Guest Post with Cake Duchess: Ginger Nutella Brownies

January 31, 2011 84 Comments

While I’m recovering from my kidney biopsy, my sweet friend Lora of Cake Duchess will be sharing something sweet with you all. When I try to describe how much Lora means to me, I’m at a loss for words. Lora is the big sister I never had, the friend who supports me through everything and the one who lifts me up when I’m down. I feel like I’ve found a very special friend in Lora through the food blog world. She’s definitely one of my closest blogger friends. Whenever she posts a new recipe, I find myself drooling over her creations and I so wish I could reach into my screen and grab one of her desserts! I still dream about her Southern Caramel Cake. She truly is a talented, creative and giving blogger. Please stop by her blog and say hello. I’m sure you’ll become addicted to her irresistible treats. :)

Oh and I have an little something extra sweet for one lucky person. I’m giving away a box of See’s Candies. You get to choose what chocolates go in your box. Here’s a list of some of the candies See’s offers. If you win, I’ll send you a bigger list of candy to choose from!
To enter the giveaway:
1) Leave a comment on here. Please do not comment about the giveaway, this post is all about Lora! ;)
2) For a second entry, comment on Lora’s blog on this post. <–click here for 2nd entry!
For additional entries (you must leave the comment on Lora’s blog, not mine. For each entry, please make a separate comment or it won’t be counted!)
3) Like Cake Duchess on Facebook
4) Subscribe to Cake Duchess’ email subscription/RSS feed
5) Follow @cakeduchess of twitter
6) Tweet the following: Guest Post with @cakeduchess and a Giveaway from @gingerbagelbake
7) Retweet the guest post (I’ll being tweeting it of course ;) )

The giveaway ends on Sunday February 6th at midnight and the winner will be announced on Monday February 7th.
And I almost forgot! This giveaway is open to US and Canadian residents! :)

Now I’d like to introduce to you all, the lovely Lora of Cake Duchess….

This is the blog I read to get my weekly virtual sugar high. This is the blog I visit for a sweet story and tempting photos of a wonderful dessert. This is the blog written by a darling young lady with a talent to make all her desserts look just perfect and delicious! This is the blog written by someone I happily call my friend.

Hello dear readers of Gingerbread Bagels! I’m Lora and I write a blog called Cake Duchess. If you aren’t familiar with me and my sweet treats, it is very nice to meet you! I live in South Florida and I am a mommy to two little ones. My days are busy with my family and baking new creations. It was very disheartening to recently hear what Lindsey found out from her doctors. I don’t have any sisters and I sort of adopted Lindsey as my little sis. We share a common crush on Eros Ramozzotti and Juanes. We both love Italy, the Italian language, and most importantly, NUTELLA. :)

It makes me feel good to be a part of the team of friends that will keep Lindsey’s blog going while she deals with her health issues. I wanted to create something special for Lindsey. It had to be a dessert that would put a smile on Lindsey’s face. Lindsey makes the best brownies and bars. I decided to make a brownie with some of her favorite flavors: ginger and Nutella. I know, it sounds like an odd combination. To make it even more interesting, I thought how about a little cinnamon? This brownie is rich and bursting with flavor!

You’ll be pleasantly surprised with how wonderful the ginger and cinnamon go with the Nutella. I believe a dollop of fresh whipped cream on top and some cheerful sprinkles is just what the doctor ordered. ;) I wish I could personally bring these brownies to Lindsey. I am hopeful that Lindsey will be feeling better in a short time and will soon be teasing us with more of her incredible sweets. Until then, I hope you enjoy these brownies! Thank you Lindsey for having me and my Ginger Nutella Brownies on Gingerbread Bagels.

Ginger Nutella Brownies

Yields: approximately 12 brownies

Ingredients

1 cup unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsweetened natural cocoa powder
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
2 tablespoons Greek yogurt
4 tablespoons Nutella

Directions

Spray a 9 x 9 inch pan with baking spray. Line the pan with parchment paper and spray the parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Melt the butter in a small pan on medium-low heat. Poor the butter into a medium sized bowl and let it cool a couple of minutes. While the butter is cooling, in a small bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, ginger, and cocoa powder. Add the sugar to the melted butter and beat until combined. Next, beat the eggs, vanilla, and salt into the butter mixture until smooth. Mix in the flour/cocoa powder mixture. Fold in the Nutella and Greek yogurt.

Spread the batter into your prepared 9 x 9 inch baking pan and bake for about 35-40 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Pull out the brownies with the parchment paper. Slice and serve with a dollop of fresh whipped cream. Don’t forget a little bit of sprinkles.

