It's been one year today since my first blog post. Wow. I can't believe it's been a year since I started this. I really just wanted to start keeping track of things going on with us and the boys and thought it would be fun to start including recipes of things I love. Now, I'm having so much fun baking up a storm, trying new recipes and sharing them with family, friends and many people I've never met, but feel like we know each other. How fun!
On that note, I think only the best thing to do to thank everyone for taking time to read my blog and gawk at all my recipes AND my cute boys is with a giveaway! So here it is--my parents gave us one of these for Christmas and I love it. I use it all the time. It's the Vidalia Chop Wizard!
Now if you know me, you know I DO NOT like onions. I never buy them and NEVER cook with them, but this thing is great for chopping all kinds of fruits and vegetables. It really is a time saver and so much easier than chopping with a knife (I often cut myself when I have a knife!). So here's one waiting for the lucky randomly drawn winner. What else do I love? Well, this, of course---CHOCOLATE! Have to throw a little of this in, too!
Leave me a comment telling me what your favorite chocolate is (brand, flavor, whatever) as well as your favorite way to enjoy it (in a cookie, cake, by itself, etc.) and/or GASP, if you don't like chocolate, what you do like in place of chocolate as an indulgence. One lucky winner will be chosen Wednesday evening (deadline is 9 p.m. CST). Thanks for a great fun year of blogging, can't wait to see what deliciousness this next year brings. Starting with this amazing cake--------------
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TWD--Devil's Food White Out Cake
This week's recipe from Dorie Greenspan's Baking From My Home to Yours was chosen by Stephanie of Confessions of a City Eater and doggonit, it's about time someone chose the great looking cake that's on the cover of this book--Devil's Food White Out Cake! Great pick, Stephanie. You can get the recipe posted on her blog. This cake was fun to make, and challenging and pretty darn yummy (although I only took a couple bites!).
A friend of ours, Bob, had a birthday recently and he saw this cake on the book cover and told me that was what he wanted. He told me this when I had just found out it was chosen this month for one of our TWD baking adventures. Perfect. I love having a reason to bake! The recipe calls for 8 inch pans, which I totally thought I had, but it turned out my pans were 9 inch. I didn't want to have cakes that were too thin, since they did have to be sliced in half, so I decided to one and a half times the recipe. Glad I did, although I do not enjoy math with fractions! I put 1 and a 1/2 pounds of batter in each 9 inch pan as well as 9 oz. of batter in a 6 inch pan (frozen, to be used later!) I will leave out a few small setbacks that were easily fixable while I made the cake and just say that I think it turned out really well. The most trying part of it was making the filling/frosting which included waiting for the sugar syrup to come to temperature on the stove and not over whipping the egg whites in the meantime. Dorie didn't really give suggested times on this, which I think would have helped, but it did all work out in the end. It took 15-20 minutes for the sugar to come to 242 degrees, so don't start beating the egg whites too soon, those only take a few minutes! That's all I have to say about that. The cake came together really well.
I like that it didn't really matter how the frosting looked because the cake was then going to be covered-in cake!
I chose not to have too much cake overkill, so I put mini chocolate chips on the top.
Wanna a piece? This cake was nice if you don't love a butter cream icing, it doesn't leave you with that stuffed feeling of sugar "ugghhh". Know what I mean? Bob took most of it home, good thing, I woulda kept eating it. I only took a few bites of one of the boy's pieces.
Don't forget to leave a comment and enter for a chance at winning my giveaway! You have until Wed. night, the 18th at 9 p.m.
92 comments:
Congratulations on your anniversary and bravo for the cake -- it looks great!
Congrats on your anniversary, time sure flies doesn't it?
My favorite chocolate is a Fannie May cream filled piece called the Victoria. It's caramel flavored butter cream YUUMMMMM
Your cake looks so wonderful, I really enjoyed mine!!
