Chocolate Chip Cream Cheese Pound Cake

This has got to be the fluffiest cake I have ever made. But of course, how could it not be? I mean, have you seen all the lovely, wonderful stuff that goes into this beauty of a cake…butter (duh!), cream cheese (aaha!), and a teeny bit of sour cream (sold!). A sprinkle of powdered sugar on top, and you are good to go.

The addition of cream cheese lightens up the pound cake and gives it an ever so slight a tang which I found extremely interesting. So if you are not a big fan of the in-your-face butteriness of pound cakes, definitely give this one a try. I have a feeling you are going to be pleasantly surprised.

The recipe is definitely a keeper, but I had one problem with it…the amount of chocolate chips in it. It calls for a mere 1 cup of chocolate chips, which, for a chocoholic like me, is way too disappointing. If you are more of a vanilla lover than a chocolate one, follow the exact recipe, maybe add more vanilla ( if you like) and you should be very happy. Next time, I would definitely increase the chocolate chips to 11/2 cups; maybe even 2 cups.

Chocolate Chip Cream Cheese Pound Cake

Recipe source: The Whimsical Bakehouse

Ingredients:

2 sticks (I cup, 8 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temp

8 ounces cream cheese, at room temp

11/2 cups sugar

2 tbsp. sour cream

1 tsp vanilla extract ( I used 2 tsp)

4 large eggs, at room temp

21/4 cups cake flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips ( increase to 11/2 if you like more)

Method:

Grease and flour a Bundt pan or two 9-inch round pans. Preheat the oven to 350 deg F.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter at high speed until light and fluffy. Add the cream cheese and beat well at high speed.

Add the sugar and cream at high speed until light and fluffy. Add the sour cream and vanilla and mix well at medium speed.

Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.

On a piece of wax paper, sift together the cake flour, baking powder and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the butter and egg mixture and beat on low speed until smooth.

Stir in the chocolate chips by hand.

Bundt pan: Bake for 45 to 55 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes before turning out of the pan. Cool completely.

9-inch pans: Bake for about 25 to 30 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool the cakes on wire rack for 15 minutes before turning out of the pans.

Deep Chocolate Sour Cream Pound Cake

Well ladies, let me tell ya….this is one hunk of a cake! I mean, just look at him…err, at it…☺️. Tall? yes…dark?…oh yes…handsome?…of course! And the easiest part is that it is all done in a Bundt pan, no leveling, no filling, no frosting…just bake, glaze and enjoy.😃

This recipe is yet another awesome creation by the wonderful Tish Boyle. Another success after her Brioche Cake and the other Chocolate Cake. Usually before I try out a new recipe, I do a quick Google search to find some reviews and tips on the recipe by other bloggers. Regarding this recipe, I saw that many people had reduced the amount of sugar since they thought it was too much. I was a little confused as to which route to take…the less sugar way or just follow the original recipe. I am always wary of altering the basics (sugar, butter, eggs, etc.) of a new recipe and in the end, decided to just put my trust on the author and bake away. The cake came out perfect. Tender, moist and as the title says, deeply chocolatey. The sweetness of the cake is perfectly balanced by the bittersweet glaze. The cake was so dark it was really hard to photograph well.😔

Deep Chocolate Sour Cream Pound Cake

Recipe source: The Cake Book by Tish Boyle

Ingredients:

11/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup cake flour

1 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder

21/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

11/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

21/2 cups granulated sugar

4 large eggs

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup sour cream

Ingredients for Bittersweet Chocolate Glaze:

3 oz bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

1/3 cup heavy cream

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Method:

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 325 deg F. Grease the inside of a 10-inch Bundt pan. Dust the pan with flour.

Sift together the flours, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, using the paddle attachment, beat the butter at medium speed until very creamy, about 2 minutes. Gradually beat in the sugar. Increase the speed to medium high and beat until the mixture is well blended and light, about 4 minutes. At medium speed, beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.

In a small bowl, stir the vanilla extract into the sour cream. If your mixer has a splatter shield attachment, attach it now. At low speed, add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture in three additions, alternating with the sour cream mixture in two additions and mixing just until blended. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.

