Nothing Bundt Cakes

Starting at Bottom Tier: White Chocolate Raspberry, Lemon, Cinnamon Swirl, Red Velvet

Almost look too good to eat!

Thanks sisters for an awesome baby shower for our little Violet!

Molten Lava Cakes

So, I've been a little MIA. Mostly, because I am expecting my first little one in a couple of weeks (super exciting) and I felt like I had (and still have) a million things to do to get ready! However, I realized that since my list will never even be close to getting done, I might as well just still find a little time to dedicate to the things that I truly love in life. And of course, chocolate must make the list!

By the way, my new little girl, I'm sure, will be a chocolate lover. I read some article talking about a study that says baby in the womb will develop their tastes according to what you eat during pregnancy. (Take it for what it is - I just read it on the internet so not much backing to it, really). There was a brief stint in my first trimester where I didn't crave chocolate (it was weird and I didn't like it) but then things fixed themselves quickly and the natural me came back out! So, I have still been enjoying my fair share.

Anyway, I have a few treats that I've stored away to share with you, and a new camera to take much better pictures than the previous pitiful shots. So, we'll get this party started again!

The first recipe to share from my new bunch of favs: 

Molten Lava Cakes courtesy of The Neelys (Food Network)  - thanks to Cami Smith for introducing me to this recipe!

The thing that makes this recipe so good - the hint of almond, cayenne, and nutmeg in these little delights! It takes you by surprise at first bite, and you will just simply fall in love with it!

Also the first time I made these, it was fun to see the tops crack open. See, the way a molten cake works is it sets up around the edges and top but the middle is still gooey deliciousness. Right in the last minute of cook time, there's kind of a like a mini "volcanic eruption" in your oven where the goo is located. FUN TO WATCH I TELL YOU!

Here's the recipe. This is for eight 6-oz ramekins - way too many for me and hubby (although if necessary, I'm sure we could eat them all). I have four 4-oz ramekins, so I actually cut this recipe in thirds to make 2 nice servings for each of us.

• 2 sticks butter, unsalted, plus more for ramekins
• 4 teaspoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Pinch cayenne
• Pinch nutmeg
• 12 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 6 large eggs
• 6 large egg yolks
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Butter 8 (6-ounce) ramekins and sprinkle each with about 1/2 teaspoon sugar.

In a saucepan combine butter, cinnamon, cayenne, nutmeg, and chocolate over low heat until melted and smooth; stir frequently. Cool slightly.

In a large bowl whisk together flour, confectioners' sugar, eggs and yolks, vanilla extract and almond extract until creamy. Add melted chocolate to the batter and whisk together. Pour into prepared ramekins.

Bake cakes until the top is stiff and cracked and the edges are dark, about 12 to 14 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Loosen the edges of the cake with a small paring knife then invert onto plates while warm.

Chocolate Cake on a Stick....

I made some of these delicious cake balls again (and cheesecake balls). They are really soooo easy! And, did I mention, delicious? Here's the recipe for the cake and cheesecake mixture. Then simply form into balls, chill (I do this step in the freezer 'cuz I'm impatient), and dip in delicious chocolate! I do prefer putting them on a stick as well. I'm not very good at the whole dipping step yet, and that tends to make it a little easier.

My favorite combination is chocolate cake center, white chocolate coating, and topped off with Heath toffee. Um, can I say, to die for?

Happy Holidays! And if you want some ideas to spruce these up for Christmas, go to my other post, and/or visit bakerella.com! She has a lot of cute ideas.

The Great Wall of Chocolate Cake! (P.F. Chang's Copycat Version)



Alex is getting excited about his Uncle Ben's cake!



It was my husband's birthday yesterday (Happy Birthday Ben, wooh!), so what better way to honor his advancement in age than an amazing chocolate cake!

I love straight up chocolate cake, but I like to mix it up with some other flavors so that the chocolate's not too overwhelming (for others, that is. You all know I can take on any amount of chocolate any day of the week. But I try to think of others, I really do try). 

