Swiss Chocolate Mousse Cake.

Recipe 23.

Swiss Chocolate Mousse Cake.

One of my favorite people at my school is a sweet German lady who pulls my students and does interventions with them. She got a glimpse of my baking blog while she was in my classroom, and offered me a family recipe. She told me she doesn't give it to everyone, but she knew I would use it well. I asked her permission to share it with all of you and she said, "Of course!" She gave the recipe to me in gram measurements, so I took some time converting it into customary units and perfecting the amounts to make it easier for us Americans. My friends raved over this cake, and you will too!

Ingredients:

1 1/3 cup butter

1 1/3 cup sugar

9 eggs, separated

11.5 oz chocolate chips, melted

1 1/3 cup flour

The steps are simple. Beat the separated egg whites in a bowl. In a large bowl, combine butter, sugar, chocolate, and flour until well mixed. Then fold in the egg whites. Bake for 30-45 minutes at 300 degrees. The middle of the cake should be almost solid, but not fully cooked. It is mousse cake, so you want it to be soft and gooey in the middle. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Eat your heart out.

This is a recipe that I plan on using time and time again. It is beautiful, classy, and still a crowd pleaser. It's going in my all-life-time favorites. Which is saying a lot!

Pesto Breadsticks.

Recipe 22.

Pesto Breadsticks (from Heat Oven to 350).

Ok, ok. So mine didn't turn out at beautifully as they could have (and the pictures were at night, so I apologize for the lighting). I would have doubled the recipe or made half the amount if I had only known. Really thin dough = kind of crispy breadsticks. But they were still a hit (especially with ranch dressing, you know, to counter the crispiness. Oops.).

Ingredients:

2 cups of flour (and a little extra)

1 1/2 tsp instant yeast

1/2 tsp salt

1 tbs olive oil

3/4 cup and 2 tbs warm water

1/4 cup pesto

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

Whisk 2 cups of flour, yeast, and salt together. Add oil and water and stir until dough comes together. Turn the dough out onto a floured counter and knead (YES!) for about ten minutes, forming a smooth ball. Place somewhere warm and let it rise for at least an hour. Don't rush this one.

Turn the dough back onto the counter and roll it into about a 15" x 10" square. Mine was 20" x 10", but as I mentioned earlier, I wouldn't recommend making 20 breadsticks out of this little amount of dough. Spread pesto generously over the dough. It's simpler if you plop it on in different areas and then spread it out. Sprinkle with the parmesan.

Fold the dough in half and press the edges together. Cut into 1" slices. As you lay the dough onto the pan, twist them evenly. Brush with more olive oil.

Let rise for about 30 more minutes. Preheat oven to 375, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Eat with pork and salad and everything good!

Cheesecake Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars.

Recipe 21.

Cheesecake Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars (adapted from Heat Oven to 350).

Seriously, go back and read the name of this. Cheesecake. Chocolate chip. Cookie. Bar. I have no words except for these: Heavenly deliciousness in your mouth.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1/2 cup butter flavor shortening

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

2 tsp vanilla

3/4 tsp salt

1 large egg

1 tsp baking soda

2 cups flour

2 cups chocolate chips

8 oz cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg

1/2 tsp vanilla

Cream together butter, shortening, sugars, vanilla and salt in a large bowl. Beat in the egg, then the baking soda and flour. Mix in the chocolate chips, divide the dough in half, and set aside.

In a separate bowl, cream the cream cheese with 1/2 cup sugar. Beat in 1 egg and 1/2 tsp vanilla.

Spread 1/2 the cookie dough on the bottom of a 9x13 pan. 

Spread the cream cheese mixture over the cookie dough.

Flatten chunks of the remaining cookie dough and place them near each other on top of the cream cheese layer. Just try to cover the surface as well as possible.

Bake at 350 for 35-45 minutes or until the top is browning. Cool completely, store in the refrigerator. Try not to eat them all in one sitting.

Ice Cream Cake.

Recipe 20.

Ice Cream Cake (from my little brain).

One of my good friends turned 24 in April, and I was determined to celebrate with cake (hello, this is me we are talking about). Usually I ask the birthday person what they want, but he said "make whatever you want." He mentioned ice cream cake and confetti cake but never gave me a solid answer, so I just decided to combine them! Now I know it's not the most beautiful thing you've ever seen, but it was my first shot at molding ice cream and I was secretly really proud of it.

Oh baking brings such joy.

This is THE Kendra. Her beauty makes this picture worth posting.

Alright, so here's how I did it:

White cake:
1 1/2 cups softened butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
6 large egg whites
3/4 cup milk
2 tsp vanilla
SPRINKLES

Beat butter and sugar for about five minutes. Separately, stir together flour, baking powder, and salt. Combine egg whites, milk, and vanilla. Gradually, back and forth, add parts of the flour mixture and milk mixture to the butter mixture while mixing well. Pour in some SPRINKLES! When cake is entirely mixed, pour into two greased 8' round pans and bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes.

