Chocolate Fantasy Cake

Ingredients:

• 2 cups sifted cake flour or 1-3/4 cups sifted
  
• all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup special dark cocoa or regular cocoa
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups packed light brown sugar
• 2/3 cup butter, softened
• 3 eggs
• 1 tablespoon coffee liqueur or strong coffee
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 container (8 oz.) dairy sour cream
• 3/4 cup boiling water
• CHOCOLATE MOUSSE (recipe follows)
• CHOCOLATE FROSTING (recipe follows)
  

Instructions:

1. Heat oven to 350* F. Grease and flour
two 9-inch round cake pans. Combine flour,
cocoa, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

2. Beat brown sugar and butter in large bowl
on low to medium speed of mixer until com-
bined. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well
after each addition. Beat in coffee liqueur
or coffee and vanilla. Add flour mixutre and
sour cream alternately to sugar mixture,
beating after each addition just until com-
bined. Stir in boiling water until blended.
Pour into prepared pans.

3. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden
pick inserted near centes comes out clean.
Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes; re-
move from pans to wire rack. Cool com-
pletely.

4. Prepare CHOCOLATE MOUSSE. Split
each cake layer horizontally to make
four layers total. Place one layer on
serving plate; spread with 1/3 of the
mousse (about 1 cup). repeat layering
with two of the remaining layers and
remaining mousse. Place remaining
cake layer on top. Prepare CHOCOLATE
FROSTING; frost cake top and sides.
Cover; refrigerate at least 2 hours be-
fore serving. 16 to 20 servings.

CHOCOLATE MOUSSE:
Place 2 cups (12 oz. pkg.) semi-sweet
chocolate chips in a food processor
bowl; cover and process until finely
ground. Mix 1/3 cup whipping cream
and 3 tablespoons granulated sugar in
1-quart saucepan. Cook over medium
heat, stirring constantly, until sugar is
dissolved and mixture is just boiling.
With food processor running, pour hot
cream through feed tube, processing 10
to 20 secoonds or until chocolate is com-
pletely melted. Scrape side of food pro-
cessor bowl. Add 1/4 cup coffee liqueur or
strong coffee and 1 tablespoon vanilla
extract through feed tube; process 10 to
20 seconds or until smooth. Pour into
large bowl; cool about 10 miinutes or until
mixture is room temperature. Beat 1 cup
whipping cream in chilled medium bowl
on high speed of mixer just until soft peaks
form. Fold whipped cream into chocolate
misture. Cover; refrigerate at least 30
minutes. Makes 3 cups.

CHOCOLATE FROSTING:
Stir together 1-1/2 cups sifted powdered
sugar and 2/3 cup sifted special dark cocoa
in medium bow. Add 1-1/2 cups whippiing
cream and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Beat
on low speed of mixer until stiff peaks form,
scrapiing side of bowl constantly. (Mixture
will be very stiff). By hand, stir in 3 to 4
tablespoons milk to make desired spreading
consistency. Makes about 3 cups.

Pumpkin Spice Cupcake

Cake
3/4 cup unsalted butter
1 package Pumpkin Pie Muffin Mix
4 large eggs
1/2 cup mini-diced crystallized ginger
3/4 cup cinnamon chips
3/4 cup diced pecans or walnuts (optional)
3/4 cup water

Orange Cream Cheese Icing
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese
1/2 cup butter
2 drops orange oil
1 tablespoon orange zest
3 cups glazing sugar or confectioners' sugar, sifted

Cake: Preheat the oven to 375°F. Place cupcake papers into 24 muffin cups; lightly spray the insides of the papers.

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, beat the butter until soft and fluffy. Add about half the pumpkin muffin mix, and beat until well-blended. Beat in the eggs, and stir in the crystallized ginger, cinnamon chips and nuts. Add the water 1/4 cup at a time alternately with the remaining mix, beating until well-blended after each addition.

Spoon the batter into the cups, filling each about two-thirds full. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and place on a rack for 5 minutes before removing the cupcakes from the baking pan. Return them to the rack to cool completely before icing them. Add decorations, if desired.

Icing: Beat together the cream cheese and butter. Add the orange oil and zest, beating well. Finally, add the sugar 1 cup at a time, beating until fluffy. Spread on the cupcakes, and then sprinkle with chopped nuts and ginger, or sugar decorations. Yield: 24 cupcakes.

Berry Yellow Cake Torte

This fancy cake combines layers of dense yellow cake topped with meringue, cinnamon, and nuts; and a rich, creamy filling studded with fresh berries.

Cake:
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 large egg yolks (save the whites for the topping)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon Butter Flavor, optional
3 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup Unbleached All-Purpose Flour

Topping:
4 large egg whites
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup sliced, blanched almonds
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon sugar

Filling:
Your favorite pastry cream OR recipe for pastry cream (below)
fresh raspberries, sliced strawberries, blueberries, or blackberries

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease two 8" round or 9" round cake pans. Or lightly grease the pans, line with parchment rounds, and lightly grease the parchment as well.

To make the cake:
In a medium-sized mixing bowl, cream together the butter, sugar, salt, and egg yolks. Beat in the vanilla, sweet dough flavor, milk, baking powder, and flour. Spread the mixture in the prepared pans (the batter will barely cover the bottom of the pans; that's OK).

