Mocha Chocolate Cake

Ok, here's the recipe that I've been dying to share with you for a totally delicious, can't-wait-to-eat-another-bite chocolate cake.  This is an Ina Garten recipe called 'Beatty's Cake,' but I wanted to title this post with a better descriptive title for the cake.  I made it a few weeks ago when we were celebrating multiple birthdays for coffee lovers and I didn't realize how much I would love it. 

I've found that this cake (as is the case for all cakes) is very sensitive to cooking.  I made it the first time and it was perfectly cooked, moist and I even thought a little underdone until I tasted it.  I made it into cupcakes earlier this week and I way overcooked them!  So sad, but the frosting made up for it and not one was left in the teacher's lounge.  I made the round cake again last night and it came out moist and delicious!  I'm definitely better at timing the round cake pans than the cupcakes.  ;o)

Beatty's Cake  (adapted from Ina Garten)

Ingredients:

• Butter, for greasing the pans
• 1 3/4 cups white whole wheat flour (or AP) plus more for pans
• 2 cups sugar (1 cup brown sugar and 1 cup white)
• 3/4 cups good cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup buttermilk, shaken (as a substitute, I use whole milk with 1 tsp. of vinegar and let it sit 10 minutes)
• 1/4 cup oil (olive, vegetable or whatever you prefer)
• 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee
• Chocolate Buttercream, recipe follows

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter two 8-inch x 2-inch round cake pans. Line with parchment paper, then butter and flour the pans.

Sift the flour, sugars, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on low speed until combined. In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, applesauce, eggs, and vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry. With mixer still on low, add the coffee and stir just to combine, scraping the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean.

Cool in the pans for 30 minutes (mind your oven as mine are done right around 24 minutes), then turn them out onto a cooling rack and cool completely.

Place 1 layer, flat side up, on a flat plate or cake pedestal. With a knife or offset spatula, spread the top with frosting. Place the second layer on top, rounded side up, and spread the frosting evenly on the top and sides of the cake.

Chocolate Frosting:

• 6 ounces good semisweet chocolate (I prefer dark chocolate)
• 1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 extra-large egg yolk, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
• 1 tablespoon instant coffee powder

Chop the chocolate and place it in a heat-proof bowl set over a pan of simmering water (I'm a lazy cook and will always use the microwave for this).  Stir until just melted and set aside until cooled to room temperature.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium-high speed until light yellow and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg yolk and vanilla and continue beating for 3 minutes. Turn the mixer to low, gradually add the confectioners' sugar, then beat at medium speed, scraping down the bowl as necessary, until smooth and creamy. Dissolve the coffee powder in 2 teaspoons of the hottest tap water. On low speed, add the chocolate and coffee to the butter mixture and mix until blended. Don't whip! Spread immediately on the cooled cake.

Week 31

Another rough week around here for menu planning since we've had guests strolling in and out of our home, but I'm back to my menu this week!  We had a wonderful time visiting with family.  My BIL came to visit from Oregon and brought a whole suitcase full of Oregon beer!  It was amazing to watch him open all of the carefully wrapped beer bottles in bubble wrap and his half gallon growler.  The beer world is a bit of a mystery to me (since I really don't prefer drinking it), but I find that I'm learning a lot just by listening to the "science" of creating and enjoying beer. 

One of our neighbors invited us over for a Pumpkin Carving party yesterday and it was a blast.  Here's a cute photo of one of our 'star' pumpkins!

I made this really delicious cake this week as we celebrated birthdays for those who came to visit this past week.  There are a lot of Fall birthdays in my family!  I'll try to make it again soon so I can post a photo of it, but it's an Ina Garten recipe called "Beatty's Cake."  It is chocolate coffee heaven and it's seriously the moistest (I know it's not a word, but I'm at a loss for a more appropriate word) cake I've ever made!  Can't wait to share it with you all!

Here's the menu for this week:
Sunday - Thai basil shrimp with red peppers and cabbage, white rice
Monday - Beef Stroganoff, egg noodles, broccoli
Tuesday - Baked marinated salmon with roasted Normandy veggies (super easy - salmon comes marinated from Costco and veggies are a frozen mix)
Wednesday - Grilled chicken legs, roasted potatoes (sweet & white), pan-seared asparagus
Thursday - Chicken Mole, roasted cauliflower and carrots, rice
Friday - Leftovers
Saturday - Out to dinner

Happy Cooking to everyone!  Post your menus!

Sarah

Outrageous Brownies

This is a recipe from Ina Garten.  I love, love, love these brownies, but I actually got this recipe from a cookbook my mom gave me in Middle School, Called 'Country Desserts,' by Lee Bailey.  Most recipe blogs I've found have this listed this recipe as a basis for the definition of a brownie.  Not all agree, but I find that they are rich with a delicate texture.  If you add the espresso powder it really sends them over the edge, but I haven't had any of that in my pantry for a few months now.  The teachers at Annabelle and Emilie's school request these for special events.  Be prepared that this batter makes a huge amount of brownies!  I hope that you enjoy!

Outrageous Brownies by Ina Garten

Ingredients:
1 pound butter (4 sticks)
1 pound plus 3 cups of semi-sweet chocolate chips
6 oz. unsweetened chocolate
6 large eggs
2 tbls. plus 1 1/2 tsp. powdered instant espresso powder
2 tbls. vanilla extract
2 cups sugar
1 cup sifted all-purpose flour (I use white whole wheat and it tastes great)
1 tbls. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
3 cups chopped (or ground) walnut pieces

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease and flour a 12 x 18-inch jelly roll pan.  Set aside.

