Chocolate Orange Biscotti
December 9, 2010 at 9:29 pm | Posted in baking, Cookies, dessert, Food, Holiday cooking, Home Decorating, Italian food, my life, photography, Recipes | 5 CommentsTags: angelnina, baking, biscotti, Bon Appetit, Christmas, Christmas Cookies, cookies, epicurious, Food, holiday, Italian American, Italian cookies, orange chocolate, orange chocolate biscotti, photography, recipe
Oh my goodness, it’s almost Christmas. I am not as prepared as I’d like to be, because Mother Nature decided this is as good a time as any to send the Mother of All Life Changes and give me the gift of, a somewhat early, menopause! (As if dealing with a spinal nerve cyst and surgery wasn’t enough in one year!)
I think the Universe gives me more credit than I deserve, by thinking I can handle so many changes at once. Oh well, it is what it is and life is too precious to whine and complain (not that I haven’t), so now you know why I’ve been absent for so long, and I thank those of you who have missed me and expressed it in email or by phone.
I haven’t been doing a whole lot of cooking or baking. My husband has been forced to learn to cook, and I must say, he is doing quite well. As a matter of fact, I’m feeling a bit threatened by his ability to make spaghetti sauce that tastes so much like mine. It’s a good thing I didn’t tell him how to make the cassata. That cassata recipe is going with me to my grave. 
Life is a mystery, kind of like the box of chocolate Forrest Gump talked about. It’s also like trying a new recipe. Sometimes you get a prize winning dish, sometimes it’s mediocre, and other times it’s an absolute disaster. That pretty much sums up my year. The thing to remember, is when you get the disaster, you must never forget that a prize day is sure to follow. It always does. Always.
Speaking of a prize–I found an amazing recipe for biscotti, on Epicurious.com. I made a few changes, and now I have the best biscotti I’ve ever made in my life! I want to share the recipe, and the changes I made, with all of you.
Chocolate-Orange Biscotti RECIPE
Click on link above for recipe.
The following are my ingredient changes:
I added 2 Tbsp coarsely grated orange zest, instead of 1 Tbsp
3 Tbsp Orange Contreau- instead of 2 Tbsp Orange Liqueur
1/2 tsp orange extract
6 ounces Chocolate Chunks (60%), instead of bittersweet chocolate
Angelnina’s NOTES:
I do not like my biscotti rock hard. I baked the first baking for 20-25 minutes and the second baking about 15 minutes. My family prefers them lightly toasted on the outside, but still tender.
Bon Appetit hit the jackpot with this recipe!
I love how pretty the dough looks with the orange zest, chocolate, and pecans!
Pre-shaped dough ready for first bake
After first bake
The flavors of this cookie take me back to when I was a child, visiting my Italian grandparents in upstate New York. Orange and chocolate in a cookie, is like a bit of heaven, or nirvana, or whatever blissful place you wish to visit!
Happy baking and Happy holidays!
Italian Cookies~ Vintage Ware~My Life as a Vagabond (repeat blog)
November 24, 2010 at 2:18 pm | Posted in baking, Food, My Dysfunctional family | 7 CommentsTags: baking, cookies, Italian cookies, Recipes, vintage
I am a cookie fanatic! This past week, I decided I wanted to bake a few of the Italian cookies I had eaten when I was a child in upstate New York.
As I’ve said before, “Cooking with Grace”, is one of my favorite Italian cookbooks because her recipes are so similar to the Italian American foods I remember my great Grandma Defranco serving. I decided to attempt a few of her cookie recipes, and I’m so happy I did!
Millie’s Orange Drop Cookies
Biscotti all’Arancia
For the cookie dough:
1/2 c unsalted butter
1/2 cup sugar
3 c unbleached all-purpose flour
5 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 c whole milk
2 large eggs
1 Tbso grated orange zest
1 tsp orange extract (I used a good extract and added a few drops of orange liquer)
For the Frosting:
1 1/2 c confectioner’s sugar
4-5 Tbsp evaporated milk
1 tsp orange extract
Prepare oven with one rack on bottom shelf and the other on second from the top shelf.
Preheat to 350 degrees. Line 3 cookie sheets with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, cream butter and sugar with electric mixer. In another bowl, sift flour with baking powder and salt; set aside.
Pour milk into glass measuring cup and heat in microwave to warm (30 seconds). Add eggs and orange rind and extract to the measuring cup and mix with a fork. Add the milk mixture to the creamed butter-sugar-mixture and beat for one minute with mixer.
With mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture about 1/2 cup at a time until mixture is used.
Drop dough by rounded teaspoonsfuls onto parchment paper lined cookie sheets, leaving 1″ space around each cookie.
Bake the first sheet for 8 minutes on the bottom rack; then transfer it to the upper rack and continue baking for 7 minutes. When you transfer the first sheet to the top, place a second sheet on the bottom rack, continuing to bake each sheet on the bottom rack for 8 minutes on the bottom rack and 7-8 minutes on the upper rack. Remove the cookies from the oven as they turn golden. Cool for 2 minutes on cookies sheets, then place on wire racks to cool completely before frosting.
To Frost:
Combine confectioner’s sugar, milk, and orange extract–stir until dissolved.
use your index finger like a paint brush to frost each cookie on all sides, including the bottoms, and set them on a rack to dry. Be sure to cover in the glaze frosting to seal them–that way the glaze holds in the moisture.
Store in an air tight container up to one week or freeze them in a heavy duty freezer bag for up to three months. Try to remove as much air as possible from the freezer bag before sealing. You may opt to frost the frozen cookies after you’ve defrosted them rather than before.
These are perfect with a cup of coffee or hot tea. A little reminiscent of a scone–only a bit more sweet.
My second batch of cookies are called:
Chocolate Spice Cookies
Biscotti Speziati al Cioccolato
I’m too tired to print out the entire recipe, but if you love Italian American food, I really encourage you to get your hands on this book. The darker cookies in the first photo are the Chocolate SPice Cookies. They aren’t particularly chocolate tasting–more spice. I’m still searching for the ones I had as a kid which I remember as tasting more like chocolate.
I have not tried the following recipes but they’re pretty close to what I made. Grace’s book called for currants–I didn’t add them, I did however add chopped pecans. I used a vanilla powdered sugar glaze rather than the cocoa glazes here. You really need to cover the entire cookie with the glaze to keep them nice and moist.
These cookies are a cake like cookie.
TOTAL: $1.80
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Spanakopita and Gardening in April/May
May 2, 2010 at 6:48 pm | Posted in baking, cooking, Flexitarian, Food, gardening, photography, Recipes, Vegetarian | 9 CommentsTags: angelnina, angelnina's cottage, baking, cooking, ethnic, flowers, Food, gardening, gnome, Greek food, photography, phyllo, recipe, spanakopita, spanokopita, spinach, spinach pie, tulip, vegetable garden, Vegetarian
Spanakopita or Spinach Pie
Adapted from a recipe posted online–years ago–by Jack Roemer
14 Phyllo Pastry sheets
2 cloves garlic, crushed
4 Tbsp olive oil + 4 Tbsp melted butter
spray olive oil
40 ounces frozen spinach, chopped OR 2 – 16oz pack
1/2 cup chopped fresh Italian(flat leaf) parsley
1/4 cup chopped sweet onion
3 Tbsp fresh chopped dill
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 cup cottage cheese –I use lowfat
1 egg
6 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
a light sprinkling of white wine vinegar- approx 2 tsp
Instructions:
Thaw and drain the 2- 16oz packages of spinach.
Crush the garlic and drop into the olive oil and butter. Set aside.
To make the filling, squeeze the spinach between your hands to remove most of
the liquid. Place in a bowl or in a food processor. Add the parsley, onions,
dill, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Stir in the cottage cheese, egg and
feta. –NOTE- I do it all in the processor except for the feta. — Combine well. Lightly coat a 9 x 13 inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
Lay one sheet of phyllo in the bottom of the dish and drape the edges overthe
sides of the dish. Spray lightly with cooking spray and cover with another sheet of phyllo dough. Brush that sheet with the garlic-olive oil mixture.
Layer a total of four sheets, coating each alternately with nonstick cooking spray and olive oil. Spread half the filling over the prepared phyllo dough. Lay another sheet of dough over the filling and coat lightly with cooking spray. Lay down another sheet and lightly coat with olive oil mixture. Continue alternating spray and olive oil for a total of four
sheets. Layer remaining spinach filling on dough. Sprinkle on the vinegar-as evenly as possible.
Continue layering phyllo dough over the filling, spraying the first sheet and alternately brushing with olive oil and spraying subsequent sheets. The last layer has 6 sheets.
