I have been slacking I know. Its not as though I have not been baking because I have. I just have not had the time to blog. So here are a few yummy treats that I have made lately. There are a few firsts in this blog. Before this blog I had never made a cheesecake or a layered cake. This cake took some converting since I got it from an Austrilian website so I would say it was the hardest thing I have ever baked.
Oreo Cupcakes
I made these cupcakes back in October. That shows just how busy I have been. A girl I work with LOVES cookies and cream sweets. When I made cookies and cream cupcakes this summer she had said that she would want them again for her Birthday. So I just that note in the back of my mind and one day when I came across these cupcakes I decided they would be perfect for her Birthday. They are some of the most amazing cupcakes I have made. There is a half an oreo on the bottom and the fluffiest forsting. To say the least they were a HIT
Ingredients
-Cupcakes-
3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1/3 cup Dutch-processed cocoa
3/4 cup hot, strong-brewed coffee
3/4 cup bread flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
6 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons white vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
15 Oreo halves, with cream filling attached
-Frosting-
1 3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons whipping cream
3 tablespoons powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 tablespoons Oreo cookies, finely crushed
15 Oreos for the top of each cupcake
Directions
Prehead Over to 350 degrees
Line your pan with cute cupcake liners
Twist Oreos in half and set aside the extra cookies for later. Place the side with cream filling in the bottom of each cupcake liner, cream-side facing up.
Place chocolate and cocoa in a medium bowl and pour the hot coffee over the mixture. Whisk until smooth and transfer to the refrigerator to cool completely, 20-30 minutes.
Whisk flour, sugar, salt, and baking soda together in a medium bowl; set aside.
Whisk oil, eggs, vanilla, and vinegar into the cooled chocolate mixture until smooth. Add flour mixture and whisk until batter is smooth.
Divide batter evenly among pan cups (I use an ice-cream scoop) filling each 3/4 full.
Bake until cupcakes are set and firm to the touch, 17-20 minutes. Allow to cool in pans.
Combine the whipping cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract. Beat on medium-high speed until the whipped cream holds stiff peaks. Gently fold in the cooke crumbs with a spatula.
Frost
I placed a half of a cookie ontop of the cupcake for decoration
-Pinterest Recipe-
Tim Tam Cake
For those of you who dont know what a Tim Tam is...it is an amazing Cookie that I feel in love with while I was in Austrilia. My dad also feel in love with these cookies. Between the two of us a box would be gone in a night. They are a cookie with a filling with another cookie covered in CHOCOLATE. So as I was wasting time on pinterest one day (If you dont know what that is your missing out. Its an amazing way to waste time and get great ideas on recipes, craft ideas, etc.) I stubmled across a recipe for a TIM TAM cake. Since my Dads Birthday was right around the corner I decided to print off the recipe and see if I could make an attempt at this cake. Like I said before I had never made a layerd cake before. So to say the least this cake was not as pretty as some of my cupcakes. There was giant chunks of cake missing from them sticking to the pan. and the Chocolate glaze didn't trun out as I had hoped. With that being said the cake was amazing. So super chocolately and rich but I loved it. I will have to make it again and see if I cant make it prettier.
Ingredients
-Cake-
(make it twice for layers)
4 large eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/4cup Dutch-process cocoa
1 tbsp plain flour
1 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
-Filling-
1/2 butter, removed from the fridge 30 minutes before starting
2/3 milk chocolate, melted
3 cups powdered sugar
1 tbsp milk
-Chocolate Glaze-
1 1/4 cup whipping cream
1 cup milk chocolate chips
Directions
-Cake-
Line two 1 rectangular cake pan. Preheat oven to 350°F
Whisk eggs and sugar in an electric mixer until thick and pale.
Sift over cornstarch, cocoa, flour, cream of tartar and baking soda, fold in with spatula. Fold in butter
spoon into prepared tin
Bake for 10-12 minutes. Let cool on cooling rack completely
-Filling-
Beat butter and sifted icing sugar until light and fluffy.
Add melted chocolate and milk and beat until smooth.
Spread icing over the top of one of the cakes
Sandwich other cake on top of the icing and biscuits.
-Chocolate Glaze-
Break up chocolate into small pieces and place in a large mixing bowl
Slowly heat cream in a small saucepan
Just as it starts to come to the boil, remove from the heat and cool for a couple minutes.
Pour hot cream over chocolate and set aside 10 minutes to allow chocolate to melt. Mix cream and chocolate together until smooth using a whisk,
then cool (I placed mine in the fridge for about 15 mins) until it reaches room temperature and thickens.
Pour over the top of the cake, using a spatula to ensure the ganache covers all the top and sides of the cake (the excess will drip off everywhere so make sure you lay down some baking paper to catch the drips)
Chill in the fridge until the glaze sets up
Not supper pretty....I will work on my cake skills some more!
Pumpkin-Orange Cheesecake with Chocolate
Crust and Salted Caramel
This was the first time I have ever made a cheesecake let alone one of this megnitude. When I volunteered to make dessert I figured I would make a simple pumpkin pie. WRONG! Kathy got a magazine right before thanksgiving that had this recipe in it. She said it would be super easy so I said what the hell. What do i have to lose. If it sucks we can always go buy a pie. She was right this was super easy. I did face one issue (the directions said it would only need to make for an hour or so. However, it took much longer than that). This Cheesecake is packed full of a million different flavors but surprisingly enough they all meshed well and made an amazing treat.
Ingredients
-Crust-
1 Package of Oreos (removed the center filling)
1/2 cup melted unsalted butter
-Filling-
3 packages of cream cheese (8oz) at room temp.
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 tbsp. flour
4 large eggs, at room temp.
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/4 cup heavy cream, sour cream, and maple syrup
Zest of one Orange
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
-Topping-
6 tbsp. store bought caramel topping
1/8 tsp table salt
1/2 cup coarsely chopped toasted pecans
Directions
-Make Crust-
Preheat the oven to 350. Whirl cookies in a food processor until finely ground. (I put them in a bag and used a rolling pin). Whirl in butter just until incorporated. Pour crumbs in a 9-in. springform pan and press over bottom and up the side about an 1 in.
Bake for 7 minutes, then let cool on a rack. Reduce over heat to 300 degrees.
-Make Filling-
In a large bowl, with a mixer on medium speed, beat cream cheese, sugar, and flour until smooth. Beat in eggs on low speed 1 at a time. Add remaning filling ingredients and beat until just blended. Wrap bottom of pan with foil, pressing it up the outside.
-Set-
Place the springform can in a roasting pan and pour filling into crust. Pour enough boiling water into roating pan to come about halfway up seide of springform pan. Bake until cheese cake barley jiggles in the center when gently shaken. It says one hour...Mine was more like 1 hour 45 minutes. Just keep an eye on it. Cook for 5 hours
-Topping-
Wish caramel topping and table salt in a bowl and spoon over cheese cake. Arrange pecan around the rim.
ENJOY!
(Sunset Magazine)
