Oatmeal Coconut Toffee Cookie

• 1 ½ cups (180g) all-purpose flour
• ▢3 cups (267g) old fashioned rolled oats
• ▢1 ½ tsp baking powder
• ▢1 ½ tsp baking soda
• ▢
• ▢½ tsp salt
• ▢1 cup (226g) unsalted butter, room temperature, 2 sticks
• ▢1 cup (213g) brown sugar
• ▢½ cup (99g) granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup coconut
• 1 package toffee bits
• ▢2 large eggs
• ▢1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• Preheat oven to 350.
• In a mixing bowl, combine the all purpose flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
• In a separate mixing bowl cream the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together with a mixer on medium speed for 1-2 minutes.
• Add in the eggs and vanilla extract, mix again on low. Gently add in the dry ingredients, mixing on low or by hand just until combined. Add coconut and toffee bits.
• Use a large scoop and only put 4 cookies on a baking sheet, leaving room for them to spread.
• Bake for 15 minutes.
• 
  

A New Butter Cake

1 stick butter, room temp

1 1/2 cups flour

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1/2 t. baking powder

1/2 t. baking soda

1/2 t. kosher salt

1/2 cup buttermilk

1 t. vanilla

Glaze

1 cup sugar

1 stick butter

2 t. vanilla

1 t. almond extract

350.  Butter 9" loaf pan.  Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.  

Add eggs one at a time, incorporating the first egg before ading the second one.

In bowl whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  With mixer on low, add 1 large spoonful at a time,  alternating adding the dry mixture and the buttermilk.  After it is well combined add the vanilla and almond extracts briefly.

Bake cake 25 minutes.

random Christmas and snowy Boston afternoons...

I birthed this boy 22 years ago (today) on a snowy and gray Boston afternoon. I had that "I can do anything" adrenalin high I felt after every baby . . . and it was Christmas. My shopping was done and wrapped and my tree was waiting. I went home the next morning. Bliss. We didn't have much (understatement), but it might have been our best Christmas ever. I still remember what it felt like . . . a new baby and a warm home with a Christmas fridge (thank you, Caity). He says things to me like, "How were your visits tonight, Mom?" And, "Do you have things in the car I can help bring in?" Sometimes he helps me set up tables for Relief Society things and maybe even helps put tablecloths on them. He likes nice clothes like his mother and asks me questions about things like belts and shoes and what's supposed to match what. He never cuts into a cake without asking, "Is this for us?" And even though his bathroom doesn't pass inspection (the one in my head) and he forgets to wipe his feet sometimes, I love him to death. He is a tender-hearted soul who misses his siblings and isn't afraid to say it. Sweet to me. I have none of that name remorse you hear people talk about. Naming your baby is a daunting task, don't you think? After all, it's the first thing you really give your child. My entire life I wanted a "Patrick". Loved the name then and love the name now. And even when his friends sometimes call him "Patty", well, I love that just as much. I made him the thing he loves the most. He's happy. So today on this gray Las Vegas day I am remembering back to that day and the incredible feeling I had going home with a new baby just days before Christmas. Also, just for the record . . . cutest toddler ever. Today's agenda (after birthday cake) includes making candy. More about that tomorrow. Happy birthday, Patrick. "I'll love you forever, I'll like you for always, as long as I'm living my baby you'll be."

Chicken Tikka Masala (aka Indian Butter Chicken) with Naan

When something is this good you have to put it someplace you can always find it.  I wish I did that with that recipe for CONGO BARS, the one that's made with four (4) sticks of butter.  Sigh...

Trust.  This recipe is a keeper and can even be made ahead.  My house smells amazing.

1 T. Oil in Crueset over medium heat

Add:

1      T. peanut oil
1       Shallot, finely chopped
1       White onion, chopped

Saute until soft and translucent and then stir in:
            2 T. Butter
            2 t. lemon juice
            1 t. minced garlic
            1 t. garam masala
            1 t. chili powder
            1 t. ground cumin
            1 bay leaf
             grated ginger root (the more the better)

Stir for a minute and add:

1          cup tomato puree and cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. 

