Monday's Menu

I will be going off line this week. I need to remind myself about putting first things first since I haven't been doing that lately. But I'll be back next week -- or at least that's my plan.

Today's recipe is similar to last week's recipe. If you remember, I told you I'd share something neat to do with it.

Have you ever seen a checkerboard cake? I've made them a few times and it's always fun to surprise people when it's cut open. You don't need a nifty little pan (like the one in the corner) though to do it. Although I have to admit it would be easier.

You do however have to use homemade cake batter. Remember that last week I said homemade cakes are denser. Well, the batter needs to be dense in order to stay separate like it needs to. I tried this once using cake mixes and they just blended together until is was a lighter chocolate cake. It wasn't even marbled.

You also don't have to make it chocolate and vanilla. You could simply double a vanilla cake recipe and add color to it. Imagine one with pink and blue checks at a baby shower where the couple didn't know if it was boy or a girl for instance. Or a Halloween one. Or Christmas green and red. Use your imagination.

To do it, you simply make a bulls eye with two different colors/flavors in your pan. You have to make three total. Two should be the same and one should be reversed. For instance, two with chocolate outer rings and centers and one with a vanilla outer ring and center but a chocolate inner ring. Hopefully, you'll be a little neater than I was.

Try it out. You're sure to impress someone.

The recipe below comes from the Fannie Mae cookbook.

Chocolate Cake

1/4 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup cocoa
1/2 cup hot water
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup sour cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour pans or line muffin tins with paper cups. Mix together shortening, sugar, and cocoa. Add water and beat until smooth. Combine flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Add to shortening mixture and beat until blended. Add egg, vanilla, and sour cream and beat until creamy. Spoon into prepared pans or fill cupcake tins about 3/4 full. Bake for 20 minutes or until pick inserted comes out clean. Remove and let cool completely.