So, I chose to go along the lines of the famous "Great Wall of Chocolate" from P.F. Chang's. Basically it's a towering cake packed with chocolately goodness inside and out, with berry touches.

I've dabbled around with this in the past with different chocolate cake recipes. And really, my suggestion is find one that suits your cake tastes and make it. The beauty is, if you don't want to spend a lot of time making the actual cake, go pick up a cake mix. Here's some links to a couple of different recipes that I have liked for the cake: Devil's Food Cake from Food Network, Chocolate Cake from Epicurious. If you're going full on traditional layer cake, bake in two 9" rounds (line bottom with wax paper, butter, and flour). If you truly want to have a WALL of chocolate, you can double the recipe, and do a four layer! I wasn't that adventurous yesterday, but that would be cool..... I've also done a cupcake variation which turned out quite nicely.

PS - I almost never follow a recipe to the exactness. I just can't. It's just me. So seriously, with your chocolate cake, be creative! Throw in some melted chocolate, chocolate chips, or chopped choco chunks to the batter. You can also mix in some sort of extra flavor just depending on how you're complimenting it (in this case, fruity raspberry undertones would be delish!)

For the Frosting:

Being in the berry spirit, I found a great chocolate raspberry ganache to frost this baby, and it really turned out great! 

I only did about 2/3rds of this recipe, and it was still plenty for my cake. Just depends how thick you like to smear it on.

18 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped (or if you prefer sweeter, that's fine, too)

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

1/3 cup seedless raspberry jam (you will definitely want seedless to keep the smooth texture)

1/4 cup unsalted butter, cut in small cubes

pinch of salt

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Place the chopped chocolate in a large mixing bowl. In a saucepan, whisk together the heavy cream and raspberry jam. Put in the cubed butter and salt, and bring just to a boil (stirring often to make sure nothing sticks).

So, this is the most random thing, but when I started making this raspberry cream mixture, it totally reminded me of a Schwann's raspberry push-up pop. That was like the coveted treat at my friend's house back in the day. Yum.

Ok back to the recipe. Bring just to a boil. Then pour mixture over the chopped chocolate in the bowl and let it stand for 1 minute. Whisk until smooth then mix in the vanilla extract.

You'll want to cover this with plastic wrap so that it will not get a weird film on top. If you actually plan ahead you can make this in advance and let the frosting thicken overnight. If you're like me, you will make it two hours ahead of when you need and put it in the fridge to set (you'll only want to leave it in there 1 to 1 1/2 hours so that it is still easy to spread).

Simple Raspberry Sauce:

Seriously, I play this one by ear. Get some fresh raspberries (I did a 6 oz container yesterday) and blend in a food processor. Thin out with a little water. Put in a small saucepan. Add sugar to sweeten to your preference. Bring just to a boil. Let boil for about one minute. If you want a little thicker, whisk in a little bit of cornstarch.

If you don't have fresh raspberries, I bet you could take some  seedless raspberry jam and thin it out a bit.  Just probably don't add any sugar.

Lastly, get your berries ready. Fresh strawberries - wash, core, and slice. Fresh raspberries - wash. Fresh blueberries - wash. Wash them all, okay? I just want to make sure we're being sanitary :) Anyway, I just throw 'em all together in a bowl and garnish one piece at a time as I serve. If you really want to impress, you could probably throw some fruit ensemble on top of the cake and on the platter before you serve so it's picture perfect.

Okay, time to put this baby together! It's really quite simple.

Get the two rounds. Layer with ganache in-between. Stack, and frost outside with remainder.



Oops, someone snuck an early piece :)



Decorate edges with chocolate chips, mini chips, chocolate shavings, chocolate chunks, however you want!  I was a little lazy yesterday and in a rush, so I just did a ring of choco chips along the top, but you can seriously go all out with this to make it simply beautiful! Throw on any other deco such as fresh fruit. 

That's it! It turned out simply delicious. And even the non-chocolate lovers at the party tried it, which made me happy :) The only warning: the second piece may just do you in. I learned that firsthand. And here I am, always bragging that I can handle my chocolate.....

