State Fair Winning Recipes

Guest Christina Pope of Speedway was a runner-up in the 2011 Ghirardelli Chocolate Championship at the Indiana State Fair.  She plans to enter a new chocolate recipe this year. She re-creates her award winning Chocolate Macadamia Coconut Cake!

Ghirardelli is celebrating its 160 ^th Anniversary! Contestants should mark this momentous milestone by making their most memorable entry, from trendy new creations to historical family favorites. Focus on flavor, creativity and an easy-to-follow recipe. Feature any Ghirardelli premium baking product to create any type of dessert. Make it fun, festive and eye-catching. First and second place finishers win$150 and $50 each. Plus, the top three winners and a random contestant each take home a Ghirardelli gift basket.

Check out www.ghirardelli.com for your own recipe ideas.

Chocolate Macadamia Coconut Cake

Cake:                     

1/2 cup butter, room temperature

2 cups brown sugar

3 eggs

3 ounces Unsweetened Ghirardelli Chocolate, melted and cooled

2 teaspoons vanilla

2-1/4 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup milk

 

Frosting:

1 cup butter, room temperature

1 cup marshmallow fluff

4 cups confectioners’ sugar

2 teaspoons coconut extract

 

Garnish:

1 cup toasted macadamia nuts, toasted

3/4 cup coconut, toasted

1 tablespoon Ghirardelli Milk Chocolate, shaved

 

Instructions:

For the cake: cream together butter and sugar in large mixing bowl. Add eggs one at a time. After eggs are incorporated, add melted chocolate and vanilla. In a separate large bowl, sift together flour, baking soda and salt. Gradually add dry ingredients to creamed mixture, just until all of the dry ingredients are moist. Slowly add milk and mix for one minute. Bake in two 9-inch round cake pans at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans and placing on racks to cool completely.

 

For the frosting: cream together butter, marshmallow fluff, confectioners’ sugar and coconut extract.

 

For assembly: take one cup of frosting and add 1/2 cup of macadamia nuts and 1/2 cup of tosted coconut, mix together. Use this for the filling in between the layers. Divide each layer in half. Place bottom layer on cake stand, spread 1/3 cup of “filling” frosting. Repeat this process with the next two layers. Add top layer, frost the sides and the top with remaining frosting. Press remaining macadamia nuts into frosting along sides of the cake and sprinkle the top with remaining coconut and shaved chocolate. Serves 16.

 

Guest Jennifer Dickie of Greenwood was last year's 1st place winner from the 2011 Fleischmann’s Yeast recipe contest at the Indiana State Fair. She offers up one of her new recipes, Crusty Brown Rolls,  in preparation for this year's event.

The Fleischmann’s Yeast contest has a new theme in 2012! The judges are looking for the most “Sensational Sandwich Bread.” The bread “makes the sandwich” so contestants should bake their best and use any type of Fleischmann’s Yeast. Think loaves of bread, burger buns, bagels, biscuits and more. Make a Sub, BLT, Reuben or even a PB&J. Sandwich breads can be any shape or style.

Sandwichbreads will be judged for the following criteria: bread flavor, bread texture, sandwich filling, appearance and creativity. 

Fleischmann’s Yeast contest winners (1 ^st, 2 ^nd & 3 ^rd) receive $150, $100 and $75 respectively, plus three honorable mention winners receive $25 each.

 

Crusty Brown Rolls

2 packages Fleischmann’s Yeast

1-3/4 cups warm water (110 to 115 degrees)

4 teaspoons sugar

2 teaspoons salt

2 tablespoons melted shortening

6-1/2 to 7 cups sifted all purpose flour

3 egg whites, beaten stiff

EggWash*

 

Sprinkle Fleischmann’s yeast on warm water; stir to dissolve. Add sugar, salt, shortening and 2 cups of flour; beat well. Add egg whites. Add remaining flour until dough leaves the sides of bowl when you stir it. Turn out on lightly floured surface. Knead until dough is smooth and elastic, and tiny blisters show on the surface (about 5 minutes). Place in a lightly greased bowl; turn dough over to grease top. Cover with a damp cloth. Let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour. Punch down. You may shape the dough at this point. For superior results, let the dough rise again until doubled; then punch down and shape.

 

Shape dough as you wish. Try to keep size and shape uniformed. I like the French Roll; shape raised dough in 3-inch balls. Flatten under hands to make 4-inch circles. Use a very sharp knife to make shallow cuts about 1/4-inch deep on top. Place on baking sheet, brush with Egg Wash; sprinkle with poppy or sesame seeds or sea salt. Let rise until doubled, brush again with Egg Wash and bake.

 

Bake in a hot oven (425 degrees) 20 minutes, or until brown and crusty. Place a large shallow pan of boiling water on the bottom of oven to provide steam while the rolls bake. This makes the rolls crusty. Note: if using salt crystals bake 10 minutes and brush