Magic Chocolate Ice Cream: 1941 Retro Ad & Recipe

Today is National Chocolate Ice Cream Day. In order to celebrate, I dug into my retro advertising files and found this wonderful Borden's Eagle Brand recipe from August 8, 1941 for Magic Chocolate Ice Cream. I love Elsie the Cow, and I'm definitely take her advice on bringing "homemade ice cream to the social." Luckily, I have an automatic refrigerator! Gotta love these 'story' ads. "If it's Borden's, it's got to be good." No need for an ice cream machine.

Chocolate Applesauce Bundt Cake: Applesauce Day

Today is Applesauce Day, and I have a favorite recipe for Applesauce Cake. It's a Chocolate Applesauce Cake, of course. This recipe is from Kristin Donnelly and was in Food and Wine in 2007. I love it because it's a one bowl cake, and when it's made in a bundt pan, it's pretty, as well as easy. Applesauce cakes are usually spice cakes, so this recipe may remind you of the holidays. Nevertheless, it's great all year round, and today on Applesauce Day, you can make it to celebrate!

I used to make my own applesauce from my Gravenstein apple trees, but over the last few years, Topper and Rosie, my golden retrievers, have 'retrieved' the apples before they were quite ripe. Some years, I've picked up a flat or bushel along the road in Sebastopol in Sonoma county, famous for its Gravenstein Apples. But lately I've been buying my applesauce from Trader Joe's. They sell First Press Gravenstein applesauce. How great is that?

In this recipe I use chocolate chunks instead of chocolate chips, but use what you have and what you like. I always have good chocolate around, so I tend to chop it up and use it in cakes and cookies. It changes things up in terms of taste! Also, always make sure your spices are fresh.

CHOCOLATE APPLESAUCE BUNDT CAKE

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground cardamom
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
2 cups unsweetened applesauce  (applesauce from Gravenstein apples- my favorite!)
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 stick sweet butter, melted
10 ounces dark chocolate, chopped, or a 12-ounce bag semisweet-chocolate chips
Powdered sugar, for dusting
Optional: Crème fraîche or whipped cream, for serving

Directions
Preheat oven to 350°. Butter and flour 12-cup Bundt pan.
In large bowl, whisk flour with granulated sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, cardamom, salt, cloves, and pepper. Whisk in applesauce, eggs, oil and melted butter. Fold in chocolate chunks or chips.
Scrape batter into prepared pan. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out with a few crumbs attached.
Transfer pan to a rack and let cool for 10 minutes, then invert onto rack and cool completely, about 20 minutes. Sift powdered sugar over cake, slice and serve with crème fraîche or whipped cream--or plain.
This cake also tastes great toasted for breakfast with sweet butter or cream cheese!

Sour Cream Chocolate Chunk Coffee Cake

I am a sucker when it comes to Sour Cream Coffee Cake, so I was thrilled to find this recipe for Sour Cream Chocolate Chunk Coffee Cake on the Scharffen Berger website. I know I've posted other Sour Cream Coffee Cake recipes, but I love this one, especially for the Chocolate Streusel Topping! I use a Bundt Pan, so it looks great, too! You can always use whatever chocolate you like, but since the recipe is from Scharffen Berger, I list it as the chocolate.

SOUR CREAM CHOCOLATE CHUNK COFFEE CAKE

Ingredients 

For Batter 
16 Tbsp unsalted butter
1-1/2 cups sugar
3 eggs
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup sour cream
1 tsp vanilla
5 ounces SCHARFFEN BERGER 62% Cacao Semisweet Chocolate, chopped into 1/4-inch bits, or a scant cup of SCHRAFFEN BERGER 62% Cacao Semisweet Chocolate Baking Chunks

For Streusel Topping 
 2 ounces SCHARFFEN BERGER 62% Cacao Semisweet Chocolate
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup toasted walnuts, chopped

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Grease Bundt pan generously and dust with flour. Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy in electric mixer (using paddle attachment if using electric mixer). Add eggs, one at a time. Add vanilla extract.
Sift flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Gradually add flour mixture alternately with sour cream. Fold in chocolate pieces. Set aside.

To Make Streusel 
Melt 2 ounces of chocolate in top of double boiler or in bowl placed over pan of simmering water, stirring frequently until melted. Remove bowl from heat and mix in toasted walnuts until coated. Mix in sugars and cinnamon.

Pour half batter into prepared pan. Top with half streusel mixture. Cover with remaining batter and top with the remaining streusel mixture.
Bake for 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out dry.
Cool on a cake rack.
Unmold and serve warm or at room temperature.

Cognac Truffles - Cognac Day

Today is National Cognac Day! Cognac goes so well with Chocolate, especially in Cognac Truffles.

Cognac is a brandy that comes from the Cognac region in France. Distilled for a long time, it's this aging process that gives Cognac a very distinctive taste. Only brandy that is produced in Cognac can be labeled Cognac. 

I always opt for easy truffle recipes. I've posted two of these great recipes in the past, but I've added a third which includes orange zest! The second recipe includes raw eggs (although they heat up a bit in the chocolate),  so if that's a problem for you, make the first or third recipe. I have tried many different types of chocolate (brands and amounts of cacao), and as always the flavors will change with the chocolate. These recipes are basically ganache truffles, so no tempering needed. You can roll them in cocoa or chopped nuts. How easy is that?

1. COGNAC TRUFFLES

Ingredients
8 ounces dark chocolate, chopped
2 Tbsp sweet butter. softened
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 Tbsp Cognac
unsweetened cocoa or chopped nuts

Directions
Put chopped chocolate in bowl. On low heat warm cream and butter until nearly boiling. Pour cream and butter over chocolate and mix gently and thoroughly until chocolate is melted. You can always just melt all ingredients together in the top of a double boiler, if you're careful.
Cool and add cognac, mixing into chocolate mixture.
Cover and refrigerate 3 hours or more.
Using a melon baller or spoon, scoop chocolate into balls. Then roll in hands to smooth out the ball.
Roll balls in cocoa or nuts and refrigerate until ready to serve.

2. COGNAC TRUFFLES

Ingredients
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate
1-1/4 cup confectioners sugar
1/3 cup sweet butter
3 egg yolks
2 Tbsp cognac
cocoa or chopped nuts

Directions
Melt chocolate.
Combine sugar and butter in bowl then cream together.
Add egg yolks 1 at a time then stir in melted chocolate and cognac.
Chill mixture at least one hour then scoop out and form into balls.
Roll in coating of your choice and dry for 1 hour.

3. COGNAC TRUFFLES

Ingredients 
6 ounces DARK chocolate, chopped
3 ounces heavy cream
1 Tbsp cognac
1-1/2 Tbsp grated orange zest
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

Directions
Bring cream to simmer in saucepan over medium-high heat. Set aside. Add chocolate and stir until smooth. Add cognac and orange zest and stir well. Cover and chill it refrigerator for 4 hours until stiff.
With scoop or teaspoon, make small balls.
Put cocoa powder in bowl and roll truffles in it.
Chill for half an hour and serve.

No time to make these today? Coco Delice has great Cognac Truffles!