Chocolate Cake with Whipped cream - THM S

Hello everybody! Don't have much time to write a long post today but I've been thinking about sharing this delicious recipe with you for quite a bit now... I owe it to some dear friends who have been asking me for either sugar free or gluten free desserts... This one fits both categories! So ... YOU HAVE TO TRY IT! If you are following the Trim Healthy Mama Lifestyle then let me tell you that this dessert should be eaten on an "S" setting (S for Satisfying). Also, remember that we have a special promo code for "The Coffee Shop" readers to get 40% discount on some delicious Torch Coffee, get 1 bag or take advantage of the discount and get several bags, they will make an amazing Christmas gift! Just pick your favorite gourmet coffee and use promo code: love4coffee at checkout.

Disclaimer: I am not being compensated in any way for hosting this special promotion. I appreciate TORCH for doing this for my readers.

 And now... the cake:

Devil's Food Cake

Recipe for the cake slightly adapted from: askgeorgie.com

For the cake: (all ingredients should be at room temperature)

• 1 cup almond flour
• 1/4 cup coconut flour
• 3/4 tsp baking powder (I use aluminum free)
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup Xylitol (or you can use 1/4 cup of xylitol plus 2 tbsp. of THM Sweet blend*)
• 1/3 cup unsweetened natural cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

*Note: Erythritol and some sugar alcohols can cause discomfort for some people with a sensitive digestive system. Erythritol is an ingredient of THM Sweet blend, I prefer to use Xylitol (made from 100% Natural Birch).


For the whipped cream: (this ingredient should be COLD, really COLD) - if you're not a purist you can just use reddi-whip, I prefer to make my own whipped cream, it's really easy!

•  1 cup of heavy whipping cream.
•  1 doonk of pure stevia - add another if necessary to taste- ("doonk" is a THM term, a doonk is the equivaltent of a "pinch" or 1/32 tsp.) - you can also use truvia to taste-
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:

1st. of all place a big mixing bowl and the whisk attachment in the freezer to chill (to prepare the whipped cream)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter or oil the inside of an 8×8″ or 9×9″ cake pan.

2. In a large mixing bowl, stir together almond flour, coconut flour, baking powder, baking soda, xylitol (or sweeteners of choice, if you use xylitol make sure you grind it so it incorporates better into the batter) and cocoa. Stir with a wire whisk to mix and until lumps disappear.
 
3. In a second bowl, stir together water, eggs and vanilla. Pour into bowl with dry ingredients and stir to mix. Spread in the pan and smooth with a spatula. Bake 15 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out with just a few crumbs.

Cool over wire rack.

Right before serving make the whipped cream:

Place the heavy whipping cream in chilled mixing bowl, add the sweetener and mix on high for a couple of minutes (don't over mix) until it has the right consistency of whipped cream, add vanilla and mix on high for just a couple more seconds.

Serve over cooled squares of chocolate cake... BLISS!

 Enjoy ... with a cup of Torch Coffee of course.

second slice, why not?

   
© Paloma K.

Butterscotch Cream Roll-Up

Hello friends, this time I bring to you the "Cake of the Month" we, The Cake Slice Bakers, so joyfully baked for September!

The winner of the month was a "Butterscotch Cream Roll-Up" and I was worried about this cake being the winner for several reasons, here they are:

1. Hubby hates butterscotch candy and I am not a big fan of it, would this taste like that?
2. The "Roll-Up" method is not your usual "Swiss-Roll" style and I was afraid I would just "mess things up" -you'll soon see what I am talking about-
3. The recipe called for whiskey, we don't drink here and I wasn't going to buy a bottle of whiskey just to use a tablespoon in a recipe.
4. It seemed a "laborious" recipe and September is a very busy month for me. (My oldest turned 5 so talk about some emotional things going on here, realizing my baby is not a baby anymore!)

So... Before I tell you how I did... let me share with you a picture of my girl and her birthday cakes and cookies that mommy made for her:

 

Now, about The Cake Slice cake, this is one of our very last cakes of our baking year! We have been baking from "Vintage Cakes by Julie Richardson" and it has been DELIGHTFUL! Almost every cake has been loved by everyone in our group! And for us, this butterscotch cream roll up has been one of the best! Made with chiffon cake, filled and frosted with whipped cream enhanced with a delicious butterscotch sauce and then drizzled with warmed butterscotch sauce, this dessert is heavenly! Honestly, we didn't miss the "whiskey" at all, I don't know of any way this cake could get any better! I only increased the amount of vanilla extract by a teaspoon but everything else I just followed the recipe exactly as it is! Please, make sure to get this amazing book! You need it in your kitchen!

