Chocolate Cupcakes with Buttercream Frosting

Oh my word, these were so scrumptious.  I brought these yummies to a cook out - attended by a bunch of hungry runners - and they disappeared before I had a chance to blink.  One runner said (and I quote!) "that may have been the best cupcake I've ever had."  The chocolate cupcakes themselves have the perfect amount of cocoa, are moist, fluffy, and aren't too sweet...allowing you to taste the chocolate more.  The frosting is definitely the BEST buttercream frosting I've ever had.  I have never used heavy cream in frosting before, and now I'll never stop!  Heavy cream makes the frosting so incredibly fluffy and melts in your mouth.  Using shortening in the frosting also gives it an amazing consistency; Not too runny, not too dense.  I don't think there's anything that compliments buttercream frosing better than rich, chocolate cupcakes. This recipe is truly perfection.

Yield: about 12 cupcakes

For the Chocolate Cupcakes:

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
• 1 cup water

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease one medium cupcake pan or line with paper liners.
2. Sift together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Add the oil, vanilla, vinegar and water. Mix together until smooth.
3. Pour into prepared muffin pan (batter should be just below the rim, for large cupcakes. For medium cupcakes, pour batter 2/3 to 3/4 full) and bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 18-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to cool in pans for 15 minutes.
4. After 15 minutes, carefully remove cupcakes from pan, place on wire rack, and allow to cool completely.  Frost generously with Buttercream Frosting (recipe below).

For the Buttercream Frosting:

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup shortening
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 3 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

Directions:

1. In a mixing bowl, cream shortening and butter until fluffy. Add sugar, and continue creaming until well blended.
2. Add salt, vanilla, and 6 ounces whipping cream. Blend on low speed until moistened. Add additional 2 ounces whipping cream if necessary. Beat at high speed until frosting is fluffy, at least 5 minutes.  Frost cooled cupcakes.  

You will have some frosting left over (I had about a cup)...so you can either use it for another recipe or eat it by the spoonful...your choice(;

Fudge Truffle Chocolate Cheesecake

This cheesecake is absolutely perfect in every way.  I made this for my mom a few days ago for her birthday, and I couldn't believe how well everything went to prepare it.  I had a chocolate cheesecake recipe saved in my recipe box, and I altered it to make it extra delicious (I don't reveal my secret ways, though!) and it turned out phenomenal.  There's a thin, sweet, slightly crunchy, vanilla-chocolate cookie layer on the bottom....a rich, soft, silky, smooth, cream-cheesy, fluffy, milk chocolatey layer in the middle....and a thin, super rich, dark chocolatey, fudgey ganache layer on top.  It just gets richer and more chocolatey as you work your way up the layers of the cake.   The only thing that was kind of annoying about this recipe is the crust is super messy to make because you have to mix the ingredients by hand...but it comes off your fingers easily (and you can lick them when you're done pressing it into the pan!) and is totally worth the effort.  This was the second cheesecake I've ever made that didn't crack (behind my incredible strawberry cheesecake recipe found here).  Even if your cheesecake does crack, you can always cover it with the oh-so-rich-and-delicious chocolate ganache.  The three wonderful layers of this cheesecake really make it seem as though you're biting into a chocolate truffle...but I'd rather have this cheesecake over a chocolate truffle any day.  Serve each slice with a dollop of whipped cream and you'll never order a chocolate cheesecake at the Cheesecake Factory ever again. (Because this recipe is sooo much better!!!)

Yield: 1 9-inch springform pan (about 14 servings)

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups Nilla wafer crumbs

• 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

• 1/3 cup butter, softened

• 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

• 3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened 

• 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk, at room temperature

• 4 eggs, at room temperature

• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
2. In a large mixing bowl, mix together crushed vanilla wafers, confectioners' sugar, cocoa, and butter or margarine by hand. Press ingredients into a 9 inch springform pan (a 10-inch will work also).
3. In the top of a double boiler, melt the chocolate chips, making sure that they are very smooth.
4. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese until fluffy with an electric mixer. Gradually beat in condensed milk until smooth. Mix in melted chocolate, eggs, and vanilla. Beat with electric mixer on low speed until the ingredients are thoroughly blended. Pour the filling into the prepared crust.
5. Bake at 300 degrees F (150 degrees C) for 55 minutes.  The cake will seem underbaked in the center, but will continue to cook after you turn the oven off.  Turn the oven off and leave the cake in the oven, with the oven door slightly cracked, for at least one hour (this prevents the cake from cracking).  Carefully remove the cake from the oven and allow it to cool in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours (or preferably overnight) before topping with the chocolate ganache. 

