All posts tagged Chocolate

Guinness and Baileys Cake Truffles

So to make my Guinness and Bailey’s cupcakes, I had to buy a 6-pack of Guinness and a decent sized bottle of Bailey’s. I couldn’t bear to let the rest of them just sit there, so I searched the interwebs for another Irish-themed treat I could make. I came across this recipe by See Brooke Cook and gave it a go. Just a word of warning though: this recipe made A TON of truffles. I used a cookie dough baller to make sure they were all evenly sized and I wound up with about 75 truffles. So I’d recommend using half of the recipe!

Ingredients

For the cake:

  • 1 1/2 cups Guinness
  • 1 1/2 cups (345 grams) butter
  • 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 3 cups flour
  • 3 cups sugar
  • 2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 3 eggs
  • 2/3 cup sour cream

For the frosting:

  • 8 ounces (227 grams) cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 1/4 cup (57 grams) butter, at room temperature
  • 4 tablespoons Bailey’s Irish Cream
  • 3 cups icing sugar (sifted)

Extra stuff:

  • 3 cups dark chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (approx 175°C). Grease two round cake tins and line the bottom with baking paper and set aside.

2. Stir the butter and Guinness in a small saucepan over medium heat until the butter melts, then whisk in the cocoa powder until smooth. For an extra kick, you can add 1/2 tablespoon of espresso powder as well. Remove the mixture from the heat and set aside to cool.

3. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. In a separate large bowl, mix together the eggs and sour cream. Once combined, add the cooled beer mixture into the egg mixture, stirring constantly so as to avoid scrambling the eggs. Gradually add in the dry ingredients until just combined. The batter should be a fairly runny consistency.

4. Divide the batter evenly between the two prepped cake tins and bake for 35 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow the cakes to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before moving to a wire rack to cool completely.

5. While the cakes are cooling, prepare the frosting. Start by creaming the cream cheese and butter in a mixing bowl, add in the Bailey’s Irish Cream until smooth. Then gradually add in the icing sugar, and mix until everything is combined.

6. Once the cakes are cooled, crumble it into a large mixing bowl. You can do this by hand using a pair of forks. Line a few cookie sheets with wax paper or baking parchment and set aside. Add the frosting to the crumbled cake and mix together (the easiest way to do this is with your hands) until it reaches a thick dough-like consistency.

7. Using your hands, or a cookie dough baller, roll the dough into small balls and place on the lined cookie sheets. Place them in the freezer for about 15 minutes to set up, but don’t freeze! You can also place the dough balls in the fridge for a few hours instead.

8. Temper your chocolate by melting half of the chocolate chips over a double boiler (I use a glass bowl over a pan of simmering water) – be sure not to let the water boil, or the steam may drip into your chocolate and make it seize and it will be ruined! Once melted, add in the remaining chocolate chips and stir until smooth.

9. Using a fork, dip each of the chilled dough balls into the chocolate and coat completely. Lift them from the chocolate and allow the excess to drip off before replacing onto the cookie sheet.  Repeat until each of the cake truffles have been coated. Place the cookie sheets back into the fridge to allow the chocolate to set before serving.

When storing these truffles, I found it worked best to keep them in an airtight container in the fridge, otherwise if the room got too warm, they had a slight tendency to melt a bit and go soft. These are realllllyyyyy rich, so one or two makes a perfect treat!

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by Ashley on March 18, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Sweets
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Posted by Ashley on March 18, 2012

https://pajamabaker.com/2012/03/18/guinness-and-baileys-cake-truffles/

Guinness and Baileys Cupcakes

I’ve had this cupcake recipe for a few years now and it has been a huge hit with everyone that’s ever tasted them. Using a great combination of two quintessentially Irish ingredients they make for a fun St. Patrick’s Day treat. For those that don’t like Guinness, don’t worry! The stout helps make for a super moist and chocolatey cupcake, so the taste of the beer isn’t too strong. The Bailey’s frosting doesn’t cook out the alcohol, so if you’re making for kids, you may want to substitute with a basic cream cheese frosting – they’re just as good!  The toppers on these cupcakes are hand-piped shamrocks, using a spritz cookie dough.

Ingredients

For the cupcakes:

  • 1 cup Guinness beer
  • 1 cup (230 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 2 cups flour
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
For the frosting:
  • 1/2 cup (115 grams) unsalted butter, softened (you want it just a tiny bit firm still so that the icing will be stiffer for piping)
  • 4 cups icing sugar (sifted)
  • 5 tablespoons Bailey’s Irish Cream

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350° F (approx 175°C). Place cupcake liners into the pan.

