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A Birthday Party for Dotter With Owls and Fondue

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It seems like just yesterday we celebrated dotter’s 16th birthday. I told her and son they must never grow up but neither one of them listened to me. Son now towers over me and dotter celebrated her 20th birthday this weekend.

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She’s my St Patrick’s Day baby. I told her over lunch the other day about the day she was born. She was mortified. It’s payback for her deciding to grow up.

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I hid her birthday party supplies up high on a shelf but since dotter is also taller than me, I discovered that my high is not high enough. Thankfully she approved. She’s into owls lately.

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But what she did not see was all the hard work and heartache that was going into our party plans. And by heartache, I mean that these are not chocolate. I forgot about them baking for an hour and a half. It’s a six to eight-minute baking time recipe. Sigh.

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Ahhhh that’s better.

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We found these adorable white chocolate shamrock mints at Common Folk in Bellevue, Washington. If you have not been, please do. And tell them I sent you. And buy mints. They are loverly.

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Finally, the big day arrived. Here is dotter smiling with her cake.

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Here is dotter thinking about how amazing 21 will be.

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Here is dotter thinking deep thoughts.

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Here is dotter… well, I don’t know what she’s doing in this picture but she’s adorable, even so.

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And here is dotter ready to eat cake.

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At dotter’s request, we did a fondue party. Here is my cheese fondue recipe.

Cheese Fondue:

  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 3 tablespoons flour
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 1 cup hefferveisen beer
  • 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 tablespoons mustard
  • 2-3 cloves minced or smashed fresh garlic
  • 1-2  teaspoons cayenne pepper (optional)
  • 1 pound block* sharp cheddar cheese, grated (or more, if desired)
  • Sea salt & pepper to taste

Heat olive oil in a large saucepan. Sprinkle in flour and stir & cook for a couple of minutes (don’t skip this step or your fondue will taste yucky – like flour). Add liquids while continuing to whisk. Add remaining ingredients and cook on low heat until cheese is completely melted. Place in fondue pot or in crock pot to keep warm. If heated too high, sauce can separate, so be sure to keep over low heat.

*Block cheese is best because it’s not coated in cornstarch & will melt much better than pre-grated cheese.

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And chicken broth for cooking beef & chicken. Just heat over a high heat (electric fondue pots are best for this) & add sea salt & pepper. Let everyone know how important it is that their raw chicken doesn’t touch their plates and gets cooked thoroughly before eating.

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And this. Isn’t she beautiful? I adopted her from a thrift store. I love her.

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Fresh berries, cutie orange pieces and banana slices ready to dip into the glorious chocolate. I love the Ghirardelli Chocolate 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate Baking Chips because they don’t have the cornstarch coating that normal chocolate chips have. Instead of becoming a thick mess, they melt perfectly.

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Oh, yes, and mini marshmallows.

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“More strawberries, please, Dad.”

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New baby cuddles for Cindy – good for the soul.

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I love the way toddlers smile after each step they take upstairs that they aren’t supposed to be climbing up. This little guy is so cute, he makes me forget there is anything else going on in the room.

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Oh, yeah. Dotter’s birthday. Time for gifts!

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And, finally, cake. Happy birthday, dotter. My Northwest has been brighter and luckier every day since you were born.

Speaking of gifts… it is now time to give away our four tickets to the Seattle Bites Food Tour! Thank you again, Seattle Bites! Let’s do this.

Congratulations to:

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Michele, I hope you and three of your friends enjoy the tour! Congratulations!

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Orange Chocolate Chip Pancakes With Chocolate Syrup

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Because you can never get enough pancake ideas. Because the weekend is almost here. Because I am on an orange and chocolate kick. I present thee with Orange Chocolate Chip Pancakes With Chocolate Syrup.

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Fresh and decadent. Healthy and unhealthy – my speciality. You’re welcome. I’m sorry. You’re welcome.

CHOCOLATE SAUCE:

  • 12 ounces of the best semi-sweet chocolate you can buy (preferably a chocolate bar and not chocolate chips)
  • 1/2 cup warm water, a little more if needed
  • 1/4 cup sugar

Melt chocolate in a double boiler over low heat. Stir in warm water and sugar and stir until dissolved.

