Tuesday, December 30, 2014

Reese's Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake Cheesecake

Ingredients for the Cheesecake


30 mini peanut butter cups, each one quartered
2 sticks softened butter
1 cup sugar
4-8 ounce packages cream cheese, softened
1-3 ounce package cook and serve vanilla pudding
4 eggs
2 teaspoons baking powder


Ingredients for the Chocolate Cake

1/2 package dark chocolate fudge cake mix
1/2 package chocolate fudge instant pudding (3.9 ounce package)
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs


Ingredients for the Caramel Sauce

1 cube butter
2 cups brown sugar
1 cup half and half
Dash of salt
1 tablespoon vanilla


Ingredients for the Chocolate Frosting

1 2/3 cup semisweet chocolate hcips
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/2 tablespoon corn syrup


Ingredients for the Peanut Butter Frosting 

1 cup peanut butter
5 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
1 1/2 - 2 cups powdered sugar (depending on how thick you want your frosting)
3/4 teaspoons vanilla extract


Additional Ingredients
Peanut halves
Reeses, quartered


Directions for the Cheesecake

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line two 9-inch pans with parchment. Spray with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
2. Cream butter and sugar in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Add cream cheese a little at a time. Mix until fully incorporated.
3. Add the eggs, one at a time. Add the vanilla pudding and baking powder. Mix until smooth.
4. Stir in the peanut butter cups with a spatula.
5. Place half of the batter into each of the prepared pans. Bake for 55-60 minutes (they will deflate when you take them out which will create a lip, allowing the caramel to not spill over the edges). Immediately put the pans with the cheesecake in them into the freezer and leave until completely frozen.


Directions for the Chocolate Cake

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two 9-inch baking pans with parchment paper and spray  with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Combine all the ingredients in a mixer and beat on medium-high for 2 minutes, scrapping down the mixture at about the 30 second mark.
4. Pour half the batter into each of the 9-inch baking pans. Bake for 20-25 minutes (or until a toothpick comes out clean).
5. Allow cakes to come to room temperature and level.
6. Place the pans with the cake in them into the freezer.


Directions for the Caramel Sauce

1. Heat the butter, brown sugar, half and half, and salt on medium/low heat, stirring constantly.
2. Cook for about 10-12 minutes. Place in the refrigerator until completely cooled and thickened.

Directions for the Chocolate Frosting

1. Put chocolate chips in a medium bowl. Meanwhile, heat cream in a saucepan over medium high heat until very hot but not boiling. Pour hot cream over chocolate chips.
2. Remove 2/3 cup chocolate mixture and pour into a small bowl. Add 1/2 tablespoon corn syrup and stir (this will be the frosting for the top of the cake). Place in the refrigerator.
3. Meanwhile, take the remaining chocolate mixture and mix with a whisk attachment for 5-10 minutes (this will be the frosting for the sides of the cake). Place in the refrigerator.

Directions for the Peanut Butter Frosting

1. 1. Cream together the butter and peanut butter. Add the heavy whipping cream.
2. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla.

Directions for Assembly

1. Take the frozen cheesecakes and chocolate cakes. Top each with the cooled caramel, peanut halves, and additional quartered reeses. Return to the freezer until the caramel is frozen.
2. Place a piece of wax paper on the bottom of your serving plate. Stack the cakes beginning with a chocolate cake, then cheesecake, then chocolate cake, then cheesecake. Wrap in plastic wrap and freeze for at least a few hours.
3. Unwrap the cake and top with the chocolate ganache (the one with the corn syrup) making sure that it does not go over the edge. Return to the freezer.
4. Meanwhile, take the chocolate frosting out of the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature. Frost the sides of the cake with the room temperature chocolate frosting.
5. Place the peanut butter frosting in a pastry bag with the tip of your choosing. Decorate your cake with the peanut butter frosting.

Thursday, December 25, 2014

Happy Holidays ...

Red & Green Velvet Cheesecake Cakes


Pound Cake & Key Lime Cheesecake 



Chocolate Pound Cake

Chocolate Pound Cake
#homemade #chocolatecake #chocolate #pound #christmas #cake


Preheat oven to 325 degrees

1 cup butter
1/2 cup Crisco
3 cups sugar
5 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3 cups flour
1/2 cup cocoa
1/2 tsp Salt
1 1/4 cups milk
1 tsp Vanilla extract

Cream butter, Crisco and sugar. Add eggs one at a time and mix well. Sift baking powder, flour and cocoa together three times. Add dry ingredients to butter/egg mixture alternating with milk beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Bake for 1 hour and 40 minutes. Begin testing for doneness after 1 hour and 15 minutes. Cool in pan for ten minutes then remove and cool on rack.


Tuesday, December 23, 2014

Best Pound Cake


Ingredients:

2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened, plus additional for buttering pan
3 cups sifted cake flour (not self-rising; sift before measuring) plus additional for dusting
3/4 teaspoon salt
3 cups sugar
7 large eggs, at room temperature 30 minutes
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup heavy cream

10-inch tube pan (4 1/2 inches deep; not with a removable bottom) or a 10-inch bundt pan (3 1/4 inches deep; 3-qt capacity)


Preparation:

Put oven rack in middle position, but do not preheat oven.

Generously butter pan and dust with flour, knocking out excess flour.

Sift together sifted flour (3 cups) and salt into a bowl. Repeat sifting into another bowl (flour will have been sifted 3 times total).

Beat together butter (2 sticks) and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes in a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment or 6 to 8 minutes with a handheld mixer. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition, then beat in vanilla. Reduce speed to low and add half of flour, then all of cream, then remaining flour, mixing well after each addition. Scrape down side of bowl, then beat at medium-high speed 5 minutes. Batter will become creamier and satiny.

Spoon batter into pan and rap pan against work surface once or twice to eliminate air bubbles. Place pan in (cold) oven and turn oven temperature to 350°F. Bake until golden and a wooden pick or skewer inserted in middle of cake comes out with a few crumbs adhering, 1 to 1 1/4 hours. Cool cake in pan on a rack 30 minutes. Run a thin knife around inner and outer edges of cake, then invert rack over pan and invert cake onto rack to cool completely.

Christmas Cookies





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