Chai Spice Buttercream Frosting

The mother's birthday is tomorrow, so we celebrated this afternoon. I decided to put a fall twist on The Best White Cake Ever by making a chai spice buttercream frosting. It was heavenly. I mean, anything with 4 sticks of butter tastes amazing, but it was rich and creamy with a perfect hint of chai. The brother said it tasted exactly like a chai tea latte he had the other day. Yum…

I'd imagine this frosting would be just as wonderful on say a spice cake, or even a pumpkin cake. I just opted for white because I'd actually had the cake in my freezer for the past several months. Thankfully, this particular cake freezes very well. It was still perfect. 

Chai Spice Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients:

4 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature

Pinch of salt

3 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 tsp ground cardamom 

1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

5 cups powdered sugar

1 TBSP milk

Directions:

Beat the butter, salt and vanilla in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Add the rest of the spices and mix until combined. Add the powdered sugar, one cup at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition. Add about a TBSP of milk. Beat for about 5 minutes on high or until the frosting is light and fluffy.

Apply a thin layer of frosting to your cake (crumb coat). Put it in the fridge for about 15 minutes. Finish frosting your cake and decorate as desired. I simply sprinkled a little extra cinnamon on top!

Enjoy!

Lemon Poppy Seed Cake

Is it really June?! Time flies. It's crazy to think that I've been out of school for a little over a year and been working as a pediatric nurse for 8 months. It's amazing how much has changed. 

The brother has one year left as a teen. We had to celebrate a little early since he'll be off at camp on his real birthday. This year, he opted for a lemon poppyseed cake. I swear, the kid picks the weirdest things for me to make. Every other guy I know likes chocolate. But for the brother, I've done strawberry, white chocolate with raspberry, and now this. Gotta love him. 

The recipe is from Apple & Spice via Pinterest. I didn't change much, other than using whole eggs instead of just whites. And the brother vetoed the flaked almonds for decorating, so I used some extra lemon zest. Also, the original is all in metric units, so I'll give you the converted version. You're welcome. 

Basically, it tastes just like a lemon poppyseed muffin with frosting. It's pretty delicious if you're into that. It's moist, sweet, lemony, not too heavy. The brother was pleased with it, so I think that makes it a winner! 

Lemon Poppy Seed Cake

For the cake:
2 1/2 cups AP flour
1 cup sugar
4 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3 TBSP poppy seeds
3/4 cup unsalted butter
zest of 1 lemon
275ml buttermilk
5 large eggs

For the sauce:
1/2 cup sugar
75ml water
juice of 1 lemon

For the frosting:
8oz cream cheese
3/4 cup butter
5-6 cups powdered sugar
1 TBSP almond extract

• Heat the oven to 350*F and prepared 3 8-9" cake pans. 
• Combine the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl. Gently mix to combine.
• Add the butter, lemon zest, and 200ml of the buttermilk. Beat on low until completely mixed. Raise the speed to medium and beat for an additional 1-2 minutes.
• In another bowl, combine the remaining buttermilk with the eggs. Whisk to blend thoroughly. 
• Add the egg mixture to the batter in 2-3 additions. Beat only enough to incorporate.
• Divide the batter between the three pans (it may seem a little thick).
• Bake for 20-30 minutes (depending on the size of your pans), until a toothpick comes out of the center clean. 
• Let the cakes cool in the pans for about 10 minutes before turning out.
• While the cakes are cooling, make the lemon sauce:
• In a small sauce pan, combine sugar, water, and lemon juice. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar.
•  Generously brush the cakes with the lemon sauce while they are still warm. 
• Allow the cakes to completely cool before frosting.
• In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter & cream cheese until light and fluffy.
• Gradually add the powdered sugar, scraping down the sides & beating well between each addition.
• Add the almond extract and continue to beat well for 3-4 minutes, until light & fluffy.
• I trust you can figure out how to assemble the cake!

Enjoy!

I seriously need to get back to cooking more. I've been eating like an unchaperoned 5-year-old at a birthday party. However, I've actually made some breakfast sandwiches and oatmeal cupcakes recently. They were pretty good... I'll TRY to get those posts up soon!