Melt together the butter, pound of chocolate chips, and unsweetened chocolate until smooth in the top of a double boiler.  Cool to room temperature.

Combine, but do not whisk, the eggs, powdered espresso, vanilla, and sugar.  Stir in the cooled chocolate mixture.  Set aside.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt.  Mix into the batter.  Finally, fold in the remaining chocolate chips and the walnuts.  Pour into the greased pan.

Bake about 30 minutes, or until a cake tester just comes out clean.  Do not over bake.  Cool thoroughly and cut into squares.

Makes 20.

Week 30

Hello Everyone!

It's taken me awhile to get focused and recover after the consignment sale fundraiser!  We made lot of money for MOPS and it was a really great week.  So, now I am back to planning meals again. . .

I had the most wonderful morning!  Alain had the day off since he is a government contractor and Zach had school today, so the hubby and I took advantage of the morning without any kids and had ourselves a breakfast date!  We went to one of my favorite french bakeries in Atlanta, Douceur de France.  I ate the most amazing eggs benedict on top of french bread and followed it with a decadent almond croissant.  The photo below is Alain's decadent dessert, Hazelnut something. . .

I guess I should get onto the menu planning, so here's what my week looks like.  I can't wait to see your menus!

Sunday - Fajita burgers, roasted potatoes and sweet potatoes, steamed broccoli
Monday - Thai basil shrimp, white rice, cabbage, red peppers, green beans
Tuesday - Thai coconut chicken soup (we'll see how the kids like this), roasted cauliflower and carrots
Wednesday - Salad nicoise, potatoes, asparagus, and whatever else I can find to add. . .
Thursday - Leftovers
Friday - Steak with sauteed onions, black beans, white rice, artichokes with vinaigrette
Saturday - Out to dinner

Happy cooking to everyone!  Have a great week!  :)

Week 29 - Fall is Coming!

Well, I'm happy to say that the temperature is definitely starting to lower here in the South!  We're waking up to 50's and 60's in the morning and that is a pleasant, cherished gift.  The days are still pretty warm, but the cooler mornings and evenings make it all worthwhile. . .

I actually skipped last week if you can believe that!  Things were crazy around our house with something planned almost every night of the week and that left me little time to plan meals unfortunately.  This week is going to be a little less stressful, but next week will be off the charts.  I organize a children's consignment sale for my MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) group and that begins next weekend and continues for 6 days.  It's going to be an amazing week, but it's a ton of work.  I will be living, breathing and eating the consignment sale during that week and not cooking at all.  ;)

As we focus on this week, here's what I'm cooking!  I'll probably add some more sides at the last minute depending on what I have on hand.  Can't wait to see your menus!

Sunday - Rotisserie chicken, broccoli, homemade french fries
Monday - Pork tenderloin, asparagus
Tuesday - Beefsteak with seared onions, black beans, white rice, roasted zucchini
Wednesday - Seared salmon with Emeril seasoning (my kids' favorite), roasted cauliflower
Thursday -Thai basil shrimp, white rice, cabbage, red peppers
Friday - Leftovers
Saturday - Spaghetti with meat sauce (zucchini noodles for adults), broccoli

Happy Cooking everyone!

Week 28

Summer is officially over with the Labor Day holiday behind us and I'm amazed that it really brought cooler weather to Atlanta!  We had the remnants of that Tropical Storm head through town this weekend, so we've had rain, tornadoes and lots of wet leaves everywhere!  It really looks like Autumn is here now.  Fortunately, we were not affected by any tornadoes, but we did hear the sirens going off for a warning last night! 

We had our first ever cul-de-sac dinner on Labor Day! It was such a great time and my wonderful neighbor, Gerard, led the way by teaching me to make coq au vin.  So, we cooked the main course and rice, but the rest of the neighbors filled in with sides and desserts!  It was so much fun to have everyone together over a nice meal. 

Alain and I also got to go whitewater rafting this weekend with our friends from New York!  That was a blast and I'm still sore!  It's been a busy weekend and that's my excuse for not getting the menu posted before today.  I'll just start the menu from today and go through Sunday.

White Water rafting the Ocoee River!

 Here's this week's menu:
Tuesday - Leftovers
Wednesday - Turkey chili, salad
Thursday - Salad nicoise with salmon, potatoes and veggies
Friday - Grilled chicken, roasted cauliflower and carrots
Saturday - Turkey tacos, black beans, rice, seared zucchini
Sunday - Out to dinner

Happy cooking everyone! 

Week 27

I've been buying jalepenos like wildfire lately!  I used to always hesitate to put them in salsa and guacamole, but they are normally not very spicy when the veins and seeds are removed.  In my opinion, they just make everything taste better.  We're growing habaneros in our cul-de-sac garden this year and those plants produce a ton of peppers!  How anyone could use that many habaneros is beyond me, but my neighbor is trying to make sure that not one of them goes to waste by making lots of hot sauce.  I'll stick to my jalapenos and serranos thank you very much!

We have friends coming into town over Labor Day weekend, so it should be a light week on our menu as I clean and prepare for the fun. 

This week's menu:
Sunday - Pizza
Monday - Ground turkey tacos, black beans
Tuesday - Leftovers
Wednesday - Grilled salmon, roasted veggies, white rice (for kids)
Thursday - Thai basil shrimp, leftover rice
Friday - Out to Dinner
Saturday - Barbecued ribs (beef & pork),
Sunday - Out to Dinner?

This is an unusual week for us since it looks like we're not actually eating at home very much.  We have Open House this week for the girls, Orientation meeting for Zach's preschool, I have a consignment sale meeting and our friends come into town on Friday!  I can't wait!

Have a great week!

I'm looking forward to reading your menus!

Sarah