Add:

1/4        Cup Greek yogurt
1           Cup half and half

Reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring frequently.  Season with a few pinches of salt and pepper and remove from heat and set aside.

Chop one pound of chicken breasts into bite size pieces.  Heat 1 T. oil in large heavy skillet over medium heat and cook chicken until lightly browned.  Reduce heat and season with 1 t. garam masala and 1 pinch cayenne pepper.  Stir in a few spoonfuls of sauce and simmer until liquid has reduced.  Stir cooked chicken into sauce.  Serve with rice and naan.

I made this a day ahead and served it with homemade naan - so good.  It's in the rotation.  Enjoy.

Chocolate Frosting

I know, right?  A post on chocolate frosting?  I just need to memorialize this one because it's that good.  The consistency is the same a day later as when you frosted the cake.  Silk.

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup cocoa
1 t. vanilla extract
1/2 cup milk
4 cups confectioners sugar

In a large mixing bowl cream butter.  Sift the confectioners sugar and cocoa (I believe in this step) and add it to the butter mixture.  Add vanilla.  Add milk until frosting reaches spreading consistency.

Garlic and Sapphires and Beatty's Chocolate Cake

Saturday morning I decided to bake a cake I first read about in one of Ina's cookbooks, Beatty's Chocolate Cake.  The recipe seemed a little um, maybe contrived?  I have a pet peeve with recipes calling for 1 cup of flour AND 1/4 teaspoon, for example.  Yes, baking is a science and all, but that seems a little overboard.  So instead of following the recipe step by step, I made the cake the way I pretty much make every cake.  Cream the butter and sugar, add the dry ingredients . . . you know the drill.  I did not sift all the dry ingredients together and then add the wet ingredients to that bowl.  No.  I did it my way.  The cake baked and smelled heavenly.  Five minutes before it was due to come out of the oven I had a deja vu . . . this looked like a cake I made many years ago.  A sort of "wet" chocolate cake.  Not fudgy and more than moist.  It looked and smelled familiar.  The 8" pans came out of the oven and were placed on racks.  In five minutes the middle of both cakes fell.  A big hollow pit in the middle of each.  No worries.  Frosting will save the day.  I used my regular buttercream (because why stretch myself?) and added some cocoa and some melted milk chocolate.  Except in my haste I added too much milk.  Nothing was right.  But you can always salvage a chocolate cake, right?  So I began to frost the beast.  The more I worked on this little project of mine the more frustrated I became.  I tossed it.  The entire frosted cake went in the trash and I picked up my book and walked away.

Except I couldn't let it go.

Four hours later I started again.  This time sifting the flour and sugar and cocoa and baking powder and baking soda and then adding the wet ingredients to the bowl.  Precise and with precision.  And yes, the cake worked. The frosting was different than anything I've made before . . . lots of butter but little confectioners sugar.  It was light and lovely and stayed that consistency overnight.I still love this recipe, but Ina's is incredibly moist and lovely.  A completely different crumb.

Beatty's Chocolate Cake (Serves 8)

Butter for greasing the pans
1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pans
2 cups sugar
¾ cups good cocoa powder
1 3/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup buttermilk, shaken
½ cup vegetable oil
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee

Chocolate Frosting

6 ounces good semisweet chocolate such as Callebaut
½ pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 extra-large egg yolk, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1¼ cups sifted confectioners’ sugar
1 tablespoon instant coffee powder

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter two 8-inch round cake pans. Line with parchment paper, then butter and flour the pans.

Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on low speed until combined. In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry. With mixer still on low, add the coffee and stir just to combine, scraping the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 30 minutes, then turn them out onto a cooling rack and cool completely.

Place one layer, flat side up, on a flat plate or cake pedestal. With a knife or offset spatula, spread the top with frosting. Place the second layer on top, rounded side up, and spread the frosting evenly on the top and sides of the cake.

Chocolate Frosting

Chop the chocolate and place it in a heat-proof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Stir until just melted and set aside until cooled to room temperature.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium-high speed until light yellow and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg yolk and vanilla and continue beating for 3 minutes. Turn the mixer to low, gradually add the confectioners’ sugar, then beat at medium speed, scraping down the bowl as necessary, until smooth and creamy. Dissolve the coffee powder in 2 teaspoons of the hottest tap water. On low speed, add the chocolate and coffee to the butter mixture and mix until blended. Don’t whip! Spread immediately on the cooled cake.

