Ilona's Reflecting Pool

Outdated Blogging Resources and Advice

Ilona Erwin — Fri, 19 Jun 2026 22:49:27 +0000

New Postings in My Reflecting Pool by Ilona Erwin.

Starting Your Blog

In updating my Blog Resource Page, all the information written moved here. It is still current and helpful, but things I recommend and why need revision. This post has more explanation of the why and wherefore for using certain choices than I think is best for a no-frills resource list. If you are new to blogging, sort through the following advice for timesavers and tips.

Free Themes

I recommend the default WordPress themes to start out with, unless you are sure you know what you want. There are free child themes available for them. Between the choices that all have the name “Twentysomething” (series starting with ten, you should be able to find a theme that suits your blogging needs. History of the default themes The Swift theme was one that I used on this site for awhile and warmed up to it. Update I had to change the Swift theme to the PageLines since the hackers kept getting into the Swift theme, which shows that security is a big deal in choosing a theme. I have always liked the typography of PageLines, though I did miss the bright colors of Swift. Plus, I don’t think there should be a free theme that only gets updated to work well, forcing you to buy the premium version. That is something to watch out for, although it is much less likely to happen now. Not a problem with the bigger theme developers who have a reputation to stake. I did a test-drive of the default free themes on this site before deciding to use Divi.

Paid Themes

I use Elegant themes (Divi) in my garden sites, and one of the earlier ones on TrueGrit, a religion blog. I switched from experimenting with their new themes to using mainly their pride production: the Divi theme. It has pros and cons. Although as time goes on the improvements are wiping out the negative opinions.

Pros

Divi is highly customizable and can do about anything you want it to. It is responsive (extremely important, now). Easy to work with.

Cons

The main thing I don’t like is one of the things I also do like: the pagebuilder. The pagebuilder uses shortcode components that helps you build a page the way you want it. Making landing pages, etc is simple. But if you change from the Divi to another theme like the WordPress default, all the pages which you built show only the shortcode blocks . This is highly inconvenient, to be locked into one theme.

Solution?

A plugin that helps to sort out the shortcodes coding on the site, or changes made by the ET developers to make all of the shortcode reside within a plugin that remains no matter what theme is chosen.

Looking For A Theme

Find features you need.
Pleasing layout and typography for readability.
Responsiveness now tops the list of needed features.
Support might be important for you, and regular updating certainly will be.

Now Using Fourteen Sixteen Theme

Further Update: WordPress made the good looking magazine theme for 2014 and I switched to it. I am very happy with so many of its features that I imagine staying with it for quite awhile. Further, Further Update: I kept updating until the twentysixteen theme. It doesn’t have the customizing plugins, nor is it easy to change the look. I love it for its functionality, though. It is a good beginning theme. However I will say that for a complex site like my Garden site, the Divi pro theme from Elegant Themes is better suited to what I ask from WordPress.

It supports a large number of post formats
Good looking with cool feature image looks
Showcases content well
Safe and well updated
Plugins made to provide extended control

Plugins

Color plugin for the fourteen theme
Fourteen extended plugin for the fourteen theme
Editorial Calendar is truly useful for anyone. I just started using one for my garden site and wished I had discovered it years ago.
SEO is super important and I like Yoast’s plugin the best.
There are several good social sharing helps, right now I use ~~Shareaholic~~, which includes related posts I used YARPP for years, and that worked well, too -especially with new improvements it has now.
Akismet to deal with Spam. Bruteprotect to deter hackers. These are in the Jetpack. Yes, I use it.

There is controversy about the Jetpack, but I used enough of its features to make it worthwhile. It disturbs me to know that some feel it bloats and greatly increases loadtime for the site. I switched back to YARPP after Shareaholic made changes that I really didn’t like. I no longer recommend it and deleted the plugin from all my sites. I wrote about some of my favorite plugins, here. Disclosure: I use affiliate links for some of the resources. This in no way influences the opinions I post. Everything written is transparent and based on my experience.

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Hungarian Braided Coffee Cake

Ilona Erwin — Wed, 27 May 2026 05:30:30 +0000

New Postings in My Reflecting Pool by Ilona Erwin.

Vintage Hungarian cooking

Delicious Holiday Breakfast Coffee Cake

First thing, and don’t let it scare you, is that the next time you roast a chicken you need to save a little of the chicken fat. That ingredient is also known as schmaltz, which you can make from scratch and keep on hand. Don’t worry if you don’t have any on hand, or if you decide against it, you can still bake this lovely breakfast bread. Just know that the chicken fat adds a certain “je ne sais quoi pas” that is fabulous. Know that it can add flavor to noodles and vegetables, too. Ilona’s Coffee Shop

Okay, Ready To Bake?

It will feed a family of 6, unless they are swept away by your wonderful home baking talents and gobble more than their fair share. As with all recipes, you can substitute the fat that you feel best using, add the raisins or not, etc. but if you want the authentically delicious taste, stick with the recipe.

