Birthday Cake

When it comes to birthday cake, yellow cake with chocolate frosting is classic. The birthday girl I made the cake for is a chocolate fan, as am I, obviously. So I decided to change it up a little and did 1 layer of yellow cake and 1 layer of chocolate cake with buttercream frosting in between the layers and chocolate frosting on the outside covered in sprinkles. By the time I was done my kitchen was COVERED in frosting and sprinkles. But it was worth it because I loved how the cake turned out!! It sounds like a lot of steps/recipes, but it's really not that bad!

Birthday Cake

What you'll need:
1/2 recipe yellow cake (1- 9 inch cake), recipe below

1/2 recipe chocolate cake (1- 9 inch cake), recipe below
1 batch buttercream frosting, recipe below
1 batch chocolate frosting, recipe below
sprinkles, if desired

Directions:
Mix yellow cake and set aside (don't bake yet). Make chocolate cake according to directions. Place both cakes in oven at same time. Once done baking and cooling, invert chocolate cake and frost top with buttercream frosting. Stack yellow cake on top and frost the whole thing with chocolate frosting. Decorate with sprinkles. Store in refrigerator.

Yellow Cake
seen on Annie's Eats
Ingredients:
For the cake:
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for greasing pans
1½ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting pans
1½ cups cake flour
1 tbsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
1¾ cups sugar
4 large eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1¼ cups milk

Directions:
To make the cakes, preheat the oven to 350˚ F.  Line the bottoms of two 9-inch round cake pans with parchment paper.  Butter and flour the edges of the pans, tapping out the excess; set aside.  In a medium bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, cake flour, baking powder, and salt; whisk together to blend well and set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter and sugar.  Beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes, scraping down the bowl as needed.  Mix in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Blend in the vanilla.  With the mixer on low speed, add in the dry ingredients in three additions, alternating with the milk.  Beat each addition just until incorporated.
Divide the batter between the prepared baking pans.  Bake, rotating the pans halfway through baking, until the cakes are golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 30-35 minutes.  Transfer the pans to a wire rack and let cool 20 minutes.  Run a knife around the edge of the pans to help remove the cakes.  Invert the cakes onto the rack and peel off the parchment.  Let the cakes cool completely before frosting.  Level the cakes if necessary.

Hershey's 'Perfectly Chocolate' Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:

2 cups sugar

1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa

1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1 cup milk

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup boiling water

Directions:

Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans.  

Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin).

Pour batter into prepared pans.  Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely.

Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients:

1 cup unsalted butter, softened
3-4 cups powdered sugar, sifted 

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

up to 4 tablespoons milk or heavy cream

 

Instructions:

Beat butter for a few minutes with a mixer on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Add 3 cups of powdered sugar and turn your mixer on the lowest speed until the sugar has been incorporated with the butter. Increase mixer speed to medium and add vanilla extract, salt, and 2 tablespoons of milk/cream and beat for 3 minutes. Add more sugar to make stiffer, or more milk 1 TBLS at a time to thin out until desired consistency is reached.
 

Hershey's 'Perfectly Chocolate' Chocolate Frosting
Ingredients:
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine
2/3 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:
Melt butter. Stir in cocoa. Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, beating to spreading consistency.
Add small amount additional milk, if needed. Stir in vanilla. About 2 cups frosting.

Kit Kat Cake

I'm still here. First I was just really busy. We went out of town for a few days, then my mom came to visit for a week. Then I found out i'm pregnant. And although I can't stop eating, thinking too much about food isn't exactley something I want to be doing while 8 weeks pregnant. So it's been slow around here.
You may have noticed these kinds of cakes before. Usually the top is covered with m&ms, making it look somewhat like a bowl of m&ms. I made a chocolate cake from scratch and it was a little tall. Notice how it's taller than the kit kats? But that isn't why I chose not to "fill" it with m&ms. I figured with chocolate cake and kit kats, adding m&ms might be a little over kill. Since it was for my SIL's baby shower, I thought duckies would be fitting. My mom arrived at our house that morning so right away I put her to work to make the frosting. We've always called it "the white sticky frosting" in our house, but it's like a swiss meringe , made of egg whites, sugar, corn syrup (and whatever else might be in it) and cooked over the stove. It ends up tasting like marshmallows and it's really good. However i'm not sharing that recipe today. Today is just the cake idea, so you can go make your own creation!

Kit Kat Cake


Ingredients:
1 2-layer cake (homemade or box mix is fine)
frosting
kit kats
ribbon

Directions:
Make your cake layers and let cool. Once cool, frost both layers and stack. Press kit kats into side all the way around and decorate/garnish as desired. Tie a ribbon around the whole thing and you're done!

Cake Balls

I had mentioned in an earlier post that I made red velvet cake something. Here's that something. Red velvet cake balls with cream cheese frosting. The thing I love about cake balls (or pops) other than they're delicious, is that you can easily customize them for any occassion. Almost a year ago I posted baby shower cake pops (which happens to be the number 1 viewed recipe here), but I never posted the recipe. Or the "how to" actually, since it isn't really a recipe. So here it is! It's pretty simple..after you've done it once you'll have it down.
Cake Balls

Ingredients:
1 box of cake mix, any flavor, baked
1 can frosting, any flavor
chocolate, candy melts, or almond bark for coating
garnishes optional (such as sprinkles)

Directions:
Bake cake in 13x9 in. pan according to directions.
Let it cool then crumble into a big bowl.
Add the frosting to the bowl of cake, I start with 1/2 can and gradually add more. I usually end up using about 3/4 can. If you add too little or too much your cake balls might fall apart.
Use your hands to combine the frosting and cake until moist then roll into quarter size balls. It will be very messy. Place them on a baking sheet lined with wax paper and continue until you're finished rolling all the balls, then place them in the freezer until they've firmed up a bit. This will help keep them from falling apart when it's time to dip.
Melt your chocolate and dip balls in. Using 2 spoons, coat the balls and place back on wax paper afterwards. If you're going to sprinkle anything on top, do it now before your coating hardens. Let set until firm, I like to place them in the freezer to speed things up. Once the outside has hardened you can drizzle any extra over the top if you want.

