Chocolate Pudding Cake

Well after a 3 day work week (which was proceeded by a 5 day staycation) it is nice to have a 3 day weekend. I am enjoying my new position at work though. It's really nice having my own office. And even nicer knowing that all my customers are having there cars repaired at my location, instead of me trying to track down what toyshop they are using.  Daniel and I have Elizabeth for the weekend. So I decided to make a cake with her. This cake is my own invention, so we will  see how it turned out. It is a result of my researching online different kinds of egg less cakes.

Chocolate Pudding Cake

     2/3 cup flour

      2/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup cocoa

1 pkg. chocolate pudding mix

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp vanilla extract

4 TBS melted butter

1/2 cup milk

1/4 pkg semi sweet chocolate chips.

1. Combine flour, sugar, cocoa, pudding mix, salt, and baking powder.

2. Mix milk, vanilla, and melted butter.

3. Stir into flour mixture. Add chocolate chips. 

4. Bake at 350F for 30 to 45 min, or until inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Nutella Pudding Frosting

3/4 cup butter

4 cups powdered sugar

1/3 cup milk
1 cup chocolate pudding 

1/2 cup Nutella

1/4 cup goat cheese

1. Mix all ingredients together.

2. Frost cake.

So right now I'm waiting for the icing to harden, which I really hope it does. Daniel and I have both tasted the icing and at least it tastes AMAZING. Elizabeth and I had a lot of fun making the cake. She was positively in love with my apron. And she was a big help until she dunked the apron into the mixing bowl. Hopefully this will turn out and taste good. 






***UPDATE***
Well we just got done with eating dinner and went on to the good stuff. While this turned out a slight bit more puddingy than I wanted it to, it was still AMAZING. It was definitely messy. But for something that I made up out of my head using only ingredients we head in the house it is something that I am going to make again!

Cupcakes!

So today Stacy, Daniel's sister-in-law, and I went and took a cupcake making class at Cookology (they can be found at http://www.cookologyonline.com/). It was a lot of fun and I am definately going to go back and take some more classes. But I did want to share the cupcakes that we made today.
1. Red Velvet Cake with a Cream Cheese and Goat Cheese Frosting.

2. Vanilla Cake with a Ameretto, Expresso, and Nutella Frosting and a fondant rose. And yes I made that rose myself, pretty impressive hunh!

3. Chocolate Cake with a Chocolate Ganache and Dark Chocolate Drizzle.

Cranberry Crème Brûlée Tarlets

Well it's been a long week. Thankfully rather slow at work, which scares me about how busy it will be tomorrow. I have made myself a few pumpkin smoothies from the recipe last week, and they have all been very good. I'm loving having a blender! This weeks recipe comes from the Holiday 2009 BJ's Journal. This is my first foray into deserts, other than things like pies and cookies, and that disastrous taffy that Rachel and I attempted to make.

Cranberry Crème Brûlée Tartlets
~Betty Crocker Test Kitchens
Crust
1 Pkg Pillsbury Refrigerated Pie Crust
Cranberry Filling
1/2 cup cane sugar
1/3 cup water
1 cup fresh cranberries
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
Cream Cheese Filling
12 oz cream cheese, softened
2 TBS heavy cream
1/2 cup cane sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
Caramel
1/2 cup Werther's Original hard candies, crushed



1. Heat oven to 450. In a 1-qrt saucepan, mix cranberry filling ingredients; heat to boiling. Cook over medium heat about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thickened, cool.
2.Unroll pie crusts on work surface. Flatten each crust slightly with a rolling pin. I didn't have a rolling pin, so I used a plastic cup. Got terrific results! With 31/2" round cutter, cut 8 rounds from each crust. I actually got 9 from each, again with the cup that I used as a rolling pin. Press rounds in bottoms and up sides of muffin cups, with edges extending slightly. Bake crusts 8-10 minutes or until light golden brown.
3. Reduce oven temperature to 350. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese, cream, sugar, eggs and vanilla with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. I do not own an electric mixer so I beat mine by hand, and not with one of those newfangled hand mixers either. Nope by hand with a fork!
Spoon about 1 heaping tsp cranberry filling into each tartlet;
top with the cream cheese mixture.4. Bake 10-12 minutes or until center is set. Sprinkle each tartlet with crushed caramel candies. Bake 3-5 minutes or until candy is melted. Cool on cooling rack about 1 hour.
Refrigerate until thoroughly chilled (about 2 hours) before serving. Store in refrigerator.

So right now the Crème Brûlée is cooling in my fridge. I can't wait until I'm able to eat it. Hopefully it will be yummy.