Showing posts with label chocolate cake. Show all posts
Showing posts with label chocolate cake. Show all posts
February 14, 2012
A Chocolatey Peanut Butter Valentine
February 14--that wonderful day overly commercialized, over hyped and dreaded by men everywhere. One of my favorite parts of Valentine's Day is seeing all those guys in the grocery store, Target, etc, etc buying flowers, chocolates, searching for the card expressing an appropriate level of affection. They all just look so out of their element. It's great. I also love watching and listening to the elementary school kids picking out the box of Valentine's cards to give to their classmates. Those were the days, weren't they? Finding a box that had a really great card for the guy/gal you had a crush on but with appropriately banal comments for everyone else, making your little "mail box", having the class party where everyone delivers their cards to everyone else. I don't think I understood how great it was as a kid.
December 21, 2010
My First Candy
Last week (or perhaps the week before by now) I had my first go at making candy (or at least I’m calling it candy because Reese’s counts as candy). I made some Peanut Butter Chocolate Bars which are akin to homemade Reese’s. Everybody loves Reese’s, right? Unless you’re allergic to peanuts. Then Reese’s and peanut butter in general make you very uncomfortable. Make sure you have an epi pen/shot handy!
Let’s take a minute here to appreciate where Reese’s peanut butter cups came from beginning with peanut butter. Did you know in the US January 24 is National Peanut Butter Day (not to be confused with January 26 which is National Peanut Brittle Day)? Peanuts have been around for an exceptionally long time. They have been found in tombs of Peruvian mummies, in Africa peanuts were ground into stews as early as the 15th century, and the Chinese have crushed peanuts into sauces for centuries. Many people believe that George Washington Carver, who found 300 different uses for peanuts, invented peanut butter, but in fact he just made preliminary versions of it better. Seventh-Day Adventists claim that one of their own was responsible for creating peanut butter as Dr. John H. Kellogg (yes, like the cereal) played a major role in the development of peanut butter. His 1897 patent for the “Process of Preparing Nutmeal” produced a pasty, adhesive substance that he liked to call nut butter. In 1903, Dr. Ambrose Straub obtained a patent for his peanut-butter making machine. He became interested in peanut butter as a potential source of protein for his toothless, elderly patients. While Krema Products Company in Ohio is the oldest maker of peanut butter to date, the smooth, creamier peanut butter that is familiar today had its roots in Alameda, California. Around 1922, Joseph Rosefield created shelf-stable peanut butter that was smoother and creamier than its more mealy predecessor. His peanut butter became Skippy Peanut Butter.
Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups were created by H.B. Reese, who also founded the H.B. Reese Candy Company. Reese worked a variety of jobs before moving to Hershey, PA for a second time and working for the Hershey’s. He was so inspired by the candy making there that he began to experiment with candy making in his basement and named his early prototypes after his children, Lizzie and Johnny. Several of his early candy-making ventures failed, but by 1920 he was manufacturing his now famous peanut butter cups, formerly called “penny cups” so named because they cost one penny. Before long Reese founded the H.B. Reese Candy Company (1928), also located in Hershey, PA. Reese made other candies besides the peanut butter cups, but during WWII he limited production to only the peanut butter cups. The chocolate for the cups was actually Hershey’s chocolate and the wrapper said “Made in Chocolate Town, so they must be good”. Seven years after Reese’s death in 1956, Hershey Chocolate Corp. bought the H.B. Reese Candy Company and that is how peanut butter cups became Hershey’s Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.
Now back to these bars. I was pleasantly surprised by how simple and quick it was to make these bars. There’s no baking involved and no real cooking at all. As these are bars and not individual balls of peanut butter, there was no endless dipping, dripping, and placing on a sheet of parchment paper or wax paper. These really do taste like Reese’s with that added hint of homemade (my favorite!).
This recipe is super simple and only involves 5 ingredients: brown sugar, powdered sugar, peanut butter, butter, and chocolate chips.
First, combine the brown sugar and powdered sugar (what is with calling it confectioner’s sugar?)