Praline-Pumpkin Cake

I mainly decided to make this cake because I happened to have a yellow cake and some extra pumpkin on hand when I wanted to bring a 2nd dessert to a church dinner. It actually turned out really good and I had several people tell me that. Matt didn't know I had made this cake and when he went to choose a dessert (there were about a million, too) he ended up picking this one. However, I don't know if i'll be making it again since i'm a chocolate girl. It takes a lot to win my heart over if it's not chocolate. Be warned though, that this cake feeds a small army. Originally the recipe calls to be made in 2 8x8 pans, but after reading some people's reviews and some problems they had with it, I decided to just do a single layer in a 9x13 pan.
Praline-Pumpkin Cake
Betty Crocker

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1/4 cup whipping cream
1 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup coarsely chopped pecans
1 box Betty Crocker® SuperMoist® yellow cake mix
1 cup canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 container Betty Crocker® Rich & Creamy cream cheese frosting
Caramel topping, if desired
Additional coarsely chopped pecans, if desired

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 325°F. In 1-quart heavy saucepan, stir together butter, whipping cream and brown sugar. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, just until butter is melted. Pour into two ungreased 9- or 8-inch round cake pans; sprinkle evenly with 3/4 cup pecans.
2 In large bowl, beat cake mix, pumpkin, water, oil, eggs and 1 teaspoon of the pumpkin pie spice with electric mixer on low speed until moistened, then on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Carefully spoon batter over pecan mixture in each pan.
3 Bake 41 to 47 minutes or until cake springs back when touched lightly in center. Cool 5 minutes; remove from pans to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 1 hour.
4 Stir remaining 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice into frosting. To assemble cake, place 1 layer, praline side up, on serving plate. Spread with half of the frosting. Top with second layer, praline side up; spread remaining frosting to edge of layer. Drizzle with caramel topping and additional pecans. Store loosely covered in refrigerator.

Neapolitan Marble Bundt Cake

I didn't plan anything spectacular for Matt's birthday cake because he didn't even want one so I just decided to try something new, a bundt cake. I had to scour the neighborhood to find a bundt cake pan and I was really by surprised how unpopular they are. But after knocking on several doors, I finally found one. The cake was good, but I think I overcooked it slightly because it was a little dry. Originally this recipe doesn't have any frosting on it, but since I had so much of the cream cheese frosting left over from the cupcakes I used it on this cake as well. And I was a little dissappointed that the frosting was the highlight of the cake. The cake was pretty good, but the frosting was delicious. Of course my favorite flavor of the 3 was the chocolate :)

Neapolitan Marble Cake
adapted from Baked's Marble Bundt Cake via. See You In The Morning

(Looks kind of like a donut, doesn't it?)

Sour Cream Cake
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup unsalted butter, soft, cut into pieces
2 1/4 cups sugar
4 large eggs
16 oz sour cream
2 tsp vanilla

for chocolate swirl
6 oz dark chocolate (60-72% cacao), chopped
1 tsp unsweetened dark cocoa powder

for strawberry swirl
1/2 cup diced strawberries
1 tbsp strawberry preserves

a few drops of pink coloring

Directions:
Make chocolate swirl: in the top of a double boiler over simmering water or in microwave, melt the chocolate. when it's completely smooth, add the cocoa powder. remove from heat and set aside.
preheat oven to 350. spray the inside of a 10 inch bundt pan. sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream the butter until smooth. scrape down the sides and add the sugar. beat until smooth and fluffy. add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. scrape down bowl and mix. add the sour cream and vanilla and beat until just incorporated. add the dry ingredients in 3 additions. do not overmix!
pour 1/3 of batter into the chocolate and combine. fold strawberries and preserves into another 1/3 of batter. plop large spoonfuls of 3 batters into pan. then use a butter knife to pull through the layers and make swirls. bake in the center of the oven for about an hour, rotating halfway through.
let cake cool in the pan for a bit and then invert.

Brownie Ice Cream Cake

My husband offered to make my birthday cake for me this year, it was a nice offer but it's something I prefer to do myself. This is a super simple recipe and one of the things I like most about it is you store it in the freezer and you can cut off a slice to eat whenever you want some. Normally I don't make cakes for the reason that there's only 2 of us and I don't want half of it to go to waste. Not a problem with this cake though. Matt didn't care too much for the marshmallows on top but that was my favorite part!! The brownie gets a little hard from being frozen, but that's expected and it still tasted great. I had a hard time picking what ice cream to use but decided to keep it simple and go with chocolate chip. I'm already thinking of different ice cream combinations to use because there will be a next time! Oh, and don't forget the hot fudge!

Brownie Ice Cream Cake
recipe girl

*updated 7/7/12: I made this cake for my birthday again this year, this time using chocolate peanut butter cup ice cream. Definitely was better with something simple like chocolate chip! I really need to get some butane for my kitchen torch..the broiler always works faster than expected!

