Pumpkin Roll Cake

We decided to forego the big Thanksgiving dinner this year.  We don't have any family in town and because we're moving in a couple weeks, I didn't want the hassle or mess.  My girls are 3 and 1 and so they don't know the difference.  We spent our weekend mostly packing and on Monday night we had a pizza movie night with the girls.  But to acknowledge the holiday, I prepared two pumpkin treats.  I was excited for this one in particular because it was a technique I had never tried.  It turned out rather well and it felt super satisfying.  It was tasty to boot.  Also, I got to use my jelly roll pan for its intended purpose for the first time...ever. 

My recipe source was THIS.
In the comments of that recipe, I found a link to a lady who took step by step pictures.  It was really helpful.  Find those HERE.

Ingredients:

For the cake:
1/4 cup powdered sugar (to sprinkle on towel)
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice (I use THIS blend)
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup pure pumpkin puree

For the filling:
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
2(ish) cups powdered sugar (taste as you go)
6 tablespoons butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract


Directions: 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a 15 x 10-inch jelly-roll pan with parchment paper or tinfoil and grease and flour the lining.

Sprinkle a clean tea towel with powdered sugar. Set pan and towel aside.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice and salt. In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat eggs, vanilla and sugar until thick. Add in pumpkin and mix to combine. Stir in flour mixture. Spread batter evenly into prepared pan.
Bake for 15 minutes or until top of cake springs back when touched. Immediately loosen and turn cake onto prepared towel. Carefully peel off paper (this took a little finesse when I did it...I don't know if that's typical or if it's because I accidentally forgot about the cake and it baked a few extra minutes).

Roll up cake and towel together, starting with narrow end. Cool on wire rack.
In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese, powdered sugar, butter and vanilla extract until smooth. Carefully unroll cake; remove towel. Spread cream cheese mixture over cake. Reroll cake. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least one hour.  It will still ooze a bit at this stage but is set up enough you can manage.  The next day it will cut beautifully though.  Sprinkle with icing sugar if there are flaws you want to hide.

Carrot Cake Bars with Lemon Cream Cheese Icing

My husband loves carrot cake and I have yet to make one for him mostly because I am completely overwhelmed with all the options and variations.  I stumbled across this recipe while looking for something else and it its simpleness intrigued me.  Also, I'm a sucker for a hint of lemon anywhere.  Even if you're not inclined to change your carrot cake recipe, start adding lemon zest to your cream cheese icing.  Seriously! Because these are in bar form, they are way less high maintenance than a layer cake and they're not dense- they're beautifully light and fluffy. 

Find the original recipe HERE. The original recipe calls for the cake batter to be divided in half.  But I found the bars too thin-so I would suggest either using like 2/3 of the batter in the 9x13 pan and then just making a couple cupcakes...or else pour into an 8x11 pan instead and save the other half in the freezer. 

Ingredients:
Carrot Cake Bars:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 cups granulated sugar
1 1/4 cups vegetable or canola oil
4 large eggs
4 cups peeled and grated carrots
1 cup sweetened flaked coconut

Icing: (makes enough to frost 1 9x13 pan plus a little extra)
2-3 cups powdered sugar
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
5 Tablespoons butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-2 lemons zested

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease whatever pan you're going to use.  If you want to cook up all the batter at once, I recommend the 9x13 and a muffin tin (you will only get a couple muffins).
In a medium bowl, sift flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat together sugar, oil and eggs on low speed until well blended. Mix in the dry ingredients just until blended. Fold in the carrots and coconut.

Pour 2/3 of the batter into the prepared pan (or half the recipe into the 8x11). Bake for 30 to 35 minutes (time will vary depending on what pan you've chosen), until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Let cake cool completely in pan before frosting with Lemon Cream Cheese Icing. Once frosted, refrigerate at least 1 hour. Cut into bar-sized pieces.

To make frosting: Sift the powdered sugar into a large bowl. Add cream cheese, butter, vanilla and lemon zest. Beat with a hand mixer until well-blended and smooth enough to frost cake. Avoid over-beating, which may make frosting too soft.