How could one chocoholic ask another chocoholic to narrow it down to just one, yummy, delicious, scrumptious, and the reason I get up in the morning:) piece of chocolate, but I shall try. Right now my choice chocolate candy would be the Lindt dark chocolate truffle thingies, yum! My choice chocolate dessert would be this chocolate french silk oreo cake I made the other day, heavenly yum!
One year of blogging, yeah! I'm so glad to have created this blog friendship.
My favorite kind of chocolate is Callebaut. I have an 11 pound block in my pantry right now......
Cake looks great! And happy blog anniversary. I started my blog for the same reason you did - and it just escalated from there - same as yours!
Brilliant idea with the chips on top.
My favorite chocolate to eat by itself is Dove Dark, then Symphony
Happy Blogiversary!! I just love your blog; here's to many more wonderful years of sharing about family and baked goods! And what better to celebrate this bday than your awesome-looking cake! YUM!
I love dark chocolate bars (Ghiradelli); there's something so rich and satisfying about them. BUT, I will admit that I'm a total sucker when it comes to a slightly melty Hershey's bar. Nothing beats it, right?
My favorite chocolate is Dove dark chocolate and I like to enjoy it right out of the bag.
How fun! My favorite chocolate will not be narrowed down, it depends on the day. I do love a good Chocolate chip cookie though which is how I usually cook with it. Good luck, i love looking at the blog and miss you guys.
Great looking cake..I love it!
Your cake is great, and I hear you about a few setbacks. I had major issues with the icing but sort of pulled it out.
Congrats on your blogiversary! What a great giveaway. My favorite cake is yellow with chocolate fudge frosting. I don't have a perfect recipe for it, though.
I love baking with Callebaut and El Rey. Oh, and Valrhona. For snacking I like Ritter Sport bars - especially the various flavors I've found when I travel.
Nancy
LOVE that you topped it with more chocolate! Your cake looks gorgeous! And happy anniversary!
Congrats on your anniversary!!!!
My favorite chocolate is
Vosges Barcelona bar...with flakes of sea salt and chopped almonds it is a party in my mouth. It pairs well with a Shiraz and is so good that just a few squares satisfies a desert craving.
Happy Blogiversary! I LOVE Reese's chocolate peanut butter eggs which come out around Easter! Hershey's peanut butter eggs don't have salminella in them...I called and checked! I love the yummy Heartbreak Healer cookies from the Food Network's Ultimate Recipe Showdown that I made last week-end!
That cake looks divine.
My favorite chocolate is any that is in front of me. My mom has always been a choco-holic - and I have come to accept it as my fate. :) A favorite (and rare) indulgence of mine is a rich chocolate frosting - on yellow cake - for breakfast.
Wow Katrina, that cake actually looks fabulous. I finally got your link added to my own blog so I can find you easier, so now I will visit frequently. I am a minor chocolate fan and a major carmel fan so one of my favorite treats is the Toffafee. It has 15 little cups of carmel with a little hazel nut in the center and a dollop of chocolate on top. They are made in Germany but sold in local grocerie stores. I treat myself to one a day when I have a box. BTW-this is your sister in law Cindy.
Yeah! Congrats on the one year blogoversary! Time flies!
My favorite chocolate is gharedelli squares with caramel. Yum!
Your cake looks delicious! Your frosting turned out much fluffier than mine!
Congrats on the One Year Anniversary!
And I am so glad someone else out there HATES onions! I don't know where I went wrong with my daughter - she loves them!
Before becoming diabetic, my favorite candy bar was a Heath Bar!
Congrats on your blogiversary! You did a great job on the cake...much better than when I made it. Mine was much more messy looking! I'm not the hugest fan of chocolate though I do like it! My absolute favorite would be Cailler's...it's an international Hershey's brand and is THE creamiest you'll taste; however, I haven't had this in YEARS obviously b/c it's an international brand...so, I like Dove dark chocolate.
Dove promises...it's my special pick me up hidden in my desk at work :)
And I can't stand onions, either, but still chop many many foods and would love a wizard!!
