells

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 tablespoon flour

3 cups milk

4 tablespoons Hershey's cocoa

3 egg yolks

1 tablespoon butter

1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

3 egg whites for meringue

Instructions:

Bake pastry shells and cool.

Blend together in a saucepan the sugar, salt, cornstarch, flour and cocoa. Gradually stir in the milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture thickens. Remove from heat. Stir a portion of this mixture over the beaten egg yolks, stirring briskly. Then blend into hot mixture, return to heat and continue cooking over low heat until thick, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add butter and vanilla. Cool. Pour into cool pastry shell. Top with meringue.

Meringue

Ingredients:

3 egg whites

6 tablespoons sugar

Instructions

Beat well the egg whites. Use 2 level tablespoons sugar for each egg white. Fold in sugar gradually. Use a folding motion. Do not beat in sugar.

Recipe submitted to Porter PTA Cookbook
By Mrs. Elmer Scarbroug

Also published by Judy Shubert at Associated Content.