Chocolate Zucchini Cake Recipe and Zucchini Lemon Cranberry Walnut Muffins Recipe

This original post from 2009 disappeared from my blog.  Not sure how or why.  But here’s a new current repost of it---It's that time of year.  You practically have them growing out your ears.  I'm talking about zucchini.  Some of them are huge.  They aren't quite as good for savory cooking when they get too big.  But they make a dang good killer chocolate cake!  Bah--look at this!

Yep, believe it or not, there is zucchini in there!  I know.  I hear ya.  You just would NEVER know it's there.  So this means this cake is healthy, right.  Well, we can pretend anyway.  Sigh. 

Yeah, it's not healthy.  But for goodness sake, it's delicious!  (Dad--it's chocolate cake!)

After buying two giant, cheap zucchini at the farmer's market last week, I went on a Google search for just what to do with them.  I already shared with you my zucchini ("apple") crisp.  I knew there were all kinds of quick breads and muffins out there with zucchini and I even knew there were zucchini snack cakes.  But THIS cake, it's not just your run-of-the-mill "snack".  This is big time dessert here.  Kevin was even a little bummed that I didn't have any ice cream to serve with it.  (I know, me, slacking on the ice cream making! ;)

I found this beauty on Em's blog,  The Repressed Pastry Chef.  I actually didn't even know she was a fellow TWD baker.  (What?  I can't read them all.  I wish.  But after finding this cake on her blog and browsing around a bit, I've added her blog to my reader.)  Em found this recipe on the King Arthur Flour website.  I halved the recipe and baked it in an 8x8 inch baking pan.  I made some minor changes, so here's the recipe as I made it, but please when you're done with me, go look at Em's!

Chocolate Zucchini Cake, adapted by Katrina from The King Arthur Flour Company and Em at The Repressed Pastry Chef (halved)

1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened

1/4 cup canola oil

6  1/8 ounces granulated sugar (1/2 cup plus 6 tablespoons)

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 large egg

1/4 cup buttermilk (original recipe calls for sour cream or yogurt)

1  1/4 cup unbleached all purpose flour

1  1/8 ounces Dutch-process cocoa

(optional 1 teaspoon espresso powder)  I did not use it

1 cup zucchini, finely grated (middle/seeds removed)

1/2 cup (3 ounces) chocolate chips  (I used 58% cacao Ghiradelli chips)  (I didn't halve the chips)

Ganache Icing--

3 ounces heavy cream

4 1/2 ounces dark chocolate (I used the Ghiradelli chips)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.  Line an 8x8 inch baking pan with foil.  Spray with cooking spray.  Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the butter, oil, sugar, vanilla, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.  Beat in the egg.  Scrape sides of bowl. 

Stir in the buttermilk alternately with the flour.  Then add the cocoa.  Mix until well combined.  Fold in the zucchini and chocolate chips.

Pour and spread the batter evenly in the baking pan.  Bake for 30-35 minutes (mine took 32 minutes), until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Cool the cake on a wire rack.  Remove the cake from the pan using the foil edges.

Prepare the ganache by heating the cream to a simmer.  (I actually used the microwave and it worked great, just do it in 20-30 second intervals and stir in between.)  Pour the cream into a bowl with the chocolate chips.  Let sit a minute or two.  Stir the melted chocolate and cream until combined and smooth.  Spread over cake evenly with an offset spatula.  See how long you can wait before cutting slices of the cake and eating it.  (The ganache hardens as it sits, but doggonit it's good right away! ;)

You know you want a bite.  I'm not kidding, there's zucchini in there.  (You would never in a million years know it, Bob!)

__________________________________________________________________________________

Now after all that, take a deep breath, it's going to be okay.  Breathe.  Okay.  I kind of feel like these poor little muffins will take a huge back seat to that cake, BUT just keep in mind, sometimes you feel like a muffin and sometimes a little cake and the muffins really could be considered somewhat healthy and a great grab and go breakfast or perfect snack and they are also delicious if I do say so myself.   You'll have to try them and give them the credit they too deserve just as much as that cake.  Again, in my Googling around, I ran across this Low Fat Lemon Zucchini Bread on about.com.  These muffins were inspired by that bread, but I changed many things and came up with these darn-tootin' good muffins.

Zucchini-Lemon Cranberry Walnut Muffins, by Katrina

1  3/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour (or could use all purpose)

1  1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

2/3 cups sugar

1 tablespoon lemon zest (zest of 1 lemon)

1/4 cup coconut oil (or any vegetable oil)

1 large egg

1 egg white

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup low fat buttermilk

1 cup zucchini, seeded and finely grated

1/2 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped

1/2 cup dried cranberries

turbinado sugar for sprinkle over top

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line muffin tins with paper liners (this made 14 muffins). 

In medium sized bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon.  Whisk together and set aside.  In another bowl, combine the sugar and lemon zest, combining it together with your fingers until the sugar is moist, yellow and fragrant.  (I got this idea from Dorie Greenspan and love it.)  Combine the zesty sugar, oil, eggs, vanilla and buttermilk until well mixed with a wire whisk.  Stir in zucchini.  Add the dry ingredients with the wet and fold together just until moist.  Fold in nuts and cranberries.  Fill each muffin cup with a good sized scoop of batter.  Sprinkle each with turbinado sugar.  Bake for 14-16 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of one comes out clean.  Set pan on wire rack and cool for five minutes.  Remove the muffins from the tin and cool to room temperature on wire rack.

There is some nutty, berry-sweet goodness hiding in there and a wonderful lemon flavor!

