One of my favorite foods of the season is zucchini. The summer squash is so versatile — I love using it as a base for pasta sauce or adding it to my favorite meatloaf. The water in zucchini lends perfect moisture to dishes, which also makes it great for baking.

My husband looked at me a little funny when he saw me grating zucchini to throw into my chocolate cake batter last night. “What are you doing with that cucumber?” he asked. I couldn’t stop laughing! He has no interest in tasting this chocolate cake after seeing what went into it, but I promise — as long as they didn’t watch you make it — no one will know zucchini is the secret ingredient to this delicious dessert.

I’ve been experimenting with different sugars and flours lately and I’ve fallen in love with coconut sugar. Coconut sugar is made from the sap of the coconut palm tree and, despite its name, has no coconut flavor whatsoever. The taste is more reminiscent of caramel, similar to conventional brown sugar. You use brown sugar in this recipe if you don’t have coconut sugar on hand.

If you’ve got a garden that’s bursting with zucchini, this is a great way to use some of the squash up. This cake also freezes beautifully!

Chocolate Zucchini Cake

[ingredients title=”Ingredients”]

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 cups coconut sugar
• 2 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 cups zucchini, grated
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1/2 cup dark chocolate chunks or chips
• 1 cup milk chocolate chips

[/ingredients]

[directions title=”Directions”]

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Use butter or coconut oil to grease a glass 13 x 9 baking pan.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda and salt until combined. Set aside.
3. In a separate, medium bowl, stir together zucchini, eggs, vanilla and applesauce until combined. Carefully add zucchini mixture to dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Use a rubber spatula to fold in 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips. Pour batter into greased pan, smoothing it out using a rubber spatula.
4. Bake cake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove cake from oven and place on top of a cooling rack.
5. While cake cools, place 1 cup chocolate chips in a medium, microwave-safe bowl. Heat on high for 10 seconds, then remove from microwave and stir. Repeat this process at 10-second increments until chocolate is melted and smooth. Use a spoon to drizzle melted chocolate all over cake. Allow cake to cool completely before serving.

[/directions]

The post Chocolate Zucchini Cake appeared first on The Broadcasting Baker.

There are some bites that just stick with you. Foods you try for the first time that you’ll never forget. Once you’ve had a taste, you can’t imagine a world where something so delicious doesn’t exist. Texas sheet cake is one of those foods for me.

The first time I had it was when my Grandpa Les’ friend/ex-wife/girlfriend (it was complicated) Miss Hal brought some over to a family gathering. Every time we traveled south to see my grandpa in Arkansas, he would have a beef or pork roast waiting for dinner, but there was rarely dessert. Hal changed that when she was around. She almost always made a classic Texas Sheet Cake, which is a rich, chocolate dessert that’s somewhere between a cake and a brownie. I’d never tasted anything like it before. The frosting and the cake itself practically melted in your mouth. It wasn’t a dessert anyone in our family made, so I treasured every bite when Hal brought over one of those warm cakes.

As delicious as her chocolate version was, I think white Texas sheet cake is even better. I didn’t know it existed until I got into baking and college and started perusing the Internet for a recipe to help me recreate Hal’s famous dessert. I settled instead on the vanilla-almond version and fell in love with the simple cake all over again.

I make birthday cakes for everyone in our newsroom and, when a birthday came up this past week, several people in the newsroom requested this cake. It’s become my most popular recipe.

The beauty of Texas sheet cakes is they’re pretty foolproof. You don’t have to mess with layers and you actually have to frost the cake when it’s warm, so it comes together quickly. The biggest problem you’ll have? Only eating one piece.

White Texas Sheet Cake

[ingredients title=”Ingredients”]

Cake

• 2 cups flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. almond extract
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup unsalted butter

Frosting

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/4 cup milk
• 4 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1/2 tsp. almond extract

[/ingredients]

[directions title=”Directions”]

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 10.5 by 15.5-inch jelly roll pan.
2. In the large bowl of an electric mixer, combine flour, sugar, sour cream, eggs, baking soda and almond extract. Set aside.
3. Use a medium pan to melt one cup butter over medium heat. Once butter is melted, add water and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and carefully pour into flour mixture. Stir slowly with an electric mixer until smooth. Pour batter into jelly roll pan and bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until cake is set and slightly golden. Remove from oven and set aside.
4. To make frosting, melt 1/2 cup butter in a large pan. Once butter is melted, add milk and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and whisk in powdered sugar and almond extract until smooth. Pour frosting over warm cake and use an offset spatula to quickly spread over the entire surface. Let cake cool completely before covering and storing in the fridge.

