Monday, October 28, 2013

National Chocolate Cake Day!


Hershey's Perfectly Chocolate Cake


Good morning! Today is National Chocolate Cake Day! Did you know that? There is also a National Chocolate Cupcake Day, National Dark Chocolate Day and many more days devoted to chocolate, in fact I read recently that there is at least on day a month devoted to the celebration of chocolate. 

Moist Chocolate Cake with Buttercream Frosting

I LOVE chocolate cake! I have tried many cake recipes, but the two that I always come back to are the Moist Chocolate Cake from Foodness and Hershey's Perfectly Chocolate Cake. In fact the Hershey's cake is one that my family has been making since my mother was a child and that is over 60 years. 


Moist Chocolate Cake with Buttercream Frosting

Do you have a "go to" family recipe for chocolate cake and scrumptious frosting? Or are you open to trying new recipes each time you make a cake?

Hershey's Perfectly Chocolate Cake

I would love to see or hear about your chocolate cake recipes, please share your links or recipes with us in the comment section. 

Have a fabulous National Chocolate Cake Day!

Friday, October 25, 2013

Salted Carmel Hot Chocolate




In my world hot chocolate is an everyday occurrence, it is my coffee or tea but for many they only like to drink it during the cool crisp days of  Fall and the downright cold days of Winter.

Normally I am a purist, the most I will add to my hot chocolate is a dollop of whipping cream. However I was persuaded to try something new this year and it is delicious. 

Salted caramel hot chocolate is just that, rich dark chocolate, infused with the creamy buttery taste of caramel, and sprinkled with salt. The perfect drink for Fall and Winter!

Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate 
Serves 2-4

1 1/4 cups of milk

1/4 cup of heavy cream

2 Tbsp. water
2  Tbsp. granulated sugar
4 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped 

2-3 tablespoons of dulce de leche or caramel sauce
whipping cream for garnish
sprinkle  of sea salt

In a medium saucepan, combine the milk, heavy cream, water, and sugar. Place over medium heat and whisk occasionally until the sugar is dissolved. Increase the heat to medium-high and heat the mixture until bubbles form around the edge of the pan.  Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the chocolate. Then add the dulce de leche, add it to your taste preference.  Blend mixture with an immersion blended. You can do this  in the saucepan but  make sure that you are careful or you will have hot chocolate all over the kitchen! If you do not feel like blending it than just whisk vigorously. Pour into cups, garnish with whipped cream and salt. Enjoy!

If you have a hot chocolate recipe please share!

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Peanut Butter Pretzel Bars

I love bars, and in fact I am pretty sure that I make note of that each and every time that I post a recipe for them here. Seriously, what it not to love, they are easy, no bake, and you can add or subtract pretty much anything and they always taste delicious!




This bar is your standard Scotcheroo but with a twist, a little salt and a lot more peanut butter in the form or peanut butter cups, or in my case peanut butter pumpkins.





Peanut Butter Pretzel Bars

Bars

1 cup of sugar
1 cup of corn syrup
1 cup of peanut butter
6 cups of krispie rice cereal

Topping:

2 cups of chocolate chips
1 cup of broken pretzels
6-8 snack size peanut butter cups

Prepare an 8 x 8 inch pan with cooking spray. In a medium sauces pan over medium heat combine sugar and syrup and heat until sugar is dissolved. Then remove from heat and stir in peanut butter, once incorporated add the cereal and mix well. Pour into prepared pan and press down evenly. Set aside.

In medium saucepan, over low heat melt the chocolate chips. Once melted, remove from eat and add the pretzels and mix well, then add the peanut butter cups. Pour chocolate mixture over the cereal mixture and smooth out. Cool, cut and enjoy!




These may be my new favorite cereal treat! The blend of the sweet and the salty flavors is a crunchy surprise and it is delicious!




The great things about the topping is that you can add whatever you have, pretzels, graham crackers,  or even more cereal. As for the peanut butter cups, you could add whatever bars you have, Snickers, Twix, Kit Kat all for a little added flavor and crunch!


I know that many people are a fan of cereal treats and Scotcheroo's but tell me what is your favorite thing to add to them? 

I hope you enjoy and have a great day!

Friday, October 11, 2013

Fudge Brownie Tart from Southern Living Magazine



I love gooey, chocolate, fudgy desserts, even more if they are dripping in rich hot fudge.

This dessert is something that I have made for years, it came in the mail on a flyer from Southern Living Magazine. Sadly I cannot find the name, so I made up my own, if you know the correct name please share it with me. 



This dessert is easy and one that I think would be perfect for the upcoming holidays as an alternative to the traditional spice of the season. Don't get me wrong during the holidays I try to eat my share of pumpkin pie but I know there are others who do not feel the same love I do for pumpkins.



