flourless chocolate cake

 

THE BEST.  This cake is no joke.  It's perfect.

flourless chocolate cake (New York Times Cooking, 2004 Calendar)

3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1/2 cup granulated sugar

4 large eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

whipped cream or ice cream for serving, optional

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Generously butter the bottom and sides of an 8-inch springform pan, or press a large sheet of foil into the bottom and up the sides of an 8-inch round cake pan, smoothing the sides, and generously butter the foil.

Bring a few inches of water in a large saucepan to a simmer over medium heat.  Set a large heatproof bowl over the sauce pan and add the chocolate.  When the chips look soft and melty, stir gently until smooth.  Turn off the heat and add the butter to the bowl.  Stir gently until melted and smooth.  Add the cocoa powder and stir until smooth then take the bowl off the saucepan.

Stir in the granulated sugar until incorporated, then add the eggs, one at a time, and beat well after each addition.  Stir in the vanilla then scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.

Bake until crackly and dry on top, and a toothpick inserted 2 inches from the edge comes out clean, 40 to 50 minutes.  

Cool in the pan on a rack, then remove the sides of the springform pan or lift the cake out of the cake pan using the foil overhang.  You can slice and serve warm or at room temperature.  

The cake can be wrapped and kept at room temperature for 3 days, in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 1 month.

crazy birthday cake

 

THIS is the cake my daughter wanted for her birthday.  THIS is the cake that I made.  It looks fairly similar to the photo of a cake she sent to me.

I did the best that I could (thank you cakes class at Ricks College!) using my vegan chocolate cake recipe then store bought icing that thank goodness is vegan.

Yay for birthdays and for adventuresome cakes.

Here are the steps I took:

soft peanut butter cake (vegan)

 

I recently made this cake for a peanut butter lover (whose sister is vegan) and it was a hit!  The cake is actually so soft you would never guess this is a vegan recipe.  Someone in the family drizzled a little chocolate over the top of his which was a great idea.

soft peanut butter cake (short girl tall order)

2/3 cup plant based milk (I used almond milk)

1 tablespoon lemon juice

3/4 cup sugar

1/3 cup creamy unsalted peanut butter

1/2 cup olive oil or any neutral oil

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups pastry flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

frosting

1/2 cup vegan butter

1/4 cup creamy unsalted peanut butter

2 tablespoons coconut cream (I omitted because we didn't have it)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups powdered sugar

roasted peanuts, as a topping, optional

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line an 8x8 pan lightly.  Set aside for later.

Add the plant based milk and lemon juice to a large mixing bowl and whisk together.  Let sit for 2-3 minutes to curdle.

Next, add the sugar, creamy peanut butter, oil and vanilla to the bowl and whisk together.  Then, add in the dry ingredients starting with the pastry flour and then adding the baking powder, salt and baking soda.

Mix into a thick batter.  

Pour the batter into the pan and put into the oven.  Bake for 30-32 minutes or until cooked through.

Once baked, remove the cake from the oven and let cool in the pan for 10 minutes.  Then carefully remove to a wire rack or pedestal plate to cool.  Let cool completely before frosting.

Make the frosting by adding the butter to a bowl and using an electric mixer to whip for a minute or two until fluffy.  Add the creamy peanut butter, coconut cream and vanilla to the mixing bowl.  Whip with the butter or another minute or two until smooth.

Gradually whip in the powdered sugar until incorporated.  Once all the powdered sugar has been mixed in, whip it a little longer to make it extra fluffy.

Spread onto the cake and top with roasted peanuts.

best cranberry orange chocolate muffins

 

These muffins got great reviews from my family.  They started out as "best cranberry orange muffins" until I added chocolate chips and piped some chocolate icing on top.  I knew I couldn't go wrong there...and I was right.

best cranberry orange chocolate muffins (adapted from little sweet baker)

2 1/2 cups flour

4 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 cup milk

zest of one orange, about 1 tablespoon

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice

1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries (I used frozen)

3/4 cup mini chocolate chips

1 cup chocolate icing for piping on top of the muffins, optional

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Line muffin tins with paper liners (I needed 16).

