Triple Chocolate Raspberry Cake

Cake

1/3 cup cocoa powder

1/3 cup water

4 1/2 ounces dark melted chocolate

4 1/2 ounces melted butter

1 1/3 cups packed brown sugar

1 cup ground almonds

4 eggs

2 packets of raspberries

Chocolate Whipped Cream

2 cups heavy cream

1 cup sugar

3 ounces melted dark chocolate

Ganache

6 1/2 ounces dark chocolate

1/3 cup heavy cream

Preheat oven to 325F. 

Grease 9 inch round cake pan, set aside.

Blend sifted cocoa powder with water until smooth; stir in chocolate, butter, sugar, ground almonds, and egg yolks.

Beat egg whites in small bowl until soft peaks form, then fold into chocolate mixture.

Pour mixture in pan.  

Bake 1 hour and 25 minutes.

Make chocolate whipped cream by blending heavy cream on high and adding sugar.  Once cream starts to come up add melted chocolate and continue whipping.  Cover and set aside in fridge.

Make ganache by heating heavy cream over low heat on stove until it starts to boil, then pour over chocolate and stir.

Frost cake with whipped cream and place raspberries on top of cake, then drizzle ganache over raspberries.

Jake's Twenty-First Birthday

My boyfriend Jake turned twenty-one and I wanted to share what I made him, chocolate coffee cupcakes with a whipped chocolate cream frosting with strawberries atop.  Also coffee and cheese filled croissants.

Ingredients:

2 cups sugar

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup Cocoa Powder

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1 cup buttermilk or sour milk (I used one cup regular milk and one Tablespoon vinegar to make my own sour milk)

1 cup brewed strong black coffee (I used instant coffee)

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 teaspoon almond extract

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350.

In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt.  Set aside.

In mixing bowl mix eggs, buttermilk, oil, and almond extract together.

Gradually add in dry ingredients.  Then mix in hot/boiling coffee.

You should have a thin batter.

Pour batter evenly into prepared cupcake tins.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks.

Cool completely before frosting.

For the frosting I took the easy way out and used chocolate cool whip instead of making my own.  The chocolate cool whip is incredible.  I had never had it before, but my boyfriend wanted chocolate on chocolate so I tried it and I now love it!  And then I just added a strawberry to the top to each cupcake.  These were a big crowd pleaser.  Everyone loved how moist each cupcake came out.  And the frosting was so light and lovely, especially with the strawberry.

The Most Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie (Recipe from Norma Bates)

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons of butter
2 firmly packed tablespoons of dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon of granulated sugar
a pinch of sea salt
a cap full of pure vanilla extract
1 egg yolk
1/4 teaspoon of baking soda
1/4 cup of all purpose flour
3 heaping tablespoons of chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Heat butter until softened.  Blend butter together with sugars, salt, and vanilla extract.
Then add the egg yolk and baking soda and flour until well combined.
Stir in chocolate chips
Form cookie dough balls and bake for 8 minutes, or until golden brown on a cookie sheet.
Remove the cookie tray from oven and tap the sheet against the counter top.  This will deflate the cookie and give it a perfect wrinkly appearance.

High Heel Cupcakes for my Boss' Birthday

For my boss' birthday I decided to make cupcakes I could bring in for everyone at the jewelry store.  I made these high heel cupcakes using Milano cookies, pretzel sticks, and a whole lot of homemade cream cheese and chocolate frosting.

For Cake:

2 cups sugar

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

4 oz unsweetened chocolate, cut into 1/4-inch pieces

1 cup boiling water

8 tbsp (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted

2 large eggs

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup sour cream

Preheat oven to 350 F.  Stir the sugar, flour, baking soda, and salt together in a mixing bowl. Set aside.

Put the cut up chocolate in a large mixing bowl and pour the boiling water over it.  Let stand for 2 minutes, then whisk until smooth.  Whisk in the butter, then the eggs, whisking after each addition until smooth. Whisk in the vanilla and sour cream.

Whisk in the flour and sugar mixture in 3 separate additions, whisking until smooth after each.

Divide the batter equally.   Bake the cupcakes until they are well risen and feel firm when pressed in the center with a fingertip, about 20 minutes.

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins with Nutella

So I know it's not yet fall, but why wait only once a year to have pumpkin?  Especially when it's amazingly delicious, and one of my personal favorites.

These muffins were a huge hit; gone in two days from my family and Dunkin Donut employees.  

All the feedback I got on these were they are super moist and very chocolaty.  These muffins came out heavenly.

 My little brother and Jake claim they don't like pumpkin, but even they enjoyed these muffins.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1 cup pumpkin pure

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

2 eggs

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup milk chocolate chips

1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

Nutella

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  

In a bowl whisk together all the dry ingredients; flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and cocoa powder.  Set aside.

Melt butter on medium heat on stove, stirring constantly, wait until butter starts to foam before taking it off stove, set aside.

Whisk pumpkin pure, eggs, brown sugar, vanilla, and melted butter together. 

Slowly mix in dry ingredients a little at a time, until everything is mixed together well.

Fold in all chocolate chips.

Fill buttered muffin trays half way, and spoon in a dollop of Nutella, then cover with batter until muffin tins are almost full.

Bake for 15 to 18 minutes.