Quick and Easy Rocky Road Fudge

This is really good fudge and there's nothing to it. I doubled the recipe and put it in a 9x13" pan so I wouldn't mind giving a lot of it away. That logic didn't end up working because honestly, it's so good I do mind giving it away! The recipe comes from chocolate genius Lora Brody's cookbook Chocolate American Style, which I just spent the past weekend studying in depth. I've marked about a dozen pages of things to try, and this fudge was first on the list.

It makes a great homemade gift because, first of all, who doesn't like fudge, and second of all, it has a long shelf life so you can make it days in advance of your gift-giving and the recipient doesn't have to eat it all at once. Go to Michaels craft store or other creative supply shop and buy some goodie boxes, cute ribbon, stickers, and perhaps paper cup liners, and make a fun project out of decorating the fudge gift boxes.


Quick and Easy Rocky Road Fudge
Recipe by Lora Brody in Chocolate American Style

Makes 1 1/4 pounds: 24 generous pieces

Unsalted butter for preparing the pan
1 2/3 cups (13 ounces) sugar
2/3 cup evaporated milk
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 1/2 cups (3 ounces) miniature marshmallows
3/4 cup (3 ounces) toasted nuts of your choice, coarsely chopped
6 ounces semisweet chocolate chips

Generously butter an 8-inch square baking pan. Line the pan with enough aluminum foil to overlap two opposite sides of the pan by 2 inches. Butter all the foil that touches the bottom and sides of the pan.

Place the sugar and evaporated milk in a 2-quart saucepan and set it over medium heat. Stir constantly until the sugar dissolves and the mixture starts to simmer. Allow the mixture to come to a slow boil, and cook it for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Stir well around the bottom of the pan so that the mixture doesn't burn.

Remove the saucepan from the heat and add the unsweetened chocolate. Stir until the chocolate melts. Add the marshmallows and nuts and stir until the fudge begins to cool and thicken. Stir in the chocolate chips and pour and scrape the mixture into the prepared pan. Press the mixture into the pan and allow it to cool until firm.

Unmold the fudge onto a cutting board. Peel off the foil and use a long, sharp knife dipped in hot water and dried to cut the fudge into portions.

The fudge can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for several weeks.


Step-by-Step in Pictures

Heat up the sugar and evaporated milk...

Stir constantly until sugar is dissolved and liquid is simmering...

Remove the pan from the heat and add the unsweetened chocolate...

When the chocolate has melted, add the marshmallows...

Let the marshmallows melt...

Add the toasted walnuts...

Continue stirring until the mixture thickens...

Add the chocolate chips...

Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and let cool until firm...

Yum. So chocolaty!

Scavenging Los Angeles Cupcakeries in a Chevy Camaro and Equinox with Best of Tours

Image credit: When Tara Met Blog

Say what now?

Yes, on Saturday, I spent a couple of hours with fellow food bloggers, being chauffeured around town in Chevy demo cars, going from cupcake place to cupcake place to cupcake place to cupcake place.

Image credit: When Tara Met Blog

More specifically, we all met up at the Pacific Design Center in Los Angeles, where a couple of Chevy Equinoxes and one Chevy Camaro were lined up in the horseshoe, waiting for us. Giant magnet decals stuck to the outsides of the cars that read Best of Tours. That's because we were about to embark on a best-of-Los-Angeles-cupcake-bakeries tour. There were four stops planned: Crumbs Bake Shop, Sprinkles, SusieCakes, and Vanilla Bake Shop. The drivers had their printed-out cupcakeries maps ready to go. We got in the vehicles, taking turns riding in the Camaro because there was only one, and because it was so freaking awesome (bumblebee yellow and black and special Transformers edition with the Transformers logo on the outside of the car and stitched on the leather center armrest).

Our first stop was to Crumbs Bake Shop in Beverly Hills, and Harley Bauer, the owner and West Coast partner of the company, was there to greet us and personally hand us our cupcakes to sample. He was very hospitable, offering everyone coffee, additional cupcakes, and staying to chat. He was also wearing a fantastic t-shirt ("Jews do it for eight nights"), so I was an instant fan. I've always enjoyed Crumbs because they have a great ratio of frosting to cake (in other words, a TON of frosting), they even have fillings, there are tons of flavors to choose from (Reese's Peanut Butter Cup is my absolute favorite), and they stay open later than any other cupcake shop I can think of so you can get your fix late at night. Crumbs is also certified Kosher, and that is one HUGE leg up over the competition in this very Jewish city, and much appreciated, might I add. :-) Getting to meet the owner behind this great brand was really exciting, and for him to turn out to be such a doll and so inviting and friendly only made my experience at Crumbs Bake Shop better. In fact, I can tell you right now, this first stop was the highlight of the tour for me.

