Milk Chocolate & Peanut Butter Cheesecake with Pretzel Crust

It's been a very long time since I last posted. I've been a very lazy girl in the blogging department, which is not to say that I've been lazy in the kitchen. I've made some great stuff over the past few months, I just haven't really felt like blogging about it. But I couldn't let this little gem fall between the cracks, because this dessert was one of my favorites. 

This was inspired by a dessert that was served at Earl's for a short time. It was a milk chocolate pudding topped with a peanut butter mousse and then sprinkled with a home made sponge toffee. It was heaven. Instead of pudding, I opted for a milk chocolate cheesecake for my base. I made a thin peanut butter layer for the top. The crust is crushed pretzels instead of graham wafers, and then I melted peanut butter and poured it on the crust to help it to bind and also give the cake that extra hit of peanut butter. 

And, yes, I did make a homemade sponge toffee to sprinkle on top which was great for texture, but I completely forgot to use it when I photographed the dessert. You'll just have to take my word for it.

I'm not going to lie. This cake is a lot of work. There's a lot of different layers of flavors going on here but it really comes together and is a show stopper. Make this for someone you love. Or when you just really need the peanut butter chocolate combo but want a refined version of Reese's peanut butter cups. 

For the Crust:

1 cup of crushed pretzels (you want fine crumbs here but not dust)

1 Tbsp. granulated sugar

1/4 cup butter, melted

1/4 cup smooth peanut butter

Combine crushed pretzels, sugar and melted butter. Press into the base of a greased 9" spring-form pan. Bake at 375 degrees F. for 8 to 10 minutes or until slightly golden.

Microwave peanut butter until pourable consistency, and pour over the baked crust.  *Now that your crust is ready, wrap the outside of the pan with foil if you plan to bake your cheesecake in a water bath (optional). 

For the Cheesecake

(adapted from Fine Cooking)

8 oz milk chocolate, finely chopped

3 x 8 ounce packages of cream cheese, at room temperature

1/2 cup sour cream

2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1 1/4 cups granulated sugar 

3 large eggs, room temperature

Melt the milk chocolate in a glass bowl in the microwave at 50% power for 90 seconds. Stir. Continue to microwave in 30 second bursts, stirring in between each, until chocolate is smooth. Set aside.

Put the cream cheese in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until smooth. Add the rest of the ingredients EXCEPT the eggs, and process until smooth. Add the eggs and pulse a few times only until incorporated. Do not over mix or the cake will expand too much when baked. Scrape the melted chocolate into the mix and pulse until just incorporated. Pour over crust.

Bake at 300 degrees F. for 50 to 60 minutes until the centre barely jiggles when you tap the pan. Remove from oven, allow to come to room temperature on a cooling rack before refrigerating over night.

*I always bake my cheesecakes in a hot water bath - and I did with this one as well, but it's not necessary. If you choose to do the same, place your cheesecake in a large roasting pan before baking, and pour enough boiling water in the roasting pan to come half-way up the cheesecake. 

For the Peanut Butter Layer
(adapted from Willow Bird Baking)

1/2 tsp. powdered gelatin

2 Tbsp. cold water

1 cup heavy cream

2 large egg yolks

3 Tbsp. sugar

4 Tbsp. smooth peanut butter

1/8 tsp. salt

In a small bowl, mix the gelatin and the water in a small bowl. Let dissolve for 5 minutes. Heat the cream over low heat in a small sauce pan until it bubbles form around the edges. In another bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and the sugar. While whisking vigorously, add 1/2 of the hot cream into the egg yolks and sugar. Then slowly pour the egg mixture into the saucepan of cream, whisking constantly. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until thickened, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in the peanut butter and the gelatin. Chill until it's cooled and thickened slightly, but not set. Pour mixture over top of the chilling cheesecake (still in its spring form pan) and refrigerate for several hours, preferably over night. When completely chilled, remove cake from spring-form pan and serve.

*Like I said, I forgot to photograph the honeycomb, but it was a great addition to this dessert. I used this recipe from Bon Appetit. One could always buy honeycomb instead of making it, it would definitely save you a lot of time. 

