I am NOT a cocktail girl. I could think of a lot of cocktails but really wanting to make one into a dessert wasn’t whipping me into a frenzy of excitement ( where I once again probably break the Top Chef Just Desserts rules). I’m a beer girl through and through. One does not throw back a Cosmo or Mojito while watching hockey…it’s against nature.

After a week of pouring though cookbooks, I even have one dedicated to Booze, I ended up saying screw it and went with what I love. Beer, a black and tan of sorts to be exact.

There are lots of stout cakes out there. Almost all of them are chocolate stout cakes that come out for St. Patrick’s Day. I really loved the idea of the Gingerbread Stout Cake I saw on Epicurious awhile back that then showed up on Deb’s site. That gave me the black of the black and tan but I needed the tan. Enter the caramel made with ale. I chose to go with orange blossom ale, as I think gingerbread and orange go together in a delightful way.

If you don’t know, stout cakes tend to be moist and dense, and this is exactly that. You can not taste a ton of beer in the beer caramel, but just a hint, which is nice. Same goes for the stout in the cake, but you know it’s there.

This is the perfect ending to a meal, especially a Saturday night one, while watching Hockey Night in Canada. Which, FYI- Hockey starts tonight!  In fact, this is also doubling as my contribution to Ivonne’s Hockey Night in Canada celebration as well as my Top Chef Just Desserts attempt.

I fear the next challenge I will not lie. Wedding cakes and I are not friends (unless I am just eating them). We shall see.  Everyone watch hockey tonight…it will make you a better person…promise.  :) If not, just make the cake instead.

Gingerbread-Stout Cake with Caramel-Ale Sauce

Gingerbread-Stout Cake
1 cup stout ( I chose to use Southern Tier Cream Brulee Milk Stout)
1 cup dark molasses (not blackstrap)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Pinch of ground cardamom
3 large eggs
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup vegetable oil

Generously grease and dust with flour (or use baking spray) a 10-inch (10- to 12-cup) bundt pan or 8 mini bundt pans. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Bring stout and molasses to a boil in a large saucepan and remove from heat. Whisk in baking soda, then cool to room temperature.
Sift together flour, baking powder, and spices in a large bowl. Whisk together eggs and sugars. Whisk in oil, then molasses mixture. Add to flour mixture and whisk until just combined.Pour batter into bundt pan (or divide evenly among mini pans) and rap pan sharply on counter to eliminate air bubbles. Bake in middle of oven until a tester comes out with just a few moist crumbs adhering, about 50 minutes (about 35 minutes for the minis). Cool cake in pan on a rack 5 minutes. Turn out onto rack and cool completely.
Cake Recipe from Epicurious.com

Caramel-Ale Sauce
12 ounces Ale (I used Buffalo Bill’s Orange Blossom Cream Ale)
2 TBSP unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups brown sugar, packed
1 cup heavy (whipping) cream
pinch salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Pour the ale into a medium saucepan and bring to a low boil.
Cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until reduced by two-thirds.
Add the butter and brown sugar and cook, stirring only when the mixture is in danger of boiling over, until thick and syrupy, 10 to 15 minutes.
Slowly stir in the cream (it will splatter up!). Cook another 5 or 6 minutes, until thickened.
Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla. Cool to warm, it will thicken up more as it cools.
Pour over stout cake and add ice cream if desired.

Chocolate. Chocolate. Chocolate. The first real challenge was all about chocolate. Trying to make the most decadent chocolate dessert possible. Truthfully the fact that the winner used white chocolate to me makes it null and void. I like white chocolate, but it’s not chocolate. Do you think white chocolate is chocolate?
Anyway, I watched and listened as the judges picked apart the dessert. They seemed to be most impressed with the desserts that had different texture and different chocolates. The very same day I was thinking of this my much awaited copy of Baked: Explorations came out. I LOVED their last book and couldn’t wait until for this to arrive on my doorstep. Inside was a Mississippi Mud Pie. Which had a cookie crust, a flourless chocolate cake bottom, and chocolate pudding. Okay, now we are talking. I had originally wanted to make chocolate meringues to crush up and put on top, but our humidity the last couple of days was making a crunchy meringue a big no-no. If I were to do it again, I would try and add an extra element of texture with the meringue.
These are not super pretty. This is know. But they are definitely chocolate overload. The thing is that making things super pretty isn’t all that good for this blog. I want to have fun with these challenges but I still also want you to go and make it. And though this has a bunch of steps, overall, it’s pretty easy to make. And how can you no love a Oreo Double Stuffed Cookie Crust with a Flourless Chocolate Cake baked into it! Helloooo.
I went with milk chocolate, which is different than the original recipe to add a different depth. Feel free to use whatever chocolate you would prefer. I also through on some toffee pieces as it was my excuse to open the bag and eat some. Because I really wanted some. But just opening the bag to eat them is gluttonous. But opening the bag to use for some mini tarts and eating the leftovers in the bag is just making sure I am not wasting food. Clearly, you see the way to go.
Again, I want to say, I am not doing these challenges in the time allotment. I am doing them for as little or as long as I want. This was just to spur my imagination a little and is supposed to be fun. So writing me mean emails saying it’s not really a challenge if I don’t do it in the same time frame just means you need to find a hobby.

