Category Archives: Desserts

Sopapilla Cheese Cake aka Quesadilla Cheesecake

04 Monday Jul 2011

Posted by in Bar Cookies, Desserts

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We spent New Year’s Eve in Kingwood this year. Everyone in attendance contributed something to the holiday buffet. Elaine contributed this super easy, but fabulous dessert. Her husband Jared calls it “quesadilla cheesecake.” It is the perfect conclusion to a Tex-Mex meal.

Ingredients-
2 cans crescent rolls (I like Pillsbury)
16 oz cream cheese softened
1 1/2 cups sugar, divided
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 stick of butter

Method-
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Press one can of rolls into a rectangular pan, pinch seams together. Mix cream cheese, 1 cup sugar, and vanilla together. Spread over crescent rolls. Lay second can of rolls on top of mixture and pinch seams together. Melt butter in a bowl and add 1/2 cup sugar and cinnamon to it. Pour over the top and bake for 30 minutes.

 

Mayan Chocolate Cream Pie

04 Monday Jul 2011

Posted by in Desserts, Pies

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We celebrated Father’s Day this year in Kingwood, Texas. We had planned barbecue at Jame’s and Ruth’s, but woke up Sunday morning to a non-cooling air conditioner downstairs. If you have ever been in the Houston area between April and October you will understand why that was a problem. We changed the location to Chris and Doug’s house. Chris graciously contributed this delicious pie for our Father’s day feast. It is a recipe that was published in the Houston Chronicle. Chris decreased the amount of cayenne pepper and I have taken it down from the original 1 teaspoon to 1/2 teaspoon. I recommend adjusting it to your personal taste. It makes the pie really interesting. My first reaction was yum, such a wonderful chocolate pie, then comes the surprise from the cayenne as it hits the back of your tongue. It was delicious! Thanks Chris

Ingredients-
FILLING
¼ cup cornstarch
½ cup granulated sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup whole milk
2 large egg yolks, beaten
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
3 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

TOPPING
1½ cups heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
2-4 tablespoons powdered sugar

1 baked pie crust

Method-
Mix cornstarch, sugar and salt in a heavy saucepan. Add milk and egg yolks. Whisk until smooth. Cook over medium heat stirring with a whisk until mixture thickens. Turn off the heat and whisk in the chocolate and cream cheese. Add cayenne pepper, ground cinnamon, and vanilla extract. Whisk until blended. Cool completely.

In a large mixing bowl, whip the cream until stiff peaks form. Add the vanilla and powdered sugar to the whipped cream. Add 1 cup to the cooled chocolate mixture and whisk to blend.

Pour into the pie crust. Spread the remaining whipped cream over the top of the pie and sprinkle with cinnamon. Chill six hours.

Vanilla Cupcakes

01 Friday Apr 2011

Posted by in Cupcakes, Desserts

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This is the vanilla version of my favorite Red Velvet Cupcakes
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs, room temperature
2 1/3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk or 1 cup milk with 1 tablespoons vinegar stirred in

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Combine the milk and vinegar and set aside.

Beat the butter and sugar in an electric mixer for 3 minutes on medium speed until light and fluffy.

Add the eggs one at a time and beat until each is completely mixed in.

Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together in a bowl.

Alternate adding the dry and wet ingredients to the butter, sugar and egg mixture. Scrape down the sides of the bowl often. Scoop into a cupcake paper lined muffin pan about 1/2 to 3/4 full.

Bake for 18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool for one minute and then remove for pan and finish cooling on a cooling rack.

Marshmallow Fluff

24 Wednesday Mar 2010

Posted by in Cupcakes, Desserts, Toppings

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When I made the chocolate cream filled cupcakes in the previous post I just happened to have a jar of marshmallow fluff in my pantry. It appears that it is no longer available for purchase in Tokyo. I need some for some cupcakes I am making for a 2 year old’s birthday this weekend. How did we ever live without Google?

3 large egg whites
2 cups light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups powdered sugar
4 teaspoons vanilla extract

This will expand enough in a 4-quart mixing bowl to make you nervous so if you have a bigger bowl you should use it.

In a large mixer bowl, use a whisk attachment to combine eggwhites, corn syrup and salt. Beat for 10 minutes until thick.

Add powdered sugar at a low speed to thoroughly incorporate. Add vanilla extract and beat until well blended.

Cream Filled Chocolate Cupcakes

13 Saturday Mar 2010

Posted by in Cakes, Cupcakes, Desserts

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I have been experimenting with different recipes in preparation for the 200 cupcakes we will be making for Kristina and Brian’s wedding favors on April 10. So this week I have been working on the chocolate ones. YUM!!!!

Chocolate Cupcakes
1 box Betty Crocker Super Moist Chocolate Fudge cake mix
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup cocoa
1 1/2 Tablespoons corn starch
1/3 cup butter, melted
12 ounces sour cream
12 ounces chocolate chips
3 eggs
1/2 cup chocolate milk
Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Put paper liners in cupcake pans.In a large bowl, mix cake mix, sugar, cocoa, cornstarch, butter, eggs, chocolate milk and sour cream until well blended. Stir in chocolate chips. Fill cupcake papers 2/3 full. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the middle comes out clean. Allow to cool in pan a few minutes before moving to cooling racks. I got 26 cupcakes using this recipe.
Cream Filling
2 tsp very hot water
1/4 tsp salt
1 (7 oz) jar marshmallow cream
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
Dissolve the salt in the hot water and allow to cool.
Whip the marshmallow cream, butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla until it begins to get fluffy. Add the water and whip well. Fit a pastry bag with a long tip or a large one and fill the bag with the cream filling. This recipe fills 24 cupcakes.
Use an apple corer to take out a “plug” from the middle of each cupcake. Be sure to save the plugs.

