MiMi's Chocolate Sour Cream Pound Cake

My granddaughter's birthday was this past weekend and she decided she wanted a "home-made" Chocolate Sour Cream Pound Cake for her birthday cake.  I had not made one in quite some time and as I started looking to make sure that I had all of the ingredients on hand, I was surprised to find that I did not have this recipe on my blog!  

My granddaughter likes this cake with vanilla ice cream on it, topped with maraschino cherries!  I have to say it is pretty delicious like that! 

This is one of those cakes that "haunt" you 'til it's gone!  

1 1/2 cups butter, softened

3 cups sugar

5 eggs 

3 cups All Purpose flour

1/2 cup cocoa

1 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1 (8 oz.) sour cream

1 cup boiling water

2 tsp. vanilla extract

Soften butter.

Cream butter well.   Gradually add sugar to creamed butter, beating well. (This is the secret to a good pound cake....creaming the sugar and butter until smooth and creamy.)

Add eggs, one at the time, beating well after each addition.

Combine flour, cocoa, soda and salt in a separate bowl.  

Add flour mixture to the creamed mixture, alternately with sour cream -- beginning and ending with the flour mixture.

Mix well after each addition.

Add boiling water and mix well.  Stir in vanilla flavoring.

The batter will look somewhat thin after the addition of the boiling water.

Pour batter into a well-greased and floured tube pan.

Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour and 20 minutes, or until cake tests done. 
(Cake is done when a toothpick inserted in middle of cake comes out clean.)

Cool cake in pain on a wire rack for 10-15 minutes.

Invert cake onto plate.

Flip cake upright on wire rack to cool completely.

After completely cool, place cake on cake plate for serving.

ENJOY!!!

Walt's Favorite Lemon Meringue Pie

I decided tonight to make a little "Valentine Treat" for my special Valentine. Lemon Meringue Pie is my husband's absolute favorite dessert and one that I used to make almost every week in our early years of marriage. (I can remember many times where I had to hide the pies in the top of my closet to keep him from eating them before our meal!)

After not having made one in many years, I surprised him with one tonight. Needless to say....he has already cut into it and I am just trying to salvage enough to have some after Sunday dinner tomorrow!

3 eggs, separated

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1/2 cup lemon juice

1 graham cracker crust (either ready-made or homemade)

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

1/3 cup sugar

Preheat over to 350 degrees.

Separate eggs, placing egg whites in a small bowl and egg yolks in a medium mixing bowl.

Beat egg yolks with mixer. Stir in sweetened condensed milk and lemon juice.

Stir until well combined.

Pour into prepared graham cracker crust.

In clean, small mixing bowl, beat egg whites with cream of tartar until foamy.

Gradually add sugar to egg white mixture.

Beat until stiff peaks form, but not dry.

Pour meringue mixture into center of pie.

Spread meringue on top of pie, sealing carefully to the edge of crust. With knife or spatula, form desired amount of "peaks" all over surface of pie.

Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 15 minutes or until meringue is golden brown.

Cool.

Chill for 4-6 hours or overnight before serving.

** Warning: It may be necessary to hide this pie if you don't want it eaten in one sitting! (-:

Yummy Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 cups All Purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, melted

1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Mix flour, baking soda and salt together in a bowl and set aside.

In another mixing bowl, combine melted butter (which has cooled), brown sugar and granulated sugar.

Mix together with electric mixer until well blended.

Add egg, yolk and vanilla to sugar mixture and beat until well blended.

Add flour mixture and beat at low speed just until mixture is combined.

Stir in chocolate chips.

Roll heaping 1/3 cup batter into a ball. Pull dough balls apart into 2 pieces and place on cookie sheet with the "jagged" edge of each piece facing up on cookie sheet.

Bake approximately 15-20 minutes on rack in middle of oven until cookies are light golden brown and you notice that the outer edges are starting to get firm. The center of each cookie should still be soft.

Let cookies cool on cookie sheets approximately 10 minutes and then transfer very carefully to wire racks to cool.

Yield: About 2 Dozen

Oh, and make sure that you have plenty of this on hand!

Impossible Buttermilk Pie

This is another favorite that has been in the family for years and it is one of the simplest desserts ever! The way I describe this pie is that it reminds me of a pound cake (which I love) with a thin layer of custard (which I ALSO love) on the bottom. I especially love it because it "makes its own crust"!

1 1/2 cups sugar 1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup Bisquick
1/3 cup margarine, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla flavoring *
3 eggs, beaten


* may substitute almond flavoring; or 1/2 teaspoon vanilla and 1/2 teaspoon almond flavoring, if preferred.




Mix together sugar, buttermilk and Bisquick.




Add beaten eggs to Bisquick mixture.




Add margarine and vanilla flavoring; mixing well.



Pour mixture into pie plate.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes until golden brown or until knife inserted in center of pie comes out clean.