Easy, breezy, extra cheesy!

No recipe today, but I felt the need to share my love for my grilled cheese sandwiches. Yes that is sandwiches, with an "s". Everyone, from a little one taking a bite of his first, to the top "fancy pants" gourmet chef finishing his last bite before going to sleep loves a grilled cheese. They all have their own way of making them too. I happen to like mine on plain old white bread with lots of butter and two slices of white American cheese. I cook them slow over medium heat, and I never EVER mash them flat. How do you like yours? I would love to know! Have a tasty Friday!

Toasted, melted, cheesyness,
- Becca :)

Two Become One

Who doesn't love red velvet cake?  Who doesn't love cheesecake?  What happens when you put them together?  You get something that looks like this (insert applause here):

YAY!

This, my friends, is a red velvet cheesecake.  I understand that it's not the most beautiful thing you've ever seen, but that's part of why I'm showing this.  I'm not a pastry chef, and I'm willing to bet that probably 90% of the people reading this aren't pastry chefs either.  However, I DO know what tastes good. I am a simple girl. That's why I'm going to be nice and tell you that this recipe is time consuming, so give yourself a couple of days to make it. I promise that it's not hard, though.  Really, the hardest part is waiting for it to be done, so that you can eat it all--I mean share it with everyone that you know, BUT if you happen to eat it because you don't, um want it to uh, go bad or something like that...its completely understandable. And yes, I am eating a piece as I type this. SO WHAT!

There are a few steps. You make the red velvet cake, then you make the cheesecake, and then you make the icing, which is optional.  I don't recommend that you skip that part though, because it really is the...icing.....on the.....cake. Get it?  That was my sad attempt at a joke (insert sad "awww" here). Anyway, I have the ingredients and directions in three different parts, so make sure that if you're writing a grocery list that you read all the way through. Let's get started!

RED VELVET CAKE INGREDIENTS:

1. 

1/2 C. Unsweetened Cocoa Powder

2 1/2 C. Self-Rising Flour

2 sticks of butter, softened

2 C. sugar

4 eggs

1 C. sour cream

3/4 C. whole milk

1 ounce red food coloring

2 tsp. vanilla

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9 inch, round cake pan, and set to the side.  Combine all of the dry ingredients together, so that they look almost like a chocolate boxed cake mix, like this:

Next, add in all of the wet ingredients, and mix well. You want most of the lumps out of it, but if there are a few left, it's fine.  Overmixing a cake batter will make it dry and tough. Add the red food coloring.  I used one ounce,  but you can add more if you want. It just depends on how red you want your cake to be.

This mix makes two layers.  I only used one, but I'm giving you the recipe for the frosting, so if you want to make extra and put it on the other layer, I don't think anyone will complain.  You get two desserts...you didn't think that was going to happen, did you? I have all kinds of little tricks up my sleeve ;)

Bake the cake for 25-45 minutes.  I know this is a large window, but my oven gets really hot.  Some ovens don't. When the cake is ready, put it on a cooling rack, face down and let it cool completely:

While that's cooling, cut the oven down to 325 or 300. Again, I turned mine down to 300, because it gets hot very quickly.

CHEESECAKE INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 C. sugar

4 8 ounce packages of cream cheese, softened

1/2 C. heavy whipping cream

4 eggs

1/4 C. flour

1 C. sour cream

1 tsp. vanilla

For the cheesecake, you will need a spring form pan:

It comes apart when you pull the lever, and it looks like this:

 On the part that looks like a round disc, put a piece of aluminum, foil on top of it.  Make sure that there is extra , so that when you snap the pan back together that you can wrap the foil up the sides:

 Grease the pan...I use Baker's Joy.  You can find it in the grocery store with all of the other cooking sprays...best three dollars I ever spent.  You can use the Baker's Joy on the red velvet cake pan too.

Its time to start mixing the cheesecake.  Cream the cream cheese, sugar, and flour together. Add the sour cream.  Mix well :

Add the eggs:

Continue mixing:

It will be rather thin.  Pour it into the pan. Fill the cake pan that you used for your red velvet cake a little over half full with water.  Place it under the rack that you put your cheesecake on.  Bake the cheesecake for and hour.  Keep an eye on it.  The water is supposed to help keep the top of the cheesecake from cracking, but sometimes you can't really help it.  When the cheesecake is done, it will have risen substantially, and will be SLIGHTLY liquidy in the very center.  Here is where the time consuming part comes in.  Cut the oven off, and let the cheesecake cool for 4-5 hours IN the oven.

