National Chocolate Cake Day!!!

So yesterday was National Chocolate Cake Day, and I got the itch to make a
Chocolate Cake and I brought it in for the office today!!!  

I know they will happy, since this is the second thing I made this week, on Monday
I made a Cinnamon and Walnut Coffee Cake and they all loved that!! 🙂

So I didn’t have my usual ingredients at the house that I have used in my Chocolate cakes before, like
buttermilk or sour cream those things make my cakes moist and I like using them.

So I just followed the recipe on the back of the Hershey’s Cocoa Powder can.

The only thing I did differently was two things:
1. I used 1 cup of cocoa powder, instead of what it said, (I can’t remember LOL)
2. I used Hot Strong Coffee instead of Hot Water.

I also made it in a bundt pan 🙂 Bake for about 40-50 mins, just until a toothpick is inserted and comes out clean.

The I made Cream Cheese Frosting and that recipe is below 🙂

Adding the chocolate to the cream cheese, butter and sugar (sorry i didn’t take better pictures)

whipped up altogether 🙂

frosting!!

Done 🙂

now Enjoy!!!

Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

• Difficulty: easy
• Print

2 – 8 oz. packages of cream cheese, softened
2 stick of butter, softened
1 3/4 – 2 cups powdered sugar
3 oz. unsweetened chocolate
3 oz. bittersweet chocolate
1/4 cup half and half

In a double boiler add chocolate and half and half, stir until chocolate has melted and mixture has before like a thick paste.  Remove from heat and set aside for 10 minutes.

In a large bowl mix cream cheese until fluffy, then add butter and mix until combined and fluffy.
Then add powdered sugar, I only used 1 3/4 cup but if you like it sweeter add more, mix until combined.

The mix in chocolate and continue to mix until all in combined and fluffy.

This recipe covered the bundt cake and I had about 2 cups left over.

Store cake in the refrigerator, let set at room temperature for at least 1 hour before serving.

YUMMY!!! Enjoy!!

Zucchini Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Well summer is here and the gardens are producing some awesome vegetables!!  Every year we always make zucchini bread with the zucchini.  

This time I decided to make a Cake instead….now I’m sure someone out there has made a zucchini cake…but I have have, this really is no different then the bread just in cake form, so this is what I came up with 🙂

along with the things I would change next time 🙂

Did I say change…yes I did 🙂  No one is perfect!!!!!!!!!!  

Ever watch Top Chef or I like Top Chef Masters myself, (in case you don’t, it is a cooking competition show with mostly well know chefs)  I like this show better since I do admire some of the chefs that have been on the show and am amazed at the talent they have  that have made them famous.

This new season just started last Wednesday night on Bravo, this season does not have many chefs that are TV known except Chef David Burke he has multiple Awards, Restaurants, and few products.  They have many talented Chefs this season and I am excited to watch.

 It is hosted by Chef Curtis Stone  and recently he posted a picture of dish he was trying make and it just flopped, and he said “see not even Chefs are perfect”  I love him for that 😉

Which brings me back to telling you as I made this cake and it did not turn exactly as I wanted it too, so next time I know the things I’ll change (which I will let you know in the recipe what that is) 🙂

So I’ll tell you a secret, not everything I make turns out just right, including “my new idea for a cookie” that I tried to make this week 🙂
I was trying to make it with no flour, butter, oil…okay health and using things I already had around the house…well I am going to admit, the garbage had its share of treats 🙂  

Oh my goodness I can’t describe the texture…closest word I can think of is “RUBBER”LOL  Hey at least I tried 😛  

UPDATE on this post – I brought this cake into the office today and everyone loved just as I made it, so I’ll leave it up to you on the changes, that are below 🙂

Alright, alright lets move on to the cake 🙂

Ingredients

add dry indgredients to a bowl

whisk together to combine

add eggs, oil and vanilla to large bowl

whisk to combine

Grate zucchini over the wet mixture bowl
or just add the grated zucchini to the wet mixture

fold in to combine

then add dry to wet

just mix until everything is moist

Pour into a 9×13 pan
(this is what I would change, if I use a 9×13 again I will double the recipe or I’d use a 9×9 baking dish)

Bake and let cool completely

Cream Cheese Frosting ingredients

add softened cream cheese and butter to bowl

with hand mixer or stand mixer, just mix to combine

then add confectioners sugar a little at a time

add as much sugar as you like for taste of sweetness and consistency

I use only 3/4 of a 1 pound bag

frost your cake

done, you can dig in right now, but keep in the refrigerator

Zucchini Cake Recipe

 (exactly as I made, with what I would change)

1 large zucchini, grated (about 3 cups or so)
3 eggs
1 cup oil
3 tbsp. vanilla
2 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
 1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tbsp. cinnamon (I would have put in a least 1 more tablespoon, I also would have added 1/2 tsp. nutmeg)

Nuts are optional I did not use any

In a medium bowl add all the dry ingredients and whisk to fully combine.

