The cake doesn’t really soak up the sauce… it is more like the sauce swathes the cake in a rich, sticky blanket of yumminess. Between the hot sauce, the crunchy pecans, and the velvety cake you have a major  convention of flavor and texture going on in your mouth.

If you cook it a little less (like I will next time) you will also have the gooey middles of the cakes. I am not sure that you can find something a whole lot better for the time and effort it takes to make these (hardly any). You can start them just before you serve the main course and have them on the table by the time the bread is gone. Seriously. This one’s a keeper.

Make these in muffin cups that have been sprayed with baking spray or individual custard cups.

Chocolate Cakes with Praline Sauce

• 2/3 cup flour
• 1/2 cup dark cocoa
• pinch of kosher salt
• 12 oz chocolate, chopped. Mix bittersweet, dark, semisweet, or milk in any combination.
• 2 sticks unsalted butter, melt one and allow to become golden brown
• 4 eggs
• 2 egg yolks
• 2/3 cup sugar

1. Preheat oven to 400F.
2. Melt the chocolate and the one stick of butter together, whisking often
3. Remove from heat and add the browned butter
4. Sift the dry ingredients together three times
5. Beat the eggs and yolks until light
6. Beat in the sugar
7. Carefully whisk in the chocolate and butter combination
8. Divide between 8-10 muffin cups
9. Bake for 12 minutes (gooey) or 15 minutes (moist and rich)
10. Cool for no more than 2-3 minutes and unmold onto dessert plates

Praline Sauce

• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 stick unsalted butter
• 2 tbs heavy cream
• Pinch of salt
• 1 cup pecans, toasted
• 1/2 tsp vanilla

1. Melt the butter, salt, and brown sugar together until no longer grainy, stirring often.
2. Add the cream and stir well
3. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla
4. Sprinkle pecans over the cakes and pour the warm syrup over all

Makes 8-10 servings

images: marye audet

Post from: Baking Delights

Again, I used an oreo crust. I think that if you are making a chocolate crust this is absolutely the best way to go! There was a layer of caramel and chocolate and nuts on the bottom and then a deep vanilla cheesecake, topped with caramel, chocolate, and pecans.

Was it good? Oh yeah it was.  This is such an easy base for cheesecake. If you have read very many of my cheesecake recipes you will soon figure out that they are all the same foundation….. shhhh…don’t tell.

Always use a bain marie for the baking. It allows the cheese filling to bake slowly and evenly and you will end up with a much creamier product. Also, keep everything at room temperature, for the same reason.

Turtle Cheesecake

• 1 package oreos, crushed
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 1 bag caramels, unwrapped and chopped
• 12 oz milk chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 lb pecans, chopped
• 32 ounces cream cheese
• 2 cups sugar
• 6 eggs
• 1 tbs strong bourbon vanilla
• 16 ounces sour cream

1. Preheat the oven to 375F
2. Mix oreos and butter and press into a 9 inch springform
3. Wrap the bottom and sides of  the  springform with aluminum foil to seal out water
4. Beat the cream cheese on low speed until blended
5. Add sugar and continue to beat on low
6. Add the eggs one at a time
7. Remove from mixer and fold in sour cream and the vanilla
8. Add half the chopped caramels, half the chocolate chips, and half the pecans to the pan over the crust
9. Pour the filling over it carefully
10. Bake for 45 minutes
11. Leave oven door closed and turn off heat. Allow to stand for one hour
12. Remove from oven and bain marie and allow to come to room temperature
13. Chill for 8 hours
14. Remove cake from fridge
15. Melt the remaining caramels,  reserving a few for garnish, cover the top of the cake in caramel
16. Sprinkle 1 cup chocolate chips, reserved caramel pieces and pecans, and gently press into the melted caramel
17. Bring 1/4 cup cream to a simmer. Whisk in remaining chocolate chips until smooth.
18. Drizzle over the top of the cake
19. Chill until ready to serve

about 12-16 servings

images : marye audet

Post from: Baking Delights

Rich caramel with a vanilla midnote melting into black tea flavor on your tongue.  It is very complex, very sweet, very rich, and very good.  The filling is light and creamy, just the way a mousse should be, meltingly rich texture to compliment the flavor of the filling.  There will be filling left, you can make tart shells, put it in the chocolate cups, or just eat it.

I loved everything about this except my presentation…that is something I want to work on. I used Sara Lee Frozen Puff Pastry sheets, homemade would be better but I was limited in my time.  It did not take very long at all because of starting with the premade puff pastry.  I think it would be an awesome addition for Mother’s Day or anytime you wanted a great, impressive dessert.  You could also use the small puff pastry shells or use this mousse as a filling for choux pastr, y.

Basically you are diving through pillows of mousse and hitting airy-crisp layers of pastry.  The combination is intoxicating.

