It’s September 5th, which means happy birthday to this blog and welcome new cookbook. Sallie’s Kitchen Corner is a year old today and You’re Grown-Now You Can Cook, officially goes to print today as well. Here’s what it will look like when we get our first copies, in a few weeks. I’ll keep you posted!
It might be that I’m just not all that smart, but I never thought it would take a whole year from idea to print date to write this cookbook of one hundred and twenty plus recipes. There are things that you just don’t pay much attention to when you’re writing down recipes for friends and family, like if cookies go in the oven on a baking sheet, it’s ok if they come out in a pan! Well you can’t do that in a cookbook! Who knew folks could be so picky? Why do you have to tell people to preheat the oven every time? How else are you going to bake cookies? There are a bunch of punctuation marks too, and spelling, and grammar, and incomplete sentences…it’s not just all about cooking – the fun part.
I love writing Sallie’s Kitchen Corner even if it’s been less frequent this summer while finishing the cookbook. The blog was started in response to the publishing company as a way to generate interest in You’re Grown-Now You Can Cook. I hope people who read this are enjoying it because I would like to keep right on publishing Sallie’s Kitchen Corner. It’s been a great way to get to know new friends and get cooking ideas. It’s also been a thrill to discover a recipe from the blog was being made in a lot of different places on the same day. And, of course I love food and love to share anything yummy that I discover or invent. In all honesty, I probably could produce a parallel evil twin to Sallie’s Kitchen Corner of the recipes that have been, well…less successful. Bottom line in putting recipes out there, if I don’t love it, I don’t share it.
Here’s our very favorite cake recipe that I’m baking to celebrate a one-year birthday. My son and husband were both horrified that I was “giving it away”, but equally thrilled that they were getting to have it. To that I say let everyone eat cake and remind you of my motto, “If you fatten up the people around you – you look thinner.” It’s much easier than dieting!
P.S. Best icing EVER! This makes plenty for a thick luscious cake!
Buttermilk Chocolate Cake with Sour Cream Chocolate Icing
Cake Ingredients
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp salt
1 ½ tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
3 eggs
1 stick melted butter, slightly cooled
1 ¼ cup buttermilk
¼ cup warm water
2 tsp vanilla
Icing Ingredients
1 and 1/2 sticks of butter
6 oz (half of a package) of semi sweet chocolate chips
1/3 cup cocoa powder
4 ½ cups confectioners sugar
¼ tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup sour cream
To make the cake:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray two 9-inch round cake pans with baking spray (or grease and flour).
Put all dry ingredients flour through baking soda in the bowl of a mixer and mix on low speed for about 30 seconds to combine.
Increase speed to medium high and add eggs, buttermilk and butter. Put warm water in bowl used to melt butter and swish around to get any extra – add to cake ingredients.
Add vanilla and beat until well combined, about one minute.
Divide batter evenly between the two cake pans.
Bake until toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, about 30 minutes.
Cool cakes in pans for 10 minutes and then turn out on a cake rack or wax paper to cool completely before icing.
To make the icing:
Add the butter to a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in chocolate chips to melt.
Remove from the heat and pour butter and chocolate in a mixing bowl.
Beat in the cocoa powder, salt, and vanilla extract.
Add the confectioners sugar beating on low speed.
Slowly beat in the sour cream.
*I like to put the icing in the fridge for about 30 minutes to harden up just a bit.
