Tiramisu Cupcakes

 April seems to be birthday month around here, and I love it.  Last weekend I got to spend all Saturday afternoon baking cupcakes with Clare, and helping Jake (along with Clare, Stewart and Alicia) prepare an amazing gourmet pizza party for Michele.  If you're looking for a good party idea, this one turned out splendidly.  We were expecting twenty guests around 7:30.  So at 4:00 we started 6 recipes of this pizza dough.  It's my absolute favorite pizza dough recipe (although beware, it needs more flour than it calls for).  We let the dough rise while we made a trip to the grocery store for the sauce ingredients, then began the sauce.  About an hour later, I divided the dough into 24 equal personal-pizza-size portions, and began rolling them out while Jake and Stewart fired up the grill.  We grilled each dough for just a couple minutes, until they were about half cooked.  Then all the guests brought different ingredients with them, and everyone got to make their own personal pizza!  Once the toppings were arranged to each person's liking, it was just popped back on the grill for less than 5 minutes, and voilà! delicious, gourmet, piping hot personal pizza!  It was a blast.

And these cupcakes were the perfect way to round off the meal :)  Clare and I discovered the recipe over at the BrownEyedBaker.


Ingredients (makes 18 cupcakes)

For the Cupcakes
1 1/4 cups cake flour, sifted (I didn't have any, so I made my own using this tutorial)
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup milk
1 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise, seeds scraped and reserved
4 Tbs unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into pieces
3 whole eggs plus 3 egg yolks, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar

For the Coffee-Marsala Syrup
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon freshly brewed espresso
1 ounce sweet marsala wine
1/4 cup granulated sugar

For the Mascarpone Frosting
1 cup heavy cream
8 oz mascarpone cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
Unsweetened cocoa powder, for dusting

Procedure
For the cupcakes

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Sift together cake flour, baking powder, and salt. Heat milk and vanilla-bean pod and seeds in a small saucepan over medium heat just until bubbles appear around the edge. Remove from heat. Whisk in butter until melted, and let stand 15 minutes. Strain milk mixture through a fine sieve into a bowl, and discard vanilla-bean pod.

With an electric mixer on medium speed, whisk together whole eggs, yolks, and sugar. Set mixing bowl over a pan of simmering water, and whisk by hand just until sugar is dissolved and mixture is warm, up to 6 minutes. Remove bowl from heat. With an electric mixer on high speed, whisk until mixture is fluffy, pale yellow, and thick enough to hold a ribbon on the surface for several seconds when whisk is lifted.

Gently but thoroughly fold flour mixture into the egg mixture in three batches.  Stir 1/2 cup batter into the strained milk mixture to thicken, then fold milk mixture into the remaining batter until just combined.  Don't over mix, or the batter will deflate!

Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three-quarters full (they rise a lot!). Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until centers are completely set and edges are light golden brown, about 20 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool completely before removing cupcakes.

For the syrup
Stir together hot espresso, marsala, and sugar until sugar is dissolved. Let cool.

Brush tops of cooled cupcakes evenly with coffee-marsala syrup; repeat until all syrup has been used (don't worry, they won't be soggy!). Allow cupcakes to absorb liquid 30 minutes.

For the frosting
With an electric mixer on medium speed, whisk heavy cream until very stiff peaks form (be careful not to overbeat, or cream will be grainy). In another bowl, whisk together mascarpone and confectioners' sugar until smooth. Gently fold whipped cream into mascarpone mixture until completely incorporated.  Do not beat further after the cream and cheese are combined, or the cream will break. Use immediately.

To finish, dollop or pipe frosting onto cupcakes; refrigerate for an hour or up to overnight in airtight containers. Dust generously with cocoa powder just before serving.

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Pecan Pie Coffe Cake

I'm literally eating the last piece of cake as I write.  I just returned home from Church, Carsten is sleeping after a 30 hour call at the hospital, and I decided to relax in the living room with the last slice.  A perfect Sunday afternoon.  After two bites I remembered I hadn't taken any pictures, so I got out the camera and snapped a few.

