Frosting | A Hint of Honey

Nanaimo Bars are a Canadian dessert. My mom comes from Alberta, Canada and that makes me half Canadian (well 1/4 if you want to get technical- she has dual citizenship)! My husband likes to poke fun at the strange phrases my north-of-the-border relatives say and blames all my quirks on my Canadian roots. Being from different coasts (Dustin is an Oregon native and I was raised mostly East), we sometimes see each other as foreigners. Now he’s living on the East Coast and learning where my “weirdness” really comes from.

My mom has been living in the United States since college and misses some of the foods she grew up with. Whenever she visits home she returns with suitcases full of Canadian food treasures: DARE cookies, black licorice pipes and cigars, Smarties, and Shreddies (best cereal EVER!). I wanted to bake her a Mother’s Day dessert that would take her home. She was thrilled when she found out I was making nanaimo bars, and now I know why- they are divine!

Why hasn’t our country adopted this delish dessert? It’s a shame. We’re missing out. Be aware that custard powder is hard to find in the states. I bought an imported jar at World Market. (None of the local grocers carry it.) Custard powder is essential for the authentic flavor of these bars. As you can see, they are dense, thick, and extremely rich. I’ll have another!

INGREDIENTS
Base:
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup sugar
5 Tbsp. cocoa powder
1 egg (lightly beaten)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 cup shredded coconut
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

Filling:
1/3 cup butter, room temperature
3 Tbsp. custard powder
1/4 cup milk
3 cups powdered sugar

Topping:
4 z. semisweet chocolate
1Tbsp. butter

DIRECTIONS
Base:
1. Melt the butter in a sauce pan.

2. Stir in the sugar and cocoa powder until smooth.

3. Whisk in the egg and vanilla extract and remove from heat.

4. Stir in the graham cracker crumbs, coconut and walnuts.

5. Press into a greased 8 inch square pan and chill in the fridge for 20 minutes.

Filling:
1. Cream the butter.

2. Beat in the custard powder and milk.

3. Beat in the sugar slowly.

4. Spread over the the base layer and chill in the fridge until it sets.

Topping:
1. Melt the chocolate and butter in a pan and stir until smooth.

2. Spread over the filling layer and chill in a fridge until the chocolate begins to harden.

3. Score the chocolate where you will cut it into bars and chill in the fridge.

4. Before the chocolate hardens, cut into bars. (Use an hot knife and wipe clean after each cut.)

Makes 1 8×8 pan.

(Adapted from Closet Cooking)

My mom baked this delectable German Chocolate Cake for my 23rd birthday this weekend! I had asked that my cake be made from scratch, in hopes that it would be worthy to post. And as you can see, it was incredible! Thanks mom, for putting up with all my particular food requests and for the best birthday cake a girl could dream of! My coconut-hating husband finished off a rather large slice and I couldn’t stop reaching for more (not-so-stealthily stealing forkfuls from the center)! Hey, anything goes on your birthday!

German chocolate cake (which is actually made with German chocolate- fancy that!) is 99% about the frosting. The cake base needs to be moist, but the frosting really steals the show! Slather that sweet chewy coconut and crunchy chopped pecans in a caramel-like sauce over every inch of the cake. If you happen to have extra (not likely), this frosting is quite enjoyable by the spoonful!

As you can see, I forgot to take a photo before 23 candles made their way into the top of the cake. So my photographed slices are full of funny-looking candle holes! And you might notice that they were taken outside. Yes, that is my driveway you see. It was much too dark the night we celebrated to take a decent indoor picture, so I hauled my birthday cake out to the front porch in the morning to get a decent shot! So here’s to birthdays, bad photography, and another year of baking bliss!

INGREDIENTS

Cake:
1/2 cup water
4 (1 oz.) squares German sweet chocolate (Baker’s brand)
1 cup butter, softened
2 cups white sugar
4 egg yolks
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk
2 1/2 cups cake flour (or you can use all-purpose)
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
4 egg whites

Frosting:

1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 can evaporated milk
3/4 cup butter
4 large egg yolks, beaten
2 cups flaked coconut
1 1/2 cups chopped pecans
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Chocolate Ganache:
4 oz. semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips (I used milk chocolate)
1/4 cup heavy cream

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease and flour 3 9-in. round pans. Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside. In a small saucepan, heat water and 4 oz. chocolate until melted. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

2. In a large bowl, cream 1 cup butter and 2 cups sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in 4 egg yolks one at a time. Blend in the melted chocolate mixture and vanilla. Beat in the flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk, mixing just until incorporated.

3. In a large glass or metal mixing bowl, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Fold 1/3 of the whites into the batter, then quickly fold in remaining whites until no streaks remain.

4. Pour into the prepared pans. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then turn out onto wire rack to cool completely.

5. To make the Filling, in a saucepan combine sugar, evaporated milk, butter, and egg yolks. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly until thickened. Remove from heat. Stir in coconut, pecans and vanilla. Cool until thick enough to spread.

6. Spread filling between layers and on top of cake. Let set before serving.

7. To make the chocolate ganache, bring heavy cream to a simmer over medium heat. Place chocolate in a small bowl and pour simmering cream over top. Stir until chocolate is melted and smooth. Drizzle over cake.

Makes one 3-layer 9-in. round cake.

(Adapted from All Recipes)