Hershey's Chocolate Cake with Fudge Frosting

I've made (and consumed) a lot of chocolate cake in my life, but I'm positive nothing will compare to Hershey's chocolate cake. I mean, they've got that down to a science (test kitchens exist for a reason). So I've decided from now on that will be the base of all of my chocolate cakes, leaving room to explore different kinds of frosting.

For my first experiment, I made a cake for my final project in my Journalism 4551 New Media and Culture Class. There was a YouTube video that you can watch here, but really know that wrote a message against rape culture on the cake. So. Yeah. Pretty serious stuff.

Anyways, since I just gave you the link to the Hershey's recipe (it's also on the back of the jar of cocoa powder), I can just give you the frosting recipe!


Fudge Frosting

What you'll need:

• 4 cups bittersweet baking chocolate
• 1/2 cup hot water
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup corn syrup

-Melt chocolate in microwave. Pour in mixing bowl add hot water and mix until combined. Add butter and mix. Mix in powdered sugar and corn syrup. Let sit until it stiffens and frost cake.

Miscellaneous Baked Goods

Yeah. These are just photos. Sorry, peeps.

Brooklyn Blackout Cake

Oh, crap. It's been awhile since I've posted anything. Since I'm at my favorite coffee shop today and my interview is cancelled, I guess it's time to update the blog, yo. It's not as comprehensive as I'd like, but I still think it'll be good. Because I made some pretty fantastic things. That's all that matters, right?

Mmmm lopsided looking cake. This is my take on the Brooklyn Blackout Cake which is from the Ladybird Bakery in well. Brooklyn, New York. I'd heard a lot of fuss about this cake, and I'm not one to reject chocolate. The bakery takes the fudgey crumbs and uses it to decorate the exterior of the cake and a frosting that is essentially chocolate pudding. I'm a fan. I used raspberries because apparently I'm a rebel and I can do things like that. Not really. I just couldn't get my crumbs fine enough for me to want to put them on my cake.

What you'll need

For the cake:

• 3/4 cup butter (1 and 1/2 sticks), softened
• 2 cups sugar
• 3 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 3/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 1/4 cups flour
• 1 cup milk

-Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and butter/flour two 9 inch round cake pans. Set aside.

-Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add in eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition.

-At low speed, add the vanilla, cocoa powder, baking soda, and baking powder.

-Add in part of the flour, then milk. Mix and alternate with each addition

- Bake for 30-35 minutes. Let cool before frosting.

For the frosting:

• 3 cups water
• 2 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
• 1 1/2 cups cocoa powder
• 2/3 cups corn starch
• 6 tablespoons butter, cubed
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

-Pour 2 1/2 cups water, sugar, corn syrup, and cocoa powder in a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat, whisking occasionally.
-Dissolve the corn starch in 1/2 cup water and whisk into the cocoa mixture.
-Return to a boil, whisking constantly. Cook until thick.
-Remove from heat and add butter and vanilla, whisking until smooth.
-Place in refrigerator for an hour, then frost cake.

Banana Cake with White Chocolate Peanut Butter Ganache

It is one dreary day in Minnesota. I know that whole expression "April showers brings May flowers" is a thing, but I'd love some sunshine. Since those clouds didn't look like they were anywhere near ready to part, I made my own sunshine in my kitchen.

Sunshine and happiness to me is having my whole environment smell like cake. I love when it sinks into my skin- it makes me feel a bit more at peace. Today it was necessary to find my peace. I found it in banana cake. Because banana bread seemed too simple. I wanted peanut butter too. I also wanted a use for my white chocolate bunny that I received for Easter so I didn't stuff it in my face in .5 seconds.

Seriously... Who could say no to this?


Banana Cake with White Chocolate Peanut Butter Ganache

What you'll need:

• 1 cup loosely packed brown sugar
• 2 large egg yolks
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
• 3 ripe bananas, mashed
• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

White Chocolate Peanut Butter Ganache

• 6 oz white chocolate *would recommend 8 if you have it (all I had was my white chocolate bunny)
• 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/2 cup heavy cream

To make:

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease and line a 9 inch cake pan with parchment paper. Set aside.