Baked's Sweet and Salty Cake

Baked's famous Sweet and Salty Cake has been on my baking 'to do' list for over a year. Being a lover of salted caramel is what drew me in, but the fact that the icing/filling for the cake contains a pound of chocolate, a pound of butter as well as caramel is something that both enticed me and scared me at the same time. And that's just one component - there's still salted caramel that is used to soak the cake layers, never mind the cake itself. Even I struggled with the calories and I never say no to dessert.

So, when my sister's 40th birthday rolled around, I knew I couldn't ask for a better excuse to try this recipe out. If turning 40 isn't a good enough reason to abandon reason and good judgment and dive head first into vat of calories and fat grams, well...when?  And, yes, I realize it wasn't 'my' birthday and so the justification didn't apply to me directly, but I figured I could take one for the team.

I googled the recipe to see how other bloggers fared with this cake and the results did nothing but make the task seem all the more daunting. It seems that more people struggled with the assembly of the cake than not, but everyone said it was delicious, despite its less-than perfect appearance. Complaints of the layers slipping and sliding were the most common, and once I made the filling/icing, it was easy to see how this could be a problem. The filling starts by making caramel, pouring the hot caramel over a pound of chocolate, letting that cool, then adding a pound of butter. The end result is the most silky, decadent filling, but it's slick and far from sturdy, the perfect substance to make your cake layers slide. As my mix master was beating this filling, and I was diligently adding the butter, it started to sound like the filling had turned to soup. I became alarmed - and actually held back the remaining butter (about 4 tablespoons). It was already delicious - I didn't think we'd miss the remaining butter.

Also, having gleaned tips from several blogs that tackled this cake, I decided to put the cake in the freezer after icing each layer, to allow the filling to set up a bit before adding the next layer. This made the assembly easier, albeit more time-consuming, but I'm happy to report that I did not experience the same struggle of slipping layers.

I also held back on some of the fleur de sel that was sprinkled between each layer. The recipe calls for a whole teaspoon between each layer, which seemed a bit excessive to me when I measured out a teaspoon.

Instead, I eyeballed it, sprinkling it on until it seemed like enough, which amounted to roughly half a teaspoon. The cake had the perfect balance of rich filling, sweet chocolate and salt.

I can't stress enough how important it is to give the cake a 10 minute rest in the freezer before adding the next layer. 

The end result was worth the time and effort. But let's be clear, this is definitely a special occasion cake.

When making the cake layers, I decided to forego the recipe used in the Baked book. I've already found my fool-proof chocolate cake and saw no need to risk trying a new recipe when there were already so many other components to tackle. So, if you're going to attempt this cake, and I strongly recommend that you find an occasion to justify it, use a chocolate cake recipe that you already love. If you don't have one, use mine. The rest of the recipe is as follows.
RECIPE FOR SWEET AND SALTY CAKE
(adapted from Baked - New Frontiers in Baking by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito)

Bake your favorite chocolate cake and use 3 x 8 inch circle pans. My favorite chocolate cake recipe can be found here.

For the Salted Caramel (used between the cake layers):

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 tsp. Fleur de Sel

1/4 cup water

1 cup sugar

2 Tbsp. light corn syrup

1/4 cup sour cream

For the  Whipped Caramel Ganache Frosting:

1 pound good quality chocolate (the recipe calls for dark, I used half dark, half milk chocolate)

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

1/4 cup water

1 cup sugar

2 Tbsp. light corn syrup

2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, soft but cool, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

To assemble the cake:

1 to 2 tsp. fleur de sel (or to taste)

Directions for the Salted Caramel:

In a small saucepan, combine the cream and fleur de sel. Bring to simmer over very low heat until the salt is dissolved. Keep warm. Meanwhile in a medium saucepan, combine water, sugar and corn syrup. Stir gently so as not to splash the mixture onto the sides of the pan. (Keep a wet pasty brush on hand to brush the sides of the pan should any of the mixture splash up, to keep from burning.) Cook until mixture reaches 350 degrees F. or until mixture is dark amber in color. Remove from heat and let cool for 1 minute. Add cream and mix until incorporated, taking care because the mixture will bubble up when the cream is added. Whisk in sour cream. Allow to come to room temperature, then place in fridge until you are ready to assemble the cake.

