HERSHEY'S "PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE" Chocolate (Cup)Cake(s)

I had seen many positive posts on food blogs for Hershey's "Perfectly Chocolate" Chocolate Cake. So I had to try it for myself. I made a batch of cupcakes for Carlo's co-workers who have become my grateful guinea pigs.

When I read the instructions, I noticed that water was listed. I rarely ever seen that listed in a cake recipe. If it was, it may have been a couple of tablespoons. However, the end product made me realize why the water was needed. It actually helped make the cupcakes moist, yet quite light.

Though I didn't find the cupcakes to be particularly "perfectly chocolate," they were decent. I've made and eaten better chocolate cake. Nevertheless, Carlo's co-workers enjoyed them.

I may make them again, but only if asked.

Here's the recipe:

HERSHEY'S "PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE" Chocolate Cake
Source: Hershey.com

Ingredients:
* 2 cups sugar
* 1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
* 3/4 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
* 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
* 1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 2 eggs
* 1 cup milk
* 1/2 cup vegetable oil
* 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
* 1 cup boiling water
* "PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE" CHOCOLATE FROSTING(recipe follows)

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans.

2. Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Pour batter into prepared pans.

3. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. Frost with "PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE" CHOCOLATE FROSTING. 10 to 12 servings.

VARIATIONS:
ONE-PAN CAKE: Grease and flour 13x9x2-inch baking pan. Heat oven to 350° F. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 35 to 40 minutes. Cool completely. Frost.

THREE LAYER CAKE: Grease and flour three 8-inch round baking pans. Heat oven to 350°F. Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake 30 to 35 minutes. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. Frost.

BUNDT CAKE: Grease and flour 12-cup Bundt pan. Heat oven to 350°F. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 50 to 55 minutes. Cool 15 minutes; remove from pan to wire rack. Cool completely. Frost.

CUPCAKES: Line muffin cups (2-1/2 inches in diameter) with paper bake cups. Heat oven to 350°F. Fill cups 2/3 full with batter. Bake 22 to 25 minutes. Cool completely. Frost. About 30 cupcakes.

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"Healthy Alternatives" to Condiments

I've learned that when you change the way you eat, it shouldn't be so drastic nor should it depriving. Some people have told me that it's good to try to be as "normal" as possible with your food choices. When you're "dieting" (Sorry, Cora - BAD WORD!), it can seem almost impossible.

Well boys and girls, we got creative with the help of a couple of recipes we found to make a low-carb ketchup and a low-carb honey mustard sauce. We also made our own Russian dressing. Granted, they do not taste the same as the "real thing," but they're pretty good on their own.

Even Better "Heinz" Ketchup - From Linda's Low Carb Recipes


Induction-Friendly, Sumptuous Honey Mustard Dressing - From Sugar Free Sheila


Quick Low Carb Russian Dressing - From Macaroon & Artichoke's Kitchen
2-3 servings, depending on how much dressing you like



INGREDIENTS:
3 tbsp. mayonnaise
1 tbsp. of low-carb ketchup
1 tbsp. sugar-free relish (BH&G; makes one with Splenda)
1/8 tsp. dill weed
Dash of black pepper

DIRECTIONS:

1. Mix all ingredients in a small bowl until well blended.
2. Serve as a dip, spread or salad dressing

Also check out another Honey Mustard recipe from Alisa at Foodista:

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Cupcakes Abound!

For Mother's Day, I made a variety of cupcakes to give as gifts. Mostly inspired by mixed drinks, I made Lemon Meringue, Cosmopolitan, Strawberry Margarita and Piña Colada.

Here they are a few close-ups:

Lemon Meringue - From Cupcakes by Pamela Clark (Barnes & Noble); Pg. 60


Cosmo Cakes - From Macaroom & Artichoke's Kitchen (I whipped this up and forgot to write out the recipe - BAD MACAROON!)


Strawberry Margarita Cupcakes - Recipe from Good Things Catered


Piña Colada Cupcakes - Recipe from Annie's Eats

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Oven Pancakes & Mint Iced Tea

For Mom's breakfast, I came up with a quick and easy pancake recipe, using the last egg I had in the refrigerator. Using my new favorite kitchen gadget, the muffin top pan, the cakes came out better than I expected. I may try these out on the griddle or in a skillet just to see the results.



Lemon-Lime Honey Cakes
Source:The Macaroon & Artichoke's Kitchen
Serves 3

INGREDIENTS:
1 c. all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. baking powder
Dash of salt
1 egg
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/4 cup. honey
1 tsp. lemon zest
1 tsp. lime zest
2 tbsp. lemon juice
2 tbsp. lime juice

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease muffin top pan.
2. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt
3. Beat egg into the dry mixture. Then add the remaining ingredients.
4. Mix until well combined into batter.
5. Pour into wells of pan, then place in the oven to bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Flip the pancakes after 20 minutes.

You can serve these with butter and syrup, but I like them on their own.

Now onto the drink...

Normally, we would have wine for my mom as part of her Mother's Day breakfast/bunch. However, since we went with more breakfast-type foods, wine didn't seem appropriate. So I made a quick iced tea, using delicious Moroccan mint tea.