If this cake is a little too much to handle, just make a chocolate cake, and serve with the simple raspberry sauce. That's also quite excellent.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BEN! YOU ARE THE BEST!

Frosting.....and Cupcakes to Go With It!





Chocolate Peanut Butter Frosting



I don't know about all of you, but I remember the good ole' days when my sis would make a batch of homemade chocolate frosting when my parents were away and then we would get some big spoons and go to town! I imagine my parents probably didn't appreciate the after-effects of such occasions.

Anyway, despite the bellyaches, I am still a huge advocate of enjoying delicious frosting. Yes, all by itself. Especially chocolate frosting! Luckily, my husband is quite an awesome frosting maker, and basically can whip up any kind of flavor that you can imagine!

So, given that this is a chocolate blog, I definitely wanted to share two of my chocolately favorites with you: chocolate coconut frosting, and chocolate peanut butter frosting. (He also makes an awesome strawberry frosting and cinnamon sugar frosting, so if you would like these let me know and I'd be happy to share them, too!)

Oh, and if by chance you do want something to put them on, I'm including a delicious cupcake recipe that we've been working on for you to try out!

Chocolate Coconut Frosting

1/2 stick butter (softened)

1/2 box (4oz) cream cheese (softened)

Pinch of salt

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp coconut extract

1 3/4 cups powdered sugar, sifted

4 Tbsp sifted flour

Cocoa powder to taste (2 Tbsp ish)

Beat together butter, cream cheese, salt and extracts on medium speed until light and fluffy. Reduce mixer speed and slowly add powdered sugar (measure, then sift), flour and cocoa. Beat until well combined. Frosting should be smooth and creamy.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Frosting

I don't have exact proportions on this one, as my husband and I often like to bake using the "taste" test method. Anyway, you'll get the idea.

1 part creamy peanut butter

1 part butter (softened)
(so basically 50/50 split on these)

Mix together peanut butter and butter.  Add a "decent" amount of vanilla. Then mix in cocoa powder to taste (Ben warns not to put in too much - it won't look dark, but then when you add the powdered sugar, the darkness comes out.) Finally add powdered sugar to your desired sweetness. Texture of the frosting should be thick, almost like play-dough. This one basically tastes like a Reeses PB cup.



Vanilla mini-cupcake with cinnamon-sugar frosting

 Ben's Vanilla Cupcakes

1 1/2 sticks of butter
1 1/3 cups sugar
3 eggs
2 cups sifted cake flour
1 tsp baking powder
2/3 cup whipping cream
3/4 tsp vanilla extract

Make sure all the ingredients are at room temp. Preheat over to 350 for cupcakes, or 340 for miniature cupcakes. In a medium bowl, using a hand mixer on high, beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Separate two of the eggs. Add the remaining egg and the two egg yolks to your butter mixture and beat on high until light and fluffy. Beat the separated egg whites on high speed until firm peaks form and set aside.

In a small bowl, mix together the flour (sift, then measure) and baking powder. In a measuring cup, combine the whipping cream and the vanilla extract. Add 1/2 flour mixture to the butter mixture and beat on medium speed until combined. Slowly beat in the cream mixture on medium speed. Add the reamining flour mixture and beat on medium speed until just combined. Don't overbeat. Mixture should be very thick. Fold in the egg whites with a scraper. Fill the cupcake cups about 3/4 of the way. Cook cupcakes at 350 for 23-25 minutes and mini-cupcakes at 340 for 16-18 minutes until the cake springs back when pressed lightly and an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Tops should be white, not browned. Let cool in muffin pan. Makes approx 12 cupcakes or 24 mini cupcakes.

Variations: Chocolate of course! (take out some flour and subs cocoa powder); Pureed strawberries (subs for a portion of the whipping cream); Coconut (add coconut extract to basic recipe). Have Fun!



Chocolate Mini-Cupcakes



Cake Pops and Cheesecake Pops!

Okay, so if you have not checked it out yet, you must go to the bakerella.com website! Bakerella has a lot of ways to make your baking cute! I'm honestly usually more about the taste, but presentation does matter.

