I sometimes crave a warm bowl of soup late at night when I can’t sleep.
Recently I made a pretty good version of cream of mushroom soup for my late night craving — with a few twists.
Creamy Mushroom with Brown and Wild Rice Soup by The Tromp Queen Cooks. Image by TTQ, CC license 4.0
Heat 1 T olive oil and 1 T butter in a fairly large saucepan or dutch oven.
Add 8 oz. or more of sliced mushrooms (any kind). Mine were kind of old so I picked off the stems and just used the caps.
Add a little salt and pepper.
Chop up 1/2 of a small onion. Add it to the pot.
Penzeys Spices Lemon Pepper Seasoning. Image from their website.
Add 1 t. of Penzeys Lemon Pepper seasoning. This might seem like a strange choice, but it worked! It contains: salt, Special Extra Bold black pepper, citric acid, lemon peel, garlic and minced green onion
Let all that cook until the mushrooms and onions are very soft and lightly browned.
Sprinkle the mushroom mixture with 3 T. of flour. Stir it around for about a minute.
Add about 2 – 3 c of chicken or veg broth. (I had an open box in the fridge. I’m not completely sure how much I added, but it was in this ballpark).
Then, I added a single serving of Minute brand brown and wild rice. The package looks like this:
You pull off the lid of the little plastic cup, stick it in the microwave on high for 1 minute and it is ready to go! (Yes, I heated it in the micro before adding it to my soup).
I let all this simmer for a few minutes.
At the very end I added about 1/2 c. of half and half. I might have added more but that is about all we had left.
This made a very tasty and filling soup if I do say so myself.
I think the Lemon Pepper seasoning really added a nice touch. I will definitely try that again.
Turmeric image by Steven Jackson, via Flickr CC license
Chickpea Curry
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 approximately 2-inch piece of ginger, grated
2 teaspoons Sweet Curry powder
1 teaspoon Penzeys Curry Now powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons paprika
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 (15 oz ) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed (smash one can with a fork)
28 oz can, petite diced tomatoes
1 can full fat coconut milk
2-3 teaspoons cornstarch
1/2 – 1 teaspoon salt
Chopped fresh cilantro
Directions
Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.
Add onions, salt; sautè until translucent, about 6 minutes stirring every now and then. Add garlic and sautè for 1 more minute.
Add ginger and all the spices; sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Add diced tomatoes then chickpeas.
Bring to a boil, lower to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes.
Stir in coconut milk and simmer for 5 more minutes.
In a small bowl mix cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of water. Stir in the chickpea mixture and cook for 5 more minutes or until thickened.
Take a taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
Remove from the heat, sprinkle with chopped fresh cilantro.
Serve over basmati or brown rice.
I made this recipe for the first time this evening for our dinner. The balance and depth of flavors was very good. Most of the ingredients are easy to have on had, with the exception of the fresh cilantro (which seems to go bad in just a few days — or is it me?).
This is a quick and easy, delicious (meatless) curry.
I’ve tried several new recipes this week. I’m somewhat surprised to report that they were all really good.
My daughter and I are both working on musical productions (at two different high schools — she is on the backstage crew for hers and I am the accompanist for mine). We had rehearsals every night this week either after school or evenings, and this weekend we have two concerts plus an extra rehearsal. Next week I have 6 shows (I think!) and two choir rehearsals and she has tech week (also known as Hell week in the theater realm).
SO — I’ve been looking for meals that are quick to fix and either either bake (can be left in the oven for an hour or more) or cook quickly.
Chicken walking through the village image by World Bank Photos via Flickr CC license
Chicken legs and thighs were on sale last week, so these are all chicken recipes.
Annabel Farley image of olives via Flickr CC license
Ingredients
For the Spice Mixture
¾ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground cumin
¾ teaspoon paprika
¾ teaspoon turmeric
⅛ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon butter, melted
4 cloves garlic, pressed
For the Sheet Pan Chicken
1 lemon
2 large sweet onions, cut into 12 wedges each
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon turmeric
3 skin-on chicken quarters (I used 8 chicken bone-in skin-on chicken thighs)
1 cup green olives, pitted
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves (I forgot to add this!)
