Double Fudge Cake with Glaze

INGREDIENTS

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 teaspoon iinstant espresso-coffee powder (you could use any instant coffee if you can't find the espresso)
3/4 cups hot water
2 cups sugar
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 large egg whites
1 large egg
1 ounce(1 square) unsweetened chocolate,, melted
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup buttermilk
Mocha glaze, (optional)

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 12-cup Bundt pan.
On sheet of waxed paper, stir together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
In 2-cup measuring cup, mix cocoa, espresso-coffee powder, and hot water until blended; set aside.
In large bowl, with mixer at low speed, beat sugar, oil, egg whites, and whole egg until blended. Increase speed to high; beat until creamy, about 2 minutes. Reduce speed to low; beat in cocoa mixture, chocolate, and vanilla.
Add flour mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat just until combined, scraping bowl occasionally with rubber spatula.
Pour batter into prepared plan. Bake 45 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean.
Cool in pan on wire rack 10 minutes. With small knife, loosen cake from side of pan; invert onto wire rack. Cool completely.
Meanwhile, prepare Mocha Glaze. Place cake on cake plate; pour glaze over top of cooled cake, letting it run down sides. Allow glaze to set before serving.

Mocha Glaze:
In medium bowl, combine 1/4 teaspoon instant espresso-coffee powder and 2 tablespoons hot water; stir until dissolved. Stir in 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa, 3 tablespoons dark corn syrup, and 1 tablespoon coffee-flavored liqueur until blended. Stir in 1 cup confectioners' sugar until smooth. Makes about 1 cup.

Cranberry Cake with Foamy Sauce

Courtesy of my friend, Shirley Hazeltine

Ingredients:

1/4 cup of shortening
3/4 cup sugar + 4 tbsp
1 egg, beaten
1/& 1/2 cups of flour
3 tsp of baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup of milk
1 & 1/2 cups of cranberries cut in half

Sauce:

1 & 1/2 cups of confectioner's sugar
2 tbsp butter, softened
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 pint heavy cream

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 Deg
Grease and flour 8 in square pan.

Cream together the shortening and 3/4 cup of sugar
Add the beaten egg
Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt and add to the shortening and sugar mixture alternating with the 1/2 cup of milk.
Sprinkle the 4 tbsp of sugar over the cranberries and stir a few times to coat.
Add to batter.
Bake for 30 minutes.

Sauce directions:

Cream together the confection's sugar and butter
Add the beaten egg and 1 tsp vanilla. Set aside
Beat the heavy cream until very soft peaks and add to the butter and sugar mixture. mix with rubber spatula until blended.
If you want to have more sauce, you could add 1/2 whole milk to the beaten cream and then whip some more until soft.
Approximately 6 servings

Chocolate Cranberry Roulage (cake roll)

This recipe is so delicious and festive looking. The cake uses a cake mix and you can use whatever kind appeals to you the most. However, I like either Swiss chocolate or Devil's food.

Necessary ingredients:

Cakes:
I box of chocolate cake mix
4 Large eggs
1/2 cup of water
2-4 tbsp of cocoa

Filling:
2 cups of whipping cream
5-6 tbsp of Grand Marnier or other orange flavored Liqueur, divided (you can substitute 5-6 tbsp of frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed and undiluted).
1 tbsp of finely grated orange rind
Cocoa

Procedure
First bake the cake rolls:
Coat 2 jelly roll pans 15 by 10 by 1-in. (you can use cookie sheets if they have sides on them)
with cooking spray.

Beat the eggs in a large mixing bowl at med to high speed with electric mixer for 5 minutes
Add water, beating at low speed until blended. Slowly add the cake mix, beating at low speed until moistened. Then beat at med-high speed for 2 minutes. Divide the batter between the tow pans. ( will be thin layers).

Bake each sheet at 350 degrees in separate ovens or one after the other if you only have one oven for 10 -13 minutes or until the cakes spring back when lightly touched in the center.
Sift 1-2 tbsp of cocoa in a 15 by 10 in. rectangle on a cloth towel, repeat on a second towel. When the cakes are done, immediately loosen from the sides of the pans, and turn each of them out onto a prepared towel. Peel off the wax paper. Starting at one narrow end, roll up each cake and towel together: place them , seam side down, on racks to cool completely. After cooling completely proceed with the filling.

Filling:

Beat the whipping cream with an electric mixer at med- high speed until soft peaks form
Carefully fold in the Grand Marnier, or substitute,: set aside
Un-roll the cake rolls and brush each one lightly with the remaining 2-3 tbsp of Grand Marnier. Spread each cake roll with half of the whipped cream mixture. Re roll cakes without the towels and place seam side down onto a cookie sheet. Cover and freeze for at least one hour or up to 3 months.
When ready to serve , dust cakes with cocoa and cut into slices.

If you desire you may serve with a chocolate- orange sauce which is quick to make. Recipe follows:

Heat:
3/4 cup of half and half in a heavy saucepan over low heat.
Stir in 2 cups (12 ounces of semi sweet chocolate morsels, 1 & 1/2 cups of miniature marshmallows and 1/4 tsp of salt.
Cook over low heat,stirring constantly, until the chocolate and marshmallows are melted. Remove from the heat and stir in the orange liqueur or juice.
This yields two cups.
To make this look festive, you can add a spring of mint and some cranberries to each plate. Very Christmas looking.