Aunt Dorothy's Champagne Cake

This rich cake is impressive and easy to prepare.  It features a white cake flavored with champagne, which is then layered and frosted with French vanilla mousse and topped with chocolate shavings.  It is also fattening!  For special occasions only!

For the cake:

1 box Betty Crocker SuperMoist cake mix
Ingredients on back of box to prepare cake mix
1/4 cup champagne or prosecco to replace 1/4 cup water called for on box(I used Cupcake Prosecco.)

French Vanilla Mousse:

2 small boxes Jell-O instant French Vanilla pudding mix
2 cups half-and-half cream
1 1/2 tsps. good-quality vanilla extract
2 cups heavy whipping cream

Topping:

1 bar (4 ozs.) Ghirardelli semi-sweet chocolate, shaved with vegetable peeler

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease and flour two 9-inch round cake pans; set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, add cake mix, ingredients called for on the back of the box and champagne.  Mix on low speed of electric mixer for 30 seconds; increase speed to high and beat for 2 minutes.

Divide batter into pans, smoothing the tops. Bake for amount of time called for on box, testing 5 minutes before to ensure overbaking.  Cool on wire racks for 15 minutes.  Remove from pans.  Cool completely.

While cakes are cooling, prepare pudding part of mousse.  In another mixing bowl,  add both boxes of pudding and half-and-half.  Mix on high speed (with clean beaters, of course), until thick and smooth.  Chill in refrigerator until cakes are completely cool.

When cakes are ready, split each layer horizontally.  Set aside.  Prepare whipped cream.  Pour heavy cream and vanilla extract into  another mixing bowl. Whip with clean beaters on high speed until stiff.  Do NOT overbeat.  Fold cream into chilled pudding.  This is the filling and frosting.

Time to assemble!

Place one cake layer on plate; spread with a thick layer of mousse; repeat process, ending with top of cake cut-side down.  Frost top and sides.

Top cake with chocolate shavings.  Cover and refrigerate until serving time.  The cake will stay fresh in refrigerator for 3 days.

Double-Chocolate Zucchini Bread

It's a quick bread.  It's a cake.  It has cocoa powder AND bittersweet chocolate.  And it's a sneaky way to hide zucchini.  Did I mention this recipe makes two loaves?  Wrap one and freeze it!

We had to sample it before it completely cooled!

Double-Chocolate Zucchini Bread
From Food Network Kitchens Cookbook
Copyright:  Meredith Press, 2003

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Butter and flour two 9x5" loaf pans.

Whisk together in a medium bowl and set aside:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened, natural cocoa powder (not Dutch-processed; good ol' Hershey's, for example)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch ground cloves

In a large work bowl,  cream together with a mixer set on medium-high speed for four minutes:

1 cup unsalted butter, softened (see note below)
1 1/2 cups sugar

Drizzle in:

1/4 cup vegetable oil

Beat in, one at a time:

2 large eggs, at room temperature (see note below)

Stir together in a small cup:

1/2 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Slowly add the dry ingredients into the creamed mixture in three additions, alternating with buttermilk in two parts; begin and end with flour mixture.  Scrape the sides of the bowl between additions.

Fold in:

2 cups shredded, unpeeled zucchini  (I used a box grater.)
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped (I used a 4 oz. Ghirardelli 60% Cacao bar.)

Divide the batter into the prepared pans and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The batter is a very light brown, but it will deepen into a rich chocolate brown while it bakes.  (My loaf pans are dark.  The cakes took 45 minutes to bake.  Lighter pans will take longer.)  Cool in pans on a rack before unmolding and slicing.


Notes:

I had a stick of soy margarine to use up, so I used this plus one stick unsalted butter in the recipe.
        
To bring eggs to room temperature, place eggs in a small bowl and cover with warm tap water.  Set aside for a minute.  Drain off the water and crack the eggs into the bowl.

Chocolate-Peanut Butter Biscotti

These.are.so.good.  I just mailed off a batch to my best friend for Christmas.

