Ingredients

1 cup extra- virgin olive oil

1½ cups buttermilk

2 eggs

1 tsp white wine vinegar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1-2 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder

2½ cups all- purpose flour

1½ cups granulated sugar

⅛ – ¼ tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1 (1-oz) container red food coloring

1 (1-oz) container blue food coloring

Frosting Ingredients

1 (8- oz) package cream cheese (reduced fat) (room temperature)

1 stick unsalted butter/margarine (room temperature)

1-2 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups confectioner’s sugar

1-2 Tbsp milk (optional)

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Grease two, 9-inch round cake pans.
3. In a mixer with a paddle attachment or a mixing bowl with a hand mixer, mix oil, buttermilk, eggs, vinegar, and vanilla extract until creamy.
4. In a medium bowl, add cocoa powder, flour, sugar, salt, and baking soda and whisk/sift to combine.
5. Slowly combine dry ingredients with wet, mixing on low speed.  Scrape sides while mixing.  Mix until smooth and well combined.
6. Divide batter in half into two bowls.
7. Fold in/lightly combine food colorings to batter, with one color in each bowl.
8. Pour cake batters into the 2 greased pans.
9. Bake in oven for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into each cake comes out clean.  Turn pans once halfway through baking process.  Remove cakes when done and let cool in pans.
10. While cakes are baking, beat cream cheese, butter/margarine, and vanilla extract in a mixer/mixing bowl until frosting is light and fluffy.
11. Slowly pour in confectioner’s sugar, mixing on low speed at first.  Once sugar is completely incorporated, increase speed and mix until creamy.  If too thick, add milk.
12. When the cakes are completely cool, remove one cake from pan and place on a cake stand.  Spread a layer of icing, covering top completely.
13. Lay the other cake on top of the first one.  Completely ice the rest of the cake.  Serves 6-8.

Food Coloring Colors for the Holidays

Fourth of July – red and blue
Christmas – red and green

chefs’ tips

When cracking an egg, a stray piece of shell may fall in with it.  Remove quickly by scooping it up with a larger piece of eggshell.

Alternatives

Ingredients

1 (5 oz) box strawberry gelatin

1 (5 oz) box lime gelatin

1 (16 oz) container whip topping (fat free)

1 angel food cake

cookie cutters (optional)

Preparation

1. Make gelatin as directed on boxes in separate baking dishes.  Refrigerate as directed.
2. Cut/tear off the brown edges of angel food cake.   Cut cake into small, bite-size pieces.  Set aside.
3. If using cookie cutters for a specific holiday, cut out 1-2 small designs from jelled gelatin to use on top for decoration.  Set gelatin decorations aside.  Cut remaining gelatin into small cubes.
4. In a trifle/tall glass bowl, create a bottom layer using some of the red cubed gelatin.
5. Add a layer of whip topping, covering the red gelatin.
6. Cover whip topping, using some of the green gelatin.
7. Add another layer of whip topping covering green gelatin.
8. Then add a layer of cubed angel food cake.
9.  Add another layer of whip topping covering angel food cake.
10. Repeat the same gelatin /whip topping layering until top is reached.  The top layer should consist of whip topping.
11. Place holiday gelatin shapes in the center on top.  Use any remaining gelatin cubes to decorate around the edge.
12. Refrigerate.   Serves 8-10.

gelatin colors for the seasons:
January – blue or blue and purple

February – pink and red

March / April / May – any spring colors

including blue, yellow, purple, pink, or green

June – yellow and blue

July – red and blue

August / September – yellow and blue

October / November – orange, yellow, red, or green

December – red and green

Alternatives

Dreamsicle Ice Box Pie Demo from Inspired Art of Cooking on Vimeo.

Ingredients

12 oz frozen orange juice concentrate (Slightly thawed)

1 (8 oz) container whip topping (fat free)

1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk

2 graham cracker pie crusts

Preparation

1.  In a bowl, mix orange juice concentrate with whip topping and condensed milk.

2.  Pour into graham cracker pie crusts.  Cover and freeze for 8 hours.  Serves 12-16.

Alternatives

Ingredients

2 Tbsp – ¼ cup cinnamon

⅓ – ½ cup brown sugar

⅓ – ½ cup granulated sugar

¼ – ⅓ cup flour

1 lb pizza dough of your choice

½ cup melted butter/margarine

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 375° or as directed on packaging.

2. Combine cinnamon, brown sugar, and granulated sugar in a shallow baking dish.

3. Sprinkle flour on a flat surface for easy rolling and to prevent sticking.

4. Roll out dough with a little flour on rolling pin into a rectangle, measuring ⅛ – ¼-inch in thickness.

5. Brush butter/margarine all over both sides of dough with pastry/basting brush.

6. Cut dough into long, vertical strips about ½-inch wide.  Then cut long strips in half.

7. Take two strips and crisscross from one end to the other.  Press ends together to prevent coming apart.  Repeat with remaining strips.

8. Completely coat twists in cinnamon, brown sugar and granulated sugar.

9. Bake on non-stick baking sheet in oven for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.

10. Let cool.  Serves 10-12.

Alternatives

Tip

• Prevent brown sugar from hardening by storing it with a terracotta disc that has been soaked in water for 15 minutes and dried off.  If hardened, place a damp paper towel or apple slice in airtight container for several hours to make soft again.

Chocolate Covered Strawberries

Ingredients

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

½ – ¾ cup heavy whipping cream

⅛ – ¼ tsp teaspoon cinnamon

⅛ tsp grated nutmeg

small pinch cayenne pepper (optional)

15- 20 strawberries

Preparation

1.  Make a double boiler by filling a saucepot with 1-2 inches of water and set to medium heat to simmer.

2.  Add a glass bowl inside saucepot.  It should sit down in the pot but not touch water.

3. Melt chocolate chips in glass bowl and mix with heavy whipping cream until smooth.  Add cinnamon, nutmeg and cayenne pepper (optional).

4.  Stir often while chocolate is melting.  Once melted, remove glass bowl from saucepot.

5.  Dip strawberries into chocolate until covered.  Reapply as necessary.

6.  Set aside on wax or parchment paper to cool.  Serves 4-6.

Tips

-  If you cannot make a double boiler, pour cream into a saucepot and simmer on stovetop.  When cream has started to simmer, pour it over the chocolate chips/chopped chocolate in a large bowl and stir until melted and creamy.

-  For a quick way to make this dessert, simply put chopped chocolate in a microwave bowl and melt until smooth.  Then dip strawberries in melted chocolate.

-  To maintain longer freshness and to prevent having water-logged strawberries, do not wash them until you’re ready to eat them.  To maximize freshness, store in refrigerator by putting them in a dish and placing paper towels in between each layer of strawberries.

Alternatives