I have no aversion to semi-homemade meals (minus Sandra Lee's "tablescapes" - seriously?!), however if I'm going to use a box mix, frozen something, etc. I like to add something special to the plate.
Recently I was making a Chocolate Angel Food Cake and while I love chocolate angel food cupcakes from scratch, I just didn't feel like separating a dozen eggs. I looked in to doctoring up boxed cake mixes and found that you can easily add in cocoa powder to a boxed angel food cake mix and bake as directed. Score!! At the end of the day - I may have enjoyed this recipe more than the one from scratch.
That being said, as I mentioned above, I like to add a little something special. I was not able to attend the party at which the cake was served (thankfully a slice of cake was saved for me), so I wanted something simple and easily transportable to add that special touch. While the cake was baking I happened to be looking through The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz and I saw this recipe for a super simple chocolate sauce that I thought would go really well with this cake. Not only was it fantastic with the cake, it was just as delicious with ice cream (a given as it was found in an ICE CREAM recipe book). This was so easy - I don't think I'll ever buy packaged chocolate sauce again! I will admit though that I made a pretty hefty adaptation though - the original recipe doesn't call for sugar, but I felt like it needed some sweetness for my purposes.
"Lean" Chocolate Sauce
Ingredients:
2 cups water
1 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1 cup light corn syrup
4 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped (I used semisweet)
1/3 cup sugar
Directions:
Whisk the water, cocoa powder, corn syrup and sugar together in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to very low and simmer 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from the heat and add in the chocolate pieces, stirring until melted and smooth. Serve warm.
Tip: This sauce can be stored in the fridge for up to 2-weeks. Rewarm it gently in a microwave or by stirring in a saucepan over very low heat.
Semi-Homemade Chocolate Angel Food Cake
Ingredients:
1 box Angel Food Cake Mix
1/2 cup cocoa powder
Directions:
Combine cake mix and cocoa powder in a mixing bowl. Prepare and bake as directed on cake mix packaging. Garnish as desired.
Sources:
Sauce: adapted from The Perfect Scoop, David Lebovitz
Cake: Nestle Toll House
Recently I was making a Chocolate Angel Food Cake and while I love chocolate angel food cupcakes from scratch, I just didn't feel like separating a dozen eggs. I looked in to doctoring up boxed cake mixes and found that you can easily add in cocoa powder to a boxed angel food cake mix and bake as directed. Score!! At the end of the day - I may have enjoyed this recipe more than the one from scratch.
That being said, as I mentioned above, I like to add a little something special. I was not able to attend the party at which the cake was served (thankfully a slice of cake was saved for me), so I wanted something simple and easily transportable to add that special touch. While the cake was baking I happened to be looking through The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz and I saw this recipe for a super simple chocolate sauce that I thought would go really well with this cake. Not only was it fantastic with the cake, it was just as delicious with ice cream (a given as it was found in an ICE CREAM recipe book). This was so easy - I don't think I'll ever buy packaged chocolate sauce again! I will admit though that I made a pretty hefty adaptation though - the original recipe doesn't call for sugar, but I felt like it needed some sweetness for my purposes.
"Lean" Chocolate Sauce
Ingredients:
2 cups water
1 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1 cup light corn syrup
4 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped (I used semisweet)
1/3 cup sugar
Directions:
Whisk the water, cocoa powder, corn syrup and sugar together in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to very low and simmer 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from the heat and add in the chocolate pieces, stirring until melted and smooth. Serve warm.
Tip: This sauce can be stored in the fridge for up to 2-weeks. Rewarm it gently in a microwave or by stirring in a saucepan over very low heat.
Semi-Homemade Chocolate Angel Food Cake
Ingredients:
1 box Angel Food Cake Mix
1/2 cup cocoa powder
Directions:
Combine cake mix and cocoa powder in a mixing bowl. Prepare and bake as directed on cake mix packaging. Garnish as desired.
Sources:
Sauce: adapted from The Perfect Scoop, David Lebovitz
Cake: Nestle Toll House
Love this philosophy. I'm the same way...if I'm using a mix of some sort, you'd better bet I'm doctoring it up somehow to make it special!
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