Have an amazing Sunday and week #friendsofTenaciousM!!
Aug2
Sunday Reflections
Have an amazing Sunday and week #friendsofTenaciousM!!
Category Archives: Egos & Buffaloes
Jul28
Triple Chocolate Cheesecake Bars
Triple Chocolate Cheesecake Bars-Buttery Oreo crust, creamy chocolate cheesecake then garnished with rich Chocolate Ganache. When you slice these bars up and put them on a serving plate all you’ll see is elegance.
Ingredients
2 cups crushed Oreo cookies (about 24 cookies)
6 Tablespoons butter, melted
1 cups semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips
24 ounces cream cheese (3 8 ounce bars) softened
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 eggs
for ganache
1/3 cup semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips
1 Tablespoon heavy cream
Instructions
1. Line a 9 x 13 baking pan with foil, lightly spray with non-stick cooking spray.
2. Combine crushed Oreo cookies with melted butter until all crumbs are moistened. Press crumb mixture into prepared pan. Set aside.
3. Place 1 cup chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl. Heat on high in microwave for 45 seconds. Remove from microwave and stir until chocolate is completely melted. Heat an additional 15 seconds if needed. Let cool.
4. Cream cream cheese until smooth. Add in sugar and vanilla, beat well.
5. Add cooled chocolate and beat again until combined.
6. Add in eggs, one at a time, beating just until combined. Make sure to scrap down sides of bowl.
7. Spoon cheesecake mixture over prepared crust and smooth to edges.
8. Bake in a preheated 325 degree oven for 40-45 minutes, until only center of cheesecake jiggles. Turn off oven and leave cheesecake in oven with door to oven cracked for 1 hour. After 1 hour, remove cheesecake to rack to cool completely before refrigerating. Let cheesecake chill for 1 hour before adding decorative ganache.
9. To make ganache, place chocolate chips and cream in a microwave safe bowl. Heat on high for 1 minute. Let chocolate rest for 5 minutes before stirring. Stir until completely smooth. Let cool. Spoon ganache into a pastry bag fitted with a #3 tip or you can use a plastic freezer bag with a small hole cut out of one corner. Drizzle chocolate ganache over cheesecake in any design.
10. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours to completely chill before slicing.
Jul19
Sunday Reflections
Yesterday was International Nelson Mandela Day, a day for service to mankind in honor of a great leader. What better way to acknowledge the day than to spend it working to bring health insurance to under-served populations. #Time2Serve
Many thanks to my lifelong friend, Pamela (middle), for using her birthday the serve!!
Jul16
Chocolate Celebration Cake
Sharing that someone else knows that chocolate should be celebrated!! Enjoy!
Jul12
Sunday Reflections
Happy Sunday #friendsofTenaciousM!!
Jul6
Heath Bar Cake
Just looking at this cake with the sweet vanilla buttercream covered in rich chocolate ganache sprinkled with buttery Heath chips… it just makes me happy. It’s perfection.
Ingredients
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
3/4 cups good unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee (I use decaf)
Instructions
1. Heat oven to 350. Prepare two 8-inch round cake pans.
2. Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl and mix until combined.
3. In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla.
4. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry. With mixer still on low, add the coffee and stir just to combine, scraping the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Pour the batter into the prepared pans (it will be very thin) and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean.
5. Cool in the pans for 30 minutes, then turn them out onto a cooling rack and cool completely.
Jun29
Chocolate Kahlua Coffee Pound Cake
Through the years, Kahlua has been my go to Apéritif. Let me tell you, adding it to your baked goods, Ahhhhhmazing! The Kahlua and coffee enhance the chocolate beyond belief in this cake.
Ingredients
1 box devil’s food cake mix (16.5 ounces)
1 box instant chocolate pudding mix
4 eggs
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup Kahlua
3/4 cup strongly brewed coffee
for glaze
1/2 cup Kahlua
2 cups sifted powdered sugar
Instructions
1. Combine cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, oil, Kahlua and coffee until smooth. Beat an additional 2 minutes. Pour batter into a well greased bundt pan. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 50-55 minutes. Test for readiness using a toothpick, when inserted in center of cake it comes out clean.
