Big Daddys Cake Recipes

FLOURLESS CHOCOLATE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Spray an 8-inch round cake pan with nonstick butter spray and line bottom with parchment.
• Put the chocolate, butter, vanilla and hazelnut liqueur in a large bowl on top of a double boiler. Stir the mixture frequently until combined and smooth. Remove the chocolate from heat and put the bowl into an "ice bath" to cool the chocolate.
• Cook's Note: This step is important so the eggs will not cook when added to the chocolate. Mix in the sugar and cocoa powder. Stir in the eggs and pour into the prepared cake pan. Put the cake pan on a sheet tray and bake for 20 to 25 minutes.
• Remove the cake from the oven and invert onto a rack over a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Pour the ganache over the cake. Allow the cake to cool and set for 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with fresh berries and powdered sugar.
• Put the chocolate into a large bowl. Heat the cream in a small pot, over low heat, until hot to the touch. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate. Mix well with a rubber spatula until the chocolate melts.

BIG DADDY'S CAKE

Steps:

• 1. Adjust a rack one-third up from the bottom of the oven and preheat to 350°. Very generously butter a 10-inch bundt pan (even if it has a non-stick finish). Coarsely break up half the pecans and set them aside. Chop the remaining pecans finely (or use the pre-chopped pecans sold in the baking aisle). Pieces should be about the size of rice. Reserve a few tablespoons of chopped nuts for garnish. Place the finely chopped nuts in the buttered pan, then turn the pan and shake it to coat it completely with nuts. Allow the excess nuts to stay in the bottom of the pan. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt, and set aside. Melt the chocolate with the coffee in the top of a double boiler. (See sidebar for detailed instructions if you've never used a double boiler.) Remove from heat and whisk briskly with a small wire whisk until smooth, then whisk in cream until it is fully incorporated and the mixture is once again smooth. Set aside. Beat the butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer until soft and smooth, then beat in vanilla and Amaretto (or almond extract) and sugar and beat for an additional 2 minutes. Beat in eggs one at a time. Beat in milk, then gradually add dry ingredients, beating on low speed. Note: after adding the milk, and even after adding dry ingredients, batter will have a curdled appearance. That's fine. Turn batter into prepared pan and smooth top. Drag a large spoon around the center of the batter to form a trench about 1/2" deep and 1 1/2" wide. Spoon the chocolate mixture into the trench, making sure it doesn't touch the sides or the tube. Sprinkle the reserved coarsely broken pecans all over the top of the batter (they can touch the sides). The fudge trench will sink while baking and disappear from the surface of the batter. Bake for 50 minutes, then cover loosely with foil and bake another 15 minutes, or until a long wooden skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. During baking, a big crack will form in the center where the trench was. Cool 20 minutes. Then cover it with a large, flat plate and invert and remove bundt pan. If it doesn't come off on its own, you can re-invert it and very carefully loosen the cake from the pan with a flexible blade. Be very careful or the pecan crust will break away from the cake. While the cake is cooling, use the chocolate bowl over the double boiler to melt the glaze ingredients until smooth. Pour over the top of the cake, allowing the glaze to run down the sides unevenly. Serve at room temperature.

J.P.'S BIG DADDY BISCUITS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
• In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Cut in the shortening until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Gradually stir in milk until dough pulls away from the side of the bowl.
• Turn out onto a floured surface, and knead 15 to 20 times. Pat or roll dough out to 1 inch thick. Cut biscuits with a large cutter or juice glass dipped in flour. Repeat until all dough is used. Brush off the excess flour, and place biscuits onto an ungreased baking sheet.
• Bake for 13 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven, or until edges begin to brown.

DADDY'S FAVORITE CARROT CAKE

Steps:

• Combine flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. In a separate bowl, beat eggs, sugar and oil.
• With mixer running on low speed, slowly add the flour mixture.
• Blend in vanilla, carrot, raisins (if adding) and pecans.
• Pour batter into a well greased 8 x 12 inch pan.
• Bake in 325°F oven for 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
• When cake is cool, spread with cream cheese icing. When cake is frosted, sprinkle a small handful of pecans on top of cake.
• Note: Chopped peanuts or walnuts may be substituted for pecans.
• Note: I double this recipe and use a 13x9 pan.
• Note: Prep time does not include shredding the carrots.