My Chocolate Fantasy

Calling all chocoholics!  Here is an easy recipe for a chocolate cake designed for chocolate lovers.  This recipe is so easy even beginning bakers can turn out a perfect cake.  You really must try this Chocolate Cake That’s Heavenly.  This heavenly cake starts with a cake mix but no one would ever guess.  So be sure you throw the box out where no one will see it!  Present your cake and accept all the raves.  Just don’t give away your secret!CHOCOLATE CAKE THAT’S HEAVENLY1 pkg (2 layer size) chocolate cake mix (without pudding)1/2 cup baking cocoa3 eggs1 1/3 cups water1 cup mayo style salad dressing1 large carton frozen whipped topping, thawedfresh berries for garnishPreheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 2 round (9-inch) cake pans. Line bottoms of pans with waxed paper; set aside.In a large mixing bowl, stir together the cake mix and cocoa. Add the eggs, water, and salad dressing. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds, scraping sides of bowl frequently. Increase speed to medium and beat for 2 minutes.Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans. Immediately remove waxed paper. Cool cakes completely on wire racks.Place one cake centered on cake plate; top with the frozen whipped topping. Place second cake atop the filling. Using the remaining topping to frost top and sides of cake. Top with some fresh raspberries, or other berries, if desired.NOTE: For Christmas, break up peppermint candy canes and sprinkle on top and sides of cake or stand canes around the sides. Enjoy!

I have read about many theories on weight loss, exercise and diet, and understand the theories of the Atkin’s Diet, grapefruit diets and calorie controlled diets. I have read about them all. But which of them actually work? That is the 64,000 dollar question with a very simple answer.
All or none! You can eat chocolate cake if you work it off next day! Whatever diet you use, there is one very simple equation that is ruled by science; by the biochemistry of our bodies. If energy in is greater than energy out, you have an excess of energy. If energy in is less than energy out, you have a deficit of energy. In common parlance, you can equate energy in with calories eaten and energy out with calories used up. An excess of energy is stored either as fat or as glycogen in the liver, and a deficit of energy equates with weight loss.
This equation is a law of physics, as Scottie of Star Trek would say, or a law of biochemistry. It cannot be broken, no matter what diet you are on. Some foods can increase the metabolic rate, which is the energy used by the body when at rest, such as for breathing, blood circulation, thinking and the 1001 other things that the body does, even while you are asleep. If you wake up in the night feeling very hot and sweating, that is your body burning excess calories. A high metabolic rate is why some people seem to be able to eat everything without putting on a pound.
Most fat is stored under the skin, and that is the fat is normally lost first when you exercise. However, other fat can be stored round the abdomen and major organs such as the heart and liver. That fat is the most dangerous. It is difficult to shift, and can place great strain on the major organs. That is why abdominal fat is considered to medically undesirable, and is considered to have a greater effect on your health than fat elsewhere in your body.
The only way to lose weight is not to try a fad diet, but to take in fewer calories than you use up. It is simple math. 1000 calories in, 1001 calories used, then you lose weight. Simple. Better to have 1000 calories in and 2000 used, but that is beside the point. The message is that Atkins will not work if you eat more calories than you use. The theory is that a low carbohydrate diet increases your metabolic rate. So equal calories taken by Atkins and a high carb diet, means that Atkins loses more weight due to a higher metabolism. Atkins fails when too much fat is eaten and not enough exercise is taken because the subject relies on the diet and fails to exercise. That is a recipe for disaster with any diet, Atkins or not.
It is unbelievable how many people, some claiming to be expert dieticians, refuse to accept the concept of calories. Calories are fact, not a concept, and are popularly used as a measure of energy intake. It doesn’t really matter whether you use calories or any other units, anybody that does not accept their relevance in diet are nuts.
To repeat, and to put it in a nutshell, energy absorbed must be less than energy expended if you are to lose weight. The best way to lose energy is exercise. The more exercise you do, the more weight you lose, as long as you eat less energy that you are using. Where you lose the weight depends on what parts of the body are being exercised. If you have fat thighs, you won’t lose thigh fat if you exercise your arms. You will end up with skinny arms and thunder thighs.
If you carry out a structured exercise campaign designed to trim your whole body that is combined with a good diet regime, then weight loss, exercise and diet will work for you as science dictates that it must. Science is fact, not opinion.
Exercise and diet can work together. Learn how to combine them in a productive way and you will lose weight a lot easier than you could have believed. No more diet fads. You can eat anything you want, in any amount you want, as long as you exercise to work off what you eat. A tub of ice cream is fine if you are prepared to do an hour on the treadmill next day. So don’t think that losing weight means the end of the chocolate cake – it needn’t. It is all a matter of balance.

