Easy Chocolate Zucchini Cake

I haven't baked a cake in years but when your garden hands you a zucchini that is too big for your liking yet not so big that it is only good for compost, you do what you gotta do.  Right?  Riiiiight?!?

The obvious choice was to make some sort of treat.  Again, agree with me. 

So chocolate it is!  See how I made that leap there?

I got this recipe from one of the Aunties (one of my mother's sisters) a very long time ago and I knew it to be easy, quick, and delicious... all without frosting. 

And I'm all about the frosting, y'all! 

To me, cake is just the socially legit way to get the frosting from container to mouth.  Unless you firm it up a bit and make fudge.   Now you're with me.  Mhmm!

Since Hubby and I are trying to live a more healthy lifestyle and not have treats around the house much, I gave half of the cake to the neighbors.  They have 4 kids so I really should have given them three-fourths of it, but I baked it in 2 9" rounds so I technically gave them a whole cake.  But then that means WE technically ate a whole cake, too, so I'm just going to stick with "I gave the neighbors half of the cake."

Either way, I didn't lose any sleep over it and the neighbors loved us for it.

Okay, I'll quit babbling and give you the recipe.  Enjoy!

 

S'mores Cupcakes in a Jar

**CAUTION**  Take caution when using a kitchen torch!!  We used Ove-Gloves.  Thankfully!  Without them, we would've had a disastrous occurrence.

I love S'mores.  I only eat them once, MAYBE twice, a year but they are one of my favorite treats of all time.  I was so excited that Dairy Queen would be featuring a S'mores Blizzard this summer but was terribly disappointed by the lack of similarity in taste to the real thing.  Too sweet and no char.

So when we decided to have an Indoor Picnic (read about it HERE), I knew I wanted to have something S'mores-related for dessert.  My daughter was helping plan the menu and we went round and round about dessert then decided to just make regular S'mores using a kitchen torch to give them that toasted flavor that we like.  And then I saw these cupcakes... click HERE to view the original recipe.

I showed them to Amelia and we both knew that we had to do cupcakes instead.  Enter Pinterest...

I remembered a Pin that I had pinned when I first started my addiction to using Pinterest.  Cupcakes in a jar.  Probably passé by now, but I've never done it and finally had a good enough reason to try it out.  I have a habit of testing new recipes on other people.  I don't know why.  Just roll with it, m-kay?

So spring boarding off the above recipe I came up with the following recipe and method.  It looks very complicated but it isn't.  Just a little time-consuming.  But sooooo worth it! 

S'mores Cupcakes in a Jar
makes 12 jelly jar desserts

Cake Layer

1 cup butter, room temperature
2 cups sugar
6 eggs, separated, room temperature
2 cups cake flour
3 cups graham cracker crumbs
2 teaspoon baking soda
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup milk

1 cup heavy cream

Bring all ingredients to room temperature.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line 2 cookie pans with Silpat mat or parchment paper.  If using parchment paper, butter or spray it so that it comes away neatly from cake. 

Crush graham crackers into as fine a powder as you can.  Sift.  Sift and mix remaining dry ingredients into the crumbs.  Set aside.

Stir milk and cream together.  Set aside.

Beat egg whites with electric mixer until very foamy but before soft peaks form.  Set aside.

In large bowl with electric mixer, beat butter til light, about a minute.  Add sugar and beat together until light and fluffy, about 10 minutes.  Scrape sides of bowl as needed.  Don't shortchange yourself on time here!  It will be worth it when your cake comes out light and moist!

Add egg yolks one at a time to butter mixture, beating 30 seconds between each one.

Add 1/3 flour mixture to butter mixture.  Stir until well combined.  Add 1/2 the milk mixture.  Stir until well combined.  Add 1/3 flour mixture. Stir.  Add remaining milk mixture. Stir.  Add remaining flour mixture. Stir. 

Fold in egg whites until just incorporated.  Keep it as airy as you can!

