chocolate hazelnut cake

Nutella is a weakness of mine (as evidence in this delicious comforting drink, festive cookies or campfire amazement)... I just love that sweet chocolate hazelnut combination. So it will come as no surprise that when I saw the ABC Challenge was this chocolate hazelnut cake, I was excited.

A few things intrigued me about this recipe: 1. There was no actual Nutella involved, just the real-deal chocolate hazelnut ingredients. 2. Chopped hazelnuts went into the cake batter, but weren't required in the frosting. 3. There's no frosting. So if you have poor decorating skills that won't matter here since the only adornment is a sprinkling of cocoa powder (I added the tiny flourishes of whole hazelnuts on top of mounds of fudge-y filling). 4. The lack of frosting is quickly remedied with a divine ganache-type frosting, but it goes in between the cake layers, not draped over the entire cake which is more common for ganache. 

After baking and sharing the cake with many friends and coworkers, they all agreed it was delicious, but crumbly! The cake is light, but falls apart too easily for my liking. And even though I didn't mind the chopped hazelnuts in the cake, I think they were a contributing factor to the crumbliness. The next time I make this I'd add the hazelnuts to the ganache filling. Speaking of the chocolate filling it was amazing. Silky, rich and perfect on it's own; no other frosting was needed. 

Here is the recipe I used to make this cake since I didn't really change anything... although I may need to make it again with a bit of tweaking ;)

doughnuts, two ways

Patriot's Day and the Boston Marathon go hand in hand around here, and what's a better way to honor this holiday than with a very patriotic, very Boston cream doughnut? I mean, if you're running 26.2 miles, you deserve this doughnut (and a whole lot of other accolades). Maybe you're standing on the sidelines and clapping and waving the runners on, like an NFL cheerleader, than you too deserve this doughnut.

Oh really, do you even need an event or excuse to eat this doughnut? Ugh, no.

Flour is a Boston-based bakery that has been met with much success around here. Partly because their Sticky Buns were featured on a Food Network Show, but mostly because locals just love their baked goods. My sister gave me the Flour cookbook a few years ago and I've been wanting to make their Vanilla Cream-filled Doughnuts for some time now. I've also been wanting to make Boston Cream Doughnuts (because those are my doughnut achilles heel) so when I came across the Vanilla Cream recipe I decided to make half the batch the way Flour does, and the other half topped with chocolate ganache to make Boston Cream. Best. Idea. Ever. 

The filling in the doughnuts is what makes them out of this world. It's a vanilla pastry cream mixed with whipped cream, so it's lighter and creamier than just a pastry cream alone. It's a toss up on which doughnut I preferred. I liked the sugary crunch on the Vanilla Cream filled ones, but then I also loved the chocolate ganache on the Boston Cream. I guess you'll have to make them and let me know what you like better!

the $5 donut

Last week a friend of mine posted this video on Facebook and two days later, I was making these in my kitchen. Inspiration (and hunger) is everywhere!

My sister, Aubrey, came over to help me taste-test these fried bits o' heaven (no convincing needed) and we decided that if these were sold in a bakery, they'd charge at least $5. Here's why: 1. They're labor-intensive (start to finish was pushing 5 hours!) 2. The ingredients ain't cheap, and you need a lot of them and 3. Um, have you seen these? Each donut is comprised of 4 layers, resulting in a mouthwatering decadence unlike any donut you've ever had before. So yes, even though I realize that $5 is more than the price of an entire box of samoa cookies, one of these donuts is sooooo worth it.

As I was making these, I thought to myself, the Girl Scouts have been doing it wrong all these years. Who wants a dry, crispy cookie when you can have a soft, fresh donut that's loaded with some of the best flavor combinations ever to exist? I hope you're with me on this one. 

While I loved the concept of this donut, I did have a major issue with it. The coconut caramel mixture is thick and dries hard, plus it's thickly applied so you're forced to open your mouth wide. So, if you have TMJ (uh, present!) then your jaw will feel like it will crack from all that opening and chewing. Not good at all.

Since I loved all the elements to this donut I plan on making it again, just in a different way. Each recipe is wonderful on it's own- I really loved this raised donut recipe and will definitely use it again to make different donut variations. And the chocolate ganache was perfection, as was the toasted coconut and caramel.

eclairs!

I love eclairs. Year ago I made them completely from scratch and practically ate all of them by myself (hence the reason it's been years since I made them again). So when the ABC challenge was to make eclairs with chocolate pastry cream I was instantly excited. 

I've only ever made vanilla pastry cream, and as I read through the recipe I was secretly chiding myself for never making chocolate pastry cream before. I mean, I have a serious love for chocolate, so this should've been a no-brainer. 

I followed the recipe exactly, although I made my eclairs a bit smaller so I got 20 eclairs rather than just 12. The pate a choux dough recipe was different than what I'm used to, but it was fine. I don't think I'd use again though because it was a bit dry (although that could be because I made them small). 

Overall, the chocolate pastry cream was divine on it's own, but once the chocolate ganache was on top all the flavors became one, like a blur. Therefore, I still prefer a vanilla pastry cream over a chocolate pastry cream; I just love that combination of vanilla with dark chocolate.

I didn't really tweak any of the recipes because I wanted to try making it exactly as directed. Here are the links for the chocolate pastry cream and for the pate a choux dough (which will also make cream puffs!).

And as a side note, my husband and I took a minication up to Vermont and just happened to be staying near the King Arthur Flour store and bakery. I thought this was an appropriate picture since this year the ABC Challengers have been baking exclusively from King Arthur Flour. 

a marriage of chocolate and vanilla

BBQ season is in full-swing (I've already used our barbecue three times this week) and with Memorial Day around the corner, the char-grilled invites may be poring in. Or maybe you're the one hosting the outdoor extravaganza. Regardless, you never want to show up empty-handed to a party and here's a classic cake that will keep getting you invited.

A Boston Cream Pie (although it's really a cake, so I don't know why they call it a "pie". Do you?) is the perfect merging of my two favorite flavors: chocolate and vanilla. The cake is technically a sponge (which is not my favorite) but this recipe isn't spongey at all- it's just fluffy, tender and really light. I used a vanilla pastry cream filling that is a divine pairing with that glossy, dark chocolate ganache enveloping the entire cake.