Homemade Whipped Cream

1 cup of heavy whipping cream
1 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar
1 teasoon vanilla extract

Chill a medium sized metal bowl in the freezer. Remove bowl from the freezer and add the heavy whipping cream to the bowl. Using a hand mixer on high speed, whip the cream until soft peaks begin to form. Beat in the confectioners and vanilla until it is thick and velveety (about 1-2 minutes). Be sure not to overbeat as it will become lumpy. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Filed Under: Bars, Chocolate, Dessert, Ginger, Giveaways, Nutella Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Blueberry Crumb Cake, Guest Posts and FAQs with Me

January 30, 2011 41 Comments

 

While I’m in the hospital having the biopsy and recovering at home, I won’t be posting on my blog. Instead I decided to ask five talented, caring and sweet blogging friends if they would write a guest post for me. I feel so grateful that all of them agreed to write a guest post.  I can’t even begin to express how much their kindness means to me. These five bloggers are people who I admire for their creativity, their passion for food and blogging and their friendship. I wish I could sit down with all of them, talking for hours and eat a meal together. Or perhaps just dessert? ;) So thank you to you five for offering your hard work and talent to keeping my blog up and running and for lifting my spirits. :)

Now onto my recipe…

Not only do have a Nutella, frosting and chocolate addiction but I have a serious love affair with crumb toppings. Whenever there’s a dessert with a crumb topping, I have a horrible habit of stealing all of the topping off and leaving the poor cake/muffin naked. (yes I called the cake naked) So my solution was to find a crumb cake with A LOT of topping and no one would ever know I picked off the buttery crumbs. ;) Oh and by the way, there’s some FAQs at the end of this post.

First we’ll get started on the cake portion. Sift together 1 1/4 cups cake flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon baking soda and 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt. Set aside. Pretend there’s a photo of dry ingredients.

In a large mixer with the paddle attachment, (a handheld mixer works fine) mix together 6 Tablespoons of softened unsalted butter and  3/4 cup sugar.

Then add in 2 large eggs, one at a time. Mix after you add each egg.

Throw in (well not really throw but you know what I mean!), 2/3 cup sour cream (full fat!!), 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract and 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon zest. Combine all of the ingredients together.

Slowly add in the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined. Be careful not to overmix or you’ll end up with a giant brick instead of a cake.

Take a spatula and fold everything together.

Add in 1 cup of blueberries and fold them in.

Spread the batter into a lightly greased 10 inch cake pan.

Now comes my favorite part, the crumb topping. I’ll be honest with you, I ate some of the crumbs before I even baked the cake. I told you I had a crumb topping addiction.

In a large bowl, mix together 1/4 cup sugar, 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, and 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg.

Pour in 1/2 cup melted unsalted butter and stir everything together.

Add in 1 1/3 cups all purpose flour and mix!

Crumble the topping evenly over the cake.

Bake at 350 degrees for 40-50 minutes or until a knife inserted into the cake comes out clean. (there will be some crumbs on it.

Blueberry Crumb Cake
(adapted from Ina Garten)

Cake
1 1/4 cups cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2/3 cup sour cream (full fat)
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon zest
1 cup blueberries

Crumb Topping
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 1/3 cup all purpose flour

To make the cake:
Sift together the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda and kosher salt.
In a large mixing bowl with the paddle attachment, (a handheld mixer works fine) mix together the unsalted butter and sugar. Add in the eggs, one at a time.
Then add in the sour cream, vanilla extract and lemon zest. Mix to combine.
Slowly add in the dry ingredients. Mix until almost combined.
Using a spatula, fold the ingredients together. Throw in the blueberries and fold them in.

Spread the batter into a lightly greased 10 inch cake pan. Set aside while you make the crumb topping.

To make the crumb topping:

Combine the sugar, light brown sugar, ground cinnamon and ground nutmeg. Mix everything together.
Pour in the melted butter and combine.

Add in the flour and stir everything together.
Crumble the topping evenly over the cake.

Bake at 350 degrees for 40-50 minutes or until a knife comes out clean. (there may be a few crumbs on the knife)

Cool on a cooling rack and cut into slices. Enjoy!

FAQs with Linds

What sites do you get the most traffic from?

I won’t say how many views I get but these are the sites where I get the most hits from.

Foodbuzz

Tastespotting

Tasteologie – A new photo site that I’ve gotten lots of views from.

Foodbeast – A food site with fun and hilarious food news. They feature some of my recipes with photos attached which are typically written by Elie. I love these guys, they crack me up.

StumbleUpon

Sites/Companies that feature my recipes – Viking Range, Chobani, etc

Facebook – I highly recommend having a facebook page for your blog!

Do you only love Chick-Fil-A?

Although I have a deep love for Chick-Fil-A’s waffle fries and chicken sandwiches, I also swoon over Del Taco. Don’t judge, don’t judge. ;)

Where did you go to college? What did you study?

I went to Portland State University. I graduated with a BS in Social Science when I was 21. Yes I was insane and pushed myself to graduate early. I considered getting a degree in Psychology as well (I have a minor in it) because I was so close to having enough credits for a BS in Psychology. But I was exhausted and worn out.

Who’s your favorite celebrity chef?

Ina Garten. I know she’s not technically a chef but I just adore her and her recipes. And yes I know Paula Deen isn’t a chef but anyone who loves butter as much as me, is a favorite of mine. ;) Not to mention, I just LOVE her restaurant.

