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Thursday, April 8, 2010
Chocolate Cake with Raspberry White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
As good as the cake I shared with you yesterday was (and it was mighty good), I simply could not resist pairing that heavenly white chocolate cream cheese frosting with some real chocolate. And since two cakes are certainly better than one, only a week after I made the raspberry cake I went ahead and threw this puppy together. I used the recipe that my friend Lindsay uses for her chocolate ganache cake and it worked beautifully.
The frosting tasted just as good on this chocolate cake as it did on the raspberry cake. The subtle flavor of raspberry in the frosting complemented the richness of this classic chocolate cake very nicely. I can’t decide which cake I liked better. Nate voted for the raspberry cake, although he had to really think about it. The jury’s still out for me. What I do know is I need to stop making cakes pronto. This is downright reckless behavior!
Chocolate CakeAuthor: Jane MaynardRecipe type: DessertIngredients- ¾ cup boiling water
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch-process)
- 1 teaspoon instant-espresso powder (I didn’t have any on hand, so I left it out – I’m certain it would deepen the chocolate flavor, though”¦so if you’ve got it, use it!)
- ½ cup whole milk (I only had 2% milk, and things worked out just fine)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1¼ teaspoons baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
- 2 cups packed dark brown sugar
- 4 large eggs
Instructions- Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 3 (7- or 8-inch, 2-inch-deep) round cake pans and line bottoms with rounds of wax or parchment paper. Butter paper and dust pans with flour, knocking out excess. (My oven is too small to bake three cakes at once, plus I don’t have three of any one size. I used 2 9-inch cake pans.)
- Whisk together water, cocoa, and espresso powder until smooth, then whisk in milk and vanilla.
- Sift together flour, baking soda, and salt.
- Beat together butter and brown sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at high speed until fluffy, then add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add flour mixture and cocoa mixture in batches, beginning and ending with flour and mixing at low speed until just combined. (This batter is TASTY. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.)
- Divide batter among pans (about 2⅓ cups per pan for 3 pans), smoothing tops. Bake in middle of oven until a tester comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes for 7-inch pans or 20 to 25 minutes for 8-inch. Cool in pans on a rack 30 minutes, then invert onto racks, remove paper, and cool completely.
Raspberry White Chocolate Cream Cheese FrostingAuthor: Jane MaynardRecipe type: DessertIngredients- 6 ounces white chocolate (melt as directed on package, then cool 5 mins)
- 8 ounces cream cheese
- ¼ cup butter (softened)
- 2 teaspoons raspberry extract (I’m thinking of leaving this out sometime to use with other cakes/rolls/etc)
- 2 cup confectioners sugar
Instructions- Beat cream cheese and buter in large bowl with electric mixer on medium (I used my KitchenAid) until well blended. Add cooled white chocolate and raspberry extract. Mix well. Gradually beat in confectioners’ sugar until light and fluffy (I let the KitchenAid go for several minutes and the frosting truly got light and fluffy).
Posted by Jane Maynard at 1:00 pm 17 Comments
Categories: featured recipes, Recipes, sweet things, way gourmet Tags: cake, chocolate, cream cheese, dessert, raspberry, white chocolate |
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Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Raspberry (or Blueberry) Sauce
I love raspberries. They were on sale this week, so I couldn’t resist grabbing a couple little containers. They were still kind of expensive, but worth every penny!
I made some sauce/syrup out of them and it was mighty tasty. Here’s my recipe!
Raspberry (or Blueberry) SauceAuthor: Jane MaynardRecipe type: SauceIngredients- 1½ cups raspberries (one of those 5-6 oz containers) -OR- 1 C blueberries (I’ve only ever used fresh fruit for this recipe)
- ¾ cup sugar
- ⅓ cup water
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
Instructions- Bring to a boil. Lower heat. Simmer for a bit. That’s it! Refrigerate leftovers.
NotesIf you want to thicken it up (which you probably do, the raspberry syrup was a little thin, but it still tasted awesome)”¦you can sub some of the sugar for karo syrup and/or add a little cornstarch to the water. I’ve always just sort of done this off the cuff. If I ever actually pay attention, I’ll provide measurements for you.
Posted by Jane Maynard at 9:55 pm 6 Comments
Categories: featured recipes, Recipes Tags: blueberry, raspberry, sauce, sweet |
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Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake
Chocolate Raspberry CheesecakeMy friend Barbara found this recipe online somewhere”¦Author: Jane MaynardRecipe type: DessertIngredients- Crust:
- 9 ounces package of chocolate wafer cookies
- 3 tablespoons butter, melted
- Filling:
- 12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ¾ cup raspberry jam
- 2 8 ounce packages cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 4 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions- To make crust: Place cookies in a food processor and grind into powder. Mix with butter and press into the bottom and up sides of 9-ince sprinform pan. Refrigerate crust while making the filling.
- To make the filling: Combine the chocolate chips and heavy cream in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high for 4 mins or until smooth, stirring every minute. Mix in the raspberry jam and stir until dissolved. Let mixture cool for 10 mins.
- Combine cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing wella fter each egg. Add vanilla and chocolate-raspberyr mixture. blend well.
- Pour mixture into springorm pan and bake at 325 for 1½ hours or until cake is set.
- Allow to cool in an open oven for an hour. Remove from oven and place on wire rack until completely cool. Refregerate for at least 6 hours before serving.
Posted by Jane Maynard at 10:48 pm 1 Comment
Categories: sweet things Tags: cheesecake, chocolate, dessert, raspberry |
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Raspberry Vinaigrette
Raspberry VinaigretteFrom Lindsey JohnsonAuthor: Jane MaynardCuisine: Side DishIngredients- 2-4 tablespoons raspberry preserves (experiment with apricot or other fruits)
- 4 tablespoons apple cider (or white wine) vinegar
- 4 tablespoons good-quality olive oil
- coarse salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- pinch of sugar
- a little Dijon mustard
Instructions- Whisk all ingredients together and adjust seasonings to taste. Keeps for about a week in the fridge.
Posted by Jane Maynard at 10:22 pm No Comments
Categories: eat less meat, healthy eats, Recipes, side dishes Tags: raspberry, salad dressing, side dish, vinaigrette |
Hi! My name is Jane Maynard and you've landed yourself on my blog, This Week for Dinner™. Every Sunday I share a weekly menu...and count on you to share yours! You'll also find other deliciousness that I hope you'll enjoy!
