Salted Caramel Nut Cake

Leah and I sorta made this up as we went, combining recipes and mixing things around.  In the end, it was sort of to die for.  Just FYI, it is about 540 per sixteenth, but it's really rich, so that's all you'd want anyway!

1 recipe of your favorite chocolate cake, enough for 2 9" round pans

1 1/2 cup of your favorite homemade caramel sauce, separated
1/2 cup cocktail peanuts, coarsely chopped

1 cup salted butter, room temperature
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups powdered sugar

Easy enough - prepare the 9" round pans and bake cake according to directions.  Remove from pans and cool thoroughly.

When the cakes are cool, mix 1 cup caramel with the peanuts.  Spread peanut mixture on top of one of the cakes.  Layer the other cake on top of the peanut layered cake.

When cake layers are assembled, beat the butter until it is light and fluffy.  Add salt and powdered sugar.  Mix until combined (still fluffy).  Beat in remaining 1/2 cup caramel.  Frosting should be light and lovely.  Spread over cake.

Put entire cake in fridge for 1 hour until it is all set.  Enjoy!

Angel Food Torte

First off, I am an newly recruited supporter of angel food cakes from scratch and will never go back! It tastes better and isn't as spongy. So I made my own cake. I used Betty Crocker's recipe and folded in shaved chocolate. I also used orange flavoring instead of almond, but I'm eager to try coconut. Then again, you could just use vanilla.

Ingredients
1-1/3 cups cold whole milk
1 package (3.9 ounces) instant chocolate pudding mix
1 tsp. instant coffee granules (optional)
1 cup heavy whipping cream, whipped, divided
1 angel food cake mix (8 to 10 ounces)
2 Heath candy bars (1.4 ounces each), crushed

Directions
In a large bowl, combine the milk, pudding mix and coffee; beat on low speed for 2 minutes or until thickened. Fold in half of the whipped topping.
Cut cake in half horizontally; place the bottom layer on a serving plate. Spread with half of the pudding mixture. Top with remaining cake.
Fold remaining whipped cream into remaining pudding mixture; spread over top and sides of cake. Sprinkle with crushed candy bars. Chill for 2 hours before serving. Yield: 10-12 servings.

CHOCOLATE HAUPIA CAKE

I got this from Leah who got it from a friend. It's a must try!

I made this last night and it was SO yummy!!! I used it with whipped cream and cherries, like a Black Forest (because my friend doesn't do coconut.) But I'm eager to try the frosting! The cake tasted like those with pudding in them! SO GOOD!


CHOCOLATE CAKE

• 2 cups sugar
• 1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup Cocoa
• 1-1/4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1-1/4 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup boiling water (+ 3 T for high altitude)

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 375°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans.
2. Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Pour batter into prepared pans.
3. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely.



COCONUT CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 4 cups confectioners' sugar
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon coconut flavoring (I added more, but it’s up to you)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut
• 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut, toasted (optional)

Directions:
1. Beat the cream cheese and butter in a mixer bowl until light and fluffy. Gradually add the confectioners' sugar, one cup at a time, alternating with heavy cream. Beat in the salt, coconut flavoring, and vanilla extract. Continue beating until mixture is smooth and spreadable. Add additional confectioners' sugar if necessary to thicken the frosting, or more cream to thin. Stir in the coconut. If desired, spoon toasted coconut evenly over frosted cake.

Do You Dream in Banana?

Because this pie sure does!  I've spend a few weeks perfecting this recipe for banana cream pie.  I wanted a filling that didn't use eggs.  I wanted it to be fluffy and creamy.  So, here's my new banana cream pie, and Leah says it's the best banana pie she's ever had.  I think she might be biased, but still...


2 walnut crusts (see below)
Sliced bananas to cover crusts

• 2 cups half and half (or milk, if you want to be lame)
• 2 bananas
• 1/3 (or even 1/4) cup white sugar
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

1 package unflavored gelatin

1/4 cup cold water

3 egg whites

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 tsp. cream of tartar

1 cup heavy whipping cream

In the blender, blend two bananas and 1 cup half and half.  In a saucepan, mix sugar (1/3 cup), cornstarch, and salt.  Before adding heat, stir in banana/half and half mixture plus the extra cup of half and half.  Heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally.  Meanwhile, dissolve gelatin in cold water.  Set aside.  As pudding mixture heats, stir constantly.  Do not let boil, though it's not a big deal if you do.  Once hot, take off heat and stir in dissolved gelatin.  Put in fridge to set up.

While pudding is setting up, whip the cream to stiff peaks.  If you only whip to soft peaks, pie will not set up.  Set aside.

In bowl, beat eggs, remaining sugar, and cream of tartar.  Whip to very stiff peaks.  (Note, while everyone else probably knows this, the cream of tartar is not optional.  In fact, the pie will not set up without it.)  Set aside.