Do you have a celebrity crush?

Besides the obvious (Eros Ramazzotti), I love Anthony Kiedis. *swoon* And of course I love Adam Richman. ;)

What’s your favorite recipe you’ve made for your blog?

I have a couple

Peanut Butter and Jelly Doughnuts. I felt seriously insane while making these in a good way. It was pure artergy clogging goodness.

No Bake Nutella Cookies. I’ve made these a billion times and can’t stop. They’re so addicting and the cookies are now my most popular recipe.

What’s your least favorite recipe you’ve made for your blog?

Not my recipe but I didn’t care for the Pumpkin Gorgonzola Flans.

How can I send you something?

First of all, I love you. Secondly, if I know you, I’ll let you send me something. Just email me and I’ll give you my address if I trust you. ;)

What’s your favorite recipe from another blog?

That’s like asking me to choose to choose one dessert to eat for the rest of my life. Impossible. But one of my favorites are the Chocolate Chip Stuffed Cookies from Steph’s Bite By Bite. They look amazing and I love her video!

Random Facts About Me:

Favorite Color: bright green
Favorite City: Savannah, GA
Favorite Food: Cake. Brownies are a close second. Bagels come in third
Favorite Singers/Bands: Eros Ramazzotti, Juanes, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Rilo Kiley
Favorite Song: Wet Sand by the Red Hot Chili Peppers
Favorite Cookbook: Barefoot Contessa Family Style by Ina Garten

Anymore questions? Email me and I’ll answer them in my next FAQs. :)

Filed Under: Blueberries, Cake, Dessert Tagged With: ,

No Bake Nutella Cookies

January 28, 2011 64 Comments

 

 

 

 

 

So my loves (that’s all of you), I obviously have a serious problem. But thank goodness my problem doesn’t scare people away. Perhaps having a Nutella addiction is actually a blessing in disguise? Seriously, who can resist a decadent Nutella filled dessert. If you just said “me” in your head, don’t even tell me or I’ll sit on you. Not like that would do anything, I’m small. (I’m totally rambling, forgive me)

So my mama doesn’t like Nutella and yes even had the nerve to tell me! I let her know that she was completely insane but that I loved her. Then I proceeded to shove a No Bake Nutella Cookie in her face. “No Lindsey, you know I don’t like Nutella!!” “Eat it! Pleeasse Eat it! You’re going to make me cry!” Finally she was curious and ate the cookie. My mama is ADDICTED to No Bake Nutella Cookies and wanted to know if she could have them all. If my no lovin’ Nutella mama likes these cookies well then praise the lord, they must be insanely good.

In a large saucepan, throw in (well not throw but you know), 2 cups of sugar (you can reduce the sugar to 1 1/2 cups), 1/2 cup unsalted butter (cut it up a bit), 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, and 1/2 cup milk.

Before you begin boiling the mixture, get all of the other ingredients ready. Measure out 3/4 cup of Nutella, 3 cups of quick cooking oats, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract.

Then line a baking sheet with wax paper. You’ll drop the cookies onto this. Have cookie scooper ready which you’ll use to scoop the cookie mixture with.

Now bring the mixture to a boil and contine to boil for about 2 minutes. Make sure you boil it for the full 2 minutes or your cookies will not firm up. They’re be too soft and then you’ll probably come whining to me. ;)   It’ll look something like this. Hurry up and throw in the Nutella and vanilla extact!

Then throw in the oats. Mix everything up! Get going, don’t take forever!

 

Using a cookie scooper, scoop the cookie mixture onto the wax paper. Work quickly! Then let them cool and firm up. I like my cookies to be more spread out but if you don’t, add some more oats or boil the mixture for about minute or so.

And Enjoy!

No Bake Nutella Cookies

2 cups sugar (you can reduce the sugar to 1 1/2 cups if you like. I have a huge sweet tooth so I like lots of sugar but some people like less)
1/2 cup unsalted butter, diced
1/2 cup whole milk
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 cup Nutella
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups quick cooking oats

Measure out 3/4 cup of Nutella in a small bowl. Set aside. In another bowl, measure out 3 cups of quick cooking oats. Set aside. Have the vanilla extract ready too.

Line a couple of baking sheets with waxed paper. You’ll scoop the cookie dough mixture onto these baking sheets.

In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar, unsalted butter (that’s been cut up into pieces), milk and unsweetened cocoa powder.

Bring to a boil and stir frequently. Boil for 2 minutes. Make sure you boil for the full 2 minutes or your cookies will be too soft.

Then add in the Nutella, vanilla extract and quick cooking oats. Stir everything together.

Using a 1 1/2 inch cookie scoop, scoop the cookie mixture onto the wax paper. Work quickly!

Let the cookies firm up and then enjoy!

