famers' market pizza and triple chocolate cake?? yes, please!

...last tuesday night i had the pleasure of cooking for the Hodel family. my parents were gone for the week so they had the pleasure of watching out for me:) it's a good thing they came over so i could have someone to cook for; otherwise this post would probably be how to cook a frozen pizza to perfection. i made a triple chocolate cake for them and a farmers' market pizza. i love pizzas that don't have a sauce and just rely on the the veggies to give it the flavor.

the pizza....halfway gone. i forgot to take a picture of it before serving it.

and the cake.

..so i decided to make a short little video of me making the cake.  it was a lot of fun to make. enjoy!

Recipes:

Local Farmers' Market Pizza

Hands on time: 32 min.

Total time: 60 min.

 Ingredients:

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 cups thinly sliced onion
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
2 cups thinly sliced red bell pepper
5 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 cup fresh corn kernels (about 2 ears)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 (16-ounce) refrigerated fresh pizza crust dough
Cooking spray
5 ounces thinly sliced fresh mozzarella cheese
1/3 cup (1 1/2 ounces) grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1/3 cup fresh basil leaves
 Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 425°. Position an oven rack in the next to lowest setting. Place a 16-inch pizza pan on the rack.
2. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add olive oil to pan, and swirl to coat. Add 2 cups onion and thyme to pan; cook for 3 minutes or until the onion is tender, stirring occasionally. Add bell pepper and garlic to pan; cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add corn, salt, and black pepper to pan; cook for 1 minute or until thoroughly heated.
3. Roll dough into a 16-inch circle on a lightly floured surface. Remove pan from oven. Coat the pan with cooking spray. Place dough on pan. Arrange mozzarella slices evenly over dough. Spread the corn mixture evenly over cheese, and top with Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Bake at 425° for 23 minutes. Arrange tomatoes evenly over pizza; bake an additional 5 minutes or until crust is browned. Remove from oven; sprinkle with basil. Cut into 6 slices.
 
SIDE NOTE: due to the limited grocery store that is closest to me, i was not able to use the parmigiano - reggiano cheese

Triple Chocolate Cake
 Ingredients:
Cake:
1 cup boiling water
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa, divided
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
Cooking spray
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
6 tablespoons butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 large egg whites
1/2 cup fat-free sour cream
8 ounces cake flour (about 2 cups)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
Filling:
1/3 cup fat-free milk
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
Dash of salt
4 ounces milk chocolate, finely chopped
3/4 cup frozen fat-free whipped topping, thawed
Glaze:
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
3 tablespoons fat-free milk
2 teaspoons butter
1/8 teaspoon instant espresso granules
Dash of salt
1 ounce bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. To prepare cake, combine 1 cup boiling water and 1/2 cup cocoa. Add 2 ounces bittersweet chocolate; stir until smooth. Cool to room temperature. Coat 2 (8-inch) round metal cake pans with cooking spray; line bottoms of pans with wax paper. Coat wax paper with cooking spray; dust pans with remaining 1 tablespoon cocoa.
3. Place 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar, 6 tablespoons butter, and 1 teaspoon vanilla in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed 1 minute. Add egg whites, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add sour cream; beat at medium speed for 2 minutes. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add flour mixture and cocoa mixture alternately to sugar mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture; beat just until combined.
4. Divide batter evenly between the prepared pans. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out with moist crumbs clinging. Cool 10 minutes in pans on wire racks. Remove from pans; cool on wire racks. Discard wax paper.
5. To prepare filling, combine 1/3 cup milk and the next 3 ingredients (through dash of salt) in a saucepan over medium-low heat; bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Cook 1 minute or until thick, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add milk chocolate, stirring until smooth. Pour into bowl. Cover and chill. Uncover; fold in whipped topping.
6. To prepare glaze, combine powdered sugar and remaining ingredients in a saucepan over low heat. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Place 1 cake layer on a plate. Spread filling over cake, leaving a 1/4-inch border. Top with remaining layer. Drizzle glaze over top of cake, spreading it out over edges.