If you never had Moroccan mint tea, I highly recommend that you try it. While we were on our honeymoon in Marrakech, Carlo literally lived on the stuff, drinking it hot on the even the hottest days. It's my favorite kind of tea and am so glad we can get it at our local Trader Joe's.

Moroccan Mint Iced Tea
Source:The Macaroon & Artichoke's Kitchen
Serves 8 to 12

INGREDIENTS:
6 tea bags of Moroccan mint tea
4 c. boiling water
4 c. cold water
Juice of 1 lemon
1 c. of sugar or Splenda
Ice cubes for glasses

DIRECTIONS:
1. Steep tea bags in boiling water for approximately 5 minutes.
2. Mix in the cold water, lemon juice and sugar until sugar is dissolved.
3. Let the mixture sit for another 5 minutes before serving over ice.

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Swiss Veggie "Quiche"

From Merriam-Webster
Pronunciation: \ˈkēsh\
Function: noun
Etymology: French, from French dialect (Lorraine)
Date: 1933

an unsweetened custard pie usually having a savory filling (as spinach, mushrooms, or ham)



I made a quiche for Mother's Day. Well, a low-carb version of one. So there was no crust or custard. However, it was still good and really simple to make.

Swiss Veggie "Quiche"
Source: The Macaroon & Artichoke's Kitchen
Serves 6-8

INGREDIENTS:
6 eggs
1/4 c. heavy cream
1/4 tsp. parsley flakes
1/8 tsp. garlic powder
1/8 tsp. onion powder
Pinch of salt
Pinch of pepper
1 tomato, chopped
1 c. green pepper, chopped
1 c. grated swiss cheese

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven at 350 degrees. Grease a 9-in pie plate.
2. Beat eggs and heavy cream. Then stir in spices. Set aside.
3. Fill pie plate with tomato, green pepper and cheese. Pour egg mixture over vegetables and cheese
4. Bake in oven for 40-45 minutes until golden brown. Let it cool slightly before cutting into slices and serving.

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Happy Mommy's Day Breakfast

Today was a busy day for Mac and Art. We celebrated our moms in two ways: Breakfast with my mom at our home. Late lunch at El Cid in Paramus, NJ for Artichoke's mom and sister-in-law.

For my mom, we made a big breakfast of vegetable crustless quiche, lemon-line honey cakes, bacon and grits. We served it up with a quick Moroccan mint iced tea. We ended our meal with cupcakes that I made as part of the Mother's Day gifts we gave.

Here are just a few photos of the spread. We'll get some recipes for you throughout the week.

Swiss Veggie Quiche

Lemon-Lime Honey Cakes

Moroccan Mint Iced Tea

4 Kinds of Cupcakes: Pina Colada, Strawberry Margarita, Cosmopolitan and Lemon Meringue

Other Gifts for Mom

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Cream Cheese Muffins

Many folks think of a low-carb breakfast as being bacon and eggs. Bacon and eggs can be boring. Sure you can do add thing to the eggs to suit your taste, but eggs are eggs. Since Carlo and I have gotten back into eating healthier, we've found some great alternatives.

I came upon the recipe below by chance. A simple search of a low-carb muffin brought me to lowcarbfriends.com and a post on cream cheese muffins. The recipe is so simple and easy that I actually put all of the ingredients in the blender and just poured the mixture into our muffin pan.

I replaced the Splenda with some sugar-free pancake-flavored syrup by DaVinci to lower the carb content slightly. The end result is a yummy mini-cheesecake muffin that's about 1 to 2 carbs per muffin.

Here's the recipe:

Cream Cheese Muffins
Source: Low Carb Friends Message Boards
Makes 10-12 muffins

INGREDIENTS:
2 8oz. pks. philadelphia cream cheese
1/2 cup sweetener ]
2 eggs
1/2 tsp. vanilla

DIRECTIONS:
Soften cream cheese about 40 seconds in microwave. Add other ingredients. Beat with mixer till smooth. Pour into 12 muffin pans lined with the papers. Bake at 350 for 20 min.

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You'd Swear It Was REALLY Potato Salad

I'm not going to say much about this one. Yes, it's really THAT good! Try it yourself and let us know what you think.


BLT "Potato" Salad
Source: Linda's Low Carb Menus & Recipe
Makes 8-10 servings

INGREDIENTS:
1 medium cauliflower, cut into bite-size pieces, about 20 ounces
1 cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons sugar free sweet pickle relish
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon granular Splenda or equivalent liquid Splenda
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved, about 5 ounces
1/2 small red onion, minced, about 3 ounces
3 hard boiled eggs, chopped
4 pieces bacon, cooked and crumbled
Lettuce leaves

DIRECTIONS:

1. Place the cauliflower in a casserole with one tablespoon of water. Cover and microwave on HIGH for 6-7 minutes, stirring after 3 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, blend the mayonnaise, relish, mustard, parsley, salt, pepper and sweetener in a large bowl; set aside. When the cauliflower is ready, drain it well then add it to the mayonnaise mixture. To the same bowl, add the tomatoes, onion and eggs, tossing gently until blended. Cover and chill at least 3 hours. Stir in the bacon just before serving. Serve on lettuce leaves.

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