This Might Be My Favorite Chocolate Cake Ever

I've now made this cake twice; Once for my Grandfather's 80th birthday two years ago and once for my Dad's 51st Birthday a few days ago. I was sold the first time, but this cake takes a fair amount of dedication (aka time) so it took me a while to make it again. (Note: The recipes themselves aren't very hard, it is just that making the cake requires 4 different recipes!!) This recipe comes from Southern Living and is called Bourbon Chocolate Cake with Praline Frosting; I found it in the magazine a few years ago but you can find it HERE online. Allow me to break it down and tell you why it is so delicious.

Hello, Delicious Cake.

A. The cake itself.

The layers are fairly thin, with a fine crumb (aka it is fairly dense).  It is usually very moist as long as you don't over bake!  The chocolate flavor isn't as intense as some cakes, but I think it is perfect for this one because you get so much chocolate from the....

B. The chocolate ganache.

The ganache recipe is very simple: chocolate chips, cream, butter. Yum Yum Yum. I love that this cake doesn't have the usual buttercream or 7 minute frosting (or canned store bought frosting). The ganache goes in between the layers and on the sides, and it makes the whole cake feel/taste very rich. True Confession: I have a liberal hand when it comes to frosting-application so I made a double recipe and had some left over.

C. The bourbon glaze

I'm not much of a drinker....and I'm not a liquor drinker at all.  However, the bourbon glaze absolutely makes this cake the best.  It gives it a really nice flavor that kind of cuts some of the sweetness going on.  Besides, you get to light the glaze on FIRE and that is pretty fun.

D. The praline frosting

It doesn't get much better than pralines, and praline frosting may be my new favorite of all frostings.  It is simple to make and completely delicious. When it cools it gets harder, like..um...well, pralines. This simple frosting would go a long way in dressing up a plain chocolate cake even without the ganache and glaze.

Consider this a rave review.  Thanks, Southern Living, for this great recipe!

PS- I have to tell you, this is definitely a special occasion cake.  I can't say I'd recommend this for everyday consumption. I think you end up using close to a pound of butter after the whole thing is said and done.  Everything in moderation!

Georgia: Just a scone's throw away from the UK, right?

As any true admirer of Jane Austen, I often find myself sipping a cup of tea while reading a favorite novel. In fact, I’ve quite the teapot collection, but that is another story for another time.  Now, as a southern girl my first recollection of tea is of course of sweet iced tea and I must admit that on a true Georgia summer day you’d be hard pressed to find something more delicious. 

That said, hot tea is almost equally delightful and certainly deserving of the appropriate baked good to accompany it.  In an effort to complement my tea with a worthy companion I recently tried my hand at making scones with a recipe I found in Southern Living.   I used white whole wheat flour rather than white all-purpose flour, however.  The scones still turned out quite delicious, I think.  I had every intention of adding walnuts to them but after painstakingly chopping all the nuts I completely forgot to add them.  To make up for this negligence I melted a bit of chocolate to add to their tops so that my dear little scones might not look so unclothed. Next time, I plan on adding dried cranberries and using skim milk, just to see how it works with a bit less fat. Recipe after the picture!

This china belonged to my great-grandmother!

Scones (Southern Living’s “Best Ever Scones”)

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/3 cup sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup cold butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1 cup whipping cream, divided

1. Preheat oven to 450°. Stir together first 4 ingredients in a large bowl. Cut butter into flour mixture with a pastry blender until crumbly and mixture resembles small peas. Freeze 5 minutes. Add 3/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp. cream, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened.

2. Turn dough out onto wax paper; gently press or pat dough into a 7-inch round (mixture will be crumbly). Cut round into 8 wedges. Place wedges 2 inches apart on a lightly greased baking sheet. Brush tops of wedges with remaining 2 Tbsp. cream just until moistened.

3. Bake at 450° for 13 to 15 minutes or until golden.


YUM!