Directions for the Whipped Caramel Ganache Frosting:

Chop the chocolate and put into the bowl of a stand mixer. Set aside. In small saucepan, bring cream to simmer over low heat. Keep warm. In a medium saucepan combine water, sugar and corn syrup. Stir gently so as not to splash the mixture onto the sides of the pan. (Keep a wet pasty brush on hand to brush the sides of the pan should any of the mixture splash up, to keep from burning.) Cook until mixture reaches 350 degrees F. or until mixture is dark amber in color. Remove from heat and let cool for 1 minute. Add cream and stir slowly for 2 minutes, taking care because the mixture will bubble up when the cream is added. Pour the hot caramel over the chocolate, allow to sit for about 1 minute and then stir until the chocolate is completely melted and smooth. Allow to cool (for about 20 minutes or more) then transfer the bowl to the mixer and mix on low speed with the paddle attachment until the bowl feels cool to the touch. Increase the speed to medium high and gradually add the butter, beating until thoroughly incorporated. Scrape down the bowl and beat on high until the mixture is fluffy. (If you find the mixture is too loose, place in the fridge for a few minutes and then beat again, which is what I did.)

Directions for Assembly:

Place one cake layer on serving platter. Spread about 1/4 cup of the salted caramel over the top. If you've refrigerated it, allow to come back to room temperature, or heat it slightly in the microwave until it's easily spreadable. Then spread about 3/4 cup of the ganache frosting over the caramel. Sprinkle 1 tsp. of fleur de sel over the frosting (I only used 1/2 tsp.). Place into the freezer for 10 minutes to set before proceeding. Once the filling has set, place second cake layer on top and spread with 1/4 cup of salted caramel. Add another 3/4 cup of frosting and sprinkle with salt. Place in freezer again until set. Add third layer, spread with caramel. Crumb coat entire cake with the frosting (a thin layer of frosting). Allow to set in the freezer. Frost the entire cake again with the frosting and garnish with a sprinkle of fleur de sel. Refrigerate the cake  until set but allow to sit at room temperature at least 2 hours before serving.

Snickerdoodle Bread

I converted the Snickerdoodle Muffins from Tasty Kitchen into Snickerdoodle Bread. The muffins were so amazing (why I never blogged them I cannot say) - and so I decided to try them in loaf form. Why didn't I just make the muffins again? I dunno. I guess partly because I just wanted to experiment and partly because I recently made a Cinnamon Swirl Loaf that I saw on Pinterest and was very disappointed with the results. My failure plagued me - until I read some of the reviews and learned that I was not the only one who thought the recipe basically sucked.

Feeling the need for redemption in the loaf department, I decided to give the muffin recipe a twist. I didn't make any revisions to the ingredients or the amounts of the Snickerdoodle Muffins recipe, but instead of plopping the batter into a muffin tray, I dropped them into a loaf pan. I baked it for 55 minutes, and crossed my fingers. Guess what? Success! The loaf is just as good as the muffins. Although, I will say it has a delicate crumb, so you must handle with care. But the loaf version was just as delicious, so moist and light. If you'd rather try this in muffin form, you can see the original recipe with instructions in the link below. 

Recipe for Snickerdoodle Bread

(Adapted from: Tasty Kitchen)

1 cup butter, room temperature

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

2-¼ cups flour

¾ teaspoons baking powder

¾ teaspoons baking soda

¾ teaspoons cream of tartar

½ teaspoons salt

1 cup sour cream

¼ cups buttermilk

For the Topping:

⅔ cups sugar

2 tablespoons cinnamon

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Spray a 9x5 inch loaf pan generously with non-stick spray.

In a medium bowl, combine the dry ingredients and set aside.
Cream the butter and sugar until fluffy with a mixer. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix until combined.
Add half of the dry ingredients to the mixing bowl and stir to combine. Add the sour cream and buttermilk and mix to combine. Add the rest of the dry ingredients and mix until you have a smooth batter.

In a small bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon for the topping.

