Sharing the love...

This is my Dad's favorite cake! I've tried different recipes and this one is my favorite! I adapted it from the King Arthur Flour website. The sourdough is not sour at all, it's just a delightful undertone! And please don't forget the coffee...it brings out the true nature of chocolate in this cake! Happy Baking! :)


Sourdough Chocolate Cake

cake
1 cup "fed" sourdough starter
1 cup milk (whole milk or 2% preferred) or evaporated milk
2 cups All-Purpose Flour
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 cup unsweetened baking cocoa (Dark or Dutch process works great!!)
1 tablespoon instant coffee
2 large eggs


icing
6 cups confectioners' sugar
3/4 cup butter
1/2 cup plain yogurt or buttermilk
1 tablespoon + 1 1/2 teaspoons espresso powder (or instant coffee)
1 tablespoon hot water

drizzle
1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 tablespoon milk
1 tablespoon corn syrup

1) Combine the "fed" starter, milk, and flour in a large mixing bowl. Cover and let rest at room temperature for 2 to 3 hours. It won't necessarily bubble, but it may have expanded a bit.

2) Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9" x 13" pan.

3) In a separate bowl, beat together the sugar, oil, vanilla, salt, baking soda, cocoa. and espresso powder. The mixture will be grainy.

4) Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

5) Gently combine the chocolate mixture with the starter-flour-milk mixture, stirring till smooth. This will be a gloppy process at first, but the batter will smooth out as you continue to beat gently.

6) Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

7) Bake the cake for 30 to 40 minutes, until it springs back when lightly pressed in the center, and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean.

8) Remove the cake from the oven, and set it on a rack to cool while you make the icing.

9) Sift the confectioners' sugar into a large mixing bowl, and set it aside.

10) In a small saucepan set over medium heat, melt the butter and add the buttermilk or yogurt. Dissolve the espresso powder in the hot water, add to the pan, and bring the mixture just to a boil.

11) Immediately pour the simmering liquid over the confectioners' sugar in the bowl, and beat till smooth.

12) Pour the warm frosting over the cake. If you wait too long and the frosting stiffens up, spread it over the cake.

13) Combine the chocolate chips, milk, and corn syrup in a microwave-safe cup. Microwave till the chips soften, then stir till smooth.

14) Drizzle/drip the chocolate over the icing. You can do this while the icing is still warm, or wait till it's cooled.

An ABC update!

I know it's been several months since I've posted so here is an unusual update with some highlights from these past months!

A- is for apples- pineapples! We live in Trinidad and it's so beautiful here! It doesn't matter where you live, there is beauty around you....learn to see it and appreciate it! When I lived in the rolling hills of Arkansas...I thought it would be so neat and beautiful to live by the ocean...and now I live on a tropical island and it's amazingly beautiful...but don't fail to see the beauty where you are!

B- is for birthdays- December has four birthdays in it! Dad had his birthday and I made the traditional sourdough chocolate cake! (It's really yummy! You should try it!) Silas turned 11. ELEVEN. I think personally that is a crime, but so is Nathan turning 20! What?! That's ridiculous! But we're not going to talk about my own precious little guy Miles turning 14!

C- is cherishing the moments and friends- Time seems to be flying by so quickly! And we are really learning to love the people here and make some very good friends. You have to learn to treasure the moments because they slip by so fast! Learn to appreciate the people in your life and be faithful so we'll all be together in heaven!

D- is for dengue- In early October there was a round of dengue that went through several of the students and was a little scary! Dengue is a mosquito borne tropical fever. A couple of the student were in the hospital with it, and let me just say that the hospital experience here and in the US is vastly different. Think carry your own sheets and pillow...waiting for half a day or longer to get a bed...But they survived and are well again. :) Life can be a precarious position. May we never forget that!

E- is for evangelism class-The class I'm taking this month is Personal Evangelism I. And it has been a really great class! How important personal evangelism is! It needs to become a way of thinking versus a scheduled time. And we must be prepared to give an answer. God loved us enough to send His son....we should love the souls around us enough to be ready to share God's love with them.

F- is for funerals- We attended two funerals and two wakes last week. Funerals always make me think and examine where I am. Are you ready to go right now? Do you have things you need to work on? Start now...life is too short! One of the funerals was a cremation (which is done outside in real time) and the other was a regular grave. It is the proper tradition in Trinidad to wait and watch while the gravediggers fill in the grave, then the family puts flowers on the grave... so we sang for over 30 minutes. It was beautiful somehow...the lady was a faithful Christian, and there was beauty in the sadness.

G- is for good food, good fellowships- Lately I've been learning some of the Trini dishes and that's been a real fun challenge for me! It's a lot of curry and spice, Indian food and roti...We've also attended several fellowships (potlucks) and it's such a wonderful time with the brethren...there's nothing quite like sharing a plate of food with a fellow Christian!

