Monthly Archives: March 2012

Triple Chocolate Sin Cake

If sin is a bad thing…then why, oh why, does it taste so good?

Everybody needs just a sprinkle of sin in their lives. I’m not talking about anything drastic or punishable by law, just a little self-indulgence from time-to-time to keep you sane.

Of all the Deadly Sins, Gluttony is the one I suffer from most, and after you try this Triple Chocolate Sin Cake, you’ll find the same reigns true for you. It’s so sinfully delicious that you’ll almost feel guilty partaking in such pleasure. But the more that your conscience tells you to stop, the more your appetite will crave.

Conscience: “One slice is quite enough.”
Appetite: “You’re right, Conscience. Let’s make it a supremely giant slice then, shall we?”

When you take your first bite, the moist chocolate cake and creamy frosting will melt in your mouth. Never have you experienced such a smooth, silky cake as this. You practically don’t even have to chew. This is quite honestly the most moist cake on the planet. It’s so rich and dark and decadent, like something from the table of a God…or perhaps the Devil’s kitchen.

Look at that moist crumb!

Chocolate lovers, you will not find a more satisfying cake on the planet. And even if you aren’t one for sweets, you will find heaven here. My mother, as I’ve mentioned before, much prefers savory to sweet, and yet she absolutely adores this cake. She cannot stop raving about it. And nor can I. It is that good.

Sinfully decadent, deeply chocolatey, and downright indulgent, this is a cake from your darkest fantasies. You will melt away with each bite as that luscious chocolate hits your soul. This incredible Triple Chocolate Sin Cake teeters on the edge between glorious heaven and deep, dark sin. Do not resist it, my little cookies. This cake will take you in.

P.S. Who’s observant today? This is the same cake and frosting from my Chocolate Bunny Cake. I had a leftover round cake, so I turned it into this gorgeous Triple Chocolate Sin Cake.

A Few Tips Before You Get Cooking:

  1. You may have extra batter. This recipe is cut in half. Originally, it yields three 8-inch round cake pans. However, this is a single layer cake (hence why I cut it in half). Feel free to double it, as well as the frosting, in order to create a 2-layer cake. However, it is not necessary to double the chocolate glaze; you’ll have enough.
  2. Work with the chocolate quickly so you can spread it out smoothly before it sets up.
  3. Make this the perfect Easter dessert by turning it into my Chocolate Bunny Cake!
  4. To line the bottom of a round pan with parchment paper: Rip off a sheet of parchment paper larger than the pan you’re using. Set the pan on top, then trace around the pan with a sharp knife. Viola! The perfect-sized circle.
  5. Avoid making a mess when you frost the cake: Stick pieces of waxed paper underneath the edges of the cake, then frost away (Don’t stick them too far underneath, or you won’t be able to pull them out). When finished, gently pull the waxed paper away, along with the mess!

Triple Chocolate Sin Cake

Ingredients

For the Chocolate Cake:
Cake recipe from The Pastry Queen

  • 1 stick (1/2 cup) butter
  • 1 cups water
  • 1/2 cup canola oil
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup dark cocoa powder
  • 1/4 cup regular cocoa powder
  • 2 cups flour
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk
  • 1 tsp. + 1/2 tsp. baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp. salt
  • 2 tsp. vanilla extract

For the Chocolate Buttercream:
Buttercream recipe from Savory Sweet Life

  • 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks), softened (but not melted!)
  • 3 1/2 cups confectioners (powdered) sugar
  • 1/2 cup cocoa powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon table salt
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract or 1 teaspoon almond extract
  • 4 tablespoons milk or heavy cream

For the Chocolate Glaze:

  • 12 oz. milk or semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped
  • 1 stick (1/2 cup) butter

Directions:

