Chocolate recipes for all tastes

With Valentine's Day coming up next week, you know what that means....chocolate! Chocolate is the one food we tend to connect with this special day and it's an American favorite. Today and all next week, I'll be sharing chocolate recipes, so please check in this next week for some fabulous chocolate treats!

Let's talk about what chocolate is and where it comes from. According to Wikipedia, the word chocolate comes from the Nahuatl language of the Aztecs of Mexico and means "bitter water". In the New World, chocolate was consumed in a bitter and spicy drink called "xocoatl", which was seasoned with vanilla, honey or chili peppers. It was believed to fight fatigue and even today, many people still eat chocolate to fight fatigue.

Though chocolate is high in calories because of the ingredients, cocoa by itself has no calories and will only contain calories once it's combined with sugar and fat. The three basic blends of chocolate are dark chocolate, milk chocolate and white chocolate. Interestingly enough, white chocolate really isn't chocolate at all, since there's no cocoa liquor in it. In fact, if you buy it in the stores, the label will usually read "white baking bar", since it technically can't be called chocolate.

Chocolate is very temperature and humidity sensitive. The best storage temperature is between 59-63 degrees, with a relative humidity of less than 50%. Chocolate should be stored away from other foods since it can absorb other aromas. It really should be wrapped and kept in a dark place, as sunlight and heat can cause it to turn gray. This is caused by cocoa butter crystals forming on the surface of the chocolate. The changes the flavor of the chocolate slightly, though it can still be used. It's not that the chocolate is old, but rather, it's just gotten too warm.

Now that you've received an education on chocolate, let's bake something with it! Today, I'm sharing a great cake recipe that won someone $300! The recipe "$300 Fudge Cake", is very rich (pardon the pun!) and sweet and worth the calories! Very easy to make, it's a great recipe to have handy when you need a cake on short notice. While the cake bakes, the icing can be made and when the cake comes from the oven, the icing is poured over it and once it's cooled, you can indulge!

This is baked in a 9x13 inch pan, which makes the cake wonderful for when you have to take a dessert somewhere. Another advantage is that it calls for just regular cake ingredients, with nothing exotic or very expensive, so that make this an economical recipe. It's also full of rich, chocolate flavor, so you can't ask for much more than that!

I shared a series of recipes using chocolate last year about this time. One of them was for a "Black Forest Cherry Cake", which is that luscious combination of chocolate and cherries, woven into a moist cake. In case you missed it, here's the link to it:

www.examiner.com/article/chocolate-cherries-a-perfect-match-for-valentin...

Have fun making and serving this cake! You may not get $300 for it, but you'll sure to win someone's heart this Valentine's Day!

$300 FUDGE CAKE

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup vegetable oil (correct amount)
• 1 stick butter
• 4 tablespoons baking cocoa
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a large bowl, combine the flour and sugar. In a saucepan, place the water, oil, butter and cocoa. Bring to a fast boil and boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Let cool and add to the flour and sugar, mixing well (I usually do this with a sturdy spoon and not use an electric mixer). Add the eggs, buttermilk and baking soda and beat again until smooth and everything is combined. Pour into a greased or sprayed 9x13 inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-50 minutes. While cake is baking, prepare the icing:

Icing:

• 1/3 cup milk
• 4 tablespoons baking cocoa
• 1 stick butter
• 1 pound pkg. confectioner's sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a large saucepan, place the milk, cocoa and butter. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat and add the sugar and beat until smooth. Add the vanilla and beat until well combined. Pour over the cake as soon as it comes from the oven and let cool.