1. Make the Cake Layers: Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease, with shortening, and flour 2 (9-inch) round, 2-inch-deep cake pans. Beat the butter with a heavy-duty stand mixer at medium speed until fluffy; gradually add the sugar, beating well. Add the egg yolks, 1 at a time, beating just until blended after each addition.

2. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt; add to butter mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat at low speed just until blended after each addition. Stir in the vanilla and almond extracts.

3. Beat the egg whites at high speed with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Fold about one-third of the egg whites into batter; fold in remaining egg whites in 2 batches. Spoon batter into prepared cake pans.

4. Bake in preheated oven until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 28 to 32 minutes. Cool in pans on a wire rack 10 minutes; remove from pans, and cool completely on wire rack, about 1 hour.

5. Meanwhile, cut a thin slice from stem end of each of 20 to 25 whole strawberries to form a flat base; set strawberries aside.

6. Make the Dreamy Whipped Frosting: Gently stir together the mascarpone cheese and 1/3 cup sugar in a medium bowl. Beat whipping cream and vanilla and almond extracts with an electric mixer at medium speed until foamy; increase speed to medium-high, and slowly add remaining 1/3 cup sugar, beating until stiff peaks form. Fold one-third of the whipped cream mixture into cheese mixture; gently fold in remaining whipped cream mixture in 2 batches.

7. Place 1 cooled cake layer on a cake plate or serving platter; spread top with 3/4 cup of the frosting. Working from the outer edge of cake layer toward middle, place strawberries, flat base sides down and pointed tops up, on top of frosted bottom layer.

8. Spoon about 1 1/2 cups frosting into a ziplock plastic freezer bag; snip 1 corner to make a small hole. Pipe frosting between strawberries, filling in spaces completely. Gently spread about 3/4 cup of the frosting on top of berries.

9. Place second cake layer on berry layer; spread remaining frosting over top and sides of cake. Garnish with whole and sliced strawberries, if desired.

 

Step 1
Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour 2 (9-inch) round cake pans. Place paper baking cups in 2 standard-size muffin cups, or grease and flour 2 (4-oz.) ramekins.

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Step 1
Stir together pecans, cinnamon, 1 cup of the flour, 1 cup of the brown sugar, and 1 teaspoon of the salt in a bowl. Add chilled butter pieces. Pinch and smear mixture between your fingers until butter is evenly incorporated and mixture starts to clump together. Cover and chill until ready to use (up to 24 hours).

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Have your own mini German Chocolate Cupcake. And they are made with a store-bought cake mix

Cupcakes

Coconut Custard

Chocolate Frosting

Prepare the Cupcakes:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 (12-cup) standard-size muffin pans with paper liners; set aside. Prepare cake batter according to package directions. Divide batter evenly between prepared muffin cups. Bake cupcakes in preheated oven according to package directions until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 15 to 20 minutes. Leave cupcakes in trays for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely, about 30 minutes.

Prepare the Coconut Custard: 

Stir together brown sugar, granulated sugar, butter, eggs, and evaporated milk in a medium saucepan over medium. Cook, stirring constantly using a rubber spatula and scraping down sides of pan constantly, until mixture begins to thicken, about 10 minutes. (The mixture should have a gentle boil. Do not let eggs scramble. If mixture becomes too hot, remove pan from heat, while stirring constantly, until cooled down slightly. Then return to heat.) Remove from heat, and stir in toasted flaked coconut and vanilla. Transfer custard to a medium heat-proof bowl, and chill, stirring occasionally until completely cooled, about 1 hour.

Prepare the Chocolate Frosting: 

Beat powdered sugar, cocoa, and butter with an electric mixer on low speed until well blended, about 1 minute. Increase speed to medium, and beat until fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl, and beat in evaporated milk and vanilla extract on low speed until just incorporated, about 30 seconds. Increase speed to medium, and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Transfer frosting to a piping bag fitted with a star attachment.

Assemble the Cupcakes: 

Pipe 1/4 cup chocolate frosting in a circle around tops of each cupcake, leaving an opening in center. Spoon 1 1/2 tablespoons coconut custard in center of each circle, and top with 1/2 tablespoon glazed pecans. Serve immediately. Cupcakes can be chilled without glazed pecans up to 24 hours. If chilled, remove cupcakes from refrigerator 30 minutes before topping with glazed pecans.

CREDIT: PHOTOGRAPHER: ALISON MIKSCH FOOD STYLIST: ERIN MERHAR PROP STYLIST: PRISSY LEEYum

Step 1

Prepare Filling: Beat first 3 ingredients at medium speed with an electric mixer until blended and smooth. Add egg, flour, and vanilla; beat just until blended.