  1. Make the cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray an 8-inch round cake pan with nonstick cooking spray and line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
  2. In a small saucepan over medium heat, cook the butter, water, and oil until butter is melted. Remove from heat and set aside. In a separate bowl, stir together the sugar, cocoa powders, and flour. Whisk in the butter mixture until completely smooth. Then whisk in the eggs one at a time, followed by the buttermilk. Finally, whisk in the baking soda, salt, and vanilla.
  3. Pour into the pan until 3/4 full. Note: you may have extra batter. Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cake cool on wire rack for an hour. Then carefully invert the cake onto a plate or cake stand. Let cool completely.
  4. Make the frosting: Cream butter for a few minutes in a mixer with the paddle attachment on medium speed. Turn off the mixer. Sift 3 cups powdered sugar and cocoa into the mixing bowl. Turn your mixer on the lowest speed (so the dry ingredients do not blow everywhere) until the sugar and cocoa are absorbed by the butter. Increase mixer speed to medium and add vanilla extract, salt, and milk/cream and beat for 3 minutes. If your frosting needs a more stiff consistency, add a little more sugar. If your frosting needs to be thinned out, add additional milk 1 tablespoon at a time. (I used about 2 additional tablespoons).
  5. Scrape the frosting out on to the top of the cake. Use an offset spatula to spread the frosting. Work the frosting over the edges and let it fall over the sides. Smooth out the sides nicely, then the top. You may use a bowl scraper for a cleaner finish. Pop the cake into the freezer before proceeding.
  6. Make the Chocolate Glaze: in a medium saucepan over low heat, melt together the butter and chocolate. Continue to stir constantly or the chocolate will burn. When chocolate is completely melted, remove from heat.
  7. Immediately retrieve the cake from the freezer and pour the warm chocolate over top. Let it fall over the sides and smooth it out nicely.
  8. Put the cake in the fridge until chocolate is set (about 10 minutes). Slice and enjoy!
  9. Store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Allow to come to room temperature before eating.

Grilled Cheese Roll-Up Dippers

When I think of childhood American eats, I think of PB & J, Spaghetti-O’s, sugary cereals, and grilled cheese. Although I adore all of these treats, grilled cheese is the one that takes the special spot in my adult heart. You see, all of those other foods, delicious as they may be, are specifically classified as “kid food.” Grilled cheese, however, is not limited to any one age group (although it is a go-to kid lunch). You can enjoy grilled cheese until you’re 97 if you want (as long as you have dentures to chew it with), and no one will judge you.

If you know anything about your Smart Cookie Cook, then you know I love me some starch. Give me a hunk of good bread and I will go to town. Of course, I take pleasure in some mounds of melted cheese too. Therefore, the grilled cheese, which combines these two beautiful foods, is basically the holy grail of comfort food in my eyes. I know I’m not alone in this opinion. No matter how old we get, our love for ooey, gooey cheese inside of warm, golden bread never weakens.

Now, I know grilled cheese is wonderful enough in its most basic form, but I would like to introduce you to a whimsical new way to enjoy this gooey classic: Grilled Cheese Roll-Up Dippers. We’re taking tasty grilled cheese and turning it into fun, dippable* roll-ups!

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Kale Greens w/ Brown Butter Sauce

Life is all about balance.

If you stuff your face with gallons of ice cream, you run an extra mile the next day.
If you eat some spicy hot wings, you cool ‘em down with blue cheese.
If you forget your friend’s birthday, you buy them something really awesome to make up for it.
If you spend a whole night partying, you spend the next morning studying.

Haha I’m totally kidding about the last one. But the others hold true. As humans, we are constantly partaking in a complicated balancing act. We hover between one extreme and the other, and when we fall too far one way, we dive head first into the other to bring us back. Just as our daily lives require balance between things like having fun and working hard or being selfless and taking care of ourselves, food requires the same kind of  equilibrium.

Take sweet and salty food for example. You start with something supremely salty like nuts then balance them out with something sweet like chocolate. It might be hard to believe that balancing your life with a little bit of partying and a little bit of work could be better than just doing a whole lot of partying, but it’s clearly evident how beneficial the art of balance is when you look at food. Whether you’re talking texture, taste, or color, harmony is the key to deliciousness.

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Chocolate Bunny Cake + How-To Video

Chocolate bunnies are a quintessential Easter treat. Perhaps it’s a sign of narcissism on the Easter Bunny’s part; he finds himself so good-looking that he slips a candy replica of himself into all Easter baskets. Regardless of how chocolate bunnies came to be, they have turned into a beloved (and delicious) tradition. Let’s be honest, there isn’t much to dislike about a good ol’ chocolate bunny. I mean, it’s a giant hunk of creamy chocolate in the shape of an adorable rabbit.

Because the chocolate bunny is such a central part of Easter, I thought: why not take it one step further, elevating it from a cute gift in your Easter basket to a dessert centerpiece? That iconic chocolate bunny shape was just begging to be carved into a cake and decorated accordingly. So, I took my love for chocolate bunnies and my love for cake and forged the cutest treat this side of the rabbit hole: A Chocolate Bunny Cake.