Next add in the peanut butter. Awesome tip: spray your measuring device with cooking spray before measuring out the peanut butter. This helps make the peanut butter slide right back out and into the bowl.
Mix this together with an electric mixer if you have one. If you don’t have one, then this will be a great right (or left) arm work out.
Next take this peanut butter mixture and pat it into an ungreased pan. I considered lining my pan with parchment paper but didn’t in the end. The bars came out just fine. When I made the recipe I halved everything and made it in a half-size baking sheet. I felt that the peanut butter layer was a bit thin for me. There’s no really elegant way to do this. Just use your fingers to fill in all the holes.
Once that is done, melt the chocolate and butter either in a double boiler, make-shift double boiler or in the microwave in 15 second bursts at 50% power (the latter is my preferred method). Let it cool slightly then pour, spread, and smooth over the top of the peanut butter mixture. This also takes a bit of patience to get the entire surface covered.
Before putting it into the fridge to chill for 15 minutes, use a knife to cut it into squares/bars. You really want to do this now because the chocolate will become hard and difficult to cut through once completely chilled.
Wait patiently for at least 15 minutes before enjoying.
Peanut Butter Bars
Ingredients 3/4 cup firmly packed dark or light brown sugar3 cups powdered sugar1/2 cup salted butter, softened2 cups smooth peanut butter2 cups semisweet chocolate chips1 tablespoon salted butter
Directions
1. In a large bowl, combine the brown sugar, powdered sugar, butter, and peanut butter, and beat them with an electric mixer until they are smooth and well blended. Pat into an ungreased 15 1/2 x 10 1/2 x 1-inch pan. Roll the mixture flat on top with a rolling pin.2. Melt the chocolate chips and butter on top of a double boiler or in the microwave. Spread the chocolate mixture over the peanut butter mixture and cut into squares while the chocolate is still warm and soft.3. Chill the mixture for about 15 minutes and remove the squares from the pan. Store in the refrigerator.
Recipe from Fake Ginger
Let’s take a minute here to appreciate where Reese’s peanut butter cups came from beginning with peanut butter. Did you know in the US January 24 is National Peanut Butter Day (not to be confused with January 26 which is National Peanut Brittle Day)? Peanuts have been around for an exceptionally long time. They have been found in tombs of Peruvian mummies, in Africa peanuts were ground into stews as early as the 15th century, and the Chinese have crushed peanuts into sauces for centuries. Many people believe that George Washington Carver, who found 300 different uses for peanuts, invented peanut butter, but in fact he just made preliminary versions of it better. Seventh-Day Adventists claim that one of their own was responsible for creating peanut butter as Dr. John H. Kellogg (yes, like the cereal) played a major role in the development of peanut butter. His 1897 patent for the “Process of Preparing Nutmeal” produced a pasty, adhesive substance that he liked to call nut butter. In 1903, Dr. Ambrose Straub obtained a patent for his peanut-butter making machine. He became interested in peanut butter as a potential source of protein for his toothless, elderly patients. While Krema Products Company in Ohio is the oldest maker of peanut butter to date, the smooth, creamier peanut butter that is familiar today had its roots in Alameda, California. Around 1922, Joseph Rosefield created shelf-stable peanut butter that was smoother and creamier than its more mealy predecessor. His peanut butter became Skippy Peanut Butter.
Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups were created by H.B. Reese, who also founded the H.B. Reese Candy Company. Reese worked a variety of jobs before moving to Hershey, PA for a second time and working for the Hershey’s. He was so inspired by the candy making there that he began to experiment with candy making in his basement and named his early prototypes after his children, Lizzie and Johnny. Several of his early candy-making ventures failed, but by 1920 he was manufacturing his now famous peanut butter cups, formerly called “penny cups” so named because they cost one penny. Before long Reese founded the H.B. Reese Candy Company (1928), also located in Hershey, PA. Reese made other candies besides the peanut butter cups, but during WWII he limited production to only the peanut butter cups. The chocolate for the cups was actually Hershey’s chocolate and the wrapper said “Made in Chocolate Town, so they must be good”. Seven years after Reese’s death in 1956, Hershey Chocolate Corp. bought the H.B. Reese Candy Company and that is how peanut butter cups became Hershey’s Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.