Ingredients:
BROWNIE LAYER:
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 ounce unsweetened chocolate
4 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. baking powder
2 large eggs
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. instant espresso powder (optional)
1/8 tsp. salt

ICE CREAM LAYER:

1 1/2 qts. ice cream, any flavor (I used chocolate chip)

MARSHMALLOW LAYER:

1 cup marshmallow cream
1 Tbsp. water
4 – 5 cups mini marshmallows

TOPPING:

hot fudge

Directions:

1. Prepare brownie layer- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease the bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan. In a microwave-safe bowl, heat chocolates and butter together in small bursts, just until melted. Stir until smooth. Sift together flour & baking powder. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs and sugar. Whisk in chocolate mixture. Add the dry ingredients, espresso powder and salt. Stir until combined. Spread brownie batter in the prepared pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 15 minutes. Cool completely before continuing with the recipe.
2. Take ice cream out of the freezer and soften for a bit, just until it’s easy enough to mash around and spread. Spread the ice cream over the brownie layer.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together marshmallow cream and water. Stir in 3 cups of marshmallows. Spread the marshmallow mixture over the ice cream. Sprinkle 2 remaining cups of marshmallows on top. Freeze until the ice cream is hard, at least 6 hours- but best overnight.
4. Toasting the marshmallows- If you have a handheld blowtorch, run a knife around the inside edge of the springform pan. Release the latch and remove the ring. Use a very sharp, wide, thin knife to run under the brownie layer to release it from the pan and transfer it to a serving platter. Torch the marshmallows until they’re golden brown. If using the broiler, adjust the rack so the ice cream cake will be 2 – 3 inches from the heating element. Preheat the broiler. Leave the cake in the pan, put it on a baking pan, and place it under the heating element. Broil until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Run a knife around the inside edge of the pan and remove the pan.
5. Serve immediately with a good amount of hot fudge. Freeze leftovers and eat as you wish, for up to one week.
Serves: 10

Barbie/Princess Cake

My little guy did it. He arrived June 10th and has been keeping me busy since. Today was Rylee's 2nd birthday and her cake is the first thing i've baked from scratch in a couple of weeks. I wanted to make something small and settled on a barbie/princess cake. I looked at several different ones I came across on the internet then set out to make my own not following anything specifically. First I needed to find a small barbie type doll. I found this one at the dollar store and it was perfect. It was actually a mermaid and I ended up breaking the fin off because it was a little too tall. Using a small, round pyrex bowl and another small pyrex dish, I baked a 1/2 recipe of this chocolate cake, which was really good and one i'm sure i'll be making again. I frosted it with vanilla buttercream that was also a keeper. It tasted like the frosting on a cake you would get from the bakery or store. The only problem I had was that it was about a million degrees in my kitchen and the frosting started to melt. It ended up being ok though, especially since Rylee couldn't care less if it looked nice or not.

Easy Vanilla Buttercream
The Way the Cookie Crumbles

Makes 3 cups
Ingredients:
20 tablespoons (2½ sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2½ cups Confectioners’ sugar (10 ounces)
1/8 tablespoons table salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoons heavy cream


Directions:
In standing mixer fitted with whisk attachment, beat butter at medium-high speed until smooth, about 20 seconds. Add confectioners’ sugar and salt; beat at medium-low speed until most of the sugar is moistened, about 45 seconds. Scrape down bowl and beat at medium speed until mixture is fully combined, about 15 seconds; scrape bowl, add vanilla and heavy cream, and beat at medium speed until incorporated, about 10 seconds, then increase speed to medium-high and beat until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes, scraping down bowl once or twice.

Triple Chocolate Mousse Cake

With a title like this, you know it's going to be good. I wanted to be sure to try this recipe soon because who knows when i'll be able to have time to make something like this after the baby comes. Well, i'm sure i'll have time but whether or not I want to put the energy into it is something else. I've tried another mousse cake recipe (double chocolate mousse torte) not too long ago and wanted to see how this one compared since I really liked the other one. Oh..my..deliciousness. I have to say they were close equals in my book and depending on the mood im in or what ingredients I have on hand would determine which one to make. Really they were pretty much the same thing, except the other was topped with whipped cream and this one was topped with white chocolate mousse. We shared some of the cake, but mostly we ate it. And i'm not ashamed because it was worth it, and that's all that matters.

Triple Chocolate Mousse Cake
Cook's Illustrated via. Annie's Eats

For the bottom layer:

6 tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces (plus extra for greasing the pan)

7 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

¾ tsp. instant espresso powder

1½ tsp. vanilla extract

4 large eggs, separated

Pinch of salt

1/3 cup light brown sugar, packed

For the middle layer:

2 tbsp. cocoa powder, preferably Dutch-processed

5 tbsp. hot water

7 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

1½ cups heavy cream

1 tbsp. granulated sugarPinch of salt

For the top layer:

¾ tsp. powdered gelatin

1 tbsp. water

6 oz. white chocolate, finely chopped

1½ cups heavy cream

For garnish:

Chocolate curls or cocoa powder

Directions:

To make the bottom layer, butter the bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan. (I lined the bottom of the pan with a parchment round for easy removal later.) Center a rack in the oven and preheat to 325˚ F. Combine the butter, chocolate, and espresso powder in a large heatproof bowl set over simmering water. Stir occasionally until the mixture is smooth. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly, about 5 minutes. Whisk in the vanilla and egg yolks. Set aside.

In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites and salt on medium speed until foamy, about 30 seconds. Crumble half of the brown sugar into the mixing bowl with your fingers to remove any lumps. Beat until incorporated, about 15 seconds. Add the remaining brown sugar and continue to beat on high speed until stiff peaks form, about 1 minute more. Using a whisk, mix one-third of the beaten egg whites to the chocolate mixture to lighten it. Fold in the remaining egg whites gently with a rubber spatula until no streaks remain. Pour the batter into the prepared springform pan and smooth the top with a spatula.

