Red Velvet Cake

I'm not a baker.  I'd like to be, but I'm not.  I've learned pretty early on in this blogging adventure of mine that boxed mixes exist for people like me.  And that's okay.

Every once in awhile, though, I get the urge to bake from scratch.  I decide that I can totally do it, and any idiot who can read can bake.

It usually ends in regret.

Last weekend, my whole family gathered at Nana's for our annual Palm Sunday dinner and egg hunt.  I was really excited to make something and remembered that I saw an awesome looking Red Velvet Cake on my friend Lisa's blog.

I didn't have too much of an issue making it, but upon eating it, it tasted really dry.  I was disappointed, but then remembered the likely culprit.  I used egg substitute, and I had the liquid equivalent of just over 1 egg, not 2.  I intended to go back and add a little extra buttermilk to balance it out, but... of course, I forgot.

The flavor, however, was really good, and the icing?  Oh.my.god.  Beyond amazing.  The dryness was a bummer, but you couldn't even tell when you topped it with a scoop of ice cream. 

I would definitely try this again - this time, with TWO eggs.

Red Velvet Cake

from Joy of Baking

• 2 1/2 cups (250 grams) sifted cake flour
  
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
  
• 2 tablespoons (15 grams) regular or Dutch-processed cocoa powder
  
• 1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  
• 1 1/2 cups (300 grams) granulated white sugar
  
• 2 large eggs
  
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  
• 1 cup (240 ml) buttermilk
  
• 2 tablespoons liquid red food coloring
  
• 1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar
  
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
  

Cream Cheese Frosting:

• 1 - 8 ounce (227 grams) cream cheese, room temperature
  
• 1 - 8 ounce (227 grams) tub of Mascarpone cheese, room temperature
  
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  
• 1 cup (115 grams) confectioners' (icing or powdered) sugar, sifted
  
• 1 1/2 (360 ml) cups cold heavy whipping cream (contains 36-40% butterfat)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven. Butter two - 9 inch (23 cm) round cake pans and line the bottoms of the pans with parchment paper. Set aside.

Red Velvet Cake: In a mixing bowl sift together the flour, salt, and cocoa powder. Set aside. In bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter until soft (about 1-2 minutes). Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes). Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.Add the vanilla extract and beat until combined.

In a measuring cup whisk the buttermilk with the red food coloring. With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and buttermilk to the butter mixture, in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour.In a small cup combine the vinegar and baking soda. Allow the mixture to fizz and then quickly fold into the cake batter. Working quickly, divide the batter evenly between the two prepared pans and smooth the tops with an offset spatula or the back of a spoon. Bake in the preheated oven for approximately 25 - 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean.

Cool the cakes in their pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Place a wire rack on top of the cake pan and invert, lifting off the pan. Once the cakes have completely cooled, wrap in plastic and place the cake layers in the refrigerator for at least an hour (or overnight). (This is done to make filling and frosting the cakes easier.)

Cream Cheese Frosting: In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese and mascarpone cheese until smooth. Add the vanilla and confectioners sugar and beat until smooth. Using the whisk attachment, gradually add the heavy cream and whip until the frosting is thick enough to spread. Add more sugar or cream as needed to get the right consistency.

Assemble: With a serrated knife, cut each cake layer in half, horizontally. You will now have four cake layers. Place one of the cake layers, top of the cake facing down, onto your serving platter. Spread the cake layer with a layer of frosting.  Place another layer of cake on top of the frosting and continue to frost and stack the cake layers. Frost the top and sides of the cake. Can garnish the cake with sweetened or unsweetened coconut. Serves 10-12 people.

Banana Cinnamon Chip Cake

The only thing I can say about this cake from Two Peas and Their Pod is that I made it after breakfast, and it was gone by bedtime.

Totally gone. Like, in my belly. I can, of course, share blame with my husband and two boys, but still. But... it was that good.

This was my first experience with cinnamon chips, and oh boy. I have a new addiction. I even added some to my daily trail mix.


Banana Cinnamon Chip Cake
from Two Peas and Their Pod

• 3 very ripe bananas
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 1 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup cinnamon chips

For topping:

• 3 Tbsp. granulated sugar
• 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray an 8-inch square pan with cooking spray.