Now back to these bars. I was pleasantly surprised by how simple and quick it was to make these bars. There’s no baking involved and no real cooking at all. As these are bars and not individual balls of peanut butter, there was no endless dipping, dripping, and placing on a sheet of parchment paper or wax paper. These really do taste like Reese’s with that added hint of homemade (my favorite!).
This recipe is super simple and only involves 5 ingredients: brown sugar, powdered sugar, peanut butter, butter, and chocolate chips.
First, combine the brown sugar and powdered sugar (what is with calling it confectioner’s sugar?)
Next add in the peanut butter. Awesome tip: spray your measuring device with cooking spray before measuring out the peanut butter. This helps make the peanut butter slide right back out and into the bowl.
Mix this together with an electric mixer if you have one. If you don’t have one, then this will be a great right (or left) arm work out.
Next take this peanut butter mixture and pat it into an ungreased pan. I considered lining my pan with parchment paper but didn’t in the end. The bars came out just fine. When I made the recipe I halved everything and made it in a half-size baking sheet. I felt that the peanut butter layer was a bit thin for me. There’s no really elegant way to do this. Just use your fingers to fill in all the holes.
Once that is done, melt the chocolate and butter either in a double boiler, make-shift double boiler or in the microwave in 15 second bursts at 50% power (the latter is my preferred method). Let it cool slightly then pour, spread, and smooth over the top of the peanut butter mixture. This also takes a bit of patience to get the entire surface covered.
Before putting it into the fridge to chill for 15 minutes, use a knife to cut it into squares/bars. You really want to do this now because the chocolate will become hard and difficult to cut through once completely chilled.
Wait patiently for at least 15 minutes before enjoying.
Peanut Butter Bars
Ingredients 3/4 cup firmly packed dark or light brown sugar3 cups powdered sugar1/2 cup salted butter, softened2 cups smooth peanut butter2 cups semisweet chocolate chips1 tablespoon salted butter
Directions
1. In a large bowl, combine the brown sugar, powdered sugar, butter, and peanut butter, and beat them with an electric mixer until they are smooth and well blended. Pat into an ungreased 15 1/2 x 10 1/2 x 1-inch pan. Roll the mixture flat on top with a rolling pin.2. Melt the chocolate chips and butter on top of a double boiler or in the microwave. Spread the chocolate mixture over the peanut butter mixture and cut into squares while the chocolate is still warm and soft.3. Chill the mixture for about 15 minutes and remove the squares from the pan. Store in the refrigerator.
Recipe from Fake Ginger
December 14, 2010
It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas
I am happy to report that after a two month hiatus from posting here I am, in fact, alive and well. I have just emerged from the formaldehyde and phenol-filled clutches of anatomy and I cannot overstate how thrilled I am to be free of it for a few weeks. Today, despite the exam this morning, has been a fantastic day! What better way to celebrate the first anatomy exam than a holiday party? And what better to make for a holiday party than dark chocolate cupcakes with white chocolate peppermint buttercream frosting? To top off the evening I am writing up this post and watching Emma. Perfect.
Speaking of movies, I can’t help but be excited for my traditional (and growing) holiday line up. Before the holiday season is over I need to watch:
Love, Actually (can’t wait!)
White Christmas (i have loved this movie since childhood)
A Muppet Christmas Carol
Dan in Real Life
While You Were Sleeping (maybe)
Leap Year (ok, this one isn’t related to Christmas, but I just love it. It’s a bit of a guilty pleasure)
Apart from these, I just want to take a moment to highly recommend Tangled. It’s adorable and full of that Disney cheese that kids of my generation were raised on. I loved it. Can’t wait for the DVD.
And now back to your regularly scheduled programming.
These cupcakes were inspired mostly by my desire to make something in the winter holiday vein. The recipe for the frosting comes from Cookie Confession and was inspired by Starbuck’s white chocolate mocha holiday drink.
