LUCY BURDETTE: My women’s contemporary fiction title called THE INGREDIENTS OF HAPPINESS is out now! (Scroll all the way to the end for the giveaway.) The first line goes like this: “Things my mother taught me, part one: chocolate cake makes everything better.”
How could I not celebrate this launch with chocolate recipes, lots of them?? Today's recipe is for the cake that Dr. Cooper Hunziker remembers her mother baking whenever they needed a boost of happiness. I hope it will work that way for you too!
As you can see, I didn't grease the pan well enough so part of cake stayed behind. But no problem because there will be...
Frosting!
3-4 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 cup chocolate chips
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup sour cream
About 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
Melt the butter and chips together over low heat until smooth. Stir in vanilla and let cool off the stove. Then whisk in the sour cream.
Gradually add the powdered sugar until the icing is a pleasing consistency.
Frost the cake. Refrigerate until you eat it--also refrigerate left-overs (if there are any.)
About THE INGREDIENTS OF HAPPINESS:
Is there a recipe for the perfect life?
Thirty-two-year-old ‘happiness guru’ Dr. Cooper Hunziker has it all—a dream job as assistant psychology professor at Yale University, a soon-to-be published self-help book, The Happiness Connection, and the perfect guy. But there’s a problem. Cooper isn’t happy.
Of course, it doesn’t help that she’s facing cut-throat competition for her tenure at Yale, an accusation of plagiarism that could cost her everything, or that her new book has irritated the department chairman, who assigns her to co-lead a happiness group at the New Haven library.
As her friendship with the other ladies in the group flourishes, Cooper finds herself questioning her choices. Forced to face a life-changing betrayal, a gargoyle’s wisdom, and her own traumatic past, can she navigate her own path to happiness?
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To be entered in the drawing for one copy of THE INGREDIENTS OF HAPPINESS, and one very special tea blend called 'the ingredients of happiness' in Italian, please leave a comment with your name and email telling us about a special dish that brings you happy memories!
That cake looks yummy and a suitable celebration dish for the new book - congratulations!
ReplyDeletethanks Edith!
DeleteI love to make stuffed peppers. It is easy and it’s like second nature now. I make it with ground turkey, brown rice, tomato sauce and mushrooms. I love how the house smells too. Thanks for the chance!
ReplyDeleteJess
Maceoindo(at)yahoo(com)
Me too, I adore stuffed peppers!
DeleteYour cake looks scrumptious! I love chocolate chip cookies - I have a great recipe that always makes me happy! Best wishes with the new book - I can’t wait to read it!
ReplyDeletepingeldownes@gmail.com
Who doesn't love chocolate chip cookies?!
DeleteThanks for the chocolate cake recipe, definitely going to try both cake and frosting! My favorite dessert recipe that always brings a smile and a Yum is chocolate brownies with walnuts or pecans, always the best! A soupy side dish is a Italian medley of veggies that my Sicilian Grandma made of tomatoes, onions, zucchini, potatoes and spices - mostly a meal in itself. Thanks for the chance to win in your contest. Rosemarie- roseb2007@verizon. net
ReplyDeleteChocolate Chip Ice cream. cheetahthecat1982ATgmailDOTcom
ReplyDeleteAlthough anything chocolate always releases the endorphins, the recipe that gives me the most happiness to make is my Cordon Bleu Fantasy: chicken cutlets topped with ham and cheese and smothered in mushrooms in an amazing balsamic vinegar sauce, believe it or not! All these years later, when my grown sons call and ask me for it, it brings a special kind of delight and satisfaction! hecate4stuffATyahooDOTcom.
ReplyDeleteChocolate cake and a good book! Yum
ReplyDeleteviv883@yahoo.com
OMG chocolate cake and a new book! I'm in heaven! And it's set in New Haven. I'm going to gobble this one up.
ReplyDeletePeabody51@aol.com
I’d love to win your new book. I can read it while I wait for my next Key West mystery to arrive. Our hot fudge sauce (also excellent cold) holds wonderful memories for me. Besides being delicious on its own and a much-loved treat, we’ve made the recipe for everything from teacher gifts and thank you presents to offerings for all types of milestone occasions. Marsha Hanzel. Mwhanzel@icloud.com.
ReplyDeletenon-diary fudgy or oatmeal chocolate chip cookies or both
ReplyDeletefruitcrmble AT comcast DOT net
I seem to associate “happiness dishes” with my birthday. My dad grilling pork chops with his own made up on the fly barbecue sauce for dinner. My mom baking the cake of my choice and letting me lick the beaters. Home made hand cranked ice cream.
