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Chocolate Zucchini Bread | alidaskitchen.com

Chocolate Zucchini Bread | Bundt Cake

August 29, 2013 ·

Chocolate Zucchini Bread is a moist, chocolaty bread made with zucchini and a delicious way to use up all of that zucchini taking over your garden! 

Chocolate Zucchini Bread | alidaskitchen.com

I love the entire season of summer produce, from the abundance of berries and herbs, to everything in between. However what I really look forward to is the end of summer produce.  Mainly…zucchini!   All summer long I compile zucchini recipes in anticipation of the great bounty of summer squash….

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Marble Cake with Fudge Frosting

July 25, 2013 ·

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!

marble-cake-with-fudge-frosting-sqc

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
 
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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

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Lighter Lemon Cake

April 19, 2013 ·

Right now,  I am listening to the sounds of our snowplow service plowing our driveway. Again.  We got 5 inches of snow yesterday and are projected to get at least another inch today.  It’s mid-late April.  Yikes!  So while I had a different recipe to share with you today, I thought we all could use a little sunshine, well…for a variety of reasons these days. Nothing says sunshine quite like a lemon dessert, and this Lighter Lemon Cake will definitely brighten any day.

Back in February, I shared Adam’s Baseball Birthday cake, and the flavor of that cake was this Lighter Lemon Cake.  Lighter Lemon Cake has become my ‘go-to’ lemon cake.  It has a generous amount of lemon zest and juice, yielding a vibrant lemon flavor, and the buttermilk helps yield a nice, moist crumb.  The lemon zest and juice in the frosting gives an extra lemon boost, which is bright and delicious.  If you like lemon, you’ll love this cake!

This cake is made on the lighter side, which means less frosting than a typical cake, or a typical layer cake anyway.  While I stretched it to cover the sides of a layer cake for purposes of making a last minute baseball cake, I recommend just spreading frosting between the layers and on top of the cake, leaving the sides exposed OR make 1 1/2 times the frosting amount to have enough to fully cover the cake.

And while we are all a little snowed out after this winter, I can tell you one little boy who is elated.  Here is a picture of Adam after the snowstorm we had last week.  He’s loving every minute of it,…which is a different kind of sunshine that is sure to brighten any day.

Lighter Lemon Cake
 
Print
Yields: 12-16 servings
Ingredients
  • Cooking spray
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • pinch salt
  • 1½ cups granulated sugar
  • ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 2 tablespoons finely granted lemon zest
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • Icing:
  • 3 cups powdered sugar
  • ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 tablespoon lemon zest
  • ¼/ cup fresh lemon juice, add as needed
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 2 9-inch (or 8-inch) cake pans with cooking spray, line the bottoms with waxed paper and coat the waxed paper with cooking spray. Set aside.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
  3. In a large bowl, beat sugar and butter at medium speed with a hand (or stand) mixer until well-blended (about 5 minutes). Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Then alternate adding flour mixture and buttermilk, beating on low after each addition until just combined. Last, beat in the lemon zest, juice and vanilla.
  4. Pour equal amounts of batter in prepared pans and sharply tap on counter to remove any bubbles.
  5. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes and then remove from pans to cool completely. Remove waxed paper.
  6. To make icing: In a large bowl, beat powdered sugar, butter, lemon zest and juice until combined and smooth. Frost cake as desired.


Source: Cooking Light, May 2008

Filed Under: dessert, Recipes Tagged With: , , , , ,

Baseball Birthday Cake

February 28, 2013 ·
how to make a baseball birthday cake

We celebrated Adam’s 3rd birthday last week!  Adam appreciates all things birthday, including parties, gifts and cake.  As my #1 cookbook reading companion, he also appreciates the importance of a good birthday cake design.

For Adam’s 2nd birthday, I assumed he wouldn’t have an opinion about his cake yet.  I worked on a plan for ball-themed cupcakes…then Adam told me he wanted a fire truck cake.  I shelved those ball cake plans and found a great design for a fire truck cake.  It was a fun challenge…I was determined to deliver a fire truck cake!