First off, throw together your favorite chocolate cake recipe. As I said, I was in a rush so I just used the cake recipe on the back of my Hershey’s Dark Chocolate Cocoa Powder….primarily because it was in front of my face. Also, it’s not as complicated as other chocolate cake recipes I’ve made.
While the cupcakes are cooling off, it’s a good time to whip up the frosting.
Take your softened butter and whip it with an electric mixer until it’s nice and creamy.
Next, melt down the white chocolate. I don’t have a double boiler and I think using the stove is a bit of a pain so I used the microwave. I heated the chocolate in 15 second bursts at 50% power, stirring in between. Let the melted white chocolate cool a little before adding it to the butter. Toss in the peppermint extract and stir it all together. Primarily to get the frosting to the desired consistency (and somewhat to adjust the taste or sweetness) add 1-2 cups of powdered sugar incrementally. I think I ended up adding around a cup. I wanted to make my cupcakes red and green so I divided the frosting into two bowls.
Add in the food coloring, stir and start frosting those cupcakes!
I decorated my cupcakes with some sprinkles and candy canes. I had originally intended to break up the candy canes, but I ran out of time before I could smash them to bits. In the process of placing the candy canes on the cupcakes, however, I did manage to drop a candy cane on the floor which promptly broke into several pieces. Note to self: to break candy canes, place them in a bag and throw them to the floor repeatedly. If you’re really cool like my ex-roomies, though, you will have candy cane decorations that are all broken up for you already (I looked in 4 stores today and couldn’t find it, which was very sad). Despite being in a rush and making more of a mess than usual in my kitchen, the finished project turned out decently. I received only positive feedback at the party so I think they even tasted alright. (Please note, I do not recommend making something for the first time when you are going to give it to people, however, I get so little chance to bake things for myself or others that I like to make new things all the time. Mostly it works out. Perfection is overrated.)
If that doesn’t get you in the holiday spirit then this surely will:
…or maybe not.
Peppermint White Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
12 oz. white chocolate, melted and cooled slightly
1-2 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp peppermint extract
Cream the butter. Melt the chocolate either in the microwave or with a double boiler. Let the chocolate cool slightly then add to the butter. Add peppermint extract. Add powdered sugar incrementally and mix until desired consistency and sweetness is achieved.
Hershey’s(c) “Especially Dark” Chocolate Cake
2 c. sugar
1 3/4 c. all-purpose flour
3/4 c. Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa (or you know…any cocoa)
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1 c. milk
1/2 c. vegetable oil
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 c. boiling water
1. Heat oven to 350 F. Grease and flour two 9-inch pans or prepare cupcake liners.
2. Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vainlla; beat on medium speed of mixer for 2 minutes (I actually stirred then whisked by hand). Stir in boiling water (batter will thin). Pour batter into prepared pans.
3. Bake 30-35 minutes (18-22 min. for cupcakes) or until toothpick/fork inserted in center comes out clean.
October 31, 2010
Happy Halloween
It’s Halloween! What’s even more frightening? Tomorrow will be November! I just don’t know how time slips by so quickly.
Things I learned this weekend:
1) I miss Los Angeles.
2) I miss being in marching band an embarrassing amount.
3) I need to learn how to study faster.
In honor of Halloween earlier this week I made these cute chocolate cupcakes with candy corn decorations (I also failed at making buttermilk biscuits, but that’s a story for another time)
The chocolate cake recipe is a little bit more complicated than the standard toss everything in the bowl procedure, but the result is moist, wonderful, chocolate-y cake! The recipe is called “The Best Chocolate Sheet Cake. Ever.”, though I’ve never actually used it to make a chocolate sheet cake. For the frosting, we made cream cheese frosting and dyed it orange with food coloring.
Gather up what you’ll need.
