Better Homes And Gardens Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake

Chocolate-Chip-Lemon-Shower-Cake

Rita Maas

Cal/Serv: 417

Yields: 24

Prep Time: 0 hours 18 mins

Total Time: 0 hours 50 mins

Cake

3 stick unsalted butter or margarine

2 c. granulated sugar

1 tbsp. vanilla extract

1 tbsp. freshly grated lemon peel

3/4 tsp. salt

7 large eggs

3 c. cake flour (not self-rising) or 2 1⁄2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 c. semisweet chocolate mini-chips

Lemon Frosting

1 stick unsalted butter or margarine

1 box confectioners' sugar (about 3 3⁄4 cups)

1 tsp. freshly grated lemon peel

3 tbsp. fresh lemon juice

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Decoration

confectioners' sugar

1 1/2 can or packages (7 to 9 ounces each) marzipan or almond paste (see Note 1

green and pink paste food color (cabbages and roses, see Note 2)

green liquid food color (coconut grass)

12 chocolate graham-cracker squares (dirt)

1 c. sweetened flaked coconut (grass)

jelly beans (stepping stones)

purchased shovel

purchased tiny plastic or rubber baby dolls (for baby-shower cake)

This ingredient shopping module is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content on their web site.

Cake: Heat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease and flour a 13 x 9-inch baking pan.
Beat butter in a large bowl with electric mixer about 30 seconds until smooth.
With mixer on low speed, gradually add sugar, then vanilla, lemon peel and salt. Increase mixer speed to high and beat until pale and fluffy.
With mixer still on high, add eggs one at a time, beating well after each. Continue beating, scraping down sides of bowl once or twice, until mixture is smooth, very pale and has increased in volume.
With a rubber spatula, gently fold in flour and chips until well blended and no lumps of flour remain (batter is very thick). Scrape into prepared pan and spread evenly.
Bake 45 to 50 minutes until a pick inserted near center comes out clean.
Cool cake in pan on wire rack 15 minutes. Invert on rack, tap pan, remove pan and let cake cool completely. (Chips may have sunk to bottom of cake. That's OK.)
Lemon Frosting: Beat butter in a large bowl with electric mixer 30 seconds or until smooth. Beat in remaining frosting ingredients until well blended and spreadable, adding a few more drops lemon juice if needed.
To assemble: After decorations are made, frost sides and top of cake. Decorate cake (directions follow).
SHOWER-CAKE DECORATIONS: It's important that all the decorations be completed before you frost the cake. The cabbages and roses can be made up to 3 months ahead and the fence pickets at least 8 hours or up to 3 months ahead.
To make fence pickets: On a surface lightly sprinkled with confectioners' sugar, roll out 1⁄2 can or package marzipan to 1⁄8-inch thickness with a rolling pin. Cut into 16 strips, each about 3 inches long and 1⁄2 inch wide. Cut points at one end of each. Press scraps together and add to remaining marzipan. Place pickets on a cookie sheet and let dry, uncovered, at least 8 hours until firm. Once firm, pickets may be stored airtight at room temperature up to 3 months.
To make cabbages: Divide 1 can or package marzipan (including scraps from pickets) in thirds. Knead in green paste food color, a small amount at a time, until 1⁄3 is very light green, 1⁄3 is medium green and 1⁄3 is a bit darker. Divide each shade of green into 16 pieces. Roll light-green marzipan into balls. Divide medium-green and dark-green pieces in thirds. Press each piece flat to form a leaf. Wrap and press 3 medium-green leaves onto a light-green ball (see Cooking Lesson, page 138). Wrap and press.
To make roses: Proceed as for cabbages using pink food color to get 3 shades of pink marzipan. Divide each shade into 24 pieces, then divide each piece in quarters. Press each piece into a thin petal. Starting with darkest shade and ending with lightest, gently wrap petals to form a rose, pressing petals together on bottom and flaring tops out slightly. Repeat until there are 24 roses, each with 12 petals. Store airtight at room temperature up to 3 months.
Crush graham-cracker squares in a plastic bag with a rolling pin until crumbs are fine.
Put coconut in a ziptop plastic food-storage bag. Squeeze 10 to 15 drops green food color on coconut, seal bag and shake until coconut is evenly tinted.
To decorate cake: Cut two 1 1⁄2-inch-wide strips of waxed paper, one 14 inches long and one 10 inches long. Place long strip down middle of frosted cake and short strip across center. Sprinkle crushed graham crackers on top of cake to cover. Carefully lift off waxed paper. Sprinkle coconut grass on bare areas of frosting. Place jelly beans, shovel, pitchfork and wagon on grass.
Press pickets into frosting against sides of cake. Plant cabbages or roses in cracker-crumb dirt. Place baby dolls around cabbages. Cover loosely with plastic wrap. Store 1 day only at room temperature. (If held longer, marzipan will dry and harden.)
DECORATIONS NOTE: (1) Marzipan and almond paste are smooth mixtures of ground almonds, sugar, corn syrup and glucose. For our recipe, you can use either one, but marzipan is preferred because it's more pliable. Both can be found in the baking section of most markets. (2) Paste food colors, miniature shovel, pitchfork and wagon and plastic baby dolls are available in party- and craft-supply stores.

Tips & Techniques

This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io