Archive for February, 2011

 This cake recipe from the United States is a Southern tradition and national favourite…we’re showcasing it because of it’s melt-in-your-mouth properties, and it’s obviously festive red centre. Could it be your new food of love? This version of the recipe in entirety has been sourced from foodnetwork.com:

 

Ingredients

• Nonstick spray
• 5 1/2 oz all-purpose flour
• 4 oz cake flour
• 1/2 oz natural cocoa
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup low-fat buttermilk, room temperature
• 1 fluid oz red liquid food colouring
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 10 1/2 oz dark brown sugar
• 4 oz unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 whole eggs, room temperature
• Cream Cheese Frosting, recipe follows

Directions

Set a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees F. Spray 2 (9-inch) round pans with nonstick spray, line the bottom of the pan with a parchment paper round, spray the parchment with nonstick spray, and set aside.

Whisk the flours, cocoa, baking soda, and salt together in a bowl and set aside. Whisk the buttermilk, food colouring, vinegar, and vanilla together in a small bowl and set aside.

Combine the brown sugar and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment and cream on medium speed until lightened in color, 2 minutes. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula. Return the mixer to medium speed and slowly add the eggs and beat until they are fully incorporated.

With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture in 3 installments, alternating with the buttermilk mixture, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl between each installment. Mix on low speed until smooth, 30 to 45 seconds.

Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans and bake until the cake springs back when pressed or reaches an internal temperature of 205 degrees F, 30 to 35 minutes.

Cool in the pans on a rack for 10 minutes, and then remove the cake from the pans and cool completely, about 1 hour, before frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting:

• 13 1/2 oz powdered sugar
• 12 oz cream cheese, room temperature
• 3 oz unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• Pinch kosher salt

Combine the cream cheese and butter on medium speed, just until blended, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the vanilla and salt and beat until combined. With the speed on low, add the powdered sugar in 4 batches, beating until smooth between each addition. Refrigerate for 5 to 10 minutes before using. 

 

 

 …is reportedly through his stomach, so you can’t go wrong this Valentine’s Day if you order an edible gift from Hotel Chocolat.

 This up-market chocolatier-y has something for everyone (and every budget, it seems): we’re a bit partial to the Hero slab (available in 40% milk or 72% dark chocolate, 200g, £8) which states that ‘every heroic act deserves a reward…from all-action heroes to those who just put the bins out every now and then…’ …but of course you can go all out to show your affection through confection and plump for the Ultimate Chocolate Hamper (24 products, £300). However, if you’re conscious about your lover’s middle, then the Chocolatier’s Table Luxe (1.4kg, £85) might be that perfect something in-between…

Hotel Chocolat package to perfection, deliver in every sense of the word, and even offer a monthly chocolate subscription to keep your sweetheart sweet for a whole year ahead…be sure to put your dentist on speed-dial.

 

 

 We urge you to open your heart this season to the Pampered Chef Round Stone. Often referred to as the ‘pizza stone’, you can cook just about anything on this amazing self-oiling, non-stick slab.

From chicken, pork and sausages, to croissants, cookies and pizza, this stone has oil, odour and flavour-repellent properties so the next meal doesn’t taste like the last…and, like a pair of favourite shoes or a well-loved book, the more worn it is, the more you’ll warm to it. 

Pampered Chef Stoneware:

 

• Evenly distributes heat and draws moisture away from the surface
• Retains heat, so your just-out-of-the-oven foods stay hot longer
• Doesn’t require pre-soaking before use
• Doesn’t retain oils, odours or flavours
• Is microwave-, freezer-, and conventional and convection oven-safe
• Naturally seasons, and develops a nonstick surface over time, with use
• Simply needs cleaning with water (this product is not dishwasher safe).

It may not look like much but it’s received a rating of 4.55 out of 5 stars by 232 cooks. Contact your local Pampered Chef consultant today, and buy with peace of mind that your product will be replaced if faulty – unlike other versions of this brilliant bake ware.