This rich, dense cake is very easy to make and tastes especially good the following day. Serve with fresh berries and cream, or on its own with coffee. Serves eight to 10.

you will need

130g butter, cubed

400g dark chocolate, chopped

180g demerara sugar

40g plain flour

2 tbsps milk

125 ground almonds

5 eggs, beaten

Cocoa, for dusting

Fresh raspberries and cream, to serve

Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C. Butter a 28cm springform cake tin. Melt the butter and chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water. Stir until well melted and smooth.  Place the sugar, flour, milk and almonds into a large bowl. Pour in the melted chocolate and stir to combine.

Add the eggs and beat the mixture until smooth and thickened. Pour into the tin. Bake for 30-35 minutes until a slight crust forms on top. Allow to cool before transferring to a plate. Decorate with cocoa and berries.

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If you’ve been in Baltimore for a while, you have no doubt enjoyed some Berger Cookies. The chocolate cookie is an all-time favorite. Ron Matz reports there’s a new twist to this Baltimore classic.
Enter the home of Berger Cookies and you’ll land in chocolate heaven. They’re hand-made, and Baltimoreans buy them to the tune of 20,000 cookies per week. “We’ve been around since 1835, haven’t changed the recipe. Make it the same way, still made by hand. We basically try and keep it the same, keep it consistent. That way you know what you’re getting when you buy it,” said Charles DeBaufre, owner Berger Cookies. Now you can go retro. Berger’s is making limited edition strawberry, lemon and rum cookies.

“We made them back in the ’60s and ’70s, but they had been discontinued and I decided we’ve got a little time and they’ve been well received,” DeBaufre said. The Parron family has theirs.

“We’re excited to see the retro cookies. My dad used to bring them home from the market when I was little, and our kids have never seen anything but the chocolate, so we’re going to introduce them to the other flavors,” said Mary Lou Parron, of Middle River. “We got the retro cookies: the lemon, strawberry and rum flavored. We’ll give some to our children who’ve never seen the retro cookies before and some to relatives in Michigan.”

The cakes are works of art. Two dozen employees make it all happen, bringing big smiles to cookie lovers. All that chocolate sitting on a vanilla wafer . . . “We don’t skimp on the chocolate,” DeBaufre said. “If you find one that doesn’t have as much chocolate, then somebody new is making your cookie. We put a lot of love into it.” The retro Berger Cookies can be purchased online or ordered by phone. They will be available for a few more days. The chocolate cookies are sold in more than 500 stores.

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My grandmother knew a little somethin' about pizzazz: she always added something extra to things, a special topper on a package, a pretty brooch to a jacket, a secret ingredient to a recipe. Her chocolate cake is coveted by everyone in the family for its dense texture and chocolate flavor that isn't overly sweet. Paired with peanut butter icing, this cake is a classic, just like Grandmom.

The thirteenth child of her family, born on the thirteenth, Grandmom defied the unluckiness of that number and lived her life in song and amusement. She lived to the age of 88, passing a few days after her birthday. 88 on its side is double-infinity. We miss you and love you, Grandmom, but know you'll live on, double-infinity :) .

I can't divulge Grandmom's original cake recipe, as it should remain a family secret, plus, it calls for ingredients like shortening and white sugar that I can't recommend as a person with "Healthful" in her blog title :) However, this version comes out just-as-delicious without straying too far from the original. Stay tuned for a version that eliminates the refined sugar!

Grandmom's Chocolate Cake (Healthful Mama Remix)
Ingredients
2 c. organic cane sugar
3/4 c. coconut oil (or softened organic butter)
2 eggs

2 1/2 cups flour
2 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup cocoa

1 c. organic plain yogurt

1 tsp. vanilla extract
3/4 cup HOT coffee

PREHEAT oven to 350. Grease and flour two 9" round cake pans or 24 cupcakes (or kick it old-school Grandmom style and use and extra-long loaf pan like this one by Wilton.

