Chocolate And Caramel! :D

Its a two in one post today since both the delicious treats were made on the same day. I think they deserve to be together even if they seem total opposites. 

I was craving chocolate so it was a no brainier to make something involving that and I love cake so I chose to make a favorite around here "Wacky Cake". Now most people that bake often know why its called wacky; however for ones that don't know well its wacky because it's made without eggs and butter which are usually a basic items in cake .Most people think that this recipe might of  been made up during the depressions times when ingredients were scarce and people needed to improvise.If it really was made then or not its certainly a great experiment and still a popular cake today.

 

This recipe actually proves that you can make a delicious simple cake without certain ingredients. In some wacky cake recipes you will see quite a few different ingredients then in this one. Sometimes you will see items like vinegar, lemon juice, milk, vegetable oil or water. All of these ingredients are perfectly fine and I have made wacky cakes recipes in the past that included theses.

While making this cake its very important to have your wells because its helps with combining and you wont have to fear getting a dry chewy cake as a end result.This is actually a great cake for vegans and ones allergic to these certain ingredients. 

I love this cake its my top number one simple cake while my second is the mayo chocolate cake, which is really moist as well. These are my go to recipes for a great cake on special occasions or when you have a sweet tooth :D.

Wacky Cake (Cooking Course Recipe)

1 1/2 cup all purpose flour

1 cup sugar

3 tbsp cocoa powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp vinegar

5 tbsp vegetable oil

1 cup cold water

Sift in a large bowl, flour, sugar, cocoa,baking soda and salt.

Make three wells in the dry mix.

In one well add vanilla,  in another vinegar and then oil in the last one.

Pour cold water over top the whole mixture, stir with a wooden spoon until combined and moistened.

Grease a 9 inch square pan, pour into prepared pan.

Bake at 350F for 25-30 minutes until spring back and toothpick test is clean.

 ............. Woo! Another Great Treat!

Caramel popcorn is one of those addictive treats where you don't notice how much you just ate because its so good. This "Crunchy Caramel Popcorn" is one of those junk foods that are homemade and must be a little healthier for you hahaha lol. This is not a treat to even think about health and all you should think about is how simple is to make and how delicious :D. If you really want to cut down on the calories try using margarine instead of butter.It wont cause any difference because it has to be melted and the taste is pretty hard to detect with the brown sugar.

Ive already made this recipe twice and I finally made a post for it. Its even better then store bought because its fresh, how its suppose to be and nuts can be optional. Peanuts and cashews are the favorite for this popcorn buts its perfectly good without. It has a balance of great sweet and savory, plus the crunch is excellent. 

The only negative part of this recipe is its sometime difficult to toss the popcorn with the syrup without the corn going everywhere. I highly recommend to have extra bowls and put smaller amounts of the popcorn for tossing. Be very safe how much you put of syrup in and try to keep it warm. You definitely need to do this if you double the recipe which I did. It makes a lot of popcorn if you go that route.

Also another recommendation that Martha Stewart recipe didn't addressed was when you have seeds that don't pop. There will be quite a few of them with this  amount made in the recipe. For me I try to go through it by scooping with a large spoon into another large bowl and looking through, be sure to have clean hands for this. I wish there was a sifter big enough for these seeds for this specific job, maybe there is?

Enjoy!