ORANGE CHOCOLATE CHIP PANCAKE RECIPE:

  • 1/4 cup buttermilk
  • 3/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (from 2-3 oranges) and zest
  • 2 large eggs
  • 3 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
  • 1 1/2 cups flour
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup chocolate chips (again, the better brand you buy, the better they will taste)

Whisk pancake ingredients minus the chocolate chips together until well combined and smooth.  While squeezing juice out of oranges, save some small pieces of the oranges to add to the pancake batter for added joy. It’s worth it. Trust me. Finally, after batter has been stirred, add chocolate chips into pancake batter.

Place your very best non-stick pan on a burner and preheat to low. It will be tempting to pour the batter upon the pan before it is hot, but do not give in to the temptation. When the time is right, pour 1/3 cup of better into the pan to make about a four-inch pancake.

Wait until the bubbles that form all around the edges of the pancake begin to burst, then flip.

When pancakes are all cooked, stack as high as you like and smother in heavenly, warm chocolate sauce… or with butter and maple syrup. Makes about 11 pancakes.

Garnish with lovely orange slices if you like.

Looking for some helpful pancaking hints? Check out this post on How to make a Perfect Pancake.

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Mini Peanut Butter & Chocolate Do-Si-Do™ Pies With Maple Whipped Cream

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do-si-do (ds-d) n. pl. do-si-dos 1. A movement in square dancing in which two dancers approach each other and circle back to back, then return to their original positions. 2. One of the most popular cookies in the world – the Girl Scout’s crunchy oatmeal sandwich cookie with creamy peanut butter filling that keeps you coming back for more.

In a way, this post is simply a do-si-do… a Girl Scout returning to Girl Scouts – in a very spectacular and high-calorie fashion.

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But, you know, calories don’t count if the dessert is a mini. And you share it with a friend. And you square dance enough.

DO-SI-DO™ CRUST:

  • 2 – eight ounce packages Do-Si-Dos™ Girl Scout cookies
  • 1 stick of butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350F. Place cookies in food processor and process until they become crumbs. Add melted butter and process until all the crumbs are moistened. Use 8  (Aprox. size:  4 3/8 in. dia x 1 3/16 in.*)  small pot pie pans. Press 1/4 cup of crust mixture into each mini pie pan. Bake for about 20 minutes or until golden brown.

*You can use any size pans or ramekins for pies as long as they are oven-safe and singles since this pie is made to be served from the tin. For example, mini tartlette pans are perfect for parties or large gatherings (makes about 16) and a regular pie pan is perfect for a single pie to serve at a family dinner. 

PEANUT BUTTER FILLING:

  • 1 – eight ounce package cream cheese
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1/2 cup peanut butter
  • 1 cup maple whipped cream (recipe below)

Place cream cheese, powdered sugar and peanut butter in a bowl. Whip together with a mixer until completely combined. Using a spatula or large spoon, gently fold maple whipped cream into peanut butter mixture until mixed in. After pie crusts have cooled, place about 1/2 cup of filling onto each pie crust. Spread filling out so that the top is flat. There will be room still for the chocolate topping.

CHOCOLATE TOPPING:

  • 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1/3 cup sugar

Melt chocolate over low heat in a double boiler. Whisk in heavy cream and sugar until completely melted together. The color will turn back to a nice dark brown again when everything is combined. Pour about 1/4 cup of chocolate onto each pie. Gently spread where needed so it covers the peanut butter filling completely. Chill pies on a level tray in the fridge for about an hour or until chocolate topping is firm. If serving later, it’s best to keep them in the fridge until served.

MAPLE WHIPPED CREAM:

  • 3 cups heavy whipping cream
  • 3/4 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 teaspoons maple extract
    (or 1 teaspoon vanilla instead for the plain-hearted)

Whip heavy whipping cream until it reaches soft peaks. Add powdered sugar and maple extract and whip until it reaches stiff peaks. One cup should go into the peanut butter pie filling (see directions above) and the remaining two cups are for decoration. If saving for later, cover with saran wrap and refrigerate for up to two days. If the whipped cream looses its stiffness, it can be rewhipped until stiff peaks are reached again. When ready to serve pies, place whipping cream into a decorating bag with a border decorating tip. Decorate stars around edges of pie and place a swirl in the middle of the pie. If desired, place a Do-Si-Dos™ Girl Scout cookie into the middle swirl on each pie.

