Deep Chocolate Cake

Chocolate Cake + Chocolate Whipped Cream + Chocolate Ganache

Do it now.

The recipe on the Better Homes and Gardens website is not the same as the one I have in my magazine. So look at this website, because it has the correct one. So, I adapted this recipe because I have never been fond of malt. It was a sad day when your mom came home with Ovaltine instead of Nesquick. Just omit the malt.

Also, for the cake, instead of 4 ounces of unsweetened chocolate- just use sweetened chocolate. You know you want to. Semi-sweet or even milk chocolate will do. For the frosting, set aside a cup of it before you start whipping with your electric mixer. This will be our ganache for the top.

This cake was dense with a bittersweet chocolate taste. It wasn’t rich and fudgy, but not dry either. I assume it would go great with coffee- if you drink that stuff.  

For Asiya and Shanada <3

Whipped Cream – Two ways

Fresh, homemade sweetened whipped cream is far superior to cool whip or reddiwhip. It takes literally 10 seconds to make, so don’t eat that junk anymore.

You can make an easy, quick version in your blender to top off that ice cream or pie you’re about to eat:

 

Blender Recipe

1 cup heavy or whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 tablespoons powdered sugar (the fresher the better)

Stir all ingredients in your blender and then blend for 10 seconds. Eat immediately, leftovers will melt but will still taste good!

Junior’s Decorator’s Whipped Cream

This recipe is from Junior’s Cheesecake Cookbook. The cream is stabilized with gelatin, making it easier to work with because it’s firmer- perfect for piping. You can use heavy or whipping cream, they usually taste the same but whipping cream tends to hold its shape a little better.

1 teaspoon unflavored granulated gelatin
1 tablespoon cold water
1 cup cold heavy or whipping cream
1 tablespoon sugar (I like to use 3 tablespoons powdered sugar instead)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract


Place the gelatin in a small heatproof bowl. Stir in the cold water, and let stand until it thickens- this usually takes about one minute. Cook the gelatin in the microwave on high for about 30 seconds until liquidy and melted. (Yes, it will smell.)

In a medium sized bowl, whip the cream with an electric mixer on high until it thickens and soft peaks just to begin to form. With the mixer still running, add the sugar and beat just until the cream stands up in peaks. Beat in the vanilla and melted gelatin until the cream stands up in peaks. Don’t over mix or the cream will curdle and look lumpy. Refrigerate for 30 minutes but not more than 1 hour. Use to fill or frost a cake. (I’ve used it immediately without chilling and it still stands up fine).

Tip: Only fill your pastry bag half full. This makes it easier to control while piping. Squeeze a little cream back into the bowl to get rid of pockets of air.  

Vanilla Cupcakes - Fail

Whisk Kid, I love your blog and saw you on Martha Stewart for that show stopping rainbow cake but this recipe was a flop. Your amazing picture of those lime cupcakes made me want to try these but unfortunately they came out horrible- they tasted like biscuits and had the texture like biscuits- crumbly, greasy and bready. But this is not the first time this has happened. I’ve tried several vanilla cake recipes and they never taste like vanilla cake- more like pancakes or KFC biscuits. I only tried making the vanilla cupcakes but I’d like to try that swiss meringue buttercream sometime.

Oatmeal Raisin Cheesecake Crumble

Let’s just start off by saying this is the million dollar winner of a Pillsbury bake-off. Okay? You are now obligated to make this.

Adaptations: Skip the 1 cup of pecans on top of the cookie. That’s way too many nuts and you don’t want this to be that crunchy. Use 3 packages of cream cheese- you don’t need to add more condensed milk, it will still be sweet. Use 3 eggs. Use ½ cup of raisins because the cookies will already have raisins. And lastly, use only ½ cup of pecans for the top. Unless you’re an extra nutty person.



And I know what you’re thinking. If this recipe won a million dollars, why would you change it? Well, I love cheesecake. So my version is worth a million and one. It will still be a crumble that's easy finger food and in the shape of a bar but still have enough creamy cheesecake. Plus, it fed like 20 people easily.

