Mug o' Cake

Once again, Cook's Country magazine comes through with an awesome recipe.  You like chocolate cake?  This one is chocolaty, delicious and takes about 5 minutes to make.  Yes, it seems crazy, but it really works!  Look!

Combine butter and chopped bittersweet chocolate.

 

Melt the chocolate/butter in the microwave then combine with sugar, eggs, cocoa and vanilla.  Combine the dry ingredients.

 

Blend everything together and divide it into coffee mugs (at least 11 oz size).  The recipe that follows is for two servings--I doubled it.

 

 



 

Microwave for 45 seconds at 50% power.  Stir and do it again for 45 seconds.

 

Shove 2 pieces of bittersweet chocolate into the batter.  This will create the molten part of the cake.  Microwave for another 35 seconds at 50% power.

 

Let sit for 2 minutes and you have an incredible molten chocolate cake!  It's that simple!

 

Add a little whipped cream if you want and enjoy!  They really are delicious!

 

 

COFFEE MUG MOLTEN CHOCOLATE CAKE FOR TWO

from Cook's Country

 

This recipe is for a 1200-watt microwave.  If using a smaller 800-watt oven, increase cooking time to 90 seconds for each interval. 

 

INGREDIENTS

4 Tbsp unsalted butter

1 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped, plus 1 oz broken into 4 equal pieces

1/4 cup (1 3/4 oz) sugar

2 large eggs

2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 cup (1 1/4 oz) all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

 

1. Microwave butter and chopped chocolate in a large bowl, stirring often, until melted, about 1 min.  Whisk sugar, eggs, cocoa, vanilla and salt into chocolate mixture until smooth.  In separate bowl, combine flour and baking powder.  Whisk flour mixture into chocolate mixture until combined.  Divide batter evenly between 2 (11 oz) coffee mugs
2. Place mugs on opposite sides of microwave turntable.  Microwave at 50% powder for 45 seconds.  Stir batter and microwave at 50% power for 45 seconds.  Press 2 chocolate pieces into center of each cake.  Microwave at 50% power for 35 seconds (cake should be slightly wet around edges of mug and somewhat drier toward the center).  Let cakes rest for 2 min.  Serve.











 

Easter Sugar!

Yesterday I wrote a bit about some of our long-standing Easter traditions that center around food.  They are based on the religious meaning of the holiday and date from pre-Christian days.

But come on.  We really know what many people think of when they Easter food comes to mind:  jelly beans and chocolate bunnies!

So here are some interesting facts about how these two confections became as big a part of Easter as lamb and eggs.

The exact origins of jelly beans are not exactly known, but most experts believe that they are
decedents of two kinds of candies: Turkish delights, which date from biblical times and had a gel-based center; and Jordan Almonds, a candy from 15th Century France which used "panning" to create the shiny shell that they share with jelly beans.

The first appearance of "modern" jelly beans were during the Civil War when, in 1861, a Boston confectioner suggested that jelly beans be sent to Union soldiers as gifts.  Perhaps because of the candy's lack of nutritional value, in the early 20th Century, "jelly bean" became a term for a man with style and no substance.  Jelly beans were the first candies sold by weight and originally were often sold by color.

It wasn't until the 1930's, though, that jelly beans became associated with Easter.  Someone realized that the candy was shaped like the egg--a traditional symbol of Easter and rebirth--and they were marketed as Easter candy.  Today, about 16 billion jelly beans are made for the Easter season.

In 1976, Jelly Belly started producing it's famous gourmet jelly beans.  Up until 1998, Jelly Belly reports that their most popular flavor was Very Cherry.  But in that year, Buttered Popcorn took over as favorite.  (I know, I don't get it either.)  But Very Cherry took over once again in 2003.  Jelly Belly makes 50 regular flavors and some specialty flavors (including blueberry, which was created for jelly bean-lover Ronald Reagan's inauguration in 1981).  You can see their list of flavors here.

Well, it's no surprise that someone started making bunnies out of chocolate for Easter.  The rabbit--a symbol of fertility--was long a symbol of Easter for that reason.  And hey, pretty much everyone likes chocolate. 

The first chocolate bunnies were made in Germany in the 19th Century.  Whitman's Chocolates started to produce them in 1842, but they didn't really catch on that much.  Around 1890, a Pennsylvania drug store owner, Robert L. Strohecker, displayed a 5-foot chocolate bunny in his store as an Easter promotion.  (Try as I might, I could not find out where in PA he was from.  If anyone knows, tell me!)  Strohecker's idea helped to popularize the chocolate bunny for Easter, where it really took off in the early 20th Century.  By the way, Robert L. Strohecker chocolate bunnies are still available and are supposed to be some of the best you can find.

