Chocolate Coca Cola Cake

1 cup butter      1/3 cup cocoa

1 cup cola soft drink      2 cups flour

1 ½ cups sugar      1 tsp. baking soda

2 large eggs      ½ cup buttermilk

1 tsp. vanilla

1 ½ cups miniature marshmallows

Chocolate Coca-Cola Icing:

½ cup butter

¼ cup cocoa

1/3 cup cola soft drink

3 cup powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1 cup chopped pecans

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease & flour 13” x 9” cake pan. Set

aside. Combine first three ingredients in a medium saucepan over medium heat,

stirring until butter melts. Remove from heat. Combine flour, sugar, and baking

soda in a large bowl; stir in butter mixture. Add eggs and stir until blended. Stir in

buttermilk, vanilla, and marshmallows. Pour into cake pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes

or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Spread Chocolate

Coca-Cola Icing over warm cake – can make some fork holes in cake for icing to

ooze through cake.

For Icing: combine first three ingredients in a medium saucepan over medium heat,

stirring until butter melts. Remove from heat. Stir in powdered sugar, vanilla, and

pecans. Spoon immediately over warm cake.

Comment: Very moist cake.

Boston Cream Pie

For the vanilla-rum filling

2 cups milk      1 T. sugar

1 T. vanilla      ¾ cup sugar

3 T. cornstarch      Pinch of salt

4 eggs, room temperature      3 T. unsalted butter

1 tsp. vanilla      1 T. light rum

For the golden cake layer

1 cup cake flour      Pinch of salt

1 tsp. baking powder      ¾ cup sugar

4 eggs, room temperature      1/3 cup milk

¼ cup vegetable oil      1 tsp. vanilla

For the chocolate cake layer

1/3 cup cake flour      3 T. cocoa powder

½ tsp. baking powder      1/8 tsp. baking soda

Pinch of salt

2 eggs, room temperature      6 T. sugar

2 T. vegetable oil      ½ tsp. vanilla

3. T hot brewed coffee

For the chocolate glaze

1 cup chocolate chips

½ cup heavy cream      1 T. corn syrup

Directions:  

Make vanilla-rum filling first.  Bring milk, 1 T. sugar, and 1 T. vanilla to a simmer in 

a large, heavy saucepan; stir to dissolve sugar.  Stir together ¾ cup sugar, cornstarch, 

and salt in a small mixing bowl; set aside.  Beat the eggs on medium speed until 

light, fluffy, and lemon-colored, about 3 minutes.  Stir in the sugar-cornstarch 

mixture.  Whisk ½ cup hot milk into the egg mixture.  Add the egg mixture back to 

the milk in the saucepan and cook over medium heat until thick, 5-8 minutes.  Stir 

constantly to avoid scorching.  Lightly boil filling 1 minute to eliminate starchy taste.  

Remove from heat.  Add butter, rum, and 1 tsp. vanilla.  Transfer to a bowl.  Cover 

with plastic wrap, pressing wrap on the surface of filling to prevent a skim from 

forming.  Chill. 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease and flour two 9” cake pans, or line with 

parchment.

To make golden cake, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt three times; set 

aside.  In a large bowl, beat eggs and sugar on high speed until light and fluffy, 8 

minutes.  Gently fold sifted flour mixture into eggs in two additions, making sure it 

gets thoroughly mixed.  Fold in milk, oil, and vanilla until thoroughly mixed.   Pour 

batter into one of the prepared cake pans.  Bake 25-30 minutes.

To make chocolate cake, sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking 

soda, and salt three times.  In a large bowl, beat eggs and sugar on high speed until 

light and fluffy, 8 minutes.  Gently fold sifted flour mixture into eggs in two 

additions.  Fold in coffee, oil, and vanilla until thoroughly mixed.  Pour batter into 

other cake pan.  Bake 15-18 minutes.

Cool cakes slightly.  Transfer to rack; cool completely.  Split golden cake in two.

