Toasted Almond Bark

I have to admit, I am way behind on all things holiday. Until this week, putting up our Christmas tree was as far as I had gotten. Now that we're on break from our regular homeschooling routine, I'm huff'n to catch up. Enter, our favorite Christmas candy - Toasted Almond Bark.

This Christmas treat is a clear sign for our household that the holidays have arrived, and it's super easy to put together. Tons (and I mean tons) of toasted almonds get gently pressed into swirled dark and white chocolate. It still amazes me how something so simple and easy to make can be so gosh darn delicious!

Spooky Chocolate Bark Cake

I couldn't resist. We had a bunch of spooky candy left over from our Gluten Free Chocolate Pumpkin Jack-o-lantern Cookies that I had to put to good use.

Have some spooky fun with this Spooky Chocolate Bark Cake.

So, we spooky-fied a cake - just for fun!

First, the boys and I made some Spooky Chocolate Bark to decorate our cake. I used my Movie Candy Chocolate Bark recipe replacing the movie candy with spooky candy.

Next, I baked up a deep dark chocolate cake. I baked my batter in a couple of 6 inch pans and a few cupcakes liners. I thought a small cake would be cute, but you can also use two 8 inch pans. Make sure to butter your pans, line the bottom of each with parchment paper, and butter the parchment paper. This ensures easy removal from the cake tins.

Then, I whipped up an easy ganache by warming some cream in the microwave, pouring it over some chocolate chips, stirring it all up until smooth, and letting it cool and set for a bit.




While my ganache was cooling, I whipped up my favorite cream cheese frosting. I chose cream cheese because it is unbelievable with rich dark chocolate cake. Fab - u - lous!!

To put my cake together, I piped some cream cheese frosting onto the bottom cake layer leaving a rim to hold the ganache. I poured in some ganache and put it in the fridge to set up a little. Then, I put on the top layer and frosted the whole thing with a thin layer of frosting. After another brief spell in the fridge, I put on another layer of frosting and piped some puffs around the top of the cake. I filled a Ziplock freezer bag with the rest of the ganache, drizzled it all around the piped puffs on top, and sprinkled on some Halloween sprinkles.

Then, to finish off the cake, I pushed a shard of spooky chocolate bark into each puff and lined the bottom of the cake with them as well.

Homemade chocolate bark adds loads of fun to this Spooky Chocolate Bark Cake.

The cake turned out adorably spooky! The boys were in heaven. I just love making their day.




I also decorated the extra cupcakes. You can bake the whole batter into cupcakes if you want. They're much easier to decorate than a layer cake.



Spooky Chocolate Bark Cake

INGREDIENTS

For the deep, dark, chocolate cake:
(Recipe adapted from My Baking Addiction)
1 3/4 cups flour
3/4 cup dark cocoa powder
2 cups sugar
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp Kosher salt
2 Tbsp instant coffee granules
about 1 cup warm water
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
about 1 cup whole milk
2 large eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla extract

For the chocolate ganache:
1/2 cup whipping cream
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

For the cream cheese frosting:
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
5 to 6 cups powdered sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract

A batch of spooky chocolate bark for decorating (I used my Movie Candy Bark recipe replacing the movie candy with spooky candy)

