Category: cake

this is probably not a great post to start off the new year. if you make this recipe, i can pretty much guarantee it will ruin any attempt at a new years resolution to eat healthier. in fact, it’s happening to me. like right now. as in, i’m eating this cake as i type this post and i can’t stop – and although i feel a little guilty, it’s just too good to put down.

you have to understand, this is an ina garten cake – yes, THAT ina garten cake. i think it’s made its rounds on the food blogosphere already, but i’ve only just discovered it (thanks to the girl and her copy of ina garten’s Barefoot Contessa at Home), and now i’ve converted to the church of chocolate cake. the problem with most chocolate cakes is that they end up too dense and crumbly. since this one is loaded with buttermilk, it’s incredibly moist and delectable, even a week later. the frosting is smooth, rich and still gives a good flavor contrast to the cake.

sure, you can make this recipe and stack it like a normal 2-tier cake. but if you want to “class it up,” do what i did and get some biscuit cutters of varying sizes and create some new cake shapes. then, because both the cake and frosting have coffee in them, top your tiny cakes with chocolate covered espresso beans. making tiny cakes gives people the illusion of only eating a little bit, when each one is really much larger than one serving of normal sized cake.

i have to apologize to any of my coworkers that read this blog. i was planning on bringing in some of this cake to share, i really was, but i just haven’t been able to bring myself to do it. i’ve got tons of leftover cake from cutting out the rounds a bowl of frosting left too, but i’m sorry, i’m going to be selfish on this one. this cake is all mine. time for another bite.

i know you’re still in the mood for pumpkin, so let me give you a recipe that will satisfy your cravings but in no way make you feel healthier (take that, healthy pumpkin muffins that are all the rage right now). my recipe uses a deep fryer, so it has to be delicious. it’s a law of science.

did you know that i actually own a deep fryer? it was purchased in a moment of weakness when, in my college days, i set out to make the perfect monte cristo sandwich. the model i have is called the “fry daddy.” the larger version of the same model is called the “granpappy” and smaller model is the “fry daddy junior.” it’s one big unhealthy deep fried carnival food family. like most people, i was terrified of deep frying at first, but the draw of frying experimentation spurred me to try just about everything from apples and bananas to candy bars – and for those wondering, yes, deep fried pies are coming soon.

it’s true: pete usually bakes, but occasionally, pete deep fries. initially i was embarrassed about purchasing a machine whose sole purpose was to make me fat(ter), but i quickly got over it after i realized the joy that comes from homemade tempura and corndogs. i’ve become a proud granpappy of my frydaddy, and the more i tell others about it, the more excitement i get from those people what could possibly be deep fried. let me tell you a secret: anything can be deep fried, and don’t let anyone tell you different.

if you don’t think you can handle all the hot oil, there are recipes for baked donuts out there. to be honest i didn’t try to bake with this particular batter so i couldn’t tell you how well they would come out. additionally, don’t worry about actually using a deep fryer – a pan on the stove works just as well. you just need to monitor the temperature with a deep-fry thermometer, and i’ve included the instructions for doing that below. these donuts taste best right after you make them, so you really have no excuse not to spend all morning filling the house with the wonderful smells of deep fried pumpkin and then all afternoon devouring them with generous dollops of some of the most decadent frosting you’ll ever whip up. what are you waiting for?

if you search for “almond joy” or “mounds” cupcakes, you’ll either find recipes that have chocolate cupcakes with coconut frosting and almonds on top, or cupcakes that you hollow out and fill with something else. while they may be delicious, i wanted to focus on an intensely almond cupcake with rich dark chocolate frosting and top it with crispy toasted coconut.

you might recall that i’m not a fan of wimpy cupcakes, and this one is no exception. these are decadent and indulgent. this recipe makes 24, so you might want to share them with someone you love or else you’ll find yourself indulging more than a few times a day.

the beauty of using almond extract is that you can tweak the flavor as you go. after i initially mixed the batter, a taste test told me that they needed more of a kick. quarter teaspoon by quarter teaspoon, i adjusted until i knew the cakes would have the rich taste i was after.

i don’t typically make chocolate frosting, but this one really blew me away. i think the difference  was using higher quality chocolate than i’m used to. typically it’s simple nestle tollhouse morsels (which are excellent), but this time i went a different route – shaving down ghirardelli baking bars bit by bit. it was a labor of love that resulted in me getting chocolate all over my clothes and apartment, but it paid off in spades.