In a medium mixing bowl, mash the bananas well with a fork or potato masher. Add in the eggs and vanilla and mix until combined. Stir in the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and sugar.

Add ¾ cup of the cinnamon chips, and stir briefly. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and set aside.

In a small bowl, stir together the topping ingredients. Sprinkle the mixture evenly over the batter in the pan, and top with the remaining ¼ cup chips.

Bake for 3Proxy-Connection: keep-alive
Cache-Control: max-age=0

40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for at least 15 minutes before serving.

Mystery Mocha

My parents came over on the 4th of July for some golf and a belated Father's Day and Birthday dinner. I was excited to try out this recipe I saw on Tasty Kitchen - "Mystery Mocha." Interestingly, this was submitted to Tasty Kitchen by a dude named Larry, and that's my dad's name. Hmmm...


Anyway, make this. Soon. It was so easy to throw together and so delicious. I didn't have enough brown sugar and it definitely made a difference - but almost non-noticeable when you throw some ice cream on top.


Ingredients

• ¾ cups Granulated Sugar
• 1 cup Sifted All-Purpose Flour
• 2 teaspoons Baking Powder
• ⅛ teaspoons Salt
• 1 piece Unsweetend Chocolate (1 Square)
• 2 Tablespoons Butter
• ½ cups Whole Milk
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• ½ cups Brown Sugar
• ½ cups Granulated Sugar (additional)
• 4 Tablespoons Powdered Cocoa (Not Drink Mix)
• 1 cup Cold Strong Coffee

Sift together 3/4 cup sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

Melt square of unsweetened chocolate and butter in the microwave. Add to dry ingredients alternately with the milk and vanilla. Blend. Pour into a greased 8×8 pan.

Combine brown sugar, the 1/2 cup additional granulated sugar and cocoa powder. Sprinkle over the cake batter. Pour the one cup COLD coffee on top. This will look TERRIBLE. Bake 350 degrees for 40 minutes.

Serve warm with ice cream or sweetened whip cream or whipped topping. This will serve 8. In a 9×9 square pan, you can cut 9 pieces. Best served warm.

Incredible Bundt Cake

As soon as Brooke posted this cake months ago, I went right out and bought the ingredients. So easy and simple and delicious!


I've made it several times since then, and it's always a hit. If I'm serving it during the day, I usually don't even frost it - it makes for a nice pound-cake style treat. For a more decadent dessert, it's frosting all the way!


Ingredients

• 1 yellow cake mix
• 1 small box vanilla pudding
• 1 cup sour cream
• 3 large eggs
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup applesauce
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips, divided
• 1 cup chopped pecans, divided

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using and electric mixer, blend the cake mix, pudding, sour cream, eggs, oil and applesauce 5-6 minutes. Grease and flour a bundt or tube pan. Pour 1/3 of the batter into pan and sprinkle one half of chocolate chips and nuts over it. Pour in remaining batter and top with remaining chips and nuts. Bake 50 to 55 minutes. Cool about 5 minutes, then turn out onto a serving plate; cool completely.

Cinnamon-Chocolate-Chip Poundcake

While flipping through the July issue of Martha Stewart Living, I found a selection on poundcake. Here, Martha offers a Classic Poundcake recipe, along with several variations to suit your appetite.

At the time, I was going nuts in the kitchen preparing meals to freeze in anticipation of our newest little boy. I very quickly added this pound cake to my list - I figured it would be perfect to serve to guests who stopped by to visit Daniel.

I started with the Classic recipe but then couldn't decide between the Chocolate Chip and the Cinnamon Raisin. I decided to combine them, and a Cinnamon-Chocolate-Chip Pound Cake was born!

(I chose to leave off the glaze since I didn't know how that would freeze. While I'm sure it would have been delicious, I didn't miss it!)

I found this obscenely easy to put together. It froze beautifully, and tasted absolutely fabulous. I think my only "complaint" is that my chocolate chips sank... but it did add an interesting layer!

Ingredients

• 1 pound (3 1/4 cups) all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon coarse salt
• 4 sticks softened unsalted butter, plus more for pans
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 9 large, room-temperature eggs
• 2 cups semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips
• 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter two 5-by-9-inch loaf pans. Combine all-purpose flour and salt in a bowl.

Cream butter and sugar with a mixer on high speed until pale and fluffy, for 8 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl. Reduce speed to medium, and add vanilla extract.

Lightly beat eggs, and add to mixer bowl in 4 additions, mixing thoroughly after each and scraping down sides. Reduce speed to low, and add flour mixture in 4 additions, mixing until just incorporated. Fold chocolate chips into finished batter. Divide batter in half. Fold cinnamon into 1 half. Scoop batters into 2 prepared pans, 1/2 cup at a time, alternating plain and cinnamon. Swirl with a knife. Tap on counter to distribute; smooth tops.

Bake until a tester inserted into center of each cake comes out clean, about 65 minutes. Let cool in pans on a wire rack for 30 minutes. Remove from pans, and let cool completely on wire rack.

Yields two loaves.

Better-Than-Sex Cake

I wish I had better pics of this cake; what I have below does not do this dessert justice!

I had made this cake about a year ago for my husband's 30th birthday but never got around to blogging it. It popped up again not too long ago on my friend Colleen's blog, and I thought it would be a good one to bring up to my parents' house.

It was as good as I remembered, although it was very rich. I think in the future I would do something to the caramel/condensed milk combo - either use less or maybe unsweetened milk... it just seemed a tad too much.

Ingredients

• 1 box chocolate cake mix
• 1 (12 ounce) bag chocolate chips
• 1 (16 ounce) jar caramel sauce
• 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 tub Cool Whip
• 1 (8 ounce) bar cream cheese
• 1/2 bag heath bar bits - I used M&Ms. Any kind of small or crushed candy would work well

Preheat oven as directed on cake box.

Prepare cake mix as directed on box. Add half the bag of chocolate chips, pour in cake pan and top with remaining chocolate chips. Bake as directed on the box.

Meanwhile, mix the caramel and the condensed milk together in a bowl. When the cake comes out of the oven, poke holes in the cake with a straw and then pour the caramel mix over the top and let sit until cool.

In medium bowl, beat Cool Whip and cream cheese until combined. Top cooled cake with Cool Whip mixture and the candy pieces.

Keep chilled before serving.

Happy Birthday to Me! Chocolate Overdose Cake

In just 365 days, I will hit the big 3-0... sigh...

I usually take my birthday off from cooking, but as soon as I saw this amazing Chocolate Overdose Cake on Annie's blog, I knew that's what I wanted for my birthday. So I spent the morning in the kitchen on the day we had our families over to celebrate the day I entered this world!


In the interest of time, I did take one major shortcut - I used a brownie mix instead of making the brownie layer by hand (I am still posting Annie's original recipe in case anyone else wants to do the whole shebang). But I did everything else, and I'm pretty freaken proud of myself! This was definitely the most involved dessert I've made, and it was absolutely delicious.


My cake obviously does not look as pretty as Annie's, but it sure tasted great. And pay no attention to the ugly photo below. I almost didn't even post it, but I did want to show the layers in the cake.


Ingredients
For the brownie base:

• 1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp. cake flour
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 3 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped fine
• 6 tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces
• 1 1/8 cups sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract

For the chocolate mousse filling:

• 6 oz. semi-sweet chocolate, broken into 1/2-oz. pieces
• 1 7/8 cups heavy cream
• 1 tbsp. sugar

For the chocolate cake:

• 2 oz. unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 1/8 cup Dutch-processed cocoa
• 1/4 cup hot water
• 7/8 cup sugar, divided
• 7/8 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 3/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 1 large egg yolk
• 6 tbsp. unsalted butter, soft

For the ganache:

• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 2 tbsp. unsalted butter
• 18 oz. semisweet chocolate, broken into 1/2-oz. pieces

Directions:
To make the brownie base, line the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan with a round of parchment paper and spray the sides with nonstick cooking spray. Center a rack in the oven and preheat to 325 degrees F. In a medium bowl, combine the cake flour, salt and baking powder. Stir with a fork to mix. Melt the chocolate and butter in a large heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of almost-simmering water, stirring occasionally, until smooth.

