Campfire Delight : Best. Cake. Ever.

In going through chocolate cake recipes this weekend for inspiration, I came across this recipe for a Campfire Delight cake.  It is a a six layer chocolate cake with toasted marshmallow filling and malted chocolate frosting.  It looked so delicious, I just had to make it.  Luckily, I had a family bbq to attend and thus had an immediate reason to bake it!  

I only made four layers as I only have two cake pans and was a bit intimidated by the idea of stacking six layers.  Regardless, this cake was phenomenal, delicious, sinful, delightful.  I am amazed at the willpower I have shown this evening by not devouring a very large slice.

Campfire Delight Cake

(recipe by Sweetapolita)

Rich and Dark Chocolate Cake

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup Cacao Barry Extra Brute Cocoa Powder (or similar premium brand)
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup strong black coffee, cooled
• 1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 F. Prepare two 9" cake pans with butter and flour or parchment paper. In bowl of electric mixer, sift all dry ingredients. Add all remaning ingredients to bowl with the dry ingredients and with paddle attachment on mixer, mix for 2 minutes on medium speed (you may need the plastic splashguard that comes with mixer) and pour into prepared pans. Batter will be liquidy. 

 

Bake for 20 minutes and rotate pans in oven. Cakes are done when toothpick or skewer comes clean--approximately 35 minutes. Try not to overbake. Cool on wire racks for 20 minutes then gently invert onto racks until completely cool.

Toasted Marshmallow Frosting

• 16 large white marshmallows
• 1 cup icing sugar (confectioners' or powdered)
• 1 cup butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 8 oz of Kraft Jet-Puffed Marshmallow Cream (or Marshmallow Fluff)

Place marshmallows on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Place on lower rack of oven, and broil marshmallows until nice and brown. Be sure to keep an eye on them--they burn very, very quickly. 

Combine butter and icing sugar in electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment, on low until blended (about 1 minute). Add vanilla and mix on high for about 3 minutes. 

Add marshmallow cream and toasted marshmallows, and mix on lowest setting for about 1 minute.

Malted Belgium Chocolate Frosting

• 2 cups butter, at room temperature
• 4 cups icing sugar (confectioners' or powdered)
• 3 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup Ovaltine Classic
•  8 oz Callebaut (or other premium brand) bittersweet chocolate, melted
• 1/2 cup heavy cream

In a bowl of stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, combine the icing sugar and butter and beat on low speed for about 1 minute. Add vanilla and malt powder, and beat on low until well combined. Add the melted chocolate and beat on medium speed until smooth (about 2 minutes). Add whipping cream and beat on med-high speed for another minute. Best used right away.

Assembly:

Level the tops of each cake, then split into two layers with a knife or cake leveler.  Pipe a border of the chocolate frosting around the top edge of your bottom layer, creating a dam to hold in the filling.  Spread a nice, thick layer of marshmallow frosting across the top of the cake.  Carefully place the second layer on top.  Pipe another chocolate frosting dam, then spread a nice thick layer of chocolate frosting.  Carefully place the next cake layer on top and do as you did with the first layer (marshmallow frosting).  Place the final cake layer on top and then ice with the chocolate frosting.  Garnish with mini marshmallows and chocolate chunks, if you please.

Enjoy! 

Pork Pot Roast in Cider

So I've been dieting lately, which means we haven't been eating a lot of "proper" meals lately.  This weekend, I decided I'd actually cook something hearty and we happened to have a pork roast in the freezer.  Digging through my cookbooks, I came across this recipe for Pork pot Roast in Cider that I tagged ages ago in my Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook.  This roast may be cooked on the stove or in a slow cooker.  Since I was baking all day, I used the slow cooker.  

This roast was delicious.  Hubby and I both loved it.  It uses apple juice as the primary liquid which adds a nice sweetness that complements the pork.  I was also really excited to see the recipe calls for parsnips.  I discovered parsnips a few Thanksgivings ago and love them.  

