Samoa Bundt Cake

There was once a time in my life where I thought Almond Joy and Mounds candy bars were terrible, you couldn't pay me to eat Thai food because of coconut milk and I would choose every Girl Scout cookie before I would grab a Samoa. Oh my goodness my mind has changed. Yesterday, in celebrating not only Easter but my roommate's birthday, this cake was taken on (as found on BetsyLife) by me and my WONDERFUL BEST FRIEND JULIA. And while it was super time consuming, it was well worth every last little morsel. Oh my god. It was kind of like crack cake.

But a word to the wise, this really takes forever to make. The first step was started at 2:00, and by 7:00, I was just finishing the final touches. So don't think you can whip this up in an hour or two, but also, don't think you should forgo the experience because of the labor. Just look at that photo and tell me you're not the slightest bit interested. I dare you. And even you coconut naysayers may have your minds changed with this one. I wouldn't be surprised in the slightest.

Samoa Bundt Cake

Brown Sugar Batter

1 stick of butter, softened

1 cup of dark brown sugar

2 eggs

3/4 cup AP flour

3/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup whole milk

Chocolate Batter

1 cup sugar

3/4 cup + 2 tbsp AP flour

1/2 cup + 2 tbsp cocoa powder

3/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 egg

1/4 cup oil

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup boiling water

1/2 cup milk

Frosting

1 can of sweetened condensed milk

1/2 cup confectioners sugar

2 tbsp vanilla extract

2 sticks butter, softened

1/2 tsp salt

2.5 cup toasted coconut, divided

1/2 cup chocolate chips

1. Start the process of turning the sweetened condensed milk into caramel. You have two options (either stick the whole, unopened can of condensed milk in your crock pot and submerge it by at least three inches and cook it on high for seven hours -OR- place the unopened can in boiling water on the stovetop fully submerged for four hours, adding more water as necessary).  Let it cool.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Begin to prepare your two batters separately as it is a marble cake. For the brown sugar batter, beat the softened butter and the brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, and then the milk. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together. Add dry ingredients into wet slowly, just until combined.

3. For the chocolate batter, beat oil and sugar until fluffy. Add the eggs in one at a time and then the vanilla. Mix until combined. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Slowly add dry ingredients to wet ingredients. Mix until combined and then add the boiling water.

4. Grease and flour your bundt pan liberally, and layer the cake with alternating batters. Bake in preheated oven for 50 minutes to one hour, or until a skewer comes out clean. Allow to cool completely and then remove cake from pan.

5. Upon the completion of the condensed milk into caramel process, you may begin your frosting. Toast the 2.5 cups of flaked coconut on a cookie sheet in the oven at 350 degrees. Toss occasionally and check often to avoid burning. Remove from oven. In a large mixing bowl, beat cooled condensed milk, butter, confectioners sugar, vanilla and salt for three minutes. Add in one cup of the toasted coconut. Chill for one hour, or until it reaches spreading consistency.

6. Frost cooled cake with coconut frosting and sprinkle with remaining toasted coconut. In a microwave safe dish, melt the chocolate chips Drizzle over the top of the cake and serve.

Happy 100th Birthday Oreo!!

For without you, I would be so sad, boring and lonely. So today we celebrate your life and birth, and thank you for all of the wonderful deliciousness you have brought to the hearts and waistlines of all.

Cookies and Cream Brownies

Cookies and Cream Cake

Tarta de Chocolate y Cafe

Frosted Chocolate Chip Cheesecake

Oreo Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies

Oreo Mini Cheesecakes

Black Bottom Cupcakes

Maple Vanilla Glazed Sweet Bread

I'm shifting my weight back and forth on my seat. I'm looking at my clock, is it 5'o clock yet? My shoulders are getting sore as I can feel my back hunching over. I turn my neck from side to side and I realize I am tapping my foot incessantly on the ground beneath me. My left hand is picking at it's own hangnail. My right hand never moves from the mouse.

