Our good friend Paul turned 29 today! As he is a chocoholic and a very sweet guy, another rich cake was in order. This cake was a mix of a couple recipes…

Double Chocolate Brownie Cake with Kahlua Drizzle

* 1 (18.25 ounce) package devil’s food cake mix
* 1 (3.9 ounce) package instant chocolate pudding mix
* 4 eggs
* 1 cup sour cream
* 1/2 cup vegetable oil
* 1/2 cup water
* 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
* 3 tbsp powdered sugar
* 1 tbsp Kahlua
* 1/4 cup white chocolate chips
* 1 tbsp canola oil

Directions
For the cake
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 10 inch Bundt pan. Have all ingredients at room temperature.
2. In a large bowl, stir together cake mix and pudding mix. Make a well in the center and pour in eggs, sour cream, oil and water. Beat on low speed until blended. Scrape bowl, and beat 4 minutes on medium speed. Stir in chocolate chips. Pour batter into prepared pan.
3. Bake in the preheated oven for 50 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool.

For the Drizzle
Mix 3 tbsp of powdered sugar with 1 tbsp of Kahlua. Whisk to make a thin icing. Drizzle onto warm cake.

For the Writing
Add 1 tbsp of oil to 1/4 cup of white chocolate in microwavable bowl. Microwave for 1 minute and stir until smooth. Place into plastic bag, gather to one corner, snip off the tip, and pipe desired writing or design onto cake.

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Last weekend’s sweet adventures include a Chocolate Whiskey Cake for Ken’s birthday and Mango Sorbet for an unnecessary but fun treat.

The Chocolate Whiskey Cake is Rachael Ray’s recipe:

Chocolate Whiskey Cake
Ingredients:
• 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1½ cups strong brewed coffee
• ½ cup whiskey
• 1½ sticks (6 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup mini chocolate chips
• 2 cups flour
• 1½ teaspoons baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 3 large eggs plus one egg white
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Directions:
1. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 325°. Butter a 10-inch springform pan, dust with 2 tablespoons cocoa powder and place on a baking sheet.
2. In a saucepan, whisk together the coffee, whiskey, butter and 3/4 cup cocoa powder over low heat. Whisk in the granulated and brown sugars. Let cool. In a small bowl, toss the chocolate chips with 1 tablespoon cocoa powder.
3. In a bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt, pepper and cloves. Whisk the eggs, egg white and vanilla into the cooled coffee-chocolate mixture. Whisk in the flour mixture. Fold the cocoa-dusted chocolate chips into the batter.
4. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick comes out just slightly moist, about 1 hour. Let cool. Dust with the remaining 1 tablespoon cocoa powder before serving.

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This cake was awfully strong and sweet.. not for the faint of heart! But Ken is… not faint of heart. We got a chance to check out Superior Pho (look at that yelp! review!) – this was my first experience with both Pho and Bubble Tea! Very yummy. Happy Birthday, Ken!

My second weekend sweet endeavor was Mango Sorbet, adapted from a Caribbean cookbook belonging to Joe’s stepmom (who has family originally from Jamaica!). It’s incredibly easy – if it tastes good, I’ll likely adapt the recipe to make all kinds of sorbets! Unlike most ice cream you find out there, you know exactly what’s in this one – just fruit, simple syrup, and egg whites.

Mango Sorbet

Dice 2 mangos and puree. Add juice of 2 limes. Boil together 2 oz sugar and 5 oz water to make simple syrup. Stir into mango mix. Whisk 2 egg whites until stiff peaks are formed then stir into mango mixture. Freeze for an hour, mix, freeze again.

Unfortunately, I have no image and we have yet to taste it! The reason? This sorbet has a rough time with freezing.. it’s either solid as a rock or the consistency of an icee. Not really sure what to do with it…

Up for this weekend is Pauly S’ birthday dinner. On the menu is the never-fails Neely’s Roast Beef, Tomato-Basil Bread Pudding, Salad, and Chocolate Brownie Bundt Cake with a Kahlua Glaze!

Pics to come!

I’ll leave you with these guys, cheering on the Cleveland State Vikings..

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Whenever Joe asks me what I’d like to eat, I like to turn my head to the side, make big baby eyes, and say in a tiny, kiddish voice… “Cupcake?” Well, perhaps I’ll get my wishes soon. This past weekend, we celebrated my brother-in-law’s 16th birthday and Valentine’s day. I recently received a cake decorating kit – a piping bag with several nozzles of different shapes and sizes for piping frosting – and I was looking forward to testing it out!

My BIL requested German Chocolate Cupcakes, and while the coconut-pecan topping doesn’t lend itself to a piping bag, these are certainly fun to make! Not many desserts require the stove, and since I’m more of a cook than a baker, I’m much more comfortable in front of a burner. I’m using boxed cake mix for the cupcakes. For the frosting…

From allrecipes.com -

German Chocolate Cake Frosting II

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For Valentine’s day, Joe requested a cupcake that we would both enjoy. (How sweet! Literally!) He loves citrus and I love chocolate, so I thought I’d pair them up with Giada’s Chocolate Orange Cupcakes. The icing is pipeable, and of course, I’ll have to dye it pink or red for the occasion!

Chocolate Orange Cupcakes with Limoncello Frosting

• 1 box chocolate cake mix
• Orange juice (instead of water in cake mix)
• Eggs & Oil (as indicated on cake mix)
• 1 cup chocolate chips
• 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
• 1 cup diced candied orange peel (about 8 ounces) (I am substituting orange zest, since the reviews said this sunk to the bottom of the cupcake)

Frosting:

• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 4 tablespoons butter, softened (1/2 stick)
• 2 tablespoons limoncello (I am substituting lemon juice, since I don’t have limoncello – but I plan to make my own at home soon! Stay tuned)
• 2 tablespoons orange juice
• 1 orange, zested
• 1/4 cup finely diced candied orange peel, for garnish (again, omitting and garnishing with red food coloring)
• Special equipment: cupcake liners, 2 muffin pans, piping equipment to make the icing nice and swirly!

Directions

To make the cupcakes: mix the chocolate cake mix according to package instructions, substituting orange juice for the water. Toss the chocolate chips with the flour. Fold the chocolate chips and the candied orange peel into the chocolate mixture. Line the muffin pan with the cupcake liners. Fill and bake the cupcakes according to package instructions. Let the cupcakes cool for 1 hour on a wire rack before frosting.

To make the frosting: combine all the ingredients except the candied orange peel in a medium bowl. Using a hand mixer, beat until smooth, about 2 minutes. Mix a few drops of food coloring into the frosting. Using a piping bag, pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes in a swirl pattern.

From Drop Box

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