Oreo Crumble Cake with Mocha Frosting

It was someone's birthday today…so I made cake! I honestly haven't made anything else in like the last month. It's pretty sad. If it wasn't for peanut butter, and other people who will feed me, I would starve. I'm really only kind of kidding.

I took a couple of different recipes and came up with an Oreo Crumble Cake topped with mocha frosting…there is also like a cookies & cream filling involved. The father (it's his birthday) is a fan of Oreos, chocolate cake, and coffee…so it was kind of a perfect combination.   

The cake itself has a fantastic texture. Super moist. The frosting is divine. Perfect touch of coffee flavor. The filling is great too…and I think next time I would double the recipe on the filling…or maybe just 1 1/2 it. It's a pretty fantastic cake. Really rich. Like, rich for me, rich. So for those of you who do not handle sweets well, beware. I recommend having a glass of milk. 

I will say that slicing it evenly & getting it out is a little challenging with the layer of Oreos in the center. But, hey, it's still delicious.

Oreo Crumble Cake

About 10-15 Oreos

2 cups AP flour

2 cups sugar

3/4 cup cocoa

2 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 packet Starbucks Via Italian Roast (or other EXTRA BOLD roast)

1 cup milk

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup boiling water

• Preheat the oven to 350*F and prepare 2 9" pans appropriately. Twist apart enough Oreos to line the bottom of one of the pans, cream side up.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (flour through instant coffee). Add the milk, oil, eggs, and vanilla. Beat on medium speed until combined. (I use my KitchenAid stand mixer because it's fantastic.) Reduce the speed & carefully add the boiling water so you don't slosh batter everywhere. Then beat on high for about a minute to add some air & fluff. 
• Distribute the cake batter evenly between the pans. Bake for about 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. 
• Remove from the oven & let cool in the pans for about 10 minutes. Then, remove the cake from the pans onto a wire rack & let cool completely.

Filling:

1/3 cup whipping cream

2 tsp powdered sugar

1/8 tsp vanilla

5-6 Oreos, well crumbled (I recommend using the "pulse" button on a food processor a couple times)

• In your stand mixer (with whisk attachment), whip the cream, sugar & vanilla until stiff.
• Fold in the Oreo crumbles
• Keep chilled until you're ready to use it!

Mocha Frosting

1 1/2 cups butter, softened

1 cup cocoa

5 cups powdered sugar

1/2 cup milk

2 tsp vanilla

1 packet Starbucks Via Italian Roast (or other EXTRA BOLD roast)

• Add the cocoa to a large bowl or stand mixer. Whisk through to remove any lumps.
• Cream together the cocoa and butter until well combined.
• Add the powdered sugar and milk to the mixture by adding 1 cup of sugar, followed by 1 TBSP of milk. After each addition has been combined, beat on high for about a minute. It will get nice & fluffy.
• Add the vanilla & instant coffee & mix until well combined.

I feel like putting this all together is fairly self-explanatory. And there's really no art to decorating it. I piped a little frosting around the bottom edge to finish it off a little. I crumbled the spare naked Oreos that went unused from the one with cream that were baked into the the cake…sprinkled them on top. Then I just broke a few more apart & put them on. Pretty simple. Super yummy. Enjoy!

Cranberry Breakfast Cake

We had a potluck breakfast of sorts at work last week, so I made this cranberry breakfast cake inspired by a post by Averie Cooks on Pinterest. The original recipe is described as being a mix between a blueberry muffin and pancake. I think it's just more of a quick-bread that looks more like a cake. But still tasty. And moist. It's the perfect, easy breakfast for a crowd. I elected to use cranberries instead of blueberries. Makes it more Christmas-y. But if you're not into some tartness, stick with the blueberries. You may also half the recipe if you're just making it for the family, and use an 8x8 baking dish.

