Update: Chocolate Raspberry Cream Cakes

I know we never post on this anymore, but I thought I would share a little update on the Chocolate Raspberry Cream Cakes I wrote about in May. At the end of that post, I said that the Devils Food Cake recipe was amazing, but the logistics of cutting out shapes, stacking them and doing the ganache was too much.

Well, last weekend we were having people over to watch the Bengals (Who Dey!) and I wanted to give it another try. So I made the cake recipe I listed before (I cut it in half and it still made 72 mini cupcakes). Then I made the raspberry cream and just piped it on. So we lost the ganache element, but it was still pretty divine. Everyone loved them and said how light and tasty the cream was on top (instead of a heavy frosting). Absolutely wonderful - I'm so glad I found a way to still use this recipe. This time I didn't want to make a big mess and kept it simple, but I think you could still add the ganache too. Maybe put the ganache on the cupcake and then the cream on top, or spread the cream on top and pour ganache over the whole thing.


PS - Brent said I took a guys day and made it "girly." I guess mini cupcakes and pink raspberry cream are a little dainty. Oh well :)

Chocolate-Coffee Cheesecake with Mocha Sauce

I hope you all had a happy 4th of July weekend! We really really missed being in Greenville with the Kruithof family. I made this cheesecake for small group last Wednesday and then group was canceled. I ended up serving it to my family Friday night, and it was still delicious!

The recipe is from Southern Living. I found it online forever ago, and have been holding on to it for who knows how long. Thank goodness for CWC which gives me a reason to make all these things!

Recipe:

Ingredients

• 3 cups crushed chocolate graham crackers (about 20 sheets)
• 1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
• Cooking Spray
• 4 (8-ounce) packages Cream Cheese, softened
• 1 cup Granulated Sugar
• 1/4 cup coffee liqueur - I used 1/4 cup espresso
  
• 1 teaspoon instant coffee granules
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 large eggs
• 4 (1-ounce) bittersweet baking chocolate squares

Preparation

1. Stir together crushed graham crackers and butter; press mixture into bottom and up sides of a 9-inch springform pan coated with cooking spray.

2. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes. Cool crust in pan on a wire rack. Reduce oven temperature to 325°.

3. Beat cream cheese and 1 cup sugar at medium speed with an electric mixer until blended. Add coffee liqueur, coffee granules, and 1 teaspoon vanilla, beating at low speed until well blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until yellow disappears after each addition.

4. Remove and reserve 1 cup cream cheese mixture. Pour remaining batter into prepared crust.

5. Microwave chocolate squares in a medium-size glass bowl 1 minute or until melted, stirring after 30 seconds; let cool slightly. Stir reserved 1 cup cream cheese mixture into melted chocolate, blending well. Spoon chocolate mixture in lines on top of batter in springform pan; gently swirl with a knife.

6. Bake at 325° for 1 hour or until almost set. Turn oven off. Let cheesecake stand in oven, with door closed, 30 minutes. Remove cheesecake from oven, and gently run a knife around outer edge of cheesecake to loosen from sides of pan. (Do not remove sides of pan.) Cool on a wire rack. Cover and chill at least 4 hours.

7. Remove sides of springform pan. Serve with Mocha Sauce.

MOCHA SAUCE

Ingredients

• 1 (12-ounce) package semisweet chocolate morsels
• 1/2 cup whipping cream
• 1 tablespoon butter or margarine
• 1/4 cup strong brewed coffee

Preparation

1. Cook chocolate morsels, whipping cream, and butter in a small heavy saucepan over low heat, stirring often, 2 to 3 minutes or until smooth. Remove from heat, and stir in 1/4 cup brewed coffee. Serve sauce warm.

Here's the crust and cheesecake batter:


This is the chocolate cheesecake process. You are supposed to put the chocolate batter in lines on top. That was kind of hard with the thick consistency. You can see mine is pretty much random spoonfuls. I think swirling it with the knife mixed it up pretty well though.


Right out of the oven - all puffed up:


The finished cheesecake, making the sauce. I made the sauce a couple hours in advance and just kept it in the pot. I turned the heat on low right before serving to warm it up.