Melt the butter in a saucepan
in a measuring cup, measure out the butter milk, add the beaten eggs, baking soda and vanilla
When the butter has melted, add the cocoa and stir together. Then add in the boiling water
Pour this onto the dry ingredients
(sorry, can’t be bothered to rotate that right now)
Stir the chocolate and flour mixtures together to cool then add in the buttermilk. stir and pour into prepared pan.
Bake for 20 minutes
While those are cooling, whip up some cream cheese frosting. In a bowl combine cream cheese and butter. Then add in powdered sugar until it gets to the right consistency and taste.
Then for the fun part—food coloring! A good orange color has two components: 1) lots of food color and 2) more yellow than red (the box recommends a 2:3 ratio…but just keep adding and mixing until you get the color you want)
Frost, decorate, and refrigerate! These cupcakes need to be stored in the fridge because of the cream cheese frosting which gets really soupy if it warms up.
In the top row, second from the left….that’s a candy corn smiley face! Also, I apologize for getting my toes in the picture. oops!
For the cake:
Ingredients
For the frosting:
Ingredients
*I only added roughly 2 cups of powdered sugar
From: Better Homes and Gardens New Cook book, 11th ed
Things I learned this weekend:
1) I miss Los Angeles.
2) I miss being in marching band an embarrassing amount.
3) I need to learn how to study faster.
In honor of Halloween earlier this week I made these cute chocolate cupcakes with candy corn decorations (I also failed at making buttermilk biscuits, but that’s a story for another time)
The chocolate cake recipe is a little bit more complicated than the standard toss everything in the bowl procedure, but the result is moist, wonderful, chocolate-y cake! The recipe is called “The Best Chocolate Sheet Cake. Ever.”, though I’ve never actually used it to make a chocolate sheet cake. For the frosting, we made cream cheese frosting and dyed it orange with food coloring.
Gather up what you’ll need.
Melt the butter in a saucepan
in a measuring cup, measure out the butter milk, add the beaten eggs, baking soda and vanilla
When the butter has melted, add the cocoa and stir together. Then add in the boiling water
Pour this onto the dry ingredients
(sorry, can’t be bothered to rotate that right now)
Stir the chocolate and flour mixtures together to cool then add in the buttermilk. stir and pour into prepared pan.
Bake for 20 minutes
While those are cooling, whip up some cream cheese frosting. In a bowl combine cream cheese and butter. Then add in powdered sugar until it gets to the right consistency and taste.
Then for the fun part—food coloring! A good orange color has two components: 1) lots of food color and 2) more yellow than red (the box recommends a 2:3 ratio…but just keep adding and mixing until you get the color you want)
Frost, decorate, and refrigerate! These cupcakes need to be stored in the fridge because of the cream cheese frosting which gets really soupy if it warms up.
In the top row, second from the left….that’s a candy corn smiley face! Also, I apologize for getting my toes in the picture. oops!
For the cake:
Ingredients
- 2 cups flour
- 2 cups sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 4 tbsp (heaping) unsweetened Cocoa (I used dark chocolate, but you can use whatever kind you happen to have around/find in the store)
- 1 cup butter
- 1 cup boiling water
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 2 whole eggs, beaten
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp vanilla
- In a heat-resistant mixing bowl combine flour, sugar and salt
- In a saucepan, start melting the butter. At this point it’s a good idea to get 1 cup boiling water ready to go as well
- While the butter is melting, pour the buttermilk into a measuring cup, beat the eggs and add them to the butter milk. Also add baking soda and vanilla to this.
- When the butter has melted, add the cocoa. Stir together then add the boiling water. Allow this to boil for 30 seconds, then turn off heat (or if you have an electric stove remove it from the burner).
- Pour over the dry ingredients and stir lightly to cool
- Add in the buttermilk and egg mixture and stir it in.
- Pour into a sheet cake pan/cup cake pan(s) and bake at 350 F for 20 min
For the frosting:
Ingredients
- 6 oz cream cheese, softened (unnecessary if you use spreadable variety)
- 1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
- 2 tsp vanilla
- min. 2 cups powdered sugar
*I only added roughly 2 cups of powdered sugar
From: Better Homes and Gardens New Cook book, 11th ed
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