Yeast Raised -Approximate Cook Time

Prep time: 3 hours 30 min Cook time: 1 hour Ready in: 4 hours 30 min Yields: 6 people

Ingredients

5 cups Flour, Sifted
1 Tbsp. Sugar
Small amount Water, heated
1 package Yeast
1 Tbsp. Chicken Fat, melted
1/2 lb. Butter
1/2 stick Margarine (or butter)
3/4 cup Sugar
1 tsp. Salt
1 Rind of Lemon, grated
3-4 Egg Yolks
1/4 tsp. Vanilla
2 cups Golden Seedless Raisins
2 cups Warm Milk
Cinnamon and Sugar, Mixture

Place flour in a large bowl and make a hole in the middle.
Add yeast, sugar, and warm water in center to activate the yeast. Let stand 1/2 hour.
Cut up butter, margarine and add chicken schmaltz. Then add to flour mixture with the 3/4 cup sugar, salt, lemon rind, vanilla, egg yolks, and warm milk.
Knead until bubbles appear.
Let dough rest until it rises.
While waiting for dough to rise, soak raisins in some hot water for about an hour. Squeeze out water and then add to risen dough.
Then knead dough well. Allow dough to rest.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Grease a large tube pan (angel food cake pan).
Divide dough into 2 pieces shaped into balls. Roll out each like thick pie dough, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and roll up tightly.
Twist each into a rope, braid together, then spiral into the angel food pan.
Allow to rise for final time in the pan, then bake for an hour at 350 degrees.

Oma’s Tube Pan Breakfast Coffee Cake

German cooking has a layover with Eastern European countries such as Hungary, and Czech Republic. Certain cooking techniques are common to many cuisines, thus this video will be a great guide.

Another Name For This Coffee Cake

German’s call this type of cake Kugelhoph

More eggs, less fat, and I love Oma’s helpful tips. My grandmother’s recipe has more shortening and is a rolled dough, rather than a soft batter cake. You may notice in some of the old recipes that the amount of eggs and fat can seem more than what you are used to. I think many of the changes came about when sugar was not so dear, and before the large amounts of egg and fat became frowned upon. Speaking of fat, many older recipes called for lard, and until recently that was the preferred shortening for pie crust. It is still considered more a more flavorsome ingredient than vegetable fats. When I was first cooking in the sixties and seventies, you find “Oleo” or margarine is widely called for. This is no longer considered a more healthy choice, and I haven’t bought margarine in years. If you want a healthier diet the answer is probably to take much smaller portions of the carb-laden cakes and add fruits to bring out full flavor, make it more filling and satisfying. I am of the opinion that it isn’t cutting out desserts, but cutting down amounts that is the answer. Maybe that is a cop-out because I love them so much.

European Directions for Similar Coffee Cake

It is sometimes confusing when switching from European to English measures (and vice versa). Yet many solutions online make the process easier.

Using Bundt Pans for Coffee Cakes

Many coffee cakes are simply baked in square pans, but if you have a larger recipe like this one a bundt pan gives a much prettier presentation. In line with the original intent of serving a simple delicious sweet when company drops by, makes this pan a real boon to the baker. While there are variations in form, most have a decorative shape with a central opening. This center circle is perfect for some flavored whipped cream! Or simply dust the finished, cooled cake with confectioners sugar. Bundt forms have some beautiful curves for drizzles and glazes, too. Don’t underestimate how this shape will add to the tempting look of your cake.

Fat In Your Diet

People who give you Hungarian recipes so often say, “It isn’t for dieters” or tell you it is unhealthy in some way. The recipes do traditionally incorporate plenty of dairy and fat, usually in the form of sour cream and butter. But also with nuts and eggs, etc. The new nutritional information that is transforming what we know about healthy diets is that fat is no longer the bad guy. Usually what we need to watch out for is the modern inclusion of antibiotic and hormones, along with other things that are so different from our grandmother’s food sources; things that cause inflammation in our bodies. Some fats are necessary and they certainly are a source of flavor that make the foods more satisfying to our appetite. What are you going to do? Tailor your diet to your own health needs, and use the best nutritional information available. I remember a special jar to save bacon drippings that was always in my mother’s and grandmother’s kitchen. I don’t do that, but I think the idea of using schmaltz might have a place in my cooking future. Jewish cooking often includes it. It is what makes the difference between plain old noodles and delicious noodles, for me.

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Franz Liszt And Romantic Mania

Ilona Erwin — Wed, 06 May 2026 18:54:53 +0000

New Postings in My Reflecting Pool by Ilona Erwin.

