Chocolate Chocolate Chip Zucchini Cake

With one large zucchini I had quite the baking day.

all of this from one zucchini---2 chocolate zucchini cakes,
 3 loaves of bread, a dozen muffins

The Chocolate Chocolate Chip Zucchini Cake recipe comes from King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking Cookbook, always a great source for baking recipes.

Cake

Ingredients:

2 1/2 c whole wheat flour
1/2 c cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 c brown sugar
1/2 c sugar
1/2 c canola oil
1/2 c buttermilk
3 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 c shredded zucchini
1 c chocolate chips

Glaze

1/2 c cream
3/4 c chocolate chips
2 tsp corn syrup  (I make a similar glaze for another recipe without the corn syrup so I omitted this)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°, grease and dust tube pan with cocoa.
Whisk flour, cocoa, baking soda & powder, salt in medium bowl.
In mixing bowl blend sugar and oil together, then add eggs, buttermilk & vanilla mix well.
Add flour mixture alternately with zucchini till blended.  Stir in chocolate chips.
Pour batter into prepared tube pan.  Bake about 45-50 minutes.  Let cool about 15-20 minutes then remove from tube pan, slide knife around edges to ease the cake out of the pan.

When completely cooled mix glaze mixture in top of double boiler stir till smooth then drizzle over cooled cake.

options:  this would be great with walnuts stirred in batter, add a couple tsp of cinnamon, dried cherries

when making something chocolate I dust the pan
with cocoa instead of flour

you could use a bundt pan or a 9 x 13 pan

a special treat this day I had duck eggs from a friend who owns
a duck farm.......the give baked goods a richer flavor

I made it to this stage then froze it, when defrosted it gets
a chocolate glaze or you could dust it with confectioner sugar

Fruit Bars

Using a basic crumble type pastry these are delicious and so easy.  You can adapt them with most any berry if you want to change it up as the berries begin to ripen in your area.    What a great treat to take on a picnic, serve for brunch, tailgate party, dessert.........

Fruit Bars

1 C sugar

1 tsp baking powder

3 c flour

1 cup butter

1 egg--beaten

zest & juice of 1 lemon

2 c blueberries

1/4 c sugar

2 tsp cornstarch

Preheat oven to 350° butter 9 x 13 pan  (you can double this and make it in a rimmed cookie sheet if you want to feed a crowd)

With pastry blender in large bowl mix sugar, baking powder, flour, lemon zest, butter (I use cold butter and grate it with a box grater for quicker blending), egg....mix till crumble looking texture forms.

Press 1/2 of mixture into 9 x 13 pan reserve the rest for the topping.

Mix berries with lemon juice, 1/4 c sugar and cornstarch and distribute evenly into pan.  Top with rest of crumble mixture and bake on middle rack about 50-55 min or till topping begins to brown.

Let cool completely then add:

juice & zest of 1 lemon mixed with 1 c confectioner sugar add a bit of water for desired consistency then drizzle over cooled bars, let set then cut into equal sized squares.

Great served for brunch or  with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for dessert.

alternate berry ideas:

raspberry & almond
raspberry & white chocolate chips
strawberry & orange in place of lemon
blackberry & orange in place of lemon
apples with the orange in place of lemon

also cinnamon is a nice addition

Any other suggestions for fruit combinations I should try?

Mix blueberries with cornstarch, 1/4 c sugar & lemon juice.

use pastry blender to mix crumble mixture

press into pan

layer blueberries then top with rest of crumble

bake till golden brown

YUM!

Summer Squash Saute

Zucchini season!
This recipe comes from June Bon Appetit Magazine and I have already made it twice.  Always looking for new ideas for Zucchini this one is easy, quick and delicious!  I just cut the Zucchini into matchstick size pieces, it is so easy to cut it isn't worth cleaning a mandoline to me.





Summer Squash Saute

Ingredients:

2lbs zucchini cut into matchstick size pieces or julienned

1 tsp kosher salt
1/4 c sliced almonds
2 T olive oil
2 garlic cloves minced (I grate it on a micro plane)
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper (adjust if you like more or less spice)
1/4 c finely grated fresh Parmesan
black pepper to taste

Directions:

Place squash in colander, sprinkle with salt and allow to sit about 10 min to remove liquid.  Squeeze out squash with paper towel till dry.

Meanwhile toast almonds in dry frying pan tossing a few times just till browned.  Transfer to plate and set aside.

Heat oil in same skillet over medium heat add garlic & red pepper cook till fragrant about 2 min.  toss in zucchini and saute till crisp don't overcook you want them to have a bit of texture...about 5 min. (I increased the heat to get a quick sear like a stir fry dish)  Fold in Parmesan, salt & pepper to taste, add almonds and serve.

