Incredible Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes

There are three items that I always seem to have in my home:

Funnily enough, they are used mainly for baking and rarely for drinking. Now, with these three ingredients you could make an Irish Car Bomb: pour a pint of Guinness. In a 2 shot glass mix a shot of whiskey and a shot of Irish Cream. Drop into the Guinness and chug it down before it curdles.

Not your idea of fun? Mine either. But these incredible Irish Car Bomb cupcakes will have you thanking the brave mix-master who created the drink.

Just a note: the alcohol of the Guinness bakes out of the cupcake itself, but the ganache and frosting can be potent, depending on how much alcohol you use.

I've adapted this recipe from some of my favorite individual recipes, as well as taken tips from the BrownEyedBaker blog. This recipe makes 24 cupcakes.

Ingredients
For the Cupcakes:
1 cup Guinness stout
1 cup unsalted butter; room temperature
¾ cup cocoa powder (Dutch process if you have it)
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups granulated sugar
1½ teaspoons baking soda
¾ teaspoons salt 2 eggs
2/3 cup sour cream

For the Whiskey Ganache Filling:
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate
2/3 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons butter; room temperature
2 teaspoons Irish whiskey

For the Baileys Frosting:
2 cups unsalted butter; room temperature
3-4 cups powdered sugar
8 tablespoons Irish Cream (taste test frosting; I tend to like mine strong)

Directions:
For Cupcakes:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 24 cupcake cups with liners.

Bring the Guinness and butter to a simmer in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the cocoa powder and whisk until smooth. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.

Whisk flour, sugar, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat the eggs and sour cream on medium speed until combined. Add the Guinness mixture to the egg mixture and beat just to combine. Reduce the speed to low, add the flour mixture and beat briefly. Using a rubber spatula, fold the batter until completely combined. Divide the batter among the cupcake liners.

Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 15-18 minutes. Cool completely.

For Whiskey Ganache Filling:
Place 1 oz pieces of chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Heat the cream until simmering and pour it over the chocolate. Let it sit for one minute and then, using a rubber spatula, stir it until smooth. Add the butter and whiskey; stir until combined.

Let the ganache cool until thick but still soft enough to be piped. (Refrigerate if necessary)

Fill the Cupcakes:
Using a 1-inch round cookie cutter (or a small paring knife), cut the centers out of the cooled cupcakes, going about two-thirds of the way down. Transfer the ganache to a piping bag with a wide tip and fill the holes in each cupcake to the top (or over the top- you will have enough ganache).

For Baileys Frosting:
With hand mixer, whip the butter on medium-high speed for 5 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl occasionally. Reduce the speed to medium-low and gradually add the powdered sugar- a few tablespoons at a time- until all of it is incorporated.

Add the Baileys, increase the speed to medium-high and whip for another 2 to 3 minutes, until it is light and fluffy. Frost the cupcakes; add chocolate shavings or sprinkles if desired. Store the cupcakes in an airtight container, refrigerated, for up to 3 days.

Brownie Sundae Cheesecake

I made this recipe from Hershey’s Kitchens for a family celebration. It’s a longer process than most cheesecakes as you first bake the brownies that are then poked into the creamy cheesecake before it is baked. But Oh My Gosh! YUMMY! There was not a bite of this left.

One thing I noticed about this cheesecake in comparison to other cheesecakes I’ve made… This one was super creamy and very springy. I’m not sure how else to describe the texture; you’ll have to make it yourself to understand what I mean.

Directions:
1) Make your favorite brownie recipe – or use the one below.

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, melted
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup Cocoa
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Heat oven to 350°F. Grease 8 or 9-inch square baking pan. Stir together butter, sugar and vanilla in bowl. Add eggs; beat well with spoon. Stir together flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt; gradually add to egg mixture, beating until well blended. Spread batter in prepared pan.

Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until brownies begin to pull away from sides of pan. Cool completely in pan on wire rack.

Cut 1 cup of 3/4 inch pieces. (Ah! Snacking brownies left over!)

2) Heat oven to 350°F. Prepare CHOCOLATE CRUMB CRUST, below.

Combine 1-1/2 cups (about 45 wafers) vanilla wafer crumbs, 6 tablespoons powdered sugar, 6 tablespoons HERSHEY’S Cocoa and 6 tablespoons butter or margarine (melted). Press crumb mixture onto bottom and 1/2 to 1 inch up side of 9-inch springform pan. Bake 8 minutes; cool slightly.

Ingredients for the cheesecake:
4 packages (8 oz. each) cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 eggs
1/4 cup REESE’S Chocolate Peanut Butter Topping (note: I could not find the chocolate peanut butter topping. I melted 1/4c fondue chocolate- both Hershey’s and Baker’s make this- with 2T peanut butter in the microwave for 30 seconds or so)

3) Beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until smooth. Gradually add eggs, beating well after each addition. Pour batter into prepared crust.

