Mocha Walnut Marbled Bundt Cake

This week we were given a choice of making the original choice of coconut tea cake or mocha walnut marbled bundt cake due to the fact that some may have wanted to make the coconut tea cake for Easter. Well, it wasn't that I wanted to make the tea cake for Easter but, I had all of the ingredients for the bundt cake so, bundt cake it was! The mocha walnut marbeled bundt cake was selected by Erin of When In Doubt...Leave It at 350. Right now, I wish I had made the tea cake. I read the directions several times and still goofed!

When I read that I could achieve a different marble effect by just pouring the chocolate on top and marbling, I did it- literally. I poured the melted chocolate on top of the the entire batch of white batter and attempted to marble that. Something did not look right ... after I put the cake in the oven, I read the recipe again. DUH!!! I was supposed to mix just about half the white batter into the melted chocolate first. I raced to the oven and pulled the cake out and mixed the chocolate a little more into the batter.

Well, as you see in the picture, the bottom of my cake is where most of the chocolate went ... straight to the bottom. Nice crack too, huh? Boo-Hiss! How'd it taste? Pretty good but, I missed out on really appreciating the marble effect and the even distribution of the chocolate.

One exciting thing that I got to do though, is try out my new cake tester by Nordicware designed specifically for bundt cakes. That was pretty cool.

Dulce de Leche Duos

Let me start off by saying my day and my belly have been filled with Dulce de Leche Duos cookie dough, Dulce de Leche filling, and finally the finished product!

This recipe was selected by Jodie of Beansy Loves Cake. I love cookies and these were no exception! I went to a local foo-foo store near my job and asked if they carried dulce de leche in a jar. I was in luck, they did and at the same time a customer chimed in and said she makes it all the time at home and gave me the stove top method. Once I got home, I started looking at all the posts for the different methods of making this. I obviously had already bought the jar and took the lazy man's way out!

Looking at the posts of the folks who made their own, the jarred version is a lot darker (and very tasty!). Yes, you can eat this stuff right out of the jar ... and I did! I used a small scoop instead of a teaspoon for the cookie dough. This worked well for consistent size. Once the cookies were cooled, I was kind of sparing on spreading the filling. These cookies are very sweet and don't need a lot to throw them over the top.

Soft Chocolate Raspberry Tart

Well, I'm a little behind here in that I didn't post last week's fab soft chocolate and raspberry tart. This selection was chosen by Rachelle of Mommy? I'm Hungry! and man oh man, did I ever feel guilty after seeing cb's post of I Heart Food 4 Thought saying that she wanted to say hello to the newbies but some of us (moi) didn't post. Waaaahhhh!!!

I did it, I did it... and everyday I said, I'm gonna post, and I never did - bad girl! Well, I chose to use blackberries because those dog-gone raspberries were very, very expensive! I own a 9.5 inch tart pan which worked out OK only because some of my berries were left a little exposed.

This was the first time I have ever made any type of home made crust. I was excited to have it look as good as it did and not only did it look good, but it tasted awesome! I tasted this tart at room temperature as well as refrigerated. I liked it equally both ways. This tart is a definite keeper. I think next time I'll try cherries and use mini tart pans!

Thumprints For Us Big Guys

What a beautiful day in Connecticut!!! It was at least 60 degrees today in March and I love it! I'm also exicted today because I have officially been added to the Tuesday's With Dorie Baker's List. YAY!!!! I didn't make last week's Toasted Coconut Custard Tart because no one in my household would eat it. I wanted to make a few mini tarts but didn't own any mini pans... at the time. Last week, I ordered a few things from King Arthur's catalog and that included four mini tart pans which were delivered today. I'll be posting on the tarts very soon!

So, this week's baking deed comes from Mike of Ugly Dude Food who chose Thumbprints for Us Big Guys. Do you think the "guy" part had any influence in his choice? I've got a question, did anyone like me toast their hazelnuts and rub the skins off. I have to say, that took some time to do and there were some stubborn suckers! I think next time I'll look for some without the skins. Well, once I got through this part, these were a breeze to make. I can't say I'm a big hazelnut fan and may make these again next time using walnuts or pecans. All in all these are a very tasty cookie with a big flavor!

Honey Wheat Cookies

Heeey, it's Tuesday, February 23 and not only is it baking day, but it's my dad's birthday! This meant that I had to make two desserts today- two desserts and a terrible cold! I made the milk chocolate baby cakes (see earlier blog) for my dad, which he loves. This evening, I made Honey Wheat Cookies which were chosen by Michelle of FlourChild. I have such a sweet tooth, and when I saw honey....wheat germ....lemon....I wasn't too excited. After reading other blog entries, I did start to become intrigued and couldn't wait to see what they would taste like. These cookies were so easy to make and bake up pretty fast. The dominant flavor in these cookies was honey. I used a local grown honey. The lemon didn't stand out as much as I would have liked. With my first bite, I wanted my cup of tea! What a perfect cookie for a cup of tea and to curl up with some wonderful reading. These cookies have a nice crisp edge and a soft cakey center. I have already bagged up some cookies to bring to work for everyone in the office. Yes, sniffles and all, I will trudge my way into the office.

My Best Chocolate Chip Cookies!

Today's baked goody was chosen by Kait of Kait's Plate. Her selection was My Best Chocolate Chip Cookies. I have to say, I was really worried about making these cookies after reading the many disappointments from other bakers. I reviewed many other recipes and techniques for this classic cookie. Even though I agreed with some that Cook's Illustrated does make a fabulous cookie, I was willing to give Dorie's a try without fiddling with the original recipe. I decided to add the espresso powder into these cookies to try a little something different. I had no regrets. These cookies came out with a little crunch on the edges and lots of chew in the middle. Although they were somewhat thin, they had a character all their own worth a big cheer! I used Jacques Torres 72% dark chocolate. His chocolate comes in bags of pistoles. I weighed out the entire 12 ozs. and once I started chopping I used a little bit more than half of it. This was plenty for me!!! Boy, these make a lot of cookies! I made two dozen cookies and scooped and froze the rest which resulted in another 30 cookies. Espresso cookies are for me!

Well, it's Wednesday and not Tuesday. My daughter came home late last night and heisted the computer to do her homework, so I was unable to post. This week Tanya of Chocolatechic chose Rick Katz's Brownies For Julia. This is a great storie behind these brownies which were made for Julia Childs. After reading the many different posts about the texture of these brownies, I have to say I wasn't too excited making them. I'm really not into gooey brownies. After leaving them in the oven for 30 minutes, I used the divot test that was put on Nancy's blog site "the dog eats the crumbs". This can be found on the King Arthur, website.

You take a toothpick or cake tester and pick up a little piece of the top and see what the texture looks like underneath. They definitely weren't done after 30 minutes and I gave them an extra 10 minutes. This did the trick! I have to tell you, it was very difficult not to eat those brownies

right out of the oven!!! I did stick a spoon in them, though...they are very rich and delicious.

After removing them from the fridge the next day, they tasted like a decadent fudge brownie. These are a keeper.