Chocolate Raspberry Kit Kat Cake

Two of my favorite combinations are chocolate and raspberry. There is a deli nearby (NYBD in Cary for you local folks) and Tommy, the owner, makes the most amazing chocolate raspberry cookies. It is a butter cookie with a big ol dollop of raspberry jam on top and then dipped in chocolate. They call them OMG cookies because that is pretty much all you can get out when you bite into one. Tommy only makes them on special occasions and if you happen to be there when he does, buy them. There won't be any left past 9am. Trust me. 

I thought I would share my own version of chocolate raspberry heaven. This cake looks like you spent alot of time on it but it is so easy! You will get rave reviews and set high expectations for next time but let's focus on the here and now. 

Here and now is what you need:

 2 Boxes Chocolate Cake (I prefer Devil's food)

2 Tubs of Chocolate Icing

2 Jars of Smuckers Raspberry Preserves

12 Kit Kats (use regular sized Kit Kats, no snack size)

16 oz of raspberries

Raspberry colored ribbon

Glue or Glue gun

Make the cake according to the directions. Of course you can make your cake from scratch if you are like that and don't have a baby attached to you in the Baby Bjorn. Me, I am short on time and free arms, so I use box cake for now. 

 The two boxes will make three 9 inch round cakes. (I only own two pans so I had to bake in shifts.)

 Lay your cakes out on parchment paper and let them cool completely. 

 Using a serrated knife slice the rounded part of the top making a flat top. You won't need the rounded tops- as you can see I placated a certain two year old with one of mine

 After you slice off the top, then slice you cake in half crosswise, making two layers. Repeat with the other two cakes. You should now have six layers.

 At this point I put parchment paper on my spinny cake plate which makes icing the cake super easy. I got it when I coerced my friends Jenna and Ginny to take the Wilton cake decorating class with me back before we  had no kids and lots of free time. Every Tuesday night for 6 weeks we iced beautiful concoctions and every Wednesday our co-workers were so excited to see us! We all probably gained 10 lbs and I am really no better at icing a cake but I do love my spinny cake plate. 

ANYWAY, place the first layer on the parchment paper and spread raspberry preserves on top. Stack layer #2 on top and repeat with 3, 4 and 5. After you slather on the preserves on 5 place layer # 6 on top.

 You should have something that looks like this. It doesn't need to be pretty- that is the beauty of this cake.

 Now ice the cake with the chocolate icing. Again, don't be nervous. No one will see any of the icing. 

 After I have iced the cake completely, I cut the extra parchment paper around the cake and slide it onto the pretty cake stand I am going to use. This is a big cake and is hard to move once it is complete so do it now.

 Kit Kat time!! Open the Kit Kats very carefully. Broken Kit Kats will not do. I actually use scissors to open them because I have broken too many and had to make a quick trip back to the store!

 Place the Kit Kats around the cake like so. The icing with help them stay upright. 

 Next place the raspberries on top of the cake. I start in the middle and work my way out. 

 Til it looks like this! 

 Now it is time to get your ribbon. Wrap the ribbon around the cake and cut it leaving about 2 inches overlap. Put a dot of glue on the overlap piece, wrap it around the cake and secure the ends. 

 Tada!!!

 You have a cake that is a gorgeous as it is yummy! And it is even better the second day when the preserves have soaked in the cake so hide a few pieces for leftovers. I hope you have an occasion for this cake very soon or no reason at all except raspberries are in season! 

 My reason was for the wonderful father of my three little people! We all enjoyed it and I hope you will to!

Blueberry Boy Bait

One of my favorite food blogs is Smitten Kitchen. I found this yummy recipe a while back and it is perfect for all those blueberries around right now. Also perfect for boys as it's name declares. But grandparents, neighbors and small children seem to love it as well (that was my focus group). You decide. But with 2 sticks of butter how can you go wrong? 

Gather up the following: 

2 cups plus 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon table salt
16 tablespoons unsalted butter (2 sticks), softened
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 cup milk
1 cup blueberries 

Topping
1/2 cup blueberries
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt in a bowl. Set aside.

Beat the butter and sugars with an electric mixer on medium high speed until fluffy- about two minutes. Add eggs one at a time while beating. 

While continuing to mix, add in half of the flour mixture, then half the milk, then the rest of the flour and then the rest of the milk. 

Toss in the blueberries with a rubber spatula. 

Pour the mixture into a 9 x12 greased baking dish. 

Time to top the cake. Spread more blueberries over the batter. 

Mix the sugar and cinnamon and then pour over the blueberries. 

Bake at 350 for 45- 50 minutes

YUM!! You can bait alot of boys with this!

Blueberry Boy Bait

Full Recipe

Courtesy of Smitten Kitchen

2 cups plus 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon table salt
16 tablespoons unsalted butter (2 sticks), softened
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 cup whole milk (though buttermilk, which was all I had on hand, worked just great)
1/2 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen (if frozen, do not defrost first as it tends to muddle in the batter)

Topping
1/2 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen (do not defrost)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

For the cake: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 13 by 9-inch baking pan.

Whisk two cups flour, baking powder, and salt together in medium bowl. With electric mixer, beat butter and sugars on medium-high speed until fluffy, about two minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until just incorporated and scraping down bowl. Reduce speed to medium and beat in one-third of flour mixture until incorporated; beat in half of milk. Beat in half of remaining flour mixture, then remaining milk, and finally remaining flour mixture. Toss blueberries with remaining one teaspoon flour. Using rubber spatula, gently fold in blueberries. Spread batter into prepared pan.

For the topping:
Scatter blueberries over top of batter. Stir sugar and cinnamon together in small bowl and sprinkle over batter. Bake until toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Cool in pan 20 minutes, then turn out and place on serving platter (topping side up). Serve warm or at room temperature. (Cake can be stored in airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days.)