What’s Black and White and Yummy All Over?

This is one of those recipes that I originally made a reallly long time ago, but was definitely worth the wait before it made its starring appearance here on the blog. I brought these to a birthday party at work and they were a big hit.

Black Bottom Cupcakes (adapted from here)

What You’ll Need

White Filling

• 1 (8 oz.) package fat free cream cheese
• 1 egg (or ¼ cup egg substitute)
• ⅓ cup sugar
• ⅛ tsp salt
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Black Filling

• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup sugar
• ¼ cup cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 cup water
• ⅓ cup vegetable oil
• 1 tbsp distilled white vinegar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

What To Do

Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease a muffin tin with Pam or butter, or, alternately, line with paper cups.

In a large mixing bowl, beat together the ingredients for the white filling (cream cheese, egg, sugar, and salt.) Fold in the chocolate chips afterwards.

In a separate bowl, mix together the dry ingredients for the black filling (flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.)

Gradually add the wet ingredients (water, vinegar, oil, vanilla) to the dry mix. Mix well; the batter will be thin.

Fill the muffin cups ⅓ full with the chocolate batter. Top with one large spoonful of the white filling.

Bake for 30-35 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

You’ll know these are done when the white portion of the cupcakes starts to turn a slight golden brown.

Although it may be sacrilege to say this, I’m not a huge cheesecake fan. I find its richness to be overwhelming, and I can usually only get through a bite or two of the pure, unadulterated versions. I do, however, love the flavor when there’s something else to cut through the creaminess of cheesecake, and these were a perfect example. The strong but not overpowering chocolate portion is a great counterpart to the cheesecake portion, and the chocolate chips provide enough texture to keep these from getting too mushy of a texture.

On top of the great taste, they look pretty darned impressive when you’re eating them. Everyone you share them with will be sure to think you spent much longer slaving away in the kitchen than you actually did – don’t spill the beans that these are a cinch to cook!

Chocolate Overload Cake

Whether or not you’re a fan of the holiday, Valentine’s Day is always a great excuse to eat inordinately large amounts of chocolate. Currently in my house, I have half of an Edible Arrangements chocolate-dipped fruit bouquet, chocolate-dipped, candy-crusted pretzels, chocolate-dipped peanut butter pretzels, maple crème eggs, marshmallow chocolate hearts, and the list goes on…

Despite the fact that most of this was around on Monday, I still wanted to make a special dessert to go with the fancy dinner I cooked for Eric and I. Going with the chocolate theme, I picked this cake because it sounded so over-the-top chocolatey that I couldn’t resist it.  Although I made a couple changes, you can find the original recipe for the cake here and the glaze here.

Chocolate Overload Cake

What You’ll Need

Cake:

• 1 package Devil’s Food Cake mix
• 1 small package fat free, sugar free instant chocolate pudding
• 1 cup fat free sour cream
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 cup Egg Beaters or egg substitute (or 4 regular eggs)
• ½ cup warm water
• 2 cups (equivalent to 1 bag) semisweet mini chocolate chips

Glaze:

• ¾ cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 ½ tbsp butter
• ¼ tsp vanilla extract
• Confectioner’s sugar for decoration

Preheat your oven to 350F. Generously grease a Bundt pan or two 9-inch cake pans.

In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the dry cake mix and instant pudding. Add the oil, applesauce, eggs, and water.  Mix well until no clumps remain. The batter will be slightly thick and stiff, but fluffy.

Dump in the mini chocolate chips, and mix until thoroughly distributed.

Transfer the batter to the greased cake pan (I used a bundt pan, and I’d recommend using this shape if possible as it holds the glaze well later on).

The original recipe said to cook this for 50-55 minutes, so I set my timer for 53 minutes.  Apparently my oven resides on the planet Sucktastica, because at that point the top looked cooked but it was still visibly liquidy when I tapped it with my finger. It took me another 10-15 minutes for a toothpick to come out clean when I poked a couple different places – if you use this method, just be aware that you might poke a melty chocolate chip. There is a difference between uncooked batter and melted chocolate on your toothpick – you don’t want to overbake the cake! Regardless, I don’t think this an issue with the recipe, more just with my oven, so try the suggested time before changing what you do.

When I took the cake out, it had risen to about the top of the pan and smelled amazing.

It’s important to let this cool for AT LEAST an hour before you flip it out of the pan.  To do so, place a cutting board or large plate over the pan, then invert it.  My cake popped out with no problem whatsoever – this is where liberal use of your nonstick cooking spray really comes in handy.

