Dark Chocolate 'Fondue' Ball

• Tempered Dark Chocolate Sphere
• Filled with Salted Almond Crumb
• Spiced Poached Pear
• Citrus Cake
• Vanilla Cream
• Chocolate Filigree
• Warm Caramel Sauce

The idea of this dessert is to have the warm caramel sauce separate, then pour it over the chocolate balls at the table to the chocolate begins to melt, showcasing the filling and creating a chocolate sauce for the plate. 

Crab Cake Mix

Crab Cake Mix
frozen flaked crab meat, thawed and squeezed of excess water
season leftover mashed potatoes (salt, pepper, butter, cream,)
jalepeno pepper, minced
red bell pepper, minced
garlic, minced
dill, chopped
cilantro, chopped
lemon zest
lemon juice
dijon mustard
worchestershire sauce
old bay seasoning
lemon pepper
salt
ground black pepper
paprika

Place all ingredients in a large bowl and mix with your hands until well combined.
I wish I could give you amounts, but I often do not measure while cooking, just toss in a little bit of this a little bit of that, taste and adjust It's surprising I even remember all the ingredients that went into it.
Ensure the mixture holds well together in cakes. Then taste and make sure seasonings are spot on.
To make the cakes, I used an ice cream scoop to scoop out even portions, then flattened them with my hands. You can make the cakes any size you wish!

The cakes can then be refrigerated until ready to cook. They can be pan-fried, oven baked, or a combination of the two cooking methods.

Zucchini Chocolate S'mores Cake

Here is a dessert special I made at the restaurant tonight. It is a moist, double chocolate zucchini cake with s'mores ice cream and chocolate sauce. Perfect for sharing!

When my brothers and I were little, my mom used to bake a chocolate zucchini cake quite often around this time of year when zucchinis were in abundance. But because we were more picky of eaters at the time, especially when it came to vegetables, she used to tell us it was 'green coconut' so we would eat it and not ask questions. I realize now that green coconut is not really a thing and that zucchini is delicious, especially when baked into a chocolate cake.

Citrus Pound Cake

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Citrus Pound Cake with a citrus syrup, lightly spiced whipped cream, and lemon curd. 
Citrus Pound Cake = flavored with lemon, lime, and orange
Citrus Syrup = reduction of orange juice and lime juice with sugar
Lightly Spiced Whipped Cream = flavored with ginger and nutmeg
Lemon Curd
Lime Twist
Fresh Mint Leaf

Chocolate Stout Cake

This is the recipe I used for my chocolate stout birthday cake. It is a moist, versatile dark chocolate cake. The addition of stout gives the cake a slightly pleasant bitter, beery flavor.

Chocolate Stout Cake

4 cups granulated (white) sugar

3 ½ cups all-purpose (plain) flour

1 ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

4 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons instant coffee

1 cup buttermilk

3 cups stout beer

1 cup canola oil

4 large eggs

4 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350◦F and grease four 8-inch round baking pans.

In a large bowl, sift together the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and coffee.

Make a well in the center.

In a separate bowl, whisk together milk, beer, oil, eggs, and vanilla;

Add wet ingredients to dry, and beat until well combined. This will form a smooth, thin batter.

Pour batter into prepared pans.

Bake 30-35 minutes until a wooden toothpick inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then remove from pans to a wire rack to cool completely before

icing.

Pouring Beer Stein Cake

The pub where I work recently celebrated their fifth birthday, from the day they first opened their doors. We had a big celebration during service that night  - a live shucking oyster bar, special appetizers and beer pairings, live music, and of course, cake. The owner asked me to make the cake, which they would be serving to customers late in the evening for free. She did not give me a lot of guidance for the cake - mostly left it up to me. Just said that the restaurant seats 60, and we expected a full house plus for the party. Because I wanted to make sure the cake met her approval, I did give her a few samples beforehand, but didn't share my design. I spend over a week planning the cake and was very happy with how it turned out in the end.

I made a chocolate stout cake using the stout beer we brew in house. Then I made a Bailey's Irish Cream buttercream frosting to go with it. The cake was my standard chocolate cake recipe with the substitution of stout for coffee. Then my signature buttercream frosting for filling, frosting, decorating and piping - except this time I used Bailey's Irish Cream instead of milk for the liquid, for a very rich (and alcoholic, in a good way). I also made some of my candy clay/modelling chocolate for the handle and stability in the hidden pipe (under the buttercream foam).

So my cake was designed to look like a beer stein - it's an eight inch round four layer cake frosted in 'beer colored' buttercream, a candy clay handle, and some white buttercream foam on top. Then I covered a pipe inserted into the center of the cake, at an angle, with candy clay and buttercream. This pipe supported the beer can making it look like the can was being poured into the cake. I finished off the cake with a little green inscription. The cake was very well received - in fact the 50 or so pieces I cut from it disappeared very quickly, and some people were amazed by how the beer can was 'levitating'.

