Sunday, May 27, 2012

Cheesecake Truffle 'Pops'

Ok so I love cheesecake.  And I love truffles.  There's just something about picking through a pretty little box of chocolates that just feels so... fabulous.  But I digress... cheesecake, right.  So as I promised, I am here to share the super easy way to impress your friends with these delicious, 'one-bite' cheesecake truffle 'pops'.  These aren't on sticks; I call them 'pops' because, well, the idea is that you just pop them into your mouth and you're good to go.  The truffle pops I made weren't exactly a true one-bite wonder... not unless you're ambitious and commit to having a very big bite (which I love by the way!).

Anyhow... I should start with clarifying that these are not cake pops.  In fact, I kind of loathe cake pops.  I just don't see the appeal of baking a cake, mashing it up with a whack of buttercream, squishing it into little balls, and then coating it in waxy chocolate.  Yes, this is my view on cake pops.  You can disagree.  But try the cheesecake truffle pop version and you'll come over to my side.

What you need:

500g (or 2 packages) of cream cheese, softened
1 can condensed mild
1/2 cup plain yogurt or sour cream (I used greek yogurt)
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup all purpose flour
chocolate for coating (I used organic milk chocolate, but you could use candy melts too I suppose)

What you need to do:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a 9"x13" baking pan with parchment paper, overlapping the two longer sides for easy removal from the pan.

Beat cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk until smooth and creamy.  Beat in yogurt.  Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Add vanilla and flour.  Pour into prepared pan.

Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes or until top is golden and firm to the touch.  Cool to room temperature.

Turn baked cheesecake back into mixer and break up (takes maybe 10 seconds).  Roll cheesecake into balls (size is entirely up to you, I used a small cookie scoop and these ended up being a little on the large side).  Place on a piece of parchment paper.

Now here's where you can get creative.  Coat the cheesecake 'balls' in your choice of chocolate or candy melts.  I did not temper the chocolate, but I wish I had; out of the fridge, these truffles were awesome... but after they'd been on display at the baby shower for a few hours, the chocolate started to warm up and was softer than I had intended.  So, if you want your truffle pops to maintain that wicked crack as you bite into them, temper your chocolate.  If you don't care so much, melt your chocolate over a pot of simmering water and dip away.  Place them on the parchment to cool completely.  And enjoy!

These truffle pops freeze very well.  You can freeze them without any coating and then roll them in your desired coating before serving.

They're really that easy.  They are definitely a dessert that will likely end up being in our family rotation... you know, that dessert that's hidden in the freezer and can be whipped out to impress family and friends lickety-split?  Yup, that one.

Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Truffles Recipe
I'm not sure what happened to my photos, but this one certainly gives you a good idea of what they should look like; photo courtesy of Eagle Brand

Thursday, May 24, 2012

Baby Shower Baking

One of my closest friends is having a baby and I could not be more excited.  Not only am I thrilled to share the joys and challenges of motherhood with her, I was also stoked to bake delicious treats for her baby shower.  The theme was Cinco de Mayo because it was held on May 5th... but also, what makes a baby shower more festive than slushy momgaritas?  So I figured, what better treat than margarita cupcakes?!  I did some searching and found a recipe that seemed simple... which I really needed since I was making not only margarita cupcakes, but also mexican chocolate cupcakes and cheesecake truffle pops.  Yup, I go all out.  For her, I'd do anything.

So let's start with the margarita cupcakes, I used a recipe from my tried and true iambaker site.  I used vanilla cake instead of lemon and I omitted the tequila, though I'm sure this would have made them really taste 'margarita'esque... I figured I didn't want to push any buttons at a baby shower.

You need:

1 box lemon cake (I used vanilla and added 1/4 lemon juice and the zest of one lemon)
4 eggs
1/2 cup oil
1/2 water
(She suggests using these wet ingredients and not the directions on the box, which I did and they were great!)

What you need to do:

Mix all of the ingredients together in a mixer.  Fill cupcakes liners 3/4 way full and bake for about 18 minutes at 350 degrees.