Here comes Peter Chocolate Tail…Hoppin’ down the bunny trail…Hippity, hoppity dessert is on its way!

This festive dessert looks exactly like a chocolate bunny from its recognizable shape to its classic blue and yellow eye. It even has a glossy coating of milk chocolate so that you can’t tell if it’s cake or candy until you slice through. It’s mind-blowing!

The Chocolate Cake cradled inside of the smooth chocolate is some of the best you’ll ever have. I’ve tried others, but this is the one I come back to again and again. It’s so incredibly moist and decadent that you will never, ever want another cake. It is that good, my little cookies.

Couple that rich, chocolatey cake with some creamy Chocolate Buttercream Frosting and the smooth Milk Chocolate Coating, and you’ve got one tasty bunny. It is a chocolate lover’s paradise, better than a plain ol’ chocolate bunny any day.

Plain chocolate < chocolate, chocolate cake, and chocolate frosting

A Few Tips Before You Get Cooking:

  1. I did my best to describe the process of creating this cake, but you’ll get a much  clearer understanding by watching the video. Everything is put into a visual form, which is much more helpful than any written directions are going to be.
  2. Work with your fondant quickly. As it sits, the air will dry it out and make it crack as you try to shape it.
  3. Similarly, work with the chocolate coating quickly. You only have a few minutes to spread it out and make it look smooth before it sets.
  4. You can break this process into 2-days if you wish. Make the cake and frosting the day before (store the frosting in the fridge in an air-tight container, and store the cake in a cool room in an air-tight container). The next day, carve and decorate the cake.

Chocolate Bunny Cake
By The Smart Cookie Cook

Ingredients:

  • 1 9×13-inch pan of Chocolate Cake, recipe follows (or you may use your own recipe)
  • 1 batch Chocolate Buttercream, recipe follows
  • 1 batch Chocolate Candy Coating, recipe follows
  • Pink fondant
  • Yellow Betty Crocker Cupcake Icing (the kind that comes with piping tips)
  • Blue Betty Crocker Cupcake Icing
  • Pink Betty Crocker Cupcake Icing
  • Optional: pink luster dust, for dusting the bow

For the Chocolate Cake
Cake recipe from The Pastry Queen

  • 2 sticks (1 cup) butter
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 cup canola oil
  • 4 cups granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup dark cocoa powder
  • 1/2 cup regular cocoa powder
  • 4 cups flour
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 1 tbsp. baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1 tbsp. vanilla extract

For the Chocolate Buttercream
Buttercream recipe from Savory Sweet Life

  • 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks), softened (but not melted!)
  • 3 1/2 cups confectioners (powdered) sugar
  • 1/2 cup cocoa powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon table salt
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract or 1 teaspoon almond extract
  • 4 tablespoons milk or heavy cream

For the Chocolate Candy Coating

  • 24 oz. milk or semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped
  • 2 sticks (1 cup) butter

Special Equipment: parchment paper, cake knife, rolling pin

Directions:

