The Better Simple Chocolate Cake

For every non-baker out there, this is for you. A cake that requires no serious skill or effort and no leveling or frosting. Really, this is as simple as cake gets folks, so you have no excuse for those store bought atrocities that pass as dessert. 

If you have managed to stick to your healthy new year's resolution, I'm afraid that ends now. Please put down that carrot and or celery that you are sadly gnawing on. Chocolate cake may not be healthy per se, but you'll be in a great mental state once you take a bite. 

 

I am in LOVE with this recipe because I have never been a big frosting lover and the clean up that comes with decorating a traditional cake is never fun. Like seriously, who wants to deal with a sink full of dishes when they have a chocolate cake waiting to be eaten?

 

Again I was struck with the desire to bake at 3 o'clock in the morning while everyone in the house had gone to bed. I have such a great mother; she doesn't mind (too much) when she wakes up to a sink with my dishes. With a glass of milk, this made a perfect treat as I watched The Hunger Games before the sun came up. 

If you can be bothered to put in the extra leg work, a sprinkle of powdered sugar and a dollop of fresh whipped cream add a special touch.

*adapted from Smitten Kitchen 

RECIPE

INGREDIENTS

½ cup (1 stick or 4 oz) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup (6½ oz) firmly packed dark brown sugar
½ cup (4 ounces) granulated sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ½ cups (6¾ oz) all-purpose flour
¾ cup (2⅝ oz) Hershey's special dark cocoa powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS

1. Beat butter and sugars together until fluffy

2. Add in egg, vanilla, and buttermilk (batter will look curdled)

3. Sift in dry ingredients and mix until just combined (DO NOT OVERMIX) making sure to scrape down sides of bowl

4. Grease a 9x5x3 inch loaf pan and pour in batter

5. Bake in 325℉ oven for 65 minutes (or until cake passes toothpick test)

The Better Tiramisu (Cake)

I don't know if you remember my summer bucket list from a while ago, but if you do you will remember that I was dead set on making tiramisu. Well I can kind of cross that off my list. I was too lazy to break out my piping gear and make ladyfingers. Instead I made *this tiramisu cake using hazelnut liquor which was born to go in dessert. This recipe should be prepared the night before you plan to serve it; this way the espresso syrup can be completely absorbed by the cake. 

I opted to leave out the dusting of cocoa powder on top. Usually if I order it I'll suck it up because, hey, it's tiramisu, and when you eat any tiramisu--be it good or bad-- life is just too wonderful to complain about. Also, I was going to coat the sides of the cake with the whipped cream but I thought the exposed layers looked to pretty to hide. 

*A few adaptations to the recipe:

 -Everywhere that Deb used brandy I used hazelnut liquor.

-I couldn't find instant espresso in my grocery store so I used Starbucks extra strong instant coffee.

-Use a high quality bittersweet chocolate instead of any 'ol chocolate chips

-Like a dumb dumb I didn't follow baking 101, and I failed to read the recipe through before starting it. I used all the espresso extract and syrup on the cakes and didn't put any in the whipped cream (thats why the cream in my photos looks so white). 

But even with these changes (and mistakes) it still tasted DELICIOUS!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake

If Reeses Peanut Butter Cup and a Chocolate cake ran toward each other this cake is what would happen when they collide. It's beautiful, it's tear educing,, it's magical--much like Howie Day's one hit wonder song Collide. 

{I always have to be listening to music, an audiobook, or a podcast when I bake--hence the laptop)

{So many layers of peanut butter frosting and chocolate cake}

It's a bit difficult to smooth the chocolate glaze over this cake; I highly recommend sticking the frosted cake in the freezer for a few minutes before glazing it.

The Better Cheesecake Topped with Snickers

After much research I have learned the perfect cheesecake making techniques that will get you a silky, crack free dessert. 

Step 1: Line cover the bottom of your spring foam pan with foil

Step 2: Wrap foil around the whole pan to prevent water from seeping in (pictured above)

Step 3: Use ROOM TEMPERATURE ingredients (if it seems like I'm yelling here it's because I am)

Step 4: Make sure crust cools COMPLETELY before pouring filling

Step 5: Strain filling with a fine mesh sieve to remove any lumps

Step 6: Cook in a water bath

Step 7: Do not cook completely; there should be some center jiggle

Step 8: Allow to cool in an open oven with heat turned off

Step 9: Refrigerate for at least 24 hours

Although I used this recipe from My Baking Addiction, cheesecake is and will forever remain the most versatile dessert. A little lemon in the filling and voila it's the perfect treat to be topped with berries. It's also a great way to use leftover cookies (in the crust) or your favorite chocolate andy bar (roughly chopped and sprinkled on top). YUM-O!

The Better Carrot Cake

To be honest, I'm not the biggest fan of carrot cake. The idea of a vegetable getting anywhere near my dessert is rather off putting, and the thought makes me grimace. But since other people go wild for it, and that includes my father, I decided I'd make one using a recipe from Smitten Kitchen. For those of you that don't know I am a big Deb fan and would gladly marry her. Unfortunately my dowry is just not large enough to tempt her away from her family...but I digress. The point is that I trust her recipes.

 

{To keep the cake stand clean I like to put strips of parchment paper around the edges and pull them out when it's time for the cake to be served}

 It turns out that Deb is so magical that even I, hater of carrot cake, went back for a second, third, fourth, and even fifth bite. I was defiantly behaving like one of those kids that likes the food you feed them until you tell them there's something healthy in it. Only I'm worse because no amount of carrots will counterbalance the sugar and butter, but that's not the point. For the quadruple layer cake I doubled this recipe and baked the cakes in two 9x2 cake pans. 

