Chocolate Lamington Bar Cake

Today I will be sharing one of my favorites, the Chocolate Lamington Bar Cake. This cake consists of  a chocolate sponge covered with a light chocolate frosting and coconut flakes, is delicious and ideal to serve on a special occasion, meaning.... Any day! To me all days are special and worth celebrating the blessing of being ALIVE. I hope you bake this Lamington Bar Cake soon. Enjoy!

This cake is based on the traditional Australian Lamington cake, named after Lord Lamington, a former Governor of Queensland, in the era of 1900's , who is credited with the origin of this dessert. Lamingtons are sometimes served as two cubed halves with a layer of cream and/or strawberry jam in between. It is commonly found in Australasian outlets such as cafes, lunch bars, bakeries, and supermarkets.

But before we go to the recipe, I would like to show my daughter's new pet, Pochungo.....sometimes country life is just wonderful :)

Now let's continue with the recipe -

It is a great tasting cake.

Chocolate Lamington Bar Cake
This cake makes the perfect dessert for any special occasion. Just imagine a chocolate sponge covered with a delicious light chocolate frosting and coconut flakes... delicious right? Enjoy! Recipe adapted from Baking.

 
Ingredients: 
For Cake
¾ cup unsalted butter or margarine room temperature
¾ cup superfine sugar
3 eggs
1 ¼ cup self-rising flour (see notes)
¼ cup cocoa powder

Frosting:
2 oz (½ cup) dark chocolate broken in pieces
4 Tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon butter
¾ cup confectioner’s sugar

To decorate:
½ cup coconut flakes
½ cup heavy cream whipped
1 ½ Tablespoons sugar

Instructions: 
1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Lightly grease and line bottom of a 3 x 10 loaf pan.
2. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Gradually add eggs, beating well after each addition. Sift together flour, baking powder, cocoa powder.
3. Pour mixture into the pan and bake for 40 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Let cool for 5 minutes in pan then turn on to a wire rack to cool completely.
4. Mix chocolate chips, milk and butter in a heat proof bowl and place over a pan of hot water. Stir until chocolate is melted. Add confectioner’s sugar and beat until smooth. Let cool until frosting gets thick enough to spread. Cut a V shape wedge from the top of the cake, reserve cake wedge. Frost the cake and cover with coconut flakes.
5. Beat heavy cream with 2 Tablespoons of sugar until soft peaks are formed. Pipe a line of cream in the center, replace wedge back on, frost and ad coconut flakes, then pipe a row of cream on either side of the wedge of cake. Serve.  


Notes: 
a) If you do not have Self Rising Flour for this recipe you can substitute with 1 ¼ cup all purposes flour, ¼ teaspoon salt + 2 teaspoons baking powder. For more information on substituting Self Rising Flour see note i, at Dominican cake recipe.  
b) This recipe can be doubled easily.

Yield: 10 servings

En español: AQUÍ

Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. - Matthew 6:33

Coffee Granita and Guest Post

Summer is here, and we have had a very HOT and humid weather. A glass of coffee granita, is not a bad idea to refresh ourselves, so let's enjoy the recipe that my guest today will share with us.

It is my pleasure to introduce to Marnely Rodriguez, author of the blog, Cooking with Books. A graduate of PUCMM (Pontificia Universidad Catolica Madre y Maestra) and the
Culinary Institute of America, she has worked as an overnight bread baker in Colorado, a chocolate maker in Virginia as well as a pastry cook in Martha’s Vineyard, just to name a few. She currently resides in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic where she is on an endless search for Caribbean flavors, tropical fruits and gastronomic inspiration.

Cooking with Books 

Hello! It's so lovely to be guest posting over here at Mari's Cakes. I'm Nelly, over from  Cooking with Books, and am definitely honored to have Mari ask me to be a guest poster on her site, which I've loved ever since discovering. Even better is that fact that we are on the island Caribbean island!

Today, I'll be sharing a gorgeously easily recipe with one of my favorite Caribbean ingredients: Coffee. But first, a few facts as well as a little coffee culture. The Dominican Republic is a well-known coffee grower and exporter, mainly exporting coffee beans to the United States, although some companies do ship their beans overseas to Europe and other continents. Not only are we a coffee producing island, but if you know a Dominican, you know we are big coffee drinkers as well!

Coffee is typically served with breakfast with a side of buttered toast to dip in the coffee; breakfasts range from fresh fruit, a sandwich or eggs with mashed plantains. After the morning brew, if you work in a family business or company that loves their coffee, you will be offered a cup as well. Lunch comes around and the after lunch "cafecito" is in order. Last but not least, some Dominicans love sipping on warm "cafe con leche" before going to bed.

