Fudge Pudding Cake

Sometimes you have one of those days where you just NEED chocolate.

On those days I usually turn to my trusty handy dandy chocolate mug cake. 

However, as fate would have it, my loving family, also wanted dessert.  I did NOT have the patience to measure up three separate mugs of cake.  I wanted something that I could toss together in one bowl, pop it in the oven and forget about it.

Warm fudgy pudding cake from the Kitchn seemed like the perfect fit.

This dessert is similar to the mug cake I love so much where the top is cake-y and the bottom has a gooey fudgy pudding.

Oh yes, it looks like a hot mess.  There's no mistaking that.  But it tasted great and satisfied my chocolate desires.

I wish I'd taken a picture of the gooey pudding on the bottom.  Alas, such is the life of the chocolate junkie.  We can't even remember to take a picture we need our fix so badly.

I thought this cake tasted even better the next day with a quick nuke in the microwave to take the chill off.  And, no.  I still didn't remember to take a picture.  Give me my chocolate and leave me alone!

There are just a few minor changes I'd make to the recipe.  I'd cut the sugar down, particularly in the pudding.  Not exactly sure by how much, but I'd start by reducing the total sugar in the pudding to 3/4c from a whole cup.  

Then I'd use hot water instead of cold.  The cold water gave the top of the cake a crunchy granulated texture I could have done without.  I think using hot water would quickly dissolve the sugar and eliminate that issue.

Warm Fudgy Pudding Cake (Serves 6 to 8) from The Kitchn 

For the cake:
1 cup (5 ounces) all-purpose flour
3/4 cup (6 ounces) white sugar
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1/2 cup (4 ounces) milk, whole or 2%
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla

For the pudding:
1/2 cup (4 ounces) white sugar
1/2 cup (4 ounces) brown sugar
1/4 cup (2 ounces) unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup (8 ounces) cold water

Heat the oven to 375°F. Grease or spray with non-stick cooking spray an 8"x"8 baking pan.
Sift flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt through a fine-meshed strainer into a mixing bowl. (I skipped that part.) Combine the milk, melted butter, and vanilla. Pour the liquids over the dry ingredients, and stir gently with a spatula just until no more dry flour is visible. Scrape this batter into the pan and smooth the top.

For the pudding layer, combine the white sugar, brown sugar, and cocoa powder in a small bowl. Pour over the cake batter and shake the pan to evenly distribute the sugars. Pour the cold water over the sugars. Do not stir. Put the pan immediately into the oven and bake for 40 to 45 minutes. As it bakes, the cake will rise to the top while the pudding forms beneath. The cake is finished baking when the edges of the cake turn dark brown and crispy, and when the top of the cake is shiny and dry to the touch.

Let the cake cool for at least 15 minutes before serving. Scoop slices of cake and the pudding beneath into individual bowls and top with ice cream. Leftovers will keep refrigerated for up to a week and can be reheated for 20 seconds in the microwave. 

Belated Thankful Thurs #46

 

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   1. We got the leaves raked into piles before it started to hail.

   2. A nice early Thanksgiving dinner at my Father-in-laws.

   3. Blockette isn't coughing through the night.

   4. My mom says her physical therapy is already helping to reduce the   pain from her fall last month.

   5. I didn't sob hysterically when I dropped a sheet of cookies taking them out of the oven, even though I wanted to.

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 6. I also didn't shed a single tear when I dropped my purse in the grocery store and everything fell out onto the ground.  (Of course I wanted to crawl into a hole in the ground, but at least there were no waterworks.)

7. I didn't scream and freak out the preschool kids when I saw the giant bug in the church basement.

8. Potential Black Friday deals found on the internet.

9. Sleeping all night.

10. Blockette waiting in the office after school for me is working out well so far.

Avast! It be National Bundt Day!

We've waited patiently all year for this day. It's finally here! NATIONAL BUNDT DAY!!!!!! This is cause for celebration people. Break out your fanciest bundt pans and that non stick spray with flour, cause it's party time!

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 That's right Jack.  The secret ingredient in today's bundt is RUM.

Rum in the cake AND the glaze.

Yeah. You read that right.  