I just went to the bathroom, I should stop drinking so much water. Must get up and move. No, have to read an e-mail. Did I already take lunch? Damn it, I did.My eyes are starting to glaze over from staring at the inevitable bright light projected from the eighteen inch computer screen two-feet away from my face. My right leg is falling asleep. Oh God, I am falling asleep. I need coffee. It must be 2:30.

Oh yes, you know this feeling, and you know it well. It's Monday. You're sitting at your desk, and you're hitting the wall. Go to your cafeteria and grab a mug, and maybe tomorrow you can bring along one of these.

Maple Vanilla Glazed Sweet Bread

Dry Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour (9 oz)

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup sugar

5 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces

Wet Ingredients:

1 cup sour cream

1 large egg yolk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Glaze:

1 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar

1/2 cup pure maple syrup

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Whisk together dry ingredients in a medium bowl, and cut the cold butter into the dry ingredients until flour resembles coarse meal. (One method: Determine 5 tbsp of butter and grate a block of it against the large holes of a box grater. Toss the butter ribbons with the flour mixture, and then use two knives to cut the flour-coated ribbons into 1/4-inch pieces.)

2. In a separate bowl, whisk sour cream, egg yolk and vanilla extract until well blended. Add this to the flour-butter mixture and stir with a fork until dough forms a cohesive ball. Be patient and use a spatula to get the dry bits fully incorporated.

3. Place the sticky dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and pat into a disk (or even a square) about 1-inch in height. Cut the dough into wedges but do not separate. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown on top.

4. Prepare glaze: place powdered sugar in a medium bowl, and add water one teaspoon at a time, mixing vigorously until smooth and runny. Drizzle or use a pastry brush to glaze warm sweet bread. Best if served immediately. Store cooled sweet bread scones in an airtight container.

Berry Yogurt Trifle

I read somewhere, you can sleep when you're dead. Oh my gosh can I please sleep before then? Because I am exhausted. I've said before that 2012 has been quite a year, and in not a lot of time, many things have happened. I am trying this new thing where I take life as it is served up to me and enjoy every second of it.

In the past three weeks, I moved my parents away from our Virginia house and road tripped back to Boston with my sister, took an impromptu bus trip to Brooklyn and had a fabulous New York Brunch, celebrated an early St. Patrick's day in Hoboken, took a painting class, ran a 10 mile race with my roommates, had a nine-day social week with my Jules where we met new "friends" (not really) at trivia, attempted to bowl at Flatbread, hit up happy hours we've never been to, and basically exhausted ourselves completely.

And in the upcoming weeks, I'm going to Florida, doing another half, helping my very good friend run the Boston Marathon, experiencing my first Boston St. Patrick's Day including a 5K and potential pub crawl, taking a trip to Baltimore to see friends from college, going to several concerts and basically soaking up every little drop of life I can. Wow, okay, right, you can sleep when you're dead. But you can cook when you're alive, and this dish takes almost no time and is absolutely fantastic. So, um, stay awake? And try it?

Berry Yogurt Trifle

5 cups cubed angel-food cake

1 (8 ounce) container non-fat vanilla yogurt

1 cup thawed whipped topping

2 cups sliced fresh strawberries

2 cups fresh blueberries

1 tablespoon flaked coconut, toasted

1. Combine yogurt and whipped topping. Place about 1/3 of the mixture on the bottom of a glass bowl and top with half of the berries. Follow with a layer of cubed cake, then remaining yogurt/whipped topping and finally remaining berries. Sprinkle with coconut and serve. Fresh is best.

Maple Coconut Granola

Today is a strange day. I am in Boston in my lunch break and it is sunny and rainy and warm and February. That is strange in it of itself. But stranger yet, is where I am going tonight. This evening, I am flying back to good old Fairfax, Virginia, where I will sleep in my adolescent house for the last three nights ever.

That house, which I loathed when we first moved, was a game changer. In that house, I met some of the best friends someone could ask for. I made plenty of mistakes and plenty of advancements. I grew up from a very insecure girl to a slightly less but still awkward teenager to (what I would like to consider) a pretty squared away young lady. I've spent hours laughing, crying, watching movies with my family and gossiping with friends on my big blue couches. I've spent hours sitting at the kitchen table doing crossword puzzles and waiting for things to finish in the oven. Memories, people, memories.

