t h e m a y f i l e s is foremost a family blog, chronicling everyday life. Life including natural, healthy eating (with recipes thrown in at random), home educating (with ideas popping up sporadically), an attempt to homestead on .2 acres (with very meager yields), raising 3 of 4 children with a rare genetic disorder, and lots of highly personal family triumphs and failures. You may also find an eclectic array of musings on politics, exercise, sewing, emergency preparedness, backyard chickens, and religion. This blog isn't a campaign to glorify anyone or anything. Just simply a record.

1.12.2009

Buttermilk-Chocolate Sheet Cake of course minus the Refined Sugar

The beauty of cooking a lot is you keep getting better, as long as you are willing to risk disaster in search of a triumph. Case in point, last night. I tried a soup recipe in my shiny new pressure cooker. Thumbs down from all 5 family members.

...However all the practice does pay off. Most of the time I can take any recipe and modify it into something I feel comfortable feeding my family. This means excluding processed or refined ingredients. Such was the case with this recipe. I found it in my Better Homes and Gardens cook book. With a little bit of massaging it was a healthy hit. Sprinkles are optional, unless you have 3 and 5-year-olds whose names are Callista and Ellery.

Buttermilk-Chocolate Sheet Cake

2 cups kamut or spelt flour
(low gluten)
1 c brown rice syrup
1 c agave nectar
1 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
1 c butter
1/2 unsweetened cocoa powder
1 c water
2 T powdered eggs (if using fresh decrease water by 4 T)
1/2 c buttermilk
2 t vanilla

Combine flour, baking soda, salt, and powdered eggs.
In a saucepan over medium heat combine butter, cocoa, and water.
Bring to just boiling, stirring constantly. Add brown rice syrup and agave.
Stir and remove from heat. Add to dry mixture and beat on medium until well combined.
Add buttermilk and vanilla. Beat for 1 minute (batter will be thin).
Pour into a buttered pan. Choose your own size depending on the thickness you want.
Cook at 350 degrees for 15-30 minutes.

Cookies and Cream Frosting

2 c whipping cream
2-4 T agave (to your taste)
1/4 c butter
3 T cocoa
3 T buttermilk
1/2 t vanilla

In a cold metal bowl whip cream with metal hand mixer, until peaks form.
Add agave to taste and mix a little more. Put in fridge.
In a saucepan over medium heat combine butter cocoa and buttermilk.
Bring to boiling. Remove from heat. Add vanilla. Beat until smooth.
Put in a bowl and place in freezer for about an hour.
Remove chocolate mix from freezer and beat with whip cream to combine.
You may want to add more agave to your taste.

(If you prefer a smoother chocolate frosting, allow the chocolate mixture to cool in the fridge. Then mix with cream until smooth)


2 comments:

Jessica said...

Yum, can't wait to try this! Thanks for posting the recipe :)

Brittney said...

Thanks for the recipe! I need to get to the health food store and find some of those ingredients before I can give it a shot. Thanks for the inspiration! :)