Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake with Flour Peanut Butter Frosting

My motto for this cake was “go big or go home”. I can’t say I wasn’t tempted to add zucchini and applesauce to the cake, but I resisted because some times call for copious amounts of peanut butter frosting and chocolate ganache, and 21st birthdays are one of those times.

My favorite component of this is the peanut butter frosting, which I created with a technique that I’ve been using for the past five or so years. The frosting uses a flour, milk, and sugar roux which is cooled and then whipped with butter to create an incredibly fluffy and flavorful frosting.

I prefer this technique over traditional buttercream frostings which I find to be overly sweet, and swiss meringue frostings which I find to be overly buttery. Flour frosting combines the best aspects of both. I’m normally pretty iffy about frosting, but I could eat this frosting by the spoonfuls. It’s that good.

Chocolate cake recipe: this chocolate cake recipe

Ganache recipe: this recipe for ganache

Peanut Butter Flour Frosting 

Makes enough to frost 1 small 5 inch cake. Double the recipe for full-sized cakes.

In a medium saucepan combine:

• 2 tbs flour
• ½ cup sugar
• ½ cup 2% or whole milk

Bring the mixture to a bowl, stirring constantly, and then cook for 1 minute. The mixture should be thick and slightly translucent. Scoop the mixture into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap, pressing the plastic wrap to the surface of the roux.

Place the bowl in the fridge until cold.

In a medium bowl, cream with an electric mixer:

• 1 stick (½ cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature

Add the frosting roux and continue whipping until a thick and fluffy frosting forms.

Add:

• ¼ tsp salt
• ½ tsp vanilla
• 1/3 cup smooth peanut butter (I used processed peanut butter because that’s the smoothest kind that exists. I’m not sure how natural peanut butter would fair.)

Whip until the peanut butter is fully whipped in. Now, eat a giant spoonful to “quality test”. Continue “quality testing” periodically.

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Hummingbird Cupcakes

Baking in college is surprisingly convenient.

If I’m at home and and I realize I’m out of butter, I have to either get up and go to the store myself (and I’m much too lazy for that) or call my mom to pick up some and wait until she has time.

Here, I can scoop up butterballs at our dining hall and store them in the kitchen until I need them.

Out of eggs? I just have to ask (although I still try to buy eggs when I can). 8 ounces of cream cheese is 8 little portion cups, and milk and yogurt is plentiful.

I only really need to buy cocoa, flour, baking soda/powder, chocolate chips, and vanilla to make mostly anything.

Obtaining ingredients is the easy part, actually cooking is harder.

For one, we have approximately one whisk and one mixing bowl in our entire kitchen. Also, I’ve seen approximately 2 measuring cups (and lately I’ve only found 1).

Also, it’s hard to find enough cake pans. But hey, when I can’t find large cupcake trays I can always make mini cupcakes, and those are arguably even better.

I made these cupcakes last saturday morning because I woke up and wanted to bake something. I really had no reason other than an impulsive need to make something – anything, and at breakfast there was canned pineapples so I settled on hummingbird cupcakes.

These are fun little cupcakes, made with applesauce, cinnamon, pineapples and bananas, and topped with cinnamon cream cheese frosting (I still have some I have to use up in the fridge ahhh).

They’re really easy to make, though I do advise you don’t be like me and do it to avoid actual responsibilities like homework, because you’ll probably regret it (like I did) later. Still, it’s hard to feel much regret when you have plates of cupcakes in your room.

Oh, and another great part of college? Always someone willing to lend a hand and eat baked goods. It’s great because at home there are inevitably some leftovers that go in the trash, but here that’s not a problem.

Anyway, I should probably go and finish my essay at some point…

Hummingbird Cupcakes 

Recipe here.

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• ½ teaspoon  salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup natural applesauce
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 8 ounces crushed pineapple, with juice
• 1 cup pecans (I omited because nut allergies)
• 2 large bananas, diced

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Toast pecans in oven for 5 minutes, then remove and chop into small pieces.

Whisk together flour, sugar, salt, baking soda and cinnamon.

In another bowl, mix the eggs, applesauce, oil and vanilla.

Combine the wet and dry ingredients and stir until no streaks of flour remain (be careful not to overmix).

Add pineapple, chopped pecans, and banana pieces and gently stir.