Halloween sprinkles for decorating

DIRECTIONS
1. Make your spooky chocolate bark using my recipe. Set in the fridge and break into shards.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, butter your cake tins, line the bottoms with parchment paper, and butter the parchment.
3. For the cake batter, pour enough warm water over your coffee granules to make 1 cup and set aside. Also, pour enough milk over the apple cider vinegar to make 1 cup of sour milk and set aside for 15 minutes.
4. In a large bowl, whisk together all of the dry ingredients for the cake batter.
5. Pour all wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and whisk together until batter is smooth.
6. Pour into prepared cake tins and bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
7. Cool cakes for 20 minutes, loosen edges with a butter knife, remove cakes, and cool completely.
8. To make the ganache, pour chocolate chips into a heat proof bowl. In another microwave safe dish, heat 1/2 cup whipping cream for about a minute (watch it carefully) until just simmering. Pour over the chocolate chips and set a timer for 5 minutes. Then, stir ganache until smooth and set another timer for 15 minutes so ganache can set a bit.
9. For the frosting, beat cream cheese and butter for 30 seconds. Beat in 3 cups powdered sugar. Beat in vanilla and then beat in 2 to 3 more cups powdered sugar until you get the consistency you like. Then, scrape down the bowl and beat on high for 3 minutes.
10. Put half the frosting into a Ziplock freezer bag prepared with a piping tip.
11. Pipe a layer of frosting onto the bottom layer of the cake making a little rim to hold the ganache.
12. Pour in some of the ganache and set the cake in the fridge to set for about 15 minutes.
13. Top with the other cake layer and frost the whole cake with a thin layer of frosting. Then, set in the fridge for 15 minutes.
14. Put another layer of frosting onto your cake making it as smooth as you wish.
15. Pipe puffs of frosting all along the top of the cake.
16. Fill another Ziplock freezer bag with ganache. Snip a teeny tiny piece off of one corner and drizzle onto the top of the cake. Sprinkle with Halloween sprinkles.
17. Push a shard of spooky chocolate bark into each frosting puff and line the bottom of the cake with more.

Movie Candy Chocolate Bark

I'm a magician. I turned candy into candy. How amazing is that? Just kidding. I did have a total blast making this Movie Candy Chocolate Bark for a very special outdoor family movie night.



We really wanted to take the kids to one of the only drive-in theaters left in our state this summer. Our baby girl's sleep schedule made that option a "no go", so we made our own drive-in.

Matthew backed his truck up to the house and he and the boys loaded it up with a mattress and couch cushion. He also moved the tv onto the porch and we were ready to roll. We watched E.T. What a great movie for an outdoor viewing. The boys had never seen it. We started the movie as the sun was setting and finished it up in the dark. Even Matthew thought he heard something in the bushes (hee, hee).

I used our favorite movie candy to make some extra fun chocolate bark for this special viewing. Chocolate bark is super easy to make. I melt the chocolate in the microwave, sprinkle with toppings, and refrigerate until firm. Done and done!



I made one just for the kiddos with a white chocolate base swirled with dark chocolate (to cut the sweetness) and topped it with mini M & M's, gummy bears, and rainbow sprinkles.



Mommy and Daddy's bark is a semisweet chocolate base swirled with melted peanut butter chips and topped with chopped Reese's peanut butter cups, Reese's pieces, chocolate sprinkles, and a little sprinkling of Kosher salt. Oh my.



I served up this bark in cute little cups with a side of popcorn and root beer floats to wash it all down. Hello sugar night - I mean, movie night.

Feel free to play around with this recipe subbing your favorite chocolate and toppings. Share what kind of movie candy combo you would use in the comment section.

Movie Candy Chocolate Bark

INGREDIENTS FOR GUMMY BEAR BARK
12 oz white chocolate chips or chopped white chocolate baking bars for the base
3/4 cup dark chocolate chips or chopped chocolate for swirling
1/2 cup gummy bears, maybe more
1/3 cup mini M & M's, maybe more
2 Tbsp rainbow sprinkles

INGREDIENTS FOR REESE'S BARK
12 oz semisweet chocolate chips or chopped chocolate bars for the base
1 cup peanut butter chips for swirling
1 1/2 cups chopped Reese's peanut butter cups
1/2 cup Reese's pieces, maybe more
2 Tbsp chocolate sprinkles
a couple of pinches of Kosher salt

DIRECTIONS
1. Melt half of your base chocolate in the microwave in a microwave safe bowl for 15 seconds at a time, stirring after each heating.
2. Stir in the rest of the base chocolate until it's all melted.
3. Pour onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and spread out until it's about 1/8 inch thick.
4. Melt your swirl-in chocolate/peanut butter chips the same way you did the first batch. Then, pour it in lines over your base chocolate and swirl it with a butter knife.



5. Sprinkle on your toppings. I like to start with the biggest topping first and end with the smallest. Gently press the toppings into the chocolate. Feel free to adjust the ratios of toppings according to your taste and eye.
6. Refrigerate for a couple of hours or until completely firm. Then, break the bark apart with your hands.
7. I store my bark in a Ziplock freezer bag in the fridge and pull it out an hour before I want to serve it so it's not too hard.