Hawaiian Macaroni Salad and An Ode to My Mother

Happy Mother's Day to my friend, my hero, my role model...my beautiful mother.

I know I was not the easiest child in the world to raise. I was stubborn, strong-willed, and hated taking direction from anyone. Not to mention, I had full-blown anxiety issues about pretty much everything beginning when I was just a toddler. We're talking major emotional breakdowns about EVERYTHING. I was scared of boats after reading about the Titanic. I was scared to travel to California after seeing the news coverage of the 1994 Los Angeles earthquake. After seeing Jaws, I was not only terrified of the ocean but also lakes, streams, rivers, the public pool, and some very large puddles.

My Mom never lost patience with me and my constant, never-ending panic attacks about everything. I must have woken her up dozens of times in the middle of the night just to tell her that I was scared that we were going to die in a car crash during our next family vacation by driving off a bridge, getting swept up by a tornado, or spontaneously bursting into flames. Mom would always calmly respond with the true but not-at-all-reassuring statement: "At least we will all be together!"

My Mom has always been my biggest advocate. When I was about five years old and attending a Vacation Bible School summer program, a pair of 10-year-old girls were making fun of me for choosing to color an entire picture with a hot-pink marker (an atrociously inartistic choice for sure!). My Mom immediately marched over to them and asked: "Are you making fun of her picture?" The terrified girls quickly shook their heads and skedaddled. I proudly took my artwork home where I'm sure my Mom saved it in her filing cabinet where she kept all the other pieces of evidence that none of her children would grow up to be the next Picasso. Years later, some of us kids went through the contents of that filing cabinet and wondered amongst ourselves: "Why the heck did Mom keep all this crap?"

Because she loves us.

As little kids, we always had a set routine of prayers we said at night with my Mom while being tucked into bed. I have taught my own son that same exact sequence of prayers and we recite it together every single night. And every single night, it reminds me of my Mom.

Whenever I rock my little Emma, I sing her the same song my Mom would sing to us when we were little:

Baby of Mine
Baby of Mine
Sweet Little, Cute Little, Baby of Mine
Sweet Little Child, sent from above
You'll always be
You'll always be
My Baby of Mine.

I have no idea whether that is an actual song or her own composition based on the melody of an actual song (my Mom has a knack for forgetting lyrics), but I will sing it to all my babies just as my Mom sang it to all of hers.

Even though I am now grown and raising a family of my own, I will never stop needing my Mom. Whenever I am scared, upset, or excited about something, my Mom is the first person I want to call. I miss her when I am unable to see her for awhile and sometimes long to hug her, laugh with her, or watch a Cary Grant movie with her (that man is a bona fide Adonis). I love how much my children love her and enjoy spending time with her. Matthew talks about "going to see Grandma" every single day. I usually tell him: "Oh Matthew, I want to go see Grandma too!"

I have no idea why Mom looks so oddly two dimensional in this picture!

On this Mother's Day, even though I am unable to spend the day with my Mom, I am thinking about her constantly. I could not have been blessed with a better Mother and hope that I can give my own children the same amount of love and support that my Mom always gave me.

Thank you, Mom, for everything. I love you!

The recipe I want to share is one that I promised to post for my Mom since it reminded her so much of a dish that her mother, my Grandma, used to prepare during the summertime. I prepared this Macaroni Salad as a side dish during the family gathering we hosted the weekend of Emma's Baptism mainly because I thought it would be cheap, easy, and economical. However, this was truly one fantastic macaroni salad. After one bite, my Mom declared that it was exactly like Grandma's macaroni salad - a dish that my Mom craves from time to time. Grandma passed away almost 17 years ago and I know that my Mom thinks about her and misses her constantly. Although I did not know her very well, I understand that she was an excellent cook and I was very proud to make something reminiscent of one of her dishes.

Hawaiian Macaroni Salad
from Entertaining Magazine

Note: Do not substitute lower fat milk or mayonnaise in the recipe. It will make the dressing too watery!

2 cups whole milk
2 cups full-fat mayonnaise
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
 Salt and Pepper
1 pound macaroni pasta
1/2 cup cider vinegar
4 scallions, sliced thin
1 large carrot, grated
1 celery rib, chopped fine

To make the dressing, whisk together 1 1/2 cups milk, 1 cup mayonnaise, brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 2 teaspoons pepper.

Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Add 1 tablespoon salt and pasta and cook until very soft, about 15 minutes. Drain pasta and return to pot.

Add vinegar to the hot pasta, and toss until absorbed. Transfer to a large bowl. Cool the pasta for 10 minutes.

Stir in the dressing until pasta is well coated. Let stand to cool completely to room temperature.

Add scallions, carrot, celery, remaining milk, and remaining mayonnaise to pot with pasta mixture; stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to serving bowl and refrigerate, covered, for at least 1 hour or up to 2 days. Serve.

Vegan Oatmeal Cookies with White Chocolate and Coconut

The vegan diet seems to be gaining more popularity. In the grocery store, packaged foods normally have a sticker printed on the side indicating whether the product is "vegan friendly." Most restaurants will make an effort to provide a couple vegan options for entrees. Vegan recipes are taking over the internet! It has been quite the trendy diet particularly among those who are trying to make a conscientious effort to eat more whole foods. Now, eating a vegan-friendly diet does not seem incredibly difficult to me if we are talking strictly main dishes - just make food with lots of olive oil, fruits, veggies, and grains. I don't eat a lot of dairy anyway because of my lactose intolerance. Paul, on the other hand, would have a little more difficult time with it because he could never kiss his cheese fetish goodbye. Overall, I think a vegan diet would be fairly doable.

Until it comes to baking and desserts.

How can you bake without butter?! Eggs?!? Milk? Most forms of chocolate!????!

I envisioned just about every vegan baked good turning out about as hard and tasteless as a hockey puck.

One of my dearest friends from high school is a hard-core vegan. And you know what else? She also enjoys baking! In fact, when we have gathered together at various bridal and baby showers over the years, she normally brings some freshly baked vegan desserts. And they have always been moist and incredibly delicious! Ever since tasting some of her recipes, I have kept an eye out for vegan baking recipes for both her and I to test out. Obviously, vegan recipes are particularly tricky to execute well. You cannot simply substitute vegan-friendly ingredients for non-vegan ingredients and hope that it all works out for the best. The entire formula usually needs to be revamped in order to guarantee optimal taste and texture. So far, there have been some successful recipes and some very humbling failures. My attempts at a vegan challah were less than stellar. The bread pudding I tried to make with the salvaged remains was even worse. I'm going to guess that challah is just not challah without all those eggs.

One of my favorite vegan recipes thus far are for these oatmeal cookies. I actually whipped them up accidentally one day because I was babysitting for a bunch of kids and wanted to make them a snack, but did not have any butter in the house. I used it as an opportunity to try a vegan cookie recipe. The batter took no more than 7 minutes to whip up and another 20 minutes to bake in the oven. The results are a chewy, sweet cookie full of flavor from coconut, white chocolate (vegan white chocolate, of course), and brown sugar. Matthew loves these and Paul thought they were pretty fantastic too!

Oatmeal Cookies with White Chocolate and Coconut
adapted from Serious Eats


3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup canola oil
2 tablespoons agave nectar (or honey)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon water
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup shredded coconut, toasted
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/4 cup vegan white chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Whisk together the sugar, oil, agave, salt, water, and vanilla in a medium bowl. In a larger bowl, combine the four, oats, coconut, and baking soda. Make a well in the center and pour in the wet ingredients. Mix well to combine. Stir in the white chocolate chips. You might have to use your hands to get everything to mesh well.

Press the mixture into the bottom of an 8-inch baking pan. Place on the middle rack in the oven and bake for 20-22 minutes, or until lightly browned and just set. Let cool completely on a wire rack before cutting into bars. Or, scoop out cobbler-style while still hot and enjoy with a large helping of of ice cream.

Coconut Tres Leches Cake

I enjoyed having a birthday to myself for all of two years. Then, on the day I turned three, my slightly bald, floppy-eared brother Raymond was born and I have had to share my birthday with him ever since. Luckily, we grew up sharing a mutual love of BBQ Ribs and Chinese Chicken Salad so one of those two dishes ended up being our birthday dinner while German Chocolate Cake was typically our choice for dessert. Actually, Raymond and I relished the fact that we were born on the same day. In fact, I was a fraternal twin at conception but my twin perished prior to birth. When Raymond came along, I always assumed that he was the reincarnation of my long-lost twin. And Raymond went along with that little theory until our parents delicately yet effectively squashed it by explaining that as Catholics reincarnation is not exactly a part of our theology.

Oh well, it was still cool to share a birthday together.

In fact, when I went off to college and Raymond and I were no longer able to celebrate together, my birthday always seemed slightly incomplete and lonely. It was weird to be the only person spitting across the cake in a desperate attempt to blow off all those candles. We always chatted on the phone and shared how we would each be celebrating, but it was never the same.

Finally, after three years apart, Raymond began his first year at Notre Dame while I began my final year. And that year, we celebrated our birthday in style - with food, friends, volleyball, and lots of cake and pie (my husband Paul actually orchestrated the whole thing).

Then, this happened.

And we moved away. I got pretty used to having my own cake for five years.

But this year, Raymond came to visit a few days before our birthdays and my family took full advantage of the opportunity to celebrate. Excited to be sharing a cake with my little brother once again, I really wanted to make something he liked. I asked Raymond what his current favorite dessert was and his reply was "anything with coconut."

One dessert my Mom makes often is Tres Leches Cake. I have actually never ever had it but my siblings have always praised it to no end. I decided to make a Coconut Tres Leches cake for Raymond. Basically, a simple, basic cake batter is whipped up, poured in a baking dish, and baked. After allowing it to cool, you poke the heck out of that poor little cake (I stabbed that cake for a good 10 minutes) and a mixture of cream of coconut, evaporated milk, and cream (tres leches!!) are poured over the top and allowed to soak into the cake. Now, when I poured my tres leches over the cake, it pooled over the top and looked like a disaster in the making. Paul walked by and sarcastically remarked: "yum!" My reply was: "Shut up! This is exactly how I want it to look."

But, in reality, I was worried.

So, the whole thing goes into the fridge for a rest period (I gave it a good 24 hours). And, magically, the milk does sink into the cake and it somehow is not at all soggy, but rather moist with the flavor of the milks permeating every crumb. Some sweetened whipped cream is quickly made using my handy-dandy stand mixer and carefully spread over the top. Garnished with sliced bananas and toasted coconut, the cake is ready to serve!

Paul threw some candles on our cake and our entire family gathered around to sing "Happy Birthday" to Raymond and I. As we prepared to lean over and blow out the candles, a small, impish child shot past us, clambered hastily up one of the kitchen chairs, and began blowing out our candles! Mr. Matthew has been very into birthdays lately and, since turning three, has assumed that every birthday cake is for him! Thankfully, he did not have a cold at the time because he showered that cake with saliva.

So, in the end, Raymond and I did not get to blow out those candles together. But, it was still great to be able to celebrate our birthdays together especially since we do not know how long it will be before we are able to do so again.

Coconut Tres Leches Cake
adapted from Cook's Illustrated and Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Note: I am sure as a shortcut, you could definitely just whip up a boxed cake per the packaged directions. Just let it cool, poke holes, and add the milk mixture.

For the Cake:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter
1 cup whole milk
4 large eggs, at room temperature
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla

For the milk mixture:
1 can evaporated milk
1 cup heavy cream
1 can Cream of Coconut (NOT Coconut Milk)
1 teaspoon vanilla

For the sweetened whipped cream:
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

For the garnish:
1 cup sweetened shredded coconut, toasted
1-2 large bananas, sliced

To make the cake: Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour a 13x9 inch baking pan.

Whisk flour, baking powder and salt together in a bowl. Heat butter and milk in small saucepan over low heat until butter is melted. Set aside.

Beat eggs in a large bowl for about 30 seconds on medium speed, then slowly add in the sugar until incorporated. Increase speed to medium-high and beat until mixture is thick and glossy, about 5-7 minutes. Reduce speed to low and slowly mix in the milk-butter mixture and vanilla. Add flour mixture in three additions, scraping down the bowl as needed and then mix on medium speed until fully incorporated, about 30 additional seconds. Using a rubber spatula, scrape batter into prepared pan and bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cake cool completely on a wire rack.

Meanwhile, combine all ingredients for the milk mixture in a blender and blend for 30-60 seconds until completely mixed.

Poke holes all over the cooled cake. I mean ALL over. We really want the milk mixture to saturate. Slowly pour the milk mixture over the cake in 5-6 additions. Let the mixture soak in a bit before adding the next. Once all the milk mixture has been poured over, refrigerate the cake for at least 2 hours and up to 24 hours.

When ready to serve, whisk the whipping cream in the bowl of a stand mixer until frothy. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla and continue to whisk until the cream has reached the consistency of whipped cream. Carefully spread the whipped cream over the surface of the cake, sprinkle the cake with the toasted coconut and banana slices, and serve!

Raspberry Crumb Bars

This weekend was a blur of activity involving family, friends, presents, and lots and lots of food. Emma Rose was baptized on Sunday (more on that later!) and we had so many family and friends make the trip for the blessed event. My parents and six of my younger siblings drove in from Indiana. My sister Catherine and her boyfriend made the trek from Columbus, Ohio. My older brother Michael, his wife Maria, and their little son Michael II also traveled from Michigan to spend the weekend with everyone. I think it was the largest gathering of my side of the family since Michael's wedding (we were still missing my two little sisters who could not shirk their college studies to join us!). Paul and I felt very blessed to have so many people present to support us and welcome Baby Emma as a child of God.

Speaking of Baby Emma, she has definitely nailed the zombie stare.

In preparation for the reception following Emma's baptism, I was busy in the kitchen (with my helper Matthew by my side) preparing various goodies. We wanted to keep things simple and serve only a few desserts and snacks. One of the items I baked was a simple batch of Raspberry Crumb Bars. An oatmeal cookie base sandwiches a thin layer of tart raspberry filling to create a snack that is not to sweet and delightfully fresh. They are pretty fantastic served chilled from the fridge, at room temperature, or warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Feel free to serve them for breakfast too - the oats make them semi-healthy (at least we can pretend!).

Raspberry Crumb Bars
adapted slightly from Baked: New Frontiers in Baking


For the cookie crust and crumb:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1 1/4 cups rolled oats
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces

For the raspberry filling:
1/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 pound raspberries, fresh or frozen
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter the bottom and sides of a 9-by-13-inch glass or light-colored metal baking pan. Put a long piece of parchment paper or foil in the bottom of the pan, letting the parchment extend up the two short sides of the pan and overhang slightly on both ends. (This will make it easy to remove the bars from the pan after they have baked.) Butter the parchment.

Put the flour, brown sugar, oats, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon in a food processor. Pulse in short bursts until combined. Add the butter and pulse until loose crumbs form.

Reserve 1 cup of the mixture and set aside. Pour the rest of the mixture into the prepared pan and use your hands or the back of a large wooden spoon to push the crust into an even layer at the bottom of the pan. The crust should touch the sides of the pan. Bake until golden brown, about 12-15 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let the crust cool. Keep the oven on while you make the raspberry filling.

Meanwhile, make the raspberry filling. In a medium bowl, whisk the sugar, lemon zest, cinnamon and flour together. Add the raspberries, lemon juice and butter and use your hands to toss gently until the raspberries are evenly coated.

Spread the raspberry filling evenly on top of the cooled crust. Sprinkle the reserved crust mixture evenly on top of the filling. Bake for 35-45 minutes, rotating the pan every 15 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the filling starts to bubble around the edges.

Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely, then carefully lift the bars from the pan and cut into squares. I actually ended up sticking the whole pan in the refrigerator (after the bars had finished cooling) to allow the bars to firm up a bit more to ensure easy cutting and portioning. The bars can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to two days.

Lentil Salad with Olives, Feta, and Mint

I'm not gonna lie, when I announced to Paul that we were having "a deliciously healthy lentil salad" for dinner, he looked like I had actually informed him that fried earthworms were on the menu. Lentils are not one of his favorite things. He finds their texture weird and their taste almost tinny.

I personally do not fully comprehend Paul's hatred of lentils. They are excellent sources of healthy protein, folate, and fiber and taste pretty awesome. I have been in the mood for light, fresh, and healthy meals lately and randomly decided to grab a big bag of french lentils while cruising around the grocery store with Matthew and Emma.

"What are these, Mommy?" Matthew asked as I tossed them into the cart.

"Lentils, honey. They are kind of like peas!" I announced cheerfully - because I am really, really trying to sell him on healthier food choices.

But, of course, the inevitable response was: "YUCK. That's gross. Disgusting!"

(Just one of those three adjectives would have sufficiently gotten the message across, but Matthew seems to have a flair for the dramatic).

"Please don't feed me LENTILS, Mom!!!"

I'm guessing he gets both his taste buds and judgmental attitude towards legumes from his father.

However, being the good sport he is, Paul agreed to eat the dreaded lentils (there may or may not have been the promise of ice cream afterwards if he cleaned his plate). And wouldn't you know it?...after his first bite, he announced that the salad was actually good. Quite good! He really enjoyed the fresh flavors and found the texture of the lentils to be enjoyable. He ended up polishing off a second helping.

The key to the texture of the lentils lies in the unique cooking method. First, the lentils are brined for one hour before being gently cooked in a 325 degree oven. The gentle cooking method allows the lentils to soften without falling apart or bloating, lending a pleasant, creamy texture to the salad. The punchy vinaigrette, briny olives, creamy feta, and bright mint all blend together harmoniously to create a delicious, light meal! I will definitely be making this dish again and attempting other variations of lentil salad. I think this dish would also function as an excellent accompaniment to some grilled chicken or fish.

Lentil Salad with Olives, Feta, and Mint
adapted slightly from Cook's Illustrated

Note: Do not use yellow or red lentils here. They are not as sturdy and will completely disintegrate during cooking yielding more of a thick, sludgy soup rather than the toothsome salad we're going for here!

1 cup lentils, picked over and rinsed
Salt and pepper
6 cups water, divided
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
5 garlic cloves, lightly crushed and peeled
1 bay leaf
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1/2 cup coarsely chopped pitted kalamata olives
1/2 cup fresh mint leaves, chopped
1 large shallot, minced
1-2 ounces feta cheese, crumbled

Place lentils and 1 teaspoon salt in bowl. Cover with 4 cups warm water and soak for 1 hour. Drain well.

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Place drained lentils, 2 cups water, broth, garlic, bay leaf, and ½ teaspoon salt in medium saucepan. Cover and bake until lentils are tender but remain intact, about 40-60 minutes (mine took closer to the 60 minute mark). Meanwhile, whisk oil and vinegar together in large bowl.

Drain lentils well. Remove and discard garlic and bay leaf. Add drained lentils, olives, mint, and shallot to dressing and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to serving dish and sprinkle with feta.

Motherhood 2.0

As I type this out, a precious little angel is sleeping against my chest, breathing softly and gently, the trace of a smile lingering on her tiny face. Just over four weeks old, she seems to be thriving beautifully as evidenced by the growing rolls on her thighs. She is officially just a teeny bit too long for newborn sleepers even though I just shoved her into one because I am unwilling to surrender it - the smiling frogs on the front pockets and the adorable little ruffle around the tushie area are overwhelmingly cute. We have definitely had some struggles with sleep deprivation, painful feedings, and worries concerning her lingering jaundice but it is all forgotten when we gaze into her gorgeous blue eyes and watch them carefully survey the room, wide and alert, absorbing every sight and sound.

Lots of people have asked about my adjustment to life with two children. It has definitely been challenging. I have had moments of slight depression when I realize how much longer it takes to get ready to go outside for a walk, to the park, to the store. It seems that when I have to be somewhere at a given time, I must allow myself at least 45 minutes to ensure that the baby is properly fed, Matthew is completely dressed (the kid likes to randomly take off his pants at the most inopportune times), and I am showered and wearing an outfit that does not include yoga pants. It will take some time to adjust but I can already see that we are improving.

Despite these obvious and expected adjustments, I have noticed that I am finding Emma's infant stage so much more enjoyable. I am more confident, more self-assured in my role as a mother. I have successfully  nurtured one child from infancy to his current phase of toddler stubbornness and I know that I can do it again, perhaps drawing upon the mistakes and lessons learned during my previous experience to improve my parenting skills. This sense of peace has enabled me to relax and just enjoy caring for this tiny little person...this incredible gift from God that has been entrusted to my care. Earlier this week, as I sat on my bed feeding Emma while Matthew snuggled into my side with a book to read, I was a bit overwhelmed with a sense of gratitude for my life.  I have a caring husband, two beautifully healthy children, a comfortable home, and a supportive network of friends and family. God is so good and I am so incredibly blessed.

The piles of laundry will continue to grow, the house will not seem as clean as before, and the dishes might take a teeny bit longer to make their way into the dishwasher, but I am okay with that. I do not want to miss a single opportunity to snuggle with my baby girl and her big brother.

Magic Chocolate Flan Cake

On Friday, Paul ended a six month stretch of endless paperwork and studying by finally sitting for his PE license exam. It was a grueling, day-long exam that tested his engineering expertise in a wide range of different areas in order to determine whether he is deserving of the title "Professional Engineer." If you had asked Paul a month ago whether he had any trepidation about the exam, he would have replied confidently (and perhaps with a touch of arrogance): "It's in the bag. No problem!" However, during the days leading up to the exam, Paul somehow evolved into a nervous, anxious, wild-eyed, wreck-of-a-man who drank no less than 10 cups of coffee each morning while desperately pouring over the 3000+ pages of his study guide. Even when he was not actively studying, his mind was continually working through problems in his head. At one point, while trying to construct a meal plan/grocery list for the week with him, I noticed that his eyes looked glazed and a bit unfocused. Not exactly out of the ordinary for Paul (he has a history of falling asleep mid-conversation - it's the Nistler Disease at work) so I continued to chat through the list until he suddenly interrupted me by sitting upright and declaring: "THAT'S what they wanted! Those tricky B@$T@RD$!!"

Apparently, he had just figured out one of the problems that had been giving him issues during a practice exam.

For obvious reasons, I was very excited for Paul to take the exam so we could return to normal life and not have every conversation involve a discussion of fluid dynamics or heat transfer. Plus, he has been looking forward to getting his PE license ever since we were seniors at Notre Dame...so it was a big day for him!

He came out of the test feeling pretty good about everything and now we only have to wait two months until we find out whether he passed or not. However, I am confident that he did just fine. The guys has never failed at anything in his life. 

In celebration of completing his exam, I made Paul his favorite dinner - Sweet Potato and Chorizo Enchiladas with Mexican Rice. For dessert, I wanted to make something that fit into our fiesta-themed meal, but the only thing I could think of was flan. Now, Paul LOVES flan. I personally don't really care for it and frankly find it a little strange that Paul loves it so much considering his abhorrence for things like pudding, mousse, and souffle. However, I remembered spotting a recipe in an issue of Cook's Country a few months back for a Magic Chocolate Flan Cake - an unusual dessert featuring a moist chocolate cake topped with a layer of vanilla flan and finished with a decadent caramel sauce. The "magic" part of the recipe is that the cake batter and flan mixture switch places in the bundt pan during the baking process. I figured that the chocolate cake layer might make this dessert semi-enjoyable for me as well.

The cake was a breeze to put together (the ingredients for the flan layer are dumped into a blender and pureed...done). The only caveat is that you do need to plan ahead since the cake requires at least 8 hours of chill time to ensure that the flan sets up well enough to be unmolded neatly. I was a little nervous when it came time to flip the cake onto a serving platter, but it unmolded beautifully. And we all LOVED it! Decadent, creamy, and moist - this was an amazing end to the meal! Matthew hated the flan layer because of the texture, but he willingly gobbled down the cake portion of his slice. If you are looking for a show-stopping dessert for your Cinco de Mayo celebrations, this is the one! We are already planning on making it again soon.

Magic Chocolate Flan Cake
adapted from Cook's Country

For the Cake:
1/2 cup caramel sauce or topping (store bought or homemade)
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/3 cup (1 ounce) cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
6 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Flan:
2 (14-ounce) cans sweetened condensed milk
2 1/2 cups whole milk
6 ounces cream cheese
6 large eggs
4 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 12-cup nonstick bundt pan, taking care to get in all the nooks and crannies. Pour the caramel sauce into the bottom of the pan.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt; set aside. In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the chocolate and butter and microwave at 50% power for 1-minute increments, stirring in between, until the mixture is melted and smooth, about 2-4 minutes. Whisk the buttermilk, sugar, eggs, and vanilla into the melted chocolate mixture until incorporated. Add the flour mixture and stir until combined. Pour the chocolate batter evenly over the caramel.

Add all the flan ingredients to a blender and process until smooth. Slowly and carefully pour the flan mixture over the the cake batter. Place the filled cake pan in a large roasting pan. Place the roasting pan in the oven and carefully pour warm water into the roasting pan until it reaches halfway up the sides of the bundt pan. Bake the cake until a toothpick comes out clean and the flan registers 180 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, about 75-90 minutes. Remove the Bundt pan from the roasting pan and place it on a wire rack to cool completely. Refrigerate for 8 hours (or up to 12).

To remove the cake from the pan, fill a large bowl with hot water and place the bottom third of the Bundt pan in the water for 1 minute. Carefully invert the cake onto a flat plate or cake platter. Slowly remove the pan letting the caramel drizzle over the top of the cake. Serve chilled.