Anyway, for the holidays this year, I wanted to make something that would be fun for my nieces and nephews to enjoy since I was preparing dessert for the family party. So, I turned to these awesome cake pops and cheesecake pops from her website, and did a little fun creative design of my own as well.

Here's the recipes, as well as a few pictures!

First, Chocolate Cake Pops

1 box chocolate cake mix (cook as directed on box for 13 X 9 cake) (you can use other flavors, but why in the world would I do that when chocolate is obviously the best?)
1 can cream cheese frosting (16 oz.)
1 package chocolate bark (regular or white chocolate)
wax paper

1. After cake is cooked and cooled completely, crumble into large bowl.

2. Mix thoroughly with 1 can cream cheese frosting. (I actually just made Ben make me some of his cream cheese frosting - much more delicious than store bought!)
3. Roll mixture into quarter size balls and lay on cookie sheet. (Should make 45-50. You can get even more if you use a mini ice cream scooper, but bakerella recommends hand rolling. Just make sure hands are thoroughly washed, okay!)

4. Chill for several hours. (You can speed this up by putting in the freezer.)

5. Melt chocolate in microwave per directions on package.

6. Roll balls in chocolate and lay on wax paper until firm. (Use a spoon to dip and roll in chocolate and then tap off extra.) Or...... if you are making pops, get your lollipop sticks. Dip end in melted chocolate and then push into your chocolate ball. Let dry and firm up before dipping the rest. Decorate to your heart's content! Store finished pops in styrofoam board.

I made some santa hats (sorry no pics but they were really cool looking), christmas trees (I used decorating sprinkles and nerds for the ornaments; also did some with mint chips and some just green colored vanilla candy melts), and of course some butterscotch elves (hershey kiss and marshmallow hats, butterscotch ears, and some decorating sprinkles for the eyes and mouth)! My pictures didn't turn very well (bad focus on the camera), but you can still kinda get the picture....

Also, I did some ordinary pops, some dipped in white chocolate, some in milk chocolate, and some in mint. For extra flavor, I dipped them in andes mints, heath toffee, and crushed peppermint. All delicious, although my favorite combo was the chocolate cake ball dipped in white chocolate and covered with heath toffee!

Next.....Cheesecake Pops!

Well, basically find your favorite baked cheesecake recipe and make it! You want one that has some substance to it, not too light and airy, because you have to have some form to it when you make the cheesecake balls. I baked the one from bakerella's website (click here to get recipe), and it was good. I did have to bake it quite a bit longer than the recipe said - probably the altitude change did something to that. Next time, I think I'll try a recipe that is a great fav that my mom makes!

After cheesecake is cooked and cooled, freeze it for a little while so it will be really firm. Then scoop out with spoon, or melon baller to form the balls. I even mixed in a little bit of the graham cracker crust to give it more substance. Finally, roll the ball in crushed graham cracker so that it can retain its form better. (This can make it a little trickier when dipping, because the chocolate won't stick as well all of the time - but with a little care, no problem.)

Then freeze those suckers! You have to have these extremely frozen to work with them otherwise they will easily start falling apart when you dip them. I did a few of these on sticks, but then just chose to do the rest truffle style. They were a huge hit at the party, especially among the adults!

I dipped these in white chocolate, butterscotch, milk chocolate, and some other colored candy melts that were vanilla flavored. For toppings I used heath toffee, andes mints, peppermint, and coconut. They were all delicious!!!!!

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Roll

This is one of the most delicious forms of pumpkiny goodness ever! Seriously, I think anything that's wrapped with cream cheese in it is a winner!

