My Favorite Chocolate Cake (and the Chocolate Peanut-butter Cake variation)

From Cook’s Illustrated (#79, March/April 2006)

Once you make this chocolate cake one time, you’ll realize how easy it is to make a fresh, homemade, not from a box delicious chocolate cake that has such good chocolate flavor that… well… you may be ruined like I am and never want to go back to a box again.

 

Ingredients:

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, very soft
1 3/4 cups (8 3/4 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup (3/4 ounce) Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1/2 cup hot water
1 3/4 cups (12 1/4 ounces) sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon table salt
1 cup buttermilk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 large eggs, plus 2 large egg yolks

 

You will also need:

1 tablespoon butter for greasing pans
1/8 – 1/4 cup flour for dusting pans
Baking pan (1 – 9x13, 2 or 3 9-inch round)
Stand mixer (whisk and paddle attachments needed)
Double boiler set-up (or small sauce pan and heat-proof bowl)
Extra bowls
Scraper/spatula

 

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 F.  Grease pan(s) with butter and dust with flour.

Combine chocolate, cocoa powder and hot water in heat-proof bowl & set over sauce pan containing 1 inch of simmering water.  Stir with rubber spatula until chocolate is melted.  (This mixture will be very thick and dull.)  Add 1/2 cup sugar and stir until a little more fluid and glossy.  Remove bowl from heat and set aside to cool.

Whisk flour, baking soda and salt in medium bowl. 

Combine buttermilk and vanilla in a separate bowl. 

In the bowl of a stand mixer with whisk attachment, whisk eggs and yolks on medium-low speed until combined (about 10 seconds).  Add remaining 1 1/4 cups sugar and increase the speed to high and whisk until fluffy and lightened in color. (Not the same fluffy as when you cream sugar/shortening.  I would describe it as aerated and thick such that you can see the lines that the whisk leaves as it runs.)  Remove whisk and attach paddle.  Add the cooled chocolate mixture to egg/sugar mixture and mix on medium until thoroughly combined, pausing to scrape down the sides of bowl with rubber spatula if needed. 

Add softened butter one tablespoon at a time, mixing about 10 seconds after each addition.  (You will see some very small pieces of butter in the batter.  They will not completely incorporate.)  Add about 1/3 of the flour mixture and 1/2 of the buttermilk mixture, mixing until incorporated.  Repeat using half of remaining flour and all of remaining buttermilk mixture.  Scrape down sides of bowl and add remaining flour mixture; mix at medium-low speed until batter is thoroughly combined, about 15 seconds.  remove bowl from mixer and fold batter once or twice with rubber spatula to incorporate any remaining flour.  Divide batter evenly between prepared cake pans; smooth batter to edges of pan with spatula.

Bake cakes until toothpick inserted into center comes out with a few crumbs attached, 25-30 minutes.  Cool cakes in pans 15 minutes then invert onto wire rack.  Cool cakes to room temperature before frosting and you may even consider freezing for about 30 minutes before frosting.

 

Suggested uses:

Double Layer Birthday Cake: Decorate using Marshmallow Fondant or other frosting options. 

Chocolate Peanut-butter Cake (as seen on Smitten Kitchen):  Make a 3-layer chocolate cake.  Freeze the layers for 30 minutes – 1 hour before frosting.  Frost using  Peanut-butter Frosting between layers and on top and sides of cake.  Refrigerate at least 30 minutes.  Top with Chocolate/Peanut-butter Glaze by pouring (while warm) on top of cake (while cold) and spreading with off-set spatula so that it drips down the sides.  Refrigerate to set the frosting and glaze well.  Cut while cold and dip knife in water between cuts to keep the glaze from sliding around on you.

Peanut Butter Frosting

10 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, room temperature
5 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
2/3 cup smooth peanut butter, preferably a commercial brand (because oil doesn’t separate out)

In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy. Gradually add confectioners’ sugar 1 cup at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl often. Continue to beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes.  Add peanut butter and beat until thoroughly blended.

