TWD: Chocolate Crunched Caramel Tart

Allow me to introduce you to few new things going on in my life these days.

For one, I've become incredibly busy at work. Busier than I ever have been. Which is great! But, also a little wearing. I'm not the type that stresses out easily and I can definitely leave my work at work when I go home in the afternoons, but for the 8 hours that I'm there: I'm swamped.

Two, I've started taking some classes. Yes, I have my bachelors degree, but it's time to start working toward the classes I need to sit for the CPA exam. That means, this semester, I'm taking 3 classes. 2 economics classes online and a pre-calculus class every Tuesday night for 3 hours (yes, I said pre-calculus for 3 hours. and yes, it's just as awful as you're imagining).

Three, I'm the captain for a relay team for the Bourbon Chase. Initially, you think... oh, how much trouble can being a captain be? And then you get into the thick of it and you realize: holy shit. I'm crafting an average of 3-4 emails a week on this. There is a lot of organizing and logisitics to figure out. And then you've got roster changes from injuries and people dropping out. It's just been a lot to deal with. It's fun and I'm happy to do it, but it gets a little frustrating when other people want things done on their time schedule.

It's good though. In general, I enjoy being busy. It makes me feel more alive. I am still trying to squeeze some baking in here and there, though. Which brings us to this recipe. This week's Tuesdays with Dorie recipe was chosen by Carla of Chocolate Moosey . It came together fairly easily and uses Dorie's Tart dough recipe (which I adore). My caramel turned into toffee, which isn't a bad thing, but I actually think it made it richer than just the caramel would have been. The combination of the flaky, shortbread-y crust with the crunchy, buttery toffee and the sharp, thick, gooey chocolate layer on top is almost too much. Almost.

This isn't the type of recipe that I'd make for myself again, but I can see myself making it for a group. Plus, I'd like to give the caramel another try. I guess I just cooked it too long.

Chocolate Crunched Caramel Tart -- Click the title for the recipe.

The recipe is fairly easily. I subbed pecans for the peanuts, just because that's what I had on hand. It is a super rich, decadent recipe though, and I think my layer of chocolate ganache was a little too thick. Next time I'd just smear a thin layer on top.

Root Beer Float Cake

The football game might just be the perfect American activity.

Thankfully, I was introduced to tailgating at a young age. My family had season tickets to Vanderbilt Football games when I was a kid. We would pack up our van with lots of food, head down to Nashville on Saturday afternoons and spend the day in the park across the street from the Stadium (oh yes, back in the 80's you could park in Centennial Park on gameday. Ahhh... the good ole days). I only have a vague recollection of those years, but what I do remember, is enjoying my family and enjoying the outdoors. I didn't know anything about football and could care less at the time, but there is something about that time of my childhood that I always wistfully reminisce about in the fall.

As I grew up... and went off to college (go cocks!), tailgating and football became more and more socially oriented. It was the one time on the weekends that you actually got up early, iced down a case of shitty beer, bought a ton of chips, cookies, etc and hung out with your surrogate family. Sometimes you'd toss around a football. You'd meet new people on the way to the porta-potty. And it grew into a love of the sport as well. Not just a love of the tailgate.

No where else in the world, have I ever felt the sense of community as I do in football tailgates. There's an electricity in the air. People are gathered together for common goals: To enjoy the company others, to eat delicious food and drink alcoholic beverages, and to come together in the support of a team that bonds you together (even with the opposing team. Oops. Except at LSU. Those bastards are not interested in being nice to the opposition until AFTER the game and they've kicked your ass).

So you can imagine my excitement when I was invited to a friends Vandy Tailgate a few weeks ago. It was the kickoff tailgate for the season. And if my mom taught me anything about tailgating... it's that you never show up empty-handed. (Plus bringing a baked good,greatly increases your chances at getting a shot at breaking into the cornhole inner sanctum and getting to play a game).

And if bringing a baked good isn't enough, go ahead and decorate it in your team's colors. Black and gold, baby. All the way. And dont worry about how it tastes. Even if it's not very good... and... even if, after schlepping it in a cake carrier for 2 miles it shows up at the tailgate a smeared mess, everyone will be too impressed and too drunk to notice. Bonus!

Here's to the start of a new football season! Hope to see you out there.
Root Beer Float Cake
From the guys who wrote Baked: New Frontiers in Baking
However, I stole the recipe from Joy the Baker

Okay, so, here's the deal. You can't taste the root beer. Like, at all. Now, that could be because I used Mug Root Beer from a 2 liter bottle. But, if you're expecting a huge BANG from the root beer, look elsewhere.

