shhhh!!!

okay, so you saw what i went through this past weekend for ed’s birthday…however i did not post the recipes. i will be honest, i wasn’t going to, but i got enough requests for it, that i feel that i should. the title of this post does not just reflect the subject line of the e-mail sent out for ed’s surprise party (which was a success btw– he was speechless, and ed is never speechless), but it is also arming you with a secret weapon. there is a reason why i went with the chocolate cupcake recipe that i did when trying to recover from the disasters: this really is the best (plain) chocolate cake ever. 

usually when a recipe says it is the best ever, it is good but not the best (like these cookies…and these..how they are *both* the best chocolate chip cookies ever, i don’t know). this cake though, this cake really lives up to the name. proof? upon taking a bite, one of the webteam guys here told me it was the best dessert he has ever had. EVER. i didn’t ask his age, but i am assuming late 30s. while he might have been exaggerating, or simply not recalling some spectacular other baked good of mine, or his wive’s, it surely says something about this cake. also, it prolly says something about the peanut butter mousse.

a big thanks to my friend chris, who brought me cream cheese as i ran around my kitchen frantically, drowning in dirty bakeware, covered in chocolate from the mousse cake, and clothing dusted with powdered sugar. i even decorated my backsplash with the sugar, for good measure. (my splashguard was a mess, so i dared to go without– i do not suggest you do the same)

here is the video that bill posted in the comments as his reaction to these cupcakes:

and now, without further ado… your secret weapon, the chocolate cake that will make you the star of wherever it is that you take it! i would try to keep it to myself, but who am i to deprive your loved ones of this pleasure?

The Best Chocolate Sheet Cake. Ever. from the pioneer woman (thanks, ree!)

• 2 cups Flour
• 2 cups Sugar
• ¼ teaspoons Salt
• 4 Tablespoons (heaping) Cocoa
• 2 sticks Butter
• 1 cup Boiling Water
• ½ cups Buttermilk
• 2 whole Beaten Eggs
• 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla

In a mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, and salt.

In a saucepan, melt butter. Add cocoa. Stir together.
Add boiling water, allow mixture to boil for 30 seconds, then turn off heat. Pour over flour mixture, and stir lightly to cool.

In a measuring cup, pour the buttermilk and add beaten eggs, baking soda, and vanilla. Stir buttermilk mixture into butter/chocolate mixture. Pour into sheet cake pan and bake at 350-degrees for 20 minutes. (I made cupcakes, it made about 20, and they took about 15 minutes or so)

Peanut Butter Mousse (I doubled a recipe from BHG)

• 2/3 cup  whipping cream
• 1 8-ounce package  cream cheese, softened
• 1 1/3 cup  creamy peanut butter (do not use natural peanut butter)
• 4 tablespoons  milk
• 1 cup  sifted powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon  vanilla

In a chilled small mixing bowl beat whipping cream with chilled beaters of an electric mixer on low to medium speed until soft peaks form; set aside. In a medium mixing bowl beat cream cheese, peanut butter, and milk with an electric mixer until combined. Beat in powdered sugar and vanilla until mixture is smooth. Gently fold in beaten whipped cream, half at a time, until mixture is smooth. Cover and chill for 2 hours or up to 24 hours. (After 2 hours, I piped it onto the cupcakes with a star tip)