Chocolate Caramel Crunch Cake

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...It's a hot mess. If you love chocolate, caramel and nuts, literally buried in a mound of creamy snow, fasten your seat belts 'cause we're heading to paradise. If your tastes, like mine, tend toward the spare and barely sweet, I beg your indulgence and promise, that later in the week, there'll be something here for you as well. I've had this cake several times this summer, so, it's fair to say it has fans in this small community I call home. My first bite came from the, not so meager, piece the Silver Fox had claimed for himself at a block party. He was in paradise and had already extracted the promise of a recipe from its very flattered baker. I noted the cake quickly disappeared from the table and my husband's plate, but I foolishly thought that would be the end of it. I was certain that with all the other good things served that day, the cake would surely fade into memory. You know how things don't always work the way you think they will? Over the course of the next week, three copies of the recipe were tucked into our mailbox and a quarter of the cake miraculously appeared at our door. The Fox is obviously a charmer. The cake we were given disappeared in an embarrassingly short time. The Fox began to cajole and before I knew it, I was at the counter throwing the cake together. He believes his low-fat argument has swayed me. I'm a great actress. I also have a sense of humor and know the best way to stop an itch is to scratch it really hard. He tired of the cake half way through it 9 x 13-inch excess. It was too much of a good thing and I had to send the remains down the hill. I'm told by the mother of that clan, who, by the way, asked for the recipe, that the boys scorffed it up. If you asked me to describe the cake, the words ooey,gooey come to mind. It is not a cake I would choose for myself, but an awful lot of people love it. I learned a long time ago that I'm not an arbiter of taste, so here's the recipe for those of you who love things that are ooey, gooey, soft and chewy.

Chocolate Caramel Crunch Cake...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Taste of Home Magazine

Ingredients:
1 package (18-1/4 ounces) devil's food cake mix
1-1/3 cups water
5 egg whites
1 can (14 ounces) fat-free sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup fat-free caramel ice cream topping
5 fun-size Butterfinger candy bars, crushed
1 carton (8 ounces) frozen fat-free whipped topping, thawed

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
2) Combine cake mix, water and egg whites in a largebowl and beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Pour into prepared pan.
3) Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.
4) With a meat fork or wooden skewer, poke holes about 2 in. apart into cake. Slowly pour condensed milk and caramel topping over cake; sprinkle with two-thirds of the crushed candy bars. Spread with whipped topping; sprinkle with remaining candy bars. Refrigerate until serving. Yield: 18 servings.







One Year Ago Today: Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream












Two Years Ago Today: Ice Cream Crunch Cake







You might also enjoy these recipes:
Blackberry Chocolate Sheet Cake - Expat Cucuina
Raspberry Lime Sheet Cake - Annie's Eats
Mini Texas Sheet Cakes - Dinners for a Year and Beyond
Chocolate Sheet Cake - That Skinny Chick Can Bake !!!
The Best Chocolate Sheet Cake. Ever. - The Pioneer Woman Cooks

Chocolate-Ricotta Icebox Cake

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...It would be unfair to call the recipe a complete dud, but, boy, oh, boy, it sure comes close. The recipe was originally developed for Martha Stewart's website and I really expected more from it than was delivered. I wanted to try a few new desserts this week and the Silver Fox's birthday gave me the perfect excuse to experiment. We all know you get what you pay for. This cake, chosen for its ease of preparation, is the cook's corollary of that old adage. The cake, while relatively expensive to make, was easy to assemble and took about 15 minutes to prepare. There were hints of problems along the way. Warning flags should have been raised when the recipe directed folding whipped cream into a mixture that had the consistency of semi-set concrete. I blithely soldiered on, convinced that somehow it would all come together and a miracle would occur. It didn't. Six hours later, I had a dry, grainy cheesecake with close to no flavor, despite the copious use of orange liqueur and chocolate. I have no one to blame for this fiasco other than myself. After weeks of suggesting you read the comments submitted by followers of recipe sites, I failed to follow my own advice. Everyone of the problems I encountered had been experienced by others who attempted the recipe. Had I taken the time to read them, I could have spared myself a lot of grief and some serious coin. While I did not care for this cake, there were folks who did, so I'm including it here with a caution. Sorry, Martha. The cake is dense, grainy and strangely flavorless, but if you want to try it, here's the recipe.