When the chocolate mixture is completely smooth, remove the bowl from the saucepan and gradually whisk in the sugar. Add the eggs one at a time, whisking after each addition until thoroughly combined. Whisk in vanilla. Add in the flour mixture in two additions, folding with a rubber spatula until completely homogenous.

Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and smooth with a spatula. Set aside, prepare the cake batter, and bake the two layers at the same time.

To make the cake, line the bottom of a 9-inch round cake pan with a round of parchment paper. Grease and flour the sides of the pan. Combine the chocolate, cocoa and hot water in a medium heatproof bowl; set the bowl over a saucepan containing 1-inch of simmering water and stir with a rubber spatula until chocolate is melted, about 2 minutes. (Note: at this point, my mixture was pretty thick and I thought I had ruined it, but mixing in the sugar was like magic and it made it smooth and liquidy again.) Add 1/4 cup of sugar to the chocolate mixture and stir until thick and glossy, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove bowl from heat and set aside to cool.

Whisk flour, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl; set aside. Combine buttermilk and vanilla in a small bowl.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk the eggs and yolks on medium-low speed until combined, about 10 seconds. Add remaining sugar, increase speed to high, and whisk until fluffy and lightened in color, 2 to 3 minutes. Replace whisk with paddle attachment.

Add the cooled chocolate mixture to the egg/sugar mixture and mix on medium speed until thoroughly incorporated, 30-45 seconds, pausing to scrape down sides of bowl with rubber spatula as needed. Add softened butter one tablespoon at a time, mixing about 10 seconds after each addition. Add about one third of the flour mixture followed by half of the buttermilk mixture, mixing until incorporated after each addition (about 15 seconds). Repeat using half of remaining flour mixture and all of remaining buttermilk mixture (batter may appear separated). Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add remaining flour mixture; mix at medium-low speed until batter is thoroughly combined, about 15 seconds. Remove bowl from mixer and fold batter once or twice with rubber spatula to incorporate any remaining flour. Pour into prepared pan; smooth batter to edges of pan with an offset spatula.

Bake the brownie and cake layers at the same time: the brownie for 25-30 minutes and the cake for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of each comes out clean. Transfer the pans to a wire cooling rack. Allow the brownie to cool completely in the pan. Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then invert onto the wire rack and allow to cool completely.

Once the brownie layer has cooled, run a knife around the edges to separate it from the pan. Remove the sides of the springform but leave the brownie layer on the springform base. Form a ring of parchment paper around the brownie layer and extending up the sides of the springform pan – reclose the springform so that the parchment is fitted tightly to the sides.

To make the chocolate mousse filling, place a stand mixer bowl and whisk attachment in the freezer or fridge. Heat 1-inch of water in the bottom half of a double boiler over medium heat. Place the semisweet chocolate in the top half of the double boiler. Tightly cover the top with plastic wrap and allow to heat for 8-10 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir until smooth. Transfer the melted chocolate to a stainless steel bowl and set aside until needed.

Place heavy cream and sugar in the well-chilled bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the chilled whisk attachment. Whisk on high speed until stiff peaks form, about 1 1/2 minutes. Remove the bowl from the mixer. By hand, whisk to combine 1/4 of the whipped cream into the melted chocolate until smooth and completely incorporated. Add the combined whipped cream and chocolate to the remaining whipped cream and use a rubber spatula to fold together.

Spread the mousse over the top of the brownie base evenly. Use an offset spatula to smooth the top. Place the cooled cake round over the mousse, pressing down lightly. Chill for at least 1 hour.

To make the ganache, heat the heavy cream and the butter in a saucepan over medium high heat. Bring to a boil. Place the semisweet chocolate in a 3-quart stainless steel bowl. Pour the boiling cream over the chocolate and allow to stand for 5 minutes. Stir until smooth. Chill 1 cup of ganache for 1 hour. Allow the remaining ganache to come to room temperature (about 40 minutes).