In a large bowl, toss together the flour, baking powder and salt.  Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the vegetable oil, sugar, eggs, milk, orange juice, vanilla and orange zest.  Slowly add to the dry ingredients.  Mix until just combined, then fold in the cranberries.  Divide the batter into the muffin cups.

Bake at 425 degrees for 5 minutes then reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees and bake for another 13-15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

lemon buttercream frosting

 

I wanted to make a cake for my dad's birthday so I went looking for a lemon frosting.  This lemon buttercream frosting went beyond my expectations.  I stuck to the recipe and the consistency was perfect.  It also made just the right amount for this small-ish 3-layer cake.  Delicious!

lemon buttercream icing (sally's baking addiction)

1 cup butter, softened to room temperature

4 1 /2 cups confectioners' sugar

2 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons milk (okay, the recipe called for heavy cream but I didn't have it)

2 teaspoons lemon zest

pinch of salt, to taste

With a handheld mixer, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy- about 2 minutes.  Add confectioners' sugar, lemon juice, milk, and zest with the mixer funning on low.  Increase to high speed and beat for 3 full minutes.  Taste and add salt as needed.  Add up to 1/2 cup more confectioners' sugar if frosting is too thin or another tablespoon of milk if it is too thick (I did not need to make any adjustments).

nutcracker nordic ware

 

A dear friend of mine gave me my first Nordic Ware cake mold for my birthday.  My daughter's birthday was coming up (last month) and her two favorite things are Christmas and ballet so we smashed the two togther and she made each of her friends a chocolate nutcracker and surrounded each with candies and put them in really fun boxes we ordered form Amazon.com.  The mold has 4 different nutcrackers and they are so handsome! The molds come with instructions on how to make eggnog cake but we decided to go with chocolate in case eggnog is an aquired taste among teens (you never know).

I highly recommend these molds!  So fun and festive.

morning glory muffins (vegan)

My husband made these and they are one of the best recipes that he makes.  They are so soft and full of goodness.  AND they happen to be vegan!  It's so nice when a recipe we already like is vegan.  I wish it happened more often.  You'll love these muffins.

morning glory muffins (my husband found the recipe at Baker by Nature)
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
1 apple, shredded
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups grated carrot
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup flaked coconut (my husband threw in a handful of dates instead)
1/2 cup walnuts, optional

Line a muffin tin with paper liners and set aside. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
In a large bowl add the flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger and salt; whisk well to combine.  Add the applesauce, oil, apple and vanilla; whisk just until combined.  Fold in the carrot, raisins, coconut and walnuts; stir until ingredients are combined.  Divide batter evenly among prepared muffin cups.
Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes then reduce the heat to 350 degrees and bake for an additional 10 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool muffins in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack.  Serve at room temperature.

the best vegan chocolate cake

Stop what you're doing and make this cake.  It's no exaggeration to say this is the best vegan chocolate cake.  Or just that this is the best chocolate cake.  After all, none of us had ever had vegan chocolate cake. We had an occasion to celebrate today so I was glad to find such a great recipe.  I even made an extra trip to the store for the baking powder that I had run out of.  I was a little cross that I had to make an extra trip but this cake was WORTH IT!

the best vegan cake (nora cooks)
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
2 cups all purpose flour
1 3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup canola oil or melted coconut oil (I used melted coconut oil)
2/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water

chocolate buttercream frosting:
1 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups earth balance vegan butter, softened baking sticks preferred
4-5 cups powdered sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 to 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk

For the chocolate cake:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease two 9-inch cake pans.  Line with parchment paper for easy removal.
Measure 1 cup unsweetened almond milk and add the tablespoon of vinegar to it.  Stir slightly and set aside to curdle.
In a large bowl, add the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Whisk well to combine.
Add the oil, applesauce, vanilla and almond milk/vinegar mixture.  Mix on medium speed with a hand mixer until well combined.
Lower the speed and carefully pour in the boiling water, continuing to mix into the cake batter until well combined.  The batter will seem very runny at this point; that is how it should be.
Divide the batter evenly between your cake pans.  Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  After 10 minutes of cooling in the pan, carefully remove the cakes from the pans and let cool completely before frosting.