Filed Under: Chocolate, Cookies, Dessert, Nutella, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , ,

Wacky Cake

January 26, 2011 62 Comments

Typically when I write a post, the words just flow, flow and flow. Rarely do I have moments where I don’t know what to say but today is one of those days. But now I find myself rambling, needing to share with you my life and my fears. Today I found out that I will be having a kidney biopsy next week and I am terrified. Then I will also being having an ultrasound tomorrow and some more labs done. I feel overwhelmed and can’t think straight. There are some things in life that put a huge smile on my face…messages from friends, blogging, and cake. And what better cake than Wacky Cake when life feels so serious? I truly feel like this cake describes my life…full of insanity, missing a few things but with a little speck of color (aka the sprinkles) on top of all of the craziness. If you’ve never had Wacky Cake, it truly is something special. Wacky Cake or Crazy Cake has no eggs or dairy in it (I made a frosting with dairy) yet it produces a moist, flavorful and delicious chocolate cake. I love topping my Wacky Cake with the artergy clogging fudge frosting from my Texas Sheet Cake.

First you’ll need to sift 3 cups of flour, 1/2 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder, 2 teaspoons baking soda and 1 teaspoon of kosher salt. Then add in 2 cups of sugar and mix everything up.

Add in 2 cups of water, 3/4 cup of canola oil, 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract and 2 Tablespoons of vinegar. Yes vinegar! Trust me my friends. ;)

Mix everything up. Be careful not to overmix the batter!

Pour the batter into a lightly greased 9 by 12 baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes.

Once the cake comes out of the oven, immediately pour on the Fudge Frosting and spread it out evenly with a spatula. Top with sprinkles for a little color. ;)

Wacky Cake

3 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 cups sugar
2 cups cold water
3/4 cup canola oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 Tablespoons white distilled vinegar

Fudge Frosting

4 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter
5 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
6 Tablespoons whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Sift together the flour, unsweetened cocoa powder, baking soda and kosher salt. Add in the sugar and mix everything together.

Add in the cold water, canola oil, vanilla extract, and vinegar. Combine all of the ingredients. Be careful not to overmix.

Pour the batter into a lightly greased 9 by 13 baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until a knife inserted into the cake comes out clean.

Once the cake is done baking, pour the frosting onto the cake immediately. Spread the frosting evenly with a spatula.

To make the frosting:

Measure out the powdered sugar and set aside.

In a medium saucepan, combine the unsalted butter, unsweetened cocoa powder and milk. Bring the mixture to a boil and then take off the heat. Add in the powdered sugar and vanilla extract. Immediately pour over the warm cake and spread out the frosting evenly.

 

Filed Under: Cake, Chocolate, Dessert

Blueberry Buttermilk Cornbread

January 24, 2011 50 Comments

 

There’s a whole list of things I miss about living in Florida. I dream about Publix and the long john donuts. No Chick-Fil-A makes me want to cry and I mourn the loss of my beloved waffle fries and the dipping sauces. I so miss being minutes away from Walt Disney World and being able to ride the Haunted Mansion a millions times. But there’s one lovely grocery store I miss shopping at and that’s The Fresh Market.  Whenever I would shop there, I’d pick up some honeycrisp apples the size of my head, pretzel sticks(!!!), Dr. Brown’s diet black cherry soda and their homemade blueberry cornbread. I used to drive all the way there in my little red beetle for a huge chunk of blueberry cornbread. When I traveled to Orlando in August, I was so looking forward to buying a piece of the cornbread I had a serious addiction to but none was to be found. So finally I just decided to create my own and while it doesn’t taste like The Fresh Market’s cornbread, it is insanely delicious. Pure bliss in cornbread form.

Get all of your ingredients together so you’re not scrambling around the kitchen like a crazy baker. 1 cup of sugar, 2 large eggs at room temperature, 1 cup of buttermilk at room temperature too, and 1 cup of flour mixed with 1 cup of yellow cornmeal, 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda and 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt.

 

Now melt 1/2 cup of unsalted butter. Quickly add in 1 cup of sugar.

 

And right away add in both eggs and mix it up!

 

Pour in the buttermilk and mix everything with a spatula in your favorite color! Yes my favorite color is bright green. And my favorite number is 3. Not that it has to do with anything…but extra facts are always fun.

 

Throw in the dry ingredients and fold everything together. Be careful not to overmix or no one will want to eat your cornbread.

 

Add in the blueberries and fold them in. Simple yes?

 

Pour the batter into a lighly greased 8 by 8 inch baking pan. Spread the batter out evenly. Bake at 375 degrees for about 20 – 25 minutes.

 

Once the cornbread is done baking, cool on a cooling rack and them cut into squares. Enjoy!

Blueberry Buttermilk Cornbread
(slighly adapted from allrecipes)

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup blueberries

Melt the butter in a large microwavable bowl. Quickly add in the sugar and mix everything together. Then add in the eggs and quickly mix them up.

Pour in the buttermilk and stir. Then add in the dry ingredients and fold the ingredients together. Be careful not to overmix.

Add in the blueberries and fold them in.

