Category: Chocolate

Cakes · Chocolate

Chocolate Cherry Cola Cake

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Taken from the summer issue of Taste of Home, this cake got great reviews last night when I took it to a dinner party. Before leaving home, I ate 4 cupcakes I had made with some of the batter, just to try it out, of course. Because of the marshmallows and cherry coke, the cake is so moist and the chocolate flavor is amazing.

1 1/2 cups miniature marshmallow, ( I had found chocolate mini ones, so I used those)

2 cups flour

2 cups sugar

1 teas baking soda

1 cup butter, cubed (so it melts quicker)

1 cup cherry-flavored coke

3 tables Hershey’s cocoa

2 eggs at room temp

1/2 cup buttermilk (if you don’t keep this on hand, make your own with plain milk and vinegar)

1 teas vanilla

Frosting:

3/4 cup butter, softened

1 cup powdered sugar

1 (7 oz) jar marshmallow

2 tables cherry juice (recipe called for 2 tables frozen cherry-pomegranate juice concentrate, but my store didn’t have any so bought a can of sweet cherries in heavy syrup and used the syrup from that)

Fresh sweet cherries with stem for decor

Preheat oven to 350. Line bottom of two greased 9″ pans with parchment paper; grease paper also after they have been put in pan. Divide marshmallows between pans.

In a large bowl, whisk flour, sugar and baking soda. In a small saucepan, combine the cubed butter, cola and cocoa. Bring just to a boil, stirring occasionally. Add to flour mixture, stirring just until blended.

In a small bowl, whisk eggs, buttermilk and vanilla until blended. Add to flour mixture, whisking constantly. Pour into prepared pans, dividing batter evenly. Marshmallows will float to the top.

Bake for 25-30 in or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans for 10 min and then remove to wire racks to cool completely.

For frosting:  *(IF you want enough frosting to frost sides of cake, double the frosting ingredients)in a medium bowl, beat butter and powdered sugar until smooth. Beat in marshmallow cream and juice on low speed just until blended. Place one cake layer on serving plate. Spread top with 1 cup frosting. Top with remaining frosting.

Cakes · Chocolate

Chocolate Banana Peanut Butter Cake

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Do not let this Title scare you. Recently I have had several young moms ask me to post simple recipes that don’t have a lot of ingredients because that scares them out of trying the recipe. They simply don’t have the energy or time to shop for all of the items that so many of the recipes call for. So this is an easy dessert, but so gorgeous, and oh so yummy.

One Duncan Hines plain yellow cake mix

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1 teas cinnamon

2 medium sized bananas, mashed (about 1 cup)

1 cup water

1/2 cup vegetable oil

3 large eggs

2 teas banana extract (or you can use vanilla if you don’t have the banana)

Peanut Butter Frosting

Fudge Frosting

Grease 2 (9′) cake pans, then lightly dust with flour. Shake out excess flour. Set pans aside. Place cake mix, brown sugar and cinnamon in large mixing bowl. Add mashed bananas, water, oil, eggs and extract. Blend with mixer on low speed for 1 min, then scrape sides of bowl and beat for 2 more minutes.

Divide the batter between the 2 pans and bake in a 350 degree oven until middle of cake springs back when touched or a toothpick comes out clean after placing in middle of cake.

Cool on wire racks while you prepare the Peanut Butter Frosting.

1/4 cup softened butter (1/2 stick)

2 cups powdered sugar

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/2 teas vanilla

1/4 cup milk (add this not all at one time, as mixture just needs to be spreadable, so you might not need all of this)

Blend powdered sugar, butter, peanut butter, vanilla and mix with milk, which you are adding slowly to just make the frosting spreadable.

Place one of the cake layers on a plate and spread the peanut butter mixture on top. Place other layer on top and frost with remaining peanut butter frosting. Do not frost the sides of the cake. Set aside and make the Fudge Frosting

Fudge frosting:

3 cups powdered sugar

1 stick butter, softened

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa

2 teas vanilla

1/3 cup milk (once again, do not add all at once, as you might not need all of this)

Combine  all ingredients and slowly add milk (a few tables at a time) until frosting is easy to spread on cake. When you have beat all ingredients until smooth, frost sides of cake and then use remaining fudge frosting to top the cake. Do not worry if some of the peanut butter frosting swirls with the chocolate, just makes it that much more yummy. Store in Fridge, covered until ready to eat. Take out about 1 hour before serving.