  1. Make the Chocolate Cake (Note: You will have extra batter, enough for 1 round 8-inch pan. You can either cut the recipe in half or bake the extra cake and freeze for later use): Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9×13 pan with nonstick cooking spray and line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
  2. In a small saucepan over medium heat, cook the butter, water, and oil until butter is melted. Remove from heat and set aside. In a separate bowl, stir together the sugar, cocoa powders, and flour. Whisk in the butter mixture until completely smooth. Then whisk in the eggs one at a time, followed by the buttermilk. Finally, whisk in the baking soda, salt, and vanilla. Pour into the rectangular pan until 3/4 full and pour excess batter into a round 8-inch cake pan sprayed with nonstick cooking spray and lined with parchment paper.
  3. Bake the rectangular cake for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. You may bake the extra round cake as well, if you’re using it.
  4. Let cake cool on wire racks for an hour. Then carefully invert the cake onto a cutting board lined with wax or parchment paper. Let cool completely.
  5. Meanwhile, you can make a pattern/template for your cake. Cut parchment paper to be equal in size to your cake. Use the parchment paper and a pencil to draw the shape you want. The bunny should be ear-less and tail-less. This will allow you to maximize the size of your bunny because once you’ve cut out the body, you can use the scraps to cut ears and a tail. Reference a picture or an actual chocolate bunny to make it easier. Carefully cut out the shape and set aside.
  6. Once the cake is completely cool, place your pattern on the cake and carefully carve out the shape. You may do this freehand without a template if you desire, but there’s less chance for error this way. Once the shape has been completely carved out, remove the pattern and gently pull away the scrap edges. Do not break apart or get rid of the extras. You will use these to make the ears and tail.
  7. Freehand carve out the ears (or you may cut another pattern to follow, if you wish).  The “ears” are really one ear; you will only cut one piece for them (not two separate pieces). It should be in the shape of a long oval with a flat bottom. However, cut the bottom to be slightly curved so that it will better fit the bunny’s head. Once you have the ears cut, cut out a round tail. It should be in the shape of a circle with one straight edge. Pop the bunny into the freezer for a few moments while you make the frosting.
  8. Make the Chocolate Buttercream: Cream butter for a few minutes in a mixer with the paddle attachment on medium speed. Turn off the mixer. Sift 3 cups powdered sugar and cocoa into the mixing bowl. Turn your mixer on the lowest speed (so the dry ingredients do not blow everywhere) until the sugar and cocoa are absorbed by the butter. Increase mixer speed to medium and add vanilla extract, salt, and milk/cream and beat for 3 minutes. If your frosting needs a more stiff consistency, add a little more sugar. If your frosting needs to be thinned out, add additional milk 1 tablespoon at a time. (I used about 2 additional tablespoons).
  9. Remove the bunny from the freezer. At this point, make sure you have the cake on whatever surface you plan to serve it on. You will not want to move it after decorating. Use about a tablespoon of frosting to “glue” the ear piece and the tail into place. Then scrape the rest of the frosting out of the bowl and onto the bunny cake. Use a spatula, cake knife, or bowl scraper to spread it out evenly atop the cake. Do not frost the sides. Place the cake back in the freezer.
  10. Make the Chocolate Candy Coating: in a medium saucepan over low heat, melt together the butter and chocolate. Continue to stir constantly until completely melted or the chocolate will burn. Remove from heat.
  11. Take the cake out of the freezer. Pour the melted chocolate over the bunny and use a spatula to spread it out smoothly and evenly. Let the chocolate fall over the sides. Smooth the top first, then the edges. Work quickly because the chocolate will solidify and no longer be workable after a few minutes. Once the cake is evenly covered in chocolate, use a toothpick to lightly draw on the traditional chocolate bunny markings: a hind foot, where the the butt meets the tail, an a separation of the ear piece into two ears. Put the bunny back into the freezer until the chocolate is completely set up.
  12. Make the bow (the video is extremely helpful for this process): roll the fondant out as thin as you can make it without tearing. Cut out four 1/2-inch wide, 4-inch long strips. Form one strip into a loop (like a bracelet) and connect the ends. Put the ends on the bottom (so the “ugly” part is hidden). Take another strip and wrap it around the center of the loop tightly, like you’re cutting off its circulation. Attach the two ends of the strip at the bottom and cut off any excess. Attach the final two strips to one another to form a triangle. Finally, stick the loop-bow on top of the triangle. Brush on a layer of pink luster dust (if you’re using it). Cut down the last two strips if they’re too long.
  13. Take the cake out of the freezer and stick the bow to the bunny’s neck. You may use frosting to attach it, but mine stuck well enough on its own.
  14. Use the yellow cupcake frosting fitted with the regular circle tip to make a small yellow dot to represent the bunny’s eye. Use the blue frosting to dot a smaller pupil atop the yellow eye. Use the yellow, pink, and blue frosting fitted with the star tip and/or the leaf tip to make small flowers by the bunny’s tail.
  15. Voila! Store bunny covered in fridge and remove 10 minutes before serving so that it may come to room temperature.

Looking for more Easter eats? I’ve got just what you need right here. Or perhaps another bunny treat is what desire. Try my adorable Bunny Butt Trifle!

Skillet Eggs w/ Squash & Sweet Potatoes

Some recipes look daunting and complex.

Most of them are.

Other times, however, you come across a recipe that appears intimidating, sinister even, but is actually mind-blowingly simple. Let these Skillet Eggs with Squash and Sweet Potatoes be a prime example of that. This dish taught me not to judge a recipe by its photo.

