October Girl

Chocolate Smartie Cake 

Hershey's Black Magic Cake
(I baked this recipe twice and it yielded 4 round 8" round pans and I used 3 cakes out of the 4)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup vegetable oil  (I used butter flavoured EVOO From Olive That!) 

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 eggs

1 cup buttermilk (Or mix yogurt with water to a nice thick liquid creamy consistency) 

1 cup strong black coffee OR 2 teaspoons powdered instant coffee plus 1 cup boiling water (or just plain boiling water) 

Dry ingredients:
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup Cocoa Powder 

2 cups sugar

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour 12-cup fluted tube pan, two 9-inch round baking pans or one 13x9x2-inch baking pan.

2. Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, buttermilk, coffee, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes (Batter will be thin). Pour batter evenly into prepared pan.

3. Bake 50 to 55 minutes for fluted tube pan, 30 to 35 minutes for round pans, 35 to 40 minutes for rectangular pan or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes. Loosen cake from side of pan and remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. Frost as desired.

Filling: 
Any desired cream filling recipe of your choice (We went with a chocolate cream cheese as requested from my sister) 

From Nigella Lawson's chocolate fudge cake 

Made double the recipe to cover the 3 layer cake. Some will be leftover.

Fudge Icing:

175 grams dark chocolate (minimum 70% cocoa solids)

250 grams unsalted butter (softened)

275 grams icing sugar (sifted)

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Pumpkin Pecan Gingersnap coffee cake

This is a pretty intense coffee cake.. a pumpkin "cake" base with a streusel topping made of ginger snap cookies and tossed with pecans. 

I had no gingersnap cookies on hand so I reached for my holiday gingerbread cookies, even though they were frosted with a lemon and powder sugar icing I crushed them all up and this went into my strusel. 

Here is the original recipe but some adjustments that I will make next time around is to not put the layer of streusel in the middle of the cake, it just seems to merge with the cake and make it dense.  I would maybe make half of the amount in total and just put it over top as it was enough to cover it generously.

The recipe called for almond milk, I just happened to have some on hand from some of the holiday vegan recipes so I used that up - I'm sure milk would be fine. 

Recipe adjusted slightly from Ambitious Kitchen

Brown Butter Pumpkin Coffee Cake topped with Gingersnap Pecan Streusel

Ingredients

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter

3 cups flour

3 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/4 cup dark brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 tespoon ginger

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1 cup milk 

2 eggs

1 egg yolk

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup canned pumpkin (not pumpkin puree)

3 tablespoons plain greek yogurt or sour cream

For topping:

1 cups gingersnap cookies

1/4 cup of flour

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup  cold unsalted butter, cut into chunks

pinch of salt

3/4 cup chopped pecans

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a 9×13 baking pan lined with parchment.

To make the streusel:

In a blender or food processor, add the gingersnaps and pulse until they resemble fine crumbs.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, crumbs, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt. Add the cold butter pieces to the bowl and cut with a pastry cutter or rub together with your fingers until the mixture resembles a crumble texture. Stir in the pecans and set aside.

To make the batter:

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. The butter will begin to foam. Make sure you whisk consistently during this process. After a couple of minutes, the butter will begin to brown on the bottom of the saucepan; continue to whisk and remove from heat as soon as the butter begins to brown and give off a nutty aroma. Remove from heat and immediately transfer the butter to a bowl to prevent burning. Set aside to cool for a few minutes.

In a medium bowl whisk together flour, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger.

In a separate large bowl, whisk the milk, eggs, yolk, and vanilla together until combined. Whisk in the brown butter until combined. Fold in the pumpkin and yogurt. Gently stir in the flour mixture. The batter will be thick.

Spread the batter in the prepared pan. Generously sprinkle streusel over the batter.

Bake about 35-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and cool for 10-15 minutes. 

Kalter hund

Here's a fun recipe! Great for kids too, no baking required.

My mother used to make a few variations of this German cake, but this time I did a simple melted chocolate and cookie (there were some hazelnuts in the chocolate) and it made a perfect snack for gaming on the pc (Yes you heard that right, I prefer the PC to console gaming :))

Basically it's very simple, just melt your favourite type of chocolate and get some of your favourite cookies, we usually use the social tea cookies (we call them "Baby cookies" in our house) but you could do an arrow root cookie, or digestive biscuit or graham cracker, whatever you like!

Layer the chocolate with cookie and set in the fridge then slice it, it may break a bit but it's ok because the crumbs make a nice topping for ice cream ^_^

You could add some heavy cream to your chocolate for more of a softer "ganache" or my mother did a chocolate pudding cake like this where the cookies softened up nicely like layers of cake while it set in the fridge.

Enjoy!

P.S it was a super rainy day today, drizzle would not stop so it made it hard to take some good shots but I gave it my best shot. The rain is great for the garden but I hope the sun returns soon.