For the buttercream frosting:
Add the cocoa powder to a large bowl.  Add the softened vegan butter and mix with a hand mixer until creamed and well combined.  Add half the powdered sugar and half of the almond milk and mix until combined.  Add the rest of the powdered sugar and vanilla extract.  Mix starting on low and turn to high.  Mix until fluffy and well combined.
If the frosting seems too dry, add more milk, a tablespoon or two at a time.  If the frosting seems too wet and doesn't hold it's shape, add more powdered sugar until it thickens up.
Frost the cake using an icing spatula or a butter knife.

honey orange beehive cake

There's nothing like an impromptu party on a Sunday afternoon!  On Sunday my youngest daughter earned her honor bee.  I didn't even know what an honor bee was until about a year ago when the older girls on a temple trip were talking about their aspirations to earn theirs.  I gave no encouragement to my daughter as she entered the YW program a year early than expected due to the new changes.  But she decided to do it and she did.
I remembered the cake form I'd had in my pantry for a long time (years?) and hadn't used.  This seemed like the perfect opportunity.  The cake form is Nordic Ware.  I didn't follow the recipe given since I had to pretty much make do with what I had.
Note:  I was grateful for the bee decorations I had purchased on a trip to take my oldest to EFY a few years ago. 

honey orange beehive cake
cake:
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
Mix two boxes of yellow cake mix as directed and add 2 teaspoons orange extract.
Prepare the Nordic Ware pan by coating with shortening and spraying with nonstick cooking spray.  Pour 3 cups of cake batter into each side of the cake form.
Bake 50-60 minutes.  Cool 15 minutes in the pan.  Use a long knife to level off the cake by trimming off rounded dome.  Invert onto cooling rack and cool completely.

honey icing: (this recipe came with the Nordic Ware)
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 tablespoon honey (I used 2)
1-3 tablespoons milk
Mix the ingredients together with an electric mixer in a medium sized bowl until smooth.
I used this honey icing to "glue" the two sides of the beehive together.  I had plenty leftover so I used the rest to drizzle over the top of the cake instead of the buttercream frosting recipe that came with the pan (I was simplifying!).

bees:
Since I didn't have all the correct ingredients I improvised and used melted chocolate to pipe the bodies of the bees then used royal icing for the wings and stripes.  Just improvise!

Use the honey icing to "glue" the two sides of the beehive together.  Drizzle the rest over the top and add the bees.  Enjoy!  My family loved it!

baby chick cupcake

The doorbell rang and everyone jumped.  To our surprise it was our home teacher and his family delivering a plate full of baby chick cupcakes to us.  Isn't this little guy adorable?  We're looking forward to dessert!
Just this morning we were delivered a huge pan of delicious cinnamon rolls.   

baby chick cupcakes (Sis. Barrow and family)
She mentioned using a box cake mix.
You can figure out the rest- yellow sugar crystals, chocolate chips and a little yellow and orange icing for the wings and beak.

hoppy easter cake

My twelve-year old "beehive" in Young Women's went to mutual last night and made this adorable bunny cake and brought it home.  Previously, she had asked if we could have carrot cake on Easter while our bunny Berkeley munches on carrots but now we certainly don't need another cake- this one takes the cake! :)
Happy Easter weekend!

hoppy easter cake
You'll need two round cakes, baked.  One cake is the face.  The other is the ears and bow tie.
icing
coconut
misc. candy
 

baseball cupcakes

It's baseball season.  This is our family's first experience having a player on a team and we are going to embrace it.  We'll start by taking these to practice this evening.  Thank you to my girls for helping with them!  Blue raspberry cupcakes with vanilla icing and stripes.  Yuck to the artificual blue raspberry.  I mean yum (if you're 7)! :)

baseball cupcakes
This is a see-and-do recipe.  I saw them in a magazine years ago and looked forward to the day it would come in handy. 

chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter icing

My daughter and I made some desserts for a wedding reception tonight to add to a long list of homemade desserts that others have made.  I made chocolate mint fudge and sugar cookie bars.  My daughter made these smooth-as-silk chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter icing.  It's the icing that's special, and the recipe is all hers! 
Erin- if you're reading this, think of this as a buckeye cupcake. :)

chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter icing (my daughter)
46 of your favorite chocolate cupcakes, baked and cooled

icing:
3 sticks butter
2 cups smooth peanut butter
4 cups powdered sugar

Melt butter.  Add the peanut butter and blend until thoroughly combined and creamy.  Gradually add the powdered sugar. 
Load a decorator's bag full of icing and go to town!  Add some chocolate sprinkles if you wish.

