Chocolate Mocha Cake

We have a little tradition.  Mr. BV bakes me a carrot cake for my birthday.... and for his...I bake a chocolate.  Our birthdays are too close together (in days, not years) ...for us to have two cakes in a week....so we usually do somebody's in the proper week....and the second several months later.

I try different chocolate recipes every year... but, he must stick to his now "famous" carrot cake that I love....

This was the one I made a few months ago for his special day.  It's from my ancient "Canadian Cook Book".

Chocolate Mocha Cake

2/3  cup shortening (I used butter)
1  1/4  cups sugar
2  eggs
1  tsp vanilla
2  cups sifted pastry flour .. or ..
1  3/4  cups sifted all purpose flour
1/3  cup cocoa
1  tsp baking powder
1/2  tsp baking soda
1/4  tsp salt
1/2  cup strong coffee (cooled)
2/3  cup sour milk, or buttermilk (to make sour milk just add a few tsps lemon juice or vinegar to milk and let sit a bit)

(The recipe says to stir cocoa and coffee til smooth and cool...then to blend it into the fat sugar egg mixture, but I prefer to add my cocoa to a bit of the flour and stir it into the butter mixture) ..

Cream shortening; add sugar gradually, beating after each addition til fluffy. (proper emulsifying of fat and dissolving of sugar is essential to fine textured cake.)

Add vanilla; beat well.  Add room temperature eggs one at a time beating well after each egg.

Add milk and flour alternately to the fat-sugar mixture, 1/4 each time, beginning and ending with flour.  It is a drop batter and should be thin.

Bake at 350F in a greased 8 inch square pan or two 8 inch layer pans.  You can line with waxed paper if you like.  I usually just lightly grease my pans and dust on a bit of cocoa.  Works the same as flour...but doesn't leave a white residue on the sides of the cake.

Layer cakes will bake in about 30 minutes and square cakes in about 50.  Check for doneness with a toothpick.... if it comes out clean they are done.   I usually test a bit early for chocolate cakes because you definitely don't want to take a chance.  The recipe talks about browning...but, hey...it's tough to tell when chocolate is browning and it can burn too easily.

Cool 10 minutes, run a knife around the sides and place rack on top of pan.  Turn over and your lovely cake should pop right out onto the rack.  If you papered... gently peel off the paper.

Mocha Butter Icing

3 to 5 tablespoons butter
2  cups icing sugar (approximate)
3  tablespoons strong cold coffee... or sift 1/2 tablespoon instant coffee with sugar.
1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons of cocoa ... or just enough to give a light chocolate colour to icing.  Or, melt 1/2 to 1 square of unsweetened chocolate and stir into creamed butter.

For my coffee, I made some strong coffee with instant and cooled it.  Then...added as needed to get proper consistency.  If you want less coffee flavour you can use a bit of milk as well as a tiny bit of coffee.

Sift the cocoa with some of the sugar.
Cream butter with 2 tablespoons sugar; add some liquid gradually.
Sift in remaining sugar to make it thick enough to spread.

I always have my handy dandy tasting spoons nearby too..... when it tastes right to me...it's perfect to spread onto the cakes.  If I make layers...I want some to spread between the layers as well..... if you only make the square you can make a bit less icing.

This one's for you Shashi....I hope you like it.  The print friendly "thingy" below is great.  Click on it...then move your cursor over the recipe...deleting anything I yak about that is not pertinent... then print out the part you need to bake the cake.  I'm too long winded....hahahha......

Biscotti Toscani

I'll write out the recipe later.... I see part of it is obliterated by some glare..

My favourite cutter for biscotti?  A hacksaw.... which I keep in the kitchen.  No piping is cut with this one.... just cookies... makes a nice clean cut.

Weeks have passed.....

I've been busy...honest I have.  Baking each week as usual....suppers as usual... I cook every day.  Just keep putting off posting til I do something else and all of sudden it is midnight and then...I think I'll do it in the morning...which I don't because that's when I read your blogs...and then..it's noon and then...well...you see what happens.

These were yesterday's strawberry scones.  I made them for my garbage guys.  Yep....I bribe them.  This is what they took away with smiles on their faces.  I told them straight out that I was bribing them as well as saying thank you for always taking everything I put out there.  They said "bribes are good" .... and cheerfully loaded up the 5 bags of grass, leaves and shrub clippings...as well as 5 twined 4 foot long bundles of Nanking bush ...  an old length of garden hose and a complete, full grown, dead spirea shrub.   I love my guys....  they treat me well.

