Chocolate Honey Cake

I hope everyone had a great summer! Jay and I were busy making plans for our wedding next August, and I was also working hard on collecting data for my thesis. School is back in session and Fall is right around the corner. This time of year always gets me in the baking mood, especially because the holiday of Rosh Hashanah (The Jewish New Year) is approaching. It is traditional to celebrate by eating sweet treats such as apples with honey or honey cake to ensure a sweet new year. This is the second year Jay and I have made this wonderful, chocolate honey cake recipe.

Ingredients

1 cup vegetable oil (or half oil half applesauce)
1 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 cup honey
1 tsp vanilla
4 eggs lightly beaten (or 2 eggs and 2 egg beaters)
2- 3/4 cup flour (I use 1 cup white flour and 1 3/4 cup white whole wheat flour)
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup strong coffee, cooled

Notes

Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease the bottom of 5 mini loaf pans (or one 10-inch tube pan). In a medium bowl blend the first 5 ingredients. Then whisk in the eggs and stir in the coffee. Sift the dry ingredients into another, large bowl and make a well in the center. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until smooth. Pour into prepared pans. Bake for 15 minutes at 350F then reduce the temperature to 325F and bake for approximately 30-35 minutes longer or until the cake springs back when lightly touched. Cool on rack for several hours.

Results

This is my favorite honey cake recipe to make. It is so moist and of course sweet. I think the coffee helps round out the flavor of the cake and adds a little extra dimension. The cake is perfect for Fall and pairs well with tea and coffee. This year we made a bunch of the mini cakes so that we could share them with our families to enjoy during the holiday. I hope everyone has a happy, healthy, and sweet new year!

Forks: 4.8/5

Sharing a French Press

As Dani mentioned in the biscotti post, we have been heading to Starbucks to share a french press of coffee every Sunday for the past couple of weeks. It’s been a nice way to spend our time together and try some new coffee. The baristas will usually open a bag of beans so we can try a different roast each time.

It makes about 2 cups of coffee for each of us and is a relatively good deal at $3.50. Last weekend we brought along some of the biscotti that we baked and they were very tasty together. If you have some time to sit at a store, I’d highly recommend getting a french press to share with someone.

By the way, I’m a big Starbucks fan. Their loyalty program (Starbucks Card) is a simple way to earn free coffee and has a nice game play aspect to it as you earn stars. My photo of a favorite mug was featured in a fan blog not to long ago too (mine is mug number 3 in the post).

American Style Vanilla Biscotti

Ever since Jay moved to Chicago, we have enjoyed spending our abbreviated Sunday mornings at Starbucks splitting a french press. It was these coffee dates that inspired us to make biscotti.

I have never baked biscotti before, but I know they are similar to mandel bread, which is a traditional Jewish cookie that is twice baked. I found a recipe from the King Arthur Flour website. I love to use their white whole wheat flour and I thought it would work well in this recipe.

Ingredients

6 tablespoons butter
2/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
2 large eggs
2 cups white whole wheat flour
Optional: chocolate chips, cinnamon, cinnamon chips etc.

Notes

For the most part this dough is prepared just like any other cookie recipe.

The differences come in during the baking process. First, instead of dropping the cookie dough onto the cookie sheet, you form the dough into logs about 2 ½” wide x ¾” thick and bake for 25 minutes at 350°F.

Then, remove the dough from the oven and allow it to cool about 15-20 minutes. Reduce the heat to 325°F.

Spritz the dough with water and let it sit for about 5 minutes. Next, using a serrated knife cut the dough into ½”‘ to ¾” thick slices.

Return the biscotti to the oven and bake for another 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

Results

These biscotti are awesome! The recipe was simple and using water to prevent the once baked cookie dough from cracking worked really well. I am not sure what made these “American-style,” but there is also a recipe for “Italian” biscotti that would be fun to make and compare.

Jay and I split the dough and made our own variations: Jay added chocolate chips and I added 1/2 TBSP cinnamon and cinnamon chips. I like them both, but the true test came when we had them with our Starbucks coffee the next day. Check out Jay’s post to see what we thought.

Forks: 5/5

2010 Wrap Up

It has been a great year for us, and though we have not posted in a while, we have never stopped cooking and eating. About a month ago we got back from a trip to Toronto. We like to say that it was our Inaugural, International Vacation because it was the first time Jay and I traveled out of the country together, even though it was just across the bridge to Canada. Despite the frigid temperatures, Jay and I had a great time walking around, riding the streetcars and of course enjoying the local food. Here are a few of the highlights:

I was told that Toronto’s Chinatown was one of the biggest and it certainly was big. It was great to see all of the different restaurants and food stores that lined the main street. While walking around, we made a mental note to come back and visit one of the many bakeries and pick up an after dinner treat. Originally, Jay and I went in search of a coffee shop in Kensington Market, which we heard was in the middle of Chinatown. But, being that it was winter, most of this outdoor, multiple store market was pretty quiet. However, we did find Moonbean Coffee Company, a cute, cozy coffee shop where we warmed up and refueled.

I love exploring any kind of market; so I was a bit disappointed with Kensington Market. However, Toronto also has St. Lawrence Market, a large, indoor market with everything from fresh produce and meats, to spices and breads. After doing a couple of laps around the market to see what was available, we decided to get fresh bagels and smoothies. Jay got a lox sandwich and I got a whole wheat bagel and bought sliced turkey to make my own sandwich. That was probably the best bagel I have ever had; it was fresh, warm and soft. After lunch, we decided to get some fresh pasta from one of the vendors to bring back to Detroit to make for New Years Eve dinner.

We ate at some great restaurants, but our favorite was Fresh. It is a trendy, vegetarian restaurant with a really good selection of salads, burgers, wraps, smoothies and juices. I got an awesome salad with tofu. It doesn’t seem like it takes a whole lot to make a good salad, but Fresh makes a great one. The one I got was called the “Big Salad” and had avocado, cucumber, tomato, carrot, red pepper & hulled hemp seeds on salad greens with marinated tofu – simple and delicious. What made it so good was the marinated tofu, the fresh ingredients and the house dressing. Yum! I was a little hesitant to go to an all vegetarian restaurant with Jay, but he had no hesitation. Jay got the “Deluxe Burger” with tomato, lettuce, red onion, alfalfa sprouts, dill pickle & vegan mayo with gorgonzola cheese. I have never seen such a stacked burger! Jay loved it; he said what made it so good was the vegetable patty, the mayo and the cheese. We liked the food so much that we picked up some “to go” selections for lunch for the next day and because it was already dinner time, they were half off! Finally, before going, Jay picked up a 32 oz glass bottle with the Fresh logo to decorate his new place.

Jay and I have had crepes a few times now at Good Girls Go to Paris in Detroit, and CAFÉ Crepe looked like the perfect spot to satisfy our sweet tooth after dinner. Jay got a Nutells crepe and I got a Nutella and banana crepe. They were a little messy, but well worth it!

Overall, we had a great trip to Toronto and hope to continue traveling and exploring new places together.

The day after we got back from Toronto was New Years Eve. Jay, his brother, his brother’s girlfriend, and I cooked a great meal consisting of stuffed chicken breast, sautéed spinach and the fresh pasta that we brought back from St. Lawrence Market. I thought it was the perfect way to end 2010 and welcome 2011. Have a great new year everyone!