Almond Joy cake

I thought that I was just SO original when I thought of doing and Almond Joy cake for a girl's night.  Apparently I wasn't the first to think of this, so I borrowed a few ideas to bolster up my own.  I needed to modify this cake to be eggless since one of the ladies attending is allergic.  I found a great little tip sheet online of the best ways to modify your dish depending on what the eggs are used for.  You can find it here.  (*the link won't work.  :-/  But here's the web address for it.  http://www.tryveg.com/img/files/egg-free-cooking.pdf)  Great stuff.

I was going to make my traditional, oh-so-moist and yummy chocolate cake that I've made 1000 times before.  I've done all sorts of fillings, but never a gooey coconut one.  I wanted to match the texture you'd get when you bite into a delicious Almond Joy candy bar.  I found the idea for the filling on Pinterest, but decided that I wanted the almonds to be in the filling as well (instead of in the frosting like most that I found-here was my inspiration if you want to check it out).  I toasted the almonds to bring out their flavor and mixed it in with the filling.  Then I layered all of that on top of each of my three 9 in cakes.  A nice layer of butter-cream frosting to hold it all together and then a very healthy "drizzle" of chocolate ganache over the top.  I decided to toast some coconut and threw that on top with a few more almonds to make a fancy looking garnish.


Warning:  This cake is RICH.  Very sweet with the coconut filling and just a bit of bitter sweet with the ganache. We each enjoyed a very thin slice, and called it good.  Personally, that is how I like my desserts!  I'd rather have a thin slice of something that is rich and chocolaty, than to eat a "regular" or large portion of something that I don't enjoy quite as much.  


Here's the recipe as I put it together.  I hope you enjoy!

The frosting was tinted pink for our V-day GNO

Ingredients:

Cake:

2 cups flour

1 cup cocoa powder

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

3/4 cups butter (Softened)

1 cup brown sugar, packed

1 cups white sugar

3 eggs

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups buttermilk (I use the buttermilk powder that's next to other powdered milks in the store)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350*.  Grease and flour 9x13", 3-8" or 9" pans (or 24 cupcake tins).  In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, soda and cocoa.  In a large mixer, beat butter and sugars on low speed until blended.  Increase speed to high and mix for 5 minutes or until pale and fluffy, occasionally scraping down sides.  Reduce speed and add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.  Add the vanilla.  Add flour mixture alternating with the buttermilk.  (Beginning and ending with the flour mixture.)  Beat just until smooth, scraping sides of bowl occasionally.

Spoon batter evenly into prepared pans.  (If making cupcakes, this batter rises better if you let it rest in the pan for at least 5 minutes before baking.)  Bake for 22-25 (about 18 minutes for cupcakes) minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Cool on wire racks for 10 minutes.  Loosen sides of cake with a small knife and invert onto racks to finish cooling.  Fill or frost as desired!

Coconut Filling:

1/2 can evaporated milk (not sweetened condensed)

1/2 cup sugar

3 1/2 cups marshmallows

3 cups coconut 

1 cup toasted, chopped almonds (optional)

In a small saucepan, stir together 1/2 can of milk and 1/2 cup sugar.  Bring the mixtures just up to a boil and remove from heat.  Stir in marshmallows until they are completely melted.  Add coconut and almonds and stir again.  Layer on top of cake by spoonfuls, being careful not to tear cake.  (The original recipe said to add the coconut mixture while the cake was still warm.  I didn't do this because it was taking my milk longer to boil, but it turned out totally fine!)

I used a standard buttercream recipe for the frosting like this one.  

Chocolate ganache:

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1 Tbsp butter

1 Tbsp sugar

12 oz chocolate chips

Cook the cream, sugar and butter over medium heat, just until it boils.  (I have also done this in a 2-cup Pyrex measuring cup for 60-90 seconds.  Works wonderfully and is easy to pour!)  Remove from heat and add the chocolate chips.  Allow it to rest for 5 minutes until chocolate is softened and whip with whisk or fork to incorporate.  Allow to cool slightly to room temperature before pouring over a frosted cake or dipping cupcakes.  Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

Not the best "inside look" ever, but it was so good, who cares!

Creamy Mexican Chicken & Rice

I was feeling completely uninspired for dinner tonight.  I had picked up a rotisserie chicken at Costco to make dinner a little easier but what stumped.  As I grabbed things out of my pantry it came together.  Creamy Mexican Chicken with Cilantro Lime Rice.  YUM!  With the chicken already cooked it came together pretty quickly.  I got the rice started and then started chopping up about half of the chicken.  I threw that in a saucepan with a few spices until it was warmed through.  I added a can of fire-roasted tomatoes because my kids are wimps and would not have been able to handle some salsa.  Boo.  Next I added 1/2 can of reduced sodium black beans and 1 can of Campbell's Healthy Request cream of chicken soup.  A few tweaks to the spices, and it was done! This tasted really good with it stacked on a plate with a little cheese on top or rolled up in a tortilla.

I put a few slices of pepper jack cheese to give me the kick I was looking for and even went back for seconds.  I usually make enough dinner for at least 1 more meal (for my family of 6), so modify the portions as needed.  I do all of my seasonings by taste so feel free to experiment to see what works for your taste buds.  Cumin is a must in Mexican cooking though!

Rice:  

4 cups water or chicken stock

2 cups white or brown rice (not instant)

3-4 tbsp lime juice (to taste)

1/4 cup fresh chopped cilantro

1/4 tsp garlic (granulated or powder)

1/4 tsp cumin

salt & pepper to taste

Through everything in a pot set over high heat, bring to boil.  Once everything is at a rolling bowl turn down to simmer for 20 minutes.  Toss with a fork and enjoy!