Now that you have some extra time on your hands, you can make the frosting.  You'll have to forgive me, as I have no pictures for this part, because my battery died, but it's easy enough. I will tell you that this frosting is also good on chocolate cake:

FROSTING INGREDIENTS:

8 ounce package of cream cheese, softened

1/2 stick of butter

2T sour cream

2 tsp. vanilla

1 box, 16 oz. of confectioner's sugar

Mix the cream cheese, butter, sour cream, and vanilla together.  Add the confectioner's sugar in a little at the time until fully incorporated.  As I said earlier, you can double the recipe, and use half of it on the extra layer of red velvet cake if you want.

After the cheesecake is cool, and is still in the spring form pan, put a dollop of frosting in the center.  Place the red velvet cake on top of the cheesecake. This means the red velvet cake and the cheese cake will both be in the spring form pan. Take a plate, and put it face down on the red velvet cake.  Grab the bottom of the spring form pan, and flip it over, and set the plate down.  Open the spring form pan, and slowly pull the disc away from the cheesecake. you will have a red velvet "crust" on the bottom.  The red velvet cake will be slightly smaller in circumference, but you can just fill that in with the frosting.  Then you're done! Store it in the refridgerator, if it ever makes it there.

 I hope you like this recipe...just a friendly reminder that you can put your email address at the very top of the page, and you'll get all of my recipes as I post them. Have a red-velvety smooth day!

Creamcheesy cakeyness,

-Becca :)



What's for dinner? Who cares? I want dessert!

Low carb, no carb, low fat, sugar free, organic...they all have their place, but it isn't here.  Some things are just meant to be decadent.  I'm sorry my little health nuts, but that is just the way the cookie, or in this case, cake crumbles.  The recipe featured today is a rustic, flourless chocolate cake. If you ever found a definition of "comfort food" in the dictionary, there would be a picture of this cake beside it. This unpretentious, yet perfect-in-every-way dessert will stop a chocolate craving dead in its tracks. While it does take a little while and some effort to make, it so VERY worth it.

Sooo, let's get started, shall we?

INGREDIENTS:

7 oz. semi sweet chocolate. I used a bag of the Ghirardelli brand semi-sweet chocolate chips minus a couple of handfuls. Remember, no one will know if you ate those handfuls if you don't tell. I'm just sayin'...

4/5 cup of butter-I just did 1 stick of butter plus 6 Tbsp of another stick...close enough.

1 cup granulated white sugar

4 eggs, separated

TOPPING:

1 cup of heavy whipping cream

4 heaping Tbsp. of confectioner's sugar 

You will also need some parchment or wax paper, and a round 9 inch cake pan.

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Set the cake pan on top of the parchment, and trace around the bottom. Cut around the circle that you traced, and place it in the bottom of the pan. Next cut a strip of the parchment long enough to wrap around the inner perimeter of the cake pan. Very lightly grease the inside of the cake pan, so that the paper will stick. YES. You have to do this part. Otherwise, you will not be able to remove the cake from the pan. Here is a picture of what it should look like:

After this is done, put the chocolate chips and butter in a microwave safe bowl. Place them in the microwave for 30 second increments, using a whisk in between increments to fully incorporate the melted chocolate and butter together. It should look like this:

In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks and half of the sugar together until light and creamy, like this:

Mix the melted chocolate in with the egg yolk mixture:

Set the chocolate mixture to the side, and in a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until frothy:

Slowly pour  the rest of the sugar into the egg whites while still running the mixer on high speed until they form stiff peaks. Patience, grasshopper. It's going to take a little while:

Last, and this is crucial: SLOWLY fold the egg whites in with the chocolate mixture until it looks like this:

Pour the mixture into the cake pan, and place in the middle of the oven. Bake for 40 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. It will puff up considerably (and fall when it cools), but that's where the paper being wrapped around the inside of the pan helps to keep things from being so messy. The cake will still be pretty moist on the inside.  That is what makes it so awesome.  Seriously, this flourless chocolate cake kicks a regular chocolate cake's behind.

