Easier Than Math Chocolate Cake

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Recently, someone told me my recipes are too complicated and asked if I could post something simple. My first reaction was, "Really...? Complicated...? You've got to be kidding." But then, I thought it over for a moment. I have never in my life been able to do math–something that is simple for a lot of people, like my kids. And it's a good thing my kids understand math because they aren't getting any help from Dad.

So, here it is–an incredibly simple chocolate cake recipe that is not only good but ready to eat in just 30 minutes.This is helpful for FHE treats, a potluck event, or if you just need a quick chocolate fix. It doesn't need frosting, and it's best eaten warm.

If you've read through many of my posts, you might be thinking everyday is a birthday at the office. There are certainly times it feels that way, but I am more than happy to bring treats. However, an easy recipe like this comes in handy when life gets hectic, and there's something scheduled every night of the week (last night it was Liam's soccer game in the bitter cold wind). So this morning, I whipped up the batter and popped the cake in the oven in just a few minutes. By the time I finished showering and was dressed for work, it was done. I let it cool over breakfast, and then I was out the door with cake in hand.

It really is that easy, so give it a try.

Happy birthday, Danielle! I thought it would

look better if I cut the cake into squares and

piled them on a plate. Looking at the photo,

it appears rather messy. But, it's a tasty mess.

And, look how simple and easy it is to dress it up.

Death Cupcake for Cutie or Chocolate Stimulus

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If you're into baking, following baking blogs, or visiting bake shops, you know that cupcakes have been the rage for a while. About a year ago, I decided to try and create the ultimate cupcake. To do this, I combined the best from about four recipes into one, and the result was fantastic.


I needed a name, however. Katie immediately came up with Death Cupcake for Cutie. This is a combination of the "death by chocolate" idea and the name of a popular indie band, Death Cab for Cutie. I thought it was a great name, but later that day at work, Katie called me with the name Chocolate Stimulus. At the time, we were all tired of hearing about the economic stimulus ad nauseum. I liked this name equally as well because in my opinion most problems can be solved with chocolate. Who couldn't use a little chocolate stimulus? So, there you have it. Go with whichever name works for you.


But, I must warn you. These cupcakes are for adults. If you're going to put this kind of time and care into creating cupcakes, don't waste them on children who would be just as happy with something from a box. These cupcakes are so rich and chocolately, a child might go into chocolate shock.


The reason I made a batch of these cupcakes this morning is because it's parent/teacher conference time. The PTA arranges for parents to bring in dinner and dessert for the teachers. Not only do the teachers at our school deserve the best, but Liam has a little ground to make up with his math teacher. I guess she got a little ticked when he showed up on St. Patrick's Day with green hair. I guess there's a rule against that. Ooops. Well, a little chocolate stimulus will make everything right.

I piled the frosting a generous inch high.

Can you ever have too much frosting?

I think not. Katie said she'd eat it on 
dog food.

How could a teacher resist? (the cupcakes

and the boys)

Ooey Gooey Kaplooey

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Yes, I know it sounds weird, but that's what we call them. I don't remember who in the family came up with the name, but it's our brownie version of those molten chocolate cakes* that seem to be the rage lately.

When they come out of the oven, they look like your average brownies. However, beneath the crispy thin top crust lies a layer of chocolate ooey gooey goodness. They are best served warm, but I must sternly warn you. They are so chocolaty rich that if you eat too much too quickly, you might explode–hence, kaplooey. To prevent a chocolate overdose, I suggest serving the brownies with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or tall glass of milk.

Liam, my 12 year-old, has been begging me to make these brownies for weeks. Since he had a tooth pulled today in preparation for braces, I thought he deserved them.

And I'm embarrassed to admit, the pan is empty.

Please ignore the creepy plastic clown. Certainly family 

members who shall remain nameless like to tease me about

my blogging obsession. They thought the clown would be

a nice touch. Just focus on the gooey chocolate. Mmmmm!

*I have a very simple recipe for molten lava cakes. I'll see about whipping some up in the near future and posting the recipe.

Cream Cheese Brownies

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Guess what? I finally got the fancy schmancy camera of my dreams. I can now take amazing photos of my culinary creations that will make you want to lick your computer screen. Well, that is until I first learn how to use the camera. I've read the manual, watched the accompanying DVD, and browsed through countless Web sites about photography. I think it's going to take me a bit longer than I expected before I start producing photos I'm satisfied with.


So, I wanted to bake something and try out the camera. We invited some friends over for dessert, and I had my opportunity. I decided to make Cream Cheese Brownies, a new family favorite. 


After the brownies cooled, I cut them, and put some on a plate. I took a bunch of photos and downloaded them onto the computer. I was not very happy with the results. Each photo had something wrong. Some had bad lighting, some were blurry, and some were at an odd angle. 


As I murmured to myself  at the computer, Liam came and looked over my shoulder and said, "Dad, I like your photos. The food looks real." 


"What do you mean?" I asked.


"Well in magazines and cook books. The food is perfect and you know they use weird ways to make it look that way."


My twelve year-old son who has an unnatural gift of remembering odd facts then spouted off a list of the tricks of the trade, most of which were certainly new to me.


Did you know that...

1. Blowtorches and brown shoe polish are used to brown meat and create grill marks.
2. Cotton balls soaked in water and then heated in a microwave are used to create steam coming from food.
3. Lipstick is used to make strawberries look perfectly ripe.
4. There's a good chance the ice cream is actually mashed potatoes, and the chocolate syrup on top might be motor oil.
5. White glue is used instead of milk for cereal.

