Christmas Celebration

This year I had the pleasure of heading up to my aunt and uncle's house in Sonoma for Christmas. It rained for most of our visit which actually made be feel cozy rather than dreary. Their whole house was decorated with beautiful Christmas decorations and two 11 foot Christmas trees driven all the way up from San Francisco by my aunt and uncle. Yes, thats right. They strapped not one, but two 11 foot Christmas trees to their car and drove them all the way up. 

I had lots of fun sleeping out in the guest house with my two cousins, Erin and Lindsay.

Lots of baking took place to make all 13 varieties of Christmas cookies. Yep, 13. Luckily, this year we were able to split it up between family members.

Here is my Grandpa and I making spritz cookies.

We went to a lovely Christmas Eve church service at the quaint, charming, and tiny Kenwood Community Church.

Upon returning, we ate a Christmas Eve dinner of salad, Swedish Meatballs and mashed potatoes.

Then we continued our tradition of opening gifts of pajamas from my grandma. After each of us opened our pajamas, we put them on and of course, my mother proceeded to take pictures. (Unfortunatley, I have been forbidden to post pictures of me, my mother, my aunt, my cousins, and my grandma in matching cheetah print pajamas.)

I had a great time up with all my family and had so much fun seeing them again all in one place. I look forward to meeting up with them again soon.

Happy Holidays!!

XO, Hannah

Mexican Chocolate Cake

December 15th was my Dad's birthday and of course I, the baker of the family, was put on cake duty. One of my dad's pet peeves is cake that is fluffy and dry rather than dense and moist. Racking my brain for the densest, richest, and most moist cake I could think of, I remember the recipe I had for Mexican chocolate cake.

Instead of just regular baking chocolate, this cake uses Mexican chocolate, which suggests a hint of cinnamon. 

Being me, I had to add something to make it look pretty. I came up with almonds because I could make a quick and easy pattern that still looks beautiful. The cake itself contains almonds, so it worked well. 

This cake was a hit with my family and I would certainly make it again.

Recipe from the Border Cookbook by Cheryl Alters Jamison and Bill Jamison

Cake:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted

1 3/4 cups sugar

1 heaping teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon butter

2/3 cup water

6 ounces Mexican chocolate, such as Ibarra or Mayordomo

1 tablespoon cocoa

2 eggs, beaten lightly

3/4 cup buttermilk

2 teaspoons vanilla

1/2 cup fine-ground toasted almonds

Icing:

6 tablespoons butter

3 ounces Mexican chocolate

1 tablespoon cocoa

2 - 3 tablespoons half-and-half

2 cups powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 8-inch round cake pans.

Sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a bowl and reserve.

Melt together the butter, water, chocolate, and cocoa in a heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring well. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes and remove from the heat. Stir the sifted dry ingredients into the chocolate mixture. In a bowl, combine the eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla and mix well with the chocolate mixture. Stir in the almonds.

Spoon the cake batter into the prepared pans and bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Allow the layers to stand in their pans for about 5 minutes. Run a knife around their edges, invert them onto cake racks, and remove the pans. Let them cool.

While the layers cool, prepare the icing. Melt the butter together with the chocolate and cocoa in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons of the half-and-half and heat thorough. Mix in the remaining ingredients and blend well. Stir in the remaining half-and-half if needed for easy spreading consistency.

To assemble the cake, place one layer on a decorative serving plate. Ice the top and sides of the cake layer. Repeat with the remaining layer and frosting.

Chocolate Almond Candies

I am inspired.

Last night I watched a movie called Chocolat about a quirky woman and her daughter who move into a tranquil town in the French countryside and open a Chocolate Shop. The town is very religious and it is the height of Lent, when no one is supposed to eat sweets. By the end of the movie, the woman and her daughter teach the uptight people to enjoy life's sweetness.

I woke up this morning and wanted to make chocolates. I guess the movie just put me into the chocolate mood.

These are chocolate almond candies. At first, I didn't know what kind to make. But after some rummaging through my freezer, I found a roll of almond paste. For those who don't know, almond paste is a thick paste made from almonds and tastes similar to marzipan.

These chocolates are made from a ball of almond paste covered in semi-sweet chocolate and rolled in almonds.

First, I melted some semi-sweet chocolate chips on a double boiler.

                             Then rolled balls of almond paste in the chocolate to coat them.

                                             And rolled the balls in crushed up almonds.

                                 

I don't really have a recipe to give you, I just estimated amounts. These chocolates are so easy to make. I made about ten in probably about 25 minutes.

Try variations of these too. Fill with peanut butter and coat in peanuts for a homemade peanut butter cup. Put a strawberry on the inside and drizzle with white chocolate. The possibilities are endless.

Easy and fun, you can adapt these chocolates to any occasion or just eat as a dessert. Or a snack. How about for breakfast?

Chocolate Pecan Pie

Rich, gooey, and decadent, this twist on a Thanksgiving classic was definitely a hit with my family.

I was a bit nervous before making this recipe because to be completely honest, I have never made a pie by myself before. I know, I know. It's pathetic. Here I am with my mostly baking blog and yet, I have never made a pie.

Despite my concerns, this pie was a real hit with my family. Everyone in the room told me it was delicious and I had to give out a few links for the recipe.

For me, presentation is one of my top priorities in baking. I mean, if it doesn't look delicious, no one will ever believe that it is!

I topped this pie with a dollop of whipped cream (homemade, never store bought!), some chopped pecans, and chocolate curls.

This is the best pecan pie I have ever eaten, and the chocolate puts it over the top! Between the rich chocolate, gooey filling, and crunchy pecans, you can't go wrong!

Another great part about making this pie was that I made it with my two twin cousins, Emma and Bella.
We had a great time making this pie together and even more fun receiving compliments.

Makes 10 servings.

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

1 refrigerated pie crust (from 15-ounce package)
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
3 tablespoons milk
4 eggs
3 tablespoons butter, melted
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup dark corn syrup
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups pecan halves

1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Line 9-inch deep dish pie plate with pie crust. Bake 7 minutes. Remove crust from oven. Reduce oven temperature to 325°F.

2. Meanwhile, microwave chocolate chips and milk in medium microwavable bowl on HIGH 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. Stir until smooth. Pour chocolate evenly over crust.

3. Beat eggs in large bowl. Add remaining ingredients; mix well. Slowly pour mixture over chocolate layer. Place ring of foil around edges of crust to prevent over-browning. 

4. Bake 55 to 60 minutes or until filling is puffed and center is still soft enough to move when shaken gently. Cool on completely wire rack.

Welcome!

Welcome to La Vida Dolcé, or The Sweet Life! Here is where is will share all of my life's pleasures, adventures, and anything else that is note-worthy. In a few weeks I should have this blog really up and going. I hope to provide posts that are enjoyable and fun to read. So here I am, posting about everything and anything because life is sweet!!!