Brian Siewiorek image of cilantro, via Flickr CC license public domain
Instructions
Preheat an oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
In a small bowl, prepare the spice rub by combining the salt, cumin, paprika, turmeric, cayenne, and black pepper. Stir in 1 tablespoon of olive oil, 1 tablespoon of melted butter, and the pressed garlic.
Cut the lemon in half and set one half aside. Cut the remaining half into thin slices, then arrange the slices in a single layer on a rimmed half sheet pan. Scatter the onion wedges over the lemons, then drizzle 1 Tablespoon of olive oil over the onions. Sprinkle the pan with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon turmeric. (I think you could get by with 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric. It is SO expensive!)
Place the chicken quarters on the pan, skin side up. Pat the top of the chicken dry, then brush the prepared spice mixture evenly onto the skin of each quarter. I rubbed the spices all over the chicken with my hands.
Transfer the pan to the preheated oven and roast for 45 minutes, until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees and the juices run clear.
Scatter the pan with the olives and cilantro leaves. Squeeze the juice from the remaining half lemon onto the chicken. (I baked the olives on the pan with the chicken. I did remember the lemon juice, but forgot the cilantro.)
We had brown and wild rice with this. I poured the sauce from the pan over my rice and it was delicious.
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Mike Mozart image of green beans, via Flickr CC license
Instructions
In a gallon size Ziploc bag, combine chicken, olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, red wine vinegar and oregano; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Marinate for at least 20 minutes to 1 hour, turning the bag occasionally. Drain the chicken from the marinade, discarding the marinade.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly oil a baking sheet or coat with nonstick spray.
Place potatoes and green beans in a single layer onto the prepared baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Top with chicken in a single layer.
Place into oven and roast until the chicken is completely cooked through, reaching an internal temperature of 165 degrees F, about 45 minutes.*
Serve immediately, garnished with parsley, if desired.
This recipe was quick and easy, baked beautifully and was absolutely delicious.
Turmeric image by Steven Jackson, via Flickr CC license
Little Chicken image by poppy via Flickr CC
Pukka Yellow Curry
The next recipe was not quite so easy (my kitchen was a huge MESS by the time dinner was ready), but I think that might be just first-time-working-out-the-kinks issues. Pukka Yellow Curry is a Jamie Oliver recipe. The result was flavorful and very well spiced. It takes a pretty large pan to fit all the ingredients in.
Ingredients
2 onions
4 cloves of garlic
1 thumb-sized piece of ginger
2 yellow peppers
1 cube chicken bouillon
1-2 fresh red chillies (I used a jalapeno)
½ a bunch of fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon runny honey
1 level teaspoon ground tumeric
2 teaspoons curry powder (I used Penzey’s Sweet Curry)
8 chicken drumsticks
olive oil
1 (14.5 oz can) chickpeas
1 teaspoon tomato purée (I left this out.)
320 g basmati rice
1 lemon
OPTIONAL:
fat-free natural yoghurt , to serve
Peel the onions, garlic and ginger and de-seed the peppers. Put 1 onion, 1 pepper, the garlic and ginger into a food processor. Crumble in the stock cube and add the chilli (de-seed it first, if you prefer a milder curry), the cilantro stalks, honey and spices, then blitz to a paste.
Place a very large casserole pan on a medium-high heat and fry the chicken drumsticks (pull the skin off first, if you prefer) with a splash of oil for 10 minutes, or until golden, turning occasionally with tongs. Remove the chicken to a plate, leaving the pan on the heat. Roughly chop the remaining onion and pepper and add to the pan to cook for a few minutes, then tip in the paste and let it cook down for around 5 minutes. Pour in 500ml of boiling water. Drain the chickpeas and add along with the tomato purée and a pinch of salt and pepper, then stir well. Return the chicken to the pan, pop the lid on, reduce the heat and simmer gently for around 45 minutes, or until the sauce darkens and thickens. Sprinkle with chopped fresh cilantro leaves.
With 15 minutes to go, put 1 cup (320g) rice and 2 cups of boiling water into a pan with a pinch of salt and simmer with the lid on for 12 minutes, or until all the liquid has been absorbed. Serve the curry in the middle of the table with a few dollops of yoghurt (if using) and a scattering of coriander leaves, with lemon wedges for squeezing over and the fluffy rice on the side.
Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Heat olive oil in a large oven proof skillet and then add the chicken. Season with salt and pepper. Brown on both sides. The chicken doesn’t have to be completely cooked through. Remove the chicken from the skillet and set it aside. Add more oil if needed. Saute the onion until softened add the garlic and saute about a minute more. Then add the broth, lemon juice, and red pepper flakes. Reduce the liquid until about 1/3 to 1/2 cup remains. Add the butter and whisk (or use a fork) until it is melted. Remove the pan from the heat and slowly add the cream. Put the chicken in the sauce and then stick the whole thing in the oven for 5 minutes or so to finish cooking the chicken and heat up the sauce. Serve with hot cooked pasta or noodles. Sprinkle with freshly chopped parsley or basil.
image via Flickr CC by cookbookman17; Fresh Parsley — A bunch of fresh hand picked parsley. This parsley is bursting with flavor and ready for use.
I have a couple more favorite chili recipes, believe it or not. Here is one that I created by combining several of my favorite recipes and adding some of my own flair, too.
Ingredients:
1.5 ground beef (85% lean)
1 onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic (run through garlic press or use the kind in a jar)
3 T. Penzeys Chili 3000
1 T. Penzeys Medium Hot Chili Powder
1/2 t. cumin
1 t. salt
1/2 t. sugar
25 grinds black pepper
1 large can (28 oz) whole tomatoes, drain and chop
1 small can (6 oz) tomato paste
2 cans (14 oz) dark red kidney beans, drain and rinse
2 c. water
4 c. tomato juice
Brown the ground beef; drain. You can add the garlic and onion while you brown the beef or add it after you brown it; if after, cook a few minutes more. Add the rest of the ingredients bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer. Cook, covered, at a simmer for an hour if you can. Less will be okay, but it will taste better if you cook it longer.
This makes a pretty large batch and is soupier than some of the other chili recipes I make.
Chicken Tikka Masala; image by Stephen Rees via Flickr CC license.
One of my favorite Indian dishes is Chicken Tikka Masala. Well, that and Sag Paneer and Samosas and a lot of other Indian foods. But I digress. The other night I planned to make Chicken Tikka Masala for dinner using a crock pot recipe. Usually the problem I have with crock pot recipes is that I never seem to have time to actually put the stuff in the crock pot in the morning before I go to work. So that is kind of a fatal flaw in the whole plan to use a crock pot recipe.
When I got around to making dinner the only option was to make it on the stove top.
I realized I did not have one of the critical ingredients: Garam Masala. I DID have an empty jar of it from Penzeys so I read the list of ingredients on the label then gathered as many of those spices as I could from my spice cupboard (or should I say spice “hoard” — I have a LOT of spices). I looked online for recipes that could be made without Garam Masala and found a couple I thought sounded good. I used those two recipes as a guide, combining them and added a few things of my own. The result was DELICIOUS; maybe the best Indian dish I’ve made at home ever.
Chicken Tikka Masala; image by James via Flickr CC license.
Here is what I made:
Order of operations: Marinate the chicken, start the sauce, start the rice, cook the chicken, finish the sauce, combine chicken with sauce (add cilantro and cream if desired), serve with rice (and raita and naan if available).
Marinade:
1/2 to 3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
½ t. cardamom
¼ t. cloves
¼ t. nutmeg
½ to 1 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1 teaspoons salt, or to taste
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
Combine all the marinade ingredients and mix well. You could use Garam Masala in place of some of the spices or just add 1 or 2 t. to the marinade with all the other spices. Add the chicken pieces. Let the chicken marinate in the yogurt sauce as long as you have time (mine only marinated for about 15 minutes).
Chicken Tikka Masala yogurt and spice marinade; image by JaBB via Flickr CC license.
Either grill the chicken on skewers (which is the better way and makes a more yummy tasting final product) or brown it in small batches in a hot skillet with a little EVOO and butter til nicely browned (which is what I did because it was raining and I didn’t want to run in and out to the grill in the rain).
Grilling the chicken for Chicken Tikka Masala; image by Drew McClellan via Flickr CC license.
