Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Cake

I really, really love making cakes. The baking, layering, and decorating. It's all so fun! Part of me is actually sad every time I finish a cake because it's all over so quick, lol. This cake was so awesome. It has two chocolate cake layers, and a chocolate chip cheesecake layer! Woah, right? It's absolutely delicious. The whole thing goes together so well, it's actually surprising. I made this for my father's birthday and he loved it :) Well, everyone at the party loved it! It's definitely a crowd-pleaser and I don't think there are many who wouldn't like it. 

This cake was not hard to make, you may just have to space it out a bit. I made the cheesecake layer and the cake layers the day before, and stored them in the fridge. The day of the party, I made the icing and assembled and decorated the cake. I tried to write with melted chocolate, and I don't recommend that method... It was much trickier than I thought it would be! I garnished it with gold chunky sprinkles that added a beautiful touch and a nice crunch. I love this cake I will definitely be making it again :)

Beautiful layers!

Amazing.

Chocolate Chip Cheesecake

• 3 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese (room temperature)
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

Heat oven to 450 degrees. Line the bottom of a 9 inch springform pan with wax paper. Grease the sides.

Use an electric mixer to beat cream cheese and sugar together. Mixing by hand, add eggs one at time. Blend in vanilla. Fold in chocolate chips and pour in to pan.

Bake for 10 minutes. Reduce temperature to 250 degrees and continue baking for 35 more minutes. Remove from oven and run a sharp knife around the edge of the pan to release the cheesecake. Cool completely in the pan, then chill in the refrigerator.

Chocolate Cake

• 1 cup boiling water
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 3/4 cups flour
• 3/4 cup cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup buttermilk (OR add 1 T. vinegar to 1 c. milk, let sit for 5 minutes)
• 1/2 cup oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line the bottom of two 9 inch round pans with wax paper. Grease the sides. Bring some water to a boil and keep it simmering while you mix the other ingredients.

In a large mixing bowl combine the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add the eggs, buttermilk, oil and vanilla. Beat with mixer until combined.

Add 1 cup of the boiling water and carefully stir until it is mixed in. Beat for 1 1/2 minutes with mixer. Pour the batter into pans. Bake for 25-30 minutes (until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean).

  Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 6 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1 1/2 oz. unsweetened baking chocolate, melted
• 1 t. vanilla extract
• 1/2 c. milk (may use less)

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar on low speed. Add chocolate and vanilla, mix well. Gradually add milk until you reach the desired consistency. Keep covered.

Chocolate Ganache

• 1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 c. heavy cream
• 1 t. vanilla extract

Place the chocolate chips in a metal bowl. Heat cream over medium heat. Watch it closely and immediately remove from heat when it starts to boil. Pour over chocolate chips. Let sit for 1 or 2 minutes. Then slowly stir the mixture. Continue to stir until all the chips have completely melted. Stir in the vanilla.

Assembling Your Cake:
Level the tops of your chocolate cake layers. Place one of the cake layers on top of the cheesecake in the springform pan. Invert the pan onto a cake stand, release the spring and remove the pan and wax paper. Top with the second layer of cake and spread buttercream frosting over the entire cake.

Press mini semi-sweet chocolate chips (approx. 2 cups) onto the sides of the cake. Put the cake in the fridge for an hour, then pour ganache on the top and smooth with a spatula. I used melted white chocolate in a piping bag to make the design on the top of my cake.

Here's a picture of the brick oven our family friend built himself! We went to his house for the party. So awesome. And he makes the BEST pizza.

Source: http://birdonacake.blogspot.com/2012/03/chocolate-chip-cheesecake-cake.html

Reese's Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake

I believe peanut butter and chocolate are a match made in heaven. This cake is a perfect example of that! It is one of the best cake's I have ever made... It starts off with a moist chocolate cake, layered with possibly the best peanut butter frosting I have ever had, and Reese's cups! Then the whole thing is frosted with the peanut butter frosting and a chocolate peanut butter ganache is poured over that. All the components are very quick and easy and if you allow yourself enough time, you can make the whole thing in a couple hours! Just thinking about it makes me drool.

I made this for my bestfriend's birthday and it's the third birthday cake I've made for him over the years we've been together. A cookie's n' cream cake, a chocolate fudge cake, and this. He said this is his favorite of them all! His favorite candy is Reese's cups though, so he may be biased ;) It's so good it may actually make a reappearance this year. This cake is truly amazing and I recommend it to all.

Mm the frosting shot!

Many Reese's were used in the making of this cake...

I seriously love this picture so much. That icing was amazing.

