Chocolate Wafers

Chocolate Wafers
Source: Maida Heatter's Book of Great Chocolate Desserts (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 2006 ed.), pg. 129.

These are thin and crisp wafer cookies that can be crumbled for cookie crusts for cheesecakes, etc. Or they can just be eaten as a cookie! I first made these because I could not find chocolate wafer cookies at the grocery store. I first used them crushed for the New York Chocolate Cheesecake and they are delicious as a crust. The recipe can be doubled. As is, it should make about 36 cookies.

2 oz. (2 squares) unsweetened chocolate
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sifted all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
Pinch of salt
2 oz. (1/2 stick) sweet butter
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp. light cream or milk
1 large egg

Preheat the oven to 400. Line cookies sheets with aluminum foil.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

Melt the chocolate over barely simmering water. Set aside.

Cream the butter.

Add the vanilla and sugar and beat well.

Add the melted chocolate.

Mix well.

Add the milk (or light cream).

Add the egg.

On low speed, add the sifted dry ingredients.

Place the dough on wax paper.

Cover with another piece of wax paper and flatten the dough to 1" thickness. Wrap in the paper and refrigerate for 20-30 minutes (no longer or the dough will crack).

Roll the dough out on a floured pastry cloth or board about 1/2 inch thick.

Use a cookie cutter (about 2 3/4 inches wide or whatever size you like) to cut the cookies. Leftover dough can be rerolled.

Place the cookies on the cookie sheets covered with aluminum foil.

Bake for 7-8 minutes until the cookies feel firm to the touch. They are supposed to be crisp and will become crisper as they cool. You can bake 2 sheets at a time (reversing the sheets half-way through) or if you bake one sheet at a time, use the upper rack.

Transfer the cookies to a rack to cool. Store airtight.

Kansas City Chocolate Dream

Kansas City Chocolate Dream
Source: Maida Heatter's Cakes (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 2011 ed.), pg. 73.

This is an interesting recipe and one that is fast and easy. It is also known as a "Chocolate Upside Down Cake" because of the method. You make the cake first, pour the topping mixture over it, and as it bakes, the topping sinks to the bottom of the pan. I didn't find this to be an overly sweet cake. The cocoa and brown sugar give it a very muted flavor. 

Cake

1 cup sifted all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 TBS. unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably Dutch process) 
2/3 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 oz. (1/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup walnuts, broken into medium-size pieces

Adjust a rack one third from the bottom of the oven and preheat to 350. Butter a shallow 8-inch square cake pan and set aside.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, cocoa and sugar. Do this directly in a mixer bowl or transfer it to the mixer.

Add the milk, vanilla, melted butter. Beat until smooth and slightly pale in color. Stir in the nuts.

Turn into the buttered pan. Smooth the top and let stand.

Topping

1/3 cup granulated sugar
6 TBS. unsweetened cocoa (preferably Dutch process)
1/2 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed
1 tsp. granular instant coffee
1 cup water

In a heavy saucepan, combine all the ingredients. Stir over high heat until the sugars melt and the mixture comes to a full boil.

Gently ladle or pour the boiling mixture over the cake batter.

Bake for 35-40 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. During baking the top will sink to the bottom. Set aside to cool in the pan.

When the cake has cooled, cover the pan with a square plate or cutting board. Hold them firming together and invert. The cake may not slide out easily. If not, holding the pan and plate together upside down, firmly tap on the work surface. All of the cake may not come out of the pan. If so, remove the pieces with a rubber spatula and put them on the cake. Smooth the top gently.

Serve immediately or let stand all day or freeze. (If freezing, do not use plastic wrap as it will stick to the topping. Use an inverted box or similar). 

This is good served with ice cream.

Spanish Lime Pie

Spanish Lime Pie Source: Maida Heatter's Book of Great Desserts (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 1999 ed.), pg. 462.

This is a very tart frozen pie, one that makes your mouth pucker. It calls for 1 cup of lime juice so if you don't like too much tartness, you might use a tad less juice. This is an easy recipe and you can make it a few days ahead. It should be wrapped in plastic wrap and stored in the freezer.

Crust

1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 TBS. sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
3 oz. (3/4 stick) melted butter

Adjust rack to center of oven and preheat to 375.

Mix the graham cracker crumbs with sugar and cinnamon. Add the melted butter.

Mix

Press the crumb mixture on the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch pie plate.

Bake at 375 for 8 minutes or until the crust is lightly brown around the edges. Cool completely.

Filling

Finely grated rind of 2 cold limes
1 cup lime juice
4 eggs, separated
2 15-ounce cans sweetened condensed milk
Pinch of salt

Mix the lime zest with the lime juice.

Stir the yolks lightly in a large mixing bowl.

Add the sweetened condensed milk.

Mix.

Gradually add the juice, stirring until smooth.

Add the salt to the egg whites and beat only until they hold they are stiff but not dry.

In two or three additions, fold the whites into the egg mixture.

Pour the mixture into the crust. You may have additional filling. If so, you can pour as much as you can into the crust, freeze the crust for about 20 minutes, and then pour the remaining filling on top, mounding it high in the center. Return to the freezer and freeze for 4-5 hours until firm. It can be frozen overnight or longer. Let stand at room temperature for about 5 minutes before serving.

Devil's Food Cake

Devil's Food Cake Source: Maida Heatter's Book of Great Desserts (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 1999 ed.), pg. 56.

What a beautiful cake this turned out to be!  I thought it was delicious as well - a traditional devil's food cake that is light and subtle. The sweet frosting provides a nice contrast and together they are the perfect match. This calls for three 8" layers so it is a very tall cake. The chocolate curls are optional and I added them at the last minute. This cake will not freeze well because of the 7-minute icing. I had too much cake and not enough people to eat it. I ended up taking it to work on Monday.

3 oz. unsweetened chocolate
2 1/2 cups sifted cake flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 lb (1 stick) butter
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups dark brown sugar, firmly packed
3 eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 cup boiling water

Preheat the oven to 375, adjusting rack to the center of the oven. Butter 3 round 8" cake pans and dust them with fine bread crumbs. (I lined my pans with wax paper as well).

Sift the cake flour, baking soda and salt together and set aside.

Melt the chocolate in the top of a double boiler over low-moderate heat.

Beat the butter to soften it.

Add the vanilla extract.

Add the sugar - beat for a minute or two until well blended.

Add the eggs, one at a time, scraping the bowl occasionally. Continue to beat for a minute or two after the last egg has been added.

Add the melted chocolate.

On the lowest speed, add half of the sifted ingredients.

Add the buttermilk.

Add the remaining sifted ingredients.

Gradually beat in the boiling water.

The batter will be thin. Divide it equally among the 3 pans.

Bake for 18-25 minutes or until the tops spring back when lightly touched. Cool in pans for about 5 minutes. Cover with racks and invert. Remove pans. Let cool completely. Use a long sharp knife to cut off any rises on the tops to make them level.

7 Minute Icing

4 egg whites
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup plus 1 TBS. cold water
1 tsp. cream of tartar
1/8 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Mix all ingredients except for the vanilla in the top of a large double boiler (it must have at least an 8-10 cup capacity - I used my mixer bowl and a large saucepan underneath). Place over hot water on moderate heat. Beat with an electric mixer at high speed for about 5 minutes until the mixture stands in peaks when beaters are withdrawn. Immediately, in order to stop the cooking, transfer the mixture to a large bowl of an electric mixer. Add vanilla. Beat at high speed until the mixture is smooth and stiff. Use immediately.

Frost each layer. Place strips of paper underneath the edges of the bottom layer to avoid a mess.

After the cake is frosted, carefully pull out the strips of paper.