I love chocolate in all shapes and forms. However, I tend to gravitate to dark chocolate these days. I use the excuse that it is healthier so that I can eat more of it.
That cake looks amazing!
And I have to pick just one chocolate bar? My latest love is Trader Joes Fair Trade Dark Chocolate bar. Although they were out of it the last couple of times I was there, only had the milk chocolate - not acceptable! Gotta be dark...
Thanks, Katrina, and happy blogoversary! I put that chopper on my wish list when I saw it in your Veggie Lasagna post. Here's hoping!
So are you giving away a year? I'll take it (and the Vidalia chopper too!) I've seen them on TV and would love one. My favorite way to have chocolate is an undercooked brownie (almost batter). Love you!
You are so sweet to have a give-away!
I'm not sure I have a favorite chocolate, but I know I'm all about dark chocolate! I love Lindt and Dove and See's! I try to avoid chocolate that is too spendy because that may prove to be dangerous.
Can I add you to my sidebar? I may do that but let me know if want off! :)
This looks SO good! I like how you put several pictures of it on your blog.
My favorite chocolates are made by a local company here in Austin called SXUL. They are so good, but not for baking. They're truffle-type chocolate and best eaten on their own. For baking, I like Valrhona the best, however, it's not really practical for day to day baking so I tend to use Ghirardelli, Hershey and Scharffen Berger. My favorite chocolate chips are Callebaut.
CADBURY CADBURY CADBURY!! I was exposed to it for four months when I studied in Ireland, and you can definitely taste a difference between that and Hersheys. Even Norwegian chocolate is pretty good.
Your cake actually looks like the cover! Well with chocolate chips. Mine...had a giant hole and never made it to 3 layers haha
I love the 99% cacao Michel Cluizel bar, eaten in small nibbles (nursed, really) over the course of several days. A little really goes a long way with amazing chocolate, and this is no exception.
Hi Treeni!! I always love seeing the delicious things you bake. It makes me miss you even more than I already do!! My favorite chocolate (and I have not had too many brands) is the Symphony bar with Toffee. If you take brownie mix and melt the Symphony bar, mix it in the batter and put some on top, it makes some deliciously addicting brownies!! Can you mail me a piece of that cake???? It looks to DIE for!!
Congratulations on a year of blogging!
May Canadians enter your giveaway? My favourite chocolate right now is Green & Black's Dark 85%, which I eat plain, slowly, a square or two at a time.
Wow! 29 comments! You definitely have some fans out there.
Happy Blogiversary, Katrina! I've loved reading your blog...you are so talented and should seriously open up your own bakery, girl.
Happy Blogaversary! Your cake looked great! It was pretty yummy wasn't it?
I like to bake with Callebaut or Valrhona chocolate, but I love to eat just about any kind of chocolate! Reading everyone else's comments makes me want to eat some now - haha! I don't live near a Trader Joes (I know, poor me!!), but I'm sure that's good.
Well your blog has been a great addition to my reader. Happy Anniversary. Oh and my favorite chocolate is anything dark in anything, anytime!
I love reading your posts! You inspire me to make new things instead of the same 'ol favorites. And, I always feel fortunate when I am the recipient of your work!
I'm a Lindor milk chocolate fan myself but I'll take chocolate in any form!
Love the chocolate chips. They look so cute on top.
I don't think I have one favorite chocolate but dark chocolate coated caramels will get me through any day.
I love dark chocolate. And I especially love chocolate in cookies-with "World Peace Cookies" maybe being my favorite!
Oh, and your Devil's Food White Out Cake looks Fabulous! I love how glossy your frosting looks.
let's be honest...chocolate is good in all forms...dark chocolate if i'm eating a piece plain, but i'm a sucker for a good piece of chocolate cake...and i have the BEST brownie recipe!
thanks for the giveaway :)
I don't need any chocolate (eating healthy) but I just stopped by to say congrats on your one year!
You know I love chocolate. I think right now I enjoy a good Lindt Chocolate. But I love chocolate chip cookie any day.
