Heart Shaped Chocolate Mocha Bundt Cake

Oh my.  How cute is this heart shaped Chocolate Mocha Bundt Cake.  Terra's Kitchen put this delicious looking cake together and I wanted to share it with you all.

Bonus.....it's low in sugar.

One of my favorite flavor combinations involve coffee and chocolate and here it is in the form of a bundt cake.  So yummy.  Here's the recipe.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups cake flour, plus more for dusting
• 2/3 cup high quality cocoa powder, plus more for dusting
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, plus more for greasing the pan, room temperature
• 1 1/4 cups brown sugar
• 4 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 1/4 cups sour cream
• 5 tablespoons cold brewed coffee (we use Baltimore-based Zeke's Coffee)
• Butter Coffee Pour Over (recipe to follow)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Generously grease a Bundt pan with butter (we used a heart-shaped Bundt for Valentine's Day). Set aside.
3. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
4. In a standing mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, add the butter and sugar. Beat on medium speed until the mixture is smooth and light in texture (about 5 minutes). Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well and scraping down the bowl after each addition. Add the sour cream and coffee and mix until combined.
5. Gradually add the dry JUST until incorporated.
6. Pour the batter into the prepared Bundt and bake until the center of cake springs back when touched and a skewer inserted near the center comes out clean (about 45-50 minutes).
7. Remove the cake from the oven and pour Butter Coffee Pour Over mixture over the hot cake. Let cool completely in the pan on a wire rack. Release the sides and bottom of the cake from the pan with a narrow metal spatula or knife. Invert the pan onto a plate or cake stand. Remove the pan and dust with cocoa powder or powdered sugar before serving.

Butter Coffee Pour Over
Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup brewed dark roast coffee (we use Zeke's Coffee)
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/4 cup sugar

Directions:

1. Add ingredients to a small sauce pan over low heat, stirring until all the sugar has dissolved. Set aside and allow to cool slightly.

Photo and recipe courtesy:  Terra's Kitchen

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Healthy Options for Halloween Treats

Halloween signifies the grand opening to the season of OVERINDULGENCE.  From Halloween through December, many of us will continue on a non-stop ride to parties, treats, maybe some wine, time with family and friends and some shopping and more parties, just to name a few.

Whenever possible, I like to try and balance the season of Overindulgence with as many healthy snacks as I possibly can.  When I received these adorable, healthy snack recipes from Terra's Kitchen , I thought it would add a healthy option for our kids (and adults) this Halloween week.


How fun are these?!!  Perfect for a school Halloween party!

CANDY CORN FRUIT SKEWERS

• White: pear, jicama, banana
• Orange: cantaloupe, apricot, mango
• Yellow: pineapple

Directions: Choose one of each color fruit. Cut progressively larger size triangles and thread onto lollipop sticks to look like oversize candy corn. Served chilled.

KIWI SPIDERS

• Kiwis
• Mini pretzels

Directions: Carefully peel kiwi with a vegetable peeler. Cut off a small lengthwise piece (the belly of the spider) so it sits flat on a plate. Break mini pretzels into curved pieces and insert 3 legs on each side. Carve out little indentations for eyes and serve. (You might also try raisins or chocolate chips, if you can figure out a way to make them stick!).

Photos and recipes courtesy Terra's Kitchen.

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Where To Store Your Fruits and Vegetables

We are knee deep in corn, zucchini and cucumbers right now.  We're trying to power through all the zucchini as much as we can but it's difficult to keep up and I so hate to waste food.  We've been giving away as much as we can and storing all this produce is becoming a bit of an issue.  We store our zucchini in a cool dry place......basically all over our kitchen counters.  The cucumbers seem to last a bit longer in the fridge and we'll probably end up freezing a good portion of the corn.

Terra's Kitchen was kind enough to send me this helpful information on the best way to store some of our favorite fruits and veggies to share with you!  

Hope your end-of-summer is going well.  I don't know about you, but I'm very much ready for autumn to begin!

To store in the fridge:

• Bell Peppers: Refrigerate loose in the fridge.
• Berries: Either eat them the day you get them, or you must refrigerate, as they are highly perishable.
• Eggplant: Store loose in the produce drawer of the refrigerator and branch out and try all of the amazing sizes and colors. If you are not a lover of this nightshade, we are sorry for what you are missing!!
• Sweet Corn: Refrigerate in their husk until ready to use and keep in mind that should be sooner than later as the sugars begin to turn to starch as soon as they are picked.

To store on the counter:

• Apricots:  No matter how strong is the urge to refrigerate these beauties, store unripe on the counter or windowsill at room temperature.
• Garlic: Do not refrigerate and keep them on the counter or in a basket alongside your onions.
• Mushrooms: They are full of water and need to breathe, so store in the original packaging, or if in a cluster, in a brown paper bag. If only using a portion of them rewrap the top in plastic wrap or keep in bag.
• Onions: Keep them dry in a basket on the counter.
• Cherry Tomatoes: Tomatoes should never be refrigerated as it spoils their unique individual flavor. Keep on the counter until ripe and then use in rapid abandonment once they are.

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