Show Me the Money (Cake) - Cinnamon Chocolate Bundt

In my family, we have a sort of strange New Year's Day tradition. Of course, we have our black eyed peas for luck and our collards for money . . .

But we also have a dessert called Money Cake.

It has sort of developed from the tradition of the King Cake - which is made in France to celebrate the Epiphany, which falls on Jan. 6 every year, and marks the day when the Wise Men arrived to visit baby Jesus. With the King Cake, a trinket (usually a figurine of the baby Jesus) is baked in a cake, and whoever gets the trinket in their piece is King for the day.

Well, there's also an English tradition of baking a bean and a pea in a pie, and the man and woman who get these are the king and queen for the day.

Somehow in my mom's English-Canadian family this has morphed into our Money Cake. We sanitize 2 quarters, 4 dimes, 6 nickels, and 8 pennies and wrap each one in wax paper. Then we drop the coins randomly into the cake batter before the cake goes in the oven. The coins bake inside the cake, and pretty much each person's piece of cake ends up having a coin inside. The two quarters are for the king and queen, if you get a dime you are a prince or princess, if you get a nickel, you are a duke or duchess, and if you get a penny? You are a lowly peasant!

The best way to sanitize the coins is to wash them in soapy water and then boil them in a shallow pot of water.

Over the years, we have made the Money Cake with a chocolate pound cake recipe, a regular chocolate cake recipe, but most frequently it's a Cinnamon Chocolate Cake. This cake is moist, fluffy, mild, delicious, and festive. Not too sweet, not too rich, not to spicy - just perfect. Even if you decide to make it without the money!

Cinnamon Chocolate Cake
Adapted from a recipe printed in the AJC in the 1980s

1/2 cup butter
1 cup water

1/2 cup vegetable oil

5 tablespoons cocoa powder

2 cups flour

2 cups sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup buttermilk

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease a large bundt pan with cooking spray. Put butter, water, oil, and cocoa in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil.

Meanwhile, whisk together flour, sugar, and salt in a mixing bowl. Pour the chocolate mixture into the bowl with the dry ingredients and mix well. Then, add the buttermilk and baking soda. Mix together the eggs, cinnamon, and vanilla in a small bowl, and add to the batter. Pour batter into prepared pan.

Drop wrapped coins into the batter.

Bake 25 minutes. Allow cake to cool completely in the pan.

Then, turn onto a plate, and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Disclaimer: Do be sure to tell your guests about the surprise in each piece so that they don't break a tooth!

Oreo Truffles with a Peppermint Twist

So I've been hearing so much buzz about how amazing oreo truffles are - I thought I'd try them, but with a peppermint twist. Instead of using Oreos, I used Trader Joe's Candy Cane Joe-Joe cookies. They are basically just like oreos, with a peppermint-cream filling.

Oreo Truffles with a Peppermint Twist
Adapted from Beantown Baker's recipe

24 peppermint oreo cookies
1/2 cup (4 oz.) sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate
1 teaspoon canola oil
3 peppermint candy canes, crushed into small pieces

Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil or wax paper and clear some space in your fridge.

Crush cookies using a food processor or a blender. The cookies should be crumbly, but not totally pulverized.

In a measuring cup, combine condensed milk, vanilla, and peppermint extract, stirring until incorporated. Pour this mixture over the crushed Oreos, and stir until ingredients come together. Working quickly, form the mixture into 1" balls by rolling between your hands, and place them on cookie sheet. Even if the mimxture feels sticky at first, it will roll into balls well if you use your palms. Put the balls into refrigerator to chill (for easy dipping).
Sidenote: at this point in the process, my cute hubby says, "I don't know WHAT to caal THOSE balls . . ." - in reference to his funny name for Hayley's Nutella Cookies that I make.

Melt the chocolate using your favorite method. I like to use my double boiler, but you can use your microwave in 10-15 second increments as well.

Dip chocolate balls into melted chocolate and put back on cookie sheet.