Cranberry Breakfast Cake

2 cups AP flour

1 1/2 cups sugar

4 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp salt

2 large eggs

1 cup buttermilk

2/3 cup sour cream or full-fat Greek yogurt

6 TBSP vegetable oil or unsweetened applesauce

2 tsp vanilla 

1 package fresh cranberries

Powdered sugar for dusting (optional)

• Preheat the oven to 350*F and prepare a 9x13 baking dish.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients.
• Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture, mixing lightly with a spoon or folding gently with a spatula until just combined. Don't worry about the lumps! You don't want to over mix.
• Gently fold in the cranberries.
• Pour the batter into the baking dish and bake until done. Watch the cake, not the timer. I covered mine at 30 minutes with foil to prevent the top from getting too dark. It was about another 30 minutes before it was done. Keep it in there long enough that a toothpick will come out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
• Let it cool before serving. You may top it off with a dusting of powdered sugar, or get fancy and make some kind of glaze.

Enjoy!

Chocolate Pumpkin Cake

I love any reason to make cake, and today is the mother's birthday! Score! There were several recipes to choose from, but the winner was this Chocolate Pumpkin Cake with chocolate ganache and pumpkin whipped cream from i am baker. By the way, i am baker is one of my favorites for sweets. Great stuff. I'm generally against cake without frosting. I don't see the point. However, this cake is definitely the exception. The cake itself is perfectly moist. The pumpkin whipped cream is spectacular. And how can you go wrong with ganache? Deliciousness.  

I didn't really change anything from i am baker's recipe. My cake is just round instead of square. Mostly, well, all because I don't have a square plate…and a square cake on a round plate would really mess with my OCD. Here it is:

Chocolate Pumpkin Cake

For the cake:

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup white sugar

3/4 cup butter, softened

1 TBSP vanilla

4 eggs

1 cup pureed pumpkin

1/2 cup buttermilk

1 1/2 cups AP flour

2/3 cup cocoa

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

• Preheat the oven to 350*F and prepare two round or square baking pans.
• In a small bowl, mix together the pumpkin and buttermilk.
• In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, powder, soda and salt.
• In a mixer, beat the sugars, butter, and vanilla until fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, until fully incorporated. 
• Alternating, add the flour mixture and pumpkin mixture to the sugar mixture, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Mix for about a minute on low, until fully combined.
• Divide the batter evenly among your pans. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
• Let cool in the pans about 10 minutes before inverting one onto your plate or cake stand, and the other onto a cooling rack or whatever you want to use!

For the Ganache:

12 oz Velata milk chocolate

6 oz heavy whipping cream

• Place your chocolate in a heat-safe bowl.
• In a small sauce pan, bring the heavy cream to a boil. Remove from heat and pour over the chocolate.
• Mix together until smooth. Let it sit for just a few minutes to thicken.
• Pour over the top of each layer of cake. Spread to the edges &/or let it run over the edges. Let it sit for at least an hour.

For the Pumpkin Whipped Cream:

1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream

1-2 cups powdered sugar

1 cup pureed pumpkin

2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp all spice

• In a small bowl, combine pumpkin and spices. Mix together.
• In a mixer, beat the whipping cream on medium-high until soft peaks are formed. Add 1 cup of the powdered sugar (1/2 cup at a time). Mix until combined.
• Fold the pumpkin mixture into the whipped cream.
• Beat in the remaining powdered sugar (1/4 cup at a time) until the desired texture is reached. I ended up using a total of 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar. 
• Let it chill in the fridge for about 15 minutes.

When you go to assemble your cake, I recommend using placing straws through the whipped cream and bottom cake layer to support the top layer. It'll keep the top layer from squishing out all the whipped cream!

Enjoy!

Pumpkin Nutella Bars with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

I'm loving that it's pumpkin everything season! And it's feeling a little more like fall outside too. Perfection. This tasty pumpkin treat is a Pinterest find. Actually, I saw that the brother had pinned it, so I made these for him because I'm a great sister. Most of the time. The bars are nice and moist. Have great flavor. And while they're not super healthy, my version did cut out 1 cup of oil, 1 cup of granulated sugar, 1 cup of powdered sugar, and 1/2 stick of butter. And I don't feel like they are lacking on sweetness at all. Next time around, I would probably take out more of the pumpkin batter before mixing in the Nutella (I've adjusted the directions below). Then, they might actually come out "swirled." 

