Honey Graham Cracker Cake with Toasted Meringue Frosting

Honey Graham Cracker Cake
with Toasted Meringue Frosting

If you haven't heard about Food52.com by now, please, let me introduce you to an amazing site for all things sweet and savory.  A real foodie's happy place with articles, recipes and contests.  I often daydream about working there and developing and testing recipes all day, but since their offices are on the other side of the country I guess I will just have to continue to daydream...boo hoo!

Anyways, I digress, recently I found a terrific article by Posie Harwood that made me drool instantly. She discovered an old recipe from Nabisco that used graham crackers in place of AP flour to make a deliciously moist cake that actually tastes just like graham crackers!!  I was so excited and I knew right away I wanted to make a cake reminiscent of campfire s'mores and this is what I came up with and it was so easy! A Honey Graham Cracker cake with Jello Instant Chocolate Pudding filling and toasted Swiss Meringue frosting, which is Sweetapolita's Swiss Meringue Buttercream without the butter...yum!

Graham Cracker Cake

Adapted from Food52.com

·         1/2 cup all-purpose flour

·         1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (from about 20 squares)

·         2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

·         1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

·         3/4 cup sugar

·         2 eggs

·         1 teaspoon vanilla extract

·         3/4 cup milk

1.      Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease two 8-inch round cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment.

2.      In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, graham cracker crumbs, and baking powder and set aside.

3.      In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy.

4.      Add the eggs, one at a time, beating between each addition.

5.      Mix in the vanilla.

6.      Add the flour mixture and the milk a little bit at a time, alternating between each. Mix thoroughly but be careful not to overbeat.

7.      Divide the batter evenly between your two prepared pans. Bake for about 25 minutes (or until golden brown and starting to pull away from the sides of the pans).

8.      Cool in the pans for at least 15 minutes, then turn out onto a rack to cool completely before frosting and assembling.

Honey Graham Cracker Cake Mise en Place

Chocolate Pudding Filling

Adapted from Jello Instant Chocolate Pudding

·         1 - 3.9 oz box Jello Instant Chocolate Pudding

·         2 cups cold milk

1.      Beat together pudding mix and cold milk for about 2 minutes (pudding will be soft set)

2.      Refrigerate until ready to use as filling

     **NOTE: One box makes way more filling than you need so you will have extra for dessert or a sweet snack!

Chocolate Pudding Filling

Swiss Meringue

Adapted from Sweetapolita's Swiss Meringue Buttercream

·        5 large, fresh egg whites (150 g)

·        1 ¼ cups (250 g) sugar

·        2 tsp vanilla

·        Pinch of salt

1.      Wipe the bowl of an electric mixer with a paper towel and lemon juice to remove any trace of grease.  Add egg whites and sugar and simmer over a pot of water (not boiling), whisking constantly, but gently until the temperature reaches 140°F, or if you don’t have a candy thermometer, until the sugar has completely dissolved and the egg whites are hot.  Remove from the heat.

2.      With the whisk attachment of the mixer, begin to whip until the meringue is thick, glossy and the bottom of the bowl feels neutral to the touch (about 10 minutes of whipping).

3.      Add the vanilla and salt and whip until incorporated...that’s it!!

Whipping & Toasting
of the Swiss Meringue

TO ASSEMBLE: Place one cake layer on a plate or cake stand and pipe a ring or dam of meringue around the edge of the cake to keep your pudding filling from spilling out.  Then, fill the inside of the the piping ring with your chocolate pudding.  Take the second cake layer and carefully place it on top of the first layer.  Then, using an offset spatula slather the remaining meringue all over the cake using short strokes to create waves and peaks.  Lastly, and this is the fun part, using a small kitchen torch start toasting the meringue, but be careful because the meringue can easily burn.

I was a little nervous that the cake would turn out dry from the graham cracker crumbs, but it was so moist and light.  Posie Harwood was so right!  Plus, the chocolate pudding added the perfect amount of moisture to the center of the cake while the meringue frosting was like a sweet cloud that tasted just like toasted marshmallows.  A perfect cake to take to a potluck or to keep for yourself!  Give this recipe a try and I promise you will not be disappointed!!

Moist, Tender & Toasty!