Bake until the cake has risen, is firm around the edges and the center has just set but is still soft (should spring back after pressing gently with a finger), about 14-18 minutes. Transfer the cake to a wire rack to cool completely, at least 1 hour. Do not remove the cake from the pan. (If not making the second layer right away, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to proceed.)

To make the second layer, whisk together the cocoa powder and hot water in a small bowl; set aside. Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over simmering water, stirring occasionally until smooth. Once melted, remove from the heat and let cool slightly, 2-5 minutes.
In the clean bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the cream, sugar and salt on medium speed until the mixture begins to thicken, about 30 seconds. Increase the speed to high and whip until soft peaks form when the whisk is lifted, 30-60 seconds. Whisk in the cocoa powder mixture until smooth. Using a whisk, mix one-third of the whipped cream to the chocolate mixture to lighten it. Fold in the remaining whipped cream gently with a rubber spatula until no streaks remain. Pour the mousse into the springform pan over the cooled cake and tap gently on the counter 3 times to remove air bubbles. Gently smooth the top with a spatula. Wipe the inside edge of the pan to remove any drips. Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes while preparing the top layer.

To make the top layer, sprinkle the gelatin over the water in a small bowl and let stand at least 5 minutes to soften. Place the white chocolate in a medium bowl. Bring ½ cup of the cream to a boil in a small saucepan. Remove the pan from the heat, add the gelatin mixture and stir until dissolved. Pour the hot cream mixture over the white chocolate and let stand about 1 minute. Whisk until the mixture is smooth. Cool to room temperature, about 5-8 minutes, stirring occasionally.

In the clean bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the remaining 1 cup of cream at medium speed until it begins to thicken. Increase the speed to high and whip until soft peaks form when the whisk is lifted, 30-60 seconds. Using a whisk, mix one-third of the whipped cream to the white chocolate mixture to lighten it. Fold in the remaining whipped cream gently with a rubber spatula until no streaks remain. Spoon the white chocolate mousse into the pan over the middle layer. Smooth the top with an offset spatula. Return the cake to the refrigerator and chill until set, at least 2½ hours.

Baby Shower Cake Pops

Cake pops have never been something that interested me. I'm not one to spend a lot of time or detail on little things. I get bored after a little while and things start to get sloppy for the sake of getting the job done. And you spend so much time and they're eaten so fast. But for some reason when thinking of a dessert to make for a baby shower, I thought i'd give them a try. And I didn't want to go simple like just drizzling some chocolate or sprinkles on top. I wanted to make them look like a baby. Don't ask me why. I have no artistic ability at all. Ask me to draw anything and it looks like a 5 year old did it. I think maybe because I wish I was artistic so every once in a while i'll try my luck again only to realize why I don't do things like this.

Anyway, these took a long...time. And it didn't help that it was about 80 degrees outside (which means it was way, way hotter in my kitchen). I had no idea of all the things that could go wrong while making these and ended up having quite a few casualties.. Some of the candy coating on some of them cracked and even broke off and a few of them fell off the stick (which im wondering if it's because it was so hot inside they got melty and just fell through the stick..). I was losing my patience but after you've come so far you just gotta stick it out. My husband ended up making the bows for me (the whole lack of artistic ability thing again) which was really nice. I made the fondant one night, the bows the next night and everything else the next day. I used fondant for the bows and pacifier- which had a sprinkle on top of it. I tried a few different ideas for face features, but this is what I ended up with. Cute or creepy- you decide. It was fun to try but I think next time i'll ditch the stick and just go with cake balls, ones that don't require anything too 'artsy' for me.

Baby Shower Cake Pops


(I just thought this picture was kind of funny)

I'm not going to post the marshmallow fondant recipe, but here's the link for it: Marshmallow Fondant from All Recipes

And instructions on how to make the cake pops, from Bakerella

Chocolate Cupcakes with Swiss Meringue Frosting

It's not often that I get to make cupcakes, but I get excited about it every time I do because they're so much fun to make. Matt's sister was having a birthday and people were asked to bring an appetizer type thing or dessert. I knew I wanted to make some cupcakes since it's been so long but I had no idea what kind! I get of overwhelmed when there's so many options and flavor combinations to choose from. Finally I stumbled upon these ones and decided to end my search here. They were very chocolatey so if that's what you're looking for, these are great. If not, these are still good recipes but I would pair them with something other than chocolate on chocolate. The taste and texture of the swiss meringue frosting was just like chocolate mousse. I added a mini peanut butter cup inside each of the cupcakes but they got slightly hard since I had the cupcakes stored in the fridge. The chocolate pour (chocolate ganache, really) could easily be left out, but it does make them appear a little more fancy, especially when paired with sprinkles! I thought I should also add that my husband is out of town and took the camera with him so the only way I was able to get a photo was from the built in webcam on my computer. It was either this, or no picture, but atleast you got the idea.

Dark Chocolate Cupcakes
As seen on Bakers Royale

Yield: 12 cupcakes
Ingredients:
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
½ cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
¾ cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
¾ teaspoon baking powder
2 eggs
¾ cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon table salt
½ cup sour cream

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Place butter, chocolate, and cocoa in a heatproof bowl. Set bowl over saucepan with two inches of simmering water. Gently stir butter and chocolate until melted and combined. Set aside until mixture is warm to touch.
Whisk flour, baking soda, and baking powder in small bowl to combine.
Whisk eggs in second bowl to combine; add sugar, vanilla, and salt until fully incorporated. Add cooled chocolate mixture and whisk until combined. Sift one-third of flour mixture over chocolate mixture and whisk until combined; whisk in sour cream until combined, then sift remaining flour mixture over and whisk until batter is homogeneous and thick.
Fill cupcake line ¼ full. Add a Reeses peanut butter cup to each well (optional) and finish pouring cupcake batter on top of it until the wells are two-thirds full. Bake until skewer inserted into center of cupcakes comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes.
Cool cupcakes to room temperature before icing, about 30 minutes

Swiss Meringue Frosting (I only made 1/2 of this recipe and had just enough)
Ingredients:
5 large egg whites
11/2 cup sugar
4 sticks unsalted butter, diced and softened
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vanilla
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
10 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled

Directions:
Combine egg whites and sugar in a bowl placed over simmering water. Bring mixture to 150 degrees F while whisking constantly.
Transfer mixture to stand mixer bowl, fitted with a whisk attachment and beat on medium speed until mixture cools and doubles in volume.
Add butter in one piece at a time, mixing to incorporate after each addition. Add salt and vanilla and mix to combine. Add cooled chocolate and mix to combine.

