I have a deep dark secret to confess, Friends.
*cringe*
Brace yourself: I went for a run the other night and then came home and topped it off with handfuls of Ruffles potato chips and a light beer.
There!
I said it.
Arrrrrrrrrgh!!!!!
The disgrace and personal frustration!
It makes me growl like a pirate!
Oh, and another confession?
I didn’t make those coconut lime bars this week.
I made them, oh, around 8 months ago. . . so. . . .
Anyway. I haven’t had junk in a while.
All those healthy salad recipes are going to my brain – and sabotaging my workouts.
So let’s just face the problem head-on.
Give me chocolate and give me sweet.
STAT.
Like in six minutes – plus/minus a few minutes for drippy, milky, caramel-y syrup.
Did I really just say “plus/minus”?
Who are we kidding.
Who’s going to forgo caramel-y drippy syrup??!
If it’s you, don’t tell me. I’d rather live in a little bubble believing that everyone is incapable of resisting sticky-sweet perfection.
And another thing? Stuff’s getting a little crazy around here.
Like Double Giveaway crazy.
I’m going to give you some awesome coffee.
Because it’s awesome, and the cause behind the DOMA La Bicicletta blend is awesome. And the artwork on the packaging is awesome. And it’s awesomely roasted in awesome Idaho. And I happen to think that the facts that it is organic, fair trade, and eco-friendly make it even awesomer.
(Awesomer will be a word, just for today, just for this post, just in relation to DOMA coffee and the La Bicicletta Blend).
And, DOMA’s fundraiser for the Bender family ends on April 30th, so when you win, I donate, and the Benders benefit.
It’s a win-win-win.
Oh! And add on another win, because this cake that happens in SIX MINUTES?
It takes one cup of hot-brewed coffee. If you’re lucky, you can use a cup of your winnings.
Wiiiiiin!
The one year subscription to Fitness magazine?
That’s from me to you.
Because if we’re similar in any way, we live a life of balanced extremes – loving our sweets chock full of milky, caramel-y goodness, and shots of awesome coffee, but understanding the need for – even, *gasp*, craving healthy food and exercise.
And I just have a weakness for magazines.
Plus, I have a weakness for you.
Put two of my favorite things together, and I feel like the world is a happier place. . . . YOU + GOOD READS = HAPPY.
So the cake?
You can take it to this point with one dish and six hands-on minutes and call it good:
Top it with a little shake of powdered sugar and it’s a rapid, tasty dessert. Perfect in emergency situations and after a tough day when chocolate-without-fuss is necessary.
Buuuuuuut. . .
if you need a little more. . . everything, then let’s take a few extra minutes to make the creamy caramel sauce.
This cake, sauce and all, is affectionately referred to in my family as Ugly Cake, and hints at the flavor of a caramel macchiato.
It IS ugly, but in the wise words of my Spanish-Cuban neighbor, “Who cares if it’s ugly if it tastes good!”
You’re going to have extra sauce.
It’s perfectly OK. Save it for ice cream, or, ummm, coffee. . . or another cake next week.
And in my version, it’s comes out with funky little dark salt speckles.
I’m sure this is a chef’s faux pas.
I’m sure it is technically wrong.
I’m also sure I’m totally cool with it.
I like the dark, rustic speckles and spots of salt that come through with each bite.
I hope it’s OK with you too.
If not, I’d say just add your salt in with the butter in the beginning instead of waiting until the end.
It’s up to you.
Speckles, no speckles. Take your pick.
And take a minute to enter the giveaway below! (It’s only open until Monday 11:59 pm, so don’t delay!!)
Oh, and another confession you should probably know?
When I started this whole shebang on Facebook, I wasn’t all that computer/internet savvy.
There are two FB pages floating around out there – one of which I have personally locked myself out of. (Don’t ask. I can’t even explain it. . . . .)
So, I have the correct link set up in the Rafflecopter window. Just click there, and you’re all set with the proper page. If you “liked” Home is Where the Cookies are a while ago, and you notice nothing ever happens there and the picture is different, well, come on over to the up-and-running page. (Do it through the contest and get another entry, if you want!)
‘K. Thanks for sticking with me, lack of internet savvy and all.
Let’s take off and WIN.
And make some cake. . . .
This cake (minus the creamy caramel sauce) comes together in six minutes hands-on time, using only one dish. Perfect! If you want a little more decadence (and a cake that tastes deliciously similar to a caramel macchiato), begin preparing the caramel sauce while your cake is baking in the oven - the sauce takes about 15 minutes. Pour it over the warm cake when the sauce is still steamy hot, and you have a gooey, scrumptious dessert in about 30 minutes.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 Cups all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup hot brewed coffee
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons vinegar
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup firmly packed, light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup light corn syrup
- 1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
- 1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt, and sugar into an ungreased 8-inch square, or 9-inch round baking pan. In a 2-cup measuring cup, measure and mix together the oil, hot coffee, and vanilla. Pour the liquid ingredients into the baking pan and mix the batter with a fork. When the batter is smooth, add the vinegar and stir quickly. There will be pale swirls in the batter where the baking soda and the vinegar are reacting. Stir just until the vinegar is evenly distrubuted throughout the batter. Bake for 25-30 minutes*. Remove cake from oven and cool on a wire rack.
*If you are making the caramel sauce, begin about 10 minutes into the baking time, so that your sauce will be ready the same time as your cake.
In a medium saucepan, melt the butter. Add the brown sugar and corn syrup and whisk gently until even. Heat over medium heat until the edges start to bubble; then let it bubble and cook for 3 minutes. After 3 minutes, remove from heat. Whisk in first the sweetened condensed milk, then the salt. Stir until even. Keep warm until cake is out of the oven.
When cake is done baking, pierce several times, all over the cake, with a wooden skewer. While both the cake and sauce are still on the hot side of warm, pour the caramel sauce over the cake. You will only need to use about half of the sauce recipe - but feel free to splurge. The sauce will seep into the cake through the holes.
Serve warm and falling apart, or allow to cool for sturdier slices.
Source
Cake recipe adapted slightly from Moosewood Restaurant Cooks At Home cookbook; creamy caramel sauce by Sara| Home is Where The Cookies Are
