Easy All-Purpose Chocolate Cake...Perfect for Ice Cream Sandwiches

Easy All-Purpose Chocolate Cake...Perfect for Ice Cream Sandwiches. Some time ago, I stumbled upon the FineDinings website. Some of you may have noticed that I have it on my helpful links....some of you may have not noticed it at all:) I enjoy the site and have enjoyed making a couple of her recipes....there's a picture with every recipe, so that is always helpful. It takes a bit to manuever yourself through the site, dodging all the ads...but, there are some wonderful recipes. What I really like about the site, is that you can make some elegant restaurant dishes right in your own home. There are tips on how to make things ahead of time so that the meal can come together without so much stress. I was amazed with the author's creativity and most of all her story. You can read more information about how she started her website here...you will be absolutely amazed! This chocolate cake recipe is from her site and I will soon post another recipe that uses this same cake to make something marvelous! But for now, I will post the chocolate cake....which I used to make ice cream sandwiches! By the way, the chocolate cake is more like a devil's food cake ... soft, delicious, and not too sweet.
Some time ago, I made Giada's Hazelnut Gelato. Now, I like Giada's recipes, but this time around, I was a bit disappointed. Don't get me wrong...it was edible and all. Actually, some really liked it! Maybe it was just me...but, I wasn't crazy about it. It was smooth... with a faint hazelnut chocolate taste. It had more of a "hot chocolate" taste.... I thought the gelato was a bit more sugary and not as creamy as I would have liked it. Anyway, I still had quite a lot of the gelato in my freezer, and I wanted to use it up. So, I made this chocolate cake and "hid" my gelato between the cake, making ice cream sandwiches. It worked...and my gelato was transformed! But, feel free to use store bought ice cream to make this simple dessert. I am sure kids(and adults) will love it...

Cake: adapted from FineDinings.com

1 cup sugar

1 cup all purpose flour

3/4 tsp baking soda
2 TBS cocoa (I used extra dark)

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup oil

1/2 cup water
1 egg

1/4 cup buttermilk (I used 2% milk with about 3 tsps lemon juice)

1/2 tsp vanilla (I used a bit more... close to 1 1/2tsp)

~you can also add 2 tsps of instant coffee

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 deg. Line a 11 1/2 x 17 inch(or 10 x 15)baking sheet pan with parchment paper. Lightly grease the parchment paper. The original recipe uses a 10x15 pan(the cake would be a bit thicker) and calls for un-greased pan.... I was glad I used a parchment paper. I found out that it would have been a mess trying to take out the cake if it had not been lined. I also halved the recipe another day and used my toaster oven baking sheet(10 x 8 1/2). It worked great!

In a large mixing bowl combine the dry ingredients, sugar, flour,baking soda and cocoa.

In a sauce pan, add butter, oil, and water. Bring to boil. Add it to the dry ingredients.

Add the egg, buttermilk and vanilla.
Blend thoroughly.

Pour batter in parchment lined baking sheet. You may have to spread it out evenly.

(This was my toaster oven baking sheet)

Bake for about 10 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

(The second baked cake is done in my 11x17 baking sheet)

Cool on wire rack.

For Ice Cream Sandwiches: you can use Giada's Hazelnut Gelato or ice cream of choice.

(Giada's Hazelnut Gelato )

Cut cake in half. Spread softened ice cream on top of the cake. Make sure you have close to 1 inch thick of the ice cream.

Place second half of cake on top of the ice cream. Be careful, as the cake is quite soft and can break on you. You can always patch it...the ice cream will hold it in place. I like to use the parchment paper to help me lift it on top, and then peel the parchment paper. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ice cream is hardened. Cut into rectangular shapes...

Wrap each ice cream sandwich in plastic wrap and freeze for a later day. Or eat one then, as a snack:). You can also serve it as a dessert and embellish it with some chocolate sauce chopped nuts, whipped cream and a cherry on top.

Almost No Knead Bread Revisited...Olive Rosemary Variation

Almost No Knead Bread Revisited...Olive Rosemary Variation. It is that time of the year that I love...bread baking! I really look forward to trying different bread recipes. Recently, I made a variation to the Almost No Knead bread....thought I would (or should:))share it with you. I just love this bread...perfect for the bread basket. It is great served with a Parmesan, garlic whipped butter. But, this time around, I decided to add some kalamata olives, olive oil and some rosemary. It was wonderful! This bread is very similar to Costco's olive, rosemary bread that they sell....except that it is homemade. Plus, it makes you look like a pro! If you haven't tried this bread, you should! It really isn't complicated at all...you just have to have a bunch of patience. The dough needs a much longer rising time than the usual...but other than that, there isn't much to it. You do have to have a dutch oven with a cover or a corning ware with a cover. I have not posted step-by-step photos to this recipe... If you would like more information and photos, please see my post on my Almost No Knead Bread. For the full step-by-step instructions click here.