The Daring Hungarian Romanticist in Music

Franz Liszt in later years

Franz Liszt, was born October 22, 1811 in Raiding, near Sopron, Hungary in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. His father worked at the court of Count Esterházy, and gave him his first music lessons. He became an established concert performer by 12 years old, a prodigy. The Austro-Hungarian nobility gave him opportunities to study abroad and as a result his Hungarian language skills were poor, and French was his preferred language. In Vienna, on December 1,1822, he made his first appearance beginning his career as a Hungarian virtuoso pianist and composer. Carl Czerny had taught him, Chopin and Camille Saint-Saëns were his friends, he is said to have performed for Ludwig van Beethoven. Hector Berlioz, Robert Schumann, and Richard Wagner were proteges and his daughter married Wagner. He lived in a time of great musical creativity and added his own genius to the fermenting mix of Romanticism. He lived in the Romantic Age, when emotions were considered paramount. Whether this affected his relationships is unknown, but he did have numerous affairs, with a tumultuous personal life. Liszt’s piano compositions are among the most technically challenging. He invented the term ‘Sinfonische Dichtung’ (symphonic poem) for orchestral works. History has recorded his great works and prestige as a performer, even though there were those who criticized and did not acclaim him during his life. In 1861, he went to Rome, where he concentrated on religious works, and teaching. His last appearance was at the concert of the Musical Society of Luxembourg. His death occurred on July 31, 1886, at age 74. Heard of Lisztmania? Read on and listen to the music…

Biography and Music

Portrait of Franz Liszt 1839

young Franz Liszt

Teacher of Great Musicians

after a bout of Lisztomania took place, Liszt taught others

It has been said that Liszt passed through six lives. (1) he lived the life of a precocious and much loved child (2) in Paris he plumbed the depths of a romantic idealism and lost reputation, but linked destiny with other great men and composers. (3) lived with the Comtesse d Agoult for five years following the “Bohemian” life and performing to great adulation. See “Lisztomania” not unlike Beatlemania. (4) became hailed in Europe as a virtuoso (5) he settled in Weimer to live industriously as an supporter of art and music, becoming a church cleric. (6) ended his life by traveling between Rome, Budapest and Weimer, eventually dieing July 31, 1886, at age 74 The Emperor Napoleon appointed him to be a Commandeur of the Legion of Honour and in 1871 the Hungarian Cabinet invested him a rank of nobility in Hungary with a yearly pension. During his old age he lived at Weimar surrounded by his pupils. He became known as a teacher of great musicians through his work in Weimer, where he mentored Wagner, Berlioz, Schumann and Schubert. Walker, Alan. Franz Liszt: The Final Years, 1861-86 v. 3, 1861-1886. Cornell, 1996 v.3 p.169

Franz Liszt Compositions – You will find his life story fascinating

Liszt: A Listener’s Guide (Unlocking the Masters) A great introduction to Liszt’s extraordinary accomplishments. Choice of music includes some of the less frequently performed pieces by the “King of the Piano. Buy Now

Now you must bear in mind, in the first place, that he had never seen nor heard the sonata, and in the second place that it was a sonata with a violin part, now above, now below, independent of the piano part. And what does Liszt do? He plays the whole thing, root and branch, violin and piano, nay, more, for he played fuller, more broadly. The violin got its due right in the middle of the piano part. He was literally over the whole piano at once, without missing a note, and how did he play! With grandeur, beauty, genius, unique comprehension. I think I laughed-laughed like an idiot. -Edvard Grieg

It is hard to imagine the emotional fanaticism that Franz Liszt inspired in his time. If one witnessed Beatlemania at its height one may have an inkling. Yet, here was one man whose musicianship and artistry transported crowds of people frenzied into mass hysteria.

Lisztomania

The writer Heinrich Heine coined the term Lisztomania to describe the outpouring of emotion that accompanied Liszt and his performances.

“Liszt’s playing was reported to raise the mood of the audience to a level of mystical ecstasy”

[Find out more]

Liszt Says

Quotable

As the mother teaches her children how to express themselves in their language, so one Gypsy musician teaches the other. They have never shown any need for notation.- Franz Liszt
Beware of missing chances; otherwise it may be altogether too late some day.- Franz Liszt
In Hungary all native music, in its origin, is divided naturally into melody destined for song or melody for the dance.- Franz Liszt
Supreme serenity still remains the Ideal of great Art. The shapes and transitory forms of life are but stages toward this Ideal, which Christ’s religion illuminates with His divine light.- Franz Liszt
You cannot imagine how it spoils one to have been a child prodigy- Franz Liszt

Essays brought together in Franz Liszt and His World advance our understanding of the composer with fresh perspective. Franz Liszt and His World (The Bard Music Festival) Buy Now

Birthday

Born on October 22, 1811

Romantic Era

During what time do we find the Romantic era? From the 1770’s to about 1870. “An artistic, literary and intellectual movement that originated in the second half of the 18th century in Europe”, this period of time imprinted its philosophy on many composers and artists we admire and enjoy today, despite the modern rejection of many of the ideas that inspired their works. The time was rooted in the German Sturm und Drang movement, and an earmark of it was the intense emotion and elevation of emotion in expressions both abstract and pragmatic, such as the political. It was the age of Byron, of heroes and anti-heroes, and the sum of it was expressed by Charles Baudelaire: “Romanticism is precisely situated neither in choice of subject nor exact truth, but in the way of feeling.” [wikipedia article]

The Most Important Thing

Liszt is probably most highly acclaimed for his piano transcriptions. He transcribed Paganini’s capriccios which contained almost impossible difficulties.His Career and Musical Works, Article at Classical.net

Hans Christian Anderson

Said of Liszt,”The whole instrument appears to be changed into a great orchestra.”