Sauce:
1 T. butter and 1 T. olive oil
1 large onion, minced
2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced
¼ t. cayenne pepper
1 t. ground cumin
1 t. paprika
½ t. salt, or to taste
1 (14 ounce) can petite diced tomatoes, drained
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
Heat the EVOO and butter in a 3 qt. or larger pan. Saute the onion until it softens. Add the spices and salt and cook about 5 minutes more. Drain the petite diced tomatoes; add the tomatoes to the pan with the can of tomato sauce. Continue to simmer the mixture while you are cooking the chicken (either on the stove or on a grill). Just before you are ready to add the chicken to the sauce, use an immersion blender to puree the sauce and make it somewhat smoother. (You can skip this step, but your sauce will be lumpier).
Add the grilled/browned chicken to the sauce. Heat through and/or simmer for 5-10 minutes or until the rice is ready. Then add the final ingredients below:
½ c. half and half (optional)
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Chicken Tikka Masala; image by July Frost via Flickr CC license.
Rice:
I cook my rice on the stovetop. Heat 3 c. of water or broth (you can add 1/2 t. sweet curry or a few strands of saffron) and 1/2 t. salt or so to boiling. Add 1 1/2 c. of basmati rice (can rinse it first, but I don’t always do that). Stir. Turn the heat down so it will still be simmering, cover tightly and set the timer for 13 or 14 minutes.
Serve the Chicken Tikka Masala over hot basmati rice with warm naan bread (Trader Joe’s has frozen naan that is very good) and cool smooth tangy raita.
Raita; image by Jules via Flickr CC license.
Chicken Tikka Masala; image by Guy Dickinson via Flickr CC license.
vintage sign, image by The Tromp Queen CC license 4.0
I decided to change the name of The Heat is ON! to
The Tromp Queen COOKS!
In celebration of this change, I’m presenting several “old” recipe posts from my original “The Tromp Queen” in blog new posts here on The Tromp Queen COOKS! These are some of my very favorite recipes and I feel they deserve more visibility than they currently have (which is buried in a post entrancingly called “Recipe Re-visit”).
I hope you enjoy reading through these recipes and that you will try one or more of them. Please let me know what you think!
I tried to go back through to be sure all the old links will still work, etc. Please let me know if you come across any glitches with the new domain name.
I saw this recipe posted on a friend’s wall. I shared it with my husband because it looked like a pretty easy recipe that he and our daughter would like. I am not a big fan of smoked sausage (the kind that comes in a tight plastic wrapped ring), so I would be happy if they ate it sometime when I wasn’t home.
Well, one night this week — we were all home. We happened to have the ingredients to make this recipe so I gave it a try. Here is the recipe:
Oven Roasted Smoked Sausage and Potatoes
1 package of smoked sausage, sliced into rounds 1 large onion, peeled and chopped 6 or more large potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1/2 inch cubes olive oil sea salt or kosher salt freshly ground black pepper smoked paprika (or any kind of paprika — I used Spanish Smoked Paprika from Penzeys) dried thyme (or any blend of herbs that includes thyme — I used Bouquet Garni from Penzeys) 1 cup of good quality grated sharp cheddar cheese
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a large baking tray (with sides) with several sheets of foil, and drizzle with a bit of olive oil. Spread the oil out over the pan. Set aside.
Put the sausage rounds, onions and potatoes onto the foil-lined baking sheet. Drizzle with a couple tablespoons of olive oil and season to taste with salt, pepper, paprika and dried thyme (or other herbs). Toss together with a wooden spoon (or your hands) until everything is evenly distributed.
Place into the heated oven and roast for 45 minutes to 55 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes or so, until the potatoes are golden brown and tender. Turn off the oven. Scatter the cheese over top of the cooked meat and potatoes, Pop back into the oven a few minutes to melt the cheese. Serve immediately.
We had a bag of baby spinach leaves, some fresh parmesan cheese and some kalamata olives so I made a quick little Greek-Ceasar salad to fill out the meal.
Our daughter made pumpkin bread (using a Trader Joe’s mix) for dessert.
It was a not too time consuming, delicious, and fairly reasonable clean up.