Remove the springform ring and parchment collar from the assembled cake. Carefully transfer the cake to a serving platter, removing the springform base and parchment round. Use a spatula to smooth the room temperature ganache over the cake top and sides, covering evenly.

Place the chilled ganache in a pastry bag fitted with a shell tip and pipe a shell border around the base of the cake. Pipe 12-16 rosettes around the top of the cake to indicate servings. Serve chilled and store leftovers in the fridge. Cut the cake with a hot, dry knife.

Lemon Yogurt Cake

I also made Ina Garten's Lemon Yogurt Cake for our Mother's Day post-brunch festivities. It was so nice and light, and the lemon flavor was prominent without being overpowering.

The only "issue" I had with it is that the yogurt seemed to settle at the bottom. The lower inch or so was denser and moister - almost less baked. I'm not sure if that was supposed to happen or not...

But man - it was YUMMY.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
• 1 1/3 cups sugar, divided
• 3 extra-large eggs
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

For the glaze:

• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8 1/2 by 4 1/4 by 2 1/2-inch loaf pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper. Grease and flour the pan.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt into 1 bowl. In another bowl, whisk together the yogurt, 1 cup sugar, the eggs, lemon zest, and vanilla. Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. With a rubber spatula, fold the vegetable oil into the batter, making sure it's all incorporated. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 50 minutes, or until a cake tester placed in the center of the loaf comes out clean.

Meanwhile, cook the 1/3 cup lemon juice and remaining 1/3 cup sugar in a small pan until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is clear. Set aside.

When the cake is done, allow it to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Carefully place on a baking rack over a sheet pan. While the cake is still warm, pour the lemon-sugar mixture over the cake and allow it to soak in. Cool.

For the glaze, combine the confectioners' sugar and lemon juice and pour over the cake.

Apple Streusel Coffee Cake

When I showed up to Palm Sunday dinner with this Quadruple Chocolate Bliss Cake, my brother Chris questioned my ability to create a dessert without the use of chocolate.

"Seriously," he said, "don't you ever just make an apple coffee cake or something?"

Well, the answer is really probably no. I am a chocoholic (like you haven't noticed) and it's just not dessert if there's no chocolate!

Since we were heading up to my parents' house this past weekend to have a belated Easter celebration, I figured that would be the perfect time to prove my anti-sweets brother wrong. I searched through my blogs and found this one from REC(ession)IPES.


I really enjoyed the flavor of this little cake, but I think I should have kept it in the oven a bit more. It completely fell apart as I tried to cut it, and I needed to perform minor surgery on it to get a somewhat-solid piece to photograph!

Here is a really creepy picture of Chris eating his - what a ham:
Ingredients

For the Cake:

• 1 1/2 cups flour total, equal parts white and whole wheat, sifted, then measured
  
• 2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
  
• 1/2 cup sugar
  
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
  
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  
• 1 egg
  
• 1/2 cup milk (can be skim)
  
• 1/4 cup vegetable shortening, melted (shortening melts very quickly, so use low flame, and keep an eye on it)
• 1 1/2 cup chopped apples (about two large apples), any semi-tart to tart variety
  

For the streusel topping (aka, the crumb part that everyone likes):

• 1/2 cup sugar
  
• 1/4 cup flour total, equal parts white and whole wheat
  
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnnamon
  
• 2 tablespoons butter (right out of the refrigerator is fine)
  

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Sift flour together with other dry ingredients.

Beat the egg, then add the milk and melted shortening.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry then add the raw apples and mix well.

Pour the batter into a well-greased 8-inch square pan.

To make the streusel, stir together the dry ingredients, then cut in butter using a pastry blender**** until it forms pea-sized pieces with the dry ingredients.

Finish combining with your fingertips until you have small clumps.

Sprinkle topping over the batter. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

****If you don't have a pastry blender, butter may be cut in using two butter knives in a criss crossing motion, or just work it in with your fingertips. If you like to make struesel toppings, or any kind of fruit crumbles, you may want to get a pastry blender - it cuts time in half, easily.

