Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Ummm… Yes please.
I wouldn’t necessarily call Nathan a “planner” but he does like to plan his birthdays far FAR in advance. He’s talked about plans for them as early as summer. And the man’s birthday is in March. Of course to me (and most food bloggers) birthdays = cake. So as he began to talk more & more about his birthday this year, I asked him what he might want for his cake. He said he would be fine with the same cake as last year, the epic Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheesecake Cake. No honey, repeat cakes are not allowed when you’re married to a food blogger. I told him I would brainstorm other “cheesecake cake” combos using flavors I knew he liked.
It was during a down moment at work while waiting for files to transfers/render/whatever that my mind began to wander to his cake. I don’t even know why, but Oreos popped in my head, and I began to sketch this cake out. I texted him the idea of an Oreo Cheesecake Cake, and he thought it sounded good. You see, I’ve actually done an Oreo Cake for my own birthday in the past. WAAAY back in my inaugural year of blogging (2008) I made a dark chocolate cake with white chocolate frosting, and topped it with crushed Oreos. Everyone loved it and commented that it tasted like a big fat Oreo. So I thought, why not up the ante, and add in a layer of Oreo Cheesecake?
For this version I used the same chocolate cake recipe from Hershey’s Recipes as I did in my cake. This time I didn’t use Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa, but I did use a combination of Scharffen Berger Cocoa Powder, and Ghiradelli Cocoa Powder. Any of those three options, or any dutch processed cocoa powder will do. I also used the same white chocolate frosting recipe as I did in my birthday cake, given to me by a friend, which I’ve adapted over time. (I’ve also paired that frosting with Strawberry Cupcakes for a momma-to-be who requested a white chocolate strawberry combo of flavors.) The cheesecake is the same crustless recipe I used in the Chocolate Peanut Butter version, that uses vanilla instead of lemon zest & juice. I added crushed Oreos of course, to make it an Oreo version for this cake. And, in between the cheesecake layer and top cake layer I added more crushed Oreos, because really, can you have too many Oreos? To decorate (which is NOT my strongpoint) I simply adorned it with mini Oreo halves, for a fun polka dot look!
If you’re unfamiliar with my cheesecake cakes, I’ve done two versions so far. The original, Red Velvet Cheesecake Cake, and the aforementioned Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheesecake Cake. Once I figured out the logistics of the cake, I knew the possibilities are endless. You could combine pretty much any cake/frosting/cheesecake combo you want. Jen at Beantown Baker has done a Carrot Cake & adorable Neapolitan versions.
These cakes are a bit time consuming, but not necessarily difficult. If you’ve made homemade cake, and homemade frosting in the past, you’re two thirds of the way there. In fact, when I made the first version, it was the very first cheesecake I’d ever made in my entire life! I discovered it wasn’t scary or difficult at all. My favorite thing about this is that you can break it up into steps & days. I tend to make the cheesecake layer the weekend before and freeze it. This makes transferring it, a “piece of cake”. (Ha ha, I couldn’t resist.) I’ll make the cake the night before, and then that morning do the frosting and assemble it. The cheesecake doesn’t take long to thaw, a couple hours at room temp and it’s good. This can also be stored in the fridge until you’re ready to serve. It cuts a lot better when it’s straight from the fridge, but I prefer to eat it once it’s set out 15 min or so. I think I just don’t like to eat cold cake! But I can also assure you it tastes great cold too. 😉
This cake got rave reviews. Some of the comments I received on this were that it was delicious, and of course very rich. Also a lot of people said the frosting really did taste like the cream filling inside an Oreo. This was a fantastic birthday cake, Oreo lover or not!
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Oreo Cheesecake Cake
This is easiest when broken into steps. I suggest making the cheesecake early enough in advance to freeze it, as that makes transferring it easy. I'm sure also that pretty much any chocolate cake recipe would work, so if you have a favorite use that. This is just one I've made many times and know I like the taste, texture, and ease of preparation. The higher quality cocoa powder you can use, the better. This white chocolate frosting is not strong on white chocolate flavor, but meant to mimic the creme filling of an Oreo.
Ingredients:
CHEESECAKE:
1 1/4 pounds bar cream cheese (20 oz), room temperature
3/4 cups sugar
1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
2 large eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
6 coarsely crushed Oreo sandwich cookies
CAKE:
2 cups sugar
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup dutch processed cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water
FROSTING:
8oz white chocolate (I used Ghiradelli white chocolate baking bar)
2 sticks butter, softened slightly to room temperature
2 tsp vanilla
approx 4-6 cups powdered sugar
1/4 - 1/3 cup heavy cream or milk
DECORATION:
3-4 crushed Oreos
mini Oreos (if you want the polka dot look)
Directions:
CHEESECAKE:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Set a kettle of water to boil. Using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese on medium until fluffy, scraping down side of bowl. Gradually add sugar, beating until fluffy. Beat in vanilla extract and salt. Beat in eggs, one at a time, scraping down side of bowl after each addition. Beat in sour cream. Fold in crushed Oreos.
