Recipes

Glazed Chocolate Bundt Cake

I’m watching the Nebraska-UCLA game, and it’s ugly.

Actually, ugly is an understatement. As I type this, we’re halfway through the fourth quarter, and it’s all I can do to keep the TV on. I need chocolate.

A couple weeks back I made this chocolate cake for an office happy hour / birthday, and it would totally fit the bill for what I need to take my mind off this atrocity of a game. It’s pretty quick to come together and feeds a lot of people. I used some amazing almond tequila from my vacation to Mexico, but any liquor that pairs well with chocolate would be great if you’re so inclined.

Glazed Chocolate Bundt Cake

Adapted from Martha Stewart
Serves 16

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, plus more for pan
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Glaze:
3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1/3 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons liquor (almond, hazelnut, orange, raspberry or other flavor of choice), if desired

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter a 14-cup Bundt pan. Whisk flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Mix milk and sour cream in a small bowl.

Cream butter and sugar with a mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, then vanilla. Reduce mixer speed to low, and add flour mixture, alternating with milk mixture, ending with flour. Spoon batter into pan. Bake until a tester inserted in center comes out clean, 55 to 60 minutes. Let cool in pan on a wire rack. Invert cake. Make ahead: Cake will keep for up to 1 day.

Place chocolate in a bowl. Heat cream in a small saucepan until simmering, then pour over chocolate. Let stand for 2 minutes. Add butter and liquor and mix until smooth. Let stand for several minutes, stirring occasionally, until thickened. (RHRW Note: Wait *several* minutes, especially if you used booze. Don’t plate the cake until AFTER letting the glaze set — use something easy to clean up, such as a waxed paper- or foil-lined jelly roll pan.) Pour glaze over cooled cake. Slice, and serve.

Dairy-Free Coconut Raspberry Ice Cream

One of my dear friends drives a yellow Mini Cooper. It is a perfect metaphor for her disposition. We first met as coworkers, when her laughter would echo through the building. We both moved on from that company years ago but have remained friends, and she’s someone I count on for advice, support and a good gab session.

She has pretty significant food restrictions, almost none by choice. If you didn’t know her well, you might not even know, but I always worry about excluding her from the ritual that is shared food experience.

I happened across this recipe for dairy-free ice cream a few weeks ago, and we agreed it would be a great treat to try when she came over to catch up on episodes of Scandal.

I was out of rum (what??), which will definitely play up the coconut flavor. Use at least one can of full-fat coconut milk and let the ice cream soften a bit before serving to avoid an icy texture.

Coconut Raspberry Ice Cream
Adapted from Kiran Turan

2 13.5-oz. cans of coconut milk (full-fat or one can each full-fat and light)
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons powdered sugar, divided
2 tabelspoons coconut rum (optional) 1/2 tsp vanilla extract (if not using rum, increase to 2 teaspoons)
9 oz fresh raspberries, divided (1 1/2 containers)

Freeze ice cream bowl and chill coconut milk im the refrigerator overnight.

In a blender, combine coconut milk, 1/2 cup powdered sugar and rum. Blend until smooth.Pour this mixture into an ice cream maker and churn according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Rinse the blender.

While the ice cream churns, make raspberry puree. Add 6 ounces raspberries and remaining 2 tablespoons sugar into blender (or use a handheld blender). Blend away until smooth.Strain raspberry puree to remove seeds.

While ice cream continues to churn, slowly drizzle in raspberry puree. With remaining raspberries, smoosh between your thumb and forefinger and drop into the ice cream bowl.

Transfer ice cream into a freezer-safe container and freeze for a few hours (until solid) or overnight.

Allow ice cream to soften for a bit before serving. Serve ice cream topped with toasted coconut flakes and fresh raspberries, if desired.

Maple Bacon Biscuits

Bacon. Is. Good. So are fluffy biscuits. No wonder they are breakfast staples. I don’t usually buy buttermilk (why does it only come in a big carton when you almost never need more than a cup??) but in this case it was definitely worth it.

These came together pretty quickly on a weeknight, but you could also include them with weekend brunch or dinner, such as pulled pork, roast chicken, or soup.

Maple Bacon Biscuits
From The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook by Deb Perlman

Makes 6-8 biscuits

3 slices bacon
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 1/2 cups (190 grams) all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
Approximately 4 tablespoons butter, chilled and chopped into small chunks
1/4 cup buttermilk

Fry the bacon until crisp. Remove from the pan and drain on paper towels. Pour the bacon fat into a measuring cup and put in the freezer until fat is solid.

Chop the bacon into small bits and place in a small dish. Pour the maple syrup over the bacon and stir; set aside.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Remove the solidified bacon fat from the freezer.

In a large bowl, mix dry ingredients. You should have about 2 tablespoons of fat. Adjust the amount of butter up or down to have 6 tablespoons total. Using your fingertips or a pastry blender, rub the bacon fat and butter into the dry ingredients until mixtute resembles coarse meal. Add the bacon-maple syrup mixture and buttermilk and blend together with a rubber spatula until evenly moistened.

Gather the dough into a ball and pat out to a 1-inch thickness on a well-floured surface and cut into biscuits with a 2-inch cutter. Arrange biscuits on the baking sheet. Bake 12-14 minutes until puffed and golden. Serve warm.