Chocolate Overload Mud Pie

Chocolate Cookie Crust:

16 ounces Oreo Cookies (it’s about 35 to 40 regular, I used 30 (maybe less, some might have gone in my mouth) double stuffed)

5 TBSP unsalted butter, melted

Flourless Chocolate Cake

4 TBSP unsalted butter

6 ounces dark chocolate (60-70%), chopped

1 TBSP espresso powder

¼ cup strong coffee, at room temperature

¼ tsp. salt

1 tsp. vanilla extract

6 large eggs, separated, at room temperature

1 cup sugar

Milk Chocolate Pudding

2 TBSP granulated sugar

2 TBSP cornstarch

2 TBSP unsweetened cocoa powder

1 ½  cups whole milk

½  cup heavy cream

4 ounces  milk chocolate, chopped

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

To make the crust:

Preheat oven to 300F.

Lightly spray a 9-inch springform pan with baking spray. Line with parchment, spray that and the sides of the pan. I chose to make these into tarts. I used six 4 ½ inch diameter tart pans.

In a food processor, grind the cookies into a fine crumb. Add the butter and pulse until well combined.

Evenly distribute the crumb among the tart pans, or place all of the crumb mixture into the pan (if using spring form). Make sure to not only get the bottom but up the sides as well.

Place in freezer for 10 minutes.

Remove and bake for 10 minutes and remove and let cool on a wire rack.

To make the flourless cake:

Increase oven temperature to 350F

Using a double boiler, melt the butter and chocolate together. Set aside to cool.

In a small bowl, whisk together the espresso powder, coffee, salt and vanilla. Set aside.

In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg yolks with ½ cup of the sugar until the mixture is light and has almost doubled in volume, about 5 minutes.  Add the chocolate mixture and beat until just combined. Scrap down the sides and bottom of the bowl and mix on low seed for 5 seconds. Add the coffee mixture and beat until just combined. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and mix on low for 5 seconds.

In a clean bowl fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites until foamy. Gradually increase the speed to high and add the remaining ½ cup of sugar, beating until soft peaks form.

Scoop 1 cup of egg whites into the chocolate mixture to lighten the batter. Using a rubber spatula mix the egg whites into the chocolate batter. Not too rough but not to gentle. Add the remaining egg whites but this time by folding them in gently.

Pour the batter onto the cooled cookie crust (if using mini tarts, spoon into the tarts so that it comes 2/3 of the way up…you will probably have some left over, I just made a mini cake and ate it…shhh, don’t tell anyone). Bake for 39-42 minutes (minis only took about 20-24 minutes…so pay attention). You are look for the cake to be set but still jiggles slightly…kind of like cheesecake. Transfer it to a wire rack and cool completely. The cake will sink in size. That’s what it does. You did nothing wrong. Once cool. Cover in plastic wrap and chill for 3 hours (which gives you time to make the pudding and chill that).

For the pudding:

Whisk together sugar, cornstarch, cocoa powder, and a pinch of salt in a 2-quart heavy saucepan, then gradually whisk in milk and cream. Bring to a boil over moderately high heat, whisking constantly, then boil, whisking, 2 minutes. (Mixture will be thick.) Remove from heat. Whisk in chocolate and vanilla until smooth.

Transfer to a bowl and chill pudding, its surface covered with wax paper (to prevent a skin from forming), until cold, at least 2 hours.