Divide batter between the 2 lined cookie pans, spread with off-set spatula, bake on middle rack for 15 or so minutes til lightly browned.  I baked mine one at a time.  I'm sure you could bake them both at the same time if you rotated them halfway through, but since there isn't a long baking time, I went with one at a time.  Remove from oven and cool for 15 minutes on wire rack.  Lift cake from pan and continue cooling on racks until completely cooled.

Marshmallow Filling Layer 
2 cups Marshmallow Fluff
1 cup vegetable shortening
1 cup powdered sugar
4 teaspoons vanilla

Beat all ingredients together til light and fluffy.  About 5 minutes.

Chocolate Layer
2 cups dipping chocolate, melted (I used Ghirardelli's)

Assembly
Using a jar that you are using to contain your cupcakes as a cookie cutter, cut 36 rounds of cake to make 12 desserts.  There will be some cake left over.  I crumbled up the "scraps", put them in the freezer, and am planning to make something scrummy with them.

Lightly press 1 round of cake in each of 12 jars.  Pour a thin layer of chocolate over the cake rounds and let harden.  Spread a layer of marshmallow filling over chocolate and spread out to sides.  Brulee marshmallow filling with kitchen torch.  Use hand protection!!

Repeat layers, then add a cake round to the top.  You'll have 3 cake layers, 2 chocolate layers, and 2 marshmallow filling layers.  At this point you can put on the lid and decorate the jars however you choose.  At serving time, open the jars and top with a layer of plain Marshmallow Fluff.  Brulee this at tableside or let your guests torch their own.

Dig in with a spoon!  Enjoy!

Provide hand protection for everyone!!!  The jars can get hot and, if you aren't careful, 1st degree burns could happen.

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4th of July, 2013, Pictures and Pavlova

Simple wood block table decoration.  I painted and put it together in a day.

Happy Independence  Day! (albeit a bit late in the day)

I've never been much of a holiday celebrationist.  But I'm learning to find the fun and lose the stress.  So far, so good!

Here are some pictures from the day...

Tablescape... checkered tablecloth (90% off), tin cans (upcycle), queen anne's lace (free on the side of the road), pinwheels (dollar store).  SIMPLE and CHEAP!  

Notice how the Queen Anne's Lace looks a bit like fireworks?

MENU... bbq pork sandwiches, green beans with bacon and toasted almonds, mac&cheese, pickles, and cheerwine
I just threw in a picture of me.  

PAVLOVA!!!!!!!
Everyone loved it.
The twins ate berries til I thought they might pop!

And now for the recipe I promised...
I did a mash-up of two recipes.  One from my friend, Cheryl, and one from a Pin.  I knew I wanted the taste of Cheryl's (she served this at Ladies Game Night and it was absolutely scrumptious!) so I used her ingredients and technique but I wanted the amount of the Pin's. 

Pavlova with Berries

6 egg whites
pinch salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon white vinegar
***
1 1/4 cups heavy whipping cream
1 Tablespoon powdered sugar
***
fresh berries

*Preheat oven to 250*.  On the back of a piece of parchment paper draw an 8" circle and place on a cookie sheet (ink/pencil side down).  Spray lightly with cooking spray.

*Beat egg whites and salt until stiff peaks form.

*Add 1/2 cup sugar and beat until dissolved and mixture is thick.

*Slowly sprinkle remaining sugar over egg whites while beater is running.

*When egg whites are very stiff, beat in vanilla and vinegar until thick and glossy.

*Spoon mixture onto parchment and spread out using circle as a guide.  You can get fancy and swirl the sides with a knife!  Build up sides slightly. (I forgot to do that!)

*Bake for an hour until firm to the touch.  Turn off oven and leave overnight or at least until oven is completely cool.

*Remove from oven.

*Whip cream with powdered sugar until soft peaks form.  Use immediately or keep cold until ready to use.

*Just before serving, spoon whipped cream on top of meringue then top with berries.

*Slice and serve!