Chocolate-Ricotta Icebox Cake...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Martha Stewart

Ingredients:
Nonstick cooking spray
14 ounces semisweet chocolate (do not use chips)
2 containers (15 ounces each) part-skim ricotta cheese, room temperature
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 package (9 ounces) chocolate wafers (about 44 cookies)

Directions:
1) Prepare pan: Remove sides from a 9-inch round springform pan. Place a sheet of waxed paper over bottom, leaving an overhang; lock sides onto bottom, firmly securing paper. Spray inside of pan with cooking spray; line sides with a strip of waxed paper 28 inches long and 4 inches wide.
2) Make chocolate-ricotta mixture: Break 12 ounces of chocolate into pieces. Place in a heatproof medium bowl set over, not in, a pan of simmering water. Cook, stirring occasionally, until chocolate has melted, 8 to 10 minutes.
3) In a food processor, blend ricotta until very smooth, about 1 minute, scraping down sides of bowl. Add warm chocolate; blend until smooth. In a large bowl, beat cream until stiff peaks form. With a rubber spatula, gently fold in chocolate-ricotta mixture.
4) Assemble cake: Arrange half of cookies in an overlapping pattern to cover bottom of pan. Spoon half of chocolate-ricotta mixture on top of cookies; smooth top. Cover with remaining cookies; top with remaining chocolate-ricotta mixture, and smooth top. Cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate at least 6 hours and up to 2 days.
5) Before serving, release sides of pan and remove waxed paper from sides. Using bottom piece of waxed paper, pull cake onto a platter; with a metal spatula, lift cake and remove waxed paper. Using a vegetable peeler, shave remaining 2 ounces chocolate over top of cake. With a knife dipped in hot water, cut cake into 10 slices (wipe off knife, and dip in hot water after each slice). Yield: 10 servings.








One Year Ago Today: Marinated Portobello Burgers with Caramelized Onions and Roasted Garlic Aioli












Two Years Ago Today: Strawberry Glace Tart








You might also enjoy these recipes:
Chocolate Chip Ricotta Cheesecake - Amanda's Cookin'
Lemon Ricotta and Mascarpone Cheesecake - Italian Food Forever
Italian Ricotta Cheesecake - Sticky, Gooey, Creamy Chewy
Lemon Ricotta Cheesecake - Lazaro Cooks
Lime and Ricotta Cheesecake - Chocolate Shavings
Eggnog Ricotta Cheesecake - Baking Bites
Gingerbread Ricotta Cheesecake - Nami-Nami
Light Ricotta Cheesecake - Antics of a Cycling Cook
Ricotta Cheesecakes - The Cluttered Pantry
Ricotta Cheese Tart - Delicious Dishings

Double Chocolate Mint Brownies

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I wanted to post this recipe on the odd chance you have not yet tried Maida Heatter's Chocolate Mint Brownies. While they are delicious at any time, their layer of mint cream makes them especially appropriate for the St.Patrick's Day holiday. This is a layered treat. It begins with a dense fudgy brownie that is covered with peppermint cream and then coated with a gleaming, dark chocolate glaze. The peppermint cream can, of course, be tinted for those who wear the green and love overt symbols of the holiday. Brownies are one of the easiest dessert that can be made in our kitchens. They rarely require special equipment and this recipe can be made with a couple of bowls and a wooden spoon. Despite the ease with which these can be made, I promise you they are delicious. Just don't overbake them. While these can be made several days ahead of serving, they lose their sheen when refrigerated. I love the chocolate-mint combination and use it often. It works especially well here. If you need a dessert for St. Patrick's Day, I think you'll love this one. Here's the recipe.

Double Chocolate Mint Brownies...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Maida Heatter

Ingredients:
Brownie Layer
1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into pieces
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
1-1/4 cups granulated white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
Mint Layer
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
1 to 1-1/2 tablespoons heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon pure peppermint extract or 1 to 2 tablespoons creme de menthe
Green food coloring (optional)
Chocolate Glaze
3 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 325 degrees F and place the rack in the center of the oven.
2) Line a 9 x 9-inch pan with aluminum foil, covering bottom and two opposite sides of pan. Foil is used to lift brownies from pan. Set aside.
3) In a stainless steel bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water, melt butter and chocolate. Remove from heat and stir in sugar and vanilla extract. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well with a wooden spoon after each addition. Stir in flour and salt and beat, with a wooden spoon, until batter is smooth and glossy and comes away from sides of pan (about one minute). Pour batter evenly into prepared pan. Bake in preheated oven for about 25 minutes or until brownies start to pull away from the sides of pan and the edges of brownies are just beginning to brown. A toothpick inserted in center of brownies will come out almost clean. Remove from oven and place on a rack to completely cool.
4) To make mint layer, combine butter, confectioners' sugar, heavy cream, peppermint extract in a small bowl and beat until smooth. Add a few drops of green food coloring if you wish. If frosting is too thick, add a little extra cream. (Frosting should be just thin enough to spread.) Spread frosting evenly over cooled brownie layer. Place in refrigerator for about 5-10 minutes, or until firm.
5) To make chocolate glaze, melt chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Spread over mint filling and refrigerate for about 30 minutes or until chocolate glaze starts to dull.
6) To serve, remove brownies from pan by lifting with ends of foil and transfer to a cutting board. With a sharp knife, cut into 30 squares. These brownies can be refrigerated for several days or else frozen. Yield: 30 squares.

