Divine Flourless Chocolate Cake- the easy way

If you've never had flourless chocolate cake, you don't know what you're missing.  Incredibly rich, moist, dense, it is a chocolate lover's dream.  I've loved it for years and have posted a recipe for it before.  But last weekend I tried out a new recipe I came across.  It's pretty similar to the first recipe, same ingredients with slightly different measurements.  But what sets this recipe apart, is the method.  It's really much simpler and I promise- anyone can make this!  Use your kitchenaid for this and it's a snap. This one has now officially became my favorite.  Be sure to serve it with a healthy dose of fresh whipped cream to cut the richness of the cake.

18 ounces bittersweet chocolate pieces
3/4 C unsalted butter
1 T vanilla
5 eggs
1 C sugar
6 T whipping cream
6 T corn syrup
1 C sliced or chopped almonds
fresh whipped cream for garnish

Preheat oven to 350.  Line the bottom of a 9 in springform pan with parchment, then grease.
In a saucepan over low heat, melt 10 ounces of the chocolate and the butter, stirring frequently until smooth.  Watch closely so the chocolate doesn't burn.  Stir in the vanilla.  Set aside to cool slightly.
In your kitchenaid beat the eggs and sugar until triple in volume, about 5-6 minutes.  Set to low stir setting, and slowly add the chocolate until combined.  Using a rubber spatula, carefully stir to be sure you get everything off the bottom incorporated well.  There may be streaks in the batter, that's okay.  Pour into prepared pan and bake for about 40-45 minutes.  The crust will start to crack a little.
Place on a wire rack and remove the side of the pan.  The top will be uneven, you can leave it alone for a rustic look (which I like) or you can carefully press it down to create and even layer.  Let cool. When you are ready for the glaze, you can either leave it top up like this, or you can invert it onto a plate if you want a really even, flat top.
For the glaze, in a saucepan on low heat, melt the remaining 8 ounces of chocolate with the whipping cream and corn syrup stirring until smooth.  Cool for ten minutes, then pour over cake.  Top with almonds.  I like to cover the top with almonds so I get some of that salty crunch in each bite, but if you prefer you can press the almonds into just the sides of the cake for another nice look.
It is best if refrigerated before serving.  Enjoy with whipped cream!

Not Your Typical Birthday Cake- Lucious Lemon and Raspberry Cake

This week was Jared's birthday.  To tell you something about him, let me just say...we're a bit different when it comes to food.  When we met and got married he was very into Body For Life.  He ate things like tuna on rice crackers and rarely ate dessert.  Soon after we got married he was somewhat banned from the kitchen.  If he thought there was butter in something he wouldn't eat it, but if he didn't know...  I on the other hand could dedicate an entire blog to my love of butter.  I'm proud to say that I have slowly worn him down over the last eight years.  But in a surprise turn of events, last week Jared got out the Body For Life book and announced that he was going to go for it again.  So when his birthday came up a few days ago I wasn't sure what he'd want.  I knew he want something that appeared to be really healthy.  So he asked for a lemon cake, and this is what I came up with. 

But really when you compare it to a typical cake, it's much lighter.  The Recipe only uses 1/2 C veg oil, which keeps it moist.  And if you use light whipping cream, you can cut some calories there too.  Although I of course prefer Heavy Whipping Cream.  :)

This turned out really delicious and the only thing I would change would be to use more raspberries.  The lemon cake isn't as heavy as a pound cake but not quite as light as an angel food cake. 

Lucious Lemon Cake

1 3/4 C Cake Flour
1 T baking powder
1 t salt
1/2 C white sugar
1/2 C veg oil
6 egg yolks
1/2 C lemon juice
1/4 C water
1 T lemon zest
6 egg whites
1/2 t cream of tartar
3/4 C white sugar
Whipping cream
Powdered sugar
Raspberries

In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar.  Stir to combine and get any lumps out.  Add the oil, yolks, juice, water, and zest then mix until smooth.
In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar until they start to thicken.  Then slowly add the white sugar and beat until thick and shiny and stiff peaks begin to form.  Fold egg whites into the batter. 
Pour into a prepared pan ( I love Pam for Baking with flour).  I used a typical angel food cake pan for this, but you can experiment with others if you like.  Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.  Keep an eye on it towards the end, you do not want to overbake this.  If it's overbaked, it will be dry and you want to be sure this cake is nice and moist because it's not going to be covered with frosting.  Cool on wire rack completely. 