When I saw this recipe on Foodnetwork.com, I was intrigued by its pretty presentation. With the perfect sunny side-up eggs nestles in a bed of sauteed squash, it was too picturesque to pass up. Plus, the recipe was refreshingly unique and boasting some seriously nutritious ingredients. My only concern was recreating Food Network’s finished product with its perfectly placed eggs. I’ve never cooked eggs anywhere but in a pan on the stove, and I was worried I would wind up with a mess. It was possible I chose a more ambitious task than I was willing to tackle on a weeknight.

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Mac & Cheese Pizza

Mac and Cheese Pizza is a thing of pure beauty. You take one look at its golden, bubbling, cheese-smothered surface, and you are engulfed in awe. Could such a wonder really exist?  Or is it merely a mirage created from your most spectacular fantasy?

Pinch yourself, and pick your jaw up off the floor. This pizza is more than mere fantasy; it’s 4-cheese reality. That’s right: two super foods have united in this force of starchy, cheesy goodness. I don’t know about you, but in my mind, there are no foods greater than pizza and mac and cheese. What could possibly be better than enjoying them together in the most harmonious hybrid ever created?

If you love comfort foods (who doesn’t?), this is the king of them all. It’s creamy mac and cheese, baked until bubbly perfection, all atop a convenient, crispy crust. Let’s be honest: when there’s a delicious-looking pot of mac and cheese sitting in front of you, do you want to pick up a fork and eat civilly, or do you want to dig in with nothing but your bare hands? Okay…maybe it’s just me, but I prefer the latter.

Let’s talk about the mac. We ain’t putting no boxed, store-bought, mactrosity* on top of a pizza crust. We’re making a darn good, homemade mac with fresh cheese and fragrant garlic (it is a pizza, after all). The sauce is creamy, rich, and plentiful. You can’t skimp on the sauce here since one: we’re making a pizza (which has sauce), and two: you’ve got to balance out the starch. Moreover, this mac has tons of flavor from the garlic, onion, and a secret dash of hot sauce. You’ll be tempted to eat it straight out of the pot, sans crust. But then you’ll bake it atop the fluffy crust with an additional sprinkle of gooey cheese, and you’ll be glad you waited.

This ain’t your ordinary pizza. It’s a fun spin that kids and adults alike will love. With a sea of creamy sauce, four kinds of gooey cheese, tender pasta, and a crisp yet fluffy crust, this is what dreams are made of. So grab a little slice of heaven and indulge.

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Heatlhy Cookie: Cheesy Spaghetti Squash Bake

Have you ever made spaghetti squash? How weird is it when you cut it open, start scooping out its innards, and find that the rumors are true; that it really looks like spaghetti?

Spaghetti Squash is one of the many wonders of food that has always baffled me. How does that little yellow guy naturally shape his squashy interior to resemble pasta? Why isn’t spaghetti squash just one big block o’ squash like other squashes are? Whatever the reason, you’ve got to admit, it’s pretty awesome. Mother nature has a few tricks up her sleeve, no doubt.

Spaghetti squash, like most other squashes, is a nutritious blank canvas just begging to be transformed into something extra special. Lately, on Pinterest, I’ve been seeing folks do just that: they take spaghetti squash and make it into decadent cheese-filled casseroles. We’re talking seriously drool-inducing recipes. The only problem is how fattening and calorie-cramming those dishes are. Isn’t there a way to make a tasty, cheese-tastic squash bake without all that bad-for-you stuff?

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Bunny Butt Triple Chocolate Trifle + How-to Video

What if you made a trifle so delicious that even the Easter Bunny himself wanted some? That is exactly what happened here. This heavenly Triple Chocolate Trifle with layers of devil’s food cake, chocolate mousse, and Milky Way chunks is so good that the Bunny dove in head-first. Perhaps he was overcome with an uncontrollable craving for all that decadent chocolate.

This bunny-bombarded trifle is the epitome of a perfect Easter dessert. Not only does it taste absolutely awesome, but it has a chubby bunny sticking straight out of it. Colorful Peeps and mini Cadbury Creme Eggs add extra Easter cuteness. It is the ideal treat for that special Spring Sunday.

The bunny butt is made out of cake, and it’s surprisingly simple to make. Don’t get scared off! The trifle takes some time to assemble, but nothing about it is difficult (in fact, it’s fantastically easy). You can split up the steps across two days if you wish. But no matter what, you simply must make this trifle. It is the most adorable dessert in existence, and also the most delicious.

This trifle is a beautiful glass bowl of chocolate bliss. The devil’s food cake is dark and sinful; the chocolate mousse is fluffy and downright heavenly. Throw in those chunks of Milky Ways, and it’s almost too much deliciousness in one dessert. Almost.