Quadruple Chocolate Bliss Cake

I wanted a yummy dessert to take to Nana's for Palm Sunday dinner. I could have sworn I had saved a chocolately bundt-style cake in my reader, but I couldn't find it.


I found this Triple Chocolate Cake on the Kraft website, and immediately thought it would be perfect. You may notice, however, that I titled this post Quadruple Chocolate Cake; well, I decided that 3 kinds of chocolate (cake mix, pudding mix, and the chocolate frosting) weren't enough. I added a handful of chocolate chips to the batter as well.


This was so, so, so, so delicious. My only regret is that I didn't use all of the sauce for on top. When I poured it on, it seemed like way too much, so I may have used about half of it; it definitely could have used more.


Once again, I had some assistance from my little helper:



Ingredients

• 1 pkg. (2-layer size) chocolate cake mix
• 1 cup BREAKSTONE'S or KNUDSEN Sour Cream
• 1 pkg. (4-serving size) JELL-O Chocolate Instant Pudding
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup oil
• 1/2 cup water
• 3 cups thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, divided
• 1 pkg. (8 squares) BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate
• 1-1/2 cups raspberries

PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Lightly grease 12-cup fluted tube pan or 10-inch tube pan. Beat all ingredients except whipped topping, chocolate and raspberries in large bowl with electric mixer on low speed just until moistened. Beat on medium speed 2 min. scraping bowl occasionally. Pour into prepared pan.

BAKE 50 min. to 1 hour or until wooden toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 min. Loosen cake from side of pan with knife or metal spatula and gently remove cake. Cool cake completely on wire rack. Place on serving plate.

RESERVE 2 Tbsp. of the whipped topping. Microwave remaining whipped topping and chocolate in microwaveable bowl on HIGH 1-1/2 to 2 min. or until chocolate is completely melted and mixture is well blended, stirring after each min. Drizzle over cake. Immediately drop reserved whipped topping, by scant teaspoonfuls, around top of cake; create star shape by drawing wooden toothpick through middle several times. Spoon raspberries into center of cake. Store leftover cake in refrigerator.

1-2-3-4 Cake

Oh, this cake was gooooood. Moist, and flavorable, and yummy... it was a big hit, and there wasn't much left after Ryan's party was over.

This cake was recommended to me by lovestoeat, and it was a winner. I may never buy a box cake again...


Ingredients

• 1 cup butter
• 2 cups sugar
• 3 cups cake flour
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp almond extract (I omitted and just used a little extra vanilla.)
  

Preheat oven to 350. Butter and flour three 9 inch cake pans (I used cupcake liners and cupcake pan). In a mixing bowl cream butter and gradually add sugar, creaming until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. In another bowl sift flour with baking powder and salt. Add flour mixture alternately with milk and flavorings, beating after each addition until smooth. Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake for 25-30 mins. Cool in pans 10 mins and remove from pans to finish cooling. Top with frosting.

Hershey's Deep Dark Chocolate Cake

I brought a billion party-related questions to my cooking board, and those ladies never let me down. Bethany recommended this Hershey's Deep Dark Chocolate Cake, and it was freaken fantastic. Moist, gooey, chocolatey... perfect.

Don't mind the picture. First of all, I didn't let the icing thicken long enough, so it's all gooey. Plus, I hate my camera, so I couldn't get a decent shot. Looks can be deceiving, however, because this cake was gooooood. Did I already say that?


Ingredients:

• 2 cups sugar
  
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  
• 3/4 cup Hershey's Special Dark cocoa
  
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
  
• 1 teaspoon salt
  
• 2 eggs
  
• 1 cup milk
  
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  
• 1 cup boiling water

Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round pans.

Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of electric mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Pour batter into prepared pans.

Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely.

Deep Dark Chocolate Frosting
from Hershey's, recipe on back of Special Dark cocoa

• 1 stick (1/2 cup) butter
  
• 1/2 cup Hershey's Special Dark cocoa
  
• 3 cups powdered sugar
  
• 1/3 cup milk

Melt the butter. Stir in cocoa. Add powdered sugar alternately with milk, beating to spreading consistency. Makes about 2 cups.