1. Cream the sugar and oil until fluffy.
2. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each.
3. Sift together the dry ingredients in a separate bowl.
4. Add the dry ingredients alternately with the yogurt to the creamed mixture.
5. Add vanilla and stir through.
6. Add the hot coffee and stir gently. The batter will be very hot and watery! Use caution when transferring to baking pans.
7. Pour the batter into greased and floured pan and CAREFULLY transfer to the oven.
8. Bake cake for 55-60 minutes; cupcakes 20 minutes.

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If you are feeling a bit browned off with the winter weather, why not treat yourself to a session of comfort baking? There are many simple cakes that can be made with the minimum amount of fuss.

On a cold day, comfort baking will lift your spirits, and, as the aroma of the fresh baking wafts through the house, the spirits of anyone else in the house, making everyone feel cosseted. While you have the oven on, it makes sense to bake two or three items at the same time, making maximum use of the heat. The extra cakes can be put into the freezer until required. Hold off from putting any icing on top of them until actually you're using each cake.

BANANA AND CHOCOLATE CAKE

Overripe or very ripe bananas are ideal to use in this tasty cake. This recipe is inspired by one of Rachel Allen's, and it uses chocolate and cocoa in the mixture. Frequently, I like to include some toasted chopped walnuts or almonds in the mix. The cake is baked in a loaf tin.

You will need:

75g (3oz) dark chocolate

110g (4oz) butter, at room temperature

125g (4 1/2 oz) caster sugar

2 eggs

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

125g (4 1/2oz) self-raising flour

1 level teaspoon baking powder

1 rounded tablespoon cocoa

2 ripe medium-sized bananas, mashed

Preheat the oven to 180 C, 350 F, Gas 4. Line a 13cm x 33cm (5in x 9in) loaf tin with baking parchment. If you're using a non-stick tin, it is sufficient to line the base of the tin with baking parchment and grease the remainder with butter.

Melt the dark chocolate in a low oven, or in a microwave set on defrost, or in a bowl over a pan of gently simmering water.

In a separate bowl, beat the butter until soft, then add the caster sugar and beat together until soft. Then beat in the eggs one by one, and the vanilla extract, beating all the time. Sieve the self-raising flour with the baking powder and the cocoa. Add the flour mixture to the butter-and-sugar mixture and mix well. Then stir in the melted dark chocolate and the mashed bananas. Stir to mix evenly and pour into the prepared tin.

Bake in the preheated oven for about 50-60 minutes -- a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake should come out clean. Cool the cake in the tin for about five minutes, then turn it out gently and let it cool on a wire tray.

GINGERBREAD CAKE

Gingerbread cake has traditionally been made in Ireland using ground ginger and treacle, but this recipe -- inspired by one of Delia Smith's -- includes preserved stem ginger in syrup and some syrup also. Also included are grated fresh root ginger and ground ginger. Baked in a 15cm x 35cm (6in x 10in) Swiss-roll tin, it makes a shallow cake, which you then cover with a lemon icing. Ideally, keep the cake until the next day to cut it as it will be less inclined to crumble. It freezes very well.

For the cake, you will need:

175g (6oz) butter, at room temperature

175g (6oz) caster sugar

3 large eggs

1 tablespoon molasses or treacle

2 tablespoons of the syrup from the preserved ginger

225g (8oz) self-raising flour sifted with 1 heaped teaspoon ground ginger

5 pieces of preserved stem ginger in syrup (syrup drained off), chopped

1 heaped teaspoon fresh root ginger, peeled and finely grated

1 tablespoon ground almonds

For the icing, you will need:

225-350g (8-12oz) icing sugar, sifted

Juice of 1 lemon

2 extra pieces preserved stem ginger, syrup drained off, cut in small chunks

Line the cake tin with baking parchment. Preheat the oven to 170 C, 325 F, Gas 3.

Beat the butter, then add the caster sugar, and beat together until soft. Add the eggs one at a time, then add the molasses or treacle, whichever you are using, and the syrup from the preserved ginger. If the mixture gets too soft and loose, add a little of the sifted self-raising flour and ground ginger mixture. Then add in all the remaining sifted flour and ginger mixture and mix well. Stir in the chopped preserved stem ginger, the grated root ginger and the ground almonds. Put into the tin and spread the mixture out. Bake for about 45-55 minutes until the cake is cooked through. A skewer inserted into the middle of the cake should come out clean. Cool the cake in the tin for 10 minutes and then turn it out and let it cool completely on a wire tray.