Rum 

in 

the 

cake

AND

 the 

glaze.

See!

 That bundt is drenched in rummy glaze-y perfection.

This glaze is probably the best glaze in the seven seas.  

It's even better than the Vanilla Caramel Glaze from yesterday.

Why?

Rum of course.

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 Oh Jack, don't fret.  I didn't use ALL the rum making this cake.  

 There's still plenty left over for you.

You're most welcome. 

Swoon.

(You decide whether I'm swooning over the cake or the smoldering look from the pirate.)

The Bestest Rum Cake, YAR! from My Homemade Life

1 box Yellow Cake Mix

1 small box Jello Instant Vanilla Pudding

4 eggs

1/2 c. Dark Rum (I used Malibu, because I like coconut rum)

1/2 c. Vegetable Oil

1/2 c. Water

3/4 c. chopped walnuts

For Glaze:

1/4 c. Dark Rum (I used Malibu again)

1 stick butter

1 c. sugar



Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray bundt pan with baker's joy or pam with flour.  Coat that bad boy really really well.

 

In a large bowl, combine cake mix, pudding mix, rum, eggs, oil and water. Pour batter into pan.  Then sprinkle walnuts evenly over the top of batter. Bake 40-50 min. Baking times will vary with ovens.  Test with toothpick for done-ness.

10 min before cake is done, prepare glaze. In a small pan, over med-high, combine butter,  sugar, and rum.  Stir with wooden spoon until it comes to a soft rolling boil. Keep stirring the mixture so the sugar breaks down and is not all gritty.  Just like what you would do when making fudge. When the sugar is no longer gritty, remove the pan from the heat. 

 

Take your cake out of the oven and set your Bundt pan on a cookie sheet.  This is so the glaze won't run off onto your counter. Gently pour the rum glaze of awesomeness over the top of the cake as soon as it comes out of the oven.  Let the cake sit for two hours.  In the meantime you can lick any remaining glaze off the spoon and out of the pan you prepared it in.  Try to wait until the pan has cooled so you don't burn yourself.

After two hours, the glaze will have set.  Use a knife to loosen any glaze from the edges of the pan.

Take out two dinner plates, or what ever you are going to serve it on.  First invert the cake on plate number 1.  Then invert the cake again on your second or fancy serving plate.  This way the glaze-iest Rummiest side is on the top. 

Slice the cake once it has cooled completely.

Try not to eat the whole damn thing in one sitting.

Autumn Spice Apple-Banana Bundt

Are you ready for it?

National Bundt Day is tomorrow!

I had big plans to make 5 bundts and post one each day this week. With Blockette and I both getting over our colds/sinus infections/bubonic plague, that just didn't happen. I did manage to make two though! One for today, so you can prepare yourself for the majesty that is Bundt Day, and one for the most honored day itself.

Today's bundt is the Spiced Apple and Banana bundt from Avarie Cooks.  This cake has two, count 'em, two different fruits in it.  No need to go to the gym people, cause this cake is so darn healthy!

Would you look at that glaze...drool drool.  It's Vanilla Caramel Glaze.  Vanilla. Caramel. Glaze.  This stuff is so good it's criminal.  I had some glaze left over and I ate that stuff right off the spoon, on sliced apples.

I want to remind you that it is a scientific fact, that if frosting enables you to eat healthy things like fruit, then the frosting itself becomes healthy as well.  What?  You didn't know that?  I bet you're glad you visited my blog today then, just for that helpful factoid.  Oh, and the recipe for this delicious cake!

The cake itself was quite moist, without being soggy or dense.  To me that says it has the perfect amount of fruit.  Don't you hate it when you make banana bread and it is so moist it's squooshy?  You don't have to worry about that with this cake. 

I liked this cake so much that I even put it on our fancy wedding china!  (You know something's special when you eat it off plates that can't go in the dishwasher.)

This cake would make a great holiday alternative to apple or pumpkin pie.  The flavors are very autumnal with the pumpkin spice, nutmeg and cloves.