Pour batter into paper-lined cupcake tins. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes for large cupcakes and around 10-15 minutes for mini cupcakes.

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

• 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
• ¼ c. (½ stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 2 tablespoons sour cream
• powdered sugar, to taste
• 1 t. pure vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon

Whip cream cheese and butter together. Add sour cream and whip until fluffy.

Gradually beat in powdered sugar to taste, then add vanilla and cinnamon.

Lemon & Almond Ricotta Cake with Berries

Originally, my family’s Christmas eve plans included lasagna. My mom commissioned me to make it, and per my request went grocery shopping, buying noodles, tomatoes, and tubs of ricotta cheese among other ingredients.

The problem was, no one really wanted lasagna, and I didn’t especially want to make it either. I made a sample batch, and with homemade tomato sauce, it took me nearly three hours. I couldn’t really imagine repeating that process, especially in the midst of our Christmas dinner chaos.

So, instead we had fish tacos, shrimp, beans, rice, turkey, and mashed potatoes…a strange (but delicious) combination. Seeing this left me with two and a half tubs of ricotta cheese, I decided to make ricotta cake for dessert. I’m not a fan of cheese in dessert (though I’m learning to appreciate cream cheese frosting – cheesecake is still a nope), but the ricotta simply made this cake deliciously tender and moist.

Everyone loved it, so much so that I’ve made two batches to use up all the ricotta. I brought it to a gathering with friends, and every last crumb was devoured. My friends and family all loved it, so hopefully you’ll try it and love it just as much.

Lemon & Almond Ricotta Cake with Berries

NOTE: The first time I made the recipe, I used a loaf pan. The second time (pictured) I doubled the recipe and baked it in a 13×18 in jelly roll pan.

• 1 ½ cups flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 2/3 cups oil
• 1 ½ cups whole-milk ricotta
• 1 ½ cups sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ½ tsp almond extract
• lemon zest from 1 lemon (save the juice for a glaze – recipe below)
• 1 carton (~1 ½ cups) blackberries/raspberries
• ~½ cup sliced almonds (i used the extra crushed almonds from a batch a macarons i made)

1. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
2. Whisk together the oil, ricotta, and sugar in large bowl for several minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time. Stir in the extracts and lemon zest.
3. Add the dry ingredients, and stir until most of the flour is incorporated.
4. Fold in the berries, continuing to stir until no streaks of flour remain.
5. Pour in a 9 inch loaf pan, sprinkle with almonds, and bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes to an hour, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.
6. Allow the cake to cool for 15 minutes, then remove from pan and allow to cool on rack completely.

Lemon Glaze

• Juice from 1 lemon
• ½ – 2 cups powdered sugar (depending on how much lemon juice))

1. There are two ways to use the lemon: for a glaze or for an ‘infuser’.
2. To make a lemon glaze topping, combine the juice from the lemon and enough powdered sugar to form a thin glaze. Pour or spread over cooled cake.
3. To make a lemon ‘infuser,’ add enough powdered sugar to temper the sourness of the lemon juice. Poke the cake with a fork when still warm, then pour the sweetened lemon juice over it. The sauce will add additional moistness and flavor.
4. I can vouch that both work well for this cake! It’s a great way to use up the part of the lemon the cake doesn’t use.

Costa Rican Banana Cake

I’ve been to Costa Rica twice.

The first time was in 2009, when a past Spanish teacher invited some of his other former students to join a group of his current students on a trip there. Most of former students (the people I knew) couldn’t go, which left just my friend Sonia and me.

By that point, even though I had taken Spanish for three years, I would still fumble during simple conversations. My parents allowed me to go on the conditions that I would speak solely in Spanish, but considering I was there with 20 other teens and a close friend, none of whom could speak much better than I, that didn’t happen.

Instead I spent close to a week making new friends (in English) and having fun, not a total waste I think! (Though, if you ask my mom and dad, they grumble and say, “Yeah, yeah.”)

Me and Sonia in Costa Rica!

This summer, I lived with a Costa Rican family for three weeks. My days were divided between community service and Spanish lessons, with the occasional excursion on the weekends.

Since I visited with my friend and her sister, I wasn’t completely immersed and did speak some English, but with twenty hours of Spanish classes a week, I definitely improved my conversational skills and learned a lot.