You will need: adapted from Cooks Illustrated with my additions.

3 cups (15 ounces) all purpose or bread flour

1/4 tsp. instant or rapid-rise yeast

1 1/2 tsp. salt

3/4 cup + 2 Tbs. (7 ounces) water at room temp.( I like to have mine cozy warm...just pleasant to the touch)

1/4 cup plus 2 Tbs. (3 ounces) mild flavored lager (or any beer)

1 Tbs. white vinegar

1/2 cup chopped kalamata olives

2 tsp dried rosemary

2 TBS olive oil(optional)

Directions:

In a large bowl add flour , yeast, and salt. Mix well. Add water, beer, olive oil and vinegar.Mix in the kalamata olives and rosemary. Make sure to incorporate all the dry ingredients with the wet. Form into a ball and cover with a plastic wrap.Let rise for 8-18 hrs in a 70 deg warm place. (I placed mine in the oven).Flour your working place(counter top) and place the risen dough bread onto it. Knead the dough 10-15 times being careful not to deflate all the bubbles in the dough.It is a soft dough...don't put all your strength into it.Form into a ball and place on a lightly greased parchment paper lightly grease the top. Add any toppings (or omit if doing plain) and cover with plastic. Let rise for 2 hours. Score with a sharp blade 1/2 inch deep and sprinkle with some flour.

After 1 hour and a half hour has passed preheat the oven to 500 for 35 minutes with the corning ware in it.Place bread with parchment in hot corning ware. Decrease oven temp to 425 deg. Cover and bake bread for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 15 minutes. Cool and Enjoy a slice or two!

Bagel Crostini...When You Are In A Pinch

Bagel Crostini...When you are in a pinch, and you need some sort of cracker/bread for a dip, bagel crostinis come in very handy. I thought I would share this rather quick and easy recipe for bagel crostini. Actually, it is not much of a recipe at all. Just plain old toasted bagel bites. But, it comes in rather handy when you have a dip of some sort and need some bread to go alongside. It was that way with me, when I recently made the Ajvar spread. I didn't have any baguettes, nor any crackers(though I felt I needed something more substantial than crackers). I also did not want to go to the store to buy the crostini. So, I searched through my freezer... a thought crossed my mind when I spotted a couple of bagels. Why not make bagel crostini?...and so I did. I was surprised how many slices I got out of just one bagel...so, this is economical as well. For this post, I left my bagel slices plain. Feel free to brush the bagel slices with some melted butter/oil and add any seasoning you like, rub some garlic on the slices or sprinkle some Parmesan cheese. They are great as a base for bruschetta, for baked artichoke dip, spinach dip, mini pizza bites, etc.... I hope you will enjoy this rather quick tip...it saved me from going to the store:)

You will need:

1 large bagel

dried herb seasoning(Italian would be good)

garlic(optional)

Parmesan, shredded(optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 deg. Cut bagel in half.

Start cutting slices from each half. You will notice that not all the slices will be perfect circles. That is ok...they still taste great.Just try to cut the slices the same thickness...this will ensure that the slices will toast at the same time. If some slices are thinner they will toast earlier than others. And, you have to take them out sooner so that they won't burn.

You can, at this point, brush the bagel slices with some melted butter and add seasoning/Parmesan cheese... if you like. Place the slices on a cookie sheet. Do not overlap. Bake until golden brown. I forgot to time mine(sorry)...but I would guess it would be anywhere from 5 -8 minutes. Be careful not to over bake...they can easily burn towards the end. It is better to have them lightly toasted than burned. Keep an eye on them.