Nanaimo Bars - Fail

I don’t even know how to pronounce these but Closet Cooking made them look wonderful and they are native to Canada so I was up for something new. I followed the recipe, but unfortunately, I did not like these at all. They were dry. Not creamy. Not very flavorful. I don’t get it either. The recipe looks promising- it has butter, sugar, vanilla, coconut, walnuts, more butter, milk, powdered sugar, chocolate. All worthy ingredients. I think the downfall is how uncreamy it is. Crumbly. Dry. I think it needs some sweetened condensed milk somewhere to help it out. I don’t know, if I go to Canada I will be trying an authentic nanaimo bar and I’m sure it’ll be divine.

Raspberry Sauce

I make this for ice cream, cheesecake, chocolate cake, pound cake- anything really. Its full awesomeness is tasted when paired with white chocolate. Especially white chocolate ice cream or white chocolate cheesecake. Its that sweet and tart thing.  

I’ve made it plenty of times without the jam, still tastes great, just a little more tart. You don’t have to thaw the frozen berries. This recipe makes a thin sauce, but if you would like it thicker and gooey, combine a teaspoon of cornstarch to a teaspoon of cold water in a separate small bowl. Then add this to the recipe and cook until bubbly. I’ve also tried using frozen strawberries- just as good.

Raspberry Sauce

1 (12 oz.) bag of frozen raspberries
½ cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 teaspoons cornstarch mixed in 1 teaspoon cold water

In a small saucepan over medium heat, bring frozen berries to a slight simmer, DO NOT MIX (keep the fruit together as much as possible). Strain out seeds with a fine mesh sieve. Return sauce back to stove and add sugar and vanilla, simmer for a minute until dissolved. Add cornstarch mixture, simmer for one minute until thickened. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Store in refrigerator. 

Junior's White Chocolate & Rapsberry Swirl Cheesecake

This was the first recipe I baked after buying Junior's Cheesecake Cookbook. This cheesecake was very impressive and I love the flavor combination. I'm surprised how much I loved the sponge cake crust. I'm not really a fan of sponge cake but it wasn't as light and airy as angel food cake. It still had some body to it and made a great base for this dessert.

The only downfall to this recipe was the crunchiness of raspberry seeds. Please strain the seeds out of the puree. If not, you will not have a smooth, creamy texture in your cheesecake. Raspberry seeds are pretty hard.

Also, I'm not really a fan of the Junior's cheesecake texture. They mix the ingredients differently than most cheesecake recipes, and it has cornstarch in it. I don't know how to really explain the texture of it, but it comes out kind of dry and eggy and pasty. I like the more standard cheesecake recipe like this one. This recipe always produces a creamy, luscious cheesecake. You can substitute the sugar for a can of sweetened condensed milk. And you can still add heavy cream at the end which would change the cream cheese flavor to more like, well cream.

One more note. I never cook my cheesecakes in a water bath. Totally unnecessary. Just don't overbake or overmix and it won't crack. Also, leave the cheesecake in the oven and turn off the heat when it's done baking so that it cools slowly to room temperature which will also prevent cracking.


Junior's White Chocolate & Raspberry Swirl Cheesecake (original recipe)

Junior's Sponge Cake Crust (see recipe below)
10 ounces frozen whole raspberries, thawed and drained well
5 tablespoons cornstarch
8 ounces white chocolate
3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese (full fat), softened
1 1/3 cups sugar
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
2 extra large eggs
2/3 cup heavy or whipping crema
6 ounces fresh raspberries (garnish)
White chocolate curls (garnish)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Generously butter the bottom (not the sides) of a 9-inch springform pan. Wrap the outside with aluminum foil, covering the bottom and extending up the sides. Make and bake the cake crust and leave it in the pan. Keep the oven on.

2. Pulse the thawed raspberries in your food processor or blender until pureed (you need 3/4 cup of puree). Stir in 1 tablespoon of cornstarch and set aside. It will slightly thicken as it stands. Melt the white chocolate and set aside. White chocolate is delicate and can scorch easily. Melt in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly or microwave uncovered on high for 30 seconds. Stir with a spoon, then repeat 2-3 times until completely melted. It's important to stir because white chocolate keeps its shape so that it doesn't appear melted when it really is. Too much heat can curdle and ruin the chocolate.

