What to Eat Wednesday- Chocolate Malt Cake

Chocolate Malt Cake
*edit at the bottom of the page after the recipe*

I had pinned this last spring only for how it looked. The image was so enticing I didn't even think about the fact that I didn't love malt balls. When it got closer to my birthday I quickly put the idea away as I looked at the recipe. Not only was I clueless on how to follow the recipe, I was reminded again that I don't love malt flavoring. I changed the pin to something I could try for Jay's birthday.

Well September came and I started to try and find a recipe that would work for me to bake for Jay's cake. I asked if I could just surprise him with a birthday treat. Good thing he said yes. I found "the" cake recipe.  I wished I would have found it for my birthday. I could go on and on with words trying to describe the cake and it's chocolate malt goodness but it is no use. You just have to taste it. My only improvement would be to add more malt (I know! I said I don't even like malt) which I have noted in the recipe.

 

 

Chocolate Malt Cake

Cake
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1 cup malted milk powder (slightly more)
1 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Chocolate Malt Frosting
1 cup butter softened
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup malted milk powder (for sure add more- I think at least a cup)
5 cups confectioners' sugar
Garnish: malted milk balls 

(A very large bag is needed to cover the entire cake. Think Sam's Club/Costco sized bag)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour 2 (8-inch) cake pans.

In the bowl of an electric mixture, combine flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

In a small bowl, combine milk and malted milk powder, stirring to dissolve. Add milk mixture, oil, and eggs to flour mixture, beating at medium speed until smooth. Add sour cream and vanilla, beating just until combined. Pour batter evenly into prepared pans, and bake for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool in pans for 10 minutes. Remove cakes from pans and let cool completely on wire racks.

To make the frosting, in a large bowl, beat butter and cocoa powder at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy.

In a small bowl, combine cream and malted milk powder, stirring to dissolve. Add cream mixture to butter mixture, beating at low speed to combine. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar until smooth.

Spread frosting between layers and on top and sides of cake. Garnish with malted milk balls.

adapted from Paula Deen's Holiday Baking, 2007 & found on the blog  Budding Baketress- 

The recipe called for less malt and 3- 9 inch cake pans. I found it completely acceptable to just do 2 - 8 inch pans and add more malt.

*edit* Yes it was interesting to cut. We put pans underneath to catch all the stray malt balls then had them sitting in a bowl. The kids ate them up quick. Once we started cutting the cake started to loose its shape causing some of the malt balls to shift sideways. Some fell, but most stayed on.
The decorating part took about as long as it would to decorate any other kind of cake. It was a lot of fun to make!

What to Eat Wednesday- Baked Potatoes Florentine

A little bit of green with your dinner- a perfect start for March!

My friend Rebecca gave me some new meal suggestions. She had these on her blog and it sounded like a great take on something we can all agree on around here. The baked potato.
We love baked potatoes, and we really love feta. The spinach is hit or miss though. I used to think that I didn't like spinach. But really its more like I dislike frozen spinach. Anyone else think it tastes a little like dirt?

Rebecca described these little pockets of yumminess perfectly- "These were really flavorful...I just love how feta melts in your mouth with that creamy/salty tang."
It seems funny to think of having feta warm. I am used to eating it cold- but I think it is even better warm.


I tweaked the recipe just a little bit. Only by baking the potatoes in the oven with a little oil, salt & pepper added to the skins to help crisp them up. And making extra topping. I made a lot of these potatoes- we eat leftovers for lunch- and I am so happy to report that these make tasty leftovers. Especially if you get to eat them at home and reheat them in the oven again.

I doubled the potatoes and tripled the spinach mixture- Adjust this recipe to fit your family or leave as is.

