Succumb to the Pumpkin Frenzy

I tried to resist the temptation of pumpkin until October.  I really tried. Okay, I didn't try all that hard after a week of seeing amazing pumpkin recipes and having pumpkin-laced everything shoved in my face by stores. Pumpkin, I love you and welcome you back with open arms. We're going to have an intense relationship through at least February. 

So on what would have been my last day of pumpkin resistance, I'm sharing the ways I've given up to pumpkin before October 1st.

Pumpkin Spice Tea from The Republic of Tea

My favorite brand of tea struck hard and fast with this product.  Black tea with pumpkin flavor and warming spices.  Even though the pumpkin flavor is subtle (and I'm quite content with a strong punch of pumpkin), the spice flavor and warmth of tea make this a quick autumnal favorite.

Pumpkin Ale Tasting at The Party Source

We've been loving the various Burgers and Beers tasting events all summer long. It's an inexpensive and fun change from the normal weeknight routine.  We sit on the patio of The Party Source, tasting several beers and devouring a gourmet hamburger with an ever-changing set of hamburger accouterments.

Last night's B&B was Pumpkin Ales. I'd been looking forward to it for months, since I initially read over the schedule.  And it didn't disappoint in the slightest.  

Brooklyn Brewery's Post Road was served with orange flavored, vodka-infused whipped cream. My first exposure to the vodka-infused whipped cream...and not bad. And since my roommate won a can of the whipped cream, I'm looking forward to using it on waffles, crepes, and hot chocolate. Yes, please!  

St. Ambroise, from Canada, had previously been one of my favorite pumpkin ales, along with Buffalo Bill Brewery's.  They're both ales with a good amount of spice and a definite hint of pumpkin. But as I said before, I'd rather be walloped with pumpkin, so my new favorites are O'Fallon Brewery's pumpkin ale and Schlafly Brewery's pumpkin ale, both from Missouri.  

My newly crowned number one pumpkin ale?  Southern Tier's Pumking.  With a strong, definitive pumpkin taste and a lighter dose of spices, this is my favorite. The aftertaste is almost sweet and very mildly earthy and there aren't any molasses flavors.  Don't get me wrong, I love molasses and caramel notes in brews, but here pumpkin is king. (ha, see what I did there?)

I loved Pumking so much, I bought a growler of it. Delight in a jug, I say. Check out their website for more specific info on Pumpking . 

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to bake one of the six pumpkin recipes I've earmarked.  It's Brittany's Vegan Pumpkin Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies.  Soon to be followed by chai-iced pumpkin cookies, homemade pumpkin spice lattes (I very much did a dance of joy when I saw this recipe. Real pumpkin in my coffee??? Yes!), sweet-and-savory pumpkin bites with sage, and pumpkin milkshakes.  Oh, so much pumpkin to eat, so little time!!!

What's your favorite pumpkin recipe?

Friday Cheer! Ginger Mojito & Ginger Margarita

There's something addictive about the spicy-sweet taste of ginger.  It works in brilliantly flavorful curries as well as richly dark and moist gingerbread.  I can happily chew on candied ginger as I can slurp down a bottle of Reed's Extra Strength Ginger Brew.  Ginger is a distinctive taste I just can't seem to enjoy enough.

Domaine de Canton is a ginger liquor produced in France.  It has the spicy-sweet taste of ginger I love, and a bottle design that's stunning.  Yes, I admit, it was the bottle that drew me in at first.  Then the thought of ginger in my cocktails.  The clincher was flipping through the miniature recipe booklet bound to the top of the bottle.  Yup, this one was coming home to meet the rest of my liquor closet cabinet.

Both the Ginger Mojito and Ginger Margarita from Domaine de Canton's recipe booklet were refreshing and marvelously out of the norm.  Give it a try if you're looking to mix up your usual drink. Cheers!