When finished, brush the surface with olive oil mixture and roll the edges of the doughin ward to create an attractive rim around the outside. Score the surface with a sharp knife into 12 portions.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Bake for 40 minutes until golden. I turn on the broiler at this point for 1-2 minutes (keep pan in center of oven) WATCH IT, or you will burn the top layer! Allow to cool 10 minutes before serving. Makes 12 portions.
Test kitchen notes: Phyllo means “leaf” in Greek. The dough is usually available in the frozen food section of most supermarkets or in Greek or Middle Eastern markets. For best results, allow dough to defrost overnight in the refrigerator. Keep it covered with wax paper and a damp towel while making pie.
The Gardens in April and Early May
I’ve decided to post my gardens once a month. I want to document the stages of growth.
This is the time of year I start to get excited about gardening. I love my flowers, but I especially love the vegetable and herb gardens.
That said, I planted an assortment of flowers from seed this year. I rarely do this, but my cousin , MaryAnne, who lives in upstate New York, sent me seeds from her own flower gardens and a packet of Honey Bear Sunflower seeds, which means I might have a new passion. I’ll post on those as soon as the seeds germinate.
The terracotta pot above is my husband’s great find. It is from Mexico, and I thought a few coral colored begonias, double pink impatiens, along with a few chicks from my Hens and Chicks plants, would look lovely in this pot.
The portable greenhouse is filled with starts and seedlings:
Tomatoes, cucumbers, pumpkins, artichoke, basil, and squash are waiting to go under the cloche of the front gardens.
Flowering seeds are in their little seed pots too.
As you can see, the backyard garden has plenty of cool weather plants:
lettuce, radish, beets, onions, spicy mixed lettuces, carrots, broccoli, and several herbs.
Dark Chocolate Bundt Cake w/ Faux Ganache~ My dog’s birthday party cake!
April 21, 2010 at 9:07 am | Posted in baking, Cakes, dessert, Desserts, Family Fun, Food, Giovanni the Yorkie, photography, Recipes, Uncategorized | 7 CommentsTags: baking, birthday party, cake, chocolate, chocolate bundt cake, chocolate cake, cooking, dog, dog party, Food, low fat choclate glaze, low fat ganache, pet party, recipe, yorkie
I’ve been out of commission for a while. Back surgery. Needless to say, before my surgery I was a bit stressed. Rather than lie around and worry about the outcome, I decided to do something cheerful. My little dog, Giovanni, turned 6 years old on March 1st. What better way to cheer myself than to throw a party?
Yes, I know I’m running the risk of being labeled “Crazy Dog Lady”. I’ve been called worse names than that, so I set out to give Giovanni a party. I invited a few close girlfriends and family members.
I baked a chocolate bundt cake, and Mark made a huge pot of his famous Turkey Chili.
Giovanni’s party invitation was posted on Face Book because everybody seems to check their Face Book page more often than their telephone messages. The invitation made it clear that this wasn’t going to be one of those “do gooder” parties where people tell you not to bring a gift. I mean, a dog’s life is limited and this boy loves a new toy.
I was expecting people to tease me, but instead I was a little taken aback by how quickly people replied to the invitation, and everybody sounded so excited.
“We wouldn’t miss it!”
“We’ll be bringing more than one gift!”
“OH! Can’t wait to see little Gio!”
Maybe dog really is man’s best friend. All of a sudden I realized how much power I have as the owner of a cute little dog that my friends and family seem to adore. What if I told people Giovanni is now into Le Creuset cookware? It’s possible, right?
Some of the guests arrived with fancy decorated gift bags filled with tissue wrapped toys and dog apparel. A few others just kept the toy in the store bag–Gio didn’t care. He isn’t picky. Toys that squeak, chew toys, soft fur covered toys, fancy doggy sweaters, and then some!
It was all going swimmingly, until….
Giovanni looked more excited than I had ever seen him before. He had opened every single gift—all 19 of them. Yes, that’s right, 19 toys! I never knew squeakers could be so loud.
I thought I was going to have a nervous breakdown. We all sat in chairs circling the panicky, shaking, drooling, panting, now extremely hyper-active Giovanni!
He was out of control and looked like he was going to pass out at any minute. Giovanni was now the center of our Universe, and he knew it. This was just too much for a little five pound pooch. When I saw his eyes start to roll back into his head, I moved the party guests into the dining room for dinner and tried to hide a few of his toys .