2. Let cake cool in pan for 15 minutes be for inverting onto rack to cool completely.
3. For the glaze, whisk together the kahlua and powdered sugar until smooth, drizzle as much or as little as you like over cake.
Jun24
Midnight Mocha Cheesecake
Rich, silky and totally decadent, this Midnight Mocha Cheesecake is a chocolate lover’s ultimate dessert. The hint of infused coffee puts it over the top.
Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 1 hour 50 mins
Total time: 2 hours 5 mins
Ingredients
2 cup(s) (from about 8 ounces cookies) gluten-free crispy chocolate cookie crumbs
4 tablespoon(s) butter, melted
2 tablespoon(s) sugar
1 cup(s) sugar
⅛ teaspoon(s) (plus a pinch) salt
8 ounce(s) (60 to 70 percent cacao) bittersweet chocolate, chopped and divided
¼ cup(s) cold strong coffee
1 tablespoon(s) instant espresso powder
1 teaspoon(s) vanilla extract
3 package(s) (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
¼ cup(s) unsweetened cocoa
4 large eggs
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Spray 9-inch springform pan with nonstick cooking spray. In medium bowl, combine crumbs, butter, 2 tablespoons sugar, and ⅛ teaspoon salt; transfer to prepared pan. Press into even layer that comes up side of pan slightly. Place on rimmed baking sheet. Bake 10 minutes. Cool completely.
2. Meanwhile, in small microwave-safe bowl, microwave 6 ounces chocolate on high in 30-second intervals or until mostly melted, stirring in between; let cool. In small bowl, stir together coffee, espresso powder, and vanilla. With mixer on medium-high speed, beat cream cheese until smooth. Reduce speed to low. Beat in cocoa and remaining 1 cup sugar, scraping down side of bowl occasionally. Beat in coffee mixture. Increase speed to medium. Add eggs one at a time, beating well between additions, scraping down side of bowl occasionally. Beat in melted chocolate just until well mixed. Pour batter into cooled crust. Bake 50 minutes on rimmed baking sheet.
3. Turn oven off and prop door open with wooden spoon. Let cheesecake stand in oven 1 hour. With small icing spatula or knife, loosen side of cheesecake from pan. Refrigerate, uncovered, 2 hours or up to 2 days.
4. When ready to serve, loosen cheesecake once more from side of pan; remove springform ring. In small microwave-safe bowl, microwave remaining 2 ounces chocolate on high 30 second or until just melted, stirring. Drizzle over cheesecake.
Jun22
3 Musketeer Mississippi Mud Cake
3 Musketeer Mississippi Mud Cake will make your head explode. It’s chocolate heaven for the chocoholics. What better dessert for my #chocolatefriendsofTenaciousM?
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes
Ingredients
1 cup butter, at room temperature
4 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
2 cups granulated sugar
1 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 (10.5 ounce bag) miniature marshmallows
6 regular size 3 Musketeer candy bars, chopped in large chunks
Chocolate Frosting
1/2 cup butter
1/3 cup milk
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa, sifted
4 cups confectioners sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Line a 15x10x1 inch sheet pan with foil or parchment paper. Spray with non-stick spray.
3. Microwave 1 cup butter and chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl at 30 second intervals until melted. Stir to combine and allow to cool.
4. Combine sugar, flour, cocoa and salt.
5. Combine eggs and vanilla with cooled chocolate.
6. Add egg mixture to flour mixture and mix until combined and smooth.
7. Pour onto prepared sheet pan.
8. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.
9. Carefully remove from oven and spread marshmallows evenly over brownie layer.
10. Return to oven and bake 8 to 10 minutes to toast marshmallows.
11. Remove from oven and immediately sprinkle with 3 Musketeer candy bars.
12. Make Chocolate Frosting: Combine butter, cocoa and milk in a small sauce pan over low heat. Cook 2 to 3 minutes until butter is melted and mixture thickens slightly.
13. Add confectioner’s sugar one cup at a time, whisking to combine.
14. Add vanilla and whisk until smooth.
15. Pour over slightly cooled cake.
Jun21
Happy Father’s Day 2015
Wishing all the father’s and stand-in dads a wonderful Father’s Day!!
Egos & Buffaloes 