Sprinkle with crushed peppermint, and return to fridge until chocolate hardens.

Then I placed ours in mini-cupcake liners for no-mess scarfing.

We took a tin of these with us on our trip to the mountains for New Year's Eve and they were a BIG hit! There were only 4 of us, and we polished this batch off with ease. Oops! Guess it's time for New Year's Resolutions . . .

Bloggin' and Yule Loggin' on Christmas Eve

Merry Christmas Eve, dear readers! I am happily spending my day doing some last minute baking and wrapping.

Here is the recipe for my Auntie Gladys's Chocolate Yule Log. She is Nanny's sister, and whenever she would come to visit us in Georgia, we would have so much fun baking together. Here is an old shot of Nanny, me, and Auntie Gladys in my parents' kitchen.

This is a beautiful, delicious, delicate dessert that is just perfect to serve around the holidays. It is light and airy, but satisfying with its soft sweetness. It's also much simpler to make than it sounds like, so don't be intimidated! Your family and guests will be truly impressed.

Auntie Gladys's Chocolate Yule Log
Cake:
5 egg whites
5 egg yolks
1 cup confectioner's sugar, sifted
1/4 cup flour, sifted
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons cocoa powder, sifted
1 teaspoon vanilla

Filling:
2 cups heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons confectioner's sugar (optional)
Cocoa powder

Grease a jelly roll pan. Line with wax paper and grease again. Preheat oven to 275 degrees.

In a medium mixing bowl, beat egg whites until stiff. Set aside

In a large mixing bowl, beat egg yolks until they turn a creamy lemon color, about 5 minutes. Sift in icing sugar, flour, salt, and cocoa powder. Add vanilla and stir until all ingredients are incorporated. Gently fold in egg whites, being sure not to deflate the mixture.

Spread the batter in the prepared jelly roll pan, smoothing into as even a layer as possible.

Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until cake springs back when gently touched with your finger.

While cake is baking, lay a linen tea towel flat on your counter and sprinkle generously with confectioner's sugar.

When cake comes out of the oven, turn it out onto the prepared towel and remove wax paper.

Starting at one of the short ends, roll the cake up in the towel. Do this gently, but remember that the eggs in the cake make it spongy and pliable, so it's really not as hard to do this as you might anticipate. Allow cake to cool completely.

Meanwhile, beat 2 cups whipping cream until stiff but spreadable. Gradually add 2 tablespoons confectioner's sugar, if desired. (My family is a non-sweet whipped cream family, but I know that some people prefer to have it sweetened.)

Unroll the cooled cake. Spread half of the whipped cream on the cake; then gently roll the cake back up in the same direction as before. If you'd like, you can simply sprinkle the cake with some powdered sugar and serve as it is. If you'd like to decorate the log more, then continue!

Slice a 1" piece off of one end and set aside. Transfer log to serving plate. Prop the removed slice against the side of the roll, like a branch. Cover the "bark" of the log with the rest of the whipped cream.

Run the tines of a fork across the whipped cream to create a random pattern. Then sift a small amount of cocoa powder on the "bark" to create a wood-like effect.

Betty Crocker's Gingerbread Boys

Since I had already made my usual Gingerbread Men recipe earlier this season, I decided that I would branch out and try a new one for my second round of cookies this year.

This post also brings up a fun story about my Betty Crocker cookbook.

When I was growing up, mom had her 1970s bright-orange edition of the Betty Crocker cookbook, and that was practically all we would ever use when it came to baking. In fact, my favorite chocolate cake recipe comes from this book.

One of the first times I went over to my hubby's house, I saw the exact same bright orange cookbook on his bookshelf! It was then, at that very moment, that I knew he was the one. . .

So back to the cookies! I thought this was an interesting recipe because it uses shortening instead of butter, and it uses no eggs. I tweaked the spices to my tastes and here is what I came up with!

