TGIF!!!! For reals, because Monday-Thurday were monster days. And now that its friday, I can dig a hole and hide in it until it's at least 30 degrees with some sunshine. (I might never get to come out.)
A few things I will bring in my hole:
- food (lots of food and coffee, lots of coffee)
- a soft blanket and pillow
- a few books, preferably with pictures, on farming and gardening (think spring!)
- the entire series of the Fresh Prince of Bel-air and a device to watch it on
- toothpaste (I can use my finger to brush my teeth)
But before I leave for my hole in the ground, I made these little cake bites to get my people through the weekend. Sweet little lemony bites of rich dense cake dipped into bittersweet chocolate. (I am just so nice) They have all the pleasure or cake without the need of a fork and are much easier to give away then a big slice of cake. Plus, they are fun to make. My little sister helped and did most of the chocolate dipping. Then she and another little used their mouths to clean up the chocolate mess. It was an afternoon of chocolate all over the kitchen fun day.
So make some bites to have and to share. Or if you, like me, are digging a hole to hide in, make a batch of bites to bring with you. That's the beauty of cake covered in a harden chocolate shell, they travel really well.
Simple lemon cake stuff. Flour, baking powder and salt whisked together, Sugar and soft butter in a bowl. An egg, some vanilla, milk, and of course, the lemon.
To make the batter, cream the soften butter with the sugar until light and fluffy. Zest lemon(1 big or 2 small) into bowl with the juice of the lemon(s), the vanilla and the egg. Beat until combined. Now beat in the dry and then the milk. Keep beating for another minute until all mixed. Batter should be light and fluffy.
Batter goes into a greased and floured 9x13 baking sheet and stuck into a 375 degree oven for about 30 minutes (You can use a 9x9 baking pan. Just bake fir another 10 minutes and you will end up with thicker bites). Remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes and flip to remove cake from baking sheet. Cut cake into small pieces (I cut 4x6 to get 24 bites) and place bake into sheet and into freezer (I stuck mine outside, it was -2 degrees ) for at least 2 hours.
Frozen bites ready for the chocolate coating… Bittersweet chocolate chips and a little bit of coconut oil. Melted together all nice and shiny smooth.
Now dip and slather those bites in the melted chocolate.
Oh what a lovely sister I have.. Look at her dunk….. like a boss!
Fully coated and placed on a rack for the chocolate to harden. I ended up sticking the rack in the freezer for 10 minutes…They harder really fast in there.
And now you have some it, bites of cake covered in chocolate. 1 bite, 2 bites…5 bites. Eat however many you want because its Friday and because there small little bites and just because you can.
Now if you need me, I'll be in my hole.
-C
Chocolate Lemon Cake Bite
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoons salt
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) soft butter
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup milk
- 1 large or 2 small lemons
- 2 cups bittersweet chocolate chips
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
Add butter and sugar to a large bowl and beat on medium unit light and fluffy. Ass in vanilla egg, the zest of the lemon and the juice of the lemon. Beat to incorporate. Now beat in the dry and lastly the milk.
Grease and flour either a 9x9 pan or a 9x13 baking sheet. dump batter in and smooth out. Stick in oven and bake for about 3o minutes or until a toothpick stuck into the middle comes out clean. Remove and let cool for a few minutes on a wire rack. Flip cake to remove from pan. Cut cake into bit sized pieces, 4x6 is a good size, and place back on baking sheet and stick into freezer for at least 2 hours.
When cake bites are as good as frozen, get the chocolate ready. Take the chocolate and the coconut oil and either melt in a double boiler or the microwave. Mix until smooth and make sure to full incorporate the oil. Now remove the cake bites from the freezer and dip each bite into chocolate, trying to full coat all sides. Stick onto a wire rack or a parchment lined pan to harden. They can be stuck back into the freezer to harden faster.
Once chocolate has harden, your good to go!