Beautiful


This was a super yummy recipe. It's a fun one to make and serve. I like making fancy cheesecakes...with a name like "Chocolate-Coffee Cheesecake with Mocha Sauce" it sounds like I'm serving something from Cheesecake Factory. It was just the right amount of coffee-flavoring. Not at all overbearing. My favorite part by far was the Mocha Sauce. I kept going back to get more for my cheesecake. Now I have some extra, but I think it will be really good on ice cream. My only complaint was the crust. It seemed really thick on the side and kind of dry. It wasn't a big deal, I just left a lot of mine on the plate.

Brent gave this a "solid 8." Sarah said "No way" and gave it a 9.5 (only 0.5 taken off for the crust). If you like cheesecake, mocha and impressing guests :), I definitely recommend it!

Breakfast Quiches to Go

A few months ago I joined a Bunco group, which has been so much fun! There are 12 girls in the group and you meet once a month, so everyone gets a chance to host once a year. This month I was the host, so I was looking for some individual size appetizers. I decided to try these little breakfast quiches. They are made in regular size muffin trays so they aren't quite mini, but still good for a shower or party.

Here's the recipe:

	2 cans (8 oz each) Pillsbury® refrigerated garlic butter crescent dinner rolls (8 rolls each)
	1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
	3 eggs
	1 small onion, chopped (1/4 cup)
	1 box (9 oz) frozen chopped spinach, thawed, squeezed to drain
	1/4 teaspoon salt
	1/8 teaspoon pepper
	1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (4 oz)

	Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 16 (2 3/4x1 1/4-inch) muffin cups with cooking spray.
	Separate each can of crescent dough into 8 triangles. Press 1 triangle on bottom and up side of each muffin cup.
	In large bowl, beat cream cheese with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in onion, spinach, salt and pepper until well mixed. Fold in cheese. Fill each cup to the top with egg mixture (do not overfill).
	Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean and edges of rolls are golden brown. Remove from pan. Serve warm.

I don't have that many pictures because it was really easy to make. You just put the Pillsbury dough in the muffin tins (can any recipe with Pillsbury crescents turn out bad??).


Then you mix the other ingredients and pour them in the cups.


I had a little extra of the filling, so I just poured that in muffin cups sprayed with cooking spray. They turned out really well too - and I'm sure they are better for you than the ones with crusts.


The quiche turned out really yummy. I would definitely make them again. I like that they are packed with spinach (a superfood!). I think having a cream cheese base is a nice touch too. The inside part is so good you could certainly make them all without crusts, but Brent said that was his favorite part...

They all were eaten up, so I give them an A+!

Just for fun, here are some other pictures from the party:

Fudge-Strawberry Cream Torte

Last night I made this Fudge-Strawberry Cream Torte for our small group. It was definitely a hit! Everyone was raving and saying it must have taken me all day to make. But it really wasn't too hard. It's a good one to keep in mind after all you Moms go strawberry picking!

The recipe:

Fudge-Strawberry Cream Torte

Brownie Layers
1 box (19.5 oz) Pillsbury® Brownie Classics Traditional fudge brownie mix
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup water
3 eggs

(This depends on the brownie mix you use. I used Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate brownies and it only called for one egg, so that's what I did.)

Strawberry Cream
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
1 container (6 oz) Yoplait® Thick & Creamy strawberry yogurt
1 1/2 cups finely chopped fresh strawberries

Chocolate Fudge
1/2 cup whipping cream
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (9 oz)

Garnish
1 teaspoon powdered sugar
6 small to medium fresh whole strawberries, halved

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Spray bottoms of 2 (9-inch) round cake pans with cooking spray. Put down wax paper lining and spray that with cooking spray too. Make brownie mix as directed on box for cake-like brownies using oil, water and eggs. Spread half of batter evenly in each pan. Bake 18 to 23 minutes. (I'm not sure how long mine actually baked. I set it for 15 and just kept checking.) Cool on wire racks 10 minutes. Run knife around brownie layers to loosen. Place wire racks upside down over pans; turn racks and pans over. Remove pans. Cool completely, about 35 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, in small bowl, beat granulated sugar and cream cheese with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Beat in strawberry yogurt until smooth and creamy. Fold in chopped strawberries. Refrigerate while brownie layers cool.

