Sometimes You Just Need Chocolate
When it is someone’s birthday at the Library Society where I work, we all sign a card and pretend that it is not their birthday until about 12:30 when we assemble for cake and then finally say happy birthday to said person. It is kind of funny since there are only about 8 of us who work here, so we all know what is going on. But despite our quirky birthday traditions, we are all excited because we get cake. It is Susan’s birthday today, and we had chocolate cake. It was just a regular store bought small birthday cake, but maybe because I have been fighting a cold, or maybe because it is Wednesday, it was just delicious. Sometimes you just need chocolate. Here is a great recipe for a very decadent chocolate cake that will satisfy all of your chocolate needs!
Extreme Chocolate Cake
Ingredients:
Directions:
Use the first set of ingredients to make the cake. In a medium bowl, stir together the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add the eggs, milk, oil and vanilla, mix for 3 minutes with an electric mixer. Stir in the boiling water by hand. Pour evenly into the two prepared pans.
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes in the preheated oven, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to cool completely.
To make the frosting, use the second set of ingredients. Cream butter until light and fluffy. Stir in the cocoa and confectioners’ sugar alternately with the milk and vanilla. Beat to a spreading consistency.
Split the layers of cooled cake horizontally, cover the top of each layer with frosting, then stack them onto a serving plate. Frost the outside of the cake.
We are on day 6 with the 5 kids, and I can’t believe how smoothly it is going. Don’t get me wrong, I am exhausted, but so far, they are all alive, do not seem sleep deprived or malnourished and in general are pretty happy. I could totally handle this every day- no, no I could not. Last night, because of everyone’s crazy schedule, was the first night that the seven of us all had dinner together at the same time. Spaghetti and meatballs was definitely the easiest thing to feed that many mouths, and I made cheesy garlic bread and green beans to go along with it. The garlic bread was a hit. I got to “take and bake” loaves of french bread from the grocery store, mashed up some garlic, added some butter and mozzarella cheese and they devoured it. I felt like the best cook in the world. Cheese makes everything better!
One of the easiest and best breakfasts is to make a German pancake. First they are delicious, second they poof which is fun to watch at any age, but especially for kids (I am talking really poofy if you are lucky), and third you can serve it with anything- fruit, syrup, powdered sugar, nutella etc. We did try to make one once when we were up in the mountains, and the altitude was a problem and the pancake did not poof which was rather disappointing. However- if you are not way up in the mountains, this is a fun tasty breakfast idea.
For some reason this year, I don’t feel like Valentine’s Day has been hyped or celebrated (at least in my family) at all. Maybe it is because of yet another fake snow storm that closed schools and bridges Wednesday and Thursday. Maybe it is because Corby’s birthday is this weekend, and I am focused more on that. Really, I think it is because Walker’s class did not have a Valentine’s Day party, and so we did not make Valentine’s for his classmates. He did insist on wearing a pink tie to dancing school on Wednesday night though which was pretty cute. Anyway, it doesn’t really feel like Valentine’s Day to me especially since we are celebrating Corby’s birthday with my parents tonight with take out and the new season of House of Cards (so ridiculously excited to watch it). So, to get in the Valentine’s Day mood, I thought I would try making some chocolate fudge this afternoon as a little Valentine’s Day treat (granted it won’t actually be eaten on Valentine’s Day as the recipe calls for it to sit overnight, but better late than never). This recipe looks delicious,and I can’t wait to try it!
As this is a baking blog, I am not sure if I have mentioned my preferences in alcohol. I like beer. Light beer. Ultra-light beer. That’s about it. I will occasionally drink red wine and perhaps a glass of champagne, but I have never enjoyed liquor. I, of course, tried shots of liquor in college when that seemed like a fun thing to do, but now on the very rare occasion that I am offered a shot of something, I generally turn it down because I do not like the taste of liquor at all. This little strawberry recipe however, I can get involved with, and it is a really cute idea for a Valentine’s Day cocktail party treat.
Tomorrow morning I am running my first ever race, the Folly Beach “Save the Lighthouse” half-marathon. Here is a picture of the lighthouse- who wouldn’t want to save that! I am getting fairly nervous as it has been snowing and icing since Tuesday, which means that I have not gone for a run since Monday, which actually is not really a big deal- more to the point, I am nervous about running and being able to complete 13.1 miles without crawling/crying across the finish line. I have been googling all morning race day preparations, and a lot of websites and blogs suggest eating a banana and some toast for breakfast pre race. Well, that is not much of a recipe so I thought I would share a great banana bread recipe instead, and while I will not eat this tomorrow morning, I will look forward to it on Sunday morning- if I can actually get out of bed. Will keep you posted on how the race goes- wish me luck!
It is supposed to snow in Charleston tomorrow. People are initiating emergency guidelines. We are preparing for total shut down for the forecasted one inch of snow. I haven’t heard anything yet about potential school closings, but I am getting prepared to have a rambunctious 10 year old home from school either tomorrow or Wednesday. And what better way to spend the day than making soft pretzels! My only concern about this is it being so cold in the house that the dough won’t rise properly, but I will keep you posted on that when we make them. This is a picture from a long weekend up in the mountains last February- I seriously doubt that we will get anywhere near that much snow- but the kiddos sure did have fun!
This past Saturday, we were invited to a friend’s house for a chocolate-making lesson, which might be the best kind of lesson ever. Chefs Mark Gray and David Vagasky have started Cacao’s Artisan Chocolate in Charleston (
Walker was at the other end of the counter, right by the chefs, and much to his delight and my half-hearted dismay, he ate his weight in samples. At one point, Chef Gray gave him a piece and said, “It will melt in your mouth.” Walker ate the piece, and with delighted surprise, he exclaimed, “It melted in my mouth, it really melted in my mouth- right then!”