H- is for cHocolate- Well, of course chocolate had to be included...even if I haven't really had much lately...that chocolate cake doesn't count! Only dark chocolate counts! ;) Plus did you know that there are cocoa plants here? We've actually picked a couple pods and kinda sorta made our own chocolate! Cool, eh? :)

I- is for Isaiah- I'm talking about Isaiah Michael Purdom, not the book in the Bible...because I'm a real life Auntie now!!! He was born 7 September...and he's pretty cute! Wade and Leah look so great with him. :) It's amazing how babies create such beauty in adults! We get to see him on skype...and he's such serious little guy! Precious punkin! and he loves me of course! ;) He's at the adore Mummy stage..whenever Leah comes over he melts into a puddle of love! Hehe...

J-is for jet planes- Speaking of cute nephews...Mom went to the US for 8 weeks to be with Wade and Leah for the birth and also to help them move to Idaho where he has a preaching job. She had a wonderful trip and we while we were ok while she was gone, we were very glad when she came back! Jet planes...yep! They get you places!

K- is for keeping house- I helped a lot with keeping the house while Mom was gone...It's a lot of work and organization to run a working house for 8 people! But it was a good experience and I enjoyed it! :)

L- is for long distances- We live far away from our family and friends- but I'm thankful for modern conveniences like internet, skype and chat! And I'm thankful for those who put the effort into keeping up with us. :) I miss my grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins...:) But God has blessed us with computers, internet and such, so why should I complain?

M- is for music and singing- Music makes me happy! My sister playing piano the way she does makes me even more happy, but the happiest is singing. I marvel at God's plan for a capella singing! It's the only way. And I love to sing here....these people know how to sing!

N- is for Noah and the Ark- So...yeah...we name our vehicles...and we have a Toyota Noah...and so of course it's the Ark! We've been visiting several congregations so we've all piled into that small van and bumped along! And we've even carried people with us!

O- is for oceans- It's beautiful...that word seems flat when you try to describe the beauty and peacefulness of the ocean... but while we don't live on the ocean, I see it almost every day..and almost every night the sunset over the bay is so beautiful you have a tear. God is so good!

P- is for people- We've visited at least four new congregations recently and it's been great to keep meeting the Christians here. I love these people and this culture....it really gets into your blood!

Q- is for quiet- Two Sundays ago we went down La Brea side...down in south where it's bush, green, quiet, clear, fresh and peaceful. Since we live in the middle of a busy town the times out in places like that become precious. :)

R- is for reflection- 9 November was the anniversary for moving here... One year of living in Trinidad. It's been a great year too! Seems like it went super fast and slow all in the same breath; time is funny like that. But I'm very thankful for the time spent here. It's been good in so many ways.

S- is for school- Trinidad School of Preaching and Teaching. Dad teaches there some, Anna and Nathan are full time students, Emily and I are part time....and we've really enjoyed the experience so far. There are 16 other total students (4 in the second year class, 12 + Anna and Nathan in the first year class) and we've enjoyed getting to know them and helping them as we can. Two of them are from the island of Grenada, one is from Guyana, and two are from the US...;) We've had several limes by our house and we enjoy the fun and fellowship! (Limes are not a fruit in this instance...it's a get-together...coming and hanging out and they call it a lime! )

T- is for Thanksgiving- We had a very delightful Thanksgiving this year! And we shared it with some brethren which made it even better! We managed to find a turkey and trimmings and it was very delicious! We are blessed people! It was a great afternoon to share our traditions with the Trinis. :)

U- is for umbrellas- Gotta have your umbrella! It's been raining a lot lately! In fact flooding, landslips the whole scene! But there is always a rainbow somewhere after the rains....

V- is for victory- So here is something that will shock those who know me well- But I've discovered a sport I'm playably good at and enjoy! Yep, football! (soccer) We play up at school sometimes and just let me say that there was one time I kicked a goal...and it was sweet! haha...ok, that sounds really pathetic! Miles and Nathan really enjoy it and Miles is getting really good!

W- is for winter in the Caribbean- December and January is winter for the Caribbean and believe it or not, it's rather chilly to me at times...once you get used to certain temperatures, when they dip down several degrees it's chilly! Some of my siblings laugh, but I just put on my hooding and drink some cocoa! :)

X- is for eXams- The courses at school have been great! The exams have been a great challenge...and there have been many a late night at our house, burning the midnight candle and killing the midnight mosquito to prepare for those exams!

Y- is for yellow house across the street- We were invited to attend a function at our neighbors house. They are Hindu, so we waited till toward the end and just popped over- it was the 10 year memorial of the lady's husband's death. It was one of those unique experiences you store up to tell as a story later!

Z- is for "I'm the Alpha and the Omega"- God's power and providential care is everything. I see it daily and I'm eternally grateful for it. We don't have to wait for the sun to stand still to see the power of God. He works in our very lives as we are faithful to Him. May we never forget that He grants us each morning we are blessed with and promises sweet rest in Heaven at the end of the day. Never ever forget that.

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Have a beautiful day!

:)