Spring Has Sprung!

Dark Chocolate Espresso Cake

Seems like spring always brings big change. 

Last spring we made this Lemon Poppy Seed Cake and met this angel for the first time. 

This spring, we made this Dark Chocolate Espresso Cake and that angel is our favorite kitchen helper!

    

This spring, my husband and I are moving, selling our first home, changing jobs and reconfiguring life. Also, this spring, I ran my first half marathon. Which, as any monumental occasion does, called for a celebratory cake!

But seriously y'all, this cake.

Cake Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cup hot, dark coffee
• 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 3/4 cups sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1 1/4 cups full fat, sour cream
• 1 cup + 2 tablespoons melted coconut oil

Icing Ingredients:

• 200 grams dark chocolate*
• 1 1/3 cup butter, at room temperature
• 1 1/2 cup powdered sugar, sifted
• 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 tsbp espresso
• 1/2 tsp vanilla powder

*The best quality chocolate you can find! I used 100 grams unsweetened and 100 grams bittersweet.

Cake Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour 3 x 6-inch or 3 x 8-inch cake pans.
2. Whisk the coffee and cocoa powder in a mixing bowl until no lumps remain. Set aside. 
3. In another bowl, sift together the dry ingredients (flour, salt and baking soda)
4. In electric mixer, beat the sugar and eggs together until smooth and pale yellow in color (I use level 6 on my Kitchen Aide for a good 6 minutes). Stir in the sour cream, followed by the coconut oil. Add the flour mixture all at once and stir until combined. Stir in the cocoa mixture and mix until smooth.
5. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cake pans and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 25-35 minutes. 
6. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes - This is vital unless you want the bottoms to stick! Then remove and place on a wire rack to cool.

Icing Directions:

1. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler then remove from heat and let cool.
2. Whip butter until light and fluffy (Again,I use level 6 on my Kitchen Aide but this time for a7 or 8 minutes).
3. Gradually add sifted powdered sugar and cocoa powder until smooth.
4. Add the melted chocolate and whip until incorporated. 
5. Add espresso and vanilla and mix until the icing is smooth and super fluffy.

Assembly:

1. Take a spoonful of icing and put it centered on your cake plate. 
2. While cake is barely warm, place the first cake down and make sure it is firmly placed on the plate. Ice the top and sides. Followed by remaining cakes and ice the full cake with a thin layer of frosting.
3. Refrigerate until icing is set.
4. Remove cake from fridge and use remaining icing to frost the whole cake smoothly.
5. Refrigerate until icing is set.
6. Eat chilled!

It's That Time of Year

It's that time of year when the world falls in love... And so do the Reynolds family with a new favorite Christmas cookie. Christmas time is all about making some tried and true family recipes, but why not try something new this Christmas. We're glad we ventured out with this classic Rugelach recipe. Rugelach is a traditional holiday treat made with a buttery, flakey crust and filled with a sweet pecan-walnut filling. They were a big hit with the Reynolds boys especially. Simply make the dough, add the filling, and roll 'em up to create a Christmas present that your tongue will be thrilled to open up. 

Make these a new Christmas tradition. We have. 

Nut-Filled Rugelach

Dough:
2 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 package (8 ounces) cold cream cheese, cubed
2 sticks (1 cup) cold unsalted butter, cubed
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg yolk
1 batch filling (see ideas below)
Powdered sugar

Nut Filling:
2 cups walnuts and/or pecans (any combination)
1/4 cup melted butter
1/4 cu honey
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tspn vanilla extract

Directions:
1. Combine the flour and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse several times to mix.

2. Scatter the cubes of cream cheese and butter over the flour. Pulse 10 to 12 times until coarse crumbs form.

3. Whisk together the vanilla and yolk in a bowl, and the pour them over the butter-flour mixture. Run the processor continuously until the dough starts to clump together and form large curdlike pieces.

4. Turn the dough out onto the counter and gather the pieces into a ball. Divide into four portions and flatten each into 1-inch thick disks.

5. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate the dough at least 2 hours or up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 3 months (thaw in the refrigerator before using).

6. When you are ready to bake the rugelach, preheat oven to 375 degrees and prepare filling (below)

7. Sprinkle your work surface generously with powdered sugar. Take one disk of dough from the refrigerator and let it warm on the counter for 1-2 minutes. Sprinkle the surface of the dough and the rolling pin with more powdered sugar. Roll the dough from the center out into a circle about 1/8-inch thick. Don't worry if a few cracks form near the edges. Use more powdered sugar as needed to prevent sticking.

8. Spread the filling in a thin layer evenly over the surface of the dough. Make sure it goes right up to the edge of the dough.

9. Slice the dough into 16 wedges, like a pizza, using a pizza cutter or sharp knife. Roll up each wedge, beginning at the wide outer edge and moving inward. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Make sure the tip is tucked underneath.

10. Refrigerate cookies on the baking sheet, 20 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare remaining batches.

11. Bake the first tray of cookies until golden-brown, 20-25 minutes. Cool on the sheet, 5 minutes; transfer to a wire rack. Bake the remaining cookies.

Filling Directions:
In a food processor, grind 1 cup walnuts and 1 cup pecans until they break into tiny crumbs, 30 to 40 pulses. (Be careful of over-processing and making nut-butter.) Combine the ground nuts in a bowl with 1/2 stick (1/4 cup) melted butter, 1/4 cup honey, 1/4 cup granulated sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla.

Oh and this is our adorable sister singing in church!

Fall Spiced Snickerdoodles

Ingredients:
8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cream of tarter
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon plus 4 teaspoons cinnamon, divided
2 tspn nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon whole milk
1 cup plus 3 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided
1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar

Time: 1 and 1/2 hours

Directions:
1- In a medium skillet, melt the butter over medium heat swirling the pan occasionally until the foam subsides and the butter turns nut brown, 8 to 10 minutes.  Pour the browned butter directly into the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment.  Beat the butter on low speed to release the heat and bring it to room temperature, 5 to 7 minutes.

2- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, 1 teaspoon of the cinnamon, and the salt.

3- In a small bowl, combine the eggs and milk and whisk lightly.

4- Once the butter is cooled, turn off the mixer, add 1 cup of the granulated sugar and the brown sugar, and beat on medium speed for about 2 minutes.  Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and beat again for a few seconds.  Turn the mixer to low and stream in the egg mixture,  Continue beating on medium speed until thoroughly combined, 30 to 45 seconds.

5- Add the flour mixture in several parts, beating after each addition for 10 to 15 seconds, or until just barely incorporated.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl and gather the dough into a mound in the middle. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours.

6- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.  In a wide-mouthed bowl, stir together the remaining 3 tablespoons of sugar and 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon of cinnamon until the mixture is uniform in color.

7- Using a small 2-tablespoon-size ice cream scoop with a release mechanism, scoop the dough into balls and roll the dough balls in the cinnamon sugar mixture. Place the cookies about 1 1/2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets and bake for about 10 minutes.

8. Set the pans on wire racks to cool for 10 minutes.  Use a spatula to transfer the cookies to the racks to cool completely.