Hi everyone. And happy T day to all of the lovely people who visit from Bleubeard's and Elizabeth's blog.
I know I say this most months, but I can't believe it is already the end of April. Of course since we had that big snowstorm at my house early in the month, and since that snow took a week to melt, it made the start of April not feel like April. Plus we've had a lot of cool weather besides that snow. We've even still had first thing in the morning temperatures below freezing a few days just last week.
A few Mondays ago Massachusetts and Maine celebrated the Patriots Day holiday. Since my daughter now works in Massachusetts, she had the day off. We decided to meet at a location fairly equidistant between us to have lunch and do a bit of shopping. We met in Lebanon, New Hampshire, which is right on the Vermont border and just a short drive to King Arthur Flour.
The only 2 things I wanted at King Arthur was some of their cocoa blend (I bought) and their caster sugar (they were out of), but I noticed their store now has a lot of their mixes. I've tried a few before, and they were good. I had been craving an old fashioned yellow cake with chocolate frosting, and I decided that maybe if I tried a box of their chocolate buttercream (frosting) it might make less work when I went to make the cake.
Last week I ended up making the cake. I still had to add 2 sticks of butter and a bit of water to the frosting mix, and I still had to pull out my mixer to make this buttercream. I will admit it was the most yummy chocolate frosting from a box or jar I'd ever had. Not 100% easier than making homemade chocolate frosting, but definitely quicker.
I had already eaten half my slice when I remembered to take a photo. And you can see my first drink for T, which is a glass of skim milk.
The cake was homemade; I used a recipe from America's Test Kitchen The Perfect Cake cookbook. I'd use this recipe again as it was moist and very tender. If anyone wants the recipe let me know and I'll post it next week for T.
King Arthur Flour not only has a store, but they have a bakery on the premises. Of course after we shopped we had to have a little treat. My daughter had a chocolate croissant and a box of water. She said the croissant was delicious . I had one of their rye-sea salt brownies, which I had had last time I visited back in the fall, along with a large cup of hot chai tea. I really want to find their exact recipe for these brownies because they are really delicious. I have their brownie recipe in their cookbook, but I'm not sure how much rye flour I would need to substitute. Anyone have any idea?
It's a good thing I've been doing so much yard work lately because April hasn't exactly been a low calorie month-grin.
That's my post for T this week. I hope you have a great T day and week ahead.
19 comments:
Happy T day wishes.
Your cake looks delicious.
All the best Jan
...can I assume that all of this is low-cal?
Actually going to the King Arthur store sounds like a really great way to spend an afternoon. I’d love to try some of the treats they make in their kitchens. I love their catalog, too, but most of the items seem way too pricy when you add in shipping, so I stick to the places that are close to home, like Zingerman’s bakehouse which is the baking mecca here in Ann Arbor. They sell lots of specialty flour: specifically, any product that is used in their baking can be purchased by the pound at the shop.
Have a great week crafting and gardening!
best, mae at maefood.blogspot.com
Ohhh that looks so good. I'm wondering how much the Chocolate was. With the price of cocoa so high. I have been stocking up on anything Chocolate that is cook with. The cake looks amazing.
Yummy cake! -Christine cmlk79.blogspot.com
The cake looks decadent and so tempting with the frosting.
I have always liked King Arthur products a lot. Their gluten free mixes are really good too. I have never looked into a frosting mix yours looks really good. Yes I would love your cake recipe
I can't believe April is almost over either. before I know it Missouri will be heating up a lot once May gets here. Happy new week Hugs Kathy
Wonderful That you got to spend fun time with your daughter. Glad the mix was faster and tasty.
Your chocolate cake looks so sweet...
maybe someday i'll learn to make brownies too...
King Authors’s sounds like a great place. Your cake looks scrumptious. I wouldn’t mind having the recipe. Thank you. Happy t Day.
I really had to laugh. No. I would not sneak away anything of your cakes. You can always enjoy fully, even if I visited (invent beaming and I would, maybe bring a pizza).
Tender.
At Siemens they spoke of tender and I thought, "hey, I will NOT cook for you!!!!" It´s when your bid (and in my brain it was "bit" - do I count 1 and 0???) is successful. Glad I never asked!
So, thank you for this funny start into the day, hope you have a great one, hugs!
I admit the chocolate buttercream frosting looks delicious, but it still looks like a pain to make. Two sticks of butter is 1/2 pound. No wonder it was rich. It sure spread nicely. America's Test Kitchen has some wonderful recipes, but they always seem to include items or products I never use (like the scales that are needed to weigh the flour). I would love to get the recipe, though, since I need a yellow cake for pineapple upside down cake.
One nice thing I immediately noticed at King Arthur's bakery was there was no Styrofoam. That made me happy.
I was just getting over the shock of the chocolate frosting, when you sprung the chocolate croissant on me. And I don't have a single bit of chocolate in the house. Thanks for taking us to King Arthur's, sharing your cake with us, as well as your brownie, the croissant, your skim milk, water, and tea for T this week, dear Erika.
Sound took a lovely day with your daughter. I'm glad aloha
It sounds like you had an eventful month, despite the lingering wintry weather! Meeting up with your daughter for lunch and shopping sounds like a wonderful way to spend Patriots Day. And how exciting to visit King Arthur Flour—those mixes must offer some tasty shortcuts for baking! It's always nice to have some convenience without sacrificing quality. Here's to more enjoyable outings and delicious treats in the months ahead. By the way, don't forget to check out my latest blog post!
Your cake looks wonderful, and I would love to try the frosting, yummy! King Arthur is a place I would love to see, too. I have the weekly shopping on my agenda, for me and for Heike, so it will be a lot! And tomorrow we start our duo.... Happy T Day, Valerie!
Looks like the calories are jumping into your mouth before you even take the first bite! All the best - David
Such a delicious post! I've always wanted to go the King Arthur Flour. Yellow cake and chocolate frosting such a classic! Why don't you call King Arthur to ask how much rye flour to use? Happy T Day
I'm glad to know their mixes are good -- sometimes that's just the easiest, best thing to have. And it sounds like a wonderful day out. I'd love to go there some time!
Oh I love cakes, that's why I... don't make them!!! Ha ha!!! I need to lose 5 kilos!!! Kisses, my friend.
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