When I’m at home, I tend to cook most of my meals myself, mostly because I’m impatient and can’t bear the lag between asking for food and actually receiving it.

In Costa Rica, my host mother generously set out plates of food for me three times a day, and for three weeks I happily ate black beans, flavored rice, cabbage salad, and vegetables, with the occasional caramel candy or slice of cake.

During one of the excursions, I bought a Costa Rican cookbook from a giftshop, already dreading a life without homemade rice and beans at every meal. It’s filled with recipes for savory and sweet dishes, and all the recipes I’ve tried so far have been successes.

I’ll post recipes for rice and beans soon, but they were both devoured before I could take pictures. Luckily, I snapped some shots of this banana cake in time.

This cake is denser than most banana cakes I’ve had, and the recipe called for cloves and nutmeg rather than cinnamon, but it was still delicious.

Costa Rican Banana Cake [Queque de banano]

EDIT: Looking back at this recipe, I’m realizing how crazy its ratio for liquid vs dry ingredients is. I’m not sure how it baked up properly when I made it, but I’ve edited it to reflect this highly regarded recipe, and kept the spices so that it still has that traditional Costa-Rican™

taste.

• 2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 1/3 cup mashed ripe bananas
• ½ cup butter, melted & cooled
• ¾ cups sugar (the recipe called for twice as much. I think ¾ cup should be fine)
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and spices.
2. In another bowl mash the bananas.
3. Add the butter, sugar, eggs milk, and vanilla.
4. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.
5. Bake in a greased 9×13 pan for about 40-50 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.

Ultimate Chocolate Cake

Happy almost New Years everyone! I can’t believe 2011 is almost over :O

I probably should make a list of resolutions for the New Year, but if I do, I doubt I’ll end up following through anyways.  It’s worth a try though, I suppose!!!

Next year I will:

1. Keep baking!
2. Bake different styles of food! (aka. gluten free, vegan, raw, ect.)
3. Improve my food photography.
4. CONTINUE POSTING ON CHOMPSOFLIFE. (emphasized so I don’t get lazy, hee hee)
5. Read and draw more.
6. Learn a new skill.
7. Do steps one to five, and repeat!

To celebrate this new year, what’s a better treat than chocolate cake? A luxuriously moist yet fluffy one at that! Top it with this Nutella frosting and you’ll opt out of New Years fireworks, choosing instead to stay with the cake.  A brilliant decision I might add.

Ultimate Chocolate Cake

• 2 cups sugar
• 1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
• ¾ cup dutch-processed cocoa
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp espresso powder
• ½ cup milk
• ½ cup sour cream
• 2 eggs
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ¾ cup boiling water

1. Combine the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and espresso power in a large bowl.
2. Add the milk, sour cream, eggs, oil, and vanilla to the dry ingredients, and whisk together for a minute, or until homogenous.
3. Pour in the boiling water, and whisk until smooth.  Batter will be quite runny.
4. Pour into 2 greased 9 inch cake pans, and bake at 350 degrees for 25-35 minutes, or until a toothpick can be inserted without any crumbs. Cool completely.

Chocolate Sheet Cake with a Caramel Glaze

It’s almost halloween 😀

That of course means candy, pumpkin carving, halloween decorations, and, of course, scary movies parties with my friends.  Tonight, some friends and I watched Poltergeist, which turned out being the most unscary “horror” movie ever, haha!

And then I ended up putting makeup on myself and a friend (my makeovers are pretty awesome, if a total mess is what you’re aiming for ;D), which of course meant we needed a myspace style picture HAHA!

CLICK HERE for a video of my friend in the back (wearing the beautiful makeover by moi). Then, make sure to subscribe to her brilliant youtube page! 🙂

Now I just need to decide what to be for halloween….hmmmm…

Chocolate Sheet Cake with a Caramel Glaze Recipe:

Chocolate sheet cake recipe here.

Caramel glaze recipe here.

1. Make the chocolate sheet cake.  Allow to completely cool.
2. Boil the caramel glaze, and when still warm, pour on the cake and frost evenly.
3. Embellish the cake with sprinkles or just leave plain.  Enjoy!

