Trio Of Desserts

Shellfish festival gala dinner dessert plate. That's three desserts per plate times 450 people equals 1350 mini desserts by three amazing pastry chefs.

Top: Lemon macaroon with lemon cream filling
Right: raspberry swirled cheesecake on graham crust with raspberry buttercream and fresh raspberry
Left: blueberry tartlet with white chocolate ganache, chantilly cream, and chocolate garnish
Salted caramel sauce.

Divine Layered Chocolate Beet Cake

Sometimes we make real food.

Here are the stages of an incredible and divine chocolate layered cake being made.

 Chocolate beet cake with dark chocolate ganache between each layer, frosted with chocolate buttercream, combed, piped, and topped with chocolate shavings.

 A chocolate cookie crumb crust is added around the bottom edge.

 Garden fresh strawberries.

 Chantilly cream bottom border, rosettes, fresh raspberries, and mint leaves.

A finished slice.

Delicious Jelly Roll

One of my good friends, she can make a darn good jelly roll. And reasonable so, she has been practicing and perfecting the technique for weeks now. She must have made over fifty jelly rolls by now. I don't get to taste them all, but the ones I do are scrumptious. She uses a white sponge cake, raspberry jelly, raspberry buttercream, cinnamon sugar. It is moist, sweet, full of filling, and delicious, even straight from the freezer!!

Blueberry White Chocolate Cake

White Chocolate Cake Batter + Blueberries + Raspberry Pastry Cream + Sugared Ginger Crunch + Dark Chocolate Sauce + Caramel Spiral

The cake is a simple white chocolate cake batter poured into a ramekin, sprinkled with blueberries, and then baked until firm on the outside but still soft and moist on the inside.

The raspberry pastry cream is just as it sounds and lends a pretty pink color. It is underneath the cake.

The sugared ginger crunch is candied ginger stirred into a basic caramel brittle.

The dark chocolate sauce consists simply of dark chocolate and cream, melted together until silky and smooth.

And the caramel spiral is one of my signature pastry garnishes.

Chocolate Banana Nut Dessert

Here is a plated dessert featuring more components I was trying out for upcoming competitions. I must use dark and white chocolate, at least one fruit, and at least one nut. The plate must also feature a sauce and a garnish. Here are the components:

• Dark Chocolate Cake Base
• Brown Butter Dark Chocolate Pave
• Raspberry Banana White Chocolate Ganache
• Peanut Tuile Spiral and Cup
• Banana with Nougatine
• Dark Chocolate Peanut Truffle
• Cinnamon Banana White Chocolate Emulsion

Vegan Chocolate Raspberry Cake

This is the cake recipe I used for my Star Wars cakes. It's an amazing recipe - very moist and very chocolaty with a nice hint of raspberry. It's also healthier than your typical cake; yes, it's still high in sugar, but it contains less fat, as moisture comes from applesauce and raspberries and not milk and eggs. You can also make it wholewheat, as the cocoa will mask this healthiness. 

Vegan Chocolate Raspberry Cake
1 1/2 cups nondairy milk (plain, unsweetened)
1 1/2 Tablespoons white vinegar
2/3 cup canola oil
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup hot water
2 teaspoons instant coffee granules
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose (plain) or whole wheat flour, or a mix of both
1 1/3 cups granulated (white) sugar
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups frozen raspberries, thawed in the refrigerator

Preheat oven to 350◦F. Grease or line two eight or nine inch round or square pans, or one 9x13 inch rectangular pan.
Add the vinegar to the milk and let stand for 5-20 minutes.
Whisk in the oil and applesauce. Whisk the water into the coffee and add along with the vanilla. Whisk until smooth.
In a separate large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, cocoa, powder, soda, and salt, mix well. 
Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry and mix until smooth. 
Mash the raspberries in a bowl with a potato masher. They don't need to be smooth or pulverised, just broken up a bit. Stir into the batter.
Spread batter evenly in prepared pan(s). Bake for 30-35 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean. Cool completely, then frost/decorate. 