Considering how last year went, I should have known better.  Many months ago, Adam told me I could pick his cake this year.  I worked on some plans, came up with a great cake that I knew he would love.  And…you guessed it.  Within a couple days of his birthday, he told me he wanted a baseball cake.  Easy enough.  I resurrected my plans from last year to give Adam the Baseball Birthday Cake he wanted.  He was so excited about his ball cake, he started making plans for future ball cakes (i.e. Grandma wants a basketball cake, what ball do you want, mama,…).

DIY how to make a baseball birthday cake

This Baseball Birthday Cake is very easy to put together.  I made the cake the night before and then frosted and decorated it the morning of the birthday.   While the general idea is basic, I am sharing this simply because everybody knows a baseball fan, and who doesn’t love a fun cake!  This Baseball Birthday Cake is sure to put a huge grin on anybody’s face.

DIY how to make a baseball birthday cake

Baseball Birthday Cake
 
Print
Directions for decorating a 9-inch round baseball birthday cake
Ingredients
  • 1 round cake, frosted with white frosting
  • red licorice vines
  • sweetened coconut (optional, for grass)
  • green food coloring (optional, for grass)
Instructions
  1. Put cake on serving plate or cake board.
  2. Cut licorice into ½" inch pieces (approximately 72-80 pieces, depending on size of and spacing on the cake).
  3. Take 2 licorice pieces to create a wide v-shape, like the lacing on a baseball, and place on top of the frosted cake. Repeat with remaining pieces until desired "lacing" is achieved.
  4. To make grass, put coconut in a ziploc bag. Put a couple drops of green food coloring in bag with coconut and seal bag. Then shake and squeeze/massage together until coconut has turned green. Sprinkle along outside of cake, as desired.
Notes
I found cutting the licorice vines the night before decorating made them less sticky on the hands when placing them on the cake. Also, if you aren't able to find licorice vines, you can easily use red frosting for the laces.

 

Filed Under: dessert, Recipes Tagged With: , ,

Lemon Buttermilk Cake

January 31, 2013 ·
easy lemon buttermilk breakfast pound cake


We had a special surprise arrive last Friday ~ our baby decided to arrive a little early!  Naturally, when there is a birthday, there must be a birthday cake.  This Lemon Buttermilk Cake is quick and easy enough for a sleepy mama to whip together in minutes.  It’s not only simple to make, but the lemon cake is perfectly lemon-y, refreshing and delicious.  To dress it up, I added a simple lemon buttermilk glaze to drizzle over the loaf, with some extra to drizzle on the slices.  This cake is so good as-is, but the glaze adds a little something that makes it feel extra special.  Adam could not get enough of the baby’s birthday cake, and I discovered that despite not being a frosting person, he loves glaze.  Who can blame him!

Now to the baby details!  We had a baby girl named Greta Rose.  She is an easy baby so far and super sweet.  Seems fitting I guess, because the same could be said about Lemon Buttermilk Cake! 🙂

easy lemon buttermilk breakfast pound cake with lemon glaze




Lemon Buttermilk Cake
 
Print
Yields: 8 to 10 servings
Ingredients
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1½ cups granulated sugar
  • ½ cup canola oil
  • ¾ cup buttermilk, well-shaken
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tablespoon lemon zest (finely grated, approx 2 lemons)
  • ¼ cup lemon juice (approx 1½ lemons)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Cooking spray
  • GLAZE:
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1 to 2 tablespoon(s) buttermilk, well-shaken
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 8"x4" loaf pan with baking spray and set aside.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.
  3. In a medium bowl, add the sugar, oil, buttermilk, eggs, zest, juice and vanilla and whisk to combine.
  4. Add buttermilk mixture to flour mixture and whisk to combine. Pour into prepared loaf pan.
  5. Bake for 65 to 75 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 15 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
  6. To prepare glaze, in a small bowl, whisk the powdered sugar, lemon juice and buttermilk until well-blended. Drizzle over cooled cake, as desired.