This is decadence at its finest, a melt-in-your-mouth-close-your-eyes-and-sigh-with-satisfication treat. Even if it ain’t Easter, leave the bunny butt off and just serve up this tasty trifle. I’d be eating some now myself if the Easter Bunny hadn’t devoured it all.

Looking for the perfect Easter dessert? This is it. It’s adorable, festive, and completely delicious.

A Few Tips Before You Get Cooking:

  1. Watch my video above to see the step-by-step construction of this Easter treat. I’ve done my best to outline each step in the directions, but you will have a much clearer understanding of how to build the cake by watching the video.
  2. If you don’t like Milky Ways, then Snickers or Reeses would be a sweet substitute.
  3. To break this into a two day process: make both kinds of cake the day before and store in air-tight containers. The day of, make the mousse and assemble the whole thing.
  4. As I said above, you don’t have to save this delicious Triple Chocolate Trifle for Easter. Simply leave off the bunny and Easter decor, and you’ve got a decadent dessert any day of the year!

Bunny Butt Triple Chocolate Trifle
By The Smart Cookie Cook

Note: The boxed devil’s food cake is for constructing the “bunny butt.” The homemade recipe is for the filling. I use store-bought for the bunny since the bunny is for looks, not for eating. Similarly, I use homemade for the filling since that is for indulgence and palate pleasure. This way, you save time without sacrificing taste. However, you can do homemade for both or store-bought for both.

Ingredients

For the Bunny Butt & Decor:

  • 1 box devil’s food cake mix
  • 1 can strawberry frosting (or homemade)
  • 1 cup crushed Oreo crumbs
  • 1 8-oz. bag of shredded coconut
  • white fondant
  • Betty Crocker Green Cupcake Frosting
  • 5 Marshmallow Peeps, your choice of colors
  • 4 mini Cadbury Creme Eggs

For the Trifle:

  • 1 batch Homemade Devil’s Food Cake, recipe follows (or store-bought mix)
  • 1 batch Chocolate Mousse filling, recipe follows
  • 2 3.36-oz. packages fun-sized Milky Way bars, chopped

For the Devil’s Food Cake Filling:
Devil’s Food Cake adapted from Nigella Lawson

  • 1/2 cup best-quality cocoa powder, sifted
  • 1/2 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
  • 1 cup boiling water
  • 1 stick plus 1 tablespoon (9 tablespoons) soft unsalted butter, plus some for greasing
  • 3/4 cup white sugar
  • 11/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2 eggs

For the Chocolate Mousse Filling:

  • 1 package Jello Vanilla Instant Pudding Mix (not cook and serve)
  • 8 oz. semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
  • 2 cups heavy cream, chilled
  • 1/4 cup cocoa powder
  • 1/4 cup powdered sugar

Special Equipment: 1 1.5-quart oven-proof bowl, cupcake tin, parchment paper, trifle dish