Liszt

Comtesse Charles d’Agoult, née Marie d’Agoult, and Her Daughter Claire d’Agoult 1849, pencil heightened with white and touches of yellow watercolor

The Women in His Life

The Countess Marie d’Agoult was the mother of his children and helped nurture his time of greatest creativity and fame. Liszt began his relationship with her in 1833. “She was said to be ”six inches of ice over twenty feet of lava”.” The Russian Princess, Princess Carolyne Sayn-Wittgenstein, met him in 1847. It was his longterm relationship with her that endured through the end of his life His daughter, Cosima Wagner born Francesca Gaetana Cosima Liszt, resented her absentee father. She married German composer Richard Wagner.

“I carry a deep sadness of the heart which must now and then break out in sound.”

More of a Great Composer

Wagner and Liszt

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Calla Lilies for an Elegant Winter Wedding Theme

Ilona Erwin — Sun, 03 May 2026 02:59:18 +0000

New Postings in My Reflecting Pool by Ilona Erwin.

white calla lilies

A Calla Lily Wedding Featuring Most Popular Flower Choice

Why do Brides choose Calla lilies most often for their wedding flowers? Only the Bride herself can tell you precisely why it was the most favored choice for her, but it isn’t hard to see numerous reasons that make Calla lilies the number one wedding flower choice. If you are thinking of featuring Calla lilies in your wedding, here are decor and flower ideas to give you a head start. Make your wedding flower selection a happy part of the best day in your life.

The Most Popular Choice for Good Reason

The blooms have presence; just a few make a statement. The simple curved shape of the spathe (the part most evident) is very modern in form.

Why are Callas First on the Wedding Flower List?

The blooms are extremely elegant. A smooth modern form, creamy white color or subtle tints, and their long stalk make them sublime for wedding flower use.
A Calla lily is an all season flower, available at any time of the year. They are also all season in their look, not being identified strongly with any certain month like peonies or chrysanthemums. But they are at their best in winter, when other choices are scarce.
A versatile flower that can be incorporated within all of the wedding flower arrangements and uses, whether it be bouquets or centerpieces.

Creating Ambience for a Calla Lily Wedding

Elegant table centerpieces or floral accents

More Reasons To Choose a Calla Winter Theme

Top of the list for the most popular, most available, and most versatile flower for weddings.

They have a distinctive appearance, and their strong lines are best paired with foliage or flowers that echo the simple curved lines of the flower.

Bear grass is a classic foliage pairing.

When Simplicity Is Important

alt=”Whenever a brides taste was for artistic, modern, and simple, a few stems created just the right effect. Vintage Wedding, Bride and Groom, Newlyweds Postcard “

Sophisticated Bouquet

In the classic white bouquet, only a few will be needed with some floral accents and variegated foliage. It creates a fresh and artistic flower bouquet that won’t look fussy or “over the top”

The Look

One reason that Brides love this flower is the elegant, curvilinear shape of the blooms. Just a few of the flowers can make a beautiful statement, and I helped set up a wedding reception that had simple arrangements of three calla lilies each in a tall, clear, modern vase with only a few strands of bear grass. Each table was set off magnificently, and the simple arrangements made quite a statement.

Beautiful Colors

These blooms come in some of the most delicious colors, and always look tasteful. A Bride’s bouquet of white can be echoed with the attendants having the same flower shape of callas with the nuance of the wedding colors in their bouquets. Or the bridal bouquet can be the color of one of the several that make Calla lilies so sophisticated. Calla lilies come in Pinks, Lavenders, Eggplant, Orange, Peach, Yellow, and Bi-colors.

Different Sizes

They also come in mini sizes. That is enough variety to cover bridesmaids, flower girls, boutonnieres, Mother’s corsages, and every other wedding flower arrangement. No wonder Calla lily is a top choice for wedding flowers.

The Perfect Boutonniere

Colors of crisp green and mellow orange

Why Choose One Elegant Flower for Your Entire Wedding?

Availability is just one of the reasons to go with this for your bridal flowers. Ease of design, and an eye on the budget are two more factors in favor of this theme.

Available Online

Ordered online, fresh and direct, have a buckets of water ready to submerse and ready your flowers for arrangements, if you are making D-I-Y wedding flowers.

I have worked with these, and they are easy and outstanding in effect.

For Fall Weddings

Seasonal Flower Availability

There is no “off-season” for Calla lilies, so simply remember to order at least four weeks in advance of your event, ensuring the type and color of your chosen flowers. If other flowers are used with them, be sure florists can as easily obtain those materials as well. Check with the month listed in my Wedding Flower link, for flowers in season. Choosing flowers that are available to florists will keep costs down and make sure that your planned blossoms are obtainable.