While this is cooling for another 5 or 10 minutes, make the glaze. Place the chocolate chips and butter into a microwave safe bowl, and heat on high for 45 seconds.  You’ll note that I didn’t include the corn syrup listed in the original recipe. mostly because I didn’t have any at home and I forgot to buy some at the grocery store.  I didn’t miss it at all, and will omit it in the future.  Mix the chips well after microwaving them once. Add the vanilla, then microwave for another 30 seconds until the chocolate is smooth.  My chocolate chips are related to my oven and also reside on Sucktastica, so they didn’t melt so much as turn into a spongy chocolate mass.  I thinned them out with some milk and it tasted great.  I drizzled the glaze all over the top of the cake and let it drip down the edges, then dusted the top with confectioner’s sugar.

The glaze will harden almost immediately, forming a shell over the top of the cake. When you cut into this cake, the first thing you’ll notice are the myriad of tiny chocolate chips scattered throughout.

This is where it’s crucial to use the mini chips, and not the regular size.  Regular chips are too heavy, and the batter can’t support their weight while baking, so they will sink to the bottom. While still tasty, it won’t let you get little pops of chocolate in each and every bite!

This cake is unbelievably moist, and I’ve tried to make it as “healthy” as possible by subbing out half of the oil and all of the eggs the original recipe called for, as well as using fat free sour cream.  You could easily use applesauce for all of the oil without changing the consistency or texture of this cake. It’s rich, so you won’t want to serve giant slices, but it is delicious and was the perfect way to end our Valentine’s Day with.  Make it for your next party, church social, or for a special treat in the middle of a stressful work week!

Winter Wonderland

I made this as a special dessert on Christmas Day since the picture I saw online was so pretty and festive.  Even though this has a decidedly wintry theme, you could easily adapt it for any season by making different shapes for the topping.

Snowflake Cake
What You’ll Need

• 1 package Devil’s Food chocolate cake mix
  
• 1 package fat-free/sugar-free vanilla pudding
  
• 6 squares (1 bar) Baker’s white chocolate
  
• 1 small tub fat free Cool Whip
  
• ¼ cup powdered sugar
  
• 1 cup cold milk
  
• 1 small can raspberry pie filling, warmed and strained
  
• Wax paper

Start out by baking the cake in two 9-inch round pans according to package’s instructions.  I’m not going to go through that or show pictures because really, we all know how to make a boxed cake.
While the cakes are cooling, cut two pieces of wax paper large enough to cover cookie sheets. Also get some scrap paper, and using a Sharpie draw snowflake and/or star shapes ranging from between 1-3 inches.



Slip these sheets underneath the wax paper so you can trace over them.



In a small mixing bowl, break the white chocolate squares into small pieces.




Melt the chocolate in the microwave or in a double boiler according to the instructions on the package.  I went with the microwave route and nuked the chocolate on medium heat for short bursts, with lots of mixing to make sure it blended evenly. After there are no chunks remaining and the chocolate is smooth, let it cool for 5 minutes.  Do NOT skip this step!



After the chocolate has cooled, use a spatula and scrape it into a Ziploc bag (sandwich size works best).  If you’re uber fancy, you could use a pastry bag, but who really has those laying around?  Snip the very edge of one of the bottom corners off of the bag to create a small opening. Using both hands, gently squeeze the chocolate onto the wax paper, tracing over the shapes on the paper.  After you’ve finished, freeze (or refrigerate if you don’t have room) the snowflakes for 10-15 minutes, or until they have hardened.



Be generous with your shapes – the thicker the lines, the easier they will be to remove and the more sturdy they will be on the cake! This definitely takes practice, as you can see by some of my skinny and sloppy snowflakes.  I filled two large cookie sheets with large and small snowflakes, which left me with plenty of extras once I started to decorate the cake.  My suggestion is to err on the smaller side as they are easier to pull off the paper and less likely to snap in half.  On the other hand, when that happens, you get to eat your mistakes!

To make the frosting for the cake, mix the pudding, confectioner’s sugar, and milk with a whisk for 2 minutes, or until the pudding is completely dissolved and the mixture is smooth.



Using a spatula, gently fold in the entire container of Cool Whip.



Mix the frosting until there are no white streaks remaining, but not to the point of breaking down the consistency.  The texture should be light, fluffy, and creamy.



Transfer the contents of the raspberry pie filling can to a small bowl.  Microwave for 30 seconds to 1 minute, until warm but not hot.  Using a spatula, scrape the pie filling into a small sieve or strainer.  Use the spatula to push the pie filling through, scrape the seedless extract from the bottom, and place it into a new bowl.



Place one of the cake rounds on a cake plate. Using a bread knife, I cut the top off of mine to get an even surface.



Spread the raspberry filling onto the cake, leaving about ¼ of an inch of the edges free.



Spread about ⅓ of the frosting on top of the raspberry jam, being careful not to mix the two.



