Triple-Layer Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting

March is birthday month in my family.  Two immediate family members, my wife and my son share March birthdays only two days apart.  Jamie, a sister-in-law, also celebrates her birthday in March.

When the time came to select the date for the caesarian birth of my son, the doctor asked if we had any special dates on which we’d like the birth to occur.  With a straight face, I indicated that I was hoping the baby could be born on my birthday.

“When is that?” the doctor asked.

“November 1^st,” I replied.

She didn’t crack a smile and simply turned to my wife.

So, they could have shared birthdays, but we decided that Matt should have his own special day.  Up until recently that meant his own special cake, too.  In the last few years, we’ve become wiser, opting for less cake in our lives, and have used a combo cake.

When this year's big day was imminent, I suggested a Jewish Apple Cake for the celebration.  That was overruled in favor of a cake with real, honest-to-goodness frosting.  As a result, I combined two previously posted Dad in the Kitchen recipes into one really great cake, (if I do say so myself).  I decided to make a triple-layer chocolate cake using the Wacky Cake recipe I’ve made since junior high school, and frost it with Nancy Ruoff’s Peanut Butter Frosting.  You’ll remember that Nancy is the cafeteria manager at RoyersfordElementary School.

For the project, I bought new non-stick round cake pans.  The cake batter had to be made in two batches as I only had two pans.  When I made the third layer from the second batch of batter, I used the remaining cake batter to make cupcakes.

I discovered that even non-stick bakeware has to be seasoned, as the first two layers stuck slightly to the bottom of the new pans.  I also learned that it takes a lot of frosting to coat a three-layer cake.  A double batch of Nancy’s frosting was also required, with just enough left over to keep everyone happy.  I pulled my dad's icing spatula out of retirement to apply the frosting.  It hadn't been used in almost 40 years!  I have to say that it felt "at home" in my hand...not that I did as good of a job as he could do.  Practice makes perfect, right?

Here are the links to the Wacky Cake and Peanut Butter Frosting posts.  The Wacky Cake post was my very first post, blogged a year ago this month.  On the icing/frosting post, I recommend the frosting, not the icing, as two recipes are given.

Wacky Cake

Frosting Face-Off, or the Clash of the Icings

If you’d prefer just the print versions of the recipes, here they are:

Wacky Cake – recipe only

Peanut Butter Frosting – recipe only

Enjoy!

Make a wish!

Critical Need in Area Food Pantries

The Pottstown Mercury has started an initiative to increase contributions to area food banks.  The need has never been greater as a result of the current economic situation.  Food pantries are hurting.  This is due in part to the fact that a majority of donations are received from Thanksgiving through Christmas.  The project is called “Fill the Media Lab” and enlists the help of the Mercury’s bloggers to get the word out about this important and critical need.

Project Outreach is a Spring-Ford charity that I’ve supported for many years.  During my years as principal at Royersford Elementary, we held two food drives each year.  One was in November and the other, at Project Outreach’s request, was held in the spring when giving would almost dry up.  Over the years, thousands and thousands of food items were donated.  (See picture from 2006, below.)

I’ve also had the privilege of volunteering at Project Outreach in Spring City on several occasions.  Most recently I helped with the food distribution in October.  Everyone should have the opportunity to do this.  Watching a mother of four trying to decide between a jar of peanut butter or a roll of toilet paper from the “free choice” table makes an impression you never forget.

Parker Ford Church, where I serve as Pastor of Administration, continues to support Project Outreach, and serves as a collection spot.  The church is open every Sunday until 1:00 p.m., and the office is open on Wednesdays from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and on Thursdays from 9:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m.

Most recently, Parker Ford Church has begun to support Operation Backpack in Pottstown.  Needy or homeless children are provided with discrete backpacks filled with easy-to-prepare food for the weekend when they don’t have access to a school lunch.  (The items donated must be able to be prepared by an elementary-age child without adult assistance.)

The program in Pottstown, working in cooperation with the Pottstown School District, is currently serving 85 children!  Our church just completed a food drive for Operation Backpack and we donated 1,254 items, along with $350!  Two members of the church have committed to becoming monthly partners with Operation Backpack, and will provide a donation every month.  Another individual has volunteered to assist with inventorying food items for Operation Backpack.

For more information on this important initiative, as well as a list of suggested easy-to-prepare food items, read the Pottstown Mercury story by clicking here.  Remember that you can donate food items for Project Outreach and Operation Backpack at Parker Ford Church, 20 Rinehart Road, Pottstown, PA.  Contact the church by email or by calling 610-327-2266.

Breakfast Casseroles

If you’ve been reading my blog since the beginning, (which, by the way is exactly one year ago this week), you know that the title, There’s a Dad in the Kitchen, comes from a story connected to dads preparing breakfast for Parker Ford Church on months with a fifth Sunday.  The traditional menu for those breakfasts has been French toast and sausage for as long as I can remember.  In January we decided to try something different:  Breakfast Casseroles.