Pour the batter into a lightly greased 8 by 8 inch baking pan. Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

Cool on a cooling rack and cut into squares. Enjoy!

Filed Under: Blueberries Tagged With: ,

Nutella Cream Pie

January 22, 2011 69 Comments

I have to admit, I’m not a pie person at all. There’s just something about a pastry crust that I can’t get into. Unless maybe you smothered it in a large amount of chocolate frosting. Wait nevermind, I’d probably just lick off the frosting and throw the crust to the birds. Pie doesn’t make me drool uncontrollably or make my heart skip a beat like watching Adam Richman chow down on a 72 ounce steak. Now if you love pie (there are lots of people who I love that love pie), please don’t run away or call me crazy. But there is one type of pie that gets my blood flowin’ and that is a frozen chocolate cream pie. (or really any kind of frozen pie with chocolate) Of course you know I can’t make a regular frozen chocolate cream pie when I have a giant sized pack of Nutella from Costco. (obsession anyone?) So I present to you another sugar filled and artergy clogging dessert.

First put a package of Oreos in a food processor and grind them up into fine crumbs.

Then throw them a a large bowl and add 2 Tablespoons of sugar. Mix it up.

Pour 1/2 cup of melted unsalted butter and stir everything together. You want to coat all of the cookie crumbs with butter.

Put the crumbs into the bottom of a 9 inch pie plate.

 

Press the crumbs into the sides of the pie plate and then into the bottom. Press them down really well.

 

 

Bake the crust at 350 degress for 15 minutes. When the crust is done baking, cool it completely on a cooling rack before pouring in the filling.

Now we’ll get started on the Nutella Cream Filling. Mmmm.

In a large mixing bowl with the paddle attachment (you can use a handheld mixer), combine 4 ounces of softened cream cheese (that’s half a block) and 3/4 cup of powdered sugar.

Add in 1/2 cup of Nutella and 1/2 of milk (use whole milk, fat makes everything better).

Mix until all of the ingredients are combined. Pour the Nutella mixture into a bowl and chill in the refrigerator while you make the whipped cream.

So you’ll need 1 cup of whipped cream to fold into the nutella mixture. I highly suggest you make your own whipped cream but if you don’t, no worries. I don’t judge.

To make your own whipped cream: In a large mixing bowl with the whisk attachment (you can use a handheld mixer), pour in 1 cup of heavy whipping cream and mix on high speed. Slowly add in 3 Tablespons of sugar and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract. Whip until stiff peaks form. You’ll have extra whipping cream that you can use for putting on top of the pie. (or for eating)

Measure out 1 cup of whipped cream, add it to the Nutella mixture and fold it in. Now don’t get overly excited and mix it up like some crazy nut. Just fold it together.

Pour the Nutella Cream Filling into the cooled pie crust. Don’t worry, the filling will be really thin and you’ll think you screwed up. I promise you, the Nutella Cream Pie will be just fine.

Place the Nutella Cream Pie in the freezer until it’s firm. It will take a while to firm up, don’t go freaking out again. ;)

Once the pie is firm, cut into slices and enjoy! (this can take up to 5-6 hours or so) You can be all fancy and top with extra whipped cream and chocolate shavings like I did. :)

Nutella Cream Pie

Crust
1/2 package Oreo cookies (20 Oreos)
1 Tablespoon sugar
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

Nutella Cream Filling
4 ounces cream cheese, softened (1/2 block of cream cheese)
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup Nutella
1/2 cup whole milk
1 cup whipped cream

Whipped Cream
1 cup heavy whipping cream
3 Tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Note: In the recipe with the photos I used a whole package of Oreos. Now that I’ve made it a billion more times, I actually recommend using 1/2 package (20 Oreos), 1 Tablespoon sugar and 1/4 cup butter melted.

To make the crust:
Grind the Oreo cookies in the food processor. Put the crumbs in a large bowl and add the sugar. Mix everything together. Pour in the melted sugar and stir to coat all of the cookie crumbs.

Put the crumbs in the bottom of a 9 inch pie plate. Press the crumbs into the side of the pie plate and then into the bottom.

Bake the crust at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.

Once the crust is done baking, cool completely on a cooling rack. DO NOT pour in the Nutella cream filling until the crust has completely cooled.

To make the filling:

In a large mixing bowl with the paddle attachment, (a handheld mixer works fine) mix together the softened cream cheese and powdered sugar.
Then add in the Nutella and milk. Mix until all of the ingredients are combined.

Pour the Nutella mixture into a bowl and refrigerate while you make the whipped cream.

To make the whipped cream:

In a large mixing bowl with the whisk attachment, (a handheld mixer works too), pour in 1 cup of heavy whipping cream and mix on high speed. Slowly add in 3 Tablespoons of sugar and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract. Whip until stiff peaks form (until the whipped cream is firm)

To assemble the pie:

Add 1 cup of whipped cream to the Nutella mixture. Fold the ingredients together.
Pour the Nutella Cream Filling into the cooled pie crust.

Place in the freezer until the filling is firm. It will take a while to firm up, don’t worry. About 5-6 hours.

