Cover your quirks with chocolate cake

Workout- 45min (13 miles) Since I am racing on Sunday I put my half Ironman training plan to rest for the week and I am following the last week of an Olympic triathlon training plan. Today it had a 45 min ride with a few 90 second accelerations. These intervals are intended to keep your legs feeling fresh and speedy while you are decreasing your distance prior to a race. Sounded simple enough to me.  I gave it a whirl this morning and my legs promptly gave me the finger (you know which one). I think they must still be upset with the distances I made them cover this weekend. We hashed it out though and came to an agreement. I did ride 45 min but I didn't get too many speedy accelerations in there. I hope that not tapering last week doesn't bite me in the butt come Sunday. I have four more days to recover before I have to ask my legs to do me a favor. I hope we are on speaking terms by then. :-) 


I missed Music Monday! What did you jam out to yesterday? Me? It was this.
Singing in the rain/Umbrella

Looks lovely, doesn't it?

I am hoping if I dance to rain and umbrella songs it will make the sky bring me some liquid gold. I don't remember the last time it rained and I would love to see some soon.


This just in... My friend Shannon and I will be talking at our local mom's group next week. WHAT? I know, they must be hard up for speakers. :-) Our church mom's group has blessed me over the years in more ways than I can even count. Including being the catalyst in Shan and my friendship, among other friends.  How could I say no. 

We are speaking on friendship, which, if you have read my blog at all you know is one of my favorite topics. I feel so blessed by all the cool women in my life. Friends and chocolate make the world go around.


Shannon came by today so we could go over what we are going to be discussing at the meeting (she is like all organized and stuff, crazy, I know). I will be out of town all weekend so we need to get this pinned down now before I leave. Ok, truth, we had some booze soaked chocolate cake we needed to discuss.

The strawberries make it healthy.

I have known Shannon for about 7 years and I can tell within 2min of taking a bite if she loves something I have made. Yeah, I am gonna post the recipe for this little gem, Shannon's face said too. I love cooking and baking for her. 


We ate leftovers from last night, drank some ice tea, ate cake, discussed friendships and she tried her hardest to get me to focus on what we are going to say. I am like a 5 year old with a cupcake sitting in front of her trying to say grace so I can dig in. Shannon is very organized and she speaks proper English so I have faith our little speaking engagement will go smoothly despite her 5yr old side kick.


A good friend will help you be a better version of yourself and you will complement each other like wine and cheese, cookies and milk, Bert and Ernie.

They know all about your inability to focus, your coffee addiction, your sweat pants wearin everyday, your sweatyness, your sarcasm, bad spelling, horrible texting, fast driving, cupcake hoggin, bad singing, and anti organizational skills. They know all that, and love you anyway. I think? Aw heck, I'm not really sure why she hangs out with me.

It's probably because I let my 2 yr old sit on the table and try to steal her lunch.


Nah, it's the cake. Here's the recipe. Make it and your friends will put up with your quirks somehow.

Whiskey-Soaked Dark Chocolate Bundt Cake

from In the Kitchen with a Good Appetite by Melissa Clark

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened, more for greasing pan

2 cups all-purpose flour, more for dusting pan

5 ounces unsweetened chocolate

1/4 cup instant espresso powder

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1 cup bourbon, rye or other whiskey, more for sprinkling

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

2 cups granulated sugar

3 large eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon baking soda

Confectioners’ sugar, for garnish (optional).

1. Grease and flour a 10-cup-capacity Bundt pan (or two 8- or 9-inch loaf pans). Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In microwave oven or double boiler over simmering water, melt chocolate. Let cool.

2. Put espresso and cocoa powders in a 2-cup (or larger) glass measuring cup. Add enough boiling water to come up to the 1 cup measuring line. Mix until powders dissolve. Add whiskey and salt; let cool.

3. Using an electric mixer, beat 1 cup butter until fluffy. Add sugar and beat until well combined. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating well between each addition. Beat in the vanilla extract, baking soda and melted chocolate, scraping down sides of bowl with a rubber spatula.

4. On low speed, beat in a third of the whiskey mixture. When liquid is absorbed, beat in 1 cup flour. Repeat additions, ending with whiskey mixture. Scrape batter into prepared pan and smooth top. Bake until a cake tester inserted into center of cake comes out clean, about 1 hour 10 minutes for Bundt pan (loaf pans will take less time, start checking them after 55 minutes).

5. Transfer cake to a rack. Unmold after 15 minutes and sprinkle warm cake with more whiskey. Let cool before serving, garnished with confectioners’ sugar if you like.

Yield: 10 to 12 servings.

Missy's Notes
Unless you feel like calling a taxi to drive your friends home after a slice of this, I would leave out the final drizzle of whiskey. It has plenty of flavor without it.
I used a bourbon, chocolate and bourbon just go together, like Bert and Ernie.(Cause I am like 5, remember) 
I served mine with fresh whipped cream (very lightly sweetened) and strawberries.