Chocolate Peppermint Cake

I would say that I bake fairly frequently, but I can't remember the last time that I made a cake. I figured that the holiday season called for a festive cake, so I opted for a chocolate peppermint cake from Taste of Home. It looked the least complicated and didn't take almost a day to make. However, I will warn you that it is a three part cake - cake, icing/filling and glaze (so I apologize for the lengthiness of the post). They are fairly easy processes but it's not a one part cake. The other part about this is that you can make the cakes ahead of time and then assemble it on the day of your event.

Cake Ingredients:

2 cups of turbinado sugar
1 3/4 cups of flour (I used a combination of whole wheat and coconut flour)
3/4 cup cocoa
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1.2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon saalt
1 cup milk, fat free
1/2 vegetable oil
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water

Filling and Icing Ingredients:

2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 drops of red food coloring
2/3 cups of crushed peppermints*

*1 tablespoon will be reserved for the finishing touch on the cake

 Chocolate Glaze Ingredients:

2 tablespoons butter, unsalted
2 tablespoons cocoa
2 tablespoons water*
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup powdered sugar

*You may need to add more water to get the correct consistency.

Cake Directions::

Begin by greasing and flouring three 8 1/2" to 9" round pans. In a mixer, combine the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

Add in the milk, vegetable oil, eggs and vanilla extract and beat on medium for 2 minutes. Stir in the boiling water. Note*: It will thin the batter so don't be alarmed. 

Pour the batter into the greased and floured pans, making sure to evenly split the batter. Bake at 350 for 18-24 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. *Note: I baked mine on two racks and then rotated the cakes part way through the baking since they didn't fit on one rack.

Filling/Icing Instructions:

I needed to crush my peppermints, but you can buy them already crushed to save time. Put your mints in a ziploc bag and using a pan crush the peppermints. *Note: the bag will usually have some holes so be sure to put something underneath it.

Beat the cream on medium high for about 3 minutes until soft peaks form. When you put in a spatula or the beater, the cream should stick to it. Add in the sugar, vanilla and food coloring.

Beat until stiff peaks form. It should stick to the beater and not drip. Fold in the crushed peppermints, leaving out 1 tablespoon. Be sure not to over stir as you don't want to lose the fluffiness.

 Spread the filling/icing between the layers and on the outside. Don't put any on the top.

Glaze Instructions:

 Start by melting the butter in a small sauce pan over low heat. Add in the cocoa and water. Stir constantly until the mixture thickens. Then remove from the heat and whisk in the vanilla.

Blend in the sugar a little at a time until the mixture is smooth. I had to add some more water to thin it out. Pour and spread the glaze over the top of the cake. (Mine ran over the edges and down the sides a little bit, but I felt like it made it look a little more fun.) Sprinkle with the extra crushed peppermint and chill before serving. Keep this in the refrigerator to store.

Chocolate Peppermint Loaf

Now is the time that I get to go from everything pumpkin to a mix of pumpkin and peppermint (though not together) before going full out peppermint. While perusing the aisles of Trader Joe's, I found this magical box...chocolate peppermint loaf (and yes you could smell the peppermint through the box!) One of my favorite flavor combinations, chocolate and peppermint is the epitome of all things Christmas. So even though I was collecting ingredients to make pumpkin bread, I was also going to snag a box of this to try and boy was I sure glad I did! The bread turned out to be fudgey and pepperminty without it being too overwhelming... and it didn't hurt that it smelled amazing while it was baking! This decadent loaf would be a great winter dessert or get together snack.

If you know how to mix, then you can put this together in flash. First you need to do is mix together water and eggs.  Then add in the dry ingredient mixture and the chocolate peppermint chunks. Pour the batter into a loaf pan and bake at 350 for about 45 minutes. It will be hard to resist this loaf as it cools, but it will be worth the wait. Be sure to grab this treat before it's gone so that you can get a head start on enjoying the holidays... there are only 7 more Saturdays before Christmas!!

NadaMoo! Ice Cream

Trying to make substitutions for dessert can sometimes be a challenge. I am not always in the mood for a cookie, which is what most alternative desserts are. Unfortunately, sometimes I just want a little bit of ice cream. If I had my choice in ice cream, it would be the one's that are extraordinarily bad for you, so I avoid them. However once in a while, I like to try different versions to see if there are any pseudo contenders (because how can you really replace ice cream?) I tried one made with rice milk and it was downright terrible! I saw NadaMoo! and decided to give it a try. I figured that coconut milk was a bit better than rice milk and I settled on "Gotta do Chocolate" because I was feeling chocolate on my tongue. This ice cream wasn't too sweet and had a nice ice cream like texture to it. The chocolate flavor was rich and dreamy, not fake tasting. I actually like the coconut milk flavor in the background. They have a few other flavors like vanilla, mmm....maple pecan, java crunch and lotta mint chip. I really wish they have a pumpkin flavor because I am definitely in the mood for all things pumpkin but I was definitely satisfied with this substitute. Let me know which one you try.