Chocolate

White Chocolate Pineapple Mousse

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When looking through all my recipes, I realized that I never post any recipe that is made  white chocolate. Yes, I do know that white chocolate is really not “real” chocolate, but, it still has a fabulous flavor, especially when mixed with whipping cream.   Taken from one of my Southern Lady magazines,

1 small box (3.3 oz) of instant white chocolate pudding

1 (20 oz) can of crushed pineapple , do not drain

1 3/4 cups heavy whipping cream

1 (4 oz) bar white chocolate very finely chopped

Crushed butter cookies ( I use Keebler Shortbread)

in medium bowl combine pudding mix and pineapple. Let stand for 5 min. Add cream to pudding mixture and beat at medium-high speed with mixer until stiff peaks form. Fold in chopped white chocolate and put in individual parfait glasses or martini glasses. Sprinkle crushed cookies on top right before serving. . Place in fridge until ready to serve

Chocolate · Cookies · Desserts

More Chocolate for Valentines-Chocolate Strawberry Thumbprints

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In my new Food Network Mag for March, it had a whole section called the United States of Chocolate and lists lots of places where you can go for chocolate meals, candy factories across the states or spas where you can have chocolate facials…..so this is now on my bucket lists, to go to every “chocolate Event” before my cholesterol gets to high for me to eat chocolate…before this happens, I will be baking with chocolate at any given opportunity. These are from the Martha Stewart Cookie Cookbook and are simply put….DIVINE!

3/4 cup flour

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 teas salt

2 oz semisweet chocolate

1 stick unsalted butter, room temp (I wonder, if I used salted butter, could I eliminate the 1/4 teas salt) I think I will be daring and try it sometime, but not for Valentines, how awful for me to serve Romeo chocolate cookies tonight and he would look at me and say, “you don’t expect me to eat these, do you, they have no salt”?

1/4 cup plus 6 1/2 teas sugar

1 large egg yolk

1/2 teas vanilla

4 oz room temp cream cheese

2 tables powdered sugar

4 oz strawberries, (about 6 medium, stemmed and finely chopped)

Sift flour, cocoa and salt into a bowl. Melt chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, stirring until smooth; set aside. ( I nuke the chocolate in 15 sec intervals)

Put butter and 1/4 cup granulated sugar into the bowl of a mixer and mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy (I think you can guess what you can use as your model on this one)

Mix in yolk, vanilla and chocolate. Reduce speed to low. Mix in flour mixture until just combined. Refrigerate covered for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350. Put 6 teas granulated sugar into a small bowl. Form dough into 3/4″ balls, roll in sugar to coat. Space 1″ apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.

Press center of each ball with your thumb. Bake 10 min. Press centers again with end of a wooden spoon, making 3/4″ indentations. Bake until sightly cracked and set, about 5 more minutes more.

Cool completely on racks. (Unfilled cookies can be stored in airtight containers for up to 3 days at room temp or frozen up to 1 month)

Stir cream cheese and powdered sugar in a bowl. Toss berries with remaining 1/2 teas granulated sugar in another bowl.

Spoon cream cheese mixture into centers of cookies; top with berries, dividing evenly.

Place on a red valentine doily and Happy Valentines Day to all of YOU!!!!

Chocolate · Desserts

Nutella Brownies

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Can you think of any greater combination than Nutella and brownies? All last week in Chicago, everywhere we went to eat, they had crepes with bananas, Nutella and whipping cream. I did actually resist getting that for dessert. Actually I didn’t resist, Randy doesn’t like Nutella (can you believe that) and since I didn’t want to gain so much weight  where I wouldn’t fit in the airplane seat, I shared a dessert with him instead. When we get home, there is my new Southern Lady magazine just waiting for me. Last night, sitting by the fireplace and leafing through the new magazine, lo and behold, I turn the page to find this amazing little wonder of a recipe. Am going to make some tonight.

1 cup butter

5 (1 oz) squares unsweetened chocolate, chopped

2 cups sugar

5 large eggs

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teas salt

1 teas vanilla

1 (13 oz) jar Nutella

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup nuts

Preheat oven to 350. LIne a 13×9″ baking pan with heavy duty foil.