R2D2 Cake

As you may be able to tell from the patches of cake not-so-covered in frosting, this is not my proudest cake accomplishment. But I won't consider it a total fail either. Here is some back story to it:

I make my boyfriend an elaborate, appropriately-themed birthday cake every year (this is the fifth one). This year, I had been planning to make an R2D2 (a 'resourceful astromech droid' from Star Wars) cake, for awhile; even before the big hype for the release of the latest Star Wars film. I had looked at several different designs - one of them just the relative shape from a 9x13 inch rectangular cake and one used a 9x13 inch rectangular cake as the base, with half a nine inch round cake as the head, and some extra side pieces. These two dimensional designs looked pretty neat, but I then came across a three dimensional design that used several layers of six inch round stacked cakes, a six inch dome cake for the very top, and a 9x13 inch rectangular cake for the arms and extra pieces. I knew after upgrading from a 2-D to a 3-d cake last year (an army tank cake), I had to continue the theme - I couldn't go back to 3-D. The design seemed simple enough, I was just slightly concerned with stability. Also, that was a lot of cake - so I scaled back the design to be slightly smaller, doubling my batch of cake to make two 9x13 inch rectangles.

I always ask for my boyfriend's input on his cakes, and he usually likes a surprise for the design, knowing I will come up with something cool, but this year he requested the flavor. He asked for a chocolate raspberry cake, and because I had been experimenting with a lot of vegan baking lately, he wanted it to be vegan. Easy enough, I whipped up a recipe and it turned out great. The icing was a whole different story. I could have easily made a faux buttercream using either vegetable shortening (gross) or vegan margarine, but I was trying to make a naturally vegan icing, and I also wanted it coconut flavored. I made what I thought was a yummy icing, but then assembly time came.

I froze the cakes briefly to make them easier to work with, then cut them and froze them again while snacking on the scrap pieces that confirmed this was one delicious cake. I had made the icing in advance to give it time to firm up in the fridge. I coated the individual pieces with a crumb coat, and chilled them to set it. Then I tried to put the pieces together and add more coats of icing to cover. The problem was, even after adding more icing sugar to make the icing quite thick, the icing just kept sliding off the cake. It seemed to stick, only to slide off a few minutes later. It was very strange. I am figuring it must be my new icing recipe, as I usually stick to my regular buttercream. It's hard enough to complete incase a dark chocolate cake with white frosting, but add a frosting that doesn't stick, and you've got a problem. I even tried piping the icing on in lines, which seemed to work but it still slid off later. At least the pieces were sticking together, so I covered it as best as I could, added some vegan meringue 'buttons' and piped some blue frosting on as well for details. I crumbled extra meringue, dusted it with cocoa powder, and placed it at the bottom to make some dirt from the planets. And with my leftover cake scraps, I managed to make some other Star Wars themed characters (using chocolate icing that did not slide), which I will share in another post.

The cake didn't turn out how I wanted, but it did stay in one piece, hold it's shape, and taste delicious. I will definitely have to make another R2D2 cake in the future, with a different frosting, to make the details more accurate and have it look pure white. A white fondant covering would definitely be ideal, though I am not a fan of the stuff. Nevertheless, taste is most important right? At least that's what the birthday boy told me. 
Happy Birthday my love! :)

Raspberry Cobbler

Raspberry is a different flavor for a cobbler. This one is simplified because it uses a prepared pie filling instead of fresh fruit, which creates a pleasing, moist and sweet sauce. This cobbler would be extra special is served with a caramel sauce or a lemon crème anglaise sauce. 

Raspberry Cobbler
CAKE
2 cups all-purpose (plain) flour
1 cup granulated (white) sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1/4 cup butter or hard margarine, softened
RASPBERRY
1-2 cans raspberry pie filling

Preheat oven to 350◦F. 
RASPBERRY: Place the raspberry pie filling in a rectangular 9x13 inch or similar-sized pan. Place in the oven to warm up while preparing the dough. CAKE: Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl. Drop by spoonfuls over the warm filling. Bake for about 25 minutes until topping is cooked through. Best served warm, especially with ice cream or whipped cream. 

Lemon Raspberry Cake

Lemon Raspberry Cake
1 package (two layer size) lemon cake mix
3 large eggs
1/3 cup oil
1 1/3 cups water
1 can (398mL) raspberry pie filling

Preheat oven to 350◦F. Grease a ten inch rube pan.
In a large bowl, beat together the cake mix, eggs, oil, and water. Pour half of batter into prepared pan. Top with half the raspberry filling in spoonfuls. Repeat layers. Use a knife to gently swirl the layers. Bake for about 75 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

This is a quick and easy cake that combines two great flavor combinations - lemon and raspberry. Due to the heavy raspberry filling, the cake stays really moist and is almost like a pudding cake. 