I don’t have extensive experience with making breakfast casseroles, although I have opted for them on a number of Christmas mornings.  The fact that you can prepare them the night before, take them out of the refrigerator and pop them in the oven for 45 minutes, is very appealing when you’d rather not be spending time in the kitchen.

As a trial run, I made a test casserole for our elders team the Monday before the Fifth Sunday Breakfast.  I wanted to check on how aluminum foil pans behaved using the ovens at the church.  I also wanted to test the baking time required by a double batch in each pan.  Another benefit of the trial run was to see how many people could be served with one casserole, which would enable me to determine how many to make for a group of 80-100.

There was good news all around.  The foil pan worked great, (which meant no cleanup.  Hooray!)  And the baking time for a double casserole was only about five minutes longer that for a single batch.  I also was able to estimate that each double casserole would serve 12-15 people.

We made eleven casseroles for our Fifth Sunday Breakfast.
Very little was leftover!

I wanted to provide a variety of casseroles, so I used a basic recipe to which could be added diced ham, browned sausage, crumbled bacon, or sautéed vegetables.  The basic recipe can be found at the end of this post.

Our breakfast team assembled on Saturday afternoon in order to crack 11 dozen eggs, chop and sauté the vegetables, and cook the sausage and bacon.  The ham was already cooked, so we just had to dice it.  Our assembly line included blending the eggs, milk, and spices for each casserole in plastic water pitchers.  A double batch fit in each pitcher, and it was easy to blend the ingredients using an electric hand blender.  All we had to do was then transfer this mixture, pouring each one into the prepared casseroles.

Start assembling by spraying each pan with non-stick cooking spray.  Next add the cubed bread.  You can experiment with a variety of breads.  For ours, we used loaves of day-old Italian bread. Each double casserole got a half loaf, cut into fairly large, (1”) cubes.  (As the casseroles bake, the bread virtually disappears.)  

Arrange the “filling” for each casserole on top of the bread cubes.  For our double batches, this amounted to about two cups of meat or sautéed vegetables.  Bacon is the exception.  Even for a double batch, 12-15 slices of crumbled bacon was sufficient.

One change that I would make is to add the cheese after pouring the egg mixture into each casserole.  I added the cheese on top of each casserole’s filling and then poured the egg mixture on top of that.  The cheese kind of disappeared.  Adding half the cheese on top of the bread cubes and then the remaining half on top of all of the ingredients also works.  You can always add additional cheese and doubling the cheese will definitely boost the fromage factor.  Pour the egg mixture into the casserole dish gently, trying not to disturb the bread and filling.

We next covered each casserole with foil and refrigerated them over night.  On Sunday morning, the casseroles were baked four to an oven, so the additional load on the ovens required increased baking time.  Also, the gas ovens that we use do not have a convection feature, so I recommend rotating the casseroles half-way through baking, switching those on the top to the bottom oven rack, and vice versa.

Bake the casserole for approximately 45 minutes at 350° or until the center is no longer “loose” and the top is golden brown.  Allowing the casserole to sit for a few minutes before serving will permit it time to solidify a little, making it easier to cut and serve.  The basic recipe follows:

BREAKFAST CASSEROLE

Ingredients:

6 eggs, whipped

2 or 3 slices bread, cubed

2 cups milk

1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

1 teaspoon dry mustard

½ teaspoon salt

Optional (select one, or a combination of the following):

1 pound pork sausage, cooked, drained, crumbled

1 pound diced ham

6-10 slices of bacon, fried, drained, crumbled

Sautéed vegetables (onions, bell peppers, mushrooms)

Here's a ham and sauteed vegetable casserole
ready for the oven.

Feel free to experiment with different fillings, as well as combinations of the ones mentioned.  Let me know if you try something that works especially well.  Enjoy!

Week Off

My trip to Israel has been amazing!  Unfortunately, there has been little time to write the next blog post.  So, I'm taking the week off.  I hope to be back next week with another easy recipe.  In the meantime, visit our trip blog at Josh and Dave's Trip to Jerusalem.  Thanks!

Split Pea Soup

This blog is coming to you from Israel!  I’m with a group of 23 “pilgrims” who is touring the Holy Land for two weeks.  It has been a life-long dream to visit the places that I’ve studied, starting with Sunday School lessons in the primary department of Parker Ford Church.  In addition to posting weekly on There’s a Dad in the Kitchen, Pastor Josh Bywerk and I will be blogging about our Israel trip.  That blog can be found by clicking here:  Josh and Dave’s Trip to Jerusalem.

Here is this week’s TADITK post:

The weather in Southeastern Pennsylvania has certainly been wacky.  We’ve had snow, torrential rains, fog, high winds, and temperatures ranging from 58° to 7°…and that was all during the week of January 16^th!

