My favorite chocolate cake

I found this recipe for Beatty's chocolate cake a few years ago and it has changed my life. An amazingly simple recipe for chocolate cake that manages to be both light and decadent at the same time. I've used it to make cupcakes for the kids' birthday parties, and am now working on making layer cakes.

Combined with tangy cream cheese frosting, this cake was a hit for Father's Day yesterday. An easy layer cake? Yes please!

Beatty's Chocolate Cake

Fluffy Cream Cheese Frosting

decadence

Turns out "three a week" is actually tougher than it sounds. As can be seen through my diminished blog posts, it has proven tougher to try three new recipes per week than I'd originally assumed. Life just gets in the way. However, I can say that the experiment has broadened my repertoire to the point where I can easily whip up a weekday lunch or dinner without giving it much thought. And my picky family is even complaining that some of their favorites are not in rotation enough!

Now I'm saving my energy for bigger projects for special occasions, such as the salted dark chocolate peanutbutter birthday cake above (yes, you read that right. A little slice goes a long way). And yes, the birthday boy has a thing for Star Wars. I won't reveal his age though :)

Recipe adapted from Smitten Kitchen's infinitely more chic looking cake. I need more practice so my celebration cakes can look like that!

the best granola you'll ever eat

Perhaps I'm still a novice, but it's rare that I make something at home and think that it's the best of its category. Usually, I settle for "this is pretty good, for homemade." This granola so exceeds expectations that I'm frankly astonished.

Adapted from a New York Times recipe for Eleven Madison Park granola, I substituted my favorite nuts for the coconut chips and sunflower seeds, and played around with the salt ratio to increase the savoriness. The chocolate chips are folded in after baking, and melt a bit to form little clusters of chocolatey goodness. The recipe is also seriously simple - 15 minutes of prep, 40 minutes in the oven. Honestly, I dare you to try this and then go back to storebought!

The Best Granola Ever
2 3/4 cups rolled oats
1 cup shelled pistachios
1/2 cup cashews
1 tablespoon salt (I used maldon sea salt)
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup maple syrup
2 tablespoons honey
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
3/4 cup dried sour cherries
3/4 cup dark chocolate chips


Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, mix together oats, pistachios, cashews, and salt. In a small saucepan over low heat, stir together sugar, maple syrup, honey, and olive oil until sugar is just melted. Pour syrup mixture over dry ingredients and mix, making sure everything is coated well. Spread in a single layer on a lipped cookie sheet lined with parchment. Bake for 35-40 minutes until golden brown, stirring every 10 minutes or so. Cool slightly, then mix in cherries in chocolate chips. Cool completely before storing. And make sure to try it immediately - it is amazingly crisp and great on vanilla yogurt or ice cream!

chocolate dipped blackberries

Sunday started rainy and cold, and as a result everyone in the house got the blahs. No one wanted to do anything, and yet no one wanted to do nothing either. Having just whipped up a batch of emergency chocolate cake, I came up with the answer - more chocolate.

After a lackluster lunch, I quickly melted some chocolate chips and asked the kids to help me make some chocolate-dipped berries. This turned too-sour blackberries into cute berry pops, and brightened up everyone's (well, at least my) mood. Warning - these "berry lollipops" go down quick!

Chocolate-dipped Blackberries
Blackberries, or any other berry, washed and dried
Chocolate chips (I used a mix of Ghiradelli 60% Cocoa and bittersweet)
Maldon sea salt (optional)


Dump chocolate chips in a microwave bowl and microwave on high in 30 second increments, stirring after each time, until melted and smooth. Meanwhile, stick toothpicks into the stem part of berries (if using blackberries). Dip berries in chocolate, then lay on a piece of waxed paper to dry. Top with sea salt if you like salted chocolate. I did this when I made homemade Reeses' peanutbutter cups, but found the combo of salt, chocolate, and berries to be a bit odd, so didn't salt all of them. Let harden, and enjoy!

emergency chocolate cake

Some days call for chocolate cake. Not a scoop of peanutbutter, not a handful of m&m's, but a big fluffy chocolatey slice of chocolate cake. Chocolatey enough to erase the blue mood and make you believe that tomorrow will be another, better, day.

Yesterday was one of those days. That is why I baked emergency chocolate cake today. And even though I was all set to make homemade granola or perhaps chocolate caramel crackers (recipes checked, ingredients bought), at the last minute I changed my mind and looked for a chocolate cake recipe that I could make using what I had on hand - sour cream, Callebaut dutch processed cocoa powder, butter, eggs.

Taking about an hour from start to finish, this recipe yields a fluffy, coca-y chocolate cake with a tender crumb. An extra dousing of sugar icing adds sweetness to a not-too-sweet cake. I tend to prefer fudgier cakes, but this did the trick!

Everyday Chocolate Cake
1½ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup alkalized (Dutch process) cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 1/3 cups sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup powdered sugar
Lowfat milk

Preheat the oven to 350ºF and butter two 8½ x 4½-inch loaf pans (or 1 9-inch bundt pan).
Combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and baking soda in a mixing bowl and stir well. Set aside.
Beat the butter and sugar together in a stand mixer set at medium speed. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, continuing to beat the batter smooth after each addition.
Scrape the bowl, lower the mixer speed then add the sour cream and the dry ingredients in intervals until fully incorporated.
Scrape the batter into the prepared loaf pans and bake the cakes for 30-35 minutes, or until they are well risen and a toothpick, when inserted, comes out clean.
Cool the pans on a rack for 5 minutes then turn the cakes out of the pan.
Whisk milk into powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, until it becomes thick and viscous. Pour onto cooled cake. Top with sprinkles for extra cheering power!