Pudding recipe from Epicurious.com

To assemble:

Stir the pudding to loosen it, then pour it on top of the cake (pie), making sure to stay inside the cookie crust boarder (if you made a tart you can pile it on).

Return cake to refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

Top with chocolate whipped cream (make it the regular way and when you add sugar, also add 1 TBSP of cocoa powder) and crushed toffee pieces.

Overall recipe adapted from Baked Explorations by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito

 

For years friends have said to me, you should be on Top Chef. I would tell them no way, I don’t have the knife skills(and a whole other bunch of reasons). And well, there’s never any dessert. So of course, what comes along? Top Chef: Just Desserts. My friends hounded me like crazy to try out. After seeing the cast, thank goodness I did not! Not afraid of their skill, just plain afraid of them! No seriously, I would lie awake at night probably hoping that my bunk mate wouldn’t try to smother me to death with buttercream frosting just for the fun of it. But it got me thinking. Along the lines of, Julie and Julia, I decided I will be doing each of the challenges that they are going to do on Top Chef Just Desserts. Which is how I ended up with these Cinnamon Roll Cupcakes with Cheesecake Frosting topped with Mini Cinnamon Rolls.
The first quick fire challenge was to make your signature dessert. I really have two. Either my bread pudding or my cinnamon roll cheesecake. In the middle of making the dessert they came in and told them to make it into cupcake form. So that’s how I ended up with a cinnamon roll cupcake. I would have totally failed, as this took way longer than the allotted time.
Yep, these are pretty much over the top fantastic. Especially since I actually put a piece of cheesecake into the frosting. Mmmm, cheesecake. Then of course the little cinnamon roll on top just adds a little something extra.
Now for the bad news. Yes I plan on making to the best of my ability each challenge. But no I don’t plan on putting them all on here. A couple of the recipes will be going on my CCbP Facebook Fan Page only. So if you are not a fan of it yet, and you are curious to see what I am doing with the project, you might want to become a friend of Culinary Concoctions by Peabody.

Cinnamon Roll Cupcakes with Cheesecake Frosting topped with Mini Cinnamon Rolls

Cinnamon Roll Cupcakes:

2 cups cake flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 TBSP baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups granulated sugar
5 large eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/4 cup buttermilk
Filling:
½ cup brown sugar
2 TBSP cinnamon
Cinnamon Sugar Coating:
1 cup granulated sugar
2 TBSP cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350°F . Butter two 12 cup muffin pans. Place a TBSP of cinnamon sugar coating in each cup and swirl around until the sides and bottom are covered in the coating. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, sift together the flours, baking powder, and salt.
Cut up the butter into 1-inch pieces and place them in the large bowl of an electric mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment or beaters. Beat for 3 minutes on MEDIUM-HIGH speed until the butter is light and creamy in color. Stop and scrape the bowl. Cream the butter for an additional 60 seconds.
Add the sugar, 1/4 cup at a time, beating 1 minute after each addition. Scrape the sides of the bowl occasionally. Add the eggs one at a time.
Reduce the mixer speed. Stir vanilla into the buttermilk. Add the dry ingredients alternately with the buttermilk. Mix just until incorporated. Scrape the sides of the bowl and mix for 15 seconds longer.
Spoon batter a 1/3 of the way up the muffin cup. Place 1 tsp. of brown sugar filling inside. Spoon another 1/3 of the way up. Using a butter knife, swirl the filling around in the cupcakes.
Center the pans onto the lower third of the oven and let bake 15-18 minutes or until the cake is lightly brown on top and comes away from the sides of the pan and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cake recipe adapted from Epicurious.com

Cheesecake Frosting
12 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1 slice cheesecake, bottom removed, at room temperature
¾ cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice

Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment (or a bowl and a mixer) beat the cream cheese and cheesecake on medium-high speed for 3 minutes. Add sugar, and beat another three minutes, until super smooth.
Add vanilla and lemon juice and beat another 30 seconds.
Chill in fridge for 20 minutes. Pipe or spread frosting onto cupcakes.

The Mini Cinnamon Rolls are just a smaller version of these cinnamon rolls, minus the frosting. If you choose to make them. I made a half batch, just bake up the bread for french toast or what not. They take about 16-18 minutes to bake up depending on the size. Mine were all about the size of quarter on steriods before I started, the of course grow bigger in the oven. You could also just use refrigerator rolls if you were in a hurry ( I wont tell anyone)