Red Velvet Cake (Fine cooking) Makes one 9-inch cake. Red velvet cake is a dessert that everyone oohs and aahs over�it�s tall, dark, and handsome, with deep crimson cake layers and a thick coating of cream cheese frosting above, around, and between. This red velvet cake recipe excerpted from David Guas and Raquel Pelzel's DamGoodSweet, is about as southern as a cake can be, but their version veers a bit from tradition. For the cake: 2 sticks (1 cup) plus 2 Tbs. unsalted butter, at room temperature 3-1/4 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder 1-1/2 tsp. baking powder 1-1/2 tsp. baking soda 1/2 tsp. salt 1 (1-lb.) box light brown sugar (about 2-1/4 cups) 3 Tbs. red food coloring 2-1/2 tsp. vanilla extract 3 large eggs 1-3/4 cups buttermilk For the frosting 1-1/4 lb. cream cheese, at room temperature 2-1/2 sticks (1-1/4 cups) unsalted butter, at room temperature 2 tsp. vanilla extract 1 (2-lb.) bag confectioners� sugar (about 7-1/4 cups) To make the cake Heat the oven to 350F. Grease two 9-inch cake pans with 1 Tbs. of butter each. Add 2 Tbs. of the flour to each pan and shake the pans to coat the bottom and sides. Tap out the excess flour and set the pans aside. Sift the remaining 3 cups of flour with the cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, and set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer (or in a large bowl if using a hand mixer) cream the remaining butter with the brown sugar, food coloring, and vanilla on low to combine. Increase the mixer speed to medium-high and beat until aerated and pale, about 2 minutes. Reduce the speed to medium and add the eggs, one at a time, beating thoroughly between each addition, scraping the bowl as necessary. Reduce the speed to low and add one-third of the dry ingredients followed by half of the buttermilk. Repeat, finishing with the final third of the dry mix. Divide the batter between the two prepared cake pans, spreading it out as evenly as possible. Bake until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean and the center of the cake resists slight pressure, about 40 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes, and then run a paring knife around the edges of each pan to release the cake from the sides; invert the cakes onto the cooling rack. Cool for 1 hour, and then wrap each cake in plastic wrap for at least a few hours. To make the frosting Beat the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla together in the bowl of a stand mixer (or in a large bowl if using a hand mixer) on low speed to combine. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat until aerated and light, about 2 minutes. Stop the mixer and add a few cups of the confectioners� sugar, incorporating it into the cream cheese mixture on low speed until combined. Repeat with the remaining sugar, adding it to the mixer in two additions. Once all of the sugar is added, increase the speed to medium-high and beat until fluffy, about 1 minute. To assemble the cake Unwrap the cake layers. Slice off the rounded top 1/8 inch of each cake and place the trimmed-away portion in the bowl of a food processor. Slice each cake in half horizontally (you�ll end up with 4 layers), working over a baking sheet to catch any crumb. Add the crumbs to the food processor and pulse until fine. Place one cake layer on a cake round or large plate (make sure that the diameter of the plate is at least 1 inch larger than the cake). Use an offset spatula to evenly spread a heaping 3/4 cup of frosting on the first cake layer. Repeat with the remaining three cake layers, ending with a bottom half of a cake on top, browned-side up (so you don�t get cake crumbs in the frosting). Spread the remaining frosting over the top and sides of the cake (the sides don�t have to look perfect�you�re going to cover them with cake crumbs anyway). Gently press a handful of the reserved crumbs into the side of the cake until all of the sides are evenly coated. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving. make ahead tips You can make the cake layers up to 3 days in advance. The filled and frosted cake keeps for up to 3 days in the refrigerator. Let it stand at room temperature for at least 20 minutes before slicing.

Busy weekend here so I'm reporting in late. I made the flourless cake that Gina posted. I saw Linda's too but only had eight eggs in the fridge. I added some rasberries and sauce for serving. This is a wonderful and VERY rich cake. A small slice will take care of your chocolate fix for sure! Beverly asked me for this recipe a couple of weeks ago. I'm posting it here and hope she finds it. I don't have her email addy....might post a new thread so she can see??? A friend brought this over for Labor Day Weekend. We took a quick pic on her phone so it's not the best but you get the idea. She got the recipe from Women's World but they don't have a web site. We found this one on google and it's the same that was in the magazine. Deluxe Dirt Cake Posted by shirley on May 10, 2008, 6:59 pm in General ( Shirleys collections) Ingredients: 1 pkg. (18.25 oz.) devil's food cake mix eggs, oil and water 2 pkgs. (3.9-oz.) instant chocolate pudding and pie filling 1-1/2 cups + 3 tbsp. milk 1 cup butter, room temperature 1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese room temperature 5-1/2 cups confectioners' sugar from 2 (1 lb.) bags 1 tsp. vanilla extract 36 Oreo cookies Directions: 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 2 (9-in.) round cake pans. Prepare cake mix according to package directions, adding 1 pkg, pudding filling to batter. Divide batter between pans. Bake 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10-minutes. Remove from pans to racks; cool completely. 2. In bowl, whisk remaining pudding filling and 1-1/2 cups milk until thickened. Chill until set, 15-minutes. On medium speed, beat butter and cream cheese until fluffly. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar, remaining tbsp. milk and extract, 1-minute. 3. Place 10 cookies in plastic food storage bag; crush coarsely with rolling pin. Stir into pudding mixture. Place 1 cake layer on plate. Spread with 1-cup frosting, then with pudding mixture, leaving about 1-inch border. Top with remaining layer. Transfer 1-1/2 cups frosting to pastry bag fitted with star tip; reserve. Frost cake with remaining frosting. Pipe reserved frosting around edge of cake. Break up 10 cookies; place in center. Press remaining cookies into bottom of cake, (Cookies form a bottom border.) Chill before serving. Yields: 16 servings Another great collection of recipes to work through for sure! Kate, mustard sound like a good topic too. I have one in mind when Nancy starts the new post. David

