we try

Let's face it, sometimes we just need cake.  And we just can't wait any longer than five minutes.

Perhaps need isn't quite correct. Except sometimes, I just really, really want it. That's sort of close isn't it?  And yes, this IS a recipe for a five minute cake.  From start to finish even!

And rarely, albeit very rarely, do I not feel like stepping foot into the kitchen. Or I just haven't planned for my chocolate pangs in advance. This, I do not recommend. Always plan in advance for dessert, or risk the possibility of going without. I recommend that even less.

However, that being said. It happens that there is no dessert in the house. Otherwise known as a state-of-emergency. But if you're moving, or just tired of the winter (supposed to be spring) weather we've been having, sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.

Perhaps you've heard of cake in a mug? In the microwave? Now, before you completely roll your eyes back in your head and start snoring, this isn't your ordinary microwave cake. I've had those, microwave cakes, and yes, they aren't usually good.

But this one?

It's good. In fact, it's really quite extraordinarily fine. It is a little extra good with a smidge of ice cream, whipped cream, or even a bit of a creamy liqueur. I prefer it with bacio ice cream.

The best part about the whole thing? It takes barely a couple minutes to get all the ingredients into the mug, a few stirs of a spoon, and the only dirty dishes are a couple spoons, a fork, and a mug. That's it. I did mention that this is actually GOOD right?



Quick Cake in a Mug - aka Five Minute Chocolate Cake

large coffee mug
4 tbsp flour
4 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
3 tbsp coconut oil (or canola)
2 tbsp egg (whisk with a fork first)
3 tbsp chocolate chips
3 tbsp milk

1. Vigorously stir all of the ingredients together.
2. Microwave on high heat for 60-90 seconds, until steaming hot, and the batter is firm all around. Let cool slightly before devouring!
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super moist chocolate cake & to-die-for nutella frosting

There is absolutely nothing that can be said to make me stop you from liking this cake. I suppose it is possible for you to like the nutella frosting more than the cake itself, but that remains to be seen. It truly is to-die-for. You don't have to take my word for it. But you should. The only thing wrong with this recipe, is that you probably haven't tried it yet because you are still licking the screen, and I really can't help you there. I'm still dealing with withdrawal. No it doesn't look like much, but a little mouse, aka husband, thought that he would generously get me a piece of cake before I had taken pictures of it. How thoughtful. Well, for me, and perhaps not so much for you, since it doesn't look quite as pretty as it really, truly was. And you know, Jeff was being helpful since pregnant women are supposed to eat their greens and all. Yes, there is some sautéed puréed spinach in this cake. If you can taste it, you have issues. Serious issues. Even Dad can't taste it, and that is of nearly epic proportions. I can't really blame Jeff for taking a few pieces of cake out of the pan, as he did also enthusiastically frost the cake. Yes, that means he got to lick the beater. Not that I ever, ever, do such a thing, but I slightly envious of someone who does. Super Moist Chocolate Cake & To-Die-for Nutella Frosting Ingredients: 2 cups flour 1 cup sugar 3/4 cup cocoa 2 tsp baking soda 1 tsp kosher salt 2 eggs 1 cup buttermilk (or make your own) 1/2 cup canola oil 1 cup boiling water including a shot of espresso, or a cup of coffee 1 tsp vanilla 3 tbsp steamed and very finely pureed spinach (I keep a container full in the freezer) 1. Pre-heat the oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Yes, this seems low, but will help to keep the cake from rising in the middle and cracking. 2. Grease or spray a 9x13 baking sheet. 3. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. 4. Add the eggs, buttermilk, canola oil, coffee, vanilla and spinach to the dry ingredients before mixing. 5. Mix together just until combined. 6. Pour into the prepared baking pan, and place into a pre-heated oven. 7. Wait 60 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. To-Die-for Nutella Frosting Ingredients: 1 cup nutella 1 tbsp softened butter 1 cup icing sugar 1/2 cup heavy/whipping cream 2 tsp vanilla 1. In an upright mixer with a whisk attachment or food processor, thoroughly combine the nutella with the butter. 2. Slowly add the icing sugar, and scrape down the sides. 3. Add the heavy cream, and the vanilla. Combine. If the frosting appears too thick, add a touch more cream. 4. When the cake is cool, ice the cake carefully with a spreader. This frosting will be thick, but not so thick that it is impossible to ice the cake. 5. Enjoy!
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chocolate hazelnut birthday party cake