Pumpkin Nutella Bars

Inspiration from The Gunny Sack

4 large eggs

1 1/2 cups pureed pumpkin

1 cup unsweetened applesauce

2 cups AP flour

2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp cinnamon

2 tsp ginger

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1 cup sugar

1 cup Nutella

• Preheat the oven to 350*F and prepare a jelly roll pan (16x12x1) with nonstick spray. 
• In a large mixing bowl/stand mixer, beat together the eggs, pumpkin and applesauce. 
• Add all the dry ingredients and mix until combined.
• Pour half the pumpkin batter into your prepared pan.
• Mix the Nutella in with the remaining batter.
• Drop spoonfuls of the Nutella mixture over the pumpkin batter. 
• Gently swirl with a knife.
• Bake for 25-30 minutes.

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

8 oz reduced fat cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup butter, softened

3 cups powdered sugar

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla

• In a large mixing bowl/stand mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter until fluffy.
• Add powdered sugar, one cup at a time, beating until smooth.
• Mix in cinnamon and vanilla.

I went ahead and put my frosting on with the bars were still warm. I feel like it makes them a little more moist. Also, I had just worked for 13 hours and didn't feel like staying awake for them to cool down… Enjoy!

Vanilla Sheet Cake with Strawberry White Chocolate Frosting

I hope everyone had a great 4th of July! I certainly enjoyed the day, and am so thankful for all those who protect our nation's independence. The weather yesterday morning was quite perfect for the LibertyFest parade in downtown Edmond. Then, I headed to a friend's house for an incredibly delicious lunch...featuring ribs. I felt like I'd just had Thanksgiving dinner, so I took a nap. Before I knew it, it was time for party #2. A big cookout, sparklers, fireworks...good times. 




















I made a vanilla Texas sheet cake with strawberry white chocolate frosting to take to the cookout. It turned out superb. I adapted the recipe from an almond sheet cake that I've made. The cake is so moist and wonderful. The frosting is pretty tasty too. The brother has requested another one to celebrate dorm life when he heads off to college in August. Ha. 


Vanilla Sheet Cake

Ingredients:
1 cup butter
1 cup water
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup sour cream
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Prepare a jelly roll pan.
• In a small saucepan, add the water and butter. Bring to a boil.
• In a large mixing bowl, add the flour and sugar.
• Pour the boiling water and butter mixture over the flour and sugar mixture. Beat well.
• Add the baking soda, vanilla, sour cream, and eggs. Mix again.
• Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. 

Strawberry White Chocolate Frosting

• Click here to get the recipe for the white chocolate frosting. Just make a half recipe or so.
• Slice some fresh strawberries until you have about a cup. Place in a food processor and pulse until the pieces are small enough. 
• Add the strawberries to the white chocolate frosting and mix well.
• Spread over cooled cake.

Enjoy! I recommend chilling the cake. But it's good either way. 

PBC Cake

Peanut Butter. Chocolate. Cake. Three of my most favorite things in one seriously scrumptious dessert! I have been dying to make this since I located it on Pinterest last month. Fortunately, there was a birthday in the family this weekend. Perfect occasion for such a cake. In all honesty, the only thing I could think about during classes on Friday was that I was going to finally make this cake... Disclaimer: this cake is HORRIBLE for you. Super delicious. But you might want to have some extra insulin and antilipidemics handy. Kidding...kind of. Definitely get in some P90X or something once or twice BEFORE eating it. But really, this is the BEST tasting worst thing you can eat. Definitely worth it. Even the brother who doesn't like peanut butter, poor unfortunate child, ate this cake up. I would recommend making this for a crowd so you're not munching on leftovers :)

The recipe is from Tara at Smells Like Home. I thought about maybe making some healthier substitutions, but, really, with a cake like this, what's the point? There's just not a great way to do it. You can, however, control the quality of the ingredients that go in (i.e. natural/organic). Don't get too natural with the peanut butter though! JIF or Skippy Natural (creamy) are fine, but don't use anything that separates. That would be no good. Also, I only had 9" cake pans...so if that's you too, just know that you'll have a wider, shorter cake and will need to adjust the baking time. Click on the link above to get the recipe for this sweet thing!