When I was growing up as a small child, I always looked forward to the homemade chocolate cakes that my grandmother would make for my Birthday. In our family, my grandmother was a dedicated baker and would bake something for us every day. Thankfully, she passed on her love for baking to me.This recipe is done the old-fashioned way and is topped off with some delicious chocolate icing. Once your cake is cooled, you will want to store it in a cake container. If it’s hot and humid outside, I recommend storing it in the refrigerator.Cake Ingredients:1/2 pound butter, softened5 eggs2 cups granulated sugar3 cups all-purpose flour3 teaspoons baking powder1/2 teaspoon salt1/2 cup milk2 teaspoons vanilla extract1/4 cup evaporated canned milkPreheat oven to 350 degrees.In a large mixing bowl, cream together the softened butter and granulated sugar. Slowly add in the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, baking powder and salt. Slowly add 1/2 of the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and beat for 1 minute. Pour in the 1/2 cup of milk and beat again, followed by the remaining flour mixture. Stir in the vanilla extract and beat again. Finally, stir in the 1/4 cup of evaporated milk and beat until all ingredients are well combined.Note: If your batter seems really stiff, add a little additional milk.Lightly spray a 9 x 13″ baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Pour the batter into the pan. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 35 to 45 minutes or until cake is done in the center. Cool cake on a wire rack.Chocolate Icing Ingredients:2 1/2 squares baking chocolate2 cups granulated sugar1/2 cup evaporated milk1 teaspoon butter, softened1 teaspoon vanilla extractIn a large saucepan, melt the baking chocolate over low heat. Stir in the granulated sugar and evaporated milk. Bring to a boil and boil for 2 to 3 minutes or until a soft ball forms when dropped into cold water. Remove pan from heat and stir in the butter and vanilla extract. Beat icing by hand until it is thick enough to spread on your cooled cake.

Do you want to start making birthday cakes but don’t know where or how to get started? You can stop worrying now as this article will provide you with the basic steps on how to prepare the best birthday cake! Similar to cooking different styles of cuisine for special occasions, making birthday cakes also requires skill, effort, time, and a budget. If you want to prepare a chocolate cake to surprise your best friend or relative on their special day, you need to make sure you are prepared so that it doesn’t become a stressful event. Chocolate cake is often a favourite with many people in the UK and America and there are many varieties depending on the ingredients that you use and the baking times. Therefore before you start preparing a chocolate cake, you really need to find out the utensils needed, the recipe as well as the procedure to get it done well. The Utensils for baking chocolate cakes includes: 9 inch Pan A Large Bowl A Cooking Spoon Measuring Cups Tooth Pick Below is the Recipe of Chocolate Cake: All-purpose flour – 11/2 cups (375ml) Granulated sugar – 11/4 cups (300mil) Coca -1/2 cup (125ml) Baking powder – 1 tsp. (5ml) Baking soda – 1 tsp. (5ml) Salt – 1/2tsp. (5ml) Hard Margarine – 1/2cup (125ml) Large Eggs – 2 Vanilla – 1 tsp. (5ml) Hot Water – 1 cup (250ml) For you to successfully bake your chocolate cake, the procedure below can aid you Measure all 10 ingredients in a large bowl base on the order given. Beat on low speed until moistened. Then beat on medium for about 1 minute, scraping down sides of bowl, till it gets smooth. Have your pan greased. Bake in 350F (175C) oven for about 35 minutes and then stick the tooth pick in and out the until tooth pick comes out clean. Cool in pan for 5 minutes, before icing. Have it sliced into 16 pieces. I hope this article has contributed to making a great chocolate birthday cake. Get a easy & comfort way to send birthday cake all over India by online.