[/directions]

The post White Texas Sheet Cake appeared first on The Broadcasting Baker.

There’s a tradition when it comes to birthdays in our newsroom. Whenever someone is celebrating one, I bake that person a cake of their choosing. Many of the requests are the same: Red Velvet, chocolate cake, lemon cake. But, every once in a while, someone requests something different.

When my co-worker asked for a Boston Cream Pie for his birthday, I was pleasantly surprised. It’s a recipe I’d forgotten about and was so happy to rediscover.

There’s only one person I know who ever made Boston Cream Pie: Grandpa Cork. It was one of his signature dishes, often requested for birthdays and other special occasions. The best part was how he would present the cake — often with enthusiastic song and plenty of laughs.

I helped Grandpa make this Boston Cream Pie a couple of times, but I haven’t ever baked one on my own. In fact, I haven’t had this cake since Grandpa Cork died over ten years ago.

So, I pulled out the old Betty Crocker Cookbook of his that I have and flipped to the recipe. It was easier to make than I remembered and almost therapeutic to revisit a recipe that I associate with so many good memories. I found myself longing for my grandparents’ house in LaSalle, their witty jokes and the sound of their old clock chiming. It’s amazing how certain smells and tastes can transport us.

This cake was a hit in the newsroom. Many people said it taste like a giant, cream-filled donut, which is a pretty good description. I wish I got a picture of this thing sliced open — the thick custard filling is the best part!

Every bite reminded me of my childhood. I can’t wait to make this again. Why did it take me so long?

Boston Cream Pie

modified from Betty Crocker

Filling

[ingredients title=”Ingredients”]

• 2 large egg yolks, beaten
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 Tbsp. corn starch
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. vanilla

Cake

• 1 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups cake flour
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1/2 tsp. salt

Chocolate Glaze

• 3 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 3 oz. dark chocolate
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 3 to 4 Tbsp. heavy cream
• 1 tsp. vanilla

[/ingredients]

[directions title=”Directions”]

1. In a small bowl, whisk together egg yolks and 1 1/2 cups milk. Set aside.
2. In a medium saucepan, stir together sugar, corn starch and salt until combined. Place over medium heat and gradually add egg mixture, whisking constantly. Cook until mixture starts to thicken and boil, still stirring constantly. Boil for one minute before removing from heat. Immediately cover with plastic wrap, pressing it onto the surface of the custard to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate for at least two hours.
3. While filling cools, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour the bottom of a 9-inch cake pan.
4. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar together using an electric mixer on high until light and fluffy, about three minutes.
5. Add remaining cake ingredients to butter and sugar mixture and beat on low speed until smooth, being sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
6. Pour cake batter into pan and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow cake to cool in the pan for 20 minutes before removing it from the pan and transferring it to a wire cooling rack. Cool completely before assembling cake.
7. While cake cools, make the chocolate glaze. In a small saucepan, melt butter and chocolate over low heat, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Whisk powdered sugar into chocolate mixture until combined. Add vanilla and one Tablespoon of heavy cream to the mixture at a time until glaze is just thin enough to spread.
8. To assemble the cake, cut it in half horizontally using a cake leveler or large, serrated knife. Place the bottom layer cut-side-up on a cake plate and top with chilled custard. Place second half of cake on top, cut side down. Spread warm glaze over the top of the cake, allowing it to drip down the sides. Refrigerate until serving.

[/directions]

The post Boston Cream Pie appeared first on The Broadcasting Baker.

I’ve been dreaming of this cake for weeks. Is that weird?

I’m a huge fan of citrus season. Grapefruit is by far my favorite fruit and I love eating it plain for breakfast or with a little honey when I get a craving for something sweet.

Grapefruit Pamplemousse also happens to be my all-time favorite La Croix flavor. I don’t know if I can live without it. It’s perfect plain, but also great after a long week with a splash of vodka.

Anyway, back to CAKE. I’ve been brainstorming ways to bake with grapefruit and kept coming back to the idea of an upside-down cake. It’s the perfect way to balance out the tartness of the fruit. And how beautiful is this?! It’s amazing to see the end result when it’s so simple to put together.

I threw in some orange and lemon to make the cake more colorful and was so happy with the end result. If you’re not a fan of grapefruit, you can easily add more lemons or oranges instead.

I topped this beauty with some freshly-whipped cream and toasted coconut. It’s the perfect combination of flavors! And there’s something about the bright colors that makes me feel like warmer weather is just around the corner. Here’s hoping!

Coconut Citrus Upside-Down Cake

Modified from Damaris Phillips’ Pineapple Upside-Down Cake.

