Triple Chocolate Cake or How To Gussy Up Devil’s Food Cake Mix

Sometimes, making things with a box mix just makes sense. I’ve been in caretaking mode and needed something that would stimulate an appetite but not be difficult to make in the limited time I have. It also helps to have cake around with grand kids and great-grands over to visit my mom.

I’ve also been craving chocolate and this recipe uses three kinds with the devil’s food cake mix, with chocolate pudding and with bittersweet morsels.

My original recipe had it being made in a bundt pan but a 9×13 pan works well, too.

Yummy! Richly chocolate, moist and delicious, the cake was half gone before I was able to take a picture.

Gussied Up Devil's Food Cake

1 box Devil’s Food Chocolate Cake Mix (I used Duncan Hines)
1 small package of Chocolate Pudding (I used 5.9 ounces of the pudding mix I make)
1 cup Greek yogurt
3/4 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
⅓ cup hot coffee
1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips, roughly chopped

Preheat oven to 350F. Butter a 9×13 pan and dust with flour or cocoa.

In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a medium-large mixing bowl with an electric mixer, combine cake mix, pudding mix, Greek yogurt, oil, eggs, and hot coffee. Begin mixing on low-medium speed, then gradually increase to medium-high speed and beat for a couple of minutes, until smooth.

Stir in chocolate chips.

Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 50-55 minutes, or until top springs back when touched and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Allow cake to cool in pan for about an hour. Allow cake to completely cool before frosting.

Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
1 stick butter, softened
1 8oz package of cream cheese, softened
1 3/4 cups confectioners sugar
¼ cup cocoa
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Sift together powdered sugar and cocoa. Add to a mixing bowl with the softened butter and cream cheese and beat to mix. Add 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Increase speed of mixer and continue until light and fluffy.

Purple Hull Pea and Sausage Jambalaya

A family friend had a large yield from their garden and gave us several bags of purple hull peas they had put up. These peas are less earthy than their black eyed pea cousins and, like all southern peas, are super healthy with lots of dietary fiber, iron, protein and folate.

I served this with a pan of my Mama’s Cornbread – recipe here.

Finished dish is hearty and complex and quite delicious. With all the layers of flavor, every bite is a pleasure.

4 rashers of bacon, chopped
1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
½ cup rice
1 lb. sausage, sliced
3 cups purple hull peas
1 quart chicken or vegetable stock
1 can Ro-Tel Diced Tomatoes and Green Chilies
½ teaspoon each Salt and pepper to taste

Brown the bacon in a Dutch oven or other heavy stockpot. Drain on paper towels, leaving as much bacon fat in the pot as possible. Sauté the onion in the bacon grease until golden, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and sauté until fragrant. Sprinkle over the flour and stir constantly for 5 minutes to cook the flour. Add in the rice and stir until coated in oil and lightly toasted. Toss in the sausage and cooked bacon and purple hull peas and stir until glistening. Pour in chicken stock and the can of Ro-Tel. Add in 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Stir while bringing to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour or until peas are soft, stirring occasionally. Taste for seasoning.

Serve with cornbread.

Microwave Poaching an Egg

As regular readers of this blog know, I’ve been working to make perfect poached and soft boiled eggs (version 1 with steam, version 2 with an inch of water). I had never considered using the microwave until I saw a video of a woman poaching an egg in a ramekin.

I tried it and it works. It did take some experimenting to find the sweet spot between 35-45 seconds but the results are marvelous.

Break an egg in a glass ramekin or other small bowl. I prefer glass because you can watch the egg cook. Fill the ramekin the rest of the way with water, so there is at least 1 1/2 inches of water above the egg. Place in the center of the microwave and set the microwave on high power for 35-45 seconds, depending on the size of your eggs and how runny you want the yellow. The ones pictured above took 43 seconds. Once done, remove from the water with a slotted spoon and serve with toast.

This isn’t really the best process when you’re cooking for a crowd but it is perfect for a quick meal without a lot of fuss or cleanup.

Olive Loaves

As the weather is turning colder, I wanted some crusty bread. Something good for sandwiches and with soup. I added olives as I’ve been on a salt kick lately and thought the briney olives would be a good combination.

I was right. Such good bread. I had some with olive oil and a dukkah seedy nut mix I had picked up at Trader Joe’s.