Theme Flower Versatility

Their beauty means that the shape is used in decorating many different types of accessories. Whether you wish your flower theme to be echoed in guestbooks, cake decorations, candles, or even decals on the wall, Calla lily designs are likely to be found.

About This Flower

Of the Zantedeschia genus the flower most often called and sold as the Calla lily is Zantedeschia aethiopica, which is also known as the arum lily. Other names? Trumpet lily and Pig lily. Large, with white blooms, there are other types sold which have colors. All varieties with colorful flowers are other species of Zantedeschia. Most are not hardy north of Zone 7 or 8, but Z. aethiopica may survive in zone 6. Native to South Africa, the plants grow in marshes close to bodies of water.

Comes in Colors!

Blooms for any Month

The Right Flowers For Your Wedding Month, Available … Have you wondered which flowers are available in the month of your wedding? Check these flower listings to find what’s fresh, which fulfill your color scheme, and floral tips,

From Budget Saving to Designs that will Wow

Take a look at wedding flower idea books, they will inspire you. If ‘how to’ or just inspiration is needed a flower design book is going to save time and money in figuring which flowers to pick, and how to use them.

Besides the Fresh Flowers, Bridal Accessories

With the many accessories in this motif, there are an array of ways to tie together the theme of everything in the wedding décor.

Wedding Accessories with Flair – Gala Calla Event

Lovely bouquet

Make the Favors Special – Arum Lily designs fit into any Décor

Make your wedding one to remember, with favors that remind your guests of your joy, and grace their homes with an elegant candle holder. One way to use these is as table décor. Lighting the reception tables, include notes on the tables which invite your guests to take one home. Save the attractive boxes for your guests to transport their lovely votive holders home. Such a lovely reminder of a perfect wedding!

Beauty

Even a single bloom is stunning

Your guests will know they stepped into a special time and place from the very beginning. Greet them with the elegance of Calla-decorated accessories repeating the swirling curved theme of your floral choice.

Easy to Make Your Own

Bouquets for attendants, the Bride, and the table, all are easy and possible to make yourself (or a friend can do it, you have enough to take care of!)

Bouquet How-To Tutorial

Corsage Instruction

Meaning and Symbolism

Two ways of denoting meaning through the inclusion of certain flowers are by consulting a “Language of Flowers” Victorian resource and also by the modern cultural connotation. The usual color of an arum lily (another name for them) is white, and that is the color chosen for weddings because it represent innocence and purity. The Victorian meaning for the flower was “Magnificent Beauty”. Combine the two meanings and there is a symbol for Innocent, or Pure Beauty, which is very appropriate for a wedding day. When colors vary from white, the emotional meaning of color comes into the picture. Red is connected with passion, Orange is playfulness and happiness, Pink is feminine, and Yellow is cheer and sunshine. For some, the colors may carry other meanings, and it is a good idea to investigate how people in your culture (or one you marry into) may feel about a specific hue. Because of its long association with marriage in our culture, another significance is to wish for “marital bliss”, “true devotion”. It is good reason to center décor around this stylish flower.

From Tip to Toe

Right from the start with the save-the-date to the final day with nail art as a finishing touch, the form of this flower can adorn all parts of the celebration.

The Bride’s Bouquet

A More Modern Look

Because this flower is so elegant it is chosen for a decoration on many wedding items, such as pens, guestbooks, favors, wedding goblets, and candles, to just name a few. Every accessory possible seems to come with the calla motif. It gives a look that is modern or traditional. It was a favored flower during the roaring twenties and is just as popular today. It was delightful to see how easy it is to carry this theme throughout the wedding and reception venue. Seamlessly transitioning from table to guestbook areas, highlighting the bridal table, decorating the Church, it is no wonder this is the one most popular wedding flower rivaling even the traditional rose. The lines of this flower, its ability to stand alone (two flowers in a vase make a statement) create a modern, sophisticated mood.

Bridal Photo Vignette

bridal vignette

Simplicity

The simplicity of the Calla lily and long lasting bloom means they have an air of formality for the most grand of weddings, but their simple lines are also ideal for casual or modern weddings.

Continue The Theme Into The Cake Decoration

Calla Lily Wedding – From Bouquets To Sugar Paste Cake Flowers

Learn how to make the Calla lily a part of your wedding celebration- here are some ideas and how-to videos. If you aren’t a d-i-y person, let the design ideas illustrate what you wish in a cake or bouquet.

Cake floral decoration

Create Theme Sugar Flowers for the Cake

Your Wedding Flower Views

Would a Calla Lily Wedding Theme Be Your Choice?

The post Calla Lilies for an Elegant Winter Wedding Theme appeared first on Ilona's Reflecting Pool.