Ginger Mojito
From Domaine de Canton's recipe booklet
Makes 1 drink

Ingredients:
2 oz. Domaine de Canton
1/2 oz. white rum
3 lime wedges
mint
Club soda or seltzer water, to taste

Preparation:
Muddle the lime wedges and mint in a glass, until the mint is lightly bruised (and not crushed). Add the Domaine de Canton, white rum, and club soda/seltzer water.

To prevent completely crushing the mint, I muddled my limes
before adding the mind and muddling a bit more.

If you're like me, you're frequently disappointed by margaritas in restaurants or purchased pre-mixed in a bottle.  Sour mix, especially overly-sweetened sour mix, just hurts my stomach and ruins my appetite for food.  This Ginger Margarita was light yet flavorful, perfect for a pre- or post-dinner drink.

Ginger Margarita
From Domaine de Canton's recipe booklet
Makes 1 drink

Ingredients:
1 oz. Domaine de Canton
1 oz. silver 100% agave tequila
1/2 oz. triple sec
1/2 oz. fresh lime juice

Preparation:
Combine all the ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a glass.

Happy Friday!!!

Smores Bars from A Periodic Table

Just hold up a minute here.  I agree it's fall.  The temperature here has dropped alarmingly, it's grey and rainy outside, I've worn pants (instead of shorts and skirts) to work most of the last two weeks...and I've already given in to siren song of pumpkin in everything I eat, smell or sit near.  We're all agreed. It's fall.

But are smores strictly and exclusively a summer food?  Am I allowed to make them outside of hot, humid days filled with sun and fun?

If you answered no, well...you're wrong.  Smores are an eternal and universal food. Food of the gods?  Maybe.  Excellent in PopTart form? Yes, though I say that with plenty of guilt.  Able to be made at any time of the year with whatever equipment is available to you? Yes - for proof, see my roommate and I make quick microwave smores. Yes, we're those kind of people. Quick is sometimes the most important thing, especially when your stomach is demanding satisfaction.

These Smores Bars are what you're looking for if you want a delicious way to enjoy smores year-round, without a bonfire.  They're a cinch to make and have every flavor you're craving in a smore...and a few extras (peanuts! sprinkles! a mix of chocolates!).  Plus they travel well, so maybe you can take them to the bonfire and make friends with the person who just burnt their last marshmallow to a crisp.

Chocolate, peanuts, sprinkles, and
marshmallows atop a graham
cracker crust. 

Smores Bars
from Shannon at A Periodic Table 
(adapted from Baked: New Frontiers in Baking by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito)

Get Shannon's recipe here.  She deserves all the credit for this magical and easy treat. Plus her blog is one of my all-around favorites, from writing to photography to recipes.

A crust of graham cracker crumbs, dry milk (shhh! It's
the secret ingredient that rocks your world), and butter
forms the base

A mixture of milk and dark chocolates offers all
the rich, creamy chocolate flavor you could possibly
want. Even if you didn't know you wanted it.

Stir in the goods! Marshmallows, extra-large nonpareils (go for
the extra-large. Their crunch and color is spectacular), and roasted
peanuts.

Put the chocolate + goods mixture atop the graham cracker
crust and chill.

Your patience will be rewarded.
And your smores craving will be met.

Peach and Plum Ricotta Flatbread

When I was little, I participated in every activity possible.  Dance lessons, soccer, softball, volleyball, basketball.  Dinner was whatever could be cooked in 15 minutes or could be ordered at a drive through.  My parents tried their best to put quality food in front of me, but, quite honestly, it was a lot of the same meals over and over again.

We've changed a lot in the intervening years.  I don't do nearly as many activities. Okay, I don't do any of those activities, though I try to get myself to the gym most weekdays.  Weeknights can still be a struggle to get a quick, healthy meal on the table.  Since I'm responsible for feeding myself and since grilled cheese are apparently not appropriate for dinner every day, I'm constantly looking for quick, easy, healthy, and delicious dinners.

Inspiration came from Cookie + Kate's blog.  An impromptu pizza made from flatbread, ricotta, and stone fruits.  It's healthy and it's incredibly easy.  It's even a welcome change from grilled cheese.