4 Idaho baking potatoes, scrubbed
1 T olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 bag (9 ounces) spinach, coarsely chopped *
1/2 tsp sale
1/4 tsp pepper
1 large egg, separated
1 package (4 oz) crumbled feta cheese**

*We buy the huge thing of Sam's Club spinach- if we lived near a Costco it would be Costco spinach
**We love feta so much we buy it in bulk

Heat oven to 400. Pierce potatoes with a fork. Place on paper towels in microwave and cook on high for 16 minutes, turning halfway through.
(Instead of using the microwave I baked them in the oven-Lightly coat potatoes with oil and pierce with a fork. Salt and pepper the potatoes then put in oven. Bake for about an hour.)

Meanwhile, cook onions in olive oil for 7-8 minutes. Add 1/2 the spinach and cook down slightly. Add other 1/2 and cook until all is wilted. Season with 1/4 tsp of salt and the pepper.

Remove from heat and cool slightly in a large bowl.

Line a baking sheet with foil. After potatoes are baked place potatoes on foil. Cut open and sprinkle with remaining salt. (I did omit this step- since I had added the salt to the outside)

Beat the egg white to stiff peaks. Stir in the egg yolk to the slightly cooled spinach mixture and all but 2 T of the feta cheese. Fold in egg whites. Divide mixture evenly onto potatoes. Sprinkle with remaining feta.
Bake at 400* for 10 minutes. Turn oven to broil and leave in 2 minutes more.



This is probably the only time that I don't serve these with any other condiments. Usually our family gets out sour cream and a few even like to put BBQ sauce on their potatoes. But not these. They stand all on their own.

Breakfast in Bed #10 French Breakfast Puffs

The first weekend of every April and October our church has a Conference that is broadcast from Salt Lake City to all of its members throughout the world. I look forward to these two weekends!
We sit together as a family and listen/watch together. While I don't hear every word (we had to stop the talk that was specifically instructing on parenting to, well, be parents!) it is the overall feeling that I love.

When we woke up conference weekend I decided we needed a little something extra that morning. As children woke up and came in for a snuggle, I tried to slip out of the room. Luke looked at me wondering where I was going, and I whispered, "I think I am going to go make something different to go with our eggs." His eyes widened, "Can I help?"

Off to the kitchen to try something new. I was curious to find out how this next recipe from Breakfast in Bed would be.



These were the best thing I think I have ever made. If there is only one thing you take from my blog, take this recipe. They are little bites of french heaven.



Have someone help you. Not because you will need help. They are so very simple to make. The fact that Luke helped me make these, and that he is not too far off from making these by himself puts a smile on my face. I know what I am requesting for my birthday breakfast!

French Breakfast Puffs
makes 15 puffs, or 30 mini puffs

1/2 cup shortening
1/ cup sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/ teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
cinnamon sugar( 1.2 cup sugar mixed with 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon)

Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl, cream shortening, sugar and egg. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg. Add flour mixture to creamed mixture alternately with milk. Fill greased muffin tins two-thirds full. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until puffs are golden brown. Remove puffs from oven and immediately roll in butter and then in cinnamon sugar.
Note: I used mini muffin tins- I loved the bite size goodness of them!



I had Jay drop two off to my Mom while he was running a few errands before conference. She called to ask where I bought them. She was certain that she had misunderstood Jay when he said that I had made them that morning. They were too much like a delicious donut hole but not fried. Oh I can't wait for you to try them out yourself!

Breakfast in Bed #9 Ricotta Pancakes

Back in February I had extra Ricotta to use and I remembered seeing this recipe from my Breakfast in Bed cookbook. That book is going to be held together with rubber bands soon. It is getting covered with sticky notes and scribbles on the pages, smeared with food, and pages stuck together with syrup. It is a favorite for sure!



I was a little unsure about these. Pancakes with Ricotta? But it was a snow day- so I figured we had time to try it out. If they turned out horrible then we could make regular pancakes, or oatmeal or skip breakfast all-together and head full speed ahead to lunch! Because really on snow days- breakfast falls shortly before lunch anyway.

So a stack of pancakes I did make. Very light. We gave them and enthusiastic thumbs up!

But the most unusual and best part came after I made them. The recipe mentioned topping them with sour cream and jam, or whipped cream and fresh berries.