I found this recipe over at bake or break about a week ago, and have had it up on my computer screen ever since, just waiting for a good day to bake it.  I love baking anything sweet, but if I don't have people to share it with I'll eat it all by myself - not only dangerous, but less fulfilling.  So when I got a text from friends inviting me over to have a Christmas tree bonfire, I got right to baking :)

Perfectly moist, not too sweet, and the pecan pie topping added just the right amount of interest.  It's always a gamble letting your friends try a first time recipe, but I shouldn't have worried.  The cake was a hit.  And I will forever associate it with an evening around the bonfire, laughing and drinking wine with friends, new and old.

Ingredients
For the Cake:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3 Tbs unsalted butter, softened
2 oz cream cheese, softened
1 large egg
1 large egg white
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup buttermilk

For the Topping:
1/3 cup corn syrup (the recipe called for light, but I only had dark, so that's what I used)
1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 Tbs unsalted butter
1/3 cup pecans, finely chopped
1 large egg, lightly beaten
pinch of salt

Procedure
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees, and generously grease a 9-inch cake pan.  I used a spring-form pan, which made it just a little easier to serve.
In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Set aside.  Using an electric mixer, whip together the sugar, butter, and cream cheese until light and fluffy.  (If your butter and cream cheese aren't quite softened, just wait ten minutes or so, and beat them a little extra, until everything is smooth and fluffy.  DON'T rush the process but putting them in the microwave!  It will ruin the texture of your cake)  Add the whole egg, and then the egg white, whipping between each addition.  Stir in the vanilla.  Reduce the mixer to low and add the flour mixture in three portions, alternating with buttermilk in between (flour - buttermilk - flour - buttermilk - flour).  Mix until just combined.  Pour the batter into your prepared pan, and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Set the pan on a wire rack, and reduce the oven to 325 degrees.
In a small sauce pan, combine the corn syrup, brown sugar, and butter over medium heat.  Stir and heat just until the butter melts.  Remove from heat, and stir in pecans, egg, and salt.  Using a wooden skewer, (a toothpick is too small - I used a chopstick ;) ) poke holes all over your cake.  This will let the gooey topping soak into the cake.  Carefully pour the topping over the cake, making sure to cover every bit of it.  Feel free to spread the pecans around evenly.  Return the cake to the oven for 10 minutes.  Remove from the oven, and let cool completely (on a wire rack) before serving.

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Chocolate Molten Lava Cakes

 
Sometimes things don't go the way you want them to.  You don't feel "good enough," life gets confusing, and everywhere you turn you seem to be faced with obstacles and frustration.  Thankfully, we have family.  And friends.  And... chocolate.  And nothing could beat a combination of all three.

 

 Adapted from a foodnetwork recipe.

Ingredients

8oz semisweet chocolate (I used chocolate chips)
10 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup flour
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
3 large eggs, plus 3 yolks
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 Tbs your favorite liqueur (I used Amarula)

1 pinch of salt

Procedure

Preheat oven to 425 degrees and grease six (6 oz) ramekins. Melt the chocolate and butter slowly in a double boiler.  Remove from heat, and mix in the flour and sugar to chocolate mixture. Stir in the eggs and yolks until smooth. Stir in the vanilla, liqueur, and salt. Divide the batter evenly among the ramekins. Place in the oven and bake for 14 minutes. The edges should be firm but the center will be runny. Run a knife around the edges to loosen and invert onto dessert plates. Serve alone, or with vanilla ice cream :)

 

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Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Swiss Meringue Buttercream

A friend form school turned 30.  Time for a celebration, am I right?  So I started planning a fun dinner party.  First things first - get the house ready.  Having people over is the best way to get myself to give the house a good cleaning.  And this time my house (all of it by my bedroom and the eagle's nest) got a good deep cleaning.  Carsten and I also took a self-guided tour through the garden section of Home Depot, and picked out some new plants for the back yard.  So the back patio got a makeover and the house got a face lift.  Thank you Parker for turning 30!

