Dark Chocolate Sour Cream Cake

It may seem funny to start the new year with a recipe for chocolate cake, but when you wake up thinking about making a chocolate cake — dreaming of a rich, fudge-y crumb — well, it’s a good sign you should get baking. Besides, I’ve never been one for resolutions.

This chocolate cake is rich, with a deep chocolate flavor. As far as cakes go, it’s not too sweet, which is perfect for me (if you prefer a sweeter cake, increase the granulated cane sugar to 1 cup). Good for a celebration or just any old day! Eat plain or with a dollop of whipped cream.

Happy 2021!

Dark Chocolate Sour Cream Cake

Published January 4, 2020 by Caitlin Sherwood

Serves: 9   |    Active Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

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Ingredients:

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar (Option to increase this to 1 cup if you prefer a sweeter cake)

1 large egg

3/4 cup sour cream

1/4 cup strongly brewed coffee

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder (Raw cocoa powder is more acidic so will change how this cake bakes. IT will still be delicious, but for the fluffiest cake, I recommend Dutch-processes. Try Droste cocoa powder -- my go-to!)

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon Diamond Crystal table salt

Optional: Small handful semi-sweet chocolate chips

For serving: Whipped cream

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Prepare a 9x4 (standard) loaf pan by greasing with butter and dusting lightly with flour. Tap off any access flour.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer (or in a large bowl with an electric hand mixer), cream together the butter and sugars until fluffy. Add the egg, sour cream, coffee, and vanilla and continue to beat for about 3 minutes.
3. In a separate bowl, combine flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt, and sift (or whisk) to incorporate. Add dry ingredients to the butter mixture and mix until just incorporated. Do not over mix -- a few little clumps may remain and that's ok!
4. Using a spatula, spread the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Optional: Sprinkle a small handful of chocolate chips over top.
5. Bake for 60 to 70 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. Cool on a rack for at least 10 minutes before removing the cake from the pan, then continue to cool for 10-15 more minutes.
6. Slice and serve with whipped cream.

Grain-Free Sandwich Cookies With Pumpkin Butter

I have been on a kick, going back to old Foraged Dish recipes and taking new photos. It is insanely satisfying to compare the old ones to the new. Progress is difficult to measure day-by-day, but all of those days add up! I’m sure, in three years, I’ll look back at my photos from 2018 and roll my eyes. C'est la vie.

These sandwich cookies were one of my recent victims, and since it is the season for baking and pumpkin, I thought it would be a good opportunity to update the whole post. That means a few updates to the recipe, too:

• Simplified. The original asked for both almond flour and coconut flour, but since 2015 I’ve discovered a much simpler grain-free shortbread cookie using just almond flour. I quite like the texture of the cookies, too! They are a bit chewy, stay together well, and have great almond and honey flavor.

• Drizzled with chocolate. How can you make a boring cookie look a little fancier? Maybe you’re thinking frosting, which is true, but since this cookie is a sandwich I wanted the filling to shine. I drizzled each cookie with chocolate, which was just the right touch!

• Doubled it. More is better right? In this case, there’s no doubt: the original recipe made about 6 sandwich cookies… what was 2015-me thinking?!?! A dozen is much more reasonable (but you still may want to double that if you’re cooking for a crowd).

Once baked, these cookies are stuffed with pumpkin butter, so the end result tastes a bit like pumpkin pie. Perfect match with a cappuccino! But I also experimented with filling the cookies with salted caramel. Oh. My. Goodness. Now that’s a treat! A bit like an alfajore, if you are familiar. I am definitely going to need to make an alfajore recipe now (Foraged Dish style, of course!).

Grain-Free Sandwich Cookies with Pumpkin Butter

Published October 26, 2015 by Caitlin Sherwood

Yield: 12-24, depending on size   |    Active Time: 60 minutes

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Ingredients:

2 cups finely ground almond flour

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 cup butter or coconut oil, melted

1/4 cup honey

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup pumpkin butter

1/4 cup dark chocolate

Directions:

1. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the almond flour, salt, and baking soda. Whisk until incorporated. Add the melted butter or coconut oil, honey, and vanilla, and stir until a dough forms. Shape dough into a disc (about 1 inch thick), wrap in plastic wrap, and place in fridge for 30 minutes to 1 hour to chill.
2. Preheat oven to 325°F. After dough has chilled, remove from fridge. Cut a piece of parchment paper to fit your baking pan.
3. On a separate piece of parchment, use a rolling pin to roll dough out to 1/4-inch thickness. Use cookie cutters to cut circles out of dough and place on baking sheet, with at least 1/2 inch between each cookie. Bake for 9 minutes, until golden. Allow to cool.
4. Once cookies are fully cooled, spread pumpkin butter on one cookie, and then use another to create a sandwich. Set aside, and then continue until all of the cookies are sandwiched.
5. Heat the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl for 30-second intervals (string between each!) until chocolate is glossy and smooth. You can also do this in a double boiler (stir frequently). Drizzle melted chocolate over sandwich cookies. Allow chocolate to set before serving cookies.
6. Tip: You can use any sort of jam to fill these cookies! I also made a few with salted caramel sauce and they were SO. GOOD.

Roasted Eggplant Salad

Cooking this salad makes me feel like Ottlenghi, and you will too if you're in the right mindset. 

While eggplant is a summer crop, I like it best when it’s been roasted in the oven for sometime, making it something I prefer to cook when it's a bit cooler. Biting into a forkful of cold romaine lettuce on a snowy day? No thanks! We can do better, and in this case, better is roasted. This roasted eggplant salad is exactly the kind of thing I want to make for lunch when there’s a chill in the air.

Topped with parsley, pomegranate, and a creamy tahini sauce, it’s also vibrant with wintery colors: red, green, and soft white. It goes great with the side of roasted chicken, quinoa, or hummus… buuuut we eat this as a whole meal, split between two people. 

Roasted Eggplant Salad

Published December 7, 2017 by Caitlin Sherwood

Serves: 2 as a main course, 4 as a side   |    Total Time: 45-50 minutes

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Ingredients:

• 2 medium eggplants (Italian variety) 
• 2 large shallots 
• 3-4 tablespoons olive oil (or cooking oil of choice)
• Sprinkle of salt
• Sprinkle of garlic powder
• 1/2 cup chopped Italian parsley 
• 1/4 cup pomegranate perils 
• 1/3 cup toasted pinenuts 

For the Tahini Sauce:
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 3 tablespoons tahini
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin 
• 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder 
• 1/16 teaspoon smoked paprika
• Salt to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450°F. Slice eggplants into 1/2 inch thick rounds, and arrange in an even layer on a baking sheet (or two). Slice shallots into wedges, and add to baking sheet. Brush everything with olive oil, and then sprinkle with salt and garlic powder. Place in oven and bake for 30-35 minutes, until eggplant is golden and cooked through. TIP: You can add the pinenuts in the last 3-5 minutes to get them nice and toasted if they are not already. Watch them closely to avoid burning.
2. While the eggplant is cooking, make the tahini sauce: combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir until smooth, seasoning with salt to taste.
3. Assembly: use a spatula to transfer cooked eggplant and shallots to a serving platter. Sprinkle with parsley, pomegranate, and pinenuts. Then, drizzle with tahini sauce. Serve warm.