However, one of them did mention they wondered why they hadn't seen me for some time.... to which I said..uh, oh.... I must be falling behind on the muffin quota.  Sorry...I'll attend to that straight away.... so, two weeks in a row they've had warm from the oven goodies.  Next week, if it is not raining... I don't know...they could be out of luck, I may be out golfing....finally.  But, yesterday they picked up two more houses after ours..turned the corner and parked the huge truck in front of my neighbour's ...and proceeded to have their coffee and fresh scones.  Hahahahha.... that did make me laugh.   Doesn't take much to amuse me.... it made my day.

Thanks guys!!  I love ya...

Next week.... double chocolate chunk cookies....

Pork Tenderloin with Creamy Cider-Herb Sauce

The tenderloin recipe that I mentioned on the day that I gave you the yummy Brussels Sprouts recipe?.
 ... here it is....

I didn't have any cider around... and, if you are in the same boat.... don't let that hold you back.  I used some apple juice and added a splash of vinegar.



Pork Tenderloin with Creamy Cider-Herb Sauce
2 pork tenderloins  (about 2 lb/1kg total)
1/4  tsp each salt and pepper
1  TBSP vegetable oil
1  TBSP butter
1/2   cup finely diced onion
1  clove garlic, mince
1/2  cup each apple cider and sodium-reduced chicken broth
1/4  cup whipping cream  (you know I didn't use this! hahah... some whole milk will do, but add it near  
       the end after boiling the broth for a bit)
1  tsp Dijon mustard
1  tsp cornstarch
1  TBSP each minced fresh thyme and parsley (I didn't use that much and also added a bit of fresh            
       rosemary and sweet basil)

Sprinkle pork with salt and pepper.  In large oven proof skillet, heat oil over med-high heat;  sear pork all over, about 6 minutes.

Transfer to 400F / 200C oven; roast til juices run clear when pierced and just a hint of pink remains inside about 15 minutes.  Transfer to cutting board and tent with foil; let stand for 5 minutes before slicing.

Meanwhile, in same skillet, melt butter over medium heat; cook onion, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes.  Add garlic; cook 1 minute.

Add cider and bring to boil, scraping up any brown bits.  Stir chicken broth, cream and mustard; boil until reduced to 1 cup, about 5 minutes.

Mix cornstarch with 2 tsp. water and stir into sauce along with thyme and parsley; cook, stirring, until slightly thickened, about 1 minute.   Serve with pork

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NB:: I couldn't see the sense of putting the skillet into the oven and waiting to do the sauce.  I put the tenderloins in a heated baking dish which was already waiting for them in the oven instead..and then just began making the sauce in the pan in which I browned the meat.  Make sure you take the pork out of the oven almost a bit earlier than you think because remember it is still cooking a bit more while tented and you don't want to overcook it.

We sliced it and poured the sauce over to serve.... 

Orange Pumpkin Loaf

I did just stop for tea... and had a lovely slice of pumpkin loaf.  They call this a Tea Bread.... but, honestly?  a loaf describes it more accurately to me... as in my head I always think of bread as being of the yeasty variety.  But, that's just me.

It is from the Company's Coming Muffins and More book... by Jean Pare.  I've made lots of the muffins and loaves in her book.... all tasty...

File this under any name you like.... although I'll print it out here as what they call it in the book.  The orange goes so well with the pumpkin.

Pumpkin Tea Bread

1/2   cup butter
1 1/2   cups granulated sugar
2  eggs
1   cup canned pumpkin
1   tbsp. grated rind of orange
1/4   cup orange juice
2 1/4   cups all purpose flour
1/2   tsp. baking powder
2   tsp.  baking soda  (I never put as much as they say... your call)
1/2   tsp. salt  (I never put any, the butter already has plenty for me)
1/2   tsp. cinnamon  (use more.... it benefits from a bit more in the spice department)
1/2   tsp. cloves
1/2   cup chopped nuts  (I use toasted walnuts)
1/2   cup chopped dates  (or raisins) ....

optional:::  I like to also add some ground ginger, a sprinkle of all spice instead of the cloves and a tiny sprink of nutmeg...

Cream butter, sugar and 1 egg.  Beat in second egg unti smooth.  Mix in pumpkin, rind and juice.

In another bowl, measure and stir well all remaining ingredients.  Pour all at once into batter in mixing bowl.  Stir only enough to moisten.  Pour into greased loaf pan 9 x 5 x 3.

Bake at 350 F (180 C) for about 1 hour or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.  Cool in pan 10 minutes.  Remove loaf from pan to rack.  Cool and wrap.

This loaf tastes even better the second and third day....