Ilona’s Favorite Chocolate Desserts

Ilona Erwin — Tue, 07 Apr 2026 19:23:47 +0000

New Postings in My Reflecting Pool by Ilona Erwin.

From One Chocolate Lover To Another, My Favorite Chocolate Dessert Recipes I freely admit to my love of chocolate, but I’m very picky about how I like that chocolate, especially in recipes. Not everyone agrees with me! I must have walnuts in my brownies and I like cake-like rather than fudgy, for example, but I do think you will appreciate many of these tested recipes which I have made many times over the years. The one thing all these desserts have in common is the addition of rich chocolate flavor as the main ingredient. Do not only read, gaze and dream- bake and eat!

chocolate batter on mixer beaters

The Velvety Richness of Real Chocolate

Rich dark chocolate cake and fudge icing, easy brownies full of cocoa flavor and walnuts, Auntie Mary cookies with melting chocolate filling, and a cream cheesecake with sweet chocolate flavor… delve in and indulge. My kids loved to lick the spoon, …and the bowl … but the best part is the final result: cake with the buttercream frosting, or the delicate “Auntie Mary’s” with a hot cup of Christmas tea, or just baked brownies cut in generous squares. Now you can enjoy these recipes with your family.

brownie dessert

Moist, Extra Rich Cake with Fudge Buttercream frosting

best-chocolate-cake

Chocolate Velvet Cake

Deeply satisfying, rich chocolate cake with a smooth chocolate frosting. Make the best double chocolate layer cake for any occasion.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword cake, cake with frosting, chocolate

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 35

Total Time 55

Equipment

2 9 inch cake pans

Ingredients

CAKE:

1 6 oz. pkg. chocolate chips
¼ cup water
2 ¼ cup sifted flour
1 tsp. soda
¾ tsp salt
1 ¾ cup sugar
¾ cup butter softened
1 tsp. vanilla
3 eggs
1 cup water

FROSTING:

6 oz. chocolate chips
3 T. butter
¼ cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla
¼ tsp. salt
3 cup confectioner's sugar

Instructions

Melt chocolate chips with ¼ cup water in saucepan over low heat until smooth.
Sift flour, soda, and salt together.
Combine sugar, butter, and vanilla, beat well. Add eggs one at a time, beating well.
Blend in melted chocolate to egg mixture
Stir in flour mixture alternating with 1 cup water.
Pour into two greased and floured 9" cake pans.
Bake for 30-35 minutes @ 375° . Cool.

Frosting:

Melt chocolate and butter in double boiler.
Add milk, vanilla, and salt; mix until well blended.
Beat in confectioner's sugar gradually.
Frost and fill Chocolate Velvet Cake.

Auntie Mary Cookies

title=”Good for any special event, a rich cream cheese cookie with velvety chocolate filling.”

Folded inside rich cream cheese pastry is a melty chocolate filling. – The melted chocolate in the center makes this a very special treat. One of my family’s favorites.

Auntie Mary Cookies

This is -hands down- my children's favorite cookie. It is very rich and due to cream cheese dough is not a long keeper, but it is meltingly delicious. Try our family favorite, and store in a covered container in the refrigerator.

Course Cookies

Cuisine Hungarian

Keyword christmas cookies, cream cheese dough, hungarian cookies

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 20

chill time 1

Total Time 1 50

Ingredients

Dough:

1 cup butter softened
3 ounces cream cheese softened
½ cup white sugar
½ cup cup brown sugar , packed
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt

Filling

⅔ cup sweetened condensed milk
⅔ cup chocolate morsels
½ cup walnuts finely chopped

Finish with:

Confectioners sugar

Instructions

Mix on medium speed, butter, cream cheese, and sugars until well creamed and fluffy.
Add egg and vanilla, beat. Stir in flour, baking powder, and salt.
Divide dough into quarters and wrap. Chill overnight or minimum of 2 hours.
Make filling: in saucepan cook sweetened condensed milk with chocolate until melted together. Remove from heat, stir in nuts and cool.
Heat oven to 350° F and grease cookie sheets.
On floured surface, roll each quarter of dough to 10'' by 6'' rectangle.
Spread 1/4 amount of filling down the center of rectangle. Fold in thirds over the filling and place seam side down on cookie sheet
Bake 20 minutes until light brown. Cool on racks.
Sprinkle with confectioners sugar once completely cool, and cut into slices.

Chocolate Cheesecake Swirl

– a very easy and quick recipe

Chocolate Cheesecake Swirl

Chocolate Swirl Cheesecake

The chocolate is spiraled throughout the rich cheesecake. Simple to make.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword cheesecake, cream cheese, easy

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 45

Total Time 1

Equipment

1 10 inch pie pan

Ingredients

1 cup sugar
3 cream cheese 8 oz. each pkgs -softened.
5 eggs
1 tbsp. vanilla
1 Baker's German sweet chocolate 4 oz. pkg. -melted and cooled.