Greedy boy that he is, he followed me staring longingly at each “hiding place” I stuffed a toy in. He glared at me with his piercing brown eyes. I knew he was asking, “Whose party is this anyway?”
People, this went on for days, until Mark finally hid the toys in the garage. I was happy to make Mark the heavy.
The chili was a hit, the cake was a huge success, and when the guests left, I felt as though I had just thrown a party for a very spoiled toddler. I was exhausted. We went to bed early that night.
I’m four weeks out of surgery. Still recovering from the back surgery itself, but doctor could not remove cyst because it is inside the spinal nerve. He removed some bone and stitched me back together. In my heart of hearts, I believe all will be well.
CLICK BELOW TO CONTINUE TO RECIPE FOR BUNDT CAKE
Continue Reading Dark Chocolate Bundt Cake w/ Faux Ganache~ My dog’s birthday party cake!…
Banana Blueberry Raspberry and Pecan Bread (low fat)
February 25, 2010 at 7:00 pm | Posted in baking, Breads, dessert, Desserts, Flexitarian, Food, photography, Recipes | 10 CommentsTags: baking, banana, banana blueberry bread, banana bread, blueberry, cooking, Food, healthy, light, low fat, lowfat, pecans, photography, raspberry, recipe, sweet breads
Quick post to share a wonderful recipe I found online. With only 3 Tbsp of oil in 2 loaves, I thought for sure this would be too dry, but it wasn’t! I did add an extra banana that I had frozen. I only had a cup of blueberries, so I threw in a cup of raspberries. I forgot to add the pecans to the batter, so I spread them over the top and pushed them down a little.
They baked much faster than the time in this recipe, so check them super early
Delicious! Lowfat! YUM!
CLICK HERE FOR THE ORIGINAL RECIPE
Keep in mind I made several changes and you can find them
behind the cut, so click below to see mine…
Continue Reading Banana Blueberry Raspberry and Pecan Bread (low fat)…
Love and Marriage and Cupcakes
February 24, 2010 at 11:22 am | Posted in baking, Cakes, Desserts, Family Fun, Food, my life, photography, Recipes, Uncategorized | 10 CommentsTags: baking, buttercream, buttercream roses, cake decorating, cupcake tower, cupcakes, family, Food, homemade, photography, piping, wedding, wedding cake, wedding cupcakes
I’ve had a busy winter!
My son, Sean, and his fiancee Olivia, married on December 17th. Sean’s father and I couldn’t be happier!
It was a small ceremony downtown Seattle. After the ceremony, the family gathered for a formal dinner at Pomodoro’s, and then we partied at Magnolia’s Mulleady’s where the newlyweds held their reception.
I volunteered to make the cupcake tower for the reception. I had a few weeks notice and went crazy trying to figure out how to put this idea together. The couple requested the “Day of the Dead” pair be the cake topper–needless to say, it is was a unique idea, and I have to say, I really liked the idea of thumbing our noses at tradition.
I made close to 100 cupcakes. I also piped 80 butter cream roses for the tops of the chocolate cupcakes.
I cheated and used a mix for the chocolate, but I added buttermilk and changed a few things around to make them my own. The ivory butter cream is homemade. I used an edible pixie dust to make them glitter under the lights.
I also baked lemon cupcakes–from scratch this time!– and a batch of Hummingbird cupcakes with cream cheese frosting. The mini-cake topper is also a Hummingbird Cake.
I used putty to hold the giant pink martini glasses in place with the layers of depression glass and crystal in between.
Olivia and my mother made molded chocolates and placed them in little cellophane bags with ribbon and a photo of the bride and groom, to give out for wedding favors. We hung them from a little Christmas tree. So adorable.
The night flew by and soon the newlyweds flew off to California to enjoy a honeymoon in the sun.
If you would like to read about my cupcake baking adventures please click below–you can find the recipes here too…
Julia Child’s “Poulet au Porto” (Roast Chicken Steeped with Port Wine, Cream, and Mushrooms)
November 18, 2009 at 7:00 pm | Posted in baking, Cakes, cooking, dessert, Desserts, Food, French Cooking, photography, Recipes, Uncategorized | 9 CommentsTags: baking, cake, chicken, Food, French Cooking, Julia Childs, Matering the Art of French Cooking, Pommes De Terre Sautees, potatoes, Poulet au Porto, recipe, upside down pear cake
I love it when I prepare a meal and people rave over the results.
