Heart Cake

Since Valentines Day is approaching, and I have posted my "Be My Valentine Cake" I wanted to post this "Heart Cake" recipe, which also uses the 2 pan system to make a heart. This was the cake that I got the idea from for the "Be my Valentine Cake" .. The recipe makes a yellow cake, which is very moist and buttery. If you don't have the time....use a good cake mix, a white one would be nice. The yellow cake mix can be use for many cakes. All Southern cooks had a special cake recipe. This was Helon's basic recipe. Please do not substitute oleo for the butter. Use the butter. This cake is intended to taste good, not be low fat & healthy.
This is a quick and easy dessert for that special day, and everyone loves cake. You can decorate with strawberries or use candies.. You could use a white frosting and tint it pink if you don't like strawberries. Also you could use raspberries. Strawberry frosting was the way my Mother served it. You can use your imagination. Have Fun. The main thing is the shape and that it is a symbol of love.

Easy Yellow Cake:

• 2 cups sifted all purpose flour


• 2 teaspoons of baking powder


• 3/4 teaspoon salt


• 1 1/2 cups sugar


• 1/3 cup shortening


• 1/3 cup (5 1/2 tablespoons) butter softened


• 3/4 cup of milk


• 1 teaspoon vanilla


• 3 eggs

Preheat oven to 350F Grease and flour 1 round and 1 square baking pan. Sift flour baking powder and salt together into mixing bowl. Add remaining ingredients to flour mixture. Beat with electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds, scraping bowl constantly. Turn mixer on high speed and beat for 3 minutes, scraping bowl often. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 25 -30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans and follow directions for assembling heart on the "Be My Valentine Cake" below.

Strawberry Frosting:

• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) of butter softened


• 4 cups of confectioners sugar(about 1 lb)


• 1 package (10 ounces)frozen sweetened strawberries thawed.

Cream butter and sugar together in mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Drain strawberries, reserving juice. Blend strawberries into creamed mixture, adding reserved juice as needed to achieve desired spreading consistency.

This is a recipe from the 70's and strawberries were in frozen containers like juice. You can use frozen strawberries from the bag, just sweetened them. Also you can use fresh strawberries, but Juice them first. (cut up berries add 1/4 sugar and toss , cover) they will make their own juice.

Be My Valentine Chocolate Cake

This cake actually had another name, which has been lost. I named it "Be My Valentine Cake "because when I was in Jr. High in Monroe Louisiana, I baked this cake for my boyfriend,for Valentines day. I then proceeded to take it to school on the school bus, carrying it on a foil covered large cookie sheet. What made this a great" Valentine " was that I baked in a round and square pan(directions below) and made it in the shape of a Valentine. Since the cake is a chocolate cake with chocolate frosting....think of chocolate...Valentines Candy......I decorated it in red. I actually wrote my boyfriends name and Be My Valentine on the cake. So it was a cake Valentine....or a Valentine Cake.

I decided to post this cake not only because V.D. is approaching, but because the recipe also calls for buttermilk, which if you follow my previous post on "Buttermilk Pie" and baked it, you have buttermilk leftover. Since we have already established that we ain't going to be drinking it....lets use it up in this recipe which calls for 1 3/4 cups of buttermilk.
This is YmmmmGOOD.......Enjoy

Be My Valentine Chocolate Cake

• 1/2 cup (1 stick of butter)
• 4 squares (1 oz each) unsweetened chocolate
• 2 eggs
• 1 3/4 cups of buttermilk(that's a lot of buttermilk but wait and see how good it makes this cake)
• 2 teaspoons of vanilla
• 2 1/2 cups sifted self-rising flour
• 2 cups of sugar
• Dark Chocolate Frosting (recipe follows)

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and flour two 8 inch sq.pans, or two 9 inch round pans. ( if you are making the Valentine Shape you will use 1 sq pan and 1 round pan,see diagram below). Combine butter and chocolate in a small saucepan. Melt over low heat; remove pan from heat and set mixture aside to cool. Beat eggs in mixing bowl with electric mixer for about 2 minutes on medium speed. Blend in buttermilk and vanilla. Add flour and sugar to buttermilk mixture;beat until well blended. Stir in chocolate mixture. Pour batter in prepared pans. Bake for 30 - 35 minutes or until cake begins to pull away from the side of the pan and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans for 10 minutes. Remove from pans and cool completely on wire racks. Then frost.

Dark Chocolate Frosting:

• 2 cup (1stick of butter)
  
• 4 squares 1 oz each of unsweetened chocolate
  
• 4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar(about 1 lb)
  
• 1/2 cup evaporated milk
  
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
  
• 2 teaspoons vanilla

Combine butter and chocolate in medium saucepan. Melt over low heat, remove pan from heat. Gradually blend in sugar, milk, salt and vanilla. Beat until smooth.