Using the pastry bag to fill each hole and then insert the “plugs” back into the cupcakes.
After I filled the cupcakes I frosted them using Chocolate Buttercream. They were quickly sprinkled and most of them boxed to deliver to friends. I did keep a few to see how the filling would hold up for 24+hours. It was great! The cupcakes remained moist and the filling did not make the cake soggy.

I bought the ingredients for the next batch today. I think the cake and filling in this recipe will be perfect. The chocolate butter cream frosting was really good, but I want to try it with a chocolate ganache.

Kristina’s Amazing Chocolate Cake

26 Friday Feb 2010

Posted by in Cakes, Cupcakes, Desserts

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1 instant chocolate pudding mix (small box)
1 devil’s food cake mix
12 ounces chocolate chips
2 eggs
1 ¾ cup milk

Mix together and bake in greased and floured Bundt pan for 50 minutes @ 350 degrees.

Cool in pan 10 minutes and remove from pan. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.
This recipe also makes amazing chocolate cupcakes. Depending on how full you fill the cupcake papers they take 18-23 minutes to bake. Test by putting a toothpick in the center. If it only comes out with melted chocolate chips and no gooey batter they are done.

Melting Heart Chocolate Fondant

10 Wednesday Feb 2010

Posted by in Chocolate, Desserts

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This yummy recipe is from Lindsay’s Urban Mum blog.

Serves 2
Ingredients
• 50g unsalted butter, plus extra to grease
• 2 tsp cocoa powder, to dust
• 50g good quality bitter chocolate (minimum 70% cocoa solids), in pieces
• 1 free range egg
• 1 free range egg yolk
• 60g caster sugar
• 50g plain flour
• Icing sugar to dust
• Vanilla ice cream to serve
Method: How to make hot chocolate fondant
1. Preheat oven to 160˚C/Gas 2.
2. Butter two large ramekins, about 7.5cm in diameter, then dust liberally with cocoa, shaking out any excess.
3. Slowly melt the chocolate and butter in a small bowl set over a pan of hot water, then take off the heat and stir until smooth. Leave to cool for 10 minutes.
4. Using an electric whisk, whisk the whole egg, egg yolk and sugar together until pale and thick, then incorporate the chocolate mixture. Sift the flour over the mixture and gently fold in, using a large metal spoon. Divide between the ramekins and bake for 12 minutes.
5. Turn the chocolate fondants out on to warmed plates. Dust the tops with icing sugar and serve with a spoonful of vanilla ice cream.

Lindsey’s Brownies

24 Saturday Oct 2009

Posted by in Brownies, Desserts, Institute Treats

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I love this recipe for brownies, but you will notice that I have several on this site. My favorite brownie recipe changes all the time.

1 cup butter, melted
3 cups white sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup high-quality semisweet chocolate morsels (I used baking chocolate squares, roughly chopped)
1/4 to 1/2 chocolate chips (I use the mini semi-sweet chocolate chips)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9 x13 baking dish. Combine the melted butter, sugar, & vanilla in a large bowl. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each, until thoroughly blended. Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder& salt. Gradually incorporate the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until blended. Stir in the chocolate morsels. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the mini chocolate chips over the top of the batter. Bake in preheated oven until an inserted toothpick comes out clean, the original recipe says 35 to 40 minutes, but I am baking for them 30 minutes and they are coming out perfectly. (Ovens vary and it is so easy to over bake brownies and have them turn out dry. I test mine after 30 minutes and if the surface looks cooked and the center is firm I take them out). Remove, & cool pan on wire rack before cutting.

Mango with Coconut Sushi Rice

20 Tuesday Oct 2009

Posted by in Desserts, Summer

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I haven’t tried this recipe yet. I discovered it on our recent trip to Australia. I can’t wait to try it!

Serves 4

300g jasmine rice
100g granulated sugar
200ml canned coconut milk
400ml water
1 ripe mango peeled and finely chopped
2 tablespoons mint leaves, chopped
1 lime, cut into wedges

Combine rice, sugar, coconut milk and water in a heavy-bottomed saucepan and bring to a boil stirring constantly to prevent the rice from sticking. Simmer very gently, uncovered, on the lowest possible heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. if the rice has absorbed all of the liquid and is not yet cooked, cover the pan tightly and set aside for another 10 minutes until the rice is very tender. Lightly rinse out a 20cm X 15cm shallow tin or pie dish. Tip in the rice (leaving any browned rice on the bottom of the saucepan) and spread out evenly to a depth of 2cm. Smooth the top and leave to cool.

When ready to serve cut into rounds with a cookie cutter. Toss mango with mint and arrange on top of each round. Serve with lime wedges for squeezing.

Cokie Colton’s Pumpkin Ribbon Cake

08 Thursday Oct 2009

Posted by in Autumn, Cakes, Desserts

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Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a Bundt pan by spraying it lightly with Pam.

Cake
2 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup butter
3 eggs
3/4 cup pumpkin
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

Ribbon
1- 8 ounce package cream cheese
1/4 cup sugar

Pour half of the batter into the prepared pan and spoon ribbon on the top. Pour on remaining batter.

Bake at 350 for 50-60 minutes