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. 

Awesome Granola

I'm camping in the middle of Jackson Lake in Teton National Park and I'm still able to Instagram, blog and check my email. Just think, I could have instant coverage of the bear that comes to our camp. You can live the excitement with us. This is our 7th Summer camping here. The first few years we canoed up String Lake and then portaged to Leigh Lake. It was beautiful, but we had a few to many bear encounters. Now we take the boat to Jackson Lake and camp at either South Landing or Elk Island. We're at Elk Island this year and it's spectacular. I'm still trying to figure why we seem to be the only people here. The park was more crowded than I've ever seen yet we're they only souls on the lake. The waterskiing and boating is awesome and the scenery is amazing. I'm sorry you're missing it.

This mornings brekky was yogurt parfaits. It's a FAVE at our house. My sister in law Susan made this last week at our family reunion and it was delish!! The recipe comes from Alton Brown and is simple. Add some extras if you want. Make it your own. But definitely bring it camping next time. And we're here until Weds. night if anyone would like to join us:)

Awesome Granola
Courtesy of Alton Brown Food Network

Ingredients
3 cups rolled oats
1 cup slivered almonds
1 cup cashews
3/4 cup shredded sweet coconut
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons maple syrup
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup raisins
Directions
Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.
In a large bowl, combine the oats, nuts, coconut, and brown sugar.
In a separate bowl, combine maple syrup, oil, and salt. Combine both mixtures and pour onto 2 sheet pans. Cook for 1 hour and 15 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes to achieve an even color.
Remove from oven and transfer into a large bowl. Add raisins and mix until evenly distributed.