Death By Chocolate Cake

A few months ago at work, I volunteered to make a cake for a coworker's 50th birthday. Not too soon after, I brought in some baked goodies for my department. I was then dubbed the department baker, which is ironic, because I'm barely a beginner.

Anyway, last week another colleague hit a milestone birthday, and I was asked to bring one of my "special desserts." I wanted an easy crowd-pleaser, and opted for this Death by Chocolate Cake that Emily shared earlier this summer.


As you can see, my glaze looks NOTHING like hers! I heeded her warning about pouring the glaze before it hardened a bit too well, I think, and probably should have actually let it sit a bit before pouring. Also, why did I have a few globs of powdered sugar left undissolved??

This cake was a huge hit today, and not to pat myself on the back or anything, but it was REALLY good. I loved that it was so simple to throw together but really presented and tasted delicious. I will definitely repeat this one.

Ingredients:

• 4 eggs
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup oil
• 1 pkg. Devil's Food cake mix
• 1 pkg. instant chocolate pudding
• 12 oz. semisweet chocolate chips

Beat eggs, sour cream, water and oil together in a large bowl until thoroughly mixed. Add cake mix and pudding mix. Beat until smooth. Stir in chocolate chips. Pour into bundt; bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Substitution: Can replace 1/4 cup of water with Grand Marnier (so 1/4 cup water and 1/4 cup Grand Marnier)

Caramel Glaze

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 4 tablespoons half and half (I actually didn’t have this—so I made my own using 2 tablespoons of heavy cream and 2 tablespoons of whole milk)
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the half and half and brown sugar, stir to combine. Boil vigorously for 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in 1/2 cup of the powdered sugar. Let cool for a minute and then add the remaining powdered sugar and vanilla. Depending on desired consistency, may need to add additional half and half (I think I added another 2-3 tablespoons). Quickly spoon over cake before the glaze gets too hard!

Really Fudgy Mini-Cakes

Today is the FIVE YEAR ANNIVERSARY of the day we closed on our little townhouse!

I remember the stress... it was just a couple of weeks before our wedding, and it had been pushed back a bunch of times for various reasons. We both took the day off from work and became homeowners.

Here is a picture of our home-sweet-home:

Anyway. On to the food stuff.

I cannot believe that I never thought of this before, but Brooke told me I should get my house a birthday present! WHY did that not occur to me?! This afternoon I planned on running to Crate and Barrel for a gift, so I figured I'd pick something up there.

I was already planning on making a special little dessert, so I got these:

I think I've already talked about one of my favorite baking books before: Small-Batch Baking. I love that I can get the fun of baking without all of the calories. I knew this book would give me the perfect little treat to celebrate our house-iversary. This recipe is designed to yield four cupcakes, but I made two little heart-shape cakes instead.

I thought that the cake was a little dry, but good. I didn't really get a fudge vibe - it was chocolately for sure, but not fudgy. The icing on its own was a bit too orange-y for me, but coupled with the chocolate cake, it was perfect.

Ingredients:

• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for greasing the muffin cups
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, sifted, plus more for flouring the muffin cups
• 1/2 ounce bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped (about 2 tablespoons)
• 1 tablespoon buttermilk
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• Yolks of 2 medium eggs, at room temperature
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Frosting (recipe follows)

1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350. Grease and lightly flour 4 muffin-tin cups.

2. Place the chocolate in a small microwave-safe bowl and heat on high until glossy - about 60-90 seconds. Stir the chocolate until it is smooth, then let it stand until cool - about 10 minutes.

3. Combine the buttermilk and baking soda in a small bowl and stir to mix. Gently whisk in the egg yolks and vanilla.

4. Place the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, and salt in a medium-size mixing bowl and whisk to blend. Add the butter and half of the buttermilk mixture. Beat with a hand-held mixer on low speed until the dry ingredients are moistened. Increase the speed to medium and beat until the mixture is lightened and slightly increased in volume, about 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Pour in the remaining buttermilk mixture and the melted chocolate, and beat on medium about 15 seconds. Scrape the sides.

5. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups, dividing evenly. Fill the empty cups with water. Bake about 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely.

