Chocolate Desserts
If you love Chocolate, today's post is sure to please. Check out the Chocolate-Chocolate Birthday Cake, the Chocolate Mousse, and the rest of today's decadent chocolate desserts. Enjoy!
ROCKY ROAD BARS
This is from Baking at Home. Cook Time: 25 minutes; Yield: 12 servings
To view this yumminess online, go to https://bakingathome.com/recipe/rocky-road-bars/.
Ingredients
Cake
2/3 C. Crisco® Butter Flavor All-Vegetable Shortening
4 oz. unsweetened baking chocolate
2 C. granulated sugar
4 large eggs
1 tsp. Spice Islands® Pure Vanilla Extract
1-1/4 C. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. Clabber Girl® Baking Powder
1 tsp. salt
Topping
1/4 C. Crisco® Butter Flavor All-Vegetable Shortening
1 oz. unsweetened baking chocolate
1/3 C. evaporated milk
1/2 C. sugar
1-3/4 C. powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. Spice Islands® Pure Vanilla Extract
1 C. miniature marshmallows
1/3 C. creamy peanut butter
Directions
Heat oven to 350ºF. Spray a 13 x 9-inch pan with no-stick cooking spray like Baker’s Joy®.
Combine shortening and unsweetened chocolate in microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on MEDIUM (50% power). Stir after 1 minute. Repeat at 1 minute intervals until mixture can be stirred until smooth. Stir in granulated sugar. Stir in eggs, one at a time, and vanilla.
Combine flour, baking powder and salt in medium bowl. Gradually stir into chocolate mixture. Spread into prepared pan.
Bake 30 minutes, or until set.
Begin preparing topping during last 5 minutes of the bake time for cake. Combine shortening and unsweetened chocolate in microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on MEDIUM (50% power). Stir after 1 minute. Repeat for 1 minute intervals until mixture can be stirred until smooth.
Transfer to bowl of electric mixer. Add evaporated milk and granulated sugar. Beat at low speed until well blended. Add powdered sugar and vanilla. Beat until blended.
Sprinkle marshmallows over hot cake layer. Pour prepared chocolate topping over marshmallows. Drop peanut butter by teaspoonfuls on top of hot chocolate topping. Swirl together using tip of knife. Cover pan immediately with foil. Cool in pan on cooling rack. Cut into 2 x 1-1/2-inch bars.
If topping becomes too firm to pour, reheat on low.
CHOCOLATE MOUSSE
I saw something similar to this a few years back and tweaked it a little. For anyone who is sure that he or she won't like tofu, this may be the game-changer.
Ingredients
1 10-12 ounce tub of silken tofu
12 ounce bag of chocolate chips
2 - 3 tablespoons milk (you can use soy milk, if you prefer)
1 tsp vanilla
1 tablespoon maple syrup
Directions
Melt chocolate chips along with the milk over low to medium heat, stirring constantly.
Place silken tofu, melted chocolate chips, vanilla, and syrup into blender. Blend on a medium setting, pulsing if needed to combine.
Pour into 4 bowls or small cups, and let cool for 10 minutes or so.
Dig in! Yum!
CHOCOLATE FILLED CAKE ROLL
Servings: 12 one-inch slices
Find this recipe at: http://diabeticgourmet.com/recipes/html/23.shtml
Ingredients
Cake:
5 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
3 packets of Sweet'n Low
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking powder
Filling:
2 cups skim milk
1 package sugar-free chocolate instant pudding mix
Topping:
2 teaspoons sugar-free cocoa mix
Directions
Preheat oven to 400F.
Grease and line the bottom of a 10x15" jelly roll pan with waxed paper.
Beat eggs in a large bowl with electric mixer until fluffy.
Sprinkle sugar, Sweet'n Low and vanilla over eggs; continue beating for 2 minutes.
Sift flour, cornstarch, and baking powder together.
Sprinkle half the mixture over batter; fold in with spatula.
Repeat with remaining flour mixture.
Spread batter evenly in pan.
Bake on center rack in oven for 10 to 12 minutes or until cake is golden and springs back when lightly touched.
Arrange a towel on work surface and cover with wax or parchment paper.
Loosen edges of cake; unmold on paper.
Roll cake jelly roll style, using towel as a guide.
Leave cake rolled until it cools into jelly roll shape.
To make filling, blend milk with pudding mix according to package directions. Refrigerate pudding until it thickens.
Unroll cake, spread evenly with pudding, and reroll.
Lightly sprinkle sugar-free cocoa over the top to decorate.
Cut into 1" slices and serve.
Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 122; Fat: 2 g; Sodium: 197 mg; Cholesterol: 92 mg; Carbohydrates: 21 g; Exchanges: 1 Fruit; 1/2 Skim Milk; 1/2 Fat; 1 Starch
RUTH REICHL'S GIANT CHOCOLATE CAKE
This decadent yumminess is from Ruth Reichl and adapted by Kim Severson in The New York Times cooking enewsletter. For this wonderful recipe, Kim wrote, "In her new book, 'My Kitchen Year: 136 Recipes That Saved My Life,' Ruth Reichl calls this the cake that cures everything. The recipe produces a large stacked rectangular layer cake with whipped cream cheese in the frosting to add lightness and stability. The cake is very tender, based on a technique she first started using when she was a cook at the Swallow, a restaurant collective in Berkeley, Calif."
Time: 1-1/2 hours; Yield: 20 to 25 servings.
This recipe was featured in "Ruth Reichl Recharges in the Kitchen", and can be viewed online at https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1017692-ruth-reichls-giant-chocolate-cake.
Ingredients
For the Cake
1-1/8 cups unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch process), plus more for dusting the pans
3/4 cup whole milk
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla
3 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
Salt
1-1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1-1/2 cups dark brown sugar
1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
6 eggs
For the Frosting
5 ounces unsweetened chocolate
3/4 cups (1-1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 cup whipped cream cheese
1 teaspoon vanilla
2-1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
Preparation
Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter two large rectangular baking pans (13 by 9 by 2 inches) and line them with waxed or parchment paper. Butter the paper and dust the pans with cocoa (you could use flour, but cocoa adds color and flavor).
Measure the cocoa powder into a bowl, and whisk in 1-1/2 cups of boiling water until it is smooth, dark and so glossy it reminds you of chocolate pudding. Whisk in the milk and vanilla. In another bowl, whisk the flour with the baking soda and 3/4 teaspoon salt.
Put the butter into the bowl of a stand mixer and beat in the sugars until it is light, fluffy and the color of coffee with cream (about 5 minutes). One at a time, add the eggs, beating for about 20 seconds after each before adding the next. On low speed, beat in the flour mixture in 3 batches and the cocoa mixture in 2, alternating flour-cocoa-flour-cocoa-flour.
Pour half of the batter into each pan and smooth the tops. Bake in the middle of the oven until a tester comes out clean, 25 to 35 minutes. Let the pans rest on cooling racks for 2 minutes, then turn the cakes onto racks to cool completely before frosting.
Make the frosting: Chop the chocolate and melt it in a double boiler. Let it cool so that you can comfortably put your finger in it. While it’s cooling, mix the butter with the whipped cream cheese. Add the chocolate, the vanilla and a dash of salt, and mix in the confectioners’ sugar until it looks like frosting, at least 5 minutes. Assemble the cake, spreading about a third of the frosting on one of the cooled layers, then putting the second layer on top and frosting the assembled cake.
CHOCOLATE-CHOCOLATE BIRTHDAY CAKE
This is from Dorie Greenspan in The New York Times cooking enewsletter. For this recipe, Dorie wrote, "This is the birthday cake I’ve made for my son since he was about 11. After boxed cakes, ice-cream cakes, a cake in a Darth Vader mold (that year, the party’s theme was “May the Fours Be With You), this cake hit the spot and remains a favorite. It’s a double-layer devil’s-food cake made with cocoa and bittersweet chocolate, the same pair that makes the frosting so luscious. You can make the layers ahead of time, wrap them and freeze them for up to a month. As for the frosting, it’s best spread between the layers and over the cake when it’s just made. Once assembled, the cake can be refrigerated overnight. It cuts most easily when it’s cold but tastes best when it’s at room temperature, which is about what it will be once the candles are blown out and the slices put on plates. Ice cream alongside is unnecessary but nice. Hey, it’s a birthday!"
Time: Baking and cooling: About 3 hours; Yield: 12 to 14 servings
This was featured in "The Double-Layer Chocolate Cake I Make for My Son’s Birthday", and can be viewed online at https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1019312-chocolate-chocolate-birthday-cake.