Once the pie is firm, cut into slices and enjoy!

If you like, top with the remaining whipped cream and chocolate shavings.

Filed Under: Chocolate, Dessert, Frozen Desserts, Nutella, Pie Tagged With: , , ,

French Fridays with Dorie: Michel Rostang’s Double Chocolate Mousse Cake, Mini Sized

January 20, 2011 37 Comments

 If you want me to be your friend, make me a cake. But if you want me to love you forever, make me a chocolate cake. For me, chocolate cake with tons of creamy frosting is pure bliss. So while browsing through Dorie Greenspan’s, Around My French Table, I was immediately intrigued by the Double Chocolate Mousse Cake. The cake didn’t grab my attention by it’s appearance but the word, “chocolate” and the method in which you make the cake drew me in.

I have to admit while reading the instructions on how to make the cake, I could see a disaster happening and that was sort of exciting in a weird way. Perhaps I was excited about having no clue as to what the outcome would be? But mainly I wanted to conquer this cake and see what in in the world a mousse cake tasted like.

The cake is made by melting chocolate (I used semi sweet instead of bittersweet), then whisking in some ingredients and folding in egg whites. It’s baked in a springform pan, on a baking sheet but without the bottom of the springform pan? Crazy eh? I made the cake twice because I seriously needed some baking therapy. The first time, the cake did puff up but it didn’t look exactly like the photo. The second cake did rise very but not as much as the first cake. Thankfully the cakes did not seep out from the bottom. When I started taking photos of the cake, it didn’t look as exciting as it does in person. The cake looked ok in the photos. So I thought, might as well make them into cute mini sized cakes, top them with whipped cream and no one will care. ;)

And I almost forgot to talk about the taste and texture of the cake! It’s so hard to put into words what the texture is like, this cake is unlike anything I’ve ever had. The Double Chocolate Mousse Cake has somewhat of a light texture and is very smooth.  If you’re a huge chocolate fan, you’ll love this cake. It’s incredibly rich and has a very pronounced chocolate flavor. I liked it but wasn’t in love with it.

By the way, I wanted to thank you all for keeping me in your thoughts, your prayers, sweet comments, messages and phone calls. I can’t even begin to tell you how much your love and support means to me. I feel very alone at times and your words have helped me through everything. Thank you again. :)

Filed Under: Cake, Chocolate, Dessert, French Fridays with Dorie Tagged With: ,

Frosted Peanut Butter Cup Brownies, For A Good Cause

January 19, 2011 78 Comments


First I wanted to share some news about my health. I can’t believe I’m writing this and I can’t even put into words how devastated I am. When I was 6 years old, I was diagnosed with a kidney disease. Up until I was 20 years old, I took prednisone everyday, dealt with feeling exhausted, bloated and wondering if I would be ok. Finally (a miracle really), I no longer had to worry about my kidneys. I didn’t have to take prednisone and my kidneys were almost perfect. But last week, everything changed. I started seeing blood again (sorry graphic), felt nauseous, my back ached and I was terrified. I saw the doctor and found out I had kidney stones. She didn’t think the issue was related to my kidney disease but wanted to be certain and get blood tests done and a CT scan. I recieved a call from the doctor that I was having a relapse with my kidney disease and the kidney stones were in fact related to my kidney disase. I can’t tell you how devasted, depressed and scared I am. I have to go in for more blood tests this week and see a kidney specialist next week. I thought I would never have to deal with my kidney disease again but my worst fears have come true. I don’t know what’s gong to happen, how bad it will get or if I’m going to end up in the hospital? Please keep me in your thoughts, I’d appreciate it so much.

 Now onto these decadent brownies and a very important cause.

A while ago, I created some frosted peanut butter cup brownies and so far those brownies are my most popular recipe. I decided to bake them again soley for taking different photos for Steph’s Online Bake Sale (my idea to take new photos!) and I will be baking another batch to donate to Steph’s Bite By Bite’s Online Bake Sale. Steph is going to be running a marathon for the Team in Training to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society in the fight against Leukemia, Lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease, and Myeloma. Steph truly is a sweet, caring, and incredible food blogger.  I admire her for putting so much effort and time into making a positive difference. On January 31st, she will be hosting an online bake sale on her blog with delicious treats donated by food bloggers. While I don’t have any of these conditions, I do understand what it feels like to be in the hospital fighting for your life. Not knowing if you’ll wake up the next day alive. A little over a year ago, I was in the hospital for a condition (not related to my kidney disease) that had my parents and me wondering if I would live. So I’m asking you all to please consider bidding on one (or two!) of the items donated or make a donation on Steph’s site. Thank you all so much!

I will also be donating Peanut Butter Cup Blondies. Please bid on them if you get a chance! :)

Just in case you don’t bid enough to get these brownies, here’s the recipe. :)

Frosted Peanut Butter Cup Brownies

1 1/2 cup flour
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 1/2 cup sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature
2 Tablespoons vanilla extract
1 cup unsalted butter, melted
12 peanut butter cups, each one chopped into 4 pieces

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9 by 13 baking pan.

