Mexican Chocolate Cake....not your grandma's chocolate cake.

This ain't no ordinary chocolate birthday cake. This cake got pizazz.

It's a Mexican Chocolate Cake!

Huh?

Yeah, that's what I thought too.

Mexican Chocolate Cake has a bite to it either from peppers or cinnamon. I opted to go the cinnamon route and boy am I glad I did. 

This cake was to die for. So many people said this is the best chocolate cake they have had. It is super moist and SO flavorful. I also turned this into cake pops for a 1st birthday party (post coming) and they went fuh-fuh-fast! 

Ya wanna know the BEST part?!

It takes less than 5 minutes to get in the oven.

I'm not lying! Just look at the directions!

Mexican Chocolate Cake

Yields: 13" x 9" cake or A LOT of cake pops!

Ingredients:

Cake:
4 oz unsweetened chocolate 
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter 
1 cup hot water 
2 cups all-purpose flour 
2 cups sugar 
1 tsp. cinnamon (* The Twist*)
Pinch of salt 
1/3 cup buttermilk 
1 tsp. baking soda 
2 eggs, beaten 
1 tsp. vanilla 

Ganache:
2 oz unsweetened chocolate 
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter 
8 Tbsp. milk or cream
4 cups (~1 lb) powdered sugar 
1/4 tsp. cinnamon 
2 tsp. vanilla

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large saucepan, melt 4 oz chocolate and stick of butter in the hot water and bring to a boil. Meanwhile, mix together flour, sugar, cinnamon and salt in a bowl. Remove from heat and add the flour mixture. Mix well with a wire whisk. It will be really thick at this point. Stir in buttermilk, baking soda, eggs and vanilla until smooth. Pour into 13x9" pan or any size pan (I used baby 4" pans here) and bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes, until the top springs back when touched with a fingertip or it passes the toothpick test. 

While the cake is baking, make the frosting. In a heavy saucepan, melt 2 oz chocolate and 1/4 cup butter together. Add powdered sugar, milk, 1/4 tsp. cinnamon, and 2 tsp. vanilla and beat well. You may need to add more milk or powdered sugar to reach the desired consistency. You can either pour it or spread it. The frosting should be pourable at this point. If it is too thin for spreading, you can firm it up slightly in the fridge.

When the cake comes out of the oven, let cool for 15 minutes, tort, layer and then pour the frosting over the top. Spread if desired. Hurry and cut yourself a piece before it all gets eaten.... or you can wait for the birthday person....I guess. let the cake chill in the fridge if not eating immediately. This will help solidify the frosting onto the cake and make it easier for transport.

Blue and Pink Swirl Cake Pops

My Blue and Pink Swirl Cake Pops have been featured on another blog, KC Bakes.

Click here to go to this post.

Thanks KC Bakes!
Go and check out her awesome blog HERE.
 She has lots of great ideas on parties, life, desserts and more!

My Precious Peach

So, I told you I was going to try a modified version of Peach Pleasure and tonight I did just that.

It was SUPER Great!

Sorry the picture isn't that great though...it's a smoothie.

I call it My Precious Peach.

My Precious Peach

12 ounces Jumex Peach Nectar

1 1/2 cups Frozen Peaches

1/2 cup Frozen Strawberries

1 small scoop Orange Sherbet

Combine my precious and blend.

We wants it. We needs it. Must have the precious.

You better keep a close eye on this dessert!

Sneaky little hobbitses.

Strawberry Smoothie

I really like this one. It's strawberrily tasty. It has a tang from the yogurt.

I modified the original Strawberries Wild by Jamba Juice to get this one. {I took out the banana...you probably guessed that)

Strawberry Smoothie

3/4 cup Apple Juice

3/4 cup Jumex Strawberry Nectar

1.5 cup frozen strawberries

2 small scoops Greek Gods Honey Vanilla Yogurt

1 cup ice

Blend, Share, Enjoy.

Peach Pleasure by Jamba Juice

Today, I made Jamba Juice's Peach Pleasure for a snack.

It was tasty but I think it can be improved upon (for my tastes).

I love a true peach flavor and this had other flavors going on, especially banana.

Peach Pleasure

12 ounces Kern's Peach Nectar

1 cup Frozen Peaches

1/2 ripe Banana

2 scoops Orange Sherbet

1 cup Ice

Combine in a blender and blend.

I will post my revised recipe when I make it. Mmmmm....

This makes enough for at least 2 people so grab some friends, share and enjoy.

Banana Berry Smoothie

Here's another smoothie recipe.

Jamba Juice's Banana Berry Smoothie

It was a very tasty berry smoothie! My personal favorite are the more tropical flavors but I will definitely make this one again and enjoy every bit of it!

Banana Berry Smoothie

1/2 cup apple juice

3/4 cup strawberry nectar (I used Jumex brand sold in cans in the juice aisle)

1 cup frozen blueberries

1 banana

1 scoop of raspberry sherbet

1 scoop fat-free vanilla yogurt (I used Greek Gods Vanilla Honey *best brand*)

1 cup of ice

Blend all ingredients in blender until smooth. Share and Enjoy.

This makes 24 ounces. It is not a super thick consistency. Perfect for drinking through a straw.

In case you are wondering, it does not taste overwhelmingly like banana even though banana is in the name. I always worry about that because I like other flavors a little bit better and banana seems to overwhelm other flavors easily. This is a wonderful balance. :) If you do love banana then you can make it more banana-y by adding another half or whole banana!

Ever wonder what to do with that 1/2 cup of smoothie that no one can fit into their stomachs?

I hate to waste anything (yes, we have a compost pile....) so I figured I could have the rest of the smoothie later if I could just save it in the freezer somehow. So this is what I do!

My leftover smoothie makes about 3 popsicles each time!

 These Popsicle Trays were only $6 on amazon. Deal. Definitely worth a tasty treat to enjoy later to decrease wastage and increase healthy sweet tooth satisfaction.

They are a perfect size too, only about 3 inches. Mmm.....
save money by not wasting AND making your own popsicles!

Caribbean Passion Smoothie {Thick Yummy Smoothie}

Ben (the hubster) has been wanting smoothies lately so we will be experimenting with new recipes.

This first recipe I am going to share with you was not actually an experiment. I have made it before and it is delicious. It is the recipe from Jamba Juice (or totally close enough) for Caribbean Passion.
This one is just a dang tasty thick smoothie that anyone would love. I mean, just look at those ingredients! Mmmmm......

Caribbean Passion Smoothie

1-1.5 cup Passion Mango Juice (comes in frozen concentrate)

1 cup frozen strawberries

1/2 cup frozen peaches

1/2 cup orange sherbet

1/2 cup ice

Throw it all in an awesome blender like a Vitamix  and enjoy. Depending on how generous your "cup" of strawberries is, you may need to add a little more juice.
This makes about 4 cups (32 oz).

Super tasty. Super easy.

It is really quite pretty too! It would be really cute served in a fancy stemmed glass with an orange slice or strawberry on the edge.

Consider me your taste tester officionado for delicious smoothies..... I love them.
Sorry, I don't have a pretty picture for it. I drank it too fast....
{Ben said he just wanted a taste. I knew better so I poured him just a cup and he ended up drinking the whole thing of course.}