Place bottom half of the golden cake, cut side up, on a cake platter.  Top with half of 

the cold filling; spreading it evenly to the edges.  Carefully place the chocolate layer 

on top; spread with remaining filling.  Top with second golden layer.  Chill cake for 

15-20 minutes.

To prepare glaze, place chocolate chips in a small bowl.  Boil cream and corn syrup, 

pour over chocolate, and whisk until smooth.  May need to add more chips for 

texture.  Pour glaze on top of cake, smoothing it with a spatula.   It is okay to spill 

down sides.

Comment:  This rich dessert looks very beautiful, but it is time-consuming to 

prepare.  Due to the pudding filling, it also only keeps for a few days.

Cranberry Fruit Relish

1 lb. cranberries      2 oranges

2 apples      1 tsp. lemon juice

1 can drained, crushed pineapple

1 ½ cups sugar

2 ounces Brandy or Grand Marnier

Garnish: chopped pecans

Directions: Chop the cranberries (by hand or in food processor). Cut the apples and

the oranges into small cubes with their skins. Add the remaining ingredients and stir

well. Allow the flavors to blend overnight or for several hours in the refrigerator.

Sprinkle with pecans before serving.

Comment: If you want more of a jellied recipe, add 1 box of cranberry jello (no

water) and add the juice from the crushed pineapple and 3 ounces of Brandy.

The sugar, lemon juice and Brandy syrup over any fruit makes a nice fruit salad. If

no cranberries (which are bitter) you can cut back on sugar.

Madeleines (Lemon Tea Cakes)

1¼ cups flour      ½ tsp. baking powder

¼ tsp. salt      3 large eggs

1 tsp. vanilla      2/3 cup sugar

2 tsp. grated lemon rind

¾ cup melted, cooled butter

1 T. lemon juice (optional)

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift together flour, baking powder, and

salt; set aside. Beat eggs until light and lemon colored. Add vanilla extract to eggs.

Gradually beat sugar into egg mixture and continue beating until four times original

volume. Fold in lemon rinds and flour mixture. Stir in cooled, melted butter.

Brush Madeleine pans (or small muffin tins) with additional melted butter. Fill each

shell 2/3 full. Bake 12 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out

clean. Remove the cakes from the pan with a knife and cool on racks. Dust the tops

with sifted powdered sugar.

Comment: Madeleine pans look like shells and produce very pretty little tea cakes.

Don’t forget to butter the tins between batches. If you make several tins you will

want to wash the crumbs out once or twice.

For more lemon taste, add 1 T. lemon juice.

Tuscan Garlic Chicken Pasta

6 cloves garlic, minced      ¼ tsp. red pepper flakes

6 T. olive oil      5 boneless chicken breasts

1 pkg. grape tomatoes      1 lb. penne pasta

1 pkg. baby spinach      ½ cup chopped fresh basil

6 T. lemon juice      1 cup grated Parmesan

Directions: Bring 4 quarts water to boil in a large pot. Meanwhile, combine garlic,

pepper flakes, and oil in bowl and microwave until garlic is golden and fragrant, about 1

minute.

Pat chicken dry, season with salt and pepper. Transfer 1T. or so of seasoned oil to a

large skillet and heat over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add chicken and cook

until well browned and cooked through, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer to cutting

board and tent with foil. Let rest 5 minutes, then slice thin and set aside. Add grape

tomatoes to skillet to sear.

Add 1 T. salt and pasta to boiling water and cook until al dente. Reserve ½ cup of

cooking water. Drain pasta and return to pot. Stir in sliced chicken, tomatoes, spinach,

basil, lemon juice, Parmesan, and remaining garlic oil mixture, adding reserved pasta

water as needed. Season with salt and pepper, serve.

Comment: Start the pasta boiling just before the chicken finishes cooking. This helps

with timing. I like to put the pasta back in the chicken skillet to finish in order to pick

up all the little bits left in the frying pan.

Also, you can put the Parmesan on the side and allow people to add their individual

desired amount.