Eat. Drink. Love.

Low-Fat Lemon Pound Cake with Strawberry Glaze

May 3, 2013 by Stephanie

Low-Fat Lemon Pound Cake with Strawberry Glaze

Do you ever go to the grocery store and buy something without knowing if you really need it? For example, I do with cheese. I buying some every week because God forbid you run out of cheese, but I don’t need any more cheese. The other day, I found 7 bags of different shredded cheeses. Seven bags. WHY?! I do not know.

I am also guilty of doing this with lemons. I love lemons so much and use them in so many drinks and recipes, I have to have some handy at all times! This week I had 5 unused lemons staring at me. Some of them were looking to be on their last leg so it was time to use them up! So that is why we have this lovely lemon pound cake to share with you today!

Low-Fat Lemon Pound Cake with Strawberry Glaze

Pound cakes are traditionally made with a pound of each ingredient in them. So, a whole pound of butter. I wanted to make a lower fat version, so this is really more of a 1/3 lb. cake…

Whatever you want to call it, this cake is perfectly lemony! I topped it with some fresh strawberry glaze. It is a great little cake to make for the summer!

Low-Fat Lemon Pound Cake with Strawberry Glaze

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 60 hours

Total Time: 1 hour, 20 minutes

Yield: 10-12 servings

Ingredients

For the cake:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup light sour cream (you can also use Greek yogurt)
zest of 2 lemons (about 1 /12 tbs.)
2 tbs. fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp. vanilla
6 tbs. unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3 eggs at room temperature

For the strawberry glaze:

4 large strawberries, stems removed
1 tbs. strawberry jam
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted

Instructions

Place the strawberries, jam, and lemon juice into a food processor and pulse until smooth. Pour the puree into a mixing bowl. Adding just a little bit at a time, stir in the sifted powdered sugar until everything is well-combined. You can make the glaze thinner by adding water or milk. If you want it to be thicker, add in more sifted powdered sugar. Place the glaze into the refrigerator.
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Grease or spray a loaf pan with non-stick spray and set aside.
In a bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, and the salt. Set aside.
In another bowl, stir together the lemon zest and the sour cream. Set that bowl aside.
In yet another small bowl (yeah, a lot of bowls going on here...), stir together the eggs, vanilla, and the lemon juice. Set that bowl aside.
Beat together the butter and sugar for about 1 minute. Pour in the eggs, lemon juice, and vanilla. Continue to beat together while everything combines (a stand mixer is handy here!). Add the sour cream and lemon zest and mix all of that in.
Finally, adding a little bit a time, add in the flour mixture. Mix everything together until it is just combined.
Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake for about 60-65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Allow for the cake to cool for about 2 hours.
You can pour the glaze on top of the whole cake, or you can cut it into slices and then top with the glaze, it's your choice! Serve with sliced strawberries and some light whipped cream if desired.

http://eat-drink-love.com/2013/05/low-fat-lemon-pound-cake-with-strawberry-glaze/

Low-Fat Lemon Pound Cake with Strawberry Glaze

Filed Under: Desserts, Low-Fat · Tagged With: dessert, frosting, low calorie, low fat lemon pound cake, low-fat, strawberry glaze 8 Comments

Cinco de Mayo Skinny Recipe Roundup

May 2, 2013 by Stephanie

Ok guys, I told you I just had to do one more Mexican-themed post! But, it’s Cinco de Mayo this weekend, what do you expect?!

Although I love Mexican food, it will often cost you a LOT of calories. Between all of those chips, sugary margaritas, huge portions, and tons of cheese, you can consume an entire day’s worth of calories in one sitting.

I have made you a list of 10 great Cinco de Mayo recipes! And you know what the best part of this list is? These are all pretty healthy options! You can still enjoy the day with these recipes without feeling guilty the next day. And aside from the pork tacos, these are all vegetarian options! Trust me when I say that with these recipes, you will not miss all the calories!