- In a bowl, whisk together the brown sugar and egg yolks until smooth. Add in vanilla, then slowly add in melted butter and whisk until completely smooth. 

- Mix in mashed bananas until evenly incorporated, then add baking soda, flour, and salt and whisk until blended.

-Pour mixture into cake pan and bake for 30-35 minutes or until the cake is golden in color and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted. Allow cake to cool.

Ganache

- Chop the white chocolate and put in bowl with peanut butter. Set aside.

- Heat cream in a saucepan on medium heat until hot, but not boiling. Make sure to remove from heat once you notice bubbles forming on the sides of the pan.

-Pour hot cream on the white chocolate/peanut butter mixture. Let sit for 1-2 minutes then using a whisk, mix until everything is melted and incorporated. This could take up to five minutes, but be patient!

-Pour over cake and spread.

I hope you just drooled. I sure know I did. But then again, I can actually smell this whole thing right now. You have to only imagine.

Last but not least, cut the cake into slices and serve! Also, allow your dog to stick her snout in the left side of the picture just to make your readers question things. It works. I promise.

Enjoy!

White Truffle Red Velvet Cupcakes

I was home over the weekend so naturally I Facebook spammed my mother and told her that I needed to bake something or I'd lose my mind. Luckily I have an amazing mother, and she bought me ingredients to bake (not before telling me that I have issues, of course).

Of course I easily could've made something simple for everyone to enjoy, but does that sound like me? Of course not. I knew I wanted red velvet because it seemed very fitting for the holiday, but I figured Lindt white chocolate truffles would complement the cupcakes excellently (and yeah. they did. I'm a genius, I know). I also decided to melt some chocolate chips and draw with chocolate to top the cupcakes. Most of what I decorated was sweet typical cliche stuff.

By most, I definitely do not mean all. We shouldn't let me decorate with chocolate after I've worked all day and it's after my bed time. I get inappropriate. 

What would Valentine's Day be without a reference to genitalia?! I don't want anything to do with that kind of Valentine's Day because I act like a twelve year old boy and I think body parts are hilarious. Really, you should find a more mature blogger to read. I think that's a good idea. P.S. Gabe thought that "vagina" said "neglect." I guess my chocolate writing needs some work.

Okay. Enough nonsense! On to the actual recipe!

White Truffle Red Velvet Cupcakes
Yields twelve regular sized cupcakes

What you'll need:

• 4 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar 
• 1 egg
• 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 tablespoons red food coloring
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1 cup & 2 tablespoons flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons distilled white vinegar
• 12 white chocolate truffles (I used Lindt), unwrapped

-Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line cupcake pan with liners.

-Cream butter and sugars together on medium until light and fluffy, then beat in the egg. 

-In a separate bowl, mix together the cocoa powder, vanilla, and food coloring to make a paste. Add this paste to the butter/sugar/egg mixture and beat until the color is fully incorporated.

- Add half the buttermilk, mix, then add half the flour and mix until incorporated. Repeat. 

- Add baking soda and vinegar and beat. 

-Fill each liner with 1/4 cup batter and drop a truffle in the center. Bake for 15-20 minutes, and let cool before frosting. Use whatever frosting you'd like. Since I don't have fridge space in my dorm, I used buttercream and that recipe can be found here.

 I think this cupcake adventure went pretty well. My taste tester, Cooper agrees. 

Teehee. Vagina.

Owl Cupcakes

I forgot about these. Whoops. I made owl cupcakes (with the help of Gabe, my mom, and Nick... The first two had a couple of drinks in them. Whoops.)

All I did was made a boxed cupcake, topped them with frosting, then used the frosting halves of Oreos for eyes, other broken bits of Oreos for eyebrows (?) and Reese's Pieces for the eyes and beak.

My helpers. 

Some of the more "normal" looking ones.

