Chocolate-Pumpkin Layer Cake

• 20 tablespoons (2 1/2 sticks) soft unsalted butter, more for greasing
• 2 cups flour, more for dusting
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon allspice
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 1/2 cup plain pumpkin purée, canned, frozen or fresh
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 2 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 10 ounces unsweetened chocolate, preferably 99 or 100 percent, melted and cooled to room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Use a little butter to grease two 9-inch round cake pans. Line bottoms with parchment paper. Butter and flour the paper. In a large bowl, whisk flour, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, baking soda, baking powder and salt together.
2. Using an electric mixer, cream 8 tablespoons butter and the granulated sugar together until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in eggs one at a time. Stir in pumpkin purée. Mixture may look slightly curdled. Stir in flour mixture about half a cup at a time until smooth. Fold in chocolate chips and pecans.
3. Divide batter into pans and bake in middle of oven until springy to the touch and a tester inserted in center comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Cool cakes in pans for 10 minutes, run a knife around edges, invert onto racks and peel off paper. Let cakes cool completely.
4. In a large bowl, blend remaining 12 tablespoons butter and confectioners’ sugar together. Blend in chocolate and vanilla extract and beat until smooth.
5. Place one cake layer, smooth side up, on a platter. Ice top. Place second layer, smooth side down, on top; ice top and sides of cake.

To make ahead: For fully frosted cake, put in freezer unwrapped; when frozen hard, wrap in plastic, then foil. Remove wrapping before defrosting.

Unfrosted cake layers out of their pans can be wrapped first, then frozen up to three weeks.

Frosting can be made up to 24 hours ahead and refrigerated, then brought to room temperature for at least one hour.

National Dessert Day

Red Velvet Cupcakes

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
• 1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 2 tablespoons red food coloring
• 1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Cream Cheese Frosting:

• 1 pound cream cheese, softened
• 2 sticks butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
• Chopped pecans and fresh raspberries or strawberries, for garnish

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 (12-cup) muffin pans with cupcake papers.

In a medium mixing bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder. In a large bowl gently beat together the oil, buttermilk, eggs, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla with a handheld electric mixer. Add the sifted dry ingredients to the wet and mix until smooth and thoroughly combined.

Divide the batter evenly among the cupcake tins about 2/3 filled. Bake in oven for about 20 to 22 minutes, turning the pans once, half way through. Test the cupcakes with a toothpick for doneness. Remove from oven and cool completely before frosting.

For the Cream Cheese Frosting:

In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla together until smooth. Add the sugar and on low speed, beat until incorporated. Increase the speed to high and mix until very light and fluffy.

Garnish with chopped pecans and a fresh raspberry or strawberry.

Cook's Note: Frost the cupcakes with a butter knife or pipe it on with a big star tip.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day! For all the hopeless romantics out there, this day is for you! Whether you're celebrating with friends, family, or a loved one, make sure it's a decadent day. Today is the day to forget about your diet and the gym. Live a little! Today's ingredients consist of chocolate, chocolate, and more chocolate. I'm serving up my mom's mouth watering chocolate cake. It's simple, elegant, and delicious! Kisses from the kitchen. -XO

Mom’s Chocolate Cake

Serves 8

• • 4 oz semisweet chocolate
  • 2 tablespoons cocoa
  • ½ cup sugar
  • 7 oz cake flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2/3 cup boiling water
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 ¾  cup sugar
  • 12 oz butter
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 2 tablespoons dark rum

  Put chocolate, cocoa and sugar in Food Processor and mix it. Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and process. Take it out. Add boiling water to machine and then add eggs- process one at time. Next add sugar, butter, sour cream and dark rum. After you process all those ingredients add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix together.

  Spray pan, put in parchment, spray again.

  Bake at 325 F.

  12” Bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes

  8-9” Bake for an hour or less (50 min)

  Glaze

  • 6 oz semisweet chocolate
  • 4 tablespoons of water
  • 8 tablespoons (1/2 cup) powdered sugar, sifted
  • Pinch salt
  • 4 tablespoon (2oz) butter
  • 2 teaspoon dark rum

  Mix in double boiler, semisweet chocolate, water, powdered sugar and salt until there are no lumps. Stir constantly. Add butter. Take off heat and stir in rum.