You've seriously got to try these.  Coming soon--more zucchini!  I bought two giant ones remember.  These two recipes didn't even use one whole one.  Did you know you can grate the zucchini and freeze it in plastic bags?  It will last a couple months in the freezer.  Run to your gardens, neighbor's gardens, farmer's markets, grocery stores now and stock up!  You'll for sure want to make this cake and these muffins over and over again! ;) 

Sweet Potato Chocolate Marble Bundt Cake (Gluten Free, Grain Free)

This was my birthday cake I made a couple weeks ago, but it would be perfect for your Thanksgiving desserts or Christmas, or any holiday or any occasion or just because you want cake—it’s practically healthy!  Get this—the cake is not only gluten free, but it’s grain free and it’s made with much healthier coconut sugar and raw honey for the sweetener.  Hello, it also has a vegetable in it.  The sweet potato acts like pumpkin.  I love the flavor.  With sweet spices added, sweet potato and and chocolate go together perfectly!  If you’re trying to find healthier desserts or have diet restrictions, this pretty bundt cake would be just right for you. 
It was certainly just right for my birthday, which just happens to fall on National Bundt Day, November 15.  I’ve enjoyed making a bundt cake for my birthday for a number of years now, ever since Mary at The Food Librarian started in with her love of bundts.  She has hundreds of bundt cakes posted on her blog.  She would even do 30 days of bundts leading up to my birthday National Bundt Day, and post a bundt a day before that.  She did that for a couple years.  She has some great round ups of all the cakes she’s made as well as some round ups of the bundts everyone makes to join in the fun and send her their links. 

I can’t wait to make this cake again.  I recently bought two sweet potatoes that were huge—one was over three pounds!  I baked it and used it to make a puree.  It was well enough for this cake and a lot more.  Some of it even went in the freezer since I went out of town and couldn’t eat it all up before it would have spoiled.  I still have the second big one and some smaller ones to use up.  I thought the big one wouldn’t be good (over grown) or as sweet or something, but it was great and perfect for this cake!
Sweet Potato Chocolate Marble Bundt Cake, by Katrina, Baking and Boys!
4 ounces good chocolate, melted and cooled (I used Enjoy Life mini chocolate chips)
1/2 cup arrowroot powder
1/4 cup coconut flour
1 cup almond meal/flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
1/2 cup coconut sugar
1/2 cup (168 grams) raw honey
1/2 cup (224 grams) coconut oil
1 cup (250 grams) sweet potato puree (Make sure it’s cool if you’re baking it right before using it. I baked mine the night before I made the cake, then cooled it and stored it in the refrigerator, then pureed it right before using.)
4 large eggs (I actually used 5 sm-med. farm fresh eggs, for a total of 202 grams out of shell)
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup Enjoy Life mini chocolate chips
Ganache Drizzle:
2 1/2 ounces chocolate (I used mini chocolate chips)
4 tablespoons heavy cream
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Spread coconut oil evenly over the surface of the bundt pan.  (You’ll want at least a 6 cup bundt pan, but bigger will work, too, it’s not a super high cake that totally fills the pan.)  You can also dust it with cocoa powder or almond flour or coconut flour, but I didn’t, just oil.  (The cake stuck in one little place and usually doesn’t at all when I add some kind of flour after oiling the pan.)  Set aside.  Melt the 4 ounces of chocolate in a medium sized microwave-safe bowl.  Stir after 20-30 second intervals until all melted and smooth and let cool while preparing the rest of the ingredients.
In a medium-sized bowl, combine the arrowroot, coconut flour, almond flour, baking soda, salt and all the spices.  Whisk together, set aside.  In a large bowl, combine the coconut sugar, honey and coconut oil.  Whisk (or use mixer) until well combined.  Add the sweet potato puree and beat until combined.  Add the eggs and vanilla and beat well.  Slowly add the dry ingredients and mix together until well combined.  Remove about 1/3 of the cake batter from the bowl into another pan and add the 4 ounces of melted chocolate to it, then combine well. 
Working in spoonsful or scoops at a time, put the batter in the pan, first the sweet potato cake batter, then in opposite places around the bundt the chocolate batter in spoonsful.  Continue in layers of both cake batters until you’ve used it all.  Take a butter knife and swirl the batter to make the marble effect (not too much swirling or it will not look marbled).  Bake in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean.  Set the pan on a wire rack to cool for about 10 minutes.  Turn the cake over and let it sit for a couple minutes, then tap the sides and bottom of the pan to release the cake.  It should come out nicely!  Heat the cream in a microwave safe bowl until slightly bubbly (careful it doesn’t boil over, it can come to that stage pretty quickly, especially since it’s such a small amount.)  Pour the heated cream over the 2 1/2 ounces of chocolate, let sit for a minute.  Then slowly stir it together until the chocolate is all melted and you have a nice smooth ganache.  You can do this while the cake is cooling as it sets up a bit after it’s all melted.  Drizzle the ganache over the cake (I put it in a plastic zip top bag and snipped the corner off to drizzle it over the cake, you can also do it by the spoonsful.) 

