Chocolate Stout and Valentine's

With Valentine's day fast approaching, you're likely being bombarded with recipes, advertisements for jewelry and flowers, and pink and red heart-shaped decor in all directions.  Don't get me wrong! I love Valentine's day.  Even in high school, my best friend and I would go bonkers making each other Valentine's and baked goods.  To us, it's all about showing and sharing your love for others, whether it's family, friends, or a significant other.

But here's my humble idea...  If you want to do something a little different for Valentine's day and your fellow celebrants enjoy beer, why not bring chocolate stout or porter to the table this year?  It's delicious to drink, it's versatile in cooking and baking (check out The Beeroness' blog for inspiration!), it can be served with a scoop of vanilla or coffee ice cream for a chic and easy dessert, and it mixes with champagne for a Black Velvet cocktail.  Plus you're still bringing chocolates, a Valentine's day staple!

To aid in your decision, my roommate and I had a taste-off between two chocolate stouts.  Their labels lured us in with irresistible descriptions of chocolate and velvety taste.  We're obviously suckers for anything packaged well.  We tasted, we decided - Southern Tier Brewing Company's Imperial Choklat Stout is the best chocolate stout for your loved one(s).  Provided you share.  Thankfully these come in large bottles, so sharing is easy.

Upland Brewing Company's Teddy Bear Kisses

vs.

Southern Tier Brewing Company's Imperial Choklat Stout

Imperial Choklat Stout
from Southern Tier Brewing Company

About Choklat:
10% ABV
Opaque, very dark brown color
Lightly carbonated, heavier + creamy body
Brewed with ale yeast, two types of hops, four types of malts, and bittersweet Belgian chocolate.
Flavors noted by the brewery include chocolate, dark cherries, lightly woody and bittersweet.

Ahhhmazing. Seriously, you need to try this.  It's richly, distinctly chocolate, but it is incredibly smooth and drinkable.  The flavor is perfectly balanced, rich chocolate without any unappealing hints of hoppy bitterness or cloying sweetness.  Unlike several other dark beers, Choklat does not sit heavy in your stomach, inviting both food pairings (flavored chocolates, delicate and creamy cheeses, angel food cake, fresh berries) and drinking it solo.  It's also excellent for cooking, such as brownies or cupcakes or - dare I say it? - an ice cream float, adults-only style.  Upon first taste, my roommate and I fell in love and it's going to be a long-term relationship with Choklat.

Teddy Bear Kisses
from Upland Brewing Company

About Teddy Bear Kisses:
10.2% ABV
Opaque, very dark brown color
Lightly carbonated, medium + creamy body
Brewed with high alpha hops and an abundance of dark malts.  Aged on cocoa nibs to provide additional bitterness and chocolate flavor.
Flavors noted by the brewery include a velvety malt character, balanced bitter intensity, and soothing chocolate notes.

"Teddy Bear Kisses will make you feel warm and happy inside, but it's definitely not your childhood cuddle toy." (Upland)

It looks like motor oil...but it tastes better.  However, Teddy Bear Kisses isn't quite what I had imagined from its description on the bottle.  Belying its looks, this brew had medium body, so it wasn't as heavy in the stomach as expected.  The malts didn't provide a thoroughly rich and roasty flavor, but instead a burnt malt and slightly chocolate flavor.  The hops + cocoa nibs provided bitterness, which was thankfully not the typical hoppy bitter flavor.  Instead, the bitterness had a hit of chocolate and espresso.  The chocolate flavor I'd hoped for was much milder in Teddy Bear Kisses, perhaps drowned out by the other flavors.  Rats.  There is a possibility, though, that we didn't experience the best this brew has to offer.  According to other reviews, this beer shines when served on tap instead of from the bottle.  Overall, Teddy Bear Kisses was just okay.  We won't be asking it to be our Valentine, especially when Choklat is there to sweep us off our feet.


This Valentine's day, Eric and I are continuing the tradition of cooking dinner together and sharing a bottle of champagne.  I'm making him Plain Old Brownies, which are our compromise (he wants box mix brownies, I want to make them from scratch to show my love) on brownies.  My coworkers are receiving a bunch of Monster Cookies (from Baked:  New Frontiers in Baking by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito), which are thoroughly addictive cookies of oats, peanut butter, M&M's, and chocolate chips. I may shove a bit too much batter in my face while making them. Oops.  And my roommate and I are celebrating early with raspberry lambic - vanilla Greek frozen yogurt floats (inspired by Bianca at Confessions of a Chocoholic).


What are your plans for Valentine's?

Good Things - Early Winter

Good things from the past few weeks...