I asked the birthday boy what kind of cake he wanted, and he requested a carrot cake.  I was so excited, because I'd recently found a carrot cake recipe that looked amazing.  I had been trying to learn how to frost a cake properly for Carsten's birthday, and found this great video tutorial on BraveTart.  The cake she uses in the video is the most delicious looking carrot cake I've ever seen, so I decided to use her recipe, substituting walnuts for her pecans or pistachios, and allspice for her mace.  I also meant to add raisins, (because every carrot cake should have raisins!) but alas, I forgot.  I also used the BraveTart recipe for Cream Cheese Swiss Meringue Buttercream frosting, but ran into some troubles...

I've made Swiss Meringue Buttercream frosting three times before this (three times in the last 4 months), and have never had any problems, so I didn't even think that there might be an issue.  Usually, you make the meringue, then whip in the butter.  Sometimes it gets a little soupy (if the meringue is a bit too warm), but it always seizes up and turns into the perfect thick frosting texture.  However, something about adding part cream cheese instead of butter messed it up.  It first turned lumpy (my fault - I probably didn't let the cream cheese come completely to room temperature before adding it), then soupy.  And it stayed soupy no matter how long I whipped it.  I didn't want to give up on it.  It was a whole pound of butter, an entire pound of cream cheese, and ten egg whites.  I couldn't let it go.  I probably continued to whip it for 30 minutes, hoping that it would magically transform.  But it didn't.  So I began scouring the internet for solutions.  I found someone who had done the exact same thing as me, and had come up with a solution.  Her advice (Briana's Kitchen) was perfect.  Her solution was to take a small batch of successful butter cream frosting, and slowly whip in a little of the soupy cream cheese mess at a time.  It worked.  I made a new half batch of plain Swiss meringue butter cream, which turned out perfectly (thank the Lord!!), and slowly added a 1/4 cup of the cream cheese soupy frosting at a time.  After each addition, I waited until it was fully incorporated to make sure that the frosting was holding it's perfect texture.  I ended up adding over 3/4 of the original mixture.  Not quite all of it, because I didn't want to push my luck.  And because I now had PLENTY of frosting.  Fortunately, I'm told this frosting freezes beautifully, so I saved all the leftover and will use it later :)

All that to say, if you're going to make this cake and this frosting for a party, just give yourself plenty of time.  I made the cake the night before, wrapped each layer tightly in plastic wrap and stored them in the fridge.  The frosting I made the day of (recommended), but thank goodness I had plenty of hours to spare!

Credit: I found the cake recipe here, and the frosting recipe here. 

For the Cake (adapted slightly from BraveTart):
Ingredients
16 oz unsalted butter
14 oz sugar
7 oz brown sugar
1 Tbs baking soda
1 ½ tsp baking powder
1 ½ tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1 ½ tsp ginger
½ tsp allspice
½ tsp nutmeg
½ tsp cloves
6 eggs
16 oz whole wheat flour, sifted
1 Tbs vanilla extract
32 oz carrots, peeled, trimmed, and shredded
16 oz walnut pieces, lightly toasted
(If I had remembered, I would have added about 1 cup of raisins)