Use scooper and plop a scoop of batter (approximately 1/4 cup) into the bowl with the sugar and cinnamon. Gently roll the batter in the sugar and cinnamon. 

Place the ball into the loaf pan. Continue until you have completed your first layer, completely covering the base of the loaf pan. Sprinkle about a Tablespoon of the sugar/cinnamon mixture over the first layer of batter. Continue scooping the remaining batter into the remaining cinnamon sugar mixture and layer the batter into the pan. When you have used up all the batter, place a piece of plastic wrap over the top of the loaf and press gently to squeeze out any air pockets between the dough scoops and to even out the loaf.

Sprinkle the loaf with remaining cinnamon sugar mixture. 

Bake the loaf for approximately 50 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. (I baked mine for 55 minutes but everyone's ovens are different, so watch closely and don't be fooled by the browned upper crust.) Allow to cool in the pan for at least 10 minutes. Loosen the sides of the loaf from the pan and remove from pan over a piece of parchment (there will be some loose sugar that will fall out). Allow to cool to room temperature on a wire rack before slicing. *Note the loaf is delicate, so be gentle and it's better to cut into thicker slices so it won't fall apart.

Super Easy and Delicious Chocolate Sheet Cake

I was craving chocolate cake. But not the fancy kind. I just wanted a good old fashioned cake that was chocolate-y, moist, delicious, but super easy to throw together. No layers, no decorating, no frills whatsoever. Having posted several chocolate cakes that I love, you'd think I'd just use one of those recipes, right? Wrong. As all food bloggers can attest to, as successful as a recipe may have been in the past, and despite loving it, it is very, very hard to repeat a recipe. We like to try new stuff. It's a curse.

Despite the plainness of the cake that I was searching for, you'd be surprised how difficult it was to find a recipe that suited my mood. I didn't want it to come from a box with add-ins, and I didn't want to melt chocolate or dirty any more bowls than absolutely necessary. I eventually stumbled on a recipe that looked promising, albeit with a few tweaks. For instance, I added more cocoa powder, because I didn't want a weak tasting chocolate cake. I used coffee instead of water and doubled the vanilla for the same reason. I subbed brown sugar for half the white sugar to ensure moisture. I used sour cream instead of buttermilk because I didn't have any of the latter. I increased the salt for flavor, and I baked it in a 13 x 9 inch pan instead of the sheet pan called for in the recipe. Finally, I decided to go for a plain old butter cream frosting, instead of chocolate. Other than those small adjustments the recipe was exactly what I was looking for. For those who don't know me, that last sentence was dripping with sarcasm.

So how did my cake turn out? In a word...awesome. It was better than I'd hoped for. The mixing instructions are not typical - so I wasn't sure if it would be heavy and dense since I didn't use a mixer. But it came out perfect. Super moist, very chocolate (but not offensively so), with a nice, soft crumb. Plus, you only dirty one bowl and a saucepan. This will now be my go-to recipe for plain chocolate cake. Despite what I said earlier about never wanting to repeat a recipe. 

Recipe for Super Easy and Delicious Chocolate Sheet Cake
(loosely based on recipe from: Willow Bird Baking)
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup vegetable oil
6 tablespoons cocoa, sifted
1 cup brewed coffee (or water)
1/2 cup sour cream
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Whisk flour, baking soda, sugars, and salt together in a large bowl and set aside. In a medium sauce pan, melt butter with vegetable oil, cocoa powder, and coffee and bring to boil. Pour over mixture of dry ingredients. Stir well, then add sour cream, eggs, and vanilla. Mix to combine. Pour into a 13 x 9 inch metal baking pan sprayed generously with cooking spray.

Bake at 350 degrees F for about 35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.

Buttercream Frosting
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
3 cups of icing sugar, divided
1/4 cup milk
2 tsp. vanilla extract.

Cream butter with 2 cups of icing sugar until fully incorporated. Add 2 Tbsp. of milk and the vanilla. Mix well. Add remaining cup of icing sugar and mix well. Add remaining milk, 1 Tablespoon at a time, until you reach desired consistency.

