Slab Cakes - Chocolate Chip

 

Long time no blog! Haha. Time flies and stands still when you’re in the middle of a pandemic. And for some reason there is so much to do. I have been on a bit of a break from work and am trying out a ton of slab cake recipes that I found. The first one is a chocolate one and boy was it delicious and so moist and fluffy!

Ingredients for the Cake…

1/2 cup of margarine, melted and cooled

1 1/3 cups flour

1/2 cup cocoa powder

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

4 large eggs

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

2 tsp. vanilla

1 cup sour cream

Ingredients for the Chocolate Icing…

1 cup of margarine, softened

2 cups icing sugar

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1/4 cup milk

2 tbsp. or more of mini chocolate chips or sprinkles for topping 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13 inch pan. Line with parchment, leaving a 2 inch overhang on long sides. Grease parchment.

                                                        

Whisk the flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt.

Combine eggs and granulated sugar in the bowl and beat on high speed until thick and pale, about 4 minutes.

Add flour mixture; beat just to combine.

Add butter and vanilla; beat to combine.

Add sour cream; beat until smooth.

Scrape batter into prepared pan.

Bake until top springs back when lightly touched and a toothpick comes out clean and batter free about 30 to 35 minutes.

Let cool in pan for about 10 minutes.

Using parchment overhangs, lift out of pan and let cool completely on rack.

For the frosting…

Beat together margarine, icing sugar, cocoa, and milk on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.

Spread over top of cake.

Decorate with chocolate sprinkles or I used mini chocolate chips which were so delicious.

 

Colours of the Year 2021

 

Welcome to 2021. Hopefully this year will be better than last. It’s starting off good because this year, Pantone released two colours of the year! They are Ultimate Grey and Illuminating.

So let’s just jump right into it and talk about these colours. Ultimate Gray and Illuminating are two independent colours that can stand on their own but “highlight how different elements come together to support one another” states the Pantone website. Based on our previous year, Pantone have nailed this colour combo. It practically sums up the entire year as so many elements and people have had to come together to support each other and help each other navigate this very uncertain year.

Grey is that practical, dependable, and stable solid colour. At times it may feel cold and industrial, but some shades of grey are very warming and comforting. I know I have many things in shades of grey and have chosen many grey shades that give me comfort and it allows for coziness. It’s peaceful. I’m also a fan of grey cloudy comfy Fall/Winter days so I find this colour so calming.

With Illuminating, you have a complete opposite. The brightness of it gives you so much happiness and strength, but also warmth just like Ultimate Grey. Any shade of yellow tends to make me smile and give me energy.  It stands out and is noticed. It is a friendly, hopeful, optimistic colour which contrasts the grey perfectly. Illuminating is that light at the end of the tunnel or in 2021’s case then light at the start of a brand new and fresh year.

Both of these colours work together to almost provide a sense of calm and happiness that wouldn’t have be achieved if these colours were on their own. Together they are better and stronger.

Now take a look at some of the things we found in these very relaxing, peaceful, happy colours of the year. Some things have both colours featured and some, one of the colours stood out to us. As you’ll see, grey and yellow are a very common colour combinations especially in nurseries! And they are very common in nature as well!

We have to start things off by looking at a couple of our cards that feature these colours. Even a few cards have the exact colour combination! We predicted the future, haha.

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