For a little extra pizzaz, you can find dark and white Dobla Dark and White Chocolate Straws at your local Cost Plus World Import stores. Break them in half and insert as pictured above.

While we’re talkin’ Girl Scouts, you must check out one of my favorite pages on the Girl Scouts of Western Washington blog where so many amazing, talented ladies are featured. Well, that and the cookie page. I mean, everybody loves Girl Scout cookies. Good news! Cookie sales begin soon… March 1-17th will be the most delicious season on 2013.

 

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Red Wine Chocolate Truffles

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Just when you thought chocolate truffles couldn’t be any better…

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Enter: Red Wine Chocolate Truffles

You know, for when you’re feelin’ all fancy-pants. Of course, they can also be enjoyed while drinking Diet Coke and wearing comfortable yoga pants that you just wore to clean house in too. Don’t ask me how I know. I just do.

RED WINE CHOCOLATE TRUFFLES RECIPE:

  • 20 ounces of the best semi-sweet chocolate you can find, broken into pieces (not chocolate chips)
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 1 1/2 cup red wine
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened, powdered chocolate

Place chocolate pieces into a double boiler low heat to melt chocolate. If you have a candy thermometer, you can make sure the temperature of the chocolate doesn’t go above 110 degrees. Stir occasionally and remove from heat when almost completely melted. Stir occasionally until fully melted.

In a separate pan, bring 1 1/2 cups red wine to a boil over medium heat then turn down medium-low heat to  allow to simmer. Reduce until about 1 cup of wine is left in pan.

Stir reduced red wine and heavy cream into chocolate. Stir until smooth and shiny.

Allow to cool to room temperature then place chocolate in fridge for about 1/2 hour or until firm.

Scoop out chocolate and form into about 1 inch size truffles. Coat  lightly with dark cocoa powder.

Make these for your next party. And by party, I mean feel free to make them to celebrate a successful day of work or cleaning house; or, simply because you just finished reading this blog post. I say celebrate everything. In comfortable yoga pants as often as possible.

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20 Most Popular Posts in 2012

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As I look back on 2012, I realize that sometimes the only thing that held me together was my high-gluten content.

Today, I present thee with the most delicious, gluteness list of my top 20 most visited recipes of 2012. There are even a few healthy ones, including number one.

how to cook steak

Screen Shot 2013-01-01 at 11.03.30 AMScreen Shot 2013-01-01 at 11.02.54 AMHow to Cook Filet Mignon Steak

best potato soup recipe

Screen Shot 2013-01-01 at 11.03.11 AMScreen Shot 2013-01-01 at 11.04.33 AMBaked Potato Soup

how to make corn dogs

Screen Shot 2013-01-01 at 11.03.11 AMScreen Shot 2013-01-01 at 11.04.29 AMMini Corn Dogs Recipe

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how to make pudding

Screen Shot 2013-01-01 at 11.03.11 AMScreen Shot 2013-01-01 at 11.04.22 AMHeavenly Chocolate Pudding Parfaits Recipe

best blackberry crumble

Screen Shot 2013-01-01 at 11.03.11 AMScreen Shot 2013-01-01 at 11.04.16 AMHomemade Blackberry Crumble Recipe

chocolate sheet cake

Screen Shot 2013-01-01 at 11.03.11 AMScreen Shot 2013-01-01 at 11.04.11 AMChocolaty Texas Sheet Cake Recipe

how to make strawberry glaze

Screen Shot 2013-01-01 at 11.03.11 AMScreen Shot 2013-01-01 at 11.04.06 AMStrawberry Glaze and Strawberry Tart Recipe

joey fatone bed and breakfast

Screen Shot 2013-01-01 at 11.03.11 AMScreen Shot 2013-01-01 at 11.03.52 AMSaucy Balsamic Burgers Recipe AKA Saucy Balls

swedish rye bread recipe

Screen Shot 2013-01-01 at 11.03.11 AMScreen Shot 2013-01-01 at 11.03.30 AMSweet Swedish Rye Bread Recipe

best blueberry muffins recipe

Screen Shot 2013-01-01 at 11.03.11 AMScreen Shot 2013-01-01 at 11.03.11 AMBlueberry Cream Cheese Muffins Recipe

