Chocolate Mint Devil's Food Cheesecake

So here was the cake that I baked for my birthday--no holding back.  It was AMAZING.  But very rich (and not healthy).

CAKE LAYER:

Two, nine-inch devils food cake layers (use your favorite devils food recipe or just the boxed kind)

CHEESECAKE LAYER:

For the Cheesecake Layer:

2 pkg (8oz each) cream cheese, softened

2/3 cup granulated sugar

pinch of salt

2 eggs

1/4 cup sour cream

1/3 cup heavy cream

1/2 tsp peppermint extract

1 bag (10oz) Andes Mint Crunch baking chips

FROSTING:

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

5 cup powdered sugar

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 bag (10oz) Andes Mint Crunch baking chips

For the Cheesecake Layer:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Using a large roasting pan on the lower 2/3 of the oven, preheat the pan too!
2. Prepare springform pan by wrapping bottom of pan (outside) with double layer of foil. Spray pan with nonstick baking spray and line bottom (inside) with a circle of parchment paper. Meanwhile, boil a kettle of water to use later.
3. Beat cream cheese with granulated sugar for 2-3 minutes until creamy. Add in salt and eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in sour cream, heavy cream and peppermint extract. Fold in baking chips. Pour into prepared 9inch springform pan. Place pan in center of preheated roasting pan in the oven. Pour boiling water slowly into the roasting pan, until there is about an inch of water coming up the sides of the springform pan.
4. Bake cheesecake for 45 minutes. Turn oven off and let cheesecake sit in oven for an additional 30 minutes. Remove and cool completely on counter.
5. When cooled, transfer entire springform pan into the freezer for several hours or overnight. I put it in freezer for about 2 hours. Remove cheesecake and wrap in plastic wrap and return to freezer, or assemble cake.

For the frosting, beat butter for 3 minutes. Add powdered sugar and heavy cream and beat an additional 3-5 minutes until fluffy. Add baking chips.

To assemble the cake, lay one frozen layer of chocolate cake on cake plate. Top with frozen cheesecake and second layer of chocolate cake. Frost sides and top with a thin layer of frosting to apply a crumb coat. Refrigerate 30 minutes to an hour. Remove from refrigerator and frost remaining cake. I keep the cake covered in the refrigerator until ready to eat. Remove and allow to sit about 15 minutes before slicing. ENJOY!

Elegant Red Velvet Cake

Here is a simple red velvet cake that I decorated.  The decoration was simply but yet it looks so elegant.

1. Bake red velvet cake (two nine-inch cakes)
2. Cool and then divide each cake into two layers
3. Stack with a layer of cream cheese frosting in between
4. Frost with your favorate decorators buttercream frosting recipe
5. The beads around the top and the bottom are simply piped dots with a larger round opening decorators tip.  [NOTE:  If they leave a bit of a point, wait until the frosting dries a bit and then smooth the pointy tips with your finder]
6. The small beads on the cake were made with a Number 3 small round decorators tip.
7. The flowers in the center of the cake are three white daisys made with royal icing (and using the stamens that Wilton sells, get them at JoAnns). 
8. Because the lillies require so much icing to make, they generally take 3 days to dry--but will last at least 3 months so feel free to make a bunch before hand and keep them handy!

Spider Cake

Here is a fun, easy idea for a festive cake either for Halloween or for a child's birthday cake.

I baked the cake in a shallow, round bowl.  That helped get the rounded shape without doing anything crazy.  The legs are made from round, cookie wafers.  I cut them in half at an angle, twisted then 180 degrees so that they were bent and then "glued" them in their new shape by drizzling chocolate over the joint.

The face is decorated just with candy that I had laying around. 

Fun little guy and the kids loved him!

Chocolate Beet Cupcakes

Chocolate Beet Cupcakes

Did you know that the original Red Velvet Cake was made not because people wanted to dump a gallon of red food coloring into their chocolate cake but because it was an old Southern way to use beets?  The beets were what gave the cupcakes their red color and exceptional moisture.  Even better, the beets reduce the need for butter or oil making the cake lower in fat and much higher in nutrients.

This recipe uses either one large or two small beets and makes an exceptionally moiste cake.  I won't tell anyone you put a beet in them if you don't!!