Milk Chocolate & Bailey's Tiramisu

 

Please do not be deterred by the photos. This dessert was a hit. It turned out even better than I'd hoped and and I had high expectations. The picture was taken the day after I served it - I just couldn't pull out my camera and start shooting pictures in the midst of all the birthday chaos and dessert serving that was going on at the time. I made this for the adults at my son's 4th birthday party because I was pretty sure that, while the guests would have politely choked down a piece of Spiderman cake with copious amounts of icing and food coloring along with the kids, it wouldn't go over as well as this did.

I found this recipe in Better Homes and Gardens and adapted it to my liking. I'm not a tiramisu enthusiast by a long shot. Often times, I find it soggy and over-powered with too much liqueur and espresso. This recipe piqued my interest because not only was it chocolate, but instead of using lady fingers, you bake a chocolate sponge cake.  I changed the liqueur from a coffee-flavored one to Bailey's, and reduced the amount of espresso in the recipe because, like I said, I don't do soggy. The best part is that you can make it ahead of time (anywhere from 6 to 24 hours), put in in your fridge and focus on all the other stuff one must do when hosting a party. This will also save you if you're bringing dessert to someone's house - make it the day before and rest assured that every one will love it. Even the non-tiramisu lovers. And note that, unlike an authentic Tiramisu, this one does not contain raw eggs, so no need to worry about anyone with health issues.

Milk Chocolate & Bailey's Tiramisu

(adapted from Better Homes and Gardens|Ultimate Italian edition|2011)

FOR THE CHOCOLATE SPONGE CAKE:

2 eggs, room temperature

1 cup sugar

3/4 cup flour

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa

1 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 cup milk

2 Tbsp. butter

1 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 15 x 10 x 1 inch baking pan. Line bottom with parchment paper. Grease and flour the paper and the sides of pan; tapping out excess. Set aside. In small bowl, stir flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Set aside. In bowl of a stand mixer, beat the eggs on high speed about 4 minutes or until thick and lemon colored. Gradually add sugar, beating on medium speed for 4 to 5 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Add the flour mixture; beat on low to medium speed until just combined. IN a small saucepan, combine milk and butter. Heat and stir until butter melts. Add to batter along with vanilla, beating until combined. Pour into prepared pan and bake until a wooden toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, about 15 minutes. Cool in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes. Immediately loosen sides of cake from pan and turn cake onto clean kitchen towel sprinkled with cocoa powder. Carefully remove paper; discard. Cool completely. Cake can be wrapped well in plastic and frozen at this point.

FOR THE FILLING:

2 Tbsp. brewed strong espresso, divided

2 Tbsp. Bailey's

3 ounces of milk chocolate, chopped

1- 8 ounce carton mascarpone cheese

1 cup whipping cream

1/4 cup confectioners sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

2 Tbsp. Bailey's or freshly brewed strong espresso

grated chocolate for sprinkling on top (optional)

Place chopped milk chocolate in small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave, uncovered on 50% power about 1 minute, or until chocolate in melted and smooth, stirring every 15 seconds. Set aside to cool. In a large bowl beat the mascarpone cheese, whipping cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla with an electric mixer until soft peaks form (tips curl). Beat in 2 Tbsp. of Bailey's liqueur and cooled melted chocolate until just combined. Set aside.

ASSEMBLY:

Cut cooled cake in half cross-wise. Line a 2 quart baking dish with one of the cake halves. (I used a glass 8 inch square pyrex dish). Drizzle 1 Tbsp. each of espresso and Bailey's over the cake. (I used a pastry brush for more even distribution). Allow to soak in. Spoon half of the filling over the cake, spreading evenly. Top with the remaining cake half, cutting to fit as necessary. Drizzle with the remaining 1 Tbsp. of espresso and Bailey's. Top with remaining filling; spreading evenly. Cover and refrigerate for 6 to 24 hours. If desired, garnish with grated milk chocolate before serving.  Yields: 12 servings. 

Cheesecake Brownies

You know how some recipes you see get bookmarked, and you wait for the perfect day to make them, and then others get made within the hour of seeing the recipe? This one was one of the latter. I saw the picture, I read the ingredients, I rejoiced because I knew I already had everything required in my house, and then I got started immediately. 

