Chocolate Sour Cream Bundt Cake

If the number of bowls you dirty is an indication of how yummy a recipe is, then this one takes the (pun intended) cake!  THREE bowls, all your measuring cups and spoons, rubber spatulas, classic Bundt pan, and beaters will fill your sink . . . but the most moist and delectable chocolate cake you've ever had will fill your mouth.

Worth it, people.

For this chocolate cake (which recipe originally comes from America's Test Kitchen, but was introduced to me by my dear friend, mellifluous Melanie) you don't want to use Dutch-processed cocoa.  Natural cocoa is gonna give the cake a fuller chocolate flavor, and won't compromise the cake rise like Dutch-processed cocoa will.   You can dust it with powdered sugar when it's done, but I think it's perfect as is.

The recipe also came with the best Bundt cake advice ever: instead of greasing your Bundt pan with shortening and then dusting with flour (which doesn't really work and makes your cake look ugly and floury), make a cake release cocoa paste and brush it on the inside of your Bundt pan--it's just equal parts cocoa and melted butter.  I have NEVER had a Bundt cake slide out of the pan so perfectly!

This is the classic and original Bundt Pan design--I think it's perfect
for any cake.  You can get them for a great price on Amazon.

I am proud of myself for getting a photo of the cake before we started devouring it.  It is rich and moist and turns out perfectly every time, as most America's Test Kitchen recipes do.  I think these pictures speak for themselves.

Red Velvet Whoopie Pies

A fabulous new recipe from my friend Melanie, mistress o' cookies!  Seriously, she inspires me to get out of my chocolate-chip zone . . . every cookie she's made for me has been reduced to crumbs in seconds.  If you like cream cheese, or chocolate, or cookies, or cake . . . then look no further.  This recipe is your new best friend.  I think the picture speaks for itself.

Bran Muffins

If you haven't figured it out already, I am crazy about muffins.  They are the perfect food: already in serving-size portions, filling, delicious, cute, and (usually) healthy.  And they make your kitchen smell like heaven.

My friend Melanie B. surprised me with some muffin batter on Monday evening . . . I don't know if she knew it was the best gift she could possibly give me, but it was (and is . . . hint, hint).

Mel brought the batter in a big yogurt container
with instructions in her cute, precise handwriting

I am six months pregnant, and though I still enjoy cooking and baking, it's not as easy or as appetizing as usual to eat my own food.  It was WONDERFUL to just pop them in the oven on Tuesday morning, without any of the prep or cleanup time.  THANK YOU!

I've had these kind of bran muffins before (I've seen them called 6-week bran muffins) and they are perfectly scrumptious.  You can add chopped apples and a dash of cinnamon if you need more sweetness, but they are so yummy and moist as they are. 

Sticky Buns

So easy, and so yummy.  Stock up on frozen rolls, because you won't be able to make these only once.

Chewy Brownies

These are a cinch to whip up when you're in a hurry, and oh-so yummy.