Rich Dark Chocolate Spoon Cake
Have you ever heard of such a thing? Spoon cakes are rich & soft, never dense or gummy. They have a texture of a deliciously moist cake and truly fudge like brownie, all in one. They yield a crisp and chewy edged crust and a center almost bordering like a lava cake. No eggs in this cake! When I was researching spoon cakes, very popular in the south I might add, I was so surprised to find that they didn’t need any eggs! Seems almost too good to be true, an egg acts as a leaven-er and binder and gives a lightness to most baked goods that can barely be replicated!
Well hold on to your hats because this warm cake strait from the oven with a spoon of ice cold fresh whipped cream or melty vanilla ice cream may just be your new go too favorite. Valentines day is always special, you don’t need to spend a lot of money or make reservations at the hottest spot in town. You only need to Love and make something a little extra special. These days, with a sweet baby with some extra special needs and a rowdy adorable 6 year old Mike and I don’t get to go on dates like we used too. Milo will be ready for a sitter sometime in the future but for now we make it work at home. Sometimes that looks like putting the kiddos to bed and stealing a little time to watch our favorite shows or going for a walk as a family while Noah rides his bike ahead of us so we can talk about us and life and our dreams. I love this life, I don’t need any fancy restaurant and this Valentines day you will find me plastering construction paper hearts to my front windows ( my kids still think art projects with mom are cool) and frying up a rib eye in butter and thyme. I’ll be snuggling with my family on the couch. I’ve been given 3 Valentines and one happens to be my very best friend. I know it sounds silly but I’d take spoon cake and sweat pants with Mike over anything else these days. snuggle up with your family this February and enjoy them. We only get one go around. My favorite grocery store happens to be the Issaquah Fred Meyer. I picked up everything you see to make this beauty. Simple Truth butter, sugar, vanilla and whipping cream! This post is sponsored by Fred Meyer Stores.
Dark Chocolate Spoon Cake with Soft Whipped Cream and Fresh Raspberry Syrup
1 cup flour
¼ cup cocoa powder
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp instant espresso powder (optional)
¾ cup sugar
½ tsp kosher salt
½ cup melted dark chocolate (chocolate chips work great)
1 cup whole milk
½ cup heavy cream
½ cup melted butter
1 tsp vanilla ext.
1 pint of fresh raspberries – for garnish
Soft Whipped Cream
2 cups heavy cream
Pinch of salt
¼ cup sugar
Fresh Raspberry Syrup
1 pint fresh raspberries
¼ cup sugar
¼ cup water
Pre Heat oven to 350. Liberally butter an 8 or 9 inch glass baking dish. Whisk together the dry ingredients and make a well in the center of the bowl. Add the wet ingredients to the well and whisk until it’s just combined. Pour the batter into your buttered baking dish and bake for 25-30 minutes. The center of the cake will still have a good wobble when it’s finished baking. Allow to cool for 10 minutes and top with soft whipped cream and fresh raspberries and raspberry syrup. To make the cream, simply whip with a hand or stand mixer until soft peaks form, about 2-3 minutes. To make the syrup, bring the berries, sugar and water to a simmer for 5 minutes. Crush the berries with a fork as they cook. Press the fruit and juices through a fine mesh strainer. Allow the syrup to cool and discard the seeds and pulp. Spoon syrup and cream over the cake.
