The Blacker the Berry

Lots to think about. I’m craving chocolate cake. Black Forest cake. Not the fancy bakery kind, with the piped edge of chocolate buttercream frosting, but the kind I ate when I was younger, with delicious cherries in the filling, a fudgy dark chocolate cake, and no icing on the sides. Whipped cream galore. Recipe below. Black Forest cake won’t make up for the political shennanigans but will enable me to hold on a bit longer. Reading South to America by Imani Perry. Good stuff. April is Arab American Heritage month.

Kintsugi 3/31/25

Things to ponder…

The U.S. State Department issued a Level 3: Reconsider Travel travel advisory for Trinidad and Tobago. Why? Because of the number of kidnappings and level of crime.

Regular white household vinegar isn’t strong enough to kill those pesky weeds. It kills the leaves you can see, but not the roots. They will grow back.

We all love free stuff, but not all free stuff is worth loving. Check out this page from The Penny Hoarder. There is some advertising (just a warning).

Africa is splitting apart, and a new ocean is forming.

Why do so many Republicans like the direction Trump is taking the country in? Patrick Healy, the deputy NY Times Opinion editor, hosted an online conversation with four Times Opinion columnists about the Trump administration’s popularity among Republicans and why so many in the party believe the country is heading in the right direction.

To figure out if your online accounts have been hacked, read here. If you aren’t a techie, ask a young person you know for some help.

Slavery in the English, French, and Spanish colonies, which later became the USA, lasted for 246 years. Admiral James Stockdale was a prisoner of war in North Vietnam for over seven and a half years, which is approximately 2,714 days. Elected officials who serve a four-year term serve for 1,416 days. We can do this.

Team TZR spotlights their favorite sheet masks of the moment. This is only if you are 20 years old, have money to burn, or are trying to find a new romantic interest!

While no plant can survive without any light for an extended period, many varieties can thrive in low-light situations or rooms with artificial light. Here are some plants that grow in low light.

Sunday Musings

Lent 4: Welcome Diana Butler Bass March 29, 2025

TODAY IS THE FOURTH SUNDAY OF LENT.

Over the weeks of this holy season, we’ve been moving through stories of how God works in the world and in our lives — of entering the wilderness, of embracing vulnerability, and of waiting upon the slow work of God. And, while we’ve been focusing on Lent, we’ve also been attending to the context of this Lent. What does Lenten spirituality mean in community and for each of us?

Today, our “W” Lenten word is “Welcome.” The story continues — in the Bible and in the news. Welcoming is hard. (more)

What is the world’s oldest civilization? Go here to find out.

Black Forest Cake

This is a party cake. It is huge, and delicious.

Ingredients

Chocolate cake

  • 2 cups (240g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
  • 2 cups (400g) granulated sugar
  • 1 cup (80g) unsweetened Dutch process cocoa powder, spooned and leveled
  • 2 tsp (10g) baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 3 large eggs @ room temperature
  • 3/4 cup canola oil
  • 3/4 cup buttermilk
  • 1/2 cup strong brewed coffee
  • 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or extract

Cherry filling

  • 1 lb (2 cups) Amarena cherries in syrup, drained (you can use the best cherry pie filling you can find instead)
  • 4 teaspoons cornstarch (but not if you use pie filling)
  • 1/2 cup syrup from sour cherries
  • 1/2 cup kirsch
  • 1/4 cup granulated white sugar