Happy Blogiversary!!
I love all chocolate, but I think my favorite is Cadbury - preferably in the form of a Creme Egg or those solid crunchy eggs. I'm excited that Easter is coming :)
Congrats! And YES I DO GAWK AT YOUR POSTS!!! My favorite chocolate is Cadbury chocolate (In Canada it's much more prevelant, and they even have their own Candy Bar lines...) I think my favourite way to have chocolate is through an IV....just kiddin :)
Congratulations on your 1 year blogiversary!! What an exciting day! I'm a milk chocolate lover, and cannot resist, Dove Chocolate and the Cadbury Mini-Eggs.
Thank you for sharing all your wonderful recipes with us! We have discovered and enjoyed many of your confections!
My very favorite chocolate is Faroh's Finest chocolates in the North Ohio area. Unfortunately that family has dwindled and it's now being made at a famous shrine in Carey, Ohio.
But I've never turned down any other chocolate.
Your cake looks great too.
Hi Katrina!
Thanks for stopping by my blog and saying hi. Obviously there hasn't been much blogging going on over there.
Congratulations on your anniversary!
Hmmm favorite chocolate. There are so many!! There is a chocolatier from central Minnesota named Mr. B. He used to have a shop here, but it closed, and his other shop is 60 miles away! Anyway, he has this chocolate called a Nutty Tutty. It is molded in a mold the shape of King Tut's head and the filling is milk chocolate with hazelnut.
Were we supposed to pick a favorite dessert too? That totally depends on the day! Today I'd just love it if someone would bring me some really good Tiramisu and a hot cup of tea.
Your cake looks excellent! I adore that kind of frosting, even though it can be a bit of a pain.
Once again, congratulations!!
My fav chocolate is Ritter Sport Dark and I like it one piece at a time. Thanks!
Congrats on one year! I just started my blog and have really enjoyed following yours. I am an equal opportunity chocolate lover! I like it all!
Congrats on your one year blogiversary, I enjoy your blog andalso your comments on Anna's blog, which is how I discovered you.
Your cake looks perfect!
I love all chocolate. Right now my favorite is roasted almonds covered in dark chocolate. Tomorrow I'll have a different answer!
I love your blog and visit several times a week.
If I am making a specil dessert I use Scharffen-Berger. For everyday I use Ghiradelli or Perugina.
That cake looks like a giant oreo sandwich to me and i love it! Thanks for the recipe!
Happy Blogoversary!
Trying to pick your favorite chocolate...since I can't decide what I'd pick if I could only have one for the rest of my life....I'll go with my current favorite: Andes thin mints.
Dove caramel promises, I still love you. Belgian truffles rolled in cocoa powder, you are a special luxury. Milka bars, we had a great time in Austria. Cadbury Flakes, I enjoyed our fling in London. Hershey mint kisses, I adore you in cookies. Ghiardelli squares, you are my near constant companion.
Favorite way to eat them? With a friend!
So my favorite chocolate is Reeses. I like them a little bit melty. A cold Reeses- not the same. I bite off the sides of pure chocolate until the ratio of peanut butter to chocolate is a perfect, and then I eat the rest in one bite. Acutally, the best Reeses are the ones that come in the shapes for each of the different holidays (the pumpkin, christmas tree, heart etc.) Mmmmm. Now that I am going to be thinking about it all night long, I might have to get some tomorrow.
As for the icing thing... I like that feeling of being stuffed with sugar. If I'm going to eat yummy treats, I'm making the most of it. No use in going half-hearted. All that sugar is comforting. Proves to be a bad thing though.
My favorite chocolate is unfortunately only available in Europe or European foodstores. I melt for Milka bars. They're actually made by Kraft, but they're better than any chocolate in the States. I've been dreaming of Milka bars since I got back from vacation, 8 months ago.
My favorite way to eat chocolate is in Hot Chocolate form. Yummy, rich, and warming :-)
Really interesting that the post included devil's food whiteout cake- I have an event coming up and I was actually debating between that cake and smores cookie bars!