I wanted these cupcakes to stay fresh and delicious, and because I made these the day before the shower, I made a quick key lime simple syrup to brush on the tops of each cupcake.  I then frosted them with a lime buttercream.  Yum!

To make the lime buttercream, make your basic buttercream (1 cup butter, 5-6 cups icing sugar, 3-6 tbsp milk) but cut back on the milk and add lime juice and lime zest.  Also, a tablespoon of tequila would go a long way to making these true margarita cupcakes.

Photo courtesy of iambaker
I also made chocolate cupcakes with a blackberry compote and lilac buttercream.  And cheesecake truffle 'pops'.  I didn't quite expect the cheesecake pops to be such a hit, but they ended up being deeeelicious!  The best part was: they are dead simple to make.  But those are for the next post ;)

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

DIY Art

Our living room wall is covered in this fabulous black textured wallpaper and it's just dying for a beautiful piece of art.  Tim and I had been wanting to get something great but just haven't been able to find the right  canvas.  The search is still on, but in the meantime, I figured I'd try my hand at a super easy DIY craft.

I love www.curbly.com for crafty DIY inspiration.  They have makeovers, arts and crafts, even "Foodie Fridays" and they're designs couldn't be easier.  I saw a neat art project that I thought would be great for our wall; it didn't quite turn out they way I wanted but it's perfect in our office.  Curbly led me to another easy DIY art project with how-to's and recommendations here and here.  They made it look so darn easy, that I bought a couple canvas and had at 'er.  This one, I was impressed with.  This one went up on the wall.

I taped off the two canvas in a pattern that flowed together but would be hung apart.
I made the mistake of using tape that was intended for florists' use and resembled duct tape.  Unfortunately it wasn't the best decision I made, but I guess I know better for next time.  As you can see, some of the lines weren't entirely crisp when I pulled with tape off but I just touched them up with white acrylic.

A secret to this project was, I didn't use acrylic paint for the entire canvas.  Instead, I used three different colors that would tie things together with the purple lamps and foot stools in our living room.  Our other walls are grey, so I used some of that remaining paint.  Then, because I love Lowe's, I picked up a few free samples of Valspar paint in varying tones of purple.

The finished product isn't perfect, but considering it didn't cost much and I had fun doing it... I'm pretty happy with the result.  Plus, now I know what to do for the next time!

I think it would be fun to mimic the pattern of the couch and tape off softer lines next time.  It's as easy as painting over the canvas and giving it another go.  But first, a canvas for Gracie's room!





Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Impromptu Upcycling

So I've always known that I have a bit of an addictive personality, but I never thought I'd be quite so impulsive.  Or obsessive compulsive if you ask my husband.  Tomato Tomawto.  When Tim and I returned from living overseas, we didn't exactly have a tonne of furniture as we hadn't kept anything when we left Canada.  We were starting from scratch and welcomed any help we could get in setting up our home.  Luckily, we inherited a couch and chair from his parents that exhibits, to this day, incredible construction and comfort.  They are, however, covered in an absolutely hideous pattern.  Stylish for the time they were purchased many moons ago, I am sure, but definitely in need of some updating.  In our efforts to make the best of a good inheritance, we bought a couch cover and threw a large and lusciously soft blanket over the chair.  I think you can see where this is going....

I woke up one morning... or rather it was likely more I couldn't get back to sleep after Gracie's early morning feed, but that's just a minor and unimportant detail.  I woke up one morning and was overwhelmed with, let's call it a 'desire', to try my hand at recovering the chair.  Something had to be done.  I hated the shuffling around of the blanket and cover, the bunching and pulling, the crumb-catching and general blech.  It had to go.

But I didn't exactly want to fork out the dough for a new couch.  Not when we have a baby that will barf, slobber, and grope at it.  And then a toddler that will sticky-finger-"mommy-look-I'm-jumping-on-the-couch!".  And then a teenager that would wipe god knows what on it.  No.  No, I'd rather save my money and buy a truly fabulous couch later.  For now, I'm jumping on the upcycling bandwagon (which I'm a true believer in by the way), take what I have and repurpose, recover, renew it to make it wonderful again.

