'Tis the Season for Chocolate, Peppermint and More Chocolate

As my first semester as a graduate student comes to an end, my Education Psychology Professor announced we would be having a potluck for the last class. Since I haven't baked in a while, I thought this would be a nice time to do it. So I made a triple-chocolate cake with chocolate-peppermint filling (Bon Appetit 2001).

Maybe I'm still tired from the weekend or a little brain-fried from the semester - working full time and being a full-time student is no easy task I've discovered, but I missed some steps in the recipe. I think the cake will still taste ok, but I guess my Education Psychology class will find out tomorrow. I completely forgot to put vanilla in the cake and I failed to notice that the cake should be baked as one layer and divided in half (I used two pans). Whoops! With three types of chocolate and almost three sticks of butter, how could this taste wrong?

This recipe is a little high maintenence, but it looks awfully festive and from what I tried of the glaze, it is going to be delicious.

Ingredients:
8 ounces imported milk chocolate (such as Lindt) finely chopped
1/2 cup whipping cream
1 Tablespoon light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract

Cake:
1 cup sifted all purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup (1 1/2) sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup (packed) brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 large eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 cups miniature semisweet chocolate chips

Chocolate Glaze:
8 ounces bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 Tablespoon light corn syrup
3/4 teaspoon peppermint extract

12 whole red-and-white-striped hard peppermint candies, chopped (I used candy canes)

For Filling:
Place chocolate in medium bowl. Bring cream and corn syrup to simmer in small saucepan. Pour hot mixture over chocolate; add extract and let stand 1 minute. Whisk until mixture is smooth. let filing stand at room temperature while cake is baking and cooling.

For Cake:
Position rack in lowest third of oven and preheat to 350F. Butter 9-inch-diameter cake pan with 2-inch high sides. Line bottom with parchment paper. Butter parchment. Dust pan with flour. Whisk first 5 ingredients in medium bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in both sugars, then vanilla. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in dry ingredients alternately with buttermilk in 2 additions each. Mix in chocolate chips.

Transfer batter to prepared pan. Bake cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 1 hour 5 minutes. cool cake in pan on rack 5 minutes. Turn out cake onto rack. Peel off parchment. Col completely.

Using electric mixer, beat filling until fluffy and lightened in color, about 30 seconds. Using serrated knife, cut cake horizontally in half. Place 1 layer, cut side up, on rack set over baking sheet. Spread filling over. Top with second layer, cut side down. Chill filled cake 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare glaze:
Stir chocolate, butter, and corn syrup in heavy small saucepan over low heat until melted and smooth. Mix in extract. Cool glaze until just lukewarm but still pourable, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes.

Pour 1/2 cup glaze over center of cake. Spread over top and sides of cake. Chill until glaze sets, about 15 minutes. Pour remaining glaze over center of cake, then spread quickly over top and sides. Chill until glaze sets about 1 hour. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover with cake dome; chill. Before continuing, let stand at room temperature until softened, about 4 hours.)

Sprinkle candies around top edge of cake.

Mini Chocolate Cheesecakes

(via Love and Olive Oil)

My friend Allyson and I do a lot of internet food browsing. Most of our e-mails and IMs to each other are recipe exchanges and we have an endless list of dishes we want to try. One such dish was Skillet Gnocchi with Chard and White Beans from Eating Well. Of course I neglected to take a picture of this delicious dinner, but managed to snap a photo of dessert.

These mini chocolate cheesecakes from Love and Olive Oil were also on our list and they came out beautifully. They are the perfect amount, easy to make but look and taste impressive. Next time I make these I will be adding more raspberries. One was elegant, but not quite enough.

Two checks on our food list and happy bellies. YUM!

Baby Brownies (for Administrative Assistant's Day)

I know my New Year’s resolution was to take better pictures of my food, but I was kind of in a bind here. Slept a little later than I should, brownies weren’t cut and arranged yet, had to make a quick stop on my way to work AND it seems that every road I take on my commute is being repaved (= major delays). I didn’t want to be too late this morning, so here it is, another poor quality picture.

Baby Brownies in honor of Administrative Assistant’s Day. This recipe is from a book my Mom got for me when I first moved away from home. Other than my McCall’s Cookbook, this is my go-to resource for basics and I guess it should be since the title is The New Basics Cookbook by Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins. I doubled the recipe since I made them for a department of 15 people. I’m reciting this recipe from my memory of making it last night at 11:30, so apologies if it is missing anything major. If they don’t come out right, just buy the book or send me an angry e-mail.

Ingredients:

6 oz. unsweetened chocolate (I used semi-sweet), 1/4 cup of chocolate fudge (I used Mrs. Richardson’s), 1 stick unsalted butter (room temperature), 2 eggs, 1 tsp of vanilla, 3/4 cup of sugar, 1/2 cup flour, a pinch of salt.

To Make:

Generously butter/grease a 8x8 pan (I doubled the recipe and did 9x13) and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Melt chocolate pieces in a saucepan over low heat and stir constantly. Once chocolate is melted, add chocolate fudge and stir until smooth. Remove chocolate mixture from heat and whisk in butter. Once combined stir in eggs (slightly beaten) and vanilla. In a separate bowl, sift together sugar, flour and salt. Gradually combine dry mixture with the chocolate mixture until smooth.

Pour in the pan and bake for 30 minutes (or until tester comes out clean). Allow your baby brownies to cool before cutting.