Peach and Plum Ricotta Flatbread
Barely adapted from Cookie + Kate (get the original recipe here or go even farther back and get this recipe that inspired it)
Makes one pizza

Ingredients:
1 flatbread, naan bread, or pita bread
1/3 cup ricotta cheese
1 ripe nectarine or peach, sliced into wedges
1 ripe plum, sliced into wedges
A few basil or mint leaves
Balsamic glaze

Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Farenheit.  Spread the ricotta cheese across one side of the bread, leaving about a 1/2 inch around the edges. Place the bread on a baking sheet and top with peach and plum slices.  Bake for 10-12 minutes.  Before serving, sprinkle basil or mint leaves on top and drizzle with balsamic glaze.

Notes:
--I love a super-thin whole wheat pita bread for this.  To me, whole wheat just feels like I've been healthy...so I can have some dessert. (is that not how things work?)  Plus the faint nutty taste of toasted whole grains complements a lot of sweet and savory dishes.  But go with what you like here. This recipe is very open to adaptation. If you want to go fully savory, try a garlic naan, ricotta, zucchini, and red pepper.

--Trader Joe's sells a fantastic balsamic glaze in a bottle.  Or you can make your own by bringing 1 cup balsamic vinegar to boil in a saucepan.  Reduce to a simmer and cook until the volume is reduced by half, stirring frequently.  Allow the reduction to cool and store in an airtight container in the pantry or refrigerator

Mint, plums, peaches, and balsamic atop ricotta
and whole wheat flat bread.

Malted Strawberry Pancakes

I had a powerful craving for pancakes. Pancakes with whole oats.  That was my only requirement.  So I searched through the archives of all the food blogs I follow. I flipped through my cookbook collections. I even Googled it.  The results were meager. Surprisingly, most recipes using whole oats instruct them to be ground into oat flour in the food processor.  That's not what I was looking for, though. My craving demanded whole oats.

One recipe, however, had potential. A link to a link to yet another link led me to Strawberry Malted Pancakes. I had malt powder (hard as a rock from disuse), I had strawberries, and--hooray!--it called for whole oats!

These pancakes hit the spot. And the next few days saw me eating them cold, directly out of the refrigerator.   So you know it's good. And I won't hold out on you.

Strawberry Malted Pancakes
From The Spiffy Cookie via Rachel Cook's 31 Days of Pancakes
Makes approximately 1 dozen pancakes

Ingredients:
2 large eggs
1 cup milk
3 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup ground old fashioned oats*
3/4 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 cup malted milk powder
1 1/2 cups sliced fresh strawberries

*I must have wanted pancakes with whole oats so badly, I failed to read the word "ground" and skipped the grinding part.  But my pancakes turned out quite well.

Preparation:
In a large bowl, use an electric hand mixer (or a whisk and the power of your marvelous arms) to beat the eggs and milk on high until light and foamy, about 3 minutes.  Stir in the melted butter.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, salt, baking powder, and malted milk powder.  Gently mix the egg and milk mixture into the dry ingredient mixture.  Fold in 1 cup of the strawberries and let the batter rest for 15 minutes so it can thicken slightly.

Heat a non-stick pan or griddle over medium heat.  Melt a tiny bit of butter in the pan and drop 1/4 cupfuls of batter onto the pan.  When bubbles are visible on the top of each pancake (which will take about 2 minutes), flip the pancake over and cook on the other side for 1 1/2 - 2 minutes.  Serve with remaining strawberries and syrup or whipped cream.

Sangria and A Box

Eric sometimes accuses me of being snooty about food and drink.  I bring up the fact that I'm perfectly happy drinking PBR (his favorite beer) and chowing down on the amazing chicken wings from the hole-in-the-wall bar he frequents on Monday nights.  But I also enjoy trying new flavors and different combinations and appreciating local or hand-crafted treats like Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams.  It's a curious dichotomy, but most of the time it works.