fancy party dessert recipe

Screen Shot 2013-01-01 at 11.03.11 AMScreen Shot 2013-01-01 at 11.02.54 AMAlmond Raspberry Truffle Cakes Recipe

best tator tot casserole tater

Screen Shot 2013-01-01 at 11.04.33 AMTator Tot Casserole Recipe

cream cheese mint recipe

Screen Shot 2013-01-01 at 11.04.29 AMButtery Cream Cheese Mints Recipe

better than sex cake

Screen Shot 2013-01-01 at 11.04.22 AMBetter Than Sex Dessert Recipe

joey fatone mud pie dirt cake

Screen Shot 2013-01-01 at 11.04.16 AMMud Pie Recipe

how to make homemade milkshake

Screen Shot 2013-01-01 at 11.04.11 AMButterscotch Milkshake Recipe

homemade fajita seasoning

Screen Shot 2013-01-01 at 11.04.06 AMHomemade Chicken Fajita Seasoning Recipe

blueberry mango smoothie recipe no sugar no gluten-free

Screen Shot 2013-01-01 at 11.03.52 AMLayered Blueberry and Mango Smoothies

how to make a perfect pancake

Screen Shot 2013-01-01 at 11.03.30 AMHow to Make Perfect Homemade Pancakes

seven layer salad recipe

Screen Shot 2013-01-01 at 11.03.11 AMSeven Layer Salad Recipe

Yay, for salad! And bacon. And don’t worry. As much as I enjoy a refreshing, crispy salad, I will continue to bring you all things immoderation.

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Thumbprint Cookies Recipe

Thumbprint Cookies Recipe

It is Christmas cookie baking time. Some adore this season and try to make the fanciest of the fanciest cookies and as many varieties as possible. I’m here to tell you that it can be easier. There is no need to hyperventilate before the next cookie exchange party. Make these classic beauties and you’ll be just as popular as all of the insane bakers.

THUMBPRINT COOKIE RECIPE:

  • 1 cup butter (or two sticks)
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 1 egg
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • If making chocolate filled: Chocolate thumbprint filling (recipe below)
  • If making jelly filled: 8 ounces raspberry (or your fav) jelly or jam – don’t use preserves

Preheat oven to 350F. Cream together butter and sugar. Add egg & salt, then flour. Combine until a nice dough. Scoop using a cookie scoop onto baking sheet covered in parchment paper. Press down centers with thumb or back of cookie scoop while taking care to not let edges crack (so that filling will remain in the middle later) or for “thumbprint” to go down to deep (to prevent cookies from breaking easily from being too weak in the middle).  Bake for about 10 minutes or until you can see they’re turning light golden brown on the bottom.  Make chocolate filling while waiting.

CHOCOLATE THUMBPRINT COOKIE FILLING RECIPE:

  • 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1/4 cup Hershey’s dark cocoa powder
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 3-4 tablespoons hot water

Stir ingredients until smooth. If needed add fourth tablespoon of water. Place in a decorating bag and squirt into centers of cookies when they’re done baking. Use care as to not overfill.

Fill with jelly or chocolate frosting right after they come out of the oven. Jelly is easier to work with when stirred first. Allow to cool & box up to deliver Christmas joy.

For more Christmas: Before pressing down, roll cookie dough balls in candies or glitters or nuts or… oh wait. Starting to sound like one of those insane bakers. I’ll stop now.

One batch makes 30 cookies.

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Easylicious Coconut Macaroon Cookies Recipe

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It is estimated that between 20,000 and 30,000 laborers were needed to build the Great Pyramid at Giza (pronounced “gee-zuh”) in less than 23 years. By comparison, Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris took almost 200 years to complete. But I have wonderful news. You can make these coconut macaroon pyramids in less than one hour with only one laborer and just three ingredients.

  • 6 cups shredded, sweetened coconut
  • One -14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
  • 1 dash of salt
  • 12 ounce bag semi-sweet chocolate (optional)

Preheat oven to 350F. Line 2 half-sheet baking pans with parchment paper. Stir sweetened condensed milk and salt into shredded coconut until coconut is completely coated. Scoop coconut mixture by 1/2 cup fulls at a time onto baking sheets. Press each cookie together just a bit so that it is a little firm.