#22

I guess it has already been 10 whole days since I hit 22! I can't say it's a real life changer...although for some reason I feel much older. Oh, well. I got lucky this year, and I had the day off clinical. Score! I enjoyed my day thoroughly. I started it off with strength and abs. Then did some Kenpo-X. And wrapped up the afternoon with some X2-Yoga. Oh, and I slept-in until like 0800. It was fantastic. Felt SO good. I realize that's not most people's ideal way to spend a birthday, but it certainly was for me. 

For dinner, I went out with the family to Capers Mediterranean Buffet & Bistro in NW OKC. I always like to pick someplace we've never been before. I've kind of been on a Greek and Mediterranean food kick since last year, when we went to Zorba's. So I hunted high and low on Urbanspoon until I found something that looked good. There were a few more casual Mediterranean food places, but not very many "nice" ones. Oklahoma is a little low on Mediterranean cuisine choices. I was kind of skeptical because I generally don't do buffets. However, I was pretty impressed. The gyro meat was by far the best I've ever had. EVER. There was a great selection of salads. They had some of my Mediterranean favorites--dolma and falafel. Bottom line: there was lots of tasty stuff. I definitely recommend it!

We went back to the father's house for cake. I found out a couple of days ago that the mother was actually going to bake me some kind of white chocolate raspberry cake, but she got distracted shopping for presents and ran out of time. SO, I ended up with white cake with butter cream frosting from Target...and I really can't complain. It's one of my weaknesses. I love Target cake. It's horrible. I don't even want to talk about the ingredient list. But it's so good.

Well, I'm sure that I really should get back to studying. I had a test yesterday, but there's another one tomorrow. That will be 3 since school started on the 7th. Story of my life. 84 days 'til graduation!

Cranberry Coffee Cake

Here is the recipe for the other part of our Christmas breakfast (still no picture). My grandmother frequently prepared this for us while we were there for Christmas break. I love it, so I was excited when I finally came across her recipe. Like I mentioned yesterday, she had an extensive recipe collection. It's hardcore. Seriously. I went through the sections for breakfast and breads before I realized there was actually a coffee cake section. Legit, right? This can easily be made ahead and frozen. You can do a 9x13 or two 8x8 pans, depending on what you want to do. Enjoy!

Cranberry Coffee Cake

Grease pan(s).
 
Bottom Layer
     2 cups whole cranberries
     1/2 cup sugar
     1/2 cup nuts
Mix together and place in bottom of pan;

Mix:
4 eggs
2 cups flour
2/3 cup oil or 1 cup melted butter
2 tsp vanilla

Pour over cranberries. Let stand 1 hour. 

Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour or until done. (There is a note to reduce the heat to 300 if you're using a Pyrex dish.)

Gingerbread Cake

I would consider gingerbread to be a classic holiday treat. I made this for "Christmas" at my father's house before we left for real Christmas in Minnesota. The recipe, I believe, is my mom's mom's. She called it "My Best Gingerbread." It's a pretty legit, hand-written recipe on a genuine recipe card. The cake is wonderful. It has the perfect texture and taste. It's moist, but not heavy or soggy. I recommend topping it off with a lemon sauce or glaze or even plain old Cool Whip. 

My Best Gingerbread
Ingredients:
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
2 1/2 cups flour
1/ 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1 cup molasses
1 cup hot water

Directions:
Grease 9x13 pan.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Melt shortening in 3-4 quart pan; cool. Add sugar and egg; beat well.

Sift together dry ingredients. 

Combine molasses and water. Add alternately with flour mixture to first mixture.

Bake about 50 minutes. (It didn't take this long with my oven, so start checking early if you know your oven cooks fast!)

