Tag Archive for: Chocolate

Sometimes You Just Need Chocolate

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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:

2 cups white sugar
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water
 3/4 cup butter
1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
5 1/3 cups confectioners’ sugar
2/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour two 9 inch cake pans.
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.

Pecan Shortbread with Chocolate Drizzle

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We just spent a wonderful long weekend up in Western North Carolina with friends, and the leaves could not have been better.  We sat by the fire, we hiked, and we ate a ton.  I hated for it to end. Here is a picture from on of our hikes from the top of Hawksbill.  The weekend definitely got me in the mood for fall recipes, and while searching for some today, I came across this tasty number on www.delish.com for pecan shortbread with chocolate drizzle.  What a great combo- I can’t wait to try it.

Pecan Shortbread with Chocolate Drizzle

Ingredients:

3/4 cup(s) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup(s) pecan flour , or 1/2 cup whole pecans, finely ground
1/4 cup(s) sugar
1/8 teaspoon(s) cinnamon
Large pinch of salt
1 stick(s) unsalted butter, cold, cut into small cubes
1 large egg yolk
8 pecan halves
2 ounce(s) bittersweet chocolate, chopped and melted

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a large rimmed baking sheet. In a medium bowl, stir the all-purpose and pecan flours with the sugar, cinnamon and salt. Using a pastry cutter or your fingers, cut in the butter until the mixture resembles fine cornmeal. Add the egg yolk and blend it in with a fork. Lightly knead the shortbread dough until it is smooth.
Transfer the shortbread dough to the prepared baking sheet and flatten it into a 6-inch round. Refrigerate the dough until it is well chilled, about 20 minutes.
Using the blunt side of a knife, score the dough into 8 wedges. Lightly press a pecan into the wide end of each wedge. Bake for about 35 minutes, until the shortbread is browned around the edge. While the shortbread is still warm, cut it into wedges with a serrated knife. Let the shortbread cool to room temperature, then drizzle with the chocolate and serve.