I think I learned a real lesson yesterday.  This is now my "go to" chocolate cake.

The book I left because I wasn't willing to let that recipe win?  Garlic and Sapphires by Ruth Reichl.  What a fun read.  She walks you through her tenure at the New York Times as their food critic, documenting each disguise and persona she adopted before visiting various establishments.  Then you read her actual review of those restaurants.  Sometimes she visited a restaurant five times before settling on the number of stars.  And sometimes readers were more than unhappy with her assessment of a New York institution.  But it's a decadent read and completely enjoyable.  Her career is the the most enviable there is . . . as much as I dreamed of cracking this recipe (and but good) I dream of her life as a food critic.  That's the job that got away...

Pumpkin Pound Cake

How pretty is the shape of this cake?  Purchased simply to generate the extra crunch on a pound cake that my biggest fan enjoys so much, the pan can be found here.  Highly recommend.

This is a pumpkin pound cake . . . see how it morphed into something snowy and wonderful?

Eventually the middle was filled with a cream cheese frosting spiked with a little rum flavoring instead of vanilla.

Pound Cake Ingredients:

3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups butter, softened
6 eggs
3/4 cup canned pumpkin
3/4 cup milk

Glaze Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
3 tablespoons butter, softened
4-6 teaspoons milk

Heat oven to 350°F. Combine flour, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda and salt in medium bowl. Set aside.

Combine sugar and 1 1/2 cups butter in large bowl. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until creamy. Continue beating, adding eggs one at a time, until well mixed. Add pumpkin; continue beating until well mixed. Reduce speed to low. Beat, gradually adding flour mixture alternately with 3/4 cup milk, until well mixed.

Spoon batter into greased and floured 12-cup Bundt® pan. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pan. Cool completely.

Combine powdered sugar, 3 tablespoons butter and enough milk for desired glazing consistency in small bowl. Glaze cooled cake OR dust with powdered sugar.

Recipe previously posted three years ago...

Sugar Cookies

                                   
I first saw this recipe on Or So She Says and knew I would give them a try.  I'm a sucker for any cookie recipe calling for 4 sticks of butter and a sugar cookie recipe that doesn't require rolling and cookie cutters.  I decreased the flour amount a little to suit the Nevada desert ... this recipe is a keeper.

1     pound butter
3     cups sugar
2     eggs
2     t. vanilla
5     cups flour
2     t. baking soda
1     t. baking powder
6     T. buttermilk
       sanding sugar

Preheat oven to 350.  Cream butter and sugar m you and then beat in eggs and vanilla.  In another bowl sift together the flour, baking soda and baking powder.  Add the dry ingredients to the creamed ingredients and mix well.  Add buttermilk to make the dough soft, not wet.  I used an ice cream sized scoop (we like large cookies) and placed them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment, sprinkling them generously with sanding sugar after flattening them with a sugared glass bottom.  Bake until slightly brown around the edges, barely showing  a golden color.

A quick note about sanding sugar.  Williams Sonoma will always have pretty sanding sugar, but it's pricey.  I like the King Arthur sanding sugar and it's less money, especially if you wait for a 'free shipping' promotion.

Chez Panisse Almond Torte

 This recipe is just too good not to share and it's a beautiful cake.  I baked it for an hour and 20 minutes and it was so perfectly done on the inside, just moist enough.  Make sure to let it cool completely as it develops this intense crunch on the outside, a perfect companion to any almond cake.

1¼ cups sugar
⅞ cup (7 oz./200g) soft almond paste***
1 cup (2 sticks) softened unsalted butter
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/8 tsp. almond extract (optional)
6 eggs
1 cup (4.5 oz/130g) flour
1½ tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. salt
powdered sugar for dusting

*The recipe in Chez Panisse Desserts calls for 8oz of almond paste, but we have always just used one of those tubes that usually weighs 7oz. If you don’t have a scale and can’t find a 7-oz tube of almond paste, measure out the 7/8 cup, but don’t pack it too tightly.