Chocolate Raspberry Ganache Cake

My mother's birthday was last Saturday, so I made this cake I found on Pinterest.  I knew it would be a good one because it calls for weird things like sour cream and distilled white vinegar.  Also, who doesn't enjoy chocolate ganache?  The cake turned out well.  Super moist.  Super delicious.  Totally unhealthy.  Unless, you want to count the raspberry jam and juice as fruit and the chocolate as an antioxidant.  But seriously, the thing weighed 12 pounds.  Seriously.  I did 1 1/2 times the ganache recipe, however this baker knows her stuff, and, really, not making extra ganache would've worked well.  (There may or may not be a bowl of what was left currently hanging out in the kitchen.)  The cake was definitely a hit though.  I'm actually kind of surprised that the brother enjoyed it as much as he did.  Get the recipe by clicking here!

It probably would be prettier with fresh raspberries on top, but I forgot to get those!

It's so moist it doesn't stay together well and chocolate gets everywhere.  It reminds me of the chocolate cake on "Matilda" except probably tastier.

I promise I don't only eat cake.  I have mostly just been snacking lately though, since my stomach hates me.  I'll get to have like one bite of everything on Thanksgiving, but hopefully I'll be good to go for Christmas.  In other news, I was doing the splits last night when there was a loud ripping/popping sound.  Weirdest feeling ever.  And now my right hamstring is super messed up, which complicates working out even more.  I'm sure I should chill out and relax, but I don't really do either of those!  Hopefully, it will heal itself up extremely soon.  Like, in the next 5 minutes would be great...

Blueberry Banana Cake

I'm loving how much baking I'm currently getting to do!  I made a blueberry banana cake the other night to share with some friends.  It was delicious!  Basically, I would say its like a wonderfully moist banana blueberry bread with cream cheese frosting.  Yum.  The original recipe is from theKitchn, which is where I'd previously found and tried a fabulous recipe for banana caramel cake.  I did modify the recipe a little though.  I didn't put lemon zest in the frosting or almonds on top.  I also left out the rum.  I figured that the kiddos would be a little weirded out by those things.  I know I was when I was a kid.  And, let's be real, while I thought the almonds were nice for garnish, I didn't really want to eat them on my frosting.  Like why would you want to ruin perfectly smooth, creamy frosting with nuts?  I also simplified things a little by leaving the cake in the pan versus taking it out and having to find a platter and frosting the sides.  I would caution you to know how your oven bakes and start checking on the cake EARLY, if you ever decide to make it.  I was house-sitting, and apparently that oven bakes quick.  The original recipe says 75 minutes, but my cake was done in 45.  I'm glad I checked on it when I did!  Unfortunately, this cake disappeared before I got a picture.  It seems as though the brother got a slice and forgot to put the rest up...leaving it easily accessible to a couple of dogs.  Argh.  However, I decided to solve this little problem by making another one.  After all, my mom hadn't gotten to try it and we're in Minnesota with family to share with.  And it's practically a health food, right?  It's got bananas, blueberries and lemon... That pretty much outweighs all the sugar, don't you think?  The second time around, I still left out the rum, but I did keep the lemon zest...which, I think, was a wonderful addition to the frosting!  This time, it took the full 75 minutes to bake.  Clearly, all ovens are not created equal!  I did manage a picture...although, not a very good one:        

The Messiest French Chocolate Cake

We flew back from Seattle last Saturday, which happened to also be my brother's 17th birthday, and then that very Sunday was Father's Day.  Obviously a cake was necessary.  My first problem might have been that I was baking this cake around midnight to 1.  I mean, it turned out totally delicious, but I would hate to have to guess the number of toothpicks that held this thing together.  And, with regard to the Oklahoma heat, I probably should have waited until I was ready to serve the cake before I put the Cool Whip on.  So, this was by far the messiest chocolate cake I've ever made.  Not at all pretty, but SO good.  I found the recipe in a "Taste of Home" magazine from summer '07.  It looks much prettier in there too.  I picked this one out to try because it has buttermilk and coffee in the cake.  That fact automatically makes it good.  Then, when it comes out of the oven, you pour a rum glaze over the top.  Between the two layers of cake, is chocolate goodness.  Are you following me?  While you will probably laugh at my picture, just know that it tasted amazing.  