Every liked it. Even me.
Overall: FIVE forks!
This recipe is adapted from one published by The 205 Tavern of Church Point, LA on their Facebook page. If I ever get to Louisiana, I would love to look up this place and have a bite to eat there. It looks like they specialize in Cajun food and it all look delicious!
I got this recipe from a family of food-lovers. (Thank you, Schoonovers!) If you like chili but are in the mood for something a little different from the traditional chili (tomato-meat-beans), then I hope you’ll give this recipe a try.
I have made it a couple of different ways. It works really well in a crock pot. I also sometimes make it on the stove top. Either way, it is quick to make and delicious to eat.
Of course, I always make a few changes to most recipes, so I’ll make note of those changes.
Ingredients:
1 medium onion, chopped
1 T. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced (I used the kind in a jar. Use more or less to taste. I use more.)
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (1 lb. total), chopped (I prefer chicken thighs. You could also use leftover chicken or meat from a deli roasted chicken.)
2 cans (14 oz) chicken broth (I like the 32 oz. boxes of broth, especially Trader Joe’s organic broths. YUM.)
1 can (4 oz) chopped green chilies
2 t. ground cumin (If you aren’t sure how much spice, you could cut down on this. As always, I use Penzeys spices.)
2 t. dried oregano
1 1/2 t. cayenne pepper (I used only about 1/2 t. of cayenne for my family. The last time I made this I used 1 1/2 t. of regular chili powder instead and it tasted great.)
3 cans (14-1/2 oz each) great northern beans, drained and rinsed (Look for a large jar or can that has close to this total amount to save time opening cans.)
*oh — smash one can of the beans with a fork or potato masher before added them to the soup pot. This will thicken the soup nicely.
salt and pepper to taste
optional garnishes:
shredded cheese (A good sharp cheddar, colby-jack, or pepper jack would be tasty)
chopped jalapeno pepper (I haven’t done this one. You could even use the pickled, jarred or canned jalapeno.)
cilantro (Always!)
sour cream
crushed taco chips
Procedure:
The easy way is to put all the ingredients in the crock pot, turn it on and walk away for several hours.
I’ve used bone-in chicken to make this, even in the crock pot. I dug it out of the crock pot shortly before serving time, took the meat off the bones and threw the meat back into the pot. It was not a big deal.
On the stove top, I’ve browned the chicken and sautéed the onions and garlic in olive oil, then added the rest of the ingredients. Simmer for 20 min. or until you are ready to eat.
This is good with corn bread or with crunchy cheese quesadillas. A nice salad is always a good thing, too.
The best Falafel sandwich I have ever had was near the British Museum in London. There was a little sandwich shop just around the corner from the main entrance. The falafel was declicious, but the “fixins” were wonderfully fresh, crisp and flavourful. (Spelled it the British way for good measure, there!)
I looked at Google maps in that area around the British Museum and the best possibilities are Salt and Pepper (5 Bloomsbury Street, London WC1B 3QE, England) or Bimbimbab Cafe (37 Museum Street, London WC1A 1LP, England). The menu and reviews at Salt and Pepper remind me more of the cafe, but the photo of Bimbimbab’s interior also looks familiar. It was not a Korean restaurant at the time if that is indeed the place we had falafel. It was 2008, so it is not likely I can solve this mystery now (unless someone in London can shed light on my memory!)
I’ve looked for a good recipe to try to recreate this memorable sandwich. The closest so far is a recipe from Rachael Ray.
My daughter and I made Rachael Ray’s Falafel Burgers recipe for dinner tonight.
We tweaked the recipe a bit so I thought I’d share our results and thoughts here.
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste. We used about 1 t. salt and 1/2 t. black pepper.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil for frying.
Combine these ingredients (above) in a large food processor. You might need to do 1 can of chickpeas and 1/2 the other ingredients at a time, then blend it all together in a bowl. We found the full amount to be too much for my Cuisinart. If the mixture seems too dry to hold together, add a little more olive oil. If it seems too wet — don’t even add the olive oil and/or add more flour.
Divide the chickpea mixture into 8 parts. Form into patties. Dredge lightly in flour.