Cake Mix Double Chocolaters

No, I'm not suddenly a boxed cake mix advocate, but check out how quickly and easily you can make yummy chocolate squares!!

Cake Mix Double Chocolaters
1 package (two layer size) devil's food chocolate cake mix
2 large eggs
1/2 cup butter or hard margarine, melted
1 package chocolate chips of choice (I used semisweet)

Preheat oven to 350◦F. Line a 9x13 inch pan with parchment paper.
Mix all ingredients together well and bake for 25 minutes.

DAD Cake

I'm a day late for Father's Day, which is what happens when you work in the industry, but today I made a Father's Day cake. I used yesterday's lemon cake recipe and cut one round in half to form two 'D's' and the other I cut into an 'A' shape. Then I placed them on a baking sheet. Rather than frosting around them all in in between all the little crevices, I opted for a 'polka-dot/star' pattern. I used my signature cream cheese frosting (goes really well on a lemon cake). I kept some white, added a little cocoa powder to some to make it chocolate, and tinted the rest in a few different shades of blue, my father's favorite color. Then I used star tips to pipe randomly onto the cake. I thought it was a fun, simple, and pretty way of frosting it!

Lemon Cake

Lemon Cake
2 cups all-purpose (plain) flour
3 Tablespoons cornstarch
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups milk
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
Zest and juice of 2 lemons
1/3 cup oil
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated (white) sugar

Preheat oven to 350◦F. Grease and flour two eight inch round cake pans.
In a large bowl, stir together the first five dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together milk, vinegar, lemon, oil, and vanilla. Whisk in the sugar. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry. Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until cakes tests clean.

This cake turned out light, moist, and almost spongey in texture.
It can easily be made vegan by substituting a non dairy milk.

Stay tuned tomorrow to see what this lemon cake becomes!!!

Birthday Cake #3

Birthday cake number three was made back home, ready for my return from my trip, by my loving parents. They always try to make me a different kind of birthday cake every year, if I am actually home anytime near my birthday or I don't insist on making my own cake. This year they made me a chocolate pound cake with a simple chocolate frosting from one of my favorite cookbooks, "Chocolate Everything". Despite being a pound cake, the cakes is not too heavy or rich, but moist and chocolaty!!

Birthday Cake #2

Birthday cake number two actually came on the same day as birthday cake number one. Well, kind of. They were close to twenty four hours apart anyway. Number one I ate late at night technically the evening before my birthday where I was but actually my birthday back home. Cake number two I ate in the evening on my actual birthday where I was (but the next day back home). Confused yet? Doesn't matter, they were both delicious! This one isn't technically a cake, but when it's got a candle and a "Happy Birthday" inscription, does it matter?

I got this cake at a restaurant when my brother and his girlfriend sneakily mentioned to the waiter it was my birthday and I love chocolate! This is actually a  CHOCOLATE FEUILLETINE BAR: Chocolate Crumble, Peanut Butter, Salted Caramel, Vanilla Crème Fraiche. As well as fresh strawberries, chocolate piping, and a candle waxed directly onto the plate. Or as I like to call it, delicious!

Birthday Cake #1

I celebrated my birthday this past week and was lucky enough to receive three different birthday cakes - different kinds, different locations, made from different people. Funny enough though they were all chocolate so that made me very happy! I celebrated my actual birthday away from home and got another cake when I actually came home :)

Birthday cake number one was made by my brother and decorated by his girlfriend. They made me a simple vegan chocolate cake, but were clever in deciding to use a recipe I myself had posted on this blog. That way if I didn't like it for whatever reason they could blame it on me! (Not a foolproof plan, as execution counts big time, but apparently if one burns a cake, one can blame the recipe directions for not being descriptive enough. Anyway, this didn't matter because the cake turned out just the way I would have made it! They used miniature vegan chocolate chips to frost the top and spell out my name and add some decorations which I thought was totally tasty and seriously clever!

Check out the cute homemade card in the background as well!

Chocolate Jelly Roll Cake

Chocolate Jelly Roll Cake
4 large eggs
2/3 cup granulated (white) sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 cup all-purpose (plain) flour
4 teaspoons water

Preheat oven to 400◦F. Line a 10x15 inch jelly-roll pan with parchment paper.
Beat eggs and sugar until thick and pale. Beat in vanilla.
Sift in the cocoa and flour and fold in with the water.
Spread batter evenly in prepared pan.
Bake about 12 miunutes until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.

Immediately invert cake onto a clean tea towel dusted with sifted icing sugar. Peel off parchment. Dust top of cake with icing sugar. Roll up hot cake in tea towel from short end and leave to cool.