So it will be a tiny bit bittersweet for me. Happy my parents are both blissfully retired and moving into their dream lives, but sad that the place I called home for so many years will no longer be ours. So here is a little taste of home, one that I can count on when things they are a-changing.

Maple Coconut Granola2.5 cups regular rolled oats

1 cup sliced pecans

1/2 cup shelled sunflower seeds

1/4 cup toasted wheat germ

1/4 cup chia seeds

2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

1/2 cup maple syrup (or honey combination)

2 tbsp cooking oil

1/2 cup unsweetened flaked coconut

2 tsp sea salt 

2 tsp cinnamon sugar combination

1. Preheat oven to 300F. Grease a cookie sheet and set aside. In a large bowl, combine the oats, pecans, sunflower seeds, wheat germ, chia seeds and sesame seeds. In another bowl, combine maple/honey and oil. Stir into oats mixture, making sure entire mixture is saturated. 

2. Spread entire mixture evenly in the prepared pan and sprinkle with sea salt and cinnamon/sugar. Bake in oven for 30 minutes and  stir. Add coconut and cook until lightly toasted. Should you choose to add dried fruit, stir it in after you remove granola from oven.

3. Spread on a large piece of foil to cool and store in an airtight container for up to one week.

National Chocolate Day

Who knew it was National Chocolate Day?! Well, I can dig that, and so should you. I'm not going to bore you with my words, rather, let you slip into the deep abyss of my favorite ingredient... ever. I'm sure you can find something you like.

Happy Chocolate Day!

Mississippi Mud Brownies

This one goes out to all the girls waiting by the phone for him to call. To all the girls who know they are worth more than some jerk ignoring them. To all the ladies who are fed up. Oh... and to all the girls who don't have Valentine's Day plans. I am not a cynic! I love love! It's wonderful and fantastic and rich and satisfying. But for those of us who cannot find it or do not have it, well, let me let you in on a little secret: chocolate. It comes in all shapes and sizes, flavors and consistencies. It is, perhaps, the best food on the planet. And you know I love it, don't you?

I posted this recipe about a year and a half ago, but it goes without saying that it should be posted again. So whether you are making these for your special someone or mournfully eating them straight out the the pan alone in your kitchen with The Notebook on in the background, this time of the year deserves Mississippi Mud Brownies; thank you Warren Brown!

Mississippi Mud Brownies

Dry Ingredients

7 oz AP Flour (1.5 cups)

3 oz Unsweetened Cocoa Powder (3/4 cup)

½ tsp Salt

Wet Ingredients

8 oz Unsalted Butter (very soft!)

16 oz Granulated Sugar (2 cups)

2 Whole Eggs

2 Egg Yolks

2 tbsp Heavy Cream

9 oz Unsweetened Chocolate, Melted

Topping

3 cups Mini Marshmallows

-OR- a favorite marshmallow frosting

“Mud” Icing Ingredients

4 oz Unsalted Butter, Melted (1 stick)

1 oz Cocoa Powder (1/4 cup)

2 tsp Vanilla Extract

6 oz Sifted Confectioners Sugar (4 cups)

5 oz Bittersweet Chocolate, melted

What ya do:

1. Preheat the oven to 325 and grease a 9x13 inch pan and melt the 9oz of unsweetened chocolate as directed on package. Add heavy cream, if necessary, to thin it out. Measure the dry and wet ingredients (not including melted chocolate) into separate bowls and set aside.

2. Combine butter and sugar in a standing mixer and mix on low for 3 minutes. Add eggs and yolks all together just before mixture creams.

3. Add dry ingredients and mix briefly, without fully combining. Stop mixer, scrape batter off beater and fold in melted chocolate by hand.

4. Pour into pan and bake 25-30 minutes, and beware, unlike a usual brownie, an inserted toothpick should come out with crumbs on it. Top the brownies with mini marshmallows and return to oven for 5 more minutes. Let it cool completely and top with "Mud" Icing.

5. For icing, combine all ingredients in bowl and whisk slowly to blend. When smooth, pour over cooled brownies and enjoy.