Anyway, I simply adoreee dark chocolate (Dove Dark, although the Ritter bars with marzipan inside are AMAZING!) and love chocolate in mousse form!
Yahoo! Congrats on a whole year of blogging! The chocolate...I don't think I have a real favorite, which pretty much means that I've never met a chocolate I didn't really like. :o) And I have the hips to prove it! LOL! The cake looked fabulous, Katrina. The mini chips on top were a great touch!
I love your blog. So many great ideas and your boys are so cute and funny.
I work with a guy from Switzerland and today he had just received a package with some swiss chocolate from a friend back hom. I'm not sure what brand it was but it was AMAZING.
I really liked the Lindor truffles my husband gave me for Valentines Day.
My favorite chocolate would have to be semi sweet chocolate chips! I put them in everything from Chobani to pudding to ice cream!!
Hi Katrina,
Thank you so much for the cookies, they were wonderful! My favorite is the Russel Stover caramels with chocolate around them. I love your website!
Happy Anniversary...we are all so happy you decided to blog as it is such fun to drop by and see what's up each week! You and I are so different, I don't like chocolate and I do love onions...LOL. Your cake looks beautiful. The frosting photos are gorgeous, makes me want to make it all over again. What a clever idea to top it with chocolate chips...I bet that was a big hit with the boys!
Wow, that's absolutely fantastic looking. I love the swirls of frosting. And I have to give kudos on the fractionating :) Happy blogiversary!
That cake looks amazing!! Love the chocolate chips on top instead of the cake.
Peanut butter with chocolate is the best thing in the world. My FAVORITE dessert is cheesecake...so I enjoy peanut butter/chocolate cheesecake of anykind.
My favorite candy bar is a tie between Reese's Fastbreak and Reese's big cups! =)
I'm not a big chocolate fan, but I do love See's brown sugar buttercream candies. They're so good!
Congrats on one year of tasty posts! I really like the chocolate and chili combination.
That cake is looking really good!
Happy one year anniversary! That's a big milestone for a blogger. Your cake turned out beautifully! My favorite way to have chocolate is in a cookie, of course.
Happy 1-year anniversary!
I'd have to say my favorite way to enjoy chocolate is Lindt dark chocolate Lindor balls straight up. Yummmm. But I enjoy chocolate in almost all of its incarnations.
Cheers!
Ohhhh my word that cake looks fabulous.
My favorite chocolate bars are the Symphony variety. Generally the "blue" one, lol. And it has to be the great big bar!! I nearly always have one hidden in the kitchen and I like to break a chunk off when I'm cooking or even just passing through the kitchen. Mmmm, chocolate with toffee.
-DanielleCorrelle
DanielleCorrelle@aol.com
I like just about any chocolate...as long as it doesn't have nuts in it! One of my favorites is chocolate covered cherries but I have the best recipe for candy that is to die for. It calls for white chocolate chips, semi sweet chips, oreo cookies and craisons! It takes 10 minutes to make! I love it!
Congrats, and what a gorgeous cake!!
Wow-Treen, I am very impressed with your following! But not surprised--you have a great baking blog and I love seeing everything you come up with. There is no way I could narrow down my favorite type of chocolate, but I do love ice cream and hot fudge. Any recipes using a good homemade hot fudge?I love that if I need a good dessert recipe I can always look at your blog for ideas. Way to go!
I have that cookbook, and your cake matches the cover photo! My favorite way to enjoy chocolate is when it covers fruit!
Well it looks beautiful! I always love to see what you'll do next. Personally I love butter cream frosting the best, as long as its not excessive.
I love Ghiradelli Cacao Dark Chocolate. It's wonderful alone or with a glass of Port.
Happy blogiversary! What a yummy looking cake! So moist and fudgy, mmmm, yum yum!
I love Valrhona for baking and green & blacks for eating at home.