Chocolate/Peanut-butter Glaze

8 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons smooth peanut butter
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/2 cup half-and-half

In the top of double boiler or in a heat-proof bowl set over a sauce pan with 1 inch of simmering water (use the same set-up as for the cake), combine the chocolate, peanut butter, and corn syrup. Cook, whisking often, until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth.  (You can always start this process in the microwave by cooking for about 30 seconds to get things started.  Once melted, it will be thick and dull.)  Remove from the heat and whisk in the half-and-half, beating until smooth and shiny. Use while still warm.

 

(Please excuse the picture quality.  All I had handy was my phone.)

Mocha Madness Ice Cream

from the King Arthur Flour website and blog

You may notice that there are not any pictures… it didn’t last long enough for me to take any.  There are some posted over on the King Arthur Flour site if you’re interested.  They also include some instructions for if you don’t have an ice cream maker.

 

Ingredients:

1 cup cold whole milk
3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons espresso powder
2 tablespoons dark or Dutch-process cocoa powder (sifted to remove lumps)
2 cups cold heavy/whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
8 chocolate filled Oreo cookies, broken into small pieces

 

You will also need:

Stand mixer with whisk attachment or bowl and whisk
Ice cream freezer
Freezer safe plastic canister or container

 

Method:

Either with a stand mixer with whisk attachment or with a bowl and whisk in hand, mix together the milk, sugar, espresso powder and cocoa.  The sugar should be dissolved, the espresso powder should be fully incorporated and there may be just a little cocoa powder that is still floating on top.  Mix in the heavy cream and vanilla and whisk until a little frothy and everything is fully incorporated.

Freeze in ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions.

Once it has reached “soft serve” consistency, add in the Oreo pieces and allow to mix until evenly distributed.  Immediately transfer to a freezer safe container (I like to use a plastic canister) and freeze for a minimum of 2-3 hours or overnight.

Eat.

Attend Mocha Madness Anonymous meeting.

Repeat.

Sweet Cherry Cobbler

Inspired by a combination of a Cook’s Illustrated recipe for Cherry Pie and the Cherry Cobbler recipe in my William’s Sonoma Essentials of Baking cookbook

You can see my original post on my main blog here.

Most cherry pie/cobbler recipes are designed for sour or tart cherries which break down and release their juices easier than sweet cherries. A sweet cherry pie recipe from Cook’s Illustrated accounted for the smaller amount of juice released by sweet cherries in the cooking process by adding plum puree. After having tried the pie recipe, I decided to incorporate a few of the ingredients and techniques used to make a better cobbler. A cobbler full of flavor and juicy goodness.

And make a better cobbler it did.

Ingredients:

Filling:
6 cups sweet (i.e. Bing) cherries, stems removed and pitted
2 small red plums, pits removed
3 tablespoons sugar
¼ teaspoon table salt
1 ¾ tablespoons granulated tapioca
1 tablespoon lemon juice
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Cobbler topping:
1 ½ cups all purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
½ teaspoon table salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
6 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
2/3 cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon sugar mixed with ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

You will also need:

Food processor or blender
Fine mesh strainer
Several bowls
Baking dish (I use a round 11” baking dish with sides 2” high)
Whisk
Rubber spatula/spoonula
Spring loaded scoop (ice cream scoop)

Method:

For the filling: Place the pitted plums (with skins) and about ½ cup of the pitted cherries in the food processor. Process about 1 minute, scraping down the sides as needed. Strain the purée through a fine mesh strainer into a large bowl, pressing on the solids to remove all the juice. Discard the solids. To the purée, add the sugar, salt, lemon juice, cinnamon and tapioca; stir to combine.

Take ½ cup – 1 cup of the pitted cherries and cut them in half then place all the cherries in the purée mixture. Stir to coat the cherries completely and let stand for 10-15 minutes.

Preheat your oven to 375ºF.

Place the cherry mixture in the baking dish; bake for 10 minutes while you prepare the topping.

For the topping: Combine the buttermilk and vanilla and set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon. Work the small pieces of butter into the flour mixture with your fingers until it resembles coarse crumbs. Pour the buttermilk/vanilla mixture into the flour mixture; fold and stir together with a rubber spatula just until the flour is completely and evenly moistened. It will be a soft, sticky and thick dough.