1. Preheat the oven to 325ºF. Beat the sugar with the almond paste until the almond paste is in fine pieces. Or, better, pulverize it in a food processor. Beat in the butter and the vanilla, then cream the mixture until it is light and fluffy. Beat in the whole eggs, one at a time — the eggs should be at room temperature — beating well after each addition so the eggs are thoroughly mixed in.

2. Mix the flour, baking powder, and salt, and beat in just until thoroughly blended.

3. Butter a 9-inch springform pan and turn the batter into it, smoothing the top evenly. Bake for 1 to 1¼ hours (mine baked for 1¼ hours) or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the center feels springy when you push it gently.

4. Let cool for about 20 minutes before releasing the sides of the springform pan.

For a little backstory, see here.

Egg Nog Cookies, Christmas baking, Charlie Brown trees...

I love the week before Christmas, even more than the day, I think.  When my kids were little I liked the feeling in the room after everything was opened and it was quiet.  That's an awesome memory.  Now I enjoy the festivities of the time leading up to that day.  I've been baking in the early hours of the morning before I leave for the office.  Cookies, candy, cinnamon almonds, cheesecakes.  Fun things to go in fun bakery boxes with Tiny Prints labels and bakers' twine. 

The Las Vegas Review Journal has a cookie contest every year around Christmas.  I credit them with that fabulous recipe for Snickers Cookies, so when the results were announced this year I decided to give one cookie a try.  One in particular.  I'm glad I did.  I am officially adding this to my Christmas cookie repertoire.

Eggnog Thumbprints

3/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 t. vanilla extract
2 cups flour
1/4 t. salt

Filling (I doubled this recipe):

1/4 cup butter
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 T. rum
1 pinch ground nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

To make cookies, cream together butter and white and brown sugars until smooth.  Beat in egg and vanilla.  Combine flour and salt and stir into creamed mixture by hand to form a soft dough.  Roll dough into 1 inch balls and place them 2" apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.  Make an indentation in the center of each cookie using your finger or your thumb.  Bake 12 minutes and cool completely.

For filling, mix butter, sugar and rum.  Spoon rounded teaspoonfuls of filling into cookies and sprinkle with nutmeg.

I put the filling in a ziploc bag and snipped off the corner, then piped the filling into the indentation.  These cookies are good. 

A few other random things: 

• My Christmas tree is a little sad this year.  I think it has cured me of my break from extra large Christmas trees in my living room.  I think.
• There is no reason for dieting this week.
• I loved all the Christmas ideas on Pinterest - collecting all my Christmas cards and punching a  hole in the corner, threading them onto a silver ring and tying a Christmas ribbon on the ring.  I have a fun 2012 stack.  Or the Christmas lights in an extra large vase . . . tying Christmas stockings to the back of the kitchen chairs.  Fun.
• We took some grandchildren to our Ward Christmas party.  I feel the need to share the hilarity.  Ready?

"My mom wants another baby."
"We had donuts this morning and my Dad hid them from my Mom."
"A lot of people in our family are dying."
"Did you KNOW some people think it's almost the end of the world?"
"I've heard of a dog who died of depressment."
And overheard (one sibling to another whispering):  "Remember not to talk about that around them."

We are still laughing and my car smells like maple syrup.

Hope you have a Merry Christmas.  Slainte', Marian. 

Till We Meet Again

We love you.

Strawberry Jam

I finally did it.  I bit the bullet and made jam.  I followed a recipe Bridget sent me, a treasured one from a family who converted her to the goodness that is homemade jam.  It isn't fancy.  There's no pectin, no skimming of foam . . . just a simple recipe that makes just enough for two people, so no canning is necessary.

In a large saucepan, toss 1 pound halved and hulled strawberries with 1 1/2 cups of sugar. Let sit, stirring occasionally until sugar is dissolved, 1 hour.  Add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and bring to a boil. Cook, stirring, until berries are soft, 8-10 minutes. Add 1/2 pound each raspberries and blueberries and cook over medium heat for 25 minutes. Transfer to a glass jar and secure lid, cool to room temperature. 

Makes approximately 1 pint.

P.S.  I substituted raspberries and blueberries with more strawberries.