Due to respect to copyright laws, the author and her work (Julie Richardson is a delight as a person, I know that just with a brief exchanged we had online) I am not sharing her recipes and only encouraging you to GET THIS BOOK as soon as possible (I am not getting paid or compensated in anyway, this is just my personal opinion) you will not regret it!

So... here go some pictures:

Chiffon cake, has to be sliced in same size stripes

Then, spread the filling and some toasted almonds

This could get tricky, although it was WAY EASIER than I thought

Once each stripe is rolled up, you frost it with the remainder whipped cream

I just used a spoon to create the "wavy effect" on the cream

I can tell you I don't think I'll ever "swiss-roll" a cake again! I loved this technique WAY BETTER!

I was worried about "how we would cut it" but we just sliced it like we would any other cake, I was happy it held up great!

An uneven slice on a paper plate, it's the only picture I took with the drizzled butterscotch sauce on top!

Now... I also have a confession to make... I burnt the butterscotch sauce in the first attempt (don't talk on the phone while trying to make this sauce, just sayin') but I am thankful my friend and fellow Cake Slice Baker, Anabel from Oven Delights, told me the sauce is delicious (it tasted really bitter, of course, the first time, the burnt one) so I gave it another try and... Oh! Was it worth it!!!

So, there you go, there's my cake of the month and my 5 yr. old! :) Two very special things for September!


© Paloma K.

The Pink Cake

Hello everybody, here I am again, with my monthly post! I feel weird to not be as active blogging here but I hope to be able to "get back at it" soon! Not much is going on here, we still have ONE car only, I mentioned 1 of our cars got stolen in my last post, we don't see the possibility of buying another car anytime soon... My 2 yr. old is potty trained! It took me a day! but I shouldn't say it took "ME" I should say that with God's help and with her good attitude this was done quickly! She only had 1 real day of being trained, three days ago, after that she hasn't had any accidents EVEN AT NIGHT! It's amazing that she just "GOT IT" she even wakes up in the middle of the night and lets me know she needs to go potty! What a big girl! It's a little bittersweet I must admit, as I see her grow up so quickly makes me realize I no longer have a "baby" ... But let's not talk more about potty training, especially because we're about to start talking about CAKE!... it's time to reveal the "cake of the month" ... as you know I bake with


 Which by the way, we're now on Facebook too! LIKE us here. Well, we, The Cake Slice Bakers, have to bake 1 different cake each month, as you may or many not know, this year we're baking from the book Vintage Cakes by Julie Richardson, and it's been awesome! None of the cakes has disappointed, pretty much everyone has enjoyed each of the cakes so far and that makes me very happy! For May the Cake that won the "poll" was "The Pink Cake" which is a triple layered chocolate cake with a Raspberry Buttercream... I voted for this cake, and the cakes that I vote for usually never win LOL! so I was thrilled to try this one! I must say I was tempted to change the raspberries for strawberries because I am not that big of a fan for raspberries... but I usually like to adhere to the recipe just as it is, even when it calls for ingredients I would not normally use because I see it as an opportunity to try things that might not be my favorite or that I am not so "sure" of... and sometimes I get great results (not always) but I am happy to say that I am definitely happy it worked this time!

The intense color of the raspberries gave the frosting its beautiful pink (and totally natural) color and delicious fragrance! Plus the fact that the raspberries are pureed and strained to remove the seeds "did the trick" and made them "the special ingredient" of this cake! giving it a slight tart freshness that went great with the deep chocolate flavor of the cake.

I went for something simple and decided to make 2 9" layers instead of 3 8"

 I thought this cake would be perfect to have for hubby's birthday... I know it looks a lot like a very girly cake but trust me... any man that is not afraid to have "The Pink Cake" for his birthday will really enjoy it!

I used fresh raspberries for decoration

My husband wasn't sure if he'd like it or not, he's not a fan of raspberries either and he's just happy to have "chocolate on chocolate" kind of desserts... but he trusted me and he was actually shocked by the results, when he had the first bite he actually dropped his hands on the table in actual disbelief, his jaw dropped as well and he just managed to say "this is awesome"

he enjoyed it so much!

Dear friends of ours enjoyed the cake with us, they liked it very much as well.

Our friends Venessa and Bill were happy to enjoy this cake with us!

I am so happy with this cake, it will definitely be one of those "go to" recipes, plus it's pretty simple to make.

It's great that hubby's birthday is in May because I got to have a slice for Mother's Day as well!