As I wrote down the recipe, it seemed a little involved, but I have found if you get everything out and in place (Mise en place, I’m all for it!), it’s not bad at all.  Prep everything ahead of time, bake your potato, melt the chocolate, etc.—it’s really not too bad.  And fun.  And worth it for this cake!  Not only does it taste great—it looks great, too.  I think it’s a real show stopper.  If you had this on your dessert table and didn’t tell anyone it was grain free, I don’t think anyone would even know.  Only Kevin and my son, Scott, even tasted the cake.  But after that I hid the rest for the next couple days so they didn’t eat more, because it was all for me on National Bundt Day—MY BIRTHDAY!  I thought it tasted better the next day and the next.  Maybe because I’m kind of cake-deprived, but try it and tell me what you think!
I’m home for Thanksgiving in Idaho with my parents while my awesome husband is home with the four boys.  He’s amazing and I am so blessed and grateful for all the wonderful blessings I have been given.  He even spent the last two days repainting our bedroom—5 1/2 years in our home and we’ve never really liked the paint in our room.  Love it now!  Happy Holidays to all!

Best Homemade Chocolate Fudge Cupcakes and Chocolate Fudge Frosting and Split Pea Soup with Mushrooms—The Secret Recipe Club

Could you just look at and drool over this cupcake all day?  I could.  I practically did the day I made them.  Proud to say I didn’t even taste a cupcake.  Proud and sad.  I am not currently eating gluten and sugar, as many know, but I love making things with those ingredients for others.  And I will admit, I tasted the frosting.  It needed to be done.  Quality control, you know. 

This recipe for these awesome, perfect Best Homemade Chocolate Fudge Cupcakes and Chocolate Fudge Frosting is from my Secret Recipe Club blog assignment this month.  I had the pleasure of having Angela’s blog, Spinach Tiger this month.  I got to make something from her blog last year, too, as I filled in for someone at the last minute who wasn’t able to do so.  Last October I was in a hurry to pick something to make and made her delicious Banana Bread.  This month, since her blog was my “real” assignment, I spent a lot of time looking through all her posts and trying to decide what to make.  I actually chose her Split Pea Soup with Mushrooms.  It was on my list to make for a few weeks.  Then I noticed one of her more current posts for Shaved Raw Brussel Sprout with Raw Beet Pesto.  I had everything to make that salad except the Brussel spouts.  So I went out and got the sprouts.  And I haven’t had the chance to make the beet pesto and salad yet—but don’t worry—I WILL.  Everything about it sounds so good to me. 

I have been a little low on energy lately and all the sudden was freaking out last week that I still hadn’t made the soup or salad from Angela’s blog.  What did I do about that?  Instead of just making one of those things, I looked through her blog again for more ideas.  I’m so silly that way—or am I?  While checking out her desserts, since that is really what I love the most, I ran into these cupcakes and can’t believe I missed them before.  I eat quite healthy, tons of fruits and vegetables, very little meat and only gluten free, refined sugar free desserts, but I really do prefer to make, bake and post desserts.  Maybe it’s because I feel like I get better pictures of things like cupcakes and cookies and photographing a bowl of soup just doesn’t do much for me.

I decided to get to work and make what Angela has claimed as the “Best Homemade Chocolate Fudge Cupcakes and Chocolate Fudge Frosting”.  I am so happy I did—see, not so silly.  Now I have a perfect chocolate cake recipe that was simple and I had all the ingredients on hand and most often do have them.

Since she mentioned that the recipe made a lot of cake, I decided to cut it in half.  The half recipe still made 20 cupcakes.  I made the full recipe of frosting since she also mentioned you can never have too much frosting.   The day I made them, I only frosted nine cupcakes.  I froze the rest of the cakes and have refrigerated the frosting to use next week.

“One of these things is not like the others,
One of these things just doesn't belong,
Can you tell which thing is not like the others
By the time I finish my song?”

(Remember this song from Sesame Street?)

If you guessed the cupcake in the middle, you’d be right.  Why would anyone want to eat a cupcake with such a small amount of frosting?  Only if you’re my husband who doesn’t really care much for cake and really doesn’t like frosting.  So that was his cupcake and I frosted eight more the correct way for the boys (they each got two).  The cupcakes and frosting were a big hit with the boys and the little bit of frosting I tasted was delicious.

Besides cutting the recipe in half, I didn’t change a thing about Angela’s recipe.  So if you’re looking for a great chocolate cake recipe, run, don’t walk to go get it on her blog--Best Homemade Chocolate Fudge Cupcakes and Chocolate Fudge Frosting.

These baked perfectly in 18 minutes and came right out of the pan (sometimes if a little of the top of the cupcake went over the sides, it sticks with other cakes I’ve made).  That did not happen here. 

The only thing I would mention about the recipe, which is silly of me to have not done completely is to always use room temperature ingredients—including things like buttermilk.  My butter and eggs were room temperature, but I used cold buttermilk, which I was worried about when I saw the butter kind of chunk back up a bit.  Never fear—this recipe is also so easy that you just mix all the ingredients and beat them like crazy (in a mixer) for 3 minutes.  Though I was still worried about the little bits of butter I saw in the batter, I baked them anyway and there was no trace of unincorporated butter in the cupcakes.  (Yay!)  I would still suggest to make sure to use all room temperature ingredients.  I made sure all the ingredients for the frosting was room temperature and that is some delicious frosting!

Angela suggested for the frosting to begin with 3/4 cup of cream and to just use enough until you like the consistency of the frosting.  I ended up using 1/2 cup before I was satisfied.  The half recipe made 20 cupcakes and I made the full recipe of frosting.  After frosting eight cupcakes, it will be enough to frost the remaining dozen when I get them out of the freezer in a few days. 