Chocolate Pouring Sauce:
2/3 cups dark chocolate
2 tablespoons heavy cream
4 tablespoons powdered sugar, sifted
4-5 tablespoons water, warm (I only needed 1 T.)

Directions:

Place chocolate and heavy cream in a bowl over simmering water. Let chocolate and cream sit for 2-3 minutes to melt without stirring. Then slowly stir mixture to combine. Add powdered sugar and mix to combine. Add water 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing after each addition until pouring consistency is reached. Set aside and let sauce cool to warm.

Assembly:
Frost cooled cupcakes. Freeze frosted cupcakes for ten minutes. Drizzle chocolate pour over chocolate frosting. Shake sprinkles on chocolate sauce.

*Linked to Sweets For A Saturday

Red Velvet Cheesecake

It was my mother in law's birthday last week and I was asked to bring a dessert for the family dinner. I know she likes the red velvet cheesecake from The Cheesecake Factory and i've had this recipe bookmarked for some time so I thought I would give this one a try. I know it's not even close to the one they have there (theirs is red velvet cake layered with regular cheesecake) but I wanted to try this one anyway. The crust stuck to the pan pretty good instead of the cheesecake, even with a piece of parchment paper under it, so that was a little messy. I also felt like it had a lot of dye in it. I might make this again but with so many other recipes i'd like to try it might be a while before I get back around to it.

Red Velvet Cheesecake
my recipes



Ingredients:
For Crust:
1 1/2 cups chocolate graham cracker crumbs or Oreo crumbs
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 tablespoon granulated sugar

Filling:
3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup whole buttermilk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
2 (1-ounce) bottles red food coloring

Topping:
4 oz. cream cheese, at room temp
2 tbsp. butter, at room temp
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:
Line 9 inch springform pan with parchment paper. Stir together graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, and 1 tablespoon granulated sugar; press mixture into bottom of pan.

Beat 3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese and 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar at medium-low speed with an electric mixer 1 minute. Add eggs and next 6 ingredients, mixing on low speed just until fully combined. Pour batter into prepared crust.

Bake at 325° for 10 minutes; reduce heat to 300°, and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until center is firm. Run knife along outer edge of cheesecake. Turn oven off. Let cheesecake stand in oven 30 minutes. Remove cheesecake from oven; cool in pan on a wire rack 30 minutes. Cover and chill 8 hours.

For topping, beat cream cheese and butter until smooth then gradually add powdered sugar and vanilla. Spread topping over cheesecake and remove sides of pan. Garnish, if desired.

*Linked to Sweets For A Saturday

Cinnamon Roll Cheesecake

I've had this recipe bookmarked for a very long time. It was my first time making a cheesecake, (except it was more like half cake-or cinnamon roll, and half cheesecake). And one of the reasons why I wanted a springform pan. I was very pleased with how this turned out and im sure the little boy in my belly is too. I'll be adding this one to my recipe collection. In fact I liked it more than a regular cinnamon roll thanks to the cheesecake addition.

Cinnamon Roll Cheesecake
Culinary Concoctions by Peabody

Cinnamon Roll Batter:
2/3 cup white sugar
¼ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 egg
½ cup whole milk
1 TBSP vanilla extract
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Cheesecake filling:
2 pkg. (8 oz. each) cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 TBSP vanilla extract
2 TBSP flour
3 eggs

Cinnamon Filling:
1/3 cup butter, melted
1 cup brown sugar
3 TBSP cinnamon

Cream Cheese Frosting:
2 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
3 TBSP unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 TBSP lemon juice
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup powdered sugar
milk (if needed to thin frosting)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 deg F. Grease 9 in. springform pan.

Cinnamon Roll Batter:

Cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 min.

Add egg, milk and vanilla and beat for 1 more minute scraping bowl.

Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt and add to creamed ingredients. Mix on low until combined.

Spread half of the batter onto the bottom of pan. Batter will be very sticky, so grease your hands and press dough down. Batter will rise during baking.

Cheesecake Filling:

Beat cream cheese and sugar on medium high speed for about 2 minutes.

Add eggs one at a time, scraping bowl after each addition.

Add vanilla and flour; beat for another minute.

Pour all of the cheesecake filling on top of the cinnamon roll batter in prepared pan.

Cinnamon Filling:

Combine the melted butter, cinnamon and brown sugar in a small bowl and mix until thoroughly combined.

Drop spoonfuls of the filling over the top of the cheesecake.

Take the rest of the batter and drop spoonfuls over the top of the cheesecake. Using a knife, swirl together ingredients. It will be very hard as batter is thick.

Bake for 50-55 min. Cake will be lightly browned and puffy. Let sit at room temperature for 20 minutes then refrigerate for 4 hours. Warm cheesecake to room temp a little bit and frost with cream cheese frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting:

Beat cream cheese and butter together for 2 min. Add remaining ingredients until desired consistency is reached, thinning with milk if needed.

