German Chocolate Cake

This was a fantastic recipe. The only issue I had was I felt like the chocolate buttercream recipe did not yield enough to fully cover the cake. I would consider increasing the ingredients by half for the buttercream. 

Ingredient's:

• For the Chocolate Cake: 
• 2 cups granulated sugar (400 g) 
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (210 g) 
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (75 g) 
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder (6 g) 
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda (7.5 g) 
• 1 teaspoon salt (5 g) 
• 2 large eggs 
• 1 cup buttermilk (240 ml) 
• 1/2 cup oil (vegetable or canola oil) (120 ml) 
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract (10 ml) 
• 1 cup boiling water (240 ml)
• For the Coconut Frosting: 
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar (100 g) 
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar (100 g) 
• 1/2 cup butter (115 g) 
• 3 large egg yolks 
• 3/4 cup evaporated milk (180 ml) 
• 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract (15 ml) 
• 1 cup chopped pecans (120 g) 
• 1 cup shredded sweetened coconut (80 g) 
• For the Chocolate Frosting: 
• 1/2 cup butter (115 g) 
• 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (65 g) 
• 3 cups powdered sugar (360 g) 
• 1/3 cup evaporated milk (80 ml) 
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (5 ml)

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 375°F. 
2. Grease two 8 or 9-inch round baking pans. 
3. I like to cut a round piece of wax or parchment paper for the bottom of the pan also, to make sure the cake comes out easily. 

For the Cake: 

1. Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. 
2. In a separate bowl combine the eggs, buttermilk, oil and vanilla and mix well. 
3. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix to combine. 
4. Stir in boiling water (batter will be very thin). 
5. Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake for 25 - 35 minutes (depending on your cake pan size. The 9'' pan takes less time to bake) or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean or with few crumbs. 
6. Cool 5 minutes in the pan and then invert onto wire racks to cool completely.  

For the German Chocolate Frosting:

1. In a medium saucepan add brown sugar, granulated sugar, butter, egg yolks, and evaporated milk. 
2. Stir to combine and bring the mixture to a low boil over medium heat. 
3. Stir constantly for several minutes until the mixture begins to thicken.  
4. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla, nuts and coconut. Allow to cool completely before layering it on the cake. 

For the Chocolate Buttercream Frosting: 

1. Melt butter. Stir in cocoa powder. 
2. Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, beating to spreading consistency. 
3. Add small amount additional milk, if needed to thin the frosting, or a little extra powder, until you reach your desired consistency. 
4. Stir in vanilla. 

Cake Assembly: 

1. Place one of the cake rounds on your serving stand or plate.   
2. Smooth a thin layer of chocolate frosting over the cake layer, and then spoon half of the coconut frosting on top, spreading it into a smooth layer. 
3. Leave about 1/2 inch between the filling and edge of cake. 
4.  Stack the second cake round on top. 
5. Smooth chocolate frosting over the entire cake. 
6. Spoon remaining coconut frosting on top of the cake.  

Source: https://tastesbetterfromscratch.com/wprm_print/german-chocolate-cake

Chicken Pot Pie

Ingredients 

• 4 tablespoons butter - plus extra for the dish 
• 1 small yellow onion - diced 
• 4 whole carrots - peeled and diced
•  2 celery stalks - chopped 
• salt and pepper - to taste
•  1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
• 2 medium-large chicken breasts - cut into 1-inch pieces
•  3 tablespoons flour
•  1 cup chicken broth
•  1 ½ cups half and half - or whole milk
•  ¾ cup frozen peas
•  2 sheets refrigerated pie crust - or one homemade pie crust 
• 1 egg - lightly beaten

Directions 

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Melt the butter in a large skillet, Dutch oven or frying pan set over a medium high heat. 
2. Stir in the onion, carrot and celery, along with a pinch of salt. Cook until the onions are soft and have started to color. 
3. Stir in the fresh thyme, followed by the chicken, seasoned well with salt and pepper. Cook until the chicken has started to brown. Sprinkle with the flour and cook for a further minute. 
4. Pour in the broth, and the half and half or milk. Cook, stirring often, until the sauce has thickened to slightly thinner than you want your finished pie filling. Stir in the frozen peas, and remove from the heat. Add a little more salt and pepper, if needed, and set aside to cool a little. 
5. While the filling is cooling, lightly butter a 9 inch pie plate and line with one of the pie crusts. 
6. Add the filling to the pie dish, and brush the exposed edges of the pastry with beaten egg. Lay the other pie crust on top, and press down to seal the edges. Trim off any excess with a sharp knife and crimp the edges. 
7. Brush the top of the pie with egg wash and cut a small slit in the middle to let out steam. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the pastry is cooked and the top is golden – you may need a little more or a little less baking time if your oven runs a little hot or a little cold. 
8. Let the pie to rest for 10-15 minutes before slicing.

Source: https://www.lecremedelacrumb.com/skillet-chicken-pot-pie/

Blueberry Muffins

Ingredients 

For the muffins:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour 
• 1 cups granulated sugar 
• 2 teaspoons baking powder 
• 1/2 teaspoon salt 
• 2 eggs 
• 1/2 cup butter melted 
• 1/2 cup milk 
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
• 12 oz frozen blueberries 

For the streusel topping: 

• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar 
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar 
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 
• 1/8 teaspoon salt 
• 2 tablespoons butter cold

Directions 

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Prepare a muffin pan with cupcake liners. In a large bowl, sift together 2 cups flour, 1 cup sugar, baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Set aside.
2.  In a medium bowl, whisk eggs until smooth. Add the 1/2 cup melted butter, milk, and vanilla, and whisk until combined. Add egg mixture to flour mixture and stir until combined. (Dough will be lumpy.) Fold in blueberries. 
3. To prepare the streusel topping, in a medium bowl combine 1/4 cup flour, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, cinnamon, and 1/8 teaspoon salt. Using a pastry cutter, cut in butter until topping is crumbly and coarse. 
4. Fill prepared muffin cups with batter. Top each muffin with streusel topping, about 1 tablespoon each. Bake until muffin centers bounce back when lightly pressed, about 18 to 22 minutes. Cool muffins on a rack for several minutes before removing from pan. Cool completely and store in an airtight container, up to 4 days.

Source: https://www.culinaryhill.com/wprm_print/blueberry-muffins