Goodbye Summer Hello Fall

Hello Fall!

Beatty's Chocolate Cake by Ina Garten

I am a huge fan of the Barefoot Contessa otherwise known as Ina Garten and in fact bake from her books a lot.  I have scrolled through the pages often and have seen a fabulous chocolate cake with shiny chocolate that looks delectable but for whatever reason have never made it, until today! And I am so happy that I did because this cake is light, moist, sweet, and has a rich chocolate flavor.

Beatty's Chocolate Cake

13/4 cups flour

2 cups sugar

3/4 cup cocoa powder

2teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup butter milk

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 eggs at room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee

Preheat oven to 350. Prepare two 8 inch round baking pans, line the bottoms with parchment paper, then spray with baking spray or butter and flour.

Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, powder and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until combined.

In a separate bowl add eggs, oil, buttermilk, and vanilla, mix to combine. With the mixer on low speed slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry. With the mixer still on low, add the coffee until just combined, scraping the bottom of the bowl with a spatula.

Pour batter into prepared pans and bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 30 minutes, the. Turn out onto wore rack, remove parchment and cool completely.

Chocolate Frosting

6 ounces semisweet chocolate, Not chocolate chips

2 sticks of unsalted  butter, softened

1 large egg yolk at room temperature

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

11/4 sifted powdered sugar

1 tablespoon instant coffee dissolved in 2 teaspoons hot water

Chop the chocolate and place in a bowl over simmering water. Stir until just melted the set aside to cool to rom temperature.

In bowl of electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment beat the butter until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eg yolk and the vanilla and beat an additional 3 minutes. Turntable he mixer on low and add the powdered sugar then beat at medium speed until smooth and creamy. Turn mixer to low speed and add the coffee and the melted chocolate, mix until just blended. Don't whip. Spared the frosting on the cooled cake.

Note: The egg yolk makes the frosting shiny, you can omit it and just whip the frosting a bit more. Also, I used 2 9" square pans although the recipe calls for round. I cut one in half and made this cake.

I hope that you try this fabulous cake! Have a great day.

Linking to:
Rooted in Thyme
Coastal Charm
Inspiration Monday
Savvy Souther Style
Katherine's Corner-Thursday
Cedar Hill Farmhouse

Cookies and Cream Brownies

Brownies, Oreos, fluffy frosting and fudge drizzle, combine to make the most scrumptious moist, chocolaty brownies. These brownies are served at a cafe near my house and I LOVE them!

In fact I love them so much I have been known to just skip lunch and have these instead. After searching for the recipe or something similar I finally found the recipe in Extreme Brownies by Connie Weiss 

Cookies and Cream Brownies

Recipe from Connie Weiss

Brownies:

2 sticks unsalted butter

11/3 cups 60% bittersweet chocolate chips

4 large eggs

2 cups granulated sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

11/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 + 1 Tablespoon cake flour

1/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

15 Oreo cookies

Fluffy White Frosting:

8 Tablespoons vegetable shorting (Crisco)

1/2 stick unsalted butter, softened

1 cup marshmallow creme (Fluff)

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste

11/4 cups powdered sugar

Fudge Topping:

11/4 cups Oreo Mini Cookies

2 Tablespoons unsalted butter

2 tablespoons light corn syrup

1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

2 teaspoons very hot water

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. Line a 9 x 13" pan with foil and spray with cooking spray. Set aside.  Cut the butter into small chances and place in a small sauce pan, melt over low heat and then add the chocolate chips, stir until smooth and chocolate is melted. 

Whisk the eggs in a large bowl, then add the sugar and whisk until fully incorporated. Gradually add in the cooled chocolate and mix well. Add the vanilla and mix.

Measure the flour and cocoa and place in a strainer or sifter and sift the mixture directly into the chocolate batter. Stir until just mixed. Do not over mix. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and place 15 large Oreos evenly on the top, press down lightly. 

Bake brownies for 28-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool brownies to room temperature and then let sit overnight. 

Frosting:

Beat the shortening and butter in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix in marshmallow cream and vanilla. Slowly mix in powdered sugar. Spread the frosting over the brownies. Then top with mini-oreos. 

Fudge Topping:

Melt the butter and corn syrup in a pan over low heat. Turn off the heat and stir in the chocolate ships, mix well then add the hot water. Drizzle the fudge topping over the frosting. Chill the finished brownies for 1 hour or until the frosting and the topping sets. Remove from pan and slice into bars. 

Linking to:

Coastal Charm
Inspiration Monday
Savvy Southern Style
Katherine's Corner-Thursday
Dixie Delights
The Dedicated House

Quadruple Chocolate Bread

As the days get shorter and darker earlier I feel myself getting ready for Fall and Winter nesting. For me that means a pile of books, more often than not cookbooks, a warm throw and a cosy fire. I love to spend my days reading and baking and frankly just getting cosy with a cup of tea and a tasty treat.

One of my favorite things to bake when it is cold out is a quick bread, simply because it is quick, easy and delicious. You can enjoy them warm from the oven, slathered in butter or the next day for breakfast or snacks. 

This chocolate quick bread is just that, quick, easy and filled with melty chocolate chips and chunks. I think it is going to fit in very nicely with my plans for this Fall and Winter. 

Quadruple Chocolate Bread

2 cups all purpose flour

1 cup sugar

3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 egg, lightly beaten

11/4 cups milk

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/3 cup white chocolate chips

1/3 cup dark chocolate chips

1/3 cup milk chocolate chips

1/3 cup 85% chocolate chunks

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9 x 5" loaf pan. Line the bottom with parchment or waxed paper and grease that as well. Set aside.