It could be argued that I "over-swirled" the two batters before baking, resulting in a less marbled appearance. I tried to use use a light hand while swirling, but I couldn't help myself. I just kept going and going. Thankfully, the resulting 'less than marbled effect' does not seem to affect the flavor. These brownies are delicious! The perfect balance of rich chocolate brownie and cheesecake. Kind of like a chocolate cheesecake bar. And, they're so easy to make. I found I preferred mine slightly chilled, as opposed to room temperature. For some reason any kind of cheese-cake related baking tastes better cold. 

Recipe for Cheesecake Brownies

(adapted from What's Gaby Cooking)

1/2 cup unsalted butter

3 oz semi-sweet chocolate, chopped

1 cup sugar

2 large eggs

2 tsp. vanilla extract

2/3 cup all-purpose flour

8 oz cream cheese, at room temperature

1/3 cup sugar

1 large egg yolk

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup milk chocolate chips (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9×9 baking pan with foil, leaving a 2 inch overhang on 2 sides. Spray with non-stick baking spray. Set aside.

Melt the butter and chocolate in a small saucepan over medium low heat, constantly stirring until completely melted. Remove from the heat and whisk in the sugar. Add the eggs and vanilla. Add the flour and gently fold just until  incorporated. Pour into the prepared foil lined baking pan and set aside.

For the Cheesecake layer: In a small bowl, combine the cream cheese, sugar, egg yolk, and vanilla and whisk together until smooth. Drop spoon-fulls of the cheesecake batter on top of the brownie batter. Then using a knife, swirl the two batters together until you have a marbled effect. Top with the milk chocolate chips, if using.

Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Chill in the refrigerator. Cut into squares.

Fluffy Yellow Cake with Foolproof Chocolate Frosting (Revisited)

If you're looking for a great homemade yellow cake recipe, your search ends here. My first attempt was a recipe I found in Saveur, and it was 'good' but not great. The texture of the cake was a little heavy and had more of a spongy texture. This version, however, is amazing. No surprise the recipe is from Cook's Illustrated.

This cake has a soft, moist and tender crumb. It's a lot like the texture you get from a boxed cake mix, except it's missing that boxed cake taste. Hallelujah! I don't mind a boxed cake from time to time, and until now, I've always preferred it to any homemade versions of yellow cake. So many of the recipes out there just don't manage to get that moist and tender crumb that you get from the box. Why is that? There's hundreds of great chocolate cake recipes out there that beat the boxed chocolate cakes but when it comes to white or yellow cakes, they never seem to measure up.

And let's face it, while chocolate is great, sometimes it's nice to take a break from it. When you tire of chocolate and want something different, try this one. Honest. It's not the quickest recipe in the world and you'll dirty a lot of bowls, but that's the trade-off. This one is worth the sink full of dirty dishes. Trust. 

And the frosting? It's Cook's Illustrated "Fool Proof Chocolate Frosting" and it is a-mazing. Super soft and silky, perfect for swirling on your new favorite yellow cake. 

Fluffy Yellow Layer Cake

(adapted from 'Spring Entertaining' by Cook's Illustrated | 2011)

2 1/2 cups (10 ounces) cake flour, plus extra for dusting pans

1 1/4 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. baking soda

3/4 tsp. table salt

1 3/4 cups (12 1/4 ounces) sugar

10 Tbsp.(1 1/4 sticks) butter, melted and cooled slightly

1 cup buttermilk, room temperature

3 Tbsp. vegetable or canola oil

2 tsp. vanilla

6 large egg yolks, plus 3 large egg whites, room temperature

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease two 9 inch wide by 2 inch deep round cake pans and line bottom with parchment paper. Grease paper rounds, dust pans with flour, knock out excess. Whisk flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and 1 1/2 cups sugar together in a large bowl. In a 4 cup liquid measuring cup or medium bowl, whisk together melted butter, buttermilk, oil, vanilla and yolks.