Julia Child wrote , “It is the kind of dish to do when you are entertaining a few good, food-loving friends whom you can receive in your kitchen.”
…and Julia should know!
I wasn’t prepared to photograph the ignited cognac, but trust me, it adds a bit of excitement to the room.
Poulet au Porto
(Roast Chicken Steeped with Port Wine, Cream, and Mushrooms)
Adapted from “Mastering the Art of French Cooking Volume One”, by Julia Child
WINE SUGGESTIONS
Serve very good, chilled, white Burgundy such as a Meursault or Montrachet, or an excellent, chateau-bottled white Graves.
For 4 people
A 3- 4 lb., ready-to-cook, roasting or frying chicken
The original recipe calls for roasting the chicken according to the instructions in her book, but I really like to butterfly and pan roast my chickens. I learned to do this from a Wolfgang Puck recipe for “Pan Roasted Chicken with Port and Whole Grain Mustard”. You may roast your chicken any way you choose, but I find butterflying and pan roasting gives me a crispy crust and a very moist chicken. Plus, it cooks much faster!
I followed these instructions for my pan roasted chicken:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Heat an ovenproof skillet large enough to hold the chicken over high heat. Add a few Tablespoons of clarified butter ( or oil and butter ) and swirl it in the skillet. Carefully place the chicken skin side down in the skillet. Sear the chicken, undisturbed, while reducing the heat little by little to medium, until its skin has turned golden brown and crisp, 5 to 7 minutes. Carefully turn the chicken skin side up.
Put the skillet into the oven and cook until the chicken is deep golden brown and the juices run clear when the thickest part of the thigh is pierced with a skewer, 20- 30 minutes, depending on its size. When the chicken is done, remove it to a carving board and let it rest at room temperature while completing the sauce.
1 lb. fresh mushrooms (I mixed white and crimini)
Meanwhile, trim and wash the mushrooms. Quarter them if large, leave them whole if small.
In a 2 1/2-quart enameled or stainless steel saucepan-
1/4 cup water
1/2 Tb butter
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp salt
Bring the water to boil in the saucepan with the butter, lemon, and salt. Toss in the mushrooms, cover, and boil slowly for 8 minutes. Pour out the cooking liquid and reserve.
1 cup whipping cream
1/2 Tb cornstarch blended with 1 Tb of the cream
Salt and pepper
Pour the cream and the cornstarch mixture into the mushrooms. Simmer for 2 minutes. Correct seasoning, and set aside.
1/2 Tb minced shallots
1/3 cup medium-dry port
The reserved mushroom cooking liquid
The mushrooms in cream
Salt and pepper
Drops of lemon juice
Remove all but 2 tablespoons of fat from the roasting pan. Stir in the shallots and cook slowly for 1 minute. Add the port and the mushroom juice, and boil down rapidly, scraping up coagulated roasting juices, until liquid has reduced to about 1/4 cup. Add the mushrooms and cream and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes, allowing the liquid to thicken slightly. Correct seasoning and add lemon juice to taste.
A fireproof casserole or a chafing dish
1 Tb butter
1/8 tsp salt
Smear the inside of the casserole or chafing dish with butter. Rapidly carve the chicken into serving pieces. Sprinkle lightly with salt, and arrange in the casserole or chafing dish.
1/4 cognac (I bought one of those tiny bottles at the liquor store)
Set over moderate heat or an alcohol flame until you hear the chicken begin to sizzle. Then pour the cognac over it. Avert your face, and ignite the cognac with a lighted match. Shake the casserole slowly until the flames have subsided. The pour in the mushroom mixture, tilting the casserole and basting the chicken. Cover and steep for 5 minutes without allowing the sauce to boil. Serve.
(*) Chicken may remain in its casserole over barely simmering water or in the turned-off hot oven with its door ajar, for 10 to 15 minutes, but the sooner it is served, the better it will be.
Julia Child recommends serving this chicken with
“Pommes De Terre Sautees” (Potatoes Sauteed in Butter) and peas
and so I did!
These are quite satisfying. Cooking the potatoes in clarified butter made them extra flavorful!
I’m not sure I cut them up the the book advised, but I we all enjoyed them anyhow.
I will make these again and again.
Dessert was served hot out of the oven. One of my favorite cakes. You can get the recipe by clicking on the link below the photo.
The Upside Down Pear Cake baked while we ate, and I pulled it out and served it nice and warm.