4) Sprinkle brownie pieces over cheesecake surface; push pieces into batter. Drop topping by teaspoonfuls onto surface of cheesecake. With knife or metal spatula, swirl gently through batter for marbled effect. Bake 50 to 55 minutes or until almost set. Remove from oven to wire rack. With knife, loosen cake from side of pan; cool.*

* I prefer to cool my cheesecake completely and refrigerate it before removing the springform pan. This is, of course, personal preference. I find it is easier to remove the pan after the cheesecake is chilled.

Watch my video about cooking your cheesecake in a waterbath to keep it from cracking.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake

Last year at BlissDom (the most fabulous blog conference evah!) I was lucky enough to sit with my friend Andi when she won George Duran's cookbook Take this Dish and Twist It. Since Andi doesn't cook- and she knew I did- she graciously gave me the cookbook.

This chocolate chip cookie cake, which George credits to his mom, is one of my favorite recipes. And since I'm at BlissDom again (as this publishes) I thought it would be the perfect time to share this yummy dessert!

Ingredients

Nonstick baking spray with flour added

¼ c butter (½ stick) softened

2 T granulated sugar

2/3 c chopped pecans

2 T mini chocolate chips (or mint chocolate, peanut butter, butterscotch, white chocolate...)

2 ¼ c all-purpose flower

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 c butter (2 sticks), softened

½ c granulated sugar

½ c packed brown sugar

2 tsp vanilla

4 eggs

¾ c buttermilk

1/3 cup Irish cream liqueur (yummy!))

1 3/4 c mini chocolate pieces (for chocolate topping- optional)



Preparation
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Coat a 12-cup fluted tube (bundt) pan with the nonstick baking spray.
For the topping, in a small bowl combine the ¼ cup butter and 2 tablespoons granulated sugar until creamy. Stir in the nuts and 2 tablespoons chocolate chips. Spoon into the bottom of the prepared pan; place pan in refrigerator while you make the cake batter.

For the cake, in a bowl stir together the flour, baking soda, and salt. In a large mixing bowl beat the 1cup butter with an electric mixer until creamy. Add the ½ cup granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla; beat for 1 minute. Add the eggs one at a time, beating for 30 seconds after each addition. Combine the buttermilk and Irish cream. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour and buttermilk mixtures alternately to the batter, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the 1¾ cups chocolate chips. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

Bake about 50 minutes or until a wooden skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean. Immediately invert the cake onto a cooling rack and let cool completely, If desired, drizzle with Chocolate Topping (recipe below).

CHOCOLATE TOPPING: In a small saucepan combine 1c mini chocolate chips and 2 tsp shortening over low heat. Stir until melted.


NOTE: For best results, have all ingredients at room temperature.

Cinch! Conquer Cravings, Drop Pounds & Lose Inches by Cynthia Sass - A Review

I spent the final days of 2010 on a diet. Completely crazy, I know, but I figured if it worked and I began 2011 a few pounds lighter I might just be able to continue in 2011 during the "resolution breaking phase".

The plan I chose is a new one by Cynthia Sass M.P.H., R.D. called Cinch! I was given the book as a review and, after reading it, enjoying the conversational tone Sass uses to convey her message, and appreciating that she explained why she chose the foods for the diet (always good to know why you are eating what you are eating) I jumped in with both feet and did the 5 Day Fast Forward plan; a "jump start" to weight loss.

The 5 Day Fast Forward


The 5 Day Fast Forward is stringent, to say the least. It consists of 5 foods, prepared 4 ways, eaten on a schedule, for 5 days. By day 5 I was terribly sick of them- but I had lost 6 pounds.

What was more amazing to me, though, was that I had no desire for the party fare served at a New Year's Eve party I attended the evening before the Fast Forward ended. I had one drink, and ate a couple of appetizers the hostess had made. But I had no desire to sample everything, or keep grazing. And that, my friends, is HUGE!

The Cinch! Core Plan

Another aspect I appreciated was that the option was open for you to skip the Fast Forward if it was just too stringent and move on the the Core Plan. This 25 day plan (30 if you skip the Fast Forward) gives you options for 4 meals, by now your body has a schedule, plus one dark chocolate indulgence per day.

The menu items are easy to prepare, easy to plan ahead, and follow a "5 piece puzzle" of produce, whole grain, lean protein, plant based fat and specific spices. Learning this 5 piece puzzle will help keep you on track after the core plan ends.

Final chapters of the book discuss emotional eating, walking as exercise, and living the plan.

Pros and Cons

The Cinch! plan includes no red meat. As a Midwest girl, this is a bit painful as we have a deep freeze filled with beef and pork. But I understand the logic and plan to cut my family's red meat intake to 2 meals per week.

The cost of preparing a separate meal for myself and another for my family has been a bit daunting to work into our tight budget (raspberries are expensive in the dead of winter!) but now that I have worked through the Fast Forward I am able to buy whole foods and create menus for my family that use the same ingredients as my meals.