Procedure
Preheat the oven to 350° and line three 9” cake pans with parchment paper. Lightly grease them and set aside.
In a small pot, melt the butter over low heat. Once it has melted completely , turn up the heat to medium. The mixture will begin to bubble, possibly spit, and make a bit of noise. You’ll notice brown bits forming on the bottom of the pot. When the butter stops bubbling and goes completely silent, you’re done. Set the butter aside to cool.
Using a hand or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, combine the sugar, brown sugar, baking powder and soda, salt, spices and eggs. Whip on medium to medium high speed until light and fluffy, about five minutes.  (I should have taken a picture at this point.  It was beautiful!  I set the timer and let it whip for five minutes, I'm glad I did, because otherwise I probably would have stopped way too soon).
Reduce the speed to medium low and with the mixer still running, slowly drizzle in the brown butter, making sure to include all of the browned bits from the bottom. Add the vanilla next, then reduce the speed to low and add in the sifted (important!) whole wheat flour all at once. Mix until just incorporated.
Shut off the mixer and use a rubber spatula to fold in the nuts and shredded carrots (and raisins if you so choose).
Measure 32 ounces of batter into each 9” cake pan (or about 3 ounces into each cupcake liner if you're making cup cakes). Bake about 25-30 minutes for cake or 15 minutes for cupcakes, or until the cakes have puffed and lightly browned. A toothpick inserted into the center of the cake should come out with very few to no crumbs stuck to it.
NOTE: I found a secret to baking perfectly flat cakes, that rarely need to be leveled before frosting!  Cut strips of towel (I cut them about 4 inches wide, and doubled them over to be extra thick).  Saturate the towels in water, and lightly squeeze out water, just so that the towel strips aren't dripping.  Tightly wrap the towel strips around the cake pans.  I used safety pins to secure the strips.  The more evenly the pan is surrounded, the flatter the cake.
Allow cakes to cool about 10 minutes before removing them from the pan.  Once completely cooled, wrap in plastic wrap and store in the fridge until you're ready to assemble the cake.

For the Frosting (adapted out of necessesity from BraveTart, using help from Briana's Kitchen):
Ingredients
10 oz egg whites (about 10 egg whites, it’s okay to go a tad over)
10 oz sugar
1/2 tsp  salt
the scrapings from 1 vanilla bean or 1 tsp ground vanilla bean (I use this)
1 lb unsalted butter, cut into 2" chunks and softened to a spreadable state
1 lb cream cheese, cut into 2" chunks and softened to a room temperature
Juice of 1 lemon
AND If need be...
5 oz egg whites (about 5 egg whites)
5 oz sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 lb unsalted butter, cut into 2" chunks and softened to a spreadable state

Procedure
Combine the egg whites, sugar, salt, and vanilla bean together in an clean metal bowl. Set the bowl over a pan of water and turn the heat to medium low. You don’t need the water to even simmer, you just want it hot enough to steam, since steam is what actually heats the whites.
Whisk frequently to prevent the eggs from cooking on the sides. Aim to get the mixture to 145° for food safety reasons, I just used a candy thermometer.
When the mixture is sufficiently hot, remove from the heat.  If using a stand mixer, wipe the condensation off of the bottom of the bowl (to prevent any water from getting into the egg whites), and transfer mixture to the bowl of your stand mixer. Use the whisk attachment to whip on medium high speed until the mixture has doubled in volume and turned snowy white. Continue whipping until the meringue is cool. Use your hands to feel the bowl itself, rather than simply testing the temperature of the meringue. You want it to feel perfectly cool to the touch with no trace of warmth. Note: if you are using a glass or ceramic bowl, even if the meringue has cooled, the bowl itself may still be quite warm and continue conducting heat into the buttercream over time. If you are using a glass or ceramic bowl, transfer the meringue to a new bowl before proceeding or continue mixing until the bowl itself is cool.
Turn the mixer down to medium-low and begin adding in the butter, one chunk at a time. If you didn’t let your meringue cool enough, this is when you’ll really regret it. By the time you’ve added all the butter, you may need to scrape down the bowl to fully incorporate any butter or meringue that’s stuck at the sides.  Then add the cream cheese one chunk at a time.  Continue whipping until the mixture is smooth.  Whip in the lemon juice.  If you're lucky - unlike me - the frosting will become the perfect thick texture of a Swiss meringue buttercream.  If, on the other hand, it turns to a soupy mess and doesn't thicken after 15 minutes of whipping, transfer the soupy mixture to another bowl, and set aside.  Use the remaining ingredients to make another half batch of regular Swiss meringue butter cream.  Once you've completed the procedure and have a perfect frosting, continue whipping on medium speed and start adding the soupy mixture a 1/4 cup at a time.  Let the soupy mixture fully incorporate after each addition.  Continue adding the soupy mixture, paying close attention to the thickness of the frosting.  I stopped when I had added a little over 3/4 of the soupy mixture, but you might be able to add it all without compromising the thickness.  You're finally done!  You should use it to frost your cake right away.  Any leftover frosting can be frozen for later use (just thaw in the fridge, and whip again before using).