Yep, I just celebrated one more year of fun. And luckily, our friends Ross and Cindy joined us for the celebration, just before they return to teaching in Hong Kong. We planned dinner to be gluten-free, but a birthday requires cake, and yes I made my own cake. A chocolate hazelnut cake! Sometime around 3pm, with guests arriving at 6pm, I decided to make a cake, and what exactly was I thinking? There was already guacamole, and my favourite cilantro and onion mix, I surely would devour it all with chips, before even getting to the tacos, AND there was ice cream too...so there was definitely no shortage of food! But what fun is a dinner party without a little bit of last minute preparation, and a little excess? Jeff also made his world famous chocolate hazelnut ice cream. It really shouldn't be called ice cream, but perhaps a frozen heart attack. It is the richest ice cream I have ever, ever, ever had. And I am going to share the idiot proof recipe with you. Keep reading. I decided to make the first cake recipe I found, in the hopes that I just might be able to have the cake ready in time, and I couldn't believe my luck. I opened up the Silver Palate Cookbook to the recipe for Chocolate Hazelnut Cake with Hazelnut Buttercream and Chocolate Icing. Plus, underneath the title it says, "The best chocolate cake in the universe!" I had to know more. Yes, it is a cake with two delicious layers of icing! The recipe for the cake was fairly effortless once the hazelnuts were roasted, although, trying to get the skins off of hazelnuts is next to impossible, even while I did enjoy basking in the gloriously fragrant scent of hazelnuts wafting through the summer air. I think it nearly made me drunk. I probably love the hazelnut and chocolate combination more than most any other combination in the world, so perhaps I am at least a wee bit biased about this cake. But it was a pretty good cake. Next time, I will add an espresso to the cake for added moisture, and pulverize the hazelnuts to a finer paste. Chocolate Hazelnut Cake Adapted, but only slightly, from the Silver Palate Cookbook Start with roasting 2 cups whole hazlenuts on a baking sheet in a 350 degree F oven for 20 to 25 inutes, or until the flesh is starting to peak out. Rub between towels to remove as much skin as possible. Place the hazelnuts in the food processor, and grind until finely ground (but not yet a paste), remove 3 tbsp of hazelnuts, and set aside. Here are ground hazelnuts about to go for a swim in the cake batter: Continue to grind the rest of the hazelnuts until it becomes a very fine paste, like natural peanut butter. Hazelnut Buttercream 1 1/4 cups shelled hazelnuts 5 tablespoons honey 2 tablespoons of brandy (I used nocino, a walnut liqueur) 1 cup icing sugar, sifted 4 tablespoons butter, softened 1. Add the hazelnut paste to a bowl and combine with the honey and liqueur, and let this sit while making the cake. 2. Once it is time to start assembling the cake, cream together the icing sugar and butter, until it is light an fluffy. Add the hazelnut paste and thoroughly combine. Chocolate Hazelnut Cake 4 eggs, separated 1 cup sugar 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) butter 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon self-rising cake flour 1/4 tsp salt 3 tablespoons very finely ground skinned hazelnuts Hazelnut Buttercream (recipe above) Chocolate Icing (recipe follows) 1. Beat egg yolks and sugar together until mixture is thick and pale yellow. 2. Melt the chocolate with the butter, in a microwave safe dish. Turn the microwave on for 10-15 seconds, and then stop and stir. Be careful, or it can burn easily. Let cool, slightly. 3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8-inch springform pan. Grease and flour the bottom and sides of the pan. 4. Pour the chocolate-butter mixture into egg mixture bit by bit, being careful to stir constantly, but just enough to blend. Add the flour, salt and reserved ground hazelnuts. 5. Whip egg whites until stiff, and fold gently into batter. 6. Pour the cake batter into prepared pan. 7. Set in the middle rack of the oven and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until edges are firm and inside is set but still somewhat soft. Do not worry if it cracks slighly. Cool in the pan, set on a cooling rack for 1 hour. Remove the sides of the cake from the pan with a knife, and continue to cool the cake to room temperature. 8. When the cake is cool, invert it onto a serving plate and spread the top and sides with the hazelnut buttercream. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. 9. Remove cake from refrigerator and spread the top and sides with warm chocolate icing. Work quickly, as icing sets quickly. Place the cake back into the refrigerator to cool at least another 30 minutes, or as long as you can stand waiting.... Chocolate Icing 4 tablespoons butter 4 ounces semisweet chocolate chips 3 tablespoons whipping cream 2/3 cup sifted icing sugar 1 tsp vanilla 1. In a microwaveable bowl, melt the chocolate and butter together, but only enough to allow them to combine into a thick paste. 2. Beat in the cream, icing sugar, and vanilla. 3. Spread this on the cake while warm. It might be a little runny, if it is too warm, but it will be just fine.
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creamy, dreamy chocolate layer cake