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2 cups finely crushed vanilla wafers (about 56 wafers, from 1 [11-oz.] pkg.)
½ cup (4 oz.) salted butter, melted
1 (8-oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
¾ cup (about 3 oz.) powdered sugar, divided
1 (8-oz.) container mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup seedless raspberry jam (from 1 [18-oz.] jar)
½ cup fresh raspberries (from 1 [6-oz.] container)
½ cup fresh blueberries (from 1 [6-oz.] container)

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Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy; beat in 1 egg at a time. In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, nutmeg and salt; beat into creamed mixture alternately with sour cream. Spread into a greased 13x9-in. baking dish.Yum

 

 

Preheat oven to 350°F. Stir together all wet ingredients needed to prepare cake and brownie batters (per package directions) in 1 large bowl. Stir together dry ingredients from cake and brownie mix packages in a separate bowl. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients, and stir together until well blended. Pour combined batter into a greased and floured 12-cup Bundt pan. Bake until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 50 to 55 minutes. Cool cake in pan on a wire rack 30 minutes. Invert onto rack, and cool completely, about 1 hour.

Place chopped milk chocolate and bittersweet chocolate in a medium-size microwavable bowl. Microwave on HIGH until melted and smooth, about 1 minute, stirring after 30 seconds. Cool 5 minutes.

Place butter in bowl of a heavy-duty stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed until creamy, 1 to 2 minutes. Reduce speed to low; gradually add powdered sugar and cocoa, beating until smooth, about 1 minute, stopping to scrape sides of bowl as needed. Beat in sour cream and vanilla; gradually beat in cooled melted chocolate. Increase speed to medium; beat until smooth, 2 to 3 minutes.

Spoon mixture into a piping bag fitted with a 1⁄4-inch round tip; pipe frosting onto the top of the cooled cake in a decorative pattern. Press edible flowers onto frosting to decorate cake as desired.

Rich and fudgy dessert with buttercream frosting. The frosting gets its light pink from the fresh strawberries blended into the frosting. This cake makes birthdays extra special.

Prepare the Cake Layers: Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour 3 (8-inch) round cake pans; set aside. Place chopped chocolate in a small heatproof bowl; pour boiling water over chocolate. Whisk until chocolate is melted and smooth. Let stand until cooled to room temperature, about 20 minutes.


Beat butter with a heavy-duty stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment on medium speed until creamy, about 1 minute. Gradually add granulated sugar and brown sugar, beating until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add egg yolks 1 at a time, beating until just blended after each addition. Add vanilla and cooled melted chocolate, beating until blended. Whisk together flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt in a separate bowl. Add flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture, beating on low speed until just blended after each addition.


Beat egg whites in a separate bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until soft peaks form, about 5 minutes. Gently fold into chocolate batter. Pour batter evenly into prepared pans.


Bake in preheated oven until a wooden pick inserted in centers of Cake Layers comes out clean, 20 to 30 minutes. Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes. Remove Cake Layers from pans; let cool completely on wire racks, about 40 minutes.


Prepare the Frosting: Beat butter with a heavy-duty stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment on medium speed until creamy, about 1 minute. Gradually add powdered sugar, vanilla, salt, and 2 tablespoons of the chopped strawberries, beating on medium speed until mixture is creamy with streaks of strawberries throughout. Increase speed to medium-high; beat until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Gently fold in remaining strawberries.


Place 1 Cake Layer on a platter; spread about 1/2 cup Frosting over top of layer. Repeat process with 1 additional Cake Layer and 1/2 cup Frosting. Top with remaining Cake Layer; spread remaining Frosting over top and sides of cake. Garnish with whole and halved strawberries.

 

For the cheesecake: Put the cookies and a pinch of salt in a food processor and pulse until the cookies are broken down into fine crumbs. Add the butter and pulse until completely combined. The texture will be similar to wet sand. Press firmly into the bottom and 1 inch up the sides of a 7-inch springform pan. Put the crust in the freezer while you make the filling.

 

For this cake make sure you use high-quality butter, one that tastes great and has high fat and low water content. For the frosting use, fresh juicy peaches chopped and whipped into this buttercream frosting.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Beat butter with a heavy-duty stand mixer on medium speed until creamy. Gradually add granulated sugar and brown sugar, beating until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until blended after each addition.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda in a medium bowl until well blended. Add flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat on low speed just until blended after each addition. Beat in vanilla extract. Pour batter into 3 greased (with butter) and floured 9-inch round pans.

Bake in preheated oven until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 19 to 24 minutes. Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes, and remove from pans. Cool completely on wire racks, about 1 hour.

Use a small offset spatula to spread Peach Buttercream between layers and on top and sides of cake. Garnish top with peach slices.Cook butter in a small heavy saucepan over medium, stirring constantly, until butter begins to turn golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Immediately remove pan from heat, and pour butter into a small freezer-proof bowl. Cover and chill until butter is cool and begins to solidify, about 1 hour.

Chocolate Pudding, Chocolate Cake, & Chocolate Chips!

It's All About Chocolate

Nutella-Stuffed Cookies Recipe found HERE

Ladd's Chocolate Pie by Ree Drummond found HERE

Beatty's Chocolate Cake Recipe by Ina Garten found HERE

Dark Chocolate Mousse Recipe by Bobby Flay found HERE

Mexican Hot Chocolate by Sandra Lee found HERE

Now to all of our wonderful cooks it is your turn. You may share up to 3 of your favorite chocolate recipes. This special Classy Flamingos Blog Party will remain open for 2 weeks.