Certain organic foods are suggested- and Sass gives her reasons for choosing them. I truly appreciate that she says not to use organic if it doesn't fit into your budget or you just don't want to. Organic is not a deal breaker.

Vegan and vegetarian options are also given, making this a plan suited to anyone. If weight loss and healthy eating are part of your plan for 2011 I highly recommend Cinch! by Cynthia Sass.

Disclosure: I was provided a proof copy of Cinch! to review. Images and thoughts are completely mine and were not suggested or compensated.

Hot Chocolate Cupcakes

My sister wanted to make a chocolate dessert for our family's Thanksgiving gathering. I had just pulled this recipe from the latest Family Circle magazine but hadn't had a chance to try them.

Of course they were a hit. The adults enjoyed them but the kids adored them! Tasty little cupcakes that look like their favorite winter drink- and covered with marshmallows! What's not to like?

This is a great recipe for the kids to help with. From working the mixer and adding ingredients to decorating with marshmallows and the candy cane.

The only thing I would change the next time I make these is to add about 2oz melted semisweet chocolate to the cake batter for a bit more richness and moisture. You'll see that addition in the recipe in italics.

Recipe makes 12 cupcakes

Ingredients
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar

2oz semi sweet bakers chocolate, melted and slightly cooled
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup milk
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup solid vegetable shortening
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons milk or water
1 1/4 cups mini marshmallows
3 candy canes

Directions
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Line indents of a standard-size 12-cup muffin pan with cupcake liners.
2. Cupcakes. In medium-size bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt.
3. In large bowl, with mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter and sugar until smooth and creamy, 2 minutes. Slowly mix in 2 oz melted semi sweet bakers chocolate. Beat in eggs and vanilla until fluffy, 1 minute. On low speed, beat in flour mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Fill each cupcake liner two-thirds full (about 3 tablespoons of batter per liner).
4. Bake at 350 degrees F for 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Remove cupcakes
from pan to wire rack; let cool.
5. Topping. In medium-size bowl, with mixer on low speed, beat confectioners sugar, shortening and milk or water until smooth. Spread over cupcakes, about 2 tablespoons for each. Top each cupcake with 8 or 9 mini
marshmallows. With a serrated knife, cut wrapped candy canes into 2-inch pieces. Unwrap and tuck a piece into each cupcake.

291 calories per cupcake

Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies

As I continue to do my best to feed my family good food that isn't filled with preservatives, treats have been difficult. We love sweet things. This cookie recipe has become a favorite. It's a soft cookie, almost cake-like in its consistency. And delicious! My family can't get enough. At only 66 calories each I don't feel bad having two myself.

This is a great "cooking with kids" recipe. Mine enjoy mashing the bananas and carefully adding the dry ingredients.

While my girls really like the cookies plain it is a real treat when we make them into "banana split ice cream sandwiches" by sandwiching a bit of ice cream in between two cookies.

The recipe is from Taste of Home.

Ingredients

* 1/3 cup butter, softened
* 1/2 cup sugar
* 1 egg
* 1/2 cup mashed ripe banana
* 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1 cup all-purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
* 1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

* In a small bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, banana and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Stir in chocolate chips.
* Drop by tablespoonfuls 2 in. apart onto baking sheets coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 9-11 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool. Yield: 3 dozen.

This recipe can also be found in the Taste of Home Comfort Food Diet Cookbook (affiliate link):

Chocolate Cream Puffs

Not long ago I received a coupon to try Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry from Foodbuzz Tastemakers. I've long been a fan of their puff pastry sheets (see the list of recipes that use puff pastry) so I decided to try the new Puff Pastry Shells.

Like the puff pastry the shells are incredibly easy to use and puff up lovely and golden. I whipped up some chocolate cream to fill them with and made a wonderful dessert that was creamy and rich without being "too much".


You need:

1 package Pepperidge Farms Puff Pastry Shells (this will leave leftover pudding which is great for a snack!) To use all pudding get 3 packages of Puff Pastry Shells.

6 oz bittersweet baking chocolate

3 cups milk, divided

1 1/3 cups sugar

3 T flour

3 T cornstarch

1/2 t salt

3 egg yolks

2 T butter

1 1/2 t vanilla

Whipped cream

Directions:

Combine chocolate and 2 cups of milk in saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stir constantly, just until mixture boils. Remove from heat.

Combine sugar,flour, cornstarch and salt. In another bowl mix remaining 1 cup milk and egg yolks; add to flour mixture. Slowly add to chocolate. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture boils. Boil and stir for one minute. Remove from heat; stir in butter and vanilla.

Pour into dish and cover with plastic wrap, pressing wrap directly onto surface of pudding (this will keep it from getting a "skin") and chill for half an hour.

Prepare Puff Pastry Shells as directed on package.

After removing tops of baked Puff Pastry Shells according to directions, fill shells with chocolate cream and add whipped topping. Cover with pastry lid or prop it against the side.