Brownie-Bottom Coconut Chocolate Cream Cake

I've been spring cleaning all week and because I have a baby and a toddler I needed to make sure to invite people over while it was still evident that I had been cleaning.  I had a few friends over last night and we devoured this sinful cake.  It took me two days to make.  So so good.

Source: http://barefootandbaking.blogspot.ca/2012/06/brownie-bottom-coconut-chocolate-cream.html

Note: I changed the brownie bottom to a different recipe I had used in another layered cake because the one from the source recipe wasn't gluten free and I had someone coming over that couldn't have gluten.  So the recipe you will find below has the altered brownie bottom.

Ingredients:

Brownie Bottom

7 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped

6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
4 large eggs, separated
pinch of salt
1/3 cup light brown sugar

- See more at: http://www.hungryhappenings.com/2011/02/valentines-day-chocolate-raspberry.html#sthash.D3Lwr8hd.dpuf

7 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped

6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
4 large eggs, separated
pinch of salt
1/3 cup light brown sugar

- See more at: http://www.hungryhappenings.com/2011/02/valentines-day-chocolate-raspberry.html#sthash.D3Lwr8hd.dpuf

7 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped

6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
4 large eggs, separated
pinch of salt
1/3 cup light brown sugar

- See more at: http://www.hungryhappenings.com/2011/02/valentines-day-chocolate-raspberry.html#sthash.D3Lwr8hd.dpuf

7 oz semi sweet chocolate finely chopped (I used chocolate chips)
6 tbsp butter
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
4 large eggs, separated
pinch of salt
1/3 cup brown sugar

Coconut Cream
1 1/2 cups half and half
1 1/2 cups coconut milk (I measured one can and it was just under so I added a touch of whole milk to make up the difference- it worked fine)
2 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 plus 4 tsp cornstarch
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup flaked coconut
1/4 tsp coconut extract
1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Chocolate Mousse
1/4 cup butter, cut into pieces
2 eggs, separated and at room temperature
1/2 cup whipping cream
1/2 Tbsp vanilla extract
4 ounces bittersweet or dark chocolate (I used dark)
1/2 cup sugar
pinch of corn starch

Whipped Cream
1 cup whipping cream
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 t vanilla

Garnish1/2 cup shredded coconut


Directions:

Brownie Bottom
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Prepare a 9" springfoam pan (mine was 9 1/2") by removing and turning the base upside down, setting it inside the ring, and clamping the pan.  Generously grease the sides and base of the pan with butter.
Place chocolate and butter in a large heatproof bowl.  Prepare a double boiler by filling a saucepan with 1" of water and setting it over low heat on the stove.  Set the chocolate filled bowl over the pan and all the chocolate and butter to melt slowly, stirring often.  Remove melted chocolate from stove top and allow to cool for a few minutes.  Then stir in vanilla and egg yolks.
In another bowl, beat egg whites and salt until foam forms.  Sprinkle in half of the brown sugar and beat until combined.  Add rest of sugar and beat to soft peaks (when you pick up the beater, the eggs whites should hold together in a peak but still flop over). 
Gently fold 1/3 of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture.  Fold in remaining egg whites being careful not to deflate the egg whites.  Pour batter into pan.  Bake for 18 minutes.  The cake will have risen, the edges will look set, and the center will spring back when touched.  It will considerably deflate while it cools- that's supposed to happen! Let it cool for a good 20 minutes, at least, before topping with the coconut cream.

Coconut Cream
Combine the half and half, coconut milk, eggs, sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a sauce pan.  Cook over medium low stirring constantly until the mixture thickens, about 8-10 minutes. Note- the smaller the pan, the longer the cooking time. Once the mixture is thickened, remove from the heat and add the vanilla, coconut extract and the untoasted flaked coconut and stir to combine. Pour this over the brownie layer.  Place plastic wrap directly on the coconut cream to keep a film from forming and chill in the fridge for at least 2-4 hours, or until completely cold.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Prepare a  9" springform pan or heart shaped springform pan by removing and turning the base upside down, setting it inside the ring, and clamping the pan. Generously grease the sides and base of the pan with butter. - See more at: http://www.hungryhappenings.com/2011/02/valentines-day-chocolate-raspberry.html#sthash.D3Lwr8hd.dpuf