*Linked to Sweets for A Saturday and Sweet Tooth Friday

Chocolate Strawberry Tart and CSN Product Review

I'm excited to tell you about the products I ordered from CSN stores. I don't have a lot of kitchen gadgets so it's fun when I get something new even if I don't neccessarily "need" it. The first thing I ordered is this Magic Dough Non-slip Pastry Mat. So far i've used it to make biscuits and it made kneading and rolling so easy! Clean up was also super easy. Much better than trying to scrub dough off my counter or cutting board that I would have used. If you make breads or pastries often, this is a "must have." I mean, obviously you can still accomplish your goal whether you have the item or not, but having this makes the experience quicker and easier. I also like the handy measurment conversions on the sides as well as the ruler along the top and bottom for easy measuring.

The next thing on my list was a tart pan! So I got this one by Frieling. I'm in love with fruit tarts. For reals. Everytime we go to the grocery store I walk by them and usually end up getting a small (single serving size) one. They're one of the few non-chocolate desserts that I crave for (and often!) So naturally I wanted a tart pan to make my own at home. The pan is very lightweight and easy to clean. I've only used it once so far but I know i'll get good use out of it.


The first thing I made in my tart pan is this chocolate strawberry tart. I made some chocolate chocolate chip waffles for breakfast Valentine's Day. They were so good and Rylee of course devoured them, it was almost like chocolate cake..for breakfast! We decided to eat out for dinner. But we were smart and went early before it was crowded. Then I made this for dessert. As you probably know I abosolutely love chocolate and strawberries. In fact, our wedding cake was a big chocolate cake with chocolate covered strawberries on it. We both thought this dessert was good. The crust tasted like that of the chocolate banana cream pie I posted recently. I gotta say, as much as I like chocolate, I prefer regular crust to the chocolate. But sometimes a chocolate crust is more fitting. When I first put the dough into the pan it looked like there was no way it would be enough. It was though. It managed to stretch to fit the pan, but it seemed a little thin. When I removed the foil from the top after baking there was a small spot that was thin and the crust peeled up. Oops. Good thing there's toppings to go over it :) I didn't make the ganache topping because I didn't realize I was out of cream. Instead I just melted some semi sweet chocolate and graciously drizzled on top.

Chocolate Strawberry Tart
From Dorie Greenspan's Baking: From My Home to Yours, via: Taste and Tell


Chocolate Shortbread Tart Dough
Ingredients:
1 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1/4 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 c. powdered sugar
1/4 t. salt
1 stick plus 1 T. (9 T) very cold butter, cut into small pieces
1 large egg yolk

Directions:
Put the flour, cocoa powder powdered sugar and salt in a food processor and pulse to combine. Scatter the pieces of butter over the dry ingredients and pulse until the butter is coarsely cut in. Stir the yolk, just to break it up, and add it a little at a time, pulsing after each addition. When the egg is in, process in long pulses until the dough, which will look granular soon after the egg is added, forms clumps and curds. Turn the dough out onto a work surface and very lightly knead the dough just to incorporate any dry ingredients that might have escaped mixing. Press the dough into the pan. Freeze the crust for at least 30 min. before baking. Preheat the oven to 375 F. Butter the shiny side of a piece of aluminum foil and fit the foil, buttered side down, tightly against the crust. Put the tart pan on a baking sheet and bake the crust for 25 min. Carefully remove the foil. If the crust has puffed, press it down gently with the back of a spoon.

Vanilla Pastry Cream
Ingredients:
2 c. whole milk
6 large egg yolks
1/2 c. sugar
1/3 c. cornstarch, sifted
1 1/2 t. pure vanilla extract
3 1/2 T. unsalted butter, cut into bits at room temperature

Directions:
Bring the milk to a boil in a small saucepan. Meanwhile, in a medium heavy bottomed saucepan, whisk the yolks together with the sugar and cornstarch until thick and well blended. Still whisking, drizzle in about 1/4 cup of the hot milk to temper. Whisking all the while, slowly pour in the remainder or the milk. Put the pan over medium heat and, whisking vigorously, constantly and thoroughly, bring the mixture to a boil. Keep at a boil, still whisking, for 1 to 2 minutes, then remove the pan from the heat. Whisk in the vanilla extract. Let sit for 5 minutes, then whisk in the bits of butter, stirring until they are fully incorporated and the pastry cream is smooth and silky. Scrape the cream into a bowl. You can press a piece of plastic wrap against the surface of the cream to create an airtight seal and refrigerate the pastry cream until cold, or if you want to cool it quickly, put the bowl into a larger bowl filled with ice cubes and cold water, and stir the pastry cream occasionally until it is thoroughly chilled, about 20 minutes.

Chocolate Ganache Glaze
Ingredients:
4 oz chocolate, chopped finely
1/2 c. heavy cream
2 T. sugar
2 T. water

Directions:
Put the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Bring the cream, sugar and water to a full boil, then pour the liquid over the chocolate and let it sit for 30 seconds. Working with a whisk or rubber spatula, gently stir the chocolate and cream together.

Assembly:
Pour cooled pastry cream into cooled tart shell then top with strawberries. Drizzle glaze over top.

