Magic Chocolate Flan Cake

Today's sweet treat is really special: Magic Chocolate Flan Cake. Yum! The name itself is good enough to eat.

In this recipe, tender, homemade flan is perched on a scrumptious layer of rich chocolate cake drizzled with warm caramel sauce. Built in a Bundt pan, this mouthwatering dessert is not only elegant, but "magical" too. First, you coat the bottom of the pan with a thin layer of the caramel; next, you add the cake batter; last of all, you pour in the liquid flan. Then, while the dessert bakes in the oven, the cake and flan layers miraculously swap places! Some say this process is purely science, but I like to think it's my little kitchen elves hard at work. :)





I won't mislead you--this wasn't the easiest baking project I've ever done. I started mixing ingredients at 8 in the morning, and we ate our first piece around 11 PM. There's also quite a bit of patience required--not to mention dishes to be washed--but trust me, the end result is completely worth the effort. You just can't beat the "wow" factor of this marvelous cake once it's sitting on a serving tray in front of guests. Just be sure to save a slice for yourself!

Happy baking!

Layer 1: Caramel Sauce

Magic Chocolate Flan Cake
From Cook's Country magazine, January 2013 issue

Cake
1/2 C caramel sauce or topping
1/2 C plus 2 T all-purpose flour
1/3 C cocoa
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/8 tsp. salt
4 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped
6 T unsalted butter
1/2 C buttermilk

Layer 2: Chocolate Cake

1/2 C sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Flan
2 (14-oz) cans sweetened condensed milk (Borden Eagle Brand recommended)
2 1/2 C whole milk
6 oz. cream cheese
6 large eggs plus 4 large yolks
1 tsp. vanilla extract

FOR THE CAKE: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 12-cup nonstick Bundt pan. Microwave caramel until easily pourable, about 30 seconds. Pour into pan to coat bottom. Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt in bowl; set aside. Combine chocolate and butter in large bowl and microwave at 50 percent power, stirring occasionally, until melted, 2 to 4 minutes. Whisk buttermilk, sugar, eggs, and vanilla into chocolate mixture until incorporated. Stir in flour mixture until just combined. Pour batter over caramel in prepared pan.

Layer 3: Homemade Flan

FOR THE FLAN: Process all ingredients in blender until smooth, about 1 minute. Gently pour flan over cake batter in Bundt pan and place pan in large roasting pan. Place roasting pan on oven rack and pour warm water into roasting pan until it reaches half-way up side of Bundt pan. Bake until toothpick inserted in cake comes out clean and flan registers 180 degrees, 75 to 90 minutes. Transfer Bundt pan to wire rack. Let cool to room temperature, about 2 hours, then refrigerate until set, at least 8 hours. (Remove roasting pan from oven once water has cooled.)

Place bottom third of Bundt pan in bowl of hot tap water for 1 minute. Invert completely flat cake platter, place platter over top of Bundt pan, and gently turn platter and pan upside down. Slowly remove pan, allowing caramel to drizzle over top of cake. Serve.

Valentine Cake & Sprinkles Snacks

 

Happy Valentine's Day!

This year, say "I love you" with a perfectly delicious, oh-so-sweet batch of Valentine Cake & Sprinkles Snacks! Remember making puppy chow or Muddy Buddies as a kid? That's what these little guys are like--just swap the peanut butter and chocolate for white confection and cover with powdered sugar and cake mix! Yummy!

It's easy to love these tiny snacks. They're easy on the wallet, since you likely have a lot of the ingredients on hand. They're simple and super fast, so they're great if you're in a time crunch. Best of all, you can tailor these treats to suit any occasion: pink and blue sprinkles for a baby shower, snowflake sprinkles and red velvet cake mix for Christmas, etc. I'd love to hear all about the fun twists and turns on which you take this recipe!

 

Divvy them up to classmates and co-workers in little cellophane bags tied with pink ribbon or take out boxes covered in shiny heart stickers. Toss them together with pretzels and marshmallows for a party mix worthy of any church gathering or Cub Scout activity.

The original recipe for this goody comes from my mom, who found it here. Please check out the site, as it has so many cute, cute, cute recipes and photos! In the end, I tinkered with the original recipe a bit, based on the upcoming holiday and what I had in the cupboard. Here we go:

Everything you need (minus the white candy melts--oops!)

Valentine Cake & Sprinkles Snacks

5 C Chex cereal
5 oz. white candy melts
5 oz. white chips
3/4 C cake mix (I used Funfetti, but any white cake mix will do)
1/4 C powdered sugar
Heart sprinkles (I used Wilton Micro Hearts)

Pour cereal into large bowl.

