Root Beer Buddies…

I’ve bragged about Risa before.  Yes, she has an awesome blog, and yes, she bakes awesome goodies.  But, have we talked about what an awesome friend she is?  Getting to finally meet Risa this past Labor Day was uber-exciting—it was like we’d known each other forever.  In fact, chances are, you can find us chatting at various times throughout the day—everyday—on gchat.

Risa and I recently invested in similar baking books so that we could inspire each other to “make the most” of each book.  We’ll be having our own bake-alongs a couple of times per month.  This week, we needed something quick, easy, and of course, dee-licious.  (Side note: if it takes us as long to decide upon recipes as it did this week, we won’t be able to label any recipe as “quick.”)

Our book choice: the ever-trusty Baked: New Frontiers in Baking.  Our cake choice: the Root Beer Bundt Cake.  You simply must make this cake…um, NOW.  While the root beer flavor isn’t pronounced, there’s a certain “je ne sais quoi” about the cake—an extra tang, a kooky bite that is both surprising and enticing.  Yes, enticing.  Todd and I have been devouring this cake since Friday night, and there’s only one measly piece left in the kitchen right now.  That’s right: an entire bundt cake consumed in almost four nights flat.

The cake is rich and oh-so moist, dense without being too heavy, perfectly chocolatey and indulgent.  And the root beer fudge frosting—amazing.  I want to go for a swim in this frosting; it’s a small wonder that I didn’t scrape the frosting off the cake to eat it by itself—it’s that good, and that easy!

Make sure to go check out Risa’s blog to see how her Root Beer Bundt turned out!

Without further ado, the recipe:

 

Root Beer Bundt Cake

from Baked: New Frontiers in Baking

 

For the bundt cake:

2 cups root beer (not diet)

1 cup dark unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 1/4 cups granulated sugar

1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar (*I used light, and it worked just fine…)

2 cups AP flour

1 1/4 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

2 large eggs

(1) Preheat the oven to 350F.  Spray a 10-inch bundt pan with nonstick spray, or butter and flour it.

(2) In a small saucepan, heat the root beer, cocoa powder, and butter over medium heat until the butter is melted.  Add the sugars and whisk until dissolved.  Remove from heat and let cool.

(3) In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together.

(4) In a small bowl, whisk the eggs until just beaten, then whisk them into the cooled cocoa mixture until combined.  Gently fold the flour mixture into the cocoa mixture.  The batter will be slightly lumpy—do not overbeat, as it could cause the cake to be tough.

(5) Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 35-40 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking time, until a small knife (or toothpick) comes out clean.

(6) Transfer the cake to a wire rack to cool completely.  Gently loosen the sides of the cake from the pan and turn it out onto the rack.

 

Root Beer Fudge Frosting

2 oz dark chocolate, melted and cooled slightly

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

1 tsp salt

1/4 cup root beer

2/3 cup dark unsweetened cocoa powder

2 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar

(1) Put all the ingredients in a food processor.  Pulse in short bursts until the frosting is shiny and smooth.

(2) Use a spatula to spread the fudge frosting over the crown of the bundt in a thick layer.

(3) Let the frosting set before serving.  Serve with ice cream on the side.

*For a looser frosting that you can pour over the cake, decrease the amount of powdered sugar.

SMS: Caramelized Onion, Sage, & Cheddar Muffins

I know, you’re shocked.  Shocked to find a savory recipe on a blog whose philosophy may best be described as “cavities are a small  price to pay for a sugar-coated life.”  However, thanks to my weekly SMS therapy sessions, I’ve been forced from my sweet comfort zone into the depths of savory baking.  Hanaâ of Hanaâ’s Kitchen gets the credit for this miraculous breakthrough.  She selected Caramelized Onion, Sage and Cheddar Muffins as her Sweet Melissa Sundays choice, and what a great choice it was!

Now, don’t get me wrong: I’m not prejudiced against savory foods.  I am an equal opportunity eater.  In fact, I’ve been known to frequent a stellar restaurant, stuff my tummy with savory goodness, and leave without ordering dessert.  But, truth be told, I prefer sweets.  Some people are diehard potato chip junkies, and others fall into the category of I-will-eat-a-bag-of-chocolate-chips-if-no-other-dessert-is-around people.  And, while I have the utmost fondness for potato chips, I fall into the latter category.  I have a passion for dessert.

With that disclaimer, I must admit that these muffins are delicious.  I mean, who doesn’t have a weak spot for caramelized onions -- so rich and flavorful (and sweet) as they melt in your mouth?  And sharp cheddar?  Who can say, “No,” to that?