But I can't completely deny that I can be snooty about food and drink at times.  A perfect example:  I thought wine from a box could never be good.  I was channeling the likes of Franzia and the crazy drinking of Franzia that people did in college. Slap the sack? Box races? Yikes. Thankfully I never participated in any Franzia-related drinking (phew!).  So until this summer, I'd never tried wine from a box.  I avoided it like the plague, certain it had to be even worse than the worst bottle of wine I'd ever tasted (and that would be a particularly revolting German bubbly purchased from Trader Joe's for less than $6 for New Years...oof...lesson learned).

This summer, though, an article in Women's Health magazine made me think twice, informing me the boxed wines of today are actually really good wines.  They're no longer cheap wines made even cheaper (ahem, Franzia).  Many are produced by well-respected quality vineyards.  And there are even pros to buying boxed wine over bottled wine!  First, it's usually a better monetary value.  This box of Big House Red cost about $22 and holds the equivalent of three bottles.  Second, the wine is inside a plastic bag that collapses as you drink, preventing air from accessing the remaining wine.  This would prevent oxidation that can spoil an open bottle of wine in just a few days! Brilliant, I say! If I can't finish a bottle of wine in four days, I refuse to open the bottle. It just goes bad too darn quickly, and I hate wasting vino.

So, long story short, I tried one of the boxed wines mentioned in the article.  I went for Big House Red, a blend of 14 different grapes that created bold, rich, jammy fruit flavors equally perfect for grilled foods or dark chocolate. And if you're afraid that 14 types of grapes is too much and surely it tastes muddled, I promise you it's not. It's absolutely lovely--well-balanced and full-bodied.  Big House has masterful skill at blending because it highlights the best aspects of each type of grape.

In a glass, Big House Red is delicious.

In sangria, Big House Red is even more delicious.

And the best thing?  Three weeks after opening Big House Red to make sangria, I had a glass of wine and it was absolutely amazing, as great as the first glass.

Give quality boxed wines a chance. You might be pleasantly surprised. I was!

Red Wine Sangria
From Made in Spain by Jose Andres
Makes 1 pitcher

Ingredients:
1 bottle red wine
1/4 cup brandy
1/4 cup orange liquor
1/4 cup unflavored vodka
splash of ruby port
2 oranges, thinly sliced into rounds
2 Granny Smith apples, cubed
1 strip of lemon zest
1 cinnamon stick
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
splash of soda water

Preparation:
Wash your oranges, apples, and lemon, then cut accordingly.

Combine all ingredients except for the orange juice and soda water in a large pitcher.  Stir and refrigerate for at least 4 hours..though overnight or 12-24 hours is best.

Before serving, add the orange juice and soda water. Give it a brief stir and serve.

Notes:
--I prefer dry wines, so I've only ever used those when making sangria (or anything, really).  And I prefer Spanish wines because I am the most familiar with them.  My favorite? Tempranillo, which is full of rich dark berry flavor and a hint of spice.  You can find a lot of wines made with tempranillo grapes (either 100% or a blend) that are very reasonably priced from $8 to $15.  I am especially partial to Tarima (it has a huge flower on the label), which is about $11.

--I didn't happen to have any brandy on hand, so I swapped in something I did have.  I used a 1/2 cup of Grand Marnier, a blend of cognac and orange liquor, to meet my brandy and orange liquor needs.

--I've made this sangria with and without ruby port, depending on whether it's in the house.  It's nice if you have it, but it's not a make it or break it ingredient. There's plenty of flavor without it!

--I used my favorite vodka, Buckeye Vodka, produced in Dayton, Ohio.  Please try to avoid the hangover-inducing vodkas you might have known in your college days (I'm looking at you, Kamchatka. You know what you did.).

--To get a strip of lemon zest, use your vegetable peeler and then use a knife to scrape the white pith off.  If you don't have a vegetable peeler, cut a section of the peel off of the citrus and scrape/cut the white pith off.  I typically use a 2-4 inch strip of zest.

--A friend of mine asks for the sangria-soaked fruit when the pitcher is done. Give it try...maybe you'll look forward to finishing the pitcher too.