First Ricotta, now sour cream? I went ahead and got it out. I pulled out all of our toppings on the table and told everyone what was suggested. I thought I would give it a try. Jay was skeptical. It was not until everyone oohed and aahed that he gave it a go.


I wrote this in my book, "Jay says that this is a birthday breakfast. We tried berries and whipped cream, & the sour cream with jam. Both were good. The sour cream and jam were an unexpected compliment. It tasted like a sour cream danish. Jay said it opened up the possibilities of sour cream. Yum!"

So when you make them, try at least one with sour cream and jam. Just see if you don't go back for another.


Ricotta Pancakes
(makes 16 pancakes- but I think it needs to be doubled for sure!)

3 eggs, separated
1 cup ricotta cheese
2/3 cup milk
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
Sour cream and jam, or whipped cream and fresh berries (optional)

In a large bowl, beat egg yolks, cheese, milk, flour, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until stiff. Gently fold egg whites into cheese mixture.

Heat a griddle or skillet over medium heat and grease if necessary. Pour 1/4 cup batter for each pancake onto hot griddle. Cook pancakes until puffed and dry around edges. Flip and cook other side until pancakes are golden brown. Server with sour cream and jam or whipped cream and fresh berries, if desired.

What to Eat Wednesday- or What pirates eat

Tucker and I made these one afternoon a few weeks ago.
So easy and so yum.

They look like plain chocolate covered pretzels don't they?
(As if pretzels covered in chocolate is plain! HA!)
But hiding under the sweet chocolate is Peanut Butter!

You need Pretzel rods, creamy Peanut butter and any kind of melting chocolate.

I found it works best if you heat the peanut butter up a little then dip the pretzel rod in until its covered with as much peanut butter as you like. Then place on waxed paper in the freezer. I put wax paper on a cookie sheet to help with transferring it in and out of the freezer.

After the pretzel and peanut butter have had time to firm up, then dip them again, this time in melted chocolate. At this point you can stick them back in the freezer or leave them out.

Tucker was helping me dip the pretzels in the chocolate. We were stirring and swirling the pretzel rods in the chocolate when Tucker said, "These seem like a snack that a pirate would eat." I found that to be pretty funny, because in our house I am the only one that chooses pirate in the whole "ninja/pirate" debate.

I just had to ask him if he thought Ninja's would like them too.
When I did he quickly said, "No! Ninja's don't eat!"
Oh really?
"No, they have that thing covering their mouth. I think they are allergic."


That explains why ninjas are so dang skinny.

What to eat Wednesday- Allyson's Double Chocolate Cookies

Last month we celebrated Jay's birthday with these delicious bits of chocolate joy.

When I asked Jay what treat he wanted for his birthday I gave him choices: brownies, hot fudge and ice cream, cake ... he responded with none of the above. He said I want those cookies Allyson made us. I laughed and then quickly agreed.

These are hands down the best chocolate cookie that I have ever made or eaten. For some reason they seem easier to make than just plain chocolate chip. Much easier and tastier than a brownie.

Allyson's Double Chocolate Cookies
1 cup butter, softened

1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups flour
2/3 cup cocoa
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 3/4 cups (10 oz.) semi-sweet chocolate chunks or chips

Preheat oven to 350. Mix butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla until light and fluffy. Stir together flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt; add to butter mixture. Stir in chocolate chunks. Bake 8-10 minutes or just until set. Cool slightly on cookie sheet.

(I am chuckling at myself for finally posting a what to eat-dessert post on the very day we are helping one of our kids go "no sugar" for a few weeks. Shakes her head ...)

What to eat Wednesday-yum

Last month during one of our weekend trips visiting friends (Oh how we miss you!) we were served this delicious, cold treat.
I wish I had some of this right now. Typing this is making my tongue tingle for the tartness!

Frozen Flamingo (aka Pink Lemonade Pie)

Graham cracker crust: 2 cups graham cracker crumbs, 1/2 cup butter (softened), 1/3 cup sugar. Mix ingredients together and press firmly into 9 x 13 pan.