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Tiramisu

Baking is pretty much my favorite distraction or method of procrastination.  We were having a girls night a few months ago, and I volunteered to make the dessert.  I thought I'd make something yummy but simple, after all, I was supposed to be studying for my Complex Analysis qualifying exam.  But the more I thought about it, the more I wanted to spend my evenings baking instead of studying.  Everyone needs a break from working the brain too hard every now and then!  So I took on the challenge of making tiramisu, completely from scratch :)  Well, almost completely.  I did buy the mascarpone cheese.  Maybe next time I'll try making the cheese too.

It was worth it.  So worth it.  I should have taken more pictures.  I'll just have to refer you to one of my favorite baking blogs, Sprinkle Bakes, where I found the recipe I used.

I thought it would be fun to make little individual portions, so instead of making regular shaped lady fingers, I made them round, about 3 inches in diameter.  And used two per portion.  I didn't have little spring form pans, or molds, so I ended up making cylinders out of parchment paper around the lady fingers.  They turned out beautifully!

lady fingers in the oven :)


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Sattler Dresdner Christstollen

Ingredients
2.2 lbs (~7 cups) flour
25.6 g instant yeast
1 cup milk
1/3 cup sugar
500 g (~2 cups) butter, melted
zest of one lemon
100 g chopped almonds
100 g candied lemon or orange peel
500 g raisins
60 g butter, melted
60 g powdered sugar



Procedure
Warm milk and flour slightly above room temp. In a small bowl combine yeast and sugar, combine. Put flour in a large mixing bowl. Add butter, sugar yeast mixture, lemon zest, and milk. Combine carefully with a wooden spoon. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead in the almonds, citrus peel, and raisins. Once everything is incorporated place dough in a greased mixing bowl and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour. Pre-heat oven to 360 degrees. Form dough into a long oval loaf and place on a greased baking sheet. Bake for 55-70 minutes or until a tester comes out clean and the stollen has a nice brownish sheen. Remove stollen from oven and immediately alternatively brush with melted butter and dust with powdered sugar. Serve warm or chilled.

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A Sattler Family Recipe

Tongue-hugging Coffee Chocolate Bundt

Ingredients

For cake
1 cup water, boiling
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tsp instant espresso or instant coffee powder
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
2 cups brown sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
1 Tbs vanilla
2 eggs
1 cup chocolate chips

For Frosting
1/2 can sweet and condensed milk
2 Tbs butter (at room temperature)
3 heaping Tbs instant coffee crystals
1 tsp vanilla
1+ cups powdered sugar

Procedure
Preheat oven to 35o degrees. Whisk together boiling water, cocoa powder, and 2 tsp espresso powder in a small bowl or glass measuring cup. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. In electric mixer, beat 2 cups brown sugar, 1 cup vegetable oil and vanilla until blended. Add eggs and beat well, until smooth. Beat in half of flour mixture, then add cocoa mixture, beat. Mix in remaining flour mixture, then fold in the chocolate chips. Pour batter into well-greased bundt pan. Bake for about 50 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out nearly clean. Cool 10-15 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack. As cake cools, make frosting.

To make the frosting, combine sweet and condensed milk and butter. beat in a mixer, or with a hand mixer. In a small dish, combine coffee crystals with vanilla and mix until coffee crystals dissolve. Stir until smooth, and add to the sweet and condensed milk. Stir in powdered sugar until you reach desired consistency.

Drizzle frosting over cake, add a few chocolate chips on top for decoration if desired.

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cake recipe from epicurious.

Cranberry Almond Bundt Cake

Ingredients
2 cups white flour
3/4 cups rye flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp cardamon
1 tsp cloves
1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
3 eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp almond extract
1 cup plain yogurt
1 cup toasted almonds, chopped
1 cup frozen cranberries

For Glaze
2/3 cup powdered sugar
4 Tbs lemon juice

Procedure
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. To toast almonds place coarsely chopped almonds on cookie sheet in 350 degree oven fro 7-10 minutes. In a medium mixing bowl beat butter until smooth. Add sugars and cream together for approximately 3 minutes. Add eggs one at a time. Add vanilla and yogurt. Stir in between each addition. Add in all dry ingredients. Mix until just combined. Fold in cranberries and almonds. Pour batter into greased bundt pan and bake for 65-75 minutes, or until tester comes out clean. Let dry completely before glazing. For glaze combine powdered sugar and juice. Drizzle over cake.



