Easy Peasy

BTW....Happy Chocolate Cake Day!!!


Scene: Girl, hankering for some thing chocolate....nah, handful of chocolate chips won't do. Want something cakey. Nah, brownies too fudgy and rich. Want spongy. Baking a whole cake....too much hanging around after, then I will be sick of it OR gain 10 pounds eating it all....




"I need Chocolate cake NOW" cake

Was that scene familiar to you? How about cake in 7 minutes? And I know you have all these things in your pantry!! Makes 4 good sized servings or one huge chocolate craving serving.

3 Tbsp. butter, softened
¼ c. white sugar (I used 1/4 c. splenda)
1 egg (I used only the white)
1 tsp. vanilla
¼ cup milk (skim was fine)
½ c. flour
2 Tbsp. cocoa powder (I used the 3 T of 'special dark')
¼ tsp. baking powder
1 pinch salt
1/8 tsp. instant espresso powder

1. Spray a medium microwave-safe bowl with non-stick spray and set aside. Those disposable plastic ones work just fine too.

2. In a mixing bowl, combine the butter, sugar, egg, vanilla and milk.

3. On top of wet mixture in a pile, put the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Blend until smooth.

4. Pour into greased bowl.

5. Cover with plastic wrap and cook in the microwave on high for 2-1/2 minutes, or until cake springs back when touched. CAUTION: Bottom and Sides of bowl touching the cake will be HOT. Use top edge to remove or pot holders if you must.

6. Let cake sit 5 minutes while you wash dishes. Inhale the fudgy goodness.

7. Over turn onto plate, frost if you need to but if you are REALLY having a chocolate craving...you don't have the patience...you want to eat it NOW!

The notations I did in green was what I did today. I usually follow the recipe as written, both are great. Why this picture has a green drizzle was me melting some Guittard Mint Chocolate Chips with a little milk and powdered sugar. Now it's a Thin Mint Microwave Chocolate Cake!!! (and it was moist and fabulous!)

___________________________________

The students are in training for their Cooking Unit. Since today is Chocolate Cake Day I will share one of my no-fail, easy, absolutely too good to be true recipe that I use for the 6th graders. This demonstration is what I do to show them how to measure properly. If this recipe seems familiar it is because it's called also 'dump' cake (ugh, how nasty) everywhere on the internet but when I first got this recipe in college it was called:

Crazy Chocolate Cake

Sift the following into a 8 X 8 inch ungreased pan. No bowl? How crazy is that?

1 cup sugar
1 1/2 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 c. unsweetened cocoa
1 tsp. baking soda

Then add the following:

1 tsp. vinegar
1/3 c. vegetable oil
1 tsp. vanilla
1 c. cold water

Stir until smooth. Be sure to get the scraper out to check all the corners!

Bake 35 minute* at 350 degrees. Warning, your cake is NOT burned...it will be a VERY dark brown, almost black....but it's soooooo good.
*Due to time constraints in class I can't demonstrate this, bake it AND have the kids eat it before they leave (try explaining to a group of kids that the chocolate they see and smell won't be eaten until tomorrow!! Heart-wrenching I tell you!) SO this recipe makes 12 cupcakes perfectly and for only like 10-15 minutes (please check @ 10 first in case your oven doesn't cook like mine).

Frost in pan when cool. Also just a dusting of powdered sugar is lovely enough.

_________________________

While I have you here looking at Chocolate Cake...I've also used this recipe....if your kids like hot fudgy, gooey things possibly with some ice cream involved.....

Hot Fudge Cake*

* 1 cup flour
* 3/4 cup sugar
* 6 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa, divided
* 2 teaspoons baking powder
* 1/4 tsp salt
* 1/2 cup milk
* 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
* 1 tsp. vanilla extract
* 1 cup brown sugar
* 1 and 3/4 cups hot water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In medium bowl, combine flour, 2 Tbsp. cocoa, sugar, baking powder and salt. Stir in milk, oil and vanilla until smooth. Spread in ungreased 9" square pan. Combine brown sugar and remaining cocoa in separate bowl. Sprinkle over batter. Pour hot water over all. (When I made this the first time I used 1-3/4 and I felt the sauce amount was TOO much- I tried it again and 1-1/4 seemed to make it not as soupy) Do not stir. Bake for 35-40 minutes. Serve warm or cold.

*After time is up...cake surface will 'wobble' as though it is NOT cooked. But it is. The cake is cooked on the top and a thick fudge sauce is on the bottom. Use a spoon to scoop out portions and spoon out extra fudge sauce to top it with. This would be great warm with ice cream. Warning...this is SUPER sweet! The kids thought this was AWESOME!

____________________________

Post Script Note:

WHHEEEEEEE....it Snowed Today. FINALLY. We also got out of school early too. Wow what chaos that was....too long of a story to repeat.






I think we have about 1.5 inches and it's only 1 pm. Snow day tomorrow? Hmm....we shall see.











My cute little lavender plant looks like it got dusted with powdered sugar!!!