So the cupcakes were/are awesome!  A couple days ago, my ten year old stayed home from school sick (just a little cold).  I mentioned to him that I’d been really wanting to make split pea soup.  When I told him it has mushrooms in it he was no longer interested.  I made the soup anyway, but instead of adding the mushrooms, I just left them to spoon into my own bowl.  He got what he wanted, soup, split pea soup, with no mushrooms and I FINALLY got to make Angela’s Split Pea Soup with Mushrooms.

I halved this recipe and wish I wouldn’t have so I’d have more to eat.  I’m usually the only one here who will eat split pea soup.  Taylor (the one who was sick) likes all kinds of soup and was excited to try this (minus the mushrooms).  He really liked the soup, even without mushroom and croutons (they were gluten free) and asked me when I was going to make it again.  The half recipe was just enough for the two of us for lunch and for me to have for dinner the next day.

Angela mentioned that her mother said you should never eat split pea soup without croutons.  I don’t think I’d ever eaten it WITH croutons.  I was excited to have the end piece of some gluten free bread I’d made left.  I cubed it up and toasted it in a sauté pan with a little olive oil.  After they’d nicely browned on each side, I sprinkled a little garlic salt on them.  Awesome.  My soup (in the photo) had the sauteed mushrooms in it and was topped with croutons and some shavings of parmesan cheese.  It was a great vegetarian soup.

Split Pea Soup with Baby Bella Mushrooms and Croutons, by Katrina, Baking and Boys!, adapted from Angela at Spinach Tiger

1 cup dried split peas

4  1/2 cups water

1 small shallot, finely chopped

1 medium sized carrot, finely diced

1 rib celery, finely chopped

1 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

juice and zest of about 1/4 of a lemon

8 ounces baby bella mushroom, chopped

dash of crushed red pepper

half a bay leaf

salt and pepper to taste

parmesan cheese, for top of soup

In a soup pot, add the olive oil and over medium heat, sauté the carrots, shallot and celery until soft.  Add the split peas, water, basil, bay leaf, lemon juice and zest.  Simmer for 35 minutes.  Add some salt and pepper and taste and adjust seasoning.  Remove the bay leaf.  You might want/need to add a little water here.  I added about 1/2 cup.

While the soup is simmering, sauté the mushrooms in a little olive oil.  Let them get nicely browned.  Add a little salt once they are done.  You can add them all to the soup when it is just about done, or add them to individual bowls if you are feeding some who don’t like mushrooms. 

Make croutons by toasting some cubed bread (I used some homemade gluten free bread) them with a little olive oil in a sauté pan.  Move them around and flip them on to each side until they are browned.  Sprinkle them with some garlic salt. 

Serve bowls of soup with croutons and shredded or shaved parmesan soup. 

Delicious food over at Spinach Tiger.  Check out Angela’s blog.  I will make that Shaved Brussels Sprouts with Red Beet Pesto SOON!

Grain Free Chocolate Bundt Cake with Chocolate Ganache—National Bundt Day and It’s My Birthday!

It’s my birthday!  It’s my birthday!  And if some will recall, my birthday is also National Bundt Day, so for the last few years, I’ve been making a bundt cake for my birthday.  Today is no exception.  However, in the last few months, I have started eating gluten free and refined sugar free—which posed as more of a problem finding just the right kind of treats.  Never fear—this bundt cake I made is just as delicious as any other chocolate bundt cake you’ve had and is not only gluten free, it’s grain free!  And has no refined sugar, it’s made with maple syrup. 

You cannot tell.  I love it.  I’m so happy with how it turned out.  Especially since I took a few other recipes I’ve seen and made it up.  Make this cake for your gluten free/grain free friends.  It’s practically health food.

It isn’t quite Paleo, if some are hoping for that, but could be if you leave the ganache off or using something else for the ganache.  I used a combination of 70% dark chocolate and 85% dark chocolate with a little heavy cream—that’s the only thing not Paleo about it.  I wish I’d baked it just a few minutes less, but it’s still super good and moist enough.

Grain Free, Refined Sugar Free Chocolate Bundt Cake with Chocolate Ganache, by Katrina, Baking and Boys!

1/2 cup arrowroot powder

1/4 cup coconut flour

1 cup almond flour/meal

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

1/2 cup natural cocoa powder

1 cup maple syrup

1/4 cup organic coconut oil, melted

4 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/4 cup Enjoy life mini chocolate chips (optional)

For the ganache--

1 oz. 85% dark chocolate, chopped

1  1/2 oz. 70% dark chocolate, chopped

4 tablespoons heavy cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spread coconut oil evenly (with your fingers) throughout the bundt pan, making sure to get in all the crevices, then sprinkle with cocoa powder and tap out the extra.  Set aside.

In a medium sized bowl, combine the arrowroot powder, coconut flour, almond flour, baking soda, salt and cocoa powder.  Whisk together.  In another bowl, whisk together the eggs, then add the maple syrup, coconut oil and vanilla extract.  Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and whisk to combine well.  Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

Bake for 20-25 minutes.  (I did 25 and wish I’d checked it at 20.)  Remove from oven and let sit on a cooling rack for 10 minutes.  Turn cake in pan upside down and carefully tap around the pan to release the cake.  It should pop right out.  Let cool completely.

Make ganache.   Put chocolate in a heat proof bowl.  Heat cream in microwave safe glass measuring cup just until starting to bubble.  Watch it in 20-25 second intervals.  It can boil over if you’re not watching, but it only took mine less than 45 seconds.  Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and let sit for a minute.  Slowly stir the melted chocolate and cream together until a smooth, glossy chocolate appears.  Let sit until cool.  Drizzle over cake.  I like to put it in a plastic zip top bag and cut the corner off and squeeze it over the cake.   