Bake the cake for 65 to 75 minutes, until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes.

Invert the cake onto the rack and let cool completely.

To glaze the cake: Place the cake on the wire rack, on a wax paper- or foil-lined baking sheet. Slowly pour the glaze over the top of the cake, letting it drip down the sides. Let the glaze set for about 30 minutes before slicing the cake.

Bittersweet Glaze: Place the chocolate in the bowl of a food processor and process just until finely ground. In a small saucepan, bring the cream to a boil. Remove from the heat and add the chocolate to the pan. Stir until the chocolate is completely melted and the glaze is smooth. Stir in the vanilla extract. Transfer the glaze to a small bowl. Cover the surface of the glaze with a piece of plastic wrap and let cool for about 10 minutes before using.

The Chocolate Cake

 

 

Deep dark fudgy cake layers

Soft gooey chocolatey pudding

Smooth silky chocolate frosting

Enrobed in sweet cake crumbles

I call thee THE Chocolate Cake!

There…my first poem ever, named The Chocolate Cake. Need I say more?

 

 

Well…just forget you even read the first part. I promise I wouldn’t scare you with my cheesy (or shall I say chocolatey) poems again. But I assure you, you are going to love this cake (unlike my crappy “poem”… 😦 ). The cake is tender yet fudgy and has a simple chocolate pudding as filling. The frosting is just slathered on the cake and is covered entirely in cake crumbs — I don’t like wasting cake, you see, specially if it happens to be such a good one. This is a true deep dark brown cake, but looks kind of reddish brown in these pictures. I guess you could call this a version of the famous Chocolate Blackout Cake. The pudding filling and frosting are from a Blackout Cake recipe, but the cake is a sour cream cake, by the awesome Tish Boyle.

It is a gorgeous cake which would certainly impress your guests. Just be ready for a lot of oohs and aahs and of course, many compliments… 🙂

Hello there Fiesta Friday #35!

 

 

The Chocolate Cake

Chocolate cake recipe source: The Cake Book by Tish Boyle.

Filling and frosting recipe source: Tasteofhome

Ingredients:

Cake:

22/3 cups all-purpose flour

21/2 cups granulated sugar

1/2 cup cocoa

11/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

3 eggs, at room temperature

2/3 cup sour cream, at room temperature

1 tbsp. vanilla extract

10 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted and cooled

2/3 cup safflower or corn oil

11/4 cups ice cold water

 

Filling:

1/2 cup sugar

2 tbsp. cornstarch

1/4 tsp salt

11/2 cups whole milk

3 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped

1 tsp vanilla extract

Frosting:

8 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped

1/2 cup unsalted butter, cubed

1/3 cup hot water

2 tsp light corn syrup

2 tsp vanilla extract

Method:

Cake:

1. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease the bottom and sides of two 9-inch round cake pans. Line the bottom of each pan with a round of parchment paper and grease the paper. Dust the paper and sides of the pans with flour.
2. Sift together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl. Whisk to combine, and set aside.
3. In another medium bowl, whisk together the eggs until blended. Whisk in the sour cream and vanilla extract until blended. Set aside.
4. In the bowl of an electric mixer, using the paddle attachment, mix the melted butter and oil together at low speed. Add the cold water and mix to blend. Add the dry ingredients all at once and mix at medium-low speed for 1 minute. Add the egg mixture and mix for another minute, until well blended, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as necessary. Scrape the batter into the prepared pans, dividing it evenly.
5. Bake the cake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool the cakes in the pans on wire racks for 15 minutes.
6. Invert the cakes onto the racks, peel off the paper, and cool completely.

Filling:

In a small heavy saucepan, mix sugar, cornstarch and salt. Whisk in milk. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly. Reduce heat to low; cook and stir 2 minutes longer. Stir in chocolate until melted. Transfer to a bowl; stir in vanilla. Cool slightly, stirring occasionally. Press plastic wrap onto surface of pudding. Refrigerate, covered, 2 hours or until cold.