Orange Coconut Cookies...With Ganache Filling

Orange Coconut Cookies...With Ganache Filling A couple of weeks ago, I saw this coconut cookie recipe on Tastespotting....I guess it originally came from here. Well, the cookies caught my eyes because they looked so much like the Milano Tahiti Cookies. I don't know about you, but I love the Milano cookies....actually, anything with coconut will catch my attention. I had been looking for a copycat version of the Milano Tahiti cookies and I thought these looked pretty close. When I noticed that the recipe contained 1 whole cup of coconut, I knew I would try it. It had to be good with that amount of coconut. Well, they weren't exactly like the Milano cookies...but they were still very good. I did add a few ingredients to the overall cookie to make it my own:). But feel free to stick to the original. I love adding orange peel/extract and I sometimes add almond flavoring. My husband loves anything with almond flavor...he is a fan of marzipan. So, I like to add that... especially for him:). You might not like the almond flavor, so omit it if you like. After I made my first batch of cookies, I noticed that they were puffier than I thought they would be. I might have packed my flour a bit too much (as I was measuring)... making the dough a bit stiffer. The cookies will not spread out as much if extra flour is added. Maybe if I would have weighed the flour, I would have had flatter cookies. But, since I still don't own a kitchen scale, I opted to flatten the cookies a bit before I baked them. It seemed to work much better. At least I liked them better:). I like to freeze these cookies. They somehow improve their flavor the longer they sit (in the freezer, I mean). I made an orange flavored ganache(cream with chocolate and a bit of orange extract) to sandwich the cookies. But, you can leave them plain, drizzle the ganache over them, make ice cream sandwiches or use Nutella for the filling. Either way, if you like coconut, you just might like these cookies.

You will need:1 1/2 cups (190 g) all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1 1/2 stick (168 g) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 1/4 cups (240 g) granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract or (1tsp almond extract)

1 TBS grated orange peel

1 tsp orange extract(optional)

2 large eggs

1 cup (80 g) unsweetened shredded coconut
Nutella for filling (or, as in my case, orange flavored ganache filling)

Orange Flavored Ganache

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 cup chocolate chips

3 tsps orange zest

1 tsp orange extract

Heat cream to almost boiling.Take off heat. Add chips,peel, and extract to the hot cream. Let sit to cool a bit. When chips have cooled, whisk till smooth. Place filling in a sandwich bag and drizzle on one side of the cookie. Place another cookie and press slightly to sandwich them together.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Cream butter until smooth.

Pour in the sugar and the vanilla extract, orange zest and almond extract(optional) and beat that in for another 30 seconds.

Add eggs one at a time, and allow each one to mix in completely before adding in the next. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Then add it to the bowl with butter and sugar.

Stir it in and fold in the shredded coconut.

Scoop tablespoon-sized mounds on to a parchment lined baking sheet.

Space them about 2 inches apart since they spread....Now, mine didn't spread very much( might have packed my flour too much?). They actually puffed up more than I thought they would. I wanted mine a bit flatter, so the next batch I flattened them a bit. I liked them better that way.

Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven until the edges turn golden, about 10-12 minutes(every oven is different so check them after 9 minutes). Let cool.

These were the first batch ... cookies were more puffed up.

These were the cookies after I flattened them a bit.

You can eat them plain or fill with Nutella or fill with an orange flavored ganache filling. You can also fill then with your favorite ice cream.

Ajvar...A wonderful roasted vegetable spread/dip.

Ajvar...A wonderful roasted vegetable spread/dip.When I saw this recipe for Ajvar , on Tastespotting, I knew I would try it. I used to buy this spread from a Middle Eastern store...before we moved to Montana. We often enjoyed the spread on pieces of crusty bread and sometimes used it as a dip. But here in Montana, specialty stores are pretty rare. So, we haven't had this spread in quite a long time. I was quite happy when it was posted.It brought back fond memories. Actually, I missed it! Now, why had I forgotten about it? Well, I was thrilled to be able to make it at home. The recipe included step-by-step photos...it looked rather uncomplicated and I knew I could duplicate it. Plus, the recipe didn't make too much. It would be perfect for us. I often make eggplant dip (or salata de vinete)... and this recipe was a bit similar. Instead of using just eggplants as the base, the Ajvar also includes grilled/roasted bell peppers and onion. It really is a great and different spread. It has such a beautiful bright color. Great to have on hand when you want a quick snack or appetizer. I chose to use it with bagel crostini.... Just for reference, you can easily double the recipe and freeze it. It freezes beautifully! Did we like this vegetables spread?....we absolutely LOVED it! Hope you can try it one day....

You will need: adapted from Mogwai Soup

4 large red bell peppers (I didn't have all red so I used some orange and yellow)

1 small to medium eggplant

1 large onion

1 jalapeno pepper (you can add more if you want yours to be hot)

1 tsp of crushed black pepper

1 and 1/2 tsp of table salt

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 TBS-1/4 cup of white vinegar(I put a range, because after making it again, I found that the vinegar was a bit strong)

4 cloves of garlic
1/2 -1 TBS paprika (optional...I thought mine needed a bit of color since I didn't use all red bell peppers)

Directions: Wash peppers and eggplant. Dry. Pierce the eggplant....this helps so that the eggplant doesn't burst.