I made the recipe from the back of the Hershey's Cocoa box and it was pretty good. It's a chocolate cake recipe with chocolate frosting. I love a recipe where the only ingredient for choclate is cocoa, because I keep that on hand. I usually have a square or two of baker's choclate, but never enought to make a whole recipe with. I buy it on a per project basis. It wasn't quite done on time, so I left it in the oven a little longer and the edges got a little overdone. A glass of milk helps with that. It's a very dark and moist cake. The order in which you add ingredients seemed a little weird for me. Maybe because I'm used to making cookies. You start with the flour, sugar, salt, soda, powder, and cocoa. Then add the eggs and vanilla. Then some milk and a cup of boiling water. Strange order it seems. I'm sure it would have been even better had I not baked it in silicone baking pans. I really dislike those things!

Since I don't like "sweet" with my meat or fish, I only use maple syrup in traditionally sweet foods. Mostly desserts or . Home Cookin Chapter: Recipes From Thibeault's Table Maple Cream Fudge ================= 1 cup white sugar 1 cup brown sugar 1 cup cream 1/3 cup of butter 1/4 cup of maple syrup pinch of salt vanilla . Add the two sugars, butter and cream maple syrup and salt into a sauce pan. Place over medium heat. Stir while bringing to a boil. Lower the heat and continue to stir slowly while the mixture cooks. After about 7 minutes, test by pouring a small amount into some cold water. You want it to form a soft ball. You might need to cook it for another minute or two. Remove from the heat, add a couple of teaspoons of vanilla and start stirring. It takes about 14 or 15 minutes for the fudge to cool and thicken. Pour into buttered dish. Option: Replace the cream and cup of white sugar with one can of Sweetened Condensed Milk and increase the maple syrup to 1 cup. 1 1/2 cups brown sugar 1/2 cup white 1/2 cup white corn syrup 1 cup butter 1 cup cream pinch of salt vanilla Cook to almost hard ball stage. Let cool slightly, stir and then pour into butter pan or mini muffin tins. Home Cookin Chapter: Recipes From Thibeault's Table Maple Mousse With Walnut Praline ================================ Source: Marg (Friend) 1 Tablespoon Gelatin 1 1/4 cup cold water 2 eggs beaten 1 cup maple syrup 1 Cup whipping cream - whipped . Soak gelatin in cold water. Beat eggs and combined with maple syrup in top of a double boiler. cook stirring constantly over boiling water until it coats a spoon. Add gelatin and stir until dissolved. Strain if necessary. Refrigerate until thick. Whip cream until stiff. Whip gelatin mixture. Fold in whip cream until well combined. Pour into 3 1/2 cup mold and refrigerate until set. Praline 1 cup walnuts 1 cup white sugar 1/4 cup cold water toast walnuts at 350 for 10 minutes. Do not burn Add water to sugar in heavy sauce pan and stir until sugar has dissolved. Cook until sugar turns a golden brown. Add nuts and immediately pour on to a buttered cookie sheet. Let set for one hour. Chop coarsely. Sprinkle chopped praline over each serving. Home Cookin Chapter: Recipes From Thibeault's Table Butter Tarts ============ 1/4 cup butter at room temperature 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar 2 eggs 1 tsp vanilla 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice 1 cup maple syrup 1 cup walnut halves Optional - 1/2 cup currants or raisins water Blend together the butter and brown sugar. Beat the eggs lightly and stir into the butter and brown sugar and add the corn syrup. (You can substitute Corn syrup for all or part of the Maple syrup.), add vanilla and raisins if using. Fill tart shells about two thirds full. Bake at 375°F for 15 to 20 minutes or until pastry is golden. The filling in these tarts is runny. Do not over bake or the filling will firm up. Let tarts set in the tins for about 3 minutes. Remove carefully and cool on racks. Makes about twenty 3 inch tarts. Home Cookin Chapter: Recipes From Thibeault's Table ==================== Source: Foodtv.ca Anna Olson Dough * 2 cups all purpose flour * 2 tbsp oats * 1/2 tsp baking powder * 1/2 tsp salt * 1 cup unsalted butter, cut into pieces and chilled * 2 tbsp sour cream * 2 tbsp maple syrup Preheat oven to 350 F. Combine flour, oats, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Cut in butter the texture of coarse meal. Stir sour cream and maple syrup and add to dough, Mixing until it just comes together. Chill dough for 15 minutes.