 Spiced Apple And Banana Bundt from Averie Cooks
1/4 c butter, melted
1/4 c  vegetable oil
5 to 6 ounces vanilla or plain yogurt (I used 6 oz low fat sour cream)
2 large eggs
1 c sugar
1/4 c brown sugar
1 T vanilla
1/2 t cinnamon
1/4 t ginger
1/4 t pumpkin pie spice
1/4 t nutmeg
1/4 t ground cloves
1 c mashed ripe bananas (about 1 1/2 lg bananas)
1 c finely diced apples- about 1 med apple (If you're feeling lazy, shred it in the food processor.)
2 c flour
1 1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t salt, optional and to taste

Preheat oven to 350F and spray a 12-cup Bundt cake pan with a cooking spray for baking that contains flour.

In a large microwave-safe bowl, melt butter, 1 min. To melted butter, add oil, yogurt, eggs, sugars, vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, pumpkin pie spice, nutmeg, cloves. Whisk til batter smooth, about 1 min  vigorous whisking. Add bananas, apples, and stir to combine. Add flour, baking soda, salt, and stir until just combined, taking care not to over-mix. Pour into prepared pan. Bake 39-43 mi, til cake tester comes out clean. Allow cake to cool in pan 15 min before inverting and removing cake.

While cake is cooling, make caramel sauce. Poke approximately 25 holes in top surface of cake with a chopstick. The holes will allow the glaze to seep into the cake’s interior.
 

Vanilla Caramel Glaze Makes about 1 c  glaze, enough to generously glaze the cake
1/4 c butter, melted
1/3 c brown sugar
2 T milk
1 T vanilla extract
1 1/2 to 2 cups+ confectioners’ sugar, sifted (must be sifted)

Note: This is a fast moving recipe; have everything in place before you begin.

In sm saucepan, melt butter over med-high. To butter, add br sugar and bring to boil, stirring  continuously. Allow to boil rapidly 2 min, stirring continuously. Remove pan from burner, allow it to cool 1 min, add cream, taking caution because mixture could bubble vigorously. Whisk aggressively to incorporate cream and calm bubbling.

After bubbling has subsided, add vanilla and whisk to combine, using caution because the alcohol in the extract could cause mixture to bubble up again. Add  sugar 1/2 c at a time, until desired sauce consistency is reached. Pour glaze over cake and allow it to set up for a few minutes if desired; or slice and serve immediately.

Cake will keep for up to 5 days in an airtight container at room temperature. If there is extra unused glaze, it can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 month; gently reheat it in the microwave prior to glazing another dessert.

Baked potato

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I'm writing this post so I don't have to keep looking up a recipe to make a classic baked potato. Can you believe I can never remember what temp, and for how long to cook them? Good thing I've got this blog!

The directions I use to make a baked potato were obtained from The Purposed Heart.

Here's what you need to do:

1. Preheat your oven to 400F.

2. Scrub the spuds.

3. Poke the potatoes with a fork all over the place.

4. Rub with EVOO.

5. Sprinkle with coarse salt.  (I used sea salt, but Kosher would be cool.)

6. Take the tubers and place them directly on the oven rack.  If you wanna get fancy, stick a pan on the rack underneath to catch any oozy bits.

7. Bake for 45-60 min, or until a fork can poke the potato with very little resistance.

8. Split the tater open and load it up with your favorite toppings!

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Pumpkin PB Oatmeal Bars

I was in a pumpkin-y sort of mood so I made these pumpkin peanut butter oatmeal bars from Averie Cooks.

What's great about these bars is they are Gluten and Vegan Free.  Yes!  Fear not, activists, they are NOT made from any Vegans.  Well, I suppose you could use Vegans if you really wanted to, but I find they are too crunchy, even in milk, cow or otherwise.

Here is a finished photo of the yummy pumpkin peanut bars, right out of the oven.

Sure, I could have stopped there, but Averie from Averie Cooks, started talking about frosting at the end of her recipe and I was totally sold on that idea.  What dessert isn't made better by frosting?  She even gave three suggestions: Cream cheese, Dark Rum Caramel and peanut butter chocolate.

Well, I didn't have any cream cheese, so that one was out.  I was also lacking the cream and dark rum needed for the caramel frosting.  So Peanut butter chocolate it was.

Let me wax poetic for a bit about this frosting...it was, I kid you not, the shiznat.