Peel the onion and cut in half. Place the eggplant ,peppers and onion on a hot grill until they are blackened. It is easier to peel the eggplant and bell peppers when their skin is blackened. You will need to turn them over so that all the sides get blackened.

Take them off the grill and place them in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. The steam that forms will help the skin come off the vegetables. Remove the skin from peppers and eggplant and cut them into pieces.

Do the same with the onion. Mince the garlic and the jalapeno. Place them in a pot on the stove on medium heat. Add oil and vinegar and seasoning. Mix.

Cook on very low for at least one hour ...or longer. Cook and stir frequently so that it doesn't burn. When it is done, place the mixture in a blender and blend till smooth. If you want it more chunky don't blend it too long...use the pulse button.

You can return it to the pot for just a few more minutes. Place in jars. You can sterilize the jars and pour a little oil on top before sealing them. Serve with crostini, bread, meats, etc.

Tall Greek Salad...Jacques Pepin's Way

Tall Greek Salad...Jacques Pepin's Way. I saw this salad, recently, on Jacques Pepin's More Fast Food My Way. Click here for his recipe, including the vinaigrette. It captured my attention, not only because was it pretty, but it was unique as well. I had just harvested some tomatoes from my garden...and I was going to try it! I had all the right ingredients to make it for lunch. This salad reminds me of the salad we often ate while growing up. We called it tomato salad...or salata de rosii. It was a basic tomato, cucumber and onion salad...seasoned with a bit of salt and olive oil. Simple but delicious, especially with some bread. We often had homegrown tomatoes throughout the summer and my mom would always make the tomato salad for us. Sometimes we topped it with feta cheese....other times, we skipped the feta cheese altogether. We loved dipping good crusty bread in the tomato juices that collected in our plates. I think that was the best part!

I just love how Jacques Pepin prepares this simple salad....quite different and yet easy to do. I whipped up a simple vinaigrette and drizzled it over the salad... and for lunch, we had a lovely salad! I chose to use smaller tomatoes...close to 3 inches in diameter. I think the larger ones would be too clunky~ Hope you enjoy this ... it is quite delicious! Oh, don't forget the olives...unless you don't care for olives. But, we LOVE olives...and had to have them:)

You will need:
tomatoes, sliced
onion, sliced
cucumber, sliced

feta cheese, sliced to fit the diameter of the tomato...or use crumbled like I did

kosher salt

pepper

vinaigrette or simply~ olive oil, salt, pepper and a squeeze of lemon.

Directions:

Wash and dry tomatoes. Cut core out.

Slice tomatoes, cucumber, feta cheese(or use crumbled) and onion. You should have about 5 slices of tomato...including the top.

Don't use the bottom piece...chop it up to use as a garnish. If your onion slice is bigger in diameter than the tomato, take a few rings off. On a serving plate, place a tomato slice.

Top with cucumber slice...you can sprinkle some salt and pepper, if you like, as you layer.

Add another tomato slice and continue with the layering of cheese, cucumber,and onion.

Finish with the top of the tomato. Add a bit of feta cheese where the core was and drizzle some vinaigrette.

Arrange some chopped leftover cucumber, onion, and tomato around the tomato centerpiece. Cut into it and let it fall ...mix it with the vinaigrette. Enjoy!