Remove the fruit from the oven and scatter spoonfuls (from your spring-loaded scoop) of the dough all over the top of the fruit. It should not cover completely as the dough will spread as it cooks. Sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar evenly over the top.

Return the cobbler to the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes. The cherry filling will be bubbling and the topping browned (a toothpick should come out clean).

Cool for 15 minutes on a wire rack.

Serve warm with ice cream.

Eat.

Repeat.

Fried Green Tomatoes

Panko breadcrumbs give these fried green tomatoes a nice crunch while the salty flavor of the parmesan balances the tart of the tomatoes themselves very nicely.

Ingredients:

2 large green tomatoes
1 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
1/3 cup panko bread crumbs
5 tablespoons shredded parmesan cheese
1/3-1/2 cup all purpose flour
Salt and pepper to taste
Peanut oil

You will also need:

Large cast iron or other heavy skillet/frying pan
Tongs

Method:

Slice the tomatoes into about 1/2 inch slices. Place in a bowl and cover with buttermilk. Let stand at room temperature while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

Place flour in a shallow container and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Combine panko breadcrumbs, italian breadcrumbs and shredded parmesan in a shallow container. Combine well and also season to taste with salt and pepper.

Bring about 1 inch of oil up to about 350-375 degrees F.

Dredge the buttermilk soaked tomato slices through the flour, back into the buttermilk, then coat with the breadcrumb/parmesan mixture. Fry until golden brown, turning once and being careful to not knock off the breading.

Allow to cool slightly and enjoy!

Soak the green tomato slices in the buttermilk.

Once you’re ready to fry, dredge the slices through flour, dip back in the buttermilk, coat with panko breadcrumb/parmesan mixture, then place in the hot oil until golden brown.

Cupcake Cream Filling

I’ve tried a few cream filling recipes, but this one that I discovered over at Evil Shenanigans takes the cake…. or fills it.

 

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons hot water
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 – 7 ounce jar marshmallow cream
1/2 cup shortening
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

 

Method:

Dissolve salt in hot water.  Whisk marshmallow cream, shortening, powdered sugar & vanilla with stand mixer until fluffy.  Whisk in salt water until incorporated & fluffy. 

Use a pastry bag fitted with a decorating tip poke a hole down into the cupcake and fill until a little peeks out the top.

One batch fills approximately 3 dozen cupcakes.

Chocolate Cupcakes

adapted from Cook’s Illustrated

 

Cupcakes have become quite a trendy thing among adults and there has been an effort to find more adult flavors for cupcakes in the last year or two.   The original recipe from Cook’s Illustrated that I used for this recipe is for Dark Chocolate Cupcakes.  While I thought they were good as a more adult flavor, the dark chocolate flavor was a little too dark for the kids in my family.  And let’s be honest, for most of us, when we make cupcakes, it’s for the kids.  So I traded out the unsweetened chocolate for semi-sweet and the Dutch Processed or dark cocoa powder for regular cocoa powder.  The result was a chocolate cupcake with a good chocolate flavor that was pleasing to the general kid population and adults alike.

By the Cook’s Illustrated’s recipe, this makes exactly 12 cupcakes.  By my experience, however, if you take all the batter and divide it among 12 cupcake cups, you will have mushroom shaped cupcakes that are neither pleasing to look at nor are they easy to frost.  In my experience, this recipe makes an odd 13 cupcakes.  SO, if you have a way to make 13.  Or make 12 and you will have a bit of batter left over.  Regardless, I highly discourage using all the batter in 12 cups.  I’ve done it.  It’s not pretty.