Well, I'll be! Liam certainly has a knack for knowing how to lift those around him, and I certainly felt better about my photos. So, here it is. I promise you each and every out of focus crumb is real, and tastes yummy!

I feel a Snarf-fest coming on!

Alfajore Lamingtons

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Not a birthday, but another special occasion at the office... Heather, one the students I have worked with the past couple of years, is going on an LDS mission to Australia. Today, she goes into the Mission Training Center.

Heather was stopping by the office for one last goodbye, and I wanted to bring treats–something Australian. Even though I've never tried an Australian dessert, I recently read on a food blog about Lamingtons, an Australian dessert consisting of cubes of cake with some sort of filling covered in chocolate and coconut. Mr. P, the author of the blog, was holding a competition to come up with new and creative versions of the dessert from down under. I originally thought of entering, but never got around to it. You can check out some of the entries here.

Since I had recently made one of my favorite cookies, Argentine alfajores, I immediately thought Lamingtons with a dulce de leche filling sounded pretty incredible. Actually, anything with dulce de leche sounds pretty incredible. For the cake, I decided to go with pound cake. For the glaze, good chocolate is a must since I personally can't stand that waxy fake stuff. And when it comes to shredded coconut, I prefer toasted.

Once I finished, chocolate and coconut was literally everywhere, but my Lamingtons looked every bit as good as the ones I saw online. And how did they taste? Well, one of my students gave it this review: "It's heaven on a plate!" And do you know what? I completely agree.

So, give these a try. They're worth it.

I think I might try some of the other inventive Lamingtons on Mr. P.'s blog. Or, maybe I'll come up with some new combinations. I'll keep you posted.

Good luck in Australia, Heather! And may

you enjoy many wonderful Lamingtons!

pound cake + dulce de leche + chocolate + toasted coconut = heaven on a plate

Now, that's math I understand!

Cocoa Fudge Cake Truffles

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Have you noticed that cake truffles (or cake balls) seem to be the rage lately? I have and thought I'd give them a try. I looked on several  blogs and compared. The recipes all seemed to be the same—one cake mix, one can prepared frosting, and chocolate or almond bark. And the instructions are simple enough—bake cake, crumble cake in a bowl, mix in frosting, form into balls, dip in coating. No problem, right?

Well, so I thought.

For my first attempt, I bought a strawberry cake mix (it's close to Valentine's Day), a can of cream cheese frosting, and some chocolate coating. I whipped them up for Family Home Evening treats. I brought them to the table. They looked great. We all grabbed a ball and popped them in our mouths. The reaction was instantaneous. Ooooh, yuck! The insides were like slimy Play-Doh and they tasted like cheap perfume.

What did I do wrong? I went back to the internet. It looked like I followed the recipe correctly. I even followed some of the helpful hints like crumbling the cake while still warm and incorporating the frosting well.

I hate failures in the kitchen, and I new I had to try again. Plus, there was another birthday at the office.

After thinking about it for a while, here's what I came up with. And the result? Amazing!

Here are my tips:

• Do not crumble the cake while warm. It's best to let it cool completely. I even prefer to bake the cake the day before. You get a much better texture if the cake is a little bit dried out.
• Maybe I'm a cake snob, but if you've got the time, make it from scratch. Homemade cake has much better texture. If you are short on time, at least make the frosting from scratch. Canned frosting is disgusting.
• Use a 1-in. cookie dough scoop. It helps a lot, and makes for uniform sized balls.
• Put the balls in the freezer for about a 1/2 hour. This makes them easier to dip and coat. You can also store them at this point in a ziplock bag to do later.
• Use real chocolate. It just tastes better. Really.

If you follow these tips, I promise your taste buds will be in heaven. I promise. People at work were ooohing and aaahing all afternoon.

So, the next time you need to make a treat. Try these. I already know this recipe works, but what other cake, frosting, and coating combinations can you come up with. I've already thought of some exciting possibilities. And you can bet I'll post them.

Happy birthday, Kristen! The hardest part of making the 

cake truffles was stacking them.

Warning: Once you start snarfing, it will be hard to quit!

Zuccotto, the Italian Bombe

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Summer birthdays can sometimes be a bummer. I know because I was born in July. I remember wanting to invite friends over for a birthday party, and they were all gone on vacation. Also, I never got to celebrate my birthday in elementary school. I remember in two different years where the teacher told the kids with summer birthdays that we'd have a group celebration at the end of the year. Both times, the teacher forgot about it. I don't think I was scarred for life, but still...

At the office, I bring in cake for birthdays. One student I work with has a summer birthday, so we decided to celebrate 1/2 birthdays. And, I was not going to forget.

The night before I looked through recipes trying to decide what to make. I came across a cake that I have wanted to try for many years, a chocolate bomb with banana custard filling. A bombe is a cake molded in a bowl by layering cake with mousse or ice cream. The photo in the cook book looked amazing, but as I reread through the recipe, I remembered why I've never tried it. It takes quite a bit of time to make, and time wasn't on my side. Once again, this cake would have to wait. I asked Katie for ideas, and she reminded me of a cake we tried a few years back . It's called Zuccotto, and it's basically an Italian bombe. I did a little research and found the cake was inspired by the dome cathedral in Florence.

This cake is a triple threat. First, it's a show stopper. Make this, and I promise you many "oohs" and "aahs". Secondly, it tastes phenomenal. And finally and most importantly, it's dang easy to make.

Give this cake a try, and enjoy!

Happy birthday, Matt! You're the bombe bomb!

 

Even though I'm still dealing with a simple point-and-shoot

camera, I think you can still get the idea this cake is 

soooo good.