After the cake is finished baking, let it cool to the touch.  Removing the cake from the pan can be a little tricky. Just grab a some of the paper, and pull it away from the side of the pan, toward the center of the pan and slowly wedge a spatula in between the paper and the pan, making sure not to separate the paper from the cake. Once the paper is separated from the pan remove the spatula. Take a plate and set it face down on the cake pan, and flip it over so that the cake pan is face down on the plate. Pull the pan off of the plate. Tada! Then you can start removing the paper. Some of the sides of the cake will crumble a little, but no harm done. I promise. Keep in mind that this recipe is for a rustic cake, not a flawless cake:

Now it's time to make the topping. Just pour a cup of heavy whipping cream into a bowl, adding the confectioner's sugar, one tablespoon at a time while mixing on high speed, until thick and creamy. You don;t have to make your own whipped cream, but it really does make a big difference. You've already put this much effort in, so why not just spend the two minutes it takes to make it fresh? When you're finished, slather the cream on top of the cake, leaving the edges exposed:

There is nothing left to do, but enjoy! OH! Except the clean up part is kind of fun too:

Although licking the chocolate off of the bowl is not required, I highly recommend it.

If you like this recipe, just put your email address in the bar at the top of the page, and click submit. Anytime I post a new recipe, it'll come straight to your inbox.

Have a sinfully sweet day!

Chocolate and fresh cream,

Becca :)

Sorry

So, I haven't posted much lately...sorry. It's actually kind of a bad start, since I only have two posts. I promise that I will get better about it. I have quite a few yummies that I plan on posting, I've just been very busy with work and school.

ANYWHO...

I just wanted to let everyone know that I will be getting back on track.  My mama and I are gonna be making some zuchini bread, so I'll let you all know how that turns out.

Have a delicious day,

-Becca



Grain of Salt

Ok, so, no recipe today, just a little haul of my new find. What started out as a routine trip for some shampoo and toothpaste at the drugstore turned into a pleasant discovery.
I went in and grabbed my few necessities. With my shampoo and toothpaste in hand, I made my way to the candy isle. While reaching for my usual Ghirardelli milk chocolate squares with caramel, I just happened to look over to the right. What a surprise my eyes beheld! It was a Lindt dark chocolate bar with a touch if sea salt. I picked it up, of course. I paid for my stuff, got in my car, and ate it on the way home. The whole thing. Yep. Sure did, and I would do it all over again in a heartbeat. The smooth chocolate melted almost right away in my fingers. As I ate, it progressed into a muted bitterness and gave way to a mellow saltiness. Should I be this infatuated with a candy bar? Maybe not. But I am, and I just had to share it with my other foodie friends. I hope you give it a try, and enjoy it.
In other news, I'm working on a simple recipe, and I hope to have it posted soon, so be on the lookout for that. Have a delicious day!

Chocolate and sea salt,
- Becca

Oh My Cuppycakes!!!

Mandarin Orange Cupcakes

In this first edition of my amazing culinary exploits, I'll share a recipe for some cupcakes that have always been popular with my family and friends.  They are a welcome treat for the summer(especially here in good ol' south Georgia), because you serve them cold. The mandarin orange makes them sweet, but refreshingly light at the same time.  This recipe is easy for anyone, because you can use a store-bought cake mix. Take help where you can, honey. I know I do! Just be sure you make it with love, as that is the most important ingredient. That way, they will always turn out delicious.

Ingredients:

1 box of white cake mix(Note: make sure you have/get the ingredients listed on the box to make the cake too)

2 11oz. cans of Mandarin oranges

1 8oz. package of cream cheese, softened

1 8oz. tub of whipped topping, thawed. I have to say that Cool Whip is the best for this, but if you don't want to spend the extra money, then the store brand will do.

1 7oz. jar of marshmallow cream

One more thing: don't forget cupcake liners. For some odd reason, I always do. Ha!

Note: you can also make a regular cake with this...the choice is yours :)

Directions:

Over a bowl, drain both cans of mandarin oranges, and refridgerate. PLEASE DO NOT get rid of the juice. Put it in a container and refridgerate. In a separate bowl, mix together the marshmallow cream and cream cheese. Fold in the whipped topping. Using a piece of plastic wrap, cover the bowl, and make sure that you put the plastic wrap directly ON TOP of the cream cheese mixture. This will keep it from forming a yucky skin. Refridgerate the cream cheese mixture. Line a cupcake tin with cupcake liners. Make the cake mix and bake. It makes a lot of cupcakes, but I promise they will be eaten. After the cupcakes have cooled completely, poke holes in them with a fork. Really, take your aggressions out on them. Take the reserved mandarin orange juice and spoon into the cupcakes. Refridgerate at least 3 hours, or overnight. Next, take the cream cheese mixture and ice those babies up. A LOT. The more the merrier. You can make double the cream cheese mixture if you want, because any extra that is left over is an absolutely devine fruit dip. After you frost them, try to refrain from eating them, and put a mandarin orange section on top.

Enjoy!

Love and cupcakes,

Becca