3. Put one package of cream cheese, 1/3 cup of the sugar, and the remaining 4 tablespoons of cornstarch in a large bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on low until creamy, about 3 minutes, scraping down the bowl several times. Beat in the remaining cream cheese, one package at a time, scraping down the bowl after each one. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat in the remaining 1 cup sugar, then the vanilla. Blend in the melted white chocolate, then the cream, just until completely blended. Be careful not to overmix.

4. Gently spoon the batter on top of the crust. Using a teaspoon, drop the raspberry puree in spoonfuls on top the batter, pushing it down slightly as you go. Using a thin, pointed knife, cut through the batter a few times in a figure eight design, just until red swirls appear.

5. Place the cake in a large shallow pan containing hot water that comes about 1 inch up the sides of the springform pan. Bake until the edges are light golden brown and top is slightly golden tan, about 1 1/4 hours. Remove the cheesecake from the water bath and let cool for 2 hours. Leave the cake in the pan, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until completely cold, overnight.

6. Decorate the top with the fresh raspberries and chocolate curls when ready to serve.


Junior's Sponge Cake Crust (for one 9-inch cake crust)

1/3 cup sifted cake flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt
2 extra large eggs, separated
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 drops pure lemon extract
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Generously butter the bottom (not the sides) of a 9-inch springform pan. Wrap the outside with aluminum foil, covering the bottom and extending up the sides.

2. In a small bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together.

3. Beat the egg yolks in a large bowl with an electric mixer on high for 3 minutes. With the mixer running, slowly add 2 tablespoons of sugar and beat until thick light yellow robbons form, about 5 minutes more. Beat in extracts.

4. Sift the flour mixture over the batter and stir it in by hand, just until no more white flecks appear. now, blend in the melted butter.

5. Now, wash the mixing bowl and beaters really well (if even a little fat is left, this can cause the egg whites not to whip). Put the egg whites and cream of tartar into the bowl and beat with the mixer on high until frothy. Gradually add the remaining sugar and continue beating until stiff peaks form (the whites will stand up and look glossy, not dry). Fold about one third of the whites into the batter, then the remaining whites. Don't worry if you still see a few white specks, as they'll disappear during baking.

6. Gently spread out the batter over the bottom of the pan, and bake just until set and golden (not wet or sticky) about 10-12 minutes. Touch the cake gently in the center. If it springs back, its done. Watch carefully and don't let the top brown. Leave the crust in the pan and let cool.

Chocolate Marbled Cheesecake - Three ways

These will become staple recipes in your cookbook. It combines the best of both worlds- vanilla and chocolate cheesecake. Creamy and luscious, they are sure to please all your guests. The chocolate crumb crust really makes the flavors pop. The first recipe posted below is what I usually make just for the family, a standard sized cheesecake. The second recipe is what I use for guests because it serves more, and its made with sweetened condensed milk. Yum. And the third recipe is what I use for potlucks because they are bars, and easy finger food. All three recipes are excellent. Their ingredients vary slightly, so make the one depending on what you have in the pantry. 

Chocolate Marbled Cheesecake
Recipe from: Hershey's

Ingredients
3 packages (8 oz. each) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup dairy sour cream
2-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract, divided
CHOCOLATE CRUMB CRUST (recipe follows)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3 eggs
1 cup sugar, divided
1/4 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Directions
1. Prepare CHOCOLATE CRUMB CRUST. Increase oven temperature to 450°F.
2. Beat cream cheese, 3/4 cup sugar, sour cream and 2 teaspoons vanilla in large bowl on medium speed of mixer until smooth. Gradually add flour, beating just until blended. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
3. Combine cocoa and remaining 1/4 cup sugar in medium bowl. Add oil, remaining 1/2 teaspoon vanilla and 1-1/2 cups of cream cheese mixture; stir well. Spoon plain and chocolate batters alternately over prepared crust, ending with spoonfuls of chocolate on top; gently swirl with knife for marbled effect.
4. Bake 10 minutes. Without opening oven door, reduce oven temperature to 250°F; continue baking 30 minutes. Turn off oven; without opening oven door, leave cheesecake in oven 30 minutes.
5. Remove from oven. Immediately loosen cheesecake from side of pan with knife; cool to room temperature. Refrigerate several hours or overnight; remove side of pan. Cover; refrigerate leftover cheesecake. 10 to 12 servings.