Happy Baking!!

xoxo,

Dani

GF Dark Chocolate Cherry Cake

When I signed up for my Escoffier Online Healthy Baking course I was really excited to find ways to create desserts that people with restrictive diets could enjoy, but also feel like they weren't eating diet food.  It also hit close to home for me because my dad must follow a diabetic and renal (kidney) friendly diet so I know first hand how important the ingredients can be to how a person feels. 

This weekend I got to hang out with my dad and it was the perfect opportunity for me to make him something special that wouldn't spike his blood sugar levels or put any unnecessary strain on his kidneys, but that also tasted great to the rest of my family who are lucky enough to not have to worry about what they are eating.  I think this recipe did the trick.

Since the texture of my baked goods have been so delicious with my gluten free flour blend I thought I would make some substitutions in this recipe and see how they worked out.

GF Dark Chocolate Cherry Cake

GF Dark Chocolate Cherry Cake

Adapted from DaVita.com

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter 
• 2 eggs 
• 1/2 cup Truvia or 1 cup granulated sugar 
• 1 cup of Greek yogurt or sour cream 
• 1 teaspoon vanilla (almond would be nice too)
• 2 cups gluten free flour blend or all-purpose white flour 
• 1 teaspoon baking powder 
• 1 teaspoon baking soda 
• 20 ounces cherry pie filling or any other filling flavor
• 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips (or sliced almonds for texture)
• Tub of light Cool Whip Topping

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Set butter out at room temperature to soften. 
2. Using a mixer, blend butter, eggs, sugar, greek yogurt and vanilla together. 
3. In separate bowl sift together flour, baking powder and baking soda. 
4. Add dry ingredients to the butter mixture and mix until just incorporated trying not to over mix. Spread batter into a greased 9" x 13" baking pan. 
5. Evenly disperse cherry pie filling over batter and sprinkle with dark chocolate chips. 
6. Bake for 40 minutes or until golden brown and tooth pick inserted in the center comes out with little to zero crumbs. When serving put a dollop of Cool Whip Topping on top of each piece. 
   
   
   *NOTE: The batter is thick and sticky...don't worry...just spread it out as evenly as you can in your dish (I used two spoons)...it will bake up beautifully!!
   
   

   

   Mise en Place

   

   Cherries and more Cherries

   

   Golden Delicious

This cake turned out really great. It was light, moist and had just the right amount of sweetness from the cherries and chocolate. A perfect treat for a warm summer evening or a Labor Day potluck. 

If you are not worried about your sugar intake I may suggest using regular sugar rather than the sugar substitute because it can leave a slight after taste that I just can't put my finger on...it's not bad, but it's different.  Otherwise I was really happy with the flavor and the Greek yogurt was a great substitution for the sour cream because it gave the dish an extra punch of protein.

Please enjoy and let me know what you think!

Happy Labor Day and Happy Baking,

Dani

Flickr Online Baking Portfolio

Over time I have slowly been creating an online Flickr Baking Portfolio that I would like to share with you. It has a little of this, and a little of that, but most of all it is a fun collection that shows how my baking chops continue to progress.

Here are a few of my latest cakes that I am really proud of that are included in my Flickr Baking Portfolio:

Rockin Rio
 6" - 4 Layer Vanilla Bean Cake
Meyer Lemon and Strawberry Curd
Vanilla Swiss Meringue Buttercream
Strawberry Scented White Chocolate Shards & White Chocolate Drip

Rainbow Sherbet
6" - 4 Layer Vanilla Cake
Meyer Lemon Curd and Strawberry Preserves
Ombre Vanilla Swiss Meringue Buttercream

Peanut Butter & Jelly
6" - 5 Layer Chocolate Cake
Chocolate Peanut Butter Buttercream with Strawberry Preserves
Chocolate Cake Orbs with Rainbow Confetti

Cookies 'n Cream
6" - 4 Layer Chocolate Cake
Cookies 'n Cream Cookie White Chocolate Buttercream

Carrot Cake
8" - 3 Layer Carrot Cake
Cream Cheese Frosting & Toasted Walnuts

Strawberry Cheese Cake
9" - New York Style Cheese Cake
Fresh Strawberries and Fresh Whipped Cream

Thank you for your continued support and I welcome any feedback. 