Sift together the flour, unsweetened cocoa powder and kosher salt. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl with the paddle attachment (a handheld mixer works fine), mix together the 1 cup of melted unsalted butter, 1 1/2 cup of packed light brown sugar, 1 1/2 cup of sugar and 2 Tablespoons of vanilla. Once that’s combined, add the eggs, one at a time.

Slowly add in the dry ingredients until the batter is almost combined.

Take a spatula and fold the ingredients together in order to incorporate them. Add in the chopped peanut butter cups and fold them into the batter.

Spread the batter evenly in the baking pan. Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Once the brownies are done, allow them to cool completely before frosting with the peanut butter frosting.

Peanut Butter Frosting

1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
1 cup creamy peanut butter
7 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream

Mix together the peanut butter, unsalted butter and vanilla extract at medium speed.

Slowly add in the powdered sugar at low speed. Once the powdered sugar is incorporated, increase the speed for about a minute.

Add the heavy whipping cream and increase the speed. Mix for a couple of minutes until the frosting is smooth.

Frost the peanut butter cup brownies with a thick layer of frosting! Cut into squares and enjoy!

Filed Under: Bars, Chocolate, Dessert

Double Lemon Tart

January 17, 2011 56 Comments

Whenever I would visit my sweet friend from France at his work, I’d always pick up a box of gorgeous pastries. Every time my eyes were so much bigger than my stomach and I would pick out a million desserts from the case (while completely mispronouncing everything and having the French girls giggle behind the counter). For some reason, I would always choose the lemon tart which I still don’t understand why I chose that dessert.  I tend to gravitate towards chocolate desserts (make me a chocolate cake or brownies and I’ll be your best friend forever) but when I visited this bakery, I felt the need to indulge in something a little different. Lemon it was!

Now that I bake more than when I lived in Florida (I was all about cooking then, surprising I know!), I needed to make my own lemon tart but my way.  Instead of a pastry crust, I just had to add lots of sugar and fat with a whole package of lemon cream sandwich cookies. Now that’s more like it! My filling is sweeter (obviously!) and a mini sized tart just won’t do. A giant sized tart (inspired by my beloved little tart from Florida) allows for more and more bites and more space to throw on more whipped cream!

In the food processor, grind the lemon cream sandwich cookies into fine crumbs. If you can’t find lemon cream sandwich cookies, no worries. Just use another kind of sandwich cookie but one that would go well with lemon. Don’t you try using something funky though.

Then put the crumbs into a large bowl and add 2 Tablespoons of sugar.

 Add in 4 Tablespoons of melted unsalted butter.

Stir it up! You want all of the cookie crumbs to be coated in butter.

Put the cookie crumb mixture in the bottom of a 9 inch tart pan.

Press the cookie crumb mixture firmly into the sides of the tart pan and then into the bottom of the pan.

Bake the crust for 15 minutes at 350 degrees. I usually put a baking sheet on the rack below the tart just in case any butter seeps out. But I don’t put the tart pan directly on the baking sheet!

Once the crust is done baking, cool it completely on a cooling rack before pouring in the lemon filling.

To make the lemon filling, combine 2 large egg yolks and 1 (14 ounce) can of sweetened condensed milk.

Squeeze 1/2 cup of juice from some lemons. Don’t you dare use lemon juice from a bottle! :)

Pour the lemon juice into the bowl.

And whisk everything together.

Pour the lemon filling into the cooled crust and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

Once the tart is done baking, cool it on a cooling rack until it’s at room temperature. Then place the tart in the refrigerator to chill completely before cutting into slices.

Top with whipped cream (if you like) and enjoy!

Double Lemon Tart

Crust
1 box lemon cream sandwiches cookies (a total of 21 cookies. If you can’t find lemon cookies, use another type of sandwich cookies)
2 Tablespoons sugar
4 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Lemon Filling
2 large egg yolks, at room temperature
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

To make the crust:

In a food processor, grind the cookies into fine crumbs. Put the cookie crumbs in a large bowl and add the sugar. Mix everything together.

Add the melted butter and combine. Make sure all of the cookie crumbs are coated in butter.

Put the cookie crumb mixture in the bottom of a 9 inch tart pan. Press the crumbs into the sides of the pan and then into the bottom of the tart pan.

Bake the crust for 15 minutes at 350 degrees. You may want to place a baking sheet under the tart pan just in case any butter seeps out. (put the baking sheet on the rack before)

Once the crust is done baking, cool it on a cooling rack before pouring the lemon filling.

To make the lemon filling:

In a large bowl, mix together the egg yolks and the sweetened condensed milk.

Then whisk the lemon juice. Pour the lemon filling into the cooled tart crust.

Bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees.

Cool the lemon tart on a cooling rack until it’s at room temperature. Then chill the tart in the refrigerator before topping with whipped cream. And enjoy!