By the Book: Fizzy Lifting Drink

In the kitchen, trying new things can open up entirely new realms of possibility. New foods, new flavors, new techniques, new combinations. I'm looking at you, food trucks fusing Mexican and Asian foods together.

There's a downside to trying new things, though. We don't like to talk about it. But sometimes...sometimes new things aren't as awesome as you expected.  That doesn't mean you won't try it again.  Maybe you made a mistake in preparation. Maybe you just weren't ready.  I speak from personal experience here.  It wasn't until I wanted to eat vegetables that I actually enjoyed eating them and craved them. So trust me on this.

I tried this recipe with high expectations. I'm calling it a flop, with the caveat that I likely went overboard with the vinegar... I will try it again with a more cautious dose of vinegar.

So...this wasn't exactly my favorite drink.  I gave it a solid try, but had to pour it down the sink, bemoaning the loss of perfectly good ginger ale and vodka (I clearly have priorities).  It wasn't my favorite, but that doesn't mean it might not be yours.

Fizzy Lifting Drink
From The Sugar Cube: 50 Deliciously Twisted Treats from the Sweetest Little Food Cart on the Planet by Kir Jensen
Makes 1 drink

Ingredients:
1 cup ginger ale
1/2 - 1 tsp. grated fresh ginger
1 - 2 tbsp. Japanese plum drinking vinegar (aka Ume plum vinegar)
Ice
2 oz. vodka (optional)

Preparation:
Pour ginger ale into a tall glass half-filled with ice. Add grated ginger and plum vinegar and vodka, if using. Stir with a spoon and drink up!

Notes:
--I went all out with 2 tbsp. of plum vinegar. I'd strongly suggest you start out at 1 tbsp...and add more in if so desired. The vinegar has a very salty and bitter flavor that threw me. Not even my favorite ginger ale could make it better.
--When it comes to ginger ale, I don't think you can beat Reed's Extra Ginger Brew. Their raspberry ginger brew is terrific too.

Check out the fizz!

By the Book: Chocolate Coffee Bundt Cake

It's a sign that you're a kitchen junkie when you long for a bundt pan.  And not just any bundt pan, but one that is heavy and solidly constructed, like a Nordic Ware Pro Cast Original 10-cup capacity bundt pan.

It's also a sign that you spend way too much time flipping through cookbooks when you yearn for a bundt pan so you can make all the different bundt cake recipes.

I speak from personal experience here.  I am a kitchen junkie and I do spend an awful lot of time flipping through cookbooks.  I am also the proud owner of a new and fantastic bundt pan.  We will have a long and happy relationship, baking every permutation of bundt cake you could possibly imagine.

Here is the first recipe to be tested in my lovely new pan. It was a fan favorite.  The cake is wonderfully moist and springy, with a coffee enhancing the chocolate flavor.  Coffee and chocolate--they're a dream team.  And this bundt cake seems to be perfect for any time of the day - breakfast, mid-morning snack, mid-afternoon snack, dessert, meal supplement (I swear chocolate enhances any meal), or late-night fridge raid.


Chocolate Bundt Cake with Chocolate Sour Cream Glaze
From The Joy the Baker Cookbook: 100 Simple and Comforting Recipes by (you guessed it) Joy (the Baker) Wilson

Ingredients:
For the bundt cake:
1 1/4 cups hot prepared coffee
1 cup unseetened cocoa powder
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 tsp. salt
2 1/2 tsp. baking soda
2 cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 1/4 cups sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
1 cup plus 2 tbsp. vegetable oil

For the glaze:
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter
1 cup (6 oz.) semisweet chocolate
4 tbsp. hot prepared coffee
1/3 cup sour cream, room temperature

Preparation:
Put a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.  Grease and flour a 10-inch bundt pan and set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together the coffee and cocoa powder until smooth and no lumps remain. In a separate large bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and baking soda. In yet another separate bowl, whisk together sugar and eggs until thick and pale. Add the sour cream/Greek yogurt and oil and carefully whisk until well incorporated. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and whisk to incorporate. Once no flour remains, add the coffee mixture and stir until combined. The batter will be loose and smooth.