Fresh Coconut Loaf cake

I saw this fresh moist looking coconut cake and knew my little sister would love it!

There were two versions of the cake on the original site (here) and I went with fresh, it was a lot of peeling and shaving and to be honest half of the flesh did not infuse into the milk at all (which evaporated into about 1 tbsp) so I went with the fresh flesh and canned coconut milk to make up the rest of the milk that had evaporated.

The glaze also split once, then the second batch split while on the cake (which was probably still warm) but all in all it was good, and everyone loved it!!

So for all you coconut lovers out there this is a keeper, but I would recommend adding a coconut extract for more flavour and maybe finding a good coconut tasting fresh coconut (some of them taste of nothing)

If you can buy pre shredded then you're in luck as it'll save you lots of time.

Give it a try and let me know! :)

p.s I got one loaf by halving the fresh coconut recipe but using 3 eggs instead of 2.5 as there is no point in trying to halve an egg.


Thanks to my sisters for the lovely shots, that's me holding the cake in the shots below and pigging out while they both shoot the cake.

Key Lime Bundt Cake

I'm all about seasonal freshness and local food, if I see vine tomatoes but the sign says product of usa or mexico and I'd much rather go for the hothouse tomatoes grown locally.

I'm also a bargain hunter so today I saw key limes, tons of them on the clearance rack, two little sacks choved onto a tray and wrapped up with plastic and a sign that says 1.49. I figured I'd give them a try since they looked pretty ok and I've been eyeing them over the summer but their price is usually close to $4.

The key lime always confused me, I've never tasted them before and I hear they are used for pie - the fameous key lime pie - but I don't have much of a sweet tooth and pie isn't my thing really, especially a citrus pie with meringue .. not my thing at all (please don't kill me lol)

When I was younger in pakistan my mother used to give us a lime type of fruit that was very sweet, and delicious but this isn't the same thing at all. I've not yet located any of those in the west yet, but my search over those sugary limes is not over yet!

Wiki says key limes are loomi amani, which is a dry lime that is brown in color used in arabic food, to flavour stews and rice, and all sorts of dishes, very popular in southern iraqi cuisine, as well as all over the gulf and parts of the middle east as well as persia where it's called leemo. Being of middle eastern backround I can work with this.

If I can dry the rest of these babies successfully (unlike the baby cherry peppers I hung from my window which resulted in a scary moldy interior -ewe! ) then all should be well and I'll have a huge stock of some dry lime for my cooking.

Not a fan of the pie as I said so a cake sounded just right. I LOVE CAKES! Especially plain sort of cakes.

Here's a good time to use the kitchen aid mixer or a hand mixer because you'll have to trust me on this, after zesting and squeezing the juice out of all those little limes the last thing I wanted to do was use a whisk.

Took me a bit to figure out what the breadcrumbs were for, I've debated whether to use panko or ordinary ones and it's a good thing I didn't season my homemade breadcrumbs with salt, pepper or anything like that because I was thinking of it last week.

Upon some searching online I found a blog which mentioned not to use panko, and instead a fine regular sort of breadcrumb so I went for that instead and seems it is a trick used for bundt pans to prevent sticking I guess. Learning something new everyday!

Moving on to the recipe. I've zested close to 10 key limes even though the recipe calls for three, why not I say - go big or go home - and their juice made EXACTLY 1/2 cup for the syrup. Yay!

Upon tasting the batter I found it to be just right, tasted like a green fruit loop to be honest, so I'm glad I went for more zest.

Next time I'll use coconut milk instead of regular, and see how that turns out!
My cake baked for exactly 1 hour, so keep an eye on it, Also I've placed another tray under the bundt to prevent any browning because my oven is hotter than the norm.

Recipe for Key Lime Bundt Cake

Best made the day before. Helpful to have one of those microplane graters for lime zest. I think I use a bit more zest than the recipe calls for. Enjoy!

Fine dry bread crumbs & softened butter (for coating pan)

3 cups sifted all-purpose flour

2 tsps baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

8 oz unsalted butter, at room temp.

2 cups sugar

4 extra large or jumbo eggs (I often use 5 large eggs)

1 cup milk

Finely grated zest of 3 limes, preferably key limes

Glaze:

1/2 cup fresh key lime juice or 1/4 cup each lime & lemon juice

3/4 cup sugar

Oven 350 degrees

Butter 10 inch tube pan (I use my Bundt pan) and sprinkle w/ bread crumbs (coat - use a lot of butter)

Sift together flour, baking powder, salt and set aside.

Beat butter till soft, gradually add sugar, beat 'till light & fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time, scraping down bowl after each addition.

On lowest speed, alternately add dry ingredients & milk, scraping bowl as nec. and beating just to mix each addition.

Stir in lime zest by hand.

Pour half the batter on one side of pan, half in other. Level top by briskly rotating pan back and forth.

Bake until cake tester comes out clean, about 1 1/4 hours. Let cool slightly on wire rack - 10-15 mins.

