Chocolate Cake

 

This is my favourite go to chocolate cake. It is moist and very quick to mix up. It is frosted with a simple buttercream icing. I like to make it in a 9x13 inch baking pan but if you want to make it extra special you can make it into a layer cake. 

Chocolate Cake


1 3/4 cups all purpose flour

3/4 cup cocoa powder

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

2 cups white sugar

1 tsp Kosher salt

2 eggs

1 cup milk

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup boiling water

2 tsp instant espresso or instant coffee powder
Instructions:
You can make this cake by hand or in a stand mixer.

 

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Grease a 9x13 inch baking pan.

Combine flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, sugar and salt into a large bowl. Whisk briefly to combine.

Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla. Mix well to combine.

Add espresso powder to boiling water and stir until dissolved. Then add to the other ingredients. The batter will be thin.

Pour batter into the cake pan.

Bake for 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean.

Cool cake completely before frosting.



Baking Time for Other Cake Pans:


Two 9 inch round cake pans, bake for 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Three eight inch cake pans, bake for 25 minutes.




Buttercream Frosting:


1 Cup room temperature butter

4 Cups powdered sugar

½ Cup Cocoa powder

1 tsp vanilla extract

5 Tablespoons milk

¼ teaspoon Kosher salt




Beat the butter either in a stand mixer or with hand held electric beaters until smooth and creamy.

Add powdered sugar, 2 cups at a time. Mix until smooth.

Add the cocoa powder, mix until smooth.

Add the rest of the ingredients and beat until fluffy.

Frost the cooled cake.

Print Recipe: Chocolate Cake

Pork Ribs with BBQ Sauce

My family loves ribs and so do I, so I am always on the hunt for the perfect rib recipe.  This recipe comes from one of my favourite recipe blogs "Recipe Tin Eats", so I had to give it a try. The ribs are rubbed with a simple spice mixture and then wrapped and left in fridge for a few hours or overnight. The ribs are then slow cooked in the oven for a couple of hours until they are nice and tender. Just prior to serving the ribs are slathered in a delicious homemade BBQ sauce until they are brown and caramelized. 

Marry Me Chicken

This recipe has been all over the internet and apparently was the third most googled recipe of 2022. Some say this recipe is so good the person you make it for will want to marry you. Others say the sundried tomatoes marry well in the sauce. There are many versions of this recipe on the internet. I made Chef Jean Pierre's recipe. The sauce is the star of the show, it is creamy and very flavourful. The best part is it all is made in one pan. I suggest serving with plain rice, pasta or barley as you don't want to compete with the sauce.

Caramel Chex

If you are hosting a large gathering or just want to make a nice treat to share with family or friends, look no further! These Caramel Nut Chex are very addictive. Just warning you you will find yourself going back for more and more and more!

Ingredients

Tuna Patties

 

Banana Espresso Chocolate Chip Muffins

 

These muffins are very moist and tender. The espresso powder gives the muffins a richness and really brings out the chocolate flavour.  A great way to use those over-ripe bananas. 

Hummus

 

This hummus is very creamy and delicious. I have made several different hummus recipes over the years but this one from the website Cookie and Kate has become my favourite.  I like to serve with vegetables, pita chips or little pretzels. In this photo I topped the hummus with a spicy calabrese mixture I found at the Italian centre. I also like to top with chopped kalamata olives or chili garlic sauce.