Showing posts with label winner. Show all posts
Showing posts with label winner. Show all posts

Friday, March 9, 2012

Chocolate Guinness Cake

Simply Recipes
I used to bake three times a week when my family was young and growing. I ate the fruits of my labor, cake, pie, cobbler, cookie, pudding, cream puffs. I was also into nutrition and added powdered "vitamins". The recipe for this cake caught my eye because the ingredients call for unsweetened cocoa powder, brown sugar, and sour cream. These three basic kitchen staples are capable of turning out a rich, deeply satisfying, moist cake. I'm a softie for cream cheese, too, and cream cheese is what tops this cake. I can already tell this is a winner!

Chocolate Guinness Cake Recipe

  • Prep time: 10 minutes
  • Cook time: 1 hour

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 cup stout or porter beer, such as Guinness
  • 10 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
  • 1 1/2 cups superfine sugar
  • 1/2 cups dark brown sugar
  • 3/4 cup sour cream
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cream cheese frosting recipe

METHOD

1 Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 8 or 9-inch springform pan with butter and line the bottom with a round of parchment paper.
2 In a large saucepan place the beer and butter. Cook over medium-high heat until the butter has melted. Add the cocoa powder and sugars and whisk together. Take off heat and allow to come to room temperature.
3 In another bowl beat together the sour cream, eggs, and vanilla extract until very, very well combined. Add to the butter-beer mixture and whisk together.
4 In another bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add to the beer-butter mixture and whisk together until it just comes together. Pour into the prepared pan and give the pan a few short drops onto the countertop to shake the air pockets in the batter to the surface and out of the cake. Bake for 50-60 minutes. Allow to cool on a wire rack. Run a knife around the edge to separate the cake from the pan and pop the ring off the springform.
5 Spread frosting on the cooled cake and serve.
Yield: Makes one 8 or 9-inch cake

Posted by Garrett McCloud of Vanilla Garlic

Monday, February 20, 2012

Prune & Yoghurt Cocktail from Sweet Paul

I discovered this drink on Sweet Paul, an EXCEPTIONAL blog I also just discovered. I eat yoghurt almost every day and have my favorite toppings and recipes for yoghurt, but I never would have thought of this combination! Looks so yummy! (I haven't tried it...Yet!)
Photo by Colin Cooke

PRUNE AND YOGHURT COCTAIL WITH CHOCOLATE
Serves 4
 1/2 cup prunes
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 vanilla pod, only the seeds
2 tablespoons boiling water
1 cup plain yoghurt
2 teaspoons grated dark chocolate

Place prunes, sugar, vanilla and water in a blender and whiz until smooth.
Spoon the mixture into 4 thin, long glasses.
Top with plain yoghurt and grated chocolate.
Serve with a plain grissini dipped in melted chocolate.  

Saturday, February 18, 2012

And the winner is...


Hello wreath lovers! It's Saturday alas! For this, my very first giveaway, I wanted stay  "handmade" and actually pull a number from out of a box. It's early in the morning, though, and my soft bed and pillow are calling! 
Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:
6
Timestamp: 2012-02-18 08:33:34 UTC

Sooo, without further ado...congratulations goes to: Shanae S (PoshNChic), the integer generator at random.org (above) has randomly selected your entry as the winning number. Yaay! I will contact you shortly to arrange delivery. 
To everyone, I'd like to thank you for your enthusiasm. I really loved reading  your optimistic and supportive comments. There will be more giveaways, so stay tuned. (And maybe by then I'll know how to insert the number widget.)
Happy weekend, everyone. I'll end with a few lines in honor of Ms. Whitney Houston, from her song:
Because the greatest love of all
Is happening to me
I found the greatest love of all
Inside of me...