Mother's Day: Baker's Vintage Ad & Recipe for Golden Cream Chocolate Cake

As Mother's Day approaches I thought I'd start posting some special Vintage Ads that reference mothers. I love the Vintage Ads and recipes from Baker's Chocolate that "Tell a Story." They appeared in Life Magazine from 1937-1938. Some of them are so amusing, especially this Ad from February 7, 1938 (and again on June 5, 1939) for Paula's Golden Cream Chocolate Cake. What a period piece! I mean really...just read the headline, "Paula Gives Mother-in-Law Her Come-Uppance." And don't you just love the word "Flibbertigibbet." Good thing Paula had a mind and talent of her own. And what a saint she was not lauding her baking skills over her mother-in-law. Such modesty. Oh puh..lease. I feel like writing 'the rest of the story.' At first meeting, Paula's mother-in-law thought Paula couldn't boil water.. She was proved wrong when Paula baked a lovely Golden Cream Chocolate Cake. These 'story ads' say a lot about the times! Of course Paula couldn't have done it without Baker's Chocolate and her own Mother's teachings!

This recipe really is delicious. The cake is a "cross between a Fudge Cake and Boston Cream Pie." A perfect posting (and baking!) for Mother's Day!

Chocolate Tamales for Cinco de Mayo

Chocolate Tamales: a great dish for Cinco De Mayo. This recipe is adapted from Diana's Recipe Book. The tamales are easy to make and delicious.

CHOCOLATE TAMALES

Ingredients
1 cup milk
1 pound Mexican DARK chocolate, 65-75% cacao, chopped
1 pound butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 pounds corn flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
24 corn husks

Directions
Preheat oven to 350.
Boil milk and add chocolate. Stir constantly until chocolate is completely melted. Add butter and sugar. Mix until smooth. Set aside to cool.
Mix corn flour and baking powder together in bowl. Slowly add chocolate mixture and mix by hand for 10 minutes.
Grease 2 (12 cup) muffin pans and line with corn husks. Fill with chocolate tamale mixture and bake for 20 minutes.

How easy is that?

Kahlua Mexican Chocolate Cake for Cinco de Mayo

I love Kahlua. It's such a versatile liqueur. Kahlúa is a Mexican coffee-flavored rum-based liqueur. It's dense and sweet, with the taste of coffee, from which it is made. Kahlúa also contains sugar, corn syrup and vanilla bean, so you see why it's often matched with chocolate in drinks, cakes, pies and candy.

I found a great Kahlua promotional cookbook at the flea market a few years ago: The Best of Kahlua: A Guide to Food and Entertaining. (1970). There are some really great recipes in this book, but I think this recipe for Mexican Chocolate Kahlua Cake is perfect for Cinco de Mayo--or any day! It's so easy and delicious!

Buttermilk Mexican Chocolate Chile Bundt Cake

Cinco de Mayo! Add Chocolate to Celebrate! Here's one of my favorite chocolate cake recipes for Cinco de Mayo (or any time!): Buttermilk Mexican Chocolate Chile Bundt Cake. I adapted this from a recipe in Southern Living several years ago. I've added ground chiles and used Taza Mexican Chocolate with Chiles for a little more kick. I usually bake this pound cake in a bundt pan. This is quick and easy and delicious.

Buttermilk Mexican Chocolate Chile Bundt Cake

Ingredients
8 ounces chopped dark (65-75% cacao) organic fair-trade chocolate (I use either Taza Chipotle Chili Chocolate Mexicano or Guajillo Chili Chocolate Mexicano, but you can use any dark chocolate)
1 cup sweet butter, softened
1-1/2 cups sugar
4 large eggs
1/2 cup chocolate syrup
2 tsp Mexican vanilla
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ancho chiles
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
1 cup buttermilk 

Directions
Melt chocolate in saucepan over saucepan over simmering water.
Beat butter at medium speed with mixer 2 minutes or until creamy. Gradually add sugar, beating 5 to 7 minutes or until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until yellow disappears after each addition. Stir in melted chocolate, chocolate syrup, and vanilla until smooth.
Combine flour and next 4 ingredients; add to butter mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat at low speed just until blended after each addition. Pour batter into greased and floured 12-cup Bundt pan.
Bake at 325° for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
Cool in pan on a wire rack 10 to 15 minutes; remove from pan to wire rack, and let cool for another hour.