Amen Street Fish & Raw Bar

There's no better way to kick off the weekend and relax after a busy day of sightseeing than with some yummy cocktails and delicious appetizers. I think that one of the travel lessons that I learned on this trip is to talk to locals about where to go. They know the hidden gems and the new hot spots, so you can be sure that you are getting an authentic experience. Per someone's suggestion, we headed over to Amen Street Fish & Raw Bar. It was somewhat early in the evening, but the place was already fairly full so we grabbed a seat at the bar...which happened to be quite interesting as it was right by the chef shucking oysters. I ordered a "Flying the Coupe" drink, which was made with pear vodka, acai & pomegranate, lemon, Prosecco, and mint. It was a refreshing beverage that had a nice fruit flavor, but wasn't overly sweet. There was a lovely balance between the sweetness and tartness of the fruit.

Since this was a fish and raw bar, I figured that this was an appropriate place to try out the local seafood fare. With many delicious options, I finally settled on baked local oysters which were their version of Oysters Rockefeller. The oysters were topped with spinach, Tasso (a special type of ham), mousseline, and parmesan. Mousseline is a Hollandaise sauce that has whipped cream or beaten egg whites added to it. The cheese had a nice golden brown finish and the oyster seemed to soak up the flavors. It was a delicate dish that didn't overwhelm the palate and the mousseline gave it a fun frothy mouth feel. Though it wasn't apparent what each individual flavor was, everything melded together to create a yummy bite.

I rarely order dessert though I am not sure why because it is one of my favorite things. This time however, we did order a dessert to split - a chocolate terrine. This dense chocolate cake was something that you don't mess around with. It had an intense, but not overwhelmingly sweet chocolate flavor. It was topped with fresh berries and homemade whipped cream. It was served on a lemon sauce and drizzled with a raspberry coulis. I mean what better combination is there than chocolate, raspberry, and lemon. What was great about this dessert was how natural the sweetness was. It didn't taste like you were eating a bowl of sugar. If you are looking for a fun place to relax and enjoy the local cuisine or just grab a drink, Amen Street is a great place to visit.

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Tea

I love chocolate covered strawberries so when I got this tea strawberry chocolate flavor from The Republic of Tea I was very intrigued. I mean this isn't a usual flavor that you see and it could taste overly sweet and artificial. A chilly morning seemed like the perfect time to try this out. When I popped in the tea bag, a delicious aroma soon began rising out of the cup. This tea steeps for quite a while and it suggested to be served with a splash of milk. I didn't have that, so I tried it just as is. There was a fair amount of natural sweetness from the strawberry and it most definitely had a chocolate note in the background. It was surprising at how similar it tasted to the real thing. If you are looking for a different tea flavor or for something new, this is a great tea to try. It was a pleasant surprise for a chilly Monday morning.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Brownie Bars

It's obviously the onset of fall with all these pumpkin recipes that I have been posting about recently, but I can't seem to get enough of them. I would suggest keeping a can of pumpkin on hand at all times during this season...you never know when you will need it. Besides then you will avoid the rush of everyone wanting pumpkin closer to Thanksgiving and then finding out it is all gone when you get to the store. This recipe came from Pennies on a Platter via another one of my Pinterest sessions. I love the good old chocolate chip cookie, but throw in some pumpkin and what's not to love about that. I also have to say that this recipe literally takes no more than an hour from start to finish, including washing dishes. I know you are skeptical because there are lots of recipes that say that they only take 30 minutes, but what they really mean is 30 minutes of preparation time. I promise you these are beyond super simple and you probably have most of the ingredients on hand. The unique thing about these is that they have a subtle spice flavor because of the nutmeg and allspice. It works really well with the pumpkin and the chocolate adds the chocolate flavor that few can resist.

There are five steps to this process. Preheat oven and prepare pan. Mix wet ingredients. Mix dry ingredients. Mix the two together and add chocolate chips. Pour into the pan to bake. The wet ingredients are 1/2 cup of pumpkin, 1 egg, 2 egg whites, and 1 tbsp canola oil. The dry ingredients are 1 cup flour, 1 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp cocoa, 2/3 cups packed brown sugar, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp nutmeg, and 1/2 tsp allspice. Once all the ingredients are mixed together, add in the chocolate chips. The recipe calls for 1/2 cup, however, I don't think you can go wrong with too many, so I added more along the lines of 1 cup. The batter will be pretty easy to get into the parchment lined pan. The only issue I ran into was that I didn't have an 11 x 7 pan, so I used a 13 x 9 pan. This made them a little thinner then normal. I also made them in a 9 x 9 pan and found the 9 x 9 pan make thicker, cakier brownies. I guess it really just depends on what you want. Bake for 10-15 minutes and let them cool. Then slice and enjoy. Once you bite into them, you get the notes of spice and pumpkin and then the chocolate flavor. These are a great twist on a traditional chocolate chip cookie. Though mine didn't end up looking like the picture in the original recipe, they were very yummy. Since Halloween is just around the corner and these are pretty festive, I decided that I will be using these in my goodies bags this year. It will be something different from the usual store bought candy. So whip yourself up a batch of these and cozy up with your favorite book!