The return of fondue dinners with my roommate.
We bust out an electric fondue pot for the Trader Joe's fondue mix and assemble an assortment of dipping vehicles.  This time, we've got toasted bread cubes (pumpernickel and sourdough), raw broccoli, and roasted brussels sprouts.  Unsurprisingly, melted cheese made my initial taste of raw broccoli delicious. Cheese works its magic yet again.

Don't worry, the bunny isn't for dipping. He's supervising our fondue feast, spread across the coffee table that functions as our storage device/dining room table. Yup, we're heathens. But happy ones, at least!

Southern Tier Imperial Choklat Stout.
"A stout brewed with chocolate" is on its label. It's amazing. I must get another bottle (or four) very soon. Rich without being heavy, flavorful without being an in-your-face brew, I couldn't get enough of it.  It's also easy and delicious to use in baked goods, like bread puddings or brownies or cupcakes.

More Apple Cheddar Scones.

I told you, they're thoroughly addictive.  I can't have them enough, fresh out of the oven or for breakfast the following morning. 

Cardamom Ice Cream.

As much as I am a loyal fan of Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams (who makes a fantastic lime cardamom frozen yogurt, by the way), I've been loving this intensely cardamom ice cream from Three Twins.  Equally cozy with chocolate or caramel sauce as it is with roasted fruit (especially roasted plums).

Pumpkin, Maple, Bacon, Pecan Oatmeal.

Yeah, I did it. I put bacon in my morning oats. And it was delicious. A salty-smoky-sweet flavor bomb.  Just cook your favorite package of instant oatmeal with a mixture of pumpkin puree and milk, then top with cooked bacon, pecans, and a generous drizzle of real maple syrup. Wintry luxury that's good for you!

Spaghetti Squash, Black Bean, and Cotija Cheese Tacos.

From The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook.

Holy cow, I've never been more in love with a vegetable filled taco than I am for this. It's incredibly easy to make - just one night's prep offered 4 dinners' worth of food.  And it's a welcome change from my usual spaghetti squash meal, where I top the squash with tomato sauce and pretend it's spaghetti.  

Roast your spaghetti squash with chile powder and cayenne powder.  Assemble your tacos (or, if you're me, on a giant sized chile tortilla from Trader Joe's. So good.) with roasted spaghetti squash, black beans from a can, cotija cheese, extra hot sauce (because you can never have too much), and lime juice.  Make a hot mess over your plate and call it a night. Bonus points for a cold beer to wash it down.

Adaptable Oatmeal

You might have noticed: oatmeal is infinitely adaptable.  It takes to nearly any flavor you throw at it.  Since I dislike eating the same thing for breakfast every day, oatmeal offers the opportunity to keep my breakfast fresh and delicious.  And when you use a package of instant oatmeal (or some old-fashioned or steel-cut oats you prepared and have stored in the refrigerator, ready to be reheated each morning), it's so darn easy to heat and add ingredients in.  Here are some of my recent favorite combinations:

With almond milk, raspberries, strawberries, slivered almonds, chia seeds, and cocoa nibs.

With coconut milk, blueberries, peaches, cardamom, and dark chocolate covered pomegranate seeds.

With coconut milk, roasted peanuts, banana, cocoa nibs, and dark chocolate peanut butter 

(aka heaven in a jar).

With dark chocolate peanut butter, bananas, walnuts, and cinnamon.

With coconut milk, strawberry-chia seed jam, banana slices, slivered almonds, and coconut flakes.

With pumpkin puree, cinnamon, ginger, pumpkin seeds, almonds, and raspberries.

What is your favorite way to enjoy oatmeal?

A Cake for Celebration and Nerds

The last few weeks have felt rather hectic. Lots of dashing around and frantically trying to get-everything-done, whatever that means.  In the midst of all my self-imposed hustle, though, I was able to help someone celebrate.  And though she said it made her day (probably not as much as receiving her doctoral degree), it made my crazy week better too.

Plus I was able to have some fun in the kitchen.  So it wasn't entirely selfless on my part...but I did enjoy contributing to her festivities.

Our dining room table serves as storage space and cooling counter,
complete with expandable surface.

My roommate and I went on a baking frenzy, making yellow buttermilk cupcakes from scratch (recipe from Martha Stewart Cupcakes) as well as a three layer dark chocolate fudge cake (recipe from Sugar Baby by Gesine Bullock-Prado).  She masterfully produced two icings - whipped vanilla frosting for the cupcakes (recipe also from Martha Stewart Cupcakes) and The Best Chocolate Buttercream frosting (recipe from Joy the Baker Cookbook) - while I played with various candies that would adorn the top of the cake. Have I mentioned my roommate is awesome?

