Key Lime Pie

This past week, was a birthday baking extravaganza. Dustin helped me with the chocolate cake (see previous post) and Ryan assisted with the Key Lime Pie (both for Chelsea's birthday party). The help was much appreciated, and they both turned out wonderfully. I bought a new blue tart pan from Target. The bottom comes out for easy removal. It worked great! Here's how it turned out.



Of course, this is before I removed it from the pan. I just loved the color of the dish with the color of the dessert. Here is the recipe that I used. It's Ina Garten, again. I told you...I just love her recipes. My only tip on this recipe is to butter the pie pan. If you don't, your bottom crust will stick. It was a nightmare to get out. Lesson learned!

Chocolate Cake

I decided that I wanted to try a chocolate cake completely from scratch, so I found a recipe by Ina Garten (she's my favorite) on food network and set off in the kitchen. I made the batter and chocolate butter cream and each had a hint of coffee or espresso. It was yummy! This is a perfect chocolate cake recipe.



This photo was taken the second time I made the cake which was for my brother's girlfriend's birthday. Hence the chocolate chip "C" on top. Her name is Chelsea, and she love chocolate and coffee!

Anywho, here is the recipe that I used. It is the best tasting chocolate cake! Totally worth the time, effort, and calories! Oh, and be careful what kind of coffee you put in the batter. The better the flavor of your coffee the better the flavor of your cake!