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Marble Cake with Fudge Frosting

Marble Cake with Fudge Frosting is the perfect party cake!  Enjoy a swirl of yellow cake and chocolate cake in every bite, topped with a fudgy chocolate frosting.  Delicious, a crowd favorite, and easy to make!

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Recently, we celebrated Mike’s birthday, and as always I asked him to pick his birthday treat.  He usually just tells me to make whatever, but this year he got some advice from our resident 3 year old (who may be a bit opinionated these days).  After consulting a couple of his favorite cookbooks (really!) and a few of my printed recipes, Adam’s decision was made ~ Marble Cake with Fudge Frosting.  While Adam had never had marble cake before, and at the time was not a fan of chocolate, he was sure this was the perfect cake for his daddy.  He was absolutely right!

With yellow cake and chocolate cake in a pretty little swirl, we enjoyed the best of both worlds and the fudge frosting was the perfect icing on the cake (ha!)   And while it looks fancy, this cake is super simple to make.  The frosting was a bit stiff during the stirring process and goes on thick, yet is a thin layer on top of the tasty cake.  Decorate it as you wish, and here is the perfect party cake to celebrate any special occasion.

Marble Cake with Fudge Frosting - Alida's Kitchen

Marble Cake with Fudge Frosting
 
Marble Cake with Fudge Frosting is the perfect party cake! Enjoy a swirl of yellow cake and chocolate cake in every bite, topped with a fudgy chocolate frosting.
Yields: 16-20 servings
Ingredients
  • Cake:
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa
  • 1¼ cups granulated sugar, divided
  • ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 cup milk (I used skim)
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • Cooking spray
  • Frosting:
  • 1½ cups semisweet chocolate chips
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • ¼ cup milk (I used skim)
Instructions
  1. FOR THE CAKE: Preheat oven to 350* F. Spray a 13x9-inch baking pan with cooking spray and set aside.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
  3. In a separate medium bowl, combine cocoa, ¼ cup granulated sugar and ¼ cup water.
  4. In a large bowl, with an electric mixer (hand or stand) set to medium-high, beat butter and remaining sugar until light and fluffy. Reduce speed to low, and add eggs, milk and vanilla, beating until smooth. Add flour mixture, continue beating on low until combined.
  5. Pour 2 cups of the vanilla batter into the bowl with the cocoa mixture, and stir until smooth.
  6. Pour vanilla batter into the prepared baking pan. Spoon chocolate batter into six puddles on top of the vanilla batter. Drag a knife through the two batters, creating a swirly marble effect.
  7. Bake 22 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven to a wire rack to cool completely. Frost once cool.
  8. FOR THE FROSTING: Put chocolate chips in a glass or metal bowl set over a pan of simmering water (or use a double-boiler), until melted, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and add butter, powdered sugar and milk. Beat on high until frosting comes together. Add more milk or sugar as needed to achieve desired consistency. (If frosting is too stiff, add more milk; if it's too wet, add more powdered sugar)
  9. Spread over cooled cake and decorate as desired.

Source: Real Simple

Marble Cake with Fudge Frosting - Alida's Kitchen

Time for change!

Things are looking a little different at Alida’s Kitchen these days……

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Mediterranean Lentil Salad

Mediterranean Lentil Salad

vegan mediterranean vegetable lentil salad with balsamic vinaigrette and feta cheese


Mediterranean Lentil Salad is a healthy, protein-packed, veggie-rich grain salad, mixed with a tangy balsamic vinaigrette.   There are so many delicious flavors at play here, with red onions, garlic, parsley and, of course, the balsamic vinaigrette.  This easy recipe is a great base recipe with lots of flexibility to customize it to your preference.  You could add spinach, change up the amounts of tomatoes, onions, etc.  Mediterranean Lentil Salad can also be vegan by simply omitting the feta cheese.

I really like using lentils because they are such a great source of lean protein and high fiber and iron too.  Per the bag I used, there are 12 grams of protein and 14 grams of fiber…all with zero fat.   I find lentils to be a great meat substitute in recipes, such as tacos.  In fact, I am putting the final tweaks on a lentil taco recipe to share with you soon!

Mediterranean Lentil Salad
 
Yields: 4 servings
Ingredients
  • 1 cup chopped red onion, plus 1 1-inch thick slice (for cooking water)
  • ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley, plus 3 parsley sprigs (for cooking water)
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 cup dried lentils, sorted and rinsed
  • 1 cup halved cherry (or grape) tomatoes
  • ½ cup diced cucumber
  • ½ cup feta cheese, divided
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • For the balsamic vinaigrette:
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon water
  • 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
Instructions
  1. COOK LENTILS: Add 2½ cups of water to a medium sauce pan and bring to a boil. Add onion, parsley sprigs and minced garlic and bring to a boil. Stir in lentils, reduce heat to a simmer, and cook uncovered until lentils are tender (about 20-25 minutes). Drain and discard onion and parsley.
  2. MAKE VINAIGRETTE: In a small bowl, whisk together vinegar, water, vinegar, mustard and garlic until combined. Pour into a sauce pan (I just used the same pan used to cook the lentils) and heat on low until just warmed (do not boil).
  3. ASSEMBLE: Place warm lentils in a serving bowl. Add cucumber, tomatoes, chopped parsley, ¼ cup feta and warm vinaigrette and toss to combine. Add salt and pepper, to taste. Sprinkle with remaining ¼ cup feta and serve.

