#annie's eats

[hotcoffeeandfrozenair]

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

One of my absolute favourite Autumn recipes - you can taste the season in each bite. 

[allwayshungry]

Skillet Eggplant Parmesan

[delish-eats]

Vanilla Caramel Latte Cake | Annie’s Eats

[delish-eats]

Salted Brown Sugar Toffee Cookies | Annie's Eats

[thatgirlgwen]

thanksgiving recipe recap.

Since I'll be home for almost two weeks around Christmas, I celebrated Thanksgiving in Chicago with a couple friends. Denise, a friend from high school who's since moved to the city, came over in the morning to watch the parade on television before she went to her aunt's house; afterward I headed to Sara Jane's for Thanksgiving dinner.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Sara Jane and I did a bulk of the cooking for our meal. And although I can make a mean salad, Sara Jane knocked the holiday out of the park with a picture-perfect roast chicken and a tablescape that belongs on the pages of a magazine. Thanks again for hosting, Sara Jane!

I made a couple sides to complement Sara Jane's roast chicken, Brussels sprouts, and Mushroom and Gruyère Bread Pudding.

Kale and Apple Salad with Pancetta and Candied Walnuts: I've become the girl who cried favorite kale salad, but come on! In addition to the apples, pancetta and walnuts, the salad includes Pecorino cheese, tarragon and chives, all tossed with a vinaigrette made from white wine vinegar, caper brine, maple syrup and pancetta drippings. And the candied walnuts are caramelized with powdered sugar, sea salt and cayenne, practically a taste sensation! {I used an extra bunch of kale instead of radicchio.}

Twice-Baked Potato Casserole: Loaded with cheddar cheese, sour cream and crisp bacon, the Twice-Baked Potato Casserole was certainly the least gourmet dish on the menu, but I'd never turn down cheddar cheese, sour cream and crisp bacon. And best of all, the casserole can be made in advance!

Pecan Pie Cheesecake: I made Pecan Pie Cheesecake at least ten years ago for Mother's Day and haven't shaken the idea since. A sweet {store-bought} pecan pie's literally baked into a simple cheesecake. Serve with black coffee to cut the richness!

[culinaryorgasm]

*Giant Double Chocolate Cookies*

[thatgirlgwen]

we need to talk about cooking again.

Since Pan-Asian flavors basically send my heart a-flutter, I ate Thai Beef with Chiles and Basil over Coconut Rice at least once a day for a week straight. (I added extra veggies to pack a little more nutritional punch.)

I brought ridiculous Peanut Butter Cheesecake Swirl Brownies to a friend's Memorial Day potluck. In addition to the peanut butter cheesecake swirl, which would've made me swoon all on its own, the brownies include cream cheese baked in. Fudgiest brownies evah!

When I hosted small group a few weeks ago, I baked Caramel Toffee Cheesecake Bars, caramel-kissed cheesecake squares with a toffee-studded crust. Five of us almost finished the entire pan!

I made Chocolate-Chip Cookie Icebox Cake, a sky-high stack of cookies layered with mascarpone whipped cream, for an office party celebrating my boss' upcoming wedding. Afraid the cake would fall apart on my morning commute, I froze it for 36 hours beforehand; I think I was a little overzealous, though, because the cookies and cream didn't get as soft as I would've liked before the party.

Finally, I threw together Summer Vegetable Tortellini Salad with Browned Butter, replete with fresh corn, grape tomatoes, green peas and chives, for a church picnic in Oz Park. Perfect for an al fresco potluck!

[loveofgrub-blog]

Mom's Classic Chocolate on Chocolate Birthday Cake

My mom recently turned 61. I called her the evening before her pre-birthday gathering and she casually mentioned that she would be getting up early the next day to bake herself a cake. This didn't sit well with me, and despite having perhaps never attempted to bake a birthday cake before, I assigned myself the honor of making hers.

First, I did what I do almost every time I need to bake something sweet: called my big sister and asked to borrow a pan. I don't know why, in my many years of kitchening, I haven't bothered to procure 2 matching cake pans or my own mini muffin tin, but I'm certain my sister finds my habit of borrowing hers for months on end before returning them (often by force and totally scratched up) endearing. How could she not?

Once I found a recipe for the most classic of classic chocolate cakes with delectable chocolate frosting (Annie's, duh) and gathered supplies, it was far too late to embark on cake making, so I got up early the day of the party and this is what ensued:

INGREDIENTS:

For the Cake

1¼ cups (6¼ oz.) all-purpose flour

1 cup (3 oz.) unsweetened cocoa powder, plus more for dusting the pans

2 tsp. instant espresso or coffee powder

1 cup boiling water

½ cup sour cream

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 c1¾ cups (12¼ oz.) sugar

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 large eggs, at room temperature

1 tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. salt

For the Frosting

9.5 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

6 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature

6 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted

4 tbsp. unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder

Pinch of salt

2/3 cup plus 1 tbsp. sour cream

DIRECTIONS:

For the Cake

To make the cake, preheat the oven to 350˚ F.  Butter the edges of 2 9-inch round cake pans and dust with cocoa powder, shaking out the excess.  Line the bottoms of the pans with parchment paper.  In a medium bowl, combine the cocoa powder, espresso powder, and boiling water.  Whisk until smooth; set aside to cool slightly.  When cooled down a bit, whisk in the sour cream and vanilla.  Set aside.  In the bowl of an electric mixer (note: if you have exactly 2 plug ins in your entire kitchen and no stand mixer, be prepared for an epic mess!), beat the butter on medium-high speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Gradually blend in the sugar and whip on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes more. Blend in the eggs one at a time. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt; whisk to blend. 

With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients in three additions alternating with the sour cream mixture, beating each addition just until incorporated. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans. Bake the cake layers for about 23-27 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, rotating the pans halfway through to ensure even baking. Transfer the baked cake layers to a wire rack and let cool in the pans at least 30 minutes before inverting onto the rack to cool completely. 

For the Frosting

To make the frosting, melt the chocolate in a heat-proof bowl set over a pot of simmering water.  Set aside to cool until just barely warm.  In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and butter on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes.  Gradually mix in the confectioners’ sugar, cocoa powder and salt.  Beat in the melted and cooled chocolate and then the sour cream.  Continue beating until the mixture is smooth and well blended.

Assembly

To assemble the cake, place one of the cake layers on a cake board or serving platter. Spread an even layer of the frosting over the top of the cake. Top with the second cake layer. Frost the top and sides of the cake using a thin crumb coat first. Place in the freezer for 30 minutes to set. (While the crumb coat sets, you may want to leave the mixer on low speed with the remaining frosting so that the melted chocolate doesn't set.)

Once the crumb coat is set, frost the top and sides of the cake again using an offset spatula or spoon for a soft, billowy appearance. (Alternately, you can mask your lack of soft, billowy cake decorating skills with SIXTY ONE candles. Once they bite into it, nobody will care how it looks anyway.) Sing, extinguish flames, slice and serve. 

Happy birthday, Momma! xoxo