I stored the bars in the fridge, so the frosting stayed nice and firm.  It was like a medium soft fudge.  Oh my stars and whiskers.  I'm drooling right now just thinking about it.

In fact, I liked the frosting so much that I'd turn the bar on its side, eat the pumpkin oatmeal part first, just so I could eat the frosting by itself.

I don't know if it was the frosting that put these bars over the top, but they are super rich.  Originally, I cut the bars into 5 rows and then divided those rows in half, for a total of 10 bars.  After one bar that size, I felt kinda sick from all the sugar.  So, I cut the rows into thirds.  That seemed like a perfect size. No one complained about the decreased size, or asked for seconds.

Next time I make these I will probably reduce the amount of sugar in the bars and the frosting.  Although, that change will most likely result in me needing to slice the bars larger.  Guess it's a trade off!

Pumpkin Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars with Chocolate Frosting from Averie Cooks
 1/2 c peanut butter
1 c pumpkin puree
2 c oats (whole rolled, not quick cook)
1 c brown sugar, packed
1/2 c white sugar
1 T pumpkin pie spice
1 heaping t cinnamon
2t-1 T vanilla
Optional: raisins, nuts, chocolate/white/peanut butter chips (I used a scant cup each of white and semi sweet chips)

Combine all ingredients.  Spread batter (will be moist) into a foil-lined and spayed 8 x 8 (or 9x9) pan.  Bake at 350F for 22-25 min or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  The bars may still look underdone. They will continue to set up as they cool.  Let bars sit while preparing the frosting.

choco PB frosting from Averie Cooks
1 c chocolate chips
1/4 c butter/margarine
1/4 c peanut butter
2 T milk/cream (add more/less depending on desired consistency of frosting)
1 t vanilla extract
1 c sifted powdered sugar

Nuke chips for 30 sec. Stir. Repeat.  Add soft butter. Stir until combined.  The heat from the melted chocolate will melt the butter. Add  the  peanut butter.  Stir until fully blended. Add milk and vanilla. Stir.  Finally, add sifted powdered sugar.  Mix it up one final time until you can't see any white specks from the powdered sugar.

Once the bars have cooled slightly, spread on that delicious frosting.  Store bars in the fridge to speed up the cooling process. Do not slice bars until they have cooled completely.

Bars may be stored on counter, fridge or freezer.

Pinterest Fact or Fiction: A Clean Washer

I was doing laundry the other day, and being a short person, I frequently have to stick my head in the washing machine to grab that lone pesky straggler sock.  This time I was met with a knock down drag out nasty funk of a smell.

Apparently, washing machines need to be cleaned.

How did I not know this?

They clean your clothes so why should they be dirty?  Then again, you clean your body in the shower and the tub and shower can get pretty disgusting as well.

So I set myself to finding a cure for the stinky situation. My trusty old pinterest search found me many a tips and tricks on how to clean the washing machine.  I chose the directions for Cleaning a top loading washer from DIY Naturally.

All you need is 4 cups of vinegar, 1/2 c baking soda, dishrag and a bit of elbow grease.  I had a hard time getting into some of the nooks and crannies so I used Mrblocko's toothbrush to get out all the gunk from the hard to reach places.

No.  Not really.   I just like to throw stuff like that in my posts just to make sure he is reading them.

I did have to use a toothbrush, just not Mrblocko's.

What you'll need to do is:
1. Fill your washer with HOT water.
2. Add the vinegar and let it agitate for a minute.
3. Add the baking soda and let that shimmy itself in the mix for another minute.
4.  Let this stuff sit for 30-60 min.  (Just leave the lid open to make sure the washer doesn't continue onto the spin cycle.)
5.  Scrub the parts you can get with the rag/toothbrush and liquid in the basin until you can't see anymore of the filth.
6.  Let the washer complete it's wash cycle.
7. Voila! You've got a mean clean washin' machine!

 Anyhow.  Above is the before picture. 

I don't know if you can see all the gunk on the plastic part on top of the basin.  Ten years of gunk and filth.

Now here is the after:

No more grodies.  AND no more smell. 

Success! 

Mark this one down as a pinterest FACT!