Mini German Chocolate Cakes

Cake
3/4 cup unsalted butter*
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons espresso powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
3/4 cup Dutch-process cocoa
4 large eggs
1 1/2 cups cool water
*If you use salted butter, reduce the salt in the recipe to 1/4 teaspoon.

Icing
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup heavy cream

Topping
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup half and half or milk
1 cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon pecan flavor or pralines & cream flavor, optional
1 cup shredded or flaked coconut, sweetened or unsweetened, toasted*
1 cup chopped pecans, toasted*

*Toast the pecans and coconuts till golden brown in a 350°F oven. This is most easily done if you place each in a 9" round cake pan, and put them in the oven as soon as you pull out the finished cake. Bake for about 10 minutes, watching carefully towards the end, as the coconut will brown quickly. Remove from the oven, and stir the coconut to distribute the less-browned and more-browned pieces together evenly.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9" x 13" pan.

To make the cake: In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter, sugar, salt, espresso powder, baking powder, and vanilla till very smooth and creamy, beating for 5 minutes. Add the eggs to the butter mixture one at a time, beating well after each addition and stopping to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl after you’ve added the first 2 eggs. Stir in the cocoa. Add one-third of the flour to the creamed mixture, then add half the water, another third of the flour, the remaining water, and the remaining flour. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl occasionally throughout this process. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

Bake the cake in a preheated 350°F oven for 35 to 40 minutes, until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, and the cake begins to pull away from the sides of the pan. Remove the cake from the oven. Cool the cake for 10 minutes, then run a table knife all around the sides of the pan to loosen the edges. Use a spatula to gently lift the cake free of the pan all around the edges; you’re going to turn it out of the pan, hopefully without sticking. Place a piece of parchment or waxed paper on a cookie sheet, put the sheet, parchment-side down, atop the cake pan, pick up the cake pan/cookie sheet, and turn the whole thing over. The cake should settle down atop the cookie sheet. Lift off the pan, and allow the cake to cool for 5 minutes. Use a 2 ¾" to 3" round biscuit or cookie cutter to cut 12 circles out of the cake. Or use whatever shape cutter you want: hearts or scalloped flower shapes are nice, too. Whatever you use, it should be around 3" in diameter. Carefully transfer the cakes to a cooling rack, right side up, and allow them to cool. As for the leftover scraps, snack on them (baker’s privilege!), or stir into instant pudding for an easy dessert. You’ll have about 4 to 5 cups of coarse cake chunks, just in case you have a recipe calling for that amount.

To make the icing: Heat the chocolate chips and cream till the cream is very hot; this is easily done in the microwave. Remove from the heat, and stir till the chocolate melts and the mixture becomes smooth. Don’t panic; it’ll look very sloppy at first, but keep stirring and it’ll become a smooth, rich glaze.

Working with one cake at a time, grasp it in the center with thumb and forefinger, and roll it through the chocolate like a wheel, to coat the sides. Place the coated cake onto a piece of parchment paper, to catch any drips. Repeat with the remaining cakes.

To make the topping: Combine the butter, salt, half and half, and sugar in a medium-sized saucepan. Bring to a simmer, and cook gently, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, and stir in the flavors, coconut, and pecans. Spoon the topping evenly atop the cakes; you’ll use about 2 1/2 tablespoons for each. A tablespoon cookie scoop is perfect for this task.

Yield: 12 servings

Mango & Peachy Cream Cheesecake Cupcakes

Ingredients:

Peach Mango Topping:
2 cups peeled, chopped fresh ripe peaches
1/2 cup mango juice
1/3 cup sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch Combine 1 cup peaches, mango juice, sugar and cornstarch in a medium saucepan. Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture bubbles and thickens. Cool for 10 minutes, then add the remaining 1 cup peaches. Set aside.

*Cheesecake:
3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
5 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup sugar Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.

Instructions:

Combine all cheesecake ingredients in a mixing bowl and beat on medium speed with electric mixer until smooth. Place paper baking cups into muffin tins and fill cups 2/3 full with cheesecake batter. Bake for 40 minutes.

Sour Cream Filling:
1 cup sour cream
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract Mix sour cream filling ingredients in a small mixing bowl using a spoon. When the cupcakes sink in the middle, place a scant tablespoon of sour cream mixture in the middle of each one. Place back into the oven for 5 more minutes. Remove from oven and cool.

When cool, spoon about 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons of Peach Mango topping over the top of the sour cream filling on each cupcake and refrigerate.

*This can also be make into a regular sized traditional cheesecake with any crust of choice.