To make the valentine shape cut the round cake in half. Turn the square per the diagrams above. Put frosting between the half rounds and place against the square cake. Frost top and sides of cake. Decorate as desired.

Buttermilk Pie

Before you gag, I will tell you it doesn't taste a thing like buttermilk. You know years ago buttermilk was a staple in most kitchens. Of course country people made the milk themselves. It was the liquid left over after the cream was churned into butter. I am including a link for more detail description of Buttermilk. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buttermilk

My mother grew up in the country in Louisiana. Buttermilk was a constant in her house. Most of the folks in the 1930's and before drank buttermilk. To distinguish between the milks, regular milk was called "sweet milk." My father would send me to get him a glass of milk and would either ask for"buttermilk"sweet milk"There was never just milk in my house. I can still remember the carton that buttermilk came in...it was Borden's brand and in a green carton.

Besides being a popular drink in the South, Buttermilk is used in Southern Cooking quite a bit, from a buttermilk chocolate cake( which I will be adding later) to a milk wash for breading chicken, onion rings, etc.

This is an old recipe that is written on stained paper, you can see the drops of vanilla on the paper. Keep in mind that whether you like buttermilk or not...this is a great pie, that taste like a very rich custard.

I am also including the recipe for the pie crust which is excellent. What makes this crust different is it is made from oil, instead of shortening such as Crisco. Years ago most pie crust were made with shortening, or Lard.
If you don't have time to make your own crust, you can cheat and buy a good commercial pie crust. I prefer Marie Callendars brand of pie crust when I cheat. Mrs. Smith is also good.

Pie Crust Made with Oil.

1 1/2 cups flour
1/3 cups of corn oil
1 tsp of salt
3 tbsp of cold milk

Mix flour salt pour oil and milk in to flour mixture all at once.
Stir until mixed(use hands if needed) Pat into a smooth ball, flatten slightly and place between 2 12" squares of wax paper.
Dampen table top to keep paper from slipping roll out gently to edges of paper. Peel off top paper and ease crust into pie tin. The paper side will be up, remove and flute edges. Prick the bottom of the crust thoroughly with a fork, Bake 8 to10 minutes , cool and add filling.

Butter Milk filling

3 cups sugar
1 1/2 cup buttermilk
1 cup of butter (real butter) or 1 1/2 of oleo melted
6 TBSP of flour
5 eggs
2 tsp of vanilla

Mix and Assemble

Mix flour sugar, 1/2 of milk to beaten eggs. Add rest of milk and fold in melted butter. Add vanilla. Pour into crust. Bake at 425 for 10 minutes, then turn oven to 350 and bake until knife comes out clean.
Make 2 pies.

Let cool and enjoy. I look forward to any feedback.

Natchitoches Meat Pies

I am sure that most everyone has seen the movie "Steel Magnolias" it was shot on location in Natchitoches Louisiana. I have included a link to "Steel Magnolia House" which is a B&B in Natchitoches, and was originally built in the 1830's, which some of of location filming of the movie was done. Check out the site you will find it interesting I am sure. http://www.steelmagnoliahouse.com/

But the other thing that Natchitoches is famous for, Southern Cooking, and especially, Natchitoches Meat Pies. These are pies like turnovers, that are filled with a flavorful meat filling and then deep fried. For many years the recipe was not available. But lucky for you that have stopped by this site, because today I am publishing the recipe.

They take some time and preparation, but well worth the effort. Here goes.

2 cups of self rising flour

1 egg beaten

1/3 heaping cup of Crisco(see you will understand if you have read my other blogs.) do not melt

3/4 cup milk

Sift flour and cut in shortening. Add beaten egg and milk. Work dough into a ball.

Filling:

1 1/2 lbs. ground meat

1 1/2 lbs. ground pork

1 cup chopped green onions

1 tbsp salt

1 tsp. coarse ground black pepper

1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

1 tsp. coarse ground red pepper(red pepper flakes)

1/3 cup all purpose flour

Combine all ingredients, except flour, in a large heavy pot. (Southern Cooks prefer a cast iron Dutch oven) Cook over medium heat, stirring often until the meat loses its red color. Do not over cook the meat. Sift flour over the meat until the mixture is well coated. Stir while sifting so all the mixture receives an even coat. Remove from heat and pour into metal colander to drain. Let cool to room temperature.

To assemble:

Roll about 1/3 of dough at a time on lightly floured board. Cut into about 5 circles. Place a heaping tablespoon of the filling mixture on one side of the pastry round. Dampen edges of pastry circle with fingertips. Fold over mean and crimp with fork to seal. Prick with a fork twice on top. These pies may be fried or baked to a golden brown. In Natchitoches they fry them. May be frozen for later use. Makes about 25 pies. Call your friends over to eat.

These are so good. They are a true fried pie, unless you want to watch your calories and bake. Best fried. This is Louisiana Southern Cooking to die for. Let me know how you like them.