Sources: Real Simple for the cake, Cooking Light for the glaze
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Pumpkin Bundt Cake from Alida's Kitchen

Pumpkin Bundt Cake

November 1, 2012 ·
This easy Pumpkin Bundt Cake recipe takes less than 10 minutes to make using simple pantry ingredients!Pumpkin Bundt Cake | alidaskitchen.com

Pumpkin Bundt Cake is a simple and delicious pumpkin pound cake, with warm spices and pumpkin-y goodness throughout.  What attracted me to this recipe, aside from a slight pumpkin obsession, is that the ingredients are simple pantry items that I have on hand at all times.  What made me fall in love with the recipe, aside from it being delicious, was how easy it was to make. The batter took me less than 10 minutes to whip together.  Then bake for about an hour, let it cool, and voila!  You have an elegant and versatile dessert that will happily feed a crowd or, in our case, treat a small family for a week. 🙂

Pumpkin Bundt Cake

Not only will this Pumpkin Bundt Cake be excellent served alongside your holiday cookie platter, but it would also be a tasty alternative at Thanksgiving dinner or even served at a brunch.

Pumpkin Bundt Cake
 
Print
Yields: 24 servings
Ingredients
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
  • ½ teaspoon salt (optional)
  • 2½ cups granulated sugar
  • 1 cup canola oil
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin
  • powdered sugar, for dusting
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 10-inch bundt pan with cooking spray and set aside.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, spices and salt.
  3. In a large bowl, beat sugar and oil until combined. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition, and add vanilla with the last egg.
  4. To the egg mixture, alternate adding flour mixture and pumpkin, beating well on medium-low after each addition.
  5. Pour into prepared bundt pan. Bake for 60 to 65 minutes, or until a tootpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack. Let cool completely and then dust with powdered sugar before serving.

Slightly adapted from Taste of Home

Pumpkin Bundt Cake | alidaskitchen.com

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chocolate cream cheese chocolate chips cupcakes

Black Bottom Cupcakes

August 3, 2012 ·
chocolate cream cheese chocolate chips cupcakes healthy easy

Black Bottom Cupcakes are one of my favorite desserts to make (and eat!).  They are chocolate cake and chocolate chip cheesecake at its finest, and they are so quick and easy to make.  The chocolate cake is a nice and light basic chocolate cake, which pairs nicely with the rich chocolate chip cheesecake filling.  The cheesecake filling takes the place of buttery frosting, which makes these cupcakes a lighter option.  They’re also less messy, making these one of my go-tos when I’m in charge of bringing a dessert.  Everybody always loves them.  Black Bottom Cupcakes are made with simple ingredients that can be kept on hand at all times, making them perfect for parties, travel, potlucks, or simply when the craving strikes.

chocolate cream cheese chocolate chips cupcakes healthy easy


Black Bottom Cupcakes
 
Print
Yields: 18-24 cupcakes
Ingredients
FILLING:
  • 8-ounce block Neufachtel cream cheese (1/3 less fat), room temperature
  • 1 egg
  • ⅓ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (I used miniature chips)
CAKE:
  • 1½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup brown sugar, packed
  • ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt (optional)
  • 1 cup water
  • ⅓ cup canola oil
  • 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tin cups with paper liners or spray with cooking spray. Set aside.
  2. First make the filling: In a small bowl, beat cream cheese, egg, sugar and egg until combined and fluffy. Stir in chocolate chips and set aside.
  3. Then make then cake: In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder and salt (if using). Make a well in the center.
  4. In a small bowl, stir water, oil, vinegar and vanilla until combined. (Note: I just mix everything in my liquid measuring cup...one less dish to wash).
  5. Add liquid mixture to dry ingredients, pouring into the well. Fold gently until well blended.
  6. Divide cake batter evenly among prepared muffin cups. Then divide the filling evenly over cake batter by spooning a dollop of the cream cheese filling over the cake batter.
  7. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until cake is set. Let cool in pan for 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

 

Adapted from allrecipes.com

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Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting

June 1, 2012 ·

Last Saturday was a special anniversary.  An anniversary worthy of these Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes made with chocolate cake, filled with peanut butter and topped with a fluffy chocolate frosting.  These cupcakes are light, decadent and perfect to celebrate this milestone anniversary.  This anniversary in question, or blog-o-versary as some call it, marks the 1 year anniversary of Alida’s Kitchen!