Directions

  1. Butter and flour the 1.5 quart oven-proof bowl and the cupcake tin.
  2. Make the “bunny butt” cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare boxed devil’s food cake mix according to box directions. Pour into the greased bowl until 3/4 full; pour the remaining batter into the greased cupcake tins (about 2/3 full). You need 2 cupcakes, but will probably have extra batter. Bake cupcakes for 15-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Bake the round cake for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
  3. While the boxed cake cools, make the homemade Devil’s Food Cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line the bottom of a 9×13-inch cake pan with parchment paper and butter the sides. Put the cocoa and dark brown sugar into a medium mixing bowl. Pour in the boiling water. Whisk to mix, then set aside.
  4. Using a mixer, cream the butter and white sugar together, beating well until pale and fluffy. Stir the flour, baking powder and baking soda together in another bowl, and set aside.
  5. Pour the vanilla extract into the creamed butter and sugar. Continue mixing as you add one egg, quickly followed by a portion of the flour mixture, then add the second egg. Keep mixing and incorporate the rest of the dried ingredients for the cake.
  6. Fold in the cocoa mixture, scraping its bowl out well with a spatula. Pour into greased, parchment paper-lined pan and bake for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Do not over-bake. Allow to cool completely.
  7. While the cake cools, make the Chocolate Mousse Filling: make vanilla pudding according to package directions. Set aside. Cook the chocolate in the microwave on high in 15-second intervals, stirring in between, until melted. Be careful not to burn it.
  8. Immediately whisk warm melted chocolate into the pudding until well-combined. Note: if the chocolate isn’t warm enough, it may solidify in the pudding before being incorporating. If this happens, simply heat the chocolate-pudding mixture in a pan on the stove over low heat just until the chocolate is completely melted in. Cover with cling wrap and chill for 15 minutes.
  9. Beat the heavy cream, cocoa powder, and powdered sugar together until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the cocoa whipped cream into the chocolate pudding until well-combined. Cover with cling wrap and store in fridge.
  10. Invert the cooled rectangular Homemade Devils Food Cake onto a cutting board. Use a bread knife to cut into chunks. Set aside.
  11. Invert the round “bunny butt” cake and the cupcakes onto a cutting board. Trim off the top of the bunny butt cake so that it sits evenly (cut the flat circular side, not the actual dome). Do the same for two cupcakes, also trimming the edges so that they have even, flat edges (no muffin top sticking out).
  12. “Dirty ice” the round cake and the cupcakes, evenly covering them in a layer of the strawberry frosting. Set aside.
  13. Assemble the trifle: Pour half of the chilled mousse into the bottom of a trifle dish and spread out evenly. Crumble half of the homemade cake chunks on top in an even layer, pressing down lightly. Top with half the Milk Way chunks. Repeat with second half of ingredients. Your layers should be: mousse, cake, candy; mousse, cake, candy.
  14. Sprinkle the Oreo crumbs over the finished trifle in a even layer to represent the “dirt” that that bunny will be diving into. Use a spatula to carefully pick up the “bunny butt” cake and transfer it to the trifle. Gently set it flat side-down in the very center of the trifle. Use a toothpick (or two) to attach each cupcake “foot” to the bunny butt cake. Place them where you want the front of your trifle to be, sticking out diagonally (not straight up or straight out). Use more frosting to smooth the feet into the butt and cover any holes.
  15. Carefully sprinkle the butt and feet cakes with coconut. Use your hand to press the coconut into the frosting as you go and keep it from falling into the trifle. The fresher and stickier the frosting is, the better the coconut will stick. Apply a quick fresh layer if necessary. When bunny is completely covered, use a spoon to scoop out any stray coconut from the trifle.
  16. Make the paws: Tear off a small piece of fondant and roll into a ball (about 3/4 of an inch). Use a rolling pin to roll into a flat circle. This should be the size of about 2/3 of the feet cupcakes. Spread frosting onto the back and “glue” onto the top of one of the feet. Do the same for the second foot. Roll out 6 smaller circles from 1/4-inch balls to represent the toes. You can make these bigger if you like. Use frosting to stick three toes under the larger circle on each foot.
  17. Tear off a larger hunk of fondant and roll into a 1.5 to 2-inch ball. This will be the bunny’s tail. Use your fingers to make indents in the ball, making it look fluffy. Use either a toothpick or a dab of frosting to attach it to the butt cake. Place it centered above the feet.
  18. Finishing touches: place the Peeps and Cadbury Eggs however you like atop the trifle. This adds that extra special touch plus a pop of color from the Peeps.
  19. Store in fridge until ready to serve. Enjoy!

Smart Cookie Takes New Jersey: Pt. 2

Smart Cookie made the trek from CNY to good ol’ New Jersey last week. Yesterday, I told you about the first half of my awesome NJ eats. On Smart Cookie’s second half of the trip, there was even more deliciousness.

We stopped by the most adorable restaurant, Mama’s. It had a wonderful, cozy atmosphere with great decor, which I think is important to a good restaurant. Their menu is absolutely huge (check it out here). Everyone in my family had an impossible time choosing because there were so many incredible options. My brain practically exploded trying to decide.

However, I think it’s a very good sign to have a lot of options, especially as a vegetarian. They cater to everyone at Mama’s; there’s literally something for everyone. Mama’s even has a full, multiple-page gluten-free menu. Pretty impressive!

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Smart Cookie Takes New Jersey: Pt. 1

Smart Cookie spent three days in good ol’ New Jersey, and let me tell you, I ate good. Real good.

It has been a while since I’ve been to the Garden State. I was born in Jersey, but my return this week to help my sister apartment-hunt was the first in at least 10 years. I must say, going back definitely stirred up some nostalgia. If you’ve ever moved, then you know how surreal it is to return to a place that you used to spend your life in, but is now only a stepping stone you’ve long since passed.

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