2. Stir the butter and Guinness in a small saucepan over medium heat until the butter melts, then whisk in the cocoa powder until smooth. Remove the mixture from the heat and set aside to cool.

3. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. In a separate large bowl, mix together the eggs and sour cream. Once combined, add the cooled beer mixture into the egg mixture, stirring constantly so as to avoid scrambling the eggs. Gradually add in the dry ingredients until just combined. The batter should be a fairly runny consistency.

4. Fill each of the cupcake liners with about 1/3 cup of the batter (so they’re about 2/3 full). Bake for 15-20 mins, or until a cake tester comes out clean when pushed through the center. Let rest in the pan for about 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

5. To make the frosting, cream the butter in a large bowl using an electric mixer. Gradually sift in the icing sugar, scraping the bowl with a spatula in between each addition. Add in the Bailey’s Irish Cream, then continue to mix on the high setting until the frosting becomes light and airy.

6. Fill a piping bag with the buttercream and pipe onto the top of the cupcakes.

1 Comment
by Ashley on March 17, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Cupcakes
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Posted by Ashley on March 17, 2012

https://pajamabaker.com/2012/03/17/guinness-and-baileys-cupcakes/

S’mores Cookies

Every kid in America has had a s’more at some point in their life. There’s just no avoiding the warm gooey mess that makes up the campfire treat. I decided to introduce my coworkers to the wonder that is the s’more through these cookies. (That and I had a ton of graham crackers I needed to use up!) They’re essentially an adapted chocolate chip cookie recipe, so it may seem pretty familiar!

Ingredients

  • 1 3/4 cups flour
  • 1 cup graham cracker crumbs (you can substitute plain digestive biscuits for this)
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup (230 grams) butter, at room temperature
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 2 eggs
  • mini marshmallows
  • 1 cup chocolate chunks, plus extra to top the cookies

Directions

1. Cream the butter and sugars, then slowly add in the eggs and mix well.

2. Add in the baking soda, salt, vanilla, and graham cracker crumbs. Once everything is well combined, slowly mix in the flour. Finally add in the chocolate chips.

3. Cover and chill the dough in the fridge for about an hour. Then preheat the oven to 375°F (190°F).

4. Place balls of the chilled dough onto a cookie sheet, leaving about 1 1/2 inches in between each. I find it easiest to use a dough baller to keep everything the same size, and you don’t get dough all over your hands. 

5. Bake the cookies for 6-8 minutes until they’re set at the edges, but the middle is still really gooey. Open the oven and slide out the pan enough for you to work on, then quickly place three marshmallows and three chocolate chunks on the center of each cookie, then return to the oven and bake for about another 2-3 minutes until done.

6. Allow the cookies to cool on the tray for about 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

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by Ashley on March 17, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Cookies
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Posted by Ashley on March 17, 2012

https://pajamabaker.com/2012/03/17/smores-cookies-2/

Chocolate and Peanut Butter Cake

This. Cake. Is. Amazing.

There’s simply no other way to put it. In fact, I’m pretty sure that chocolate and peanut butter is the best food combination on earth. After having one slice of this decadent cake, I found myself dreaming about having another one! In fact, days after the cake was gone, I was still jonesing for it – which is a little sad really.

The triple-layer cake itself is super moist and rich, and the peanut butter frosting goes really well with it. And the chocolate ganache is just an extra treat that really, well, takes the cake! Big thanks to Smitten Kitchen for this recipe, as it has shot it’s way up to the top of my favorite foods list!

My only complaint for this cake is that it was incredible difficult to photograph, because the ganache kept reflecting all of the light. After spending about an hour trying to get one decent photo, I’ve added a pop-up photography studio kit to my Amazon list. So hopefully future cakes won’t be as temperamental.

Ingredients

For the cake:

  • 2 cups flour
  • 2 1/2 cups sugar
  • 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1 1/2 cups water
  • 2 tablespoons white vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 eggs
For the frosting:
  • 10 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 5 cups icing sugar, sifted
  • 2/3 cup smooth peanut butter
For the chocolate ganache:
  • 8 ounces semisweet chocolate chips (I happened to have some from my last trip to the US, but you can use a mix of milk and dark chocolate.)
  • 3 tablespoons smooth peanut butter
  • 2 tablespoons light corn syrup (I substituted with vegetable oil, since the UK is lacking in corn syrup)
  • 1/2 cup half-and-half (again, substituted by using a 1:1 mix of milk and whipping cream)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350° F (approx 175°C). Butter three 8 or 9-inch cake tins and line with baking paper.

2. Sift together all of the dry ingredients into a large bowl and mix well. Whisk in the vegetable oil and sour cream, then gradually add the water. Once everything is combined, whisk in the eggs, vinegar, and vanilla. Divide the batter evenly amongst the three prepared tins.

3. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Let the cakes cool in their pans for 20 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Place the cakes in the fridge while you prepare the frosting so that they will be easier to work with.

4. To make the peanut butter frosting, cream the butter and cream cheese in a large bowl using an electric mixer. Gradually sift in the icing sugar and mix until it’s light and fluffy. Once all of the sugar is mixed in, gradually add in the peanut butter.

5. Remove the cake layers from the fridge and assemble by using 2/3 cup of the frosting between each layer. Then put a thin layer of frosting on the top and sides of the cake – called a crumb coat. Place the assembled cake back in the fridge to let the crumb coat set up. This will prevent any of the dark-colored chocolate crumbs from the cake showing through your frosting layer. After about 15 minutes, remove the cake and use the rest of the frosting to completely cover the cake. (Because you are covering the top with the ganache, I would concentrate more on making sure the sides are covered well and do a thinner job on the top.) 

6. Place the cake back in the fridge while you prepare the ganache.

7. In a double boiler (essentially, use a glass bowl over a pan of simmering water), gradually melt the chocolate chips. Be sure to stir often to prevent them from burning and to help them melt evenly! Add the peanut butter and the corn syrup (or oil, whichever you’re using). Be sure not to let any steam or water get into your mix, or else the chocolate will seize and be ruined.

8. Once the mixture is smooth, remove from the heat and whisk in the half-and-half.

9. Quickly remove the cake from the fridge and pour the ganache over the top, while the ganache is still warm. Don’t worry about it dripping down the sides – it adds a sense of whimsy!

 

When storing this cake, be sure to keep in the fridge until about 15 minutes before serving. This makes it easier to cut, because it gets quite gooey and messy if left out at room temperature for awhile.

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by Ashley on February 19, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Cakes
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Posted by Ashley on February 19, 2012

https://pajamabaker.com/2012/02/19/chocolate-and-peanut-butter-cake/

Oreo Cheesecake Brownies

In my internet recipe hunting, I came across this recipe for Oreo Cheesecake Brownies from Sweet Pea’s Kitchen. I absolutely LOVE cheesecake brownies, and it had been a looooong time since I last had one. So combine my love for cheesecake, chocolate, AND Oreos?! How could it be any more perfect?

I gave these brownies a shot, and they were wonderful. However, this recipe only makes about a half-batch, so you may want to double up if you want to make a full 9×13 Pyrex dish’s worth. In a way this works out well, since I have 2 half-size Pyrex dishes, so I made one normal batch, and one batch with peppermint added to the cheesecake, which was also delicious. Also, I had to increase the baking time quite a bit – most likely due to using the deeper pans. So be sure to keep an eye on them to avoid over or under baking! You’ll know when they’re done when the cheesecake swirls start to brown on top a bit.

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup (115 grams) unsalted butter
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
  • 3/4 cup icing sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened dark cocoa powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 1/3 cups coarsely chopped Oreo cookies

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350° F (approx 175°C). Butter the bottom and sides of a 8 inch metal baking pan (I used glass Pyrex dishes for my brownies). Put a long piece of parchment paper in the bottom of the pan, letting the parchment extend up two sides of the pan and overhang slightly on both ends. (This will make it easy to remove the bars from the pan after they have baked. This is a must do!!) Butter the parchment.

2. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Whisk in sugar and bring to a boil, whisking frequently; boil 1 minute. Set aside to cool for 5 minutes.

3. In a medium bowl, beat together cream cheese, confectioners’ sugar and vanilla extract until combined, about 1 minute using a hand mixer. This will be the cheesecake for your brownies. If you want to make the peppermint version, use 1 tsp of vanilla, and 1 tsp of peppermint extra. You can also swirl in some red food colouring if you’d like.

4. In a separate medium bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder and salt; whisk until combined.

5. In a second large bowl, whisk together eggs until combined. Whisk in melted butter-sugar mixture until well combined. Stir in flour mixture until just combined, followed by Oreo cookies. Again, if you’re making the peppermint version and it’s around Christmas – try substituting with the red creme-filled Oreos for that extra holiday touch.

6. Bake for 24-28 minutes, until brownies and cheesecake are set. A knife inserted into the cheesecake mixture should come out clean and the edges will be lightly browned.

7. Let cool completely in pan on a cooling rack before lifting out the parchment paper to remove the brownies. Cut, and serve.

2 Comments
by Ashley on January 28, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Brownies, Holiday Baking
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Posted by Ashley on January 28, 2012

https://pajamabaker.com/2012/01/28/oreo-cheesecake-brownies/

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