greek honey cake

Get your taste buds ready for some good cake.  My daughter and I found this recipe for Greek Fest which is taking place today!  We made two batches of this cake this morning (6:15am) so it's fresh and warm and gooey with an orange essence.  It's going to be a hit.

greek honey cake (food.com)
2 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons orange zest
1 1/2 cups butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
6 eggs
1/2 cup milk
2 cups chopped walnuts (we omitted since we made it for a school project)

glaze:
2 cups sugar
2 cups honey (We used Turkish honey from Trader Joe's)
1 1/2 cup water
2 teaspoons lemon juice 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch pan. 
Combine the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and orange rind. Set aside. 
In a large bowl, cream together the butter and 1 1/2 cups sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Beat in the flour mixture alternately with the milk, mixing just until incorporated. Stir in the walnuts.
Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool for 15 minutes, then cut into diamond shapes. 
Pour honey syrup over the cake. For the Honey Syrup: In a saucepan, combine honey, 1 cup sugar and water. Bring to a simmer and cook 5 minutes. Stir in lemon juice, bring to a boil and cook for 2 minutes.

stormtrooper cupcakes

My birthday kid's treats were out of this world.  Every time I turned around we had a need for more treats.  Classroom treats, birthday day treats, birthday party treats, etc.  The stormtropper cupcakes were so fun and I am grateful for the pics online because I'd have never thought to make them and they were so easy thanks to these pens at Amazon.  The cupcakes are for the birthday party.
The dirt which was requested for the actual birthday day and I made layered mint brownies for classroom treats.

stormtrooper cupcakes
Make some white cupcakes according to package directions.  Prepare stormtropper marshmallows using Bakerpan food coloring markers from Amazon.com.  Ice the cupcakes and put a marshmallow on each one.

For party favors I am going to put a cupcake in a cellophane bag and pour some cute outer space sugar candies I found at the store into the bag so they settle at the bottom.  I'll attach a star shaped mylar balloon to the cellophane bag and tie it with a cute blue and white baker's twine I found at Michael's.  Easy, easy, easy!!

super duper giant cupcake

If you haven't made a giant cupcake, you should- it's fun!  The last time I borrowed this Wilton cupcake pan (go here to buy one) I borrowed it from my friend Julie when we both lived in Pennsylvania for my daughter's first birthday.  Six years later I borrowed the same pan from the same friend for the same daughter only now we both live in the same town in Oregon.  Crazy.  This is what the cupcake looks undecorated.  You can use your imagination to envision what it looked like when my daughter was done with it- iced in chocolate with candy star sprinkles.

giant cupcake (cupcake pan by Wilton)
All you need is some non-stick cooking spray to spray down the pan.  Mix up two boxes of cake mix according to the package directions and pour the cake batter into the pan.  Bake, let cool and ice.  Piece of cake.

ice cream cone cupcakes

Today is my ward's first primary picnic of the summer and I put myself in charge of treats.  I showed the primary children all the ingredients for these treats on Sunday hoping to peak their curiosity so they'd come find out exactly what you can do with cake mix, ice cream cones, powdered sugar and sprinkles.  We have a terrific primary and I can't wait for the picnic!

ice cream cone cupcakes (the frugal girls)
1 box white cake mix, batter prepared as directed on the box
1 box ice cream cones (package of 24)

Prepare cake mix batter according to package directions.  Place ice cream cones in a 9x13 pan (you may need more than one).  Fill cones 2/3 of the way full.  Bake at 350 for 15 minutes or until they are cooked through.  Let cool.  If cake rises and bakes over the top of the cone, use a knife to level the cake so it is level with the cone.  Use a 1M Wilton tip to pipe the icing onto each cupcake cone.  Top with sprinkles!

icing
1 big bag powdered sugar
1 cup Crisco
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon extract
water
red, white and blue sprinkles

In a large bowl, beat powdered sugar, Crisco, extracts and enough water to get the consistency of icing you desire.  (I probably used 1/2 cup of water or more but definitely start out with 1/4 cup and gradually add more.)


