Quick Chocolate Cake (Incidentally Dairy-free, Egg-free and Whole Wheat!

 

About 12 years ago, a local bakery generously shared a recipe with me. It was for a chocolate cake that they occasionally made. I don't know where the recipe originated, but it was one of those super-quick-company-is-coming recipes that doesn't need much in the way of ingredients. Because of this, it just so happens to be vegan! This is dairy-free and egg-free.It called for white flour, but I have been using whole wheat flour only in it with excellent results.

I love to top this off by smearing a luscious layer of red raspberry jam, freezing it for about 15 minutes and then topping it with homemade vanilla butter cream frosting. To die for! I love the combo of flavors.

I love that this is a great way to use up the end of the morning's coffee pot, as I hate to waste food. I will say that my husband loathes coffee, and he can't taste it in this cake.The chocolate prevents the coffee flavor from coming through.

This is a wonderfully moist cake. I always just make it in my 8 inch pyrex pan, because it has a lid that I can cover it with, but the bakery made this as a freestanding cake and it held up well. Also, this doubles well.

I have a new whisk that I am completely infatuated with. I swear I look for reasons to use it! I don't need the mixer to whip this up (except if I make frosting), I just get out my trusty whisk. It is from Rada cutlery and is made in the USA. It cleans so easily and makes the best gravies, sauces and batters. It is all metal, so I hope it will last a lifetime.

Lastly, this cake is a fun science/math project for kids. First we did the old baking soda/vinegar experiment. Then we talked about how cakes rise and how you can use different methods to achieve that. We noted the reaction between the vinegar and baking soda even in the presence of the other ingredients. We used the light in the oven and peered through the glass, watching the introduction of heat cause the batter to change forms from liquid to solid. Of course, the measuring of the ingredients was a good way to show fractions and capacity. The whole process is a good way to teach kitchen hygiene and how to complete a project by cleaning up afterwards. We could make this for a neighbor and learn about good citizenship. So much to learn from a super simple chocolate cake! But the most important thing to learn is:

"CAKE = AWESOMENESS"

Simply Delicious Chocolate Cake

(Incidentally Dairy-free, Egg-free and Whole Wheat!)

1 ½ cups whole wheat flour

⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. salt

1 cup sugar

-------------------------------

½ cup vegetable oil

1 cup cold coffee

2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 Tbsp. vinegar

~Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

~ Mix Dry ingredients thoroughly (sift, whisk or stir with fork): flour, cocoa, soda, salt, sugar.

~In a 2 cup measuring cup (or bowl if you don’t have one), place wet ingredients except vinegar: oil, coffee, and vanilla.

~ Pour wet ingredients into dry and mix with fork or whisk.

~Add vinegar and quickly stir until it is incorporated. You will see white swirls from the vinegar/baking soda reaction.

~quickly pour into an ungreased 8 inch square or 9 inch round cake pan.

~Bake for 25-30 minutes until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.

~ Cool and top with favorite frosting or topping. Enjoy!

So, treat yo self...to cake, and possibly a very nice whisk. You won't regret it!

Powerless

Well, we finally have heat and power after a bout with a hurricane...in Ohio! On Monday, we were hit by hurricane Sandy. Personally, the storm didn't seem nearly as bad as many others we have weathered. However, the rain saturated tree roots and combined with gusting winds to create a perfect storm (pun intended) to uproot many very large residential trees. So, Power went out Monday at dinner and stayed out until Friday afternoon. Mind you, many suffered much worse than we did. We had no loss of home, life or limb (human or arboreal, other than some easily moved branches). But, the effect of not knowing when it was coming back on was terrible. The house got down to 48 degrees by Friday. We had lost a full fridge and 2 freezers of food, despite much effort made to save it. Losing several hundred dollars worth of food just plain sucks! Especially food that was made from scratch and frozen to use over the winter. Here we are, getting by during the outage.

Hats at the table, no longer rude, but required! The ever-present crayons. I thank you Crayola, you saved some of my sanity.

I was 2 rows into a pattern for a barbie dress for Ollie's birthday when the power went out. I hadn't printed it :(  So, I winged it! My goal was a non-skanky style dress and I think I met that goal. Knitting with the smallest needles kept my frozen fingers nimble!

Halloween was postponed! Aunt Robyn visited with a ghoulish treat! Her treat? Power was on at her place when she got home!

Hats, many layers of clothes, more crayons...this is getting boring! and colder! The Poochies moved in with the generous Grand-Poochies for warmth and some Curious George episodes.