Super Fudgey Brownie Cupcakes

Okay this is the end of me getting caught up and being a lazy a-hole. I made these yesterday. I was really in the mood for chocolate and a cupcake, but I wanted it to be as fudgey as possible (God, why won't Google Chrome recognize 'fudgey' as a word? It should totally be one). We were going to an old family friend's house for dinner and needed a dessert that would be kid friendly. What kid doesn't like a brownie? Well, what person doesn't like a brownie?

Deliciousness. That's all I've got.

What you'll need:

• 1 stick of butter, melted
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 oz milk chocolate, melted
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda

To make:

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line muffin tin with 12 liners

-In a large bowl whisk together the melted butter, sugar and vanilla extract. Add one egg at a time and whisk. Mix in melted chocolate and oil. 

-Add flour, cocoa powder, salt, and baking soda to wet mixture and whisk until combined.

-Fill liners and bake for 10-12 minutes. Let cool. I topped mine with cocoa infused whipped cream. 

Coconut Cream Cupcakes

This is the last of my Thanksgiving baking. I promise. I didn't post anything for Christmas, because you guys already have the recipes (apparently I'm getting less creative).

Or am I? I made these babies after my failure of a coconut cream pie. The pie wouldn't set and it was a disaster, but I felt compelled to make sure my family had a coconut-y dessert. So this is what happened.

What you'll need:

• 1 3/4 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 shredded, sweetened coconut
• 1 1/2 sticks butter, softened
• 2 eggs and 2 egg whites
• 3/4 cup unsweetened coconut milk
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• The frosting found here
• toasted coconut for topping

To make:

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line muffin tin with liners.

- In a mixing bowl, mix together butter, sugar, then add eggs, egg whites, coconut milk, and vanilla extract.

-In a separate bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, salt, and coconut then add to wet mixture and mix until combined.

-Fill cupcake liners, bake for 20 minutes, let cool, then frost and top with toasted coconut. 

French Silk Pie

Yeah. I'm still working on posting my Thanksgiving recipes. I've only been on winter break for a month... I have no clue how I haven't found the time to post them, but I swear. I'm finishing them today! Better late than never, right?

Let me entice you with chocolate curls and whipped cream. Is it working? If it isn't, you're clearly a Communist (If you're a Communist, good for you. Thanks for reading my blog).

French Silk Pie is probably my favorite treat on Thanksgiving. My mom has been making this recipe for years, so there's a bit of nostalgia attached to it.  


What you'll need:

• 1 graham cracker crust
• 1 jar marshmallow fluff (7 oz.)
• 1 cup chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup butter, cubed
• 2 oz unsweetened baker's chocolate
• 2 tablespoons strongly brewed coffee
• 1 cup heavy cream, whipped

(topping)

• 1 cup whipping cream
• 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
• chocolate shavings to top

To make:

-In a heavy saucepan, combine marshmallow fluff, chocolate chips, butter, unsweetened chocolate, and coffee; cook and stir often on low heat until everything is melted and the mixture is smooth. Cool. Fold in whipped cream. Pour into crust.

- Prepare whipping cream by beating heavy cream and powdered sugar together until stiff peaks form. Top the pie then add chocolate shavings, if desired.

Pumpkin Pie

I don't even have anything clever to start this one off with. My brain is fried after finishing finals.
I guess I can tell you that I've never eaten pumpkin pie and probably never will. But I made it for my family!

What you'll need:

• one pre-made pie crust
• 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 2 cups, canned, pureed pumpkin
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg plus two egg yolks, beaten
• 1 cup cream
• 1/2 stick melted butter 
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

To make:

-Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

-Place a piece of pre-made (whether store-bought or homemade) pie crust on the bottom of a 9-inch pie plate. Pinch and crimp ends to make a pattern, or really do whatever you can. (I'm not exactly good at this part...) Put the pie shell in the freezer for an hour to form shape, then cover in foil and bake for ten minutes. Remove foil.

-To make the filling, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the pumpkin then beat until combined. Mix in the sugar salt, then the eggs (one at a time). Add the cream, melted butter, vanilla, then pumpkin pie spice. Beat until combined.

-Pour mixture into the pre-baked pie shell. Bake for 50 minutes, then let cool completely before serving.