Cinco de Mayo Skinny Recipe Roundup

(from left to right, top to bottom)
1. Easy Mexican Rice
2. Baked Southwestern Egg Rolls
3. Teedo’s Famous Salsa
4. Crazy Guacamole
5. Chili Lime Pulled Pork Tacos
6. Spicy Black Bean Enchiladas
7. Corn Salsa
8. Southwest Chicken Salad with Avocado Lime Dressing

Cinco de Mayo Skinny Recipe Roundup

9. Skinny Raspberry Margaritas
10. Skinny Strawberry Margaritas

Filed Under: Dips/Sauces, Entrees, Holidays, Kid-Friendly, Low-Fat, Pork, Salads, Sides, Snacks, Vegetarian/Vegan · Tagged With: cinco de mayo, enchiladas, healthy, margaritas, mexican, rice, roundup, salsa, skinny, tacos 6 Comments

Teedo’s Famous Salsa

May 1, 2013 by Stephanie

Teedo's Famous Salsa

Ok, so I’m starting to think that I am part Mexican. I just can’t stop posting Mexican recipes. I’m not sorry! Aside from maybe a Cinco de Mayo roundup, I will take a break from all the Mexican, okay? Good. Great. Wonderful.

Many of you might know Jenny from Picky Palate. If you don’t know Jenny, then you must visit her blog immediately! Jenny’s blog is amazing and has pretty much any recipe you will ever need!

Jenny wrote her first cookbook last fall. I received a copy of the book for Christmas and just had to dive right in. I basically want to make every recipe in this book! One recipe that has been on my list for some time is the Teedo’s Famous Salsa recipe. Teedo is the nickname Jenny has for her father and this salsa recipe is his specialty!

Teedo's Famous Salsa

While I am constantly making guacamole around this house, I have not yet made my own salsa, until now! I don’t know why this took me so long because it is so easy to make! One of the ingredients that really stood out to me in this recipe was the addition of avocados. Avocados in salsa! What a brilliant idea! The avocado adds a slightly creamy texture to this salsa which is just wonderful! Next time I make it, I think I will do less time in the processor. I tend to prefer chunkier salsas!

Teedo's Famous Salsa

Teedo’s Famous Salsa

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Yield: 10-12 servings

Ingredients

1 14.5-ounce can fire roasted tomatoes (you can also use petite diced tomatoes)
1 10-ounce can diced tomatoes with green chilies
2 avocados, peeled, seeded, and mashed
1 1/2 cups fresh cilantro
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 lime, juiced
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

Instructions

In a food processor, add in all of the ingredients and pulse until the salsa reaches your desired consistency.
Serve or cover and keep in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

Notes

This recipe has been reprinted with permission from the author, Jenny Flake Picky Palate, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2012

http://eat-drink-love.com/2013/05/teedos-famous-salsa/

Teedo's Famous Salsa

This post contains affiliate links.

Filed Under: Appetizers, Dips/Sauces, Low-Carb, Low-Fat, Snacks, Vegetarian/Vegan · Tagged With: cinco de mayo, dip, mexican, picky palate, Teedo's Famous Salsa 9 Comments

Fruit Salad with Honey Lemon Dressing

April 29, 2013 by Stephanie

Fruit Salad with Honey Lemon Dressing

Why must weekends be only two days? Weekends are not long enough. Saturdays are always spent running around, grocery shopping, and then Sundays are spent cooking and taking photos. I want a day of complete laziness!

Luckily many of the recipes I make are relatively easy because well, I just don’t have the time or energy for more difficult ones. This fruit salad is ridiculously easy, but it is so good, it might just be my new favorite thing. It’s getting to be so dang hot here, I have been craving lots of cold fruit and smoothies. I just couldn’t resist buying so much of it so I could make this salad! The honey lemon dressing is light, but gives the salad the perfect touch of sweetness!

You can use whatever fruits you want for this. I used strawberries, bananas, cantaloupe, honey dew, grapes, and oranges. Pineapple or other berries would also be great! Live it up, go crazy!

Fruit Salad with Honey Lemon Dressing

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Yield: Serves 4-6

Fruit salad tossed with honey lemon dressing - the perfect summer treat!