Once cool, unroll cake, spread with filling, reroll, and garnish as desired.

Soft Potato Cakes

These potato cakes have an almost biscuit-like texture. Feel free to jazz them up with some spiced. Great served with sour cream or aioli.

Soft Potato Cakes
1 cup hot mashed potatoes
1/4 cup melted butter
1 cup grated raw potato
1 cup all-purpose (plain) flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
salt and pepper, to taste

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl until well combined (you may need to knead the mixture with your hands).
Form the mixture into small balls about the size of golf balls. Flatten into patties. 
Fry in hot oil until golden on both sides.

Chocolate Chocolate Chocolate Roll

This is the chocolate cake I made for my mom for Mothers' Day this year.She requested a simple plain chocolate cake, and since we didn't need a large cake, I decided to make a jelly roll. The cake is just a basic chocolate jelly roll cake recipe. The filling/frosting and glaze on top I made using an instant chocolate pudding mix we had on hand, some milk, icing sugar, and vanilla extract. I used the frosting to spread on the cake then rolled it up, poured it with chocolate glaze, and piped on some additional chocolate frosting. Simple, tasty, and easy to do.

Happy Mothers' Day!!!

Carrot Carrot Cake

I've actually made quite a few carrot cakes in my time, but here is a classic one. The carrot cake is just a plain one - no additions of walnuts, raisins, coconut, pineapple, or anything else. It is moist and tasty. The cream cheese icing is the best one I've made yet. And I opted for a classic, four layer, modestly decorated version.

Carrot Carrot Cake
2 cups packed grated carrot
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
2/3 cup oil
4 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup granulated (white) sugar 
3 cups all-purpose (plain) flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon(or your favorite spice, or omit)
1 batch best cream cheese frosting (see tomorrow's post)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 8 or 9 inch round pans.
Mix together the carrot, applesauce, oil, vinegar, and vanilla. Stir in the sugar, then the remaining dry ingredients. Spread batter evenly in prepared pans.
Bake for 30-40 minutes until cake tests clean. Cool in pans ten minutes, then gently unmold onto a wire rack and cool completely.
Slice each cake in half horizontally. 

Place one layer down on a plate or cake board. Spread with an even layer of cream cheese frosting.*
Repeat layers until all are used. Then completely frost the top and sides of the cake.**
For the carrots and decorations, divide the remaining icing in three, keep one portion white, color one portion light green and the remaining portion light orange.

To decorate my carrot cake, I used an icing comb to create lines on the side of the cake.
I added a white shell border around the bottom using an open star tip.
I added alternating white rosettes around the top - big and small.
Then I piped carrots using a plain open round tip, and the greens using a leaf tip.
Just for a little more color and decoration I used a drop flower tip to pipe orange flowers on the side of the cake and a grass tip to add some green grass. 

* With a tall, heavy, rich cake like this I personally do not like to put a lot of icing in between layers. I think there is enough icing on the top and sides of the cake and with the decorations. Therefore I put enough frosting just to keep the layers together. However, some bakers recommend layers of 2:1 cake to filling or even 1:1 with lighter cakes.

**Depending on how good you are at frosting cakes you may need to do a layer of 'dirty icing' before frosting the final layer. 

Ice Cream Birthday Cake

This was an ice cream friend we devoured recently to celebrate my roommate's birthday. It was M&M chocolate-coated candy flavored. It was very good. It consisted of the typical vanilla soft serve, chocolate ice cream, chocolate fudge crunch, whipped cream icing, chocolate drizzle, and piping gel. Sometimes, there's just nothing like a good classic ice cream cake.

Gluten-Free Vegan Chocolate Cake

For avoiding regular flour, eggs, butter, cream, and milk, this turned out to be a really good chocolate cake. The texture is a bit crumblier, but other than that is is great paired with a raspberry coulis and fresh berries. This was the alternative dessert at the shellfish gala dinner function.

Chocolate, Vanilla & PB Cupcakes

This afternoon my roommate and I made peanut butter cupcakes with a vanilla pudding filling and peanut butter frosting. The chocolate cupcakes are a simple recipe that just happens to be vegan. The filling is vanilla pudding that we put in a piping bag, poked a hole in the center of each cupcake, and filled it. The frosting is simply peanut butter mixed with icing sugar and vanilla extract. Then we went kind of crazy just playing with different icing designs and tips to pipe on the cupcakes. 

Summer Berry Trifle

Homemade angel food cake + homemade cherry pie compote + lemon pudding (from a box of course) + fresh blueberries + fresh strawberries = one delicious, classic summer trifle! Trifle is one of the easiest deserts to make - you can save time and use storebought ingredients, go all out and make everything from scratch, or simply use leftovers you have around. Trifle can be any combination of cake, brownies, or cookies, fruit, pudding, and extra toppings!