*Linked to Sweets For A Saturday

Double Chocolate Mousse Torte

When I saw this double chocolate mousse torte on mel's kitchen cafe, I knew it was right up my alley, I just needed something (or someone) to make it for. So when I found out there was a Valentine's Day potluck dinner at church I knew this would be perfect for the occasion. It's a chocolate torte with a layer of chocolate mousse on top of it then topped with whipped cream and berries. Chocolate and strawberries are one of my favorite combinations ever, so I went with strawberries. This cake is so very rich and chocolaty and decadent and perfect for Valentine's Day!
*She also provided an alternate mousse since the original one uses raw egg whites. I used the alternate and it was delicious.
Double Chocolate Mousse Torte
mel's kitchen cafe

Ingredients:
Cake:
8 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped

1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
5 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup all purpose flour

Mousse:
1/2 cup butter, cut into pieces
4 large eggs, separated at room temperature
1/4 cup whipping cream
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
8 ounces bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped finely (it is important the chocolate for this mousse layer is chopped finely or it won’t melt completely when added to the warm egg yolks)
1/2 cup sugar

Topping:
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
2 cups fresh strawberries or raspberries

Directions:

For cake:
Preheat oven to 325°F. Butter 9 or 10in. springform pan and dust with sugar. Melt chocolate and butter in heavy large saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly. Cool to lukewarm. Whisk in sugar. Whisk in eggs one at a time, blending well after each addition. Mix in vanilla and salt, then flour. Pour batter into the springform pan. Bake until cake just rises in center (tester inserted into center will not come out clean), 30-35 minutes. Cool completely in pan on rack, the center of the cake may fall slightly. Cover and chill while making mousse.

For mousse:
Melt butter in medium metal bowl set over saucepan of simmering water (do not allow bottom of bowl to touch water). Whisk yolks, 1/4 cup cream and vanilla in small bowl to blend. Gradually whisk yolk mixture into bowl with melted butter. Whisk constantly over simmering water until thermometer registers 150°F, about 6 minutes. Remove from over water; add chocolate and stir to melt. Set aside. Beat egg whites and 1/2 cup sugar and a pinch of cornstarch in large bowl to medium-stiff peaks. Whisk 1/4 of beaten egg white mixture into warm chocolate mixture to lighten. Fold in remaining egg white mixture. Pour mousse over the cooled cake in pan; smooth top. Chill torte until mousse is set, at least 6 hours and up to 1 day.

Run sharp knife around edge of pan to loosen torte. Release pan sides. Transfer torte to platter. Using electric mixer, beat 3/4 cup cream and powdered sugar in medium bowl until peaks form. Spread whipped cream over torte. Top whipped cream with berries.

Alternate Chocolate Mousse
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
5 tablespoons hot water
7 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate , chopped fine
1 1/2 cups cold heavy cream
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/8 teaspoon table salt

Combine cocoa powder and hot water in small bowl; set aside. Melt chocolate in the microwave on 50% power, stirring often, until smooth. Remove from heat and cool slightly, 2 to 5 minutes.

In a clean bowl with an electric mixer, whip cream, granulated sugar, and salt at medium speed until mixture begins to thicken, about 30 seconds. Increase speed to high and whip until soft peaks form when beaters are lifted, 15 to 60 seconds.

Whisk cocoa powder mixture into melted chocolate until smooth. Using whisk, fold one-third of whipped cream into chocolate mixture to lighten. Using rubber spatula, fold in remaining whipped cream until no white streaks remain. Spoon mousse into springform pan over cooled cake and proceed with the rest of the recipe above.

*Linked to Sweets For A Saturday

Bittersweet Cocoa Souffles with Orange Blossom Cream

Yesterday was National Chocolate Cake Day. Did you know that? I celebrated today though, with these souffles. Ohh myy.. I love souffles. I love chocolate. Can you tell? I'm sorry, I hope you're not tired of all the chocolate. This was another one of the recipes featured in this month's bon appetit that I couldn't wait long to make. I really wish I had orange-flower water for the cream, but sadly I didn't. And I wasn't about to buy it, needing only a small amount. The orange flavored cream paired nicely with the souffles though and made them taste like that chocolate orange candy, you know the kind you whack on the counter and it seperates the wedges? But if you're not into those then I would suggest leaving the orange peel out of the cream.

Bittersweet Cocoa Souffles with Orange Blossom Cream
bon appetit magazine

I put the cream on right after I took these out of the oven..I couldn't wait. Hence the melted "mess."

Ingredients:

1/2 cup plus 3 TBLS. sugar

2 TBLS. all purpose flour

2/3 cup plus 2 TBLS. whole milk

1/2 cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder

2 large egg yolks

1 t. vanilla extract

4 large egg whites

1/8 t. cream of tartar

3 oz. bittersweet chocolate (do not exceed 61% cocao), finely chopped

Orange Blossom Cream (see recipe below)

Directions:

Butter 8 2/3-3/4 cup ramekins or custard cups; dust with sugar, completely coating up to top edge. Whisk 1/2 cup sugar, flour, and 1/8 t. (scant) salt in small saucepan. Pour 2/3 cup milk into measuring cup; whisk enough milk from cup into saucepan to form thick paste (2-3 TBLS.), then gradually whisk in remaining milk from cup. Stir over medium-low heat until bubbles begin to form around edges of pan. Continue cooking until slightly thickened, stirring constantly, about 2 minutes longer. Transfer mixture to large bowl. Add cocoa powder, remaining 2 TBLS. milk, egg yolks, and vanilla; stir until smooth, thick paste forms.

Using electric mixer, beat egg whites and cream of tartar in medium bowl until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in remaining 3 TBLS. sugar, beating on high speed until firm peaks form. Add 1/4 of whites to chocolate mixture, fold to blend. Add remaining egg whites and chopped chocolate and fold until whites and just blended into batter.

Divide batter among prepared ramekins; place on baking sheet. Bake at 375 deg F until souffles are puffed above rim of ramekin and toothpick inserted into center comes out with thick batter attached, about 12 minutes (15 if chilled). Using spoon, form small indentation in top of each souffle; spoon dollop of orange blossom cream into indentations. Serve immediately.