Ingredients

4 cups chopped fruit of your choice
3 tbs. honey (or to taste; can also use agave nectar)
juice of one lemon (can also use the zest if desired)

Suggested fruits:

strawberries
bananas
mango
cantaloupe
honey dew
pineapple
grapes
oranges
apples

Instructions

Combine all of the chopped fruit into a large bowl.
In a small bowl, whisk together the honey and lemon juice.
Pour the dressing over the fruit and toss to combine. Cover and chill for about 30 minutes and then serve.

http://eat-drink-love.com/2013/04/fruit-salad-with-honey-lemon-dressing/

Fruit Salad with Honey Lemon Dressing

Filed Under: Desserts, Kid-Friendly, Low-Fat, Salads, Snacks, Vegetarian/Vegan · Tagged With: dessert, fruit salad, healthy, honey lemon dressing, snack, summer 21 Comments

Easy Mexican Rice

April 26, 2013 by Stephanie

Easy Mexican Rice

You know that really good rice you get at your favorite Mexican restaurant? Yeah, I’ve been thinking about that rice for quite some time. Yet every time we make Mexican food at home, I use the stupid packaged taco rice. Part of it is just me being really lazy. Tacos are always such an easy dinner to make so it seemed silly to have to make my own Mexican rice.

Easy Mexican Rice

But, it’s been on my mind. It can’t be that hard, right? It’s really just perfectly fluffy rice with tomatoes. I used to not be able to make rice at all. I just couldn’t do it. It would always come out all sticky and it would get all stuck on the bottom of the pan. Definitely not what you want with Mexican rice. I have learned the key is to rinse the rice for a good minute or two under some water to wash away the starch. Yeah yeah, that means we are washing away the nutrients, but whatever, we are having tacos here. It’s okay guys.

This is a great dish to serve for Cinco de Mayo and it is simple to make and it is really much better than the packaged stuff. We had a lot left over and so I heated some up the next day and I think I actually liked it even better the day after! So this is a dish you could make the night before if you needed to.

Easy Mexican Rice

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Yield: 6-8 servings

Ingredients

1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes
1/2 medium white onion
2 cups long grain rice
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 jalapeno pepper, seeds removed and minced (optional)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 tsp. salt, plus more to taste if needed
1 1/2 tbs. tomato paste
2 cups chicken broth (can also use vegetarian broth)

Instructions

In a blender or food processor, puree the diced tomatoes and the onion until smooth.
Pour the rice into a strainer and rinse thoroughly with water for about 1 minute. This step removes the starch and will prevent your rice from sticking together.
In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium high heat. Add in the rice and cook for about 3 minutes until the rice is lightly toasted. Pour in the pureed tomatoes and onion, garlic, broth, minced jalapeno pepper, and the tomato paste. Stir together.
Stir in the rice and bring the liquid to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium. Cover and let the rice simmer until it is tender, about 25 minutes. If the rice is not cooked and the liquid has absorbed, you can add in more broth and continue cooking until the rice is done.
Fluff with a fork and add additional salt if needed.

http://eat-drink-love.com/2013/04/easy-mexican-rice/

Easy Mexican Rice

Filed Under: Sides · Tagged With: easy rice, enchiladas, Mexican rice, side dish, spanish rice, tacos 19 Comments

Nibblies

April 25, 2013 by Stephanie

Seattle

1. I was away in Seattle last weekend for a conference for work. It was cold and rainy and with being so sick, I didn’t get to get out and explore which made me really sad! Being in the cold and rain was a really nice little break from the heat in Phoenix. I think I could happily live in Seattle!

2. We have this neighbor and every night, whether it be a weekend or a weeknight, he starts blasting music with loud bass or he watches a loud movie. My husband and I are actually like 90 years old and it drives us nuts. But at the same time, I just can’t believe how some people could be so inconsiderate of others. We live in a townhome and there are a lot of college kids in the complex because we are so close to campus. I can’t believe how loud some of them play music, especially on a weeknight! One night the people in the building across from us just opened their balcony doors, just left them wide open and started playing REALLY loud rap music. With all the lovely curse words. I wanted to go and throw eggs through their door. WHAT IS WRONG WITH PEOPLE?!!

3. The Following. This will contain spoilers so stop reading if you do not want to know what happened on this week’s episode! Obviously, I am still watching this show. It’s like a train wreck. I just can’t look away. First, every FBI agent on this show needs to go back and get trained again. WHY is it on every episode when they supposedly have a building surrounded, it always ends up being just one agent chasing after someone?! WHERE ARE THE OTHER AGENTS?! Worst FBI ever.

