Chocolate Promises

And by promises, I mean overly cheesy messages printed the foil wrappers of said chocolate.

Talk about a way to ruin an otherwise tasty chocolate bite.

Which is such a shame because Dove makes some pretty good chocolate...and yet I can hardly bring myself to buy it due to the corny messages. However, I can hardly bring myself to pass up a good sale, so when I saw these little babies at Target 2 for $5, well...let's just say my candy cup at work runneth over.

But they're only 42 calories a piece! And I only eat 1 per day...most days...

Ahem.

Anyway, these promises really get me. I get the Susan G. Komen ones...I can get on board with those. But these other ones are just strange.

They range from cheesy:

"Close out the world for just a moment"

To super cheesy:

"Boldness has genius, power and magic in it"

To strange:

"Catch snowflakes on your tongue"

To slightly awkward:

"Be a little naughty with your nice"

To just plain bossy:

"Call your mom"

To completely incomprehensible:

"A hundred men may make an encampment, but it takes a woman to make a home"

What does that even mean???

Blahhh. I almost tossed up all my chocolate.

And now on to something completely not chocolate-y:



Almond Pistachio Cake.

Not overly sweet, but definitely nutty. I brushed mine with some freshly squeezed orange juice and topped with toasted almonds. And a powdered sugar dust to follow. This little cake is from a recipe courtesy of A16 in San Francisco. Though I've never been, I've always been a little curious about this place...hence the late night cake baking session.

Almond Pistachio Cake
adapted from A16 Food + Wine

1 1/3 cup blanched almonds
1 1/3 cup unsalted pistachios
1/2 cup butter + 2 Tablespoons
Zest of 2 oranges
3/4 cup + 3 Tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3 eggs
1/2 cup AP flour
1/4 teaspoon salt

Juice of half an orange
1/2 cup blanched, sliced almonds, toasted
Powdered sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 350-degrees. Pam an 8" pan.

2. Finely grind almonds and pistachios in a food processor. Set aside.

3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Zest the orange directly into the butter and sugar. Mix.

4. Add the vanilla. Gradually add in the ground nut mixture. Add in the eggs one at a time, making sure to incorporate each egg before the next addition.

5. Combine the flour and salt. Gradually add to the cake mixture.

6. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 35-45 minutes, or until cake is brown and a cake tester comes out clean. Cool slightly in pan. Invert. Brush with orange juice and top with orange juice and then powdered sugar.

No foil wrapped chocolate necessary.