Spring Cooking

It has been a busy spring/early summer at Miner Institute, but we've managed to find time for the important things -- like some friendly baking competitions!  In May we hosted a rhubarb bakeoff and in June we hosted our annual dairy bakeoff in recognition of June being National Dairy Month.  The winner of each Miner bakeoff we host signs their name on a Miner-logoed apron and we share the winning recipes.

Here are the winners of our most recent bakeoffs!

Strawberry Rhubarb Dump Cake

Ingredients:
- 1lb rhubarb cut into ¼ inch pieces (3-4 cups)
-  1 cup white sugar
- (1) 3oz. package strawberry Jell-o
- 1 package yellow cake mix
- 1 cup water
- ¼ cup butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish. Spread the rhubarb evenly in the bottom of the baking dish. Sprinkle the sugar over the rhubarb, followed by the powdered jell-o mix and then the dry cake mix. Pour the water and melted butter over the top. DO NOT STIR. Bake for 45 minutes or until the rhubarb is tender.  Cool, refrigerate then serve.

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Amy Middleton, left, and Jessi Dercks teamed up to create the Strawberry Rhubarb Dump Cake which earned first place in the May 2015 Rhubarb Bakeoff.

Liz Remick, the yearlong research intern, sports the Miner apron after taking first place in the 2015 Dairy Bakeoff.

Death by Chocolate

Ingredients:
Cake
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup shortening
- 1 ¾ cups sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 3 eggs
- 1 ⅓ cups cold water

Pudding
- 1 ½  cup sugar
- 4 tablespoons corn starch
- ⅔ cups cocoa powder
- 5 ⅓ cups milk
- 4 egg yolks beaten

Whipped Cream
- 1 quart whipping cream
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla

Garnish
- 8-10 heath or score bars, crushed

Prepare Devils Food Cake
1. Grease and lightly flour one 13x9 inch pan. Stir together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.
2. In a large mixing bowl beat shortening with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30-seconds. Add sugar and vanilla; beat till well combined. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Add dry mixture and water alternatively to beaten mixture, beat on low speed after each addition until combined.
3. Pour cake batter into pan. Bake in a 350° oven for 35 to 40 minutes. When cool, cut cake into one-inch squares.
Chocolate Pudding
4. In medium sauce pan stir together sugar, corn starch, and cocoa. Stir in milk. Cook and stir over medium heat until bubbly. Cook and stir for 2 minutes more. Remove from heat.
5. Gradually stir one cup of hot milk mixture into beaten egg yolks to temper yolks.
6. Add egg mixture to milk mixture in saucepan. Bring to a gentle boil for two minutes more, remove from heat, and stir in one table spoon butter and 1 ½ teaspoons of vanilla. Let cool.  
Whipped Cream
7. Add powdered sugar, whipped cream, and vanilla to large mixing bowl. Beat on high until whipping cream forms stiff peaks. 
8. Assemble Trifle, adding a layer of cake, a layer of pudding, a layer of whipped cream, and a layer of toffee candy (save half of toffee for top). Create at least three layers of trifle before topping the trifle with a generous layer of whipped cream and the last of the toffee.
Adapted from Better Homes and Gardens, New Cook Book,1999.

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Liz Remick's Death by Chocolate - 2015 Dairy Bakeoff winning entry