To make the icing, put the sifted icing sugar into a bowl and gradually add just enough fresh lemon juice until you have the consistency of thick cream.

When the cake has cooled completely, cover it with the icing and then decorate it with the little chunks of preserved stem ginger.

RASPBERRY AND WHITE CHOCOLATE MUFFINS

Fresh or frozen raspberries can be used in these muffins. Allow frozen raspberries to thaw, but don't let them get mushy. The white chocolate is chopped and added to the mixture. Plain flour with a tablespoon of baking powder is used to give a lift to the muffins. Makes 10 generous muffins.

You will need:

300g (11oz) flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

110g (4oz) caster sugar

2 eggs

200ml (7fl oz) milk

110g (4oz) butter, melted

150g (5oz) raspberries, fresh or frozen, thawed

100g (almost 4oz) white chocolate, chopped

Line a muffin tray with paper muffin cases. Sieve the flour and the baking powder into a bowl and add the caster sugar. Break the eggs into another bowl, add the milk and whisk, then stir in the melted butter. Stir the egg mixture into the dry ingredients, but take care not to over-mix. Then stir in half the raspberries and most of the chopped white chocolate.

Spoon this chunky mixture into the muffin cases. Place the remaining raspberries and bits of chocolate on the top of the muffins, pushing them slightly down into the mixture.

Bake the muffins for about 20 minutes until they are golden and cooked through. Allow them to cool for a while before you eat them. Note that the cooking time will be slightly longer if you're using the cold just-thawed raspberries, rather than fresh ones.

LEMON DRIZZLE CAKE

Lemon zest -- which is rind without the white pith -- is added to the sponge mixture and sweetened lemon juice is drizzled over the cooked cake to give a lovely flavour.

You will need:

175g (6oz) butter, at room temperature

175g (6oz) caster sugar

Finely grated zest and juice of 2 lemons

3 eggs

175g (6oz) self-raising flour

50g (2oz) ground almonds

50g (2oz) extra caster sugar for the lemon juice

Use a greased sandwich tin, 20.5-21.5cm (8-8?in) in diameter, and line the base of the tin with baking parchment. Preheat the oven to 190 C, 375 F, Gas 5.

Beat the butter, then add caster sugar and the finely grated lemon zest and beat until soft. Beat in the eggs one at a time, adding a little of the weighed self-raising flour if the mixture gets too loose. Then stir in the remaining self-raising flour and the ground almonds. Put the mixture into the tin and spread it out evenly. Bake the cake until it is cooked through -- about 25 minutes. A skewer inserted into the cake should come out clean.

Heat the lemon juice and dissolve into it the 50g of extra caster sugar. Allow to cool. When it is baked, partly cool the cake in the tin, then turn it out on to a wire tray. While it's still warm, put the cake on a plate. Using a skewer, pierce lots of little holes into the top. Drizzle the sweetened lemon juice all over it.

If you like, cover the cake with a lemon and cream cheese icing (see recipe below).

LEMON AND CREAM CHEESE ICING

You will need:

100g (almost 4oz) cream cheese

175-225g (6-8oz) icing sugar, sifted

Fresh lemon juice

Put the cream cheese in a bowl and gradually stir in the sifted icing sugar. Add enough fresh lemon juice to soften the icing to a spreadable consistency.

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Yes. You’re right. After an entire post about organic winter vegetables, I marched right into the kitchen and made miniature doughnuts. Must you point out my inconsistencies? I need to work on this recipe a bit before I post it, so hang tight for a bit. If you’re really anxious, go out and get a petite doughnut pan while you wait. In the meantime, all I can offer you are photos.

