2nd Cooking Challenge: Chocolate Cake

Our second cooking challenge was chocolate cake. The contest ended in a tie for Serenity and Charisma, but really, everybody wins in this one!

This is going to be a very long post because I have many recipes to share from this challenge! The winning chocolate cake, the peanut butter balls, peanut butter ganache, cream cheese icing, and the whipped cream recipes will all be posted below. I hope you'll let me know how your cake comes out if you give it a try. You can also easily double this recipe for a standard 2 layer round cake.

Winning Chocolate Cake

Yield: 1 layer (8" round or square) cake

INGREDIENTS

1 cups granulated sugar 1 cup all-purpose flour 6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder 3/4 teaspoon baking powder 3/4 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 large egg 1/2 cup milk 1/4 cup vegetable oil 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/2 cup hot coffee

*Optional - you can mix in a half cup each of nuts or m&ms to the batter at the end*

DIRECTIONS

Heat oven to 350°F. Line one 8" round or square baking pan with parchment paper and then spray lightly with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.

Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. 

Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla and mix until well combined.

Stir in hot coffee. The optional mix-ins are stirred in at this point. Batter will be thin, but that's okay! Pour batter into prepared pans.

Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean.

Winning Peanut Butter Balls

Yield: 30 balls

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup smooth peanut butter (Serenity used dark roast)

1/2 cup butter, room temperature

2 cups icing sugar

3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate (for melting)

DIRECTIONS

In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment combine the peanut butter and butter, mixing on medium speed until smooth.

Turn mixer to low and add in the powdered sugar and graham cracker crumbs, mixing until evenly incorporated. Mixture will be thick.

Using a small cookie scoop (about 1 tablespoon), portion out the mixture and roll into balls. Place them on a large parchment lined baking sheet. Place the baking sheet in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to chill. In a medium bowl melt the chocolate in 25- second increments, stirring after each until smooth. Using a fork, dip each peanut butter ball into the melted chocolate, tapping off the excess. Place back on the parchment lined baking sheet. Repeat with all balls.

Drizzle any extra chocolate on top of the balls. Allow the chocolate to set before storing.

Winning Peanut Butter Ganache

INGREDIENTS

​1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips 1/2 cup whipping cream 1/4 cup smooth peanut butter 1/2 tsp vanilla

DIRECTIONS

Combine all ingredients in a medium stainless steel bowl or top of double boiler.

Set bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Do not allow water to touch bowl.

Cook, stirring frequently, until chocolate chips are melted and mixture is smooth.

Spread over cake while warm, then store cake in the refrigerator. Allow ganache to set for at least 2 hours before serving.

Winning Cream Cheese Icing

INGREDIENTS

​1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter softened 4 oz cream cheese softened (brick-style, not spreadable) (113g) 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract pinch salt 2 cups icing sugar DIRECTIONS Combine butter and cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer (or you may use an electric mixer) and beat until creamy, well-combined, and lump-free. Add vanilla extract and salt and stir well to combine. With mixer on low, gradually add powdered sugar until completely combined. Use to frost completely cooled cake.

Winning Whipped Cream

INGREDIENTS

1 cup cold heavy cream or heavy whipping cream 2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar or granulated sugar* 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip the heavy cream, sugar, and vanilla extract on medium-high speed until medium peaks form, about 3-4 minutes. Medium peaks are between soft/loose peaks and stiff peaks and are the perfect consistency for topping and piping on desserts. Use immediately to decorate your cake, and referigate any leftovers (covered tightly) for up to 24 hours.

1st Cooking Challenge: Meatballs

I stared a cooking competition with my 3 daughters. About once a week they make a dish in my kitchen, and then we all sit down and pick the one we liked the best. I am cataloguing our favourite recipes here. Our first challenge was meatballs. Please try them with the pretzel twist and let me know what you think!

Astra’s Winning Baked Meatballs

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup pretzels crumbs (about a cup of whole pretzels blitzed in food processor)
1/4 cup milk
1 pound ground beef
2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
1 egg
1/2 cup (1 1/2 ounces) finely-grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon dried Italian herbs
1/3 of an onion, grated
1 1/2 teaspoons liquid smoke
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

DIRECTIONS

In a large mixing bowl, stir together the pretzel crumbs and milk until combined. Set mixture aside to soak for 5 to 10 minutes.

Heat the oven to 425°F and line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

Add the ground beef, garlic, eggs, Parmesan, onion, liquid smoke, and Worcestershire sauce to the (same) mixing bowl. Sprinkle the Italian herbs, oregano, salt, black pepper and crushed red pepper flakes evenly on top. Use your hands to mix the ingredients until evenly combined, being careful not to over-mix the ingredients.

Using a medium cookie scoop or a spoon, scoop and roll the mixture into ~3 tablespoon-sized balls and place them on the prepared baking sheet. (Try greasing your hands with a bit of olive oil to prevent the mixture from sticking.)

Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until an instant-read thermometer measures the internal temperature of the meatballs to be 160°F. Remove pan and transfer to a wire cooling rack.

Serve meatballs immediately and enjoy!