Chocolate Yogurt Cake

1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon Dutch-processed cocoa
2/3 cup Dutch processed cocoa
2 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 cup butter or margarine (1 stick), softened
1-1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1-1/2 cups plain yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Mix 1 tablespoon of flour with 1 teaspoon of cocoa and dust the inside of a greased 9-inch Bundt pan or tube pan with this mixture, shaking out any excess.

Sift 2 cups of flour and 2/3 cup of cocoa together with the baking soda, then set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar together. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Add the flour mixture alternately with the yogurt, in three parts. Do not overmix. Stir in the vanilla.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake in a 350 degree F. oven for 45 to 55 minutes, until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before inverting onto a rack to cool completely.

Yummy Chocolate Cupcake

2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
4 ounces melted unsweetened baking chocolate
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup shortening
3/4 cup water
2 large eggs
3/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

After Preheating oven to 350 degrees then line cupcake pans with paper liners.

Combine all ingredients into large mixing bowl. Mix at low speed for 30 seconds, and scrape bowl. Mix at high speed for 3 minutes.

Fill liners 1/2 to 2/3 full of batter. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Cool 10 minutes in pans then remove from pan, and place on wire racks to cool completely.

The final step is to frost when the cupcakes are completely cool.

Easy Chocolate and Walnut Brownies

400g caster sugar
225g butter, melted
60g cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 eggs
225g plain flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
60g walnut halves

Mix all ingredients in the order given.

Bake at 180 C / Gas mark 4 for 20 - 25 minutes in a rectangular 23x33cm greased baking tin.

Cool, and slice into equal square portions.

Super Easy Black Forest Cake

1 dark chocolate cake ready mix
1/4 c. kirsch (cherry brandy)
1 can cherry pie filling
16 oz. heavy whipping cream
1/2 c. confectioners sugar

Garnish (Optional)
Cherries, drained
Milk chocolate curls or shavings

Drain cherry pie filling in a colander to remove most of the thickened juices.

Make cake, following package directions. Bake cake, as directed, in two 9-inch layer cake pans.

When cool, sprinkle kirsch over both cake layers.

Chill electric beaters and large mixing bowl; beat cream until it thickens slightly, gradually add confectioners' sugar and beat until thick enough to hold its shape.

Using a vegetable peeler, shave chocolate; refrigerate until ready to serve.

To asssemble cake, place one layer on serving plate and spread its top with 1/2-inch thick layer of whipped cream and strew the cherries over the cream leaving about 1/2 inch margin around border of cake with no cherries.

Set other layer on top of cherries and spread top and sides of cake with remaining cream, shape whipped cream into decorative swirls on top.

With fingers, gently press chocolate curls into cream on sides of cake.

Garnish top with drained cherries, if desired, or with a few remaining chocolate curls.

Chocolate Marble Cake

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Grease and flour a 9 inch round pan.

Place flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, butter or margarine, eggs, vanilla, and milk into mixing bowl. Beat slowly to moisten, then beat with an electric mixer at medium speed for about 2 minutes until smooth. Reserve 3/4 cup batter; pour the remainder into pan.

Stir cocoa into the 3/4 cup reserved batter. Drop by spoonfuls over top of white batter. Using a knife, swirl the cocoa batter into the white batter to incorporate it in a marble effect.

Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, until an inserted wooden pick comes out clean.

Chocolate Banana Bread

1 1/4 Cups unbleached all purpose flour shopping list
3/4 Cup cocoa powder shopping list
1 1/2 Tsp baking soda shopping list
3/4 tsp salt shopping list
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, plus more for smearing in loaf pans shopping list
1 1/2 Cups sugar shopping list
3 eggs, lightly beaten shopping list
6 very ripe bananas, mashed shopping list
1/2 Cup shredded coconut shopping list
1 Cup sour cream shopping list
Optional: add chocolate chips to the mixture or some chopped dried cherries

Position racks in center of oven and preheat to 400. Smear two 5 x 9 loaf pans with butter and dust with flour.
Whisk flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt together in a medium size bowl.
In a separate bowl, cream cream butter and sugar using a high speed handmixer until creamy and fluffy and mixture is a light lemon color.
With the mixer now on low, beat in the eggs, banana and coconut at low speed for a few minutes.

Stir half of the sour cream into the wet ingredients with a wooden spoon. Fold in the dry ingredients. Add remaining sour cream and stir until all are combined.
Use a spatula and pour mixture into the two loaf pans.

Bake at 70 to 75 minutes, but check frequently depending on your oven. (toothpick test)
Remove from oven and set on wire rack to cool.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 eggs
2 3/4 c. of bleached all purpose flour (see note below)
1 tsp.of salt
2 c. of chocolate chips

1/2 c. of shortening
1/2 c. of butter
3/4 c. of white sugar
3/4 c. of packed brown sugar
1 tsp. of vanilla
1/2 tsp. of almond extract
1 tsp. of baking soda

Mix cream shortening, butter, sugars, then eggs and vanilla and almond extracts.

Blend dry ingredients and add to mixture.
Stir in Chocolate chips.

Drop large tablespoons onto ungreased cookie sheet, leaving 2-inches room in between to allow cookies to spread.

Bake at 375° for 10 minutes until lightly brown.
This will make 2-3 dozen cookies depending on size.