Creamy Cherry Coffee Cake

Prep Time: ten minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

Filling:

12 ounces (1-1/2 sizable 8-ounce packages) cream cheese

one cup granulated white sugar

one sizable egg

one teaspoon pure vanilla extract

one cup dried cherries

1/2 cup chopped pecans

Cake:

two packages (8-count) refrigerated crescent rolls, divided use

1/2 cup chocolate chips

Icing Glaze:

1-1/2 cups powdered sugar

two to three Tablespoons milk or cream

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a 9 by 13-inch baking pan with nonstick foil. 

Make the filling first by placing cream cheese, sugar, egg, & vanilla in to the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Method until combined. Add cherries & pulse until the cherries are coarsely chopped. Add pecans & pulse a couple of times, only until combined. 

Open one tube of the crescent rolls & unroll the dough. Place in the bottom of the prepared pan & press to fit the bottom of the pan, sealing any perforations. 

Open the remaining tube of crescent rolls & separate the triangles. Cut each triangle in half lengthwise so you have 16 narrow triangles. Start at finish of the pan, placing triangles across the width, stretching each dough triangle to fit the width of the pan, alternating to opposite sides of the pan. (The first triangle will stretch from top to bottom, the next from bottom to top, etc.) The top will be covered by the crescent dough, with the sides of the dough touching closely, but not overlapping. 

Spread evenly with the filling. 

For the icing glaze, whisk together powdered sugar, milk or cream, & almond extract until smooth, adding  milk or cream to get to a barely drippable consistency. Spoon icing in to a zip-top bag, squeeze out all the air, & seal. Snip a corner from the bottom of the bag & drizzle icing over the top of the coffee cake in a zig-zag pattern. Let sit, uncovered, for the icing to firm up about one hour. Cut & serve. 

Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven & immediately sprinkle evenly with the chocolate chips. Let icy to room temperature. 

Yield: 24 to 36 servings, depending on cut size

Chocolate Gingersnap Cookies

Cook Time: 12 minutes

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: two hours, 42 minutes

Refrigeration Time: two hours

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup molasses
one Tablespoon water
two teaspoons minced fresh gingerroot
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
one Tablespoon baking cocoa
1-1/4 teaspoons ground ginger
one teaspoon baking soda
one teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
7 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
1/4 cup sugar

Preparation:


In a large bowl, cream butter & brown sugar until light & fluffy. Beat in the molasses, water & gingerroot.


Combine the flour, cocoa, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, & cloves. Gradually add to creamed mixture & mix well. Stir in chocolate. Cover & refrigerate for two hours or until simple to handle.

Shape dough in to 1-inch balls. Roll in sugar. Place two inches apart on greased baking sheets.

Bake cookies at 350 F. for ten to 12 minutes or until tops start to crack. Icy for two minutes before removing to wire racks.

Nutrition Facts: one serving (one each) equals 69 calories, three g fat (two g saturated fat), 7 mg cholesterol, 63 mg sodium, 11 g carbohydrate, trace fiber, one g protein.

Yield: 36 servings 

Deep Dark Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:

Flour: one cup,
Baking powder: one.5 tsp,
Oil: 2/3 cup,
Sugar powdered: 2/3 cup,
Eggs: two
Cocoa powder: 4-5 tbsp,
Milk: one tbsp (if desired),
Powdered milk: 12 tbsp.
For icing:
Cocoa powder: three tbsp,
Cadbury drinking powder: two tbsp.
Milo: two tbsp,
Sugarpowdered: 5-6 tsp,
Ghee or butter: 6 tsp.

Method:


Mix flour & baking powder in a bowl, in another bowl beat oil & powdered sugar for sometime.
Beat egg white & yolk separately & mix both of these in oil & sugar mixture.
Now add cocoa powder & milk( in tiny quantity) & powdered milk & then beat slowly until forms a soft paste.
Finally they add the mixture in flour slowly while beating it, until it unites in to another & then they pour this batter in to the cake mold, before pouring the mixture in to mold make positive u first grease it with oil generously.
Put the mold in the preheated (15 minutes before)oven between 180250C, for about hour, keep checking after half hour if the cake is prepared with a knife.
 important tip is that never switch the flame again & again while baking, set the temperature one time & let it stay till the finish.
After the cake is baked, take it out from oven & after it gets chilled remove from the mold & wait for another twenty minutes so that the cake is chilled for icing.


FOR ICING: 
Put in a bowl ghee or butter or u can take half amount of ghee & half amount of butter & add to it sugar, cocoa powder, milo, cadbury chocolate powder & mix it well, (do not cook).now pour this icing sauce on the cake all over, make positive it is thick to stick the cake, if it is thick then before mixing all the ingredients heat the ghee a tiny bit & then add all.
Now referegerate the cake until it sets & serve with hot tea.u can also sprinkle icing sugar on it to give it a pleasant look;)

Chocolate Orange Torte

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Prep Time: twenty minutes

Total Time: one hour, five minutes

Ingredients:

Place one cup of halved strawberries (retain the rest for garnish) in a ziptop bag. Sprinkle with confectioners sugar & shake to coat. Refrigerate while you make the torte.

