Chocolate + Caramel = Awesome, Part II

Chocolate on chocolate, with caramel hiding underneath. Yum.

As you may remember from this post, chocolate and caramel is one of my favorite flavor combinations. You really can't go wrong with gooey caramel and rich chocolate in any form. It's just the best.

Last month was my co-worker Michelle's birthday. Michelle is super sweet and a great baker, so I wanted to make something that would definitely be delicious. Since I wouldn't be able to sample the goods (due to the "no treats" part of my Going HAM rules), I knew chocolate and caramel would be a safe bet.

I liked the idea of making a poke cake, to allow for caramel filling, and I'd never made one before, so I thought it would be a new challenge. I couldn't find a recipe that was exactly what I wanted, so I read about 3,000 of them on Pinterest and pulled parts from my favorites to come up with this.

First, bake your cake as per usual. I used a chocolate cake mix, but you could make one from scratch if you're into that sort of thing.

Right after you remove the cake from the oven, use a spoon handle or other cylindrical object to poke holes in the cake. Here is where I went wrong: none of the recipes I read mentioned the fact that you should only poke about halfway down. Maybe I should've inferred that, from the photos I saw of the finished product, but I did not. So I poked holes all the way through the cake, and the filling all flowed to the bottom. Learn from my mistake and only go about halfway down.

Pokin' holes. Straight lines are not my forte.

Once you have all your holes, add your filling. I used a jar of caramel sauce (like for ice cream) mixed with a can of sweetened condensed milk.

Yeah, that looks pretty dang good. 

Refrigerate your cake for a couple of hours, and then it should be ready to frost. I took the easy way out and bought a can of chocolate fudge frosting, but again, choose whatever you like.

Warning: the top of the cake will be hideously sticky. To work around this, I globbed on the frosting and spread it out slowly. So I ended up with an extra-thick layer to avoid tearing the cake.

Once frosted, I added some chocolate sprinkles (this particular mix was cookie pieces, chocolate chips and sprinkles, found in the ice cream toppings section) and voilà, you're done.

The finished product. Don't worry, we ate some fruit for breakfast before the ladies tore into the cake.

As I said, I didn't try this cake, but T. Bob and the ladies at work loved it, so you'll have to take their word for it.

Chocolate-Caramel Poke Cake

1 chocolate cake mix
1 jar caramel sauce (I used a 12.25-oz. Smuckers jar)
1 14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1 can chocolate frosting
toppings of your choice (I went for more chocolate, but nuts or a chopped-up Snickers would also be yummy)

Prepare cake according to package instructions. Remove from oven and poke holes (using a spoon handle or similar) about halfway through the cake. Mix caramel sauce and sweetened condensed milk, and drizzle over cake. Let cool completely, then refrigerate for 1-2 hours. Frost and add any desired toppings.

Cookies and Cream Cupcakes

I don't know if I've really mentioned it much on the blog, but I am obsessed with Oreos. It all started about five years ago when I decided to go vegan, as they are one the few readily available vegan desserts. So I ate them on the regular, when I was too lazy to bake something to indulge in. I've tried most of the flavors (peanut butter Fudge Cremes might be my favorite, but it's a tough call), and I can easily eat a container of them in a day or two. It's basically an addiction.

So when my mom asked me to make dessert for Mal's graduation party last December, I had a pretty good idea of what I wanted to make: cookies and cream cupcakes. Mal's vegan, and she loves chocolate cake, so I thought they would be a perfect fit.

When making cupcakes, it's only appropriate to wear your cupcake apron.
Side note: I seem to put my hands on my hips in all photos, ever. Must work on that.

To make the cupcakes, I used my go-to chocolate cake recipe, and added in 1 cup of Oreo pieces. Pay careful attention here, because there's a big difference between Oreo pieces and Oreo crumbs (which we will use later). Pieces are much larger chunks.

My favorite way to smash Oreos is with a meat tenderizer. Since I don't eat meat, I had to find another use for it!

Fold the pieces into your prepared batter and bake as directed.

Chocolate cupcakes with Oreo pieces -- look at that chunk of cream filling!

For the frosting, I used the Vegan Fluffy Buttercream Frosting recipe for Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World, and added 1 cup of Oreo crumbs.