Ingredients:

8 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
1/2 cup cocoa powder (1 1/2 ounces)
3/4 cup all purpose flour (3 3/4 ounces)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
2 large eggs
3/4 cup granulated sugar (5 1/4 ounces)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sour cream

 

You will also need:

Heat-proof bowl
Sauce pan
Mixing bowl
Cupcake pans
Paper cupcake baking cups

 

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine butter, chocolate and cocoa powder in heat-proof bowl and set over a small amount of barely simmering water in a sauce pan and allow to fully melt and combine until smooth.  (To quicken the process, you can melt the butter in the microwave and pour it over the chocolate and cocoa to begin the melting process sooner.)  Once melted, set it aside to cool for a few minutes until just warm to the touch.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and baking powder and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk eggs until smooth.  Add sugar, vanilla and salt and whisk until fully combined and smooth.  Add cooled chocolate mixture and whisk until combined.  Sift in 1/3 of the flour mixture and whisk to combine.  Whisk in sour cream then sift remaining flour mixture over and whisk until batter is homogenous and thick.

Using a large scoop, place 1 just over-full scoop into each cupcake liner.  The recipe makes 13, so if you only have room for 12 cupcakes, you will have a bit left over.

Bake 18-20 minutes at 350 degrees F.

Allow to completely cool before filling and/or frosting.

~~~~~~~~~~

Melt your chocolate and butter until smooth.

Whisk the eggs, then whisk in the sugar, salt & vanilla.

Whisk in the melted chocolate and then the flour and sour cream until thick and homogeneous.

 

Fill your spring loaded scoop until just over-full.

Believe it or not, it makes 13 cupcakes.  If you try to divide the batter between only twelve cups, they run over the tops they look like this….

when they should look like this…

Spicy Stuffed Shells

As submitted for the Ro*Tel Across America Recipe Contest
(I didn’t make the top 10, but I was one of the 10 runners-up.  Not bad, if I do say so myself.)

Ingredients:

12 ounces andouille sausage
6 ounces (approximately) jumbo pasta shells (about half of a box)
4 ounces monterrey jack cheese (shredded)
4 ounces goat cheese
½ cup roasted red pepper (chopped)
1 ear sweet corn, roasted, removed from cob (about ½ cup)
1 cup chopped fresh baby spinach
1 egg
¼ cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
1 can Ro*Tel tomatoes & green chiles
Olive oil as needed
Kosher salt as needed

 

You will also need:

Indoor or outdoor grill
Large pot
Skillet
Several small bowls
1 large bowl
Large rubber spatula or spoon
1 baking dish
Aluminum foil

 

Method:

Rub corn with olive oil (or butter) and place on indoor or outdoor grill over medium high to high heat. Grill while turning occasionally to get all sides just slightly charred (while doing other things). Set aside to cool slightly. Once cool enough to handle, remove corn from cob by holding the cob up on end and slicing downward with a sharp knife and pressing against the cob with the knife. Transfer corn to a bowl and set aside.

Put a pot of water on to boil. Add several good pinches of kosher salt. Once boiling add pasta and boil for approximately 8 minutes. Drain and allow to cool.

Cut andouille sausage into pieces by quartering lengthwise then slicing into ¼ to ½ inch thick pieces. Place just a little olive oil in a skillet and set over medium high heat. Once hot, add sausage pieces and reduce heat to medium. Allow the sausage to not only brown but also cook out some of the fat. Once browned, remove to a paper towel lined bowl to absorb some of the grease. Set aside.

Chop up roasted red peppers and baby spinach place in bowls and set aside. Lightly whisk egg in a separate bowl and set aside.

In a large bowl add sausage, peppers, spinach, corn, bread crumbs, egg and both the Monterrey Jack and goat cheeses. Using a large spatula or spoon, mix all ingredients until all are evenly distributed.

By hand, stuff each shell until full but not over-flowing and place in a baking dish. Top the shells with 1 can of Ro*Tel tomatoes. Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake for an additional 10 minutes.

~~~

Rub down your corn with some butter or oil and grill, turning occasionally, until there is some browning on each side.

  

Cut up the andouille sausage into small pieces by quartering lengthwise and slicing into 1/4 inch slices.  Cook in a skillet over medium high heat until lightly browned.

  

In a large bowl, combine sausage, cheeses, corn (removed from the cob), roasted red peppers, spinach, egg and bread crumbs and mix together until all ingredients are evenly distributed.

 

By hand, fill each cooked shell.

Top the shells with the Ro*Tel tomatoes and chilies and bake at 350 F covered for 20 minutes, then uncovered for another 10 minutes.

Enjoy!