Baking Day: German Chocolate Cake

When it comes to birthdays I am a die-hard fan of the birthday cake.  It's tradition and we have to make one from scratch for every birthday (they're so good).  My husband, Craig, is a big fan of coconut so when I asked him what kind of cake he wanted this year I wasn't at all surprised when he said German Chocolate Cake.  After the craziest Tuesday, and a Wednesday that took a close second, I finally was able to finish his cake on Thursday, two days after his birthday.  So sad, right?  I felt awful.  Thankfully, it was worth the wait. 

We tried this version from the Bridge Street Bakery in Vermont.  Instead of three layers I opted for two just to make things a little bit simpler.  I think it still has a stunning presentation.

Here's an interesting bit of information about German Chocolate Cake: it's not actually German.  In 1852 an employee of Baker's Chocolate Company, Sam German, created a new type of dark baking chocolate.  The company named the chocolate "German's Sweet Chocolate" in his honor.  Then, in 1957, a Texan housewife sent the recipe for a chocolate cake she had made using this chocolate in to a local newspaper, calling it "German's Chocolate Cake."  It was an instant success.  Since then, the possessive has been dropped but it's still a popular recipe today.

It's really rich and decadent and Craig loved it.  I think it'll be on the menu again next November.  Personally, I always choose carrot cake for my birthdays.  What's your favorite?

Baking Day: Blackberry Turnovers

Hello, again, my dears.  How was your weekend?  What did you do?  I had too much fun reading through my new canning book searching for tasty recipes to try and shopping for goods at the farmers market.  The canning adventures are still underway, but I'll be sharing the results of my first few experiences later this week.

I also wanted to share the recipe for the treat I made my for my brother-in-law's birthday with you.  I opted to make blackberry turnovers because I know he's a fan of berries.  Plus, they seemed a little easier to pack, ship and share than a traditional cake (or even cupcakes) would have been. 

I made them by combining and altering little bits of two recipes: this filling and the crust noted below.  The only changes I made were to the filling, which went a little something like this:

Blackberry Turnovers

• 3 c. blackberries


• 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon all purpouse flour


• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon


• 8 tablespoons sugar


• This pastry dough


• 2 tablespoons milk

I followed all other instructions as written and was really pleased with the result.  The dough is a little bit sticky, but bakes up light and crispy. Plus, all this berry and pastry baking made my house feel and smell like fall, which I love.

What are your favorite things to bake in the fall?  What smells do you like to fill your home?