On one of those “January” days, I decided to make split pea soup, but on the day I actually got around to it, the weather was almost balmy.  Go figure…and Al Gore is saying, “I told you so!”

Split pea has been a cold weather favorite in my family for many years.  While my potato chowder receives unanimous approval, the vote for split pea is… well,  split.  My son, Matt loves it, and my daughter, Lauren practically detests it.

This soup freezes well, and can be kept in a sub-zero freezer for about six months.  I recommend that you thaw it completely in the refrigerator before reheating.  This recipe has two “tracks” for preparation; the fast track and the slow track, depending on how much time you have available.

Split Pea Soup

Ingredients:

16 oz. pkg. rinsed green split peas

2 quarts water

1 large onion, chopped

2 chicken bouillon cubes or 2 teaspoons instant chicken bouillon

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon oregano

1/4 + 1/8 teaspoon black pepper

2 bay leaves

1-1/2 cups chopped carrots

1 cup chopped celery

1/2 cup chopped parsley (optional)

1 quart milk

1 to 2 cups diced ham (optional)

Directions:

PERSONAL PREFERENCE NOTE:  I prefer pieces of cooked carrot in my split pea soup.  If you are of the same persuasion, add the cooked chopped carrots after pureeing.  If you want them pureed, add them with the celery. 

SLOW COOK:  Combine peas, water, onion, celery, bouillon and seasonings.  Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer, uncovered for 2 to 3 hours.  Simmer means just hot enough to not boil.  Stir occasionally. 

Cook the chopped carrots separately, until tender.  Set aside.  Remove bay leaf. 

Puree and return to pot.  Add milk and stir thoroughly.  Stir in the cooked carrots and add optional diced, cooked ham.  Heat thoroughly.

FAST COOK:  Sauté onion in 1 Tablespoon butter in bottom of soup pot.  Add peas, water, bouillon, celery and seasonings.  Bring to a boil, then reduce to a gentle boil.  Cook uncovered 45 minutes, or until it has reduced by about one-third.  During the last 5-10 minutes of cooking, add the chopped parsley.  Cook the chopped carrots separately, until tender.  Set aside.  Remove bay leaf.  Puree pea mixture and return to pot.  Add milk and stir thoroughly.  Stir in the cooked carrots and optional diced ham.  Heat thoroughly.

Enjoy!

London Broil

It was a good day whenever we had London Broil when I was growing up.  It was usually on a Sunday, and invariably Dad was the cook, preparing it on the charcoal grill.  No one had gas grills in those days.  Those thin slices of juicy meat, dark brown on the outside and bright pink on the inside…it couldn’t be beat.  For the life of me I can’t remember if Dad marinated it or not, but he had to or it would have been too dry and tough.

Click to enlarge

Credit: Wikipedia

Flank steak, which is the traditional cut of meat used for London Broil, is a lean, muscular piece of meat that is taken from the abdomen of the cow.  (Too much information?)  Because it is so lean and because the muscle fibers run the entire length of the cut, several things need to take place.

Marinating is a must, and the internet abounds with suggested recipes.  Make sure you find one with oil and with some type of acid, (wine, vinegar, fruit juices, etc.).  The oil will “moisturize” the meat and the acid will help to tenderize it.  Scoring the meat with diagonal cuts (perpendicular to the grain) will start to break the long fibers as well as allow the marinade to better permeate.  If you have some frustrations to work out, pounding the cut with a meat tenderizing hammer can work wonders, too, (for both the cut of meat and your frustrations).

When I started taking my kids to Vermont for week-long “roughing it” camping trips, I would freeze a London Broil and use it to help keep our other groceries cold.  After a day or two when it had thawed, it was time for London Broil for dinner.  After a few years, I learned to put the meat in a gallon Ziploc bag with the marinade and then freeze it before leaving.  As it thawed in the ice chest, it would marinate…for two days!

Here is a marinade made with simple ingredients.  You can use almost any other spices that you like.  Feel free to be creative.

LONDON BROIL MARINADE

Ingredients:

1 garlic clove, minced

1 cup salad oil

½ cup vinegar (you can use white, cider, or balsamic)

1 teaspoon Kosher salt

¼ teaspoon ground black pepper  (I like pepper, so I usually double this.)

2 teaspoons dry mustard

2 teaspoons Worcestershire Sauce

dash Cayenne pepper

2 drops Tabasco Sauce

Directions:

Score the flank steak (approximately 2-3 lbs.) with a sharp knife to a depth of about ¼“.  The cuts should go against or be perpendicular to the grain of the beef.  Place the cut of meat in a gallon Ziploc bag.  Pour in the marinade, and seal the bag removing as much of the air as practical.  Work the marinade into the beef and refrigerate for at least three hours, preferably overnight.  Turn the bag and work the marinade into the meat several times.

