I woke up Monday morning with plans for CrossFit, but my stomach wasn’t feeling 100% and it looked like a REALLY tough workout. I’m not one to usually shy away from a challenge, but an intense weekend of workouts combined with this IBS fare up didn’t sound like a good plan for CrossFit. Especially since there were like 90 burpees involved! Instead, I had a productive morning of Passover baking before going to a noon Hot Yoga class.
The yoga class was a wonderful idea. I love the physical and emotional benefits of sweating away in a hot room pushing my limits in strength, balance, and flexibility. That morning, my legs were shaking immediately after entering high lunge and chair pose. I blame Saturday and Sunday’s leg heavy workouts. The core work and stretching at the end of the class was a wonderful way to wind down the weekend. When I came home, I had another Passover dessert to make.
Don’t be scared away by the word Passover because this is the Best Flourless Chocolate Cake EVER!
I discovered this cake around Passover time a few years back, but this cake is good enough for year round consumption. The last time I made it, it came out in a few pieces. So I was determined to do it right this year.
The cake came out of the oven with a bit of a lump.
That soon turned into a crater. I decided to let it cool fully before taking it out of the pan. And then decided to just travel to my parents with the cake still in the pan.
Where it stayed…so I decided to sprinkle it with powdered sugar and serve it from the pan. The cake tasted just as good, if not better, than I remember! This is one INCREDIBLE chocolate cake. Not too rich, but with a creamy chocolate flavor. We had a beautiful Passover evening at my parent’s house with delicious food and great company! I’m so exhausted from the last few nights of fun (and wine) that I am heading to bed early tonight.
In honor of Passover, I made another one of my favorites…
Matzah Toffee!
This might be my best batch yet!
I love the dark chocolate flavor from the Trader Joe’s Pound Plus bar!
I’ve been collecting some new Passover recipes, so we’ll see have time to get to this weekend!
Anyone else celebrating Passover?
How’s it going?
Chocolate Fudge Cake
From Southern Living
Ingredients
Vegetable cooking spray
Unsweetened cocoa
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup margarine
3/4 cup sugar
3 large eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly coat a 9-inch pieplate with cooking spray, and dust with cocoa.
2. Melt chopped chocolate and margarine in a heavy saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly, 3 to 5 minutes or until smooth; whisk in 3/4 cup sugar, whisking until blended.
3. Whisk together eggs and vanilla in a large bowl. Gradually whisk in chocolate mixture, whisking until blended. Pour into prepared pieplate.
4. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until edges are dry and center is set. (Do not overbake.) Cool in pieplate on a wire rack 30 minutes or until completely cool. (Cake will fall slightly when removed from oven.) Dust with 2 Tbsp. powdered sugar just before serving.
Matzah Toffee
Ingredients
2-3 sheets of matzah (broke up as needed)
2 sticks of butter
1 cup brown sugar (I used light)
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 Trader Joe’s Pound Plus dark chocolate bar (or 1 package of semi sweet or dark chocolate chips)
Directions
-Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cover a 9×13 pan with foil or parchment paper. Spray well with Pam to cover.
-Break up matzah as needed to cover the entire bottom of the pan.
-In a saucepan on the stovetop, combine butter and brown sugar, stirring constantly until boiling. Continue to stir for 3 minutes until thickened. Cool slightly and then stir in vanilla.
-Bake in preheated oven for 5-7 minutes until mixture starts to bubble.
-Remove from oven and cover toffee with chocolate chunks. Return to oven for 2-3 minutes until chocolate starts to soften. Spread chocolate with a spatula to cover toffee.
-Optional: cover with almonds, walnuts, sprinkles, or anything else you want!
-Let cook completely or place in fridge/freezer before breaking apart.
-Store in airtight container in freezer.
Luv What You Do 
Do you feel like in hot yoga that you get a deeper stretch because your muscles are warmed up? I have been wanting to try it. Sounds like you had a great dinner and that cake looks delicious!!
Yes! I feel like I get a much deeper stretch. Typically we start with some tough work, then move on to core, and then deep stretching. I swear it helps me avoid injury with all of my running! You should def give it a try!
Thank you for the fabulous cake… truly delish .. I am breaking into my frozen stash of matzah toffee… yummy… and, great picture of the table, it looks so festive…
It was festive! Glad you are enjoying the toffee. The BOY is mad that I shared it all : )
Matzah toffee is incredibly good. I can eat a ton of that if it’s sitting in front of me. 🙂
The BOY just asked if we had any left : ) Actually I shared it all because I knew we would finish it!
Dark chocolate toffee?? Literally two of my favorite things!! Looks so so good!
It is soo good! You can sub in saltines for the matzah and it is addicting like crack : )
Swoon…
: ) That’s what my coworkers did when I shared it at lunch yesterday!
Oh my gosh, your on fire this week with all your baking and sweets! I literally want to make EVERYTHING!
Hope you’re enjoying Passover 🙂
Thanks! It helps to have lots of leftovers in the house. At 31, the BOY and I find no shame is raiding our parents for food for the week after the holiday : ) I’m sure I’ll have more time for baking this weekend!
Oh my gosh, everything looks so delicious! I hope you’re having a nice Passover!
Thank you! It is going by pretty uneventful. The BOY and I are working on finding some breadless dinners for the weekend. Hooray for 50 degree weather…right?
Hot yoga and chocolate, my kind of day!
For Sure!!!
The only thing missing is a massage : )
Your seder table looks so pretty! The brittle looks fantastic. My mom makes it every year too and it’s always a family favorite.
My boyfriend is already asking me to make another batch. I think it will become our Passover favorite too (along with the pancakes that we love)!
[…] BOY is already asking when I’ll make another batch of Matzah Toffee. Now that HIS college basketball season is over after a sad Indiana loss last night, he is […]
The toffee sounds amazing!
It is! I love making it around the holidays with saltines…everyone loves it!
That cake looks fab! I love matzo. I eat it all the time with marshmallows melted on it. It’s my favorite treat – and fat free, so it’s kinda sorta healthy 😉
That’s hilarious! I’ve never met anyone who loves matzah. My bf found a matzah s’mores recipe she was going to make this year…sounds like your favorite snack. How delightful!
[…] Despite Passover’s bad rep on the recipe front, I’ve found some real keepers over these past few years. Seriously, my mouth waters thinking about this Matzah Toffee! […]
[…] Last night, I got started on my Passover baking with some Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies and Banana Bread. The banana bread just might be how I survive the week! I also made a batch of Date and Almond Truffles. And let’s not forget a large batch of Matzah Toffee. […]
[…] fun morning of kids yoga, followed by cooking some of my Passover favorites (Fruit Compote and Matzah Toffee). Then dinner at my parents and some final four […]