Congrats on one year of blogging, Katrina! I have thoroughly enjoyed your blog and getting to know you through TWD. Your cake looks fabulous -- love the mini chocolate chips on top!
I couldn't pick one brand of chocolate, I don't think -- I like both cheap chocolate and fine artisan chocolate! But my favorite form for chocolate is in brownies!
Nothing could be better than a large bag of peanut m&m's!
Yummy:)
I love almost any chocolate, but I'm really into dark and/or bittersweet. The more chocolatey the better. Love it in cookies or brownies or ice cream or a mug, whatever. Other than that, I can't really narrow it down.
Congrats on the anniversary.
Happy Blog-iversary! I look forward to reading your blog in the year(s) to come! The cake looks incredible too!
My favorite chocolate is Hershey's Golden Almond bars. They are Hershey's delicious milk chocolate with lots of whole almonds inside. I can't get them where I live (in Massachusetts) but every autumn my husband goes to Pennsylvania and brings me home a box. I have to hide them from myself so I won't eat them all in a weekend!
As for how and where I like to enjoy my chocolate .... It's perfectly normal to eat chocolate in the dark, crouched in the corner of your bedroom, right? RIGHT???
~Jannine
(bakingmecrazy@aol.com)
I love the chips on top. Great idea. Glad BOB liked it. Good to have a REASON to bake, even tho' we really don't need one.
Congrats on one year post. Glad you stayed with it. Hope to see 100 more
The cake looks great! I love chocolate mint patties. YUM!
Crabbymomofthree @ comcast . net
Favorite chocolate: Vere 75% plain - it's the creamiest dark chocolate I've had and has barely any sugar added because they get use naturally sweet cocoa beans. Runner-up is Marie Belle 70-75% Hot chocolate bar, oh boy....
Chopping onions is such a pain! It's almost as bad as mincing garlic!
I sure wish you lived closer so we could get together. that cake looks really good. I really enjoy your blog. you have a terrific family.
Shari
My favorite chocolate on its own is Haigh's Chocolate from Adelaide, Australia. It is so fun to go in and pick out a new truffle to try. Happy Birthday!
Wow, 81 comments! You go girl!
I love dark chocolate with marzipan. Good marzipan. The Ritter Sport bar is a good one.
Congrats on your one year anniversary!
My favorite way to eat chocolate is in thick, fudgy brownies. Mmmmm.
Happy Blog Birthday! One year is a great accomplishment! Beautiful cake...yum!
Wow Katrina You have gotten quite the list of comments... I did not have time to computer till now, I know I won't make the drawing, but.... my fav chocolate is really any chocolate, but I love Mallys chocolates. Love strawberry dipped chocolates, Love Fondue chocolate, dipping: brownies, strawberries, fresh pineapple, pound cake, marshmellow, raspberries, even chocolate chip cookies. YUM I feel a chocolate craving coming on. Love your blog/ Love you!
I love chocolate with almonds!!
Great job on the cake and happy one year!
Congratulations on your anniversary - and what a beautiful cake! I'm not sure what my favorite eating-out-of-hand chocolate is. I've always had a soft spot for Callebaut milk since spending time in Belgium, but I usually prefer dark chocolate.
Happy blogoversary! Your cake looks gorgeous.
My favorite chocolate is chocolate covered caramel discs from See's Candy.
Congrats on your anniversary! Nice job on the cake!
Hi Koi! I found your blog finally. It looks great! Congrats on your sucess. Your family looks great too.
Well you know me well enough to know I love chocolate. What you don't know is how allergic I now am to chocolate. The good news is that I can have some white chocolate stuff and I use a lot of carob. Not the same, but you adapt and now it is fine. My favorite dessert is still dutch apple pie with homemade vanilla ice cream.
Yay I've arrived! Late but I've made it! One year, eh? Congratulations! It's gonna be 1 year for me in April.
That's a gorgeous cake Katrina!
My favourite chocolate? Are you kidding me? That's like asking you to pick one of your kids! Lol!
This looks so good too! I want to make everything on here.
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