Frosting:

On a double boiler or a metal bowl over hot water, melt chocolate and butter; stir until smooth. Remove from heat. Whisk in hot water, all at once. Whisk in corn syrup and vanilla. Refrigerate 25-30 minutes or just until spreadable.

Assemble:

Using a long serrated knife, cut each cake horizontally in half. Place a cake layer on a serving plate. Spread with half of the pudding. Repeat layers. Top with a third cake layer. Spread frosting over top and sides of cake. Crumble remaining cake layer; sprinkle over top and sides of cake, pressing lightly to adhere. Refrigerate leftovers

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Blue and White Fondant Ruffle Cake

 

Gosh…it’s been almost a whole month since my last post. My parents are here visiting us from India and also there has been quite a few cake orders which has kept me busy and away from my little blog. I have missed all the fun and so many wonderful posts from my friends. Will catch up soon. Today I have a cake I did recently. This was based on an earlier design of mine.

This cake was done for baby Zac’s baptism ceremony. Baby Zac is my friend’s son…a cutie pie! Knowing how important baptism is in a baby’s life, I am so honored and happy that she chose me to make this cake. Thanks D! The cake was marble cake filled with chocolate buttercream and covered in fondant ruffles. The blue flower was made out of gum paste and edible pearls.

Sending this to Fiesta Friday #34 at The Novice Gardener.

 

Cashew Toffee Crunch Chocolate Torte

 

This torte had my name written on it; I was destined to make this beauty. Why?… listen to this. One hot, lazy afternoon I walk into a nearby Ross store and start browsing the baking aisle, where they have the baking pans and stuff. I immediately spot this set of 4 baby loaf pans. I had never seen those babies before and although pretty sure I would not have much use for them, I thought I would buy it. Heck, they were so cute, and for $3.99 for four of them, it seemed like a pretty good deal. Anyway, let’s just say I bought it. The next day, at the library, I come across this book, Small-Batch Baking for Chocolate Lovers and take it home with me. Now, I like to read cook books, specially those dealing with desserts, in bed at night before I go to sleep (hmmm..kinda weird, I know). I mean, I dream of desserts at night anyway…might as well have some new recipes to dream of :-). Coming back to the story; reading the book, I was VERY pleasantly surprised to find that most of the recipes in the book called for, guess what?…mini loaf pans…YAY! Isn’t that crazy…or is it just me? Either way, I had no problems deciding on what I wanted to bake first…cashew, crunchy toffee, dark ganache and brownie cake?…Oh yes, that’s the one! And for once, I had everything in my pantry, even cashews. And thus, I came to the above-mentioned conclusion. Well…!

 

 

Here I have to say a few words about this book, Small-Batch Baking for Chocolate Lovers  – it is AMAZING. Authored by Debby Maugans, it has recipes for chocolate cakes, cookies, pies, muffins, puddings, even drinks…for two servings (one, in my case.. ;-)..). Other than the loaf pans, soup cans and mini tart pans are also used to bake the goodies in. And yes, you can expect many more recipes from the book on this blog. There…you are warned.

 

 

Now, about the cake, it has three thin layers of dense, fudgy brownie cake with a cashew, toffee and ganache mixture filling in between. It is rich, it is crunchy and it melts in your mouth. I was afraid the cashew and the toffee would soften when mixed with the ganache, but nothing happened, it remained nice and crunchy. Make sure you use good quality chocolate, it definitely makes a difference.

 

 

 

 

 

Cashew Toffee Crunch Chocolate Torte

Recipe source: Small-Batch Baking for Chocolate Lovers by Debby Maugans

Ingredients:

1 oz fine-quality semisweet chocolate, chopped

11/2 oz fine-quality unsweetened chocolate, chopped

11/2 tbsp. unsalted butter, plus butter for greasing the pan

3 tbsp. all-purpose flour

1/8 tsp baking powder

1/8 tsp salt

1 large egg

1/4 cup sugar

2 tsp heavy whipping cream

1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Ganache ( recipe follows at the end)

1/2 cup dry-roasted, unsalted cashews, finely chopped

2 tbsp. toffee bits

Method:

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 325 degree F. Lightly butter a petite loaf pan ( 2- cup capacity, about 5 by 3 inches); line the bottom of the pan lengthwise and up the short ends with a strip of aluminium foil, allowing the ends to extend 11/2 inches above the edges. Lightly butter the foil and dust with flour, tapping out the excess. (I just used Baker’s Joy.) Set the pan aside.