My cup of crumbs. I used my Ninja (mini food processor-type appliance) to get them to a coffee-grounds consistency.

Even if you're not vegan, I cannot recommend this buttercream recipe enough. It's my go-to cupcake frosting, and everyone raves about it whenever I use it.

I piped the frosting on top of each cupcake and topped it with a mini Oreo, just to make it extra cute.

Cookies and Cream Cupcakes
(adapted from this recipe)

1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup milk (I used soy)
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 cup Oreo pieces 

Frosting:
1 recipe Vegan Fluffy Buttercream Frosting (or buttercream of your choice)
1 cup Oreo crumbs 

Add apple cider vinegar to milk and allow to curdle at least 5 minutes. Mix all ingredients but Oreos together until moist and well-combined. Fold in Oreos. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Let cool completely.
Prepare frosting as directed, mixing in 1 cup of Oreo crumbs. Frost and top with Mini Oreos. If you don't want to buy the minis, you can also put half of a full-sized Oreo on top, like so.

I hope you enjoy my attempt at food photography from 2008.  So artistic! 

Thanksgiving Recipe Round-Up

My plate from last year's feast. All vegan, all delicious.

Happy Thanksgiving eve! In case you haven't noticed, I love me some food, so I thought I would compile some of my favorite recipes for this holiday that centers around it. So if you're one of those crazy people who hasn't ventured to the store yet, here's some ideas for you. :)

What I'm actually making:
We're headed to my uncle's house for Thanksgiving this year, so I'm only bringing one thing: vegan stuffing. Stuffing has always been my favorite part of the Thanksgiving meal, so I had to find a suitable replacement once I stopped eating meat. This stuff more than meets expectations: it's moist, flavorful, and so tasty. Plus there are a few other veg-heads on my mom's side of the family, so I like to bring a veganized favorite.

Vegan stuffing
1/3 cup Earth Balance
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup chopped onion
5 cups soft bread cubes (I usually use a loaf of French bread)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sage
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup finely chopped parsley
1/4 cup (or more, I make sure it's good and saturated because I like it moist) No-Chicken broth (this is great stuff, made by Imagine. But you can use vegetable broth, too.)

In a skillet, melt Earth Balance. Add celery and onion and saute until tender. Toss in remaining ingredients and bake in a greased casserole dish for 20 minutes at 375 degrees.

What I've made in years past and loved:

Sweet Potato Apple Bake - from Aunt Stephanie, not sure of the original origin
2 large sweet potatoes
1 1/2 cups apple juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
3-4 coriander pods
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 cup raisins
4 tart apples (like Granny Smith)

Peel potatoes and cut into 1-inch cubes. Mix salt and spices with apple juice. Combine juice mixture with popaties in a lightly greased 9x13" pan. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for about 50 minutes. While potatoes are in the oven, peel, core and dice the apples. After the 50 minutes, add the apples and raisins to potatoes. Stir, cover and bake for another 30 minutes. Remove cover and bake for a final 10 minutes.

Green Bean Casserole - from my sister Lindsay, not sure of original origin
1/4 cup margarine
1/4 cup flour
1 1/2 cups No-Chicken broth
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
2 14.5-oz. cans of French-cut green beans (or you can use frozen, which I prefer)
1 2.8 oz. can French-fried onions

In a medium saucepan, melt margarine over low heat. Add the flour and whisk it continuously for 1-2 minutes until it forms a roux. Add the broth, soy sauce, and garlic powder, whisking continuously for 1-2 minutes until thick and bubbly. Add oil and nutritional yeast; whisk again until smooth. Pour sauce into small casserole dish, add beans and stir to coat. Bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees. Add onions and bake for 10 more minutes until browned and bubbly.


What I'd like to make:
- This Sweet Potato Pie recipe from Joy the Baker looks divine. I don't love pumpkin pie, so I think this would be a great alternative. I might end up making it this afternoon, but that would mean going to the store and I'm not sure I'm willing to take my life in my hands.

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday filled with friends, family, and food. My gym is hosting a 90-minute Turkey Blast Off kickboxing class tomorrow morning, so I'm hoping to get a good workout in before the feast. Happy Thanksgiving!