Chocolate Mousse
Melt the butter in a medium bowl set over a sauce pan of simmering water.  In a separate small bowl, whisk together egg yolks, cream and vanilla and set aside.  Once the butter is melted, slowly whisk in the yolk mixture.  Continue whisking over the simmering water until the mixture thickens, like pudding (it won't get as thick as the coconut cream though), this will take about 8-10 minutes -or longer-.  Once it is thick remove it from over the water and add the chocolate, stirring to melt (you can put it back on the double boiler if your chocolate isn't melting).  Set aside.  In a separate bowl beat together the egg whites, sugar and pinch of cornstarch until stiff peaks form.  Whisk 1/4 cup of the stiff egg whites into the chocolate to loosen it up.  Now add the rest of the egg whites, folding gently until they are completely blended into the chocolate.  Pour this mousse over the cold coconut cream in the spring form pan.  Place the whole thing back in the fridge and let it set completely, about 4 hours.

Whipped Cream
Make your fresh whipped cream by beating together the whipping cream, powdered sugar and vanilla until peaks form.  Add this to the top of the cold cake.

Garnish
In a dry pan, over medium heat, toast your coconut.  You will have to stir continuously to avoid burning.  Remove from heat when you like the look of the colour.  Let it cool for a couple minutes then sprinkle over cake.

Cake Pop Tutorial (with Cake Pop pan)

I didn't enter the cake pop world the same time as everyone else.  I'm not really a cake person so it didn't interest me.  But my dear friend, Rachel, brought me by a raspberry truffle  cake pop from Starbucks one day.  Wow.  And then this year at Christmas she brought me a white chocolate peppermint holiday cake pop (from Starbucks).  Wow again.  THEN for my birthday she gave me heart shaped cake pop pans.  So what choice did I have this Valentine's but to make cake pops?  So really, this blog post is dedicated to Rachel.

NOTES

 

A traditional cake pop is born out of cake gone wrong.  You crush up cake and mix it with jam or icing and roll it into a ball and dip in some kind of coating.  Fast forward a few years, cake pop craze abounding- the cake pop pan is now an option as well.  I am a serious budding foodie so I research like crazy before attempting a new skill in the kitchen or trying a new recipe.  I read a bunch of reviews on cake pop pans and tips about traditional vs pan pops.  So now here's my two cents.

 

The Nordicware Cake Pop Pan (mine is Valentine's themed) actually works great.  NOW, I am by no means a professional (one day maybe:) )- and for sure in the baking world, I'm the equivalent of a little baby- it's a whole different ball park than cooking.  Finesse and artistry are not my strong points.  So for perfectly round, beautifully decorated cake pops- I'm not sure- maybe traditional is better?  Or so says THIS lady.  But I had a very positive experience with the pans. 

I tried a bunch of different combos for coatings but the two that worked the best were a Nutella ganache covered with coconut AND a white chocolate with homemade sugar sprinkles (find tutorial at bottom of the page for sprinkles).

I wanted to do a white chocolate/crushed peppermint combo but they weren't turning out as pretty because the crushed mint was too heavy for the chocolate and was dragging it off the pop.  Also, I tried a chocolate/sprinkle combo but that didn't work because you couldn't see the sprinkles- the chocolate overwhelmed them. 

TIPS

Tips for Cake Pop Pans

-Use a fudgey cake recipe or a dense brownie recipe.  Something that will hold up to being dipped.  The recipe found on this blog post is tested and works great.

-If you use a recipe that involves melted chocolate in the batter (like the one found on this page) WAIT until the batter cools down to fill the pans.  Once it cools, it is sooo much easier to not overfill or have the batter ooze everywhere.  You will spend less time trying to pick off excess cake to make your pop perfectly round (or in my case, heart shaped), if you just wait to fill your moulds till the batter is cool.