*Batter can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.

Orange Blossom Cream

Ingredients:

1 cup chilled heavy whipping cream

1 1/2 TBLS. sugar

1 t. finely grated orange peel

3/4 t. orange-flower water

Directions:

Using electric mixer, beat all ingredients in medium bowl until peaks form.

*Can be made 6 hrs. ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Rewhisk before serving.

Candy Bar Cake

You may also know this cake by another name, but around here we're callin it candy bar cake. I asked Matt what kind of cake he wanted for his birthday (not that he really cared what kind it was) but I got him to pick something. He said either a yellow cake with some kind of custard in the middle (aka Boston Cream Pie) or this cake. If you haven't had it before, it's really good, but definitely not going to help you lose weight. I only made 1/2 of the recipe in a 9 in. pan since there's only 2 of us, and it was still a little too much.

Candy Bar Cake

Ingredients:

1 box of chocolate cake mix (or make your own- I made Hershey's Perfectly Chocolate Cake recipe

1 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk

1 6 oz. jar caramel topping (I used Mrs. Richardson's Butterscotch Caramel sauce, soo good!!)

8 oz. cool whip (I just made whipped cream since i'm not a big fan of cool whip.)

toffee pieces for topping (I used a bag of Heath bits that you find in the baking section)

Directions:

Prepare cake according to directions on box/recipe and bake in 9x13 in. pan. When done, pierce cake all over with fork then pour condensed milk and caramel all over cake. Before serving, top with cool whip and candy pieces. I also poured more caramel sauce over individual slices before serving.

Mint Chocolate Pudding Cakes

As promised here's the recipe for mint chocolate pudding cakes. These cakes are really good! If you don't like mint, i'm sure you could just substitute vanilla extract for the peppermint. They only take about 20 minutes start to finish. Not much to say about them other than they're quick, simple and delicious!
Mint Chocolate Pudding Cakes
Simply Recipes

Ingredients:

6 oz. bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped

1/2 c. (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces

3 large eggs

3 large egg yolks

1/3 c. sugar

1/4 c. all purpose flour

1 1/4 t. peppermint extract

1/4 t. salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 deg F. Generously butter 6 6oz. ramekins. Stir chocolate and butter in heavy small saucepan over low heat until melted and smooth. Remove from heat and cool slightly.

Using electric mixer, beat eggs, egg yolks and 1/3 c. sugar until slightly thickened, abot 5 minutes. Add all purpose and beat until blended. Divide chocolate mixture between ramekins. Place ramekins on baking sheet.

Bake cakes until edges are set but centers look shiny and still move slightly when ramekins are gently shaken, 10-11 minutes (start checking at 9). Remove from oven and let cool for 5-10 min. Either serve as is or run knife around edges and invert onto plate.

Dark Chocolate Souffles

Before when I would make this sort of thing I would just use a cupcake pan since I didn't have ramekins. But I just got some last week (thanks to an amazing deal) and i'm really excited about them and used them 3 times already. Matt has a name for these things but he wouldn't let me talk about it. So i'm not going to say anything about combining the words Bobby Flay and souffle (which I don't think he really knows what either are). I found this recipe a long time ago (I dont remember where..) and i've made them a couple times. I also have a recipe for some mint chocolate pudding cakes that i'll post up tomorrow. I love little chocolate cakes!!
Dark Chocolate Souffles



Ingredients:
5 oz. dark chocolate (65-72%), chopped
1/2 c. sugar
2 TBSP. milk/cram
2 t. vanilla extract
1 TBSP. all purpose flour
4 large eggs, seperated, at room temperature

Directions:
Preheatoven to 375 deg F. Butter 4 6oz. ramekins and coat with sugar.
Melt the chocolate in a large mixing bowl and whisk in sugar, milk and vanilla. Mixture will be thick and pasty. Beat in the eggs yolks one at a time, followed by the flour.
In a medium mixing bowl, beat the eggs whites to soft peaks. Whisk 1/3 of the beaten eggs whites into te chocolate mixture to lighten it. Fold in the remaining egg whites in 2 additions, folding until mixture is uniform and no streaks of egg whites remain.
Divide batter evenly into prepared ramekins and place on baking sheet. Bake for about 15 minutes, until souffles are well risen and set at the edes. Center may appear wet, but should still be set. Serve immediately.
Makes 4

Guittard Milk Chocolate Decadence Cake

Guittard was very generous to me and sent me a big ol box of chocolate! Guittard is local to the bay area and if you've never tried it before, I would suggest you do :) You can find the chocolate chips, which I often use, at most grocery stores. They also have a lot of other products and online ordering available on their website. And there's recipes like this Milk Chocolate Decadence Cake on their website. It's really good, easy to make and tastes a lot like a brownie.

Milk Chocolate Decadence Cake

Ingredients:

3 cups (18 oz) E. Guittard 38% Cacao Milk Chocolate, chopped

1/4 cup water

3 large eggs

1/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325°F. Line an 8-inch cake pan with parchment. Melt chocolate and water in top of double boiler over low heat, stirring constantly until smooth. Set aside and keep warm.

Beat eggs and sugar on high speed until pale and thick, about 5 minutes. Add melted chocolate and mix on low speed until smooth. Mix in flour just until incorporated. Pour into prepared pan and bake in preheated oven for 45-50 minutes. Top should be puffy and cracked and edges set but center will test wet. Cool on rack.

Loosen cake from pan by running a thin blade around the edges. Invert onto plate.

Cake can be served warm for a runny texture, room temperature for a soft texture, or the next day for a firm texture. This cake also freezes well. Cut with a long bladed knife dipped in hot water and wiped clean before cutting each piece. Yield: 8-inch cake.