Chocolate Honey Cake for a Sweet New Year!

Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year, starts tonight, so I wanted to post one of my favorite recipes for Chocolate Honey Cake. This is a great and easy honey cake to make for a Sweet New Year! Recipe is from Molly Katzen's The Enchanted Broccoli Forest. I've been making this Chocolate Honey Cake for years.

The flavor will change with the honey and chocolate you use. I use local honey that is gathered from Claremont Canyon, right near my house, but any honey will work! Molly Katzen has a hint about baking with honey. Because baking cakes with honey can be tricky (it is much heavier and wetter than sugar), you have to take extra care that the texture of the finished product be light enough and has "enough crumb." To accomplish this, whip the honey separately at high speed with an electric mixer, until it is opaque (about two minutes). This incorporates air into the honey, increasing its volume, and drying it out some, so it can make a good cake. Please don't skip or skimp on this step.

CHOCOLATE HONEY CAKE

Ingredients
Nonstick spray for the pan
1/2 cup canola oil or softened butter
1 ounce unsweetened chocolate
3/4 cup light-colored honey
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup unsweetened DARK cocoa
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup chocolate chips 

Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F (325°F for glass pan). Spray medium-sized loaf pan with nonstick spray. Melt butter and chocolate together over simmering water (double boiler or a saucepan over a saucepan). If using oil, melt chocolate alone, then remove from heat and stir in oil.
Place honey in medium-sized bowl, and beat at high speed with electric mixer for 2 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each. Stir in vanilla.
Sift together dry ingredients in separate medium-small bowl. Beat melted chocolate mixture into honey-egg mixture. Fold in dry ingredients and chocolate chips, and stir until well combined. Spread into prepared pan.
Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until knife inserted into center comes out clean.
Cool before slicing.

Afternoon Tea: Chocolate Orange Scones

Summer Afternoon (Tea in the Garden): Theo van Rysselberghe, 1901

There are few hours in life more agreeable
Than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea.
--Henry James

As a tea drinker, I can definitely confirm that. I love a cuppa and a scone around 5 p.m. So for today's post, I want to celebrate the Birthday of Anna Bedford, Creator of Afternoon Tea. Anna, the seventh Duchess of Bedford and lady-in-waiting to Queen Victoria, inadvertently invented Afternoon Tea in 1840. At that time, the main meal of the day shifted from midday (luncheon) to evening. English high society didn’t dine until 8 p.m. Anna needed something to tide her over, so she ordered tea with brown bread to be brought to her room around 4 p.m. Initially this meal was brought surreptiously, but after awhile she began to invite her friends, and “afternoon tea” expanded, both in what was served and the number of friends who partook. When Anna Bedford returned to London, she continued her afternoon teas, and soon Afternoon Tea became the rage of the elite. In addition to brown bread and small sandwiches, there were sweets and special “tea cakes.” The custom spread and tea rooms and tea gardens opened to serve tea to all classes. 

Afternoon Tea is not the same as high tea. Afternoon Tea is a lighter meal, and scones are almost always served. I love clotted cream with my scones, and luckily, fresh clotted cream is readily available at my market. I enjoy 'plain' scones, but these Orange Scones with Chocolate Chips are yummy! Make some for your afternoon tea today!

Chocolate Orange Scones

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup white sugar

Victorian postcard: Afternoon Tea

1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons sweet butter, chilled and grated (keep cold until ready)
1 -1/3 cups heavy cream
3/4 cup miniature dark chocolate chips
3 tablespoons orange juice (1 large orange and zest from 2 oranges)

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 F.
Spray baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray or smear with butter.
In large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
With pastry blender or large fork, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. You can also do this with your hands.
Put in freezer for 5 minutes.
Take out of freezer and add cream, chocolate chips, orange juice and orange zest.
Mix together.
Turn out dough on floured surface. Pat or roll into 9 inch circle about 3/4 inch thick.
With 2 1/2 inch fluted biscuit cutter, cut out about 12 scones, pushing dough scraps together for last few, if necessary.
Transfer scones to baking sheet.
Bake in preheated oven until golden-brown, about 10-12 minutes.
Remove from oven and cool on wire rack.

Serve with clotted cream and jam.

Labor Day Triple Fudge Cake

Happy Labor Day! Instead of posting chocolate barbecue rub recipes today, I thought I'd post this Retro Recipe for Labor Day Cake Triple Fudge Cake from Betty Crocker's Party Book, copyright 1960. The Party Book is all about being a good 'hostess'  with fun, if somewhat dated, recipes for most holidays:  "More than 500 recipes, menus and how-to-do-it tips for festive occasions the year 'round."

So to celebrate Labor Day, make this simple Labor Day Triple Fudge Cake, virtually labor-free.

Coconut and Cacao Nib Crusted Shrimp

It's no secret that I'm a huge fan of TAZA Chocolate. I just love the stone ground texture and the flavor. I'm especially fond of the 70% Mexicano, and I keep several 'wheels' in my desk drawer. In my pantry, though, I have another TAZA product: Taza Chocolate Roasted Cacao Nibs. These great to throw in salads, cookies, banana bread, oatmeal, and as a coating on steak au poivre. You can even throw them into trail-mix. Plus, they're dairy and soy-free, gluten-free and Kosher.

So with the Labor Day holiday this weekend, I turned to the Taza blog for savory suggestions. This recipe for Coconut and Cacao Nib Crusted Shrimp is exceptional and easy!You can even make these ahead, spread on a baking sheet and freeze. To reheat, put them in a 400 degree oven until crisp.

COCONUT AND CACAO NIB CRUSTED SHRIMP

Ingredients:
1/3 cup flour
Kosher salt and Cracked black pepper
3 egg whites, beaten
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons, Taza Chocolate Roasted Cacao Nibs, finely chopped
1/4 cup shredded coconut
1 pound peeled and deveined shrimp
Vegetable oil, for frying
Sweet chili sauce, for dipping

Instructions:
1. Place flour in small bowl then season with salt and pepper. Place egg whites in separate bowl and gently toss breadcrumbs, Taza Chocolate Roasted Cacao Nibs, and coconut together in third bowl. Coat each shrimp in flour, followed by egg whites, followed by coconut mixture and reserve.
2. Heat 2 inches of vegetable oil in large pot until a thermometer has reached 375 degrees. Fry shrimp in batches making sure to not overfill the pot. Serve immediately with sweet chili sauce for dipping.