tiny chocolate cake with fresh mint buttercream.

tiny cake, tiny cake!

i always wanna make one of those 9-inch wide 3 layer cakes, but whoa nelly that’s a LOT of cake. i’m only baking for 2 people, so i like making these teeny tiny cakes. if you could see just how tiny this is in person, you’d squeal.

i wanted to make a minty-chocolate-something, but didn’t wanna use peppermint extract as to not make a toothpaste dessert.

fresh mint infused into the butter for the buttercream frosting was just perfect, oh-so subtle and delicate. it’s slightly cooling, too, i think? or maybe i hallucinated that because i knew about the fresh mint in there.

i didn’t know this would have such a wedding vibe in the photos… i was going for wintery freshness. but it’s pretty either way.

sifted cocoa beauty.

^ once the batter gets to this super thick stage, before adding the milk, you’ll think it’s wrong, but it’s right.

i explain in the recipe how to infuse your butter with fresh mint, then quickly get it back to a solid state to whip up your frosting!

^ quick shout out to the amazing muffin top/extreme cake dome that got leveled off to layer this cake. this is my ideal chocolate muffin top texture that reminds me of this chocolate muffin i used to always get at zupan’s market after saturday soccer games growing up. it had the most extremely oversized muffin top and it was so perfectly crisp, so chocolatey, and unforgettable.

any remaining cake batter left over - you can make little muffins! aka cupcakes. that “muffin” i referred to before was certainly just chocolate cake in the shape of a muffin without frosting on top.

bake the “muffins” for less time though, i’d say check them at 20 minutes.

here’s to a teeny tiny, delicate, delicious & indulgent winter dessert that’ll brighten up even the gloomiest of seattle winter days!!!!!

Tiny Chocolate Cake with Fresh Mint Buttercream

Makes One 4-inch Round 3 Layer Cake, or a 9-inch Round Cake

Total Time: 1 hour, Bake Time: 28 minutes

Ingredients:

Chocolate Cake:

(Slightly adapted from B.A.’s Easy Chocolate Birthday Cake)

• 3/4 cup vegetable oil

• 1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour

• 1 cup granulated sugar

• 1 3/4 tsp. baking powder

• 1/4 tsp. baking soda

• 1 tsp. fine sea salt

• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted

• 2 large eggs

• 1 cup milk (I used 2%), warmed

• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Fresh Mint Buttercream:

• 1 cup unsalted butter

• 1/3 cup whole fresh mint leaves (about 8-12 large mint leaves)

• 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted

• 1/2 tsp. fine sea salt

• 1 TB. milk

Instructions-

Trace the circumference of three 4” cake pans on top of a piece of parchment. Cut out the circles and set inside each cake pan, pen or pencil side down. Spray with cooking spray. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl, combine all dry ingredients, sifting the cocoa powder into the mixture, and whisk to combine. In a separate bowl, whisk the vegetable oil, eggs and vanilla extract. Add the wet mixture to the dry ingredients and stir until a very thick batter forms. Add the warmed milk to the batter and gently stir until it becomes smooth.

Fill the prepared cake pans no fuller than 2/3 full with cake batter. Place on top of a baking sheet to prevent overflow, and bake for 28 minutes, checking with a toothpick around 24 minutes for doneness. Remove from oven and let cool slightly before turning out onto a cooling rack, peeling off the parchment round. Once slightly cooled, turn the cake domed side-up and use a serrated knife to level out the top of the cake so it is flat. Share the cake snack appetizers :)

While the cakes are baking, infuse the butter with fresh mint for the frosting. Squeeze the mint leaves to wake them up a bit and place them in a sauce pan on medium-low heat. Melt 1 cup (2 sticks) of unsalted butter and stir frequently for about 15 minutes. Pluck the mint leaves out and pour butter into the bowl that you’ll whip your frosting in. I poured mine right into the bowl of my stand mixer. Place the bowl into an ice bath and use a spatula to scrape the hardened butter off the edges of the bowl. Gently stir until the butter has returned to a soft solid state, 3-5 minutes. It should be just soft enough to cream the sugar into.

Cream the butter until light and fluffy. Gradually add in the sifted powdered sugar. Add the salt and 1 TB of milk. Beat until the frosting is fluffy. Add 1/2 tsp. of vanilla extract, if desired. To keep the frosting more minty, omit the vanilla extract entirely.

To frost the cake, place one cake layer onto a small cardboard cake round on top of a plate. Plop a scoop of buttercream on the bottom layer (this should be the thickest layer you made) of the cake and spread almost to the edges with an offset spatula or butterknife. Add 2nd layer and repeat. Add top layer, squish and position the cake layers until they’re standing up firmly and straight. Use the offset spatula to spread a very thin layer of frosting all over the cake (this is the crumb coat to hold all the crumbs in before adding exterior frosting). Set plate in fridge for 10 minutes.

After the crumb coat has chilled, use the remaining frosting to spread all over the cake. You can go for a flat look or more swirly, swoopy look as I did with this cake. Use a metal bench scraper to carefully lift the cake off of the plate and onto desired cake stand or serving plate. Garnish with fresh mint leaves. Add chocolate jimmies or sprinkles if desired. Slice and serve!

