Just wanted to remind you about the giveaway I’m having courtesy of a blender from CSN Stores.  I’ve started another blog for giveaways and reviews and you must go there and leave a comment to be entered into the random drawing.  The contest ends Wednesday April 7 at midnight and is open to US and Canada residents.  Click on “the giveaway” link and check out the and the kitchen of our new house (Moving in June to Utah!).

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Sometimes (almost daily) Taylor and Sam LOVE just eating peanut butter on a spoon.  I didn’t get very good pictures of them, but no joke, Taylor had about 1/4 cup of peanut butter on his spoon and he was just shoveling it in.  Sam does the same thing, but his scoops aren’t quite as big.  Should we thank Grandma Scott for this love of peanut butter?  Okay, let’s.  When they want it, I let them.  I buy the Skippy Natural that has no hydrogenated oils or high fructose corn syrup, so I don’t feel bad.  It’s a good protein and filling snack and these two in particular need all they can get.  Two nights in a row they haven’t eaten really any of their dinner, which means that mean ol’ mom didn’t let them have a  bedtime snack-nothing .  They are starting to get the big picture here and I’m hoping it will be worth it to them to get a snack before bed if they eat their dinner.  It has not been pleasant when they sit and watch Scott and Parker enjoy their bedtime snack.  Long live peanut butter!  (And for the record, I have taught them not to double dip into the jar, which means sometimes there are 4-5 spoons with remnants of peanut butter on them in the sink.  Nutella is a popular one here, too.)  Okay, okay, TWD, coming up!

This week’s recipe for Mocha-Walnut Marbled Bundt Cake was chosen by Erin of When In Doubt...Leave It At 350.  I halved the recipe and made Non-mocha Walnut Marbled Mini Bundt Cakes.

The half recipe made 12 mini bundts and four little cupcakes.

I did some minor changes to the recipe.  Instead of finely ground walnuts, I just chopped them and I didn’t halve the amount in the full recipe.  I used 1/2 cup of walnuts for the half recipe.  I’m nutty that way.  I omitted the coffee and espresso powder.  Instead of the coffee, I just used hot water.  I used 2% milk instead of whole milk, since that’s what I had.  And finally, I used white whole wheat flour instead of all purpose flour.  So I said minor changes, but typing that all out, it sounds like a lot.  I suppose I have no idea what Dorie’s cake tastes like.  But it makes me feel better to eat some of these goodies when I make a few healthier changes.  These definitely needed the dark chocolate ganache I doused them with.  I made the ganache with 4 ounces of Ghirardelli 60% cacao chips and 3 ounces cream.  I heated the cream to boiling, then poured it over the bowl of chocolate and let it sit for a few minutes, then I slowly whisked it together until it was smooth and shiny.  I let it sit for a bit so the ganache thickened.  GOOD stuff that ganache.

I really thought I didn’t really think these were that good the day I made them, but by the next day, I’d have to say they are good.  The cakes have a nice contrasting flavor with the two flavors and the walnuts.  The four little cupcakes were especially good, more moist I suppose. 

You know when you’ve made some ganache and there’s a bit leftover?  That happened here, so I let it sit covered on the counter overnight.  It was perfectly scoopable the next day.  Have you ever had those truffles that are rolled just in cocoa and felt like it was maybe a little TOO cocoa-ish, not sweet enough from the unsweetened cocoa they were rolled in?  Yeah, that’s how I feel about those kinds of truffles.  So I just happened to have some Oreo cookie crumbs and rolled three little truffles in that, just to see how it was and to use up the rest of that ganache.  Know what?  GOOD perfectly sweet truffles!

I just remembered that two of them are still sitting in the fridge.  Hmm, catch ya later…….

(Thanks for the fun cake pick this week, Erin.  You can get the recipe on her blog.)  I personally think you should just buy Dorie’s book!)