During World War II, cocoa was rationed, so to abide with these regulations, confectioners started making hollow bunnies.  The process continued after rationing ended as a way for these businesses to save money by not using as much chocolate in their products.  I don't know.  It's always a little disappointing biting into a hollow bunny. 

Today, there are more than 60 million chocolate bunnies produced each year for American Easter celebrations.  And 76% of Americans say that they eat their bunnies ears-first.  You're not alone!

So there you go.  Jelly beans and chocolate bunnies.  Have a tasty and cavity-free Easter!

Musings

A lot going on lately--not all food-related.

I trust you survived Irene.  Even though it wasn't as bad as it could have been (or as bad as predicted), it was quite an experience.  We didn't even lose power for a second.  The worst we had were a few small branches down and our garden was sort of squashed by the wind.  (Our Brussels sprouts looked like fallen trees.)  My parents are still out of power (in Haycock, that happens with a nice summer breeze, it seems).  They hope to have it back by Thursday--maybe. 

The flooding in Vermont is devastating.  I saw on the Weather Channel terrible flooding in Jamaica Village, Vermont (see video below).  MB & I stayed in this little artsy village for a couple nights on our first trip to VT a number of years ago.  Sad to see it.  By the way, if you ever get to Jamaica, consider staying--or at least eating--at the Three Mountain Inn, just down the road from the video.  Great accomodations and wonderful food (ate rabbit for the first time here).  Just wait until the water recedes.

After a day's delay becasue of the hurricane, Jake started kindergarten today.  (No pics yet--I think MB took the camera with her when she dropped him off.)  Can't tell if he's excited or not--I think so.  I told him to practice strutting around saying, "That's right, I'm in kindergarten."  He looks like an astronaut with his big backpack on.  I'm looking forward to seeing how he does.  He loves to learn new things, so I think he'll be just fine.

I just read a short article on Philly.com about the "family tree" of Philly's restaurant scene.  These days, the city's food offerings are seen by many to be right up there with some of the great food cities of the world.  I still think that a meal that I had at Buddakan was the best meal I've ever had.  It was amazingly expensive, but worth it.  Read the article here.

How do you open this thing?

We're looking forward to our annual trek to Maine coming up soon.  Can't wait.  Jake's excited about fried Maine shrimp (he learned to love them last year) and he's going to try lobster again this year (he tried it a couple of years ago, but wan't crazy about it--a textural thing, I think). 

Saw on the news that any kind of chocolate (not just dark) might be good for you.  There are some out there who might take that as a call to go on an all-choclate diet.  You know who you are!  Good luck with that.

Molten Mocha Cakes

As you may remember, Mary Beth's birthday was on June 14.  She's the cake baker in the family (and a great one at that), but I needed to come up with some sort of dessert for her.  I came across this recipe in Baker's Chocolate Classic Recipes (the first recipe in the book).  It's easy and quick (15 minutes prep & 15 minutes baking time)--perfect for a novice cake baker like me.

Molten Mocha Cakes  (makes 8 individual cakes)

INGREDIENTS
8 oz semi-sweet chocolate
1 c (2 sticks) butter
2 c powdered sugar
1/2 c General Foods International Coffee (or similar product)--any flavor
5 eggs
4 egg  yolks
3/4 c flour
Powdered sugar (optional)
Raspberries (optional)

• Heat oven to 425 degrees.  Butter eight 3/4 c custard cups, ramekins or souffle dishes.  Place on cookie sheet.
• Microwave chocolate and butter in large microwavable bowl on HIGH for 2 minutes or until butter is melted.  Stir with wire whisk until chocolate is completely melted.  Stir in sugar and flavored instant coffee until well blended.  Whisk in eggs and egg yolks.  Stir in flour.  Divide batter among cups.
• Bake 14-15 minutes or until sides are firm but centers are soft.  Let stand 1 minute, then run small knife around cakes to loosen.  Invert cakes onto dessert dishes.  Sprinkle with powdered sugar and garnish with raspberries, if desired. 
• Make-ahead: Bake as directed above.  Cool slightly, then cover cups with plastic wrap.  Refrigerate up to 2 days.  Place cups on cookie sheet.  Reheat in 425 degree oven for 12-13 minutes.  (I know this doesn't seem like it would work, but it does.)
• We even had a left over one and it sat in the fridge for a number of days.  A quick 30 second zap in the micro and it was good as new.