You might also enjoy these recipes:
Chocolate Mint Brownies - David Lebovitz
Salted Fudge Brownies - Verses from My Kitchen
Peanut Butter Brownies - Being Suzy Homemaker
Cakey Chocolate Brownies - Cookerati
Chocolate Brownie - The Purple Foodie
Quick and Easy Mocha Fudge Brownies - The Perfect Pantry
Oreo Brownies with Buttercream Frosting - Love from the Oven
Pecan Caramel Fudge Brownies - The Art of Baking
Hot Chocolate Brownies - Sugar Plum
Chocolate Cheesecake Brownie - Almost Bourdain
Kahlua Brownies - Simply Recipes
Iced Butterscotch Brownies - Culinary in the Dessert
Mexican Chocolate Brownies - One Perfect Bite
Bittersweets:The Ultimate Brownie - One Perfect Bite
Red Velvet Cheesecake Brownies - Baking Bites

Hot Fudge Sauce

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This simple recipe was adapted from one created in the test kitchens of the Hershey Chocolate Company. It came my way as the result of some volunteer activity I was involved in a few years ago. The adaption was develop for a fundraiser, specifically an ice cream social, to which the immediate world had been invited. It was expected to be a huge affair and to assist in cost containment, twenty women were each asked to make a triple batch of the hot fudge sauce featured here today. The plan, of course, was an attempt at quality control and mess containment and it worked pretty well. On the appointed afternoon, approximately 60 quarts of sauce were reheated and served with hot fudge sundaes and banana splits. Despite a volume of hot fudge the size of a rogue wave, the organizers of the event ran shy and had to make a frantic scramble to find enough commercial syrup to assure everyone would get what they paid for. Sticking with my nautical allusions, I can tell you they raised a boat load of cash that day and those of us who made the sauce inherited a nice recipe to keep our dessert collections afloat. I promise you the sauce is better than my humor and I hope you will try it. I also hope you will put your own mark on the recipe. I use a top quality cocoa powder and hazelnut extract when I make this for my family, but bittersweet chocolate and almond extract would also work well. The sauce is best served warm and it will keep for up to a month in the refrigerator. Here's the recipe.

Hot Fudge Sauce...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite inspired by Hershey Kitchen

Ingredients:
1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup golden or light brown sugar, packed
3/4 cup dark, unsweetened cocoa
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1-3/4 cup light cream or half-and-half
1 cup water
2 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions:
Combine sugar, cocoa, flour, and salt in saucepan. Add cream, water, and butter. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until boiling. Cook 5 minutes longer. Remove hot fudge sauce from heat, cool, then stir in vanilla. Yield: 3-1/2 cups.

You might also enjoy these recipes:
Salted Caramel Sauce - The Amateur Gourmet
Strawberry Dessert Sauce - Drick's Rambling Cafe
Creme Anglaise - Stumptown Savory
SSeedless Chocolate Raspberry Dessert Sauce - Megan's Cookin'
Easy Microwave Mixed Berry Syrup - Baking Bites
Chocolate Sauce - The Galley Gourmet
Mexican Hot Fudge Sauce - Gluten-Free Goddess
Caramel Sauce - Carol Egbert

Chocolate Peanut Clusters - Pink Saturday

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I wanted to include the recipe for peanut clusters in this week's Chocolate Extravaganza, anticipating that some of you might want to make something like this for Valentine's Day. When my children were still quite young, we established a tradition for gift giving. Purchased gifts were, of course, fine, but there was an expectation that each of those gifts would be accompanied by one that was handmade. My children adored Bob's mother, and over the years they made some outrageous and unintentionally humorous gifts for her. My favorite among them was an elaborately decorated cane, that looked for all the world like a totem pole. She had no need for it at the time, but as they explained it, someday she would and in the meantime she could practice. Another of their favorite gifts for her were these peanut clusters which I suspect she liked these a lot more than the cane. I know my children loved to make them for her. The recipe was a simple "cuppa" creation that they really could make by themselves. Unobtrusive supervision was necessary because there's a point when the chocolate could burn small fingers, but once that stage had passed they could truly work on their own. If you decide to have your children make these, brace yourself for a mess. Old clothes, or as few clothes as your sense of modesty dictates, and plastic gloves will help contain the mess, but you'll want to be around to supervise a clean-up that can be smudgy. I'm embarrassed to call this a recipe. It's more an accumulation of stuff that tastes really good when melted together. The classic and most popular version of the clusters includes a combination of chocolate and butterscotch chips. I actually prefer them made with a mix of bittersweet and semisweet chips and really well-salted peanuts. Fortunately, this is one of those recipes that you can play with. I'm going to give you the classic recipe, but I hope you won't remain tied to it. The big surprise here is that these really are delicious. Here's the recipe.