Zucchini in colander with salt to remove liquid, then
squeeze dry in paper towel.

toasted sliced almonds adds a nice crunch

Cinnabon type Cinnamon Roll Cake

Cinnabon Cinnamon Roll Cake
I wanted a quick coffee cake to make for someone so after a quick search on Pinterest decided to try this one pinned from Six Sisters' Stuff blog.  They found through a friends cookbook.  Their blog is filled with recipes & projects, check it out for lots of ideas.  I had wanted to take the cake to someone but a little communication error left me home alone with a full cake so I sent it to my husbands office and it was such a hit they have asked for the recipe.  Well I hadn't taken any photos and really wanted to make a couple changes so I made it again.  The office had a surprise again to have with their morning coffee.  My changes from their recipe were just a few, I used bread flour which gave it a firmer texture, 3 eggs, and the streusel that gets swirled in I cut the butter in half.  These changes were made because the first cake was very soggy, I had to bake it longer and while cooked very gooey.   The glaze on top I cut in half which was plenty using a 13 x 9 pan.  I don't remember having Cinnabon while shopping but it always makes the mall smell amazing.
This goes together so quick and easy---try it.

Cinnabon Cinnamon Roll Cake
(with my variations)
Ingredients:

3 c bread flour  (you can use all purpose but I preferred the bread flour for this)
1/4 tsp salt
1 c sugar
4 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 c milk
3 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
4 T melted butter

Streusel Ingredients:

1 stick softened butter
1 c brown sugar
1 T cinnamon
nuts (optional)

Glaze Ingredients:

1 c powdered sugar
2-3 T milk (to desired consistency)
1 tsp vanilla

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350° & greased 13 x 9 pan.

In a large mixing bowl mix first seven ingredients till combined well.  Slowly stir in 4 T melted butter until mixed.  Spread cake batter into prepared pan.  In small bowl with fork blend streusel ingredients, nuts are optional I spread them over the top of the cake so that half of the cake could be no nuts.  Drop spoonfuls of streusel onto cake and swirl around with knife.  Bake for 25-30 minutes or till toothpick comes out nearly clean.

In a small bowl while cake bakes whisk glaze mixture till blended, drizzle all over top of warm cake.  Great eaten hot from oven, or rewarmed.

dollop struesel

swirl

topped with nuts on half

glaze will run to edge and down sides

Hot Malasadas

Beignets-Fastnachts-Hot Malasadas-Paczkis-King Cake-Tortelli di Carnevale-Pancakes

Hot Malasadas

Depending where you live or your cultural background one of these is probably familiar to you. Fastnacht means "eve of the fast", all of these goodies are a type of fried pastry as you would expect.  Originally it was to use up the sugar, fat, flour the things you wouldn't be needing during the Lenten season.

When we planned our trip for New Orleans we thought we were a week early for Mardi Gras celebrations but since they were hosting the Super bowl they moved the first week of partying back a week.  Lucky for us we got to enjoy the parades with lots of revelry.  The music, food, people, weather it was all great and a nice break from these cold cold days up north.  So when we got back we were ready to watch a super bowl we previously  weren't that into, and more than ready to enjoy Fat Tuesday.  I made these Scallop Po Boys which are always a hit around here and then remembered something I learned to make in Home Ec class back in the mid 70's---Hot Malasadas.  I was living in Hawaii at the time (Air Force Dad made me an Air Force brat----wow googled where that comes from and can't believe I hadn't known).  It comes from the British and the United States adopted it over 200 years ago, it is an acronym for British Regiment Attached Traveler----BRAT.  Yes you learn something new everyday.  Also in searching for that I find out we are a "subculture", like other brats it was the only way of life I knew so didn't think much of it till you raise your own kids and look back.

The Malasadas became popular in Hawaii in 1952 when decendents of early Portuguese immigrants started making them at their bakery Leonard's Bakery still going strong and still family owned.

On to the recipe........this is a quick super simple version but amazingly comes out great.  They must be eaten when you make them so have a crowd around or reduce this recipe they'll still come out fine & the measurements don't need to be exact.

Hot Malasadas

about 6-8 slices White bread (yes it must be white bread)
1 1/2 c Bisquick (hadn't used this in years glad they still make it)
1 t baking powder
1 T sugar
1 egg
3/4 c milk

canola oil for frying
1 c sugar

Combine the Bisquick, powder, 1 T sugar, egg, and milk in a bowl and whisk together with a fork till blended well about pancake consistency.  Trim crusts off white bread and cut each slice into 4 pieces, squares would be traditional.  Using a large shallow frying pan heat oil and prepare a plate with paper towels for draining Malasadas.  Dip bread into batter and place into hot oil, oil must be hot or they will absorb to much oil.  They will fry on one side then carefully flip them and fry the other side, this all happens very quickly.  Remove from oil drain about 1-2 minutes then toss into sugar just to coat.  Some people like a cinnamon sugar mixture on them.  Eat while still warm with a coffee.  You will probably only want one or two they are rich.

The Mississippi River as we flew into New Orleans.

He never looked just kept tossing the dough into the fryer.

Cafe Du Monde

The overload the powdered sugar, the Chikory
coffee was so good.