Recipe
15 Sep 2006

Hershey’s “Perfectly Chocolate” Cake with Chocolate Frosting

Filed Under:

1 Comment

spoilingvernon2

For cake

  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup Hershey’s Cocoa
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 cup boiling water

For frosting

  • 1 stick (1/2 cup) butter or margarine
  • 2/3 cup Hershey’s Cocoa
  • 3 cups powdered sugar
  • 1/3 cup milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Make cake

Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans.

Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Pour batter into prepared pans.

Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely.

Make frosting

Melt butter. Stir in cocoa. Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, beating to spreading consistency. Add small amount additional milk, if needed. Stir in vanilla. About 2 cups frosting.

Makes 10 to 12 servings.

Recipe by Hershey’s Kitchens

—

Substitutions: I used whole wheat flour since it was all that I had on hand. While it sounds kinda weird, it turned out perfectly moist and chocolatey, plus it had extra fiber. For the frosting i used granulated rather than powdered sugar and as a result the frosting was a bit grainy. In the future i will probably run out to the store to get some powdered sugar since I never have it on hand.

Recipe
15 Sep 2006

Lemon Risotto with Spinach

Filed Under:

3 Comments

WeAdoreRisotto3

  • 6 cups canned low-salt chicken broth
  • 3 1/2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 large shallots, chopped
  • 2 cups arborio rice or medium-grain white rice
  • 1/4 cup dry white wine
  • 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (about 3 ounces)
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 4 teaspoons grated lemon peel

Bring broth to simmer in large saucepan over medium heat. Reduce heat to low; cover to keep warm. Melt 1 1/2 tablespoons butter with oil in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add shallots and sauté until tender, about 6 minutes. Add rice; stir 1 minute. Add wine and stir until evaporated, about 30 seconds. Add 1 1/2 cups hot broth; simmer until absorbed, stirring frequently. Add remaining broth 1/2 cup at a time, allowing broth to be absorbed before adding more and stirring frequently until rice is creamy and tender, about 35 minutes. Stir in cheese and remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Stir in parsley, lemon juice, and lemon peel. Season risotto with salt and pepper. Transfer to bowl and serve.

Makes 6 first-course or 4 main-course servings.

Bon Appétit, May 2002

—

Substitutions: I pretty much stick to the recipe with this one, but try to use as little butter as possible. Leaving out the butter is not detrimental to the risotto’s instrinsic creaminess. Trust me. I also like to add in fresh spinach toward the end of the cooking period because spinach is awesome. i have also substituted onions for shallots on a number of occasions.

Recipe
15 Sep 2006

Buttermilk Pancakes with Maple Syrup Apples

Filed Under:

5 Comments

 

For pancakes

  • 1 cup whole wheat flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 large egg, lightly beaten
  • 1 cup well-shaken buttermilk
  • Butter for brushing griddle

Preheat oven to 200°F.

Whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, egg, and buttermilk until smooth.

Heat a griddle or a large heavy skillet over moderate heat until hot enough to make drops of water scatter over its surface, then brush with butter. Working in batches and using a 1/4-cup measure filled halfway, pour batter onto griddle and cook, turning over once, until golden, about 2 minutes per batch. Transfer to a heatproof plate and keep warm, covered, in oven.

Cooks’ note:Batter keeps, chilled and covered, 3 days. Thin as necessary with additional buttermilk or water, 1 tablespoon at a time, before using.

Makes 14 (3-inch) pancakes.

For maple syrup apples

  • 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter
  • 3 large Golden Delicious apples (about 1 1/2 pounds), peeled, cored, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
  • 1 tablespoon plus 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Melt butter in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add apples and 1 tablespoon maple syrup; sauté until apples are tender, about 5 minutes. Mix in remaining 1/2 cup maple syrup and cinnamon.

Spoon apples over pancakes. Serve, passing additional maple syrup.

Makes 4 servings.

Adapted from Gourmet, May 2004 and Bon Appétit, October 2004

[For Printable Recipe Click Here]