Show Me The Money

March Madness is over. To me this means that the men-folk have emerged from the man-cave in the basement, squinted at the spring daylight and finally stopped eating every snack that wasn’t nailed down (who nails down snacks, anyways?).

And although the bracket bust is over for them, it’s just starting for me. You see, word trickled down the mountain that The Oracle is a betting man and was putting his money where his mouth is. Warren Buffett apparently had been willing to give a bajillion bucks to whoever could put together a perfect bracket. That’s a challenge many people took . . . and failed.

Now I’ve got a challenge for Warren. I’m not a college basketball fan, but I want a fair try at that bajillion bucks. So, Oracle, how about a bracket for us moms? Because I don’t know if you heard, but social media is a powerful thing and that whole discrimination thing I’m about to start a twitter campaign about is surely going to hurt your reputation.

Rest assured, just like the basketball bracket, you probably have nothing to worry about. Personal history shows that brackets are definitely not my thing. I’m not exactly known for my construction skills. In fact, when the kids were little and we bought something that had to be put together, it would take the hubs and I locked in a room full of strange looking parts and directions written in hieroglyphics at least 3 days to put together a wobbly whatever. There would be at least 2 pieces permanently glued on backwards and at least 12 leftover parts that we’d chock up to having been put into the box by mistake.

So although not really equipped for putting together brackets, if that’s what it takes to win a bajillion bucks for my family, that’s what I’ll do. Call me a team player.

Winning!

Right?

Jolt of Java Chocolate Cake

Jolt of Java Chocolate Cake                     

 ©www.BakingInATornado.com

 
Printable Recipe
 
Ingredients, Cake:
1 stick butter, softened
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
3/4 cup baking cocoa plus more for flouring pans
1 ½ tsp baking powder
1 ½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 cup coffee, cooled to room temperature
 
Ingredients, Filling:
8 oz cream cheese, softened
2 TBSP coffee, cooled
½ cup powdered sugar
1 tsp instant coffee powder
¼ cup heavy cream
 
Ingredients, Frosting:
1 1/2 stick butter, softened
1 1/2 cup semi sweet or dark chocolate chips
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
4 1/2 cups powdered sugar
½ -3/4 cup heavy cream
 
Directions, Cake:
*Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 3 9-inch round cake pans, then “flour” them with baking cocoa.
*Beat the softened butter with the sugar until smooth.
*Beat in the eggs and vanilla.
*Mix in the flour, baking cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt just until incorporated.
*Beat in the coffee.
*Put 1/3 of the mix into each of the baking pans.
*Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the center springs back to the touch. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove and cool completely.
 
Directions, Filling:
*Beat cream cheese and prepared coffee until smooth. Carefully beat in the powdered sugar and instant coffee.
*In a separate bowl, beat heavy cream until stiff peaks form.
*Fold heavy cream into the cream cheese mixture.
*Spread half of this mixture evenly over the top of the bottom layer and the top of the middle layer of the cooled cake.
 
Directions, Frosting:
*Melt butter and chocolate chips in microwave until smooth, mix in the vanilla.
*Carefully mix in the powdered sugar. You don’t need it to be completely incorporated, just enough so it won’t fly out when you beat the mixture.
*Beat in the heavy cream. You can adjust the consistency with more cream if too thick or more powdered sugar if too thin.
*Spread over the top and sides of the cake.