After cakes cool for about 5 minutes, turn them out onto a cooling rack. Remove a tub of ice cream from the freezer. I only needed a 1/2 gallon, and I used french vanilla. By the time the cake is completely cooled, the ice cream should be soft enough to work with. You don't want it melted, but just soft enough to spread like a frosting.

Now, if you are afraid of getting messy, stop making this recipe now and go take a nap. The ice cream is hard to work with but totally worth it in the end. Just like frosting, spread a layer of ice cream on the top of one cake, and place the other cake on top.  Use a spatula to "frost" the whole cake with the ice cream. I wouldn't try cleaning up the platter now, because the ice cream will only continue to melt. If you are going to decorate the cake with sprinkles, however, do that now or they will just roll off the frozen cake in the end.

Place ice cream cake in freezer for a few hours, until hardened. If you have a tiny freezer like me, be sure to place the cake closer to the back where the cold is actually coming from, or it won't refreeze until after its all melted off the cake.

When the cake is hard enough, clean off the melted ice cream around the sides with a warm, wet paper towel. Soaking your knife in hot water will make cutting the cake much easier. Bon appetit!

Graduation Cookies.

Recipe 19.

Graduation Cookies (from my roommate's friend, thanks Audrey!).

Alright, so I renamed them graduation cookies. The actual content of the cookies has nothing to do with graduation, BUT I had just received my cap and gown before I started baking. I was a little bit excited. I wore my graduation cap the whole time I made these cookies. Don't judge me; you would have done it too.

They are basically oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, but they are GOOD. They are best warm out of the oven, so be prepared with either an empty stomach or a lot of friends.

The cookies were absolutely divine! Here's how you make'em:

Ingredients:

1 cup shortening

1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1tsp vanilla

2 cups flour

2 cups oats

1 cup chocolate chips

Cream together shortening, sugar, brown sugar, eggs. Sift together the soda, powder, salt, and flour. Combine both mixtures. Stir in vanilla, oats, and chocolate chips.

Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes.

Focaccia Bread.

Recipe 18.

Focaccia Bread (adapted from here).

Everyone. Pay attention. I'm not even kidding. This may or may not be my favorite thing I've made so far. And it was so easy. Please make this bread. I want to share all my joy and happiness with you.

Ok now that we are through with that, this bread was fantastic! Dip it in a little olive oil and pepper and it doesn't get any better than this, folks. And it only took a couple hours! Who could ask for more?

Ingredients:
2 tsp yeast
1 cup warm water
2 tbsp sugar
3 1/2 cups or more flour
1 tbsp coarse salt
1/4 cup olive oil

Toppings:
2 tbsp olive oil
minced garlic
shredded Parmesan
coarse salt
black pepper
fresh rosemary

In your mixer's bowl, proof the yeast by combining it with the warm water and sugar. Stir gently to dissolve, and let sit for 3 minutes until foamy.  Turn mixer on low and slowly add the flour to the bowl. Dissolve the salt in 2 tbsp of water and then add it to the mixture. Pour in the 1/4 cup olive oil. Increase the speed, and scrape the dough off the hook periodically.  After about 10 minutes the dough should be smooth and elastic.  Add flour when necessary.

Fold and knead the dough on the counter a few times, form into a ball, and set into a well-oiled bowl.  Oil every side of the dough so it doesn't form a skin, and cover with plastic wrap.  Let rise in a warm place for only 45 minutes!

Coat a pan with olive oil. Once the dough is doubles in size, roll and stretch it into an oval-ish shape that will fit on your pan. Put it on the pan and let the dough rest for 15 minutes.  Preheat oven to 400.

Uncover the dough and press into it with your fingertips to create the 'dimples.' Brush the surface with more olive oil and then add as much garlic, olives, cheese, salt, pepper, and rosemary as you'd like! Try topping it with nearly any spice! Bake on the bottom rack for 15 or 20 minutes. Enjoy!

Please please tell me if you make this and how it turns out! I want to make it again right now.

Banana Split Cupcakes.

Recipe 17.

Banana Split Cupcakes (from Heat Oven to 350, again).

If maraschino cherries aren't your thing, you may want to rethink these. But if you love them, this is the cupcake for you! I'm impartial to them, really. But it was so fun to make a dessert within a dessert!

Ingredients:
1 yellow cake mix (box or homemade)
1 cup water
1 cup mashed ripe bananas
3 eggs
1 cup chopped drained maraschino cherries
1 cup miniature semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided
1 1/2 cups prepared vanilla frosting
1 cup marshmallow creme
30 whole maraschino cherries, drained and patted dry

Heat oven to 350 and line your cupcake pans with liners! Save 2 tablespoons of your cake mix for later, and combine the cake mix, water, bananas, and eggs in a large bowl. Beat until moistened, and then beat at a medium speed for 2 more minutes.

Chop up a cup of the cherries. This part is messy but fun! Combine the cherries with the 2 tablespoons of cake mix, and add them to the mixture, along with the chocolate chips.

Pour the batter into the liners and bake for 15-20 minutes. Cool, as in let them become room temperature. But they also are really cool.

Combine the frosting and marshmallow creme in a bowl until well blended to make the marshmallow frosting. Annndddd put a cherry on top!