When I reviewed the Landmark in Dallas, Chef Jeff Moschetti served me a beautiful chocolate stout cupcake. I was intrigued. One thing I have been trying to do lately is to widen my use of local ingredients and one really excellent beer I have tried is Shiner Black Lager, which is made here in Texas.

Not sure how other states handle booze but here in the Dallas area not every suburb is “wet”. In fact, up until recently you had to drive pretty far to get beer or wine. Some people felt it kept people from drinking too much but I always kinda felt like it was Texas’s way of ensuring a good return on the gasoline tax. Recently the town where I shop has allowed beer and wine so you will see those things as ingredients more in my recipes. (more…)

First of all let me just say that this chocolate bundt cake is easy and amazing.

You may skip to the recipe now…. (more…)

This chocolate peanut butter mousse cake is one of my favorites; a Marye Audet original…and a classic. It all started when Ethan wanted a special cake for his birthday a few years ago. He wasn’t sure what he wanted but wanted something “different”. The chocolate peanut butter mousse cake was born…and it was an instant hit.

Deep, rich chocolate cake topped with a creamy, fluffy peanut butter mousse and then gilded with a layer of dense chocolate ganache. Perfection? You will have to decide. We thought it was.

This will make a 13 x 9 inch cake but should serve at least 24 people. Maybe more, depending on what your RFT ( rich foods tolerance) is.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Mousse cake should be kept in the refrigerator,  but be sure to take it out about 30 minutes to an hour before you want to serve it.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Mousse Cake

12 servings

Ingredients:

• 2 cups sugar
• 1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup Scharffen Berger Cocoa
• 2 oz bittersweet chocolate chopped
• 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup boiling water
• Peanut Butter Mousse (recipe follows)
• Chocolate Ganache Glaze (recipe follows)

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 13 x 9 inch pan
2. Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl.
3. Melt butter. Stir in chocolate until smooth and melted.
4. Add eggs, milk,chocolate mixture, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes.
5. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Pour batter into prepared pans.
6. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely.
7. Cover with the peanut butter mousse. Chill
8. Cover with a smooth layer of the ganache. Refrigerate about 4 hours before serving.

Peanut Butter Mousse

• 2 cups creamy peanut butter
• 8 oz cream cheese
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla

Instructions

1. Beat the peanut butter and cream cheese together until blended.
2. Add sugar slowly, beating well until all the sugar is incorporated.
3. Beat in the eggs one at a time, beating about 3 minutes after each addition.
4. Add vanilla
5. Spread on cooled cake in a thick layer.

Ganache

• 1 cup cream
• 12 ozs bittersweet chocolate, chopped

Instructions

Bring cream just to a boil. Stir in chocolate until smooth. Spread over the peanut butter while still warm smoothing it as you go.

In retrospect, even though this is a very rich cake, I think I would give this a layer of caramel syrup between the cake and the peanut butter…just to see what that would be like…Chopped peanut butter cups on the top would be great as well.

images: marye audet

I was in Hobby Lobby last week buying art supplies for my 16 year old, Ethan. He is in his first semester at the local community college and taking an art class that has a supplies list that reads like the inventory sheet at Hobby Lobby. Seriously, if the store carries it it is on the list! When I was painting and doing commissioned work back in the day I spent less on supplies than was required by this class.

Anyway, while hyperventilating over the contents of the cart I decided to poke around in the baking section. What to my wondering eyes should appear but a new Wilton pan (or new to me) that created a cake with a heart filling on the inside.

Seriously? (more…)

Mmm…pumpkin recipes…are you looking for moist? How about earthy-spicy? How about something to make your house smell like the Yankee Candle Company? How about if I throw in easy as well?

Yeah. You want this cake.

Now that you know how easy it is to roast your own pumpkin you can create magic in the kitchen with this recipe.  And…did you know…Pumpkin and vanilla are supposed to be very…VERY attractive scents to men…you must keep that in mind and use this recipe responsibly.

This is super moist and will serve 12-16 easily. You can serve it as is, add some vanilla ice cream, or maybe a soft whipped cream. It is incredible in the afternoon with coffee or tea, and if there had been some left I could have told you it was good for breakfast, too.

All right. First, let’s spice it up…

Spice are important. They have more flavor the fresher they are. I buy mine in bulk at a local store and they are so fresh sometimes the entire kitchen will smell like a Moroccan market when I bring them home. Nutmeg should always be freshly grated. Really, there is no good excuse not to. It is easy as long as you keep your fingers out of the way…

Always mix the batter gently so that the flour doesn’t develop gluten. That is what makes it tough. Just get all the ingredients mixed in.

I think that the cooking sprays with flour work the best on my bundt pan. You can use whatever you want to grease the pan but I have had the very best results with cooking spray with flour added. Spoon the batter in to the pan lightly and then drop it on the counter once to get the bubbles out. You want this cake to be a little dense…(I will not make a blond joke here…)

This will cook for about an hour. Start checking it at 50 minutes though. There will be just a few moist crumbs clinging to a toothpick that is stuck halfway between the side of the pan and the center tube.

Browned Butter Pumpkin Bundt Cake

• 1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, melted and allowed to turn golden brown then cooled
• 2 1/4 cups organic all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp cloves
• 1/2 tsp ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/4 cups  pumpkin
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 1 1/2  teaspoon vanilla
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup dark brown sugar
• 3 large eggs

1. Preheat oven to 350F
2. Grease pan
3. Mix dry ingredients together and set aside
4. Beat cooled butter and sugar until well mixed. Beat in eggs one at a time.
5. Beat in vanilla
6. Fold in pumpkin
7. Add flour and buttermilk alternately and mix until smooth
8. Spoon into baking pan
9. Bake at 350F until done, about 50-65 minutes
10. Allow to rest for 5 minutes and then remove from pan to cool

Brown Butter Glaze

• 1 stick of unsalted butter, melted and allowed to turn golden brown
• About 3 cups of confectioner’s sugar, or enough to make a thick glaze
• 1 tbs bourbon if desired
• 1 tsp vanilla

Mix all ingredients until smooth. Spoon over warm cake. Sprinkle on almonds if desired.

Serves 12-16

images:maryeaudet