It’s my favorite time of month again…the Eating with the Alphabet Challenge hosted by Brenda from Meal Planning Magic!  This month we were to showcase a recipe using a fruit, vegetable or grain that begin with the letters K or L.  Lentils are the first that came to mind, and I had so much fun trying different, healthy recipes with them.  If you’re a blogger, why not join us!  It’s fun to come up with new, healthy recipes as well as see what other bloggers decide to make.   Brenda has more information and sign up details here.



Chocolate Banana Brownies

 Chocolate Banana Brownies are so rich and fudgy,  you would never guess they are low in fat (and can be made vegan)!
 Chocolate Banana Brownies | alidaskitchen.com
I’ve been on a bit of a brownie kick lately and found myself choosing between three different brownies recipes to share with you today.  These Chocolate Banana Brownies were at the top of the list.  A brownie that is so rich and fudgy, you would never guess it’s low in fat (and can be made vegan)?  Yes please!
 Chocolate Banana Brownies | alidaskitchen.com

The addition of bananas not only puts a tasty twist on these brownies, but it also helps reduce some of the added fat.  There are also no eggs in this recipe.  Changes from the original recipe include using whole wheat pastry flour instead of all-purpose (either one works fine, I just wanted a whole wheat brownie) and using brown sugar instead of granulated, because I love the flavor brown sugar adds to baked goods.  Use your favorite non-dairy milk and non-dairy chocolate chips, and you have a delicious vegan dessert that everybody will love!

Chocolate Banana Brownies
 
Author:
Yields: 13x9-inch pan of brownies (see note for servings)
Ingredients
  • 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour (or all-purpose flour)
  • 2 cups packed brown sugar
  • ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • pinch of salt
  • 1 cup mashed overripe bananas (2-3, depending on size)
  • ¼ cup milk (use soy or almond for vegan)
  • ¼ cup canola oil
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (use dairy-free for vegan)
  • Cooking spray
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350*F. Spray a 13x9-inch baking pan with cooking spray and set aside.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk flour, brown sugar, cocoa, baking powder and salt.
  3. In a medium bowl, stir bananas, milk, oil, and vanilla until well-blended.
  4. Add banana mixture to flour mixture, gently stirring until just combined. Add chocolate chips, folding gently.
  5. Pour batter into prepared baking pan and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. (Be careful not to over bake, otherwise the brownie may not be as fudgy). Move pan to a wire rack to cool completely. Cut into squares to serve.
Notes
Note: 24 squares = 150 calores/brownie, 36 squares = 100 calories/brownie. These amounts are approximations based on the ingredients I used.

Source: About.com

Have more overripe bananas?  Here are some other healthy, easy recipes to try:

Pumpkin Banana Muffins

Banana Buttermilk Muffins

Healthy Banana Cookies

 

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Happy Fourth of July! {easy summer favorites}

Today I am sharing with you some of our favorite recipes that are perfect for your Fourth of July weekend celebration, or for any of your summer festivities.  Now, I had intended to post this much earlier today, but we were without power for a while.  Fortunately these are quick and easy recipes!  There will be a new recipe next week…and it’s a good one! In the meantime, here is a list of some of our easy summertime favorites ~ starting with dessert!

Indoor S’mores: no summer celebration is complete without s’mores, and here is a no-bake, graham, chocolate, and marshmallow bar that is super easy to make.  Click here for the recipe…
Strawberries and Cream Sandwiches: a chilly version of strawberries and cream made into a ‘faux’ ice cream sandwich.  Click here for the recipe…
 
No-Bake Peanut Butter Pie: this takes only 10 minutes to prepare and then is chilled to creamy, peanut butter perfection.  The recipe makes two pies ~ one for now and one for later!  Click here for the recipe…
 
Grilled BBQ Chicken {DIY Barbecue Sauce}: making your own barbecue sauce is so easy.  This version is slightly spicy and is made using common pantry ingredients. Click here for the recipe…

Grilled Peanut Butter Chicken: peanut butter, ginger, and soy sauce give this chicken a Thai-inspired flavor.  This is always a crowd favorite!  Click here for the recipe…
Balsamic Blueberry Salad: peppery arugula topped with blueberries, feta and a drizzle of balsamic vinaigrette makes this a light and summery salad.  Adding chicken is optional, but tasty!  Click here for the recipe…
Pasta with Grape Tomatoes and Mozzarella: this pasta can be served as a side salad or as an entree.  It’s a great way to use up some of those little tomatoes taking over your garden, as well as fresh herbs.  Click here for the recipe…
Balsamic Portobello Mushroom Burgers: a healthy, flavorful, vegetarian alternative on the grill…even carnivores won’t miss the meat!  Click here for the recipe…
Rosemary Cornbread: each summer we have an abundance of fresh rosemary, and this cornbread is our favorite recipe to use it up.  This was also one of my very first posts, and clearly needs an updated photo 🙂      Click here for the recipe…