Now that Summer has hit us and the temperatures are in the high 90's, constant coffee drinking has reduced, some resorting to Ice Coffees, but I can't still bring myself to do so. I've lately been on a granita kick, making this Passion Fruit Granita almost every other day, so I wondered: why not make it with rich, deep coffee? You'll still get the jolt of energy, but in a more refreshing way! You can sweeten your granita with your favorite sweetener: brown sugar, honey, diet sugars or even maple syrup. I'd recommend a simple syrup of brown sugar so the sweetness is subtle but still permeates throughout the mixture.

What is a Granita? A liquid, most of the times a fruit juice or puree, sweeten if preferred and then placed in a shallow pan in the freezer. Every 15-30 minutes with a fork, it is scraped and the formed ice crystals will re-incorporate with the rest of the liquid until it all becomes frozen and can be scooped into serving cups.


Coffee Granita
Serves 2

 
Ingredients
1 cup brewed coffee
1/4 cup whole milk
2 tablespoons simple syrup (or your preferred sweetener)

Method

1. Brew coffee as usual and mix with milk and sweetener.
2. Place in small shallow pan and reserve in freezer. Every 15 minutes scrape ice crystals with fork. Do this until the entire liquid has frozen into small crystals.
3. Serve in small glasses as a light dessert served with fresh berries or drizzled with dulce de leche.

Hope you all have a great summer filled with picnics, barbeques, frozen drinks and granitas! Happy Summer and don't forget to visit me over at Cooking with Books for more summer recipes, as well as foodie giveaways!
 

En español: AQUÍ

Nothing will change in your life if you don't do something different from what you have been doing. - E. Perry Good, In Pursuit of Happiness

 

Chow fan, Chofan

My take on CHOW FAN - Chinese fried rice combines both Dominican and New York styles! This is my go-to dish when I want to whip up something quick, delicious, simple, and budget-friendly. You can customize this rice with a variety of ingredients, making it a great way to use up leftovers from the previous day's dinner.

Receta de Chow fan dominicano en español haz clic aquí.

When I cook Oriental-inspired dishes, I draw inspiration from the Chinese cuisine I grew up with in New York. In my opinion, New York offers some of the best Chinese food outside of China! I also incorporate Dominican influences by using creole products such as cubanelle peppers, Dominican salami, and chicken or beef stews. This rice is perfect on its own or as a side dish to accompany baked ribs, stir-fry, or fried chicken. I'm confident you'll enjoy it!

Have you ever tried Chinese food in New York? Where do you think the best Chinese food can be found?

Chow Fan 

Chofan, also known as chow fan, is my take on Chinese fried rice, infused with Dominican and New York influences. It's my go-to dish when I want to whip up something quick, delicious, and simple. Not only does it taste much better, but it's also healthier than the versions sold at restaurants. Experience the unique blend of flavors in this homemade chofan recipe.

 
Ingredients:
5 cups cooked rice (cooled)
1 flat omelet (1 egg per person, more if you like)
3 cups cooked chicken, pork, ham or beef
½ cup Dominican salami or chorizo chopped and fried
1 onion chopped
2 cubanelle peppers
¼ cup soy sauce
½ cup ketchup
1 chicken bouillon salt and pepper to taste
3 tablespoons oil (preferably sesame)


Instructions: 

1. Reserve previously cooked rice.

2. Make the omelet, seasoned with a little salt, cut into strips or cubes, and set aside.

3. In a separate pot or microwave heat up the meat, fry the salami, and set aside.

4. Chop all the vegetables and reserve.

5. In a wok or large pot, place three tablespoons of oil and add the salami, meat, onions, and peppers, sauté one minute, then put soy sauce and ketchup. To form a sauce, add the rice and mix until a uniform color is achieved.

6. Cook for 3-5 minutes over low heat, or until rice is heated through.

Notes: 

a) According to the 1-2-3 rule for white rice, 1 cup of uncooked rice cooked in 2 cups of water yields 3 cups of cooked rice. However, the amount of water needed can vary depending on the type of rice used. For a loose, grainy texture, slightly less water should be used when cooking a cup of rice.

b) This recipe serves one cup of cooked rice per person, but in many Dominican households, rice is a staple and loved in large quantities. Feel free to double the recipe if you're a rice lover. Any leftovers can be refrigerated and reheated the next day for even more delicious flavor.

Yield: 5 servings.

Note: This Chinese bowl is over 30 years old!! Thanks Mom for letting me keep it :)

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.  - Ephesians 4:29