Impress your family and friends with this Chocolate Cake Roll.  This lovely, tasty dessert would make a perfect addition to your dessert selections during the upcoming holidays, however, we love chocolate anytime of the year.  If you use this as a Christmas dessert, you may frost it into a yule log or top with some maraschino cherries and a mint sprig.  For Thanksgiving, tint the whipped topping to orange and surround with fall nuts and/or fruits.  For a Halloween party, melt some chocolate and drizzle over the top to form spiderwebs.  Top with some plastic spider rings.CHOCOLATE CAKE ROLL1/3 cup cake flour1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder2 tbsp cornstarch1/2 tsp baking soda1/2 tsp baking powder1/3 tsp salt4 large eggs, separated1 cup granulated sugar, dividedpowdered sugar1 tub (8-oz) frozen whipped topping, thawed1/2 cup mini chocolate chipsPreheat oven to 350 degrees.Line a 15 x 10-inch jelly roll pan with waxed paper. Grease and flour the lined pan and tap out the excess flour. Set aside.In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, cornstarch, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Mix together well. In another bowl, using an electric mixer set on medium speed, beat egg yolks with 1/4 cup of the sugar until fluffy.

In a small chilled mixing bowl, using clean mixer beaters, beat the egg whites on high until foamy. Gradually add 1/2 cup of the sugar beating until stiff peaks form. Fold a third of the egg white mixture into the egg yolk mixture. Alternately add the flour mixture with the remainder of the egg white mixture. Pour batter into the prepared pan; smooth the top. Bake 15 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.To Fill and Roll Cake:Dust a clean cloth with the remaining sugar. Turn the cake out onto the sugared cloth. Remove the waxed paper from the cake. Trim the cakes edges to smooth. Starting with a long side of the cake, tightly roll up the cake with the cloth. Transfer the rolled cake to a wire rack to cool.When the cake is cooled, unroll the cake and remove the cloth. Mix the chocolate chips into the thawed whipped topping. Spread the whipped topping mixture over the cake to within 1/2-inch of the edges. Re-roll the cake and place seam side down on a serving plate. Dust cake with powdered sugar before serving.Variation: Make a Black Forest Cake Roll by using cherry pie filling instead of the whipped topping mixture. Serve slices with a dollop of whipped cream or topping, if desired.For easier slicing, you can put cake in the freezer for 15 to 20 minutes if necessary. Cut cake roll with a serrated knife. Enjoy!

Was there anyone who made a better chocolate cake when you were a child than your grandma?  Why not go back in time and enjoy a delicious old fashion chocolate cake today with your family?  Be sure to make the Chocolate Creme Cheese Frosting too as that really makes the cake delicious.  Who knows this cake may taste like Grandma’s did!

GRANDMA’S CHOCOLATE CAKE AND CHOCOLATE CREME CHEESE FROSTING

1/2 cup solid shortening2 cups granulated sugar4 eggs1 tsp vanilla2 oz unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour1 1/2 tsp baking soda1 tsp salt1 1/2 cups buttermilk

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees.  Grease and flour 2 9-inch cake pans; set aside.

In a large mixing bowl cream together the shortening and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition.  Stir in the vanilla and the melted chocolate.  Sift the flour, baking soda, and salt together and add to the chocolate mixture alternately with the buttermilk.  Mix well and pour evenly into the two prepared pans.  Bake at 325 degrees for 40 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean.  Cool in the pans for 10 minutes.  Remove from the pans and cool completely on a wire rack.  Frost with the following Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting.

