Friday, May 29, 2020

Our Favorite Chocolate Cakes


Love Chocolate? Check out some of our favorite chocolate cakes!

I'll start with a really simple no-bake recipe that comes together quickly and is the perfect cake for entertaining - No-Bake Nutella Cheesecake. Picture this - an crunchy Oreo base, a silky, creamy Nutella center, a rich ganache topping and just because we have to go over the top, crumbled Ferrero Rocher hazelnut candies on top. 

Find the recipe for this No-Bake Nutella Cheesecake here





This next cake is a yellow bundt cake with creamy chocolate swirled it. It's so pretty when you slice into it. And while its not completely chocolate, that layer of chocolate definitely satisfies any chocolate craving. The recipe for the Philly Fluff Cake is simple enough for the most inexperience baker (fact - this Philly Fluff Cake was the first cake I ever baked from scratch!). Click here for the recipe. 
This next cake is ALL chocolate and mmm, so sweet and delicious! It's another easy bundt cake with a beautiful chocolate glaze. This is the cake that I request when my husband feels like baking something! Get the recipe for this Chocolate Sour Cream Bundt Cake here.
 
And finally, I've saved the absolute best for last. This cake is so impressive, it's almost too pretty to eat. This cake is a chocolate lover's dream - a rich, double-layer chocolate cake with a creamy whipped ganache and a chocolate glaze. The cake is topped with hazelnuts that have been toasted, candied, coated in tempered chocolate and then rolled in Dutch process cocoa powder. But why stop there? There are also fancy chocolate swirls on top! 
This cake takes some time to make, but it's SO worth it. Click here for the recipe for this Chocolate Hazelnut Cake with Chocolate Covered Praline Hazelnuts. 


We hope you enjoyed this round-up of our favorite chocolate cakes. Please let us know if you make any of them! Enjoy!

Monday, May 18, 2020

Easy Homemade Wonton Soup

No need for takeout - make this incredibly easy wonton soup at home.


Just a few ingredients are needed for this rich and flavorful broth. The wontons also only have a few ingredients, and once you get the hang of wrapping them, you will put this together in no time.





One quick tip - make a big pot of broth and then only drop in the wontons you plan on eating that night and freeze the rest. The next day you can pull out your pot of broth, heat it up and drop the frozen wontons in. This worked much better for us than cooking all the wontons at once as they would be soggy the next day.

Enjoy!




Easy Wonton Soup
Adapted from: Spend With Pennies

The Broth 

Broth Ingredients
  • 3 32 oz cartons chicken broth (not low sodium)
  • 1 bunch green onions, chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, peeled
  • 4 slices of fresh ginger
  • 3 Tbsb low sodium soy sauce
Broth Directions
  • Add all broth ingredients to a large pot and bring to a boil.
  • Reduce to a simmer for one hour.
  • Once ready to cook your wontons, remove the garlic and ginger and increase to a steady simmer. 
  • Drop wontons in and let cook about 6 minutes. Serve immediately. 

The Wontons

Wonton Ingredients
Note: I made 50 wontons with these ingredients. The broth will be able to cook 30 total; the rest of the wontons can be frozen for future use. 

  • 1 package wonton wrappers (50)
  • 1 lb ground pork
  • 1 bunch green onions, finely chopped
  • 2 tsp freshly grated ginger
  • 3 Tbsp soy sauce
  • 2 tsp sesame oil
  • 3 tsp cornstarch 
  • Other things needed: water, flour (about 2 Tbsp), parchment paper
Wonton Directions
  • Mix the pork, green onions, ginger, soy sauce, sesame oil and cornstarch in a large bowl until combined. 
  • Prep your area - put a small bowl of water and a small plate of flour near your wrapping station. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place a clean cutting board or other flat surface in front of you.
  • There are several ways to wrap wontons and they all work! I used this process, but you could take a look at some videos online before choosing how to wrap yours: Place a wonton wrapper on the cutting board. Spoon 1 tsp of the filling onto the center of the wrapper. Wet the edges with water, and then fold the wonton wrapper in half to form a triangle, pressing the edges together tightly. Wet the 2 pointed ends and pull them together, pinching tightly. Dip the bottom in flour and place on your parchment paper lined baking sheet. 
  • Continue until you have wrapped all of your wontons. 
  • At this point, either place them in the freezer and once frozen place in freezer baggies, or drop into the broth to cook. Or do like I did - cook half and freeze half!