3. In 1-quart saucepan, heat whipping cream over medium heat, stirring constantly, just until cream begins to boil. Remove from heat. Add chocolate chips; press into cream. Cover; let stand 3 minutes. Vigorously beat with wire whisk until smooth. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.

4. To assemble torte, place 1 brownie layer on serving plate. Spread half of strawberry cream evenly over brownie to within 1 inch of edge. Carefully spoon and spread half of chocolate fudge almost to edge of strawberry cream. Repeat layers, ending with chocolate fudge. Arrange halved strawberries in spoke fashion on top of torte. (I decided not to do this. Instead I spread the ganache down the sides too, and put a strawberry next to it at the end.) Refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving. If refrigerated for more than 3 hours, let sit at least 10 minutes before serving.

5. To serve, sprinkle powdered sugar over top of torte and around plate. Carefully cut torte with hot knife into wedges to avoid “cracking” of chocolate fudge on top. Store loosely covered in refrigerator.

Here's the cream filling with chopped strawberries:


Making the "fudge" - which is really like ganache


Two brownies layers - I used Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate brownies, which really added to the richness


Layering process (Please note that for the last picture I switched to a different cake stand. It was a very risky thing to do, but I thought the glass one had too many fingerprints. I definitely do not recommend this - I practically gave myself a heart attack).


The end product - yum yum!


Brent displayed these so wonderfully. He's the best.



One thing I really appreciated about this recipe was the final presentation. It seems like my desserts always taste good but look a mess! The cream filling was really creamy and unique - I think it was the yogurt, which I haven't seen in a cake recipe before.

Brent gave this an A- (he said he would rather have a dessert that has ice cream on the side), but that I should definitely make it again. He had a second piece after everyone left, which is a good sign! I thought it was very yummy, and a crowd hit for sure!

Breakfast Broccoli Frittata

This recipe is from the book Superfoods Rx by Steven Pratt. I just finished reading the book last week. If you haven't read it, I really recommend it. It's so interesting learning about the health benefits of these 14 "SuperFoods." It has changed the way I think about eating, and you'd be surprised how many you already eat. It's fun to try to squeeze even more into my meal planning. I think Brent is probably sick of hearing me talk about it! Anyway, this recipe features broccoli, which is one of the SuperFoods. Here it is:

Breakfast Broccoli Frittata

2 medium potatoes, sliced into 1/8 inch rounds (I only needed one)
1-1/2 cups broccoli florets (I used frozen)
1/2 medium onion, diced
1/2 red bell pepper, seeded, ribs removed, and chopped (I used orange - another SuperFoods sidekick!)
1/2 yellow bell pepper, seeded, ribs removed, and chopped4 large omega-3 eggs
1 cup 1% cottage cheese or fat free ricotta (I used ricotta)1/2 tablespoon fresh dill or 3/4 teaspoon dried dill (I used parsley)
3 tablespoons Asiago or Parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray pie plate with olive oil spray (I used canola oil spray).
2. Lay the potato slices in a single layer in the bottom on the pie plate. Cut the remaining slices in half and arrange them around the sides of the pie plate. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until lightly browned.
3. In a large saute pan sprayed with olive oil spray, saute the broccoli, onion, and bell peppers for 3-4 minutes or until tender. Add a tablespoon of water if needed to prevent sticking.
4. In a mixing bowl, beat together the eggs and cottage cheese. Stir in the sauteed veggies, dill, and half the grated cheese. Add the egg mixture to the pie plate and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the egg is set. Sprinkle with the remaining grated cheese and return the frittata to the oven for a minute or two to allow the cheese to melt. Cut into wedges to serve.

Here are the potatoes on the pie plate. I cut them into even smaller wedges to fit in the empty gaps.


Sauteed Veggies


My helper Cuties: Brent is beating together the eggs and cottage cheese and Walter is just looking cute (and licking everything in the dishwasher).


