Orange Cake with Chocolate Ganache

The nuclear orange glow was created with food coloring for the season's orange & black color scheme; the next time I make this (and oh there will be many next times) I'll leave the food coloring alone. The orange flavoring comes from orange zest and juice and is sooo nice with the chocolate.

One warning, double the recipe to make a layer cake; I really expected this to make more than it did. (When do I leave "beginner stage"? :) )

Orange Cake (recipe from here with minor alterations by me)

1 1/2 c. flour plus 1 tbsp.
3/4 c. sugar
6 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened, plus 1 tbsp.
1/8 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
Zest from 2 oranges
Juice from 1 orange
3 eggs

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour an 8-inch cake pan; set aside.

Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir into butter and sugar mixture along with orange zest and juice.

Baking time: about 30 minutes; check frequently after that.

Ganache: (from here

9 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 cup heavy cream

Place the chocolate into a medium bowl. Heat the cream in a small sauce pan over medium heat. Bring just to a boil, watching very carefully because if it boils for a few seconds, it will boil out of the pot. When the cream has come to a boil, pour over the chopped chocolate, and whisk until smooth.

Allow the ganache to cool slightly before pouring over a cake. Start at the center of the cake and work outward. For a fluffy frosting or chocolate filling, allow it to cool until thick, then whip with a whisk until light and fluffy.

Ganache is my new BFF.

Pumpkin Swirl Brownies

The recipe comes from Martha Stewart's website, and sounded fun.

It was fun to make - messy as hell, but fun - and they're really good, so I'm sharing it with you. And if I could email some out to you, I would. Believe me, I don't need them all sitting in the kitchen.

(Makes 16) I used a 9 X 13 pan, and it made many more than 16

Ingredients

1 stick unsalted butter, plus more for pan
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped (I used half a bag of chocolate chips because I am lazy)
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cups sugar
4 large eggs
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups solid-pack pumpkin
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts or other nuts (I left them out)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Butter a 9-inch square baking pan or dish.
Line bottom of pan with parchment paper; butter lining.
Melt chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, stirring occasionally until smooth.
Whisk together flour, baking powder, cayenne, and salt in a large bowl; set aside.
Put sugar, eggs, and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; beat until fluffy and well combined, 3 to 5 minutes.
Beat in flour mixture.
Divide batter between two medium bowls (about 2 cups per bowl).
Stir chocolate mixture into one bowl.
In other bowl, stir in pumpkin, oil, cinnamon, and nutmeg. (I also threw in 1/2 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice on the recommendation of someone in the comments section of the recipe page)
Transfer half of chocolate batter to prepared pan smoothing top with a rubber spatula.
Top with half of pumpkin batter.
Repeat to make one more chocolate layer and one more pumpkin layer. Work quickly so batters don't set.
With a small spatula or a table knife, gently swirl the two batters to create a marbled effect. (I forgot to do this) Sprinkle with nuts.
Bake until set, 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool in pan on a wire rack. Cut into 16 squares.

Actual results:
No disrespect to Martha, but if I had it to do over again, I would leave out the cayenne (which I had grave doubts about in the first place; my feelings are that heat has no place in dessert) and add the whole bag of chocolate chips. As is, the recipe is quite spicy, but not quite chocolatey enough for me. Otherwise nice, though - good texture and pumpkin flavor.