CHOCOLATE CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

1/2 cup butter, softened1 pkg (8-oz) cream cheese1 tsp vanilla extract1/4 tsp salt2 lb powdered sugar3 tbsp milk or cream3 oz unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled

In a medium mixing bowl combine the butter, cream cheese, and vanilla extract.  Add the salt; beat until creamy and smooth.  Gradually add the powdered sugar while beating with electric mixer on low speed.  Stir in the milk and melted chocolate; beat until fluffy.  Use between the two cake layers and to frost the top and sides.  (Don’t fight with the kids over licking the beaters!)

Enjoy!

It’s your child’s birthday and you want to surprise him/her with that special treat-a really great tasting chocolate cake that is sure to be a hit with his friends. Just check out those 2 chocolate cake recipes for your kids’ birthday

Moist Chocolate Birthday Cake Chocolate Cake

Ingredients: 2 cups sugar (1 white, 1 dark brown-Domino Brand) 1/2 cup Parkay Margarine (1 stick) 2 eggs 1/2 cup Hershey Cocoa 1 TBSP vanilla (imitation) or 1tsp real vanilla Pinch of salt 1 TBSP baking soda (Arm & Hammer brand) 1 cup buttermilk (or powdered buttermilk-follow directions on label to equal 1 cup buttermilk)

2 cups sifted flour (measure flour first prior to sifting it) 1/2 cup boiling water Chocolate Cake Icing Ingredients: 1/2 box Domino’s Powdered Sugar (1 lb. size) 1 stick Parkay margarine 2 level TBSP Hershey’s Cocoa 2 tsp imitation vanilla 1.5 TBSP milk How to

Make the Chocolate Cake: Beat Parkay margarine and sugar until creamy. Add eggs, vanilla, salt, and cocoa. Mix baking soda in buttermilk until it starts to fizz. Pour buttermilk into batter. Stop mixer and add flour.

Mix until smooth, about 3 minutes. Add boiling water and mix. Pour batter into long cake pan 13 by 9 by 2. Bake at 375 degrees for 35 minutes. Test if it’s done using a toothpick. If toothpick comes out clean, it’s done. If it doesn’t come out clean, leave in a few more minutes and retest.

How to Make the Icing: Feed in mixer. The longer you beat it the creamier it gets. Cool cake first before frosting.

For vanilla icing, use same recipe but omit cocoa. Best Chocolate Cake Ingredients: 50g/2oz plain flour 60g/21/2oz ground almonds 225g/8oz good quality dark chocolate (at least 70 per cent cocoa solids), broken into pieces 225g/8oz butter 6 free-range eggs, separated 50g/2oz soft brown sugar grated orange zest (optional) 175g/6oz caster sugar icing sugar, for dusting Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.

2. Grease and line the base and sides of a 20cm/8in loose-bottomed or clip-sided cake tin with greaseproof paper.

3. Sift the flour and almonds into a large bowl.

4. Place the chocolate pieces and butter into a heatproof bowl set over a pan of gently simmering water, making sure the water doesn’t touch the base of the bowl. Heat while stirring from time to time, until melted and smooth. Remove from the heat and allow cooling slightly.

5. Separate the eggs into two large bowls. Add the brown sugar to the bowl with the egg yolks and whisk together for a few minutes until frothy. Add the flour mixture, melted chocolate and grated orange zest, if using. Fold lightly to mix, using a large metal spoon.

6. Whisk the egg whites until soft peaks form when the whisk is removed. Gradually add the caster sugar and continue whisking until stiff peaks form when the whisk is removed.

7. Gently fold the egg white mixture into the chocolate mixture. Pour the mixture into the cake tin.

8. Bake in the oven for 45-50 minutes, or until crisp on top and squidgy inside. Test the cake with a cocktail stick or skewer – it should come out a bit sticky, but not wet. Allow to cool on a wire rack – the cake will sink but that’s ok. Carefully peel the paper off when the cake’s cold

9. To serve, dust the cake with icing sugar and cut into slices.

Go back in time and make your family an old-fashion comfort food meal of Blue Ribbon Ham Casserole, Carrot, Apple, Raisin Salad and Ms. Nina’s Sour Cream Chocolate Cake. This Ham Casserole cooks on the stove-top. Carrot, Apple, Raisin Salad will bring fruit and crunch to your meal. Finish off your meal with Ms. Nina’s Sour Cream Chocolate Cake.