"In Case of Emergency" Hot chocolate

In a pan, mix 3/4 cup sugar, 1/3 cup cocoa powder, pinch o'salt and 1/3 cup boiling water.

Mix well and add 3 1/2 cups milk. heat until perfectly warm.

turn off heat and add 3/4 tsp. vanilla. Mix and pour.

Top with marshmallows and warm your insides!

Many candles!

Very important to keep the flashlights from wandering off! This was treated like a tabernacle of light!

Cold noses! Toast made on the stove top.

Hermes guards a pink bunny slipper while wearing a sock.


Some things I am glad about

• Gas stove! We couldn't run the oven, but we could hand-light the burners!
• Gas water tank meant hot water if it ran long enough!
• Having enough pantry items to make oatmeal, cocoa, homemade spaghetti sauce (?!?) and fresh squeezed lemonade.
• Postponed trick-or-treat meant we ate the candy we had for it.
• Having a really good children's library and art supplies. We read A TON!!!!!!!!!

I am so sorry that there are others that still don't have power. I hope that they are getting the help they need. I am so thankful for all the wonderful people that helped and offered us help. Times like this really lets you know who cares about you. Hugs, hugs, hugs to all of you!
I will end with Wolfie's exclamation as he realized that the power was on,
"I am drunk on electricity!"

Another party? You bet!

Shortly after the party for my mom-in-love, it was time to celebrate My Dad-in-love's birthday as well! I tried this recipe for a flan and I thought it turned out really well, although the pic isn't great. This is a great recipe if you love coconut flavor but don't love the stringy bits of coconut in your goodies.

Coconut Flan

6 eggs

1 can (14 0z) of sweetened condensed milk

1 can (12 oz) of evaporated milk

1 can (15 oz?) creme de coco

1 1/2 cups whole milk

1 1/2 tsp. coconut extract flavoring

1 cup white sugar

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• melt the 1 cup white sugar in a saucepan until melted and golden, pour into a 2 or 3 quart dish (2 quart will require longer baking), so that the bottom is covered. Set aside.
• With mixer: beat 6 eggs well. Add sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, creme de coco, whole milk and coconut extract. Mix well, at least 2 minutes. 
• Pour this into the glass dish, on top of the sugar and place the dish into a larger dish with at least an inch of water in the larger (outer) dish.
• Bake approximately 80 minutes, checking after the first hour. May need more cooking, especially if using 2 quart dish. A toothpick inserted in the middle should come out clean when done. 
• Remove from outer pan and cool on a rack and then refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.
• To serve, run a knife around the edge and turn onto a serving plate. 
• Top each piece with whipped topping and enjoy!

Here are some pictures of the shindig!

Wolf helps learn Grandpa's secret pizza techniques!

Voila!

Singing and presenting Wendy's delicious brownies!

Coconut flan! Whoops, I started cutting it before I snapped the pic!

Gift time!

Who invited Gilligan?

Such a wonderful weekend was spent celebrating! It was nice to see Adam and Wendy, as schedules don't usually allow us to all be together. We also got to skype with Bret and Elizabeth and see baby Mae in motion! This is what makes times like this so special---family!

Oy Vey! another Recipe! This time it is Kolacky!

    This is Grandma Terry's Kolacky (Can be spelled many ways: Kolache, Kolach or kolace) recipe.  These can be made with many different fillings.  My family likes apricot, prune and passion fruit/mango.  Nut and poppyseed filling are also quite popular.  You can use any commecial filling, jelly, preserves, jam or make your own from scratch.  When you make these, you must imagine Gram Terry yelling, "Roll them thinner!  Here let me do that!" or they simply won't taste as good.

The Official Tomele Ancestral Kolacky Recipe  

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

8 oz. package of cream cheese, softened

2 cups all-purpose flour

1. Cream butter and cream cheese until fluffy

2. Beat in flour.  Knead dough lightly.

3.  Divide dough into 2-3 balls, wrap and chill at least one hour.

4.  Roll out on a lightly floured surface to a circle 1/16th of an inch thick

5.  Using a biscuit cutter or small floured glass, cut into circles.

6.  Spread about 1/2 Tbsp. filling down the center, then fold each side into the middle overlapping each other.  secure with a toothpick.

7.  Bake at 350 degrees until golden, about 20-25 minutes.

8.  When cooled, dust with powdered sugar.

9.  Put on some Frankie Yankovic, put your feet up and enjoy!