Cut parchment paper in a circle and line the bottom of the cheesecake pan. Wrap bottom half of pan in foil. Pour in filling; place in a roasting pan. Pour in boiling water to come halfway up side of springform. Bake until just set in center, about 45 minutes. Remove pan from water; let cool 20 minutes. Run a paring knife around edge; let cool completely. Remove outer ring of cheesecake pan, but leave metal bottom. Wrap in plastic wrap and freeze.
CAKE:
Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round pans.
Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of electric mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Pour batter into prepared pans.
Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely.
FROSTING:
Place white chocolate in double boiler over pot of simmering water just until it begins to melt. Stir to fully melt, remove from heat and set aside to cool slightly. Meanwhile cream butter. Once chocolate has cooled, beat in with butter. Continue to mix at low to medium speed while adding vanilla. Gradually add in cream/milk and powdered sugar, alternating until frosting reaches desired consistency.
ASSEMBLY:
Place one layer of cake on cake stand. If desired, frost top with a thin layer of frosting, and a sprinkle of crushed Oreos. Remove cheesecake from freezer, unwrap, and remove metal bottom of the pan, then peel off parchment paper. Place cheesecake layer on top of the cake. If the cheesecake is wider than the cake, and it is necessary to to trim it, wait approximately 5-10 minutes for the cheesecake to soften, then trim it with a knife. Frost top with a thin layer of frosting, and a sprinkle of crushed Oreos. Place top layer of cake on top of the cheesecake, and coat entire cake with a layer frosting to act as the crumb coat. Be careful not to get any crumbs in the bowl of frosting! Refrigerate approximately 30 minutes, then frost with as much of the remaining frosting as necessary. Top with mini Oreos, crushed Oreos, or any decoration of your choosing. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Monday, March 12, 2012
It’s truly a shame I’ve never shared this combo of toppings with you, as it’s our absolute favorite. This pizza combo came about one night at a local restaurant, Cabana, which has a great 2-1 pizza special Sunday through Tuesday nights. We like to go there with friends and order a couple pizzas for a fun (affordable!) night out, and sometimes just Nathan & I go if I don’t feel like cooking. You can order one of their pizza topping combos, or build your own. It was sometime after I made (and Nathan became obsessed with) these Bacon Wrapped Jalapeño Poppers, that this topping combo came about. That appetizer was the perfect pairing of flavors for Nathan. One evening while we were out for the 2-1 special I scanned Cabana’s list of optional toppings and saw Tennessee Proscuitto, and opted to put that on the pizza. I love goat cheese and thought it would probably go well with the proscuitto, so I added that. I thought we needed something else to round it out, and when my eyes saw jalapeño peppers as a topping, I was immediately reminded of the jalapeño popper appetizers! Cream cheese & goat cheese are similar in that they are both soft creamy cheeses, and let’s face it proscuitto is like fancy bacon, right?
Unbaked pizza, ready for the oven!
From first bite we knew this pizza was a winner. We’ve ordered it countless times since, and have made it at home even more numerous times. Unfortunately I’ve just never taken the time to photograph it! I guess it’s one of those things I know I’ll make again & again, so it was never a priority to get a good photo. In fact, in case you didn’t notice, these photos are actually iPhone photos. I was just snapping a pic to Instagram & tweet about it, but I had a handful of people ask for the recipe. So please excuse the lackluster photos, as this recipe is too good to wait any longer for the right photographic opportunity! (Besides, this was made on Monday night, and it has since been completely devoured!)
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Prosciutto, Jalapeño, Goat Cheese Pizza
Please note that all measurements are approximate. I think we all just eyeball ingredient amounts when making pizza, right? Another great addition to this pizza is mushrooms if you've got some on hand. We didn't have any this time, but sometimes add them and love the flavor.
Ingredients:
1 ball of pizza dough (you can use homemade, or store bought pizza dough)
olive oil (optional)
italian seasoning (optional)
1/4 cup marinara sauce
1/3 - 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
2 jalapeños, sliced or chopped, (if you want to cut back on the heat, de-seed them first)
2oz (1/4 cup) goat cheese, crumbled
3oz thinly sliced proscuitto (pancetta works great too)
red pepper flakes
fresh cracked pepper
fresh grated parmesan
Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. If using a pizza stone, put it in the oven to preheat along with the oven. Roll out pizza dough to desired size and shape. I like to assemble the pizza on parchment paper atop a flexible cutting board for easy transfer to the pizza stone. But sometimes I transfer the dough to the hot pizza stone dusted with cornmeal, and quickly assemble the ingredients. Both methods work fine. For added flavor to the crust, brush edges of pizza with olive oil, and sprinkle with italian seasoning.
Evenly spread marinara sauce onto pizza. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese, followed by jalapeños. Slice the proscuitto slices into 1 inch wide pieces. Layer the proscuitto onto the pizza. I like to sort of "ribbon" them on, so that the pieces are not stretched thin. This way you can fit more on. Top with crumbled goat cheese. Sprinkle on red pepper flakes, and generously finish with fresh cracked black pepper.