BLUE RIBBON HAM CASSEROLE I believe, but cannot say for sure, that this recipe was cut from the back of a Parkay Margarine package.

1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper 1/4 cup chopped onion 1 tbsp Parkey margarine 1/2 lb Velveeta pasteurized process cheese spread, cubed 1/4 cup milk 3 cups chopped cooked potatoes 3/4 cup chopped ham 1/4 tsp salt

Saute green pepper and onion in margarine. Add process cheese spread and milk; stir until completely melted. Add remaining ingredients; mix well. Heat, stirring constantly, until bubbly and heated through. 4 to 6 servings.

CARROT, APPLE, AND RAISIN SALAD This recipe was popular in my childhood.

2 cups grated carrots 2 cups finely chopped apples 1/2 tsp lemon juice 1 cup raisins 1/4 cup chopped nuts 1/3 cup mayonnaise

After chopping apples, toss with 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice. Combine with the remaining ingredients, mix well. Sprinkle a few chopped nuts on top for garnish, if desired. Cover and refrigerate until serving time. Refrigerate any leftovers.

MS. NINA’S SOUR CREAM CHOCOLATE CAKE 2 cups sugar 1 cup sour cream 2 eggs 1 tsp vanilla 2 cups flour 1/2 cup cocoa 1 1/4 tsps baking soda 1/2 tsp salt 1 cup boiling water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix sugar, sour cream,eggs, and vanilla together; mix well. Sift the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt together and add to the sugar mixture. After both mixtures are well blended, pour in the boiling water. Stir together to mix well. Pour into a greased 9 x 13-inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes. Frost with your favorite frosting.

Enjoy!

I remember one special Christmas morning, when dad and mother yawningly turned the Christmas tree lights on in the corner of the living room, illuminating all the wonders that Santa had brought the night before. This was before television and computers and well before video games.

As though it was yesterday, just as the morning light was seeping through the windows, I saw a red cowboy hat and a Roy Roger’s gun and holster set under the tree. On the other side of the tree there was a tan cowboy hat and pistol set. This one was for my younger brother.

As I recall, that was the extent of my Christmas gifts. By today’s standards it was sort of skimpy, but our family couldn’t have enjoyed the day more. In addition to our genuine cowboy outfits, Santa Claus brought mom a new hand bag while dad got another tie. It was a wonderful Christmas morning!

The day however, was just beginning. After my brother and I had chased off any outlaw or renegades that might have sneaked into our house during the night, we greedily ate some of the apples, oranges and nuts that Santa had scattered under the tree. Back then these fruits were a delicacy we only enjoyed on Christmas morning and rarely were there any left for the next day.

It may seem as if I’m painting a picture of a poverty stricken household, but on the contrary, we were somewhat more affluent than most of our neighbors. It was just a simpler and more innocent time with each gift important to us. Receiving only a few items at Christmas seemed to give make those gifts more precious, if you can call a Roy Rogers genuine cap gun and holster set precious.

When things began to settle down a little and the wrapping paper was packed up and stowed in trash cans, the ribbons carefully save in a box for next year, mom began Christmas dinner. In the south back then, lunch was dinner and dinner was supper. I still wonder why the terminology changed; must have been Yankee influence.

Even though Thanksgiving’s feast had only been a month before, Christmas dinner always was a little more spectacular, if only in the sweets department. There were no counting calories when I was a kid, especially on Christmas day. In addition to my mother’s contribution of sweets, my Aunts always came over and brought with them ridiculous amounts of sugary delights, all of which would be eaten.

By dinner time the house was full of the fragrances of ham, turkey, sweet potatoes and every kind of side dish you can imagine. Thanksgiving dinner had been just a warm up for the main event. Christmas was the when relatives you hadn’t seen since Aunt Bertha’s funeral showed up for dinner. That year was no exception!