Sushi/Maki-zushi...California Rolls

Sushi/Maki-zushi... or California Rolls. Well, the other day, my husband was craving some sushi. I was glad to make some for him...I felt that it would be something light and a great alternative to a heavy meal. So I was up for it. Ok, by now some of you may want to skip this post. You don't care for sushi, you say. But let's just talk a bit about what sushi really is. You may associate sushi with RAW FISH....and, you want NOTHING to do with raw fish. Well, sushi is not always about raw fish. Actually, sushi, just means vinegared rice in Japanese. That's right! Ok, so sushi may be topped with other ingredients(including raw fish:))....but the name sushi, just means rice with vingar or sour rice. It is only when you bring up the name Sashimi, that the raw fish comes into play. Sashimi is sliced, raw fish...alone, with no rice involved. When you place the sashimi atop a hand-formed clump of rice, it is then called Nigiri-zushi. When sushi(vinegared rice) is placed inside or rolled around nori(seaweed), it becomes Maki-zushi. This is what we also know as California Rolls. Did, I lose you yet?! I hope not. This information is only the very basic information....there are many other names and different terminology that I will spare you from:)! But, if you are still interested you can click here and here for more information. I am definitely not an expert on sushi, but I do love eating it. I also love making it at home.... however imperfect they may be.I love the fact that I can make them vegetarian, use cooked fish or any ingredient that I have on hand. They are rather quite light and I don't have a heavy feeling after I eat a few of these. Now, you may think these Maki-zushi rolls would be really hard to make at home...actually, they aren't that hard to make(as long as you don't expect perfection). I am definitely not comparing my sushi making skills to sushi experts. They often devote their entire life to the art of sushi making and perfecting their skills. Sure, it takes some practice...but it is well worth it. I feel it is much cheaper to do them at home and you can vary the fillings to suit your taste. Plus, they are fresh... its a big disappointment when you spend money on day old rolls. You will need to have a sushi mat to be able to roll them...they are not expensive at all. There are quite a few videos online that teaches you how to make California rolls. Here is a simple one... found on Youtube . I chose to use the recipe from this site. Check out their cool sushi combination ideas...they are pretty neat, plus it gives you great ideas for the fillings. Oh, and check out their sushi etiquette...its pretty fascinating! My directions are pretty simple. I would recommend, if you want to make these, to watch the Youtube link and check out the other links mentioned above. It will give you a more thorough step-by-step info. For the mock Nigiri-zushi(in the photo above), I used smoked salmon with a strip of cream cheese underneath. But, you can also add some wasabi as well. We rather enjoyed these rolls. Hope you too will try them.... By the way, when I went to the market to buy the nori sheets, I accidentally grabbed the hand roll size. The sheets are half of a regular sized nori sheet. This makes the rolling part more difficult, and also made my rolls a bit tinier than normal. It was then I decided to invert them...using the rice on the outside. So, use the regular sized nori sheets for your rolls...it will be much easier.

You will need: basic ingredients

Nori, roasted seaweed sheets

cucumber, sliced lengthwise

avocado, sliced lengthwise

carrots, julienned I prefer to par cook mine or use pickled carrots

crab meat or imitation crab meat (if using)

smoked salmon

cream cheese, long, thin strips

wasabi...Japanese horseradish

pickled ginger

soy sauce

toasted sesame seeds

and any other ingredients you like...try canned tuna, as an alternative

For the rice: adapted from What's Cooking America...it will make 5 rolls(5 nori sheets)

6 tablespoons rice vinegar

2 tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons salt

3 cups uncooked Japanese medium-grain rice*

4 cups water

*CalRose is a good one

Directions:

Wash rice until water runs clear. While rice is cooking, make vinegar mixture.

Cook rice....I like to use my rice cooker. It allows the rice to soak for a bit before it cooks it.

In a small saucepan, place the vinegar, salt and sugar. Heat over medium heat ... enough to dissolve the sugar. try not to let it boil. Set aside.

After the rice is cooked , let it rest for 15 minutes or so. Transfer the rice to a large bowl and separate the grains using a "cutting and folding" method...try not to crush the grains. You basically just want to fold the rice not stir it. Sprinkle the cooled rice vinegar mixture over the rice and coat the rice with it...taste it and check if it is seasoned according to your taste. You may not need all the vinegar. I like to spread it on a platter and fan the rice so that it cools down and doesn't become too sticky.

Prepare your sushi ingredients:

Cover your sushi mat with plastic wrap.

Add a nori sheet. Place a "clump" of rice and spread it on the nori sheet. You may need to wet your hands so that the rice doesn't stick to your hands. Don't pile on too much rice... Then the fun begins! Place your favorite ingredients in the middle....

For this one, I used avocado,carrots,cream cheese and capers...

Using the sushi mat, roll the sushi ..try to compact the ingredients as you go along. The mat helps you form the shape of the sushi.

I also, chose to make an inside-out sushi roll...Place a sheet on the mat, and then add the rice. Spread it out and sprinkle toasted sesame seeds or black sesame seeds.

Invert the sheet with the rice ...so that you see the nori.

Add your favorite ingredients in the middle.

I chose to use some smoked salmon, cucumber, cream cheese and pickled carrots.

Using the mat, roll the sushi.

Cut in pieces and serve the same day.

Do not refrigerate, as the rice will lose its moistness and get kind of hard. Serve with pickled ginger and wasabi.