Strawberry Sauce:
two cups fresh strawberries, cut in half, divided use
1/2 teaspoon confectioners' sugar
.
Torte:
3/4 pound margarine, unsalted or pareve
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup fresh orange juice
two Tablespoons orange liqueur
1/4 cup strong brewed coffee, cooled
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla
12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
6 huge eggs, lightly beaten
1/8 cup miniature chocolate chips for garnish, optional

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper.

Place margarine, sugar, orange juice, orange liqueur, & coffee in a heavy saucepan over low heat. Stir until combined & smooth. Remove from heat & stir in vanilla. Add chocolate & stir until melted & blended. Let cold.

When chocolate mixture is cold, whisk in the eggs until thoroughly combined. Pour in to prepared pan. Bake 35 to 45 minutes until top has a slight crust & middle is set.

Let chocolate torte cold to room temperature, then refrigerate for four hours or overnight.

When prepared to serve, place sugared strawberries in a blender or food processor & pulse to puree. Pour strawberry sauce over the cake, sprinkle with chocolate chips, & decorate with remaining strawberry halves.

Yield: 14 to 16 servings

Dark & White Choco Apricots

Cook Time: ten minutes

Prep Time: twenty minutes

Ingredients:

Total Time: 30 minutes

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil or waxed paper.

12 hazelnuts
24 dried whole apricots
12 pistachio nuts, shelled
four squares (one ounce each) semisweet chocolate, chopped
four squares (one ounce each) white baking chocolate, chopped
Preparation:

Spread hazelnuts on a jelly-roll pan & toast in oven about ten minutes or until lightly golden. When hazelnuts are cold to handle but still warm, rub lightly between paper toweling to remove skins; discard skins.

Place apricots on prepared baking sheet. Gently loosen open edge; insert a hazelnut or pistachio in middle of each apricot. Press edges together to seal. Keep hazelnut- & pistachio-stuffed apricots separated.

Place three squares semisweet chocolate in a tiny microwave-safe bowl. Cover with plastic wrap. Microwave at 100% power one minute. Stir until smooth. Stir in remaining semisweet chocolate until well blended & smooth.

Using a fork, spear a hazelnut-stuffed apricot; dip in to melted semisweet chocolate, turning to coat completely; shake off excess chocolate by gently tapping fork on fringe of bowl. Return to baking sheet. Repeat with remaining hazelnut-stuffed apricots. Set aside remaining semisweet chocolate.

Refrigerate coated apricots three hours or until chocolate is firm.

Repeat steps four & five, substituting white chocolate & the pistachio-stuffed apricots.

Microwave remaining semisweet chocolate at 50% power 30 seconds or until drizzling consistency. Drizzle over white-chocolate-coated apricots. Refrigerate on baking sheets to harden. Repeat with reserved white chocolate; drizzle over semisweet-coated apricots.

Store in an airtight container in a cold, dry place up to one week.

Yield: 24 candies

Chocolate Pudding

Total Time: five minutes

Prep Time: five minutes

Yield: 4-6 servings

Ingredients:

one 17.6 oz. container plain non-fat or low-fat Greek yogurt
one 13 oz. jar chocolate hazelnut spread (such as Nutella)
1-3 Tbsp. confectioner's sugar

Preparation:

Mix Greek yogurt & Nutella together in a mixing bowl. Taste, & add confectioner's sugar, one tablespoon at a time, until desired sweetness is reached. In case you like the tangy taste of actual yogurt, you will probably enjoy this chocolate pudding without any additional sugar.

Black Russian Cake

Cook Time: 50 minutes

Prep Time: ten minutes

Total Time: one hour

Ingredients:


Cake:
one package dark-chocolate cake mix
one cup vegetable oil
one (3-ounce) package instant chocolate pudding
four eggs
3/4 cup strong coffee
1/2 cup creme de cacao
1/4 cup Kahlua
.
Topping:
one cup confectioner's sugar, sifted
two Tablespoons strong coffee
two Tablespoons Kahlua
two Tablespoons creme de cacao

Preparation:

Merge the cake mix, oil, pudding mix, eggs, coffee, creme de cacao, and Kahlua in a sizable bowl. Beat for four minutes until smooth. Pour in to a greased 10-inch tube pan until three-fourths full. (Save any remaining batter for cupcakes or to basically eat on the spot.)

Prepare the topping by combining the confectioner's sugar, coffee, Kahlua, and creme de cacao. Mix well and spoon over the warm cake.

Bake 45 to 50 minutes at 350 degrees F. Remove from the pan and invert onto a serving plate. Punch holes throughout the cake with a skewer or ice pick.

Yield: 8 to ten servings

Chocolate Raspberry Cake

Ingredients:


one devil's food cake mix
four sizable eggs
one cup sour cream
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup oil
one cup chocolate chips
.
Raspberry Glaze:
1/3 cup seedless raspberry jelly
two Tbsp. water
.
Chocolate Ganache:
3/4 cup heavy cream
8 oz. semisweet chocolate chips
.
Fresh raspberries for garnish

Preparation:


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease & flour a tube pan or bundt pan.