 

firecracker cake

My oldest and I made this cake together and we can't wait to slice into it tonight.  Can you see the bottom layer is blue followed by white then red?  It's going to be pretty and festive!  We have some yummy food planned for dinner tonight and this cake will top it all off.  Happy Memorial Day!  A special thank you to everyone who has ever fought in any way to protect my country's freedom and for everyone who will continue to do so.  God Bless America!

firecracker cake (Spiced)
1 box Betty Crocker SuperMoise white cake mix
water, vegetable oil and egg whites called for on cake mix box
red food coloring
blue food coloring
1 container white icing (or make your own but be sure to add a little lemon extract!)
red, white and blue sprinkles

Heat oven to 325 degrees.  Generously grease a 12-cup fluted tube cake pan.  Make cake batter as directed on box.  Pour 1 cup of the batter into a small bowl; stir in red food color until well mixed.  Pour another cup of the batter into a separate bowl; stir in blue food coloring until well mixed.
Pour red cake batter into bottom of pan.  Carefully pour remaining white batter over red batter in pan.  Carefully pour blue batter over white batter.
Bake as directed on box or until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean.  Cool cake 5 minutes.  Turn pan upside down onto a cake plate.  Cool cake completely, about 30 minutes.
When cake is cool, divide frosting evenly into 3 bowls.  Add food coloring into bowls so you have red, white and blue icing.  Snip one corner on 3 different zip-lock baggies.  Pour each color icing into a baggie.  Drizzle the food coloring onto the cake.  We used each color then went over the cake with each color again.  Sprinkle with sprinkles.

flourless chocolate torte

My oh my is this a decadent little wedge (one little crumb was enough for me! but I don't eat dessert).  It will be nice to have a gluten free dessert recipe on hand with so many food allergies around.

flourless chocolate torte (Food Network Magazine, April 2013)
1 1/2 sticks butter
12 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped (I used Ghiradelli)
6 large eggs
1/2 cup sugar
unsweetened cocoa powder, for dusting

Preheat oven to 350.  Lightly butter the bottom and side of a 9-inch springform pan.  Combine the chocolate and 1 1/2 sticks butter in a heatproof bowl.  Place the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water (do not let the bowl touch the water) and stir until melted and combined.  Remove the bowl from the saucepan and let cool slightly.
Combine the eggs, sugar and salt in a large bowl.  Beat with a mixer on medium-high speed until pale and thick, 5 to 8 minutes.
Gently fold half of the melted chocolate mixture into the egg mixture until just combined, then gently fold in the rest.  Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until the top is no longer shiny and barely jiggles and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with only a few crumbs, 35 to 45 minutes.  Transfer to a rack and let cool completely in the pan.  Remove the springform ring and transfer to a platter; dust with cocoa powder.

fresh strawberry yogurt cake

Splendid cake.  Our family has the tradition of making these citrus cream cheese pull-apart rolls for General Conference weekend but I completely forgot to get the ingredients so I made this fresh, delicious strawberry cake instead.  My eight year old remembered that I had forgotten to make her favorite rolls but she quickly forgot once she tried this cake.  They all did.  This is a favorite!!

fresh strawberry yogurt cake (A Spicy Perspective)
1 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
3 tablespoons lemon juice, divided
zest of 1 lemon
2 1/2 cups flour, divided
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 ounces plain Greek yogurt
12 ounces fresh strawberries, diced
1 cup powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Grease and flour a 10-inch baking pan.  Combine the 2 1/4 cups flour, baking soda and salt.  Mix in the lemon zest and set aside.
With an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in 1 tablespoon lemon juice.  Alternate beating in the flour mixture and the yogurt, mixing just until incorporated.
Toss the strawberries with the remaining 1/4 cup of flour.  Gently mix them into the batter.
Pour the batter into the bundt pan.  Place in the oven and reduce the temperature to 325 degrees.  Bake for 60 minutes.
Allow to cool at least 20 minutes in then turn out on a wire rack and cool completely.  Once cooled whisk together the remaining 2 tablespoons of lemon juice and the powdered sugar.  Drizzle over the top of the cake.