DEVIL'S FOOD CAKE WITH MOCHA BUTTERCREAM...A MOST REQUESTED HOLIDAY CAKE

Remembering November

If November had flavors, it would be clove and pumpkin...with generous dollops of sweet whipped cream.... If November had a feel, it would be a crisp air that would make you turn your collar up and pull your coat close up around you.. Come Thanksgiving, most of the leaves had fallen from the trees, leaving only twiggy branches to endure the winters cold.. There is no doubt about it..

the holidays are special and therefore the food you serve, should be the best of the best... This semi-homemade cake will become a family favorite.....it's excellent!

DEVIL'S FOOD CAKE

1 box Devil's Food Cake Mix 1 cup whole milk 1 stick melted butter 4 eggs 1 t.vanilla 1 t. Espresso powder Blend all ingredients with hand mixer Divide batter between two 8 inch cake pans Bake at 350 degrees for 28 minutes.

MOCHA BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

2 cups butter, room temperature
4 cups powdered sugar
1 T. espresso powder
1 T. cocoa powder
1 T. vanilla
3 T. heavy cream
1/2 t. salt

This cake is moist, has a lovely soft texture and a rich
chocolate flavor!
I am all in favor of using a box cake mix these days,
rather than rather than a recipe calling for 12 or more
ingredients. The cost of groceries these days
is rather expensive, so this is a true cost saver!

COOKIES AND CREAM CAKE

Hello Loves...
It's time......during the Summer,
I begin planning for the holidays....indeed I do....
decorations, recipes to try and planning the menus! 
This is a fantastic cake which I have added to my list
and it received a five star rating from the boys.....

You will need a package of Oreo Cookies,
along with a bag of mini Cookies and Cream candy bars

Cookies and Cream Cake!
The Best Dessert You Will Ever Make!

1 box of milk chocolate cake mix

1 3.4-ounce instant vanilla pudding

1 1/2 cups whole milk

1 cup of cooking oil

3 large eggs

Bake in a preheated oven 350 degrees for 35 minutes.

The Frosting

1 block 8 ounce cream cheese

1 cups powdered sugar

8 Oreos, crumbled

4 mini candy bars cookies and cream. crumbled

1 tsp vanilla

12 ounces cool whip

Blend the softened cream cheese with powdered sugar. In a food processor, crumble the cookies and candy bars together. Blend with the cream cheese, add vanilla and fold in the cool whip. Frost cake, cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

This cake is light, moist and perfect for summer too!

Hey....a brilliant idea.....
our darling granddaughter sent me this photo of her
German Chocolate Cake and I was in awe of how
beautiful her presentation was....I never thought of this......

So, of course I copied her idea....brilliant!

WINTER TO SPRING TABLESCAPE featuring GERMAN CHOCOLATE CAKE

Winter has decided to linger a bit longer
here in the great state of Texas..
but I was yearning for a touch of spring vibes
on the farmhouse table as we transition from winter to spring..
and my yellow floral placemats seemed to be the perfect
foundation for creating  a feeling of cozy....
and I wanted to keep the tablescape simple
and basic...

With spring, comes renewed energy to use our favorite dinnerware,
white linen napkins and vintage floral accent plates

The dessert plates are Longchamp Fruit Plates from France,,
thrifted from Etsy..
I fell in love with these beautiful plates and felt
they would be good for both spring and autumn.

I think they have such vintage charm
when paired with a basic creamy ivory dinner plate...

I love using these placemats in the fall and here I found
myself loving them for a late winter, and early spring vibe...

Just keeping it sweet and simple

I love layering color and dainty textures to create
the perfect tablescape.

And these will be perfect for serving a semi-homemade
German Chocolate Cake....

This is how I love making our favorite cake..semi-homemade
one box cake mix
1 cup milk
4 eggs
1 melted stick of butter

Then , a swirl of salted caramel frosting....
Mother taught me that entertaining is a way of life
in the South....
there is always a reason for hosting those you love...

I am dreaming of an afternoon to celebrate the return of warmer days.....

THE WORLD'S BEST BROWNIE?....YES INDEED THEY WERE!

Yes Ma'am....we are into the Fall Baking series here at Estelle's!



I have always promised to bring you the best of the best recipes
I can find and today, oh honey, we indeed have a blue ribbon winner!
This brownie recipe is an all-time favorite recipe from the family of
Melissa and Tom over in the beautiful state of Kentucky!
Tom demonstrated how to make this out of this world brownie
on their You Tube Channel...COME SIT AT MY TABLE!
Tom said they have made them several times over the years
and everyone wants the recipe......
It certainly lives up to the name and you will
definitely want to make these for your family!

