Emergency Chocolate Cake

Adapted from: Cooks Illustrated March/April 2009

You may substitute 1 cup (8 oz) of hot coffee for the instant coffee and hot water.

½ cup (2 oz) Dutch-process cocoa powder

2 oz bittersweet baking chocolate, chopped fine

1 heaping tsp instant coffee

1 cup (8 oz) boiling water

1 ½ cups (7 ½ oz) AP flour

1 cup (7 oz) granulated sugar

½ tsp baking soda

¼ tsp table salt

⅔ cup (3 ⅝ oz) mayonnaise

2 tsp vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350℉.
2. Mix the cocoa powder, chocolate, and instant coffee. Add the boiling water and stir until smooth. Set aside to cool.
3. Combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. Whisk to mix evenly.
4. Add the mayonnaise, egg, and vanilla extract to the chocolate mixture. Whisk until smooth.
5. Combine the flour mixture and the chocolate mixture.
6. Pour the batter into a greased 8” square baking dish.
7. Bake for 30-40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out with only a few crumbs.
8. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 1-2 hours. Serve dusted with confectioner’s sugar or whipped cream.

Multigrain Muffins

1 cup (5 ½ - 6 oz) multigrain hot cereal mix

1 ½ cups (12 oz) water

1 cup (5 oz) AP flour

4 tsp baking powder

¾ tsp salt

1 tsp pie spice

1 egg

¼ cup vegetable oil

¼ cup (1 ¾ oz) brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1 tb demerara or turbinado sugar (for topping)

1. Mix the multigrain cereal mix with 1 ½ cups boiling water and let sit for one hour to cool.
2. Preheat oven to 425℉.
3. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and pie spice.
4. Beat the egg and mix with the oil and sugar. Add to cereal.
5. Pour the cereal mixture into the flour mixture and stir until just combined.
6. Spoon batter into greased muffin tins and top with the turbinado sugar.
7. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Turn out onto rack to cool.

Makes 12 muffins.

OK, let's take a step back

Obviously, my previous idea of providing simple, fast, tasty, and relatively healthy recipes every week didn't work. I'm just not that much of a writer, nor do I work well on a schedule. On the other hand, I still have a bunch of recipes that I like and am happy to share. So I will keep this, as a repository and a place to share new ones. Happy 2019!