Family Meal Plan: Cocoa Berry Buckle Cake in a Mug + Berry Delicious Soft Serve + Cocoa Caliente for One

Cocoa Loco Berry Buckle Cake in a Mug

Happy & Healthy Cooking,

Fun-Da-Mentals Kitchen Skills

• blend :

  to stir together two or more ingredients until just combined; blending is a gentler process than mixing.

• dip :

  to briefly put a solid food, such as chips, fries, battered fried fish, hot sandwich (French dip), or veggie slices, into a liquid, like beef broth or a thicker sauce, like ketchup, dressing, or a dip to impart moisture and extra flavor to the solid food.

• fold :

  to gently and slowly mix a light ingredient into a heavier ingredient so as not to lose air and to keep the mixture tender, such as incorporating whipped egg whites into a cake batter or folding blueberries into pancake batter; folding is a gentler action than mixing or whisking.

• freeze :

  to lower the temperature of a liquid or solid food below its freezing point to change its properties or to preserve it.

• juice :

  to extract or squeeze out the juice of a fruit or vegetable, like a lemon, orange, or carrot, often cutting open or peeling the fruit or veggie first to access its flesh.

• measure :

  to calculate the specific amount of an ingredient required using a measuring tool (like measuring cups or spoons).

• melt :

  to heat a solid food so it becomes liquid, like butter or chocolate.

• microwave :

  to heat or cook food or liquid quickly in a microwave oven, which uses high-frequency electromagnetic waves to generate heat in the food's water molecules.

• mix :

  to thoroughly combine two or more ingredients until uniform in texture.

• pour :

  to cause liquid, granules, or powder to stream from one container into another.

• slice :

  to cut into thin pieces using a sawing motion with your knife.

• tear :

  to pull or rip apart a food, like basil leaves, into pieces instead of cutting with a knife; cutting breaks cell walls more, so herbs can discolor faster.

• whisk :

  to beat or stir ingredients vigorously with a fork or whisk to mix, blend, or incorporate air.

COOLinary Cake Science!

• Flour Provides the Base of the Recipe: Flour gives structure to the cake. The gluten or protein in flour combines to form a web that traps air bubbles and sets. The starch in flour sets as it heats to add to and support the structure.
• Fat Holds it All Together: Fat coats the gluten molecules so they cannot combine as easily, contributing to the cake's tenderness. In many cakes, fat also contributes to the fluffiness of the final product. When sugar is creamed with fat, small pockets of air form from the sharp edges of the crystals interacting with the fat. These pockets form a finer grain, making the cake soft and tender when baked. Fats also carry delicious flavors over your tongue and taste buds!
• Sugar is Sweet and Tender: Sugar adds sweetness and contributes to the cake's browning. Sugar tenderizes a cake by preventing gluten from forming. Sugar also holds moisture in the cake. Sugar crystals cutting into solid fats like butter help create the cake's structure by making small holes filled with carbon dioxide (CO2) when the leavening agents react.
• Eggs Equal Texture: An egg is a leavening agent, and the yolk adds fat for a tender and light texture. The yolk also acts as an emulsifier for a smooth and even texture. The proteins in the egg white (albumen) also contribute to the light structure of the cake. 
• Liquids Lift and Lighten: Liquids help to carry flavorings throughout the cake, form gluten bonds, and react with the starch in the protein for a strong but light and tender structure. Liquids also act as steam during baking, becoming another leavening agent to help make the cake rise.
• Salt Adds Flavor and Weight: Salt strengthens the gluten and adds flavor. Salt enhances all flavors, including a sweet cake!
• Rise Up! Baking Soda and Baking Powder: Baking soda and baking powder are leavening or rising agents. These make the cake puff up! They form CO2, which is held by fat pockets, gluten, and starch, making the baked cake rise. Too much leavening agent will make the bubbles too big, causing them to combine and burst, leading to a flat (sad) cake or bread. Too little leavening agent will produce a heavy (dense) cake with soggy or damp layers. Measure everything just right, and your cake will be perfect every time! It's science!

Let's Learn About the United States!

