I am eating a box of chocolate truffles for dinner. My bad...... I am to tired to cook today.

 

Home made hot tamales.
Refried beans and Spanish Rice.

 

Success! ​

Dark Chocolate Cake with Nutella Buttercream

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Prep time
45 mins

Cook time
35 mins
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Dark and rich, this Dark Chocolate Cake with Nutella Buttercream is the perfect centerpiece for your Halloween party. Chocolate lovers will instantly fall in love with this dark chocolate cake!
Serves: 20 servings

Ingredients
Dark Chocolate Cake

• 3½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1½ cups dark cocoa powder
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 3 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 4 cups sugar
• 1 cup Challenge butter, melted
• 2 cups milk
• 4 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1½ cups boiling water

Nutella Buttercream

• 1½ cups Challenge butter
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 1 cup Nutella
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• pinch of salt
• 1-2 tablespoons cream
• 1 tablespoon dark cocoa powder

Chocolate Spiders (optional)

• semi-sweet chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Spray 4 9-inch round baking pans with nonstick cooking spray. Line the bottoms of the pans with parchment paper, then lightly spray the paper with nonstick cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
3. In the bowl of a mixer, mix together the sugar and the butter. Add in the milk, eggs and vanilla, and mix until combined. Add the dry ingredients and mix until combined. Pour in the boiling water and gently mix until combined. The batter will be thin.
4. Divide the batter evenly between the 4 pans. Bake in until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 30-35 minutes. (Don’t be alarmed if your cakes puff up and then fall in the center. They will probably fall a little, but you will even the cakes out and can use the scraps to decorate the cake.)
5. Let the cakes cool for 10 minutes, then run a knife around the outside of the pan and turn them out onto a cooling rack to cool completely. Remove the parchment paper from the bottoms of the cakes.
6. At this point, you can wrap the cakes in plastic wrap and refrigerate them or freeze them, which will make decorating the cake easier, or you can proceed to assembling the cake as long as they are cooled completely.
7. To make the buttercream, cream the butter in a mixer until smooth and creamy. Add in the powdered sugar, a little at a time, until fully incorporated. Mix in the Nutella, vanilla and salt and beat until light and fluffy. Add as much cream as needed to make the frosting a spreading consistency, adding a teaspoon at a time. If making the spiders and the spiderweb, transfer ½ cup of the frosting to another bowl and mix in the 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder.
8. To make the spider legs, place some chocolate chips in a ziplock bag. Microwave on 50% power in 15 second increments until the chocolate chips have melted. Cut a small corner off the bag, and pipe out legs in the shape of a 7 onto a piece of waxed paper on a baking sheet. Transfer to the freezer until you are ready to decorate the cake.
9. To assemble the cake: Level each of the cake layers, reserving the scraps. Place one layer on a cake stand or serving plate. Top with some of the buttercream and spread in an even layer to the edged. Top with another cake layer, then more buttercream. Repeat with another cake layer, more buttercream, and then the final cake layer. Spread a thin layer of frosting over the outside of the cake. Refrigerate the cake for 10-15 minutes.

 

Why did it take me so long to find this thread? ? Food is so sexy to me. I'm making Italian Stuffed Peppers with a tomato/ beef stock reduction and garlic, rosemary pan roasted potatoes finished with a little freshly grated pecorino romano.
Please pm me to trade recipes

 

A three pound pork loin roast, marinated with a cranberry/orange sauce, asparagus (tips only) with a very light garlic butter sauce, boiled potatoes, homemade pork drippings stuffing, sweet corn, and warm flaky biscuits, tall glass of cold milk. I will have to fight the cat and the dog off to enjoy this meal. By the way the wife is a great cook.

 

Paella

 

Breakfast!!!

 

Time to drag this old thread out of mothballs.

Tonight I am making a breakfast dish for dinner!!!

French toast casserole, yummy in the tummy.




Now I need to find some maple syrup!!!

 

Leftovers....

Open face roast beef sammichs, new potatoes...and Christmas Cookies.