The Messiest French Chocolate Cake

(aka French Chocolate Cake on pg. 53 of June/July 2007 "Taste of Home" magazine)

For the cake:

1/2 c butter, softened

2    c packed brown sugar

2    egg yolks

2   tsp vanilla extract

6   squares (1 oz each) semisweet chocolate, melted & cooled

1   c cold strong brewed coffee

3   c all-purpose flour

1 1/2  tsp salt

1 1/2  tsp baking soda

1  c buttermilk

For the glaze:

2/3  c sugar

1/2  c milk

1/4  c butter, cubed

1     tsp rum extract

For the filling:

1     c (6 oz) semisweet or dark chocolate chips (I like dark, personally)

1/4  c milk

For the topping:

1  carton frozen whipped topping (i.e. Cool Whip), thawed 

Throw on some chocolate curls, sliced strawberries, or rainbow sprinkles!

Directions:

Line 2 greased 9" round baking pans with waxed paper (also grease the paper); set aside.  In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and brown sugar until crumbly.  Beat in egg yolks & vanilla.  Stir in chocolate and coffee (or else it goes EVERYWHERE).  Combine flour, salt & baking soda; add to chocolate mixture alternately with the buttermilk (batter should be thick).  Pour into prepared pans and bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, bring sugar, milk and butter to a gentle boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until sugar is dissolved.  Remove from heat & stir in rum extract.

Invert cakes onto wire racks; drizzle with glaze (or just dump it on!).  Cool completely.  In a microwave-safe bowl, melt chocolate chips with milk; stir until smooth.  Let cool until the mixture is spreadable, stirring occasionally.  

Place one cake on a serving plate; spread with filling.  Top with remaining cake, using toothpicks to secure.  Spread whipped topping over the whole thing.  Store in the fridge & garnish with the topping of your choice.  Eat up!

Flourless Chocolate Cake

I made a flourless chocolate cake with chocolate glaze for Easter lunch.  (There was other food too.  I just made the cake, though.)  Obviously, being flourless, it didn't have the texture of what most people consider cake.  Looking at it, it could have been brownie texture, but it wasn't that either.  I don't really know how to describe it, but it was delicious.  Very rich and chocolate-y.  Goodness.  Also, the batter was absolutely heavenly.  Like chocolate silk.  In my mouth.  I served it up with some vanilla ice cream.  It's also really good if you warm it up with the chocolate glaze and peanut butter.  Just saying.  Everyone really liked it.  Even my brother.  Here it is: 

Flourless Chocolate Cake (Gluten-Free Goddess)

Ingredients:

16oz dark chocolate (I used Ghirardelli 60%)

1 cup light brown sugar, packed

1/2 cup white cane sugar

3/4 cup very hot strong coffee (I used Maxwell House Colombian) 

2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into pieces

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

8 large eggs, at room temperature

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Prepare a 10-cup Springform pan by lining the bottom with buttered parchment

{Note: Using a smaller cake pan will result in a longer baking time; adjust accordingly and keep an eye on the edges; if it browns too much while the center is still wet, wrap edges in foil.}

Break up the dark chocolate into pieces and pour the chocolate into the bowl of the food processor. Pulse until the chocolate breaks up into small bits. Add the sugar. Pulse until the chocolate and sugar turns into an even, sandy grain.

Pour the hot water or coffee slowly into the feed tube as you pulse again. Pulse until the chocolate is melted. Magic!

Add the butter pieces and the cocoa powder, and pulse to combine. Add the eggs and vanilla, and process till smooth. The batter will be liquid and creamy.

Pour the batter into the lined Springform pan. Wrap the outside of the whole pan with a big piece of foil. Bake at 350º F in the center of the oven, till puffed and cracked and lovely - about 55 to 65 minutes. (Note - it takes an hour plus 15 minutes when baked at high altitude.) Use a wooden toothpick to check the center of the cake; pick should emerge clean, with maybe a crumb.