Chocolate Turnovers

Pastries for breakfast area special treat in our house. Mostly because they are so yummy and I could eat them all in one sitting. So I held on to this recipe from Hershey's Kitchen for quite a while before I made it knowing that it would be delicious.

And I wasn't wrong. These little turnovers are so rich because they are made with dark chocolate (yum!) and a tiny bit of cinnamon. They were a HUGE hit in my house and disappeared quite quickly. Because the recipe makes 18 it's terrific to share or take to a brunch. They are especially good warm; just reheat in the microwave for about 30 seconds per 2 turnovers.

Ingredients:

* 2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) dark Chocolate Chips (you can also use Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips) divided
* 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1 package (17.3 oz.) frozen puff pastry, thawed (2 sheets)
* 1 egg, beaten with 2 teaspoons water
* 1-1/2 teaspoons shortening(do not use butter, margarine, spread or oil)

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 400°F. Combine 1-1/2 cups chocolate chips and cinnamon in small bowl; set aside.

2. Unfold one pastry sheet; roll on lightly floured surface to form 12-inch square. Cut into nine 4-inch squares. Place 1 heaping tablespoon chip mixture onto center of each square.

3. Lightly brush egg mixture onto edges of each square. Fold diagonally in half; seal edges. Transfer to ungreased baking sheet. Repeat procedure with remaining puff pastry sheet and remaining chip mixture. Lightly brush tops of turnovers with egg mixture.

4. Bake 15 minutes or until light golden brown. Remove from baking sheet to wire rack.

5. Place remaining 1/2 cup chips and shortening in small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at MEDIUM (50%) 30 seconds; stir. If necessary, microwave at MEDIUM an additional 10 seconds at a time, stirring after each heating, just until chips are melted when stirred. Drizzle melted chocolate over each turnover. 18 servings.

Chocolate Cheesecake

This is an incredibly rich dessert- a little bit goes a long, long way. It's sooo yummy, though, and can be made in advance (2-3 days in the refrigerator or 3 weeks in the freezer- don't forget to defrost before serving.)

I got this recipe in a promotional mailing years ago from a company called "Great American Home Baking". I can't find an online presence for them.

Chocolate lovers rejoice! PS- this will blow your diet out of the water.

Crust
2 c chocolate wafer crumbs
5 T melted butter

Filling
3 - 8oz pkgs cream cheese, room temperature
1 c granulated sugar
5 large eggs
2 oz semi sweet chocolate, melted

Frosting
6 oz semi sweet chocolate, melted
1/2 c sour cream

To prepare crust: in a medium bowl mix together chocolate crumbs and melted butter until well blended. Press into a 9" springform pan. (I line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper).

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

In a large bowl beat together cream cheese, sugar and eggs at medium speed until smooth. Spoon half into crust.

Stir chocolate into remaining cream cheese mixture until well blended. Drizzle over batter in pan to make swirls.

Bake for 50 minutes. Cool completely then chill, in pan covered in plastic wrap, for 2 hours.

After chilled carefully remove pan. (Cover now to freeze; thaw before frosting.)

To prepare frosting mix chocolate and sour cream in a small bowl. Spread over cheesecake and refrigerate until frosting is set. This frosting is easy to pipe so you can "pretty it up" if you want to.

Munchable, Crunchable M&Ms Mix

This is an altered recipe from Hershey's. It initially called for the now discontinued Kissables and for Heath Bits O' Brickle toffee bits, which I could only find in chocolate coated.

I initially made this because I wanted something that was easy to send through the mail and easy to share. It's a lucky thing I made two batches because this wouldn't have made it out of the house if I hadn't! Yummy!

Ingredients:

* 8 cups popped popcorn I just bought the plain, unsalted pre-popped stuff)
* 2 cups miniature pretzels
* 3/4 cup peanuts
* 1-1/3 cups (8-oz. pkg.) HEATH BITS 'O BRICKLE Toffee Bits (the chocolate covered work, too)
* 1/2 cup light corn syrup
* 1 cup M&Ms Chocolate Candy (I used the Christmas mix as this was a gift)

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 275°F. Grease large roasting pan (OR two 13x9x2-inch baking pans). Place popcorn, pretzels and peanuts in prepared pan.

2. Combine toffee bits and corn syrup in heavy medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until toffee is melted (about 12 minutes). Pour over popcorn mixture; stir until evenly coated. Note: If using the chocolate toffee bits watch your pan carefully as the chocolate melts faster. You will want to lower the temperature after the chocolate melts but before the toffee has completely melted. Stir constantly.

3. Bake 30 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from oven; stir every 2 minutes or until slightly cooled. Cool completely. Stir in candies. Store in tightly covered container in cool, dry place. About 12 cups popcorn mix.

NOTE: For best results, do not double this recipe.

Sweet Peanut Brittle

I adore peanut brittle. And this recipe from Kraft makes it so easy to make! It's great without the added chocolate, too!

We give treats as gifts every year and this always makes it's way into those bags and baskets! The girls like to help with the dipping.

