Peanut Butter and Julie

My Favorite, Most Reliable, and Oh-So-Versatile Chocolate Cake Recipe

Dear Smoke Detector Batteries,

Why, oh why must you always decide to expire at 2:30 a.m., precisely during the point in my dream when I am being handed the keys to my newly acquired  rustic chateau in the south of France?  Is there a reason why you can't hold off until at least 7:00? 

Sincerely,  Julie

It never fails.  Never. Ever.  Right when I have hit full REM mode, that piercing, chronic BEEP tells me that my smoke detector has alternative plans for my early morning activity.  This happened, yet again, last night.  Suddenly, our moonlit, peaceful room became utter chaos.  Lights were flipped on and Eric ran downstairs in search of batteries and the ladder while I tried to determine exactly which detector needed attention.  I was already planning to smash the %&#! thing if by chance we were out of batteries. 

Fortunately, the annoyance was soon fixed, but my chance of a good night's sleep was long gone.  I'm not one of those people who can just fall back asleep easily.  When I'm up, I'm up.  So, after tossing and turning for a few hours, I went down to make some really strong coffee.

I need a good, dark cup of coffee every morning regardless of how I've slept, but on those sleep deprived mornings, I always make enough to accomodate a small army.  I don't know why I do this, because I still end up having just the one cup (like I said, it's strong).  Maybe it's psychological.  Maybe I just don't feel like doing the math for the number of tablespoons of coffee that I need for a fraction of a pot.  Whatever the reason, I had a large supply of leftover coffee.

I hate to waste potential ingredients, even if that ingredient is hours-old coffee, so I searched through my collection of recipes to determine what I could make that requires a jolt of java.  Subconsciously, I already knew which recipe I would end up making.  The search was just gratuitous.  Nothing makes up for a sleepless night like the world's best chocolate cake/cupcake recipe.

Much as I would like to, I cannot take 100% credit for this recipe.  I got it from "somewhere" several years ago, but I wrote it down and now I don't recall the source.  If anyone can enlighten me, feel free.  I think that I tweaked it a little bit too, so it won't be exactly the same as the original.  Anyhow, I have made this cake for countless people, and it is definitely my most requested recipes.  The texture is very moist, and the flavor is a deep, rich chocolate (partially thanks to the coffee.) My favorite thing about this cake, however, is that it is so forgiving when I am trying to shape it, trim it, or create layers.  I never have a problem with crumbling or breaking, which is a huge check-plus in my book. 

The batter also makes a tasty basic chocolate cupcake, with which I like to create variations, such as the S'mores Cupcake (above), and my take on a TastyKake Cupcake (below).  The other picture (to the right) is of a Lilo and Stitch themed cake that I recently made for a friend using this recipe.  I had know idea who Lilo and Stitch were prior to making the cake.  Thank goodness for Google.  Here are some of my extra tips for preparing this irresistible chocolate cake:

• This recipe will make about 22-24 cupcakes.  Fill the cups just over halfway and bake them at 350F degrees for 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center emerges clean.
• To make a two-layer half-sheet cake (such as the Lilo and Stitch cake, I doubled the recipe.)
• For the S'mores Cupcakes, I mixed graham cracker crumbs with enough melted butter to achieve a graham cracker crust consistency.  Before baking the cupcakes, I sprinkled each top with 1 teaspoon mini chocolate chips and a few teaspoons of the graham cracker crust mixture.  The frosting was a mixture of butter, confectioner's sugar, marshmallow fluff, and vanilla.
• Because this cake is so moist, you can refrigerate it without the texture becoming dry.  Wrap the layers tightly with plastic wrap prior to chilling.  If you are making a half-sheet cake or a "sculpted cake", then I definitely recommend chilling the cake for at least 2 hours.  This helps to make it sturdy enough to lift and trim as needed.
• The batter can be made one day in advance and chilled, tightly covered.

My Favorite, Most Reliable, and Oh-So-Versatile Chocolate Cake Recipe

Makes one 9-10 inch layer cake 

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups hot strong coffee (no wimpy stuff allowed!)

1/3 cup chopped bittersweet chocolate

3 large eggs

3/4 cup canola oil

3 cups sugar

1 1/2 cups buttermilk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 cups good-quality cocoa powder

2 teaspoons baking soda

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 300F degrees.  Spray cake pans with non-stick baking spray and line the bottoms with parchment paper.  Spray the parchment paper.

Mix the hot coffee with the chopped chocolate, stirring occasionally until the mixture is smooth.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the eggs until they are slightly thickened, about 3 minutes.  Slowly add the canola oil, and mix at medium speed for 1 minute.  Gradually add the sugar, mixing until well combined.  Slowly add the buttermilk, coffee mixture, and vanilla, and mix until blended.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.  Add the dry ingredients to the batter in three additions on low speed, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary. 

Divide the batter among the prepared pans and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center emerges clean, 55-65 minutes.  Cool the layers for 15 in the pans, and then carefully invert them onto wire racks to cool completely.  

Frost the layers as desired (I recommend white chocolate buttercream!), decorate, and serve! 

Pulled Pork Sliders with Jicama Slaw

I had every intention of posting this recipe about a week ago, but - and I do realize that I am starting to sound like a broken record - I've been busy.  This time, however, it is not my fault.  You can blame my lack of posting on Stephenie Meyer.