With an electric mixer, beat cake mix, eggs, sour cream, water, buttermilk & oil together until smooth.

Stir in chocolate chips. Pour in to prepared pan. Bake 42-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out tidy.

Cold .

Heat raspberry jelly & water in the microwave for 30-90 seconds until smooth. With a pastry brush, brush raspberry glaze over cooled cake. Let cold one hour.

Heat cream in a tiny saucepan over low heat until scalded. Whisk in chocolate chips. Continue to cook, whisking, until thickened. Pour over cake.

Garnish with raspberries, if desired.

Chocolate Moist Cake

Prep Time: one hour
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: one hour, 30 minutes
Yield: 24 servings


Ingredients:


two cups all-purpose flour
two cups sugar
one cup butter
three Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
one cup water
two eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup buttermilk
one tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
two tsp. vanilla extract
Marshmallow Frosting:
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup powdered sugar (confectioner's sugar)
7 oz. jar marshmallow fluff or marshmallow cream
two Tbsp. shaved chocolate for garnish (optional)

Preparation:


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 9 x 13 baking dish.

Mix flour and sugar together in a gigantic mixing bowl. Place butter, cocoa and water in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil. Add to flour mixture, mixing well.

Make marshmallow frosting: With an electric mixer, beat butter until fluffy. On low speed, beat in about one-third of the powdered sugar. Add the remaining powdered sugar, beating until incorporated. Beat in marshmallow cream.

Beat in eggs, buttermilk, baking soda, salt and vanilla. Pour in to prepared pan. Bake 20-30 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out tidy. Chilled cake .

Frost damp chocolate cake with marshmallow frosting. Top with chocolate shavings, if desired.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Marshmallows

Cook Time: twenty minutes

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

Ingredients:

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with non-stick foil. 

one stick (8 Tbsp or 1/2 cup) butter, melted but not hot

one box (18.25 ounces) dark chocolate cake mix

one (16 ounces) jar marshmallow fluff

one cup peanut butter, chunky or smooth

Preparation:

In a giant bowl, merge cake mix & melted butter with a fork until crumbly. Remove 3/4 cup & set aside. Spread the remainder of the cake mix crumbles evenly over the bottom of the prepared baking pan. 

Remove lid of marshmallow fluff & warm in the microwave on High for 30 seconds. Drop dollops of marshmallow fluff evenly over the cake mix crumbles. Gently smooth marshmallow fluff over the crumbles, without dislodging the bottom layer. 

Sprinkle reserved cake mix crumbles over the top of the top layer. 

Warm the peanut butter in the microwave 30 seconds on High. Drizzle evenly over the marshmallow layer. 

Bake 15 to twenty minutes, until marshmallow pops through & begins to lightly brown. 

Chilled before cutting. These are rich, like sweet bars, so cut them little. Store covered at room temperature. 

Yield: 24 to 36 servings, depending on cut size

Chocolate Peanut Butter

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes

Yield: two cups

Ingredients:


1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1-1/2 cups smooth peanut butter
1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/4 cup confectioners sugar
one teaspoon vanilla extract
one teaspoon instant coffee granules
one teaspoon hot water

Preparation:

Melt chocolate chips in a double-boiler or in the microwave until smooth. Take care not to scorch the chocolate. Let cold until barely warm, but still liquid.

Mix instant coffee with hot water until dissolved. Add coffee to the chocolate peanut butter mixture until combined.

Scrape melted chocolate in to a large bowl. Add peanut butter, butter, sugar, and vanilla extract. Stir until thoroughly combined.

 jars of chocolate peanut butter make great gifts for any occasion and also work well for bake sales and other fund-raisers.

Scrape in to glass jars with tight seals. Serve as a spread with cookies, crackers, or toast or use as a filling for cakes.

Yield: about two cups

Chocolate Chestnut Triffle

Cook Time: ten minutes

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:


6 ounces bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate
one 16-ounce can whole chestnuts, or 1-1/4 pound fresh
6 Tablespoons butter
1/2 cup sugar
2-1/2 Tablespoons brandy or other liqueur
one teaspoon vanilla
.
For the coating:
14 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
one to 1-1/2 cups pure cocoa powder

Preparation:


To prepare centers, melt chocolate in a double boiler & permit to cold.


If using fresh chestnuts, cut a cross on the flat side of each shell, put in a huge pan, cover with cold water, & boil for five minutes. Remove the shells & inner skins. Rice the chestnuts.

Cream the butter & sugar together until fluffy, about three minutes. Add chestnuts & flavorings to the butter/sugar mixture & blend well, then stir in the cooled chocolate. Mix well.

Roll in to balls 1-1/2 inches in diameter; if mixture becomes soft to shape, chill for several minutes.

To coat, melt the chocolate on a plate over boiling water; let cold. Carefully roll the truffles in melted chocolate, then place on a plate of cocoa powder & permit to dry for several minutes. Dust each truffle with cocoa & place in paper sweet cup. Store in refrigerator.

Yield: five dozen truffles