Instructions

Add sugar to cheese in a bowl, beating well. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla.
Measure 2 cups of the cheese mixture and fold in melted chocolate. Pour remaining cheese mixture into well-buttered 10 inch pie pan or 9-inch square pan.
Add spoonfuls of the chocolate-cheese mixture and zig-zag a spatula through batter to marble.
Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes. Cool; then chill. Cut in 9 inch wedges.
*** for just chocolate flavor add 1 more pkg. Baker's German sweet chocolate and mix all together in batter.

I Love Chocolate

…just like millions of you do!

And I want my chocolate desserts to taste a certain way.

The Best Chocolate Flavor Should Be… Full of chocolate flavor and highlighting the best ingredients in a way that fulfills my desire for the way the baked goodies ought to taste. Moist or cakey, fudgy and rich – it doesn’t matter as long as it is the best incarnation of its kind in a chocolate dessert.

rich chocolate brownie

My Favorite Brownies – the best brownie recipe

I don’t usually frost my brownies, but there is an icing recipe included, for those of you who do.

(hint) Don’t ever overbake brownies.

Chocolate Walnut Brownies

Rich and dense cake-like texture makes decadent and addictive brownies

Course Cookies

Cuisine American

Keyword bar cookie, brownie, chocolate, easy

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 50

Total Time 1 5

Equipment

1 9x9x2 inches square pan square pa
1 double boiler pan

Ingredients

½ cup butter
2 cups sugar
4 eggs large
1 tsp. vanilla
4 squares squares baking chocolate
1 cup sifted flour
1 cup chopped walnuts

Instructions

Melt butter and chocolate in double boiler. Cool slightly.
Beat eggs until foamy and add sugar gradually. Add butter and chocolate mixture, blend. Add the flour. Add nuts. Stir together and pour into greased 9x9x2 " pan.
Bake at 325° for 40-50 minutes.

Notes

Optional chocolate icing:

2 c. sugar
1/2 c. white corn syrup
3/4 c. heavy cream
1 square chocolate
1 tsp. vanilla
3 T. butter
Melt first three ingredients to the softball stage, add the resulting syrup to butter, add vanilla and beat well.

The Good News about Chocolate

The good news is that it is healthy for you. Of course that news is tempered by how much and what kind of fat you mix with it or the amounts of sugar you ingest, but indulging in this favorite flavor can be good for your health. Tips:

Dark is better
High Cacao percentage is healthier
High levels of flavonals

mocha walnut cookies

Mocha Walnut Drops

A favorite for Christmas... though I didn't include it in my Christmas cookie collection yet.... Ingredients

Course Cookies

Cuisine American

Keyword chocolate, christmas cookies, coffee, drop cookie

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 10

Total Time 25

Ingredients

1 12 oz. package semi-sweet chocolate chips -divided
2 Tablespoon instant coffee granules
2 tsp. boiling water
1 ¼ cup all purpose flour
¾ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
½ cup softened butter
½ cup sugar
½ cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
½ cup nuts chopped

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°
Melt half the package of chocolate chips over hot but not boiling water in double boiler. Stir until smooth, then cool.
Dissolve coffee in boiling water in small bowl, set aside.
In small bowl combine flour, baking soda, salt and set aside.
In large bowl combine butter, sugar, brown sugar, and coffee. Beat until creamy.
Add egg and melted morsels; mix well.
Gradually add the flour mixture, stir in remaining 1 ½ cup chips and the walnuts.
Drop by rounded Tablespoons onto ungreased cookie sheets.
Bake 8-12 minutes, allow to stand 2-3 minutes before removing from cookie sheets. Cool completely before storing.

Health Benefits of Cacao

The Health Benefits of Chocolate: Cool Stuff You Didn’t Know Chocolate – the most delicious hack of them all. Learn the benefits of going dark and how it can improve performance in cool lesser-known ways.

Chocolate Dessert Tips

Don’t ever burn chocolate… not even a hint of it. That is why melting chocolate calls for a double boiler. Basically that is cooking the pan of the chocolate over a pan of hot water, just to melt the chocolate. Any chocolate chips can work, but better quality chocolate means better tasting final product.

melted chocolate1

Double Boiler – To Melt the Chocolate Perfectly, A Double Boiler

The number one thing to remember when cooking or baking with chocolate is to never, I mean never, let it burn. Even allowing it to melt at too high a temperature can prove harmful to the flavor. If you care enough to buy high quality chocolate, then it is more than worthwhile to have a double boiler in your kitchen. The bottom pot hold water which is heated directly from the burner, while the upper pot holds the delicate ingredient which is desired to bring to melting temperature. This help the squares to turn to silky liquid form without danger of burning.

My Grandmother’s Favorite Farberware Classic Stainless Series 2-Quart Covered Double Boiler

This is a good quality, while not too expensive double boiler pot. It is serviceable for all your chocolate melting needs I think. I’ve used Farberware pots, my mother and my grandmother used them. They last, and they look good. More importantly they cook and clean well. Buy Now

Directions for Melting Chocolate in a Double Boiler

checkerboard cookies

Checkerboard Cookies

Makes 60 checkerboards. Bake some yummy cookies to have during your next board game bonanza. These are usually just vanilla and chocolate but one inventive foodie has made them into something that looks and tastes special.