**NOTE:  Some people prop the oven door open with a wooden spoon while cooling.  I left it closed.

31 Days of October: Day 20... Two For the Price of One

I hadn't intended to write a recipe post today but when I have a friend who is hosting a linky party about hospitality tips, how could I refuse?  So to kill the proverbial 2 birds with one stone, I'll feature a pumpkin recipe for my theme (October) and her theme (Hospitality).

This recipe will address 2 things that I like to do when I have people in my home for a meal. 

Tip #1... Make one thing in individual dishes.  I know that one way to a stress less menu is to serve everything family style but individual servings often make an otherwise ordinary dish seem a tiny bit special.  This recipe can be done a day or 2 ahead so it shouldn't require to much extra busyness on "the" day.  It can also be served cold as a dessert.  Win, win!

Tip #2... Do your best to accommodate special diets and food preferences.   It seems that more people have food allergies and dietary restrictions than ever!  It can be daunting to cook for someone with a lot of restrictions but it can also be fantastically rewarding.  People with severe food allergies have to live with it every day and I'm sure it can make them feel isolated from others when so many of our gatherings center around food.  I even find myself shying away from events when I am trying to stick to my eating plan like I should.  Even people who are just plain ol' picky need your hospitality, too.  Remember, hospitality is about blessing someone else!

Now to the recipe!  I try to follow a low carb diet and this is slightly higher in carbs than I would typically do but I wanted to make this suitable for someone who has a vegan/ gluten, soy and dairy-free diet.  It can be easily adjusted for my low carb needs when I make it for myself (Notice that I didn't say for my family. They tend not to like pumpkin or sweet potato dishes.  More for me!!).

I whipped up the low carb version of this a few nights ago when I realized that I didn't have a vegetable for my dinner.  The kids and grandkids were out of town and my husband wanted raw celery (I don't much care for raw celery) so I knew I'd be able to make something suited just for my tastes.  There was a little bit of pumpkin puree in the fridge (I had been experimenting with another recipe but it was a flop so you won't likely be seeing anything more about that) so I set it on the counter, stared at it, and put the taste bud part of my brain to work.

Eureka!  Pumpkin Casserole!  You know, like that overly sweet, sweet potato side dish that Icould eat out of the casserole all by myself so many people serve at their Thanksgiving feasts?  Not the marshmallow kind, the pecan crumble kind.  Yeah, that's the stuff!  Yummy, yummy but not healthy for me, so out with the sugar and in with the carb free stuff!

I'm not opposed to using artificial sweeteners but I would like to get away from using them as much as I currently do so I reached for the coconut crystals.  They are a little higher in carbs than I like but they aren't overly sweet and they have a molasses undertone that fits perfectly with this recipe.  So I mixed up a 2-serving batch of my adjusted casserole and it was quite tasty!  Of course I used real butter, egg, and heavy cream in mine but since this is about serving someone else I'll post that version at another time.  I can think of so many ways this recipe can be played with (flaked coconut, raisins, oats, sweet potatoes...)

I ate one serving warm for dinner and the other for breakfast... cold!  It had a granola-like flavor that I love!!! Yum!

I wasn't familiar with coconut crystals until someone introduced them to me a couple years ago.  They are made from dried coconut tree sap and are said to be diabetic friendly.  I use them sparingly since even they can irritate my skin (I'll explain that in another post!) 

Chia seeds are completely new to me!  This is the first time I've used them.  Ever!  They can be eaten raw or cooked, used as an egg replacer in baked goods and are loaded with fiber, Omega-3, protein, and antioxidants.  And yes, you can even make your own chia pet with them :-)

So here is my recipe that can meet both tips noted above.  Pictures follow.  Enjoy!