The chocolate/peanut butter combination is always a winner for any celebration.  I doubled the amount of peanut butter filling from the original recipe, which resulted in a generous amount of peanut butter.  It had a good peanut butter to chocolate ratio, which is key.  I used my go-to chocolate frosting, which is a classic and pipes really nicely. 

These Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes were super easy to make and the result was the perfect treat to celebrate the 1 year blog-o-versary of Alida’s Kitchen.  I want to thank you all so much for visiting and for cooking and baking with me this past year! 

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting
Yields 24 cupcakes

Ingredients
FILLING:
6 ounces Neufchatel cream cheese (the 1/3 less fat kind), at room temperature
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons skim milk

CAKE:
2 cups sugar
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 eggs
1 cup water
1 cup skim milk
1/2 cup canola oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

FROSTING:
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup skim milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

  1. Make Filling:  In a small bowl, beat cream cheese, peanut butter, sugar, and milk until combined.  Set aside.
  2. Make Cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line 24 muffin cups with paper liners and set aside.
  3. In a large bowl, whisk sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, salt and baking soda.
  4. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, water, milk, oil and vanilla.  Fold into dry ingredients until just moistened.  (note: batter will be thin).
  5. Fill prepared muffin cups half full with batter. 
  6. Divide filling evenly amongst the 24 cups, dropping spoonfuls of filling in the center of each cup (Tip: using a scale is handy for measuring and even distribution.  If you don’t have a scale, The filling amounts to approx. a generous rounded tablespoon per cupcake). 
  7. Cover each cup with remaining batter.
  8. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into cake comes out clean.  Cool for 10 minutes in the pan and the move cupcakes to a wire rack to cool completely.
  9. Once cooled, frost with chocolate frosting and decorate as desired.  
  10. Make Frosting:  Melt the butter. Whisk in the cocoa powder, whisking until smooth.
  11. Stir in vanilla and alternately add powdered sugar and milk, using a hand mixer (or stand mixer) to beat to spreading consistency. Add small amount additional milk, if needed.

Source for cake and filling: Taste of Home; frosting: Chocolate Zucchini Cupcakes

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Oreo Cookies and Cream Cupcakes

April 12, 2012 ·
oreo cupcakes with white cake and a cookie at the bottom

As I’m sure you’ve heard, the Oreo cookie has been celebrating a big birthday.  As a result, our local grocery store was giving away a free package of Oreos.  That’s my kind of celebration!  I never buy Oreos, so wanted to make something special.  In the keeping with the festive spirit, I decided Oreo Cupcakes were definitely in order.

oreo cupcakes with white cake and a whole cookie at the bottom

These Oreo Cupcakes were an indulgence, and an absolute treat.  The vanilla cake and the cream cheese frosting complement each other perfectly, while letting the Oreo cookies shine through in all their glory.  It doesn’t hurt there is half a cookie (the cream-filled half at that!) resting at the bottom of the cupcake, there are big cookie chunks studded throughout the cakes, and there is a dusting of chocolate cookie crumbs on the top.  These are the ultimate cupcakes for cookies and cream lovers!

oreo cupcakes with white cake and a whole oreo and cream cheese frosting

So, back to birthdays…it just so happens today is my brother’s birthday. It’s a big birthday too ~ the kind with a 0 at the end. We can’t let a day like that go under-celebrated. He lives on the West coast, which makes an in-person cake celebration a bit tricky. So instead, we can celebrate with a virtual birthday cake, and these Oreo Cupcakes are posted in his honor!  Happy Birthday!

white cake oreo cupcakes with a whole cookie at the bottom and cream cheese frosting
Oreo Cookies and Cream Cupcakes
 