Cinnamon Almonds

We try not to have red light foods in our house.  Donuts - not in control.  So we don't buy them.  We happen to be true candy faces, which means we raised candy faces.  Not proud. 

There is this little aisle in Fresh & Easy . . . I try hard to avoid that aisle because that's where the cinnamon almonds reside.  We lie to ourselves - let's just buy these and put them away for another time.  Uh huh...

Red light food.

I saw a homemade version made in a skillet.  The first batch I made in the cast iron skillet.  The second batch I made in the wok.  You won't believe how good these are.  There's enough room on the lid of that mason jar for a label from Tiny Prints, too.

1 cup sugar
3 cups raw almonds (or any other nut)
1/2 Tablespoon cinnamon
1/4 cup water

Directions: In a large skillet combine the sugar, cinnamon and water. Add the almonds and stir constantly with a spoon over medium heat, coating the almonds with the syrupy mixture. Keep stirring until the sugar crystallizes. Remove the pan from heat and scoop the almonds onto wax or parchment paper. Let the cinnamon almonds cool before serving. These can be made a few days ahead.

Pinterest find, original recipe found here.

Coconut Cream Cake

Just do us all a favor and make this. It's seriously yummy, reminiscent of the Tres Leches Cake, but 100 times easier.

1 box yellow cake mix
4 eggs
1 cup oil
1 cup water
1 small box instant vanilla pudding
15 oz. can of cream of coconut (found in the alcohol aisle - think Coco Lopez)
Container Cool Whip, thawed
8 oz. sweetened coconut

Bake the cake in a 9 x 13 pan according to the timed directions on the box. Remove cake from oven and, while still hot, poke holes all over it with the end of a spoon. Open can of cream of coconut and stir well. Pour evenly over entire cake. Chill cake for 1 hour, then spread with Cool Whip and sprinkle flaked coconut over the top. Refrigerate until serving time for a minimum of 3 hours. It gets even better if you can wait overnight!

Donut Cake

This recipe is everywhere right now. Add a little nutmeg and some buttermilk to a plain little cake and you end up with that donut flavor. Think Donut Muffin. This is supposed to be a version of that recipe that's been around for 100 years - the Busy Day Cake. The popular version has 2 T. of cornmeal added to the cake batter - my spouse didn't like the taste, although he liked the texture. My second attempt omitted the cornmeal and I increased the amound of nutmeg. I like. What I don't like? The new blogger...

1 stick butter, softened
1 1/3 cups sugar
3 large eggs
2 t. vanilla
2 cups flour
1/2 t. salt
2 1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. nutmeg
1/2 cup buttermilk

1. Heat the oven to 375°F. Butter and flour a 9-inch springform pan, and set it aside.

2. Beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about two minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating to incorporate after each addition, then add in the vanilla. Scrape down sides of bowl with a rubber spatula. Set aside.

3. Whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, and nutmeg. Add the flour mixture to the batter in 3 parts, alternating with the buttermilk, starting and ending with flour. Make sure each addition is incorporated before adding the next, but don't over-beat it at the end. Spread the batter in the prepared pan and smooth the top.

4. Bake until the top is puffed and golden brown and a tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool on a rack before serving warm or room temperature.

This is for you, Kelley.

Pumpkin muffins for the first day of Autumn...

4 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 can pumpkin puree (15 ounces)
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
3 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
Turbinado sugar

Preheat the oven to 400º. Combine all dry ingredients. Beat the eggs, sugar, pumpkin, and oil until smooth. Pour the pumpkin mixture into the dry ingredients and mix well. Sprinkle turbinado sugar on top for a delicious muffin crunch. Bake in muffin tins for 16-20 minutes.

when autumn leaves blow through my window...

The entire blogosphere is talking about the arrival of Fall and pumpkin things and apple desserts . . . and it happens to be 102 degrees in Las Vegas today. Whatever. This is the only bone I have to pick with this city I call home. If not for the Autumn season and everything that comes along with it I would have no beef with living in the desert. I love the dry heat and I've made peace with what holidays feel like living here . . . my holiday cues are no longer triggered by cooler temperatures. I have adapted. That is until I anticipate that first day of autumn (tomorrow). Then I want foliage. And cooler temperatures. Apple cider and EVERYTHING pumpkin. I crave all things that scream toasty warmth like those herbs (you know the ones), roasted things and baked goodies made with nutmeg and cinnamon. Right this very second I am sighing.