Yes, on Tuesday of last week I finally jumped aboard the Twilight train, and I have yet to get off (thank goodness they have wi-fi.)  Wanting a summer read that had nothing to do with - brace yourselves - cooking, I wandered into Barnes and Nobles with an open mind.  Although I had certainly heard about Ms. Meyer's Twilight series, I knew very little about the story, other than the facts that it involved vampires and that most of the books had enjoyed a nice long stay on the New York Times bestseller list.  I had not seen the movie, and I knew nothing of the plot.

Although I usually resist reading the books that seem to be everywhere because my expectations are raised to the un-satisfiable heights, I decided that this 500-pager would be an easy enough read (it was in the Young Adult section after all).  I figured that I wouldn't lose much time if I did not agree with the masses. 

8 days, two books, and 1100 pages later, I am eagerly awaiting my shipment of books 3 and 4 from Amazon.com.  Hurry up!!

Much to my surprise, I really "sunk my teeth" into the story of Meyer's star-crossed couple, Bella and Edward.  I was easily "bitten" by the Twilight bug.  You could say that I was "sucked" into the whole series......O.K., I'm out of puns. 

Much to Eric's embarrassment, I think that I am now officially a Twilight geek.  Yes, I know that they are not exactly Shakespeare, but what can I say?  I'm having fun with the story.  It kind of reminds me of the whole Harry Potter phenomenon.  I recall staying up for hours, completing J.K. Rowling's thick books in a matter of days.  The same thing happened with this series, therefore "draining" me of any extra time to post a blog (there--thought of another pun!)

I made these pulled pork sliders about 1 1/2 weeks ago, and boy were they fantastic!  The sauce is a sweet and spicy version, not really a traditional Carolina sauce, but I have always enjoyed some sweetness as opposed to the vinegar-based sauce.  The slaw - no surprise here - is mayonnaise free (and therefore healthier!)  In fact, thanks to the use of leaner pork loin, the entire dish is pretty healthy.  I assure you, it will be love at first bite! Here are a few extra tips for making these petite pulled pork sandwiches:

• If you don't have a Dutch oven, you can use an oven-proof deep pan.  Cover it tightly with foil for the baking process.
• To cut down on prep time for the jicama slaw, I find that it is helpful to use my food processor to julienne the vegetables.  Fit the processor with one of the specialty shredding blades, and you will have a nice, uniform slaw.
• The slaw can be prepared one day in advance.  I even think that the flavor is a bit better on the second day, when the ingredients have had a chance to blend. 
• The sauce for the pulled pork might be too spicy (or not spicy enough!) for some people.  Adjust the cayenne and chipotles accordingly.
• Brown sugar can be replaced with honey or maple syrup if desired.  If you don't like a sweeter sauce, then leave the brown sugar out altogether.
• I prefer to use a pork loin for pulled pork, due to the fact that it is lower in fat and calories than some of the other cuts, but feel free to use a bone-in cut if you prefer.

Pulled Pork Sliders with Jicama Slaw

Serves 10-12

For the pulled pork:

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 large yellow onion, diced

2 tablespoons chili powder

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 tablespoon smoked paprika

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 (12-ounce) bottle lager

3/4 cup cider vinegar

3/4 cup ketchup

1/2 cup whole grain mustard

1/3 cup brown sugar, packed

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 canned chipotle chili pepper, minced

1 (5 lb) pork loin, trimmed

For the jicama slaw:

1 medium jicama, peeled and julienned

1 large carrot, peeled and julienned

1 small red bell pepper, julienned

1/2 red onion, thinly sliced

2 cups cole slaw mix

2 tablespoons orange juice

1 tablespoon lime juice

1/3 cup cider vinegar

1/3 cup olive oil

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon sugar

Salt and pepper

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Mini sandwich rolls, split

Prepare the pulled pork: Preheat the oven to 300F degrees.  In a large dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium heat.  Add the onion and saute, stirring occasionally, until they are lightly browned, 10 minutes.

Increase the heat to medium-high and add the chili powder, cumin, paprika, and cayenne.  Cook the mixture, stirring for 1 minute.  Add the beer, ketchup, vinegar, mustard, brown sugar, tomato paste, and chipotle; bring the mixture to a boil.  Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the sauce had thickened, 8-10 minutes.

Remove the pot from the heat and add the pork, spooning the sauce over the top.  Cover the pan and transfer it to the oven to bake for 1 1/2 hours.  Turn the pork over, cover, and bake for 1 1/2 hours more.  Uncover and bake until a fork inserted into the meat turns easily, 1 1/2-2 1/2 hours longer.

For the jicama slaw: In a large bowl, combine the jicama, carrot, pepper, onion, and cole slaw mix.  In a small bowl, combine the orange juice, lime juice, vinegar, olive oil, chili powder, red pepper flakes, and sugar; whisk to blend.  Season with salt and pepper.  Add the dressing to the vegetables and toss to coat.  Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Pull the pork apart into shreds by tearing with two forks.  Add the sauce from the bottom of the pan to the meat and stir to combine.

Assemble the sandwiches by topping the bottom halves of the mini rolls with the pulled pork and some of the jicama slaw.