Chocolate Peanut Clusters...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup butterscotch chips
1 cup peanuts

Directions:
1) Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2) Melt chocolate and butterscotch chips in top of a double boiler set over simmering water until creamy. Remove from heat. Stir in peanuts and coat well.
3) Drop onto parchment paper using a soup spoon. Place in a cool place to harden for about an hour. Store in a cool room or refrigerator. Yield: 2 dozen peanut clusters.

You might also enjoy these recipes:
Chocolate Truffles - Confections of a Foodie Bride
Easy Homemade Candy Bars - Amanda's Cookin'
Peanut Butter and Jelly Truffles - A Mingling of Tastes
Salted Peanut Caramel Clusters - All Day I Dream About Food
Sponge Candy - Christine's Cuisine
Spicy Peanut Brittle - Vanilla Sugar
Chocolate-Pecan Turtles and Salted Caramels - Island Eat

This post is being linked to:
Pink Saturday, sponsored by Beverly at How Sweet the Sound.

Perfect Chocolate Cake

Calgary Herald "Food Porn Friday" Featured Recipe





From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...My Chicago homies, at least those of a certain age, will remember Dressel's Whipped Cream Cake. It was an uncommonly good dessert and one of the first quality cakes to appear in the freezer cases of local markets. It was, for good reason, enormously popular, and I'm not ashamed to admit that, frozen or not, it appeared more than once on my dinner table. I loved it and had it several times a year, but when we moved from Chicago to the East Coast, I learned that it was a regional product that had never made it to markets outside the Midwest. It was soon clear that if I wanted a whipped cream cake, I'd have to make it for myself. Fortunately, McCall's Cookbook came to my rescue with a recipe for what they called The Perfect Chocolate Cake. It was pretty aptly named. The cake was light and rich and made with cocoa, whipped cream and lots of chocolate. Purists could do away with the lovely chocolate icing and frost the layers with plain or cocoa flavored whipped cream and have a cake very much like the one that came from Dressel's bakery. I normally make this cake with whipped cream frosting, but the McCall's cake is so lovely I thought you'd like to see the cake the way its developers envisioned it. The cake is uncommonly good, and those of you who try it, will know how it got its name. Here's the recipe.

Perfect Chocolate Cake...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite Courtesy of The New McCall's Cookbook

Ingredients:
Cake
1 cup unsifted unsweetened cocoa
2 cups boiling water
2-3/4 cups sifted all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup butter or regular margarine, softened
2-1/2 cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Filling
1 cup heavy cream, chilled
1/4 cup unsifted confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Frosting
1 package (6 oz.) semisweet chocolate pieces
1/2 cup light cream
1 cup butter or regular margarine
2-1/2 cups unsifted confectioner's sugar

Directions:
1) To make the cake: In medium bowl, combine cocoa with boiling water, mixing with wire whisk until smooth. Cool completely. Sift flour with soda, salt, and baking powder. Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease three 9 by 1-1/2 inch layer cake pans. Line with parchment paper. Grease paper and lightly flour pans. Set aside. In large bowl of electric mixer at high speed beat butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla, scraping bowl occasionally, until light, about 5 minutes. At low speed, beat in flour mixture (in fourths), alternately with cocoa mixture (in thirds), beginning and ending with flour mixture. Do not overbeat. Divide evenly into pans; smooth top. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, or until surface springs back when gently pressed with fingertip. Cool in pans 10 minutes. Carefully loosen sides with spatula; remove from pans; cool on racks.
2) To make filling: Whip cream with sugar and vanilla; refrigerate.
3) To make frosting: In medium saucepan, combine chocolate pieces, cream, butter; stir over medium heat until smooth. Remove from heat. With whisk, blend in 2-1/2 cups confectioners; sugar. In bowl set over ice, beat until it holds shape.
4) To assemble and frost cake: On plate, place a layer, top side down; spread with half of cream. Place second layer, top side down; spread with rest of cream. Place third layer, top side up. With spatula, frost sides first, covering whipped cream; use rest of frosting on top, swirling decoratively. Refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving. To cut, use a thin edged sharp knife; slice with a sawing motion. Yield: 10 to 12 servings.

Cook's Note: The cake should be refrigerated, but to prevent the frosting from cracking when cut, let the cake sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes before slicing.

