Category Archives: Cakes and Desserts

Yummy Pumpkin Cheesecake

Happy Thanksgiving!

We were out for dinner last night and took a yummy Pumpkin Cheesecake for dessert.  I have made pumpkin cheesecake before, but wanted to try a new recipe.  I found this recipe on-line.  It was rated 5 stars and had 898 reviews/ratings, so I thought it was a pretty safe bet and it certainly did not disappoint.  It was quick and easy to make, and I will definitely make it again.  I used Paula Deen’s recipe, but made a variation of the crust using gingersnap cookies and added whipping cream and a homemade caramel sauce.

Pumpkin Cheesecake

Crust:
I used the browneyedbaker’s crust recipe:
2 cups gingersnap cookie crumbs (about a 14-oz package of cookies)
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
Pinch of salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

I used a crust recipe from the browneyedbaker. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Double-wrap the bottom and outside of a 9-inch springform pan with heavy-duty foil. Use a food processor or blender to grind the cookies into crumbs (reserve 2 to 4 cookies for “plating” the dessert). Mix together the crust ingredients and press into the bottom of the springform pan. Bake for 5 minutes, or until lightly browned. Remove from oven and cool completely.

Pumpkin Cheesecake Filling Ingredients:

3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, at room temperature
1 (15-ounce) can pureed pumpkin
3 eggs plus 1 egg yolk
1/4 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

Beat cream cheese until smooth. Add pumpkin puree, eggs, egg yolk, sour cream, sugar and the spices. Beat. Add flour and vanilla. Beat together until well combined and smooth.

Pour into crust. Spread out evenly and place in oven for 1 hour. Remove from the oven and let sit for 15 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 hours.

*I left my pumpkin cheesecake in the fridge over night.  The next day, I covered the top with whipping cream (about 1 cup in liquid form) and garnished it with a few reserved gingersnap crumbs and some nutmeg.

I used Ree Drummond’s homemade Caramel Sauce to drizzle on top ~ so delicious!

 

To Serve:

Break remaining cookies in quarters and stick in the top of each slice and drizzle caramel sauce on top.

pumpkin cheesecake

This recipe is very rich and delicious.  Start with a small piece and have a second if you dare!

 

Delicious Chocolate Cake

As a rule, I make my cakes from scratch just like my mom did when I was a kid.  Occasionally, I will buy a mix, but I prefer to make them myself.  I have a few recipes that are my “go to” cakes. Our family loves chocolate, so I usually make chocolate birthday cakes or cupcakes.  Today I am sharing my favourite chocolate cake recipe. It is super moist and works every time.  It is simple to make and super high in calories (I am guessing). Oh well, that’s what birthdays are for!  This photo captures the chocolate cake with our favourite frosting.  I tend to keep the cake for our “family” parties plain and simple and make the more elaborate cakes for their celebrations with friends.

chocolate cake

Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups of flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking soda
  • 1 cup of sugar
  • 4 heaping Tablespoons of cocoa
  • 1 cup of water
  • 1 cup of Miracle Whip

Method:

Put the dry ingredients into a bowl and mix.  In a separate bowl, whisk together the miracle whip and water until most of the lumps are removed.  Add the wet ingredients into the dry mixture.  Beat well.  Pour into a square cake pan.  Double the recipe for a 9″ X 13″ cake. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until the cake tester comes out clean.

Our Favourite Frosting

This frosting is very creamy and delicious. It is not overly sweet and although not the same, would be most similar to the icing on a Jeannie’s Bakery cake. Very yummy, but not great for decorating.  I sometimes do my “crumb coat” with this and then use butter cream or fondant for decorating.

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup of whole milk
  • 5 Tablespoons of flour
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 cup of butter
  • 1 cup white sugar

Mix the milk and flour in a saucepan.  Heat the mixture over medium heat stirring constantly to prevent the milk from scorching.  Once it has thickened, set the pot directly into an ice bath to cool. (Bowl of ice with a bit of water). Continue to stir the mixture while it is cooling to prevent it from crusting over or forming lumps. Once cool, stir in the vanilla. Cream the butter and sugar in a separate bowl.  Add the cooled flour mixture 1 tablespoon at a time while continuing to beat.

Tips:  

This icing is so worth the effort, but it can be a bit finicky.  Follow the instructions and be sure to cool the flour mixture completely.  Do not use butter that is too soft.  Enjoy!

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Entertaining on The Plan

Originally I published this post on another blog, but this recipe is so delicious, I copied the post!

Company for Dinner, but Sticking to The Plan

Last night was the first time we entertained since I started The Plan.  We had friends over for dinner and served a plan friendly menu consisting of:

  • Roasted Vegetables (baby potatoes, beets, carrots, broccoli, zucchini and onions)
  • Mixed greens with avocado, apple and red onion served with a Lime Vinaigrette
  • Chicken breasts in a lime marinade served with Mango Cucumber Salsa

I must say the meal turned out well as all of the recipes in the book are very good.

Dessert:  Chocolate of Course

The dessert was not from The Plan, but I tried to pick something that I thought would have low reactivity and be yummy too.  In the end, I went with one of our family’s favourite recipes and as always, it was delicious.  This chocolate cake is super moist and light.  An absolute must try.  It may look complicated and hard to make, but it is actually super easy and never fails, so its well worth the effort.

chocolate mousse cake

 

Chocolate Mousse Cake Recipe

  • 7 oz. semi-sweet chocolate
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 7 eggs, separated
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 tsp. vanilla
  • 1/8 tsp. cream of tartar

Preheat oven to 325.  Melt chocolate and butter over very low heat.  In a large bowl, beat egg yolks and 3/4 cup of sugar until light an fluffy.  Gradually beat in chocolate mixture and vanilla.  In another bowl, beat egg whites with cream of tartar until soft peaks form.  Add remaining sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time.  Keep beating until stiff.  Fold whites into the other mixture.  Pour 3/4 of the batter into an ungreased spring form pan and bake for 35 minutes (until top begins to crack and sides begin to peel from edges of pan).  Cover and refrigerate the remaining chocolate batter.  Let the baked cake cool in the pan.  It will shrink, so don’t be alarmed.  When cool, remove the sides of the pan.  Stir the remaining batter to soften slightly and spread over the top of the cooled cake.  I usually pop it in the freezer or fridge to set for a bit before icing.

Ice with:

  • 1 cup whipping cream
  • 1/3 cup icing sugar
  •  1 teaspoon vanilla or Kahlua

In a small bowl, beat the whipping cream until soft peaks form.  Add sugar and vanilla.  Beat until stiff.  Spread frosting over the top (you may want to double if you wish to cover the sides as well).  Garnish with shaved chocolate.  Refrigerate.  This keeps really well in fridge for several hours or even overnight.  It also freezes well for a great make ahead dessert.