Reese's Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake 
Chocolate Cake:
1 cup boiling water
2 cups sugar
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk (OR 1 c. milk mixed with 1 T. vinegar)
1/2 cup oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Peanut Butter Frosting:
1 cup salted butter (softened)
2 cups creamy peanut butter
4 cups confectioners' sugar
approx. 1/3 cup milk

Chocolate Peanut Butter Ganache:
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
4 tablespoons peanut butter
1 cup heavy cream
4 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions
Chocolate Cake
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line the bottoms of three 8 inch round cake pans with wax paper; grease the sides of the pans. Bring a small pan of water to a boil and keep it simmering while you mix the other ingredients.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add the eggs, buttermilk, oil and vanilla. Beat with mixer until combined.
Add 1 cup of the boiling water and carefully stir until it is mixed in. Beat for 1 1/2 minutes with mixer. Batter will be thin. Pour the batter into prepared pans and bake for 18-22 minutes (until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean).

Peanut Butter Frosting
In a medium bowl, beat the butter and peanut butter with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add the sugar. When it starts to get thick, add the milk a little at a time until frosting is spreadable. (The amount of milk you use depends on the thickness of your peanut butter.) Beat for 3 minutes or until fluffy.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Ganache
Place the chocolate chips and peanut butter in a metal bowl. Heat cream over medium heat. Watch it closely and immediately remove from heat when it starts to boil. Pour over chocolate chips and peanut butter. Let sit for 2 minutes. Slowly stir the mixture until all the chips have completely melted and it is thoroughly combined. Stir in the vanilla and corn syrup. Let the ganache cool if you prefer a thicker consistency.

Assembling your cake:
You need one 12 oz. bag of Reese's miniatures. Eat 2 peanut butter cups, save 12 to garnish the top of the cake, and chop up the rest. Level your cake layers and place one on a cake stand. Spread peanut butter frosting on the first cake layer, then sprinkle half of the chopped Reese's on top. Press them down into the frosting with your spatula. Repeat with the second cake layer. Place your third cake layer on top, then cover the whole cake with peanut butter frosting. Pour ganache on the top of the cake, and smooth it with a spatula. Garnish the cake top with your remaining 12 Reese's minis.

I think that is chicken behind the cake... Looks kinda funny! Hehe :)

Source: http://birdonacake.blogspot.com/2012/01/reeses-chocolate-peanut-butter-cake.html

Toffee Crunch Cupcakes

YUM. These are so good! Moist chocolate cake with a hint of coffee flavor, and studded with toffee pieces... Semisweet chocolate ganache topped with more toffee pieces, and finished with a dollop of caramel frosting. Pretty much a toffee lover's dream. Aka... my dad's! He loved these so much he couldn't stop thanking me for making them. Like I didn't want to, lol. I used toffee bits from the store and they worked great! The only thing I dislike about them is once you open the bag, you pretty much have to use the whole thing. Otherwise, they go bad very quickly. Luckily this recipe only left about a 1/4 cup left. 

I cut the recipe in half because 30 cupcakes is definitely unnecessary for my circumstances :) I also didn't use the caramel swiss meringue buttercream recipe in the original recipe. I instead made a regular caramel buttercream with about 5 tbsp. softened butter, beat until fluffy, then added about 2 cups powdered sugar, and 1/4 cup caramel sauce and a pinch of salt. I beat at about medium speed until fluffy and it was great! These are my estimates so you may have to add more or less of sugar, milk, etc. I'm sure the swiss meringue buttercream is wonderful but I just haven't aquired a taste for that kind yet. I'll definitely make these again :) Here is the recipe. Enjoy!

 Yum :D

Source: http://www.annies-eats.com/2011/11/04/toffee-crunch-cupcakes/

Broccomole

Well, this picture is not very dashing is it... Heh. When I made this, I didn't expect to be so YUMMY! Therefore I didn't even think of taking a nice picture. Oh well :) this stuff doesn't need one. It is soso good and so ridiculously healthy! At an ounce per serving, it's only 22 calories! It's like a wonder dip. So creamy and very easy to make. The cream cheese makes it extra creamy and the jalapeno gives it a nice kick. I will definitely make this again and again and I am very thankful to the woman who made this recipe. The link is down below. 