These batards were chewy and flavorful with a crispy crust and lots of bites of olive. There is a bit of time involved but it is totally worth it.

2 ½ cups all purpose flour
1 cup bread flour
1 ½ cups water
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon active dry yeast
1 ½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped
½ cup kalamata olives, chopped

Mix all ingredients except the olives in a medium sized bowl until well combined. Cover and let it rest at room temperature for 15 minutes. Stretch and fold the dough into itself by taking a pinch of the outside edge and bringing it to the center. Continue around the entire edge. Then let it rest, covered, for another 15 minutes.

Knead and mix in the olives for about 5 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge. Let the dough proof overnight or as long as 36 hours.

Remove the dough from the fridge about 4 hours ahead of baking. Let come to room temperature for about 90 minutes. Fold the dough onto itself and then let continue to relax for another 90 minutes.

Divide the dough into 3 pieces. Gently shape each piece into an oval. I usually pat it into a rectangle with my hands and then fold it together three times like a business letter. Then, I turn it over on the seam and roll it out to the desired length. Place on a sheet of parchment paper and let them rest for 30 minutes.

Preheat a baking stone or tray in the oven at 450 degrees F.

Carefully transfer the loaves to the preheated baking stone/tray and bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown. Adding steam in the first 8-10 minutes will help to make them more crisp. Finished bread will be 200 degrees F and sound hollow when you thump it.

Let cool at least ten minutes before tearing into them.

Beer Boiled Peanuts

I’ve been looking for green peanuts so I could boil them and haven’t had much joy until I found some at Publix. Yay to me.

The recipe I used this time is scaled down from the recipe I’ve posted before as I was only able to find the smaller bags and I didn’t want to spend all day over the Dutch oven. Cooking them in the slow cooker is very easy.

Super flavorful and mega delicious.

2 lbs of green peanuts
1 quart of beer – about 2 ½ bottles
¼ cup Old Bay Seasoning or Zatarain’s Shrimp and Crab Boil
3/4 cup kosher salt (I used Morton Coarse Kosher Salt)

Rinse the peanuts and remove any stems, sticks and empty shells.

Pour the beer into the slow cooker with the salt and seasoning. Pour in 3 additional quarts of water. Stir to dissolve the seasoning. Place the peanuts into the slow cooker being careful not to splash the salty liquid everywhere. Cook on high for 4 to 6 hours or until peanuts are softened and flavorful. As they soften, they will sink so that is another way to tell that they’re getting done.

Good boiled peanuts are salty and briny but if the peanuts are too salty, remove some of the boiling liquid and replace with an equal volume of water. Taste again after an hour. Conversely, if they require more seasoning, add salt and seasoning in 2 tablespoon amounts, let cook and taste again.

To freeze, place in zip top bags. I store mine in pint bags. Place frozen peanuts in a small saucepan with water and bring to a boil. After 5 minutes of boiling the peanuts will be warm and ready to eat.

Honey Tea Cake

I am getting a lot of recipes passing by my social feeds for Rosh Hashanah. I was intrigued by the honey tea cakes in particular. They all looked delicious but I knew I had to make a couple of tweaks. Most seem to have almonds on top but I’m much more of a fan of pecans. Many also use Earl Grey tea but as I love the flavors of Constant Comment, I used two of those bags.

If you use 3 mini loaf pans, they won’t nearly overflow like these. Even with the impressive size, they taste wonderful. Light and flavor but not too sweet. Perfect for a tea break or just to enjoy with coffee.

Have a good and sweet year! Shanah tovah um’tukah!

Steep 2 black tea teabags in 1/2 cup of water (I used Constant Comment)
1 ¼ cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon of baking powder
½ teaspoon of baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup of vegetable oil
½ cup honey
½ cup of toasted pecans, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil 3 mini loaf pans or 1 large one.

Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.

Mix eggs and brown sugar. Whisk in oil and then honey and mix until smooth. Add flour mixture, whisking to combine. Stir in tea.

Pour batter into loaf pans. Sprinkle top with pecans. Bake 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

These cakes freeze well, just wrap in plastic wrap and place in a zip top bag.

Coconut Brownies

I had most of the can of cream of coconut left over from my piña coladas the other night. There wasn’t enough to make coconut macaroons but there was plenty to make coconut brownies (plus enough to experiment with another cocktail).

Decadently rich with a lovely coconut and very deeply chocolate flavor. So yummy!