Yield: 24 medium cupcakes

Ingredients

1    beets ( or two small ones)
1    teaspoon    olive oil
3/4    cup    unsalted butter ( softened )
1    cup    brown sugar
3/4    cup    sugar
2    eggs (room temp) 
2    teaspoon    vanilla extract
2    cups    all-purpose flour
2/3    cup    cocoa powder
1    teaspoon    baking soda
1/2    teaspoon    baking powder
1    teaspoon    salt
1 1/4    cups    buttermilk

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Thoroughly wash beet under running water, and trim , leaving about 1/2 inch of stem. Place clean beets in a piece of foil. Drizzle with just a bit of olive oil. Seal up foil. Place on a baking sheet in the oven. Roast until beets are tender when pierced with a knife, about 1 hour at 375. 

Remove the beets from the oven. Open the foil and allow beets to cool completely. Beets will be easy to peel (just using a paring knife) once completely cooled.  This can be done 2-3 days in advance if desired and stored in the fridge wrapped in the foil in which it was baked.  Grate the peeled beets using the finest side of a box grater.

Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Cream butter alone for 3 minutes.  Add sugars and beat on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 to 5 minutes. [BAKERS NOTE:  Once either eggs or flour are added to a batter, you want to keep the mixing to a minimum or you stiffen the mixture and make it tough.  The time to beat and cream until fluffy if before the eggs and DEFINATELY before the flour or you active the gluten to make it tough].

Beat in eggs, one at a time, for one minute after each addition. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Once eggs are incorporated, beat in beets and vanilla extract until thoroughly combined.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

Alternately add dry ingredients and milk, so that you add dry ingredients in 4 increments (1/4 of batter each) and milk in 3 increments (1/3 of mil each).  Once each addition of dry ingredients is just incorporated, add the next addition of milk. 

Spoon the batter into the cups, filling each 3/4 full. Batter will be THICK.  More like brownie batter than cake mixture.

Bake for 20-22 minutes. Remove cakes from the oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Place on a cooling rack and allow to cool completely before frosting the cupcakes.

Frosting

16    ounces    cream cheese
1/2    cup    butter
3    cups    confectioners sugar

To make the Frosting:

Beat cream cheese for 30 seconds and butter until well combined. Stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl as necessary. Add the powdered sugar about 1 cup at a time and mix on low until completely combined. Refrigerate the frosting for 30 minutes before frosting the cooled cakes.

Chicken Broccoli and Cabbage Stir Fry

This is an easy, veggie heavy stir fry.  Because I add so many veggies, I double the sauce recipe.  You can also add fewer veggies and use the recipe as is.

Chicken Broccoli and Cabbage Stir Fry

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon orange juice
• 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
• 1/2 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1/2 tablespoon red pepper flakes
• 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon peanut oil
• 1 pound chicken tenders, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons peeled and chopped ginger
• 4 green onions, sliced
• 4 cups broccoli florets
• 4 cups shredded cabbage

Directions

In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, orange juice, rice wine vinegar, light brown sugar, sesame oil, red pepper flakes and cornstarch. Set aside.

Set a wok over medium-high heat and coat with 1 tablespoon of peanut oil. When the oil shimmers, add chicken, garlic, and green onions. Stir-fry until the chicken is fully cooked through, remove chicken and set aside.

Add broccoli and cabbage (and 1/4 C water) to pan.  Stir fry until tender by not soggy. 

Add in chicken. Pour in the reserved sauce and stir until the sauce is thickened and bubbly, about 45 seconds. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve.

Beef and Cabbage Stir Fry

Beef and Cabbage Stir Fry


This is a good healthy recipie to get rid of some extra veggies in the fridge.

INGREDIENTS:

1/4 C      Creamy Peanut Butter
1/3 C      Orange Juice (I squeezed an orange)
3 T         Soy Sauce
1 T          Rice Vinegar
2 t           Sugar
4 t           Vegetable Oil
3             Cloves Garlic
1 lb         Sliced Steak
1 small     Head Cabbage, Shredded
2-3 T      Water
2 med      Sliced Carrots


In a small bowl, wisk together peanut butter, OJ, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and sugar. 

Slice meat and veggies.

In large fry pan or wok, saute garlic, steak, and carrots until beef is cooked to desired temperature (3-4 minutes). 

Add water and cabbage, stir fry 2-3 minutes more until cabbage is tender (but not soggy).  Pour sauce over top.  Remove from heat.  Can serve over rice or eat as is.