Hanukkah cupcakes at Crumbs Bake Shop

But I will blab on a bit about the other three stops because, well, there was a lot more sugar to be had, and I did have other positive experiences.

Sprinkles, just down the street from Crumbs Bake Shop, was our second stop. I really enjoy Sprinkles cupcakes. The ones I love the most are the ones that do, indeed, have sprinkles on them. For the tour, we pre-ordered a couple of boxes so we wouldn't have to wait, and we stood outside the shop to taste these. There is almost no room inside and we wouldn't all have been allowed in at once. Without getting to meet the owners or even the staff at Sprinkles, I simply didn't have the same positive feeling about this cupcakery that I had at Crumbs; it was missing the personal experience. But the cupcake itself was delicious. I had a vanilla cupcake with chocolate frosting and sprinkles covering every last spot of the frosted top.

Tara of When Tara Met Blog being fed a Sprinkles cupcake by pal Zendi

Then we were off to SusieCakes in Brentwood. The staff were warm and helpful. The holiday decor in the shop was everywhere, from the full-sized Christmas tree to the shelf displays to the baked goods, and they had a lot of seasonal options, not just in the form of cupcakes. In fact, while I got the gingerbread cupcake with cream cheese frosting, and it was spectacular, I also had my eye on a gingerbread whoopie pie with buttercream frosting sandwiched in between. Wow. SusieCakes makes a great cupcake. I am very impressed with how moist the cake part of the cupcake is.

Seasonal cupcakes at SusieCakes; I ordered the gingerbread ones
on the left with cream cheese cheese frosting

Amazing-looking gingerbread whoopie pies with
buttercream frosting from SusieCakes

My make-shift Tupperware is filling up!

Finally, we stopped off at Vanilla Bake Shop in Santa Monica. There were some cutely decorated cupcakes for Christmas with dyed green frosting, and mini versions of some of the flavors. I opted for a chocolate cupcake with toasted coconut frosting. Yum.

Lindsay, friend and co-editor of LAist, sitting in the
backseat of the Chevy Equinox with me.

I hope I get to partake in another Best of Tour because I had a lot of fun. It was neat to meet bloggers whom I only knew online via their blogs or on Twitter, plus going to eateries and sampling food is always a good time. And then of course, there's the aspect of being driven around in brand new vehicles with that new car smell...

The Chevy Equinox was a fun ride. Kind of reminded me of a Honda CRV. Outdoorsy and rugged, yet sophisticated enough to work as an everyday car. We even tested out the On Star feature, calling the hotline for directions back to the Pacific Design Center. There was plenty of leg room and the leather was comfortable.

Chevy Camaro and 3 Equinox cars taking us around LA

The new Camaro was a great ride and in a totally different way than the Equinox. It was sporty and sexy and bulging with biceps, if you know what I mean, and I could tell people on the streets were paying attention. And we weren't in just any Camaro. It was the bumblebee, meaning bright yellow with black striping detail all the way down the car. And it was the Transformers special edition with logo detailing on the outside and on the leather interior. The only thing missing from the scene was Shia Labeouf.

The sexy bumblebee Transformers special edition Chevy Camaro

Transformers logo affixed to the Chevy Camaro!

Transformers logo embroidered on the interior leather of the Chevy Camaro!

Special thanks to Tara of When Tara Met Blog for organizing the event. Thanks also to Chevy and GM for providing the transportation and to the cupcakeries for putting up with a crowd of chatty, photo-snapping, inquisitive bloggers.

Speaking of these bloggers, if you want to follow some really interesting, opinionated, fun ones on Twitter, why not start with the attendees from this event!