You might also enjoy these recipes:
Chocolate Oatmeal Cake - Taste of Home
Chocolate Overdose Cake - Confections of a Foodie Bride
The Best Chocolate Cake, Ever - Courtney's Sweets
Espresso Chocolate Cake with Mocha Mascarpone Frosting - Life's a Feast
Chocolate Cake with Coconut Icing - Chow and Chatter
Mexican Milk Chocolate cake - Sugar Plum
Mom's Chocolate Cake - Cookie Madness
Chocolate Guinness Stout Cake - The Recipe Girl

Chocolate Peanut Butter Torte

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...My favorite dessert are, for the most part, European and barely sweet. I love those made with lemon, nuts or fruit and if you wrap them in a crisp and crackly crust, I'll follow you anywhere. That being said, there are also a handful of other, less classic, desserts that can cause me to fall from grace. This Chocolate Peanut Butter Torte is one of them, and, when it's in the house, my fall from grace is not a stumble, it's a free fall. I can't resist this torte. I really love the peanut and chocolate combination and when it's used as it is in this recipe, developed by Dorie Greenspan, just a bite has been known to make my socks go up and down. While there are several steps required to make this torte, they are simple and quite easy to do. I don't make it a habit to rewrite recipes of this caliber. Pastry chefs are exacting in their measurements and execution, and I have no problem following them, if the flavors being proffered are to my liking. I did make a substitution here that I want to talk about a bit. It has to do with chocolate crumbs that are used to make refrigerator pies or cheesecakes. Many of the better recipes use chocolate wafer crumbs to line pie plates or spring form pans. If you live in an area where they are available, no harm, no foul. If they are not available, most of you already know you can use Oreo cookies, sans filling, as a replacement. The problem is that there is rarely a conversion table to tell you how many cookies are required to do that. I did a quick test to determine quantities of each that are necessary for an equivalence conversion. As it turned out the magic number is eleven. Eleven Oreos, stripped of their filling, equal 1 cup of crumbs when ground. It takes about 20 famous chocolate wafers to yield that same amount. Greenspan's recipe uses Oreo cookies to make crumbs. I had none in the house, so I had to fall back on my supply of chocolate wafers. It was a novel twist. I hope you'll try this recipe. It really is perfect for a special Valentine's Day dessert, Here's the recipe.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Torte...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Dorie Greenspan

Ingredients:
Crust
1 box chocolate wafer cookies, processed into fine crumbs
1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
Small pinch of salt
Crunch
1-1/4 cups salted peanuts, finely chopped, divided use
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips or finely chopped semisweet chocolate
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon espresso powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Dash of ground nutmeg
Filling
2 cups heavy cream
1-1/4 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
12 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1-1/2 cups creamy peanut butter (not natural)
2 tablespoons whole milk
Topping
1/2 cup heavy cream
4 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

Directions:
1) To make crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9-inch springform pan and place it on a baking sheet. Combine chocolate wafer crumbs, melted butter and salt in a small bowl. Toss with a fork to moisten crumbs. Press into a thin layer covering bottom and sides of springform pan to within 1-inch of rim. Freeze crust for 10 minutes. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely before filling.
2) To make crunch: In another small bowl, combine 1/2 cup of chopped peanuts, mini chocolate chips, sugar, espresso powder, cinnamon and nutmeg. Toss with a fork to mix and set aside.
3) To prepare filling: In bowl of a stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, whip 2 cups of cream until it holds medium peaks. Beat in 1/4 cup of confectioners’ sugar and whip until cream holds medium-firm peaks. Transfer cream into a separate bowl and refrigerate until needed. Wipe out (do not wash) mixer bowl, replace whisk with paddle attachment, and beat cream cheese with remaining 1 cup of confectioners’ sugar on medium speed until cream cheese is satiny smooth. Beat in peanut butter, whole milk, and 1/4 cup of chopped peanuts until well combined. Using a large rubber spatula, gently stir in about 1/4 of whipped cream to lighten mousse. Still working with spatula, stir in crunchy peanut mixture from step 2 above, then gingerly fold in remaining whipped cream. Scrape mousse into crust, mounding and smoothing top. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight; cover with plastic wrap as soon as the mousse firms.
4) To make topping: To finish torte, put chopped bittersweet chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water. Leave bowl over water just until chocolate softens and starts to melt, about 3 minutes; remove bowl from saucepan. Bring reserved 1/2 cup of cream to a full boil. Pour cream over chocolate and, working with a rubber spatula, very gently stir together until ganache is completely blended and smooth. Pour ganache over torte, smoothing with a metal icing spatula. Scatter remaining 1/2 cup peanuts over top and chill to set topping, at least 20 minutes. When the ganache is firm, remove the sides of the springform pan. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Yield: 8 to 10 servings.

You might also enjoy these recipes:
Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars - The Parsley Thief
Peanut Butter Pecan Biscotti - Joy the Baker
Peanut Butter Chocolate Macarons - Annie's Eats
Peanut Butter Brownie Pie - What's Cookin' Chicago?
Peanut Butter and Jelly Truffles - A Mingling of Tastes
Peanut Butter Crunch Truffles - Piece of Cake

Chocolate Hazelnut Truffles

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This confection is private stock, served only to BFF's or shared with my daughters as we sip pear brandy and talk late into the night. While not quite as good as the Ferrero Rocher chocolates after which they're patterned, I must say, with all due modesty and a drum roll or two, that these are PDG. They are also embarrassingly easy to assemble and for that reason I make them throughout the year. The truffles take about 30 minutes to prepare, but the chocolate mixture used to form them must be chilled before they can be shaped, so, despite ease of preparation, you'll have to build wait time into your game plan. I found the recipe on the Taste of Home website several years ago and I've made no changes to it, save for altering the time the chocolate must be refrigerated. I've found that the overnight chill suggested in the recipe produces an unworkable mass that must sit for an hour before the truffles can be shaped. A three hour chill is all that's really need. I am currently using milk chocolate candy bars to make these, but come the first of the year I want to make these using Nutella. I like the thought of triple hazelnut truffles. I hope you'll give these a try. They really are delicious. Here's the recipe.

