photo by chriss

In my mind, Valentine’s Day is all about loving and treating and eating and enjoying good things with good people. And even though it’s a rainy Monday, all of that has been going quite well so far, in a quiet way. Now to top off this drizzly Valentine’s day, there’s a 22oz bottle of Chocolate Stout in the fridge waiting to be turned into a stellar chocolate stout cake tonight.

I first made this cake, which just so happens to be vegan, last year for Mischa’s birthday, as part of a beer-tasting-party celebration. Since then, I’ve remade it more times than I can quickly remember – and it hasn’t failed me yet. The cake is dense and tangy sweet and perfect when it’s topped with a coffee-infused buttercream frosting. Plus, it’s an incredibly simple recipe.

I’m not entirely sure where my version of this recipe came from, but I’m guessing it was a combination of several that I read at the time. It was certainly inspired by some delicious cake photography and recipes at cucinanicolina and smittenkitchen. However, this variation skips the eggs and butter – and cuts right to the stout and chocolate. Enjoy – and hope you have a happy day of loving and treating!

Chocolate Stout Cake

3/4 c. vegetable oil
4 tsp. vinegar
1 tsp. vanilla
3 c. flour
2 c. sugar
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 c. cocoa powder
1 tsp. salt
12 oz. of your favorite stout beer
1 1/2 c. water

Preheat the oven to 325F.

In a small bowl, combine oil, vinegar and vanilla. In another bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking soda, coca and salt. Make a well in the dry ingredients, and pour wet into dry. Fold until just combined. Pour beer and water over the mixture. Beat well on low until smooth – it will be a thin watery mix.

Fill cake pan almost to the top. (This cake won’t rise very much.) Bake 30-45 minutes – check with a toothpick for doneness.

Frost with plain, coffee or chocolate buttercream – or whip up an extra special cream cheese frosting. Enjoy!

In the past year, I’ve become a lover of breadmaking – the yeast rising and the methodical kneading and the patient waiting. There’s been lots of sourdough breads and pizza doughs made. But until last week, the process of pita bread making was entirely foreign to me. It was hard to imagine how the traditional flour-water-yeast combination that makes my pizza dough is the same ingredients that create those perfectly-puffed pita pockets.

I was very skeptical, even as I kneaded – but amazingly, the recipe worked! Exactly right. Well, except for that one first round of extra crispy pockets. The rest of the pitas came out exactly as you’d hope. The perfect vehicle for eating big scoops of avocado-cilantro hummus and homefried falafel and spicy jalapeno-onion salad…

Homemade Pita Bread – adapted from Molly Katzen’s New Moosewood Cookbook

1 c. warm water
1 1/2 tsp. active dry yeast
1 Tbs. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 c. whole wheat flour
2 1/2 c. white flour
extra flour for rolling + kneading
some oil for dough
cornmeal for baking

Proof yeast in warm water for 5 minutes until foamy. Add sugar and salt, and stir to dissolve.

Add 1 c. of whole wheat flour and 2 c. of white flour, one cup at a time. Mixing “enthusiastically” (Molly’s words) as you go. Start kneading the dough and add the final 1/2 c. of flour as needed. Knead for a few minutes until smooth. Then add some oil to the bowl and rub over the dough. Cover with a clean towel, and leave in warm place to rise for about an hour.

When dough has doubled in size, punch it down. Knead on a clean, floured surface for about 5 minutes. Divide into 12 pieces (or 6 if you want large pitas). Knead each piece a bit, then roll it into a very thin circle (1/8 inch thick). Let circles rest for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 500F with pizza stone – or warm a tray in the oven for a few minutes. Place as many circles as possible without touching on your stone or tray. Bake for 6-8 minutes or until just slightly golden brown. You’ll see them puff up after a minute or two!

Prep a damp tea towel and a paper bag. Remove breads from oven, and wrap in towel and bag to keep them soft. Enjoy!