WORLD’S BEST BROWNIES

2 1/2 sticks butter, room temperature
8 oz. semi sweet baking chocolate bar
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 Tablespoon espresso powder
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 teaspoons salt
6 eggs
1 cup all-purpose flour

 Preheat oven to 350°. Spray a baking dish of 9" x 13” pan with nonstick spray. Combine the chopped chocolate bar, 1/4 cup of the cocoa powder, and the espresso powder. Set it aside. Melt the butter, approximately 30 seconds, in the microwave.

Immediately pour the hot melted butter over the chocolate bars, cocoa powder, and espresso powder. Cover this so the hot butter will melt the chocolate. Wait about two minutes, then stir until the chocolate bar is completely melted and smooth. In a mixing bowl, combine the sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, salt, and eggs. Beat on medium to high for 10 minutes. While the mixer continues to run, slowly pour in the slightly cooled butter/chocolate bar/espresso mixture. Beat until just incorporated and smooth. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour and the remaining 1/2 cup of cocoa powder. Add to the mixing bowl and beat on low until the flour/cocoa is incorporated. Do not over mix!

Pour the batter into the prepared 9 x 13” dish.
Smooth top. Bake for 20 minutes.

 After 20 minutes, remove the pan from the oven and
drop it on your countertop three times.
Return it to the oven and bake for an additional 15 to 20 minutes
 until the center is almost set.
 The center may seem to be a little under baked,
but it will set up as the brownies cool. 
Place the brownies on a cooling rack to cool completely.

PERFECT BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

4 oz. semi-sweet chocolate baking bar, chopped
2 Tablespoons heavy whipping cream
 1 1/2 cups butter, room temperature
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
3 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon espresso powder

Place the chopped chocolate bar and 2 tablespoons whipping cream in a bowl and microwave for 30 seconds. Stir until melted. Set aside.

 In a mixing bowl, beat the butter for five minutes. Then slowly drizzle in the 1/4 cup of heavy whipping cream and whip until just combined.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl, if needed.

Sift together the powdered sugar, cocoa powder, salt, and espresso powder. Slowly beat this into the butter/whipping cream mixture. Add the melted semi-sweet chocolate bar mixture, and whip until light and fluffy.
If needed, drizzle in another tablespoon or two of whipping cream to make it a better spreading consistency,
but do not add too much extra cream, or it will be too thin!
Frost the cooled brownies.

Oh Baby.........
A big thank you to COME SIT AT MY TABLE
for sharing this amazing Brownie recipe!

THE NEW BAKING MIXES ARE FINALLY HERE!

Good Morning Y'all.....
oh this was a good day indeed!
I have been waiting for the new WhiteLily baking mixes
to hit the shelves and was tickled pink when I came across
them while checking things off my grocery list!

I cannot wait to try this pound cake which will be served
with fresh berries and whipped cream!
The reviews I have read are five star and I have no doubt
it's gonna be sooooo good!

 

My boys LUV brownies so this is the second mix I wanted to try.....
Now if you like rich, fudgy brownies, this mix is for you!

These won't last long and you can count on WhiteLily for excellent
baking products....

Now of course, we are all familiar with the infamous 
Whistle Stop Cafe , right?
The story made famous by our beloved Fannie Flagg and 
her story of Fried Green Tomatoes.....
well my friend Kathy over in Dothan told me about this
marvelous cobbler mix......

I ordered mine from Amazon and plan on preparing a
divine peach and blueberry cobbler.....
yes, honey....Estelle's is serving up some good food in the coming month.....
It's spring....let's bake, decorate, garden and enjoy a glass of wine on the patio....

WARM CHOCOLATE PUDDING....A WINTER COMFORT TREAT

It's Winter.....
a New Year to live our best life....
what shall we do?
What plans shall will make?
I changed a few things for the new year of 2023....
for starters, I went back to an old favorite by
selecting a Susan Branch, HEART OF THE HOME calendar.
it felt good to change it up a bit.... 
I love her art and the bits of nostalgic wisdom she shares...

 I remember as a child, when Mother would turn the heat on before
we had even gotten out of bed in the morning...
we had floor registers which we would stand over before breakfast...
the warm heat would billow out my nightgown as I stood over the register....
it felt marvelous....

I like this advice...BE A HOMEBODY....

I most certainly am and find myself to be okay with that title.....

A cold day calls for something warm and comforting....