Recipe courtesy of: Sundance Inn Bed and Breakfast, New Braunfels, Texas

3 eggs

1 c sugar

2/3 c canned pumpkin

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

3/4 c flour

Filling:

1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened

4 tbsp butter, softened

1 c powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla

In a large bowl, beat eggs and sugar. Beat in remaining cake ingredients. Grease a 10" x 15" jelly roll pan. Line pan with waxed paper, then grease and lightly flour the waxed paper. Pour batter into the pan and spread evenly. Bake at 350 F for 15 minutes. * Cake cooks fast so watch carefully to avoid burning the edges. While cake is baking, sprinkle powdered sugar heavily over the kitchen towel, using a sieve or sifter. Turn hot cake onto the towel. Remove waxed paper. Trim off burnt or crusty edges. Sprinkle more powdered sugar over the hot cake and quickly roll up with towel inside. Let cake cook completely, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare filling by beating together all ingredients until smooth and creamy. Unroll cooled cake and spread with the filling mixture. Roll up cake with filling on the inside. Wrap in waxed paper and then foil. Refrigerate or freeze. To serve, slice cake about 1/3 inch thick and sprinkler with powdered sugar. Note: Cake cuts best when still slightly frozen.

The last time I made this cake, I was taking it to a party with a lot of different treats, so I wanted to make the slices smaller. Instead of one baking sheet, I put the batter on two smaller baking sheets, and made two smaller rolls. It worked out really well!

Boston Cream Cupcakes

Lovers of chocolate and cheesecake, may I present the perfect and easy combination of deliciousness in this Boston Cream Cupcake recipe!

This is an alteration of Boston Cream Pie (pictured to the right)- two layers of sponge cake with vanilla custard filling in the middle and topped of with a chocolate glaze.

You can also make mini versions of the pie, cupcake style......

However, this recipe that I'm posting, at least in my opinion, is a step above all the others I have tried, because instead of vanilla custard, it has more of a cheesecake filling. And believe me, if there is one thing that tops the list with chocolate in my book, it's a good baked cheesecake!

This recipe is very easy! It comes from the kitchen of good ole' Betty Crocker.

Cake Cookie Crust

1 pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) Sugar Cookie Mix

1/2 cup butter/margarine, softened

1 egg

2 tablespoons sugar

Note: This above recipe is for a cake-like cookie crust on the bottom.  I usually don't add all of the egg and butter, because at least in my high altitude, it tends to add too much stickiness to the dough and I end up adding a lot of flour to get the right consistency again. I've found that you can just use the sugar cookie mix without adding the egg and butter if you'd like. The crust will come out flat, but still good.  If you have a great sugar cookie recipe that you like, you can substitute it for all of this.

Filling

2 packages (8 oz each) cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon milk

1/2 cup sour cream

2 eggs

1 box (4-serving size) vanilla instant pudding and pie filling mix

Topping

1 container (1 lb) Chocolate Frosting

***or use this Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe

4 Tbsp (1/2 stick) Butter softened
4 oz (1/2 package) Cream Cheese, softened
8 oz Confectioner's Sugar (or to taste)
1 Tsp Vanilla (or to taste)

Cocoa Powder to taste

With a mixer, cream together butter and cream cheese. Mix in vanilla. Mix in cocoa powder.
Gradually add sugar - mix until smooth. ***

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 24 regular size muffin cups with paper baking cups. Lightly spray baking cups with cooking spray.

2. In large stir cookie mix, butter and egg, until dough forms. Shape dough into 24 (1 1/2 in) balls. Place 1 ball in each baking cup. Moisten bottom of flat-bottomed glass with drop of water, then dip into 2 tablespoons sugar. Press glass on dough balls to flatten, dipping glass in sugar after each dough ball.

Note: I've varied on the size of the cookie bottom. I personally like more cheesecake to cookie ratio. I like the cake-like crust, but I tend to use less dough so it does not take over.

3. In another large bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar, flour, and milk with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Beat in sour cream. On low speed, beat in eggs, one at a time, just until blended. Stir in dry pudding mix until well blended. Spoon about 2 tablespoons filling over dough in each cup.

4. Bake 25-30 minutes or until set. Cool 30 minutes; remove from pan.

5. Open container of frosting; remove foil lid. Microwave uncovered on High 30 seconds to soften frosting; stir until smooth. Spoon about 1 tablespoon frosting onto center of each cookie cup. Refrigerate 1 hour or until set. Store covered in refrigerator.