[ingredients title=”Citrus Layer Ingredients”]

• 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 2/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 large grapefruit; peeled, sliced thinly and seeded*
• 1 blood orange, peeled and sliced thinly
• 1 lemon; peeled, sliced thinly and seeded

[/ingredients]

[ingredients title=”Cake Ingredients”]

• 1 1/3 cups flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• Juice of 1 blood orange
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup unrefined coconut oil
• 1 large egg

[/ingredients]

[ingredients title=”Whipped Cream and Coconut Topping Ingredients”]

• 1 cup whipping cream
• 1/2 cup unsweetened flaked coconut

[/ingredients]

[directions title=”Directions”]

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Melt the butter over medium heat in a 10-inch cast iron skillet. Add brown sugar and cook, stirring constantly, until sugar is melted — about two minutes. Make sure the mixture evenly coats the bottom of the pan.
3. Remove skillet from heat and arrange grapefruit, orange and lemon slices to cover the entire bottom of the skillet.
4. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
5. In a medium bowl, whisk together milk, vanilla and orange juice. Set aside.
6. In the bowl of a large electric mixer, combine coconut oil and sugar. Beat on high until light and fluffy, about four minutes. Add egg and beat until combined.
7. Pour half of the flour mixture into the coconut oil mixture, beating until just combined. Add milk mixture and beat until just combined. Then add remaining flour mixture and beat until combined.
8. Pour batter into the skillet over sliced citrus, using a metal spatula to spread it evenly over all of the fruit.
9. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, until the top of the cake is golden brown. Allow to cool for 15 minutes before carefully inverting the cake onto a plate.
10. While cake cools, toast coconut by placing it in a small pan over medium heat. Stir the coconut often and remove from heat once it turns golden brown, about five minutes.
11. Using the highest speed of an electric mixer, beat whipping cream until stiff. Top cake with whipped cream and toasted coconut before serving.

[/directions]

*Note: The grapefruit flavor is strong, even after the addition of sugar. If you aren’t a fan of grapefruit, substitute three more lemons or oranges instead. 

The post Coconut Citrus Upside-Down Cake appeared first on The Broadcasting Baker.

So, what’s the problem? I don’t like drinking liquid potpourri.

There are few varieties of beer I don’t like and pumpkin beer is one of them. It just doesn’t taste like beer to me — so what’s the point?

This week I found myself staring into our fridge at a couple bottles of Schlafly Pumpkin Ale wondering what to do with them. Schlafly beer is great, but I just couldn’t bring myself to drink them. I did something even better — I baked them.

That’s how I came up with this Double Chocolate Bundt Cake with Pumpkin Ale Glaze. The cake recipe is one of my favorites from Picky Palate. I’ve used that cake recipe nearly a dozen times and it always turns out perfectly moist. It’s crowd pleaser! The pumpkin spice buttercream listed in the recipe is amazing, but the glaze I use is lighter. If you aren’t a beer fan, don’t worry — the pumpkin ale itself is very sweet and you can barely taste the beer flavoring.

This recipe does only use a small portion of a bottle of beer, but save the leftovers! I’ve got a recipe for Pumpkin Ale Ice Cream coming your way tomorrow.

Double Chocolate Bundt Cake with Pumpkin Ale Glaze

Cake recipe from Picky Palate 

[ingredients title=”Cake Ingredients”]

• 1 box devil’s food cake mix
• 1 box instant chocolate pudding
• 1/2 cup coconut, canola or vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup milk
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 15 oz. pumpkin
• 2 cups semi-sweet dark chocolate chips

[/ingredients]

[ingredients title=”Glaze Ingredients”]

• 4 Tbsp. pumpkin beer
• 1 Tbsp. milk
• 2 cups powdered sugar

[/ingredients]

[directions title=”Directions”]

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat bundt pan in butter then lightly coat with flour, shaking off any excess. Set aside.
2. Combine all cake ingredients in a large bowl or stand mixer and mix on medium speed until combined. Pour batter into bundt pan and even out top by using a rubber spatula.
3. Place cake on middle oven rack and cook for 45 to 55 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
4. Place pan on cooling rack for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, run a knife along the edges of the cake before flipping it out of the pan and straight onto the cooling rack. Cool completely.
5. While cake cools, make the glaze by combining beer, milk and powdered sugar. Stir with a fork or whisk until smooth. Once cake is cool, spoon glaze all over cake.

[/directions]

The post Double Chocolate Bundt Cake with Pumpkin Ale Glaze appeared first on The Broadcasting Baker.