-Put your cake pops in the freezer once removing them from the moulds.  Don't try to pick off excess yet- you will just tear your pop.  Freezer for 30 minutes.

-Once your pops are cold and hard (not frozen solid though), now is the time to trim the excess off the sides.  Just use your hands.  Knives and vegetable peelers caused more problems than is necessary.  Once your pops are cold and hard, the bits will just rub off in your hands.

Tips for Decorating Cake Pops

-I found the sticks would crack the cake pops if I just tied to push them in.  But once I started poking a hole with a pointy skewer first, problem was solved.

-Dip the tip of the stick in the melted chocolate or ganache before putting it in the cake pop- will act as glue later.

-There is a delicate balance (hard to maintain) between too hot and too cold for your chocolate or ganache.  Too hot and you will have dripping issues.  It will be a race between you and the warm chocolate trying to cover the chocolate in sprinkles (or whatever) and putting it on parchment paper on a plate in the fridge before it drips off everywhere in a mess.  Too cold and it won't cover smoothly.  It's jut practise.  Find that optimal temperature where you can dip your pop but it won't run off before you get it too the fridge.

-Use an extra stick to help remove the excess chocolate so you avoid as much dripping issues as possible- plus it's faster than waiting for it to run off itself. 

-Dip your pop in the chocolate but not in the coating (in my case coconut and sprinkles).  You have to pick the coating up in your hands and sprinkle it on. 

 

 

See all the excess? This was my first batch when the batter was still too warm.  Don't try to take off excess till your cake pops are cold and hard- freezer for 30 mins!

 

Finished Cake Pops



 

RECIPES

Fudgey Cake Pop Recipe (like a brownie)

Ingredients:

3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup butter

3/4 cup sugar

3 tbsp. cocoa

2 eggs

3/4 cup flour

1/4 tsp salt

24 lollipop sticks

toppings/coatings (I used a ganache and coconut, and white chocolate and sprinkles)

 

Directions:

 

Heat oven to 325F.  Grease and flour cake pop pan.

In a medium sauce pan, over low heat, melt chocolate chips and butter together.  Stir until smooth.  Remove from heat and pour into medium bowl.

 

Add sugar and cocoa. Mix until blended.

 

Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.

 

Add flour and salt. Stir until blended.

 

Spoon batter into bottom half of pan (without holes) filling each well so it mounds over the top of the pan.

 

Place top half of pan on top and secure with keys. Bake for 15-18 minutes, until toothpick inserted comes out almost clean.

 

Cool 5 minutes in pan, then remove cake pops from pan to a plate or bowl that you put in the freezer for 30 mins.

Prepare your toppings/coatings.  Remember not to dip your pops in chocolate that is too hot.  Always dip your stick into the chocolate before inserting it into the pop.  Sprinkle your coatings onto your dipped pops- don't roll the wet chocolate in anything.  Put on parchment lined pan/plate and put in fridge till coatings have set.  Keep cold till serving.

 

 

Nutella Ganache Recipe

Ingredients:

 

6 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips (weigh if you can- if not it's about a cup)

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup soft butter, diced

1/3 cup Nutella

 

Directions:

 

Put chocolate chips and butter in a medium, heat proof bowl.  Heat cream in a sauce pan over medium heat until almost boiling.  Pour cream over chocolate and butter.  Let sit a couple minutes and then stir till smooth.  If your kitchen is super cold and the cream cools before it can melt the chocolate perfectly, pop in the microwave for 10 seconds.

Add Nutella to melted chocolate.  Still till smooth.  Wait till cooled and a little thicker (but still loose enough you can dip your cake pop into it).

Refrigerate left overs for 30-60 minutes and then take teaspoon size pieces, roll into balls and coat in leftover sprinkles, coconut, whatever.  Voila- truffles!

 

 

Homemade Sugar Sprinkles Recipe

Note: Anyone else hate the store bought nasty sprinkles? So chemically tasting! These are delightful.

Ingredients:

sugar (whatever size crystals you desire for your sprinkles- I used a coarse cane sugar)

food colouring

Directions:

Set your oven to as low as it gets- for me it was 170F.  Mix sugar and a drop or two (to start) of food colouring in a bowl.  Mix till sugar is coated and add more colouring till you get what you want.  Spread on parchment lined pan and bake for 10 minutes.  Once cooled, break up and use as you desire. 

