Author: admin

 

“Eating great food – no matter how simple or elaborate – should be one of life’s greatest pleasures, not an endless guilt trip.” – Author unknown

This one of our favorite quotes and motto for healthy eating.

With Valentine’s Day this week, we thought we would share with you one of our favorite chocolate indulgences that won’t take you on an endless guilt trip. The Yummy Chocolate Cake with Decadent Chocolate Ganache is quick and easy to prepare. And topped with fresh raspberries or Sue’s Easy Raspberry Jam and real whipped cream makes for a perfect Valentine’s presentation.

Enjoy!

 

Yummy Chocolate Cake

• 2 Cups soft white wheat flour (or whole wheat pastry flour)
• 2/3 Cup Cocoa
• 1 ¼ tsp. Baking soda
• ¼ tsp. Baking powder
• 1 2/3 Honey Granules
• 4 eggs
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 tsp. chocolate extract
• 1 Cup Mayonnaise (Healthy kind without added sugar and chemicals)
• 1 1/3 Cups water

Spray 2-9 inch layer cake pans or a 13×9 pan and preheat oven to 350°. Mix first 4 dry ingredients and set aside.

In large bowl, with mixer at high speed, beat next 4 ingredients for 3 minutes, or until light and fluffy. At low speed, beat in mayonnaise.

Add flour mixture in three additions, alternately with water, beginning
and ending with flour. Pour into pans. Bake in 350° oven 25-30 minutes, or until cake tester comes out clean.

For layer cake, cool in pans 10 minutes, and remove layers to cool on racks. Frost after cool.

For 13 x 9 inch pan, you may choose to frost in pan. Let cool. Pour prepared ganache evenly over top of cake. Let cool completely until ganache has firmed up slightly. May even chill for easy slicing.

 

Chocolate Ganache

• 8 oz. semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 Tbsp. unsalted butter, room temperature

Place chocolate in medium, heatproof bowl. Place cream in a small saucepan over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Pour over chocolate and let stand until chocolate has softened, about 5 minutes.

Add butter and stir until smooth. Let cool slightly before using.

To make Layered Chocolate Cake Dessert

– Chill several hours, then whip.
– Fill disposable bag or frosting piping bag and pipe between layers
– Layer sliced strawberries between cake, top with whipped cream

 

Easy Raspberry Jam

Using Pomona’s Universal Pectin allows you to use as much, or as little, sweetener as you want in your homemade jams and jellies since the gelling process does not depend on the sugar content but on the pectin itself. You can decide the type of sweetener as well, rather it be honey, honey granules, or 100% fruit juice, making your jams and jellies much healthier alternatives.

• 4 cups mashed fruit
• 1-2 Tablespoons lemon juice
• ¾ c – 2 cups honey granules
• 2 teaspoons calcium water
• 2 teaspoons pectin

Prepare fruit. Measure fruit into a pot. Add the lemon juice and calcium water. Stir well.

In separate bowl, combine honey granules and pectin.

Bring fruit mixture to a full boil.  Add pectin/sugar mixture. Stir vigorously for 1-2 minutes to dissolve pectin and honey granules, while mixture returns to a full boil. Remove from heat.

Jar and can as desired. Or pour into a qt jar and let cool. Once cooled, refrigerate.