Once the cake is cool, beat the whipping cream for the layers.  A good rule of thunb for whipped cream is to use about 1/4 C of powdered sugar for each cup of cream.  I used two cups of cream and beat until nice and thick.

Cut the cake into three even slices.  Place the bottom layer on your cake plate and top with about 1/3 of the cream.  Then cover this with raspberries.  Don't worry about making things look perfect.  I really like the rustic look of this cake.  Add the next layers and repeat until you've added the top layer.  I like to leave it here, but if you prefer you can top it with a little more cream and raspberries. 

Molten Lava Cakes, revisited

You would think that one posting on Molten Lava Cakes should be sufficient, but I have been hooked on a new recipe and have to share it.  Who can say no to Molten Lava Cakes?  If you can, then I'm sorry, we can't be friends.  :)  This is one of those things that people assume you can't make at home, and if you can then they must be difficult.  Well as long as you have ramekins ( even muffin tins work), then yes, they can be made at home and quite easily too.
I have made these for company multiple times and everyone always Oohs and Ahhs.  Although I did have one guest who didn't know what it was and proceeded to smash and stir it up, then eat it with a spoon.  He got teased a lot after that.  I have also made these for myself on several occasions when Jared is gone for the night for a conference or camp out.  He is always impressed (shocked?) by just how many I can eat all by myself.  Most people can only handle one, but I've built up a tolerance over the years I think.
So what makes this new recipe so great?  I think it's three things- less sugar, a little salt, and the addition of cocoa powder.  I love the salt in this recipe, I think it really makes it, so don't leave it out.
So here's the recipe, so simple, so delicious.

Molten Lava Cakes
1/3 C flour
3 T cocoa powder
1/4 tsp salt
5 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 stick butter, cut up
2 large eggs and 1 egg yolk, at roomp temp
6 Tbs sugar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Prepare 6 ramekins (mine are about 4 .5 ounces) by spraying with baking spray (the kind with flour in it).
Melt chocolate and butter over low heat until just melted.
In large bowl, whisk eggs, yolk, and sugar until well blended.  Add the dry ingredients (flour, cocoa, and salt) and stir them in.  Then, slowly, stir in the melted chocolate.
Divide the batter evenly among the ramekins, I use a 1/3 C measure for this, and they come out perfect.  Place the ramekins on a baking sheet and bake for about 12 minutes.  The sides will have risen, but the center will still be sunken and look a little wet.  Remove from oven and let sit for a few minutes before overturning onto plate.  Serve with whipped cream. 

Extra Tip!!  If you don't have ramekins, just use muffin tins!  Regular size is fine.

Coming Soon: Cream Puffs!

Adventures in Cake Decorating

Ann's fifth birthday was last week and we had a tea party to celebrate. I'm not a cake decorator at all, I usually keep it pretty simple, but this is a birthday cake so things are different. She was going to be wearing a pretty yellow hat for the party, so I decided to make a cake to match (same ribbon and all). I was pleased with how it turned out considered it was a first attempt with no trial run or anything. It wasn't perfect, but Ann loved it and that's what really matters.
The recipe I used didn't turn out to be anything special, in fact, I was dissapointed. I got it from the Martha Stewart Wedding Cakes book, but it turned out rather dry ( I probably overbaked). But the buttercream recipe was good and worked well.
It's hard to see from this picture, but the texture on the hat turned out nicely. I used a trick I learned at a class a couple of years ago. You wait until the frosting is dry enough that it won't stick to your finger when you touch it, then you use a paper towel and place it gently on the cake. Then gently rub your finger over the surface, and this transfers the texture from the paper towel. It gave it a nice finished look and the texture really looked like a hat would.