Transfer pizza to hot stone (if you haven't already), and bake for approximately 15 minutes until cheese has melted, and center fully warmed & cooked. Let cool 1-2 minutes, then slice & serve topped with fresh grated parmesan.
Monday, March 5, 2012
There seems to be a trend going around the food world, juice cleanses. No offense to all those who have done/are doing/will do a juice cleanse, but that is something I would NEVER do. In case you aren’t aware of what a juice cleanse is, basically you drink only juice for X number of days, I’ve seen 3 days most often but up to 7 or 10. You can either spend bunch of money buying a ton of juice, or you make your own juices each day with fresh ingredients (this I see as way more reasonable). We’re not talking OJ & apple juice, but special juices made from kale, beets, ginger, lemon, etc, etc. I’m not saying these juices are not delicious, and I’m not saying a juice cleanse isn’t good for your body. I just think it would be just as healthy & WAAAY cheaper if you just bought a TON of fresh vegetables & fruit and filled up on them.
My suggestion for a super healthy meal to fill up on? This raw kale salad. You’ve got raw, healthy veggies with the kale, carrots, & tomato, protein from the beans, healthy fats from the olive oil, and a zing of healthy flavor from the lemon. I could see these ingredients blended into a juice for those juice people, but I’d much prefer to eat it as a salad. That way you get to experience the textures of the food you’re eating. We’ve really been into greens the past couple years, but mostly in a cooked form. Eating kale raw is a totally different experience than cooked kale, and the key here is to really work the olive oil into the kale by massaging it, as kooky as that may sound.
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Raw Kale Salad with Lemon & Cannellini Beans
Ingredients:
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 1/2 tsp finely grated lemon zest
2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
Kosher salt
Freshly cracked black pepper
6 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil (use the highest quality stuff you can afford, you'll taste the difference)
1 bunch curly kale, washed, dried and thinly chopped
1 can cooked cannellini beans, drained & rinsed
1 medium carrot, thinly sliced
1 roma tomato, chopped
Directions:
In a small bowl, whisk together the mustard, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt, pepper and olive oil until thick, about 45 seconds.
Drizzle most of the dressing over the kale. Gently massage the dressing into the kale for 1-2 minutes. Add carrots, beans, tomato, and remaining dressing, toss to coat. Serve and enjoy!
Monday, February 27, 2012
I like to say I haven’t had any weird pregnancy cravings, and for the most part that’s true. However, there was one night we were on the couch watching tv, and I instantly needed a brownie. I think someone on Twitter or Instagram mentioned brownies, and it was just like BAM! I MUST HAVE A BROWNIE TOO! I did a quick search of my bookmarked recipes, and zeroed in on one pretty fast. These brownies really didn’t take much time to whip together either. The hardest part was waiting for them to bake, and then waiting for them to cool. It was torturous!
The wait was well worth it. These brownies truly were rich & flavorful, with the perfect balance between fudgey & cakey. As stated by The Craving Chronicles, these are the perfect brownies for an adult palate, as they aren’t overly sweet. I’ve made these with both Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa Powder, and also with my Scharffen Berger cocoa powder, and could taste the difference when I used the Scharffen Berger. So if you’ve got some good cocoa powder on hand, use it! Another thing that stepped these brownies up into extra amazingness is the sprinkling of fleur de sel I added. Fine sea salt has really become a pantry staple I keep on hand for desserts. It brings out flavors exquisitely.
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Dark Chocolate Brownies
Yield: 9-12 brownies in an 8×8 pan
Prep Time: 12 min
Cook Time: 20 min
Total Time: 32 min + cooling time
Ingredients:
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 heaping (a little more than) cup sugar
2 large eggs
scant (a little less than) 3/4 cups 100% dark cocoa (I used Hershey’s Special Dark)
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ tablespoon vanilla extract
¾ cup all-purpose flour
1½-2 ounces of dark (60-70%) chocolate, chopped (or about 1 cup dark chocolate chips)
pinch of fleur de sel (or finest sea salt you have)
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 8″ x 8″ pan, or line with parchment paper.
Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat (or in the microwave) then remove from heat. Add the sugar and stir to combine. Return the butter mixture to the heat (or microwave) briefly, just until it’s hot, but not bubbling. It will get shiney as you stir it. (According to King Arthur’s Flour, this step will dissolve more of the sugar, creating the crackly shiny crust on top of your brownies.)
In a smaller bowl, crack 2 eggs and beat them with the cocoa, salt, baking powder, and vanilla till smooth.
Stir the hot butter mixture into the egg mixture until smooth.
Stir in the flour and chocolate chunks (or chips) until just combined. (Note: If you want the chips to remain intact in the baked brownies, rather than melting in, let the batter cool in the bowl for about 20 minutes before stirring in the chips.)
Pour the batter into a lightly greased 8″ x 8″ pan, sprinkle with fleur de sel, and bake at 350°F for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out mostly clean, with some moist crumbs but no loose batter. Cool on a rack before serving.
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