Also, I thought the consistency of the cake was a little... off. It seemed kind of grainy, to me. Now, it's entirely possible that this is a baker's issue and not a recipe issue (as I'm not known for my awesome cake baking skills, sadly).

Overall, it's a good cake. But I wouldn't make it again. Maybe I overbaked mine. Maybe I have funky cake mojo. Either way, you should give the recipe a try for yourself... yours might just be a touchdown! (couldn't resist, sorry).

2 cups root beer (don’t use diet)
1 cup dark unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs

Preheat even to 325 degrees F. Spray the inside of a 10-inch Bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray, or butter generously and dust with flour, knocking out the excess.

In a small saucepan, heat the root beer, cocoa powder and butter over medium heat until butter is melted. Add sugars and whisk until dissolved. Remove from heat and let cool.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt.

In a small bowl whisk the eggs until just beaten. Then whisk into the cocoa mixture until combined. Gently fold the flour mixture into the cocoa mixture. The batter will be slightly lumpy. You can give it a quick whisk if you like, but don’t over beat the batter or it could cause the cake to be tough. Don’t worry, the batter is very loose.

Pour the batter into prepared pan and cook for 35-45 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking until a sharp knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely then loosen edges with a butter knife and turn out onto a cake plate.

Chocolate Root Beer Frosting

2 ounces 60% cocoa, melted
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon salt (you may want to use less… maybe just 1/2 teaspoon)
1/4 cup root beer
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

In the bowl of a stand mixer, or using an electric hand mixer, beat softened butter and cocoa powder. Once combined add the melted chocolate, salt, powdered sugar and root beer. Beat together until smooth. Spread on top of cooled cake. Slice and serve with vanilla ice cream.

TWD: Chocolate Souffle

See that? The title up there... "Chocolate Souffle." Yeah. That's why I love Tuesdays with Dorie. Because there is no way in hell I would have EVER attempted to make a souffle otherwise. I mean, I didn't even really know what a freaking souffle was, but I was excited to try it at home.

So, let's go over the basics. It's true. I'd never had a souffle, never seen one in real life. I wasn't even entirely sure exactly what it was. Turns out, it's a custard-y, puffy cake that can either be sweet or savory. You make it by whipping egg whites until they're fluffy and then you fold in whatever flavor souffle you are going to make. Pop it in the oven, let it rise and then devour immediately.

Now, in theory, this is the perfect dessert for me. It's got a crispy outer edge (I love crispy) and then deep inside, it's ooey and gooey and hot (I always love underbaked goodies). I mean, it's a match made in heaven as far as I'm concerned. How could I have gone 29 years without having a souffle? I have lived a sheltered life, indeed.

Unfortunately, I overcooked mine a bit, I think. Because mine wasn't quite as gooey as I would have liked, but the idea excited me and I'm definitely going to be trying this dessert again soon and hopefully I can master the technique. I mean it was SUPER easy to put together. Well, except for the temporary carpal tunnel syndrome that you get from all that folding. Oh my god, is there anything more tedious in the baking world than folding? Seriously. Can't we come up with some kind of folding attachment for the handheld mixer? Is someone working on this? Please? But aside from that, it was easy. And... my favorite part... I had all the ingredients on hand! No running out to the store to buy a can of instant espresso or a mini bottle of cognac or any of that bullshit. Just eggs, chocolate, sugar, and milk. I can see myself whipping myself up a little souffle instead of a batch of brownies when I get that oooey gooey chocolate craving. And, how incredibly awesome is that? Whipping up souffles on a whim and whatnot? Awesome indeed.

Thank you, Tuesdays with Dorie and specifically Susan of She's Becoming Doughmesstic (who, by the way, has a great blog that you should be checking out regularly anyway) who chose this week's recipe and introduced me to something that might just become one of my favorite desserts.

Chocolate Souffle -- Click title for recipe

So, I was really unsure of how this recipe was going to turn out for me. I quartered the recipe (always scary when there are eggs in the recipe) and completely omitted the milk (since the amount would have been negligible anyway) and it still rose perfectly and tasted wonderful. The only warning? Don't overbake and apparently you can't make these ahead cause they'll fall. But, I doubt I'll ever know that from experience because I think I'll have a spoon in it as soon as I pull it out of the oven anyway (and the burnt tongue for days after).

TWD: Cheesecake Brownies

It occurred to me while I stood in my kitchen tasting these brownies... that i am a simple, boring girl. Well, at least culinarily speaking. (If you had been out with me on Saturday afternoon/night I think boring probably would have been the last word on your mind. But that's a whole other story for another blog... the drunken amy shenanigans blog*). I mean. Don't get me wrong. I LOVE cheesecake. But, my favorite cheesecake? Regular. Plain. Unadorned. I also love brownies. But, the only time I get wild and crazy with them is when I throw some nuts in the batter. Yum. So, if I love both parts of something... it only makes sense that I'd love them put together. Right?