A chocolate layer cake that is impossibly difficult to resist. In fact, that is the original name for this to-die-for cake, but no one really seems to know where the recipe is from. I just have a photocopied magazine page that might be at least twenty years old, perhaps from Woman's Day or Family Circle, which sounds a little peculiar for such a divine cake, but just trust me. I know it looks quite sweet, and while the recipe isn't unsweet, the lovely thing is that it's not excessively sweet. The recipe doesn't call for chocolate, but uses cocoa instead, and I think that helps. Lately, I have tended to ensure that I have plenty of dark chocolate on hand just for baking, but a recipe with cocoa is also more precise in my eyes. There are fewer quirks between brands of cocoa than chocolate, and that's ignoring the measurement of chocolate altogether...sometimes ounces, sometimes grams, it always seems to fluctuate depending on where the recipe originated from. I also added a shot of espresso, to enhance the overall chocolate factor, just in case. Frosting. I LOVE this frosting. It is absolutely fabulous. The best frosting recipe I know. It's essentially whipped cream with whipped cream cheese. Who doesn't love whipped cream? And cream cheese icing is right up there godliness, but I prefer chocolate icing overall, and this frosting recipe over chocolate icing. This just pillows and oozes over the cake; not too sweet, but just right. Last weekend, it was my niece's sixth birthday dinner, so I pounced at the opportunity to make this cake. My mother used to make it for birthdays of her friends, when I was small. Of course I loved the cake, but I liked the beater's too. Perhaps I should say licked. No, it's not the cutest cake for a child, but it's so impossibly chocolatey, and ridiculously rich, that no one can refuse. And besides, how much cake does a child eat? Ok, ok, I'm just joking, but her adult compadre's did devour our fair share. But can you blame us? But check out the hue of the two different cocoa's I used, one was a store-bough dutch-processed cocoa (the light cocoa), and the other was purchased at Calgary's Bernard Callebaut (darker). Curious isn't it? More often than I care to admit, I have added unsoftened butter into the mixer, and expected it to work itself out. Try to pull out the butter soon enough, at least an hour in advance, and slice the butter into little chunks. When I remember to follow this simple step, I breathe a huge sigh of relief, since it saves many attempts at slicing the butter with a knife in the mixing bowl... Never forget to grease a cake pan for a layer cake, unless of course you like fewer layers. But I try to think of greasing the pan as a nice way to moisturize in the dry season. Yes, it is impossible to resist, but it is also impossible to slice a small piece due to the layers. Oh darn! Creamy Dreamy Chocolate Layer Cake Adapted from Diane Mogelever Cake Ingredients: 3/4 boiling water 3/4 cup unsweetend cocoa powder 1 shot espresso 1 cup buttermilk 2 1/2 cups unsifted-all purpose flour 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks)butter, softened and divided into smaller chunks 2 cups sugar 4 eggs 1 tsp vanilla Frosting Ingredients: 1 container (8 ounces) whipped cream cheese 2 cups whipping cream (heavy cream) 1/2 tsp vanilla 1 1/4 cup icing sugar (confectioners' sugar) chocolate curls for garnish 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees (f). Grease and flour 3 9-inch-round layer-cake pans. 2. In an medium-sized bowl, pour boiling water and espresso shot over the cocoa powder to dissolve the cocoa. Whisk out the lumps. Add the buttermilk to cool the mixture. Set aside. 3. In another medium-size bowl, combine with a fork: flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. 4. In an electric mixer with a whisk attachment, beat on medium speed - the softened butter (divided), and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla. 5. Beat dry ingredients into butter mixture, alternating with cocoa mixture - beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Pour into the prepared pans, dividing the batter equally. 6. Bake approximately 25 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Cool on wire racks for at least 10 minutes. Then turn cakes out of pans onto the racks to cool completely. 7. Prepare the frosting: In an electric mixer, beat the container of whipped cream cheese on low to soften. Beat in 1/2 cup icing sugar until smooth. Add vanilla. Beat in another 3/4 cup icing sugar until smooth. Add 2 cups whipping cream and slowly increase the speed until high. Beat until stiff. 8. To make the chocolate curls use a vegetable peel on room temperature chocolate. Carefully slide onto the top of the cake. 9. To assemble the cake, place one cake layer on a serving plate. Spread over one-third of the frosting with a spatula. Stack with another cake layer and repeat with another third of frosting. Repeat with the final layer, and the remaining frosting. Sprinkle over the chocolate curls. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
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chocolate chip banana cake