Once the pudding begins to congeal on edges of saucepan, remove from fridge and blend with rotary beater.  Fold in cream and meringue.  Put mixture into walnut crusts topped with sliced bananas and cool overnight.  

Walnut Crust:  There are two ways to do this.  The first is to make a regular pie crust and just sprinkle lots of chopped walnuts on the top before cooking it.  The other way is to make the crust OUT of walnuts.  Make it just like a graham cracker crust only with chopped walnuts.  Note that this way doesn't hold its shape very well.

Torta Rustica

I made this because I thought it looked good.  Needless to say, I didn't have leftovers.

1 lb. sweet Italian sausage, browned
1 large egg separated
8 oz. ricotta cheese
2 packages (10 oz. each) refrigerated pizza crust or regular pie crust (I put chopped fresh basil in mine)
8 oz. mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 jar (7 oz.) roasted red bell peppers
1/2 cup packed fresh basil leaves

Mix egg yolk with ricotta cheese.  Set white aside.  Take half us pizza dough (or pie crust) and roll it out; line piepan.  Top with half of mozzarella cheese and half of sausage.  Top with all of bell peppers, ricotta mixture, and basil leaves.  Top with remaining sausage and mozzarella cheese.  Now, top with other half or dough (or crust).  Brush top crust with reserved egg white.  Bake at 425 for 25 minutes.  After about 15 minutes of cooking, you may want to cover with foil.  Voila!

Sogno di Cioccolata (Chocolate Dream)

If you've ever been to Carrabba's Italian Grill, this is the scrumptious chocolate cake they serve!! It is fanaminal! This recipe makes a ton and it's rich, but very tasty!

Ingredients:

2 boxes Duncan Hines Fudge Brownie Mix (each using 2 eggs and milk instead of water)

1/2 cup Kahlua (coffee-flavored liqueur)
4 cups chocolate mousse (use your own recipe, or mix up two

(4.2-ounce package Chocolate Mousse Mix)

4 cups whipped cream (from 1 1/2 cups heavy cream, whipped)

2 ounces semisweet chocolate shavings

(As a substitue for Kahlua, use chocolate extract - plus coffee granuals if you want. Or, I made a soft ganache that tasted great too. I used cream, semi-sweet chocolate chips and powdered sugar. If you wanted to add coffee granuels you could too. This part is to intensify the flavor of the chocolate!)

Directions:

Mix brownies according to instructions on box, using the two-egg recipe and substituting milk for the water. Line two 13 x 9 x 2 1/2-inch glass or metal pans with either parchment paper or wax paper (the paper lining makes it much easier to remove the brownies from the pan.) Grease bottoms with oil or spray with Pam. Pour batter into pans, and bake - either in a convection oven at 325 degrees F for 20 minutes, or in a standard oven for about 24-26 minutes. (The convection oven is preferred - it makes a chewier brownie). Bake until a wooden pick inserted in the middle of the brownie comes out clean.

IMPORTANT - DO NOT OVERCOOK.

Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.Loosen the sides with a knife, then remove the brownies in one piece from one of the pans. Turn the brownies upside down and return to the pan.

Peel off paper, then brush the brownie with half of the Kahlua, starting from the outer edges and working toward the center.

Spread 2 cups of the chocolate mousse evenly over the brownie, then spread 2 cups whipped cream over the mousse.

Use a vegetable peeler to shave chocolate, then sprinkle top evenly with chocolate shavings. Remove second brownie from the other pan, brush with remaining Kahlua, and place on top. Repeat layers, first spreading the remaining chocolate mousse, then the remaining whipped cream. (There are no chocolate shavings on top). Refrigerate to store.

Chocolate Fluff Pie

This is a combination of two Betty Crocker pies. I don't like her chocolate creams, because they call for eggs, which makes them way too rich. This is my own compilation of the two, and it tastes great! It's so fluffy and light, yet smooth and chocolatey. Yes, this is a crowd pleaser, if I do say so myself!

1 Pie Shell

1 cup whipping cream

3 egg whites
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 tsp. cream of tartar

1 package unflavored gelatin
1/4 cup cold water

4 Tbsp flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup sugar

1 1/2 cup milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 -1 bar semi-sweet or dark baker's chocolate (depending on how chocolatey you want it)

Whip cream until stiff. Set aside in a cool place.

Make a meringue of egg whites, sugar, and cream of tartar. Beat until stiff and set aside. (Probably in the fridge.)

Soften gelatin in cold water. Set aside. (Are we noticing a trend here?)

Mix flour, salt and sugar. Add milk and vanilla. Heat on low-medium heat. Once mixture gets warm/hot, add chocolate. (Better if you break it into pieces.) Continue heating until mixture boils. Allow to boil for one minute. Remove from heat and add softened gelatin. Put chocolate mixture in fridge to set up.