Vanilla Caramel Truffle Tea Tart

• 1 package frozen puff pastry (2 in package, you will need both)
• 1 egg yolk
• 4 bags Lipton Vanilla Caramel Truffle tea
• 1 tsp unflavored gelatin, softened in 1/4 cup water
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream, divided use
• 1 cup half and half
• 2 eggs, separated
• 1 cup sugar
• pinch of kosher salt
• Melted chocolate for garnish

1. Thaw the puff pastry according to directions.
2. Heat 1/2 cup of cream just to a simmer.  Add the tea bags and set aside to cool.
3. Preheat the oven to 400F or whatever is directed on the box.
4. Cut one sheet of the pastry into 5 strips.  These will make the sides of the tart and the cutouts.
5. Unfold the other sheet of pastry on a baking sheet.
6. Brush beaten egg yolk along edges and gently press 4 strips of pastry around the perimeter to make edges.
7. Cut hearts, stars, or other shapes out of the remaining strip.
8. Bake until puffed, golden and done, about 20 minutes.
9. Meanwhile add half and half and salt to the 2 beaten egg yolks.
10. Add sugar and beat until well blended.
11. Squeeze out tea bags and discard.  Pour infused cream and softened gelatin into the egg mixture.
12. Whisk until well mixed.
13. Cook in a double boiler until the mixture coats the back of a spoon.  Remove from heat and set aside.
14. Meanwhile beat the remaining cream until soft peaks form.
15. Beat the egg whites until peaks form, do not over beat.
16. Fold egg whites into room temperature infused cream mixture.
17. Fold whipped cream into all.
18. Spoon into tart shell.  Chill.  Garnish with melted chocolate.

serves 9-12

images:marye audet (c) 2009

Post from: Baking Delights

Caramel Crunch Fudge Cake

1/2 c butter

2 oz unsweetened chocolate

1 c water

1 c rolled oats (old fashioed oatmeal)

1 c sugar

1 c brown sugar packed

1/2 c chocolate syrup

1/2 c cold coffee brewed strong

1 tsp vanilla

3 eggs

1 1/2 c flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

In large pan mix butter and chocolate. Melt…add water and bring to a boil. Remove from heat. Stir in oats, sugars, syrup, coffee, vanilla and egg. Mix well. Stir flour, baking soda, and salt into mixture and mix well. Pour into a greased pan. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes or until cake springs back when touched lightly.

Topping For Caramel Crunch Fudge Cake:

1/3 c butter

1/4 c whipping cream

3/4 c brown sugar

1/2 c coarsely chopped pecans or walnuts

As soon as cake comes from oven :

In small saucepan combine all ingredients for topping. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Reduce heat and simmer 2-3 minutes or until slightly thickened. Pour over cake. Broil 4-6 inches from heat about 2 minutes or until browned.

 Just a couple of notes of interest. Check out A Slice Of Cherry Pie for this month’s In The Bag event. The foods to be used  are:

 Aubergines (eggplant to those of us in the US)

Peppers

Basil

  Read the blog for the details. I love these food events because they are fun and challenging and I end up thinking outside the box for a change!

  No recipe on Chocolaterie Wanders Weblog but ooooh! Check out the chocolates they have been tasting in DC!

  A new site (to me) that has been added to the Foodie Blogroll is Confabulation in the Kitchen written by Abby, a southern cook with a great eye for design. I loved the recipes on her site as well as the vintage look with all of the red she used in her design. I can’t help it – it is the artist in me!
Bake the cake, grab a slice while it is warm and gooey, pour some coffee and surf these sites for a bit…It is a wonderful way to relax and you deserve it!

Post from: Baking Delights

   In a couple of weeks the kids are going to be at Vacation Bible School for 5 days, coming home only in the late afternoon. I was wondering what to do with my time but I think I have found what I will be doing one day at least. I am going to grab a Jan Karon book from my shelf, plop down on the couch with a full pan of these and, like Templeton the rat at the fair in Charlotte’s Web, become an immoveable object.

 Jenn has created this for the Brownie Babes Contest and totally blown my submission out of the water. Which is o.k…

   Because that means I have more time to sit on the couch and become immoveable.

INGREDIENTS:

1 store bought German Chocolate Cake Mix –
(you can probably use any Chocolate Cake mix you like)
2/3 cup evaporated milk
½ stick of butter
1 cup chocolate chips ( I would recommend Ghiradelli)
1 14 oz. package of caramels
1 cup chopped nuts (optional – take the option, unless you are allergic!)

METHOD:

Preheat oven to 350 F.
Mix cake mix, melted butter and 1/3 cup of evaporated milk in a mixing bowl. Fold in nuts. Grease a 9×13 inch baking dish. Spread 1/3 of the mixture on the bottom of the pan with your hands. Bake for 6 minutes.

The full blog entry with pictures and how to’s can be found here

Post from: Baking Delights