Alright, so once again, it's cold out. Really cold outside. And right about at this time of year, I begin to ask myself why on earth anyone lives up here. Perhaps it wouldn't feel so very gloomy, if I didn't have such immediate access to the temperatures worldwide. I only have to gently brush the screen with the tip of my finger, and my phone tells me that just about everywhere is warmer than Calgary is at the moment. Okay, so I admit that most of the places I check are not in Canada, but surely, that is not an excuse. I am going to use the temperatures to continue to search endlessly for the perfect comfort food. As long as I have the time, you know? Luckily, I haven't had to search too far, as this cake has been in my Mom's recipe box for some time. Unfortunately, this cake has a terrible downside. The fragrant aroma of this cake can create temporary insanity and delirium, as my Dad and I would plot how we would eat as much of the cake as we could, and not have Mom notice. Generally, this meant we would have to eat it, and then blame the consumption on the other person, hoping that Mom would never really figure out the truth. Yes, it is a cake which has caused me to lie. I know, this is a terrible thing. A terrible, terrible thing. I do swear that I am not lying to you that it is a very good cake, one that will make you attempt to conceal the amount you have devoured, when it is was supposed to be cooling! Then, of all the faux-pas' one should never partake, is to lick one's fingers, and then... well you get the idea. It's a good cake. The other problem with the cake, is that it causes my Mom and I to argue. Yes, I know I shouldn't argue with my Mom. However, she only adds 1/2 cup of chocolate chips! It just makes me eat more of it to actually receive my fill in chocolate. Go with 3/4 cup of chocolate chips... or more if you dare. And just when you thought, that the cute little sundress hanging in the closet was no longer going to fit, well then you discover, that there are a lot of healthy things in this cake. There are five, yes five bananas. And oats, and whole wheat flour, and wheat germ. Only 1/4 cup of butter. Go on, it's okay. Chocolate Chip Banana Cake 1/4 cup butter + 2 tbsp applesauce 1 cup granulated sugar 2 eggs 1/2 cup butter milk (or 1/2 cup milk with 1 tbsp lemon juice) 1 1/2 cup mashed very ripe bananas (five bananas) 2 tsp vanilla extract 1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour (or regular flour) 1/2 cup wheat germ 1 cup rolled oats 1 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp salt 3/4 cup chocolate chips 1. Pre-heat the oven to 350 fahrenheit, and line a 13 x 9 inch pan with baking paper. 2. If not using buttermilk, combine the milk and lemon juice in a glass measuring cup, and let stand. 3. Cream the butter and sugar. Add the applesauce, and the eggs. 4. Stir in the milk, bananas, and vanilla. Mix well, but it can still have a little texture of the bananas. 5. Stir in the flour, wheat germ, oats, baking soda and salt. 6. Mix to combine. 7. Add 3/4 cup chocolate chips, and mix one last time. 8. Evenly spread the mixture in the baking pan, and bake for approximately 35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean (chocolate excluded!).
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espresso banana brownies to feed a crowd

I hate making piddley pans of brownies. Who's idea was that anyways! 9 x 9? Who are we trying to kid?! Get me a proper pan, and I'll bake you a proper cake. I deplore wasting time, so I won't waste yours. Normally, I'm not quite this perturbed with the size of any food or meal, I just want it to be good. But quite frankly, it just doesn't seem worth my time and effort for only a few squares of chocolatey goodness. Sure, I could just make a double recipe and use multiple pans, but why not just one cake of a nice size? Enough questions - straight to the answers. I also have this thing where most everything I make has to have something healthy about it. I don't know, it's just a quirk. But it keeps me from ever feeling guilty about eating, ever. I have somehow gotten over any type of restrictive eating habits. Eat and be merry. If it is a bit better for me, then all the merrier. Adding bananas to this cake tastes good too. Stash expired bananas in the freezer, not only for banana breads or cakes, but for nearly any cake. Yes, this cake has a lot of butter. But, it tastes good. Besides, it mostly contains ingredients that are pronounceable, and I find recipes like this to be fairly easy to digest. It's not perfect, by any means but, at least it wasn't made in a factory, where I don't even get to savour the glorious smell of baking in my very own home. It is rewarding, and it is likely, that if you are in enough of a hurry to get this in the oven, it is possible to burn off a fair number of calories in the process. These are divinely yummy with ice cream, but will also hold their own. The pan is large, but it doesn't mean you'll want to share. Espresso Banana Brownies to Feed a Crowd 2 cups butter 1 cup dark chocolate (73%) vanilla 1/2 cup cocoa 2 cups sugar 2 cups flour 6 eggs 2 very ripe bananas 4 tsp baking powder 1 tsp salt 1/2 can sweetened condensed milk 2 shots espresso, or very strong coffee 1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 2. Melt the butter and chocolate. 3. Combine the eggs, and bananas until mashed together. Add vanilla, cocoa, and sugar. Stir in the butter and the chocolate. Stir in the sugar. 4. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt. It will resemble a creamy frosting in consistency. Grease a cookie sheet (13 x 18 inches), and evenly spread the batter with a spatula. 5. Bake for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. 6. Combine the condensed milk with the espresso, and drizzle over the top of the cake (no need to wait for it to cool).
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