Once mixture begins to cool and set up, mix with rotary beater until smooth again. Fold in cream and meringue. Spoon mixture into prepared pie crust. Let cool in fridge for several hours. The result is fully awesome!

Fresh Strawberry Pie

This is Dad's grandma's recipe that Grandma Lorimer always made us. This is certainly one of my favorites.

1 pie crust (already prepared)
sliced fresh strawberries (enough to fill your pie crust most of the way)

1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups cold water
3 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon butter
red food coloring

Stir sugar and cornstarch into water until they dissolve. Add cinnamon, butter, and food coloring. Heat mixture until it becomes transparent, stirring sometimes. Once it is transparent, let the mixture cool. Once cool, add sliced strawberries. Put strawberry mixture into pie shell and refridgerate. (Do not let sit for too long. Pie crust gets soggy.) Serve with whipped cream.

Strawberry Dream Cake

Good and pink. The website calls it decadent. The only think I know is that it got eaten up pretty quickly at dinner tonight.

• 1 (18.25 ounce) package white cake mix
• 1 1/2 cups frozen sweetened strawberries, pureed
• 12 ounces cream cheese
• 8 (1 ounce) squares white chocolate
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 (8 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
• 1/2 pint sliced fresh strawberries

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease two 9 inch round cake pans.
2. Make cake per directions except substitute the 1 1/2 cups of strawberries for the water and add 1 extra egg, (if cake mix calls for 2 eggs add 3), and 8 ounces of the cream cheese at room temperature. Beat well and pour into the prepared pans.
3. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for about 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. A toothpick inserted in the center will not come out clean when this cake is done since it is so moist. Let cake cool fully before frosting.
4. To Make Frosting: Heat the heavy cream until just beginning to boil. Pour it over the white chocolate (chopped) and the remaining 4 ounces cream cheese. Mix well and let cool. Once cool fold into the whipped topping. Use to frost cooled cake and garnish with sliced fresh strawberries.

Top Secret Brownie Recipe

This recipe was tested numerous times -- mostly on Sunday afternoons -- see variations........

Pre-heat oven to 350.

In a saucepan, melt:

• 2 sticks of butter
• a couple of handfuls of marshmallows -- it's really impossible to use too many

after marshmallows are mostly melted, add:

• 2/3 cup cocoa powder

remove from heat once cocoa powder is mixed in. Then mix in:

• 2 cups sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• if you have chocolate extract, you can add some of that as well

After that is combined, add:

• 1 and 1/4 cup flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder

bake in a greased/floured METAL pan @ high altitude for 30 - 35 minutes. This recipe doesn't work as well at sea level or in glass pans.

Variations -- the usual nuts, etc work and

PB Option:

Mix together 1 cup of peanut butter, powdered sugar & milk (evaporated milk or cream work really nicely here) until you have a batter consistency. Drop spoonfuls of the PB mixture into the chocolate after it is in the pan -- swirl together and bake as normal.

Coconut option:

Substitute 1/2 cup of coconut flour for 1/2 cup of the normal flour. Add coconut flakes (I like the unsweetened kind) and chopped macadamia nuts.

Alien moon landing version:

Mix in a bunch of big marshmallows at the very end. They float to the top during baking and make really yummy craters.

Funky flours:

If you have hazelnut flour or almond flour -- you can substitute 1/2 a cup of that for the regular flour. I would add a co-ordinating nut. If you don't have funky flours, try Bob's Red Mill. Actually, ask me first -- I either have a stash, or I'm getting ready to place an order.

Don't try this at home version:

One time when I was making this -- I think I was about 13, we were out of vanilla. So, I thought I'd add some almond extract instead. Then I decided that I really didn't like the taste of the almond extract. So I added three times as much peppermint extract to cover up the almond. Well, that was even worse. So I dumped in a bunch of lemon juice and stuck it in the oven. They were hands down the most horrible batch that I ever made. Paul, Johnny & Bryce ate the whole pan.

Cheesecake Supreme

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 5 (8 oz) packages cream cheese, softened
• 5 eggs
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 3/4 cups sugar
• 1/8 cup flour
• 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Mix the graham cracker crumbs, 1/2 cup of the sugar, and the melted butter together. Press mixture into the bottom of one 9 or 10 inch springform pan.
3. In a large bowl, combine cream cheese, eggs, and egg yolks; mix until smooth. Add the remaining 1 3/4 cups sugar, the flour, and the cream. Blend until smooth. Pour batter into prepared pan.
4. Bake at 400 degrees F for 10 minutes, then turn oven temperature down to 200 degrees F and continue baking for 1 hour, or until filling is set. Let cheesecake cool, then refrigerate.