• Broccomole
• 
  
• Ingredients:
• 3 cups chopped broccoli
• 1 jalapeno, chopped, seeds removed
• 2 tbs green onions
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 2 ounces fat free cream cheese (or silken tofu, goat cheese, sour cream, cashew cream, something creamy)
• 1/4 tsp chili powder
• 1 tbs cilantro
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 
  
• Instructions:
• Cook the broccoli in lightly salted water until very soft. Overcook the broccoli in comparison to the al dente cooking that most recipes recommend.
• Drain broccoli very well.
• Transfer to a food processor. Add the remaining ingredients and process until smooth, add additional olive oil for a smoother texture.
• Serve warm
• 
  
• Source: http://domesticfits.com/2012/10/10/broccomole/ 

Lemon Layer Cake with Mascarpone Filling And Vanilla Buttercream

This cake is a crazy one. Lemony cake, soft mascarpone filling, mMm the buttercream! So good. I made this for my brothers' birthdays. They were born within a week of eachother (a year apart) so we celebrate them together. Usually, I always make chocolate birthday cakes. Like, all the time. But my mom *insisted* that I make a fruity one! Well, I am glad I did. This isn't as fruity as other cakes may be, but it's far from chocolate. The cake is so much easier than I thought it would be to make. The icing is a simple buttercream and the filling is easy too. As long as you plan it out and give yourself enough time, it's done in a cinch. I love baking cakes, and this may be one of my top 5 favorites. I found the recipe here. Give it a try!

It's a tall cake! Ignore the mess :)

Before I put the rose

So tender yet rich... Enjoy!

Source: http://www.annies-eats.com/2011/08/19/lemon-layer-cake-with-vanilla-bean-frosting/

General Tso's Chicken & Valentine's Day Dinner

Valentine's Day is a great holiday. You can pretty much feel the love in the air everywhere you go! It's also a great time to indulge with the one you love. Or, if you're single, indulge by yourself! Nothing wrong with buying yourself some chocolates and roses and piggin' out. Trader Joe's has amazing frozen gyoza, so I fried some up. We also had Italian blood orange soda! Very delicious, and all natural! Also at Trader Joe's :)

This year for Valentine's Day, I decided to do something we hadn't done in previous years. We always went out to dinner. But this time... I MADE IT. And, it was pretty amazing. This chicken dish is probably my new favorite chicken dish. And Asian dish. And I have many Asian dishes that I adore... It's just kinda perfect. For me this dish takes about 30-40 minutes but for a not-so-meticulous person, it would probably take as little as 20! My deal is that I'm picky with my chicken breast when cutting it up. They don't exactly trim all the fat off. And I use a SMALL pot to avoid wasting too much oil, so I'm doing many batches. Lol, this doesn't bother me though. The sauce is so so easy and delicous. Just make it, you'll be happy you did :)

My somewhat failed attempt to make a "box of chocolates." Definitely didn't turn out how I wanted it to, for a lack of time... But it was okay :)

Mmmm... Dessert! Warm brownies, chocolate ice cream, and toffee bits. SO good.

Source for the chicken: http://blogchef.net/how-to-cook-chinese-food/ 

Lemon Ricotta Pancakes with Blackberry Sauce

These sound pretty yummy, don't they? Well, the name doesn't lie! These are delicious. They're not like pancakes I myself usually eat. These have a very light and fluffy texture, much more so than buttermilk pancakes. They also don't feel heavy once you've eaten them which is a plus. The blackberry sauce is so wonderful. I could eat it on (almost) anything! 

I made this recipe mainly because I had just enough ricotta left over in the fridge for it... I also had frozen blackberries! Seemed like a perfect way to avoid having my precious ricotta spoil. This recipe is fairly simple. It takes a bit longer than plain ole pancakes but they're definitely worth it :). 

Makes a big amount of pancakes!

Yum :)

Blackberry Sauce:

12 oz. blackberries

1/4 cup sugar

1 tbsp. cornstarch

1 tbsp. cold water

Pancakes:

1 cup ricotta cheese

1 cup milk

3 eggs, separated

1/4 cup sugar

Zest and juice of 1 lemon

1 1/2 cups cake flour

1 Tbs. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

Directions:

To make the sauce, combine the blackberries and sugar in a medium saucepan set over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the berries begin to release their juices and the mixture is simmering. Combine the cornstarch and water in a small bowl and add to the pan. Reduce heat to medium and let cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture comes to a low boil and thickens slightly. Remove from heat and keep warm if desired. 

In a large bowl, whisk together the ricotta, milk, egg yolks, sugar, lemon zest and juice until smooth. Sift together the flour, baking powder and 1/8 tsp. of the salt over the ricotta mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until just combined.

In another large bowl, using a whisk, beat the egg whites until frothy. Add the remaining 1/8 tsp. salt and continue beating until soft peaks form. Using a rubber spatula, fold one-third of the egg whites into the ricotta mixture, then gently fold in the remaining whites.

