Chocolate Cake Pan Cake

Do you have a "go to" cake in your recipe collection? The one that's easy, quick and always gets rave reviews! Kinda like having that little black dress that you can wear for any occasion, those great black pumps that pair so well the dress, the slacks or those jeans. I was searching out some pizza crust recipes over at www.kingarthurflour.com, and came upon this little number. I have a few standby chocolate cake recipes and there is always room for another. My Mom has a great chocolate cake with a cream filling and a decadent chocolate frosting. I have another from my Aunt that calls for coffee, makes a very moist cake, a chocolate snack cake and yet another that I love from Barefoot Contessa. I made this one for my Nephew's birthday. You mix, bake and serve this cake all in the same pan. Makes a great dessert to take along just about anywhere. I think it would also make a nice gift for someone. Like my chocolate snack cake, this also calls for no eggs. A bonus for someone who is allergic to eggs. I doubled the recipe and just sprinkled it with confectioner's sugar. A scoop of ice cream to top it off and it was delicious, moist, chocolatey and incredibly easy to make. A huge hit with everyone at our table and request to make again. Which, of course I will, but there is still another chocolate cake or two to make.... You know, like adding another "little black dress", or another pair of "'black pumps," one is just not enough!

Although we may have many "little black dresses" or "chocolate cakes" in our lives, scripture makes it very clear that there is only way for salvation. John 14:6 Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Only a few short weeks before my give away announcement. I am getting very excited to share with you. Stay tuned.

Cake Pan Cake
King Arthur Flour

Ingredients-

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1'2 teaspoon espresso powder, (optional)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 Tablespoon Vinegar
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 cups cold water or coffee, or milk or 3/4 cup water & 1/4 cup rum

Directions-

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  

Measure all dry ingredients into an 8" or 9" round or square cake pan. If you are using an 8" pan, make sure that it's at least 2" deep. Blend the ingredients together thoroughly with a fork or whisk.
Make three indentations in the mix.

Pour the vanilla into one hole, the vinegar into another and the oil in the last hole.

Take the cup of cold liquid of your choice and pour it directly over everything in the pan. Stir all
ingredients together until they are well blended and smooth.

Bake for 30-35 minutes. I let the cakes cool completely then dusted with confectioners' sugar. You can also frost with your favorite homemade frosting or store bought! Serve with ice cream of course.


Eat & Love Well, xo
Sonya

Cheesecake Brownies with Nicole

just before baking

First, let me just say that I am not a huge brownie lover! My family loves them and loves them even more with ice cream and fudge sauce drizzled all over. They like them plain or with peanut butter cups mixed in. I am good for a bite or two. Well, when cream cheese comes into play and is mixed in with the brownie batter it's gotta be good. How can anything with cream cheese be bad? Nicole chose these from the www.foodnetwork.com site. She calls them the better brownie. They are made with low fat cream cheese, very little butter and oil, some egg whites and low-fat buttermilk. Although they have four steps in the process we had them mixed and in the oven in less than 20 minutes. They also make a nice 8x8-inch pan with 16 squares in all. We ate our lunch and patiently waited for them to cool. Took some pictures and with forks in hand gladly ate a square and shared another. They are delicious. Not too sweet, a nice tang from the cream cheese and a nice moist chocolate bottom. All we could say was Yum!! I like this brownie, like it so much, I had a piece for breakfast. My family is not a big on cream cheese so I will continue to make their favorites. I will however, be making these for friends to share over a hot beverage or just because someone needs these. I think I need to break out those recipes for brownie pie!!! Is low-fat cream cheese and buttermilk on your list this week?

I love this verse I came across while doing my Sunday School lesson-1 Thessalonians 5:23 May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through & through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Beth Moore mentions how our physical body can impact our soul and spirit. Poor eating habits, stress, lack of sleep and little exercise can lead to all kinds of health problems. When we do not feel well our soul and spirit can feel empty, weary, depressed and hopeless. We have little left to give anyone. Why is it that we can spend plenty of time, energy and money on our homes, gardens, clothes, hobbies etc., but give our bodies little notice? We can make healthy choices, reduce our stress, get that much needed rest and just a few minutes of exercise a day can make all the difference. Feeding your soul and spirit is important as well. For me having some quiet time alone reading God's word, praying, being thankful for all I am blessed with and spending time with family & friends give my life balance. My grandmother always said to me, "everything in balance, you can enjoy one cookie and share dessert."

Cheesecake Brownies-adapted from food network

Ingredients-

Cheesecake Topping-
8 ounces reduced fat cream cheese
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 large egg

Brownie Layer-
2 ounces semisweet chocolate-coarsely chopped (we used bittersweet chocolate chips)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch process cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt (we used regular salt)
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 large egg whites
2 teaspoons vanilla

Directions-

Position the rack in the lower third of oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Line an 8x8 inch baking pan with foil so that it hangs over the edge. Spray with cooking spray.

For the topping-Using an electric mixer beat the cream cheese until smooth and creamy about 1 minute. Beat in the sugar and the vanilla until smooth, add the egg and blend well. Set aside.