Note: Heating up the frosting before putting on cupcakes and then refrigerating afterward will give it more of a glaze feeling rather than just straight frosting. You can just put the frosting on straight as well. If you are using a homemade frosting, you will probably want to heat for a lesser time, depending on the consistency of the frosting. Canned frosting from the store tends to be a little thicker than homemade.

6. Enjoy! These are always a hit wherever we take them, and especially in my home!

Fast and Easy Oreo Cake Cookies

These cookies are a favorite at my house! And they are soooo easy to make. You can use any cake mix for the cookies to give it a twist, however my favorite is of course none other than chocolate!

Cookies:


1 Box Chocolate Cake Mix (or any other flavor that you like)
1/2 Cup Butter, softened
2 Eggs


Mix together cake mix, butter, and eggs until combined. If really dry, add a little vegetable oil, and/or water to make sure it is all moistened. (I usually have to add a little extra because I'm in a high altitude area). Dough should be moist, but not sticky.

Make 1 inch balls and place onto baking sheet (4 rows of 4 is a good measurement - that should give you plenty of space for that size).


Bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees.

 Cool, then either enjoy plain or frost and with the cream cheese frosting to make the Oreo Sandwiches!


Cream Cheese Frosting/Filling:


4 Tbsp (1/2 stick) Butter softened
4 oz (1/2 package) Cream Cheese, softened
8 oz Confectioner's Sugar (or to taste)
1 Tsp Vanilla (or to taste)


With a mixer, cream together butter and cream cheese. Mix in vanilla.
Gradually add sugar - mix until smooth.


I usually don't like cream cheese frosting/filling super sweet like some, and I tend to like to taste the vanilla. Honestly, this stuff's so easy to make, so you can just mess around with the proportions to make it perfect for you!


Note: After I make the Oreos, I usually put the cookies in to refrigerate for about 20 minutes (if I can wait that long). That just helps the filling set better so that it isn't squeezing out all over the place when you take that first terrific bite.


Makes about 32 cookies, or 16 Oreos.

Molten Chocolate Volcano Cake

My friend and I used to reward ourselves with a "Chili's Molten Chocolate Cake" on our birthdays, after a hard test, and whatever other occasion we could justify during our first year of college.

The next year, my friend moved away, but she came to visit for her birthday. I threw her a party, and I decided why not make my own giant version of the cake so that everyone could share. It has now become a trademark cake of mine. Best part - super easy to make!

If you want to make the whole thing from scratch, that is great! I've done portions of it like that before. But I find that there is little difference in quality if you use the right pre-made stuff (and it's faster!).

Need:

Chocolate Cake Mix - follow instructions on box

Hot fudge sauce

Chocolate sauce

Chocolate Magic Shell Topping

Extras - nuts, coconut, strawberry or other fruit topping, sparklers

First - bake a cake! I just use a box mix - get a supermoist and chocolately one - german chocolate, devil's food, or triple fudge are great! You can either bake in a bundt cake pan for one large cake, or I've also discovered a really cool mini bundt cupcake tin if you want to make personal size cakes.

When the cake is done, let it cool down just enough to get out of the pan. You want to serve this baby warm. Or, if you need to make in advance, you can warm up in an oven before the final prep as well.

Poke holes with a fork all over in the cake.

Get some delicious hot fudge (Hershey's or Mrs. Richardson's are good, or make your own). Pour all over the cake until it seeps in. Some will run off. That's ok.

Next, repeat with caramel and/or butterscotch sauce.

Now you are ready for the ice cream! Fill in the bundt hole with icecream and heap up over the top.

Last, get Hershey's Magic Shell Topping and smother icecream with it, until it creates a hard shell all over. Put on additional caramel and fudge if you'd like!

You're done!

If you want to try some variations, you can add other toppings. I've put on different types of nuts, coconut, and even strawberry topping, and they are all delicious and look really cool.

And if you really want a show, don't forget the sparklers!

P.S. If you have mini bundt cupcake tin, you can make personal-sized volcano cakes! They are really fun too!