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Adapted from an Epicurious recipe.

Carrot Cake

Ingredients for Cake
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 tsp salt
3 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp allspice
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
3 cups grated carrot
1 cup chopped walnuts

Ingredients for Frosting
16 oz cream cheese, softened (fat free is ok)
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
food coloring
1 cup grated carrot
1/4 cup sugar

Procedure
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease two 9 inch cake pans. Line with parchment paper and re-grease. Combine sugar, flour, salt, oil, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and allspice in a large mixing bowl. Mix until combined. Add in eggs one at a time. Stir in carrots and walnuts. Pour batter into pans and bake for 30-40 minutes or until tester comes out clean and cake has pulled away from sides of pan. Let cool in pan for ten minutes. For frosting, combine cream cheese, butter, food coloring and powdered sugar. In a separate bowl combine carrot and sugar. Assemble cake.



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Adapted from allrecipe's recipes

Applesauce Cake with Lemon Glaze

Ingredients for Cake
1 1/4 cups flour
2/3 tsp baking powder
1/3 tsp baking soda
3 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp allspice
1 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup whole milk
3/4 cup applesauce
9 Tbs butter
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 eggs

Ingredients for Frosting
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp lemon juice
2 tsp hot water


Procedure
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium mixing bowl combine dry ingredients minus the brown sugar. In a second mixing bowl mix together milk and applesauce. In a third mixing bowl cream butter. Add brown sugar and mix well. Add eggs; mix well. Add in dry ingredients and applesauce mixture in three batches alternating between dry and wet, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined. Pour into greased 9x13 loaf pan and bake for 60-70 minutes or until tester comes out clean. Let cool ten minutes in pan, before removing to drying rack. Let cool completely before glazing. For glaze, combine powdered sugar, juice and water. Mix well and drizzle over cool cake.



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Adapted from here.

Opa's Glorious Sponge Cake

Ingredients
6 eggs, separated
1 cup sugar
1 cup flour
1/4 cup orange juice
1 tsp orange zest
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 tsp salt
3 cups berries
3 cinnamon sticks
1 Tbs honey

Procedure
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Separate the eggs. Whisk the egg yolks. Add sugar. Beat well. Add in the flour and salt alternatively with the juice and zest, beating well, all the while. In a separate bowl beat the egg whites with the ream of tartar until medium hard peaks form. Fold the egg whites into the batter and pour into ungreased tub pan. Bake for 60-65 minutes. Let cool and use a sharp knife to cut the cake off the sides of the pan. Combine berries, honey and cinnamon sticks in a small sauce pan and heat to desired consistency. Drizzle berry syrup over cake.

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Triple Chocolate Cheesecake

Ingredients For the crust
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cup Oreo crumbs (about 20 cookies)

For the filling
3 8oz packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
2 Tbsp cornstarch
3 eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
1 Tbsp vanilla
4 oz milk chocolate
4 oz white chocolate
4 oz dark chocolate

For the glaze
3 oz bittersweet baking chocolate
2 Tbsp butter or vegetable oil

Procedure
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and place a sheet of tinfoil on oven rack to catch any drips. Grease 9-inch springform pan. In a small bowl, rub butter into cookie crumbs until well combined. Press into bottom of springform pan. Bake 8-10 minutes until set. Set aside to cool and reduce oven to 300 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, beat together cream cheese, sugar and cornstarch on medium speed until smooth. Reduce to low speed and beat in eggs one at a time, sour cream, and vanilla. Divide batter evenly between three medium bowls (about 2 cups each). Melt chocolates separately, and stir each chocolate into a different bowl of batter. Spread dark chocolate batter onto crust, smoothing out all the way to the edge. Next spoon on the white chocolate batter and carefully spread to the edges without mixing with the layer beneath. Finally, spread the milk chocolate layer on top, smooth.

Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes or until set, center will jiggle slightly. If cake has not pulled away from the sides of the pan, run a knife around the edge of the pan to release cheesecake. Cool in pan on a wire rack, then cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours (up to two days).

For the glaze, combine chocolate and butter in a small saucepan over low heat until completely melted, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and let cool 15 minutes. Remove sides of pan from cake, and spread glaze over top of cheesecake. Refrigerate until glaze is just set and serve. If chilled longer, let stand at room temperature 30 minutes before serving.

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from a Woman'sDay recipe.

Tuxedo Cake

Ingredients

For Brownie
6 oz bittersweet chocolate
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 Tbs cocoa powder1 tsp vanilla
2 Tbs espresso
3/4 tsp salt
1 cup whole wheat flour

For White Cake
3 large egg white
1/4 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
3 Tbs cornstarch1 cup and 5 Tbs flour
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup milk

For Chocolate Cake
1 1/3 cup flour
1/2 Tbs baking powder
1/2 tps baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter, room temp2 eggs
1/2 cup + 2 Tbs cocoa powder
1 cup ice water

For Frostings
1 cup butter, softened
1 vanilla bean, scraped
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cup milk
8 cups powdered sugar, more or less to desired consistency
12 oz blackberries

For Ganache
6 oz bittersweet chocolate
2/3 cup cream
1 tsp vanilla

For Decorative Topping
4 oz white chocolate4 oz dark chocolate




Procedure

For Brownie
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Heat chocolate and butter in medium saucepan over medium heat until evenly melted. Remove from heat. In mixing bowl combine eggs, sugar, cocoa, vanilla, espresso, and salt. Add melted chocolate and flour. Mix until evenly incorporated. Pour batter into greased spring-form pan. Bake for 25- 30 minutes.
Set aside to cool. Do not remove brownie from spring-form pan bottom.


For White Cake
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease two 9-inch round cake pans, and cut two circles of wax paper and lay into the bottom of each pan. Grease the wax paper, then lightly flour the wax paper and sides of pan.
Whisk egg whites in small bowl. Add 1/4 milk and vanilla, whisk to mix, set aside. In bowl of mixer, combine flour, sugar, and baking powder. Mix on low. Add butter and 1/2 cup milk, beat on low speed to combine. Raise to medium speed, until light and fluffy. Add egg white mixture. Mix briefly. Divide batter into pans. Bake for 15-20 min or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cakes cool in pans for at least 10 min before removing from pans to finish cooling on a drying rack. Once cakes are removed from pans and placed on drying racks carefully peal off wax paper circle off the bottoms of the cakes. Let cakes cool until the cake is ready to assemble. If you are worried that they will get stale before you assemble the cake cover them with plastic wrap. But make sure they are completely cooled before you do so.

For Chocolate Cake
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease two 9-inch round cake pans, and cut two circles of wax paper and lay into the bottom of each pan. Grease the wax paper, then lightly flour the wax paper and sides of pan.
In a small mixing bowl mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a large mixing bowl beat sugar and butter together until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time followed by the yolk. Add cocoa and beat well. Add in flour mixture in three additions separated by two additions of ice water, beginning with and ending with the flour mixture. Mix well. Divide into pans and bake for 12-15 min or until toothpick comes out clean. Let cakes cool in pans for at least 10 min before removing from pans to finish cooling on a drying rack. Once cakes are removed from pans and placed on drying racks carefully peal off wax paper circle off the bottoms of the cakes. Let cakes cool until the cake is ready to assemble. If you are worried that they will get stale before you assemble the cake cover them with plastic wrap. But make sure they are completely cooled before you do so.

