Friday, July 10, 2009

My sisters-in-law are expecting boys this summer.

So I threw them a joint baby shower last night.
It was lots of fun.

And the food was really yummy.
Here is some of what we ate:


Chocolate Lovers' Favorite Cake
1 (18.25 ounce) package devil's food cake mix
1 (3.9 ounce) package instant chocolate pudding mix
2 cups sour cream
1 cup melted butter
5 eggs
1 teaspoon almond extract
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 10 inch Bundt pan.


2. In a large bowl, stir together cake mix and pudding mix. Make a well in the center and pour in sour cream, melted butter, eggs and almond extract. Beat on low speed until blended. Scrape bowl, and beat 4 minutes on medium speed. Blend in chocolate chips. Pour batter into prepared pan.


3. Bake in preheated oven for 50 to 55 minutes. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.


with this glaze:

Satiny Chocolate Glaze
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
3 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. In a double boiler over hot, but not boiling water, combine chocolate chips, butter and corn syrup. Stir until chips are melted and mixture is smooth, then add vanilla.


2. Spread warm glaze over top of cake, letting it drizzle down the sides.


Be sure to buy a cake mix that has doesn't have pudding in it, and don't overmix the batter. I mixed it just until blended, not for the 4 minutes the recipe recommends. I don't like almond extract, so I used vanilla instead, and I used mini chocolate chips instead of regular ones. I tossed them with 1 tablespoon of flour before adding them to the batter. My cake needed to bake for about 65 minutes. It was very moist and so delicious. The glaze is just perfect. In fact, I think I'm going to have a slice for breakfast this morning.



Caramel Apple Dip

16 individually wrapped caramels, unwrapped
1/4 cup water
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
1/2 cup brown sugar

In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, or in the microwave, melt caramels with water, stirring frequently. Remove from heat. In a medium bowl, cream together cream cheese and sugar. Fold in caramel mixture. Serve immediately.

This was my favorite of the night. I doubled the recipe and served it with 3 pounds of green apples, but should have served it with more. I had a bowl of mini chocolate chips to sprinkle on top. The dip is caramel-y, but not too sweet. I added a few more caramels than the recipe called for. Also, I made it early in the day and it kept just fine in the fridge til the shower that night. I also sliced my apples ahead of time and put them in a bowl covered in about 4 cups of water and 1/4 cup of lemon juice to keep them from browning. You should make this. It is really yummy.


It was a nice night. Now I am going to relax and enjoy my clean house.

7 comments:

  1. That was a nice shower-the girls looked adorable and the food was delish, and your house is great! You are quite the host.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I am trying so hard to be good but your cake is tempting me over to the dark side!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I wish I would have taken pictures of the green and brown food table. It was just all very darling. And you are quite the hostess. Thanks again:)

    ReplyDelete
  4. I found your blog through a friends and you inspire me to want to learn to sew again. I sewed with my Mom when I was younger but would love to relearn it now. You also make some yummy food. You recipes sound delicious. What else did you serve at the shower? I love getting new recipes.

    ReplyDelete
  5. The cake was divine. The frosting so fudgey. The carmel dip was a hit and was also good on the broccoli. A good time was had by all.

    ReplyDelete
  6. today i am grateful that you posted that carmel dip recipe. thank you, you threw a great bash.

    ReplyDelete
  7. That is the best cake ever! The only one I'll make and without frosting sometimes!

    ReplyDelete

Hello! Thank you for your comment. I'd love to respond, and it is much easier if your account is linked to your email address. Or, you could just email me at barefootstephanie@gmail.com. Thank you!