Ugh, and then let’s talk about how stupid Claire is. She has now had multiple opportunities to kill Joe and she keeps stabbing him in the stomach. Clearly she did some damage, but in the episode this week, she just goes right back for the same spot. She had him! She could have stuck that fork or a knife in his neck. COME ON, CLAIRE!! Then Claire and the nice couple get away and there is still daylight outside. The scene cuts away and comes back and apparently, they have been running for at least an hour because it is now pitch black outside and yet they have only managed to get as far as the street…

And Jacob, don’t even get me started…The people on this show are just so stupid!!

Ok, thank you for letting me rant about The Following. I feel better now. We can move on…

Cookie Dough Cake

4. I made this chocolate chip cookie dough cake for my husband’s birthday last week. I was too sick to eat any and then a few days later, my husband caught the same bug. Luckily we froze a huge chunk of it. It seriously is the best cake that has ever happened on this earth!

5. Remember in my last Nibblies post when I told you that I couldn’t stop breaking things? Well, I still can’t stop breaking things. Since that last post, I have broken another mug, a bowl, a tea bag holder, and another glass. I should not be allowed to have things.

6. With the exception of Game of Thrones and my trashy TV on Bravo, it looks like most shows are coming to an end next week. Summer for us means watching new shows on Netflix. I think we are going to start with Mad Men (I know, this is SO overdue!) and Breaking Bad. What do you recommend?

7. Speaking of Game of Thrones, have you guys seen this? Every week, they do a recap of the episode, but it’s all written as if the entire episode happened on Facebook. It makes me so happy.

8. Um, this? I can’t even talk about it.

9. It’s getting dangerously close to being triple digits here in Phoenix. I am not ready for this. Someone please come and stick a permanent air conditioner on me.

Filed Under: Life, Uncategorized · Tagged With: life, Nibblies, rambling, the following, thoughts 17 Comments

Skinny Strawberry Margaritas

April 24, 2013 by Stephanie

Skinny Strawberry Margaritas

So I just realized like yesterday that Cinco de Mayo is coming up. You guys know how much I love Mexican food so any holiday that will allow for me to eat copious amounts of guacamole and drink a bunch of fruity margaritas is fine by me!

These skinny strawberry margaritas are inspired by my skinny raspberry margaritas. Margaritas are one of my favorite drinks, but the amount of sugar most restaurants put in them is just horrifying. I often feel like I am just drinking pure sugar more than anything else.

It takes a little more work to strain the seeds or you can choose to leave them in if you don’t mind them! This margarita comes in at about 190 calories. I sweetened it with agave nectar, but you could also use sugar if desired. I also lightly rimmed my glasses with some raw sugar.

Skinny Strawberry Margaritas

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Yield: 2 margaritas

Calories per serving: 190

Ingredients

4 oz. fresh or frozen strawberries
4 oz. silver tequila
1 lime, juiced
6 oz. club soda
1 tbs. agave nectar (or to taste)
Splash raspberry liquor and/or Triple sec (optional)
raw sugar, granulated sugar, or salt (for the rim, optional)

Instructions

Add the raspberries to a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth. Place a fine mesh strainer over a bowl. Pour the puree into the strainer to remove the seeds.
Add the remaining ingredients plus the strained raspberry puree into a pitcher. Stir to combine. Serve over ice.

http://eat-drink-love.com/2013/04/skinny-strawberry-margaritas/

Skinny Strawberry Margaritas

Filed Under: Cocktails, Drinks, Low-Sugar/Sugar-Free · Tagged With: cinco de mayo, cocktail, low calorie, low-sugar, skinny strawberry margaritas 16 Comments

Low-Fat Buttermilk Biscuits

April 22, 2013 by Stephanie

Low-Fat Buttermilk Biscuits

And I am back from Seattle! I was there this weekend at a conference for work. I have always wanted to go to Seattle. I like the idea of cooler weather an rainier days. And that is certainly what I got when I arrived. Four days straight of nothing but cold weather and rainy days! This coupled with the fact that I am still sick and was busy with the conference, I didn’t get to do much exploring which totally stinks!

Oh, the stomach flu. It is an evil thing that just doesn’t seem to want to go away in this house. I was able to start eating solid food again while I was away in Seattle, but I had to take it slow and steady. My mind wants a huge burger to make up for barely eating for over a week, but my stomach still says that’s a not happening.