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Pumpkin Crunch Casserole/Breakfast Pudding (vegan/GF/soy and dairy-free/reduced carb version)

2 T chia seeds
6 T water
coconut oil
1 15oz can pumpkin puree
1 T pumpkin pie spice
6 T coconut crystals
stevia to taste
1 tsp vanilla
2/3 C ground almonds (preferably already toasted)
2 tsp ground cinnamon
3 T coconut spread, melted
2/3 C coconut milk

Soak chia seeds in water for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Use coconut oil to coat the inside of 6 8-ounce ramekins.  In medium bowl mix soaked chia seeds, pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice, coconut crystals, and vanilla.  Take a tiny taste and add stevia if you want a little more sweetness.  After everything is well incorporated, divide pumpkin mixture evenly among the 6 ramekins.
In small bowl mix ground almonds, cinnamon and coconut spread.  Sprinkle evenly over the pumpkin mix.  Bake for 25 minutes at 350* using a water bath method. When almonds are starting to  brown, remove from oven and pour coconut milk over top.  Serve warm or cold. 

Total carbs per serving... 17.25g
Fiber per serving...  6.4g
Net carbs per serving... 10.85g 

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Assemble the ingredients...

 

Dry chia seeds...

 

Soaked chia seeds... for some reason the picture came out gray.  They don't look as dark as this in real life.

 

The pumpkin puree mix...

 

In the oven, waterbath method...

 

Out of the oven...  again, too gray.

 

With coconut milk...

 

Wanna taste it?...

 

31 Days of October: Day 18... Apples and Uglies

October... what don't I love about it? It is my favorite month of my favorite season. Not only are pumpkins plentiful but so are apples... the topic of today's post.

I (try to) maintain a low carb diet but when it is my birthday, I indulge in something I don't typically allow myself to eat. This year I decided on CARAMEL APPLES as my "special" treat. I had been to Fifer's Orchards (I always knew it as Fifer's Fruit Farm) a few days before my birthday to buy apples just so I could make them myself.

I chose braeburn apples because they were on the small side (the proper caramel to apple ratio is of utmost importance) and the description of them sounded just right. I like sweet apples but wanted to use a variety that was a bit on the tart side so that it wouldn't be overly sweet once it was laden with caramel and chocolate.

The recipe and procedure I used can be found here.  There is no need for me to reinvent the wheel on this post since her pictures and step-by-step instructions are plentiful and easy.  I didn't use the chocolate drizzle method that she used because I didn't have a squeeze bottle nor did I want to purchase one. I don't make things like this often enough to warrant it.  I just used a spoon, and you can clearly see that the end result wasn't nearly as tidy.

When it came time to gather the ingredients, I found that the only thing I needed to get was a bag of caramels. I had half a bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips and half a bag of dark chocolate morsels that I mixed for the drizzle. The cinnamon almonds were left from our weekend getaway to Luray, Virginia. You can read about the trip starting here.  I used thin wooden skewers for this because it is what I had.  I think heavier ones would be a better choice to have a little more control over the apple, especially if it is larger.
 

 

 

The above picture is after dipping in the caramel and rolling in the chopped almonds.  I put the 2 "uglies" up front so that you could see 2 problems I had. The apple that is front row, center, has a shortage of caramel.  It was the last one that I dipped.  These apples were pretty small so you may want to adjust the recipe or use fewer apples.  The other problem is on the front row right.  This is what happens when you don't dry your apple well.  The caramel slides and puddles around the bottom.  Edible, yes.  Pretty, no.

 



 

Just to tell you about the "uglies". In our house, the imperfect treats that I make (a.k.a. uglies) are desirable. They are the ones we get to taste-test right away, right out of the oven or refrigerator, whichever the case may be. The perfect and near-perfect ones go to friends or neighbors so in order for our family to get them, they've got to have flaws.

 

I also tried coating apple slices with caramel. That didn't work at all since I couldn't get them dry enough for the caramel to stick.

 

I am so completely content that I chose these very sweet treat for my special day.  They were fun to make and exactly what I'd been craving to eat.  Next time I'll probably take a little more care to make them prettier so that I can share with a few friends. Or will I?...