For the Chocolate Ganache:

Ingredients:

• 4.5 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 1/2 cup heavy cream

Directions:

1. Place the chocolate into a medium bowl. Heat the cream in a small sauce pan over medium heat. Bring just to a boil, watching very carefully because if it boils for a few seconds, it will boil out of the pot. When the cream has come to a boil, pour over the chopped chocolate, and whisk until smooth.
2. Allow the ganache to cool slightly before pouring over a cake (about one minute). Start at the center of the cake and work outward. Spread a thin layer all over the top of the cake, spreading just over the sides.  Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving.

Chocolate Waffles With Caramel Sauce and Ice Cream

Oh yesss...dessert for breakfast. That is my favorite thing in the entire world.  And what could be better than a waffle sundae for breakfast?  I can answer that ----> absolutely nothing! I woke up a few mornings ago craving something sweet, so I browsed through some of my recipes, and when I saw this - I knew it was the one.  Who can resist a chocolate waffle with home made caramel sauce, and ice cream??  Ice cream for breakfast is something I have a little too much(:  I guess you can say my sweet tooth was satisfied after I made these waffles. This recipe was absolutely heavenly.  The caramel sauce especially was the best caramel sauce I've ever had.  I'm gonna keep the recipe handy for future dishes, because it makes an incredible dessert topping and goes perfect with ice cream.  I used Ben and Jerry's American Dream Ice cream because that was what I had on hand (vanilla ice cream with caramel swirl and fudge covered waffle cone pieces...yum!!)  My parents and I gobbled these waffles up.  And my mom declared it the best thing she'd tasted in a long time.  I didn't disagree.

Ingredients:

For the Caramel Sauce:

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup heavy cream

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

For the Waffles:

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder

1/3 cup sugar

1 egg, separted

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup milk

2 tablespoons chopped walnuts (optional)

Vanilla (or your choice of) ice cream, for serving

Chocolate shavings, for decoration Instructions:

FOR THE CARAMEL SAUCE:
Combine all of the sauce ingredients in a small saucepan. Stir over low heat until the sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, stirring, for 3 minutes.

FOR THE WAFFLES:
Combine the melted butter and cocoa powder and stir until well combined. Add the sugar and egg yolk and beat well.

Sift together all the dry ingredients and add to the chocolate mixture alternately with the milk. Beat the egg white until stiff. Fold into the chocolate mixture.

Heat a waffle iron and cook the mixture according to the manufacturer's instructions. Serve immediately with the Caramel Sauce, ice cream, nuts (optional) and shavings of chocolate.

Saint Patrick's Day Cake

This is officially the best cake I've ever had.  I was planning on making it for Saint Patrick's Day since it has that theme with the beer and Irish cream and all...but I never had time.  Sooo I decided to make it as my birthday cake instead!  I did only make one layer of this cake since there's only three people in my family and I wouldn't have wanted the cake to dry out if we didn't eat it in time.  If you choose to make one layer, then just half the recipe below.  But I recommend making the full amount because the cake lasts for a long time (I had the last slice today and it was the 3rd day, and it still tasted incredible) and you will definitely have no problem eating it all in a short period of time once you have your first slice.  I don't know about you guys, but I'm a huge sucker for alcoholic beverages in desserts.  I know...my parents aren't very happy about that...but I can't control my taste buds!  This cake is the absolute best chocolate cake/birthday cake/Saint Patricks Day cake I've ever tasted!  I think it's even better than my Best Chocolate Cake recipe (found here), which kind of defeats the title..but that recipe is still the best classic chocolate cake I've ever had.  However, this recipe is a little more jazzed up with the beer in the cake, the Bailey's buttercream frosting, and the chocolate ganache.  The chocolate cake layer itself is moist, rich, and perfectly dark chocolatey.  But the frosting and ganache is what really sets this cake from a 10 on a 1 to 10 scale to 100.  The Irish cream liquor gives this frosting an incredibly unique, sweet, and rich taste that I had never tasted before but instantly fell in love with.  If you are a big frosting fan, then I would recommend doubling it...it's very delicious to eat it by the spoonful as well(:  And then you have this incredibly chocolatey and rich deep chocolate ganache drizzled on top that makes the cake so beautiful and perfect.  I'm going to be making this for many holidays and birthdays to come in the future.