Chocolate Hazelnut Truffles...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite, courtesy of Debra Pedrazzi and Taste of Home magazine

Ingredients:
3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons baking cocoa
4 milk chocolate candy bars (1.55-oz. each)
6 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
24 whole hazelnuts
1 cup very finely chopped hazelnuts, toasted

Directions:
1) In a large bowl, sift together confectioners' sugar and cocoa; set aside. In a saucepan, melt candy bars and butter. Add the cream and reserved cocoa mixture. Cook and stir over medium-low heat until mixture is thickened and smooth. Pour into an 8-in. square dish. Cover and refrigerate for about 3 hours or overnight.
2) Using a melon baller or spoon, shape candy into 1-in. balls; press a hazelnut into each. Reshape balls and roll in ground hazelnuts. Store in an airtight container in refrigerator. Yield: 2 dozen.

You might also enjoy these recipes:
Easy and Festive Peppermint Bark Candy - Sugar and Spice
Candy Cane Fudge - What's Cookin Chicago?
Dark Chocolate-Covered Peanut Butter Cups - Verses from My Kitchen
Honey Cream Caramels - Eat Good 4 Life
Peanut Butter Fudge - Brown Eyed Baker
Chocolate Covered Toffee - Petit Foodie
Rocky Road Fudge Candy - Baking and Boys
Easy Chocolate Turtles - Culinary Cory

Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread

When things are quiet here, I browse through food blogs the way others do magazines. I admire some and learn from others, always gleaning tips and tidbits that have the potential to make our next meal something really special. As a result, my bookmark folder is an embarrassment of riches that I'd be ashamed to let others see. While not talking numbers, I can happily report that I'm now current through the summer of 2009. While it took a while, I was finally able to make this wonderful Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread, originally featured at Baking Bites that summer. If you're not familiar with the site, stop by and see what's happening. You'll be happy that you did. This lovely cake-like bread was worth waiting for. It is moist. It is flavorful. It is chocolate. I know you'll love it, so rather than gab I'll get right to it. Here's the recipe for one of the best zucchini breads I've ever had. I did say chocolate, didn't I?


Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite, courtesy of Baking Bites

Ingredients:
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 medium zucchini, shredded to equal 1-1/4 cups
1 cup chocolate chips

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan. Set aside.
2) Sift flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder and salt into a large bowl.
3) Whisk eggs, vegetable oil, buttermilk and vanilla together in a medium bowl.
4) Add wet to dry ingredients and stir until almost fully combined. Add zucchini and chocolate chips and stir until evenly distributed in batter (batter should be fairly thick).
5) Bake for 50-55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean or with only moist crumbs attached. Turn loaf out of pan and cool on a wire rack before slicing. Yield: 1 loaf.

You might also enjoy these recipes:
Chocolate Zucchini Cake - One Perfect Bite
Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread (Low Card Gluten Free) - All Day I Dream About Food
Chocolate Zucchini and Sweet Potato Bread - Anna's Table
Chocolate Zucchini Muffins - Cookie Madness
Vegan Chocolate Banana and Zucchini Bread - Anja's Food 4 Thought
Chocolate Zucchini Bread - Closet Cooking
Chocolate Zucchini Spelt Cake - Anja's Food 4 Thought

Chocolate Peanut Crinkles

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This cookie recipe kept making the rounds and each time I saw it I became "curiouser and curiouser." Chocolate crinkles, I call them snowballs, are a favorite of mine, so it was only a matter of time before I actually tried the recipe. It was developed by Bill Yosses, a White House pastry chef, and I wanted to see how his cookies differed from the old classic I've grown to love. They are, indeed, different. Their texture is far more cakelike than what I'm familiar with. They are also huge in size. Whether that's good or bad is a subjective call. The nuts add a subtle taste to the finished cookie, but they don't overpower the chocolate, and the bit of added texture they provide is not unpleasant. I'm glad I made these cookies, though I don't plan on making them them again. They are delicious to be sure, but delicious comes on a sliding scale. The classic recipe I use can be found here. I think it makes a better cookie. I don't want to dissuade you from trying Chocolate Peanut Crinkles. Your opinion my differ from mine. Here's the recipe.