Light Pumpkin Cake w/ Cream Cheese Frosting
October 28, 2009 at 7:43 pm | Posted in baking, Cakes, cooking, dessert, Desserts, Food, Holiday cooking, photography, Recipes | 13 CommentsTags: baking, cake, cooking, cooking light, cooking light magazine, dessert, Food, Frosted pumpkin cake, light recipe, low fat, pumkin, pumpkin cake, recipe
My good friend gave me a subscription to “Cooking Light” magazine this year, and I have enjoyed combing through all of the light recipes inside each edition.
In the November issue, I spotted this recipe from a woman in Eagle, Idaho (A quick SHOUT OUT to my Idaho friends!) for a Frosted Pumpkin Cake.
Autumn brings with it a craving for all things pumpkin and spice. Throw in a light cream cheese frosting and I’m all over it.
Still, if I’m being honest, I worried about a low fat cake. At least it wasn’t non-fat, and the recipe looked like it had all the necessities needed to meet my yum factor.
So, it is my pleasure to share with you, the lower in fat, Pumpkin Cake.
I rate this cake a 4 out of 4 stars. I’m rating it as a “light” cake. I can’t really say this is a 4 out of 4 star cake in the same way I would rate a Hummingbird Cake, because lets face it, it’s not a Hummingbird Cake. Hummingbird Cake rates a 10 out of 4 out of 4 stars 
Seriously, I think this is a fabulous cake. It has the flavor of autumn, it’s dense and moist–all the more reasons to bake her up!
Frosted Pumpkin Cake
Adapted from November’s Cooking Light Magazine
Cake:
- 10.1 oz all purpose flour (2.25 cups)
- 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon ( I used more)
- 1/8 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/4 cup butter, softened
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 15 oz can pumpkin puree (Pure–check ingredients)
- Cooking spray
Frosting:
- 2 tbsp butter, softened
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 8 oz package 1/3 less fat cream cheese
- 2 cups sifted powdered sugar
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- To prepare cake, weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuirng cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, other spices,and salt in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk.
- Combine brown sugar, 1/4 cup butter, and 1 tsp vanilla in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well combined. Add eggs, 1 at a time, to sugar mixture, beat well after each addition. Add pumpkin puree; mix well. Fold in flour mixture. Spread batter into a 13×9 inch baking ban coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350 degrees for 20- 25 minutes or until wooden pick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack.
- To prepare frosting, combine 2 tbsp butter, 1/2 tsp vanilla, and cream cheese in a medium bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until combined. Gradually add the powdered sugar, beating until well combined. Spread frosting evenly over top of cake.
Yields 24 servings; serving size: 1 piece
Calories 178, Fat 5.5, Protein 3 g, Carb 30 g, Fiber .09, Chol 32 mg, Iron 1.2mg, Sodium 135 mg, Calc 62 mg
Chocolate Birthday Cake with Buttercream Frosting
October 14, 2009 at 6:58 pm | Posted in baking, Cakes, Desserts, Food, photography, Recipes, Uncategorized | 18 CommentsTags: baking, birthday cake, buttercream frosting, cake, chocolate, chocolate birthday cake, chocolate cake, chocolate frosting, dessert, easy chocolate buttercream, Food, foodie, frosting, Grand Central Bakery cake, recipe
Finding for the perfect chocolate birthday cake has always been a challenge for me. There are so many chocolate cake recipes that I can quickly feel overwhelmed. For her 66th birthday, my mother requested a chocolate cake with chocolate frosting .
Flour-less chocolate cakes are all the rage, and although I’m quite fond of the dark fudge-like cake, it is simply too much for a birthday cake. Then there are the “too dry” chocolate cakes, the “not chocolate enough” chocolate cakes, the “too crumbly”, etc.
I think Grand Central Bakery’s cookbook nailed the chocolate birthday cake! I opted not to use the ganache frosting, and found an easy buttercream frosting that wouldn’t take over the very chocolatey cake.
Let me start with a warning here: This cake is HUGE! The layers are so thick it looked like a three layer cake. I don’t know about you, but I think more chocolate is always a good thing!
You can easily split each layer into two layers to make a 4 layered filled cake. I simply used the two layers and layered with buttercream.
Chocolate Birthday Cake
Adapted from “The Grand Central Baking Book”
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, broken into chunks
4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, broken into chunks
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder ( i use Dagoba)
1 Tbsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup (8 ounces or 2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 1/4 cups packed light brown sugar (1 pound)
6 eggs, at room temperature
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
2 cups (16 ounces) buttermilk, at room temperature
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease or flour two 9″ cake pans and line bottoms with parchment paper.