Hello, Delicious Chocolate Bundt Cake!  Try it.  I think if you didn’t tell people, they’d never know it wasn’t just a regular cake.   Happy Bundting!

Check out all of Mary’s bundt cakes at Food Librarian.  She rocks bundt cakes!

Tuxedo Cake

Our friend, Bob, had a birthday a couple weeks ago.  We are happy to have Bob as an “adopted” part of our family. 

We met Bob back when we lived in Arizona.  He’s been a part of our family since Scott (my oldest who is 14) was 3 and Parker (11) was just a few months old.  When Kevin graduated from the University of Arizona and got a job teaching at the University of Kansas, Bob moved to Kansas to be near us.  When we moved to Utah a couple years ago, he followed along.  No, he’s not stalking us, we’ve offered for him to move near us.  Too bad here in Utah the place he’s found to live is 45 minutes away, but that’s better than 24 hours. ;)  He’s enjoyed watching the boys grow up and we’ve liked having him around for holidays, family events and even just whenever we can work it out to get together.  He will even spend the night Christmas Eve because he loves watching the boys Christmas morning. 

A few years ago, Bob decided to starting “ordering” what he wanted me to make for his birthday.  It’s all in fun and I actually like when he finds something and tells me exactly what to make.  This year he wanted this Tuxedo Cake (and a turtle cheesecake I’ll blog soon, too, oh, and some of my chocolate chip cookies).  Yes, he puts in some tall orders.  

When Bob first mentioned a tuxedo cake, I found the one that is so popular from Costco (that I’ve never had but looks divine).

Photo courtesy of www.chowtimes.com

Now I know what I want for MY birthday.

But the Tuxedo Cake Bob wanted was one found at The Baking Pan which is a version adapted from Rebecca Rather’s The Pastry Queen.  Her cake is three layers of chocolate cake.  It is then “frosted” with whipped cream, then “drowned” in a chocolate ganache.  I’m not that great making layer cakes, I just haven’t made very many.  I like to blame it on my husband who claims to not like cake.  What he really doesn’t like is all the super sweet and buttery buttercream frostings that most cakes have (that and fondant).  Not only did Bob like the cake, but Kevin did, too.  He admitted that THAT is a cake he’d eat a lot more of and would want again.  Yay!  Thanks, Bob.  Now maybe I’ll get more experience with layer cakes, knowing the trick is to frost them with whipped cream!

I decided to not try a three layer cake and actually went hunting the internet for which chocolate cake I wanted to make.  One of the problems I’ve had with cakes, especially here in Utah is that they tend to sink a little in the center of the cake.  I assumed it was a high altitude problem—and I believe I’m right!  Before making the final tuxedo cake, I found a cake I wanted to make and made it four times, with only 1/4 of the recipe baked in a six inch round pan.  I changed the temperature and amount of leavener in the recipe each time (Kevin was a big help in all the science and math of this.)

Each cake was baked the same amount of time.  The only changes to the recipe were with the amount of leavener (baking soda) and the oven temperature.  Number four in the bottom right was the winner with hardly any sinking in the center.  The picture didn’t come out the greatest, but it was a fun experiment.  I will now bake cakes here in Utah (we’re at about 4800 feet) at a 25 degree increase and with only half the leavener called for in a recipe.  I will write the recipe as it stated, but note my high altitude changes.  The chocolate cake recipe that I went with, by the way, is one I found at Amanda's Cookin'.  She made a delicious looking cake with peanut butter frosting.  The cake recipe is adapted from Sky High: Irresistible Triple-Layer Cakes.   Amanda made her cake with two 8-inch round pans and some cupcakes.  I made it with two 9-inch round pans.  I like being so precise that I weighed the amount of batter and divided it evenly between the two pans.  I am not very good at eyeballing it. ;)  The final cake/recipe, as I made it with my high altitude adjustments, came out great!

It was all actually quite simple and not as “scary” as I thought frosting a layer cake.  The middle layer is also the sweetened whipped cream. 

Tuxedo Cake, by Katrina, Baking and Boys!, adapted from all the sources listed above

2 cups (240 grams) all purpose flour

2  1/2 cups (500 grams) granulated sugar

3/4 cup (60 grams) Dutch process cocoa powder

*2 teaspoons baking soda (see note for high altitude directions)

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup (224 grams) canola oil

1 cup (240 grams) light sour cream

1  1/2 cups (12 ounces) water

2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 large eggs

Preheat oven to 350 degree F (375 degree F for high altitude).  Butter two 9-inch round cake pans, then line the bottoms of each pan with parchment paper cut to size.  Butter the paper. 

In a large bowl (electric mixer works well but is not necessary), combine the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt and whisk together.  Add the oil and sour cream beat together to combine well.  Gradually beat in the water.  Add the vinegar and vanilla and stir to combine.  Whisk in the eggs and beat until well blended, scraping down the sides of the bowl to insure all is mixed well.  Divide the batter evenly among the prepared pans. 

Bake for 30-35 minutes (I baked mine for 37 minutes) or until a toothpick is inserted in the center and comes out clean.  Let cool in pans for 20 minutes.  Invert cakes on to wire racks.  Peel off the parchment paper, then turn them on to another wire rack to cool upright completely.  (These cakes are soft and frost better after being frozen for at least 30 minutes, I froze mine overnight.)

*For the high altitude cake, I used 1 teaspoon of baking soda instead of 2 teaspoons.  Also note the temperature difference.