Chocolate Peanut Crinkles...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite, courtesy of Bill Yosses and Melissa Clark

Ingredients:
2/3 cup toasted, skinned unsalted peanuts
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
2-3/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons Dutch-processed unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 cups light brown sugar
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
2 large eggs, room temperature
1/4 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar

Directions:
1) Place nuts and granulated sugar in bowl of a food processor fitted with a blade attachment. Pulse to finely chop.
2) Melt chocolate in the top of a double boiler set over a pot of simmering water.
3) Sift flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt together in a large bowl. Place butter and brown sugar in bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Cream until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, until incorporated. Beat in the melted chocolate, stopping mixer to scrape down sides before beating again. Mix in milk and vanilla. Add flour mixture in three additions, and mix until just combined. Fold in nuts.
4) Form dough into a ball and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate dough for 3 hours or overnight.
5) When you are ready to bake, preheat oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper, or lightly butter them, and set aside.
6) Place confectioners’ sugar in a wide, shallow bowl. Scoop out a heaping tablespoon of dough and roll into a ball. Coat generously with sugar and transfer to a baking sheet, placing them at least 2-inches apart. Repeat with remaining dough and sugar.
7) Bake cookies, turning sheets from back to front and swapping racks halfway through, until cracked but not completely firm, 12-15 minutes. Cool cookies on the sheets for about 2 minutes, then use a spatula to transfer to wire racks to cool further. They may be stored airtight at room temperature for up to 2 days. Yield: 3-1/2 dozen.

You might also enjoy these recipes:
Chocolate Cookies n' Cream Cookies - Baking Bites
Dark and Bitter Orange Chocolate Cookies - The Technicolor Kitchen
Flourless Peanut Chocolate Cookies - Culinary in the Country
Double Chocolate Dream Cookies - Cookie Madness
Chocolate Sables: World Peace Cookies - Deep South Dish
Triple Chocolate Cookies - Une Gamine dans la Cuisine
Totally Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies - Sweet and Savory Tooth
Thick and Chewy Triple Chocolate Cookies - Brown Eyed Baker

Cherry Cupcakes - Pink Saturday

Photo courtesy of Photobucket - Creative Commons Attribution

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...A bit of chocolate is good for the soul and mine is happy right now. These cupcakes go together quickly and are better for you than most. That's not to say they're better for you than an apple might be, but the folks at Eating Well have managed to reduced the fat and calories and still deliver something you'll enjoy. If you need to take the edge off a sweet tooth, give these a try. I'm happy to report that despite what's been taken from them, enough remains to make these a really nice snack. If you object to the use of food coloring, by all means omit it. It adds nothing but a lovely pink hue to the cupcakes. It is Pink Saturday, so I decided to use it. Here's the recipe.

Chocolate Cherry Cupcakes...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Eating Well

Ingredients:
Cake
3/4 cup whole-wheat pastry flour (see Note)
3/4 cup cake flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup canola oil
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup nonfat buttermilk
1-1/2 cups chopped pitted cherries, fresh or frozen (thawed and drained), plus 12 fresh cherries with stems for garnish
Frosting
6 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese (Neufchâtel), at room temperature
1 /2 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1 cup packed confectioners’ sugar
Red Food coloring
Milk for thinning

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 12 (1/2-cup) muffin cups with paper liners.
2) Whisk whole-wheat flour, cake flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl.
3) Beat granulated sugar and oil in a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until combined. Beat in egg and vanilla until well combined. With mixer on low, alternately mix in dry ingredients and buttermilk, starting and ending with dry ingredients and scraping sides of the bowl as needed, until just combined. Fold in chopped cherries until just combined. Divide batter among prepared cups (they will be full).
4) Bake the cupcakes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 22 to 26 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.
5) Meanwhile, beat cream cheese, sour cream and confectioners’ sugar with an electric mixer until smooth. Add a drop or two of red food color to tint icing. Refrigerate frosting until very cold, about 2 hours. Thin with milk if necessary to spread on cooled cupcakes. Garnish with a cherry on top. Yield: 12 cupcakes.

You might also enjoy these recipes:
Pumpkin Cupcakes with Maple Cream Frosting - One Perfect Bite
Boston Cream Pie Cupcakes - Sugar Plum
Raspberry Cup Cakes - My Kitchen Treasures
Red Velvet Cupcakes - What's for Dinner Across State Lines
Carrot Cupcakes - Christine's Cuisine
Owl Cupcakes - Sinfully Southern Sweets
German Chocolate Cupcakes - Barbara Bakes

This post is being linked to:
Pink Saturday, sponsored by Beverly at How Sweet the Sound.

