dessert | No Empty Chairs

Tag Archives: dessert

July 30, 2010 · 7:27 am

Cherry Blackberry Cobbler

I love sour cherries in the summer, especially when they are paired with a sweeter berry. We had some blackberries that were getting a little over-ripe, so adding them to this dessert made a perfect Family Night treat. And topped with cinnamon ice cream that we were given in trade for a used girl’s bike? Best trade we ever made!

This is a double batch of the recipe printed below. Small scoops of dough are dropped onto the hot fruit filling, and then sprinkled with a mixture of cinnamon and sugar. Twenty minutes in the oven and the topping is perfectly cooked and ready to eat!

The cobbler topping is not made of hard dry biscuits, or loose crumble. It is soft, tender, not-too-sweet, cinnamon-topped mini cakes that soak up that fruit goodness and just scream for a scoop of real vanilla (or cinnamon-thanks Jenny!) ice cream.

This is bowl-licking good stuff!

RECIPE:

Cherry Blackberry (or Raspberry) Cobbler

Servings: 6-8
Print

Filling:
1 quart (4 cups) pitted sour cherries
———(or 2 cans sour/tart cherries + juice)
2 cups blackberries, raspberries or mixed berries
1 cup sugar
2 Tbs Clear Jel (or cornstarch)
½ Tbs lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ tsp almond extract
¼ tsp salt

Cobbler:
¾ cup flour (or half wheat & white flour)
2 Tbs sugar
1 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
2 Tbs cold butter
½ cup buttermilk, kefir, or milk (use less if using regular milk)
1 egg
1/2 Tbs sugar + 1/8 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Combine filling ingredients in a saucepan. Cook and stir over medium heat until bubbly and slightly thickened. Pour into an 8×8” pan, or 2-qt casserole dish.

Mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Cut in butter. Combine milk and egg. Make a well in center of dry ingredients. Add milk/egg mixture. Stir just until dough clings, adding more milk if necessary. Spoon into 6 mounds over hot filling.

Mix sugar and cinnamon. Lightly sprinkle over topping, discarding any extra.

Bake, uncovered, for 20-25 minutes. Check topping with a toothpick.

NoEmptyChairs.me

Chocolate Peanut Butter Bundt Cake

OR: How to Make a Chocolate Cake When All You Have Is a Vanilla Cake Mix

This is a quick and easy dessert that looks much more complicated than it really is. With only 5 real ingredients (7 if you frost the cake) that I always have on hand, it makes a great last minute dessert.

This cake actually starts with a vanilla cake mix. You could use a chocolate cake mix for a richer chocolate flavor, but then you would have to make your own peanut butter filling, or use part of a vanilla cake mix for that. I’m all for simplicity, so I transformed my vanilla cake mix into a chocolate one by mixing a chocolate pudding mix into most of the vanilla cake batter. The remaining vanilla batter is mixed with peanut butter for the peanut butter filling layer.

When filling your bundt pan, start by adding about 1/3 of the chocolate batter to the pan. Spoon the peanut butter batter over the chocolate layer, keeping batter away from the edges of the pan (so it won’t show on the outside of the cake). Spoon remaining chocolate batter over the peanut butter layer.

You can eat this cake plain, but it is so much better with a simple chocolate glaze (or ganache if you want to sound fancy!). Just a mixture of cream and bittersweet (you could use semi-sweet) chocolate. Lovingly drizzled over the edges of your cake.

RECIPE:

Chocolate Peanut Butter Bundt Cake

Servings: 12-16
Print

1 box (about 18 oz) yellow or white cake mix
1 cup water
1/3 cup oil
4 eggs
½ cup creamy peanut butter
1 small package (4 servings) chocolate pudding mix
Chocolate Ganache Frosting, optional

Preheat oven to 350°F.

In a large mixing bowl, use a mixer to beat together the cake mix, water, oil, and eggs. Remove one cup of batter to a small bowl. Beat peanut butter into reserved one cup of batter. Add the chocolate pudding mix to the large bowl of batter. Beat until well combined.

Grease and flour a 10-12 cup bundt pan (or use non-stick baking spray with flour). Spoon about 1/3 of the chocolate batter into the prepared bundt pan. Spoon peanut butter batter over the chocolate layer, keeping batter away from the edges of the pan. Spoon remaining chocolate batter over the peanut butter layer.

Bake at 350°F for 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Invert onto serving plate and cool completely. Top with Chocolate Ganache frosting, if desired.

Yield: 12-16 servings

Chocolate Ganache Frosting

8 oz bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped into small pieces
1 cup heavy cream
Optional flavorings: vanilla, almond, orange, or peppermint extract (amount varies depending on strength of extract)

Place chopped chocolate in a mixing bowl. In a saucepan, heat cream until it comes to a boil. Pour cream over chocolate in mixing bowl and stir until chocolate is melted and glossy. Stir in flavoring, if using.

For a glaze (this is what I use for the bundt cake):
Cool ganache slightly (until thick enough that it won’t run off of the cake, but warm enough that it will still drizzle). Pour ganache over cake, starting in the center of the cake, allowing it to drip down the sides.

For a cake frosting, or for piping:
The longer you allow the ganache to cool, the thicker it will set. For piping or for a regular cake frosting, allow the ganache to completely cool and set up at room temperature. Mix with a whisk slightly just before frosting the cake.

For a whipped filling or frosting:
For a thicker, fluffy frosting, or filling for a cake, chill the ganache in the refrigerator until slightly cold, then whip with a mixer until light and fluffy.

NoEmptyChairs.me

1 Comment

Filed under Desserts

Tagged as bundt, cake, chocolate, chocolate cake, dessert, ganache, peanut butter, peanut butter cake, quick and easy, tunnel, vanilla cake