Sweetened Whipped Cream Filling and Frosting

3 cups chilled heavy whipping cream

1 cup (about 105 grams) powdered sugar

In a chilled mixer bowl (also chill the wire whisk), whip the cream on medium-high until it begins to thicken.  Slowly add the powdered sugar while it is continuing to whip until firm but still fluffy. 

Remove the cakes from the freezer.  Put filling on the first layer nice and thick.  Spread almost to the edges.  Top with the other cake layer.  Even everything out then frost the top and sides  with the whipped cream covering everything completely.  Then smooth it all out.  Chill the frosted cake for at least an hour.

Chocolate Ganache Glaze

4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

1/4 cup corn syrup (or Lyle’s Golden Syrup)

2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Place the chopped chocolate in a medium sized heatproof bowl.  Bring the cream just to a boil in a microwave safe dish in 25 second intervals or in a small saucepan on the stove.  Pour it over the chocolate.  Let sit for a minute.  Then stir the melting chocolate and cream together until combined.  (Don’t over stir it.)  Once the chocolate is completely melted, add the corn syrup and vanilla and stir until all combined and the mixture is smooth.  Let the glaze sit for 10 minutes, then immediately pour it slowly over the top of the cake, letting some of it drip down the sides of the cake (but do not completely cover the whipped cream on the sides).  (If the chocolate glaze has sat more than 10 minutes and has thickened up too much, slightly reheat it in the microwave in 20 seconds or so.   Refrigerate the cake until the glaze has set, at least an hour.   Keep the cake covered in a cake server.

The cake suffered a 45 minute drive to Bob’s house, which I was really worried about.  I think it would have sliced even better if it was fresh out of the fridge, but it did pretty well. 

I took two bites of the cake and it was delicious.  We brought a few slices home and Kevin said it was really good even the next day.  I’ll be making this again!   I have a whole year to find the best salted caramel apple pie that Bob has already ordered for his next birthday. ;) 

Peppermint French Macarons—12 Weeks of Christmas Cookies

My Thanksgiving baking is in full swing ahead, but I wanted to share these Peppermint Macarons with you today for the ninth week of 12 Weeks of Christmas Cookies.  I’ve been wanting to make macarons again since I made Cocoa Macarons with Dark Chocolate Ganache back in July.  In trying to decide what flavor to make, I ran across these and decided peppermint was the way to go!

French Macarons seem intimidating, but they really are quite simple to make if you follow the instructions.  I may not have them down perfectly yet, but these turned out well and I was pleased.  I made half of them with a peppermint white chocolate ganache and half of them with a chocolate ganache with some almond extract added.  I actually liked the chocolate ones better.  Following the recipe for the white chocolate ganache on the link, it had too much cream with the chocolate, so it didn’t get quite as thick as I would have liked.  It also didn’t have enough peppermint.  I wish I would have added more and will next time—and use less cream as well!

The cookie itself is just the usual macaron made with almond flour.  I think it would also have been good with some peppermint extract.  But the ones I made with the chocolate ganache with some almond extract added were really good.  It was my friend’s birthday Wednesday, so I packed up most of the chocolate ones and gave them to her.

These would be perfect to give as Christmas gifts.  Who wouldn’t love a gift box full of macarons?  I like that you can make these pretty much any and all colors and flavors you’d like, so you could really kick up the festive holiday look with these.

 

I didn’t give my friend any of the ones with the white chocolate peppermint because it just wouldn’t quite stay firm enough and was squishing out of the cookies too much.  They will get eaten here!

Peppermint Macarons, adapted by Katrina, Baking and Boys! from Foodness Gracious

1 cup (110 grams) powdered sugar

3/4 cup almond flour

2 large egg whites, room temperature

pinch of cream of tartar

1/4 cup (50 grams) superfine sugar (granulated would be fine)

red food coloring (optional)

Sift the powdered sugar and the almond flour using a fine mesh strainer.  Set aside.

Whisk the egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the wire attachment until they become foamy.  Add the cream of tartar and beat a little more.  Add the superfine sugar gradually while beating on high until stiff peaks form.  Add the red food coloring if doing so. 

Remove the bowl from the mixer and fold the almond flour/powdered sugar into the egg whites with a spatula, mixing just until all incorporated.  Put the mixture into a piping bag fitted with a large round tip and pipe about a quarter size cookies onto a parchment lined baking sheet.  Once they are all piped, if any of a point on the top, tap it down gently with a damp finger.   Leave them sitting at room temperature for about 45 minutes, until you see them become dull on top. 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  When the oven is ready, put the baking sheets (this made enough to fill about 1 and a half sheets) in an turn the oven down to 325 degrees.  Leave the door open slightly with a wooden spoon holding it open.  Bake for 10 minutes, turning the sheets after five minutes.  Leave to cool for a couple of minutes when they come out of the oven and then gently lift the whole paper sheet from the tray to the counter. 

White Chocolate Peppermint Ganache

5 ounces white chocolate, chopped or you can use chips

1/4 cup heavy cream (my adjusted amount)

3/4 tablespoon butter

1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract (or to taste)

Heat the cream in a small saucepan until just boiling.  Pour it over the chocolate in another bowl.  Let sit for a couple minutes.  Stir gently with a spatula until smooth.  Add the butter and stir again until smooth and shiny.  Add the extract and stir together.  Let cool and thicken.  Put the ganache in a piping bag (or a plastic zip top bag with a corner snipped off) and pipe a mound of ganache onto one cookie.  Top it with another cookie and continue to finish the remaining ones. 

