Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cake

"Thank you so much for the pumpkin bread you dropped off!" a good friend gushed a few years ago. "We loved it." Then a pause. "I was going to make a cream cheese frosting to go with it, but I was amazed how good it tasted without anything but powdered sugar on top! Delicious."

Well, that's because it was pumpkin cake, not pumpkin bread (but honestly, lots of pumpkin cake masquerades as bread, so no biggie). The idea of it comes from Anne Byrn and her Chocolate from the Cake Mix Doctor book (the same book inspiring this amazing Chocolate Brownie Trifle). I'm glad my friend liked it, and I'm even more glad this cake does work without a frosting or a glaze. Its deliciousness to effort ratio is off the charts, and it's the perfect treat for this time of year. 

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cake

Adapted from Chocolate from the Cake Mix Doctor

1 box plain yellow cake mix (18.25 oz)

15 oz canned pumpkin 

1/4 cup water

2 large eggs

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp ground allspice

2 tsp baking soda

1 cup chocolate chips

optional: 1 TB powdered sugar for garnish

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and generously grease a 12-cup bundt pan with cooking spray. Combine the cake mix, canned pumpkin, water, eggs, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and baking soda in a large bowl. Mix with an electric mixer on low for 1 minute. 

Stop, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and increase speed to medium, mixing for 2 more minutes. Scrape down sides again. Mix in the chocolate chips on low until they are evenly distributed throughout the batter. Pour batter into the greased bundt pan, smoothing the top.

Bake in the oven 42-46 minutes until it is lightly browned and springs back when lightly pressed with your finger. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 20 minutes. Invert onto your cake stand or serving platter to to cool completely. This can take another 40 minutes. 

Finish with a dusting of powdered sugar. Note: if you add the powdered sugar before the cake has cooled, it will take on a yellowish tint. Boo. So go ahead and wait until it's cool to add the sugar.

Fruit Pizza

Delys had a birthday recently, and the children and I wanted to celebrate with something other than cake. So we decided to make fruit pizza. Easy, colorful, delicious, and--if you forget about the cookie crust and the frosting and just focus on the fruit--healthy :) A perfect addition to any celebration or holiday!

We were on a tight schedule, so we used a mix and purchased icing:

If you have time to make it from scratch, this is a yummy sugar cookie recipe from Our Best Bites. 

Pat the cookie dough onto pizza pan (I lined ours with foil because it has holes) and bake according to package or recipe directions. Let cool.

Choose your fruit, wash it and let it dry, and cut it into bite size pieces:

Frost your cookie. (Somehow I failed to get a picture of that step.) Again, you can use a mix, premade frosting, or make it from scratch.These can pizzas can be works of art, so use your imagination when arranging the fruit. The children wanted a modern art look, and they did a beautiful job:

Slice and enjoy!

Chocolate Brownie Trifle

Okay, I promised to give out this recipe weeks ago after I made this dessert for a get-together with my husband's high school buddies. It tastes a little bit like heaven, and the happy part is that it's easy to make! I modified it from Chocolate from The Cake Mix Doctor. I love this book. I hardly use real cookbooks anymore, what with the handiness of the internet, but this book is an exception.

Time for pre-recipe disclaimers? I only have a couple. The Cake Mix Doctor uses "frozen whipped topping" (code for "Cool Whip") in her recipe. Her reason is that since this dish is already so decadent, she wanted a topping that wouldn't add to the richness. Buying a tub of frozen whipped topping cuts out both calories and preparation, and the end result is incredible. That being said, if you're morally opposed to using Cool Whip (mom?), go ahead and beat up some fresh whipped cream. It will taste amazing either way.

Also, I feel like trifles can look really fancy and elegant, but my presentation never seems to live up to my expectations. So if you make this and it looks as good as it tastes, please post a pretty picture! You'll get a gold star and my admiration.

Ingredients:

Brownies:
1 package (19.8 ounces) brownie mix (and ingredients to bake according to directions)
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
optional: 1/2 cup chopped pecans

Mousse:
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream

Topping:
1 container (8 ounces) frozen whipped topping, thawed (or 2 cups whipped cream)
1/2 to 1 lbs fresh strawberries

Grease a 9x13 inch pan. Preheat oven and mix brownies according to package directions. Pour batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle with chocolate chips (and pecans, if desired). Bake until the outside 2 inches have formed a crust and brownies feel firm (typically 25 to 30 minutes for most mixes in a 350 degree oven. Again, follow the box's baking instructions and temperature, keeping in mind that the chocolate chips will extend the cooking time by a few minutes. Don't under-bake the brownies for this recipe!) Remove the pan from the oven and allow to cool for 30 minutes.

While the brownies are baking, whip up the mousse! Pour the chocolate chips in a medium mixing bowl and set aside. Pour the cream into a saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil, stirring often. When it reaches a boil, pour the cream over the chocolate chips and stir until the chocolate melts and the mixture is well-combined. Place the bowl (and your electric mixer beaters) in the refrigerator to chill for 1 hour.

Once the cream-chocolate mixture is completely cooled, remove from the fridge and beat on medium-high until it forms stiff peaks. This should only take 1 to 2 minutes; do not over-whip the mousse! It should look thick and, well, mousse-like (and it tastes like heaven; try a little!)

Wash, de-stem, and quarter your strawberries.

The brownies should be cool by now, so it's time for assembly! Three cheers for all ye folks who have a beautiful trifle dish. I... do not. I usually use a large glass bowl. First, crumble one half of the brownies into half-inch pieces. I find it easiest to use 2 forks for this part and tear little pieces off of the giant slab of brownie. But it matters not how: crumble half of the brownies and place the pieces evenly on the bottom of your serving dish. Next, add half of the mousse, making sure to spread it out in an even layer. Top with half of the frozen topping (or whipped cream). Repeat these layers, crumbling the remaining brownies, adding the mouse, and topping with a flourish of whipped topping. Add copious amounts of strawberries on top, and voila! Trifle. Spoon into individual serving bowls and enjoy. (If you're not going to eat it immediately, cover with lid or plastic wrap and keep chilled in the refrigerator. I'd recommend adding the strawberries close to serving time.)

Fudgey Brownies with Coconut Whipped Cream (Dairy and Soy Free)

Were you aware that you can whip coconut milk and it tastes AMAZING and provides a delightful alternative to real whipped cream when you are dairy-free, like I am right now? My friend recently whipped up some coconut cream for me and I just had to try it on some brownies. Here is the recipe for the resulting deliciousness.

Fudgey Brownies (Dairy-Free, Soy-Free)
Adapted from the Watkins Brownie Recipe found here

2 cups brown sugar
2 eggs
1/4 cup melted Earth Balance, Soy-free margarine
1/4 cup canola oil (or oil of your choice)
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup flour
4 tbl dutch cocoa
1/2 tsp salt

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Mix brown sugar, eggs, margarine, oil, and vanilla until combined. Add flour, cocoa and salt and stir until moistened. Pour batter into greased 9 x 13 pan and bake for 20 minutes (until an inserted toothpick comes out pretty clean). Remove from oven and let cool in the pan a for a few minutes before you cut.

Whip up some coconut cream (Whipped Coconut Cream Instructions) and sit down and savor this delicious dairy-free dessert!