Here are their Twitter handles:
@BakeSpace
@squashblossom
@Kat_Taf
@LetMeEatCake
@LAOCFoodie
@Kimmycocochanel
@tarametblog
@kathleenbush
@katelin
@carolineoncrack
@happygomarni
@fauxlahipster
@pleasurepalate
@juliewolfson
@bestoftours
@GMNewsSoCal
@MeshaThomas

And here are recaps of the day by some of the bloggers:
Caroline on Crack: "Best of LA Cupcakes Tour with Bloggers and Chevy"
Let Me Eat Cake: "Cupcake Coma"
When Tara Met Blog: "Best of LA Cupcakes Tour with Chevy"
Pretty Sandy Feet: "Cupcakes and Wedding Dresses!"
Faces of GM: "Bloggers, Cupcakes and Chevrolet"
L.A. and O.C. Foodventures: "Thankfulness for Cupcake Tour Around LA"
LAist: "Tuesday is National Cupcake Day: So Who Has the Best?"
Edmunds Inside Line: "Chevrolet Goes on Cupcake Tour in L.A."
Pleasure Palate: "LA Cupcake Tour Powered by Chevy"

I've retired from cupcakes for a few days.

Chocolaty Fudge Cake

This cake is a 10. It's a slightly denser, heavier chocolate cake than a devil's food because of the large quantity of butter. But it's not as dense as a pound cake and honestly, it's just right! You actually serve it chilled, which I found unusual for a chocolate layer cake. The chocolate frosting is amazingly rich, light in color, and with a strong brown sugar, even caramel flavor to it. Not your normal chocolate frosting. Makes an incredible birthday cake, and that's how I used it. Now I just need to find more birthdays to celebrate.

Me bringing the cake to the birthday girl

My Aunt Debbie, the birthday girl! The cake was a well kept secret
and my aunt had no idea I had baked it for her...until this moment!

Chocolaty Fudge Cake
Recipe by Marcel Desaulniers in I'm Dreaming of a Chocolate Christmas

Heavy Fudge Icing
2 cups tightly packed dark brown sugar
2 cups heavy cream
8 ounces semisweet baking chocolate, broken into 1/2-ounce pieces
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick unsalted butter, cut into 1-tablespoon pieces

Chocolaty Fudge Cake
8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1-tablespoon pieces, plus 2 teaspoons, melted
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 ounces semisweet baking chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Make the heavy fudge icing:

1. Bring the brown sugar, cream, chocolate, and butter to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar and melt the chocolate and butter. Adjust the heat to medium-low and simmer for 25 minutes, stirring frequently, until thickened and smooth. Remove from the heat. Pour into a baking sheet with sides and use a rubber spatula to spread evenly. Refrigerate for 2 hours, until chilled thoroughly.

Make the chocolaty fudge cake:

2. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Lightly coat two 9 x 1 1/2-inch cake pans with some of the melted 2 teaspoons butter. Line the bottom of the pans with parchment or wax paper, then lightly coat the paper with more melted butter.

3. In a sifter, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt. Sift onto a large piece of parchment or wax paper.

4. Melt the chocolate and the remaining 8 ounces butter in the top of a double boiler or in a medium glass bowl in a microwave oven; stir until smooth.

5. Place the granulated sugar and eggs in the bowl of a stand electric mixer fitted with a paddle. Beat on medium-high for 2 minutes, until slightly thickened and pale yellow in color. Add the melted chocolate and mix on low to combine, about 15 seconds. Turn the mixer to low and gradually add the dry ingredients; mix until incorporated, about 30 seconds. Stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the buttermilk and vanilla and mix on low to combine, about 15 seconds. Remove the bowl from the mixer, and use a rubber spatula to finish mixing the batter until thoroughly combined.

6. Immediately divide the batter into the prepared pans, spreading evenly with a rubber spatula. Bake on the center rack of the oven until a toothpick inserted into the center of each layer comes out clean, 28 to 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool in the pans at room temperature for 15 minutes. Invert the cake layers onto cake circles or cake plates. Carefully peel the paper away from the bottom of each layer. Refrigerate the cake layers, uncovered, for at least 2 hours before assembling.

7. Transfer the chilled fudge to the bowl of a stand electric mixer fitted with a paddle. Beat on high for 2 minutes until lighter in color (a very mellow chocolate brown) and slightly fluffy.

8. Remove the cake layers from the refrigerator. Use an icing spatula to evenly and smoothly spread 2 1/2 cups of the icing over the top and sides of one of the inverted layers (baked top down). Place a second layer, baked top up, on the icing and gently press it into place. Evenly and smoothly spread the remaining icing onto the top and sides of the cake. Refrigerate the cake for 1 hour before slicing and serving.