Whipped cream frosting

  • 3 cups heavy whipping cream
  • 1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350 °F. Line the bottom and the sides of 2 9-inch cake pans with parchment paper, then oil and dust with cocoa and set aside.
  • Combine the cocoa, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
  • In a separate bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients, except not the eggs. Gradually beat the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.
  • Gradually beat the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.
  • Add the eggs one at a time, beating until well blended. Pour the batter into the prepared pans.
  • Bake the cakes until a toothpick or thin paring knife comes out clean, about 25 to 30 minutes. Cool the cakes in the pans for 15 minutes, then turn them out onto a rack to cool completely.
    • If you aren’t using pie filling: In a small bowl, stir together the cornstarch and ÂĽ cup of the canned sour cherry syrup and set aside.
    • In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, bring ÂĽ cup of the canned sour cherry syrup, kirsch, and sugar to a simmer over medium heat. Once it simmers, add the cornstarch mixture and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly, until it thickens like syrup and covers the back of a spoon. Remove from the heat and pour over the sour cherries. Let it cool completely.
    • If you’re using canned pie filling, don’t drain; simply stir Kirsch into the pie filling.
    • For the whipped cream: In a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer with a whisk attachment, beat the whipping cream on medium-high speed until soft peaks form, about 2-3 minutes. Then add the sugar and mix until stiff peaks form, about 1-2 minutes. Don’t overmix or it will curdle.
    • Cut each cake layer horizontally so that you have four cake layers.
    • Place the bottom cake layer on a cake turner and brush it with cherry syrup. Spread with whipped cream and spread an additional ring of whipped cream around the edges. Then spoon a quarter of the cherries and syrup on top of the cream, but inside the whipped cream ring. The ring ensures that the cherry filling stays in the cake and that no syrup runs out on the sides. Then spoon more whipped cream onto the cherries and distribute evenly on top. Place the second cake layer on top and repeat. Repeat with the third layer.
    • Place the fourth cake layer on top and distribute the remaining whipped cream. If you want a bakery-style cake, lightly frost the outside of the cake with whipped cream and add some chocolate shavings. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.
    • Before serving, decorate with chocolate shavings, cherries, and additional whipped cream to your liking. Store the cake in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

    April Commemorative Months

    Autism Awareness Month
    National Occupational Therapy Month
    Black Women’s History Month
    Financial Literacy Month
    Jazz Appreciation Month
    Mathematics Awareness Month
    National Child Abuse Prevention Month
    National Deaf History Month
    National Poetry Month
    National Volunteer Month
    Records And Information Management Month
    Sexual Assault Awareness Month
    Sikh Heritage Month
    Stress Awareness Month
    Distracted Driving Awareness Month
    National Car Care Awareness Month
    National Fair Housing Month
    Testicular Cancer Awareness Month
    Filipino Food Month

    Still Lent. Still turmoil in the MIddle East. Still killings. Target used to be one of my favorite places to shop. Sigh. Sugar cookies are my favorites, expecially with brown sugar and cinnamon. Looking at picture books for my grands. Made cream cheese brownies and gave my son’s GF some. Huge smile. Hi, Nancy!

    Wild Cooking Woman 3/24/25

    Sunday Musings

    Graveyard or Vineyard? Diana Butler Bass Mar 22, 2025

    TODAY IS THE THIRD SUNDAY OF LENT

    A version of this post originally appeared in The Cottage in 2022. Sadly, it is more relevant today than three years ago. Read on for a story about Jesus commenting on the news — and the ruthlessness of authoritarian dictators.

    The “W” this Sunday is Waiting. That’s what today’s story is — a study in spiritual contrasts. It is the third in a series of Lenten foils regarding power: first, control versus dependence; second, revenge versus vulnerability; and this week, violence versus forbearance. The most obvious thing about the texts from the first three weeks of Lent? They are political. There’s no avoiding it. This reading is Jesus responding to the front page of the Jerusalem Times. (more)

    Don’t want to pay for the wedding or the world’s second-largest yacht? Buy your books from an independent bookseller. Here are leads to a few that ship, are good for a road trip, or are brick-and-mortar:

    Chewy Brown Sugar Cookies: These are a brown sugar version of sugar cookies with a touch of molasses. They are rich in flavor, with crispy edges and an almost fudgy center. Follow the directions exactly. They are well worth smiling about.

    I had some of the best food in my life in Sonora, Mexico.

    14 Best Senior-friendly Travel Groups

    Did you know that …

    If you plan to fly anywhere, you should know that there are some important changes to TSA procedures coming in 2025. BTW, you must have a Real ID or passport to fly after May 7, 2025.

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