Happy Baking,

~Dani

Smitten With A Tiny Chocolate Cake

Wow, where do I begin, this cake is A-MAZ-ING.  It's the perfect mash up of a chewy brownie and a chocolate torte and the addition of fresh berries and whipped cream really amp up the yum factor. This delicious and super easy recipe was created by obsessive home-cook Deb Perelman of Smitten Kitchen. If you have never read her food blog you are truly missing out. Her blog has become so popular, in fact, that she has written her own cookbook: The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook. I dare you to try and skim through the Amazon preview of this book and not buy it...impossible!  Also, if you remember from my post Successful Pinspirations (Part 1) I made her Hostess Cake, which was shockingly good.

This week at work we celebrated my boss' birthday and since I work in a small office of four people I thought it would be nice to surprise them with a homemade treat. I started flipping through my Smitten Kitchen Cookbook and came upon this Tiny, but Intense Chocolate Cake.  Deb writes a great little intro before each recipe, either commenting on why she loves the recipe or how it came to be. This recipe in particular is her "go-to" cake for those last minute celebrations or the perfect "cheer up" cake for a friend who has had a bad day. The ingredients are minimal and you can even change up the chocolate to reduce the intensity.

A Simple Mise En Place

Since I wasn't sure how intense my co-workers like their chocolate I decided to use half semi-sweet chocolate and half milk chocolate and since I didn't have a 6 inch cake pan I used my smallest CorningWare dish and adjusted the cooking time.  I also found myself with a big ol' bag of dark brown sugar, but no light brown sugar as specified in the ingredients.  The difference between light and dark is the amount of molasses mixed with the sugar.  So here's a great tip...use half dark brown sugar and half granulated (regular) sugar and there you go...light brown sugar!

Browned Butter to Melt Rich Chocolate

Browned butter...something I am loving lately.  It really gives recipes a depth of flavor that you won't get just melting the butter and it's so simple.  You just need to cook your butter over medium heat until it has turned a golden color and gives off a nutty flavor with brown specks at the bottom of the pan.  Be careful not to burn it, because you will have to start all over again!

Creamed Sugar and Eggs with Chocolate

Gentle Folding of Egg Whites with Chocolate Batter

Be gentle when you are folding in your egg whites and make sure you don't incorporate them all at once.  It's very important to fold in about 1/3rd of the whites first then fold in the rest.  This will help to keep the cake from becoming a baked chocolate block.

Chocolate Perfection with Strawberries and Whipped Cream

VERDICT: A perfect little cake that I am sure would be welcomed by any friend or hostess.  Not to mention that since there is no flour it's a great cake for those trying to eliminate or reduce their gluten intake.

Enjoy and Happy Baking,

Dani xoxo

Tiny, but Intense 
Chocolate Cake
Adapted from Deb Perelman's
Smitten Kitchen Cookbook

Ingredients

• • 6 tablespoons butter
  • 4 ounces semi sweet chocolate
  • three large eggs separated
  • 1/3 cup light brown sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
  • pinch cinnamon
• 
  Instructions
  
  1. Preheat oven to 350.line a 6 inch round springform pan with a circle of parchment paper. Generously butter sides of pan and parchment round.
  2. in a small saucepan melt your butter over medium heat, stirring for even cooking. After the butter melts, it will then hiss and spatter a bit, fragrant brown bits will form at the bottom of the sauce pan. The whole process will take three minutes. Quickly remove from heat and stir in chocolate until melted and smooth. Cool chocolate mixture to lukewarm, a process that maybe sped up by transferring the mixture from the hot sauce pan to a small bowl set in a puddle of cold water. keep stirring if you are using this method
  3. With electric mixer beat eggs yolks, brown sugar and vanilla together until mixture thickens and takes on a pale yellow brown color. Slowly beat in lukewarm chocolate mixture, and a pretty good color will return the mixture will become very thick.
  4. In a separate bowl beat egg whites with clean beaters until firm peaks form. Add a pinch of cinnamon, if desired. Stir one third of eight mixture into chocolate mixture. Fold remaining two thirds in gently, trying to keep better as light as possible. Pour into prepared pan and bake in preheated oven 20 to 25 minutes, or until it is puffed with a lovely dome on top. test with skewer.
  5. To serve let cool 10 minutes. Run tonight around cake to make sure it's not stuck. Release the spring form sides. Let cool. once cooled flip onto plate remove parchment.
  6. additional: beat 1/2 cup whipping cream with 2 teaspoons granulated sugar until soft peaks form dust cake with confectioners' sugar dollop with whip cream and berries.