Place the chocolates and butter in a small, microwave-safe bowl; microwave on medium power until soft. Stir until smooth. Let cool.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl. Set aside.

Place the egg, sugar, cream, and vanilla in a small, deep mixing bowl. Using a handheld electric mixer, beat  on high speed until the mixture has lightened, about 30 seconds. Add the cooled, melted chocolate mixture, and beat on medium speed until blended, about 5 sec. Fold in the flour mixture with a rubber spatula until no streaks remain. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan.

Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 35 mins. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool 20 mins; unmold the cake. Clean the loaf pan, and line it lengthwise with a piece of foil, extending the edges 11/2 inches over the sides of the pan.

Prepare the ganache. ( Recipe at the end)

Measure out 1/3 cup of the ganache and set aside. Stir the cashews and toffee bits into the remaining 1/2 cup ganache.

Cut the cake horizontally into three thin layers using a sharp knife. Place the bottom layer of the cake, cut side up, in the bottom of the lined pan. Using a rubber spatula, spread half of the cashew ganache mixture on the layer. Place the center cake layer on top and press down gently. Spread the remaining cashew ganache mixture. Place the top cake layer, cut side down, on top of the cashew ganache mixture, pressing down gently. Refrigerate to set the ganache, about 1 hour.

Using the ends of the foil, lift the cake out of the pan and place on a plate. Spread the reserved 1/3 cup of ganache over the top and sides of the cake. Garnish with whole cashews. Refrigerate to set the ganache, about 1 hour. Cut into slices while cold, and allow to come to room temperature before serving.

Ganache

4 oz premium-quality semisweet chocolate, broken into 1/2  oz pieces

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

1 tbsp. unsalted butter

1 tbsp. sugar

Place the chocolate in a medium bowl.

Place the cream, butter, and sugar in a small saucepan; bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring until sugar melts. Remove from heat, and pour over the chocolate in the bowl. Let stand 1 min, then stir until smooth. Let cool to room temperature.

 

 

 

 

White Chocolate Pecan Biscotti

 

My husband, unlike me, isn’t into cakes or cookies. He likes only white chocolate ( unlike me, again). How a human being can resist chocolate ( I am talking about the real deal here…dark, brown and glorious) is beyond me. I mean, is white chocolate even real chocolate? But hey, I am not complaining too much about it; we both enjoy our own choice of chocolates in peace, no sharing, no stealing, just peace all around. Aah!

 

 

This biscotti is one of those rare cookies that he actually likes. He likes to munch on them with his evening tea. It is a basic vanilla biscotti recipe from King Arthur Flour which takes well to a lot of variations. Here I added some pecans to the dough, dunked half of the cookies in white chocolate, and left the other half plain. You could incorporate white chocolate into the dough as well, if you like. The cookies have a lovely vanilla fragrance, thanks to the 3 teaspoons of vanilla called for in the recipe. They are not too sweet and are light and crunchy.

 

 

 

White Chocolate Pecan Biscotti

Basic recipe : American-style Vanilla Biscotti, King Arthur Flour, Vanilla Biscotti

Ingredients:

6 tablespoons butter, salted or unsalted

2/3 cup sugar

1/2 tsp salt

2 to 3 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp almond extract, optional

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

2 large eggs

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup chopped pecans

1/2 cup white chocolate chips, melted

Sprinkles

Method:

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease (or line with parchment) one large (about 18″ x 13″) baking sheet.

In a medium-sized bowl, beat the butter, sugar, salt, vanilla, almond extract (if you’re using it), and baking powder until the mixture is smooth and creamy.

Beat in the eggs; the batter may look slightly curdled. At low speed of your mixer, add the flour, stirring until smooth; the dough will be sticky. Fold in the pecans.

