This will be my first cooking column. Davina Weinhold wrote the Through My Kitchen Window column for Tri County Record of Berks-Mont Newspapers for the past five years and has passed the column to me. Thank you, Davina, for your vote of confidence. You have left some big shoes for me to fill, so knowing that I cannot possibly replicate what Davina has been doing, I will simply be myself and share with you my adventures, and misadventures, in the kitchen.
I must confess that the kitchen has historically been a scary place for me. From burning food to the pot to baking rock-hard cookies, I lacked any confidence when it came to cooking and for a time I just gave up.
Then, Anna came along, my demanding daughter who, now at age 3 and a half, begs for me to bake with her. At first our exploits of trying to cook together was just disastrous. But no matter how bad the food came out, she wanted to try again, with me. So, for the past year, we’ve been trying, again and again, and I think we’re making progress. My cakes and cookies are coming out great! It’s amazing! They are soft and chewy. My cakes are sweet and moist.
Anna has taught me not to give up, to try, try, try.
My goal with this column is to not only share with you our triumphs but also our misadventures. It’s all part of the experience of learning how to cook. Becoming good at something doesn’t just happen overnight, it takes practice. Also, this process can be fun! I think that is the one thing I want to pass on to Anna, that cooking CAN be fun and not to be afraid to try something new.
Here I will share with you one of our favorites, chocolate cupcakes. This is a recipe in development. One of our challenges is finding recipes that are dairy free, egg free and peanut free to accommodate Anna’s allergies. If we cannot find a recipe, we have to convert it to meet her needs. This sometimes works great, others not so much. I’ll give you the original recipe, with modifications, that we tried for ourselves as a cake, then I’ll give you Anna’s version.
Original Recipe by Hershey’s Chocolate, with modifications.
One Bowl Chocolate Cake2 cups white sugar
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt2 eggs1 cup milk
1/2 cup melted butter2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup boiling expresso (original called for boiled water)
DirectionsPreheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour two nine inch round pans. I used two heart-shaped pans.
In a large bowl, stir together the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add the eggs, milk, oil and vanilla, mix for 2 minutes on medium speed of mixer. Works just fine mixing by hand also. Stir in the boiling water last. Batter will be thin. Pour evenly into the prepared pans.
Bake 30 to 35 minutes in the preheated oven, until the cake tests done with a toothpick. I baked it for 32 minutes and felt it was bit overcooked and will decrease the cook time by two minutes next time. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.
Anna’s version, egg free, dairy free.
Anna’s chocolate cake1 cup white sugar
3/4 cup flour1/2 cup cocoa powder3/4 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. baking soda1/2 tsp. salt2 tbs. applesauce (replaces egg)
1/2 cup water1/4 cup oil (replaces butter, but will try shortening next time)
1 tsp. vanillaDirectionsPreheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour two nine inch round pans.
In a large bowl, stir together the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add the applesauce, water, oil and vanilla, mix for 2 minutes on medium speed of mixer. Pour evenly into the prepared pans.
Bake 30 to 35 minutes in the preheated oven, until the cake tests done with a toothpick. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely. For cupcakes, bake 30 to 35 minutes.
We tried doing this recipe as cupcakes, but it would make a better cake or brownie. It did not rise but it was dense and chocolatey, and tasted great.
Hope you enjoyed this week’s Through My Kitchen Window.
Lisa Mitchell is editor of Tri County Record. Send comments to editor@tricountyrecord.com.
