Chocolate Cake

Isn't this the prettiest pic.  I'm going to send it to Sam's and get a 20x30 made to hang in my room.  Next to my children:)

I needed chocolate cake.  So I made a chocolate cake.  And it was delicious!  I loved it.  The kids loved it.  James didn't love it so much.  It gave him a tummy ache, but that's what you get when you eat a honking huge, gi-normous piece and then go to church meetings all night.  Fact of life.

A few months ago I saw an Instagram post from my sister in law Susan.  She had made a beautiful white layer cake with chocolate frosting late one night and they ate it for breakfast the next morning.  I thought she was genius.  My sister Hollie's mother in law would let her kids eat ice cream for breakfast some mornings.   I think they put the ice cream on waffles.  Genius again.  So this chocolate cake was dinner Tues. night.   And I think all appreciated it.   This cake was true to it's name.  FUDGEY and super rich.  Death by Chocolate it could be called.  A little slice will suffice.  The fresh raspberries were the perfect topping.  Fresh and not so sweet.  It balanced the pound of chocolate chips, and enormous amounts of butter and cream.  I hope you indulge.  Soon.  And if you do, you won't need chocolate cake until next week at least:)

Chocolate Cake

recipe from Fine Cooking.  I knew I could trust them:)

here's the link:

I doubled this recipe to make a double layer cake, but this single layered cake would be just the right size for a family one night.

4-1/2 oz. (1 cup) all-purpose flour 

1 oz. (1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons) unsweetened natural cocoa powder (not Dutchprocessed) 

1/2 tsp. baking soda 

1/4 tsp. table salt 

4 oz. (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, melted and warm 

1-1/4 cups packed light brown sugar 

2 large eggs 

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract 

1/2 cup hot water 

1 cup warm Ganache  

Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and heat the oven to 350 F. Grease the bottom of an 8x2- or 9x2-inch round cake pan or line it with parchment.

In a small bowl, whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Sift only if the cocoa remains lumpy after whisking. In a large bowl, combine the melted butter and brown sugar with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula. Add the eggs and vanilla; stir until well blended. Add the flour mixture all at once and stir just until all the flour is moistened. Pour the hot water over the batter; stir just until it’s incorporated and the batter is smooth. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes for a 9-inch pan; 35 to 40 min. for an 8-inch pan. Let cool in the pan on a rack for 10 min. Run a thin knife around the edge and invert the cake (peel off the parchment if necessary). Invert it again onto the rack and let cool completely.

Once cool, set the rack over a baking sheet or foil. Pour the warm ganache over the cake and use an icing spatula to spread it over the top of the cake and down the sides. Let set for about an hour before serving.

If your only doing the single layer version of this cake as the recipe is written this ganache will be WAY to much.  This much ganache will cover a double layer cake.  Make a half recipe for a single layer cake:)  

Ganache Frosting

Disclaimer:  I totally used cheap chocolate chips and it worked fantastic!

16 oz. bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped 

1 cup heavy cream; more as needed 

2 T. sugar

2 T. corn syrup

1/4 c. butter

Put the chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl. In a small saucepan, bring the cream, sugar and corn syrup to a boil.  Pour the hot cream mixture over the chocolate and whisk gently.  Add the butter at this point and whisk some more until the chocolate is completely melted and smooth.  (If using a 70% bittersweet chocolate, the ganache might be a bit thick; add more cream, a tablespoon at a time, to thin it. 

Raspberry Coconut Macaroons

I'm always on the lookout for a good recipe to use up some of my garden's treats.  I found this recipe yesterday at Tasty Kitchen, but the original was from Smitten Kitchen.  It looked so good, and I decided I had to make it today.  I've had a great season this year and my raspberries are doing soooo good.   This recipe found me on the perfect day.  I had just picked an ice cream bucket full of those red jewels, and I wanted to use them in something.  It is a harmonious combination of my all time favorite Coconut Macaroon and a fresh Bear Lake Raspberry Shake!!!  Heck Yes!!  For those of you who aren't familiar with a fresh Bear Lake Raspberry Shake, let me fill you in.  There's a beautiful little valley on the East side of the  Utah/Idaho border.  There is an enormous lake there that has the most beautiful blue water you have ever seen.  It is glorious in the summer.  The one thing that the Bear Lake area is most famous for is their raspberries.

Can you believe the blue.  Bear Lake is just one of those places full of fun, cousins, and amazing memories!

I remember as a kid going there every summer, and usually on one of the days we were there, a mom or two would spend the afternoon picking raspberries.  As you dropped down the mountain into Garden City, there were fields and fields of self pick berry patches.  My mom would then turn those raspberries into jam, and we'd eat bowls full of the fresh berries and milk.   Now days those same famous raspberries are going for around $40 a flat!  It's usually a fight to get some of those berries though:)

 My garden full of life.  The sunflowers are still amazing, even when they're on their way out.  

I planted a raspberry patch probably 9 years ago, and I have loved the harvest I get every year.  Seriously!  There is no other jam in the world that compares to homemade Raspberry Freezer Jam.   So now besides jam, and bowls of raspberries and cream I will be making these Macaroons.  This is one of those recipes that just turned out way better than I expected.  You could always dip the cookies into some dark chocolate, but I think next time, I'm adding mini semi sweet chips right to the cookie.  I can only imagine how delish they would be.

Her middle name should have been Berry.  She is my best picking partner:)

The recipe is an adaptation from Smitten Kitchen, but I used the Macaroon recipe I found years ago.  I've tried many over the years, and this recipe just works.  There's no puddling of egg whites or sweetened condensed milk.  It's just perfect.  I'll leave a link to the original Smitten Kitchen recipe, but I'll give the recipe I used as well.  I hope you love them:)

Raspberry Coconut Macaroons

Smitten Kitchen recipe here!  Thanks SM

Lovely Macaroons

I think I found this recipe off of Food Network, but I've never been able to find it again when I've looked for the source.  So let's just say it's theirs:)

1/2 c. flour

1 14oz. bag of coconut plus 1 1/2 c. from another bag

1/4 t. salt

1 14oz can of sweetened condensed milk

1 c. fresh raspberries

2 t. almond extract

Mix flour, coconut and salt together.  I used the Smitten Kitchen directions here and buzzed all the coconut in my food processor.  It pulverizes the coconut, but turned out a very pretty cookie.  I think I like this technique best.  Add milk and almond.  Buzz until combined.  Now add the fresh berries and buzz until just combined.  Don't overly buzz.  You want big bits of berries if you can.  Drop by spoonfuls onto a parchment lined or greased cookie sheet.  Silpats work fabulous here.  Bake at 350' F. for 12- 15 mins. or until browned around the edges.  This made 21 good sized cookies for me, but it could make about 24-30 smaller cookies.  To dip in chocolate take 8 oz. of Bakers Semi Sweet chocolate, and place it in a bowl and microwave for 1 minute.  Stir and place in microwave for another 30 secs.  Repeat until the chocolate is melted.  Dip cooled cookies in chocolate and let set on wax paper until the chocolate is solid.  Enjoy