For the brownie layer-Put the chocolate, butter and oil in a microwave safe bowl and melt for 30 seconds. Stir and microwave again until smooth.

Combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl.

Combine the brown sugar, granulated sugar in a large bowl. Whisk in the buttermilk, egg whites and the vanilla. Add the chocolate mixture and whisk vigorously until fully incorporated and the batter is glossy and thick. Gradually add the flour mixture and stir till well blended. Reserve 1/2 cup of this batter.

Scrape the remaining batter into the prepared pan. Pour the cheesecake mixture evenly over the top. Drop the reserved brownie batter in large dollops over the topping. Draw the handle of a wooden spoon or a knife through the two batters to create a swirl effect.

Bake until the top is just set, 40-45 minutes. Let cool completely in pan on a wire rack. Lift brownies out of the pan by the foil and peel off foil. Spray a knife with cooking spray and cut into 2-inch squares.

Eat Well, Sonya

Whoopie Cakes

It's recipe of the month with Nicole and she picked whoopie cakes. I know that both our families love these and who wouldn't. A chocolate sponge cake filled with buttercream, and even better no fork required! You could just run out to your local bakery and purchase some, or check your pantry and see that you probably have all the ingredients on hand. We used the recipe from www.lorrainepascale.com. It's from her Baking made easy cookbook. We did some tweaking to the recipe to convert some of the measurements to American, adjusted the flour a bit and the end result was delicious! This is where a kitchen scale would come in handy, and one is on my Christmas list. You really need to be patient and let the cakes cool before filling them. I know it's hard with those chocolate cakes sitting there so pretty just waiting for that beautiful buttercream filling to be placed between them, but if you don't, the buttercream will melt. Baking is a lot like life. You need to be patient and not get ahead of yourself, let the ingredients work together, enjoy the process and the end result will be worth the wait. Whoopie cakes are love.


The Christmas Story continued-
Luke 2:11-15 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you. You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manager. Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,"Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rest." When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."


I know that lots of people are starting their cookie baking and that cookie exchanges are getting going. If you are attending a  cookie exchange, encourage your group to bring an extra dozen. Make a cookie tray and donate it to a local nursing home, hospice or food pantry. You and your family could also make a cookie tray with your baked goods and drop one off together. If you are not a baker, why not pick up a box of cookies or doughnuts at your local bakery and drop them off?


Whoopie Cakes-
Ingredients-
120 ml (4.2 fl oz) milk
190 g (6.7 oz) Demerara sugar (we used brown sugar at just about a cup)
120 ml (4.2 fl oz) sour cream (a little more that a 1/2 cup)
180 g (6.3 oz) all purpose flour (we used about 2 cups to make a cake like batter)
55 g (1.9 oz) cocoa powder (we used a heaping 2 Tablespoons)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt
1 egg
1 egg yolk
4 drops of vanilla extract (we used about 2 teaspoons)
115 ml (4 fl oz) sunflower oil or regular cooking oil (just under a 1/2 cup)

Buttercream filling-
200 g (7 oz) softened unsalted butter
400 g (14.1 oz) confectioners' sugar (we used about 2 cups)
1 Tablespoon milk


Directions-


Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. 


Heat the milk gently in a small saucepan, add the sugar, then take off the heat and add the sour cream. Stir to combine. Leave to cool to body temperature.


Put flour, baking soda, baking powder, cocoa and salt together in a large bowl. Once the milk mixture has cooled add the eggs, vanilla and oil. Pour the liquid ingredients into the flour mixture and fold gently. (This is where you might have to add a bit more flour to get the right consistency.)


You could transfer this mixture to a piping bag and pipe just about 2" circles on your cookie sheet or do as we did and scooped it out. They will spread out as they bake. Bake in oven for 8-10 minutes or until a toothpick comes clean.


Cool Completely!! This would be a good time to clean up your mess, start or fold laundry, pick up.....etc., etc.


Make the buttercream filling by beating all ingredients together until light and fluffy adding a touch more milk to get a spreadable consistency.


Once the whoopie cakes have cooled frost one bottom half and top with another cake. Repeat with the rest of the cakes.


Eat Well, Sonya

Chocolate Truffles

I enjoy cooking and baking with my family, and I especially like it when they have picked out a recipe for us to do together. My niece, Nicole and I have been baking together since she was little. Starting out with homemade play dough, candy, cookies and cupcakes. This time she chose Chocolate Truffles from Barefoot In Paris. Yes!, truffles, a chocolate lovers dream!! She has wanted to make them for awhile, but thought they would be complicated. Much to her surprise they were very easy. The longest part is waiting for the chocolate to set up. Isn't that how it goes in our life? We think that things are going to be very complicated and when it's all said and done, it's not all that bad. These truffles are creamy, dreamy and very much full of chocolate. If you do not have Grand Mariner liqueur omit that ingredient, the recipe will not be affected. We doubled the recipe to share with family and friends and I am know that Nicole will be making a batch of her own to share.