Stir lime juice and sugar together just to mix.

Place cake rack on tube pan and invert and place rack over foil. Using pastry brush, brush glaze all over warm cake until completely absorbed. Brush on any glaze that drips onto foil.

Let cake cool completely & transfer to cake platter. Let stand loosely covered for several hours or preferably over night. When ready, outside of cake will be completely dry.

Thanks to MMRuth, a chowhound member for this recipe. It is a delicious cake and I'll be making it again and again!!!

Raspberry dark chocolate cake!

I rarely go all out and make a cake, that's more my sisters department as she's an excellent baker but today I've had some help, for the most part and this cake was practically instant.

The cake part is a recipe for black forest sponge cake, recipe here The last time I've used this recipe was for a black forest cake and it was really delicious, light and spongy, like a bakery style cake.

The filling is pink, you may not be able to see that much in the picture but right now, about 24 hours since I've made it the color has darkened in the fridge. It's basically a whipped cream with homemade sweetened raspberry puree that I defrosted from last years raspberry picking trip.

When the cream comes to the soft peak stage the defrosted fruit puree is added in and then it's whipped up, the site here explains adding fruit purees to whipping cream, I was very worried about this stage because my buttercream split last time I mixed it with whipping cream so the thought of adding anything liquid to whipping cream terrified by but it went very well.

Finally it was frosted with a frozen ganache I had in the freezer as well for about 4 months now, I left it in the fridge overnight then let it come to room temperature and beat it with the paddle attachment while slowly adding some heavy cream to make it softer and more buttercream like (because ganache can be very stiff and hard)

A thin crumb coating went on first, then I let it sit an hour in the fridge and then the final layer was applied with the decorative raspberries and chocolate curls.

Super super easy cake, the dark chocolate raspberry combination is classic, do give it a try!

- The - BEST carrot cake, Ever! Trust me

Carrot Cake
from Maida Heatter's Great Book of American Desserts

5 ounces (1 cup) dark raisins

1 pound carrots to make 4 cups shredded, firmly packed

2 cups minus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons double acting baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder

4 large or extra-large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed

1 1/4 cups vegetable oil

5 1/2 ounces walnuts, cut into medium-small pieces

Cream Cheese Icing, recipe follows

a handful of pecan halves, for garnish

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray three 9-inch cake pans with cooking spray, line the bottoms with parchment, and spray the parchment.

Place the raisins in a vegetable steamer over shallow water in a saucepan and steam for 10 minutes. Uncover and set aside.

Grate the carrots using a food processor (I used the disc with largest holes, but you can grate them more finely if desired) or a standing metal grater. Measure and set aside.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and cocoa, and set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the eggs. Add the vanilla, both sugars, and oil, and mix until well combined. Add the dry ingredients and mix on low speed only until combined. Stir in the carrots, raisins, and nuts.

Divide the batter evenly among the three pans and use a spatula to even out the batter. Bake the pans for 35 to 40 minutes or until the tops just spring back when gently pressed with a fingertip and the cakes begin to pull away from the sides of the pan. Remove from the oven and let stand 2-3 minutes in the pans on a cooling rack. Run a small knife around the perimeter of the cake and invert the cakes onto a cooling rack and allow to cool completely. It is not necessary to remove the parchment from the bottoms of the cakes at this time.

Brush any stray crumbs from the sides of the cakes and transfer the cakes to the freezer, unwrapped, for at least an hour, or until cakes are firm enough to handle. If you wish to freeze the cakes longer, wrap the frozen layers in plastic wrap and return to the freezer until you are ready to frost the cake. Do not thaw the layers before icing.

When ready to ice the cake, prepare a large, flat cake plate by lining it with four strips of wax paper to make a square. This wax paper will catch any crumbs and icing while frosting the cake. Remove the parchment paper from the bottoms of the cakes. Place one cold and firm cake layer upside down on the plate. Spread a thin layer (2/3 cup) of the icing evenly over the cake. Cover with the second layer, also upside down. Spread another 2/3 cup icing over the second layer. Place the third layer on top, also upside down and spread the remaining icing over the top and sides of the cake. Remove the wax paper strips carefully. Garnish the cake with pecan halves. Refrigerate the cake for a few hours or for a day or two. Serve cold right from the refrigerator.

Cream Cheese Icing

from Maida Heatter's Great Book of American Desserts

16 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

4 ounces unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the cheese and butter until soft and smooth. On low speed beat in the vanilla and sugar, and then on high speed beat for a few moments until smooth.

Recipe courtesy of Marzipan

I urge you to try this recipe!! The moist sticky sweet steamed raisins seems to be the key, mine were large organic dark raisins so I chopped them smaller into a regular raisin size after they cooled down, oh and all those carrots too, 4 cups in total but totally worth the hand grating in my case. One last note, if you have a cat... never turn your back for a second if there is a creamy frosting in the room ;-)