In a clean bowl of stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat egg whites at medium-high speed until foamy, about 30 seconds. With machine running, gradually add remaining 1/4 cup sugar; continue to beat until stiff peaks just form, 30 to 60 seconds (whites should hold peak but mixture should appear moist). Transfer to bowl and set aside.

Add flour mixture to now-empty mixing bowl fitted with whisk attachment. With mixer running at low speed, gradually pour in butter mixture and mix until almost incorporated (a few streaks of dry flour will remain), about 15 seconds. Stop mixer and scrape whisk and sides of the bowl. Return mixer to medium-low speed and beat until smooth and fully incorporated, 10 to 15 seconds. 

Using rubber spatula, stir 1/3 of whites into batter to lighten, then add remaining whites and gently fold into batter until no white streaks remain. Divide batter between prepared cake pans. Lightly tap pans against counter 2 or 3 times to dislodge any large air bubbles.

Bake until cake layers begin to pull away from sides of pans and toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, 20 to 22 minutes.

Cool cake in pans on rack for 10 minutes. Loosen cake from sides of pans with small knife, then invert onto greased wire rack and peel off parchment. Invert cakes again and cool completely on rack, about 90 minutes.

Foolproof Chocolate Frosting

(adapted from: Spring Entertaining' by Cook's Illustrated | 2011)

Yield: 3 cups - enough to frost one 9 inch 2 layer cake)

20 Tbsp. (2 1/2 sticks) butter, softened (60 to 65 degrees)

1 cup (4 ounces) confectioner's sugar

3/4 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder

pinch of table salt

3/4 cup light corn syrup

1 tsp. vanilla 

8 ounces chocolate, melted and cooled slightly

In food processor, process butter, sugar, cocoa and salt until smooth, about 30 seconds, scraping sides of bowl as needed. Add corn syrup and vanilla and process until just combined, 5 to 10 seconds. Scrape sides of bowl, then add chocolate and pulse until smooth and creamy, 10 to 15 seconds. Frosting can be used immediately or held for up to 3 hours at room temperature. If making further ahead than 3 hours, cover and refrigerate, then let it stand at room temperature for 1 hour before using.

Cake Pops

Happy Mother's Day!


Today, I don't have a recipe per se for you. I have more of an solution. Have you ever made a batch of cupcakes; taken them out of the oven, gotten excited because they're perfectly risen and gorgeous, only to walk by your kitchen counter and see them completely deflated and sunken in? Well I did, just the other day. I had made yellow cupcakes for my daughter's birthday party and they looked amazing - but by the time I realized that they weren't quite done, it was too late. They fell flat and were heavy, far from the beautiful specimen I had taken out of the oven.

Before, I would have simply thrown them away. However, in this day and age, when Cake Pops are all the rage, failed cupcakes (or cakes for that matter) are no longer destined for the garbage.

Most of the recipes out there for Cake Pops are made with boxed cake mixes and store-bought icing. Imagine how much better these adorable bites are when made with homemade cake and icing. Even if the homemade cake part is a failed batch of cupcakes. Particularly when it's a batch of under-baked cupcakes, there's even more moisture to bind them together. However, if your failed cupcakes or cakes are over-baked, they'd work too. You could even add a bit of melted butter to the mix to moisten them up. I won't tell.

So here's the perfect solution to your baking failures - or when you find some leftover cupcakes in the freezer. Don't pitch them. Grind them up, add some icing, make balls, poke a stick in it and dip it in melted chocolate and Voila! My kids loved these.


I used 12 cupcakes. Broke them up and put the crumbs in the bowl of my stand mixer.

Added 1 1/4 cups of buttercream icing and mixed until thoroughly moistened and the 'crumbs' were able to hold their shapes when rolled into balls.

Refrigerate balls until slightly firm. (Or if you're impatient, like me, put them in the freezer for 10 minutes to speed things up.

Melt your chocolate candy melts and dip the end of the stick into the melted candy before poking halfway through the balls. Back into the fridge (or freezer) until set.

Then you just dip the whole Cake Pop into the melted chocolate, shake off excess, decorate with sprinkles before chocolate sets (it sets quickly because the pops are cold - so work fast), then stick the Cake Pops into a piece of styrofoam until dried. 

Enjoy!