Graham Cracker Cake

My husband's favorite birthday cake through the years has been a graham cracker cake from a local bakery. I remember being unimpressed when I first ate the cake, probably because it included no chocolate, but I've attempted to replicate it a couple times for him through the years. 

This year's rendition was as close to the original as I've come, so I wanted to at least document the recipe I used from Cook, Nourish, Bliss. This cake is similar to what I've done for different cupcakes through the years, where it contains no flour aside from graham cracker crumbs. It's a denser cake for that reason, but man are the edges I cut off to level the cakes delicious. 

I think the difference this year was using a swiss meringue frosting, which I copied from this recipe. That is most similar to the frosting on the original cake. I also topped the cake with graham cracker crumbles. 

Graham Cracker Cake
4 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
5 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
6 large eggs, separated
2 cups sugar
2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
2 tsp. vanilla
1 1/4 cups milk
Swiss Meringue Buttercream
Graham Cracker Crumbles
6 graham crackers, crushed
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
4 Tbsp. butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease 2 9-inch round cake pans, and line the bottoms with parchment paper. In a large bowl, whisk together graham cracker crumbs, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

Whisk egg whites on high until stiff peaks form. Set aside. Cream together sugar and butter about 2 minutes. Add in the egg yolks, and beat until combined. Add vanilla, and beat until combined. With mixer on low, add in 1/3 of graham cracker mixture. Then add half the milk and then another third of the graham cracker crumbs. Add in the rest of the milk and then the last of the graham cracker crumbs.

Gently fold in half the egg whites. Then fold in the remaining egg whites. Divide the batter between the two pans, and smooth with a spatula. Bake 35 to 45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool at least 30 minutes before removing from the pans, and then cool completely on wire racks.

While the oven is still hot, bake the graham cracker crumbles. Combine those ingredients and press together on a baking sheet in a thin layer. Bake 10 minutes, and set aside to cool. 

Follow recipe in the link for frosting. For easiest frosting, chill the cakes prior to frosting. Frost, and garnish with graham cracker crumbles immediately prior to serving. 

French Onion Stuffed Shells

This is exactly the type of recipe that is way too much work for our family, when the odds were good that I'd be the only one super excited by it. However, that's the joy of having childcare providers who routinely eat with us. There's a better chance of them liking something that's out of our usual wheelhouse, so I took advantage of that to make these piles of delicious cheesiness from How Sweet Eats. 

First, everyone except my oldest son thoroughly enjoyed these. (My younger son thought they were finger food and ran around with the one he stole from the counter.) These are a lot of work, probably close to 90 minutes to prep when you factor in the dishes and such, but oh ... my ... goodness. I loved these! They were great the first time, and the leftovers were fantastic as well. I won't likely repeat these often due to the time commitment, but they are absolutely worth making for a special meal. 

French Onion Stuffed Shells

4 sweet onions, thinly sliced

4 Tbsp. butter

Salt and pepper for seasoning throughout

1/2 tsp. dried thyme

2 garlic cloves, minced

8 oz. jumbo pasta shells

2 cups ricotta cheese

1 egg,

1 cup grated gruyere or Gouda

1/4 cup grated Parmesan

1 Tbsp. flour

1 1/2 cups chicken, beef or vegetable stock

1/3 cup cream

1 cup grated mozzarella

1/4 cup seasoned breadcrumbs

Heat the butter in a large oven-safe skillet over medium heat. Stir in the onions with a pinch of salt and pepper, along with the thyme. Cook, stirring often, until the onions carmelize, about 30 minutes. (Note: I did mine in a regular skillet and baked in a separate dish, so I could divide them into separate meals.) 

Meanwhile, cook and drain pasta shells, according to package directions. 

Once onions are carmelized, add garlic. Turn off heat, but leave them in the pan. Preheat oven to 400°F. 

In a bowl, stir together ricotta, egg, gruyere or Gouda, parmesan and a pinch of salt, pepper and thyme. Take half the carmelized onions from the pan, and stir them into the ricotta to finish your filling. Fill each shell, stuffing it full but not overflowing. ­

Turn the heat to medium-low for the remaining onions in the pan. Stir in the flour, and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Slowly add the stock while stirring, and cook for another couple minutes to thicken slightly. Stir in the cream. Place the shells open side up in the sauce (or drizzle the sauce over the shells if you're baking in a separate dish). Top with mozzarella cheese and breadcrumbs. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until golden and bubbly. Serve warm and enjoy! Makes about 20 to 25 shells.