The New Favorite dinner and new chocolate cupcakes, Oh my.

First, we are swimming in summer squash from the garden, both green & yellow - YAY :))

It has been exceedingly hot here and I've not wanted to cook anything fancy. The best dinner I've made lately has been spaghetti dressed in butter, fresh squash & onions sauteed in EVOO and watermelon with a side of good ol' Parmesan out of the can. No. Seriously. Best.dinner.ever. According to the kids, that is. Me? I didn't find it too shabby either!

Tonight we had chicken thighs & drumsticks. Parboiled and then dressed with a homemade BBQ sauce. Oh and two varieties of fresh sweet corn - Butter & Sugar and Silver Queen. Since the notorious aunt is on her way I have been craving chocolate like a fiend. Hubby and I have found a new love in German Chocolate ice cream made fresh at The Concrete Factory ice cream parlor here in town, but we couldn't go out tonight because of dance. I instead took a devil's food cake recipe and made it better. Let's just say, the cupcakes are gone. I didn't even make frosting for them.

Without further adieu, here are a couple of recipes.

Tangy BBQ Sauce

1 1/2 c. ketchup (I use organic)
1/4 c. maple syrup
1-2 Tbsp. molasses
1/2 c. pomegranate juice
2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
5-6 shakes of Worcestershire sauce
onion powder
granulated garlic
red pepper flakes
pinch of cayenne pepper
freshly ground black pepper

Mix all ingredients together. Baste parboiled chicken while grilling. Any leftovers should be thrown out. (You can also boil the sauce if you'd like extra for dipping - 3-5 minutes should do the trick to kill any bacteria transfer from basting the chicken.)

Cook's Notes:
As usual, these are approximate measures. It's best to taste and alter to your liking while making it.

German Chocolate Cupcakes

2 c. cake flour (or two scant cups all purpose flour)
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
12 Tbsp. Hershey's cocoa (approx. 3/4 c.)
4 Tbsp. canola oil
1 packet instant coffee (Nescafe)
1/4 c. hot water
1/4 c. unsalted butter, softened
1/2 c. canola oil
1 1/4 c. brown sugar
3 eggs
1 Tbsp. vanilla
1 c. plain yogurt (I use low fat organic)
1+ c. chocolate chips
1 c. coconut

Preheat oven to 375.

In a small bowl mix together flour, baking powder & salt. Set aside.

In another small bowl combine cocoa, 4 Tbsp. oil, coffee powder & water. Mix to form a paste.

In mixer bowl add butter, 1/2 c. oil & brown sugar and beat until well mixed. Add in cocoa mixture and blend. While mixer is running, add in eggs one at a time and beat until well blended. Scrape down mixer bowl.

Add in half of flour and then half of yogurt mixing until just blended. Repeat with other half. Quickly mix in coconut & chocolate chips. Spoon into lined cupcake pans. Bake for approximately 20 mins.

Makes about 24 cupcakes or 12 cupcakes and one loaf pan.

Cook's Notes:
The only thing missing was the pecans. I thought I was going to frost these, but it just didn't happen. VERY chocolately & rich, but not overly sweet. Really doesn't need the frosting, but I think a traditional frosting would be fine. You also could substitute sour cream or buttermilk for the yogurt.

One of the BEST chocolate cakes ever

Em requested a chocolate cake w/peanut butter frosting for her 4th birthday. I aim to please.

I swiped this chocolate cake recipe from Ina Garten on the FoodNetwork site. The only thing I changed was using low fat plain yogurt instead of buttermilk. Oh and I also used leftover coffee from our morning pot, added two packets of Nescafe instant coffee powder and enough hot water to make a full cup. Instead of using two 8" layer cake pans, I used my 9x13 pyrex. I was looking for simplicity after this weekend's Barbie cake.

Beatty's Chocolate Cake

I tried to make a Peanut Butter Whipped Cream frosting, but unfortunately, I didn't have time to sturdy it up with gelatin (and cream cheese doesn't work with the PB although it does work with heavy cream on its own) so it came out more like a peanut butter cream. VERY yummy, but more soupy than a frosting should be. The two put together were absolutely amazing and the whole family loved it - especially the birthday girl!

If you are hunkering for a rich, dark chocolate cake, try this recipe. You won't be disappointed.

Milk Chocolate cake with Mocha cream cheese frosting

Felt like a cake day. Cookies are time consuming and truth be told, I am not a big chocolate cookie fan unless it's that time of the month or I'm in the mood. Chocolate cake? That's another story.

This recipe came from my Woman's Home Companion cookbook. The cake recipe calls for cake flour as do all the recipes in the cake section, however, I never buy cake flour. I substitute one scant cup (approx. 7/8 c.) of all purpose for the cake flour and have had fine results. Why change something if it's not broken, right?!

The appearance of the cake when it comes out of the oven looks much like a macaroon or a chocolate crinkle cookie (less the powdered sugar).

Milk Chocolate Cake

8 oz. semisweet chocolate, melted & cooled

2 c. cake flour
3 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt

2/3 c. shortening
1 1/4 c. sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla

1 c. milk




Mocha Cream Cheese Frosting

3 oz. cream cheese, softened
4 Tbsp. strong coffee
3 Tbsp. cocoa powder
pinch of salt
approx. 2 1/2 c. confectioners sugar


Results: The cake was just OK. The frosting? To die for.