Sunday, July 24, 2011

True Blood Recipe of the week: Caroline Holliday Bellefleur’s Famous Chocolate Cake

Of course, this week's recipe would have to be in honor of Caroline Bellefleur.

The actual tweaked cake recipe from Charlaine Harris is going to be in the new Sookie companion book out in August-you can pre-order it below. This recipe has been circulating around on fan sites for years.


(Caroline Bellefleur’s is Vampire Bill Compton's gr-gr- granddaughter)

Yield 12 servings
Ingredients
• 4 (1-ounce) squares unsweetened chocolate
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 cups sifted cake flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 3/4 cup water
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Preparation Place chocolate in top of a double broiler; bring water to a boil. Reduce heat to low; cook until chocolate melts. Beat shortening at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy; gradually add sugar, beating well. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Add chocolate, mixing well. Combine flour and next 3 ingredients; add to chocolate mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Mix at low speed after each addition until blended. Add water, mixing well. Stir in vanilla. Pour batter into two greased and floured 9-inch round cake pans. Bake at 350º for 30 to 35 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes; remove from pans, and cool completely on wire racks. Frost as desired.

Rich Chocolate Butter cream icing

Yield 3 3/4 cups
Ingredients
• 2 (1-ounce) squares unsweetened chocolate
• 2 (1-ounce) squares semisweet chocolate
• 1 cup butter or margarine, softened
• 4 cups sifted powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup cocoa
• 1/4 cup milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preparation Place chocolate in top of a double boiler; bring water to a boil. Reduce heat to low; cook until chocolate melts, stirring often. Remove from heat. Beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Add chocolate, powdered sugar, and remaining ingredients; beat until spreading consistency.

Description in bk 2 Living Dead in Dallas

Compton / Bellefluer genealogy here

"There's a message on the answering machine," I said, as I put on some coffee. The most important thing done, I rolled back the aluminum foil and saw a two-layer cake with chocolate icing, studded with pecans in a star pattern on the top. "That's old Mrs. Bellefleur's chocolate cake," I said, awe in my voice. "You can tell whose it is by looking?" "Oh, this is a famous cake. It's a legend. Nothing is as good as Mrs. Bellefleur's cake. If she enters it in the county fair, the ribbon's as good as won. And she brings it when someone dies. Jason said it was worth someone dying, just to get a piece of Mrs. Bellefleur's cake." " What a wonderful smell," Bill said, to my amazement. He bent down and sniffed. Bill doesn't breathe, so I haven't exactly figured out how he smells, but he does. "If you could wear that as a perfume, I would eat you up." …. Bill pressed the message button on my answering machine. "Miss Stackhouse," said the voice of a very old, very Southern, aristocrat. "I knocked on your door, but you must have been busy. I left a chocolate cake for you, since I didn't know what else to do to thank you for what Portia tells me you've done for my grandson Andrew. Some people have been kind enough to tell me that the cake is good. I hope you enjoy it. If I can ever be of service to you, just give me a call." "Didn't say her name." "Caroline Holliday Bellefleur expects everyone to know who she is." "Who?" "Caroline Holliday Bellefleur." Bill could not get any paler, but he was undoubtedly stunned. He sat down very abruptly into the chair across from me.. Read on Living dead in Dallas

0 comments: