Finding Santa Barbara Chocolate

My 2-weeks in Santa Barbara were wonderful.  And the coursework wasn't too bad either!  With class sessions in the morning, we were given much free time, and I used some of my time to search for some Santa Barbara chocolate treasures.

One of my greatest finds was Our Daily Bread Bakery and Cafe.  Though tucked away off the main drag of State Street, this spacious, quiet little cafe is just down the street from the historic Presido and is worth the detour.  It features a nice selection of vegan (and gluten-free) bakery items, but most important, they serve a beautiful vegan chocolate muffin.

One reviewer who is not even vegan, called their vegan chocolate muffin "amazing", and "one of the best muffins in the world."  And vegan-me would have to agree with the sentiment.  It was fantastic.

It was light and airy, with a fluffy cake-like texture and rich balance of chocolate that was not overly sweet.  Though it did not have that muffin-dense consistency, it had a nice crisp top which oozed over the top and distinguished it from a "cupcake".  It was also huge, and I devoured it, but for $2.85, it was a wonderful bargain. 

Overhearing the conversation the servers had with their customers, you could tell this was an establishment for locals being off the main road.  And if I were in the area, I know I would definitely become a regular and enjoy many of their other vegan offerings.

Another chocolate find near downtown Santa Barbara, in the heart of the tourist traffic, was at The French Press.  I happened on this place as I was looking for a local coffee house to plant myself for some time of journaling and reflection.  (No Starbucks or Peets for me if I can help it.)  I loved the ambiance and drinks of The French Press (FP) so much that I ended up going there three times during my stay. 

On my first trip I tried their mocha and chocolate croissant, which is one of my latest non-vegan chocolate indulgences.  To be honest, both were okay.  Though served up beautifully, the mocha could have used a bit more kick, and while the croissant was flakey with a good dark chocolate flavor (when you found it), it didn't have enough chocolate for my liking with a small strip down the middle. 

What called me to return to FP was an item on the menu which I saw after I ordered my "usual".  That was their chocolate chai.  Specializing in fine tea as well as coffee, I figured that their chai was something worth sampling.  Thus, I returned a few days later to give it a try.  I loved it, and needed to return for another fix before heading home.  Though the weather was HOT, it was definitely worth the 1.5 mile trek down the hill to FP from the Old Mission where we were staying.

With a beautiful design from the soy milk froth, the chocolate chai at The French Press was beautiful to behold.  With a spicy-sweet chocolate aroma, it smelled inviting.  And when sampled, it brought joy to the pallet and warmed my soul with utter delight.  There was a nice strong kick of chai which created the spice buzz on the back of my throat which for me is a sign of good chai.  But there were also clear undertones of bittersweet chocolate which were drawn out by the balance of spices.

I'm discovering that chocolate chai is a wonderful alternative to a plain hot cocoa, or a mocha when you're not wanting the caffeine.  It satisfies those afternoon cravings but is not too sweet, and with the spice kick, it provides that "pick me up" when the day drags. 

To make their chocolate chai, the French Press combines their brewed chai tea to chocolate sauce.  They then add steamed milk (in this case soy), and top with froth.  Simple, but seductive; something I could try at home, but something I definitely need to find back home in the San Francisco Bay Area.  But until I do, I found a chai cocoa mix on my trip home from Santa Barbara which will have to satisfy my emerging chocolate chai cravings. 

My experience at and purchases from Sweet Earth Chocolates in San Luis Obispo will have to wait for another post.  But with local, organic, and Fair Trade products, and numerous vegan options, it is definitely a small business that gets two thumbs up from me!  More in an upcoming post.

Celebrating Chocolate Cake Santa Barbara Style

Being with Franciscans is always full of food and fun, and though we are in a two-week summer institute, this time in Santa Barbara has been no different. To celebrate birthdays in our class, we had a dinner gathering at the home of one of the locals who is in our class.  Her home is in the Santa Barbara hills with spectacular views.

Though it was not my birthday, Lyn made it a point to make sure that one of the cakes was chocolate because she knew how much I love chocolate cake.  (So thoughtful, huh?)

Many people tell me that they know where to find the best chocolate cake.  And usually I humor them as I grimace and sample a cake that is typically dry, with frosting that is too sickenly sweet.  But the cake we had in honor of Keith's birthday (see picture above on right) was probably one of the best bakery chocolate cakes I've had. 

The cake comes from Jeannine's in Santa Barbara, which is celebrating their 25th anniversary in the community.  Though a bit cheezy, their theme, "Fall in Love", does reflect my sentiment for their Texas Chocolate Cake.  It was a cake I have fallen in love with!

I wish I had a better picture of the uncut cake, because it was beautiful, with a deep dark chocolate buttercream frosting, and covered with marbeled chocolate shavings on the side.

The cake itself was an incarnation of beauty for the taste buds as well.  It was dense and dark, but wonderfully moist, with a rich chocolate taste that stood up as yum on its own.  In other words, even without all the filling and frosting it was simply an excellent cake, one of the indications that this cake is a true work of art.

The chocolate fudge filling provided a wonderful complement to the dark chocolate undertones in the cake and was not overly sweet.  Though the sweetness factor of the frosting could have been turned down a notch for me (as I love a bit more bittersweet bite), it was a far cry from the standard chocolate frosting that screams more of sugar than chocolate.

I had one slice, and was done for.  It was a very rich cake, but oh, what a delight.  A spiritual chocolate high, which went well with the fun and laughs we had that evening.  

Overall, this cake was near perfection, and for $45 for an 8 inch round, it should be!  Vegan it definitely was not.  But in celebration of birthdays and the wonderful community we are sharing with our Franciscan brothers and sisters, it sings of all that is good in chocolate.

Viva La Fiesta! Viva La Chocolate!

I am in Santa Barbara for a 2-week summer institute with the Franciscan School of Theology.  We are blessed in being able to stay at the beautiful historic Old Mission, but we are doubly blessed in having the 88th celebration of Old Spanish Days occur while we are here.

On Wednesday, August 1st, we were given VIP seats to the "La Fiesta Pequeña", which officially opens the festivities and is held on the steps of the mission. This event featured traditional songs and dances of Fiesta, with tunes of the Californios, Flamenco, Spanish classical, and Mexican folklórico dances. It was a great celebration with a near full moon lighting up the sky and "Viva la fiesta!" echoing through the crowd.

With a day off from our studies today, I decided to visit the activities occurring downtown and to hunt for some chocolate.  I was successful and very satisfied in my search, as I discovered a new drinking chocolate and an "almost famous" vegan chocolate cupcake.

One of the highlights of the Fiesta is the Mercado de la Guerrero, which features merchant stalls full of Mexican arts and crafts (along with the Marines, Red Cross, and DirectTV).  In the food court area, there was music and dancing on the stage, with people elbow to elbow enjoying Mexican-themed foods sold by local charities and businesses.

I however was on a Mexican drinking chocolate hunt, and found only one booth that had anything similar.  La Bella Rosa Bakery Cafe had food, but it also served champurrado, which was noted as "a chocolate-flavored hot drink".  While I thought I knew Mexican drinking chocolate, I've never heard of champurrado before, and asked the server what differentiated it from a regular Mexican hot chocolate.  Very simply, champurrado is thickened with masa and often uses different spices.  It is very filling and hearty, she said.  With a love of thick Italian drinking chocolate, I knew this would be my kind of drink, and so for $2.00 I purchased a large 12 ounce cup.

Though it came in a styrofoam cup, I was very impressed by this traditional Mexican chocolate drink which is typically served in the morning and evening, and is very popular during Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) and at Las Posadas (the Christmas Season). This drink came warm, and had a seductively spicey (though not very chocolatey) smell, with a creamy froth.

While I cannot fully identify the spices in this chapurrado, it sang of chai tea with a tinge more cinnamon and chocolate undertones. It was very good -- not very sweet, with a nice balance of spice to create a complex, but homey-feel on the palate.  Though I was drinking this on a hot Santa Barbara summer day, there was a warming comfort to the drink, which I could imagine sipping at home on a cold evening.

After a few sips, I could feel myself getting full from the masa in the drink, and decided to keep sipping, while enjoying the music and hunting for a chocolate dessert to go with this drink.

I found the perfect compliment a few blocks away at Crushcakes, which featured a vegan chocolate cupcake as part of their daily vegan cupcake offerings.  I had seen Crush Cupcakes compete on the Food Network's Cupcake Wars, and also saw their bumper sticker while driving to Santa Barbara.  With a motto like "Make cupcakes not war", you know you gotta visit.  And I'm glad I did!

Their vegan chocolate cupcake was beautifully moist and light, chocolatey, and not very sweet.  It was almost salty, which was good, as it paired well with the very sweet frosting that had a vanilla marshmallowey flavor and fluffy texture.  I found that after taking a bite of the cupcake and then sipping the champurrado, the spiceyness of the drink drew out the chocolate of the cupcake and mellowed out the frosting to create a well-balanced afternoon of chocolate goodness.  It was nice.

On their own, the champurrado and the cupcake were good.  But together, it was magic - a nice pairing of chocolate desserts, and a wonderful to celebrate Santa Barbara.  Viva la fiesta!  Viva la chocolate!

Happy 4 Pudding

Two years ago I discovered that my birthday (June 26th) coincides with National Chocolate Pudding Day.  And so, for the past 2 years, I've tried my hand at vegan chocolate pudding; and for the past 2 years, I've not been a big fan of my attempts.  The raw pudding with avocado wasn't bad, but it was a bit odd and something I've had no desire to try again.  The low-fat pudding with tofu last year was healthy, but it lacked the dark chocolate punch I enjoy.

To be honest, after sampling last year's offering 364 days ago, I've not had any desire to try a new chocolate pudding.  This year's birthday chocolate pudding, however, is changing my mind about chocolate pudding as a dessert of choice.  It is a dessert I'd make again and serve to friends.  It is simple (the hardest part was getting the peanut butter off the spoon and into the pot)!  It takes about 4 minutes to make, has only 4 ingredients, easily serves 4, and rates 4 (out of 5) on the yummy scale.  And it's vegan!

Through the year I collect chocolate pudding recipes for this birthday tradition.  And for this year, the 4 Ingredient Vegan Chocolate Peanut Butter Pudding posted by Food Doodles stood out.  I have come to love chocolate and peanut butter, and most important, I had all the ingredients I needed -- sort of. 

Knowing my taste pallet and being limited by my pantry, I adapted the recipe by using bittersweet chocolate chips (60% cacao) and soy milk, rather than semi-sweet chips and almond milk.  The recipe is flexible enough so that you could use almost any chocolate chip or nut milk you enjoy or have on hand.  In terms of the nut milk, while soy worked well as a substitute for almond, I don't know if coconut milk would work as it tends to be more watery and not as creamy as soy or almond.  If you try coconut, let me know how it turns out.  (And for you non-vegans, I have a feeling that cow milk would work too.)

First, I poured 1 1/3 cups of soy milk into a medium sauce pan and added 5 tablespoons of creamy peanut butter.  On low heat, I melted the peanut butter, whisking it smooth, then added 1 cup of bittersweet chocolate chips and 2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract.  I stirred continuously until the chips were melted, then removed from heat and whisked the chocolatey mixture until smooth.

The aroma of the dark chocolate was very pronounced and I couldn't wait until I finished ladeling the mixture into four 5-oz. ramekins so that I could licked the pot clean (which of course I did!)  The taste matched the smell as the warm pudding has a wonderful dark chocolate bite which is rounded out by the subtle taste of peanut butter. I was curious to see if the cooled "finished" pudding would have the same richness.  I would need to wait 1-2 hours to see as I covered the ramekins and placed them in the fridge to cool.

Though chocolate and peanut butter may cause you to think, "Reese's Peanut Butter Cup", this Chocolate Peanut Butter pudding elevates that classic to a new adult dessert level.  The bittersweet chocolate and unsalted natural peanut butter I used create a mature chocolatey bite that is not sugary sweet, but richly satisfying for the true chocoholic.  The texture is thick and creamy with a decadence that melts in your mouth.  There is a guilty pleasure with each bite, but with no added sugar, eggs, whole milk, or cream, this pudding is almost good for you.  Or at least, you won't miss all the fattening ingredients in a traditionally rich pudding.

While this recipe is very similar to my Chocolate Silk Pie recipe, the peanut butter adds a new undertone, and with a more "milk to chocolate ratio", the pudding is less dense and more silky on the tongue.  It is an excellent chocolate pudding for adults who like chocolate and peanut butter -- like me!  And thus, it is a perfect chocolate pudding for vegan-me as I celebrate another birthday.  Happy Happy to me!

The ingredients:

• 1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips (or semi-sweet or combination, depending on your preferences and what you have available)
• 5 T smooth peanut butter (use a natural unsalted peanut butter with no extra sugar if you can)
• 1 1/3 cup unsweetened almond milk (or soy)
• 2 t pure vanilla extract

The directions:

1. In a small pot over medium heat whisk together the almond milk and peanut butter. Heat till the peanut butter melts.
2. Add the chocolate chips and vanilla and whisk until chips are melted.
3. Remove from the heat and whisk until everything is smooth.
4. Scoop into individual bowls or four 5 oz. ramekins and cover. The pudding will be runny, but will firm up in the fridge.
5. Chill at least one hour (or until firm) and serve cold.    

* A special thanks to my friend Tony for taking the more professional, up-close shots of this pudding (the first and last photo in this blog).  We had fun "food-styling" this dessert!

Not for the vegan of heart

A free afternoon brought me to 4th street in Berkeley for a time of reflection and of course chocolate.  I heard that Chocolatier Blue served hot chocolate at their Fourth Street location and wanted to try it out.  While I have been to their downtown store, which serves their beautiful collection of chocolates, their store front just off the 80 freeway is also a "parlor" and serves ice cream, sorbets, and frozen treats, along with hot chocolate.

The sun was out.  It was a beautiful day, made better by a wonderful cup of hot chocolate, which I enjoyed on their outdoor patio. They use 70% cacao with whole milk (no non-animal milks, unfortunately), creating a fruity, smooth, bright and floral undertones to the chocolate.  I chose no marshmallows as I didn't want extra sweetness.

Overall, it was a nice cup, made better with a fresh baked chocolate chip cookie that they served me warm from the oven.  It was slightly "undone", as I like it, gooey and buttery (definitely not vegan), with sweet vanilla notes.  There were warm, oozing chunks of semi-sweet chocolate, which melted all over my fingers when eating, but I wasn't complaining.

Definitely not a vegan experience as my "chocolate exception" kicked in today, with no plant-based milks and butter overload in the cookie.  Yet it was a nice treat.  Though both the hot chocolate and cookie were wonderful, I know that there are vegan options out there which would be just as yum.  I just need to keep looking for them.  The hunt continues.

"America's Favorite" Chocolate Cake Day

Today is National Chocolate Day, and in celebration, I knew I needed to bake a cake.  As much as I enjoy my drinking chocolates and chocolate croissants, I have to admit that there's something about a good chocolate cake that satisfies me.
Even a "not so good" chocolate cake can hit the spot when the cravings come.  And I must confess that I've given into the temptation and indulged in Safeway double chocolate muffins just because I was in the mood!

Recently, someone at work mentioned a fast and healthy chocolate cake recipe.  Add canned pumpkin to a box chocolate cake mix, and voila!  A chocolate cake that is low in fat, high in fiber, and good for you -- I was intrigued.  Thus, in celebration of National Chocolate Cake, I decided to give it a try. 

Searching on line to verify that it could be so simply, I found that it was.  15 ounces of canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling) and a standard box cake mix were all that were required. I located all the ingredients from Safeway for under $4.00, which was about the same price I paid for the 4 chocolate muffins a few days earlier.

For ingredients, I chose the Duncan Hines Devil's Food "Moist Deluxe" cake mix, not because it was labeled "America's Favorite Cake!" but because it was on sale and the cheapest.  And I chose Libby's 100% Pure Pumpkin, not because it was labeled "America's Favorite Pumpkin," but because it was the only brand they had.

With "America's Favorite Pumpkin," mixed with "America's Favorite Cake," this was bound to be a winner, "America's Favorite", right?

As I opened the package of cake mix, the fresh smell of chocolate was intoxicating and sent me into a momentary chocolate high.  I was in heaven.  When I opened the canned pumpkin, however, the earthy pungancy brought me back to reality and I had serious doubts about whether these two flavors would mix.  Visually, it also didn't look all that appealing.

In combining the pumpkin and the chocolate cake mix with a spoon, I had been warned that the batter would be thick.  And it was.  No mixer here as my arms were getting tired.  As I continued to mix and do my best to break down the lumps of dry cake mix, the batter took on a red velvet color.  It was actually looking pretty good.

With my arm feeling like it was going to come off, I knew I had mixed long enough.  I then attempted to pour the batter into a greased bundt cake pan.  It was not working.  Thus, I scooped out the batter and then spread it in the pan to even it out.  It looked like a brownie mix in a bundt pan.  I was again having my doubts about this but I pressed on.

Into a 350 degree pre-heated oven, and with fingers crossed, the cake began its baking transformation as I licked the bowl and spoon.  The batter tasted good, and with no raw eggs to worry about, I licked everything clean.

Because this cake has no water, oil, or liquid, I was worried about overbaking it and drying it out. Thus, I set the time for 45 minutes.  The sweet smell of chocolate cake soon filled the kitchen, but when the timer went off, 45 minutes wasn't long enough; the toothpick didn't come out clean.  The cake did rise, however, and actually looked like a chocolate cake.  I was hopeful.

After another 4 minutes, then another 4, then another 4, the toothpick finally emerged clean.  I was getting worried.  The total baking time -- 57 minutes, nearly 1 hour. 

I allowed the cake to cool.  And after about 30 minutes, removed it from the pan to cool on a plate.  It looked and smelled good.  But it needed to cool so I could top it with some powdered sugar before the real test: the taste test.

And the result?  I was very surprised.  It's actually very much YUM!  Though not light and fluffy, the cake has a thick, muffin-like consistency. But unlike the Safeway muffins which were dry and a bit one-note (even with chocolate chips), it is moist, and has a complexity of flavor.  It's hard to describe but it's sort of bright, floral, and fruity.  It has that American, "Hershey-inspired", chocolate taste that European's look down upon.  Thus, for our American, "National' Chocolate Cake Day, it is a winner, full of "America's favorites".

Though this cake does not have a deep, rich, dark chocolate flavor, it's not pumpkin-flavored either.  If I didn't know there was pumpkin in the mix, I probably wouldn't have guessed.

And in reading through the ingredients, I discovered that this cake is vegan!  There are no animal products in the boxed cake mix, nor in the canned pumpkin.  Thus, this cake is definitely a winner.  It is fast, simple, healthy, and VEGAN.  I will definitely try it again, and when I do, I'm adding some good quality chocolate chips!

Give it a try today and let me know what you think.
Happy National Chocolate Cake Day!