For Frostings
In a mixing bowl beat butter with vanilla beans, and salt. Add one cup powdered sugar. Mix well. Add milk followed by the powdered sugar until your desired consistency is reached. Set aside.
If your berries are frozen place directly in small saucepan and cook on medium heat for 15 minutes, or until most of thee liquid boils off. Stir constantly. If you are using fresh berries mash before heating. Set aside

For Ganache (Don't prepare until cake is assembled)
Heat cream, chocolate, and vanilla in a sauce pan on medium low heat until just melted. Set aside to cool for 5-10 mins before applying to cake.

To Assemble Cake
Apply a hearty layer of vanilla bean frosting to the top of the brownie. Carefully set a layer of white cake atop brownie. Again apply a layer of frosting, followed by a thin layer of blackberry filling. Set a layer of chocolate cake atop blackberries. Again apply a layer of frosting. Apply second layer of white cake, followed by frosting and blackberries. Add final layer of chocolate cake and use excess frosting to evenly cover top and sides. Once ganache has cooled spread evenly over entire cake. Melt white chocolate in small saucepan on low heat until just melted and drizzle over cake. Repeat with dark chocolate. For best results refrigerate until serving.

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Adapted from recipes from this book and from Epicurious.

Coffee Brownie Cake

For Brownie

6 oz bittersweet chocolate

1/2 cup butter

2 eggs

1 cup sugar

1 Tbs cocoa powder

1 tsp vanilla

2 Tbs espresso

3/4 tsp salt

1 cup whole wheat flour

For Topping

3/4 cup cream

1/8 cup cold strong coffee

1 Tbs powdered sugar

Chocolate, peppermint to garnish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Heat chocolate and butter in medium saucepan over medium heat until evenly melted. Remove from heat. In mixing bowl combine eggs, sugar, cocoa, vanilla, espresso, and salt. Add melted chocolate and flour. Mix until evenly incorporated. Pour batter into greased round 9 inch baking pan. Bake for 25- 30 minutes.

Remove form oven and let cool to room temperature. Whisk cream until soft peaks form. Add

coffee and powdered sugar. Whisk to desired consistency. Dollop onto cake and garnish with topping of your choosing.

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Adapted from a CHOW recipe.

Chocolate Espresso Cake

Ingredients

For Cake:
1 3/4 cup flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
4 Tbs unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 Tbs light corn syrup
2/3 vegetable oil
2/3 cup milk

For Filling:
2/3 cup chocolate chips
1-2 Tbs oil

For Frosting:
1/2 can sweet and condensed milk
2 Tbs butter (at room temperature)
3 heaping Tbs instant coffee crystals
vanilla
1+ cups powdered sugar

For decoration:
1/2 cup chocolate chips


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

To make the cake, lightly grease two round cake pans (8 or 9 in). Stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda??, salt?? and cocoa in a large mixing bowl. Stir in sugar. Make a well in the center, and put in eggs, corn syrup, oil, and milk. Beat the liquids with a wooden spoon, gradually mixing in the dry ingredients to make a smooth batter. Divide the batter between the two pans. Bake 25 -35 minutes, or until springy to the touch, and a tooth pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in pans for 5 minutes, then turn out onto wire racks and let cool completely.

while cake is baking, prepare decorations by melting chocolate chips, and pouring melted chocolate onto a piece of wax paper. Place in freezer.


To make the filling, add the oil to the chocolate in a small saucepan. Let melt over medium heat until just melted. Let cool slightly (no longer hot, but still liquid and spreadable). Begin assembling the cake by placing the first layer on cake plate, and spreading the filling over the top of the first layer (not down the sides). Place the second layer atop the first. Set aside to make the frosting.

To make the frosting, combine sweet and condensed milk and butter. beat in a mixer, or with a hand mixer. In a small dish, combine coffee crystals with enough vanilla so that the coffee crystals dissolve. Stir until smooth, and add to the sweet and condensed milk. Stir in powdered sugar until you reach desired consistency.


Spread frosting over top of cake, letting it drip down the sides.

To decorate, remove chocolate from freezer and using a sharp knife at a 45 degree angle, scrape chocolate curls (see picture below). Scatter your chocolate curls over the cake, and enjoy. Best if eaten the day of or the day after.


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adapted from a Cook's Library recipe.