Gingerbread Cookies
Adapted from Betty Crocker's Cookbook (1976)

1/2 cup shortening (ex. Crisco)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup dark molasses
1/4 cup water
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ginger
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Cream butter and sugar. Blend in molasses, water, flour, salt, baking soda, ginger, nutmeg and allspice. Cover; chill 2 to 3 hours.

Heat oven to 375F. Roll dough 1/4 inch thick on lightly floured surface. Cut with cookie cutter; place on ungreased baking sheet.

Decorate with raisins, red hots, or other candies (make sure you pick candies that won't melt!).

Bake 8 to 10 minutes. Immediately remove from baking sheet. Cool on racks.

Decorate with icing as desired, and enjoy!


Comparison to my regular recipe for gingies:
I was amazed at how different these cookies turned out than my usual recipe. I served these at a Christmas caroling party over the weekend, and people could not stop eating these. They are slightly crispier and chewier than my other recipe, which is usually more cake-like and fluffy. These tasted like the freshest ginger snaps you've ever had. I'm pretty much sold on them as my new yearly recipe! I wish I had a picture to show, but we sort of decorated these AT the party, and they were eaten up too fast for me to have a photo session. We are making another batch for Christmas Eve, so hopefully I'll snap a few photos then!

Marvelous Marbled Peppermint Bark

What could be more festive and full of holiday cheer than
beautifully swirled peppermint bark!?!

When I was in 6th grade, I did my science fair project on the science behind the art of paper marbling. It involved chaos theory, density of liquids, and a lot of other super nerdy stuff. It was so much fun! There are lots of different techniques and tools that you can use to create different patterns. Here is what paper marbling looks like:

Well, I had a flashback to that science fair project last night when my mom and I made some Marvelous Marbled Peppermint Bark. This was so much fun to make, and it turned out looking so beautiful. Most importantly, it is a delicious little holiday treat. And it was super easy and quick - the directions are just a little long here because I got so picture-happy!

Marvelous Marbled Peppermint Bark

10.5 ounces high-quality dark chocolate, finely chopped or grated
(I used Lindt Excellence 70% cocoa intense dark chocolate)
3 ounces high-quality white chocolate , finely chopped or grated
(I used Ghirardelli Sublime White Vanilla Dream squares)
4 candy canes or equivalent peppermint candies

Line a baking sheet with wax paper and set aside. Place the candy canes in a plastic bag, seal, and whack with something really hard, like a meat pounder, until they are crushed into small pieces.

Heat dark chocolate in a double boiler. I have a fancy one that my mom gave me (it even makes a little train whistle sound!), but you can also use a pot of simmering water with a glass bowl that fits over the top. Just make sure that the water doesn't touch the bottom of the bowl. When chocolate is completely melted, spread it evenly over the prepared paper-lined pan.

In a clean and dry double boiler, melt the white chocolate until smooth.

Spoon the melted white chocolate over the dark chocolate. Then, drag the tip of a toothpick through the chocolate, snaking back and forth from the left side of the pan to the right side of the pan. Next, drag the tip of a toothpick, snaking back and forth from the far side of the pan to the near side of the pan. The resulting pattern will look pretty and marbled! Sprinkle the pieces of candy cane over the top, and push them lightly into the chocolate.

You can also swirl the chocolates in a random pattern, as I did with this batch. Either way ends up looking beautiful.

Place the tray of candy flat in the freezer for about 15-20 minutes, until very firm. Break into randomly-shaped pieces with your hands and enjoy! Keeps well in an air-tight container in the fridge for several days - if you can wait to eat it for that long!

I just love how it looks packed up in this Santa tin! This is the batch I made for my mom.

I also packaged a second batch for my co-workers as a little Christmas treat on our last day together before the holidays. They turned out pretty cute!

Sorry, I had waaayyy too much fun with the photos on this one!!!