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Chocolate milk
Believe it or not, chocolate milk has proven effective in refueling one’s body after a workout, since it contains the ideal amount of carbs and protein. A 2008 study published in the International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism found that chocolate milk was more effective in recovery than fluid replacement drinks, such as Gatorade. Nutritionist Danielle Omar is a fan because “it’s natural and it’s not a supplement. When you add the chocolate, it does have that perfect ratio.”

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125g Mooi River butter, softened

375ml soft brown sugar

2 eggs

150ml Clover sour cream

300ml cake flour

5ml baking powder

2.5ml bicarbonate of soda

125ml cocoa powder

Cream the butter and sugar well until light and creamy.

Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the sour cream.

Sift flour, baking powder, bicarb and cocoa and fold into the creamed mixture.

Divide the mixture between two 20cm cake pans which have been base lined and greased. Bake at 180°C for |20-25 minutes until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean. Remove and cool in the pan for 5 minutes before turning out on to a cooling rack. When cool, sandwich the two halves together with half the icing and spread the reminder on top.

CARAMEL ICING:

125g Mooi River butter, cubed

250ml brown sugar

60ml Clover milk

500ml icing sugar, sifted

5ml vanilla extract

Icing: In a saucepan over low heat, mix the butter and brown sugar until the butter is melted and the mixture is smooth.

Stir in the milk, bring it to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat.

Stir in icing sugar and vanilla until smooth.

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SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Cold Stone Creamery® will offer a limited time addition, Hot for Cookie™, to their Hot Stone™ Warm and Delicious™ plated dessert line beginning January 18. This delectable treat is made with a warm medley of a baked Chocolate Chip Cookie and rich Cookie Dough topped with French Vanilla Ice Cream, Whipped Topping and Shaved Chocolate. Typical of Cold Stone, this product features true innovation by combining a baked Chocolate Chip Cookie with warm, delicious Cookie Dough in the same dessert.

Cold Stone Creamery’s Hot Stone plated desserts combine classic indulgent desserts, such as Brownies, Churros and Funnel Cakes, with Cold Stone’s premium French Vanilla Ice Cream. They are served warm and sharable, creating a parlor feel. Cold Stone has seen a great response to the warm plated desserts, which prompted the introduction of the new, innovative Hot for Cookie.

“The new Hot for Cookie is for true Cookie Dough lovers,” said Ray Karam, Cold Stone Creamery’s Senior Tastemaster™. “We start with a baked Chocolate Chip Cookie and then top it with gooey Cookie Dough – add our premium Ice Cream and Whipped Topping into the mix, and the combination of textures is truly amazing!”

Hot Stone Warm and Delicious Desserts line-

LIMITED TIME – Hot for Cookie: A warm medley of baked Chocolate Chip Cookie and rich Cookie Dough topped with French Vanilla Ice Cream, Whipped Topping and Shaved Chocolate. Brownie A La Cold Stone: A rich warm Chocolate Brownie, topped with French Vanilla Ice Cream, Whipped Topping, Caramel, Hot Fudge and Pecans. Churro Caramel Crave: Warm crispy Churros rolled in Cinnamon and Sugar, topped with French Vanilla Ice Cream, Caramel and Whipped Topping.

Chocolate Lava Meltdown: Warm Chocolate Cake filled with Hot Fudge, then topped with French Vanilla Ice Cream, Fudge, Whipped Topping and Shaved Chocolate. No Fair Funnel Cake: Warm, sweet Funnel Cake dusted with Powdered Sugar, surrounded by Strawberries and topped with French Vanilla Ice Cream, Strawberry Puree and Whipped Topping. Hot for Cookie will be available in all Cold Stone Creamery stores beginning January 18.

About Cold Stone Creamery
Cold Stone Creamery delivers the Ultimate Ice Cream Experience® through a community of franchisees who are passionate about ice cream. The secret recipe for smooth and creamy ice cream is handcrafted fresh daily in each store, and then customized by combining a variety of Mix-ins on a frozen granite stone. Headquartered in Scottsdale, Ariz., Cold Stone Creamery is a subsidiary of Kahala, one of the fastest growing franchising companies in the world, with a portfolio of 14 quick-service restaurant brands. Cold Stone Creamery operates more than 1,500 locations in 20 countries.