Here's the cake recipe I wish I would have used. I've used it in the past when a friend recommended it and it comes out nice and rich, and very moist. It's also super easy. It's great for a layered cake, I usually make it in two 8 in rounds.

Chocolate Cake
2 C Sugar
1 3/4 C flour
3/4 C Cocoa
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 t baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 C milk
1/2 C veg oil
2 tsp vanilla
1 C boiling water

Stir together flour, sugar, cocoa, powder, soda, and salt. Make well in center, then add eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla. Beat on medium for two minutes. Stir in boiling water.
Pour evenly into pans (I usually use cup measures for this part).
For two 8 in rounds, bake on 350 for 30- 35 minutes. Cool for ten minutes in pan then remove to wire racks.

As another tip, I'm usually adament about using parchment to avoid sticking, but I've fallen in love with Pam for Baking that has flour in it. It works perfectly. I used it on the hat cake (which was a pizza pan and a pyrex bowl), and both came out without sticking at all. Love it!

Stake Visitor's Cake...What? You've never heard of it?

Stake Visitor's Cake is a family recipe that I think originated with my Grandma (Bonga) Eastin. I don't know the whole story behind the recipe but I know that when she lived in downtown Salt Lake City on the same block with many of the Apostles at the time, she served this anytime they or any other stake visitors came over. Hence the name 'Stake Visitor's Cake'. My mom made this all the time growing up and us kids always loved it. It's basically a chocolate snack cake, but calling that doesn't seem to explain just how yummy it is. Any time I make it, it gets gobbled up in a day, easy. I suppose I only have myself to blame there.

Stake Visitors Cake

1 1/2 C Boiling water

1 C oatmeal (not quick)

1 C brown sugar

1 C white sugar

1/2 C butter or margarine

2 eggs, slightly beaten

1 t baking soda

1/2 t salt

2 T cocoa (I often throw in an extra Tablespoon)

1 1/2 C Flour

1/2 C chocolate chips (plus extra to sprinkle on top)

In a large mixing bowl pour the boiling water over the oatmeal. Add sugars and margarine or butter and let sit for ten minutes. Stir to combine well. Stir in eggs. Combine remaining dry ingredients and then stir into oatmeal mixture. Stir in 1/2 C chocolate chips. Pour into greased 9x13 pan then sprinkle some extra chocholate chips over top.

Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes until cake just comes away from edges and springs back in middle when you touch it. It can be hard to toothpick test this cake because of the chocolate chips.

I dare you to make it and not love it!

Molten Lava Cakes

Jared bought me a set of ramekins for Mother's Day last year, but because we moved just a couple weeks later I didn't get the chance to use them right away. Unfortunately they sat in a box for a while and finally emerged recently after Jared pointed out that I had never used them. So I decided to try out these cakes. I've always wanted to make these, but put it off because I didn't realize how easy they were. I decided to test out a few recipes so I could keep one in my regular recipe rotation. I tried one from Paula Dean, one from the internet, and one from a cookbook. Each recipe is surprisingly easy and quick to throw together, for awesome results. yum! Who doesn't love a molten lava cake?
2 sticks butter
4 t sugar
12 oz bittersweet chocolate (use semisweet if this is too rich for you)
1 C flour
2 1/2 C powdered sugar
6 eggs
6 egg yolks
1 1/2 t vanilla

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Butter and flour 8- 6 oz ramekins. Melt butter and chocolate togehter. In large bowl combine dry ingredients wiht eggs, yolks, and vanilla. Stir in chocolate until smooth. Pour evenly into ramkeins.
Bake 12-14 minutes. They will look puffed on the edges but still jiggly in the middle. Let sit for 5 minutes before turning out onto plate.
This recipe is very easy to half as well.

The cool thing about ramekins is that they create a nice individual dessert, and they're perfect portion control! This way I don't just eat and eat and not realize that I've eaten half a pie or something. I also used my ramekins also on Mother's Day this year and made some awesome little berry crisps. Everyone loved them, so check out the recipe here... http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/individual-berry-crisps-recipe/index.html