Deep Dark Chocolate Cake Amazingness

I don't know about you but I love chocolate, especially dark chocolate. This cake is one that my mom has made since I was little and it is my favorite cake. It is hard for me to eat other chocolate cakes because they just do not compare. This is the perfect cake for any occasion. You can also take this recipe and make it into cupcakes as well.

I am going to add two different types of icing recipes. One is a semi-sweet chocolate sour cream icing and another is dark chocolate cinnamon ganache. The sour cream icing might sound different but it is a nice compliment to the richness of the chocolate cake. The dark chocolate cinnamon ganache is very nice for the cupcakes and if you want to make it a little bit fancier. Both are delicious.

Deep Dark Chocolate Cake

2 cups sugar

1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup Hershey's cocoa

1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1 cup milk

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup boiling water

Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round pans or one 13x9x2-inch baking pan. 

Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of electric mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Pour batter into prepared pans. 

Bake 30 to 35 minutes for round pans, 35 to 40 minutes for rectangular pan or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely.

Now if you are going to use the sour cream icing (recipe to follow) the best way to do it is to make the cake a day ahead and then freeze it. This may sound weird, but the cake is a lot easier to frost when it is cold. It will not take long for it to defrost.

For the ganache it does not matter as you will just be pouring it over the top.

Semi Sweet Chocolate Sour Cream Icing

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

4 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup sour cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 3/4 cups confectioners' sugar

Melt chocolate and the butter together. Let cool and blend in the sour cream, vanilla, and salt in an electric mixer. Gradually add the confectioner's sugar until the frosting is of spreading consistency, beat well.

 Semi Sweet Chocolate Cinnamon Ganache

1 cup heavy cream
8 oz semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

In a saucepan, slowly heat up the heavy cream. You do not want to boil it, but warm it up enough until there are bubbles on the side of the saucepan. Pour this over the chocolate in a glass bowl and mix until it is melted. Blend in the cinnamon.

You can pour this over the chocolate cake or dip each individual cupcake into it.

These recipes are delicious and extravagant. You will fall in love with them…promise J

Buon Appetito!!!!

Roast Lamb with a Mint Caper Sauce

For my second to last blog, I am going to share one of my favorite recipes of all time. Now some people are scared to step outside of their comfort zone when it comes to food. However, I promise that if you do for this that you will be in love. Well at least I was! I made this for the first time this past Easter and it has become one of my favorites. It is also a very easy meal to make. So what are we making? Incredible roasted shoulder of lamb with a mint caper sauce. Traditionally, lamb is usually served with mint jelly. I don't know if you have ever tried mint jelly but it is not a great thing (at least that is my opinion). Though this sauce may sound interesting it is the perfect match for the lamb because the flavors are not too strong. I really hope that you will try this recipe and hope that you will enjoy! You can pair this with a salad and any kind of seasonal vegetable or garlic mashed potatoes.

Lamb

1 (2.2-pound) shoulder of lamb (buy the shoulder of lamb without the bone)

Olive oil

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 large bunch fresh rosemary

1 bulb garlic, unpeeled, broken into cloves

For the sauce:

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

2 cups good-quality hot low sodium chicken stock

2 heaped tablespoons capers, soaked, drained and chopped

1 large bunch fresh mint, leaves picked

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

Preheat your oven to full heat (450 degrees to 500 degrees). The trick to making this lamb great is to have a very  hot oven and turning the heat down when the lamb goes in the oven. This will help to make it very tender and juicy.

Cut the fat side of the lamb all over with a sharp knife. Lay half the sprigs of rosemary and half the garlic cloves on the bottom of a high-sided roasting pan. Rub the lamb all over with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place it in the pan on top of the rosemary and garlic, and put the rest of the rosemary and garlic on top of the lamb. Tightly cover the tray with aluminum foil and place in the oven. Turn the oven down immediately to 325 degrees F and cook for 4 hours - it's done if you can pull the meat apart easily with 2 forks.

Sauce:

Remove the lamb from the oven and place it on a chopping board. Cover it with foil, then a kitchen towel, and leave it to rest. 

 Pour away most of the fat from the roasting pan, discarding any bits of rosemary and the cloves of garlic. Put the pan on the stovetop over medium heat and mix in the flour. Add the stock, stirring and scraping all the sticky goodness off the bottom of the pan. You won't need gallons of gravy, just a couple of flavorsome spoonfuls for each serving. Add the capers, turn the heat down and simmer for a few minutes. Finely chop the mint and add it to the sauce with the red wine vinegar at the last minute then pour into a pitcher.

When you serve the lamb each person can pour on however much sauce that they want.

I really hope that you all will enjoy this recipe!

I have really enjoyed writing this blog and I hope that maybe I have given you some ideas for your own recipes. Cooking can be a very very enjoyable thing if you make it one. Picking out foods that you and your family like and spicing them up in different ways can make any dining experience great. Don't be afraid to experiment to your hearts content! If it goes wrong there is always the next time.

For the last time Buon Appetito!!!

Italian Meat Loaf

Tonight it is cloudy, raining and otherwise just miserable weather. This is one of those nights that you just want some good comfort food and to curl up on the couch with a blanket and a good movie. So that is exactly what I did. I made an Italian meatloaf filled with cheese and herbs and topped with marinara sauce. This I paired with a green salad and yummy garlic cheesy herb bread. There is nothing better on a nasty night such as this one to eat this yummy comfort food. 

Meat Loaf

3/4 cup bread crumbs

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese (fresh Parmesan works best to be able to work it into the meat mixture)

1 Tbsp Herbs de Provence (this is a mixture of dried Italian herbs and easy to find in any grocery store. It is definitely one of my pantry staples)

1 medium onion, diced

2 Tbsp fresh Italian parsley, chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 tsp Salt

1 tsp Pepper

2 eggs

1 pound ground beef

1 cup of your favorite marinara sauce. (I like Bertolli)

Olive Oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium skillet saute the onion and garlic in the skillet with some olive oil until the onions are softened. 

In a bowl mix together the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, herbs, parsley, salt and pepper. Add the cooked onions and garlic to the mixture along with the eggs and mix well together. With your hands (Yes, I know you may not want to touch the meat but it really is the best way to mix the meat without overworking it) mix the meat and ingredients together. Mix just enough to get everything together but don't overwork the meat as it will make it tough.

Grease a loaf pan and place the meat mixture into the pan, pressing down with your fingers to ensure that all of the air bubbles are released. Top this with the marinara sauce, making sure that this is spread evenly. To help create a crust grate some more Parmesan cheese on top of this.

Bake in the oven for about 45 minutes or until a knife stuck in the middle of the meatloaf comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let sit for about 5 minutes. Slice, serve and enjoy!

Garlic Cheesy Herb bread

1 loaf of ciabatta bread

1 stick of butter, softened

3 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced

1/4 cup of grated Parmesan cheese

3 Tbsp of dried herbs

2 scallions, finely chopped

Preheat oven to 450 degrees

In a bowl combine the softened butter, garlic, cheese, scallions and herbs. Mix until all of the ingredients are combined. Cut the bread in half lengthwise and then spread the butter mixture onto the two halves of the bread. Place onto a cooking sheet and then bake until it is lightly toasted. Probably about 5-7 minutes.

Pull out of the oven and let sit for a moment and then slice it up and enjoy! It really is a wonderful treat :)

Buon Appetito!