Frost the cake with the rest of the frosting.  Carefully peel the snowflakes off of the wax paper and press them lightly into the surface of the frosting.  They will stick, even if it doesn’t seem like it.  Alternate the large and small snowflakes to completely fill the surface of the cake.




This cake was as pretty to look at as it was tasty to eat.  Even though it uses a box cake mix, the use of the fruit filling as well as the light frosting make it taste much more decadent.  The best part is that, besides the eggs/oil used in the cake, there’s no extra fat in the frosting! I will definitely be using this as an alternate to the regular buttercream frosting I whip up for all of my other cakes.  This cake is also very adaptable – the original recipe called for a yellow cake mix, but I felt more like chocolate.  You could easily use any other flavor of cake, or fruit filling, or even frosting. Feel free to tweak this according to your liking, and don’t feel guilty for eating something that looks so pretty!

Chocolate Toffee Crunch Trifle

For the past five and a half years, I’ve been lucky enough to work in a lab that feels more like a collection of friends and family than random coworkers.  We have a nice tradition of going out to lunch for someone’s birthday, followed by a cake/pie/dessert of the birthday person’s choice.  About a year ago, I made this trifle for my university’s church fellowship summer picnic, and it was a huge hit.  Before I brought it to that event, it sat in my workplace’s refrigerator for the day, where it served as an endless source of temptation to my labmate, Jason.  He practically begged me to let him have some, which, of course, I did not. Recently, Jason was preparing to defend his Ph.D. thesis, and I told him that for his celebration afterwards, he could pick any kind of cake or dessert he wanted and I would make it for him.  Not surprisingly, this was his top choice!

What You’ll Need

• 1 box of chocolate chunk brownie mix
• 1 3.9 oz. box of sugar-free, fat-free instant chocolate pudding
• 1 14 oz. can fat-free sweetened condensed milk
• 1 12 oz. container fat-free whipped topping (Cool Whip)
• 2 2.8 oz. Heath brand toffee bars
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 3 tbsp. granulated sugar
• ½ cup water

What To Do:

Prepare the brownies according to the box’s instructions, then let them completely cool.  I recommend letting them cool for at least 2 hours, since the firmer the brownies are, the better. Once they are cooled, cut the brownies into 1” squares.

In a large bowl, mix together the condensed milk, water, and pudding mix until it is fully blended (it will be fairly runny).

In a separate bowl, combine the whipping cream and the sugar.  Beat vigorously with a whisk for 2-3 minutes until the cream has reached a stiff consistency to the point that it forms peaks and does not fall off of the whisk when lifted.

Gently fold the whipped cream into the pudding mixture using a spatula.  You have to be careful not to overwork this mixture, as the whipped cream can lose its thickness, and you want this to stay light and fluffy. 

Continue folding until it is evenly mixed throughout and there are no remaining visible streaks of color.

Finally, break the Heath bar into a rough crumble (small chunks). Those of you in well-equipped kitchens can do this in about 3.2 seconds using your handy dandy food processors.  I, however, lack such a fun kitchen utensil (but it’s on my Christmas list, hint hint). Since I couldn’t use a magical machine to do it for me, I went the old-fashioned route and pounded the holy hell out of the candy bars with a can of beans while they were inside a Ziploc bag, reducing them to a fairly even consistency.  This extremely loud pounding may or may not have a) freaked the hell out of my cats, b) caused me to worry that I might dent my new counters, and c) ripped open the Ziploc bag, leaking toffee crumbs all over the counter whenever I moved the bag.  That’s just how I roll.

Now that all the fun stuff is done, it’s time to assemble the trifle!  It should go without saying that it helps if you have an honest-to-goodness trifle bowl, since they are deep enough for all of the layers in this dish.  If not, any deep bowl will work (glass is preferable since it’s so pretty when it’s done!).

Start out by covering the bottom of the bowl as completely as possible with your brownie squares.

Next, sprinkle a generous handful of the toffee bits over the brownies.

Then, spoon the chocolate whipped cream on top. Make sure you add enough to fully cover the brownies with room to spare (you will have plenty left over for the other layers!). Cover this layer with the fat-free Cool Whip, taking care not to mix the two cream layers.

Repeat this once more with the remainder of the ingredients.  The Cool Whip should nearly reach the lip of the trifle bowl once you’re done. 

I had some teeny-tiny toffee crumbs left over in my mangled Ziploc bag, which I then sprinkled on top for garnish.