Petite Parfait

Not too long ago I whipped up two quick, petitie individual parfaits. I don't know if they exactly qualify as a parfait, as they were not really layered in a tall dish, but rather in a small heart-shaped bowl, but that was all for presentation and sentimental purposes. The parfait mixture was relatively simple - mostly plain, fat free Greek yogurt, a spoon of unsweetened cocoa powder, a dollop of creamed honey, a dab of smooth natural peanut butter, and a hint of vanilla extract. This made a quick and relatively healthy chocolate mousse. It isn't sweet and airy like a regular chocolate mousse, but takes a fraction of the time and a fraction of the cost to make, and is probably much better for you. It certainly is a perfectly acceptable substitute. Then I dressed up the mousse with some leftover chocolate shapes and shavings, a few fresh raspberries, and I piped "I love you" on the parfaits with a little leftover simple sugar icing I had.

This is a perfect small and light dessert to end off a heavier meal or to enjoy late at night when you just need a small chocolate fix. The mousse recipe is quick to make if you have all ingredients on hand and you may make as much or as little as needed. It is very versatile and can be dressed up with fresh fruit, nuts, cake, cookies, etc. In addition, you can control how 'dark' chocolate the mousse is by the amount of cocoa and honey used. Alternately, maple syrup or agave nectar could be used instead of honey without much flavor change. 

Raspberry Cheesecake Swirl Brownies

What to do with more leftover raspberry filling? Make it into swirl brownies of course! Cream cheese swirl brownies are delicious, and the addition of a little fruit makes them even tastier. These are reminiscent of the strawberry version I made here {Strawberry Cheesecake Brownies}. The brownie base is a dark chocolate vegan brownie base, that uses all whole wheat flour, but you cannot even tell!

Raspberry Cheesecake Swirl Brownies
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
2 Tablespoons granulated (white) sugar
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
pinch salt
1/2 cup milk of any kind
1/3 cup oil
1/2 Tablespoon vanilla extract
1 Tablespoon ground flaxseed
1/3 cup miniature chocolate chips
1/2 recipe raspberry cream cheese filling (see yesterday's post)

Preheat oven to 330◦F. Line an 8x8 inch square pan.
In a large bowl, stir together the flour, cocoa, sugars, powder, and salt. 
In a separate small bowl, stir together the milk, oil, vanilla, and flax.
Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, then stir in the chips.
Spread a thing layer (using about one third of the batter) into the bottom of the pan.
Dot spoonfuls of the filling over top (about one third of filling).
Repeat, alternating layers, placing spoonfuls of each on top. Then gently swirl the mixture with a butter knife.
Bake for 25 minutes, until the edges are just set, and center is no longer liquidy but only slightly jiggly. Cool completely, then refrigerate until cold. Squares will firm upon cooling. 

Lemon Raspberry Whoopie Pies

The lemon whoopie pies from yesterday's post were actually designed to be lemon raspberry whoopie pies. Lemon and raspberry is such a classic, refreshing flavor combination. However, not everyone enjoys raspberry, which is why I made some whoopie pies with just a plain cream cheese filling. However, these pies have the rasperry filling. Adding some fresh, local raspberries to the filling made it slightly more liquidy, but that's okay, because these berries were real gems - small, sweet, and ruby red in color. Although traditional whoopie pies only have the filling and no icing on top, I had a little extra and wanted to add to the presentation a bit, so I put a little on top of the pies too for extra flavor. 

Raspberry Filling
1/2 package (125 grams / 4 ounces) light cream cheese, softened
2 Tablespoons soft margarine
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups icing (confectioners') sugar
1/2 tub (125 grams) fresh raspberries (approximately 1/4 cup), washed and gently patted dry

In a small bowl, cream together the cream cheese and butter. Beat in the vanilla, then gradually beat in the sugar. Gently fold in the raspberries. Raspberries are delicate, but it is perfectly fine if some break apart and separate, as this will prevent large pieces of raspberry and will tint the entire filling a nice light pink.
The measurement for icing sugar is an estimate, because I rarely measure icing sugar myself. The filling should nor be runny, but just spreadable. 