In a large bowl stir together flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder and salt. Make a well in the center.

In a bowl combine the egg, milk and oil. Add the egg mixture all at once to the flour and mix until just moistened. Fold in the chocolate chips and chunks. Spoon batter into pan.

Bake for 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes then remove from pan, peel off parchment or waxed paper and cool completely.

Linking to:
Savvy Southern Style

Lunch Lady Brownies

Lately as I see the school supplies for sale I have been reminded of my own back to school days. One of my favorite things about my all girls high school was the food. Everything was made by a few lunch ladies everyday, we had hot food and cold food and fresh cookies and brownies.

I have dreamed about those brownies for many years and have searched for a recipe to replicate them. Although these are not exactly the same they are delicious!

Lunch Lady Brownies

Recipe from The Lofthouse

1 cup butter, melted

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 cups all purpose flour

2 cups granulated sugar

4 large eggs

4 teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350. Line a 13 x 9 baking pan with foil and spray with cooking spray. Set aside. 

In the bowl of an electric mixer, add the melted butter and cocoa powder, blend until smooth. Then add the flour and sugar and mix until combined. Then add the eggs and vanilla, mix until just combined. Do not over mix.

Pour batter into prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake for 25-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let brownies cool for 15 minutes then spread with frosting. You want the Brownies warm when you frost them.

Chocolate Frosting

1/4 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup milk

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

3 cups powdered sugar

Add all ingredients to a bowl and mix until combined and smooth. Pour over warm brownies and smooth out. Let brownies cool before slicing. 

Rich, fudge brownies with a layer of fudge frosting. The perfect combination if you ask me. And I am sure that your kids would agree a special treat for back to school!

Linking to
Savvy Southern Style

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bread Pudding

I love chocolate chip cookies and make a lot to share with family and friends, don't get me wrong I also consume my fair share as well. Sometime though I bake too many and hate to have them go to waste. So I decided to make a Chocolate Chip Cookie Bread Pudding. 

Bread pudding is a big dessert here in the South, it is also one of those desserts that you either love or hate. I happen to love and and make it often when having guests. It is a great way to use up leftover bread, croissants, muffins and even cookies and frankly is a very easy dessert to whip together. It is basically a custard poured over whatever bread or cookies that you like. 

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bread Pudding 

Ingredients

11/2 lbs leftover/stale chocolate chip cookies, broken into pieces

2 cups milk

1/4 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup Baileys Irish Cream

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

6 eggs lightly beaten

1/2 cup chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Lightly grease a 13 by 9-inch baking dish. Place the broken cookies in the baking dish.

In a large bowl, whisk together the milk, cream, and liqueur.

In another bowl, combine the granulated and brown sugar and mix well. Add this to the milk mixture and whisk to combine.

Add the vanilla to the beaten eggs. Combine the egg mixture with the milk mixture and mix well, then sprinkle in the chocolate chips.  Pour the mixture evenly over the broken cookies; let stand, stirring occasionally, for at least 20 minutes, or until the cookies have absorbed most of the milk mixture. Bake the pudding for 1 hour, or until set; a knife inserted into the center of the pudding should come out clean. Serving the pudding warm, or refrigerate it and serve chilled. Serve with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, or drizzled with hot fudge. 

NOTE: I like to leave my cookies out for a day to get them hard, that way they absorb the milk mixture better. 

What do you think? Is this something that you would try? I hope that you do because it is fast, easy and delicious! I think it would make a great addition to any dinner, barbecue or party!

Trisha Yearwood's Chocolate Brownies

This post contains affiliate links. 

Good morning! Brownies and chocolate chip cookies are staples in my diet and they are the recipes that I turn to again and again. Consequently I am always in search of "the best",  "the perfect", the "most fudgy" brownie or cookie. This week after perusing my Chocolate Pinterest Board I discovered a recipe for Trisha Yearwoods' brownies. These brownies are featured in her cookbook  and on Foodnetwork, so I thought I would try them out. I am so happy that I did because they are fabulous!

The recipe is different from other brownie recipes because there is no butter, you use shortening instead. I was a bit skeptical that they would be a little greasy but they were fudgy, sweet, and had a nice crispy crust on the top, like a European brownie. The frosting while not Trisha's recipe is delicious and makes the brownies look beautiful, perfect for a party or a barbecue. 

Trisha Yearwood's Brownies

Brownie Recipe from FoodNetwork

2 ounces Unsweetened baking chocolate

1/3 cup solid vegetable shortening, such as Crisco

2 large eggs

1 cup sugar

2/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line an 8x8 inch pan with foil and then prepare with cooking spray. Set aside. 

Melt the chocolate and shortening together over simmering water or in the microwave for 30 second intervals. Cool the chocolate mixture slightly.  In a separate mixing bowl, beat the eggs well then add the sugar and combine thoroughly, finally stir in the chocolate mixture.

Sift the flour together with the baking powder and salt, then stir into the chocolate mixture along with the vanilla. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

After cooling for about 20-30 minutes, spread icing on top and let cool completely before cutting.

Chocolate Frosting 

1 stick butter, melted

4  cups powdered sugar 

½ cup Hershey's Unsweetened Cocoa

½ cup whole milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

In a medium bowl combine the powdered sugar and the cocoa powder and stir to mix well. Add the melted butter, milk and vanilla and mix until smooth. 

I hope that you have a great weekend! Enjoy!

If you would like to try more of Trisha Yearwoods' recipes check out her cookbooks here, here and here.