Low-Fat Buttermilk Biscuits

And now my poor husband has caught this evil little bug. Although I think I could eat more, we are back to eating nothing but chicken noodle soup and drinking 10 gallons of Gatorade a day. My husband is in the first few days of this so I knew making another pot of soup was on my to-do list after getting back home. When we are feeling well, we like to have grilled cheese with soup, but grilled cheese is still too heavy at the moment so I decided to mix up some of these simple and low-fat buttermilk biscuits to eat with our soup instead. They are easier on the tummy and are the perfect size if you don’t want to eat a lot of bread. They go perfectly with soup, but would really go well with any meal!

Low-Fat Buttermilk Biscuits

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 12 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Yield: 14-16 biscuits

Serving Size: 1 biscuit

Calories per serving: 121

Fat per serving: 4.2 g

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
5 tbs. butter, cut into small cubes
3/4 cup fat-free buttermilk*
3 tbs. honey

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
In a bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, and the salt.
Add the cubed butter and blend in with the flour using a pastry blender or two knives until the mixture is a coarse meal.
Add the buttermilk into a bowl, whisk in the honey until well-combined. Pour the milk into the flour mixture and stir until it is just combined with the flour.
Turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Knead the dough together for about 1 minute. Roll the dough out into a rectangle that is about 9x5 inches and about 3/4 of an inch thick. Fold the dough into thirds. Roll out into a rectangle again. Fold the dough into thirds once more and then roll out again into a 9x5-inch rectangle.
Using a biscuit cutter that is about 1 3/4-inch round, cut the dough into circles. Alternatively, you can use a drinking glass to cut the biscuits if you do not have a biscuit cutter. Place the rounds onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat, about 1-inch apart. Bake for about 12-14 minutes or until the biscuits are lightly golden.
Serve with butter and/or honey.

Notes

If you can't find fat-free buttermilk at your store, just add about 1 tsp. of white vinegar or lemon juice to regular fat-free milk, stir, and let sit for about 5 minutes.

Recipe from Cooking Light

http://eat-drink-love.com/2013/04/low-fat-buttermilk-biscuits/

Low-Fat Buttermilk Biscuits

Filed Under: Breads, Sides, Snacks · Tagged With: biscuits, bread, buttermilk, cooking light, low-fat, side, soup 17 Comments

Apple Snack Bites

April 19, 2013 by Stephanie

Apple Snack Bites

Hi guys! Forgive me for kind of being MIA this week. I’ve been trying to get over a bad stomach bug. Needles to say, food hasn’t been on my mind. And now I am in Seattle for a conference so I am happy to introduce a great guest blogger, Anne, from Teach. Eat. Love.!

I met Anne while we were both living the dorm life at FSU way back in the day (or at least it seems like it was way back in the day!). Anne is a new blogger and she is super talented! Anne’s blog is all about teaching kids how to eat healthy, natural, and wholesome foods. She creates delicious recipes that your whole family can enjoy eating so please stop by her blog sometime and tell her hello! I’ll leave it up to Anne from here to tell you about these tasty little apple snack bites she has made for us today!

Hi! I’m Anne. I love coming up with fun and healthy recipes to help my daughter become a better eater. Before my family started our journey to better eating, my daughter’s snacks used to consist of appalling amounts of cheddar bunnies. We still have bunnies every once in awhile for a special treat, but now I look for more nutrient-dense foods like these apple cinnamon snack bites. They’re kind of like a Larabar, but in a kid-sized portion.These snack bites have protein, good fats, fruit-derived sugars, and best of all, they’re delicious.

Apple Snack Bites

Yield: 15-18 bites

Ingredients

1 packed c. Mejool dates (about 20)
1/2 c. packed dried unsweetened apple rings (about 10)
1 cup raw almonds
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
2 T. water
1 tsp. sunflower oil

Optional coating:

1/4 c. almond flour
dash of cinnamon

Instructions

In a food processor, puree the dates, apples, and almonds.
Add the cinnamon and sunflower oil.
Add enough water until the mixture barely clings together. I used 2 tablespoons, but depending on the moistness of the dates you use, you may need more or less.
Pour the almond flour into a bowl along with the dash of cinnamon. If you don't have almond flour, graham cracker crumbs would be a delicious substitute.
Using a tablespoon, scoop out the date mixture and roll it into a ball. Repeat until all of the mixture is used.
Roll each ball into the coating.

