Summer (Part I)

10 Thursday Aug 2023

Posted by in baking, birthday, family, Food, Gardening

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We celebrated Amelie’s 4th birthday in June. She asked for a rocking horse, food for her play kitchen and a Matschküche for her birthday. She made a paper birthday crown in Kindergarten (preschool) the morning of her birthday and brought in muffins to share with the kids in her classroom. I always make the Dr. Oetker brand chocolate and vanilla boxed muffins for the kids to take to school and kindergarten on their birthdays because I know the kids there will eat them. I usually make a dozen vanilla, 6 with the sugar glaze or chocolate chips that come with the mix and 6 without, and a dozen chocholate, again 6 with the chocolate or frosting that comes with the box mix and 6 without. This usually goes over surprisingly well and the kids come home with little to no leftovers. Even the teachers have asked to eat one when there have been extras. You can’t go wrong with a boxed muffin mix which everyone likes and recognizes. At home, though, I use my go-to chocolate cake recipe for kids birthdays that I have adapted from Mollie Katzen’s, of the Moosewood Restaurant in Ithaca, NY, Chocolate Applesauce Cake. I love this cake as it is super moist and tender, it keeps well, it can be made with all whole wheat flour or a mixture of some white and some whole wheat flours, and it’s so easy to prepare. It helps that all my kids love it and always ask for it on their birthdays too! Happy birthday to our dearest little Amelie “Pea”, we love you!

Amelie’s Birthday Cake

Adapted from Mollie Katzen’s Applesauce-Cocoa Cake

(Click here to see the first time I made this cake when Anna was 4.)

For the Cakes
Makes two 8″ cakes

1 1/2 sticks (170 grams) of Butter
1 1/2 cups Brown Sugar
2 Eggs
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
3 cups Whole Wheat Flour or 1 1/2 cups White & 1 1/2 cups Whole Wheat Flour or mixture of your choice
1 cup Almond Flour
1/2 cup Cocoa Powder
1/2 tsp Salt
2 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Baking Soda
1 1/2 cups unsweetened Applesauce
1/2 cup Plain Yogurt (I use a whole milk, firm “Stichfest” yogurt simmilar to Stoneyfield)

Preheat the oven to 190° C (375° F). In a large bowl cream the butter and sugar with a hand mixer until smooth. Add the eggs and vanilla and blend. In another bowl combine the flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and ground almonds. Stir until well combined with a whisk. In a third small bowl combine the applesauce and yogurt. Add 1/3 of the dry mixture to the butter mixture and stir to combine with a spoon, then add half the applesauce mixture and stir. Add another third of the dry ingredients, the rest of the applesauce mixture and the rest of the dry ingredients stirring after each addition. Try not to over mix the batter. Split the batter into two buttered and floured 8″ cake pans. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pans for about 10 minutes. Carefully removes the cakes from the pans and let cool on a wire rack until completely cooled.

For the Frosting

400 grams of a semi sweet baking chocolate or chocolate chips
Smarties, Colored Sprinkles or toppings of your choice

Melt 200 grams of chocolate separately for topping each cake. To melt the chocolate you can use a double boiler or I just broke the bars up into 50 gram pieces and melted them in a bowl in the microwave for up to two minutes. They may not be completely melted but after stirring for a minute or two the softened bars should completely melt and be spreadable. If you use the microwave do not overheat the chocolate or else it will burn, keep checking after a minute and up to two minutes on high heat in the microwave. Pour the melted chocolate over the cake and use a spatula to smooth it out over the top and sides. Add the candy to the top of the cake and let sit at room temperature for a few hours to harden or if you are in a hurry place in the freezer for a few minutes to harden. Serve with fresh whipped cream. Enjoy!