Susan Mallery's Fool's Gold Cookbook: A Love Story Told Through 150 Recipes (Fool's Gold #12.1)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup molasses (not blackstrap)

1 cup light-brown sugar

1 cup granulated sugar

3 large eggs

¾ cup vegetable oil

2 cups all-purpose flour, plus additional for pan

1¼ teaspoons baking powder

2 tablespoons ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

Pinch of ground cardamom

Glaze

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 cup powdered sugar, sifted

Zest from 1 lemon

For cake:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Very generously butter a 9- or 10-inch Bundt pan, making sure to cover every nook and cranny. Dust with flour, knocking out excess.

2. In a small saucepan, bring stout to a simmer over medium-low heat. Remove from heat; stir in baking soda. When foam subsides, stir in molasses and both sugars until dissolved. Scrape mixture into the bowl of an electric mixer. Add eggs and oil; beat until blended.

3. In a large bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, ginger, cinnamon, cloves and cardamom. Slowly add dry ingredients into stout mixture, beating at high speed until completely smooth.

4. Scrape batter into prepared Bundt pan. Tap pan against the counter a few times to release any air bubbles. Bake 50 minutes, until a toothpick comes out with just a few crumbs. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Carefully run a metal spatula around the edges of the cake to loosen it from the pan. Turn the cake out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

For glaze:

1. In a medium bowl, whisk lemon juice and powdered sugar until of drizzling consistency. Drizzle glaze over the cake, and sprinkle zest on top of it.

TIP: It’s important to generously butter and flour the cake pan to ensure that the cake releases from the pan. The heavier the Bundt pan, the easier it will be to remove the cake from the pan.

WINTER

Minty Brownie Bombs

These cookies combine the rich fudginess of brownies with the chewy crunch of cookies. Stuffing them with mint cookie bits and frosting with chocolate mints sends the taste sensation over the top.

Makes about 15

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly

2 large eggs

1 package (18–21 ounces) fudge brownie mix

1 cup all-purpose flour

1½ cups broken mint chocolate-sandwich cookies (about 13 cookies)

About 15 mint chocolate wafer candies (such as Andes)

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or nonstick liners.

2. In a large bowl, whisk melted butter and eggs until blended. Add brownie mix and flour; stir with a wooden spoon until combined (dough will be thick). Fold in cookie chunks. Drop dough by heaping tablespoon onto prepared sheets. Press down on cookies with your palm to slightly flatten. Bake 8 to 10 minutes, until just set but still a bit undercooked in the middle. While still hot, top each cookie with a mint. Using a spoon, gently push the mint into the cookie, swirling it a bit so it covers most of the cookie. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

TIP: If mint doesn’t appeal to you, use plain chocolate-sandwich cookies (such as Oreos).

WINTER

Triple-Chocolate Caramel Party Cake

Piling chocolate-covered caramels on top of this decadent layer cake makes this a cake fit for a party, any party.

Serves 12

Cake

Butter, for greasing pans

1¾ cups all-purpose flour, plus additional for pan

2 cups granulated sugar

¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs, at room temperature

½ cup vegetable oil

1 cup buttermilk

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup warm coffee

Filling and ganache

14 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped or chips

14 ounces heavy cream

1 cup prepared dulce de leche or thick caramel dip

About 30 Rolo or other small caramel cup candies, some of them halved

For cake:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour bottom and sides of two 8-inch cake pans. Line bottoms with parchment paper, then butter and flour the parchment.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt until blended. In a large bowl with an electric mixer on high speed, beat eggs, oil, buttermilk and vanilla. Reduce mixer speed to low; alternately add dry ingredients and coffee just until blended. Batter will be wet.

3. Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove to a wire rack; let cakes cool in the pans for 30 minutes. Turn cakes out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

For filling and ganache: