So I’ve kind of taken a dessert making hiatus.  I normally LOVE baking, especially with chocolate:)

My little brother just turned the big 30, and requested one of my cakes…

I found this gorgeously delicious looking cake while browsing Pinterest, and knew I had to try it.  It was sooo rich, decadent, and YUM-O, definitely a special occasion cake.

So for all the cakes, pies, and desserts I make, you’d think I’d have something to show them off, right…

I’m embarrassed to say, I have yet to add this little necessity to my bakeware essentials.

So I decided to make my own!!

In a few simple steps you can make your very own cake stand too!!

• Grab a few plastic platters from Hobby Lobby

• Glue the bowl to the platter with E3000

• Spray a few coats of spray paint, allow to dry completely  (I LOVE this glittery aqua color!!)

That’s it!  You’re done!!

Now you have a beautiful platter to display your beautiful dessert!!

*Make sure you use a paper liner or doily under the dessert, the paint is definitely not food safe…

The recipe for the cake can be found HERE, Enjoy!!!

Linking up HERE this week!!

Cruzie just turned 5!!! I can’t believe how fast the time has flown by!!

This day…

seemed like it was yesterday…

And now look how big he is!!

In pre-school they’re reviewing the letters in the alphabet, so for the letter “B” we made him some birthday bat cupcakes!!!

I found THIS idea on pinterest of course:)

Do you have some fun Halloween treats planned??!!!

Pumpkins, cider, apples, caramel…  All things fall, and all things yummy!!  I found the perfect fall dessert, trust me, this cake will NOT disappoint!

I found this one on pinterest from My Recipes

Apple Cream Cheese Bunt Cake

• CREAM CHEESE FILLING:

• 1 (8-oz.) package cream cheese, softened

• 1/4 cup butter, softened

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar

• 1 large egg

• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• APPLE CAKE BATTER:

• 1 cup finely chopped pecans

• 3 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 cup granulated sugar

• 1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

• 3 large eggs, lightly beaten

• 3/4 cup canola oil

• 3/4 cup applesauce

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 3 cups peeled and finely chopped Gala apples (about 1 1/2 lb.)

• PRALINE FROSTING:

• 1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

• 1/4 cup butter

• 3 tablespoons milk

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1 cup powdered sugar

Directions:

• 1. Prepare Filling: Beat first 3 ingredients at medium speed with an electric mixer until blended and smooth. Add egg, flour, and vanilla; beat just until blended.

• 2. Prepare Batter: Preheat oven to 350º. Bake pecans in a shallow pan 8 to 10 minutes or until toasted and fragrant, stirring halfway through. Stir together 3 cups flour and next 7 ingredients in a large bowl; stir in eggs and next 3 ingredients, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened. Stir in apples and pecans.

• 3. Spoon two-thirds of apple mixture into a greased and floured 14-cup Bundt pan. Spoon Cream Cheese Filling over apple mixture, leaving a 1-inch border around edges of pan. Swirl filling through apple mixture using a paring knife. Spoon remaining apple mixture over Cream Cheese Filling.

• 4. Bake at 350º for 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes or until a long wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool cake in pan on a wire rack 15 minutes; remove from pan to wire rack, and cool completely (about 2 hours).

• 5. Prepare Frosting: Bring 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup butter, and 3 Tbsp. milk to a boil in a 2-qt. saucepan over medium heat, whisking constantly; boil 1 minute, whisking constantly. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla. Gradually whisk in powdered sugar until smooth; stir gently 3 to 5 minutes or until mixture begins to cool and thickens slightly. Pour immediately over cooled cake.

  

I’ve made this twice already, with requests to make it again!!  This is a good one:)

Enjoy!!

My brother and darling sister-in-law are having their first boy in a few more weeks (yay!) and I’m sooo excited for them. We threw them a Dr. Seuss themed baby shower,  (more details on that to come)!

But now I will share these darling cupcakes and recipe with you:)  I saw the idea for Cat in the Hat toppers over on Kara’s cupcakes, but made up my own recipe for the cupcake part…

Rich Delicious Chocolate Cupcakes

• box devil’s food cake

• 1 box instant chocolate pudding

• 4 eggs

• 1/2 cup water

• 1/2 cup oil

• 1 cup sour cream

• 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

Mix together all ingredients except for chocolate chips.  Add the chocolate chips after everything else is completely blended.  Fill cupcake paper liners halfway and bake according to directions on box.  Cool completely.  While cupcakes are cooling, make the chocolate covered oreos.

White Chocolate Oreo Cat in the Hats

• 1 bag Wilton candy melts (vanilla or white chocolate will work)

• 1 box of oreos

• 1 bag mint life savers

• 1 bag cherry life savers

Melt the white chocolate in the microwave for 30 seconds and stir.  Repeat until you get a smooth dipping consistency.  Coat oreos with the melted white chocolate and place on wax paper until chocolate is firm.

Stack the life savers on top of oreos.  Red, white, and top with red.  Use a dab of frosting to make them stick together.

Buttercream Frosting

• 1 stick butter (1/2 cup)

• 3 cups of sifted powdered sugar

• 3 to 5 Tbsp milk

• 1 tsp vanilla

• blue food coloring

Blend the butter first, about 30 seconds.  Next add the powdered sugar, vanilla, and start with 3 T of milk.  Add more milk until you get the desired consistency.  Add the food coloring.

I scooped the frosting into a ziploc bag, snipped off the corner, and used it to squeeze the frosting in a spiral design over top of cooled cupcakes.

Top with your “hats” and your finished!!

Super cute, and super yummy too!!!

I’ve seen so many renditions of this recipe, and I’m not sure where it originated or what the “proper” name for it is, but if you haven’t tried it yet, it’s SUPER simple and always a crowd pleaser.

Definitely make it for lots of people cause it makes a ton!!!

Chocolate Toffee Layer Dessert

Ingredients:

• box of devils food cake mix

• 2 boxes instant chocolate pudding

• 1 8 oz tub of cool whip

• 1 bag of toffee bits, or a large chopped symphony bar

Directions:

Prepare cake mix according to directions.  Allow to cool completely.  After cake has cooled, prepare pudding according to directions.

Cut cake into 2 inch squares.  Place a single layer of squares in the bottom of a large serving bowl.  Top with 1/2 pudding mixture.  Next spread 1/2 the tub of cool whip over the top.

Sprinkle with chopped  toffee bits until cool whip is covered.  Repeat layers.

Chill for a few hours.

Get a big fat spoon and dig in!

Sooo creamy and delish!  Enjoy!!

Have you ever made a dessert to have it completely fall apart on you???

Well, that has only happened to me once in my whole life, and so I thought I would blog about it today.  JUST KIDDING!!!  It happens all the time, I’m just brave enough to blog about it today:)

So, I was trying to make this dessert from KRAFT …

And I came out with this!!!

 HaHa, not too appetizing right…

So… I had some leftover chocolate frosting that’s completely out of this world.  Thank you Sister’s Cafe.

You get where I’m going with this right…

Ingredients:

• 1 baked cake (I used a pound cake for this recipe but any cake will do)
• 1 jar of chocolate frosting (I used about 1 1/2 cups of leftover chocolate frosting)
• 2 cups of milk chocolate chips

Directions

Crumble up the cake first.  In a large bowl, combine crumbled cake and frosting.  Mix together to form a sticky consistency.  Form into 1 inch balls, and place on cookie sheet covered in parchment paper. 

Place cookie sheet in freezer for about 10 minutes to firm up the balls.  Meanwhile, melt your chocolate chips in microwave in 30 second intervals until smooth.  Dip the balls into melted chocolate and place back on parchment to set up.

BEWARE!!  These are soo addicting and delicious:)

We can’t get enough chocolate around here!!  Can you tell:)

This recipe comes to us from the kitchen of Sister’s Cafe once again, and it’s a keeper!  It’s soooo easy, but you won’t believe how delicious, and the frosting…

Oh the frosting, let me just say I have some in a tupperware in my fridge that I eat out of on a daily basis every once in awhile:)

Best Chocolate Bunt Cake

Ingredients:

1 devils food cake mix (Dry–don’t make it according to directions on the box)
1 -4 serving instant chocolate pudding mix
4 large eggs
1 cup sour cream
½ cup warm water
½ cup vegetable oil
1 ½ cups semi sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

Place all ingredients except chocolate chips, in a large mixing bowl. Blend with electric mixer 1 minute.
Stir down sides. Continue to mix on medium speed for 2-3 minutes. Stir in chocolate chips. Pour batter into prepared bundt pan.
Bake 45-50 minutes at 350. Cool 20 minutes. Invert onto serving platter.

Frosting:

8 Tbsp butter (not margarine)
4 Tbsp cocoa powder
1/3 cup evaporated milk (I used 2%-it worked great)
4 cups sifted powdered sugar

Melt butter in medium saucepan over low heat. Whisk in cocoa and milk. Bring mixture just barely to boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Beat in 2 or 3 cups of powdered sugar with electric mixer until smooth. Add more a little at a time until thickened and a good ‘pourable’ consistency. Pour warm frosting over warm cake. This recipe makes a lot of frosting.  Pack it up to eat with a spoon later on:)

Happy Valentines Day!!!  I hope it’s a great one for you all!!!  Need a yummy treat to share with your loved ones…

This cake is seriously sooo moist and rich and yummy.  It’s an old Kraft recipe that I pull out fairly often.  It’s super easy, quick, and DELISH!!

You gotta try it!

Ingredients:

Ok, I am warning you, this dessert is not for the faint at heart.  You will take a bite, and possibly die.  This dessert will convert you to cheesecake, or chocolate, or both! 

Heavenly people.  Just sayin…

You’ve been warned…

Ok, this one comes from Brown-Eyed Baker.  My sister turned 18 this weekend!!  And she wanted a cheesecake.  Now.  Before this recipe, I was not a huge cheesecake fan.  I’ll even go as far as to admit that I had never before attempted a “real” one.  But what Kellye wants, Kellye gets:)

I even went out and bought a spring form pan for the occasion.  Let me tell you, it was sooo worth it…

Ok, now that I have built this thing up… are you ready for the recipe?

Brownie Mosaic Cheesecake

Part One: Brownies

4 ounces unsweetened chocolate
¾ cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter
1¾ cups sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup flour

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 13×9-inch baking pan with foil, with ends of foil extending over sides of pan. Grease foil.

Microwave chocolate and butter in large microwaveable bowl on HIGH 2 min. or until butter is melted. Stir until chocolate is completely melted. Stir in sugar. Blend in eggs and vanilla. Add flour and salt; mix well. Spread into prepared pan.

Bake 30 to 35 minute or until toothpick inserted in center comes out with fudgy crumbs. (Do not overbake.) Cool in pan on wire rack. Remove brownies from pan, using foil handles.

Cool brownies, then cut them into 3/4- to 1-inch squares for use in the cheesecake (I used a pizza cutter, per Deb’s recommendation). You will have more than the two cups of cubes, loosely measured, than you will need, and I’m sorry, you’re just going to have to decide for yourself what to do with the extra. Add cubes to cake batter as directed below.
 

Part Two: Crumb Crust

1½ cups or 5 ounces (3 cups or 10 ounces to double) finely ground Oreos, or other chocolate cookie
5 tablespoons (10 tablespoons to double) unsalted butter, melted
1/3 cup (2/3 cup to double) granulated sugar
1/8 teaspooon (¼ teaspoon to double) salt

Stir together ingredients and press into bottom and 1 inch up side of a buttered 10″ springform pan. Fill right away or chill for up to 2 hours.

Part Three: Cheesecake

3 (8-oz) packages of cream cheese, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla

Make crumb crust as directed above for 10-inch cheesecake. Preheat oven to 350°F.

Beat together cream cheese and sugar with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, then vanilla, beating on low speed until each ingredient is incorporated and scraping down bowl between additions.

Fold brownie cubes in very gently and pour mixture into prepared pan. Put springform pan with crust in a shallow baking pan. Pour filling into crust and bake in baking pan (to catch drips) in middle of oven 45 minutes, or until cake is set 3 inches from edge but center is still slightly wobbly when pan is gently shaken.  I slightly overcooked mine, so check it about 10 minutes before it’s due to come out…

When completely cool, top with following glaze.

Part Four: Ganache Glaze

3 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter
¼ cup heavy cream
½ teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon powdered sugar

Place finely chopped chocolate in a medium size mixing bowl. Scald the butter and cream together in a saucepan (or in the microwave on HIGH for 1 minute). Pour the cream mixture over the chocolate and stir until the chocolate is completely melted. Whisk in vanilla and then whisk in powdered sugar until smooth.  Spread over cheesecake while ganache is still warm. Chill until ready to serve.  Take a bite of heaven, and enjoy!!

Linking up HERE this week!