# Help with a chocolate pie or something for company?



## Macgyver1968 (Feb 23, 2014)

I've mentioned here before that I take care of a little elderly French lady down the street, who is one of my cooking mentors.  Tomorrow night, she and her daughter and son are coming for dinner...and I want to make it as special as possible.  I've got the main menu down, but I'm stumped for a desert.

The problem is, we had an unexpected bill, and I'm broke until the first, so I have make something with the ingredients I have.  I've got all the basic ingredients to make a chocolate something...unsweetened bakers chocolate, cocoa powder, milk, flour, butter, sugar, a couple of pie crusts, vanilla, etc.  

Any suggestions or recipes?  I'd like it to be as good to look at as it is to eat.

Thanks,

Mac


----------



## Andy M. (Feb 23, 2014)

*Quick and Easy Chocolate Cake*​ *with Chocolate Ganache Frosting*​ 
*Cake:*
1[FONT=PC&#47749]½[/FONT] C            Flour (210 gr)
1 C            Sugar (210 gr)
3 Tb            Unsweetened Cocoa
1 tsp             Baking Soda
[FONT=PC&#47749]½[/FONT] tsp             Kosher Salt
6 Tb             Vegetable Oil
1 tsp            Vanilla Extract
1 Tb             White Vinegar
1 C             Cold Water

Preheat oven to 350º F (325ºF for dark or glass pan).

*Sift* the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and coarse salt together in a medium mixing bowl. 

Make a well in center of flour mixture and add the oil, vanilla extract, vinegar, and water.  Whisk until well combined. 

Pour into an 8" square or 9" round cake pan.

Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. 

Let it cool completely in the pan on a wire rack.

*Ganache for Quick and Easy Chocolate Cake*​ 
   2 Oz            Butter
2 ½ Oz            Dark Chocolate
¼ C             Light Corn Syrup

Melt the butter in a microwavable bowl. 

  Add in the chocolate and corn syrup and whisk until smooth. 

  Pour it over the cake.


----------



## Macgyver1968 (Feb 23, 2014)

Thanks Andy!


----------



## Andy M. (Feb 23, 2014)

You're welcome.  It's super simple and delicious.  I'd take the cake out of the pan before frosting it.


----------



## Macgyver1968 (Feb 23, 2014)

Is the dark chocolate for the frosting unsweetened or sweetened?  I've got some unsweetened bakers chocolate, that I can melt and just add in some confectioners sugar.


----------



## Alix (Feb 23, 2014)

The corn syrup will give it enough sweetness, don't worry about adding any sweetness.


----------



## CWS4322 (Feb 23, 2014)

French silk pie came to my mind. 

French Silk Pie, Step-by-Step | The Pioneer Woman Cooks | Ree Drummond


----------



## Chief Longwind Of The North (Feb 23, 2014)

We made sweet rolls yesterday, basically yeast pastry dough rolled into a very large rectangle, then brushed with melted butter.  Sprinkle on sugar, and walnuts or pecans.  What made these rolls unique is that instead of cinnamon and a caramel sauce, we princkled a good bunch of chocolate chips onto the dough, rolled it, cut it, backed it, and topped with chocolate ganache.  They were incredible.  Who knew?

Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North


----------



## Aunt Bea (Feb 24, 2014)

"_Qu'ils mangent de la brioche!_" - Marie Antoinette 

The cake recipe that Andy posted is great and it is foolproof!  I would go with that for your dinner party.

It is also very good with a plain white frosting made with butter powdered sugar, vanilla, a dash of salt and a little splash of milk.


----------



## Chief Longwind Of The North (Feb 24, 2014)

Aunt Bea said:


> "_Qu'ils mangent de la brioche!_" - Marie Antoinette
> 
> The cake recipe that Andy posted is great and it is foolproof!  I would go with that for your dinner party.
> 
> It is also very good with a plain white frosting made with butter powdered sugar, vanilla, a dash of salt and a little splash of milk.



With that kind of endorsement, I will have to try it.  It looks suspiciously like a red-velvet cake.  At least, there are strong similarities.  The icing is different though.

Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North


----------



## CWS4322 (Feb 24, 2014)

If you don't have powdered sugar for the frosting, you can make:

Even Better (!) Cooked Flour Frosting (with flavor variations) |

I make this without using cream, I just use all milk.


----------



## Aunt Bea (Feb 24, 2014)

CWS4322 said:


> If you don't have powdered sugar for the frosting, you can make:
> 
> Even Better (!) Cooked Flour Frosting (with flavor variations) |
> 
> I make this without using cream, I just use all milk.



Thank you for this recipe!

I have made this for years as a whoopie pie filling using crisco.  I think this will be a nicer alternative ( I don't dare say healthier! ).


----------



## CWS4322 (Feb 24, 2014)

Aunt Bea said:


> Thank you for this recipe!
> 
> I have made this for years as a whoopie pie filling using crisco.  I think this will be a nicer alternative ( I don't dare say healthier! ).


I made a version of this for the Red Velvet Cupcakes I baked on Valentine's Day. I added 1/2 c melted dark chocolate (after I had whipped the mixture once). The frosting was awesome. I'm never making powdered sugar frosting again.


----------



## menumaker (Feb 25, 2014)

You could go for good old Brownies. I made some 'Blondies' with white chocolate as a change for our french friends last week. Took us all the way to heaven...


----------