Orange Cream Cheese Frosting

• 4 ounces cold cream cheese
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 3/4 confectioners' sugar
• 1 teaspoon grated orange zest
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon thawed frozen orange juice concentrate (I used fresh OJ instead.)

Place the cream cheese and butter in a medium-size mixing bowl and beat with a hand-held electric mixer on medium speed until blended, 20 seconds. Add the sugar, orange zest, and vanilla, and beat to mix. Then add the orange juice concentrate and beat until the frosting is fluffy, about 1 minute. Use right away, or cover and let stand for up to 1 hour before using.

Hot Fudge Sundae Cake

I tore this recipe for a Hot Fudge Sundae Cake out of Everyday with Rachael Ray last September. It intrigued me to use my crockpot for this dish, and really, who DOESN'T love oodles of hot gooey chocolate?

Well, this dessert failed to impress. I made it for our dinner last night with Brooke and Joe, and it was such a disappointment. For starters, and I can't believe such a thought would enter MY mind, but it was WAY too chocolate-y. And for ME to say that? Wow. But yeah. It was too much.

Second, just take a look at the pictures. This is the shot featured in the magazine:



A nice, solid, discernable cake, right? Surrounded by sauce? Terrific. But here is what I made:



Nothing solid. It was just a lump of goo. I followed the recipe to the letter. Any suggestions on what I could have done wrong or how to correct this in the future?

Sorry, Brooke and Joe - next time, I'll have something a little more edible. You guys are troopers for managing to choke down as much as you did. :)

Ingredients:

• Cooking spray
• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 cup plus 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup plus 5 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons mild olive oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon espresso powder
• 1 1/2 cups boiling water
• 1 cup heavy cream, chilled

1. Spray the slow cooker with cooking spray. In a bowl, mix the flour, 1/2 cup granulated sugar,
2 tablespoons cocoa, the baking powder and salt. Stir in the milk, olive oil and vanilla. Scrape the batter into the slow cooker and smooth the top. In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, 1/4 cup cocoa powder and the espresso powder. Whisk in the boiling water. Pour the mixture over the batter.

2. Cover and cook on high until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Turn off the slow cooker, remove the lid and let the cake cool, 30 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the remaining 1/3 cup granulated sugar and 3 tablespoons cocoa. Whisk in the heavy cream. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Using a handheld electric mixer, beat the mixture until soft peaks form.

4. Scoop the warm cake and its sauce into bowls. Dollop the cocoa whipped cream on top.

Oreo Cake

I first encounted this Oreo Cake when Brooke and her husband came over for dinner and she made this. I was so enamored with this cake and was thrilled when she told me it simply came from the seasonal Kraft magazine; that meant I already had the recipe and didn't need to harass her for it (this was before my days of blogging).

I waited for the perfect opportunity to make this cake, and it's here; next week is a coworker's 50th birthday, and due to days off and vacations, we celebrated her special day today. I quickly volunteered to make the cake and knew this Oreo cake would be perfect.

(Ignore the fact that it's in the pan; I wanted to photograph it nice and pretty on my stand, but I was afraid I wouldn't be able to move into the pan w/out ruining it!)

This cake was just as yummy as Brooke's. Even though I knew it was pretty good, I was astounded by how many compliments it received! This baby's a crowd-pleaser!

Ingredients:

• 1 pkg. (2-layer size) devil's food chocolate cake mix
• 4 squares BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Baking Chocolate
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, cut up
• 1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 cups thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping
• 12 OREO Chocolate Sandwich Cookies, coarsely crushed

PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Prepare and bake cake mix as directed on package in two 9-inch round baking pans. Cool 5 min.; remove from pans. Cool completely on wire racks.

MICROWAVE chocolate and butter in small microwaveable bowl on HIGH 2 min. or until butter is melted. Stir until chocolate is completely melted. Cool 5 min.

BEAT cream cheese and sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Gently stir in whipped topping and crushed cookies. Place one cake layer, top-side down, on serving plate. Spread top of layer evenly with cream cheese mixture. Cover with remaining cake layer, top-side up. Spoon chocolate glaze over top of cake. Let stand until set. Store in refrigerator.