Dessert

Happy German Chocolate Cake Day & Early Father’s Day

by liz · Jun 11, 2013

My dad’s favorite cake has always been German chocolate cake. Early in this cake’s life, that meant using Samuel German’s baking chocolate to make a light-bodied chocolate layer cake, then adding coconut, caramel and pecan icing or glaze in between the layers and on top. You can see why he liked it so much!

When I was young, this was not my favorite cake to eat (no nuts or coconut for this girl, thank you) and it wasn’t the easiest cake to make either. My dad sometimes received a leaning tower of cake mess, other times a whole new version of the cake without layers or coconut or nuts after misreading the salt measurement — I accidentally switched the salt and sugar amounts — and dumping the entire first attempt into the creek behind our house. And for this, he should be thankful.

Today, I join my dad in loving German chocolate cake. And even though I now know how to make chocolate layer cakes, I really love to make these German Chocolate Cake Ice Cream Sundaes instead. It’s easy and satisfying and I don’t even have to turn on my oven! The ice cream even has little bites of chocolate cake in it (and if you can’t find the special German Chocolate Cake summertime flavor, any chocolate ice cream with brownie chunks will do). The flavor takes me right back to countless Father’s Days and birthdays for my dad, which I can now make taste richer and creamier.

Here’s to you dad!

German Chocolate Cake Ice Cream Sundaes

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Evaporated Milk
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg yolk, beaten
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup toasted chopped pecans
1/2 cup flaked coconut
6 scoops German Chocolate Cake Spectacular Ice Cream
1/3 cup whipped cream (optional)
6 maraschino cherries (optional)

Directions:

COMBINE evaporated milk, sugar, egg yolk and butter in a large saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, for about 5 minutes or until thickened, as shown above.

Remove from heat; stir in vanilla extract, pecans and coconut. Pour into a bowl; cool to room temperature.

PLACE scoop of ice cream into each of 6 bowls; drizzle with topping. Garnish with whipped cream and cherries, if desired as shown above. Serve immediately.

Happy German Chocolate Cake Day & Early Father's Day

Author: Meals.com

Recipe type: Dessert

Prep time: 5 mins

Total time: 5 mins

Serves: 6 servings

My dad's favorite cake has always been German chocolate cake. Today, I join my dad in loving German chocolate cake. And even though I now know how to make chocolate layer cakes, I really love to make these German Chocolate Cake Ice Cream Sundaes instead. It's easy and satisfying and I don't even have to turn on my oven!

Ingredients

½ cup Evaporated Milk
½ cup granulated sugar
1 large egg yolk, beaten
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup toasted chopped pecans
½ cup flaked coconut
6 scoops German Chocolate Cake Spectacular Ice Cream
⅓ cup whipped cream (optional)
6 maraschino cherries (optional)

Instructions

COMBINE evaporated milk, sugar, egg yolk and butter in a large saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, for about 5 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla extract, pecans and coconut. Pour into a bowl; cool to room temperature.
PLACE scoop of ice cream into each of 6 bowls; drizzle with topping. Garnish with whipped cream and cherries, if desired. Serve immediately.

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The New Zucchini Bread: Whole-Wheat Dark Chocolate Zucchini Brownies

by liz · Apr 23, 2012

Whole-Wheat Dark Chocolate Zucchini Brownies — Photo by Meals.com

I know you’ve been making Zucchini Bread all summer, so now I’m going to give you a much better alternative for fall: Whole-Wheat Dark Chocolate Zucchini Brownies! Yes folks, zucchini does belong in brownies – it gives the brownies moisture and weight as well as vitamins and other health benefits. In fact, you can use any light-tasting squash in this recipe.

Last fall, my home garden sprouted several squash/pumpkin/zucchini-looking plants all on its own, which threatened to overtake all the vegetables I had actually planted! I kept them in check by picking and cooking as many blossoms as I could, but I still had a lot of green, striped and orangeish squash to eat during fall and winter. So they almost all went into brownies (but click the link to see squash risotto).

Dark chocolate morsels make the flavor rich while adding antioxidants and whole wheat flour works beautifully, making these brownies a little cake-like. And I love encountering the surprise bites of salty-sweet afforded by the coarse sea salt. This brownie recipe is so good; it’s the only one I use now.

Whole-Wheat Dark Chocolate Zucchini Brownies – adapted from Meals.com

Ingredients for 16 servings:

1 cup white whole-wheat flour
1/3 cup baking cocoa
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt
1 regular-size package dark chocolate morsels
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups grated zucchini (about 3 medium)

Directions:

1. PREHEAT oven to 350° F. Line 9-inch-square baking pan with foil.

2. COMBINE flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt in medium bowl.

3. MELT 1 cup morsels in large, microwave-safe bowl on HIGH (100%) power for 1 minute; stir until smooth. Cool slightly. Stir in oil, brown sugar, granulated sugar, egg whites and vanilla extract. Stir in flour mixture; fold in zucchini. Spread into prepared pan. Sprinkle remaining morsels over top + a little more coarse sea salt (I like to use the black lava kind on top).

4. BAKE for 30 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out slightly sticky. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Lift brownies from pan; cut into 16 squares. Store in airtight container for up to 5 days.

Whole-Wheat Dark Chocolate Zucchini Brownies recipe — Photo by Meals.com

Birthday Dinner Party for Girls

by liz · Mar 28, 2011

Birthdays are less painful when you have friends to cook for you.

As I planned what I wanted to do for my birthday this year (a big one!) I remembered what one friend recently did for her wedding. To make it more affordable, and more personal, she rented a historic meeting hall for the reception and asked each guest to make something for dinner to share with the entire group. What a lovely idea! We would all be eating food made by those who loved them. Baked with love. Ok, some folks just bought cheese plates (they must not love them as much as others).

So I decided to do it too, a birthday dinner party for girls.

Some guests volunteered their specialty, and we assigned courses to others, and everyone came through. The girl who brought the cheese plate actually flew it here and surprised us all at the door! One guy showed up (he’s like one of the girls) and we forced him to make deviled eggs. And one girl had previously trained in France in the pastry arts, so we gave her dessert.

And, boy did she do dessert. She brought a coconut pineapple cream cake, shown here, as well as a mixed fruit tart (I love her crusts!) and some crack pie (a copy of the Momofuku one). It was heavenly dessert overload, and I enjoyed my sugar high for days. I’m now addicted to my friends.

They really did bake me some love.

Summer Flavor Twists on Classic Flan Recipe: So I Can Eat More

by liz · Aug 13, 2010

I love flan – or crème caramel in French. And it’s not as hard to make as you might think. Try this easy recipe to get you started. You may have to try it several times to make sure you’ve got it right… to really get the best one you will need to taste test. Preferably a lot.

I also really love the flavor makeover that flan has been getting; I’ve seen strawberry, pumpkin, guava, even flan made with basil. The lightest, airiest best-flavor flan I’ve had this summer was a coconut flan, also lighter in calories/fat – so I can eat more.

These flavor twists on the classic are sure to wrench the sensibilities of any Purist – and it’s true that a classic real flan is delicious, distinguished, creamy and flawless. And probably the best.

But I could become obsessed with a strawberry balsamic basil flan (I’ve already become obsessed with this flavor combination since trying Barbrix‘s strawberry balsamic basil Prosecco summer cocktail). In fact, I can think of a lot of summer cocktails that would make a really good flan: margarita (even a spicy one!), piña colada, mojito, bellini… the list could go on and on. And they will all need to be taste-tested and perfected. Preferably by me.

This could be dangerous. The beginning of an unhealthy, but delicious, relationship…

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