Fudge Brown Tart

Ingredients:
11/4 cups of chocolate wafer crumbs
1/3 cup of butter, melted
1/2 cup of butter, softened
3/4 cup of brown sugar packed
3 large eggs
2 cups of chocolate chips, melted
1/2 cup of all purpose flour
2 teaspoons of instant coffee granules
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Garnishes: ice cream, hot fudge

Combine the crumbs and the melted butter and press into a 9 inch pie pan. Bake at 350 for 6 to 8 minutes.

Beat the softened butter at medium speed until fluffy, then add brown sugar and beat well. Add eggs, one at a time and mix well. Stir in melted chocolate, flour, coffee and vanilla. Pour filling into prepared crust.

Bake at 375 for 25 minutes, cool completely on wire rack. Garnish with ice cream and fudge if you feel like it. Otherwise enjoy it plain.

NOTES: The original recipes calls for 1 cup of chopped pecans in the batter. I did not use them. Also, DO NOT OVER BAKE! This pie is supposed to be gooey inside.





I hope you try this scrumptious chocolate tart, if you do come back and let me know what you think!

Linking to:
Stone Gable

Friday, October 4, 2013

Inside Out German Chocolate Cake

Post may contain affiliate links.



German chocolate is a favorite in my family, and each person has their own way of making it. Some put the coconut and pecan icing on the entire cake, others on the top and between the layers, still others only on the layers and then frost the rest with rich, chocolate frosting on the outside. Personally I like it with a combination of chocolate frosting and the coconut and pecan, that way you get the best of two cakes. 





Recently I cane across a recipe for "Inside Out" German Chocolate cake on Epicurious and thought I would do a little comparison between their recipe and my tried and true one.  This cake requires a little more work than the standard cake but trust me it is worth it in the end. 






Inside Out German Chocolate Cake
Adapted from Epicurious

Moist Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
1¾ cups all purpose flour
2 cups granulated white sugar
¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1½ tsp baking soda
¾ teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk (or substitute by putting 1 tbsp white vinegar in a cup then filling the rest up with milk; let stand 5 minutes until thickened)
½ cup butter, melted
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee (or 2 tsp instant coffee in 1 cup boiling water

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two 9 inch pans, line bottom with parchment paper circles and set aside. I USED  THREE 6 INCH PANS. THIS WILL MAKE TWO SMALL 3 LAYER CAKES. 
In a bowl of stand mixer, stir together flour, cocoa, sugar, baking soda, and salt. Add eggs, buttermilk, melted butter, and vanilla beaut until smooth, about 2 to three minutes. 
Remove bowl from mixer and stir in hot coffee with rubber spatula, the batter will be very runny.
Pour into pans and bake on middle rack for 35 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean with a few crumbs attaches. 
Allow to cool on wire rack for 15 minutes, run butter knife around the pan. Invert pans onto rack. Cool completely before frosting. 


Filling:
Recipe from Epicurious

7 oz. sweetened flake coconut, toasted
1 cup toasted and coarsely chopped pecans
14 oz. can of sweetened condensed milk
1 Tablespoon Vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Pour condensed milk into a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate and cover tightly with foil. Bake milk in a water bath in middle of oven 45 minutes. Refill baking pan with water to reach halfway up pie plate and bake milk until thick and brown, about 45 minutes more. Remove pie plate from water bath.
Stir in coconut, pecans, and vanilla and keep warm.

Frosting:
Recipe from: HERSHEY'S Cocoa

Ingredients:


1 stick butter melted
2/3 cup of cocoa
1/3 cup of milk
3 cups of powdered sugar
1 tsp of vanilla

Melt butter in large bowl, whisk of use electric hand held mixer to bled in cocoa. Add one cup of powdered sugar, and a little milk, alternating between the two until both are used up and the frosting is creamy. Add vanilla and blend. 

Assemble:

Once cakes are cooled, cut each cake in half so that you end up with four layers. Place one layer onto a cake plate and spread a third of the coconut/nut filling on the layer, then add the second cake and add more filling and another layer of cake and more filling, finally add the last layer of cake. Spread cake with a thin layer of chocolate frosting to control the crumbs, let cool in refrigerator for 20 minutes. Frost entire cake with remaining frosting. Then enjoy!




This cake is moist, chocolaty and nutty. Compared to the standard German Chocolate Cake frosting the "inside out" has more depth to the flavor, it is richer, nuttier, and taste more like a carmel sauce mixed with the coconuts and pecans. 

I could have eaten a bowl of the coconut filling alone and in fact I think that I did. I have to tell you that I think this is now my "go to" frosting and cake for guests. It really is delicious and a special treat for the guests. 

Have a great day!

Linking to:
Savvy Southern Stlye
Rattlebridge Farm