Plop the dough onto the prepared baking sheet. Divide it in half, and shape it into two 9 1/2″ x 2″ logs, about 3/4″ tall. Straighten the logs, and smooth their tops and sides; a wet spatula or wet bowl scraper works well here. Sprinkle with coarse white sparkling sugar, if desired, pressing it in gently.

Bake the dough for 25 minutes. Remove it from the oven.

Using a spray bottle filled with room-temperature water, lightly but thoroughly spritz the logs, making sure to cover the sides as well as the top. Softening the crust just this little bit will make slicing the biscotti much easier. Reduce the oven temperature to 325°F.

Wait 5 minutes, then use a sharp chef’s knife or serrated knife to cut the log crosswise into 1/2″ to 3/4″ slices. Or cut the biscotti on the diagonal, for fewer, longer biscotti. As you’re slicing, be sure to cut straight up and down, perpendicular to the pan; if you cut unevenly, biscotti may be thicker at the top than the bottom, and they’ll topple over during their second bake.

Set the biscotti on edge on the prepared baking sheet. Return the biscotti to the oven, and bake them for 25 to 30 minutes, until they feel very dry and are beginning to turn golden. They’ll still feel a tiny bit moist in the very center, if you break off a piece; but they’ll continue to dry out as they cool.

Remove the biscotti from the oven, and transfer them to a rack to cool. Once cool, dunk the top of the cookies in the melted chocolate and then the sprinkles. Store airtight at room temperature; they’ll stay good for weeks.

Yield: 30 to 40 biscotti, depending on size.

Note: I did not spray it with water. I just loosely covered the biscotti with foil for 5 minutes.

Molten Chocolate Cookies

 

Warm, gooey, molten chocolate cookies….need I say more?…Well, I could…if you insist. But I’ll say it anyway….they are soft, they are chewy and they are mind-blowingly chocolaty. And the best part, they are so easy to make.

I found the recipe on the back of a Guittard chocolate chip bag a while ago, and have been wanting to make it ever since. Finally I got around to making it, and it is a keeper. It is best eaten warm, so microwave it for 10 seconds and you are good to go.

 

Molten Chocolate Cookies

Recipe: Guittard, http://www.guittard.com/

Ingredients:

2 cups (12 oz) semisweet chocolate chips

3 tbsp. butter

2 large eggs

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

Method:

Melt chips and butter in a double boiler over low heat, stirring until smooth and thick. Remove from heat; set aside to cool. You could also use the microwave to melt the chocolate and butter.

In a large bowl, beat eggs, sugar, salt and vanilla on high speed about 2-3 mins until pale yellow and slightly thickened. Mix in chocolate on low speed. Stop and scrape bowl. Add flour and baking powder on low speed just until incorporated, stopping once to scrape bowl. Cover dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 15-30 mins.

Preheat oven to 375 deg F. Scoop 2-inch mounds onto two parchment-lined cookie sheets leaving 2 inches between cookies. Bake one sheet at a time for 12 mins or until crusty on the outside but soft in center. Cool on cookie sheet for 3-5 mins.

Yields: 16 3-inch cookies.

 

Almond Joy Truffle Cake ….An Ode to my Favorite Candy!

Don’t you just love Almond Joy?… I do!..I really do. I can eat one any time of the day..or night, for that matter.. I also have a special relation with this beautiful candy bar. My second day in the US – newly married, missing home badly, hubby at work, alone in the new house, miles and miles of white snow around, cold and scared, almost on the verge of crying, I wandered aimlessly through the rooms, and there it was….two large packets of some candy called ‘Almond Joy’. It said chocolate (hmmm),  it said coconut ( interested), it said almonds (definitely interested), and it said joy ( smiling now). I popped one in my mouth, then the next one , then another one, and another. I had found my first friend here in the US – the very sweet and joyful, Almond Joy!

This cake has all the elements of the candy in the form of a luscious, melt-in-your-mouth flourless chocolate truffle cake, a moist and sweet coconut topping, and toasted almonds on top. This one sure is a keeper and I know I”ll be making it again, and again, and again!…

A cupcake a day keeps the sweet tooth away!…

Chocolate cupcakes with vanilla buttercream frosting.

Sponge Bob and Friends

All characters made out of gumpaste.