A Date with Chocolate Cake :)

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A date with chocolate! Now that's a date I'd never pass on. If you have been a regular visitor to my blog you must know by now that I have a clear obsession with chocolate. Most of my baked goodies are either chocolate based or consist of nutella or both. I don't have much of a sweet tooth, so-much-so that every time I eat anything sweet, I immediately need to eat something savory or spicy to 'clean' my palate. With chocolate, the story is a little different. Every time I think of dessert, I think chocolate. Even when I am online looking for ideas, I type chocolate based search words... even when I am blog hopping, the category I check is chocolate baked goodies. You get the idea.

I regularly make a date based breakfast cake that hubs loves to eat with his cereal before he leaves for work every morning. This time around, when I was in the mood to bake some cake with the leftover dates I got the other day, while mixing the batter came the bright (read:obvious for me) idea of adding chocolate and the result was magical, a soft chocolaty perfect breakfast cake. Added bonus is now I can eat it for breakfast too. Being butterless and eggless makes it even better.

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Double Dark Chocolate Cappuccino Muffins (Eggless and Whole Wheat)

s I was browsing around my own creations on USMasala the other day - which by-the-way I do much too less often as much as I would like to - I realized that I haven't blogged lately about any dish with one of my most favorite ingredients - Chocolate. It was also surprising to me as I make something that has chocolate in it almost every other day for my little one.

So here is a recipe for a baked chocolcate goodie that is one of the most common and most loved in my  household. I make a small batch of these muffins atleast twice a week and they serve me well mostly as a quick snack when kiddo gets back from her pre-school.

Now as this is a regular, it has to be healthy. So you will notice the use of whole wheat flour and olive oil and zero butter. You can use whole wheat flour or even whole wheat pastry flour, any that is locally available. To kick it up a notch, addition of coffee is a must for me in anything that I make with chocolate especially when baking.

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Homemade Granola and Granola Trifle

runchy and nutty, fruity and filling, Granola is my "do not feel guilty after snacking" snack. I keep a big jar of it on the counter at all times for those late afternoon hunger pangs :)

There is no set recipe for granola besides a few basic components that are - rolled grains like oats, nuts and seeds, oil, spices, sweetener. Their homemade version is always the best as they can be easily customized to your personal preference. You can control the amount and type of sugar and oil, add your favorite nuts and choose your own grains. It works even better for those of us who have certain food allergies as you can rest assured of the contents of your snack. Granola has a good shelf life so you can make enough in advance to see you through for a few days or even weeks, not to mention it ends up being a lot cheaper too compared to buying from the store.

I always thought granola would be a bit a little tricky to make. But I soon found to my pleasant surprise they’re really not. It took me under an hour from start to finish, the hardest part being chopping the nuts (which you can simplify by getting the chopped ones from the store :)  Simply mix everything, boil some syrup mix both together in a big bowl and pour them into a baking dish. Done!

I can munch on fistfuls of this fabulous snack but one of my favorite ways to eat this is also as a Trifle. I cannot think of a better way to start the day than with a bowl of fresh fruit and berries and plain greek yogurt topped with homemade granola.

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The best chocolate cake ever!

The celebration of Love is the most special kind of celebration. Love is eternal and omnipresent. It needs no special day or moment to be enjoyed but still having a day a year in our lives when we take time out to sit back and marvel at its wonders, express it in our own unique ways to show our loved ones that they are special is very welcome.
You might think I made my favorite chocolate cake this year; well you are right, this is my favorite chocolate cake but the reason for me making it this year is actually hubby. Believe it or not, he is not much of a chocolate lover (the one thing I don't understand!) but this chocolate cake he totally loves. At a good time, he can eat a couple of whole big slices. This cake was in fact the one that actually get him a little interested in chocolate since when I first made it (I owe you Ina for this one big time). The coffee and chocolate with the yummy butter-cream frosting is actually enough to create magic but throw in a couple of pink and red hearts and sit down with a slice each with your beloved and then tell me if you don't experience magic!

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