Filling: 1 half-gallon vanilla ice-cream softened (I have used fat free with success)
1 12 fl. oz. can pink lemonade concentrate (thawed)

Stir ice cream to soften, add lemonade. Spoon filling into crust, freeze at least 5 hours.
Garnish with kiwis and strawberries.

What to eat Wednesday- Margarita Chicken

(I'm back.)

While we were in Colorado for Spring Break- we ate, and we ate and we ate. It is always wonderful to eat my mother-in-law's cooking! This trip, Jay's Mom made the most moist tender tangy chicken. The secret ingredient?

Margarita Drink Mix!

You mix the margarita mix (about 1 1/2 cups) with a little ground cumin (1 teaspoon) and some lime peel (also 1 teaspoon.) Then you add the chicken breasts (this recipe is for 4) and let it marinate for 2-8 hours. Or in my case, two days. Still turned out great!
Then grill.

So easy.

Then you add the dipping sauce. A great compliment to the chicken.
1/2 cup mayo
2 TB lime juice
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Just remember that this is dipping sauce for the grilled chicken. Not ranch dip.
Kids at play group won't complain, but they won't necessarily eat it with carrots, when you accidentally bring it for snack time.

What to eat Wednesday- Hawaiian Breakfast Bread

So- back to the cookbook
Breakfast in Bed

I had wanted to try this and kept forgetting to save banana's. Then I re-read the recipe a bit closer and discovered that there were no banana's in it. None at all.

This bread had the most delicious resemblance of Amish Friendship Bread ... without all the work.

Very moist, easy to make the night before and yields enough for our family more than twice.
Anything that stretches beyond one round in our family is a great thing. Unless its because they won't eat it, and that was not the case with this bread.

Hawaiian Breakfast Bread

3 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 can (8 ounces) crushed pineapple, drained (I used just a plain can of pineapple, uncrushed)
1 cup grated fresh coconut
2 cups grated carrots

Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl, beat eggs, oil, sugar, and vanilla. Stir in flour, baking soda, and cinnamon; mix just until blended. Fold in pineapple, coconut, and carrots. Divided batter evenly into two greased 9-by-5-inch loaf pans and let rest 20 minutes. Bake for about 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted into center of bread comes out clean. Cool completely. (Note: This bread cuts better the next day.)

What to eat Wednesday- Paul's Panini

A big part of any vacation is the food. And our spring break trip was no exception. Jay's Mom, and brother both share a love of preparing, cooking, and sharing food. When chatting with my Mom on the phone, instead of asking what we had been doing on our trip, she asked what we had been eating. She knows what a trip to visit Jay's family is like.

We had the "luck" to visit Jay's brother Paul and his family on St. Patrick's day for lunch. We were starving when we got to their house. That sneaky leprechaun left us some Lucky Charms, and that was all we had eaten. I was thrilled to find out that Paul was making Paninis.

I was glad Jay took plenty of photos- I knew this was a sandwich we would want to try and duplicate.

Just follow along with the photos-
I don't even think I need to explain ...

Yummy ingredients

That is fresh basil, not lettuce, just in case you were wondering

I even liked the tomatoes! Shocker. Paul likes to get small ones so they are firmer.

Another great reason to pick up a Rotisserie chicken.

The sauce. Yum. Paul says that he takes a" heap of mayo and then douses it to taste with chipotle Tabasco sauce."

Spread the sauce on both sides of the Cibatta loaf. Then add Mozzarella Cheese.

Next, start layering it all on top of one another.

Brush the top and bottom of the bread with olive oil

I love how the sauce slops over the side

Slice and put into the press- I am not lucky enough to have a Panini press- I do have a George Foreman grill-I think I will try and use that.

Then eat!

Oh Yum. This is the best sandwich. Better than Panera for sure!
So there you have it Mom. This is just one of the fantastic things we ate while vacationing!
That yummy bread mixed with the sauce and oh, the perfectly melted cheese.
I should not have waited to type this up so late!