New Year's evolution

One of many cupcakes - sliced in half & layer with glaze here

butter, water & cocoa powder in step 2

flour, egg, sour cream mixture in red bowl from step 3 along with the melted butter cocoa from step 2

cupcakes & a shot of milk

Doesn't a New Year's evolution sound so much better than a resolution? It does to me. Since most resolutions involve self-improvement, maybe it's time to throw them out & start over with a new, brighter way to look at a fresh year in the history of you. Besides I don't love the thought of concocting a New Year's resolution on New Year's Eve when everyone else has been thinking about it for days, weeks or since their previous year's resolution fell off the radar. It happens; it's a lot of pressure, so this year I declare to evolve. Maybe you will too!

My good friend Erin is planning on evolving this year by baking more. Baking can be a great place to start if you are testing the waters in the kitchen & you like the idea of precision. Below is a recipe that will turn even the most fearful baker into a confident pastry maker. This unbelievably rich chocolate cake requires no mixers or special tools beyond the basics. It's a recipe I came across in last month's cook book project which, by the way, was started prior to the New Year. A product of Bi-Rite Market's Eat Good Food, this chocolate sour cream bundt cake with chocolate glaze is foolproof. Little secret - I haven't actually made it in the form of bundt cake. I have used the batter to make cupcakes which have turned out great on several occasions. The next time I need to make a formal two layer cake or a bundt cake even this will be my go-to chocolate cake recipe. I hope this year you find more time to evolve in your own home kitchen. It will be messy but also so delicious!

Chocolate Sour Cream Bundt Cake with Chocolate Glaze

Cake:

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, plus more for the pan if making a cake
• 1/3 cup (1 ounce), good quality unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup water
• 2 cups (9 ounces) all-purpose flour, plus more for the pan
• 1 3/4 cups sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

 

Glaze:

• 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped (or make it easy & buy chips)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons agave nectar
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar

Directions:

1. Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat to 350°F. Butter and flour a 10- or 12-cup Bundt pan and set aside. Or make cupcakes & line the pan with paper liners.

2. In a small saucepan, combine the butter, cocoa powder, salt, and water and place over medium heat. Cook, stirring, just until melted and combined. Remove from the heat and set aside.

3. Place the flour, sugar, and baking soda in a large bowl and whisk to blend. Add half of the melted butter mixture and stir with a spatula until completely blended (the mixture will be quite thick). Add the remaining butter mixture and whisk until combined. Add the eggs, one at a time, whisking until completely blended before adding the next egg. Whisk in the sour cream and vanilla until smooth.

4. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Let the cake cool in the pan for 15 minutes and then invert onto a rack. Let cool completely before glazing. If making mini-cupcakes, bake for 11-13 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. If making regular size cupcakes, bake for 18-20 minutes.

 

The glaze

1. Just before glazing the cooled cake/cupcakes, place the chopped chocolate and agave nectar in a medium bowl and set aside. Combine the heavy cream and sugar in a small saucepan and put over medium heat. Stir constantly until the cream is hot and the sugar is dissolved. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and whisk until melted and smooth. If the glaze is exceptionally runny, let it sit for a minute or so to thicken.

2. Drizzle the glaze over the cooled cake, allowing it to drip and dribble down the sides. Alternatively dip the tops of each cooled cupcake into the glaze one at a time.

 

Recipe from Bi-Rite Market's Eat Good Food

Versitile pesto that pops

whole wheat spinach & ricotta raviolis with pepita pesto

 

 

In our spare time, my friend Carrie & I have been cooking up a storm. She lives in San Francisco while I live in Oklahoma City. We share many things in common especially our love for food. Not to mention both of us have sizable cookbook collections. Last November we decided to put our overlapping cookbooks to the test. Each month we pick one cookbook that both of us own and cook from it. When we run out of overlapping cookbooks, we will alternate cooking from our own personal favorites. We choose 4-6 recipes per cookbook, compare notes along the way, take photos and discuss overall our likes, dislikes & adaptations we have made. Though we can't taste each other's creations, we are doing something delicious with the stacks of inspiration that line both of our kitchen walls.

This month we are finding inspiration from Heidi Swanson's Super Natural Everyday. I have blogged about her oat cakes before. Her popular blog has produced two delightful vegetarian cookbooks. Though I am not a vegetarian, I love eating like one most days of the week. Here's an easy pesto that will add pop to any pasta, soup, sandwich or scrambled egg dish you whip up in your own kitchen. Happy cooking & sharing with those near and far!


Pumpkin Seed Pesto

1 cup toasted pepitas (green pumpkin seeds found in most grocery store bulk bins)
1 bunch clean cilantro leaves & trimmed stems
2 cloves garlic, peeled but left whole
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (leave it out to make this a vegan pesto)
Juice of 1 lemon
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 small serrano chile, halved & de-seeded*
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Instructions:
Place all of the prepped ingredients in a blender or food processor except the olive oil. Pulse your machine a few times before letting the motor run. With the motor running, slowly drizzle in the olive oil. Continue to blend until smooth, stopping to scrap down the sides as needed. Add up to an additional 1/3 cup of olive oil if needed. Taste and adjust seasoning with additional salt or lemon juice. Recommended uses: salad dressing, pesto for pasta, a spread on sandwiches, as a garnish for soup or mixed in with scrambled eggs.

Keep pesto stored in a jar in refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Recipe slightly adapted from Super Natural Everyday

Note: to toast pepitas (pumpkin seeds), evenly spread them on a hot skillet, shaking every few seconds until they start to brown on all sides & pop.
*if you have disposable latex gloves, wear them while taking the ribs & seeds out. The heat will otherwise stay on your hands for a few hours.) A jalapeño would work here too.