Creamy Chicken:

1/2 rotisserie chicken (or 2 chicken breasts)

1 can-fire roasted tomatoes (or 1-2 cups salsa)

1/2 can black beans

1 can cream of chicken soup

1/2 tsp cumin

1 tsp garlic (granulated or powder)

at least 1 tsp red chili powder

salt & pepper to taste 

additional cilantro to taste

Chop chicken into small bite-sized pieces.  Put chicken and spices into large saucepan over medium high heat.  Add can of tomatoes or salsa and 1/2 can of beans.  Stir well and add the can of soup.  Warm through and taste to check if seasonings are where you'd like.

We added some shredded cheddar or pepper jack cheese to ours and it was gobbled up by me and all the kids too.

Another Cover

Full view

A massage client of mine has had me create her a nursing cover already.  She loved it so much that she requested a second one as a back-up.  I love how this one turned out.  Very classy looking with the black/white and red accents.  She loved it!  What do you think?

Close up of contrast and detail

Close up of neck strap and detail

Nursing clip to match!

Nursing pads pocket inside

Aprons

Well, I finally got around to finishing my first apron for a gift.  I think it turned out great and she loved it!  My sister in law has her kitchen and house decorated with all sorts of beautiful Chinese vases and art.  When I saw this fabric I just new that it was her and I had to do something with it. 

Full view of apron

Close up of contrasting neck strap and ribbon detail

Close up of contrasting pocket and ribbon detail

More aprons will be forthcoming, but I have a few other projects to finish first.  Aprons like this one will be available for $20 in the fabrics of your choice.

What's for dinner?

This is a question I find myself thinking almost every day around 4 pm.  Most of the time all the chicken or hamburger I own is frozen... thus making this question all the more pressing.  Today, I actually planned ahead!  Pizza!  

Like most people we are trying to cut back on our expenses and eating out is obviously one of the quickest fixes.  I've also tried to find great recipes to substitute our fast food fixes at home.  I lovingly call this "Fake Out".  I know... I'm just so clever, but it works for me.  I have experimented with several pizza dough recipes that were pretty good, but I'm most fond of this one right now:

Ingredients:
1 tsp sugar
1 1/2 cups warm water (110*)
1 Tbsp active dry yeast
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
3 1/2 cups flour
(OR 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour and 2 cups whole wheat flour)

Directions: (If you have a Bosch or Kitchen Aid machine, see footnotes.)

1. In a large bowl, dissolve sugar in warm water.  Sprinkle yeast over the top and let stand 10 minutes until foamy.*
2. Stir olive oil and salt into yeast mixture, then mix in 3 cups of the flour until dough starts to come together.  Tip the dough out onto a surface floured with the remaining flour and knead until the dough is smooth and not too tacky, about 10 minutes.*  Place dough in an oiled bowl and turn to coat.  Cover loosely with a cloth and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.
3. When the dough is doubled, tip the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 2 pieces for thin crust, or keep whole for a thicker crust.  Form into a tight ball and allow to rise until doubled again, about 45 minutes.*
4. Preheat the oven to 500* (Usually the hottest setting for a home oven.).  Roll a ball of dough with a rolling pin until it will not stretch any further,  Then, drape it over both of your fists and gently pull the edges outward while rotating the crust.  When it's reached the desired size, place on a pizza stone or baking sheet.  Top with your favorite sauce, cheese and toppings.*  (I typically use a 16oz package of mozzarella cheese for the two pizzas.)
5. Bake for 15-18 minutes until cheese is melted and crust is golden brown.  Allow to cool 1 minute, then slice and enjoy!

 *If you have a heavy duty stand mixer like Bosch or Kitchen Aid, you can dump all the ingredients into the mixer and let it go!  It will do all the kneading for you and turn out wonderful without all the sweat!
 *Allow the mixer to run for 8-10 minutes to develop the gluten in the flour.  You have added enough flour once the dough comes clean from the sides of the mixing bowl.  If you happen to make it TOO dry, just add a little more water!
 *I have skipped the 2nd rise when I'm in a hurry and it still turns out fine.
 *We like to spray the edge of the crust with no-stick cooking spray or spread olive oil on it with a pastry brush.  Then we sprinkle garlic salt, Parmesan and Italian seasonings on it.  YUM!  This is also how I make the cheesy bread or dessert pizza, but substitute butter in for the oil.

I made a triple batch of this in my Bosch.  It made ...

Large 1/2 pineapple 3-cheese

Large pepperoni and black olives

Garlic cheesy bread (about 1/2 the size of a large)

Large cinnamon sugar with cream cheese frosting

.

I love that the crust gets a nice crunch on the bottom but is still soft and chewy.  I have also found that if I bake it on the 2nd rack from the very top for the first 12 minutes, and then move it down to the middle rack for another 3 or so minutes it gives you that pizzeria look and taste.  The pizza turns out fine if you just bake it on the middle rack like usually, but this is a trick I found when I couldn't get that golden crust across the TOP of the pizza on the cheese and pepperoni.  (For some reason I really love a crunchy pepperoni.)  Sorry the one w/ the pepperoni turned out a little dark.  I was feeding the baby and my sweet, but inexperienced hubby was in charge of taking it out for me.

We did make a nice salad to go along with all this carb-loading, but it was pretty standard... so it was deemed not blog worthy. 

Happy baking!