Swoon Thursday, A shout out to Jennifer L. Armentrout!

This meme is hosted by the lovely girls over at YA Bound! 

"From the book you’re currently reading, or one you just finished, tell us what made you SWOON. What got your heart pounding, your skin tingling, and your stomach fluttering."

I rarely participate in memes, but this week I had an extremely worthy "swoon" so to speak. It is from none other than the AMAZING, Jennifer L. Armentrout! 

Which by the way, Onyx hit the USA Today's Bestsellers list at #93 this morning! 

(Please leave some love and congratulations over at JLA's BLOG!)

Anywho, this wonderful little snippet is from JLA's upcoming novel, Cursed,

which  is due out September 18th from Spencer Hill Press.

" His lips barely brushed mine, as if he wanted to test out what would happen... He pressed forward. Gentle and soft, then hard and hungry as the kiss deepened.

My world exploded.

... And when he pressed me onto my back, I was lost in this madness. Any memories of kissing were blown away. My body sparked alive; my heart swelled and thundered..."

Nope, no more. You'll just have to find out how amazing this book is when it comes out 

in September... Kudos to JLA for supplying us YA fans with spectacularly written, 

'swoon worthy' fiction. THANK YOU!

Look for my review of Cursed, coming soon! 

Dark Chocolate Toffee Cake with Thick Caramel Frosting

I realized I haven't posted a recipe in such a long time! 

So, here is a yummy one for a Dark Chocolate Toffee Cake,

with Homemade Thick Caramel Frosting!

I made this cake a couple nights ago and we just finished it off this morning ^^

This cake is super easy to make and perfect for afternoon coffee.

It reminds me of the beginning of Autumn, which is why I love making it.

Speaking of which, the Autumn Equinox is only a month away!

CAKE

• INGREDIENTS:
• 
  
• 2 cups boiling water
• 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 2 1/4 cups white sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup of Toffee bits

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

Grease a bundt cake pan with Crisco and dust with flour. 

In medium bowl, pour boiling water over cocoa, and whisk until smooth. Let mixture cool. Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt; set aside.

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at time, then stir in vanilla. 

Add the flour mixture alternately with the cocoa mixture. 

Once everything is mixed, fold in toffee bits and pour into prepared pan.Bake in preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes. Allow to cool in bundt pan for 15mins before removing and transferring to a wire rack to cool.

FROSTING 

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar

3 tablespoons butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/8 teaspoon salt

1(14oz)can sweetened condensed milk

Combine the brown sugar and remaining ingredients in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil. Cook for 2-4 minutes or until mixture is thick. Make sure you are stirring constantly. Remove from heat and let set for 1 minute. 

Drizzle over completely cooled bundt cake, letting the caramel drip down the sides. 

Caramel frosting will set quickly so move fast. 

*Optional* Dust cake with baking sugar while frosting is setting.

Serve with coffee or tea and ENJOY!