The recipe begins by making 1 cup of caramelized onions.  Caramelizing onions is super easy—just time consuming.  Below you’ll find pictures of the onions at each stage in the 40-50 minute caramelizing process.  To get 1 cup of caramelized onions, you’ll need about 3 large onions, chopped.  Coat your pan with olive oil (and a dab of butter) and get it sizzling on medium to medium-high heat.  Throw your onions in, get them coated in the oil.

Let them sit for 7-10 minutes.  Toss in some salt and stir them around (the bottom onions should have caramelized).

From there, toss the onions every 2-5 minutes (keeping an eye on the pan to prevent burning).  You also might turn your heat down to low at this point.

Keep the onions cooking until they’ve wilted and completely browned.  YUM!

I also jazzed this recipe up a bit by using 4 TBS of bacon grease in place of 4 of the 10 TBS of melted butter required.  I mean, it’s bacon fat, people.  If we’re trying to convert sweet-junkies to the savory side, we might as well fight dirty.

In addition to the caramelized onions and cheddar, I added about 1 cup of frozen corn kernels to extra texture to the muffins.

Overall, these muffins were absolutely delicious!  Even your diehard sweets fans will love them (and that’s saying something).  So, put down the candy bar for breakfast and grab one of these muffins.  And then be sure to visit Hanaâ and thank her for helping you overcome your savory phobia.  And while you’re at it, visit the rest of our awesome SMS bakers.

SMS: Orange Scented Scones

For me, eating scones is akin to devouring some very yummy memories.  Eating memories?  I can see you’re skeptical.  Bear with me for a hot minute, and let’s do some free association.  Scones are of British descent (just check out Robin’s history of scones).  When speaking of the Brits, you can’t forget about the English.  England just happens to be where I did my study abroad—London, to be exact.  And, it was in London where I happened upon some of my best friends.  And we all know that when you’re hanging out with best friends, you’re bound to make some incredible memories.  Thus, by the transitive property, scones = awesome memories.

Anyway, enough waxing nostalgic.  Suffice it to say that these scones not only tasted deliciously moist and tender, but they also happened to bring back many wonderful memories of London.  (Though, my friends and I were more likely to be found in McDonald’s taking advantage of the 99P Cadbury Flurries than sitting pretty at high tea with a scone in one hand and a tea cup poised in the other.  Right, SP?  Erin?)

Thank you, thank you to Robin of Lady Craddock’s Bakery for choosing the wonderful Orange Scented Scones for this week’s SMS.  At the recommendation of the other SMS bakers, I added extra orange zest to my scones to ensure lots of orange-by punch!  I also only used 1/2 cup of heavy cream (as opposed to 2/3 cup), and my scones turned out perfectly flaky and moist.  For an extra pop of color and flavor, I topped each scone with two blackberries.

I brought out the Novella and some jam to spread on the scones, but Todd and I found that the scones were perfect as is.  Nothing dry about these babies.  I highly recommend that you jump on over to Robin’s blog and get the recipe for yourself.  And while you’re at it, make sure to check out all the other Smears creations!

S’more of me?

Hi guys!  Should I skip the groveling and get to the treats?  No…you want a little groveling?  Okay, then.  Please, please, please forgive my long hiatus from the wonderful blogging world.  I never intended to stay away this long, and I can’t tell you how great it feels to be back.  I’ve missed all of you dearly!

While life is still quite hectic, I’m going to do my best to keep up with regular blog posting.  So, how better to come back to the blogosphere than with a nice, comforting s’more?

I must admit that I was inspired to make s’mores for two reasons: (1) I am quite obsessed with the ooey-gooey delicacy – chocolate and marshmallow goodness sandwiched between two crispy cookies…what’s not to love?  (2) I recently got to meet Risa of Baked Perfection.  We’re pretty much soulmates, which explains our mutual love of s’mores.  Her visit to the Bay Area definitely got me thinking of these campfire treats.

And while s’mores made with store-bought marshmallows and graham crackers are delicious — who am I kidding: instant gratification counts for a lot when it comes to dessert time – homemade s’mores are even better (and they’re easy to make, too)!

So, get your campfire roaring (or your gas stove lit, in my case): it’s s’more time! [Insert s’more dance here.]  For the graham crackers and marshmallows, I used Scharffen Berger’s recipes, which can be found here.

The graham cracker recipe calls for graham flour or whole wheat flour.  I personally love the flavor of graham flour (even though it’s not an ingredient in many commercially produced graham crackers!), and Bob’s Red Mill makes a great one!

The marshmallows were super easy to make (thank you, Kitchen Aid mixer)!  I’d recommend cutting the salt down (or out) of both the marshmallow and graham cracker recipes, although neither tasted salty when paired with some chocolatey goodness.

Overall, these s’mores were a huge, delicious hit!  Make them ASAP!