So I moseyed, yes moseyed, on over to the fabric store, picked out an upholstery fabric that I figured I wouldn't hate in mere months and collected some supplies.  And then I got to work.  Of course I googled the crap out of 'chair reupholstery' and every variation I could think of... you'd bet there would be all sorts of tutorials and recommendations, but no.  There is, in my opinion, a shameful lack of information available.  And, the ones that are out there involve the cumbersome and daunting task of cutting off the existing fabric, laying it out to make a pattern, and then sewing a new cover for your furniture.  Well... since I couldn't (at that time) sew a stitch if my life depended on it and I wasn't about to let this get in my way, I took a stab at it my way.

Fabric was purchased on discount at Fabricland: $8.99/m.  Total cost, including staple gun, $150.
I knew that with a little artful folding, some liquid stitch, and a trusty staple gun... I could get the job done.  Yes, you read it right, there isn't a single stitch in that recovered chair.  With a 4 month old daughter, it took me a few days to get it done... but I was very impressed once I was finished.  Even Tim loved it, so much so that he asked me to do the couch too.  Sure honey!  Whatever you want :)

This fabulous fabric is from IKEA, $5.99/m.  Total cost: $104.
Gracie, at 6 months, was napping morning and afternoon so I was able to get this project done in a little more than a week.  The cushions are the trickiest part, one a day.  But the bottom, back, and sides were completed in two days.  Not too shabby!


I also decided to recover our stools and paint a canvas for the wall... but that's for the next blog.

So if you have an old couch, or coffee table, or dresser, or heck anything that's old... don't throw it away.  Find a little inspiration and a pinch of 'what-the-hell' and make it new again.  Upcycling is very chic these days :)

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Let Them Eat Cake

It's no surprise that I love to bake.  I would be lying if I said I haven't whipped together a batch of my delicious chocolate chip cookies late at night following a nice meal.  Cake is a personal love of mine; there's nothing quite like pushing your fork through a soft, springy piece of rich, luscious cake.  I especially love those slices that whisper moist little secrets in your ear.  Which is why I fell absolutely in love with this Devil's Food Chocolate Cake I made for Tim's aunt.

I have, for several family occasions, made cupcakes.  Cupcakes are easy to serve, easy to eat, easy to bake.  They do, however, lack a certain 'je ne sais quoi' when it comes to awesomeness.  A double layer cake on the other hand is nearly the perfect dessert.  It's right up there with lemon tarts or molten chocolate cakes... but those are separate blog posts.  I digress.

Also, I should confess that I didn't create this cake recipe.  Oh heavens no.  I am, after all, just your average momma making a yummy home, not a recipe maven.  I picked it up at a Williams Sonoma Technique Class (which are, by the way, free if you're ever looking for something fun to do for an hour on a Sunday morning!).  It's easy and so, so, so very delicious.

Devil's Food Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Buttercream and Blackberries
For the cake, you need:

1 cup boiling water
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups granulated sugar (I used brown sugar and liked the variation)
10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) butter, at room temperature (*8 tablespoons is 1/2 cup)
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
*I rarely use actual buttermilk, instead I use: 1 1/4 cups whole milk mixed with 1 tablespoon of vinegar and let rest for 5 minutes.

What you need to do:

To make the cake, preheat oven to 350°F.   The recipe recommends to lightly butter two 9-inch round cake pans and dust with flour, but I used a parchment circle on the bottom of my non-stick Baker's Secret pans and had great results... so I guess, do what you're comfortable with.

In a small heatproof bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the boiling water and cocoa powder until smooth.  Let cool completely.

In a bowl, sift together dry ingredients and set aside.

