a twist on chocolate cake

since i'm no professional baker, i literally took this recipe word for word and attempted a masterpiece. it comes from one of the new blogs i follow: joy the baker - all in all i was pretty pleased with my work of edible art - though the avocado icing was an interesting twist to my chocolate lovers heart.

so as promised, here is my sunday "making" results. below is my process for a vegan chocolate cake with avocado icing (be oh so proud sonja!) the cake was pretty tasty - though it wasn't as chocolaty as the boxed rendition betty offers. and instead of eggs and butter you use a whole, mashed avocado to supply the fats - and you really can't taste it...i promise. for those of you loyal readers, this time was a greater success with confronting the fruit - so thanks for your tips!

here are all the items i had to buy, that most people probably already have in their house. i told b it was an investment though - so hopefully i'll start using this stuff more often!

below is the batter post avocado - it was pretty yummy!

Vegan Chocolate Cake with Avocado

what you'll need:
3 cups all-purpose flour
6 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2
teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 cups
granulated sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil (I used almond oil)
1/2 cup soft
avocado, well mashed, about 1 medium avocado
2 cups water
2 Tablespoons
white vinegar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

what to do:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Grease and flour two 8 or 9-inch rounds. Set aside.
Sift together all of the dry ingredients except the sugar. Set that aside too.
Mix all the wet ingredients together in a bowl, including the super
mashed avocado.
Add sugar into the wet mix and stir.
Mix the wet with the dry all at once, and beat with a whisk (by hand) until smooth.
Pour batter into a greased cake tins.
Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until a toothpick
inserted comes out clean.
Let cakes cool in pan for 15 minutes, then turn out onto cooling racks to cool completely before frosting with avocado buttercream.

Avocado Buttercream Frosting
8 ounces of avocado meat, about 2 small to medium, very ripe
avocados
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 pound powdered sugar, sifted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Peel and pit the soft avocados. It’s important to use the ripest avocados you can get your hands on. If the avocados have brown spots in the meat, avoid those spots when you scoop the meat into the bowl.
Place the avocado meat into the bowl of a stand mixer fit with the whisk attachment. Add lemon juice and whisk the avocado on medium speed, until slightly lightened in color and smooth, about 2-3 minutes.
Add the powdered sugar a little at a time and beat.
Add vanilla extract until combined.
If not using right away, store in the refrigerator. Don’t worry. It won’t turn brown!

here is Joy's official blog post about it and don't judge on how awesome her photo is compared to mine!


here is my work of art! my rendition looks a little more like a shrek cake - anyone want me to bake this for their kid?!
and in the end, of course, you get one happy, full husband!

berry baking

so recently, i have been getting into the world of food. not in the sense that i am just now beginning my love affair with great tasting foods, i mean, ive always known i have been blessed with amazingly alert taste buds, but more in the "life application of food".

in doing this, i have been battling between cooking and baking. because, yes, virginia, there is a difference. to start, i have to state that i am not yet going to claim a love for one over the other, but have instead been struggling with my inner self on which i have a better calling for.

cooking, you see, is more of the fresh, on the stove variety. this seems to fall more along the lines of, you know, a greek style zucchini salad or spanikopida. these are obviously all wonderfully delicious options, but seem to take a lot of care and attention throughout the entire cooking experience.

on the other hand, you have baking. and to me, (and please remember this is no professional opinion) the world of baking includes more “dry” ingredients and more time is spent in the oven than actually monitoring the process via grill, stove, skillet, etc. these also tend to make sweeter foods when i "bake"...

my mother has always been more of the baker. and im starting to think i fall more in her footsteps. but im keeping my options open. i like the idea of cooking and am still working on those skills – but things you bake tend to turn out better for me. or at least capture my attention a little better.

a few weeks ago we discussed flexitarianism and the world of trying new foods to “make” (see how i intentionally did not use “cooking” or “baking” here to put myself in a box?) since then, i have been following my taste buds to a variety of food blogs (thanks, sonja!) this has thus inspired me to attempt a new “phase” for the blog – which entails attempting a new recipe each sunday, with of course a monday photo and recipe post.

and with that, i post this past weekend’s project: baking a mixed berry buckle. what i learned?

• i like to bake.
• i had most of the ingredients already in my kitchen, surprisingly enough.
• i like berries.
• i like desserts.
• i still prefer desserts with chocolate incorporated.
• my husband did not yet try what i baked.
• this next week i want to try something to put in my yet-to-be-used cake stand.

mixed berry buckle

what you will need:
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for baking dish
1 cup granulated sugar3 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla1 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3 cups mixed berries, such as raspberries, strawberries (halved or quartered) and raspberries
vanilla ice cream, for serving (optional)

directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 2-quart oval or square baking dish. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition to combine. Add vanilla and beat to combine. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and baking powder; with mixer on low speed, gradually add flour mixture until incorporated.
Spread batter in baking dish. Scatter raspberries on top. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean and top is golden brown, 45 to 50 minutes. Let cool 20 minutes. With a large spoon, scoop out onto serving plates; serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, if desired.

here are more details: http://www.blogger.com/thekitchensinkrecipes.com/2009/06/29/bust-wide-open/#more-5703