Pour batter into the prepared bundt pan and bake for 45-60 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean.  Remove from the oven and allow the cake to cool in the pan for 20 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack to cool completely.  Wait until completely cooled before icing.

Please excuse my excessive flouring of the bundt pan.
It seems to have stuck on the outside of the cake. Thankfully,
it didn't affect the decadent taste of the cake...and I was able
to cover most of it with icing. Tricky, huh?

Hmm... Maybe I should work on my icing skills.
Really, it's remarkable that there was ANY icing at all
for the bundt. One bite from a spoon and you'll be
compulsively downing bite after bite...

Notes:
--When I made this cake, I used up some icing I had leftover from another Joy the Baker recipe. That icing is The Best Chocolate Buttercream Frosting. And it really is. You can find the recipe for it here. But I bet the glaze is awfully good too. Can you every go wrong with frosting? (Yes, you can, but only when it's a terrible recipe, which is not something you'll find from Joy the Baker, not at all).

Lavender and Honey Lemonade

I probably should've told you about this sooner.  You see, summer is wrapping up and we're all eager to move onto fall things, like cozy sweaters, steaming hot drinks, spice cakes, and every possible permutation of food + pumpkin you could imagine (my favorite? pumpkin ice cream).

But I want summer to stay awhile, and it's not just for the extra hours of daylight and the feel of sunshine on my skin (though those are quite excellent reasons on their own).  It's for this lemonade.  Everything about it just...well...glows summer.  Yes, I said it. It glows.  See below for proof.

It also refreshes and rejuvenates, which is very much needed in the summer. It's elegant enough to serve at a fancy garden party, should you happen to do those sorts of things.  Yet it's relaxed enough for a family dinner or a night sitting on the patio, wrapped in a blanket.

This might be one of those things I make mid-winter, when I'm longing for summer and forgotten what it's like to be warm.

Please forgive me for not sharing this with you sooner, but I hope you find it worth the wait.

Lavender and Honey Lemonade
from Joy the Baker (get the original recipe here )
Makes enough for 1 large pitcher

You'll make a lavender-honey simple syrup you can store in the refrigerator.  When ready to serve, just mix the syrup with lemon juice and water for a fantastic drink.

Lavender-honey syrup

Ingredients:

2 cups water

1 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup honey

3 heaping tbsp. dried culinary lavender

2 cups fresh lemon juice

4 cups (or more) water, to taste

Preparation:

Make the syrup:

In a medium saucepan, combine 2 cups water and the sugar.  Over medium heat, bring to a boil and stir until the sugar is dissolved.  Remove from heat and stir in the honey and lavender.  Cover the saucepan and let steep for 15-20 minutes.  Pour the syrup through a mesh strainer, pressing the lavender trapped in the strainer to release as much liquid as possible.  Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about 2 weeks.

Make the lemonade:

In a large pitcher, combine all of the syrup and lemon juice.  Add water to taste.  If you're adding ice cubes, remember to add less water so the ice melting does not dilute your lemonade.  Stir well, chill, and enjoy.

Lavender lemonade

By the Book: Red Velvet Marble Cake

For the past 8 or so years, I've made myself a birthday confection.  It's strictly to share with my family, friends, and coworkers.  You see, my mom presents me with an ice cream cake every year as my personal birthday cake (don't fear, I share that too, though I hoard as much as possible).  Since I love baking and sharing my food with others, my birthday is a perfect occasion to bust out a something special and share it.

I admit this tactic is a bit in my own interest.  I firmly believe birthdays ought to be a day where you feel special.  That doesn't have to mean oodles of presents or a huge party or running around wearing a tiara or "Birthday Girl" badge.  It can be as simple and innocuous as someone wishing you a happy birthday.  When I bring my slightly-more-effort-than-usual baked good in to work, people can wish me a happy birthday when they might not have known otherwise. That's only a little selfish, right?  I'm still sharing delicious treats...