In your fabulous mixer, beat together the sugar and butter until the mixture is light in color and texture, about 3 minutes.  Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then beat in the vanilla and the cooled cocoa mixture.  When I made cakes in the past, I never followed these instructions.  I always just creamed the butter and threw everything in at once.  Don't do this.  Take the extra couple of minutes and allow the butter and sugar to come together into a creamy cloud of awesome and then incorporate the eggs, one at a time.  It really does make a difference.  Trust me.

Then, reduce the speed to low and add the flour mixture, alternating with the buttermilk (beginning and ending with the flour mixture).  Beat until smooth, stopping to scrape the sides occasionally.  Divide the batter evenly into pans and bake for approximately 35-40 minutes or until they bounce back to the touch.  Transfer to wire racks to cool for 15 minutes.  Run a knife around the sides of each pans to release the cakes.  Invert the pans onto the racks and let cool completely.

Variation: if you're set on cupcakes, the recipe makes 24.  Bake for 20-25 minutes.


For the chocolate buttercream, you need:

8 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped 
6 cups confectioners' sugar (icing sugar)
1 cup unsalted butter
6 tablespoons milk, plus more if needed
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt

What you need to do: 

Have all the ingredients at room temperature.  Put the chocolate in the top pan of a double boiler, or if you're like me: an Anchor Hocking glass bowl over a pot of simmering water (easy peasy!).  Ensure the bowl isn't touching the hot water.  Stir until the chocolate is melted and smooth.  Let cool to room temperature.

In the bowl of your fabulous mixer (again) fitted with the flat beater, cream the butter with the vanilla and salt.  Slowly combine the confectioners' sugar and the milk.  I find repeating the cycle of adding one cup icing sugar and 1 tablespoon of milk achieves the best results.  Plus, you're less likely to be covered in icing sugar and have one hell of a mess to clean up later.  Beat on low speed until combined.  Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl.  Increase the speed to medium and beat for 2 minutes, then reduce to low and slowly add the chocolate until combined.  Increase speed again to medium and beat for 1 minute more.  I find the measurements of this recipe spot on, but if the frosting is dry, add more milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, until it is creamy but still holds peaks.  Makes about 4 1/2 cups of buttercream.

Putting it all together:

Place 1 cake layer, bottom side up, on a cake plate.  Using an offset icing spatula, spread the top of the layer with a generous 1/2 cup of the buttercream.  Or, well let's face it, however much you want.  If you prefer a thin layer, cut back on the recommended 1/2 cup.  If you're like me, you go big or go home... so knock yourself out :)

I had blackberries in the fridge that I didn't want to go to waster so I quickly 'macerated' the berries with a scant spoonful of icing sugar and stirred them up.  This will make them juicy and soft.  I added a layer of berries before placing the second layer on top.  Place the second layer, top side down, on top of the first layer.  Frost the top and sides with the remaining buttercream.
     
Note the parchment sleeves... tuck these under the edge of your cake so you can gently tug them out after frosting and you'll have a clean plate or cake stand.


Place the second layer, top side down, on top of the first layer.  Frost the top and sides with the remaining buttercream.

To clean up the sides, I 'pulled' the buttercream up, bottom to top, all the way around.

I took a page from the iambaker tutorials (http://iambaker.net/rose-cake-tutorial) and finished the top with the roses, as seen below.

And before you start to think that you can't do this, you totally can.  It's as easy as fitting your piping bag with a run-of-the-mill star tip, then slowly move your tip in a circle around the centre point.  Try to end in the same place each time.

Since the flowers big, you're bound to have some 'dead' space. Just go in and make a swoop with your tip in the same direction as the rose right next to it.  You can hardly tell where the fill ins are.


Not too shabby eh?!

Place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to allow the buttercream to firm up.

Now, all you need to do is show up at that dinner party or birthday bash or baby shower or fill-in-the-blank and you'll be the talk of the town.  Truly, it's that easy.

Would I lead you astray?  When it comes to cake... NEVER!

So, go.  Bake a cake.  Be merry.  That is my command ;)