 

Old Fashioned Oatmeal Cake with Coconut-Brown Sugar Topping

Lovely, simple cake for after dinner when you feel like a little dessert.  I was able to successfully cut the recipe in half and pour into a small round cake pan.  Original recipe (as shown below) will fill a longer, rectangular dish/pan.

Ingredients:

Cake:
1 cup quick-oats
1 cup butter
1 1/4 cup boiling water
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 cups flour
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla

Icing:
5 tbsp butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup coconut
1/2 cup walnuts (optional)

Directions:

Cake:
Mix oats, butter and water together in large mixing bowl and put towel over top.  Let sit for 20 minutes.  Then rest of cake ingredients and mix well (I used my electric hand beaters).  Pour in greased pan and bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes (if recipe is cut in half, 20 mins). 

Icing:
Mix ingredients together in sauce pan over medium heat stirring often.  Bring to boil for a couple minutes (stirring stirring stirring so not to let the bottom burn).  If it's hard to see the "boiling" like it was for me, just let it cook long enough to incorporate and get hot.  Don't let the coconut burn.

Spread icing/topping on cake as soon as it's done baking so it melts into cake.  Serve warm.  Though I may have had a piece for breakfast at room temperature the next day and enjoyed it as well ;)

UPDATE: one time we topped the whole thing with skor bits.  Enough said.

Chocolate Raspberry Layer Cake

My daughter had her second birthday last week so obviously cake was in order.  I chose to make this raspberry chocolate layer cake.  I got my inspiration from this RECIPE but changed it to work for me.  I was a tad lame and used a box cake mix.  I just didn't think I'd have the time with a 3 month old and a 2 year old in the house.  I decided to try out a Pinterest pin I had seen about making box cake taste like it came from a bakery.  So I used a box cake called something like Fudgey Chocolate.  I added 5 eggs when it called for 3; I switched out whole milk for the water; I used melted butter instead of oil and I meant to add vanilla but I forgot.  When I tasted it I thought it could have used the vanilla, too.  So add 2 tsp.  It was much more impressive than regular box mix and I'd do it again....but only if I'm lacking time for making it from scratch. 

Below find my version of the recipe above.  It turned out delicious and everyone loved it, kids and adults.  I consider myself more of a cook than a baker so it's fun to tackle these bigger baking projects.  I'm still completely a novice when it comes to decoration and presentation BUT I have a decent handle on taste. So you can trust if you follow the recipe your cake will be delicious.  I just can't help with decoration tips....

I forgot to take a picture of the inside.  It had 3 filled layers (I cut the 2 round cakes in half so I had 4 pieces of cake).  2 creamy raspberry layers that looked like the ones from the recipe above and 1 layer that was kind of like raspberry jam that sat in the middle.

Chocolate Raspberry Layer Cake with Chocolate Cream Cheese Icing

box of fudgey chocolate cake mix or a recipe for your favourite chocolate cake
1 bag of frozen raspberries
1 lemon
cornstarch
1/3 c white sugar
3 tbsp flour
6 tbsp milk
1/4 tsp salt
9 tbsp butter
5 c icing sugar, divided into 2 cups and 3 cups
1 pkg cream cheese
1/3 c butter
1/2 c cocoa

1/4 tsp salt
Optional: fresh raspberries and a bar of chocolate to shave for garnish


1. Bake and cool your cake completely.  I used 2 9" round pans.  Remember to grease and flour your pans so the cake comes out easily.

2. Cook down entire bag of raspberries stirring constantly over medium heat.  Pour and push raspberries through a fine mesh siv to remove seeds.  This is slightly labour intensive.  Just keep running your spoon over the raspberries pushing through the seedless pulp into a bowl.