Well, I didn't. At all. And here's the thing, folks... In my opinion, a really good cheesecake doesn't need a brownie base to make it better. And a really good brownie doesn't need a cheesecake topper to make it better. And the two together sure as hell don't need some weird sour cream icing on top.

This recipe was not my favorite. The brownie? Blech. Dry. Overcooked. Boring. The cheesecake? Flavorless (I skipped the Espresso and used Bailey's Liquor) and overshadowed by the huge amount of sour cream icing. And for me, the sour cream icing just threw the whole thing off. Mine was goopy and so sour cream-y. Like... almost buttermilk flavored. The flavors and textures just didn't do it for me.

Next time I'm craving cheesecake and brownies... I'll eat a slice of really good cheesecake, like this one... and a really good brownie... like this.

Dorie and I don't seem to have similar palates when it comes to chocolate goods. Her fruit recipes, however? I die for. Like...

Russian Grandmother's Apple Pie Cake
Summer Fruit Galette
French Pear Tart
Fresh Mango Bread
Florida Pie

Sorry... I got off on a little tangent there, didn't I? Oh well. Live and learn. If you like decadence and like to have cheesecake with your brownie, then give this recipe a try. Plenty of people were raving about them over at Tuesdays with Dorie. They just weren't my cup of tea. But, I'm boring. Remember?

Espresso Cheesecake Brownies-- click the title for recipe from Melissa of Life in a Peanut Shell.
by Dorie Greenspan

I found these brownies really easy to make. I did skip the espresso and added an equal amount of baileys to the cheesecake batter, but I couldn't taste it (probably because all I could taste was sour cream from the topping).



* I don't have a drunken amy shenanigans blog. yet.

Rewind TWD: Classic Banana Bundt Cake

Every summer for the past seven years, some friends from college and I have gotten together for a little mini-reunion. Five of those years, we've gathered in the obnoxiously touristy and overcrowded town of Gatlinburg, TN which is nestled in the Smoky Mountains. It's perfect. We rent ourselves a big ass cabin that is usually equipped with a hot tub, a pool table, walls and walls of pine and all the bear-themed accessories that you can handle.

We spend the majority of the weekend catching up, laughing, hiking, drinking, eating, and engaging in some ferociously competitive games such as badminton, beer pong, poker, and there was that one year (that we no longer speak of) where the game of Risk was bought. It's a fun time. It's the one guaranteed time every year that I know I'm going to laugh so hard that I almost pee myself, multiple times throughout the weekend. These guys are an absolute riot.

This year was no different. The first night is always the same. We always go to dinner at a steakhouse (usually Texas Roadhouse or Outback) and then we always go to the grocery store to load up on essentials like... beer (which we always buy too much of) and snacks (which, again, we buy too much of). I decided to act as Betty Homemaker this year, though, and I baked up some goodies to take, so that we'd have homemade snacks. Excellent idea.

I made this bundt cake with the idea that it would be a good thing to nibble on for breakfast (or... while we wait for a certain someone to wake up in time to go out for breakfast). Turns out, it was perfect for that. It was also perfect for nibbling on throughout the day and even as soon as we got home from eating dinner. I couldn't tear myself away from it. Particularly from the bottom of the cake: where the glaze had pooled and left the cake slightly soaked and yet lightly crunchy from the drying of the glaze. Oh. My. God. I'm drooling just thinking about those pieces.

I missed this recipe when it was chosen for Tuesdays with Dorie by Mary, The Food Librarian, but after hearing everyone rave about how delicious it was, I couldn't hold out for very long before I made the cake myself.

If you're looking for a good recipe for a banana snack cake, look no further. This is easy and delicious. Just make sure you've got a crowd to help you with it, otherwise you'll wind up eating the whole damn thing yourself.

Classic Banana Bundt Cake -- Click link for recipe
A recipe by Dorie Greenspan

This cake is easy. Super easy. Like, the only thing to worry about is to make sure you butter the hell out of your bundt pan. Luckily, I did and mine slid right out.

I didn't like the idea of lemon and banana, so I opted out of Dorie's glaze suggestion and just whipped up my own milk glaze: confectioners sugar with enough milk (actually, I used cream!) to make the consistency you want. Delicious.

TWD: Creamiest Lime Cream Meringue Pie

How serendipitous that this recipe chosen for this week's installment of Tuesdays with Dorie is something that I know my best friend, Stephanie would love. Why is that serendipitous? Well, because her birthday was Saturday and while I was making it (on Saturday, even), I couldn't help but be reminded of her and be saddened because I couldn't share it with her on her birthday.