Raspberry Almond Overnight Oatmeal

Raspberry Almond Overnight Oatmeal
1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
1/3 cup fresh raspberries, halved if large
1 Tablespoon ground flaxseed
3 Tablespoons whole natural almonds
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 - 3/4 cup milk of choice

Mix all together in a bowl, cover, and refrigerate overnight. In the morning it will be thickened - enjoy as is or heat it up.

Yet another variation of my overnight oatmeal recipes - I'm beginning to acquire quite the collection. If you type "overnight oatmeal" into the searchbar on the top of this blog, you will find about a dozen more recipes like this one - each with a different flavor. Choose the one that sounds the best to you to begin! This version is good cold on a hot summer morning using summer fresh raspberries. 

Raspberry Topped Pancake

You all know by now how much I love my breakfasts. Here is one of my latest creations - it is a pancake I have made before, a fluffy banana pancake topped with Greek yogurt and fresh raspberries. I like making individual pancakes because they are big and soft and fluffy, and you can have it all to yourself. Greek yogurt is a good pancake topping, high protein and a much better alternative than sugary syrups. And with some warmer weather finally here, fresh fruits such as berries are beginning to appear. I thought this was a colorful and hearty plate, though it would be even more colorful if I had used a few different types of fruit. Breakfast definitely is the most important meal of the day, and the tastiest too! It is vital to begin your day with a healthy breakfast, and this is a well-balanced easy to make warm breakfast that won't take too long. If you're looking to save time in the morning, the pancake could even be made the night before and reheated. 

Easy Berry Sauce

This is a quick and easy recipe to do when you just want a little fruit sauce as a topping or garnish, and need it in a hurry. The berries may easily be varied. I used frozen, though it would probably work with fresh as well. 

Colorful Fruit Sauce
1/2 cup frozen mixed berries (strawberries, raspberries, blueberries)
1 scant Tablespoon corn starch
1 heaping Tablespoon lemon juice
sugar or honey to sweeten
cinnamon, if desired

Place the berries in a small saucepan over medium heat. In a small bowl, mix the cornstarch and juice until smooth, add to berries and increase heat. bring to a boil and boil, stirring occasionally, for a few minutes until thickened. Stir in sugar and cinnamon, if desired. Serve warm or cold. 
The amount of berries can easily be adjusted to make more or less sauce, though you really can't make a batch much smaller than this. The amount of cornstarch and juice should remain relatively the same unless you add more than double the amount of berries, then increase these amounts as well. 

Devil's Food Birthday Cake

Here is my second birthday cake. I actually can't remember any year where I had less than two birthday cakes. This year I have three. My parents do not agree with me making my own birthday cake. So they made me one, but I also made one myself this year. Last year I compromised and decided to make a cake together with my boyfriend. They agreed to this, but still thought I should not have helped make my own birthday cake, and made me another one.
This year, me boyfriend decided to make one by himself. I didn't say anything, not a peep (okay maybe I mentioned cake and birthday a few times). But I guess my boyfriend understood since I made him a birthday cake, he would make me one. I had no idea what kind of cake it would be - if it would be simple, or decorated with icing or just fruit or what. I actually hadn't hinted at anything, I was totally cool with a surprise! This is the masterpiece he came up with.
This is a double layer Devil's Food chocolate cake (to contrast my angel food cake), and from scratch of course. It is frosted with homemade buttercream icing, and filled with buttercream and raspberry marmalade. The outside is decorated with fresh raspberries, some pink spikes, and pink piping. Lettering is not an easy feat for someone who does not decorate very often! The look is very simple, but of course very nice! I was quite impressed, considering my boyfriend does not normally bake or decorate, and he did this himself by scratch. The look was very nice, and the two layers were stacked perfectly, I always had trouble with layered cakes when I first started out. And the cake also survived the hardest part - transport.
That was before tasting it. The Devil's Food cake is very good - it is chocolaty and moist, with a tender crumb. A very nice cake. The buttercream was also sweet and tasty, and the hint of raspberry flavor complemented the chocolate perfectly. I am extremely pleased and I greatly appreciate all the effort that went into making and decorating this cake, as cakes can be daunting tasks for even the most experienced bakers. 

Thanks again so much to my amazing boyfriend for a beautiful cake. It is delicious! :)