Take a Walk Down Butter Lane

There is something magical about a cupcake. I think it's because they come in so many different shapes, sizes, and flavors. During our travels, we decided to take a walk down to East Village to Butter Lane for one of their cupcake classes. We made three different cakes: vanilla, chocolate, and banana with six different icings: vanilla, raspberry, chocolate, peanut butter chocolate, cream cheese, and cinnamon cream cheese. Now I know that banana sounds weird (and I was skeptical at first too), but it was light and delicious. The teacher was really knowledgeable and made the process really easy. Though it helped that everything was measured out already, but it the cupcake process is really easy. The thing I found interesting was that the batter was mixed for a lot longer than I thought. I guess that's how they get the light and airy cake. The basic steps to making a cupcake start with creaming the butter and sugar together. While that's mixing you put together the dry ingredients which were flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the eggs one by one until they are fully incorporated. Then you mix in half the dry ingredients, all the buttermilk, and the other half of the flour mixture. I thought it was also interesting that we used buttermilk...Something I will have to try when I make these at home. Lastly, gently add the mashed banana and then it's time to go into the pan. *Side note: apparently the best way to mash a banana is with a paddle attachment in the mixer. We used an ice cream scoop which I have recently started using because it makes for much easy batter filling and more even cupcakes. They go into a 300 degree oven for 23 minutes and when they come out they are delicious.

While we were waiting for the cupcakes to bake, we started on the three basic icings. We were handling the cream cheese icing which only included butter, cream cheese, and confectioner's sugar. So, obviously not the most healthy, but then again icing isn't really healthy, but it was delicious. It wasn't overly sweet, didn't leave a film in your mouth, and was light and airy. Another interesting lesson I learned from the class was the best way to test if a cupcake is cool enough to ice is to test it on the inside of your wrist that way you avoid destroying the top of the cupcake. As they finished cooling, the teacher showed us how to make the other three icings. I guess I never really thought about making a few different ones. Butter Lane makes their cupcakes with as many fresh and local ingredients as they can. They make all their preserves in house and you can really taste the difference. When she was demonstrating how to do the chocolate peanut butter icing, she said you can't use organic peanut butter because it is too oily, which is good to know.

Next, we were shown the proper way to ice a Butter Lane cupcake. Interestingly enough, you take a dollop of icing and smooth it out on the side of the bowl. That gets all the air bubbles out and makes it easier to smooth into a ball. Once you have the small icing ball, you hold the spatula at a 45 degree angle and put the icing in the center and spread it out. Then for the finishing touch, you put an indentation in the middle and leave a little bit of the cake showing. You each get to take home a box of 9 cupcakes and get to eat a few while you are there, so this is definitely worth it. However, there was no way that we were going to eat 18 cupcakes in a day, so we gave them away but of course saved a few to try. If you get a chance, take the class because you get to make some new friends, learn how to make a few varieties of cupcakes, and you get some to go! There is really no losing in this situation. We had so much fun and really enjoyed Butter Lane!

Party Pretzels

It's that time again when it feels like everyone is getting engaged, which means that it's time for showers, luncheons, and a night out on the town. This time I am attending a wedding shower and was recruited to help make the party favors. We decided on chocolate dipped pretzel rods with sprinkles. The great things about these is that they aren't super hard to make (just a little bit time consuming) and they are colorful and cute. I mean most people tend to smile when they see things with sprinkles on it, right?! The hardest part about this recipe is melting the chocolate. Chocolate can be a little fickle as it can burn and harden or melt things. (And yes, I have had personal experience with this.) The best way to do it is to put about 1 cup to 1.5 cups in a glass microwavable container. Microwave it for 30 seconds and stir. Repeat and this time when you stir it may not look like it is all melted, but just keep stirring and you will find that the heat from the chocolate will melt itself. If necessary, you can repeat again for a third time.

After that it's pretty easy. Take the whole pretzel rod and use either a spoon or a knife to cover about 2/3 of the pretzel in chocolate. I found that a spoon worked best. Once you have a thin layer of chocolate on the pretzel, roll in sprinkles and place on a wax paper lined tray. The chocolate doesn't have to be perfect because I ended up covering it all with the sprinkles. If you are going to make some of the chocolate visible, make sure that you don't have any spots where the pretzels shows thru. If you aren't a fan of sprinkles, you can use nuts, coconut, or another kind of drizzle. Freeze for about an hour and then you are all set!