9. Heat the blade of a serrated knife under hot running water and wipe dry before cutting each slice. Serve immediately.


Step-by-Step in Pictures

To make the cake, melt chocolate and butter together...

Sift together the dry ingredients in a separate bowl...

Blend together the sugar and eggs until pale yellow in a mixer...

Add the melted chocolate and mix...

Add the dry ingredients gradually...

Add the buttermilk and vanilla and mix just until combined...

Here's your cake batter!

Divide the batter evenly among two round cake pans...

Bake the cakes for 28-30 minutes at 325 degrees F...

To make the frosting, heat together the brown sugar, cream, chocolate, and butter...

Let simmer for 15 minutes...

When the mixture is completely thickened and smooth, pour into a baking pan with sides and chill for 2 hours...

When the frosting mixture has chilled, scrape it out of the baking pan and into a stand mixer...

Whip up the frosting until light brown in color and thick and spreadable...
To assemble the cake, first place strips of wax paper under the first cake layer so frosting doesn't get all over the serving plate...

Cover the first layer with frosting...

Add the second cake layer...

Frost the top and sides of the cake...

Sooooo good!

No-Knead Onion Bread

Oh baby this bread is goooooooooood! We made it for Thanksgiving dinner. It uses onion soup mix, which is full of great hearty flavor. Lipton's makes a perfect onion soup mix and I think they come two packets to a box. So, if you make the Spinach Kugel I posted a few months ago, you can use one onion soup packet for that, and the other for this delicious bread. The recipe calls for dill, but in the crazy kitchen chaos hours before Thanksgiving dinner, we couldn't find dill in the spice cupboard so we skipped it. I made the bread again last night and did use dill in it, and holy mother of breadgoodness, it adds wonders to an already spectacular loaf! So with or without dill, this bread is a keeper.


After Thanksgiving was over, the leftover loaf made a great sandwich with some swiss cheese, lettuce, and avocado. Yum! And did you notice in the title that it's no-knead? That means no pulling out the pastry board, dirtying extra dishes, and putting your fists into it. Easy breezy yeast bread!


No-Knead Onion Bread
Recipe by Marlene Sorosky in Easy Entertaining with Marlene Sorosky

Note from author: Lots of onion soup mix and dill lace this tender, even-grained peasant loaf. A perfect partner to heaty soups and entrees.

1/4 cup warm water (110 to 115 degrees)
1 package dry yeast
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1 cup small curd cottage cheese
2 tablespoons butter or margarine, cut into small pieces
3 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons dry onion soup mix
1 tablespoon dried dillweed
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 1/2 cups bread flour
1 egg mixed with 1 teaspoon water for glaze
Butter for serving, if desired

Pour water into a large bowl. Stir in yeast and sugar; let sit 5 minutes or until foamy. In a medium saucepan, heat cottage cheese, butter or margarine, honey and onion soup mix until buter melts and mixture is warm to the touch. Stir in dill, baking soda, salt and egg. Stir into yeast mixture. Stir in flour; the batter will be stiff. Cover with a piece of oiled plastic wrap and a damp towel. Set in a warm place and let rise 1 hour or until doubled in bulk. Punch dough down and place in a well greased 9x5x3-inch loaf pan. Cover and let rise 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Brush the top of the loaf lightly with egg glaze. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until the top is browned. Remove from oven, immediately go around edges with a knife and invert loaf. Turn right side up and cool on rack. Serve with butter, if desired.

*The bread may be wrapped in foil and stored at room temperature up to 2 days or frozen.

Makes 1 loaf.


Step-by-Step in Pictures

Combine cottage cheese, butter, honey, and onion soup mix and heat until butter is melted...

Stir in dill, baking soda, salt, and egg...

Add this warm cottage cheese mixture to the yeast, water, sugar mixture...

Add flour. Dough will be stiff...

Cover and let sit about one hour until doubled in size...

Pat into greased loaf pan. Let rise again until doubled in size, then brush with egg wash...

Bake at 350 degrees F for about 40 minutes...

Remove from pan, turn over, and tap the bottom to listen for a hollow sound, which indicates it's done.

Turn it over again so it is right side up and let cool...

Slice and serve!