Print
Yields: 24 cupcakes
Ingredients
  • Cupcake:
  • 24 Oreo cookies, separated (carefully twist for 1 side with filling intact, 1 side just cookie)
  • 24 Oreo cookies, quartered
  • 2¼ cups all-purpose flour, plus 2 tablespoons for quartered Oreos
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1 cup milk (I used skim)
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 3 egg whites, at room temperature
  • 1⅔ cups sugar
  • Frosting:
  • 8 ounces cream cheese (I used the ⅓ less fat variety), at room temperature
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 3-4 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tin with paper liners.
  2. With the Oreos that have been separated: 1) Place each cream-filled half of the separated Oreos at the bottom of each paper liner. 2) With the chocolate cookie halves, cut 12 in half and crush the remaining 12, and set aside for garnish.
  3. Toss the quartered Oreos in flour and set aside.
  4. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder and salt.
  5. In a large bowl, cream butter until fluffy (about 5 minutes). Add milk, sugar and vanilla, and beat until combined.
  6. Add flour mixture to butter mixture, mixing until well-blended. Add the egg whites, and beat for 2 minutes. Fold in quartered Oreos.
  7. Divide batter evenly among cupcake liners. Bake for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cupcakes cool completely before frosting.
  8. To make the frosting: In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and vanilla until smooth. Add butter, and cream until fluffy. Gradually beat in powdered sugar until you reach desired consistency.
  9. Frost cupcakes as desired. Sprinkle with crushed Oreos and top with a half of the chocolate cookie halves.
Notes
There were a few comments on the original recipe that reported occasional cake sticking to the cupcake liners. While I did not experience this issue, I wanted to bring this to your attention so you carefully peel your liners. Also, I stored my cupcakes in the refrigerator, but do not know if that helped the paper liners release. They're good...enjoy!

Source:  Beantown Baker

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easy warm chocolate pudding cakes with a toasted marshmallow

Marshmallow-Topped Chocolate Pudding Cakes

February 10, 2012 ·
easy warm chocolate pudding cakes with a toasted marshmallow
Now I always strive to share healthier recipes with you, but when I saw Marshmallow-Topped Chocolate Pudding Cakes in the latest issue of All You, I could not resist. Chocolate pudding cake is enough to make me swoon, but add a melty toasted marshmallow on top…are you kidding me?  Must make pronto!
easy warm chocolate pudding cakes with a toasted marshmallow

Fortunately I had everything on hand, and it all seemed easy enough.  I have 7-ounce ramekins instead of 6-ounce per the original recipe, but figured that wouldn’t be a big deal.   Then I decided it was necessary to test the make-ahead capability of this recipe.  Let’s just say when I told Mike that we would be having pudding cakes with a marshmallow on top two days in a row, there was very little arm-twisting involved.

To be honest, I cannot remember what we had for dinner that night, what I did the next day or anything in between, but I do remember every single little bite of these pudding cakes.  The chocolate is perfectly dark and decadant.  The marshmallow oozes and provides a nice sweetness to complement the chocolate. Plus, they’re cute.  For a special occasion, such as Valentine’s Day, or any celebratory occasion, Marshmallow-Topped Chocolate Pudding Cakes will rock your world.  Perfect to make-ahead for guests, for yourselves, for whatever reason suits you.

easy warm chocolate pudding cakes with a toasted marshmallow
Marshmallow-Topped Chocolate Pudding Cakes
 
Print
Yields: 4 servings
Ingredients
  • 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
  • 5 ounces bittersweet or semi-sweet choocolate, finely chopped
  • 1½ tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • ¼ cup packed brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • pinch of salt
  • 4 large marshmallows
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray 4 6-ounce (or 7-ounce) ramekins with cooking spray and place on a baking sheet. Set aside.
  2. Put butter and chocolate in a large, microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high until almost melted (about 1 to 2 minutes). Stir until smooth. Mix in flour and set aside to cool.
  3. With an electric mixer (hand or stand) on medium-high, beat sugar, eggs, vanilla and salt for about 5 minutes, until smooth and frothy. Fold in chocolate mixture. Divide batter among ramekins.
  4. Bake until cakes have risen and cracked on top but wet in center (12 to 15 minutes). Do not overbake.
  5. Press a marshmallow in the top of the cake. Set your oven to broil and broil cakes until marshmallow is puffy and starts to brown (keep an eye on it, but about 2 minutes). Put on wire rack to cool for 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
Cakes can be made ahead through step 3 and stored (covered) in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Baking time does not need to be adjusted, just keep an eye on the cakes.

Adapted from All You, Feb 2012

 

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