Cover at room temperature. Enjoy within 3 days.

qp

kale, fennel & blue cheese salad with pomegranate poached pear.

this is an “out-of-my-comfort-zone” recipe for sure.

but that’s what the new year is all about, eh?!

in fact, one of my many goals for this year (and last year, too) is to cook a new-to-me recipe every week that i wouldn’t normally make, or something with flavors that i don’t generally cook with.

this salad doesn’t exactly fall into that category since this is something i made up for my own blog, but i am basically killing this particular goal so far for the year, and it’s only january 8th. by the end of this day, i will have made 4 or 5 “new-to-me” recipes since last week. mostly from the bon appétit universe, surprise surprise!!!!!

i only cooked with fennel for the first time a few months ago when i made this grandma style pizza. sooo delicious. and wow, i always thought fennel would be ridiculously licorice-y, but it’s so so subtle and pleasant. and the bulb part is just a great crunch. also, i’m one of them black licorice loving freaks, so what was i waiting for anyway?

and dem pears doe…….full disclosure, these were a holiday gift from a family member. pears are neither peter’s or my favorite of fruits, so i wanted to at least get creative with them. sure, i ate a plain pear cut up with some honey & cinnamon, but overall, pears are just barely luke warm excitement for me. even less so for peter, haha.

but then i got to thinking (carrie bradshaw style)…..i couldn’t help but wonder…..meanwhile, in another kitchen across town…..

…..if i never come up with recipes using things i would normally not make or use for myself, i’m only stifling my own learning and creativity.

so i will try to get out of my cooking comfort zone more often!

however, i’m sorry to say that you’ll probably never see any seafood recipes on this website because that’s just crossing the line for me. plus, it would be quite fake of me to suddenly sing the praises of fish. but who knows, i could someday have a change of heart and/or taste buds.

ps. i feel extremely seen by this jim gaffigan bit about seafood.

pears are pretty, i’ll give it to em.

and i do have very fond memories of climbing pear trees growing up at my babysitter’s house, plucking off a crisp one and taking a few bites before throwing it to the ground.

also, pomegranate molasses! i made 2 recipes with it in the same day!

i have two bottles of it in our pantry and i’m glad i’m finally making use of it. it’s so delicious and tangy!

the char and tang of the pomegranate molasses on the pear is super tasty.

this is one of those salads where you must get one of each flavor/texture component in each bite!

ALSO! my never-before-blogged-about homemade go-to vinaigrette is a part of this recipe. you should certainly be making this vinaigrette in large quantities to keep in the fridge for all your new year salad-ing, it’s the best!

Kale, Fennel & Blue Cheese Salad with Pomegranate Poached Pear

Serves 3-4

Total Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

Poached Pears & Salad:

• 2-3 large firm pears - cut in half, seeds removed (removing pear skin is optional)

• 1 TB butter or coconut oil

• 1/8 - 1/4 cup white wine

• 3 TB pomegranate molasses

• 1-2 Meyer lemons or regular lemon, cut in half

• 3-4 large kale leaves - washed, dried & torn

• 1 TB olive oil

• 1/8 of a fennel bulb, sliced, plus some fennel fronds

• 1/3 cup blue cheese crumbles

• 1/3 cup chopped pistachios

• kosher salt, to taste

Go-To Vinaigrette:

• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar

• 2 TB apple cider vinegar

• 1 clove garlic, grated

• 1 small shallot, minced & rinsed

• 1 TB dijon mustard

• pinch of kosher salt & black pepper

Instructions -

Wash and dry all the produce. Prepare the vinaigrette by whisking all ingredients in a small bowl, or shaking in a jar until combined. Store the unused vinaigrette in a jar in the fridge up to 2 weeks.

Place the torn or cut kale in a large bowl, drizzling with 1 TB olive oil and massaging well with your hands for 1-2 minutes. Add a pinch of kosher salt and toss again.

Slice the fennel and chop pistachios.

Heat the butter or coconut oil in a skillet on medium heat until it bubbles and barely begins to brown. Place the halved pears cut side down in the pan and let the pears and butter simmer together for 3-5 minutes, depending how firm or soft you’d like your final product. Reduce heat and add the white wine to the pan. Allow the wine to bubble and settle before drizzling the pomegranate molasses over the pears.

Bring heat back to medium. Gently lift the edge of each pear to let the liquid underneath and coat the pan. After 3-5 minutes, gently check to see if the pears are browning and getting slightly charred from the pomegranate molasses. You want the pears to still be slightly firm when you remove them from the pan. Place them cooked side up on a plate and set aside.

Press the halved Meyer lemons into the pomegranate molasses mixture in the skillet for a few minutes until charred.

Add the fennel and blue cheese crumbles to the bowl of tenderized kale and toss well. Add the desired amount of vinaigrette and toss gently again until all leaves are dressed.

Serve up the salad in bowls or on plates, topping with chopped pistachios and extra blue cheese crumbles, if desired. Tuck a halved pear and charred Meyer lemon into each serving.

Squeeze the lemon over the top of everything, including the pear, before eating.

Serve pears immediately!

Leftover kale salad can be stored in the fridge for 24-48 hours.

qp