Aunt Alices Chocolate Chiffon Cake Food

CHOCOLATE CHIFFON CAKE RECIPE

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Preheat the oven to 325 F and set aside a 10-cup tube pan (no need to grease).
• In a large bowl, combine the cocoa powder, boiling water, and espresso powder, if using. Whisk until smooth. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
• Once cooled, add the egg yolks and brown sugar; whisk to combine.
• Whisk in the oil, vanilla, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
• Sift the cake flour into the bowl and whisk to combine.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the egg whites and cream of tartar on medium-high speed until soft peaks form.
• With the mixer on medium speed, slowly add the granulated sugar to the egg whites. Once fully added, increase the speed to medium-high and continue whisking until stiff peaks form.
• In 3 additions, gently fold the meringue into the mixing bowl with the cake batter until combined.
• Transfer the cake batter to the pan and bake for 50 to 55 minutes, testing for readiness at 45, until the top springs back when touched and a cake tester inserted in the middle comes out with a moist crumb.
• As soon as your remove from the oven, flip the cake upside down onto the tube pan's feet-see tips if your pan does not have feet. Let rest for about an hour and a half until cooled to room temperature. This process prevents the cake from collapsing.
• To remove the cake from the pan, gently run a knife around the edge of the pan and the tube-you do not want to tear the cake. Remove the sides, then run a long knife between the bottom of the cake and the pan, and carefully lift the cake off of the pan.
• Dust the cake with confectioners' sugar and serve slices with lightly sweetened whipped cream or ice cream. The cake will keep tightly wrapped in plastic wrap at room temperature for up to three days.

AUNT JOYCE'S CHOCOLATE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch pan. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or in the microwave.
• Pour the melted chocolate into a large mixing bowl. Blend in the mayonnaise, vinegar and vanilla. Combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt and gradually stir into the chocolate mixture. Slowly stir in the warm water. Pour batter into prepared pan.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool.

AUNT CAROL'S CHOCOLATE SHEET CAKE

Steps:

• Grease and flour a cookie sheet and preheat oven to 400ºF.
• In a small bowl, mix the eggs, baking soda and sour cream.
• In a mixing bowl, add the flour, sugar and salt, stir to combine.
• In a medium saucepan, combine the butter, water and cocoa powder, heat and stir to combine.
• Add cocoa mixture to flour/sugar, blend with mixer. Add egg mixture and beat 1 minute. Stir in chocolate chips if desired. Put in cookie sheet and bake 14-20 minutes.
• When the cake is out of the oven, put the cream in a saucepan and heat to simmer.
• Add chocolate to the bowl of a food processor.
• Once the cream is heated, pour into food processor and let sit 4 minutes.
• Pulse a few times then process 5-10 seconds to smooth out the mixture.
• Transfer ganache to a non-plastic bowl. For a glaze style ganache, top cake now. For a lighter, fluffier "frosting", refrigerate 1-2 hours, whip in mixer, then top the cake. Top with walnuts, optional.
• Refrigerate the cake at least an hour before serving.

AUNT GERALDINE'S CHOCOLATE CAKE

Steps:

• For cake:
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 9x13-inch pan; dust pan with flour. Sift flour, sugar and salt into large bowl. Combine coffee, butter, and cocoa in heavy medium saucepan. Stir over medium heat until mixture is smooth and comes to boil. Pour coffee mixture over flour mixture; stir until blended. Add buttermilk, eggs, cinnamon, baking soda and vanilla and stir until well blended. Pour batter into prepared pan.
• Bake cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Cool cake in pan on rack.
• For frosting:
• Combine cocoa, butter and 6 tablespoons buttermilk in heavy large saucepan over high heat. Stir until mixture is smooth and comes to boil. Remove from heat. Add powdered sugar and vanilla and beat frosting until smooth, adding more buttermilk by tablespoons if frosting is too thick.
• Spread frosting over cake in pan. Sprinkle walnuts over. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill. Let stand at room temperature 3 hours before serving.)

AUNT TOM'S ITALIAN CREAM CAKE

Steps:

• Make cake layers:
• Preheat oven to 375°F. and lightly butter and flour three 9- by 2-inch round cake pans, knocking out any excess flour.
• In a bowl with an electric mixer beat together sugar, shortening, and margarine until light and fluffy. Add egg yolks, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Into another bowl sift together flour, baking soda, and salt. Beat flour mixture into egg mixture in 2 batches alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture, until combined. Beat in vanilla, coconut, and chopped pecans. Beat egg whites in another bowl until they just hold stiff peaks and fold into batter gently but thoroughly.
• Divide batter among pans, smoothing tops, and bake in upper two thirds of oven, switching position of pans in oven halfway through baking, until a tester comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Cool cake layers in pans on racks 10 minutes and invert onto racks to cool completely.
• Make frosting:
• In a bowl with an electric mixer beat together cream cheese, margarine, and vanilla until smooth. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar, beating until creamy.
• Stack cake layers on a cake plate, spreading about 1/2 cup frosting between each layer. Spread remaining frosting on top and side of cake.

CHOCOLATE-CARAMEL CHIFFON CAKE

Steps:

• Let egg whites stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. In a small bowl, combine cocoa and hot water until smooth; cool for 20 minutes. Line three greased 8-in. round baking pans with parchment paper; grease paper., In a large bowl, combine sugar, flour and baking soda. In another bowl, whisk the egg yolks, oil and vanilla; add to dry ingredients along with the cocoa mixture. Beat until well blended., Add cream of tartar to egg whites; beat with clean beaters until stiff peaks form. Fold into batter. Gently transfer to prepared pans., Bake at 350° for 16-20 minutes or until top springs back when lightly touched. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks; remove paper. Cool completely., For caramel sauce, in a small saucepan, melt butter. Stir in brown sugar and cream. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer for 3-4 minutes or until thickened. Refrigerate until thickened to spreading consistency., For chocolate cream, beat cream, confectioner's sugar, cocoa and vanilla until stiff peaks form., Place one cake layer on a serving plate; spread with 1/2 cup caramel sauce and 1 cup chocolate cream. Repeat layers. Top with remaining cake layer. Spread remaining caramel sauce over top. Spread remaining chocolate cream over top and sides of cake. Garnish with chocolate curls if desired. Refrigerate leftovers.

AUNT LOIS'S LEMON CHIFFON CAKE

Steps:

• Dissolve gelatin in cold water and set aside. Mix together the egg yolks, lemon juice, 1 cup sugar and pour into top of double boiler. Stirring constantly, cook over boiling water until thick as custard. Take off stove. Add gelatin to yolk mixture, stirring well then let it cool.
• In the mean time, line a 9-inch springform pan with the split lady fingers. Cut the ends off so they stand up along the sides if needed.
• Beat the egg whites until stiff then SLOWLY fold in the 1/2 cup sugar. Lastly fold the egg whites into the cooled yoke mixture. Pour into the lined pan and refrigerate covered with wax paper at least 4 hours or overnight.
• Just before serving, whip cream, with a few drops of vanilla for flavor, cover as a frosting then serve. You can add cherries or strawberries for garnish if you like.