Prep Time: 5 min
Total Time: 50 min
Makes: About 1-1/2 lb.

What You Need

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 Tbsp. butter
2 cups cocktail peanuts
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla
4 squares BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter

Make It

SPRAY large baking sheet with cooking spray. Microwave sugar and corn syrup in large glass microwaveable bowl on HIGH 5 min. Stir in butter and peanuts. Microwave 3 to 4 min. or until pale golden brown. Stir in baking soda and vanilla. (Mixture will foam.) Spread onto prepared baking sheet. Cool completely. Break into pieces.

Note: make sure you cook this long enough. If you don't you will lose a cookie sheet (because it won't come off!) And don't line the cookie sheet with anything... Or you'll lose a batch of peanut brittle! Yes, I've done both!

MICROWAVE chocolate in 1-cup glass measuring cup on HIGH 1 to 2 min. or until chocolate is melted when stirred. Add peanut butter; stir until melted. Dip half of each candy piece in chocolate mixture; scrape bottom against edge of cup to remove excess chocolate. Place on sheet of foil or waxed paper. Refrigerate 20 min. or until chocolate is firm.

To add some bite to your brittle add 1t hot pepper sauce when you add vanilla.

Chocolate-Truffle Torte

A little slice of this cake goes a long, long, long way. It's sinfully chocolaty, moist and decadent. It stands alone easily but the chocolate is really enhanced with fresh berries. The recipe says it serves 10 but I easily fed 16, it's that rich.

It's another recipe from Everyday Food magazine. The recipe calls for dark rum but I used Irish Cream and it was wonderful!

You need:

* Unsalted butter, room temperature, for baking pan
* 1 pound semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
* 6 large eggs, room temperature
* 2 tablespoons sugar
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 2 tablespoons dark rum (or other liqueur)
* 1/2 cup heavy cream, whipped to soft peaks, plus more for serving (optional)

You do:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Assemble a 9-inch springform pan with the raised side of the bottom part facing down; secure side. Butter pan; line side with a long strip of waxed or parchment paper. Butter paper. Wrap bottom and side of pan with aluminum foil (to prevent water from seeping in); do not tuck foil inside pan. Set a kettle of water to boil for step 5.
2. In a large heatproof bowl set over (not in) a pan of simmering water, melt chocolate. Remove bowl from pan, and let cool to room temperature. (I used Bakers chocolate and melted it in the microwave. For this amount of chocolate I begin at one minute, stir, then heat in 30 second increments until smooth)
3. In another large bowl, using an electric mixer on high, beat eggs, sugar, salt, and liqueur until mixture is thick, foamy, and forms a ribbon when you lift the beater, 4 to 6 minutes.
4. Stir half the egg mixture into the cooled chocolate to lighten. Fold in remaining egg mixture, then whipped cream. Spoon batter into prepared pan, and smooth top.
5. Place springform pan in a roasting pan; carefully pour hot water from the kettle to come halfway up the side of the springform pan. Bake until torte is set and firm to the touch, about 30 minutes.
6. Transfer springform pan to a wire rack; remove foil and let cool to room temperature. Refrigerate torte in pan until well chilled, about 3 hours. To serve, release side. Using a knife dipped in warm water, cut torte into thin slices. Serve with whipped cream, if desired.

Why bake this in a water bath?
Baking this torte in a hot-water bath helps set the cake so it doesn't crack.

Chocolate Pound Cake with Chocolate Italian Merangue Buttercream Frosting

I know you all wish you were going to be wherever this Chocolate Pound Cake with Chocolate Buttercreme Meringue Frosting and chocolate curls is going to be. I've made this a few times now and every time I get rave reviews.



Yep, it's made from scratch. Yes, it takes a while. But, oh! It's worth it! It's a recipe from the chef at Cake Love.

This cake is SO GOOD! The cake is rich and fudgey and the buttercreme melts in your mouth. Chocolate bliss!

Chocolate Pound Cake
Makes 1 Bundt cake; total time 1 1/2 hours

Cream together:
3 cups extra fine granulate sugar
2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature

Add One At A Time:
4 eggs
3 egg yolks

Whisk together:
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 c. Dutch process cocoa powder
2T turbinado sugar
1t potato starch (I used corn starch & it worked just fine)
3/4 t table salt
1/4 t baking soda

Combine; add to butter with dry ingredients:
3/4 c whole milk (I used 2%)
1/2 c sour cream
2T brandy, optional (I didn't use it)
1 t vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees with rack in center

Cream the sugar and butter together in a stand mixer with paddle attachment on low for 5 minutes.

(Note: I do not have a stand mixer. I used a hand held and everything was fine; no special attachments)

Add eggs and yolks one at a time, letting each fully incorporate before adding the next

Whisk dry ingredients together in a bowl

Combine the wet ingredients. With mixer still on low alternately add the dry and wet ingredients to butter mixture, beginning and ending with the dry. Scrape the sides of the bowl to the bottom, then mix on medium speed for 20 seconds to develop the batter's structure. (It's gonna be thick.)