You can form the cookies into circles or triangles and cookies can be small or large but the size you choose will help determine the baking time. For smaller cookies, watch closely and perhaps decrease baking time.

Bake for about 20 minutes or until cookies are light golden brown. It is important to allow them to cool on the baking sheets before moving. Once cooled, they can be removed with a spatula.

If you like, you can heat up chocolate chips in a double boiler on very low heat and then gently dip or drizzle cookies with chocolate. Place in freezer for about 20 minutes to firm chocolate. Makes about a dozen large macaroons… er… ancient works of art.

 

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Mini Peanutty Chocolate Cheesecakes Recipe

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One of my banking coworkers from the eighties was a saucy belly dancer with a motherly love for the twenty-year-old me. She went on to write a few romance novels right after we parted ways, but I remember her for something far more delicious – her peanutty chocolate cheesecakes. She is a lovely, colorful lady I will never forget and her racy little cheesecakes shall remain close to my heart as well.

CRUST INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 package graham crackers (9 crackers)
  • 4 tablespoons melted butter
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
CHEESECAKE INGREDIENTS:
  • 11 ounces of cream cheese, softened
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
  • 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

Preheat oven to 325F.

Crush graham crackers in food processor then slowly add melted butter and sugar. Line 48 mini muffin tins with mini muffin liners. Press 1 teaspoon of graham cracker into the bottom of each.

Place softened cream cheese into mixing bowl and use whip attachment to whip well. Add sugar and vanilla.

Melt chocolate chips over a double boiler then stir into melted chocolate.

Stir peanut butter into remaining cream cheese.

Place one teaspoon of chocolate mixture and one teaspoon of peanut butter mixture into muffin liners.

Bake for 20-25 minutes. Leave cheesecakes in pan until cool, the place them in fridge to chill.

Serve garnished with whipped cream and your choice of sprinkles just to satisfy your naughty side.

Remember to enter the Trophy Cupcakes give-away – ends on Sunday Nov. 25th at midnight!

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Bavarian Cream-Filled Doughnuts Recipe & Trophy Cupcakes Give-Away

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Family is over for the Thanksgiving weekend and bless-ed Bismarck doughnuts are the answer. They are, in fact, the answer to more things than one might even think. So while your family piles up on the sectional sofa to re-watch Star Wars – the good ones, not the new ones – for the gazillionth time, make this dough and chill the pudding tonight and make sure you have enough Crisco to fill your deep fryer tomorrow.

The answer, bismarks are.

BAVARIAN CREAM FILLING INGREDIENTS (The easy, puddingy version):

  • 2/3 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup cornstarch
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 1/2 cups milk
  • 4 large egg yolks
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a medium saucepan, off heat, whisk together sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Very gradually (a few tablespoons at a time) whisk in milk, taking care to dissolve cornstarch. Whisk in egg yolks. Whisking constantly, cook over medium heat until the first large bubble forms and sputters. Reduce heat to low; still whisking, cook 1 minute.

Remove from heat; immediately pour through sieve into bowl. Stir butter and vanilla into hot pudding.

Place plastic wrap directly on surface of pudding (to prevent skin from forming); chill at least 3 hours. Before serving, whisk until smooth.

CHOCOLATE ICING INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 1/2 cup butter (or 1 stick)
  • 3 cups powdered sugar
  • 3-4 tablespoons hot water

Heat chocolate and butter in a medium-sized microwave-safe bowl in 30 second intervals – stirring in between each interval – until melted. When finished melting, stir until creamy. Add powdered sugar and hot water. Stir again until smooth. Set aside until ready to frost doughnuts.

DOUGHNUT INGREDIENTS:

  • 2 packages of yeast
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1/2 cup warm water (not over 110 degrees)
  • 1 cup warm milk (not over 110 degrees)
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/4 cup butter, softened
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 5 cups flour (approximate)
  • Enough oil for deep fryer

Make Bavarian cream filling and place in fridge as instructed to chill. Dissolve yeast and sugar into warm water and give a quick stir. Cover with a  clean towel and allow to sit for about 20 minutes or until foamy. This will give yeast a good start.

Whisk in milk, eggs butter and salt until well-mixed. Slowly stir in flour one cup at a time until dough becomes medium-firm.