4 ounces bittersweet chocolate
3/4 cup Coco Lopez® Cream of Coconut
1 ½ cups sugar
3 large eggs, beaten
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup chocolate morsels (I used Ghiradelli Bittersweet morsels)

Preheat the oven to 35O°. Butter an 8-inch square brownie pan.

Melt the chocolate in the coconut cream in the top of a double broiler over simmering water. Remove from heat.

Combine the sugar, eggs and vanilla in a large mixing bowl and whisk until smooth. Mix in the chocolate mixture. Sift together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder and salt. Add to the brownie batter and just to mix to combine. Stir in the chocolate morsels. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

Bake the brownies until the top is crusty, but the center remains a little soft, about 35 minutes. Let cool completely in the pan on a wire rack. Cut the brownies into 8 rectangles.

Piña Colada

It has been super hot, without much precipitation so I’m hoping that drinking a piña colada will not only be refreshing but increase my odds of getting caught in the rain.

If you want, you can make it virgin by increasing the pineapple juice to 4 ounces and dropping the rum.

Smooth and refreshing. Took me right out of my crabby mood. Make your own and escape.

2 ounces light rum
2 ounces pineapple juice (I used Dole)
2 ounces cream of coconut (I use Coco Lopez)

Put the rum, pineapple juice and cream of coconut into a shaker with a handful of ice and shake vigorously. Pour over ice in a large glass.

Rosemary Honey Butter Grilled Sweet Potatoes

I was doing my grilling for the 4th a day early and decided that I wanted to try something new on the sweet potatoes. Instead of brown sugar, I went with a local honey collected by my parents’ realtor – Coastal Honey Farm in Lillian, Alabama. The rest was easy – sprinkle in some rosemary and salt, mash it together and toss on the grill.

The sweet potato is smokey, creamy, herby and just a little sweet. Terrific!

1 stick butter, softened
3 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
½ teaspoon salt
2 large sweet potatoes

Mix the honey, salt and rosemary with the butter until well combined. Set aside.

Wash the sweet potatoes and cut into planks about ½ inch thick. Toss in the butter. Put on the grill for 20 minutes. Flip and then baste with more of the honey butter. Cook until done – they should not give resistance when poked. Toss again to baste again and then remove from the grill.

Happy grilling!

Fudgy Chocolate Cherry Cookies

I had an opened bag of dried cherries that was slowly petrifying. I wanted to make something that would bring them back to life but I also wanted chocolate.

I could have replumped the cherries using steam or a double boiler (something I typically do for raisins before adding them to Oatmeal Raisin Cookies) but I wanted to add some flavor. I had a bottle of Cortas Orange Blossom Water that was ideal as cherries, oranges and chocolate go so well together.

The result was chewy cherries in a rich fudgy chocolate cookie with a delicate perfume of orange. Some pecans for nuttiness and the cookies were super delicious!

Fudgey Chocolate Cherry Cookies

1 ½ cup all purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup dried cherries, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons Orange Blossom Water (I used Cortas)
1 stick unsalted butter
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
¼ cup cocoa powder
1 large egg
½ cup packed dark brown sugar
¼ cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate morsels
½ cup pecans, chopped

Heat the oven to 325 degrees F. with the racks in the upper and lower middle positions.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.

In a microwave safe bowl, stir together the cherries and orange blossom water to flavor and plump up the dried cherries. Microwave uncovered on high until the cherries for 30 seconds to a minute. Stir and set aside. The cherries will slowly absorb the liquid.

In a double boiler over low heat, melt the butter. Add the chopped chocolate and the cocoa. Whisk until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. Let cool until barely warm to the touch.

In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the egg and both sugars until combined. With the mixer running on low, add the vanilla, then slowly pour in the chocolate-butter mixture. Beat on medium until well mixed, scraping down the bowl once or twice. With the mixer running on low, add the dry ingredients, then mix just until combined. Stir in the chocolate chips, the pecans and the cherries along with any remaining liquid until the ingredients are evenly distributed.

Divide the dough into large spoonfuls and roll each portion into a ball with your hands. Place the balls on baking sheets, spacing them evenly. Bake until slightly cracked on top and the edges feel firm, 14 to 16 minutes, switching and rotating the baking sheets about halfway through. Cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer the cookies to a wire rack. Cool to room temperature before storing in an airtight container.