Beat the egg whites till light; gradually add the 3/4 cup sugar and continue to beat till the meringue is smooth, glossy and somewhat stiff (but not stiff enough to form stand-up points). Spread the meringue on the cake batter, and sprinkle with the almonds, cinnamon, and sugar.

Bake the cakes for 30 minutes, until lightly browned. Remove them from the oven, allow them to cool for 15 minutes, then loosen the edges and gently turn them out onto a rack to cool completely. If some of the almonds fall off during this process, just sprinkle them back on top.

Quick pastry cream:
Mix 1 small box instant vanilla pudding mix with 2 teaspoons vanilla extract and 1 3/4 cups light cream (rich) or heavy cream (ultra-rich) till thick.

Assembly:
Place one of the cake layers, meringue side up, on a serving plate. Spread with the pastry cream/pudding. Add a layer of fresh berries. Top with the second cake layer, meringue-side up. Serve immediately, or refrigerate until serving time. Yield: 8 to 10 servings

Chocolate Filled Golden Cupcakes

These golden-yellow cupcakes feature chocolate-filled centers and a crown of creamy chocolate icing. If you're a fan of hazelnut, there's the added the option of scenting both the cakes and the icing with hazelnut flavor. Chocolate and hazelnut are naturals together; in Italy, the combination has its own name—"gianduia"—a 50/50 mixture of chocolate and hazelnut paste.

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs, beaten lightly
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 cup (8 ounces) yogurt, regular or low-fat, plain or vanilla
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon Creamy Hazelnut Flavor or hazelnut flavor, to taste, optional

Filling and Icing
12-ounce can chocolate frosting filling
3 cups (12 ounces) confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup heavy or whipping cream
pinch of salt
1/4 teaspoon Creamy Hazelnut Flavor or hazelnut flavor, to taste, optional
chocolate sprinkles or jimmies, optional

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 1 1/2 muffin tins (18 wells) with paper cups or silicone cups; spray the cups with non-stick vegetable oil spray.

Beat the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl until they're well combined. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Once all the eggs have been added, beat the batter at high speed of your electric mixer for 5 minutes, till it's light-colored and fluffy. Stop once, midway, to scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Add the baking powder, baking soda, and salt, beating briefly to combine. Gently stir in the flour alternately with the yogurt. Add the vanilla and hazelnut at the end.

Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin cups, using a muffin scoop (a scant 1/4 cup) of batter for each. Dip your fingertip in water, and make a deep indentation in the center of each muffin cup of batter; twirl your finger around a bit, to widen the hole.

Scoop out about 7 tablespoons of the chocolate filling, and set it aside. Drop the remainder, in 2-teaspoon-sized (3/8-ounce) balls, into the holes you've made in the cupcake batter. A teaspoon cookie scoop is the perfect tool for this job. Just drop the filling on top of the hole, and gently push it down a bit; it'll look like a partially submerged iceberg in the batter. Don't worry, it'll sink in as the cupcakes bake.

Bake the cupcakes for 22 minutes, until they spring back when you press lightly on their tops, and they're just barely starting to brown around the edges. Remove them from the oven, and take them out of the pan as soon as you're able, setting them on a rack to cool. While they're cooling, prepare the icing.

To make the icing: Combine the remaining chocolate filling with the confectioners' sugar, cream, salt, and hazelnut flavor, beating until smooth. Frost the cooled cupcakes, and sprinkle with chocolate jimmies, if desired. Yield: 18 filled cupcakes.

White Chocolate Cheesecake

Ingredients:

1 1/2	cups graham cracker crumbs (20 squares)
1/4	cup finely chopped pecans, toasted
2	tablespoons sugar
1/3	cup butter or margarine, melted
1	cup white baking chips
3/4	cup sugar
2	tablespoons all-purpose flour
2	packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
2	egg yolks
2	eggs
1/2	cup sour cream
	cups cut-up fruit or berries Directions: Move oven rack to lowest position. Heat oven to 400°F. Lightly grease bottom and side of spring form pan, 8x3 inches; remove bottom. Bake 6 to 8 minutes or until golden brown; cool. Assemble bottom and side of pan; secure side. Press remaining crumb mixture 2 inches up side of pan. Cut 11-inch circle of heavy-duty aluminum foil. Place pan on foil circle; press foil up side of pan to prevent dripping in oven during baking. Place white baking chips in 2-cup heatproof glass measure. Place measure in 1 1/2-quart saucepan. Add water to saucepan until 2 inches deep. Heat over low heat, stirring frequently, until chips are melted. Remove measure from saucepan. Increase oven temperature to 475ºF. Beat melted chips, 3/4 cup sugar and the flour in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until blended. Beat in cream cheese and egg yolks until smooth. Continue beating, adding the eggs one at a time, then the sour cream until blended. Pour batter carefully into crust. Cover pan with aluminum foil. Bake 20 minutes; remove foil. Reduce oven temperature to 300°F. Bake 1 hour. (If cheesecake browns too quickly, cover loosely with aluminum foil during last 30 minutes of baking.) Turn off oven and leave cheesecake in oven 15 minutes. Cool on wire rack 15 minutes. Run metal spatula along side of cheesecake to loosen before and after refrigerating. Cover tightly and refrigerate at least 8 hours, but no longer than 5 days. Run metal spatula along side of cheesecake to loosen; remove side of pan. Place cheesecake on serving plate. Top with fruit. Immediately refrigerate any remaining cheesecake after serving.