To cook the meat, place it about 4 inches from the heat source, whether grilling or broiling.  When it has browned well on one side, flip it over and brown it equally well on the other side.  London Broil is traditionally well-done on the outside and rare on the inside.  You can use a meat thermometer to determine doneness.  The safe minimum internal temperature for beef is 145° according to www.isitdoneyet.gov.

Here is the London Broil served with steamed green beans with
mushrooms and Mac-and-Cheese-Style Cauliflower

Always allow meat to rest for a few minutes after removing it from the heat and before slicing it.  When slicing the flank steak, cut thin slices remembering to go across the grain of the meat.

Enjoy!

Molten Lava Cakes for Valentine's Day

credit:  FoodNetwork.com

I am now the proud recipient of a subscription to Food Network Magazine.  My subscription started just in time for The Chocolate Issue.  You would think it would have been for February, but it’s dated for March.  Go figure.  We all know that chocolate is a big part of Valentine’s Day, right?  I decided to pick a chocolate recipe and do a special Valentine’s Day post.

To further complicate things there are thirty (30!) dessert recipes with chocolate as well as a special pull-out recipe booklet with fifty (50!) brownie recipes!  Even some of the non-dessert recipes were made with chocolate, like Cocoa-Rubbed Steak.

credit:  FoodNetwork.com

As I paged through the issue, there was one recipe that stood out:  Molten Lava Cakes by the Food Network’s The Neeleys, (Patrick & Gina).  Chocolate cake on the outside, sprinkled with powdered sugar, but inside…a lava flow oozing with a chocolaty, fudgy pudding-like goodness that fascinated me.  Maybe it was my love of science, but this volcanic dessert was the one!

The best part of this recipe is the chocolate.  But the second best part is how easy it is.  The recipe also calls for eight 6 oz. ramekins.  I’ve never owned a ramekin in my life.  A ramekin is a mini ceramic casserole dish, often used for desserts or individual meat pies.  I splurged and bought four, only able to find the 7 oz. size.  For the other four I used the old stand-by glass Pyrex pudding dishes, and they worked fine.  (Actually, I had less trouble with sticking with the Pyrex than I did with the Corningware ramekins.)

Ingredients:

2 sticks unsalted butter, plus more for coating the ramekins

4 teaspoons granulated sugar

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Pinch of cayenne pepper

Pinch of ground nutmeg

12 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped  (I used a 12 oz. bag of semisweet chocolate chips)

1 cup all-purpose flour, sifted

2½ cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted, plus more for dusting (optional)

6 large eggs, plus 6 egg yolks

1½ teaspoons vanilla extract

¼ teaspoon almond extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400°.  Butter the eight 6 oz. ramekins and sprinkle each with ½ teaspoon of granulated sugar.

Combine the butter, cinnamon, cayenne, nutmeg, and chocolate in a saucepan over low heat.  Stir frequently until melted and smooth.  Cool slightly.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, confectioners’ sugar, eggs and yolks, vanilla and almond extracts and whisk until creamy.  Then whisk in the chocolate mixture until blended.  Divide between the prepared ramekins.

Here is the final batter with the chocolate blended into the flour, sugar and eggs.

The filled ramekins are ready for the oven.

Bake the cakes until the tops are stiff and the edges darken, 12 to 14 minutes.  (That's the third best part:  They bake in no time.)  Remove from the oven and let cool 5 to 10 minutes.  Loosen the edges with a small paring knife and transfer to plates while warm.  Dust with confectioners’ sugar.

Several of my cakes in the ramekins did not release from the bottom.  I simply inverted these and they actually looked like miniature active volcanoes, (and they tasted just as good.)

To see how they're supposed to look, check out the lead picture at the top of this post.

I did feel that the cakes actually tasted better when cooled than when still warm.  I also could detect the ever-so-slight presence of the cayenne and can now confirm that it complements chocolate in a unique way.

I took several of the Molten Lava Cakes to a Monday morning Elders meeting at Parker Ford Church.  Two of them went home to spouses, which when you’re talking about this level of chocolate, that was probably a good idea.  The reviews came back as follows:  Sick and wrong!  …and by that I mean scrumptious and super yummy.  And, Slammin’.  How about, That cupcake-size morsel packed a huge wallop!

Here is some word crafting from a true lover of the language, who I believe has a future as a food reviewer:  It exploded in our mouths like Vesuvius over Pompeii conquering our calorie-counting inhibitions and reshaping our recently re-sculpted least presentable parts.  In a word, it was delicious.

So what about those least presentable parts?  Well, to understand what this Bible scholar-turned-food reviewer means, you’ve got to read 1 Corinthians 12, and while you’re at it…since it’s Valentine’s Day, read Chapter 13, too!

Happy Valentine’s Day, everyone!  Enjoy!