Party Day: Hostess Cake, Pulled Pork, Mom's Baked Beans and Baby Twice Baked Potatoes...

I did all of the prep yesterday for my party today and everything is heating up right now. Another thing I made yesterday was a Hostess Cupcake cake. It is semi homemade and I used a regular frosting rather than going the ganache route.

Hostess Cake

4  eggs beaten

1 Devils food cake box
1 cup sour cream
1 cup vegetable oil
1 pkg. instant chocolate pudding
1/2 c. milk
1 tsp vanilla
You can bake these in two 9" rounds but I opted for two long 9x13 pans. Combine all the ingredients and mix until smooth. I divided the batter into two greased pans and baked for about 30 minutes. Check with a toothpick beginning at 25 minutes. The cake is done when it pulls away from the side of the pan and the toothpick comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool. You will be stacking these cakes so decide which looks better and you want for the top.

The filling

2 egg whites
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 c. sugar
1/4 cup corn syrup
2 tsp of water

Make dutch oven by using a sauce pan with water filled half way up and brought to a simmer. Add a glass or metal bowl and make sure the water is not touching the bowl. Add the sugar, vanilla, corn syrup, and water. With a hand mixer blend until stiff peaks form (around 7 minutes) Because you are tempering the egg whites, they are safe to eat. Cool down and reserve 1/4 cup for the signature swirl.

Just in case, here is the ganche frosting recipe.

Ganache Frosting
1 1/2 lbs chocolate chips
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 TBSP sugar
1 TBSP lt. corn syrup
1/4 cup butter diced

Use the same double boiler method as for the filling. Be sure stir as it heats. You do not want to burn the chocolate. Once again, make sure the bowl does not come in direct contact with the water. Let cool and pour over the cakes, top with

As I said before, I used a canned frosting but you can make the signature chocolate ganache frosting by melting down chocolate chips and milk. Make the signature loops on the top of the frosting and enjoy!

This is one of my favorite summer dishes my Mom makes and it will be the hit of your cookout!

Mom's Baked Beans

3 large cans of Bush's baked original beans
1 8oz. can of pineapple tidbits drained
1 cup molasses
2 TBSP yellow mustard

Add all of the above ingredients and bake in a 300 degree oven for 2 hours. Stir periodically during baking. Serve hot or cold. The thicken up in the oven and can be made a day ahead of time.

These potatoes can be made the day before. See yesterdays' blog