Checkerboard Cookies

Makes 60 checkerboards.

Bake some yummy cookies to have during your next board game bonanza. These are usually just vanilla and chocolate but one inventive foodie has made them into something that looks and tastes special.

Course Cookies

Cuisine Hungarian

Keyword fancy cookies

Prep Time 1

Cook Time 13

refrigerate 1 30

Total Time 2 43

Ingredients

Strawberry Dough:

1 cup unsalted butter or 2 sticks
1 cup confectioners' sugar
⅓ cup granulated white sugar
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 Tablespoons freeze dried strawberry powder
1 teaspoon ground sumac or lemon zest
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
½ vanilla bean
1 egg
2½ cups all purpose flour

Chocolate Dough:

1 cup unsalted butter or 2 sticks
1 cup confectioners' sugar
½ cup granulated white sugar
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
½ vanilla bean
1 egg
2 cups all purpose flour
¼ cup black onyx cocoa powder
¼ cup natural cocoa powder
1 Tablespoon instant coffee
1 teaspoon black pepper freshly ground fine

Instructions

:: Make the strawberry dough by placing the butter, sugars, salt, strawberry powder, and sumac in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Cream the butter and sugar until it is light and fluffy, about three minutes on medium. Add the vanilla extract and split the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape out the seeds into the batter. Add the egg and beat to incorporate.
:: Add the flour in three portions, beating to incorporate between additions, scraping down the sides with a large spatula. Once the flour is blended in, divide the dough in half and pat the dough down into a 6 x 6 x 1/2 inch square. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm (about 20 to 30 minutes). Repeat with the second half of the dough.
:: Make the chocolate dough by placing the butter, sugars, and salt in the same bowl (don't bother cleaning it) of the standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Cream the butter and sugar until it is light and fluffy, about three minutes on medium. Add the vanilla extract and split the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape out the seeds into the batter. Add the egg and beat to incorporate.
:: Place the flour, cocoa powders, and instant coffee in a small bowl stir vigorously with a balloon whisk until well blended. Add these dry ingredients in three portions, beating to incorporate between additions, scraping down the sides with a large spatula. Once the flour is blended in, divide the dough in half and pat the dough down into a 6 x 6 x 1/2 inch square. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate (about 20 to 30 minutes). Repeat with the second half of the dough.
:: Take the doughs out of the refrigerator. Brush the top of one of the strawberry dough 6 x 6 squares with water completely. Place one of the chocolate dough squares on top of it, and press down firmly to adhere the dough. Brush the top of this chocolate dough with water and place the remaining strawberry dough square on top of that, pressing down firmly. Finally brush the top of this strawberry square with water and place the remaining chocolate dough on top of that, pressing down firmly. You should have a 2 inch thick stack of 6 x 6 square dough, alternating in layers. Wrap with plastic wrap and place back in the refrigerator for 20 to 30 minutes until firm.
:: Once the dough has firmed up, trim the edges of the square to make a completely square piece of dough. Set the trimming aside for marbled zebra cookies (instructions to follow). Cut a 1/2 inch strip from the square. Place one strip flat, and then brush it top of it with water. Cut another 1/2 inch strip from the square and rotate the strip 180 degrees so it alternates with the bottom strip. Place on the strip brushed with water and press firmly down. Wrap with plastic wrap. Repeat with the remaining cookie dough. Chill until firm (another 20 to 30 minutes).
:: To make marbled zebra cookies, brush the top of one trimming with water and place another trimming on top, alternating dough strips. Repeat until all the trimmings are placed on each other. Flatten and twist the trimmings together, turning clockwise with one hand, while counterclockwise with the other. Roll out the dough to a 12 inch length, and fold over once. Form the dough into a thick 1 1/2 inch roll pressing firmly down to make sure the different doughs stick together. Wrap with plastic wrap and chill until firm (another 20 to 30 minutes).
:: While the dough is chilling, preheat the oven to 350˚F. Line two baking sheets with silpats or parchment paper. Once the dough has firmed up, slice the dough into 1/2" thick cookies and place on the baking sheet, about an inch apart. Bake in the oven for 11 to 13 minutes, or until the edges of the cookies start to brown ever so slightly. Cool on the sheet for ten minutes before moving them to a wire cooling rack.

The Best Brownies Should Always…

– be the way I like them 🙂

brownies in a baking pan

Cakelike or Gooey?

I say cakelike brownies are the best way to enjoy them, and add walnuts while you are at it; my kids say fudgelike and no nuts! What is your opinion? What is your opinion on the texture of the best brownies?

I Want Chocolate Right Now

The post Ilona’s Favorite Chocolate Desserts appeared first on Ilona's Reflecting Pool.