Place the cake pan on a wire rack to cool. The cake will deflate. Don't worry! When cooled a bit, press down on it gently with a spatula to make it even, if you wish. Or not.

When the cake is completely cooled, cover, and chill it for at least three hours (best up to eight hours), until serving. Overnight is even better.

Serve thin slices with drizzled chocolate sauce or a sprinkle of sifted powdered sugar. Garnish with a fresh berries or mint leaves.

Yield: 15 slices

Satiny Chocolate Glaze (All Recipes)

Ingredients:

3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

3 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon light corn syrup

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

Melt the first three ingredients in a microwave-safe bowl.  Do about 10-15 second intervals in the microwave, depending on your wattage.  Just don't burn it!  Stir in the vanilla.  Drizzle over cake. Eat.  Enjoy.

Jumbo Cherry Chocolate Chip Cupcake

I'll admit, I did not actually make this myself.  It was a surprise from my mother.  Generally, I do not like surprises...unless they are carefully planned...by me.  So when my mother tells me on the phone that she has a surprise for me, I kind of flip out.  However, I was glad to find a giant cupcake sitting on the kitchen counter.  I was even more glad to find out that it was a "real" cherry chocolate chip cake and not the box kind with the fake cherry chips.  The cake tasted amazing, and it was super moist.  Like, you-could-eat-it-without-the-frosting MOIST.  And that's impressive.  Because, if you know me, you know I generally like a little cake with my frosting...or just the frosting.  The recipe for the cake is below the picture.  I don't have one for the homemade butter cream frosting--you just throw a combination of butter, confectioner's (powdered) sugar, vanilla, and milk together until it's right...helpful, I know. 

Did I mention?  One of the best parts is you can take a piece from the back and nobody knows!

Cherry Chocolate Chip Cake:

1 box (18.25 oz) yellow cake mix

1 box (3.4 oz) vanilla pudding mix

8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, melted and cooled

1 cup milk

4 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1 jar (10 oz) maraschino cherries, drained, dried and roughly chopped

1/3 cup mini chocolate chips

Baking Directions (for jumbo cupcake):

Preheat oven to 325*F.  Prepare Jumbo Cupcake Pan with vegetable cooking spray.

In a large bowl, beat cake mix, pudding mix, butter, milk, eggs, vanilla, and almond extract with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds.  Stop mixer, scrape sides of bowl, and continue beating on medium speed for 2 minutes.  Fold in chopped cherries and chocolate chips.  Pour 4 cups of batter into the bottom cavity of the cupcake; pour remaining batter into top cavity.  Bake 55-60 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center of bottom cavity comes out clean.  Cool in pan 15 minutes; invert onto cooling grid and cool completely before decorating. 

Recipe courtesy of the back jumbo cupcake pan box!

Poppyseed Chicken

Today is my brother's 16th birthday! (I'm getting old, I know.)  I told him that he could decide what we had for dinner.  His original thought was poppyseed chicken and biscuits.  I asked him what kind of vegetable, and he said, "cheesy potatoes."  Needless to say, I didn't exactly make that.  The poppyseed chicken was a done deal.  He decided green beans and mushrooms would suffice instead of cheesy potatoes.  And we topped it off with chocolate pudding cake.  

 Poppyseed chicken is a very easy and simple dish to make. (Also delicious!) You basically cook about 6 chicken breasts and chop them into cubes and place in the bottom of a baking dish, cover with a mixture of sour cream (I use light), cream of chicken, and cream of celery, and top with a sleeve of crushed Ritz crackers (I used reduced fat), poppyseeds, and melted butter.  I do take the extra time to shred the chicken instead of just chopping it.  For some reason, cubes/chunks of chicken really gross me out.

I modified the recipe for the chocolate pudding cake.  It's inherently low fat, but full of sugar.  I didn't totally replace the sugar with fake stuff.  Instead, I used half "real" sugar and half Ideal sugar substitute.  I don't think anyone noticed a difference...and I haven't told them.  We topped it with light vanilla ice cream. Yum!