Chocolate Chip Cookies. Coconut Tres Leches Cake. Every dish that I make (and that subsequently appears on this here blog) is tried and tested by my toughest critic and ally: my husband, Brian.
He is very, very honest in his reviews, which is a good thing but he isn’t necessarily eloquent in his replies. It usually comes down to: a) not good (which translates into please don’t make it again…ever…again) b) fairly decent (which means he’d eat it again in a pinch but it’s definitely not blog-worthy) c) seriously awesome (which is food-talk for seriously awesome and the recipe is given the thumbs up to appear here) When it came to this coconut tres leches cake (made with the ingenious make-ahead yellow cake mix), I didn’t even have time to ask Brian what he thought because he seriously took one bite, looked at me and said, “Wow, this is seriously awesome.” And then, this is where I knew it really was seriously awesome, he went on to say, “Best.Dessert.Ever.”
From the man of few words, this was shocking. Seriously awesome, people. Ingredients. Scrumptious Photography. I was very excited this week because the TWD recipe, chosen by Di of Di's Kitchen Notebook, called for raisins flamed in rum.
I figured that there would be some huge fireball in my kitchen, curling and rising and almost singeing the ceiling. As it turns out, the flame was tiny and blue and you couldn't see it unless you were looking straight down into the pan. Still kinda cool, but not nearly as dramatic as I'd imagined ;) Anyway, the rest of the recipe was pretty straightforward.
I thought the cinnamon was a nice addition and gave the chocolate a little something to play against. Easter Cupcakes Baked in Real Egg Shells. I watched my Grandmother’s face when she realized that I hadn’t handed her a hard boiled egg but rather a cake baked inside a real egg shell. Her eyes were filled with wonder and I could envision what she must have looked like as a tyke the very first time she saw a red balloon float across the sky or the the trunk of a giant elephant spewing a stream of water. “Crack it on the table,” I told her. Eggs were cracked, cupcakes were eaten, and I was perceived as a cupcake Houdini. Update 3/19/2012: For the basic instructions on these Easter cupcakes, keep reading. To see another example of them with dyed eggs and cream cheese “yolk” filling, see my latest version of these Easter cupcakes. I modeled my cupcakes in egg shells after Nicky’s egg shell cupcakes from Delicious Days.
Yield: 10 large egg cupcakes What you’ll need: 9 large eggs (Only one will get used in the cake. To prepare the eggs: Carefully poke a small hole in the top of each egg. Chocolate Mousse Cake. There is a time for choosing the easy road.
There is a time for taking the shortcut and doing things the fast way. But there is also a time for setting aside several hours to tackle something that will make you look back at all the dirtied mixing bowls in your sink, and chocolate shavings and splattered cream on your counter, and say, “That was totally worth it.” I can’t remember the last time something this rich and decadent came out of my kitchen. That one cheesecake (oh heavens) comes close, but I really think this puppy wins the prize. As much as I would love to tell you to drop everything and make this right now, this isn’t a dessert to make on a whim.
This isn’t difficult to make, but (as the recipe book points out) the hardest part is making sure the ingredients are at the right temperature. One Bowl Vanilla Cupcakes For Two. Let’s face it: sometimes we all need a dessert that only makes two servings.
Sometimes we just can’t handle 12 servings. Sometimes we eat them all by ourselves. Sometimes we eat them all by ourselves in two hours. Sometimes we eat them all by ourselves in a matter of minutes. Sometimes it’s the best thing ever. FYI: I have no idea what that is like. Red Velvet Crêpes. I rolled my eyes at the red velvet cake trend, but now I can’t get enough.
I’ll make any excuse to have ‘cake’ for breakfast– here’s my take on a classic. Red Velvet Crepes (Makes about 24, 8″ crepes) Ingredients: – 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour - 1 teaspoon baking powder - 1/2 teaspoon baking soda - 1/4 teaspoon salt - 3 tablespoons sugar - 2 cups butter milk - 1 1/4 cup whole or lowfat milk - 1 large egg - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract - 1 1/2 tablespoons cocoa powder, sifted - 1 tablespoon red food color gel - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted + 2 tablespoons cooking oil (for pan) *Update: Because the buttermilk lends to the acidity of this batter, do not substitute the baking soda for extra baking powder. If you add more baking powder, and omit the baking soda, you’ll end up with a heavy and dense crepe.
Chocolate Ganache Topping- 75 gr bittersweet chocolate - 75 mL heavy cream - 1 tablespoon sugar Directions: For the Mascarpone Filling:1. For Chocolate Ganche Sauce1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.