Melt semi sweetened and unsweetened chocolate chunks in a double boiler”lower pan filled with an inch of lightly simmering water. Set aside melted chocolate and cool slightly.
Combine the dry ingredients. Sift flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt into bowl.
Cream teh butter and sugar. Using a standing mixer with paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar on med-high for 3-4 minutes, until light and fluffy, scrape bottom and sides of bowl with spatula to evenly incorporate the butter.
Add the eggs into a liquid measuring cup with the vanilla. Mix on low speed, slowly pour in the eggs, let fall one at a time making sure each egg is incorporated before adding the next.
Add the melted chocolate all at once and mix on low speed until slightly combined. It isn’t important to fully incorporate at this point.
Alternate additions of dry ingredients and buttermilk. With mixer on low add one-third of the dry ingredients, then half the buttermilk, mixing just till combined after each addition. repeat using half of the main dry ingredients, and the remaining buttermilk. Add the remaining dry ingredients and stop the mixer before they’re fully incorporated. Finish mixing by hand using a sturdy spatula.
Bake.
Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared pans. Run a paring knife through the batter in one smooth motion-onei nch from the edge of the pan.
Bake 30 minutes, then rotate the pans (carefully) and lower the temperature to 325 degrees and bake 25-30 minutes more. Check with wooden skewer for doneness. Skewer should have a few crumbs sticking to it but no gooey batter.
Let cakes cool for 15 minutes before turning them out of their pans. Wait until completely cool before splitting or frosting.
EASY Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
Adapted from Viet World Kitchen
Makes enough for a 9-inch 2-layer cake or the equivalent
1 3/4 – 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
4 1/2- 5 cups powdered sugar
1 cup dark cocoa powder (use a good quality cocoa)
2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Approx. 7-8 Tablespoons heavy cream
Put the butter into a mixing bowl and sift 2/3 of the powdered sugar and 1/2 c cocoa powder into the mixer bowl. Mix at low speed till crumbly. When crumbly, sift the remaining powdered sugar and cocoa into the bowl. Continue creaming the ingredients.
Once combined – it’s fine of the mixture is crumbly and dry looking – add the vanilla and cream. Increase the mixer speed to medium and then medium high to create a fluffy and darkly colored frosting. Pause to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Taste and add extra sugar if more sweetness is needed. The chocolate flavors will deepen as it sits. Add more cream to make a soft, spreadable frosting. Use immediately or transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Return to room temperature before using.
Sorry for the wrinkly frosting–I didn’t get around to photographing a slice until the next morning when I removed the saran wrap and had a slice for breakfast
Angelnina’s Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies
September 26, 2009 at 7:45 pm | Posted in baking, Cookies, Desserts, Food, photography, Recipes | 4 CommentsTags: baking, chocolate, chocolate chip coconut, chocolate chip coconut cookies, coconut, cookies, cooking, Food, recipe
These are my new favorite cookie.
Apparently my family likes them too because these cookies sure didn’t stick around in the cookie jar for very long
I just love coconut! No, I mean, I really really love the stuff. I know some people hate coconut, and I’ve heard people complain about certain foods tasting like the 1970s suntan oils. Well, I’d like to confess that when I was a kid, I slathered that stuff all over me–I have the wrinkles and moles to prove it too. If it was edible, I would be making 1970s coconut scented suntan oil cookies SPF 15. I’m serious.
Yes, I’m a coconut nut. Throw chocolate into the mix, and my eyes start to roll back into my head. I’m afraid everything tastes better with chocolate. So, I give you my version of the coconut chocolate chip cookie.
Angelnina’s Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies
1 cup butter (at room temperature)
1/2 cup white sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 x-lg eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
1/4 cups oats
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp Kosher salt
2 cups unsweetened coconut –I use the large shavings-processed in food processor
1 3/4 cups bittersweet chocolate chips
-Cream butter and sugars with mixer
Add eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition. Add vanilla.
Mix dry ingredients together and Stir into wet mixture
Stir in chocolate chips
Scoop dough by tablespoon (or use medium scoop) onto parchment lined or silicon baking mat lined cookie sheet .
Bake at 375 degrees for 10-13 minutes
PS These do not taste like suntan oil
ABOVE: Giovanni lounging while I bake
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