Pork Pot Roast in Cider

(Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook, pg 392)

• 1 1/2-2 pound boneless pork blade roast or sirloin roast
• 2 tbsp cooking oil
• 1 1/4 cups apple cider or juice
• 2 tsp instant beef bouillon granules
• 1/2 tsp dry mustard
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 3 medium red potatoes, peeled (if desired) and quartered
• 3 medium carrots, cut into 2" pieces
• 3 medium parsnips, peeled and cut into 2" pieces
• 1 large onion, cut into wedges
• 1/3 cup cold water
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

 Stove-top Directions:

Trim fat from meat.  In a 4 to 6 quart Dutch oven, brown meat on all sides in hot oil.  Drain off fat.  Stir together cider, bouillon granules, mustard, and pepper.  Pour over meat.  Bring to boiling; reduce heat.  Simmer, covered, 1 hour.

Add potato, carrot, parsnip, and onion.  Simmer, covered, for 30 to 40 minutes more or until meat and vegetables are tender.  Transfer meat and vegetables to a serving platter, reserving juices.  Keep pwarm.

For gravy, measure juices; skim fat.  If necessary, add enough water to juices to equal 1 1/2 cups.  return to dutch oven.  Stir water into flour, then stir into juices in pan.  Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly.  Cook and stir for 1 minute more.  To serve, remove string from meat, if present.  Slice meat and serve with vegetables and gravy.  

Slow Cooker Directions:

Prepare meat as above.  Place potato, carrot, parsnip, and onion, in a 3 1/2 or 4 quart slow cooker.  Cut meat to fit, if necessary; place on top of vegetables.  Stir together apple cider, bouillon granules, mustard, and pepper.  Add to cooker.  Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 8 to 10 hours or on high-heat setting for 4 to 5 hours or until tender.  (After four hours, I pulled the meat and veggies out and switched their positions, with meat on bottom and veggies on top.)  Transfer meat and vegetables to a serving platter; keep warm. Prepare gravy in a medium saucepan on the stove top and serve as above.  

Chocolate Cake with Raspberry Filling and Caramel Icing

This past weekend, I made a cake for a co-worker's husband's birthday.  (Interesting, her husband is also distantly related to hubby.)  This cake was somewhat of a practice run as she's asked me to make a cake for his coworker's birthday as well.  I cobbled together a few different recipes.  I wasn't able to taste the cake, but my coworker said it was delicious!

 Best-Ever Chocolate Cake 

(Better Homes and Gardens, Our Best Recipes, pg 280)

• 3/4 cup butter
• 3 eggs
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1/3 cup seedless raspberry preserves or raspberry jam (for filling)
• 1 oz bittersweet chocolate, melted (for drizzle) 

Allow butter and eggs to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.  Lightly grease bottoms of three 8" round cake pans, two 9" round pans, or two 8x8" square pans.  Line bottoms of pans with waxed paper.  Grease and lightly flour waxed paper and sides of pans.  Set pans aside.

Preheat oven to 350F.  In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, beat butter on medium to high speed for 30 seconds.  Gradually add sugar, about 1/4 cup at a time, beating on medium speed for 3 to 4 minutes or until well mixed.  Scrape side of bowl; continue beating on medium speed for 2 minutes.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition (about 1 minute total).  Beat in vanilla.  

Alternately add flour mixture and milk to beaten mixture, beating on low speed just until combined after each addition.  Beat on medium to high speed for 20 seconds more.  Spread evenly into the prepared pans. 

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes for round cake pans, 35 to 40 minutes for square pans, or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the centers comes out clean.  Cool cake layers in pan for 10 minutes.  Remove from pans.  Peel off waxed paper.  Cool completely on wire racks. 

Caramel Frosting

(recipe found here)

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 cups brown sugar
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 4 cups powdered sugar

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat.  Stir in salt and brown sugar.  Bring to a boil, stirring constantly.  Cook over low heat for 2 minutes, until sugar dissolves.  Stir in milk and return to a boil, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract.  Cool to lukewarm, about 30 to 40 minutes, stirring occasionally.  

Once lukewarm, transfer to a stand mixer.  Sift powdered sugar over it, and beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 to 4 minutes.

Assembly:

Using a bread knife or cake leveler, level the tops of each cake.  Pipe a border of caramel frosting around the top edge of one cake, creating a border or dam.  Spread a thin layer of frosting on top, within the dam, then spread the raspberry preserves on top.  Carefully place the second cake on top of the first.  Frost the cake and garnish with raspberries and drizzle with melted chocolate.