The Better Basic: Yellow Cake and Buttercream Frosting

This cake is as simple and classic as it gets: a yellow cake with a vanilla buttercream frosting (I dyed mine pink and put a lemon on top purely for aesthetic reasons). Some people may even be tempted to hit their local grocery store and buy a mix (gasp!) or frosting from a can (the horror!), but I know my readers are far too good for that kind of behavior...right? Right! 

And just in case you didn't know cake can be stored in the freezer for a few months if well wrapped in plastic wrap. So why not just bake an extra cake to have on hand? It's honestly the best way to assure yourself that you will never resort to grocery store mixes no matter how desperate you are. 

Remember that chocolate cake with salted coffee chocolate frosting I made not too long ago? This is the same cake, just outfitted in a different dress. I like frosting cakes but I'm not too fond of breaking out my piping gear to decorate the edges. I disguise my laziness by saying, "I like a slightly homemade look to my cakes,." And in all honesty, it's true. Perfection is overrated.

The Better Way to Impress with Chocolate Cake

This is a surefire way to knock everyones cashmere-wool blend socks off. Not only is this cake seriously the most moist hydrated cake out there, but it is so sophisticated. I mean just look at it! I wasn't too surprised when my guests were reluctant to cut into it. But honestly, any care of ruining it's beauty goes out the door when you cut into it and see the yummy layers of chocolate cake bound by chocolate frosting.

Both the curled chocolate sticks and the duo chocolate shavings were purchased at my local cake decor/candy making shop. The ribbon adds an extra luxe touch, and serves as reassurance that the chocolate sticks won't fall off unceremoniously. 

I was originally planning on saving this decorating technique for another day, but I didn't frost my cake too well, and this was the perfect way to hide it. Since the frosting was already dry to the touch, I took my spatula, dipped it in warm water and then patted the sides of the cake so the chocolate sticks would attach to the cake.

The Better Lemonade and Dessert Party: Part III

There are good parties and there are great parties, and really they are very similar except for a few things here and there. Details are what separate "meh" from "WOW!" Aside from streamers and balloons, here are some details I think really made my lemonade and dessert party successful.

{Monogramed, linen, cocktail napkins from Neiman Marcus}

{Mason jar cups with lemon slice, ribbon, printed card, and a moustache straw!}

{Dessert cards to describe each treat to guests}

{Cake stands are far better than plates. Bottom three from Macy's Martha Stewart collection, top two purchased from Costco}

{Handmade triangle banner and coordinating tablecloth}

{Candy bar}

I was very surprised to learn that candy bars don't come cheap. Luckily I live in the Los Angeles area and was able to find this store. The candy bar pictured above in addition to the candy table, and snickers for the cheesecake totaled to about $175. It seems like a lot but once you start researching the cost of bulk candy you'll commend me for my thriftiness.

The Better Lemonade and Dessert Party: Part I

This past weekend I celebrated and lamented the impending departures that my friends and me would be making to college. It was a bittersweet party because I have known most of these girls since I was 4 years old, and saying good-bye --even if it's only for a little while-- is never easy.

Preparing 8 different cakes, three types of cookies, and several desserts was not easy either, but it was definitely  possible with the right kind of preparation. Over the next few posts I'll explain in detail how you can plan one of these little soirees yourself without crying in the cake batter from the stress of it all.

Here is a peak at what went on inside my house. Enjoy!

{Dessert table}

{Mini BLT sandwiches}

 

{My beautiful friend, Mackenzie}

{Trying to decide what to eat first}

The Better Yellow Cake with Salted Chocolate Coffee Frosting

Making cakes have never been my forte. They require a level of patience that really doesn't come naturally to me. Seriously, I've always been the kid that asks "are we there yet?" a thousand times on a trip to the local mall, so imagine me waiting for a cake to cool...

On top of that I'm a pretty spontaneous baker, rarely do I plan what I am going to make or when I will do it. Setting out ingredients to be brought up to room temperature was one of those steps I've always skipped (and is a factor in my unsuccessful cake making career). 

But for the first time I did things right. I set out the butter, eggs, and milk to warm up, I sifted all the dry ingredients, I added the eggs one at a time, and scraped down the bowl after each addition. In essence, I did everything that I'm supposed to do...hence the messy kitchen. I have found that the messier the kitchen the yummier the food (which is why I don't trust people who cook yet have pristine kitchens).

 

I chose this cake specifically because it calls for cake flour which was all I had on hand. I snagged the recipe for the cake from Smitten Kitchen (I have a major girl crush on this woman), however the chocolate frosting recipe is mine. 

 

The cake was beautiful without the sprinkles, but you know me, I just love adding a feminine touch anywhere I can. 

 

I like love the cake and frosting combo. Yellow cake tends to come out dry and crumbly, but this recipe results in a delicioulsy moist cake that's not saccharine sweet. In order to elevate the sophistication of a butter cream frosting I used coffee leftover from my parents breakfast and some kosher salt to intensify the chocolate flavor. I like that the frosting went on smoothly allowing for a thin coat since I hate thick layers of frosting. It was a major exercise of my willpower to not eat more than one slice. Thankfully my Dr. Daddy will be taking the rest of the cake into work as a treat for his nurses. 

Right when Dr. Daddy came home from work he was greeted with a plateful of cake. I think it is HILARIOUS the way he still inspects my food carefully (left picture) before he's willing to take a bite. I don't know why though, I mean look at that happy food face (right picture). Heehee. I don't think he knows I caught that on camera.