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Coca-Cola chocolate cake

For the cake

2 cups sugar2 cups all-purpose flour

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1 1/2 cups miniature marshmallows

1/2 cup butter or margarine

1/2 cup vegetable oil

3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1 cup Coca-Cola

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup buttermilk

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the frosting

1/2 cup butter

3 tablespoons cocoa

6 tablespoons Coca-Cola

1 (16-ounce) box confectioners' sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup chopped pecans

1 Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, sift together sugar and flour. Add marshmallows. In medium saucepan, mix butter, oil, cocoa and Coca-Cola. Bring to a boil and pour over dry ingredients; blend well.

2 Dissolve baking soda in buttermilk just before adding to batter, along with eggs and vanilla extract. Mix well. Pour into a well-greased 13-by-9-inch baking pan and bake 35 to 45 minutes. Cake should spring back lightly at the touch. Remove from oven and frost immediately.

3 To make frosting, combine butter, cocoa and Coca-Cola in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil and pour over confectioners' sugar in a large mixing bowl, blending well. Add vanilla extract and pecans; stir well. Spread mixture over hot cake. When cool, cut into squares for serving.

Serves 12 generously.

Nutrition information per serving: 677 calories, 43% calories from fat, 32 g fat, 9 g saturated fat, 59 mg cholesterol, 98 g carbohydrates, 5 g protein, 147 mg sodium, 2 g fiber

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My New Year’s resolution this year was to not make any at all. This was a conscious decision because I already spend enough time berating myself for all my failures in life without setting myself up for yet more tellings off. But despite all my good intentions I have let a few of these evil task masters into my life and it’s NOT going well!

Firstly, I have made the most ridiculous promise to my friends and family to keep my house tidy (they could make a shock doc on how messy I am). This is a ridiculous idea because I have come to realise that in order to fulfil this promise there is absolutely not enough time for anything else.

Yup, no time whatsoever to lounge on the sofa watching guilty pleasure TV. No time to soak in a bath with a book. No time to have a cuppa and a chat. Why? Because this keeping the house clean and tidy business is a full time job. There’s always something to be done – hoovering, polishing, sock picking up, toy tidying and on and on it goes. I am now in awe of all those freaks of nature that can keep their house perfect and still have a life.

And my resolution debacle continues, because I’ve also promised my sister, Julia, who is a health nut, that I will not eat any wheat or dairy for a month (don’t ask me why). And I can tell you now... it ain’t any fun!

Nearly everything has flaming wheat in it, even Frazzles, can you believe? Anyway, my sister popped round yesterday only to find me in a wild eyed frenzy of hoovering and starvation and thought it was the funniest thing she’d ever seen.

So after howling with laughter at me, she felt a little (but only a little) guilty about her part in it. She unplugged the hoover, put the Sky Plus remote in my hand and promptly made the most delicious chocolate cake ever.

And guess what? Not an ounce of wheat or dairy in sight. So one resolution (keeping tidy and hoovered) is a resolute failure, but the other (no wheat or dairy) is still firmly in place. Hoorah!

My sister Julia's recipe

? 35g cocoa powder

? 80ml water

? 150g dark chocolate

? 200g light soft brown sugar

? 100g ground almonds

? 4 eggs, separated

1 Heat up the oven to 180C/160C fan/Gas 4.

2 Melt the chocolate either in the microwave or in a small bowl over a pan of boiling water (but be careful that you do not allow the water to touch the bowl).

3 Get two large bowls and put the cocoa powder and water into one of them and whisk it until it’s smooth.

Now add the melted chocolate, ground almonds, sugar and the egg yolks to the cocoa powder mixture and combine well.

Whisk the egg whites in the other bowl until you have some soft peaks and then fold them gently into the cake mixture.

4 Pour the mix into the prepared round cake tin and bake for between 40 and 50 minutes (depending on oven).

5 Insert a skewer in to the middle of the cake and if it comes out nice and clean then it’s ready. Let it sit in the tin for about 30 minutes and then remove and let it cool fully. Dust with icing sugar and enjoy.

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