Heat plenty of extra virgin olive oil in a large skillet. You need 1/4 c. or so of oil or sometimes more depending on how large your skillet is.
Fry the falafel patties about 3-4 min. on each side or until lightly browned and heated through. You can use more oil and completely deep fry them, but I think pan frying tastes good and uses so much less oil
To make the sauce combine the following in a small bowl:
1/4 cup tahini paste
2 tablespoons water (or more if needed)
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
Prepare the “fixins” for serving:
4 sandwich-size whole wheat pita pockets (cut in half, warm in oven or toast lightly)
1-1 1/2 cups romaine lettuce, shredded
1/2 English (seedless) cucumber; peel, de-seed, quarter, slice and dice
chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley; a large handful
2 vine-ripe tomatoes, sliced or garden fresh cherry tomatoes (cut into halves or fourths)
(In the street falafel photo below, I see he is offering radishes, jalapeno slices and lemon wedges, and possibly baby spinach, too. It is difficult to see — but I think the idea is toppings galore and whatever you crave!)
To serve:
Fill 1/2 a warmed pita with fixins, sauce and falafel. Have plenty of napkins ready. Sometimes I end up eating it with a fork.
image by Daniel Roy, via Flickr CC; falafel stand in Aleppo, Syria.
REVIEW:
I’ve made this recipe several times. The biggest issue is getting the consistency right so the falafel doesn’t fall apart in the skillet.
The fixings are important. Use fresh and local if possible; organic always tastes better to me, too. Maybe that is just in my head, though.
The original recipe calls for twice as many spices and several quite expensive ones. I have used 1/2 the amounts in the RR recipe and it was good. This is the first time we used the Sweet Curry instead of all the cumin, coriander and turmeric. Feel free, of course, to adjust the spice levels to your taste.
OVERALL: FIVE OUT OF FIVE FORKS!!
Highly recommended.
Please let me know if you try this recipe, how it turned out, and if you enjoyed it.
This is a tried and true, absolutely moist and delicious, quick to make chocolate cake. The recipe has no eggs and no milk, so it is a good thing to make when you are avoiding a trip to the grocery store but still want dessert.
I know I’ve said this before, but please consider using Penzey’s spices! The cocoa is delectable and it makes a HUGE difference in the final product. I always use Penzey’s vanilla, too.
Anne’s FABULOUS 6 Minute Chocolate Cake
Ingredients:
1 1/2 c. flour
1/3 c. cocoa powder
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1 c. sugar
1/2 c. vegetable oil
1 c. cold water or cold coffee
2 t.vanilla
2 T. white vinegar
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Combine the dry ingredients. Sift or stir with a whisk until fluffy and evenly mixed. Mix the wet ingredients except the vinegar together then add to the dry. Whisk until smooth. Gently stir in the vinegar. The batter will bubble. Bake in 8×8 or 9″ round for 28 to 30 (it has taken 35 sometimes) minutes or until the center is not runny. The cake is very moist so doneness tests are not always reliable.
You can mix this in the pan!
I recommend using the coffee. The difference is subtle, but it does give a nice depth of flavor.
I like this cake unfrosted. It is just SO good. My family loves frosting, though.
You can double the recipe to make a 13×9 pan (350 degrees for 40 min.) or to make 2 dozen cupcakes.
Before I got this recipe from Anne, I had a similar recipe I used to make — though this one uses milk and eggs. I think I got it from a Quick Cooking magazine, but then I made a few small changes. Here is the link to the original recipe: One Bowl Chocolate Cake.
Jill’s One Bowl Chocolate Cake
Ingredients:
2 c. all-purpose flour
2 c. sugar
1/2 c. cocoa
2 t. baking soda
1 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1 c. oil
1 c. buttermilk
2 eggs
1 c. hot water
2 t. vanilla
Combine the dry
ingredients. Stir in oil, buttermilk and eggs. Add water and stir until combined. Pout into a greased 13×9 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 38 minutes until toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. 12 – 16 servings.
If you don’t have buttermilk (and really, who EVER just happens to have it on hand?) — you can put 1 T. of vinegar in a 1 c. measure then fill it up with milk. Let it sit for a few minutes before using it in your recipe.
The Tromp Queen COOKS! 