Along our path of life, we are blessed with people who are like-minded or kindred spirits as I like to call them. Ones who share the same passions, love and purpose no matter the age. Philippians 2:2 then make my joy complete by being like minded having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. I have kindred spirits in my life, ones who share love for The Lord, talents, putting their families first and have joy in serving others above themselves, they help keep me grounded. Nicole is no exception, we both love to cook and bake, and we can talk hours about recipes, cookbooks and our favorite Food Network shows. She helps her mom prepare or cook meals for those they host from their local church. She will be picking out a recipe each month and will be posting it here as Recipe of the Month. I am excited to see what she picks out for December.

With the Holiday season fast approaching you could make a batch or two, they make great hostess or teacher gifts or gifts for anyone in your life that Loves Chocolate.

Chocolate Truffles-
Recipe from Barefoot in Paris
3 1/2 ounces good bittersweet chocolate
3 1/2 ounces good semisweet chocolate
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 Tablespoons Grand Marnier Liqueur
1 Tablespoon prepared coffee
1/2 teaspoon good vanilla extract
Cocoa powder
Confectioners' sugar

Directions-
Chop the chocolates finely and place in a bowl.

Heat the cream in a small saucepan until it boils. Immediately pour the hot cream through a fine meshed sieve over the bowl of chocolates. With a wire whisk, slowly stir the cream and chocolates together until the chocolate is completely melted. (If the chocolate doesn't melt completely, place the bowl over a pan of simmering water and stir for a few minutes till melted.) Whisk in the Grand Marnier, coffee and vanilla. Cover and chill for 45 minutes to an hour until pliable but firm enough to scoop.

With two teaspoons or a 1 1/4" ice cream scoop, make dollops of the chocolate mixture and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Refrigerate for about 15 minutes, until firm enough to roll into spheres. Roll in cocoa powder and chill. Truffles are best when they're allowed to set overnight in the refrigerator. Roll in Confectioners' sugar and serve chilled or at room temperature.

Makes 20 Truffles

Eat Well, Sonya

Mom's Perfect Chocolate Cake!

Happy Halloween! The boys and I couldn't decide which Halloween treats we wanted to make this year. Ghosts in the graveyard cake has been our annual tradition for the past thirteen years, or a Boo-tiful Cake that we liked from Martha Stewart. We made both! Ghost in the graveyard cake recipe can be found at www.kraftrecipes.com and for the Boo-tiful cake www.marthastewart.com. I used the cake decorating idea from Martha and made my Mom's perfect chocolate cake recipe along with my buttercream frosting. It's cute, fun and the cake is moist, delicious and has a creamy filling between the layers. Remember Suzy Q's!!

When we are getting ourselves ready for the holidays, I often find myself quietly thanking our mom for giving my siblings and I a fun Halloween! I remember carved lighted pumpkins on the doorsteps, frosted Halloween cutouts on the table, dressing up, school parties, trick-or-treating in our small town and our last stop at the local Fire House. They would have hot cider, popcorn balls and doughnuts. Once home we would sort our candy, trade with each other, dump everything back in our Halloween pumpkin pails and off to bed. Our mom doesn't remember any of this, she is suffering with dementia, but I do. Fun stuff of the past, things I do now to make it fun for our family and hoping our boys will carry on in the future. I often wonder what she is thinking or remembering when I see her. I will not forget you it says in Isaiah 49:15. I know that God has not forgotten her, and when she smiles at someone she recognizes, he has given her a moment. I was surprised to receive a package in the mail containing one of my favorite candies, no one knows that I like this candy, but God knew! He knew that mom and I made homemade taffy for a classroom project together. He remember me with a gift from my past.

Mom's Perfect Chocolate Cake

Cake- 

1 cup unsifted unsweetened cocoa powder

2 cups boiling water

2 1/2 cups sifted flour (sift before measuring)

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup butter softened

2 1/2 cups sugar

4 eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

Filling-

1cup heavy cream

1/4 cup confectioners' sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

Frosting-

9 cups confectioners' sugar

1 cup butter softened

1/2 cup milk or cream (more as needed)

Directions-

In a medium bowl, combine unsweetened cocoa with 2 cups boiling water until smooth.

Sift the flour, soda, salt and baking powder. Preheat your oven to 350 and grease and flour three 9 x 1 1/2" layer cake pans. In a large bowl beat butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla till light and fluffy about 5 minutes. At low speed beat in the flour mixture in fourths alternating with the cocoa mixture in thirds. Begin and end with the flour. Do not overbeat. Divide evenly into the pans and bake 25-30 minutes. Knife should come out clean when done. Cool completely.

While cake is baking beat the cream, sugar and vanilla till fluffy. Cover & refrigerate till ready to fill the cake.

To make the frosting, beat the softened butter, confectioners' sugar, vanilla and milk to make a spreading consistency. Usually, it takes just about 5 minutes.

Assemble the cake by placing one layer on plate, 1/2 the filling, the next layer of cake, the rest of the filling and the last layer of cake. Frost top & sides and decorate anyway you wish.

Eat Well, Sonya