3. Pour seedless remains back into pot and put back on heat.  Add 1/3 c of sugar and stir till dissolved. In a small bowl, add the juice of half a lemon with a spoonful of cornstarch.  Mix till smooth.  Add to raspberries and stir constantly till thickened.  If it's not as thick as you'd like, add more cornstarch to some water in a bowl and then add to your raspberries.  Never add dry cornstarch to a wet substance, it will clump.  Always add it to a small amount of liquid first.  Once you've achieved the thickness you'd like (thick enough you can spread it on a cake- remember it will thicken a tiny bit more once it cools), put in a container with plastic wrap right on top of the raspberry filling to avoid that chewy skin that can develop (like with pudding).  Into the fridge it goes.  This is your middle raspberry filling.

4.  In another pot, combine 3 tbsp milk with 6 tbsp milk and cook over medium heat stirring constantly till thick.  Remove and let cool.

5.  Cream together the 9 tbsp butter with 2 c icing sugar.  Mix in cooled thick milk and 1/4 tsp salt and then start adding in your cooled raspberry filling from the fridge until you achieve a nice raspberry taste.  Put both raspberry fillings in fridge till ready to assemble your cake.

6.  To make the chocolate frosting, cream together the cream cheese, 1/3 c butter, cocoa, 3 c of icing sugar and salt. 

6.  When ready to assemble the cake, cut the two cakes into four very carefully by making a horizontal cut through the middle of each cake. When you have different coloured filling from your icing in a filled cake, you want to avoid the fillings spilling out to the icing so spread or pipe some of your icing on the very outside of the inside of all your layers to create a barrier for your filling.  On the bottom layer spread half your creamy filling inside your icing barrier.

See the pictures in this recipe if you are confused about the icing barrier.  Look at the pictures of the filling: http://www.beantownbaker.com/2010/04/lemon-raspberry-layer-cake.html.  (This is the inspiration for my next cake baking endeavour).

Top the filling with cake and then on that piece will be the non creamy raspberry filling- all of it.  Top that with cake and then fill that layer with the rest of your creamy raspberry mixture.  Top that with cake and then ice the whole thing with your cream cheese frosting.  You can youtube demos on successfully icing cakes if you don't do this often and need some tips.  Garnish however you please.  Keep cake in fridge until an hour or 2 before you want to eat it.

To clarify since I don't have a picture of the inside: cake, creamy filling, cake, non creamy/jammy kind of filling, cake, creamy filling, cake.

ENJOY

Pumpkin Cheesecake

Adapted from this site.

Ingredients:

Crust (I used gingersnap [2 cups crushed gingersnap cookies+ 6 tbsp butter pressed into 9.5inch springfoam pan, baked at 325 for 12 mins])

3 8oz pakages of cream cheese (I used 2 low fat and 1 regular)
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 tsp cinnamon
a good pinch of cloves
1/3 tsp nutmeg

Garnish (I used whipped cream (plus icing sugar and cinnamon), caramel sauce and crushed, roasted pecans)

Directions:

Cream together cream cheese and sugar
Add vanilla and eggs, mix
Fold in sour cream
Reserve 1 cup of mixture and pour rest onto prebaked crust
Add pumpkin and spices to reserved cream cheese mixture- gently mix in
Pour on top of cream cheese layer
Bake in a water bath at 350 for 40-60 minutes (keep checking after 40 minutes to avoid cracking- it's done when it jiggles in the middle like jello)
Turn oven off and prop door open for a few minutes
Let cool
Refridgerate till next day
Add garnishes and Enjoy!

Pretty Healthy Chocolate Zucchini Cake

http://www.yammiesnoshery.com/2011/08/secretly-healthy-chocolate-cake.html

Yummy chocolate cake for the times during the week when you want chocolate/treat but don't want to cheat too badly.  I topped mine with a little icing sugar/cocoa combo.  Super easy!

2/3 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup cocoa powder
2/3 cup applesauce
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup shredded zucchini (carrots would also work)
1/2 cup chocolate chips (optional)

Set oven to 350.

Mix dry ingredients, add egg, applesauce, vanilla, zucchini and chips.  Pour into a greased and floured pan (bundt, cake, muffin or loaf) and bake for 25-35 mins (depending on your pan) until your toothpick comes out clean.