Mom always made the coconut cake and fruitcake. It was her specialty and no one would even try to match her on either one of those. I’m not sure of the recipe, but she made her cake with real coconuts. I recall her cracking the hard shell with a hammer, draining the milk into a glass and then prying out the coconut, which she shredded. No packaged pre-shredded coconut for her!

An hour before the table was set, Aunt Vida arrived with two of her chocolate pies and enough fudge to feed Rhode Island. Aunt Helen balanced a real German Chocolate cake in one hand and a gallon of boiled custard in the other. These were in the center ring of our Christmas dinner circus.

While other folks brought food items, none were in the same class as my mother’s Coconut cake and my two aunts’ chocolate pie and German chocolate cake. Sometimes there was a little controversy as to whose boiled custard was the best. No one ever really won that argument!

While none of us can turn back the clock, this is a time for remembering special moments of the past. Maybe this year’s Christmas will be a great memory for one of our kids. It’s nice to think so.

Everyone loves chocolate cake; hand here is a fun recipe to make a Halloween cake that looks like a bat. It’s not hard to make, it starts off as a simple Chocolate Victoria sandwich cake but it is cleverly cut and put together to look like a bat.

Ingredients

2 tbsp cocoa

3 tbsp boiling water

225g/8oz soft margarine

225g/8oz caster sugar

4 eggs

225g/8oz self-raising flour

2tsp baking powder

For the Filling and Topping:

Strawberry jam

50g/2oz soft margarine

175g/6oz icing sugar, sifted

1 tbsp milk

A bar of Cooking Chocolate

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4. Grease and base line 20cm / 2x8in sandwich tins with greased greaseproof paper.

2. Blend the cocoa and water in a mixing bowl then leave to cool slightly. Measure all the remaining ingredients into the bowl and beat well until thoroughly blended. Divide the mixture evenly between the tins and level out.

3. Bake in the preheated oven for about 25 minutes or until well risen and the tops of the cakes spring back when lightly pressed with a finger. Leave to cool in the tins for a few moments then turn out, peel off the paper and finish cooling on a wire rack.

4. To make the butter cream, blend together the margarine, icing sugar and milk until smooth. Keep one of the pieces of sponge cake whole to form the base. Spread a thin even layer of jam on the cake base, and add half the icing and spread this out over the top of the jam.

5. Take the second piece of sponge and with a large round pastry cutter, cut a circle in the middle of the sponge. Now cut two more circles, one above and one below the centre hole. The two big cake halves left form the bats wings, stick them on top of the base of the cake with the scalloped shaped edges sticking outwards. (See picture at link below)

6. Take two of the three circles that were cut away when making the wings. Stick the two circles together with jam and icing and stick them in one of the triangle shapes between the wings to form the bat’s head. The final circle should be cut in half and stuck with icing above the bat’s head to form the ears. Bats have large ears you know.

7. Melt the cooking chocolate in the microwave for a couple of minutes – stirring half way through. Melt the cooking chocolate in the microwave for a couple of minutes – stirring half way through. Spread the chocolate evenly over the bat’s wings, head and ears. Give the Bat a face with some icing and red jelly sweets for spooky eyes.

This lovely bat cake makes a great centrepiece to any table. It will look as if you have spent hours slaving away to make him but as you will know, he was rather quick and easy. Just watch the slices of cake fly off the plate!

A few batty jokes…

Why don’t bats live alone?

They prefer to hang out with their friends.

How can you tell a vampire likes baseball?

Every night he turns into a bat.

How does a lady bat attract a mate?

She bats her eyes.

Why doesn’t anybody like Dracula?

He has a bat temper.

A group of bats, hanging at the ceiling of a cave, discovers a single bat standing upright underneath on the floor of the cave. Surprised by this unusual behaviour, they ask this fellow: “What the heck are you doing down there?” And the fellow shouts back: “Yoga!”