ReplyDeleteI’m saving your recipe shared here for this year’s cake. My birthday is coming up July 31! How fun it would be to win the book to go with it!!
Oops forgot to include my email address humbird5@charter.net
DeleteMy grandmother's made from scratch cornbread dressing - some folks call it stuffing - brings back happy memories. Everyone in the family loved it. My Uncle Glenn and I did not eat giblets, so she made us a special bowl of turkey gravy without giblets. When I was a young wife, our church published a cookbook filled with family recipes. I added Grandmother's Cornbread Dressing and gave each family a copy of the cookbook as that year's Christmas present. Decades later, my family praises me for preserving the only copy of her cherished recipe.
ReplyDeleteNancy
allibrary (at) aol (dot) com
Congratulations! I have to agree that chocolate cake does make everything better, and whar a delish recipe to try! When I need to feel better because of s cold I make my mother in law's TLC chicken soup with noodles. All fresh andnwith a dash of cayenne to kick the cold. Thank you for the giveaway opportunity. tracy.condie@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteThat cake looks and sounds like a Chocoholic’s dream! Congratulations on the book!
ReplyDeleteChocolate eclair dessert is often requested at gatherings in my family.
ReplyDeletewelcome today. this recipe looks so yummy. thanks for sharing. when I was nine, mom found a recipe that had been passed down from generation to generation. It was called "Cherry Carnival" cake. I asked if I could have that for my birthday cake. Everyone got to choose what they wanted for their birthday dinner and dessert. I chose beef stroganoff and Cherry carnival cake. Oh my goodness, I love cherries, but this was the best cake ever. I had that cake every year until I got married at 24 years. Than my husband took it over and then my children took it over. When they moved out and no longer lived at home, health wise it became no longer possible. Wow I had that cake for a long run. quilting dash lady at comcast dot net
ReplyDeleteThat cake looks amazing! I have to try it sometime. Cherry torte is a recipe handed down in my husband's German side of the family. We would often have it for special holidays like Christmas so it holds many precious memories. My mother-in-law passed it down to me and I will pass it down to my daughter so that the tradition continues. cherierj(at)yahoo(dot)com
ReplyDeleteMy mom’s meat sauce and spaghetti. She doesn’t make it anymore but she taught me how. There’s no written recipe. sgiden at verizon(.) net
ReplyDeleteThat could compete with Grandma's German chocolate cake . . . but her legendary coffee cake is unsurpassed. <3 StorytellerMaryG (g mail)
ReplyDeleteWhat a delectable cake! My favorite indulgence when I was young were my Bobbeh's blintzes. The best and the most wonderful on earth. She was a very talented cook and baker. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com
ReplyDeleteOh that looks so good! My favorite recipe is my mom's butterscotch candies. They are eay to make and often called Haystacks. Melt butterscotch chips, stir in chow mein noodles and peanuts. Drop in tablespoons on waxed paper and let cool. aprilbluetx at yahoo dot com
ReplyDeleteI have wanted to thank you for a long, long time for your recipe for Nocciola Fudge which was in one of your Key West books. Friends and family love it. Me too. I also love the Key West series and look forward to reading your new book. Mary A
ReplyDeleteI have fond memories of my grandmother's applesauce cake!! Yummy! lindaherold999(at)gmail(dot)com
ReplyDeleteLove Mexican Wedding Cookies deborahortega229@yahoo.com
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a major winner. I'd have to tweek it (or is that "tweak"?) with a bit of espresso powder.
ReplyDeleteBest wishes on the new book. I have it on order.
libbydodd at comcast dot net
I love the premise of the story and can’t wait to read it. My favorite cookie that bring s back great memories is my Aunt’s tea cakes. Karen Carter Carter.karen@gmail.cim
ReplyDeleteMy recent favorite cupcakes to make are lemon blueberry cupcakes. Your cake looks amazing. I can't pass up chocolate cake. Claire Miller Cemiller84@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteYum, the cake looks wonderful!
ReplyDeleteMy grandmother's recipe for Hungarian potato salad, different from all others, makes me happy, especially since my kids make it, and my grandson does, too.
k maslowski at fuse dot net
Fried chicken and collard greens have always been my comfort foods. They remind me of family Sunday dinners.
ReplyDeleteHappiness equals homemade pizza in my book! So looking forward to reading this one. Congratulations on the release and thanks for a new chocolate fix (which also makes me happy!!) makennedyinaz(at)hotmail(dot)com
ReplyDeleteSue in MD
ReplyDeleteI loved my Mom’s apple pie recipe. My son got the recipe and took over creating this pie. Now his son make this yummy pie. 3 generations making the same recipe.
sphampshire67@gmail.com
My Mom used to make me egg-drop dumplings. They were always delicious. My Mom passed away, but I still have the recipe, in her handwriting.