Coat the pan with non-stick flour spray, fill to 3/4 full and bake 55-60 minutes or until a skewer comes out nearly clean. Cool in pan for 5 minutes then invert onto a flat surface and cool to room temperature.

Can be wrapped in plastic and stored at room temperature for one day or frozen for a month.

Italian Meringue Buttercream

Boil:
1 c extra fine granulated sugar
1/4 c water

Whip; Add:
5 egg whites
1/4 c extra fine sugar

Slowly pour syrup into meringue; Beat in:
4 sticks unsalted butter, cut to tablespoon pieces, at room temperature

Mix in:
1/2 c melted and cooled semi-sweet chocolate and 1 t vanilla

Boil sugar and water over medium heat until it reaches 245 degrees (I don't have a candy thermometer so I just watched it very closely and when it started to boil I took it off the burner). As it cooks begin meringue so it will be ready)

Whip whites with a wire whisk in a stand mixer on high until they reach stiff peaks, 1-2 minutes. Sprinkle in 1/4 c sugar; beat to incorporate.

Slowly pour hot sugar mixture into meringue in a steady stream with mixer on high. Pour between bowl and whisk.

Continue to beat the frosting for 10-12 minutes until the outside of the bowl has reached room temperature and the frosting is thick and glossy white.

Beat in butter by tablespoons; should take 2 minutes. Don't worry if the butter is cooler than the batter and causes separation, just continue to beat and it will come together.

Mix in 1/2 c melted chocolate (I used the dipping chocolate that you can find in the store now. Melts easy and doesn't harden as it cools)

To Build:

Split the cake in half horizontally with a long serrated knife using a gentle sawing motion. Cut into the center and continue around the cake. Swirl frosting beyond the edges so it spills out, set top layer and swirl with more frosting.

Chocolate Curls:

Use a solid milk chocolate bar. Using a vegetable peeler, run it down a narrow edge from about mid-bar. Use a toothpick or skewer to pick up curls and place on cake. They are fragile and will melt in your hand.

Enjoy!

Coconut Croissant Bread Pudding

I'll be the first to admit that bread puddings are not really high on my list of dessert goodies; mainly because most bread puddings contain raisins which I am really not fond of (but both my girls and my husband love).

I do, however, adore both coconut and chocolate which both play a BIG part in this bread pudding recipe. I made this for a gathering last weekend and although I heard many protests about how people couldn't eat another bite, half of this managed to disappear. The other half made a lovely breakfast.

The recipe is quite easy to make; don't let the time scare you as it has to set for half an hour and bake for an hour and a half.

Recipe from Family Circle Magazine.
Makes: 12 servings Bake: 90 minutes
Stand: 30 minutes
Prep: 20 minutes
View Nutrition Facts
Ingredients

* 8 egg yolks
* 4 whole eggs
* 2-1/2 cups milk
* 1 can (13.5 ounces) coconut milk
* 1 cup sugar
* 1 teaspoon coconut extract
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 5 large croissant pastries
* 1 cup semisweet chocoalte chips
* 1 cup sweetened flake coconut
* 1 tablespoon confectioner's sugar, for dusting, if desired

Directions

1. Whisk together egg yolks, eggs, milk, coconut milk, sugar, coconut extract, vanilla extract and salt.

2. Coat a 2-1/2-quart baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Cut croissants in half horizontally. Place bottom halves, cut- side up, in prepared pan. Sprinkle with chocolate chips and coconut. Cover with top halves of croissants, cut-side down. Pour egg mixture over top. Top with baking sheet weighed down with cans so croissants get pressed down and submerged in liquid. Let stand 30 minutes.

3. Heat oven to 350°F. Remove baking sheet used as weight.

4. Cover pudding loosely with foil. Place pudding pan in a larger pan on oven rack. Pour hot water into larger pan to reach depth of 1 inch.

5. Bake at 350°F for 1 hour. Remove foil; bake an additional 30 minutes or until temperature registers 160°F on an instant-read thermometer. Carefully remove dish to wire rack; cool slightly. Dust with confectioners' sugar before serving.

Cooking With Kids - Simply Sensational Truffles

Here's a fun and easy little recipe courtesy of Kraft...

It has only 2 "real" ingredients and is a great afternoon project with the kids. In fact, my girls will be making these again and giving them as gifts to their teachers. We're gonna decorate little boxes and make cards...

The Ingredients:

2-1/2 pkg. (20 squares) BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate, divided
1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened

Extras: chopped nuts, sprinkles, chopped Oreo cookies, Christmas M&Ms, powdered sugar (you get the idea, something to pretty them up)

The Directions:

Unwrap and melt 8 of the chocolate squares (8 oz).

In a separate bowl beat cream cheese until smooth. Blend in melted chocolate, refrigerate until firm.