This makes at least 8 healthy servings, and my coworkers managed to polish nearly the entire thing off minus the one scoop I managed to sneak away for my hubby.  My boss, who tends to have a bit of a sweet tooth, declared this “one of the best desserts he’s ever had”.  While I don’t like to use such lofty praise for my own dishes, this is pretty frickin’ awesome.  It’s seriously loaded with chocolate, which is not what I usually prefer, so I can only manage a small serving, but it’s delicious enough that even I am tempted to go back for seconds.  The use of the whipping cream helps balance out the chocolate pudding, and believe it or not, this isn’t overly sweet. You can leave the toffee bar out if you don’t like the texture, but I think the crunch brings this to a whole new level (I’ve tried it both ways).  All in all, this is a relatively easy dessert that will impress your guests and is sure to disappear quickly!

Birthday Cake, Part 1: Chocolate Edition

As I mentioned in my last guest post, I am making my family's traditional birthday cake for Tia and myself this weekend. Since one of my manager's birthdays is the day before mine, I also promised to bring some cake to work this week. I figured I'd make a chocolate cake today since a. the cake I'm making this weekend is a vanilla cake and b. the cocoa powder in our cupboard expires at the end of the month. I found this recipe in one of my mom's cookbooks and thought I'd give it a try, and it turned out great!

Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

What You'll Need:

-For the cake:

3/4 cup butter, softened

3 eggs

2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 cups sugar

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups milk

-For the frosting:

3/4 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

8 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1/4 cups milk

2 tsp vanilla extract

milk

Note: The frosting recipe yields enough to frost the tops and sides of two 8- or 9-inch layer cakes, so you are instructed to halve it to frost a 13x9x2-inch cake, which is what I did.

What To Do:

Start by preheating your oven to 350F and setting the butter and eggs on the counter so that they start to approach room temperature (the recipe says to leave them out for about half an hour, which is roughly the amount of time it takes to grease the pans and get the rest of your ingredients assembled).

Ingredients on the counter and ready to go.

If you are planning on removing the cake from the pan before serving, such as for layer cakes, or in my case, to put into another container for travel, grease the bottom of the pan and then line it with waxed paper, like so.

Then grease the bottoms and sides of the pans and lightly flour them, or, since you're making a chocolate cake, use some cocoa powder in place of the flour, which is what I did today. These steps probably sound tedious and seemed that way at the time, but my cake came out of the pan really easily and looked absolutely perfect, so they were worth the time and effort. If you're planning on leaving the cake in the pan, you can just grease it and skip the waxed paper and flour steps.

Cake pan greased and lightly coated in cocoa powder.

You should then combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl and set it aside. In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Gradually add the sugar, about 1/4 cup at a time, beating on medium speed until well combined (about three to four minutes). Scrape the sides of the bowl and beat the mixture on medium speed for two minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition (about one minute total). Then beat in the vanilla.

Alternate adding the flour mixture and the milk to the butter mixture, beating on low speed after each addition until just combined. Once you are finished, beat the batter on medium to high speed for 20 seconds more. I will note that at this point, I was mildly concerned, because the batter seemed very runny, although it smelled marvelous.

The batter, which was approximately the consistency of pudding.

My guess is that although the recipe doesn't specify the type of milk you are supposed to use, it wants you to use whole milk, so since we only had skim, that might have had an impact on the consistency. Thankfully, this didn't appear to have any negative impact on the cake. Your final step is to spread the batter evenly into your prepared pan(s).

Bake the cake(s) for 35 to 40 minutes (for 8-inch pans or a 13x9x2-inch pan), 30 to 35 minutes for 9-inch pans, or until a wooden toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool the cake in the pan for ten minutes before removing it and peeling off the waxed paper.

While you are (impatiently) waiting for the cake to cool on a wire rack, you can start making the frosting. Start by beating the butter until smooth in a large mixing bowl. Beat the cocoa powder into the butter before gradually adding two cups of the powdered sugar, beating well. Slowly beat in the 1/4 cup milk and the vanilla. Then gradually add the rest of the powdered sugar and just enough milk so that the frosting reaches spreading consistency (it doesn't take much; I added approximately another 1/8 cup and a tbsp of milk for the halved recipe). This recipe yielded more than enough for me to frost the cake as well as eat enough to make me feel sick to my stomach, although I partially blame that on my family members' unwillingness to spoil their diets by licking the bowl. It's a sad, sad day when people turn down bowls containing chocolate buttercream frosting, let me tell you.

A photo of the finished cake, which I decorated with orange sprinkles because, as my mother said, "People like that."

This cake was delicious, and that's saying something since I don't really like chocolate cake. The cake itself was moist and had a great chocolate flavor, and since it wasn't very sweet, it paired really well with the sugary frosting. You definitely get a lot of chocolate in one bite, so this would be a great cake for the chocoholic in your life. You could also pair this cake with a vanilla buttercream or cream cheese frosting to tone down the chocolate a little bit, but really, why would you want to do that?

If you make this cake, please let me know how thick your batter ends up being! I'm curious to see if it's supposed to be thinner than normal like it was for me.