Kneed until dough becomes smooth and elastic. Only add flour as needed during this process the dough should be able to be formed into a ball easily. Cover and allow to sit in a warm place again for about an hour or until dough ball has doubled in size.

Remove towel and when dough has doubled in size, punch it down. Let it rise again for about an hour in a warm place covered by the towel again. (or covered with saran-wrap in the fridge overnight).

After dough has doubled in size again, use about 1/2 cup of dough at a time to form into balls. Flatten the dough balls a bit and place on a baking sheet coated with non-stick spray. Allow to sit for about an hour in a warm place until doubled in size for one last rise.

During last half hour of waiting for dough balls to rise, place shortening in deep fryer and turn on to 325F to preheat. Make chocolate icing and set aside.

After dough balls have doubled in size, place two at a time into deep fryer to cook. Fry the first side for about 3-4 minutes until deep golden brown then flip to cook other side until it is also a deep golden brown (about 3 more minutes).

Place cooked doughnuts onto a baking sheet that has been lined with a few layers of paper towels. Allow to cool.

Using a pastry bag and a pointed decorating or pastry tip, squirt the chilled Bavarian cream into the middle of each doughnut. Frost the tops of each doughnut with chocolate icing.

Recipe makes about a dozen large doughnuts. You can stretch the recipe to make more if you’d like to make them smaller.

Present thee with an opportunity to win Trophy Cupcakes, I must.

I’m giving away a Trophy Cupcakes gift card to three different winners. Each card is worth one dozen cupcakes (a $42 value).

Ways you can enter:

  • Comment on this blog post with your favorite Star Wars quote. If you’ve never seen Star Wars just post your favorite movie quote – we’re nothing if not flexible.
  • Mention @TrophyCupcakes AND @theoldhen in the same tweet. Creativity may earn you more entries. Retweets of this post from @theoldhen count).
  • Share our Bismarck post with your friends on Facebook.

Winners will be chosen using random.org on Sunday, Nov. 25, 2012 and announced Monday morning. The Force is strong with this one.

P.S. It may or may not be truth that I have never seen Star Wars (any of them) for I am a geek from a different universe. I am a kitchen geek. But I solemnly swear that I will watch all of them before my next birthday on February 7th. If you’ve never seen Star Wars, join me. Won’t you? More on my Star Wars commitment later.

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Apricot Almond Mini Cakes Recipe

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I love a gorgeous treat. I love cake. I love almonds. I love chocolate. I don’t love apricots but I do love apricot jam. These little sweets are another Scandia Bakery memory brought to life via my happy memories. These are perfect treats for the holidays. Or just because.

Preheat oven to 350F.

CAKE INGREDIENTS:

  • 4 large eggs
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 1 tablespoon almond extract
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 3/4 cup apricot jelly (for topping)
  • 1 cup sliced almonds (for topping)
  • 2 cups (or 16 ounces) high quality semi-sweet chocolate (for dipping)
Place eggs in mixing bowl. Add sugar and beat on high setting for about 3 minutes or until well combined and frothy. Lower setting on mixer and add flour slowly. Add butter. Mix until butter is completely mixed into batter. Add almond extract, baking powder and salt. Place cake in two 9X13 baking pans that have been sprayed with non-stick baking spray. Bake until fork poked into center of each cake comes out clean – start checking at about 20 minutes.
When cake done baking, remove from oven and allow to cool. Heat apricot jam for about 45 seconds in microwave (not necessary but helpful for spreading). Spread jelly evenly on top of cakes. Chill cakes in fridge for about 20 minutes to firm up jelly and make cake easier to dip into chocolate. Make mini cakes but cutting with a 1 1/2 inch circle cookie cutter. Push the cookie cutter into the apricot topped cake and gently push the cake up through the top to remove from cookie cutter so that the jelly topping stays nice. Place on a parchment paper on a baking sheet.
Dip each mini cake into chocolate up to jelly (coating bottom and sides) using a fork or a chocolate dipping tool. Place dipped cakes back onto the tray covered with parchment paper to cool. When finished will all the cakes, place tray in fridge to set for about a half an hour.
Place in mini cupcake liners or candy liners on a pretty platter to serve.

This recipe makes about 60-70 mini cakes.

Place in a pretty box for hostess gifts, little gifts when going to luncheons or any other reason you can find to bless someone else with almonds, apricot jam, cake and chocolate.

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