Melt white candy melts and white chips in microwave, stirring well. Be sure chocolate doesn't scorch. Carefully fold white confection mixture into cereal until cereal is completely coated. Generously shake sprinkles over mixture, using same folding technique.

 

Pour cake mix and powdered sugar into gallon-sized zip-top bag and shake well. Pour cereal mixture into bag and shake until cereal is completely coated.

Peanut Butter Oatmeal-Chip Cookies

OK, you got me. I just can't keep it a secret, so I'll just blurt it out: I discovered the recipe for Love Potion #9.

Get this--it's not a frilly cocktail, nor is it an expensive elixir in an ornate glass jar. This "potion" is a batch of homemade, melt-in-your-mouth peanut butter oatmeal-chip cookies. They might not make anyone fall in love, but you'll definitely fall for them.


Here's the deal: after one bite of these scrumptious, chewy, ooey-gooey delights, I was in heaven. Pure heaven. Which was funny, because there was no way anything this sinfully delicious could be so good. I can never eat another store-bought, prepackaged cookie again, and I can't imagine a better food to serve when you want love in the air.

In other words:

YOU.

MUST.

MAKE.

THESE.

COOKIES.

Your taste buds will forever thank you. Your loved ones will beg you to bake them again...and again...and again. After all, there's something simply magical, something wonderful, about marrying peanut butter with chocolate--all that sugar and salt combining together to form the ultimate in rich, creamy comfort food. These cookies take that decadence even further, with the addition of crunchy oatmeal and both white and brown sugars, creating the perfect treat for a romantic occasion.

Peanut Butter Oatmeal-Chip Cookies
From Taste of Home Best-Loved Cookies & Candies, 2012

2 1/2 C butter, softened
2 C sugar
2 C packed brown sugar
1/2 C creamy peanut butter
4 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
6 C all-purpose flour
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 12-oz. pkg. semisweet chocolate chips
1 11-oz. pkg. peanut butter and milk chocolate chips
1 C quick-cooking oats

In a large bowl, cream the butter, sugars, and peanut butter until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Combine the flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well.

Stir in the chips and oats. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls 2 in. apart onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 375 degrees for 9-12 minutes or until golden brown.

Cool for 2 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks. Store in an airtight container.

Pretty Poinsettia Cookies

Happy New Year, bakers and cakers!

First of all, I hope you all had a safe and joyous holiday season and that 2013 brings you only the best, both in and out of your kitchen. There are so many ways to celebrate this festive time of year--yet, in my book, there's nothing as sugary sweet as some good, old-fashioned baking to make the holidays just perfect.

This season, I was delighted to make six types of Christmas cookies: strawberry, chai spice, peanut butter oatmeal chip, iced sugar, chocolate mocha, and these adorable little guys shaped like poinsettias. (As you can see, I had a very eager baker's apprentice, aka my wonderful nephew, assisting my husband and me. Our little cutie did a terrific job, especially since it was his first time baking!)

These poinsettia cookies are so delicate and lovely, but the best part about them is their versatility. Since it was Christmas, I decorated these little treats with a red and green color scheme of sprinkles and cherries. Substitute those garnishes for pastel candies and non pareils, however, and these holiday poinsettias turn into a gorgeous Eastertime bouquet. Blue, green, and orange flourishes change them into beautiful blossoms befitting a birthday, brunch, or any "just because" occasion. Play around with the toppings as much as you wish--try swapping the candied cherries for jellybeans, gumdrops, or M&Ms, for instance. I'd love to know what kinds of fun and creative combos you all cook up!

I made a couple of small changes to the original recipe, which you can find here. First, I switched around the amounts of almond and vanilla extracts, as my hubby loves almonds, but not almond flavoring! This switcheroo gave the cookies a more subtle, but not bland, taste. Additionally, I left the candied cherries whole rather than quarter them. I'd love to say that I had a good reason for this, but, quite frankly, I just forgot. :) In the end, I like the way the whole cherries "pop" off the cookies, and if it saved me a step, why not?

Pretty Poinsettia Cookies
Adapted From The Taste of Home Baking Book, 2007

1 C butter, softened
1 C confectioner's sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. almond extract
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 1/2 C all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
Red and green decorator's sugar
Red and green candied cherries

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and extracts; mix well. Combine flour and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture. Divide dough in half; wrap in plastic wrap. Chill overnight or until firm.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out one portion of dough into a 12". x 10" rectangle, about 1/8" thick. Cut into 2". squares. In each square, make 1" slits in each corner. Bring every other corner up into center to form a pinwheel; press lightly. Sprinkle cookies with red and green sugars and press a candied cherry into the center of each.

Place 1" apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Cool 1-2 minutes before removing to a wire rack.