Always wanted your own cookbook, but never got around to writing one? Chocoholic.com is compiling an on-line collaborative chocolate cookbook. Now not only gain world wide fame and recognition, but if your recipe is chosen for the recipe of the month, you get a ** $20 Gift Certificate ** good for purchases on the Chocoholic.com site. So send in your favorite chocolate recipe, along with your name, city, state and e-mail address and share your secrets with fellow chocoholics.
The April 2006 Recipe of the Month Mocha Chiffon Sheet Cake This is a sandwich sheet cake--you bake it in two jelly roll layers, and then fill the inside with mocha frosting and stack the layers together, and add more frosting. It's rich and lots of fun. We thank Paula Smith of Santa Rosa for this delightful recipe. It can also be divided easily for a smaller cake.
Ingredients For the Cake 1/2 cup butter 1 cup brown sugar, packed 1 cup white sugar 12 jumbo or extra large eggs, separated 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted 3 cups flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon salt 1/3 cup cocoa powder 1 1/2 cups espresso or very strong coffee, cooled to room temperature For the Frosting 1/2 cup butter 5 cups powdered sugar 10 Tablespoons (equals 1/2 cup plus 2 Tablespoons) espresso or very strong coffee, cooled to room temperature 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted Directions Preliminaries Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease and flour two jelly roll pans (standard size is 10-ish by 15-ish --Ed.) You will also need several good sized mixing bowls for the various steps in making the batter and frosting. For the Cake Cream the butter and sugars together in a large bowl. Add the egg yolks and the 2 ounces of cooled melted chocolate, and mix well, until fluffy. In a separate bowl, stir the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cocoa) together to incorporate. Now, alternate adding the cooled espresso (or strong coffee) add the dry ingredients and the espresso to the butter mixture, and stir well. Beat for two minutes. In another large, clean bowl, using clean, dry beaters, whip the egg whites until stiff but not dry. Fold the egg whites into the chocolate batter in three parts, gently folding with each addition of beaten egg whites, but do not overmix. Spread the batter into the two prepared jellyroll pans. Smooth tops. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 15-20 minutes. Cool. Gently remove from pans. For the Frosting Mix the 1/2 cup butter (softened) and the powdered sugar together well, then add the espresso (or strong coffee) and the melted and cooled chocolate. Beat until it is of frosting consistency, which could take a few minutes to incorporate air into the frosting. Spread half the frosting on the thinner of the two cake layers, and top with the second layer. Frost the top. A large cookie sheet can be used to hold the cake if you do not have a serving platter the right size.   Enjoy with ice cold milk, ice cream, or fresh berries.