These things help:

Caramel Apples. Do it. You won't regret it.

Apple Crisp. Bridie and I are on the same page when it comes to this. Nana's recipe.

Apple Cake. Thank you, Anna Mason. Are you still alive?

Pumpkin Cheesecake dangerously close to the one at Cheesecake Factory.

Butternut Squash Soup. 'Nuff said.

My grandmother's Chili Sauce. It has no resemblance to anything 'chili' . . . it's like a relish. The way this makes my house smell is a Fall memory.

Weight Watchers Crustless Pumpkin Pie. 1 point for 1/4 of the pie. Small scoop of Fat Free Cool Whip? Yes, please.

Just Chicken Pie. Perhaps we could re-name this little gem of a recipe and just call it "Dave's Nemesis". It is his source of ruin.

When I'm 64

Tres Leches Cake

Have you ever experienced deja vu while tasting something? That happened to me today. I saw a Tres Leches Cake on The Best Thing I Ever Ate recently and remembered seeing a recipe on The Pioneer Woman. I had to bake that sponge cake. It was a must. I'd never heard of this cake before but when I took my first bite . . . it happened. Not sure where I had this cake. No matter. I will make this again and again.

If you like the tutorial see here on The Pioneer Woman Cooks!

1 cup flour
1 1/2 t. Baking Powder
1/4 t. Salt
5 whole Eggs
1 C. Sugar, Divided
1 t. Vanilla
1/3 C. Milk
1 can Evaporated Milk
1 can Sweetened, Condensed Milk
1/4 C. Heavy Cream

FOR THE ICING:

1 pint Heavy Cream, For Whipping
3 Tablespoons Sugar

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 x 13 inch pan liberally until coated.

Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Separate eggs.

Beat egg yolks with 3/4 cup sugar on high speed until yolks are pale yellow. Stir in milk and vanilla. Pour egg yolk mixture over the flour mixture and stir very gently until combined.

Beat egg whites on high speed until soft peaks form. With the mixer on, pour in remaining 1/4 cup sugar and beat until egg whites are stiff but not dry.

Fold egg white mixture into the batter very gently until just combined. Pour into prepared pan and spread to even out the surface.

Bake for 35 to 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Turn cake out onto a rimmed platter and allow to cool.

Combine condensed milk, evaporated milk, and heavy cream in a small pitcher. When cake is cool, pierce the surface with a fork several times. Slowly drizzle all but about 1 cup of the milk mixture—try to get as much around the edges of the cake as you can.

Allow the cake to absorb the milk mixture for 30 minutes. To ice the cake, whip 1 pint heavy cream with 3 tablespoons of sugar until thick and spreadable.
Spread over the surface of the cake. Decorate cake with whole or chopped maraschino cherries. Cut into squares and serve.

Trader Joe's Cocoa - Chocolate Cake Recipe

Trader Joe's Cocoa Powder . . . run and buy it. It's inexpensive and very high quality - it made a superior chocolate cake. I do believe this is my new "go to" chocolate cake recipe.

3 1/3 cups flour
1 1/3 cups cocoa
3 cups sugar
1 T. baking soda
1 t. salt
12 oz. butter
3 cups buttermilk
1 t. vanilla
5 eggs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two 9" round baking pans or line cupcakes cups with paper liners. Place all ingredients in electric mixer bowl and beat on high speed for 3 minutes. Pour into prepared pans and bake for about 55 minutes or 20-25 if you're baking cupcakes.

This recipe is far better than the one on the back of the Hershey Cocoa can. I frosted it with both a rich cocoa chocolate frosting and later with a buttercream. The buttercream had these jimmies on top, from Holland. I was hopeful they'd be similar to the crunchy European jimmies Sprinkles uses. Not so much, but they were better than supermarket sprinkles. The cover of the box amuses me - the sprinkles are on top of toast. Who does that? I've been to Amsterdam, so I know the answer.