Dark Chocolate Almond Ganache

4 ounces dark chocolate, chopped or you can use chips

3 tablespoons heavy cream

3/4 tablespoon butter

1/4 teaspoon almond extract (or to taste)

Heat the cream to just boiling, pour over the chocolate and let sit for a minute or two.  Gently stir together with a spatula until smooth.  Add the butter and flavoring and stir until smooth and shiny.  Put the ganache in a pipng bag (or a plastic zip top tab with a corner snipped off) and pipe a mound of ganache onto one cookie.  Top it with another cookie.  Continue to fill other cookies. 

You will probably have some leftover ganache.  I waited until it hardened a little more, then rolled it into balls and tossed it in some crushed peppermint candy for some quick, tasty truffles!  These would also be great for your holiday gifts!  You can roll the balls of ganache in any thing you want—finely chopped nuts, cocoa powder, powdered sugar, colorful sprinkles, etc. 

This post is also being added to Lisa’s Sweets For A Saturday at Sweet As Sugar Cookies.

Check out the other 12 Weeks of Christmas Cookies blog hoppers!

Banana Chocolate Marble Bundt Cake

Please pass another slice of this bundt cake!  Finally writing this post after making this cake a couple weeks ago and seeing these photos makes me really want to make the cake again.  What?  You say my birthday next week just happens to be on National Bundt Cake Day, November 15.  Well, then making another bundt must be in order!  Check out the link for Mary, at The Food Librarian and her 30 days of bundt cakes leading up to her favorite “holiday”, National Bundt Cake Day.  This is her 3rd year in a row (and she says her last)—it’s amazing the amount of bundts you can turn to for ideas there.  Yet despite that, I made one up!  This is a task I have not always been able to do, so it’s kind of fun to actually create my own recipe, especially when it turns out well!

Why the half chocolate and half vanilla glaze over the cake?  I did that just for my one son who doesn’t care for chocolate.  No, he didn’t eat half the cake.  ;)  Besides, I think it looks pretty cool!  I’ll be making it that way again.  And that chocolate glaze—best chocolate ganache glaze icing frosting I’ve ever had.  It wasn’t quite what would be ganache (just chocolate and cream), but I’ll be making it this way for many things from now on.

I found this chocolate glaze recipe on the Food & Wine website.  I only made half a recipe, since I would only be glazing have the bundt cake with it—and it’s a good thing I did that because I would have eaten way too much of the leftovers with a shovel spoon.  Here’s the half recipe as I made it.

Dark Chocolate Glaze, adapted from Food & Wine

1 ounce dark, bittersweet chocolate, chopped

1  1/4 ounce unsweetened chocolate, chopped

6 tablespoons heavy cream

7 tablespoons granulated sugar

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

pinch of salt

Place the chopped chocolates in a medium bowl.  In a small saucepan, combine the heavy cream with the sugar and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until the sugar dissolves.  Pour the warm cream over the chocolate and let stand until melted, about 2-3 minutes; whisk until smooth. Whisk in the butter, vanilla and a pinch of salt. Let the dark chocolate glaze cool until slightly thickened, about 15 minutes.  (Double this recipe to glaze a whole bundt cake.)

Which would you prefer—the chocolate side or vanilla?  I have to admit, I don’t believe I even tasted the half with the vanilla glaze.  The boys helped me gobble this whole cake up, which is always nice.

Banana Chocolate Marble Bundt Cake, by Katrina, Baking and Boys!

1  1/2 cups all purpose flour (180 grams)

1  1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour (180 grams) (You could use all 3 cups all purpose flour)

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks) Bestlife buttery baking sticks (or any butter substitute or regular butter would be fine)

1  1/2 cups granulated sugar (300 grams)

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 large eggs

2 cups pureed banana (about 5 small or 495 grams)

1 cup plain fat free Greek yogurt (227 grams)

4 ounces dark chocolate, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Be ready to spray a preferably non-stick bundt pan with cooking spray (but don’t spray it until just before putting the cake batter in the pan).  Set aside until that time.

Begin by melting the 4 ounces of chocolate in a microwave safe glass bowl in 20 second intervals until smooth.  Set aside to cool while making the batter.

Combine the flours, baking soda and salt in a medium sized bowl.  Whisk to combine.  Set aside.  In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter for a minute or two.  Add the sugar and continue to beat for another 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy.  Beat in the eggs one at a  time and then the vanilla.  Mix in the pureed banana and beat until combined.   Scrape the sides of the bowl.  Add 1/3 of the dry ingredients and mix until combined, then add half of the yogurt and beat until combined.  Continue alternating with another 1/3 of the dry ingredients, the rest of the yogurt, and ending with the dry ingredients, just until combined.

Take half the batter (about 600 grams or 3 cups) and put it in a separate medium sized bowl.  Fold in the melted chocolate.   Spray the bundt pan well with the cooking spray.  Add the two batters by heaping spoonfuls alternately around the pan in layers until both batters are used.  Swirl all the way to the bottom of the pan carefully with a knife to marble the cake.  Don’t swirl too much!  Bake the cake for 50-60 minutes or until a sharp knife inserted into the center of the cake comes out mostly clean with just a few crumbs on it.  Set the cake on a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes.  Then turn the cake out of the pan onto the rack to cool completely.

You could serve it as is, or with just a dusting of powdered sugar—but both the dark chocolate and vanilla glaze and fantastic!

 Vanilla Powdered Sugar Glaze, by Katrina, Baking and Boys!