Nutella Frosting

I’m not exactly fond of “moderation.” For example, last year my family went cherry picking, and I decided that I needed at least a bucket of cherries, solely for my baking creations.  That same day, I ended up making a cherry pie, sparkling cherry lemonade, cherry chocolate muffins, cherry brownies, and cherry ice cream.

I’m also that way when it comes to baking treats for birthdays.  Every time it’s the birthday of a close friend or family member, I feel obligated to make them a cake, even when cookies would suffice just as well.  Since today is the birthday of three [read THREE] family friends, yesterday I spent a majority of the night baking three double layered cakes.  In retrospect, I probably should have simply made a bunch of cookies or cupcakes, but like I said, I have a problem with moderation.

For the majority of the time spent making the cakes, all went smoothly.  Of course, the kitchen was a disaster, and I kept running out of spatulas, but I was happy with the state of the cakes.

Then, disaster struck.  The last cake was a chocolate cake, filled with vanilla custard and strawberries, and drizzled with ganache, well theoretically drizzled with ganache.  When I tried to pour the chocolate ganache over the cake, it all ran off and puddled.  Frustrated, I tried to fix it, but then the cake started falling apart, and the custard started dripping out of the sides.  I tried to cover it up, but it was hideous.  By that point, it was three in the morning, and I was struggling to stay awake. I normally don’t have much of a temper, but the combination of sleep deprivation and frustration made a deadly combo, and I kinda, sorta…reached over to the cake with and smashed it…LOL  Anyways, moral of the story: sleep deprivation + baking is not a good combo.

The recipe today is for the frosting from one of the 2 surviving cakes.  It’s a swiss meringue buttercream, with a luxurious texture and fantastic nutella flavor.  This frosting pairs well with….well, basically everything, so lather it on whatever you’re eating. 🙂

Nutella Swiss Meringue Buttercream Frosting

• ¾ cup sugar
• 3 egg whites
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, at room temp
• 1 tsp vanilla
• ¾ cup nutella (more or less, according to your taste buds :))

1. Place a metal bowl over a pan with boiling water (make sure the bowl is NOT touching the water) and add the sugar and egg whites into the bowl.  Heat until 160 degrees.
2. Place the sugar and egg white mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer, and with the whisk attachment, beat until stiff peaks form.
3. Slowly beat in the butter, 1 tbs at a time.  Continue whipping until the frosting is able to keep its shape.
4. Stir in the nutella and vanilla, adding more or less nutella to taste.
5. Spread over everything.

Oatmeal Cake

Guess what? It’s finally autumn!

Well, I guess technically it has been autumn for a little while, but I judge seasons by the weather, and it finally started raining today! 🙂

It’s actually really funny because my dad, who despises cold weather, was visiting Czech this past week, and while he was gone it was super sunny and warm.  The day he came home it actually started raining, so he missed all of the good weather!

EDIT: Yikes! My blurb got deleted! I’m not sure how

Well, I’ll add the recipe asap (a.k.a when I can find it!)

EDIT2: Here it is:

Oatmeal Cake

• 1 1/3 cup boiling water
• 1 cup quick oats
• ½ cup shortening or butter (I replaced half with applesauce)
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup white sugar (I replaced both sugars with 2 c palm sugar + 1tbs molasses)
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 ½ cup flour

1. Place the water and oats in a bowl for 20 minutes.
2. Cream shortening/butter and sugar.
3. Add eggs and vanilla. (If using applesauce, add here)
4. Sift dry ingredients together.
5. Add dry ingredients to wet.  Stir until just combined.
6. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes.

Tres Leches Cake

Hola los personas de Tumblr! Ahora estoy in Ixtapa, Mexico.  Entonces, quiero hablar y escribir en español e inglés.

Hello people of Tumblr! Right now I’m in Ixtapa Mexico.  Therefor, I want to talk and write in Spanish and English.

El plato hoy es un pastel traditional in Mexico.  El pastel se llama “Tres leches.”  El razón que se llama “Tres leches” es porque hay tres típos de leche en el pastel.

The dish today is a traditional Mexican cake.  It’s called “Tres Leches.”  The reason why it’s called “Tres Leches” is because there are three types of milk in the cake.

Es un pastel muy rico y delicioso y ojalá que lo hagas. Buen provecho!

It’s a rich and delicious cake, and I hope make it. Enjoy!

The recipe for Tres Leches Cake is here.