So, here I am a few days later, sharing it with her and the rest of the Internet and telling all y'all... this pie is damn good.

Steph moved to Portland, Oregon a little over a year ago. And while I'm ecstatic for her and her awesome new life out West, it's a hard adjustment to make. Admittedly, neither of us are phone people. We've never really had to be. I mean, we both went to different colleges, but we still came home pretty much the same weekends, etc, so it wasn't really an issue. And after college, if I wanted to talk to her... we would just meet up for dinner or shopping or whatever. But... that's kind of hard to do when we're 1000s of miles apart.

So, basically, I've dropped the ball. I get kind of wrapped up in my own stuff... and I have kind of an unusual routine for someone my age: I go to bed around 9pm and wake up around 5am. I'm not a phone person, so the idea just doesn't pop into my head very often... "oh! I should call so-and-so." And while I think of her everyday, it just doesn't dawn on me to actually pick up the phone and call. And then... after, oh say, 3 months of not calling... when I realize it's been 3 months... then I feel guilty for being such a shitty friend. 3 months! who doesn't call their best friend in 3 months? (This girl, apparently).

I view my life as a work-in-progress and as such, I have this really long self-help to do list for myself that I am constantly working on. Here's a snippet of the list:

32. Say YES to every 2 out of 3 things you're invited to.
33. Be a better friend. Call your friends who live far away, more often.
34. Say NO to 1 out of every 5 tequila shots ordered.
35. Don't engage in flirty texts with douche bag dudes who wronged you in the past.

So, you see... keeping in touch better with friends is something that I know I need to work on and I'm going to make a conscience effort to do so from now. So, all you friends of mine out there... I'm sorry. I know, I suck, but I'm going to get better.

So, Steph, even though I couldn't share this pie with you... it has your name written all over it. You would FREAK over it. It's so creamy and lime-y. It's like a key lime pie, except without the chemically aftertaste that sweetened condensed milk can sometimes leave. I didn't really give it enough time to firm up before I dove into it, but no matter... it was still creamy and silky and tangy. Lime perfection.

Happy Birthday, Steph! I love you and miss you! If I could have wrapped this pie up and shipped it to you, I would have.
Creamiest Lime Cream Meringue Pie (click the title for the recipe)
Chosen by Linda of Tender Crumb

Ok, so of course... I couldn't make this pie directly as written because 1. I dislike calf slobber meringue and 2. I'm a little leery of ginger and didn't want to buy any. I made this pie with a graham cracker crust, although, I think I will try it sometime with a regular crust. My graham cracker crust just never really set up properly. I also added a touch of ground ginger, instead of fresh ginger and I couldn't even notice it in the flavor of the pie (hooray!). The recipe calls for a crapload of butter, but I only added in one stick and didn't even notice the missing calories (though, my love handles thanked me). It's very much like a key lime pie, but, it's a touch silkier, I think. Definitely a keeper and I will definitely make it again... and maybe top it with some fresh whipped cream. Yum.

TWD: Applesauce Spice Bars

Nothing says Fall like apples and cinnamon. Unfortunately, though, it's kind of disheartening to bite into one of these bars and think about football and sweaters and then step outside to the reality of Nashville's hottest month of the year, August, and all you can think about is deodorant and air conditioning.

Don't get me wrong, I love the summer months. I love going out on the lake, wearing cute tank tops and shorts. Who doesn't? But, the Fall? The Fall is WHERE IT IS AT. October is by far the most beautiful month here in Nashville (May is a close second). The leaves are changing, the air is crisp and dry. The sky is the most amazing shade of blue you've ever seen. I get to sleep in a little for my long runs, because it's not a bazillion degrees outside. And then there's football all day on Saturday and Sunday to keep me occupied. Sometimes that means you're camped out on the couch all weekend, sometimes you're camped out on a friend's couch or at the local bar all day watching games, and if you're really lucky... sometimes you're tailgating and then going to the game. It's bliss.

And you know what? These bars would be perfect for that tailgate. Spicy and sweet. They'd be perfect to nibble on while heckling the opposing team's fans who parked their big ass RV in such a way that disrupts your cornhole game.

Let the countdown to fall begin...

Applesauce Spice Bars
recipe by Dorie Greenspan.

Find the recipe at Something Sweet by Karen, our host for this week's Tuesdays with Dorie.

I would definitely double the spice in this recipe, I found them to be too subtle for my taste. Also, make sure you let the cake cool completely before you ice it and also make sure you cook the icing till its caramel-y in thickness. The next time I make the recipe, I'll also double the amount of icing. You can never have too much icing.