In a large bowl add oil, eggs and vanilla, whisk to fully combine, add grated zucchini and stir to combine.
Then add dry to zucchini mixture, fold just until everything is moist.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Pour mixture into a greased or non-stick sprayed baking dish*** see Note below

(In the pictures I used a 9×13, for this recipe  would change that to a 9×9 baking dish.  I felt that the cake was too thin, I would have liked it to be thicker.  Therefore if using the recipe above and  you want a thicker cake use a 9×9 baking dish, if you like it thin (about 1 1/2 inch) then use a 9×13 baking dish.  Now you can also double this recipe and use a 9×13, resulting in a thicker cake)

Bake time using above recipe in a 9×13 done in 30-35 minutes,  using a 9×9 pan check at 35 to 40, until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.   Cool completely 

Cream Cheese Frosting

8oz. cream cheese, very softened
4 tbsp. butter, very softened
1 box confectioners sugar (1 pound box)

in a medium mixing bowl add cream cheese and butter, beat on med-high speed just until combined, then on low speed add sugar a little at time until you have the sweetness and desired consistency.

Frost cake, slice and serve, or this can kept in the refrigerator until you serve. 

This cake is Super Moist!!

and Cream Cheese Frosting is so creamy 🙂

I hope you try it!!! Enjoy!! 

Father’s Day & BBQ Ribs!

Well I hope any Dad’s out there that are reading this had a Great Father’s Day yesterday, I believe that my Dad did 🙂

At least his belly was full 😛

We had Ribs, grilled cabbage and onions which came from his garden, mashed potatoes and I made him a Banana Cream Pie which is his favorite 🙂
Check out my blog on the Banana Cream Pie in the archives.

I also posted in the past my recipe for the BBQ ribs, but I changed it up a little this time.  
For Christmas someone gave me some “Bacon BBQ Salt” so instead of the kosher salt I use that instead and I add a little cumin this time as well.

I like doing a dry rub first then adding BBQ sauce  on them at the end, but everyone has there own method but if you try my recipe here I know you will not be disappointed 🙂

These ribs were so dang gone lip smack-in delicious, you will be making them all the time 🙂

And this recipe is really really so easy, there is NO excuse not to make these ribs!!!!!

Now I made 4 racks so everyone would have plenty of leftovers 😛

Spices used

mix all in bowl, then I added the brown sugar

all my ribs

Pull the skin off the back of the racks

I like cutting them in half

spray my foil

add the rub to the ribs all over

put them in foil on baking sheets

cover with another piece of foil

make packets and I put the entire baking sheets in my fridge 
for 24 hours 🙂

Take them out of fridge 1 hour before cooking,
bake for 3 hours in a 300 degree oven

after 3 hours, I cut the top piece of foil off

look at how tender the meat is 🙂

add your favorite BBQ Sauce and put back in the oven

Done

1 full rack of Baby Back Ribs

Rub – Makes about 1 cup

1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
1 tbsp. black pepper
1 tbsp. kosher salt or 1 tbsp. Bacon BBQ Salt
1 1/2 tbsp. paprika
1 1/2 tbsp. garlic powder
1 1/2 tbsp. onion powder
3 tbsp. chili powder
1/2 tbsp. oregano
1 tbsp. cumin

1 bottle of your favorite BBQ Sauce

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Mix all spices together in a bowl, set aside.  Flip ribs over to the back, there is a thin piece of skin that needs to be removed, at one end of the ribs with a knife or with your finger nail start at an edge to peel up a little of the skin. With a paper towel grasp the skin and pull gently as the skin comes up, using the paper towel helps it from slipping out of your grasp.
Rub a the entire rack with all the rub on both sides, put into a jumbo zip-loc bag, or you can cut ribs in half and use a gallon size bag.
Place in refrigerator over night.

 

Take ribs out of the refrigerator about 1 hour before cooking.

Using heavy-duty aluminum foil, lay one sheet out 8 inches longer then the rack of ribs. spray sheet with non stick cooking spray and place ribs face up, take another sheet same length and spray one side as well, putting that side down on top of ribs.  Fold both edges of the foil together rolling the edges towards the ribs, stopping about 1 inch before the ribs.

(I went ahead and put them in my foil packets instead of zip loc bags, and put them on the baking sheets and set them in fridge, then I just pulled them out and they were ready for the oven)

Place the package on a baking sheet and bake for 3 hours, after 3 hours  take out of the oven, increase heat to 425 degrees.
Remove the top piece of foil and add your favorite BBQ sauce to the top of the ribs all over, then place back in over without foil for 15 minutes.

The meat just melts off the bones, so GOOD!

Bones clean 🙂  enjoy!!