I want to grab a deliciously cozy throw....a good book..

eat tomato soup with grilled cheese for lunch...

enjoy a glass of wine in the evening and treat

myself to a serving of warm chocolate pudding...

topped with meringue and a sprinkling of graham crackers.....

MAKING CHOCOLATE PUDDING
2 large egg yolks...save the whites
2 T. cornstarch
2 cups milk
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup cocoa
1/4 t. salt
1/4 cup butter
2 t. vanilla
1/2 t. espresso powder

In a medium bowl, whisk egg yolks until fluffy,

whisk in cornstarch and 1/4 cup milk...set aside.

Place the sugar, cocoa, salt and 1 3/4 cup milk in saucepan
and bring to a slow boil, stirring constantly.
Spoon about 2 T. of the chocolate mixture into the egg yolks
and whisk to temper.
Add the yolks to the chocolate pudding mixture and 
continue to heat for about two minutes.
Remove from heat, add butter and vanilla.
Pour into ramekins.

Beat the two egg whites into stiff peaks.
Add 1/8 cup sugar.
Spoon meringue over tops of puddings.
Bake in 350 degree oven until  tops are brown.

January is the month of hope and new beginnings....
I updated our guest bath before Christmas so that
Miss M and her family would have a fresh new bathroom
to enjoy while visiting over the holidays.....

I went all white with touches of black....
and I loved the look.....

Small touches of luxury can make a big difference....
It's important to feed our souls with good things...
Wishing you all the best for 2023.....

DEVIL'S FOOD COCONUT PECAN CAKE ....GETTING READY FOR HALLOWEEN!

From ghoulies and ghosties

And long-leggedy beasties

And things that go bump in the night,

Good Lord, deliver us!

– Old Scottish saying

We love Halloween here at Estelle's!

While visiting Austin a few weeks ago,

I found this adorable little witch to add to my collection!

The coffee bar has transformed into an adult edition of celebrating Halloween....

This has always been one of my favorite little sayings for this

magical night of Trick or Treating!

It's been SO much fun changing out the fall decor...

including the tea towels that hang on the oven door!

I was lucky enough to buy the very last witch on the shelf...

What an adorable addition she makes!

Would you just look at those painted nails...too, too cute!

Now, let's get to today's featured recipe...

this is a marvelous cake for a special Fall dinner...

I PROMISE.... you will want to save this recipe!!!

This boxed cake mix recipe is better than any from-scratch cake. You can use any flavor cake mix, but Devil’s Food is our personal favorite. It’s incredibly moist and fudgy thanks to the added sour cream and pudding mix. It’s similar to an Almond Joy, with surprises of chocolate chips, pecans and coconut!

DEVIL’S FOOD COCONUT PECAN CAKE

1 box of Devil’s Food Cake Mix

3 ounce package instant cream of coconut pudding mix

1 cup sour cream

1 cup vegetable oil

4 eggs

1/2 cup milk

1 t. vanilla

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

½ cup chopped pecans

½ cup shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 350ºF.

Beat together the cake mix, pudding mix,
sour cream, oil, eggs, milk, vanilla and ¼ cup of chocolate chips.
 Pour batter into a prepared bundt pan,

Sprinkle the top with remaining chips, pecans and coconut.

Bake for 30-45 minutes, or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cool before inverting to a serving platter!

GERMAN CHOCOLATE CAKE FROM BAYOU CUISINE

This post is about two favorites!

My favorite of all-time cookbook and...

German Chocolate Cake!

A good baker is sure to have German Chocolate Cake in her list of

most requested recipes!

When the darling and I married in 1972,

we were gifted a cookbook which featured many divine

recipes from the Indianola Delta...his family personally knew

many contributors to Bayou Cuisine.

Over the years, I made several recipes from this cookbook

and due to lots of use, the binding seemed to unravel and I think

I had to finally discard the pages in one of our moves!

I have been so sorry I didn't save it as this cookbook

became the recipes that were my family favorites!

Not too long ago, I was able to find a used copy on Amazon

and was over-the-moon when I was once again the owner

of this marvelous Indianola cookbook!

I read it from cover to cover, marking favorites and those recipes from people I knew!

I love used cookbooks and find the most interesting little keepsakes from time to time.

This bookmark was marking the page of German Chocolate Cake

and so it was meant to be baked this very day!

This brings back very special memories for me and our early marriage!

There is almost nothing better, than freshly baked cake served warm

from the oven......along with a cold glass of milk!

It's the little things in life isn't it?