The egg and veggie mixture:


Browned potatoes


Ready to go in the oven. I didn't have dill so I just sprinkled dried parsley on top. I don't think this added enough flavor...more later. I also put the cheese on top for the whole bake time instead of just at the end...oops.


The end product:


The review: This recipe was just ok, I didn't love it for two recipes. First, I just don't think I'm that crazy about making egg dishes with potatoes. I would rather eat just quiche. Second, I don't think I got the flavoring right. It tasted a little bland, which I think was my fault since I didn't have the main seasoning. I meant to pick up some dill, but I forgot. And I just sprinkled a tiny bit of dried parsley on top instead. So there wasn't much seasoning at all. It would definitely be better with some salt and pepper, or the dill or some other seasoning. Brent liked it more than I did, but then he has to say that, right? :)

That same night I made another recipe from the book - Golden Door Blueberry Bread. I thought this was very tasty. Super dense, and healthy - blueberries, bananas, whole wheat flour, orange zest, no white sugar. I definitely recommend this one!

Chicken with Balsamic and Garlic Sauce

I'm always blogging about dessert recipes, so I intentionally chose to do a savory entree this week. Unfortunately, I didn't remember till the end of the preparation that this was my CWC meal. You didn't miss much in the way of pictures though. Just raw chicken in a skillet.

I've had this recipe printed for a long time. I got it from Tastespotting long ago. I seriously love that site, but I haven't gone in quite a while. If I'm not careful, I can waste an hour looking at all the yummy food pictures!

Chicken with Balsamic and Garlic Sauce

5 boneless skinless chicken thighs, trimmed of
any fat
1 tbsp olive oil
Sea salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste
1 tbsp flour
1 tbsp butter, softened
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1/3 cup of balsamic vinegar
1 cup of chicken broth

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Heat the olive oil in a large OVEN PROOF skillet over medium high heat. Season the chicken thighs with sea salt and fresh cracked pepper. Lay the chicken thighs smooth side down in the pan and cook until golden brown, about 4 minutes. Turn the chicken over and place in the oven. Cook for 8 minutes or until cooked through.

Remove chicken from oven and set aside on a platter to rest with a tinfoil tent to keep warm. Return the skillet to the stove over medium high heat (add more olive oil if needed) and add minced garlic. Cook, stirring constantly for 60 seconds then add the balsamic vinegar. Stir, scraping the browned bits from the bottom of the pan for about 1 minute. Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Mix the butter and flour together making a paste. Whisk in the flour and butter mixture and let the sauce return to a boil. Simmer until the sauce gets thick - about 1-2 minutes. Pour the sauce over chicken and serve. Enjoy.

Ok, so here is the picture of the sauce. You use the same skillet that you cooked the chicken in so you can get all the browned bits.


My finished picture is at the top of the post. Here's the one from the original Tastespotting recipe. The sauce looks thinner, and more brown. Mine had more of a reddish tint.


We have loved eating outside recently. It's been perfect outdoor dining weather. Isn't summer the best?!


This is the first CWC recipe that I really haven't liked. Brent thought it was great, but it just wasn't my cup of tea. I thought it tasted salty. We both agreed that it tasted a lot like teriyaki chicken (which I don't like). It's odd it tasted that way though, since there was no soy sauce in it. I know I won't make this again, but if you like that kind of flavor, you probably enjoy this one.

Best part of the dinner - this butterfly that kept landing on Brent's hair. It would just sit there for the longest time while he moved all around and ate. I thought it was so funny!

Blueberry Caramel Pecan French Toast

Last night I made this Blueberry Caramel Pecan French Toast. I got the recipe from a Cedarville Alumni magazine - apparently some professor at Cedarville made this for her students every year at a Christmas party (I never had her). But I thought it sounded good so I cut out the recipe and saved it. I love making breakfast things but I never make them in the morning, so sometimes I like to do breakfast for dinner.

Here's the recipe:
Blueberry Caramel Pecan French Toast

Texas toast, cut in half
5 eggs
2-1/2 cups milk
1 cup packed brown sugar, divided
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

Arrange a single layer of bread in greased 9x13 inch baking dish. In a large bowl, combine the eggs, milk, 3/4 cup brown sugar, vanilla, and nutmeg; pour over bread. Cover and refrigerate for eight hours or overnight.

Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Sprinkle pecans over egg mixture. Combine butter and remaining sugar, drizzle over top.

Bake uncovered at 400 degrees for 25 minutes. Sprinkle with blueberries. Bake 10 minutes longer or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.

I started the french toast in the morning since we were having it for dinner and it needed to sit in the fridge for 8 hours. Here's the bread with the egg mixture poured over it:


I forgot to take a picture of the butter/brown sugar topping that you put on before putting in the oven (we omitted the pecans). But here's the french toast after cooking for 25 minutes, before adding the blueberries:


And after another 10 minutes in the oven - the finished product!


The critics (yes, Joy is drinking Smirnoff with her breakfast):


I thought this french toast was really good. It was easy to put together, but still a little special since it had the blueberries and "caramel" topping. I would definitely make this again, although I think I still like my Creme Brulee French Toast better (that one will be in the second Tastebook!). But everyone thought it was yummy and went back for seconds. That's success in my book!

Banana Dessert Wraps

After last week's labor intensive Chocolate Raspberry Cream Cakes, I was ready for something a little easier. These Banana Dessert Wraps were perfect! The recipe was a Pillsbury Bake-Off winner (thank you again for that cookbook, Lorren!).

Here's the recipe:

INGREDIENTS: 1/2 cup coconut 1/2 cup chopped pecans 1 box refrigerated pie crusts, softened as directed on box 1/4 cup sugar 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 4 firm ripe bananas (5 to 6 inch) 1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips 1 jar (12 oz) hot caramel ice cream topping, heated Whipped cream, if desired 1 cup vanilla ice cream DIRECTIONS: 1. Heat oven to 350°F. Spread coconut and pecans separately on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 5 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until light golden brown; set aside. 2. Increase oven temperature to 450°F. Remove pie crust from pouch; place flat onto work surface. With rolling pin, roll crust until 12 inches in diameter. 3. In small bowl, mix sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Reserve 1 tablespoon sugar mixture; sprinkle remaining sugar mixture evenly over crust. Cut crust into 4 wedge-shaped pieces. 4. Place 1 banana lengthwise on each crust wedge, about 3/4 inch from curved edge (if banana is too long, trim ends to fit within crust, at least 1/4 inch from each edge). Push about 1 rounded tablespoon chocolate chips, points first, into top and sides of each banana. 5. Bring curved edge and point of each crust wedge up over banana to meet; pinch seam and ends to seal, shaping crust around banana. Sprinkle tops of wrapped bananas with reserved 1 tablespoon sugar mixture; place on ungreased cookie sheet. 6. Bake 10 to 14 minutes or until golden brown. Immediately remove from cookie sheet. Cool 5 minutes. 7. To serve, drizzle or spread about 2 tablespoons warm caramel topping on each individual dessert plate. Top each with baked banana, whipped cream and additional caramel topping, if desired. Sprinkle coconut and pecans over top of each. Serve with ice cream.

Joy and I cut the recipe in half since it was just the two of us. It's super easy - basically you put a cinnamon mixture on refrigerated pie crust, put bananas on top, push chocolate chips into the banana, wrap, sprinkle more cinnamon sugar and pop in the oven! I think it would be a fun dessert to make with kids.

Here's Joy putting the chips in the banana.


All wrapped up with more cinnamon sugar on top:


After cooking for about 11 minutes, the wraps looked nice and golden. Since Joy and I didn't use some of the toppings the recipe listed (the coconut, pecans, whipped cream), I just dribbled the caramel across the top and put ice cream on the side. (Joy's is on the left and mine is the right - notice the different seams techniques, haha!)


It turned out delicious! I was actually kind of surprised because it seemed like it would be plain or dry or something. But the banana and melted chocolate were yummy together, especially with the ice cream and caramel. I think the presentation turned out nice too, and would be even fancier with the other toppings. I would definitely make it again. I'm sad Brent didn't get to try this one. Thank goodness he's coming home tomorrow!