Traditional Cut-Out Cookies

When I was growing up, every year we would make Christmas Cut-Outs and leave some by the fireplace for Santa. I have a shortbread recipe that I love to use for cutouts (I'll post this before Christmas, don't worry), but over the past few years, I've grown quite fond of Alton Brown's Sugar Cookie Recipe.

With this recipe, your cookies will hold the desired shape very well without melting and puffing into an unrecognizable shape. Also, this recipe makes for some absolutely delicious cookies - the flavor is buttery and sweet, the texture is chewy and soft. They turn out great every single time!

On a related side-note, I have to confess that I'm a little bit nuts about cut-out cookies, not just at Christmas Time but all year round! I have a set of 101 cookie cutters that I love to use, and I have lots of other cutters that I've acquired over the years, too. I make these cookies almost every ;time we have a get-together. Here are a few of the shapes I've made in the past with this recipe

• "24" cookies for the season premiere of 24 (I have numbers and letters)
• Football-shaped cookies with chocolate frosting, and draw the laces with white icing
• Easter cookies frosted in pastel colors
• Shamrock cookies with green sprinkles for St. Patrick's day
• Heart cookies on Valentine's Day with pink icing and red sprinkles
• Flag cookies for the 4th of July

Traditional Christmas Cut-Out Cookies
(adapted from Alton Brown's Sugar Cookies)
3 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
Powdered sugar, for rolling out the dough
Colored sprinkles, for decorating (optional)
Cookie frosting, for decorating (optional)

Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

Place butter and sugar in large bowl of electric stand mixer and beat until light in color. Add egg. milk, and vanilla, and beat to combine.

Put mixer on low speed, gradually add flour, and beat until mixture pulls away from the side of the bowl. Divide the dough in half, wrap in waxed paper, and refrigerate for 2 at least hours.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Sprinkle surface where you will roll out dough with powdered sugar. Remove 1 wrapped pack of dough from refrigerator at a time, sprinkle rolling pin with powdered sugar, and roll out dough to 1/4-inch thick. Move the dough around and check underneath frequently to make sure it is not sticking. If dough has warmed during rolling, place cold cookie sheet on top for 10 minutes to chill.

Cut into desired shape, place at least 1-inch apart on greased baking sheet, parchment, or silicone baking mat. Decorate with colored sprinkles, if desired, and bake for 7 to 9 minutes or until cookies are just beginning to turn brown around the edges. Let sit on baking sheet for 2 minutes after removal from oven and then move to complete cooling on wire rack.

Serve as is or ice as desired. Store in airtight container for up to 1 week.

My Father-In-Law's Favorite Cookies

My father in law has one weakness: coconut macaroons! Since he was going to be at our Christmas gathering, I wanted to make him his favorite treat.

I've tested a lot of different macaroon recipes - the ones that use condensed milk seemed promising, but ended up too dry. The ones based on egg whites sounded okay, and they ended up being PERFECT.

I've adapted my own recipe from the one found on the back of Baker's angel flake sweetened coconut package, and it gets a huge grin and a hug from my father in law every single time!

Coconut Macaroons with Milk Chocolate Drizzle

1 package (7-ounce) sweetened flake coconut (about 2 2/3 cups)

1/4 cup sugar

4 tablespoons flour

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

2 egg whites, beaten lightly with a fork

1 teaspoon almond extract

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup milk chocolate chips

Mix coconut, sugar, flour and salt in large bowl. Stir in egg whites and almond extract and vanilla extract until well blended. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto greased cookie sheets. Here is what they will look like before they go into the oven:

Bake at 325 degrees for 20 minutes, or until edges of cookies begin to turn golden brown. Immediately remove from cookie sheets to wire racks. Cool completely.

Put chocolate chips in small microwave-safe dish and microwave in 20-second increments until chips are melted. Spoon melted chocolate into a small zip-lock bag. Snip a small corner off of the zip-lock bag with a pair of scissors. Squeeze strands of chocolate onto cooled macaroons. Allow the chocolate to set before stacking.

Makes about 20 macaroons.