Mexican Chocolate Streusel Cake

Mexican Choc cake, originally uploaded by Kim De.

Reaching a couple of weeks back I found this cake that hadn't been blogged yet. We definitely don't want to forget about it!

Mexican Chocolate Streusel Cake is a recipe from Rick Bayless at Fronterakitchens.com. Before you think "how different could another chocolate cake be", let me stop you. This cake calls for Mexican chocolate. It is bittersweet, contains cinnamon and a bit of granular sugar. The cinnamon complements the flavor and makes it sing. Suddenly you have a cake rich in flavor that wont break the calorie bank.

Because it is made with cream cheese it stays moist and feels rich on the tongue, making is easier to have a small piece. In my mind, it becomes the perfect vehicle for a touch of strawberry ice cream, after heating the slice, of course!

Mexican Chocolate Streusel Cake (From Rick Bayless)

For the streusel topping:
1 18- or 19-ounce package Mexican chocolate, roughly chopped
1 large egg yolk
Salt
3 1/2 ounces (7 tablespoons) butter, at room temperature
1 cup (4 1/2 ounces) all-purpose flour

For the cake:
1 3/4 cups (8 ounces) all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
8 ounces (1 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup granulated sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature
Powdered sugar, for dusting the finished cake

The streusel topping. In a food processor, pulse half of the Mexican chocolate until it is the consistency of coarse crumbs. Remove and set aside for the batter. To the processor, add the second half of the chocolate and process it to the consistency of coarse crumbs. Mix the egg yolk and 1/2 teaspoon salt (if using salted butter, omit the salt) in a small bowl to dissolve the salt. Add to the processor along with the 3 1/2 ounces butter, and the 1cup flour. Pulse the machine just until everything is thoroughly combined—it should look crumbly, not having been processed to a paste.

The cake. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 13 x 9-inch baking pan. Sift together the 1 3/4 cups flour and baking powder. In the bowl of an electric mixer on medium speed, combine the cream cheese, the 8 ounces butter and the sugar. Beat until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. One at a time, add the eggs, beating until one is thoroughly incorporated before adding the next. Add the sifted flour mixture, scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat for 1 minute, just until the flour is incorporated. Lastly, use a large spoon to stir the reserved chopped chocolate into the batter.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth. Crumble the streusel topping evenly over the batter, making sure there are no large lumps—lumps may sink during baking.

Bake in the center of the oven until springy (the edges will have just begun to pull away from the sides of the pan) and a toothpick inserted at the center comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes.

Cool on a wire rack (in my opinion, this cake tastes best when still slightly warm), cut into squares and serve dusted with powdered sugar. Vanilla, caramel or cinnamon-scented ice cream sure goes well with a bite of this pastel

Pre-Valentine's Tapas Night

valentine's tapas, originally uploaded by Kim De.

Friday night we did dinner at home. It was decided in advance that a quiet evening with music and tasty snacks was in order, so enter tapas.

The evening started with Spanish olives and gazpacho, with glasses of Rioja to wash it down. This part was prepped before Bo arrived home and it gave us a chance to sit and talk and listen to some Flamenco music.

When our stomachs felt satisfied, we headed to the kitchen for the teamwork part of the evening. While Bo steamed the Spicy Mussels with White Wine, I made the Calamares A La Plancha and the Ajillo Mushrooms (blogged about here).

Bo thought it important to have a shot of me cooking

This part of the evening was fun, as we don't cook together very often. As you can see from the title picture, it all came to the table with crusty bread for sopping up the mushroom and mussel juices, and of course more of that fantastic Rioja.

Our evening ended with Chocolate-Almond Torte, which I hinted about in this post. As with the rest of the dishes here, more will be said on this recipe later. I can tell you this: Save your calories. It is worth it!

Hope everyone had a great Valentine's Weekend!

Preparing for the upcoming week

Italian soup, originally uploaded by Kim De.

Bo likes to take salad for lunch in the warm months. However when the weather begins to turn, I am in the mood to make soups, and I seek out those hearty enough for his midday meal.

This season I began with a variation of Pasta e Ceci by Giada DeLaurentiis in her book Everyday Pasta.

This soup came together very quickly. My changes included adding a few more veggies, and taking out the pasta. I did this for one simple reason: I love to eat crusty bread alongside soup, so taking the pasta out keeps my waistline happy. It is full of flavor and after a tiny taste, we both agree it is a winner. I will be anxious to try it for tomorrow's lunch, as soup always tastes better the next day!

Next is a perennial favorite of mine – Cinnamon Apple Cake from Cooking Light. It first appeared in the magazine in January 2000. I made it that year, and have made it every September since. I have tried other recipes. But I continue to come back to this one due to the moistness coupled with the balance of sweet and tart. It is one of my favorite cakes and I anxious await its arrival each fall.


Pasta e Ceci (adapted from Pasta Everyday)

1 T olive oil
1 T unsalted butter
1 c chopped onion
3 oz prosciutti
2 garlic cloves, chopped
½ red bell pepper, chopped
2 t dried thyme
2 t dried rosemary
1 bay leaf
6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 (14.5 oz) cans navy beans, drained and rinsed
2 (14.5 oz) cans diced fire-roasted tomatoes with juice
½ bag frozen chopped spinach
½ t black pepper
Fresh grated parmesan cheese for garnish

Heat the olive oil and butter in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion through bell pepper and sauté until the onion is tender, about 3 minutes. Add the herbs and the rest of the ingredients through the black pepper. Cover and bring to a boil then decrease the heat to simmer for about 10 minutes.

Transfer about 1 cup of the soup to the blender, being careful not to include the bay leaf. Blend until smooth then add back to the soup pot. Bring back to a simmer and cook for 8 more minutes.

Serve with fresh grated parmesan cheese.



Cinnamon-Apple Cake (Adapted from Cooking Light)

1 3/4 cups sugar, divided
3/4 cup (6 ounces) block-style reduced fat cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 cups chopped peeled Rome apple (about 2 large)
Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350°.
Beat 1 1/2 cups sugar, cream cheese, butter, and vanilla at medium speed of a mixer until well-blended (about 4 minutes). Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition; set aside.

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add flour mixture to creamed mixture, and beat at low speed until blended.

Combine 1/4 cup sugar and cinnamon. Combine 2 tablespoons of the cinnamon mixture and apple in a bowl; stir apple mixture into batter. Pour batter into a 9-inch springform pan coated with cooking spray, and sprinkle with remaining cinnamon mixture.

Bake at 350° for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until cake pulls away from the sides of pan. Cool cake completely on a wire rack, and cut using a serrated knife.