Pass the refrigeration time by letting the kids help with the clean up:

After the mixture is firm (30 minutes or so) shape into balls. The recipe calls for 36... I used a small teaspoon and made them just under an inch in diameter.

Depending on the age of your child you may have to reshape the balls. Don't spend too much time rolling as the heat from your hands will cause the chocolate to melt.

Place on wax paper covered cookie sheet and put back in the refrigerator.

Melt the remaining chocolate. Remove chilled chocolate balls from refrigerator. Carefully dip the balls into the chocolate with a fork (roll them around so they get all covered) and place on the wax paper covered cookie sheet. (Seriously, don't forget the waxed paper. The chocolate will stick to everything else.)

Let your kids adorn the truffles...

Then chill for at least an hour.

If you're going to be fancy remove from waxed paper and place in mini muffin cups or candy cups. Voilà! Almost too pretty to eat...

Tip: When melting chocolate in the microwave melt for one minute first, stir and then melt in 30-second increments until chocolate is smooth. Watch it as you do not want to overheat chocolate.

I have another truffle recipe here. Chocolate Peanut Butter Truffles. Mmmm...

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

This is a favorite recipe that we have been using for years. If I can ever get my family to let the bananas get all "brown and mushy" (that's a Sid the Science Kid reference).

Brenna loves to help with this as it mostly just requires dumping ingredients into the mixer.

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

This is a classic recipe- slightly altered- from the Good Housekeeping Cookbook. Makes 18 regular size muffins, 6 jumbo muffins or 6 mini loaves.

2 1/2 c all-purpose flour
3/4 c sugar
1 T baking powder
3/4 t salt
6 T butter
1 c chocolate chips (the original recipe calls for walnuts)
3 small, ripe bananas, cut up
2 eggs
1/3 c milk
1/2 t vanilla

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease pan or use muffin cups.

In large bowl mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. With pastry blender or two knives used scissor fashion, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs; stir in chocolate chips, set aside.

In blender at high speed or in food processor with knife blade attachment blend bananas, eggs, milk and vanilla only a few seconds, until bananas are chopped. (I put these in my Magic Bullet. It's small, quick & easy.)

Stir banana mixture into flour mixture until flour is moistened. Batter will be lumpy.

Spoon into muffin cups (I use an ice cream scoop, it holds the perfect amount of batter), bake 25-30 minutes until golden and inserted toothpick comes out clean.

If I don't fill the regular size muffin cups completely to the top I can get 8 mini muffins from this- in addition to the dozen regular sized. The girls love the little ones- they are just their size!

Double Chocolate Tiramisu

I'm sure it's some sort of sin to go into an Italian restaurant and not finish a delicious meal with tiramisu. But I don't like coffee and, regardless of what people say, I can taste it. And it ruins the dessert for me. So when I saw this recipe in my latest issue of Everyday Food I knew I had to try it. Because, instead of using espresso you soak the ladyfingers in cocoa.

The kids inhaled this... The super creamy pudding was delicious. And it was very easy to make.

Serves 10
Ingredients

* 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, plus more for garnish
* 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
* 4 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
* 1 bar (8 ounces) cream cheese, room temperature
* 3/4 cup sugar
* 24 ladyfinger cookies (from a 7-ounce package... Really, make sure they are bigger ladyfingers as the ones I got were in a 3 oz package and were too small)

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, mix cocoa powder with 1 1/2 cups very hot water until dissolved; set cocoa mixture aside. In a small microwave-safe bowl, place 1/4 cup cream and chocolate; microwave in 1-minute increments, and stir until melted. Cool to room temperature.
2. Transfer cooled chocolate mixture to a mixing bowl; add cream cheese and sugar. Using an electric mixer, beat until blended. Add remaining cream; beat chocolate filling until fluffy, about 2 minutes.
3. Spread 1 cup chocolate filling in the bottom of a 2-quart serving dish. One at a time, dip 6 ladyfingers (quickly!!) in cocoa mixture, then arrange in a single layer in dish; spread with 1 cup chocolate filling. Repeat with three more layers, ending with filling.
4. Cover tiramisu, and refrigerate at least 2 hours (or up to 2 days). Dust with cocoa powder before serving.

Note: I only chilled this for about 3 hours. I will suggest more... Like a day. Just to really let the creaminess of the pudding and the moistness of the ladyfingers really blend together.

Snickers Cheesecake

I've only made this a few times. I like to call it my $30 cheesecake because that’s about how much it costs to make. But it is sooooo worth it!

Creamy cheesecake with Snickers bar throughout and covering the top. Decadence at it's finest!




The recipe I use is from epicurean.com. Don’t let it intimidate you. The most time consuming thing is cutting the Snickers® into little pieces!
Ingredients:
Crust:
1-1/2 cup chocolate wafer crumbs
1/4 cup butter, melted

Filling:
1-1/2 lbs. cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
4 eggs
1 Tbsp vanilla
1 cup heavy cream
1-1/2 cups small pieces of snack-sized SNICKERS® Bars

Topping:
4-1/2 cups small pieces of snack-sized SNICKERS® Bars

Fudge Sauce:
2 oz. unsweetened chocolate
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup boiling water
2 Tbsp butter
3 Tbsp light corn syrup

Garnish:
Whipped Cream
Directions:
1. To make crust, combine wafer crumbs and butter.