In a small microwave-safe bowl, melt butter and chocolate in microwave oven on high in 30 sec intervals, stirring between each, until melted. (This should take about a minute and a half)

In a large bowl, combine chocolate mixture and sugar. Beat at medium speed with mixer until well blended. Add eggs, one at a time (sometime I am going to be a rebel and add them all at once to see what happens, after all, how do the eggs know they are being mixed one at a time?), beating well, after each addition. Add flour, salt and vanilla, beating until just combined. Add Nutella and chocolate chips mixing until combined. Spread batter into prepared pan. Sprinkle top of batter with nuts.

Bake for 30-40 min or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out still slightly stickily. Be careful not to over bake. I would start checking at 28 min and check every 3 minutes. Let cool completely in pan and cut into squares. Drizzle a little caramel on plates before placing brownie and top with ice cream or whipping cream.

Chocolate · Daily Thoughts · Desserts

Cinnamon Brownies

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These brownies take a normal brownie to the next level. Took them to art class today and everyone loved them and wanted the recipe. When I told them to just make  your favorite brownies recipe (and yes, if you are like my husband, Frosty, who loves even the Duncan Hines box brownies) just add 1 1/2 cup cinnamon flavored chips to the batter. I buy the chips at Walmart and I used to see them at Tom Thumb at Christmastime. In years past, because they weren’t always available at other times of the year, I would buy a dozen or so packages and freeze them so I could have Cinnamon brownies whenever I wanted. They just add such a great flavor to the brownie. Then just sprinkle sugar over the brownies when they come out of the oven.

We are leaving to spend Christmas with some of our kids tomorrow so please have a wonderful and blessed Christmas. Remember, it is not what you cook that keeps family coming back, it is the love in which you serve the food  that keeps them wanting to come back. So love on family and friends this season, it will bless your heart. Merry Christmas!  Remember the reason for the season! Thank you Jesus for coming to this world as a babe wrapped in swaddling clothes to save us from our sins….Noel

Chocolate · Desserts

Almond-Oat Lace Cookies*

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If you read the blog on Monday, you will remember that we went on a Chocolate Tour over the weekend. We even made our hubbies go with us. Because of the awesome chocolate treats that awaited us at each stop, they really got into the Chocolate Tour moment*(see inset picture)At one of the stops, we were served these delicious cookies, half of which were dipped in chocolate. They were wonderful. They were kind enough to give us the recipe, and if they aren’t like my mother in law who would intentionally leave out a very important ingredient and then say, “why sweetie, I don’t know why yours didn’t turn out”, I am trusting them to have given us the correct recipe that will produce the same cookie that we were served. (I was kidding about the mother-in-law).

1/2 cup whole unsalted almonds with skins

2 tables old-fashioned oats

6 tables unsalted butter

6 tables superfine sugar

2 tables packed light brown sugar

1 1/2 teas honey (finally, I thought this recipe was going to be nothing but tables this and tables that)

Oops, here we go again, 1 Table all purpose flour

1/4 teas salt

4 oz bittersweet chocolate, melted

Arrange racks in lower and upper thirds of oven; preheat oven to 350. Line 2 rimless baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.

Pulse almonds and oats in a food processor until coarse meal forms. Set aside.

Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add both sugars and honey and whisk until blended and sugar dissolves, 1-2 mins.

Remove from heat. Add nut mixture, flour and salt. Stir until well mixed.

Spoon batter by 2 teas portions onto baking sheet; spacing 2 1/2″ apart. Using your fingertips, pat cookies down to 1/4″ high rounds; push in any jagged edges to form smooth circles.

Bake, rotation sheets after 6 min, until dark golden brown and cookies spread out into a thin layer. (10-12 min)

Frosty Found Rudolph on Chocolate Tour
Frosty Found Rudolph on Chocolate Tour

Slide cookies with parchment paper onto a wire rack and let cool.

Using a pastry brush, brush half of each cookie with melted chocolate. Let stand until the chocolate is set.