Ingredients:

Cake:

• 1 cup Irish stout beer (such as Guinness®)
• 1 cup butter, cut into pieces
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 eggs
• 2/3 cup sour cream
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups white sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
•  
• Frosting:
• 3 cups confectioners' sugar, or as needed
• 1/2 cup butter at room temperature
• 4 tablespoons Irish cream liqueur (such as Baileys®), or as needed
•  
• Ganache:
• 1 heaping cup of bittersweet chocolate chips (or dark chocolate chips)
• 2/3 cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons butter at room temperature
• 
  

• Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line 2 9-inch cake pans with parchment paper, and spray with cooking spray.
  2. Pour the beer into a saucepan, add the butter, and bring to a simmer over medium-low heat. Remove the pan from the heat, and whisk in the cocoa powder until the mixture is smooth. Allow the mixture to cool. In a bowl, beat the eggs and sour cream together until smooth with an electric mixer, and stir in the stout mixture to make a smooth, thick liquid.
  3. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. Pour the stout mixture into the flour mixture, and gently combine with a spatula. Pour the batter into the prepared pans.
  4. Bake in the preheated oven until the cakes are set and a toothpick inserted into the center of a cake comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Remove and let cool in pans for 5 minutes before inverting the cakes onto wire racks to finish cooling.
  5. Mix together the confectioners' sugar, butter, and Irish cream liqueur until the mixture forms a smooth and spreadable frosting (add more sugar or liqueur as needed to create the desired consistency). Spread half the frosting on top of each cake.
  6. Place the chocolate chips into a heatproof bowl. Bring cream to almost boiling in a small saucepan, and pour over the chocolate. Stir in the butter, and stir the mixture until the chocolate melts and the mixture is very smooth. Allow to cool until the mixture is pourable but not thin or overly runny, 10 to 15 minutes. Stack a cake gently on top of the other, frosting sides uppermost, and carefully drizzle the chocolate mixture over the cake, allowing decorative drips to run down the sides.

Hot Fudge Pudding Cake

 

Unfortunately, I could only take one picture of this sinful dessert because I ate it so fast. I was super duper scared while making this recipe because it looked like a watery mess before I put it in the oven, since you pour hot water on top to get the "pudding" consistency.  But it comes together very fast and the result was so perfect.  It's amazingly chocolatey, rich, sweet, fudgey, and totally blissful.  There's a rich chocolate pudding layer below the moist, chocolate cake layer.  This tastes the best warm from the oven (I recommend topping it with vanilla ice cream and whipped cream for a full hot fudge brownie sundae affect), but it's also very good as a pudding, cold in the fridge the next day. 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 3/4 cups hot water

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Grease a 9x9-inch baking pan.
3. Whisk together flour, baking powder, white sugar, 2 tablespoon cocoa powder, and salt in a large bowl.
4. Stir in milk, vanilla and butter until smooth.
5. Spread batter evenly in the prepared baking pan.
6. Mix 1/4 cup cocoa and brown sugar in a small bowl; sprinkle mixture on top of the batter.
7. Pour hot water over the batter.
8. Bake in the preheated oven until the center of the cake is almost set, about 45 minutes. Brown sugar, cocoa, and hot water will combine to form a chocolate sauce that will settle to the bottom of the cake during baking.
9. Let sit for at least 15 minutes before serving.
10. Best served warm.  Top with vanilla ice cream and whipped cream if desired.

Chocolate Molten Lava Cakes

Have you ever had the legendary molten chocolate cake at Chili's??  Well...this was better.  I made this tonight and it was a chocolate lover's dream. It was on my plate maybe for a mere 45 seconds. My dad and I were practically drooling everywhere.  And it was so easy to make!!  I wanted to create a rich dessert because I was really in the mood for a good chocolate fix (I have a major sweet tooth...if you didn't know)..and this hit the spot - for sure.  It's not sickeningly sweet, like some other molten cakes I've had in the past.  The addition of cocoa powder in this recipe gives it more of a bittersweet taste, and it blends really well with the semi-sweet chocolate chips.  This is an easy, elegant dessert that is sure to impress anyone you cook for.  

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup salted butter
• 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1.5 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 eggs
• 2 egg yolks
• 1.5 tablespoons white sugar
• 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
• toppings: powdered sugar, vanilla ice cream, whipped cream (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Grease 4 4-ounce ramekins or custard cups very well.
2. In the top half of a double boiler set over simmering water, heat the butter and the chocolate until chocolate is almost completely melted.  Set aside.  Stir in cocoa powder until just combined.  (You don't want to stir this mixture too much so that it doesn't get too runny)
3. Beat the eggs, egg yolks and sugar together until light colored and thick (about 2 minutes).
4. Beat together the melted chocolate and butter. While beating, slowly pour the chocolate mixture into the egg mixture, then quickly beat in the flour and mix until just combined.
5. Divide the batter between the four molds and bake at 450 degrees F (230 degrees C) for 7-8 minutes. The centers of the cakes will still be quite soft and won't looked puffed up in the oven. Invert cakes on serving plates and let sit for about 15 seconds, then unmold. Serve immediately.  Dust with powdered sugar and top with fresh whipped cream and vanilla ice cream, if desired.