NikitaAll you need is love...but a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt." -Charles M Schulz I have been craving a good dark chocolate cake for some time, so this challenge was the perfect opportunity to satiate that craving. I scoured the Internet for a delicious-looking recipe and waited all week until I could find some time off to bake it. Thursday was the day! It turned out so beautiful, and Christopher even said, "It looked like a professional made it." And that was the icing on the cake! (Pun intended) Tiny Recommendation: Serve with fruit and creme fraiche to cut the richness. Ingredients: butter and flour for coating and dusting the cake pan 3 cups all-purpose flour 3 cups granulated sugar 1½ cups unsweetened cocoa powder 1 tablespoon baking soda 1½ teaspoons baking powder 1½ teaspoons salt 4 large eggs 1½ cups buttermilk 1½ cups warm coffee ½ cup vegetable oil 2 teaspoons vanilla extract Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter three 9-inch cake rounds. Dust with flour and tap out the excess. (see cooking lesson below). Mix together flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a stand mixer using a low speed until combined. Add eggs, buttermilk, warm water, oil, and vanilla. Beat on a medium speed until smooth. This should take just a couple of minutes. Divide batter among the three pans. I found that it took just over 3 cups of the batter to divide it evenly. Bake for 30-35 minutes until the cake meets the toothpick test (stick a toothpick in and it comes out clean). Cool on wire racks for 15 minutes and then turn out the cakes onto the racks and allow to cool completely. Frost with your favorite frosting and enjoy! Frosting: 1½ cups butter, softened 8 oz cream cheese, softened 1½ cups unsweetened cocoa powder 3 teaspoons vanilla extract 7-8 cups powdered sugar about ¼ cup milk (as needed) In a large bowl, beat together butter and cream cheese until fluffy. Use a hand mixer or stand mixer for best results Add in cocoa powder and vanilla extract. Beat until combined. Beat in powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time. Add milk as necessary to make a spreadable consistency. The frosting should be very thick and will thicken even more if refrigerated AmyAgain with the baking! Fine... When I moved from Florida to Oklahoma two years ago I could only afford to bring a single suitcase. I didn't have loads of possessions but I did have to give up pretty much what I had. I'm neither whining nor complaining. I'm simply pointing out that I had to decide what was truly important to me. Clothes were needed, of course. That's a no brained. I had some jewelry, it didn't take up much space. I had a handful of photos. They came along. I attended an Episcopalian church, my prayer book came with. And a slightly tattered yellow folder full of recipes that I've gathered over the years. The important things! Contained withing that folder is a recipe for the one cake I've made the most. It's a very unassuming little cake. One I've made for my children. It's hard to mess this one up! I found it on the Chocolate and Zucchini blog about 10 years ago. The woman that created the blog made this cake for her nephew's first birthday. The French definitely have a completely different attitude about food then we Americans. I can't imagine the typical American ever making this cake for a birthday. This American made it in honor of her brother-in-laws! Apple and Maple Yogurt Cake (Adapted from chocolateandzucchini.com) 1 cup plain yogurt 1cup minus 2 Tbsp. finely ground maple sugar*, divided 2 eggs 1/3 cup vegetable oil (Grape seed oil can be substituted) 2 cups minus 2 Tbsp. flour 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder 1/2 tsp. baking soda A good pitch of salt One large apple of a variety that holds its shape when cooked Preheat oven to 360° F. and line a 10-inch cake pan with parchment paper. Set aside one rounded tablespoon of the maple sugar for topping. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the yogurt, the remaining maple sugar, eggs and oil. In another mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Peel the apple, then core, quarter, and slice it thinly. Add the flour mixture to the yogurt mixture and whisk it quickly, until just combined. Don't worry about the lumps and do not over mix. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, arrange the apple slices on top, starting from the outside, and sprinkle with the remaining maple sugar. Put into the oven and bake for 40 minutes, until the top is golden and cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. If you feel the apple slices might be browning too quickly, cover with a piece of parchment paper. Let cool on a rack and serve warm or at room temperature. * If maple sugar is unavailable, substitute 3/4 cup maple syrup and use just 3/4 yogurt to make up for the extra moisture. Georgiat was my week to choose our dish.. And with it being Randy's birthday I chose birthday cake.
Randy doesn't do much of anything normal.. So I made his favorite. Pineapple Upside Down Cake.. Old Fashioned Pineapple Upside Down Cake Ingredients 1/2 c butter, melted 1 c brown sugar 1 small can of sliced pineapple 10 maraschino cherries 3 eggs, beaten 1 c sugar 1 c sifted all purpose flour 1 tsp baking powder 1/4 tsp salt 5 Tbsp pineapple juice Assemble all ingredients and utensils. In a heavy cast iron skillet melt butter and add brown sugar and blend well. Arrange pineapple slices and cherries in the skillet on top of brown sugar and butter. In a large bowl mix remaining ingredients and pour over pineapple mixture in skillet. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes. Let cool in skillet then turn upside down onto serving plate. Serve plain or with whipped cream or ice cream. Yummy! I didn't use maraschino cherries because Randy is not a fan. Happy baking, Nikita, Amy & Georgia August 27th 2016
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