This recipe is from the Fawnskin Bed and Breakfast*

Chocolate · Desserts

Christmas Chocolate Cookies

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I have decided that this Christmas season, every recipe will have the “Christmas” in it. That way, not only will it remind me that each and every day I need to be focused on the “Christ” in Christmas but also, it just makes the recipe sound so much better. Take these cookies, if they were just called Chocolate Cookies, you would just think, “hum…another chocolate cookie recipe” but calling them Christmas Chocolate Cookie, well…..you get the idea…just sounds so much “cookie classy”!

Actually I got these out of the Martha Stewart Cookie Recipe book and just made them this morning. They are easy and will pack beautifully if you are needing a cookie to box up to send to friends or family.

2 cup plus 2 tables flour

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (dutch-process such as Hershey’s)

1 teas baking soda

1/2 teas salt

1 1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temp

2 cups sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

And a partridge in a pear tree….oops, got carried away there for a minute.

Sugar for rolling the balls of dough in before baking.

Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt into a mixing bowl. (I have to admit, I never sift this mixture, I just stir in really well with a fork or knife until it is mixed)

In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar on medium until light and fully. About 2 mins. Add eggs and vanilla and beat to combine. Reduce speed and gradually add the flour mixture until all is blended. Wrap plastic over bowl and set in fridge for at least one hour.

Preheat oven to 350.

Shape dough in 1″ balls. Roll each ball in sugar. Place on baking dish lined with parchment paper about 2″ apart.

Bake until set, about 10-12 min.Transfer to rack to cool. Cookies can be stored between layers of waxed paper in an airtight container at room temp up to a week. If you house is like ours, they won’t last 2 days.

Chocolate · Desserts

Chocolate Buttermilk Pie (Micah, this is just for you)

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I couldn’t help but post this. One of my favorite pies is buttermilk. I don’t like buttermilk, but you never know this pie is made with it in there, for all the butter and eggs. I just saw this on Just A Pinch web page and it will be the next pie I bake this week.

 

2 unbaked pie shells
2 stk butter, room temperature

get recipes @ goboldwithbutter.com
3 3/4 c sugar
1/2 c flour
1/3 c cocoa powder
6 eggs
1/4 tsp salt (optional)
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 c plus 2 oz. buttermilk

Combine sugar and butter and mix until well blended. Beat in the eggs and mix well. Whisk in flour, cocoa and salt until mixture is blended. Add vanilla and buttermilk stirring until all is blended. You can mix all of this by hand or hand mixer if you desire. Pour into pastry shells and bake at 350 for about 45 minutes. Cool before slicing and adding delicious whipping cream to the top.

Cakes · Chocolate

Milk Chocolate Frosted Layer Cake

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  1.  1/4 cups cake flour
  2. 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  3. 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  4. 2 sticks unsalted butter
  5. 1/2 cup whole milk
  6. 6 large eggs, separated
  7. 1 cup sugar
  8. Pinch of salt
  9. 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
  10. 1 1/2 pounds milk chocolate, finely chopped
  11. Shaved milk chocolate, for garnish (optional)
  1. Preheat the oven to 325°. Butter and flour two 9-inch-square cake pans.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk the cake flour, cocoa and baking powder. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter in the milk over low heat. Transfer to a large bowl and let cool slightly. Whisk in the egg yolks and 1/2 cup of the sugar. Add the dry ingredients and whisk until smooth.
  3. In a clean bowl, beat the egg whites with the salt until soft peaks form. Gradually add the remaining 1/2 cup sugar and beat at medium-high speed until the whites are stiff and glossy. Fold the beaten whites into the batter until no streaks remain. Divide the batter between the pans and bake for 25 minutes, until the cakes are springy and a toothpick inserted in the centers comes out clean. Transfer the cakes to a rack and let cool completely.
  4. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, bring the cream to a simmer. Put the chocolate in a heatproof bowl and pour the hot cream on top. Let stand for 3 minutes, then whisk until smooth. Let the frosting stand at room temperature, stirring occasionally, until thick enough to spread, about 1 hour.
  5. Turn the cakes out of the pans and put one layer on a plate. Top with 1 cup of the frosting, spreading it to the edge. Top with the second layer and spread the remaining frosting over the top and sides. Let the cake stand at room temperature for about 30 minutes before cutting into squares.

This recipe came from Food & Wine Magazine. The frosting is like a milk chocolate ganache. Top it off with chocolate shavings and chocolate covered strawberries and you have a gorgeous centerpiece for a dessert table.