This recipe comes from:

Christmas with Southern Living 2001
Page 154
Copyright:  Oxmoor House

1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup baking cocoa
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon fine salt
1/2 cup finely chopped cocktail peanuts
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate mini-morsels, divided
1 1/2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
1 1/2 tablespoons solid shortening

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Lightly grease a baking sheet or line it with a Silpat.  Set aside.

Cream together butter and sugar at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy.  Add eggs, beating well.

Stir together dry ingredients; add to creamed mixture, beating at low speed until blended.  Turn dough out onto a lightly flour surface.  Knead in peanuts and 1/2 cup mini-morsels.

Shape dough into a 13" x3" log on the prepared baking sheet.  Bake for 40 minutes or until firm.    Remove to a wire rack to cool.  (Leave the oven on.)

Using a serrated knife, gently saw the cookie log into 1/2" thick slices.  Place the sliced on ungreased baking sheets.  Bake for 7 minutes; turn cookies over and bake for 7 more minutes.  Remove to wire racks to cool.

Combine remaining 1 cup mini-morsels with last two ingredients in a small saucepan.  Cook over low heat until melted.  Dip one end of each biscotti into the mixture.  Place on wax paper until chocolate hardens.

Yield:  28 cookies

Mom's Muffins

Happy Mother's Day!

My daughter's kindergarten teacher made the muffins above for the moms. She placed one in each paper lunch sack, along with a tea bag and a napkin. Her students had to copy the recipe in their handwriting and draw a picture of their mom on the front of the sack.

How cute is this?

Chocolate Crunch Coffee Cake

Happy National Coffee Cake Day!

The inspiration for this moist, just-sweet-enough cake was the delicious vanilla-almond granola that a nearby grocery store sells in its produce department.  Feel free to substitute your favorite variety.

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2 large eggs
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup shredded, sweetened coconut, toasted (See directions below.)
1 heaping cup vanilla-almond granola
2 tablespoons melted butter

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Grease and flour a 9" square baking pan;  set aside.  Pour the 1/2 cup coconut into another cake pan and bake for 5-7 minutes or until light brown.  Set aside to cool.

For the cake, cream together the 1/2 cup butter with the sugar and extracts.  Add the eggs and beat at high speed for 1 minute.  Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Add to the creamed mixture; stir to combine.  Add buttermilk and beat until a smooth batter is formed.  Fold in chocolate chips and cooled coconut.  Spread the batter into the prepared square baking pan.

Cover the top with the granola.  Evenly pour the melted butter over the top.  Bake for approximately 25 minutes or until cake is golden brown, firm and starts to pull away from the sides.

Triple-Chip Cookies

My family loves these!

I don't use the milk chocolate chips called for in their recipe; I use Hershey's Special Dark chips instead.  :)

To boost the nutrition, I replace two cups of the flour with two cups of The Sneaky Chef's Flour Blend.

If you don't want to bake all the cookies right away, the dough freezes well.  

Corey's Birthday Cake

I made this for my husband's birthday this year and he loved it.  It's almost as fast as throwing together a boxed cake mix and the flavor is so intense.  It's not overly sweet.  This is for serious chocoholics!

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon double-acting baking powder
1 teaspoon fine table salt
9 tablespoons good-quality baking cocoa
2/3 cup solid vegetable shortening (I use Crisco Sticks.)
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease and flour two nine-inch round cake pans and set aside.

Combine flour, soda, baking powder, salt and cocoa in a bowl.  Set aside.

In the work bowl of your mixer, combine shortening and sugar.  Cream on high speed for five minutes.  Reduce the speed to low and add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Slowly add dry ingredients and mix just until incorporated.  Add buttermilk and vanilla.  Mix until a smooth batter is achieved.

Pour into prepared pans and bake on the center rack for 25 to 30 minutes.  A toothpick inserted into the center of the layers should come out clean.  Cool layers on wire racks for 10 minutes; remove from pans and cool completely on the racks.

Fill and frost this with a classic:  Hershey's One-Bowl Buttercream Frosting.  Of course, you can adjust the cocoa to taste.