Whipped Cream

1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 Tablespoons sugar

Pour 1 cup of heavy whipping cream into a large bowl with the whisk attachment (a handheld mixer works fine). Mix on high speed.

Slowly in the 3 Tablespoons sugar and 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract. Whip until the whipped cream firms up.

Filed Under: Dessert, Lemon, Tarts

Texas Sheet Cake, Y’all

January 15, 2011 44 Comments

If I had to eat one food for the rest of my life it would undoubtedly be cake. Well that’s if I magically given the metabolism of a 13 year old boy, then I’d so chow down on cake for every meal. And of course I don’t discriminate when it comes to my cake, I hold a special place in my little heart for every kind of cake (well there is one cake I don’t like but I won’t say, you’ll just have to just guess). I love carrot cake, spice, pink champagne, red velvet, pumpkin, hummingbird and chocolate. (Mmm chocolate) But there is something I love more than a slice of rich cake. That my friends, is a 10 by 15 inch cake with 3 sticks of butter and 6 cups of sugar known as the Texas Sheet Cake. I have such a huge obsession with this gargantuan cake (I think it’s the frosting I’m mainly in love with) that I have the recipe memorized and could probably make it with my eyes closed. But I really doubt that would end well. I dance around to Can’t Stop by the Red Hot Chili Peppers while making this cake and having my eyes closed would just add to the disaster. (I’m sorry but country music and Linds just don’t mix ;) )

First lightly grease a jelly roll pan. Now a jelly roll pain is a 10 by 15 inch pan. Don’t you go using a 9 by 12 inch pan or I’ll come after you! Set the pan aside.

Sift 2 cups of all purpose flour, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and 1 teaspoon of baking soda over a mixing bowl. Then add in 2 cups of sugar. With a paddle attachment, mix the ingredients together.

In a large bowl, whisk together 2 large eggs (at room temperature) and 1/2 cup of sour cream. (full fat!)

Slowly add the egg/sour cream mixture to the dry ingredients on low speed. Mix it until all of the wet ingredients are added.

In a medium saucepan, melt 1 cup of unsalted butter over low heat.

Add in 1 cup of water.

Then add in 5 Tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder.

Bring everything to a boil and take the mixture off the heat. Add in 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract.

Cool the mixture for a couple of minutes and then add it to the ingredients in the mixing bowl. (the flour/eggs/sour cream mixture) (add it on low speed) Mix until just combined. Then take a spatula and fold everything together.

Pour the cake batter into the greased jelly roll pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

While the cake is baking, start preparing the chocolate frosting.

Sift 4 cups of powdered sugar and set aside.

In a large saucepan, combine 1/2 cup of unsalted butter, 6 Tablespoons of whole milk and 5 Tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder. Bring it to a boil.

Take the saucepan off the heat and add in 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract. Then add in the powdered sugar.

 

 

Stir everything together until the ingredients are completely combined.

Once the cake is done, immediately pour the frosting onto the cake and spread it out with a spatula. Sprinkle with 1 cup of chopped unsalted pecans.

Cut into squares and enjoy!

Texas Sheet Cake

Cake
2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1/2 cup sour cream
2 cups sugar
1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks)
1 cup water
5 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Chocolate Frosting
4 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick)
6 Tablespoons whole milk
5 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup unsalted pecans, chopped

To make the cake:

Lightly grease a jelly roll pan. It’s a 10 by 15 inch pan. DO NOT use a 9 by 12 pan sheet pan.

Sift the flour, baking soda and kosher salt over a large mixing bowl.

Add in the sugar and mix all of the ingredients together with a paddle attachment.

In a seperate bowl, whisk together the eggs and the sour cream. Slowly add in the egg/sour cream mixture to the dry ingredients. The ingredients will not be combined, don’t worry.

In a large saucepan, melt 1 cup of unsalted butter over low heat. Add in the water and unsweetened cocoa powder. Whisk everything together.

Bring the mixture to a boil. Once it comes to a boil, remove the saucepan from the heat and add in the vanilla extract. Allow the mixture to cool for a couple of minutes before adding to the mixing bowl (with the flour/sour cream/egg mixture).

On low speed, slowly pour the mixture into the mixing bowl. Mix until just combined. Use a spatula to fold the ingredients together.

Pour the cake batter into the jellyroll pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

While the cake is baking, start preparing the chocolate frosting. The chocolate frosting needs to be done before the cake is finished baking.

To make the chocolate frosting:

Sift 4 cups of powdered sugar. Set aside.

In a large saucepan, combined the unsalted butter, whole milk and unsweetened cocoa powder. Heat the ingredients over low heat and then bring to a boil.

Once it comes to a boil, remove the saucepan from the heat and add in the vanilla extract. Stir everything together.

Add in the powdered sugar and mix!

When the cake is done baking, immediately pour the chocolate frosting over the cake and spread it with a spatula.

Sprinkle the chopped unsalted pecans over the cake and cut into squares, enjoy!

Filed Under: Cake, Chocolate, Dessert
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