March 19, 2007
Strawberries with Yogurt and Brown Sugar
Our dear friend Diana came up with a marvelous dessert this evening: strawberries dipped in plain sheep's milk yogurt. For a little added sweetness, dunk in brown sugar after the yogurt. Mmmm.
(The sheep's milk yogurt Old Chatham Sheephearding Company sheep's milk yogurt. Available at Whole Foods and health food stores. Highly recommended.)
Posted by spaceling at 10:48 PM
December 01, 2006
Emergency Backup Cake
The original name of this recipe as I found it was Amazon Cake. Similar recipes often go by the name "Wacky Cake". Mr. Spaceling thinks it ought to go by the name "Easy, Tasty Cake", but I find that insufficiently evocative. I prefer to think of this as the Emergency Backup Cake. Why? Two reasons:
- It can be made entirely from ingredients that I usually have on hand in the pantry.
- It's really quick and easy - there is no need to get out the electric mixer, or melt chocolate in a double boiler, or whip anything to soft peaks. If you've got two bowls, a spoon, and a cake pan, you're in business.
My sole original contribution to this recipe was to add a bit of cinnamon to the batter, and to top it with a mixture of confectioner's sugar, cocoa powder, and cinnamon. Having had this cake both with and without the cinnamon, I actually think the cinnamon makes it taste more chocolatey in a strange way.
The Ingredients
For the cake:- 1.5 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (I used Hershey's natural cocoa. In theory, the cocoa used in this recipe not be Dutch-processed, so that it will be acidic and react with the baking soda. I notice that Debbie over at Words to Eat By seems to have used a mix of Dutch process and regular cocoa without harm to the recipe. I suspect the vinegar provides all the acid needed.)
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 5 Tbsp. canola oil
- 1.5 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 Tbsp. cider vinegar
- 1 cup cold water
- ~1 tsp. confectioners' sugar
- ~1/2 tsp. cocoa powder
- ~1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
The Steps
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Oil a 9 inch cake pan. (I spray mine with Pam.)
- In a small bowl, stir together the dry ingredients.
- In a larger bowl, stir together the wet ingredients.
- Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until thoroughly combined, and pour into the cake pan.
- Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the top springs back when pressed. (The last time I made this cake, I think I took it out a little too soon, and it sank in the middle. The cake tasted fine anyway.)
- When the cake is cool, turn it out onto a plate. Stir together the confectioners' sugar, cocoa, and cinnamon for the topping, and use a small sieve to sprinkle it evenly over the top of the cake.