old fashioned chocolate cake + lick the bowl good cookbook giveaway

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Calling all cake lovers!  This should include the majority of people, right?  Well, except my brother in law who a little odd when it comes to cake.  Silly, silly Peter. 🙂

Recently I received a copy of the cookbook Lick The Bowl Good, written by Monica Holland, who is also the food blogger behind Lick the Bowl Good.  In her book she created a collection of home-style desserts with a twist.  What does that twist part mean?  Looking through the recipes I see some unique treats I haven’t seen before like blueberry citrus bars, pina colada mini cheesecakes and snickerdoodle cream cheese blondies to name a few.  Of course there are more classic desserts in there as well, like the chocolate cake I’m going to share with all of you today.  Another bonus with this cookbook is that the first few chapters teach you more about how to bake – tools of the trade, ingredients and how to use the book.  Very cool for new bakers!

I actually ended up going with the very first recipe in the book – grandma’s chocolate cake.  It just looked so good!  I’m calling it an old fashioned chocolate cake because that’s what it reminds me of.  Plus if Monica’s grandmother was making it, it sure isn’t a new recipe, so calling it old fashioned works.

Don’t you just want a bite?  The batter comes together quickly, and can even be done holding a toddler.  I have hands on experience with that.  Along with myself, Jacob and my mom tried it and gave their seal of yummy chocolate cake approval.

Grandma’s Chocolate Cake

Recipe from Lick The Bowl Good by Monica Holland, republished with permission

Ingredients

Chocolate cake:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup canola oil (I was out of canola so I used extra virgin olive oil – worked great!)
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 cup hot strong-brewed coffee or hot water
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Chocolate cream cheese frosting:

• 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 tbsp milk
• 4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
• 3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ⅛ tsp salt

Directions

For the cake:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Grease and flour three 8- or 9-inch cake pans (I used a bunt pan here).  Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and salt.  Whisk the dry ingredients together, then add the eggs, oil, and buttermilk and mix until just combined.
4. Carefully add the hot coffee and vanilla and mix.  Batter will be thin.
5. Pour batter evenly into prepared pans.
6. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
7. Cool in pans for 10 minutes, then turn the warm cakes out onto a rack to cool completely.

For the frosting*:

1. In a large bowl, mix the cream cheese and milk together and beat with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy.
2. Gradually blend in sifted powdered sugar until all 4 cups have been incorporated.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
3. Stir in the melted chocolate, then add vanilla and salt.  Continue to beat at medium speed for 2 more minutes until the mixture is light and creamy.

To assemble:

1. Place one cake layer on a serving platter, top with half a cup of frosting, and spread it out to the edges.  Repeat the process for the second later, then top with the remaining cake layer.  Cover the top and the sides with the remaining frosting.
2. Store any leftover cake in the refrigerator, covered.

* I didn’t have all the ingredients on hand so I made a simple mixture of powdered sugar + milk to pour over the cake as a glaze.

Now that you have an awesome old fashioned chocolate cake recipe, why don’t you enter to win your own copy of this cookbook?!  Here’s the what, who, how, why, when and such.

GIVEAWAY

What: Win your own copy of Lick The Bowl Good by Monica Holland

Who: Open to US residents

How: Leave a comment for each entry – the more comments, the more chances to win!

1. Tell me first if you like cake, and what your favorite kind is. [mine is actually angel food cake in case you want to make me one]
2. Like Fit Mama Real Food on facebook
3. Follow Fit Mama Real Food on twitter (@fitmamarealfood) + tweet about this giveaway
4. Follow Fit Mama Real Food on pinterest + pin this post
5. Follow Fit Mama Real Food on instagram

Why: Why not, it’s a pretty awesome dessert cookbook!  Impress your friends and family with a sweet treat, or gift it to someone who loves to bake.

When: Now!  The giveaway is open for one week and closes Friday, Dec 20th.

I hope this post finds you all doing well and looking forward to a nice weekend.  We are definitely excited to have a ‘nobody is sick’ weekend!  Hoping to finish up some Christmas gifts and some projects I’m working on.

We finally got a tree and some decorations up!  It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas….

Happy days!

Heather

*I received a free copy of the cookbook to review from the publisher.  All opinions are my own.

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