Preheat a griddle over medium heat. Spray the griddle with nonstick cooking spray. Ladle 1/3 cup batter onto the griddle for each pancake. Cook until bubbles form on top and the pancakes are golden underneath, 1 to 2 minutes. Flip the pancakes and cook for 1 minute more. Transfer to a warmed plate. Repeat with the remaining batter. Makes 12 to 14 pancakes.

 Source: www.annies-eats.com

Brownie Mosaic Cheesecake

I miss this cheesecake... I actually made it last Easter, and it will probably make a reappearance for this one. It's so, so good. With an oreo crust, creamy cheesecake studded with fudgy brownies, and a perfect chocolate ganache, it's hard to imagine that anyone wouldn't love this! It may seem like a very time-consuming recipe but if you plan ahead, it'll go by very smoothly and quickly. 

I LOVED this recipe, but the only thing I would change next time is to cut the ganache recipe in half. It may not look like that much, but I think it overpowered the creamy, light cheesecake, which is something I do not want. It is a cheesecake recipe afterall. Also, when I made this I cut the brownie recipe in half since it makes twice what you need. Next time I will probably make the whole batch since they come together so easily, and they'll be nice to have in the freezer for when I make ice cream ;). 

Brownie Mosaic Cheesecake

For the Brownies:
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate
¾ cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter
1¾ cups sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup flour

For the Crumb Crust:
1½ cups or 5 ounces (3 cups or 10 ounces to double) finely ground Oreos, or other chocolate cookie
5 tablespoons (10 tablespoons to double) unsalted butter, melted
1/3 cup (2/3 cup to double) granulated sugar
1/8 teaspooon (¼ teaspoon to double) salt

For the Cheesecake:
3 (8-oz) packages of cream cheese, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla

For the Ganache Glaze:
3 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter
¼ cup heavy cream
½ teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon powdered sugar

Directions:

1. Brownies: Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 13×9-inch baking pan with foil, with ends of foil extending over sides of pan. Grease foil.

2. Microwave chocolate and butter in large microwaveable bowl on HIGH 2 min. or until butter is melted. Stir until chocolate is completely melted. Stir in sugar. Blend in eggs and vanilla. Add flour and salt; mix well. Spread into prepared pan.

3. Bake 30 to 35 minute or until toothpick inserted in center comes out with fudgy crumbs. Cool in pan on wire rack. Remove brownies from pan, using foil handles.

4. Cool brownies, then cut them into 3/4- to 1-inch squares for use in the cheesecake. You will have more than the two cups of cubes, loosely measured, than you will need. Add the other 2 cups of cubes to cake batter as directed below.

5. Crumb Crust: Stir together the Crumb Crust ingredients and press into bottom and 1 inch up side of a buttered 10" springform pan. Fill right away or chill for up to 2 hours.

6. Cheesecake: Preheat oven to 350°F. Beat together cream cheese and sugar with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, then vanilla, beating on low speed until each ingredient is incorporated and scraping down bowl between additions.

8. Fold brownie cubes in very gently and pour mixture into prepared pan. Put springform pan with crust in a shallow baking pan. Pour filling into crust and bake in baking pan (to catch drips) in middle of oven 45 minutes, or until cake is set 3 inches from edge but center is still slightly wobbly when pan is gently shaken.

9. When completely cool, top with following glaze.

10. For the glaze: Place finely chopped chocolate in a medium size mixing bowl. Scald the butter and cream together in a saucepan (or in the microwave on HIGH for 1 minute). Pour the cream mixture over the chocolate and stir until the chocolate is completely melted. Whisk in vanilla and then whisk in powdered sugar until smooth. Spread over cheesecake while ganache is still warm. Chill until ready to serve.

Source: http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2007/08/alexs-choice/

Pumpkin Coffee Cake

This coffee cake is absolutely amazing. I didn't expect it to turn out so good. Though I always keep my expectations rather low so I can be surprised, hehe. This cake has three components; fluffy tender pumpkin cake, crunchy spiced streusel, and a spiced glaze that permeates the whole pan of goodness. It truly is a treat. One that I will not make too often as to avoid getting any chubbier, but one that I'll definitely make again nonetheless. 

The original recipe makes a 9x13" coffee cake, but I halved the recipe as I usually do with new recipes. It's not that I didn't think it would be delicious, but you never know :). Plus, there's nothing wrong with having half of a yellow cake mix in your pantry for all those cake batter flavored recipes that have been popping up! I've made a few myself that I'll share soon. Enjoy!

I got this recipe from Jessica of How Sweet It Is.