2. Press into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-1/2 inch springform pan. Set aside.

3. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

4. To make filling, with an electric mixer set on medium speed, combine cream cheese and sugar, beating until smooth.

5. Add eggs, one at a time.

6. Add vanilla and heavy cream. Beat at medium speed for 5 minutes.

7. Fold in SNICKERS® Bar pieces.

8. Pour filling into crust and bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes, or until cheesecake is almost set in center.

9. Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack for 1 to 2 hours.

10. Top cooled cheesecake with SNICKERS® Bar pieces and chill for 4 to 6 hours.

11. To make fudge sauce, combine chocolate and butter in a heavy saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring gently, until mixture has melted.

12. Stir in boiling water, sugar, and light corn syrup, mixing until smooth.

13. Increase heat to medium and stir until mixture starts to boil.

14. Reduce heat and let simmer for 5 minutes without stirring.

15. Remove from heat and let cool for 15 to 20 minutes. Drizzle over chilled cheesecake just before serving.

16. Garnish with whipped cream. (we don't do this)
Yield: One 9-1/2 inch cheesecake.

And just a little FYI: that restaurant that serves cheesecakes so much that it's part of their name... they sell one like this for $42.95. I'm just sayin'.

Triple Chocolate Bliss Cake

It's no secret that chocolate is a food group here in our home. Which is why I usually only make desserts if we have company or are heading to a family gathering. If I made this for dessert for just my family I'm pretty sure we would skip dinner...

This is a big fudgy cake with a decadent glaze. It's super-easy to make, but be sure to grease your bundt pan very well. The first time I made this it stuck to the pan and it's so dense that it fell apart. Check out this post for the Pan Release recipe I use.

I got this recipe from Kraft. They use raspberries in the center as a garnish in the recipe.

Prep Time: 20 min
Total Time: 2 hr
Makes: 18 servings, one slice each

What You Need

1 pkg. (2-layer size) chocolate cake mix
1 cup Sour Cream
1 pkg. (4-serving size) Chocolate Instant Pudding
4 eggs
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup water
3 cups thawed Whipped Topping, divided
1 pkg. (8 squares) BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate
1-1/2 cups raspberries (or other fruit, optional) to garnish

Make It

PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Lightly grease 12-cup fluted tube pan or 10-inch tube pan. Beat all ingredients except whipped topping, chocolate and raspberries in large bowl with electric mixer on low speed just until moistened. Beat on medium speed 2 min. scraping bowl occasionally. Pour into prepared pan.

BAKE 50 min. to 1 hour or until wooden toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 min. Loosen cake from side of pan with knife or metal spatula and gently remove cake. Cool cake completely on wire rack. Place on serving plate.

RESERVE 2 Tbsp. of the whipped topping. Microwave remaining whipped topping and chocolate in microwaveable bowl on HIGH 1-1/2 to 2 min. or until chocolate is completely melted and mixture is well blended, stirring after each min. Drizzle over cake.

Spoon raspberries (or other fruit) into center of cake. Store leftover cake in refrigerator.

CPB Crunch Bars

Today was "back to school" here in my suburb. Parents either rejoice or panic. Or maybe a bit of both. If you still have a little one at home while the big siblings are off to school or you have kids who like to help in the kitchen I have a recipe for you. I pulled it out of a magazine about 3 years ago and the girls love to help me make it.

Just a warning: it's kind of messy. But that just makes it more fun!

Ingredients:
1 T butter
3 c mini marshmallows
1/2 c peanut butter
4 c Honey Bunches of Oats (or other flake cereal)
4 1-oz squares semi sweet chocolate

Equipment to make the job easier:
8" square pan
cooking spray
large microwavable bowl
pot holders
measuring cups (1 cup and 1/2 cup sizes)
small glass measuring cup
measuring spoon (1 T size)
rubber spatulas or scrapers

Here we go:
Spray bottom and sides of pan with cooking spray.

Put butter and marshmallows in microwaveable bowl.

Microwave on high 45 seconds. The bowl will be hot! Use pot holders! Stir with spatula. Microwave 30 seconds (or until marshmallows are melted).

Measure 1/2 c peanut butter. From that remove 2 T peanut butter and set aside. Stir remaining peanut butter into marshmallows. Add cereal. Stir until well coated.

Spray fingers with cooking spray and press mixture into pan.

Place chocolate squares and 2 T peanut butter in glass measuring cup. Microwave 30-45 seconds until chocolate is completely melted and mixture is smooth when stirred.

Pour chocolate over treats; spread with spatula.

Refrigerate 15 minutes.

Cut into 16 squares and enjoy!