Chocolate Marble Cake

I have quite a collection of baking pans and tools, however, as much as I like baking cakes I do not own a pair of round 8 inch cake pan nor a springform pan, which are essential pans for cakes. I keep promising myself that I will buy a set of cake pans, but because I am a professional procrastinator, I never get around to it. Hence this week, I am adding another quick bread/cake recipe, a chocolate marble bread, taken from Joy of Baking.com.

The writer stresses the importance in using real vanilla extract in vanilla based recipes, rather than imitation vanilla which leaves a bitter aftertaste. I have to admit that this is the first time I've used vanilla extract in a recipe on OSSD, and I could definitely taste the difference between real and imitation vanilla.

When making the marble bread, I remembered Ana's attempt at making a marble cake a while ago which did not have the swirls that she wanted. I was kind of worried that mine would turn into a mess as well, but I wanted to take on the challenge, and it didn't turn out so bad for my first marble cake ever. The only thing I screwed up on was not dividing the batter 50/50 so there was more chocolate than vanilla batter, but other than that, it turned out pretty good.

~Ann

Chocolate Marble Cake*

4 ounces (115 grams) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped (I used bittersweet chocolate chips)

1/2 cup (120 ml) milk, divided

1 1/2 cups (195 grams) all purpose flour

2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup (60ml) sour cream or plain yogurt

1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature

3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (170 grams)granulated white sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Direction

1. Preheat the oven to 325F degrees and place rack in the center of the oven. Butter and lightly flour a 9 X 5 X 3 inch loaf pan. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper.

2. Melt the chocolate, along with 1/4 cup of the milk, in a stainless steel bowl that has been placed over a saucepan of simmering(Not boiling!)water. Remove from heat and set aside.

3. In a small bowl whisk the sour cream with the remaining 1/4 cup milk, and the vanilla extract.

4. With an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until well combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and sour cream/milk mixture, in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour. Spoon half of the batter into a separate bowl. Add the melted chocolate mixture to one half of the batter and fold in.

5. With two spoons, place spoonfuls of the two mixtures into the prepared loaf pan alternately (chocolate, white, chocolate, etc.) Run a wooden skewer or knife through the two batters to achieve a marbled effect. (Be careful not to over mix or you won't get the marble effect.) Bake in preheated oven for about 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

6.Remove from oven and place on wire rack to cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan. Cool completely.

Makes 1 loaf

*Recipe taken from Baking with Passion by Dan Lepard and Richard Whittington

Today is a special day!

Happy Birthday Ann!!!

I can't believe another year has passed since we last celebrated your birthday...Time really flies. I wish I could be there to celebrate with you again this year. =( But since I can't, I'll leave a special message for you.

I wish you all the best in the world! And may all your dreams come true and all your goals be achieved.You are a great friend and a great person. I'm glad I had the chance to meet you.  I love ya and miss ya! Sometimes life can be hard but know that something awesome is in store for you. =) Don't ever give up. Keep strong, with a smile on your face and positive thinking. And when things get tough remember: breath in...and out, in....and.... hehe.

I hope you have a great day! Oh, and have cake! (I would sugest Dimitri's huge waffles and/or cakes ;))

~Ana.

PS: I hope you liked the cake. I know we did. ;)
PPS: No recipe today, guys. Sorry. Busy with final terms...=(

Low Fat Bran Muffins

I have a confession to make: I love bran. I love bran cereal, bran muffins, bran bread, granola bars made with bran, etc. Hence this week I made a batch of Low Fat Bran Muffins for my family and me. I got this recipe from I Love Muffins.ca. So if you are looking for a sweet but "healthier" breakfast option, try this out.

~Ann

Low Fat Bran Muffins

1 1/2 cup wheat bran

1 cup low-fat milk

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/2 banana-mashed

2/3 cup brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup white flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup raisins or blueberries or dried cranberries (I omitted the fruit)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375F and line muffin tins with paper liners or grease well.

2. Mix togher wheat bran and milk and let stand for about 10 minutes.

3. In a large bowl, mix together aplesauce, banana, brown sugar and vanilla. Add to the bran and milk mixture. Stir in the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

4. Gently fold in raisins (or other dried fruits.)

5. Fill muffin tins almost to the top and bake for 15-20 minutes.

Lime Cake

Hey guys! Today I bring you this simple yet delicious Lime Cake. My sister made it a while ago and it was a huge success so I decide to share it with you. =) So light, fluffy, moist, and tangy. Yum! And the process couldn't be easier - and faster: just blend and mix. Simple as that. Perfect for any time of day - and night. ;)

Sorry for the short post. My inspiration is on vacations today. Hahaha.

~Ana.

Cake
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup milk, room temperature
4 eggs
Zest and juice of 1 lime
2 cups sugar
Pich of salt
3 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
1 tablespoon baking powder

Frosting
1 can sweet condensed milk
5 tablespoons butter, room temperature (~100g)
1/3 cup lime juice

Start with the frosting
1. Mix all the ingredients with a wooden spoon - a mixer would be fine, too - until smooth.
2. Put in the fridge until it thickens. I recommend making only half the batch.

