Chocolate cake, Wii Bowling, and Wine = a good weekend

Ry and I hadn't been over to his parents' for awhile, so we made the commitment to spend some time with them Sunday. I got all of our meal planning and shopping out of the way before we went over, Ry packed up his new Wii and games, and we made the 45 minute trek to their house.

Since they already had dinner planned, I decided to make a chocolate cake while I drank a generous glass of wine (or two). I'm always keeping an eye out for ways to lighten up desserts without losing the flavor, so when I ran across this ridiculously simple recipe on greenlitebites.com, I had to try it. Here's my modified version:

Pumpkin-Banana Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Chips
-1 Chocolate Fudge Cake Mix - always go for the ones that proclaim themselves "moist" - or if you want to skip that, just throw in some pudding mix with the cake mix.
- 1 15 oz can of pumpkin
- 1 banana, mashed
- 2/3 cup of water
- Chocolate chips - I used Ghiradelli's 60 percent cacoa or something or other

Preheat the oven to 325. In a medium/large bowl, combine the banana and pumpkin; beat until blended. Blend in the chocolate cake mix. Pour in the water and beat on low/medium speed for 2-3 minutes (I think I did three). It's very thick, more like a whipped cream texture than a cake batter. Grease a 13-9 pan; pour the batter in and smooth it around the pan to even it out. Take your preferred chips (I'd like to try peanut butter ones next time) and sprinkle them around on top of the cake as much as you'd like - I probably used 1/2 cup. Take a spatula or spoon and press them into the batter so they're even with the top of the cake (or leave on top - whatever you want. I like mine more embedded).

Bake for 35-40 minutes or until done. Since it's more of a fudgy cake, a toothpick won't be clean, but will have cake crumbles instead of cake batter. Top with lightly sugared strawberries and ice cream (preferably light). It's sort of a strawberry shortcake on chocolate thing....mmmm!

I got really excited about this cake, so excited that I almost forgot to eat dinner, which I'm glad I didn't because it was AMAZING! I know, I know, I shouldn't be so shocked, but Ry's dad isn't exactly a spice fiend, so a lot of the meals he prepares (and Ry's mom prepares because he won't eat anything too adventurous) can be pretty bland. I mean, bland to me. But only because I'M a spice fiend. An addict, you might say. My spice cupboard is overflowing into my cereal/popcorn/stuffing/cider (I know, cider? Why is that in the cereal cupboard? Because I need to organize, that's why) cupboard and I DON'T CARE. That cereal can just get on the refrigerator or jump in the vase shelf; spices come first.

ANYWAY, blandness was not a problem Sunday night. We prepared grilled pork chops - which I rub with a oregano/parsley/sage/rosemary/thyme mixture (like the song + oregano), plated with a delicious raspberry sauce, and sides of wild rice perfectly done and carrots braised in a honey sauce my mother in law keeps around. Needless to say, no leftovers. And my father in law didn't mind dealing with my spice addiction for a night.

Of course we were stuffed. And there was no room for dessert. Until my mother in law, P, snagged a bite while we were in the midst of a vicious Wii bowling competition. Then it looked so good we all HAD to temporarily set aside our hot rivalry to sample the fudgy goodness piled with ice cream and strawberries. I almost fainted. And then I had another piece. It tasted like a banana split on cake (the pumpkin flavor doesn't come through; it's only there to cut out the oil and eggs of the usual recipe). I'm sure it was the cake that made Ry and I lose by a countless number of points to his parents in the three game series. I was all weighed down and saturated in its deliciousness.......and in the other two glasses of wine I had with dinner. :)

Please try it. If you regret it I'll pay for the wasted cake mix....