For the favor wrapping, we put two rods in a small cellophane bag and placed a label on the front of the bag and then taped it shut. These are simple favors that have a lot of color and pizazz and aren't really that expensive. It can also be a really fun gift or dessert for a party, so make sure to keep this recipe on hand. Chances are you will probably have the ingredients on hand, so it can also be just a fun snack. Try them out and then come back and let me know how you customized them!

Amsterdam's Twix

I love trying different types of chocolates and was so excited when I got to try some from Amsterdam. I tried a chocolate caramel waffle. I had no idea what to expect, but what I found was that it was similar to a Twix. There was a cookie center covered in caramel and then dipped in chocolate. The cookie center was much more flavorful than a Twix and the caramel didn't get stuck in your teeth. The chocolate wasn't too sweet and there was a nice cookie, caramel, chocolate ratio. Each bite was crunchy and sweet. To be honest Twix is not my favorite candy, but if this is was available here, then I would definitely be eating these more often!

Snap, Crackle, and Pop

I love the fall when pomegranates are in season, though I don't get them very often. Probably because it is a lot of work for not that much juice off the seeds. I like to see how people use the seeds in different recipes, so I was really excited when these dark chocolate covered pomegranate seeds came in the mail. I have never had anything but fresh pomegranate seeds, so I was interested to see what they would be like. The tiny little nuggets are smooth and sweet from the chocolate and then tart and crunchy. They are easy to eat, are an interesting texture combination, and have a unique flavor. If you have a chance to try, them you should because they are something out of the ordinary.

Buried Treasure

Dark chocolate seems to be a unique food item because it goes with some many different things and has a variety of flavors from sweet to bittersweet. It can be used in main courses and desserts, and no matter what you put it with I always seem to enjoy it. I don't usually like chocolate bars because they can be artificial tasting and somewhat boring. This one however, is none of the above. I was surprised to find that there were more little treats on the inside. First, I found raisins and I am a huge fan of chocolate covered raisins. The squishy texture of the raisin added depth and subtle fruitiness to the chocolate. After taking another bite, I was surprised to find I had bitten into a pecan. I can't think of another chocolate bar that has pecans in it, so that already sets this apart in my mind. The nuttiness of the pecan and its crunch factor paired well with the subtle raisin flavor in the background. I loved getting to have lots of flavors and textures in each bite, taking this chocolate bar from ordinary to extraordinary! Be sure to try this because it is a combination you don't want to miss. I could eat a chocolate bar like this any day. Let me know what other chocolate bars have really wowed you and unwrap a piece for yourself today!

I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream... For Ice Cream!

After a hard day at work and the intense Houston heat, the best way to escape is with a scoop of cool and decadent ice cream... especially chocolate since it is National Chocolate Ice Cream Day! I am probably some kind of anomaly in that I really don't like plain chocolate ice cream. However, if you throw in some caramel, nuts, or strawberries then count me in. Usually, I will end up picking a vanilla based ice cream, but on occasion I will have the urge for chocolate. So do I choose? Simple, Rocky Road. The combination is everything you want with crunchy, salty nuts and smooth ribbons of marshmallow running through the ice cream. Sometimes as a bonus there will be extra chocolate chunks thrown in. My favorite is the Haagen Dazs version because it isn't overly sweet and there is a good ratio between the ice cream and add ins. I have had my fair share of ice cream where you can't even tell that it's not just plain chocolate ice cream and that's just a let down. I would have to say that in the overall ice cream category, Haagen Dazs and the crazy flavors of Ben & Jerry's are usually the only ones I eat. Some might call me an ice cream snob, but if I am going to eat the calories, then I want it to be totally worth it!

Comment with you favorite chocolate flavor or other favorite ice cream flavor or brand. I am always up for trying new flavors because you never know what you'll get. 

Satisfying Sweets

I love sweet things, however, my waistline does not especially since it's summer. So, I have taken on this challenge and am always on the quest to see if there is anything out there that will truly satisfy my sweet tooth without all the calories. While walking in the grocery store, I found these yummies. The best part about them is that they are only 120 calories and taste like real chocolate! These are clusters of crispy rice pieces covered in milk or dark chocolate. They come in individual packets and contain enough little clusters to actually feel like I am eating a legit dessert. You can choose from a variety of crisps or frozen ice cream treats as well. Though I haven't tried those yet, they are definitely on my list. Now I can eat something real, not feel super guilty about eating them and my waistline will thank me. If you have any other go to semi-healthy sweets, feel free to let me know!