Chocolate Pumpkin Layer Cake

Adapted from John Down, Christopher Norman Chocolates Time: 1 1/2 hours plus cooling

20 tablespoons (2 1/2 sticks) soft unsalted butter, more for greasing

2 cups flour, more for dusting

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon allspice

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

3 eggs

1 1/2 cup plain pumpkin purée, canned, frozen or fresh

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1 cup chopped pecans

2 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar

10 ounces unsweetened chocolate, preferably 99 or 100 percent, melted and cooled to room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract.

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Use a little butter to grease two 9-inch round cake pans. Line bottoms with parchment paper. Butter and flour the paper. In a large bowl, whisk flour, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, baking soda, baking powder and salt together.
2. Using an electric mixer, cream 8 tablespoons butter and the granulated sugar together until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in eggs one at a time. Stir in pumpkin purée. Mixture may look slightly curdled. Stir in flour mixture about half a cup at a time until smooth. Fold in chocolate chips and pecans.
3. Divide batter into pans and bake in middle of oven until springy to the touch and a tester inserted in center comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Cool cakes in pans for 10 minutes, run a knife around edges, invert onto racks and peel off paper. Let cakes cool completely.
4. In a large bowl, blend remaining 12 tablespoons butter and confectioners’ sugar together. Blend in chocolate and vanilla extract and beat until smooth.
5. Place one cake layer, smooth side up, on a platter. Ice top. Place second layer, smooth side down, on top; ice top and sides of cake.

Yield: 8 to 12 servings.

To make ahead: For fully frosted cake, put in freezer unwrapped; when frozen hard, wrap in plastic, then foil. Remove wrapping before defrosting.

Unfrosted cake layers out of their pans can be wrapped first, then frozen up to three weeks.

Frosting can be made up to 24 hours ahead and refrigerated, then brought to room temperature for at least one hour.

Lulu's Ginger Cookie Cake

2 cups heavy cream1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 tablespoon sour cream or creme fraiche Ginger cookies (recipe below)

In an electric mixer, beat the cream with the sugar until stiff peaks form. Place a layer of ginger cookies in a 9 inch spring-form pan. Spread 1/2 of the whipped cream over the cookies. Top with another layer of cookies & spread remaining whipped cream over the cookies. Top with a final layer of cookies. Cover with plastic wrap & place in the fridge at least 6 hours or overnight. Release side of pan to serve. Save three extra cookies to crumble and sprinkle on top of cake.

LULU’S LUSCIOUS GINGER COOKIES

2-½ cups whole-wheat flour 1-½ teaspoons ground ginger 1-teaspoon baking soda 1 ½ teaspoon cinnamon 1-teaspoon salt 1-teaspoon pumpkin pie spice ¾ cup butter ½ cup sugar ½ cup brown sugar 1 egg ¼ cup molasses ¼ cup finely chopped crystallized ginger

Topping: ¼ cup white sugar 1-teaspoon pumpkin pie spice 1-teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream the butter and sugar. Add the egg, molasses, salt, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice and ginger. Mix. Then add the flour and baking soda. Mix. Last but not least add the crystallized ginger. For topping mixture place ingredients in to a mixing bowl and mix together. Scoop 1 tablespoon of dough and roll into a ball. Then roll the balls in the topping mixture. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Makes approximately 38 cookies.

Lulu's Easy Ice Cream Cake

Whole Foods Cotton Candy

My god child Jazzie loves red velvet cupcakes, salty caramel ice cream and any kind of candy she can get her hands on. So for her birthday I wanted to include all of the above for her cake. I had about 20 left over red velvet cupcakes from a dinner party I held at my house which I decided to crumble and freeze. I bought Malton salt, caramel ice cream and cotton candy from whole foods. I used an 8 inch spring form pan which I covered entirely with plastic wrap. I then layered the bottom of the pan with the red velvet crumbles, on top of that I added the caramel ice cream and sprinkled it with the Malton salt and then repeated the process. Next put in the freezer for about 2 hours or until frozen. When you are ready to serve the cake, take it out of the freezer, turn it over on to the plate you will be using to serve the cake. Adorn with cotton candy. Jazzie and her friends went crazy for this cake. They couldn't believe you could put cotton candy on top of cake. Goes to show you can do anything you want!