• Most of the United States of America (USA) is in North America. It shares its northern border with Canada and its southern border with Mexico. It consists of 50 states, 1 federal district, 5 territories, 9 Minor Outlying Islands, and 326 Indian reservations. 
• The country's total area is 3,796,742 square miles, globally the third largest after Russia and Canada. The US population is over 333 million, making it the third most populous country in the world, after China and India.
• The United States of America declared itself an independent nation from Great Britain on July 4, 1776, by issuing the Declaration of Independence.
• The Revolutionary War between the US and Great Britain was fought from 1775-1783. We only had 13 colonies at that time! On September 9, 1776, the Second Continental Congress met in Philadelphia and declared that the new nation would be called the United States. 
• The 13 colonies became states after each ratified the constitution of the new United States, with Delaware being the first on December 7, 1787.  
• The 13 stripes on the US flag represent those first 13 colonies, and the 50 stars represent our 50 states. The red color of the flag symbolizes hardiness and valor, white symbolizes innocence and purity, and blue symbolizes vigilance and justice.
• Before settling in Washington DC, a federal district, the nation's capital resided in New York City and then Philadelphia for a short time. New York City is the largest city in the US and is considered its financial center. 
• The US does not have a recognized official language! However, English is effectively the national language. 
• The American dollar is the national currency. The nickname for a dollar, "buck," comes from colonial times when people traded goods for buckskins!
• Because the United States is so large, there is a wide variety of climates and types of geography. The Mississippi/Missouri River, running primarily north to south, is the fourth-longest river system in the world. On the east side of the Mississippi are the Appalachian Mountains, the Adirondack Mountains, and the East Coast, next to the Atlantic Ocean. 
• On the west side of the Mississippi are the flat Great Plains, the Rocky Mountains (or Rockies), and the West Coast, next to the Pacific Ocean, with several more mountain ranges in coastal states, such as the Sierras and the Cascades. Between the coasts and the north and south borders are several forests, lakes (including the Great Lakes), rivers, swamps, deserts, and volcanos. 
• Several animals are unique to the US, such as the American bison (or American buffalo), the bald eagle, the California condor, the American black bear, the groundhog, the American alligator, and the pronghorn (or American antelope). 
• The US has 63 national parks. The Great Smoky Mountains, Yellowstone, Yosemite, Zion, and the Grand Canyon, with the Colorado River flowing through it, are among the most well-known and visited.
• Cuisine in the US was influenced early on by the indigenous people of North America who lived there before Europeans arrived. They introduced beans, corn, potatoes, squash, berries, fish, turkey, venison, dried meats, and more to the new settlers. Other influences include the widely varied foods and dishes of enslaved people from Africa and immigrants from Asia, Europe, Central and South America, and the Pacific Islands. 

What's It Like to Be a Kid in the United States?

• Education is compulsory in the US, and kids may go to a public or private school or be home-schooled. Most schools do not require students to wear uniforms, but some private schools do. The school year runs from mid-August or the beginning of September to the end of May or the middle of June.
• Kids generally start school at about five years old in kindergarten or earlier in preschool and continue through 12th grade in high school. After that, many go on to university, community college, or technical school. 
• Spanish, French, and German are the most popular foreign languages kids learn in US schools. 
• Kids may participate in many different school and after-school sports, including baseball, soccer, American football, basketball, volleyball, tennis, swimming, and track and field. In grade school, kids may join in playground games like hopscotch, four-square, kickball, tetherball, jump rope, or tag.
• There are several fun activities that American kids enjoy doing with their friends and families, such as picnicking, hiking, going to the beach or swimming, or going to children's and natural history museums, zoos and wild animal parks, amusement parks, water parks, state parks, or national parks. Popular amusement parks include Disneyland, Disney World, Legoland, Six Flags, and Universal Studios.
• On Independence Day or the 4th of July, kids enjoy a day off from school, picnicking, and watching fireworks with their families. 
• Thanksgiving is celebrated on the last Thursday in November when students get 2 to 5 days off school. Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa are popular December holidays, and there are 2 or 3 weeks of winter vacation. Easter is celebrated in March, April, or May, and kids enjoy a week of spring recess around that time.  
• Barbecued hot dogs or hamburgers, watermelon, apple pie, and ice cream are popular kid foods for 4th of July celebrations. Turkey, dressing, green bean casserole, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie are traditional Thanksgiving foods. Birthday parties with cake and ice cream are very important celebrations for kids in the United States!