Notes

Recipe from Teach. Eat. Love.

I'm not exactly sure how long these will keep since they're always devoured in a day or two at our house.

http://eat-drink-love.com/2013/04/apple-snack-bites/

Thanks for making these tasty little bites, Anne! They look fabulous!

Filed Under: Kid-Friendly, Low-Fat, Low-Sugar/Sugar-Free, Snacks · Tagged With: apple bites, children, healthy, kids, natural, snack 14 Comments

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cake

April 16, 2013 by Stephanie

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cake

I want to start off this post with saying how saddened I was to learn of the bombing at the Boston Marathon yesterday. We live in such a dangerous world these days. My thoughts and prayers go out to everyone affected by this horrific event. In times like these, it is especially important to be thankful for what we have in our lives.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cake

One person I am thankful for every single day is my amazing husband. And yesterday was his birthday.

I have been dealing with some kind of sickness since Friday evening and haven’t really been able to stomach much food lately. But, what does one do when it is your husband’s birthday? I had to be strong. I had to bake the cake I promised I would make for him. He told me a million times not to worry about it, but how could I not? So this cake came together in baby steps.

My husband has told me many times that his most favorite cupcake in the whole wide world are my Chocolate Cupcakes with Cookie Dough Frosting. I told him awhile ago that I would turn his favorite cupcakes into a cake. So that is what I did!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cake

This cake has a few steps, but it is really pretty easy to put together. I used the same recipe for the cake. The frosting for the cupcakes is just so good, but it’s not easy to spread so I knew it wouldn’t work on a cake. So in this recipe, the cupcake frosting became the cake filling and then I came up with a cookie dough buttercream for the frosting. If you decide to make this recipe (and I totally think you should!), keep in mind that the frosting does have a gritty texture due to the sugar and it does contain flour which you do not usually see in frosting, but this is supposed to be like actual cookie dough so it’s all good!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cake

Prep Time: 45 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour, 15 minutes

Yield: About 8-10 servings

Ingredients

For the cake:

1 box devil’s food cake mix
1 cup sour cream
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
½ cup milk
1 box instant chocolate pudding mix
1 tsp. vanilla extract

For the cookie dough filling:

1 ½ sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
¾ cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
Milk (about 2-3 tbs. to thin out, add as needed)

For the cookie dough buttercream:

1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks), softened at room temperature
2 1/4 cup confectioner's sugar
1/3 cup light brown sugar
2/3 cup flour
pinch of salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract
milk (about 2 tbs. to thin out, add more as needed)

Instructions

For the cake:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 2 9-inch cake pans and set aside.
Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl. Mix together until everything is well-combined, but try to avoid over-mixing the batter.
Divide the batter evenly amongst the two cake pans. Bake for about 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Let the cakes cool completely before frosting.

For the filling:

In a bowl, beat together the butter and sugars until creamy with a hand or stand mixer.
Mix in the vanilla extract, flour, and salt. Stir in the chocolate chips. Set aside.

For the frosting:

In a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter, confectioner's sugar, and the brown sugar until smooth and creamy.
Add in the flour, salt, and vanilla extract. Beat together until everything is well-combined and the frosting is smooth and spreadable. If it is too thick, add milk, one tablespoon at a time to thin it out (I just needed about 2 tbs.).

To assemble the cake:

Remove the cake from the pans. Place one of the cakes down onto a cake plate (or whatever you will use to store and serve it), Using a large serrated knife (bread knife), carefully skim off the top of the cake with the knife until the top is level. Discard the scraps (or you know, eat them, whatever...)...
Spoon the filling on top of the bottom cake layer and spread evenly. You may find that you don't need/want to use all of the filling you made. That is fine, use as much or as little as you'd like.
Place the top layer of the cake on top of the filling and bottom layer. Using an icing spatula or a butter knife, frost the cake!
Feel free to garnish the cake however you'd like. I just threw a bunch of mini chocolate chips on top of mine.

Notes

frosting recipe slightly adapted from Annie's Eats

You can really use whatever cake recipe you prefer to use for this cake. If you have a favorite chocolate cake recipe, go for it! Or if you would rather do a white cake, do it!!

http://eat-drink-love.com/2013/04/chocolate-chip-cookie-dough-cake/

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cake