CHOCOLATE CRUMB CRUST: Heat oven to 350°F. Combine 1-1/4 cups vanilla wafer crumbs (about 40 wafers, crushed), 1/3 cup powdered sugar and 1/3 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa; stir in 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) melted butter or margarine. Press mixture onto bottom and 1/2 inch up side of 9-inch springform pan. Bake 8 minutes; cool completely.


Deluxe Chocolate Marbled Cheesecake
Recipe from: Hershey's

Ingredients
4 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated milk)
1/4 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
4 packages(8 oz. each) cream cheese, softened
CHOCOLATE CRUMB CRUST (recipe follows)
1/4 cup(1/2 stick) butter or margarine, melted

Directions
1. Prepare CHOCOLATE CRUMB CRUST. Heat oven to 300°F.
2. Combine cocoa and butter until smooth in small bowl; set aside. Beat cream cheese in large bowl until fluffy. Gradually add sweetened condensed milk, beating until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla then flour.
3. Measure 1-1/2 cups batter into medium bowl; beat in cocoa mixture. Spoon half of vanilla batter over prepared crust. Spoon half of chocolate batter in dollops into pan. Repeat, ending with chocolate batter. With metal spatula or knife, cut through batters to marble.
4. Bake 50 to 60 minutes or until center is set. Remove from oven to wire rack. With knife, loosen cake from side of pan. Cool completely; remove side of pan. Refrigerate several hours before serving. Store covered in refrigerator. 12 servings.

CHOCOLATE CRUMB CRUST: Combine 1-1/2 cups vanilla wafer crumbs (about 45 wafers, crushed), 1/2 cup powdered sugar, 1/3 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa and 1/3 cup melted butter or margarine. Press mixture firmly onto bottom of 9-inch springform pan.


Marbled Cheesecake Bars
Recipe from: Hershey's

Ingredients
CHOCOLATE CRUST (recipe follows)
3 packages (8 oz. each) cream cheese, softened
1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated milk)
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 sections(1/2 oz. each) HERSHEY'S Unsweetened Chocolate Baking Bar, melted

Directions
1. Prepare CHOCOLATE CRUST. Heat oven to 300°F.
2. Beat cream cheese in large bowl until fluffy. Gradually add sweetened condensed milk, beating until smooth. Add eggs and vanilla; mix well.
3. Pour half of batter evenly over prepared crust. Stir melted chocolate into remaining batter; drop by spoonfuls over vanilla batter. With metal spatula or knife, swirl gently through batter to marble.
4. Bake 45 to 50 minutes or until set. Cool in pan on wire rack. Refrigerate several hours until chilled. Cut into bars. Cover; store leftover bars in refrigerator. Makes 24 to 36 bars.

CHOCOLATE CRUST: Stir together 2 cups vanilla wafer crumbs (about 60 wafers, crushed), 1/3 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa and 1/2 cup powdered sugar in medium bowl. Stir in 1/2 cup (1 stick) melted butter or margarine until well blended. Press mixture firmly on bottom of 13x9x2-inch baking pan.

Philadelphia New York Style Strawberry Swirl Cheesecake

After you buy that Junior’s Cheesecake Cookbook, you’ll be dreaming about stacking cheesecake in a three layered cake. You’ll decide to start off simple and use one of your favorite cheesecake recipes and a boxed betty crocker vanilla cake, just to experiment. Surprisingly, it comes out great, with nothing tumbling over or collapsing. This cheesecake has been a favorite for a while, I tend to reduce it to 4 blocks of cream cheese. Strawberries and vanilla cheesecake is timeless.

Dessert Pizza

I first tried these at Ms. Leahy’s after a long day holding our ultrasound seminar. Well, sort of. It’s Ramadan so I’m fasting and my classmates were eating that dessert pizza saying it’s to die for. But Ms. Leahy was sweet enough to wrap me one to take home. And that cookie was divine. Such simple ingredients too. This soft, chewy sugar cookie is topped with a cream cheese icing and fresh strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries. Perfect for a light, sweet summer snack. The longer they sit, the more juicy and flavorful they get.