Baked Sunday Mornings: Chocolate Coffee Cake with Dark Chocolate Ganache

I made 6 little cakes and topped them with cocoa nibs.  I followed the recipe exactly only I baked the cake in sheet pans and then cut them into rounds.

I had lots of cake left over so I made cake balls by crumbling up the leftover cake, mixing in the coffee buttercream then rolling them into balls and dipping them in the ganache!!  A nice little treat!

This chocolate cake if easy to make and very moist and delicious!  I think this will be my go-to chocolate cake recipe!

To see what the other talented bakers did click here

Enjoy!

Green Velvet Cheesecake Bars

Happy St Paddy's Day!

 These were suppose to be cut into shamrock shapes but I didn't have a shamrock cookie cutter.  I thought I did!!  I just cut them into bars.  These taste just like red velvet only the color has been changed. 

Green Velvet Cheesecake Shamrocks

adapted from the novice chef

Yield: 16 shamrocks

Ingredients:

Green Velvet Layer:
2 cups flour
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 large eggs
2/3 cup vegetable oil
3 tablespoons milk, divided
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon green food coloring
1 1/2 teaspoons white distilled vinegar
Cheesecake Layer:
12 oz (1 1/2 packages) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 10 x 15 jelly roll pan with butter or spray with Baker's Joy.
In large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, salt, and baking powder. Set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, vegetable oil, 2 tablespoons milk, vanilla extract, green food coloring, and white vinegar.
Combine the dry and wet ingredients, until completely combined (the batter will be thick). Remove 1/2 cup of the batter and place it in a medium bowl. Whisk in the remaining 1 tablespoon of milk (into the 1/2 cup of batter you just took out). Set aside the 1/2 cup batter.
Pour the remaining batter into the prepared jelly roll pan. Using a spatula, smooth out the batter to reach all the edges.
Now, in your stand mixer, beat cream cheese and sugar until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla, beating until combined and there are no lumps. Pour the cream cheese mixture on top of the green velvet layer and smooth mixture till it reaches all the edges.
Drop spoonfuls of the remaining red velvet batter (that you mixed with milk) onto the top of the cheesecake layer. Drag the tip of a knife through the green velvet and the cheesecake layers to create swirls.
Bake for 23-25 minutes, rotating half way through, or just until the center is set and it no longer jiggles. Let cool completely on a wire rack before cutting. Use a medium sized shamrock cookie cutter to create the perfect St Patty's Day treat!

ABC: Emergency Blender Cupcakes

 This months Avid Bakers Challenge...Emergency Blender Cupcakes from The Weekend Baker by Abby Dodge. 
Easy Peasy! 
They came together in minutes. 

   

I had no problem blending them up in the blender and will do it again that way the next time I make them, but there certainly is no reason why you couldn't use a mixer. 

The cake was moist and had a nice chocolate flavor, the frosting was smooth, creamy and fudgy. If you need to make good cupcakes quick....this should be your go-to recipe!  You can get the recipe here.

They are delicious!

See what the other Avid Bakers did here

Enjoy!