For the cake
1.Put oil, milk, eggs, lime juice, sugar, and salt in a blender and blend until smooth.
2.Transfer into a large bowl and mix in the flour, baking powder, and lime zest.
3. Pour into a lined rectangular (25x35cm) baking pan and bake for 40 minutes in a preheated oven (180ºC).
4. Do the cake test. Let it cool before frosting. Decorate with lime zest.
5. Serve it cool or at room temperature.

Fruit Tea Loaf

A few days ago my mother was in the mood for some cake, so I flipped through Cakes Galore (a gift from Ana) and decided upon baking Fruit Tea Loaf. My mother loves fruit cakes and adding tea was unsual, but I was curious to see how it would turn out. To my surprise the cake took two days to make. It is not difficult at all for on day one you mix the fruits, spices and liquid together and store it overnight for the contents to saturate. Day two you add the flour and dump the batter into a bread pan-easy! My mother liked the cake, however my only reservation was that it looked nothing like the cake in the book. Now I know the cooking or baking results won't replicate the exact image in cookbooks, but my cake was really, really ugly. I will make another fruit cake for the holiday season, but probably not this one.

~Ann

Fruit Tea Loaf

2 Cups mixed dried fruit, such as golden raisins, currants, raisins, and canded cherries

Generous 1/2 cup light brown sugar

2/3 cup brewed tea (the author suggests using Earl or Lady Grey tea for a scented flavour, I used Earl Grey)

2 teaspoons ground allspice

Finely grated zest of 1 orange (I used 1 lemon instead)

1 Tablespoon clear honey, warmed

Directions

1. Place the mixed dried fruit, sugar, butter, tea, and allspice in a saucepan. Cover and heat gently until the butter has melted, stirring occasionally. Bring to the boil and boil for 1 minute, then remove the pan from the heat. Add the orange zest, then set aside and leave overnight.

2. Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease and line a 8 1/2 inch loaf tin.

3. Fold the sifted flour into the fruit mixture. Spoon the mixture into the prepared pan and smooth the surface. Bake in the oven for 50-55 minutes, or until golden brown and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.

4. Remove the cake from the oven, brush the top of the cake with wamred honey, then leave it to cool completely in the pan. Turn out and serve in slices spread with butter, if you like.

Banana Hazelnut Dessert Wontons

Flipping through the newspaper 24H, I came across a deliciously looking recipe called Banana Hazelnut Dessert Wontons. It is an easy and quick recipe to follow with a baking time of only 5 minutes. After making a batch of these, I have to admit that they were not my favourite. I thought the banana and Nutella would have made these wontons amazing, but my taste buds were not feeling it. I will post the recipe anyway, and if you have the ingredients, you can try it out for yourself and see what you think.

~Ann

Banana Hazelnut Dessert Wontons

1 medium banana peeled and diced

1/4 cup chopped pecans

1/4 cup brown sugar

16-20 wonton wrappers

1 egg lightly beaten

1/3 cup hazelnut spread

Powdered sugar

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400F (200C). Stir together banana, pecans, and brown sugar in a small bowl.

2. Lightly brush the edges of each wonton wrapper with beaten egg. Spoon about 1 teaspoon of hazelnut spread and 1-1/2 teaspoons banana mixture in centre of each wonton.

3. Fold over each wrapper, forming a triangle and seal edges well. (Instead of folding each wonton, I covered the banana and hazelnut wonton with an extra wrapper and sealed the edges, making a square shape)

4. Place wontons on baking sheet sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Brush the tops of the wontons lightly with lightly beaten egg.

5. Bake 5-6 minutes or until lightly brown. Cool slightly and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Whole Wheat Banana Bread

Hey hey hey, let's bake a cake! Again. But cake's always good. ;)

Besides, this banana bread is super good for you. It's made with whole wheat flour (fiber), nuts (antioxidant) bananas (potassium) and coconut (er..hm..fiber?). See? All good stuff. =)

This is the best banana bread I've had so far. Seriously. It is at the top of my banana bread list. Go make some for you! ;)

3 cups whole wheat flour - I used 2 c. whole wheat and 1 c. all-purpose and worked out fine

1 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

3 large eggs

2 cups brown sugar - I used 3/4 c brown sugar and 3/4 caster sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

1 tablespoon vanilla extract - I used 1 teaspoon vanilla essence

1 tablespoon banana extract - I ommited

1 1/2 cups very ripped bananas, mashed (about 3 bananas)

1 cup shredded coconut

1 cup pecans, toasted and chopped - I used Brazil nuts

1/2 cup buttermilk

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF/180ºC. Grease the pan with butter.

2. In a small bowl, sift the flour, baking soda, and salt. In another large bowl, whisk the eggs, oil, and sugar. Add the flour mixture to the eggs mixture, mixing with a spoon/spatula.

3. Add vanilla and banana extracts, mashed bananas, coconut, nuts and the buttermilk, mixing until incorporated.

4. Pour into the pan and bake for 60-65 minutes. Let it cool for about 10 minutes before removing from the pan.

PS.: I poured half the batter into the pan, arranged some banana slices over it and topped with the rest of the batter.

Recipe taken from here (in Portuguese).