Chocolate Cake with Sweet Cream Strawberry Frosting

The cake

• Butter, for greasing the pans (or cooking spray)
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pans
• 2 cups sugar
• 3/4 cups cocoa powder (free trade cocoa if you can!)
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup shaken whole milk
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• • • 1 cup freshly brewed coffee

The frosting

1/4 cup softened butter
1 8 ounce container mascarpone, at room temperature
1 cup frozen strawberries
2 tablespoons raspberry (or whatever you have) jam
4-5 cups powdered sugar

Chocolate Cake:

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Butter and flour two 8 inch round non-stick cake pans.

Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder in salt into a large bowl. In a separate bowl, use an electric mixer to combine milk, oil, eggs, and vanilla. Using the electric mixer, slowly add the wet ingredients into the dry. With the mixer on low, add the coffee. Use a spatula to finish mixing (the electric mixer could potentially over-mix the batter!) Pour the batter into the cake pans and cook for 35-40 minutes.

When you take out the cakes, allow them to cool completely before you frost them. Trust me... it's worth the wait.

I've got a secret to share with you... whoever you are. Right after you put the cake in the oven, fill a large basting pan with ice and place it on the bottom rack of the oven. I use this trick for a lot of oven baked goodies, and it makes everything so moist!

Sweet Cream Strawberry Frosting:

Cream butter and mascarpone with an electric mixer until soft and fluffy. Mix in the jam and strawberries. Slowly add in the powdered sugar to your desired consistency. Eat some.

Red Potato and Leek Soup with Thyme Crunchies

Mmmmmm. Winter food. Soul food. Couldn't be easier.

For the soup:

-2 tbsp olive oil

-2tbsp butter

-6 (or so) cups vegetable stock

-3 whole leeks, chopped

-6 large red potatoes or 12 small, chopped

-1 white or yellow onion

-3 cloves garlic

-salt and pepper

-dill, to taste

-thyme, to taste

Crunchies (croutons, whatever)

-half a loaf of french bread

-olive oil for drizzling

-salt and pepper

-5 or 6 sprigs of thyme

Melt the butter in a pot, toss in minced garlic and diced onion. When onions are translucent, drizzle pan with olive oil and throw in chopped leaks. Cook for 5 minutes, and then add the remaining ingredients. Bring pot to a boil, and reduce to a simmer. Allow soup to cook and get all yummy for 30-40 minutes, depending on how tender you like your potatoes. Season to taste, and don't forget to add the croutons! I sprinkled a little parmesan cheese on top... because cheese = YUM.

For the crunchies, prehead the oven to 400.

Cut up the bread into cubes and throw the pieces on a baking sheet. Drizzle the olive oil over the bread, and then sprinkle the salt, pepper and time over top. Mix the bread around with your hands to coat the pieces. Bake for 10 minutes. *Cronsh* :]