The cake, you see, needed to have a reproduction of the protein structure my friend (the one who was defending her thesis and receiving her doctoral degree) had worked on for many years.  Her lab had a tradition of decorating the cake of the newly-doctor-ified person with their familiar protein structure.  I was following in the tracks of some serious cake decorators, and I feared failure.  Knowing I couldn't pipe frosting with sure skill, I chose candy as my medium.  And even after an hour of cutting and arranging and recutting and rearranging, I still wasn't sure how the structure would emerge.

The next morning, my roommate and I rose early to ice everything.  Then we split transport duties - she the cupcakes, I the cake - and journeyed off to work.  Shortly before the celebration, I arranged my carefully cut candies to form an IgA molecule bound to its receptor at the cell surface.  Yup, I got my nerd on.

A celebration cake for a doctoral degree

My friend loved it.  And so did everyone else.

I thought the cake itself was the star, not it's decoration.  Moist, intensely rich, capable of inducing adult-onset diabetes in less than a slice.  It was the chocoholic's dream my coworkers had requested.

But after my struggles with candy as decorations, I'm definitely enrolling in some cake decorating classes.

By the Book: Chocolate Malted Bread Pudding

Another bread pudding, you say?  Really, you say? You haven't exhausted your cookbook and blog collection of recipes for it?  You haven't grown tired of such a rich and carb-laden dish?

Nope. It helps that I share the products of my kitchen adventures with my family and coworkers.  My pants are grateful for that, as is my wallet.  Jeans are way more expensive than they need to be. Seriously.

Anyway, no, I haven't exhausted bread pudding just yet.  In fact, I have another variation up my sleeve. But I'll wait a few weeks, so we can all work off the carbs from my last few iterations.  But until then, you really should make this.  It's got the unique taste of malt powder partnering nicely--like it usually does--with chocolate.  It's like a Whopper candy, if a Whopper candy were a bread pudding.  Don't worry, I won't explore that idea.  But I will advise you to splash each serving of this with Kahlua or Bailey's.  You'll be glad you did.
Chocolate Malted Bread Pudding
From Joy the Baker Cookbook:  100 Simple and Comforting Recipes by Joy Wilson
Makes one 8-inch dish

Ingredients:
5 loosely packed cups stale challah bread, ripped into chunks
1 1/2 cups whole milk
3/4 cup heavy cream
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
1/3 cup granulated sugar
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chunks, finely chopped
1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp. malt powder (chocolate flavored, if you have it)
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Preparation:
Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees Farenheit.  Lightly butter an 8-inch square glass baking dish. Set aside.

If your bread isn't stale, put the bread chunks in a single layer on a baking sheet and toast for 8-10 minutes in the oven.

Place the stale or toasted bread pieces in the buttered baking dish.

In a small saucepan, heat the milk and cream until just barely boiling.  Stir occasionally to prevent burning.

In a medium bowl, whisk together egg, egg yolks, sugar, and salt.  While whisking, slowly drizzle the warmed milk mixture into the egg mixture to temper the eggs.  Once the mixture is well combined, add the chocolate chunks, malt powder, and vanilla.  Stir to combine.

Pour the chocolate mixture over the bread chunks.  Make sure most of the bread is submerged and allow it to rest for 30 minutes.

Following the rest, cook for 25-30 minutes or until the top looks dry and dull and the pudding is set, not milky and jiggly.  Remove from the oven and allow it to rest for 20 minutes before serving.  It's delicious warm with a scoop of ice cream or at room temperature.  Store in the refrigerator for a few days in an airtight container or tightly wrapped.

Notes:
--I had a stale baguette lying around, so I used that and some softer Italian bread in place of challah.  It worked, though I'd imagine the softness of challah or an Italian loaf would be even better.  This is one of those rare instances where I advocate soft bread to crusty bread.

--Semisweet chocolate chips can be used instead of chopping a semisweet bar.  They might not melt quite as nicely, thanks to the stabilizing chemicals used to limit chip melting, but it will totally work. And I won't tell.

--I suspect my use of a baguette instead of challah made my bread pudding a bit more dry than it should've been.  So I added a healthy splash of Kahlua on top of the bread pudding after it came out of the oven. It's delicious and added the moisture I was missing.  Also, I may have a problem...

--Fresh berries are delicious with this. Especially if you're trying to find a reason to eat a bowl of it for breakfast or dessert. Berries are healthy, after all, so it's an excellent excuse.

Just out of the oven

Don't forget to drizzle (or heavily splash) Kahlua on top...

Chocolate and coffee. Always a winning combination.

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.

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).

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.