Ingredients
For the Cake
2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature (plus more for the pan)
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (plus more for the pan)
2 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1-1/4 cups sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk, well shaken
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled
For the Frosting
3-1/3 cups confectioners’ sugar
4-1/2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
3 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled
4-1/2 tablespoons buttermilk
Small decorations to scatter over the cake, optional
Preparation
Center a rack in the oven, and preheat it to 350. Butter the interiors of two 9-inch round cake pans, dust with a little cocoa powder and tap out the excess. Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
Working with an electric mixer (use the paddle, if you have one), beat the butter and sugar together on medium speed for 3 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one by one, and beat for a minute after each goes in; beat in the vanilla. Reduce the speed to low, and add the dry ingredients in 3 additions and the buttermilk in 2 (start and finish with the dry, and don’t worry if the buttermilk makes the batter look slightly curdled). Mix in the melted chocolate. Divide the batter evenly between the pans.
Bake for 24 to 28 minutes, until a tester poked into the center of the cakes comes out clean. Transfer to racks, let rest 5 minutes and then run a blunt knife around the edges of the pans. Unmold the cakes onto the racks, and cool to room temperature.
Make the frosting: Sift together the confectioners’ sugar and cocoa powder. Using an electric mixer (with the paddle, if available), beat the sugar, cocoa, salt and butter on high speed until fluffy. On low speed, add the chocolate. When it’s almost incorporated, beat in the buttermilk. It’s best to use the frosting immediately.
If necessary, just before you’re ready to frost the cakes, slice a sliver off the top of each layer to create a flat surface. To assemble, place one cake layer, top up, on a serving platter, and cover with frosting. Top with the second layer, top down, jiggling it into the frosting to hold it in place. Frost the top and sides of the cake — go sleek or swirly. If you’re using decorations, scatter them over the cake. Chill for at least 1 hour (or for up to 1 day); bring to room temperature before serving.
HOT CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE
How does Hot Chocolate Cheesecake sound? Yum!
This comes from The Food Network Kitchen, and starts off, “Use your leftover hot chocolate or cocoa mix in both the crust and the filling of this super-rich cheesecake that tastes just like the classic drink.” Total Time: 3 hr 45 min; Prep: 30 min; Inactive: 45 min; Cook: 2hr 30 min; Yield: 12 to 14 servings; Level: Easy
To read more, click here.
Ingredients
Crust:
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus more butter for the pan
9 graham crackers (about 1 sleeve)
1/4 cup hot chocolate or cocoa mix
Pinch fine salt
Filling:
Four 8-ounce packages cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup hot chocolate or cocoa mix
1 cup sour cream
6 large eggs, at room temperature
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
10 marshmallows
Directions
Special equipment: a 9-inch springform pan
For the crust: Position a rack in the center of the oven, and preheat to 325 degrees F. Butter the inside of a 9-inch springform pan.
Pulse the graham crackers in a food processor until finely ground. Add the butter, hot chocolate mix and salt, and pulse until the mixture comes together and holds its shape when squeezed. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan, and press it into the bottom to make an even layer. Bake until the crust is just firm, about 10 minutes. Let cool completely. Place the pan on a large piece of foil, and fold the foil up the sides of the pan. (This helps seal the pan, to keep water out while baking.)
For the filling: Wipe out the food processor. Pulse the cream cheese, sugar, hot chocolate mix and sour cream until completely smooth, without any lumps, scraping down the side of the bowl a few times. Add the eggs and vanilla, and pulse until incorporated. Pour the filling into the crust, and set the pan inside a roasting pan. Fill the roasting pan with enough hot water to go halfway up the side of the springform pan (but not above the foil).
Bake the cheesecake until the edge is set but the center jiggles slightly (when you gently shake the pan, the cheesecake should move in a cohesive wave motion), 1 hour 10 minutes to 1 hour 20 minutes. Turn the oven off, and open the door for a few seconds to let out some heat. Close the door, and let the cheesecake sit in the oven until cooked completely through, 1 hour more.
Transfer the springform pan to a cooling rack. Run a knife around the edge, and let the cheesecake cool to room temperature. Wrap and refrigerate overnight or up to 2 days.
Before serving, cut the marshmallows on the diagonal, and arrange them, cut-side down, in a neat line all over the top edge of the cheesecake.
ROCKY ROAD BARS
This is from Baking at Home. Cook Time: 25 minutes; Yield: 12 servings
To view this yumminess online, go to https://bakingathome.com/recipe/rocky-road-bars/.
Ingredients
Cake
2/3 C. Crisco® Butter Flavor All-Vegetable Shortening
4 oz. unsweetened baking chocolate
2 C. granulated sugar
4 large eggs
1 tsp. Spice Islands® Pure Vanilla Extract
1-1/4 C. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. Clabber Girl® Baking Powder
1 tsp. salt
Topping
1/4 C. Crisco® Butter Flavor All-Vegetable Shortening
1 oz. unsweetened baking chocolate
1/3 C. evaporated milk
1/2 C. sugar
1-3/4 C. powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. Spice Islands® Pure Vanilla Extract
1 C. miniature marshmallows
1/3 C. creamy peanut butter
Directions
Heat oven to 350ºF. Spray a 13 x 9-inch pan with no-stick cooking spray like Baker’s Joy®.
Combine shortening and unsweetened chocolate in microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on MEDIUM (50% power). Stir after 1 minute. Repeat at 1 minute intervals until mixture can be stirred until smooth. Stir in granulated sugar. Stir in eggs, one at a time, and vanilla.
Combine flour, baking powder and salt in medium bowl. Gradually stir into chocolate mixture. Spread into prepared pan.
Bake 30 minutes, or until set.
Begin preparing topping during last 5 minutes of the bake time for cake. Combine shortening and unsweetened chocolate in microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on MEDIUM (50% power). Stir after 1 minute. Repeat for 1 minute intervals until mixture can be stirred until smooth.
Transfer to bowl of electric mixer. Add evaporated milk and granulated sugar. Beat at low speed until well blended. Add powdered sugar and vanilla. Beat until blended.
Sprinkle marshmallows over hot cake layer. Pour prepared chocolate topping over marshmallows. Drop peanut butter by teaspoonfuls on top of hot chocolate topping. Swirl together using tip of knife. Cover pan immediately with foil. Cool in pan on cooling rack. Cut into 2 x 1-1/2-inch bars.
If topping becomes too firm to pour, reheat on low.
CHOCOLATE MOUSSE
I saw something similar to this a few years back and tweaked it a little. For anyone who is sure that he or she won't like tofu, this may be the game-changer.
Ingredients
1 10-12 ounce tub of silken tofu
12 ounce bag of chocolate chips
2 - 3 tablespoons milk (you can use soy milk, if you prefer)
1 tsp vanilla
1 tablespoon maple syrup
Directions
Melt chocolate chips along with the milk over low to medium heat, stirring constantly.
Place silken tofu, melted chocolate chips, vanilla, and syrup into blender. Blend on a medium setting, pulsing if needed to combine.
Pour into 4 bowls or small cups, and let cool for 10 minutes or so.
Dig in! Yum!
CHOCOLATE FILLED CAKE ROLL
Servings: 12 one-inch slices
Find this recipe at: http://diabeticgourmet.com/recipes/html/23.shtml
Ingredients
Cake:
5 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
3 packets of Sweet'n Low
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking powder
Filling:
2 cups skim milk
1 package sugar-free chocolate instant pudding mix
Topping:
2 teaspoons sugar-free cocoa mix
Directions
Preheat oven to 400F.
Grease and line the bottom of a 10x15" jelly roll pan with waxed paper.
Beat eggs in a large bowl with electric mixer until fluffy.
Sprinkle sugar, Sweet'n Low and vanilla over eggs; continue beating for 2 minutes.
Sift flour, cornstarch, and baking powder together.
Sprinkle half the mixture over batter; fold in with spatula.
Repeat with remaining flour mixture.
Spread batter evenly in pan.
Bake on center rack in oven for 10 to 12 minutes or until cake is golden and springs back when lightly touched.
Arrange a towel on work surface and cover with wax or parchment paper.
Loosen edges of cake; unmold on paper.
Roll cake jelly roll style, using towel as a guide.
Leave cake rolled until it cools into jelly roll shape.
To make filling, blend milk with pudding mix according to package directions. Refrigerate pudding until it thickens.
Unroll cake, spread evenly with pudding, and reroll.
Lightly sprinkle sugar-free cocoa over the top to decorate.
Cut into 1" slices and serve.
Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 122; Fat: 2 g; Sodium: 197 mg; Cholesterol: 92 mg; Carbohydrates: 21 g; Exchanges: 1 Fruit; 1/2 Skim Milk; 1/2 Fat; 1 Starch
RUTH REICHL'S GIANT CHOCOLATE CAKE
This decadent yumminess is from Ruth Reichl and adapted by Kim Severson in The New York Times cooking enewsletter. For this wonderful recipe, Kim wrote, "In her new book, 'My Kitchen Year: 136 Recipes That Saved My Life,' Ruth Reichl calls this the cake that cures everything. The recipe produces a large stacked rectangular layer cake with whipped cream cheese in the frosting to add lightness and stability. The cake is very tender, based on a technique she first started using when she was a cook at the Swallow, a restaurant collective in Berkeley, Calif."
Time: 1-1/2 hours; Yield: 20 to 25 servings.
This recipe was featured in "Ruth Reichl Recharges in the Kitchen", and can be viewed online at https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1017692-ruth-reichls-giant-chocolate-cake.
Ingredients
For the Cake
1-1/8 cups unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch process), plus more for dusting the pans
3/4 cup whole milk
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla
3 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
Salt
1-1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1-1/2 cups dark brown sugar
1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
6 eggs
For the Frosting
5 ounces unsweetened chocolate
3/4 cups (1-1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 cup whipped cream cheese
1 teaspoon vanilla
2-1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
Preparation
Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter two large rectangular baking pans (13 by 9 by 2 inches) and line them with waxed or parchment paper. Butter the paper and dust the pans with cocoa (you could use flour, but cocoa adds color and flavor).
Measure the cocoa powder into a bowl, and whisk in 1-1/2 cups of boiling water until it is smooth, dark and so glossy it reminds you of chocolate pudding. Whisk in the milk and vanilla. In another bowl, whisk the flour with the baking soda and 3/4 teaspoon salt.
Put the butter into the bowl of a stand mixer and beat in the sugars until it is light, fluffy and the color of coffee with cream (about 5 minutes). One at a time, add the eggs, beating for about 20 seconds after each before adding the next. On low speed, beat in the flour mixture in 3 batches and the cocoa mixture in 2, alternating flour-cocoa-flour-cocoa-flour.
Pour half of the batter into each pan and smooth the tops. Bake in the middle of the oven until a tester comes out clean, 25 to 35 minutes. Let the pans rest on cooling racks for 2 minutes, then turn the cakes onto racks to cool completely before frosting.
Make the frosting: Chop the chocolate and melt it in a double boiler. Let it cool so that you can comfortably put your finger in it. While it’s cooling, mix the butter with the whipped cream cheese. Add the chocolate, the vanilla and a dash of salt, and mix in the confectioners’ sugar until it looks like frosting, at least 5 minutes. Assemble the cake, spreading about a third of the frosting on one of the cooled layers, then putting the second layer on top and frosting the assembled cake.
CHOCOLATE-CHOCOLATE BIRTHDAY CAKE
This is from Dorie Greenspan in The New York Times cooking enewsletter. For this recipe, Dorie wrote, "This is the birthday cake I’ve made for my son since he was about 11. After boxed cakes, ice-cream cakes, a cake in a Darth Vader mold (that year, the party’s theme was “May the Fours Be With You), this cake hit the spot and remains a favorite. It’s a double-layer devil’s-food cake made with cocoa and bittersweet chocolate, the same pair that makes the frosting so luscious. You can make the layers ahead of time, wrap them and freeze them for up to a month. As for the frosting, it’s best spread between the layers and over the cake when it’s just made. Once assembled, the cake can be refrigerated overnight. It cuts most easily when it’s cold but tastes best when it’s at room temperature, which is about what it will be once the candles are blown out and the slices put on plates. Ice cream alongside is unnecessary but nice. Hey, it’s a birthday!"
Time: Baking and cooling: About 3 hours; Yield: 12 to 14 servings
This was featured in "The Double-Layer Chocolate Cake I Make for My Son’s Birthday", and can be viewed online at https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1019312-chocolate-chocolate-birthday-cake.
Ingredients
For the Cake
2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature (plus more for the pan)
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (plus more for the pan)
2 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1-1/4 cups sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk, well shaken
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled
For the Frosting
3-1/3 cups confectioners’ sugar
4-1/2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
3 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled
4-1/2 tablespoons buttermilk
Small decorations to scatter over the cake, optional
Preparation
Center a rack in the oven, and preheat it to 350. Butter the interiors of two 9-inch round cake pans, dust with a little cocoa powder and tap out the excess. Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
Working with an electric mixer (use the paddle, if you have one), beat the butter and sugar together on medium speed for 3 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one by one, and beat for a minute after each goes in; beat in the vanilla. Reduce the speed to low, and add the dry ingredients in 3 additions and the buttermilk in 2 (start and finish with the dry, and don’t worry if the buttermilk makes the batter look slightly curdled). Mix in the melted chocolate. Divide the batter evenly between the pans.
Bake for 24 to 28 minutes, until a tester poked into the center of the cakes comes out clean. Transfer to racks, let rest 5 minutes and then run a blunt knife around the edges of the pans. Unmold the cakes onto the racks, and cool to room temperature.
Make the frosting: Sift together the confectioners’ sugar and cocoa powder. Using an electric mixer (with the paddle, if available), beat the sugar, cocoa, salt and butter on high speed until fluffy. On low speed, add the chocolate. When it’s almost incorporated, beat in the buttermilk. It’s best to use the frosting immediately.
If necessary, just before you’re ready to frost the cakes, slice a sliver off the top of each layer to create a flat surface. To assemble, place one cake layer, top up, on a serving platter, and cover with frosting. Top with the second layer, top down, jiggling it into the frosting to hold it in place. Frost the top and sides of the cake — go sleek or swirly. If you’re using decorations, scatter them over the cake. Chill for at least 1 hour (or for up to 1 day); bring to room temperature before serving.
HOT CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE
How does Hot Chocolate Cheesecake sound? Yum!
This comes from The Food Network Kitchen, and starts off, “Use your leftover hot chocolate or cocoa mix in both the crust and the filling of this super-rich cheesecake that tastes just like the classic drink.” Total Time: 3 hr 45 min; Prep: 30 min; Inactive: 45 min; Cook: 2hr 30 min; Yield: 12 to 14 servings; Level: Easy
To read more, click here.
Ingredients
Crust:
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus more butter for the pan
9 graham crackers (about 1 sleeve)
1/4 cup hot chocolate or cocoa mix
Pinch fine salt
Filling:
Four 8-ounce packages cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup hot chocolate or cocoa mix
1 cup sour cream
6 large eggs, at room temperature
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
10 marshmallows
Directions
Special equipment: a 9-inch springform pan
For the crust: Position a rack in the center of the oven, and preheat to 325 degrees F. Butter the inside of a 9-inch springform pan.
Pulse the graham crackers in a food processor until finely ground. Add the butter, hot chocolate mix and salt, and pulse until the mixture comes together and holds its shape when squeezed. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan, and press it into the bottom to make an even layer. Bake until the crust is just firm, about 10 minutes. Let cool completely. Place the pan on a large piece of foil, and fold the foil up the sides of the pan. (This helps seal the pan, to keep water out while baking.)
For the filling: Wipe out the food processor. Pulse the cream cheese, sugar, hot chocolate mix and sour cream until completely smooth, without any lumps, scraping down the side of the bowl a few times. Add the eggs and vanilla, and pulse until incorporated. Pour the filling into the crust, and set the pan inside a roasting pan. Fill the roasting pan with enough hot water to go halfway up the side of the springform pan (but not above the foil).
Bake the cheesecake until the edge is set but the center jiggles slightly (when you gently shake the pan, the cheesecake should move in a cohesive wave motion), 1 hour 10 minutes to 1 hour 20 minutes. Turn the oven off, and open the door for a few seconds to let out some heat. Close the door, and let the cheesecake sit in the oven until cooked completely through, 1 hour more.
Transfer the springform pan to a cooling rack. Run a knife around the edge, and let the cheesecake cool to room temperature. Wrap and refrigerate overnight or up to 2 days.
Before serving, cut the marshmallows on the diagonal, and arrange them, cut-side down, in a neat line all over the top edge of the cheesecake.
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