3/4 cup powdered sugar (82.5 grams)

8 teaspoons heavy cream

pinch of salt

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon unsalted butter, melted

Combine the powdered sugar, salt and vanilla and begin adding the cream a couple teaspoons at a time, whisking to combine.  When you get a consistency you like, whisk in the melted butter.  Drizzle the glaze over half the bundt cake.  (Double the recipe if you want to glaze the whole cake.)

Seriously—a great bundt cake!

French Cocoa Macarons with Dark Chocolate Ganache (Macarons are Gluten Free!)

I did it!  I made macarons!  After tasting some for the first time a couple years ago and falling in love, I’d had them on my list of things to learn to make.  Not sure why it took me so long and I can’t wait to make them again.  Even Kevin liked them!  I used a recipe from Joanne Chang found online at the Fine Cooking website.  She does a great, short video how-to for the cookies.  There are many variations available, but I chose to do Cocoa Macarons with a dark chocolate ganache inside. (Surprise.) 

I followed Joanne’s recipe and techniques pretty exactly.  Especially her plea to measure the ingredients with a scale.  She made her cookies with just the traditional almond flour base, but also gave measurements for adding a little cocoa to the batter. 

I think my cookies are a little small, but they are not small on flavor at all, making it easy to pop more than one in your mouth at any given cookie-eating sitting!  The simple batter is just made with whipped egg whites, a little sugar, almond flour and in this case some cocoa.  The batter then goes into a piping bag and little round mounds are piped onto a cookie sheet. 

  

I sure mine are small because the largest piping tip I have isn’t the suggested 1/2 to 3/4-inch tip, it’s more like 1/4 inch.  I need to go piping tip shopping! ;)

I don’t know if my macarons have a little too much “feet” (the bottom of the cookie that sticks out a little), but I don’t really care because they turned out so yummy and petite and perfectly chocolaty.

I’ll keep playing around and trying some different recipes an techniques and decide what works best. 

The ganache is perfectly dark chocolaty and so simple to make.  Joanne’s recipe is just dark chocolate and cream.  I added a little vanilla extract and almond extract and loved it!

Look at this little army of macarons!  The recipe made 32 of the smaller ones for me.

My friend Bonnie was visitng with her sister and they ate a few of these cookies and liked them, too.  Macarons are almost better after chilling in the refrigerator overnight, at least we thought so.  Some recipes will tell you they are best the day they are made (Joanne’s does), but after chilling with that ganache in between (then brought to room temperature), we loved the chew it gave them.  They were just a little on the crispy side fresh.  Either way though, they are light and crispy an airy and chocolaty goodness.  

Sealing the deal here, you know you want to try these!  Can’t wait to try them with other flavors and fillings!

Here’s a few websites with lots of great instruction—but don’t let all that info scare you.  Read a few things and then have at it—it’s pretty simple!

How to Make Macarons by Eat Live Travel Write.

Helene’s blog, Tartelette is swimming in macaron goodness and expertise.

Food Nouveau has a great post about macaron making.

The list goes on and on—just Google “how to make macarons”—endless information and countless varieties!

Hot Cocoa Marshmallow Rice Krispies Treats

I recently decided to play around with one of my favorite quick treats—the Rice Krispies.  I had seen some Rice Krispies Treats with hot cocoa on Cookies and Cups and decided to play around with that.  I didn’t have Cocoa Krispies, which is what she used, so I kind of just made up my own and came up with these Hot Cocoa Marshmallow Rice Krispies Treats.  I love how easy these no bake treats are. 

Hot Cocoa Marshmallow Rice Krispies Treats, by Katrina, Baking and Boys! adapted from Cookies and Cups

6 cups Rice Krispies cereal

5 tablespoons butter

1 (10.5 ounce) bag of mini marshmallows

3 cups French Vanilla Snowman Marshmallows (or just more minis)

8 tablespoons hot cocoa mix (I used milk chocolate flavored)

Ganache--

1 cup (6 ounces) milk chocolate chips

1/4 cup heavy cream

Line a 9x9 inch square pan (or for thinner treats a 9x13 pan) with tin foil.  Spray with cooking spray. 

In a large saucepan, start melting the butter.  Add the 10.5 ounce bag of mini marshmallows and the hot cocoa mix.  Cook over low heat and stir with wooden spoon until melted.  Remove from heat and add the six cups of cereal.  Press into the pan evenly.

Put the one cup of milk chocolate chips into a medium sized microwave safe bowl.  Heat the cream in a smaller glass bowl in the microwave until bubbling.  Pour the cream over the chocolate.  Let sit for about one minute.  Starting in the center of the bowl, start slowly whisking until the chocolate and cream melt together and is smooth and shiny. 

Pour the ganache over the Rice Krispies Treats.  While the ganache is still wet, line the entire surface of the treats with the snowman shaped marshmallows.  Let sit for about an hour.  Remove from pan using the foil edges.  Peel off the foil and cut into desire sized bars on a cutting board.  Keep stored in an airtight container. 

 

You could easily use the regular mini marshmallows for the top, but I found these French Vanilla Snowman marshmallows and thought they would be fun.  The ganache is the star of the show for these.  Kevin said the treats are a bit thick and he would have liked them thinner, which is why I also suggested a 9x13 inch pan.  Actually, my husband and sons are rather boring in the Rice Krispies Treats department.  They said they would really rather just have the plain ol’ Rice Krispies Treats.  Sigh.  They will still get eaten, I’m sure.

These treats will be linked up over at Lisa’s Sweets for a Saturday #5.  Check out the hundreds of other links to other goodies she’s got over on her blog!  Thanks, Lisa!