Wet, temps in the 30's and a devastatingly bad for you cake recipe

Good Morning Augusta

We're under a freezing rain and winter weather advisory so take it easy driving.

This morning we have snow showers before noon, Becoming partly cloudy later in the day. High will reach 35 ºF. Winds are out of the SSE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of snow 40%.

Tonight we'll have a few clouds and a low of 23 ºF. Winds will shift to the NNW at 10 to 15 mph.

The readings from my weather instruments are:

Humidity is 95%, the dew point is 21ºF, outside it's -0.3ºC and 31.7ºF.

The wind direction is South Southeast between 0.1 MPH and 0.2 MPH, generating a wind chill of 31.7ºF.

The Barometric pressure is 30.35 / HPA 1027.7 and falling with a weather graphic indicating rain/snow.

The UV rating is 0 out of 16, Sunrise is at 6:28 a.m. Sunset is 7:00 P.M. Moon rise is at 6:26 a.m., Moon set is 6:38 p.m. and the moon phase is waning crescent.   

The RAW METAR reading from the airport in Augusta, Maine is:

SPECI KAUG 271116Z AUTO 13004KT 10SM OVC031 M02/M03 A3031 RMK AO2 T10171033

Visibility is 10.0 miles / 16.1 Kilometers with overcast to 3,100 ft / 944 m.

We received 0.08 inches of snow/rain mix  here overnight, and it isn't over with yet.

Space Weather for this morning is:

Today's Solar flux is 78, the solar wind speed is 551  Kilometers per second and the chance of a solar storm is 1%.

Remember all of those vegetarian recipes I psted last week?  Below is the remedy for them.

TE CHIP CAKE

Alice's Tea Cup, which is owned by the sisters Haley Fox and Lauren Fox, is known for its scones, but the chainlet of teahouses in New York also makes pastries, cakes and other treats. This recipe is an adaptation of a chocolate chip cake with mocha frosting that originated with the Fox sisters' mother. The cake has a tender crumb, and the frosting is silky and rich.

Featured in: Tea Time For All Ages (Fairy Dust Optional).

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE CAKE

•           113 grams (1/2 cup or 1 stick) salted butter, softened, more for pans

•           250 grams (2 1/4 cups) sifted unbleached all-purpose flour, more for pans

•           300 grams (1 1/3 cups) turbinado sugar

•           2 large eggs

•           1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

•           2 ½ teaspoons baking powder

•           1 teaspoon kosher salt

•           1 cup milk (2 percent or whole)

•           ¾ cup to 1 cup semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips, roughly chopped; or mini chocolate chips

FOR THE FROSTING

•           360 grams (3 cups) confectioners' sugar

•           226 grams (1 cup) salted butter, softened

•           ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt

•           ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

•           2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon instant espresso

•           2 tablespoons boiling water

•           ¾ cup to 1 cup semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips, for decorating

PREPARATION

1.         Make the cake: Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour two 8-inch cake pans, and line the bottoms with rounds of parchment paper cut to fit.

2.         Using an electric mixer or by hand, in a bowl, mix the butter and turbinado sugar until evenly blended. Add eggs and vanilla, and mix again until smooth. In a separate bowl, whisk or sift the flour, baking powder and salt together. Add half the dry ingredients to the egg mixture, mix well, then add half the milk and mix again. Repeat with remaining dry ingredients and milk. Add the chocolate chips and mix well. The batter may look curdled.

3.         Pour the batter into the pans and bake until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool for 15 minutes before removing cakes from pans to a rack to cool completely. If the cakes are domed, use a long, serrated knife to level the tops.

4.         Make the frosting: Using an electric mixer or by hand, mix the confectioners' sugar with the butter, salt and vanilla, until well blended. In a small bowl, mix the espresso powder with the boiling water to dissolve; add it to the frosting, blending well.

5.         Place one cake layer on a serving platter and spread about one-third of the frosting over the top in an even layer. Top with the second cake layer and use an offset spatula or butter knife to spread frosting over top and, optionally, sides of the cake. Decorate with the chocolate chips.