If you would like the recipe for this cake, I encourage you to get this book! Really do! You will not regret it! If you love good cakes this is a must have!



© Paloma K.

A delicious time of the month

Today is March 20th, and every 20th of every month I get to talk to you about the cake we, The Cake Slice bakers, made...  by the way... "The Cake Slice Bakers" now has a Facebook Page make sure you visit and like it! It will be a fun place to talk about cakes and all kinds of yummy desserts! Well... anyway... this month, the cake that was chosen was a Honey Bee Cake... and I wasn't too excited, to be honest... I am not a fan of "honey flavor" ... I do love honey... with lime... when I am sick... but for dessert? Not so much! Hubby is not a fan either... so I wasn't thrilled when this cake won the poll! Being a member of a group doesn't mean you're always going to get your way... but it means supporting the group and its decisions... and I am always up for experimenting with flavors, even those that I might not be so sure about...

Well.... I invited a friend over to my house, we were going to do a Bible Study but the people from my Bible Study ended up not being able to come, so it would be just my friend and I ... I thought it would be the best opportunity to make this cake... you know... and have a slice with good company and good conversation... I have another friend who I would've loved having over for cake and coffee, but my other friend and I are trying to lose some weight so I wouldn't put her in the way of temptation... I made my cake and it was SUPER easy and fast to make, not many steps, not many pans, it was just easy and quick....just like I like it...  and guess what? It was DELICIOUS! I chose "Pure Orange Blossoms Honey" and the delicate flavor and texture of the cake with the delicious almonds and honey glaze on top were just excellent for our "brunch" kind of time... ah! I so wish hubby had loved it as much as I did... he did have a slice and said it was good but didn't really love it... he just TRULY doesn't enjoy honey flavor... I'd say "this is the cake" ... it's from the "Vintage Cakes" book by Julie Richardson and it's in the "Everyday Cakes" section.. well... it sure is the perfect cake for "any day" at "any time" whether it's dessert or brunch... it's lovely and fragrant! and it's just excellent for a Spring Day! I am tempted to make it again for Easter, my mom and sister will be visiting with us!

I also made a brown sugar whipped cream to go with it, the recipe for the cream I took from the previous book we used in the Cake Slice Group, "The Cake Book" by Tish Boyle. and it was the perfect accompaniment.

Here are the pics of my cake:

For the recipe... well... I will just encourage you to get this book! I know! I know... Now you want it, right? Well... you truly must have it... you can get it: here, just know that I am not earning any commissions from the sales of this book, LOL! This is just an honest, personal recommendation.

If you want to see what the rest of the bakers from the Cake Slice are baking and what their cakes look like... visit:

© Paloma K.

The Cake Slice and The Classic Cake

Hello everybody! Sorry I haven't been around as much... I am doing good stuff though! Being a mom and enjoying the terrible two's -OY!- but it's all a blessing, even those little things that now frustrate me... I know it's just a stage and this too shall pass and I might soon look back and feel like it passed way too quickly!

So... as many of you know I belong to a Secret Online Baking Group called The Cake Slice, we are a group of ladies who love baking and we choose a different book each year to bake from, right now we are baking from "Vintage Cakes" by Julie Richardson and it's been such a joy to bake from this book!

For January, two of the 4 cakes to choose from were tied at the end... so we had the choice to bake either of them... I chose "The Classic" and I am glad I did... I actually talked to a friend (Laurie) about it and about the fact that I can't really eat much cake anyway... and she had the great idea to use it for her hubby's birthday! They're all great friends so we made it a "date" and we all had lunch at her house yesterday with her family to enjoy her food and my cake... her husband really enjoyed it and my husband was almost like he was in heaven... he couldn't stop saying how much he loved it!

I am not sharing the recipe this time... but I am sharing with you "the process" of making it... I hope it's still fun!

My first two layers actually sunk! I was distracted and used baking soda instead of baking powder!

Chocolate ganache in the making! Semisweet chocolate + heavy whipping cream + dark brown sugar = awesomeness!

Second batch of cake layers were great! The recipe asked to make 4 layers out of the two but I used bigger round pans and preferred to have 2 thick layers than 4 thin ones.

This would've been the final product but I thought it looked too simple and dark....

So I gave it an extra touch with melting some white chocolate with butter and heavy cream to decorate the top.

Here's the birthday boy waiting for his wife to give him a slice!

Now... this is a cake slice! although it was supposed to be "yellow cake" and I found it "whiter than yellow" Delicious though!

Success!

© Paloma K.