Queen Mother's Cake

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...We spent a lovely New Year's Eve with good friends. I was asked to make desserts for the gathering and after determining who could eat what, I realized two desserts, one gluten free, would be necessary for the occasion. I wanted the desserts to be festive and worthy of a New year celebration, so I settled on a Tuscan Apple Cake, for general consumption, and an old favorite from the 70's, Maida Heatter's Queen Mother's Cake, for the gluten intolerant. While I no longer have her Book of Great Desserts at hand, I have kept several of her recipes in my collection of inactive recipes. I retrieved this one for the occasion, and after sampling the results on New Year's Eve, I've changed its status and moved it to my active recipe collection. While I'm sharing the recipe as it was originally written, I did make one significant change for the version that was served at the party. Good chocolate has always been necessary for this cake and I recommend you splurge and buy the best you can afford. Heeding my own advice, I made a special trip to purchase chocolate, but in a senior moment managed to grab bittersweet, rather than semisweet bars. I didn't realize the mistake until I was ready to melt the chocolate and I had to proceed because the stores were closed. It was a no harm no foul mistake that you might want to try if you have time and like to to experiment with chocolate. The cake, which comes with a story, was delicious. At some point in the 1950's it was discovered by the pianist Jan Smeterlin. He passed it on to others, one of whom served it at a tea attended by the Queen Mother who asked for the recipe. That recipe found its way to the New York Harold Tribune where it was discovered by Maida Heatter who included it in her first cookbook. It quickly became and has remained her most popular recipe. Some versions of the recipe have the cake bake in a 375 degree oven for 20 minutes and then reduce the heat to 350 degrees for the remainder of the baking time. I think that makes for a dry cake, so I start with a 350 degree oven and reduce the temperature to 325 degrees instead. I also use the microwave to melt my chocolate. It's less fuss and bother than using a double boiler and I vote for any workable shortcut that makes preparation easier. I know you will love this decadently rich, moist and light cake. Here is how it is made.

Crowd Pleasing Texas-Style Sheet Cake

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...The original Texas sheet cake first appeared in the late 1950's. That cake, save for its shape, was much like a German chocolate cake that was baked in a rectangular form, rather than in layers. Since then, liberties have been taken with the original recipe and, to the dismay of purists, any cake that is larger than 9 x 13-inches can be called a Texas sheet cake. I needed a large cake for this weekend, and I thought this would be a perfect time to test a recipe for a sheet cake I found, here, on the King Arthur website. I'm really glad I gave this recipe a try. It is a down-home, family type of confection and it was just what I needed for this weekend. I made and froze the cake, sans icing, earlier in the week, and several hours before I planned to serve it, I brought the cake to room temperature and frosted it. I'm always leery about freezing cakes with chocolate icing because, in my experience, the chocolate clouds and I don't like the way that looks. This is a nice cake and I think those of you who do large scale entertaining might want to try this recipe for your next gathering. It would be perfect for Memorial Day or the 4th of July. Here is how the cake is made.

Easy Everyday Chocolate Cake + One Bowl Butter Cream Frosting

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Once upon a time in America, dessert ended every dinner in most homes. That didn't happen at my house. My mother was not a cook and save for an odd pie now and again, dessert, if it was to be had at all, was jello or boxed pudding. The Silver Fox came from a home where dessert was considered a sacred experience, and his mother would not dream of serving anything as pedestrian as lime jello. She had a bevy of quick dessert recipes, and a version of the cake I'm sharing with you tonight was among them. This is an easy cake to make, and depending on time and inclination, it can be presented as a layer or sheet cake. Knowing that I had to tote the cake, I took the line of least resistance and made a very portable sheet cake with lots of icing on it. You will like this cake. It comes from the Hershey recipe collection and these folks have never let me down. If a recipe has their name on it, I know it will work. This, by the way, is not a sponsored post. I just happen to like the recipes that come from their test kitchen and use them whenever I can. I have nothing to add to the directions below, save for explaining that the original version of this recipe was made with water rather than milk. We went through a nutrition conscious period during the 60's and 70's and moms, being moms, tried to boost the protein grams in every dish they made. The addition of milk was a favorite way of doing that. I must say, I don't think using it changes the way this cake tastes. I do hope you'll give this recipe a try. Here is how this delicious cake is made.

That Old Black Magic Cake

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This recipe is my answer to packaged cake mixes. It was developed in the Hershey test kitchen, and I have used for years, as my go-to recipe when I need a chocolate cake that is versatile and can be made quickly. Baked in a bundt pan, I tote it to meeting. Baked in cake pans, it becomes the base for a chocolate whipped cream cake that will drive men mad, and when unceremoniously dumped into a standard baking pan, it makes a perfect cake for picnics and barbecues. While it is not inexpensive to make, it is so easy to prepare that it is a perfect starter cake for young bakers. I vary the flavor by occasionally using almond or orange extract in place of the vanilla that is called for in the Hershey's recipe. This is a rich, moist cake that will be more appreciated by adults than children, who generally shy away from its intense chocolate flavor. It is important to use unsweetened rather than Dutch processed cocoa in this recipe. Dutch cocoa, which is designed to use with baking powder, will not react with baking soda and the cake will not rise properly. All in all, I think those of you who have never tried this cake, will love it. Here is how it is made.

Child's Play - A Truly Simple Chocolate and Banana Snack Cake

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This cake has many things going for it. Not only can children make it, it's also perfect to prepare when you are working in an ill-equipped summer cottage kitchen. The cake requires no mixing bowls or beaters and it's made in the same pan in which it bakes. Need more? The chocolate chips that top the cake make frosting unnecessary, and, as these things go, it is relatively inexpensive to make. It's also a great way to use up nasty over-ripe bananas. If you are looking for a serviceable cake that has mass appeal, I hope you'll give this simple creation a try. The recipe comes from the Betty Crocker website, and while it won't make your reputation as a cook, it won't harm it either. Here is how the cake is made.