ReplyDeleteJamie (slkchk23@yahoo.com)
Yum! Chocolate cake does make everything better!!
ReplyDeleteI love my mom's chicken and dumplings and her cornbread dressing. If my sister and I try to make it, it never tastes the same. Must be "mom magic". LOL
Thanks for the chance to win. barbiefan(@)comcast(.)net
My grandmother made the best date nut bread, and thinking about it makes me happy. Thank you for sharing this recipe, and for the chance to win! areewekidding(at)yahoo(dot)com
ReplyDeleteYour cake looks amazing! My Dad was the baker in our family and one of his specialities was his St. James Coffee Cake. My Sister still makes it on special occasions and we always remember my Dad while enjoying it.
ReplyDeletediannekc8(at)gmail(dot)com
My mom's won ton soup.
ReplyDeletejtcgc at yahoo dot com
My mom always grew ocra and then would bread it up in cornmeal and fry it! Always so good! I order it in restaurants but never as good as the homegrown and cooked. tmollach@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteMom got the recipe for a jello salad from her sister-in-law. We loved it. It had lime jello, cottage cheese, pineapple, pecans, whipped cream and didn't taste jello-y at all. We kids dubbed it "green stuff" and insisted on having it for special occasions. patdupuy@yahoo.com
ReplyDeleteFried shrimp has such great memories for me.
ReplyDeleteKitten143 (at) Verizon (dot) net
For me, there are two things that bring back such powerful and precious memories and they both entail my Mom's fabulous baking.
ReplyDeleteThe first would be her Hungarian Coffee Cake, which was always my request for my birthday cake. Think back in the 50's and 60's when everything was made from scratch. Mom made this cake that took hours to make that was something more scrumptious and yummy than any monkey bread ever thought of. The balls of dough had to be made from dough that went through two rising processes. The balls were rolled in a melted butter and then all sorts of cinnamon goodies along with pecans and baked in a tube pan. Oh I can still smell it just thinking about it. I've tried to make it myself and it's very good, but it lacks the touch of love my Mom put into it.
The second would be my Mom's homemade doughnuts, which took hours to make and minutes to disappear. Beyond the smell and taste is the memory of what my brother and I did one year at Easter. Our church had those that wanted to participate come up and take 1 silver dollar to be multiplied through hard word to the 30 pieces of silver before the Easter service. Without permission or giving Mom's time and work involved, my brother and I went up and got 1 dollar for each of our family - four. Bless her heart, not to disappoint us and in order to do what she felt was right, she made enough homemade doughnuts for my brother and I to sell at 50 cents a dozen to make the $120 before Easter. So many folks LOVED them that they begged Mom to keep making them. Needless to say, she declined, but she still made them for family and friends as her time would allow - only for free. Every time we had doughnuts or saw a doughnut stand, for years thereafter, we all laughed about Mom's forced doughnut business and what great sale people my brother and I were. And yes, we had a little "talk" about not doing that again. :)
Thank you for the wonderful chance to win a copy of THE INGREDIENTS OF HAPPINESS! Shared and hoping to be the very fortunate one selected. I would love the opportunity to read and review it.
2clowns at arkansas dot net
Potato salad and sun tea always signified summer in our house. We have a family recipe that was always used and went perfect with my grandpa's barbecued hamburgers. I still use the same recipe when I make potato salad.
ReplyDeleteThat cake looks so good! My dish that brings happy memories is Lemon Ice Box Pie from Whistlestop Cafe cookbook. Thank you for the chance to win. Where can I order the tea???? madamhawk at gmail dot com
ReplyDeleteLemon ice box pie always reminds me of my mom. She made it all of the time when we were young because it was my dad's favorite and my sister and I loved it too. My mom hated it. She would never take a bite even. lkish77123 at gmail dot com
ReplyDeleteFirst Congratulations on your new book! I look forward to the recipes in the books, I am reading a new mystery series that has the recipe in the back and I love trying them out! Thank you and I am excited for you ☺
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on your new book! Love the book cover and so want to read it! My grandmother made the best homemade chocolate cake! So definitely her chocolate cake and a good book!!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the chance!!
jarjm1980(at)hotmail(dot)com
Spaghetti and garlic bread are my comfort foods and reading a good book helps everything.
ReplyDeleteSo many dishes evoke happy memories for me! I’m going to go with my grandmother’s homemade ravioli with her homemade sauce. Pure happiness!
ReplyDeleteMy email: jcvitaly@aol.com