Chocolate Zucchini Cake

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This is a wonderful cake, but it's one that falls into my "hate to love it" category. The cake is delicious and fairly easy to make, but I have a problem with its baking time. I've made it several times and on each occasion the baking time has varied. In all three instances, it has taken longer to bake than the recipe suggests. My oven has just been recalibrated, so I doubt there is a problem with the thermostat, and I'm using the specified pan-size, so I know there is no problem there. I can tell you that my cakes still shimmy at the end of the 30 minute time suggested by the recipe. Mine require a minimum of 50 minutes to assure a stable center. I suspect the difference is attributable to the amount of moisture in the zucchini, but I really don't know for sure. At any rate, the cake is good enough that I'm willing to keep an eye on it while it bakes. The cake is based on a recipe developed in the Ghiradelli kitchens and the original recipe can be found here. This version of the cake, created by Kate Westburg, was a winner in a Ghiradelli competition held at the DuPage County Fair this past summer. I've changed the recipe slightly and if you'd like to see the original it can be found here. The cake is delicious, even if it drives me crazy. I hope you will try it. It's worth the aggravation. Here's the recipe.

Chocolate Zucchini Cake ( 3-G Stealth Zucchini Cake)...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite, inspired by Kate Westburg

Ingredients:
3 large eggs
1 cup + plus 1/2 teaspoon vegetable oil, divided use
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cinnamon
2 cups grated zucchini
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
4 ounces baking milk chocolate

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease bottom and sides of (9-by-13-inch) pan or 2 (3-by-6-by-9-inch) loaf pans.
2) Combine eggs, 1 cup vegetable oil, vanilla, and sugar in a large bowl. Beat to combine, about 1 to 2 minutes.
3) Sift together cocoa, flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon; add 1/2 cup at a time to wet ingredients. Mix until well combined.
4) Stir in zucchini and chocolate chips. Pour into prepared pan; bake 30 minutes for (9-by-13-inch) cake pan (approximately 50 minutes for loaf pans), or until cake tester comes out clean. Using a 9 x 13 x 2-inch pan, I still needed a minimum of 50 minutes to bake the cake.
5) Melt baking milk chocolate in double boiler or in microwave over water (being careful not to scorch). Whisk in 1/2 teaspoon canola oil. Drizzle ribbon topping over cooled cake. Yield: 16 servings.

You might also enjoy these recipes:
Zucchini Cookies - The Local Cook
Hazelnut Zucchini Cake - My Kitchen in the Rockies
Chocolate Zucchini Cake - Eat At Allie's
Zucchini Cake with Lime Cream Cheese Frosting - Baking Bites
Chocolate Streusel Zucchini Cake - Let's Dish
Zucchini Cake with Crunchy Lemon Glaze - David Lebovitz
Apple Zucchini Cake with Walnuts - Anja's Food 4 Thought

(Almost) Cherry Garcia Ice Cream

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Had the gods of mythology sampled this Ben and Jerry favorite, there would have been no talk of ambrosia and an ice cream parlor would have, instead, been opened on the top of Mount Olympus. It is remarkably good and it's Bob's ice cream of choice. It's hard to find Cherry Garcia ice cream in many parts of the world, so, each year before we leave, Bob has his fill of it while we are still in DEFCON 1. It is remarkably easy to prepare and I have only one caution should you decide to make it. It's important not to overwork the chocolate and cherry mixture when folding it into the cream. It's also important to keep the chocolate shavings thick enough to retain their shape during the process. Now to the real question. Does it actually taste like Cherry Garcia ice cream? Kinda. Sorta. Maybe. A lot depends on the flavor of the Bing cherries you use. That can vary from one pint to another, so I've started using a tablespoon of kirsch to assure that wonderful cherry flavor. The recipe is Tom and Jerry's own, so I have not included kirsch in the ingredient list. Here's how they do it.

Cherry Garcia Ice Cream...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite, courtesy of Ben and Jerry's Homemade Ice Cream and Dessert Book

Ingredients:
1/4 cup shaved plain chocolate (we prefer Hershey's Special Dark Chocolate candy bars)
1/4 cup fresh Bing cherries, halved and pitted (you may use canned cherries, but be sure to drain the syrup)
2 large eggs
3/4 cup sugar
2 cups heavy or whipping cream
1 cup milk

Directions:
1) Place shaved chocolate flakes and the cherries in separate bowls. Cover and refrigerate.
2) Whisk eggs in a mixing bowl until light and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes. Whisk in sugar, a little at a time, then continue whisking until completely blended, about 1 minute more. Pour in the cream and milk and whisk to blend.
3) Transfer mixture to an ice cream maker and freeze following the manufacturer’s instructions.
4) After ice cream stiffens (about 2 minutes before it is done), add chocolate and cherries, then continue freezing until ice cream is ready. Yield: 1 quart.

You might also enjoy these recipes:
Ice Cream Crunch Cake - One Perfect Bite
Fresh Mint Ice Cream - One Perfect Bite
Lemon Buttermilk Ice Cream - One Perfect Bite
Cherry Ice Cream with Chocolate Chips - Simply Recipes
Snickerdoodle Ice Cream - The Recipe Girl
Salted Butter Caramel Ice Cream - David Lebovitz