Okay, there's another selfish aspect too.  I love the challenge of a new recipe.  While this particular cake didn't call for me to learn any new skills or use any unusual equipment, I still relished tackling an unfamiliar recipe.

This cake is fantastic.  It screams special occasion, with the red velvet and chocolate cake batters swirled together and layered.  The icing is absolutely decadent, and when it's your birthday (or you're alone in the kitchen), it's entirely okay to scoop a spoonful (or three) directly into your mouth.


Red Velvet Marble Cake 
with The Best Chocolate Buttercream Icing
from Joy the Baker Cookbook: 100 Simple and Comforting Recipes
Makes a two layer 8- or 9-inch cake
*A word of warning: You will use several dishes to make this cake.  It will happen. It is also worth it, especially if you can enlist the help of a dishwasher with the promise of a large piece of the finished cake.

Ingredients for the cake:
for the chocolate cake:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup prepared coffee (liquid)
1/3 cup plus 1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp. packed brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1/4 cup buttermilk
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

for the red velvet cake:
1 cup plus 2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tbsp. red food coloring (or about 1/4 tsp. red gel dye)
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 tsp. white vinegar

Preparation:
Position oven racks in the center and upper third of the oven. Preheat to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour two 8- or 9-inch round cake pans and set aside.

For the chocolate cake:
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. Whisk together the coffee and cocoa powder until smooth. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, use a mixer to beat the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Beat until fluffy, 3-5 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating for 1 minute between each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the coffee mixture and vanilla, then beat on medium-high speed for 1 minute, until thoroughly combined.

Add the flour mixture and buttermilk, then beat until almost entirely combined. Set aside the chocolate cake batter.

For the red velvet cake:
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. In a small bowl, combine the cocoa powder and red food coloring.  If using gel food coloring, add up 1-2 tsp. of water to help dissolve the cocoa powder. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, use a mixer to beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 3-5 minutes. Add the egg and beat at medium speed for 1 minute. Add the cocoa mixture along with the vanilla, and beat until completely blended. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Add half of the flour mixture and half of the buttermilk to the bowl and mix until almost completely incorporated.  Add the remaining halves of flour mixture and buttermilk.  Beat on low speed until almost entirely incorporated.  Add the vinegar and finish combining the batter with a spatula.

Assembly:
Divide the red velvet batter between the two cake pans.  Top each with the chocolate cake batter, dividing it between the two cake pans as well. Use a butter knife to gently swirl the batters together.  This won't take more than a few strokes in each pan; you want the batters to remain fairly distinct and not get too muddled.

Bake cakes on the center and upper oven racks for 15 minutes.  Switch the cake pans from the bottom to the top and vice versa. Bake for another 15-20 minutes, until a skewer inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean.  Remove from the oven and let cakes cool in the pan for 10 minutes before inverting onto wire racks to cool completely.

Once cool, frost with The Best Chocolate Buttercream Frosting (recipe follows). Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to let the frosting set slightly.  Store the cake, well wrapped in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.  Bring to room temperature by setting on the counter for 20-30 minutes before serving.


The Best Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
Makes a lot of frosting. But make it all, store leftover frosting in an airtight container in the refrigerator, and use within 3 weeks.

Ingredients:
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 1/2 to 3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
2 tbsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Scant 1/2 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup chocolate Ovaltine powder

Preparation:
In a medium bowl, use a mixer to cream together the butter, cocoa powder, and salt. The mixture will be very thick, but cream for about 3 minutes on medium speed.

Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar. Mix on low to incorporate the sugar while adding the milk and vanilla.  As the sugar incorporates, gradually increase the mixer speed to medium-high. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat until smooth.

Stir together the cream and Ovaltine in a small bowl. While mixing on medium speed, pour the cream in a slow and steady stream until the frosting reaches your desired consistency--smooth, creamy, and spreadable.  Add more powdered sugar if necessary to adjust consistency.  Spread onto cooled cakes.  If the frosting is too easily spread and won't retain any shape, put it in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes to harden it just enough.