Fall is here, my favorite time of the year. The weather is supposed to be cooling. My garden is still growing, and the pumpkins and gourds are getting larger. The tops of the peanuts I planted are looking good (I don’t know how the peanuts underground are doing, though.) It won’t be long before the beets are ready for canning.
Fall is also time for festivals of all kinds. I enjoy going to these, mostly to try out all the different foods.
Of course, the Pendleton Fall Festival and Heritage Fair is the best. Between the park and downtown, it’s actually one of the biggest in central Indiana, with a wide variety of vendors, attractions and activities. And the K-burgers on the banks of Fall Creek are outstanding.
As the weather cools, I can spend more time in the kitchen with the oven on. For the past four decades, I have been baking a chocolate sheet cake for special (and sometimes, not so special) occasions for our daughter, Angi. It is her favorite cake. I enjoy making it because I know I have all the ingredients in the house without going to the grocery.
You probably do also, except maybe the lemon juice.
The only drawback to this recipe is it uses most of the measuring cups and spoons I have. It always makes a mess, which my wife gladly lets me clean up myself.
The one great thing about sheet cakes is the size. It’s big enough to feed a large family (for several days) or to take to a pitch-in.
I often make one to take to our favorite restaurant (the Hacienda Vieja) in Pendleton to feed the staff. I cut it into small bite- size pieces and place them on two or three paper plates. They take them back into the kitchen so they can just grab a bite as they walk by.
I also take a plate into my chiropractor’s office and other places.
I like to bake, but being a diabetic, I can’t eat much of what I fix. So, I usually just give it away.
I hope you enjoy these recipes.
CHOCOLATE SHEET CAKE
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
½ cup (1 stick) butter
½ cup Crisco, solid
¼ cup cocoa powder
1 cup water
½ cup buttermilk (OR ½ tablespoon lemon juice with enough regular milk to make ½ cup. Let stand for 5 minutes)
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla
FROSTING
½ cup (I stick) butter
¼ cup cocoa powder
1/3 cup regular milk
1 box powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
Heat oven to 400. Mix flour and sugar in large bowl. In a medium saucepan, put 1 stick of butter, Crisco, ¼ cup cocoa and water. Bring to a rapid boil. Pour over flour/sugar mixture. Mix well. Add buttermilk, eggs, soda and vanilla. Mix well again. Pour into greased 15x10x1-inch pan. Bake 15 minutes.
Begin preparing frosting as soon as cake goes into oven. In large saucepan, place butter, cocoa and milk. Melt together in pan and bring to a boil. Remove from heat. Add powdered sugar a little at a time, mixing together. Mix well. Add vanilla. Spread over hot cake as soon as it comes out of oven.
About a year ago, I came across another sheet cake recipe. I tried it and found it was as good as the chocolate one, with all the advantages of the other. The only disadvantage is it doesn’t contain any chocolate!
WHITE SHEET CAKE
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp baking soda
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, chunked
1 cup water
2 large eggs
½ cup sour cream
1 tsp almond extract
FROSTING
½ cup (1 stick) butter, chunked
¼ cup milk
1-pound box powdered sugar
½ tsp almond extract
Set oven to 375. Grease a 15x10x1-inch sheet pan. In a large bowl, mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and soda. In small saucepan, combine the butter and water and bring just to a boil. Stir into flour mixture. In a small bowl, whisk eggs, sour cream and extract until combined. Add to flour mixture, and mix until well combined. Pour into sheet pan. Bake 18 to 20 minutes or until brown and toothpick comes out clean. Cool while making frosting. Combine butter and milk in large saucepan and bring just to a boil. Remove from heat and gradually stir in the sugar and extract. Spread over warm cake.
Now I have two great cakes to alternate between. Then, just a few weeks ago, I found a recipe for another sheet cake. Since it had pineapple in it (a favorite of mine), I thought I would try it. I found out it was also a keeper.
PINEAPPLE SHEET CAKE
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 20-ounce can crushed pineapple, undrained
CREAM CHEESE ICING
1 pkg (8 oz) cream cheese
½ cup butter, (1 stick) softened
1-pound box powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
Set oven to 350. In a large bowl, whisk flour, sugar, soda and salt together. Mix in eggs, vanilla and pineapple. Beat just until smooth. Do not overbeat. Pour into greased 15x10x1-inch sheet cake pan. Bake for 35 minutes. Cool. For icing, in large bowl, mix cream cheese, butter, sugar and vanilla until smooth. Spread on cake.
(Notice: cake will look dark. It is not overdone. Large amounts of baking soda causes cakes to darken.)
You may add chopped nuts to any of these cakes if you like. Since my desserts go to many different people, I leave them off. When I keep cakes or brownies at home, I cut them into very small, bite-size pieces.
Since I am diabetic, I know I can only have a tiny piece when I walk through the kitchen. Of course, I keep walking through the kitchen. Just a tiny piece at a time won’t hurt me. Will it?
The author may be reached at [email protected].