German Chocolate Bundt Cake Recipe

Streusel:
1/4 C. flour
1/2 C. packed brown sugar
2 T. cold butter, cut into small pieces
1/3 C. flaked sweetened coconut
1/3 C. chopped pecans

Cake:
Cooking spray
1 T. sugar
1/2 C. unsweetened cocoa
1 oz. German baking chocolate
1/2 C. boiling water
2 C. flour
2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1 1/2 C. sugar
1/3 C. butter, softened
2 t. vanilla
2 egg whites
1 C. buttermilk

Glaze:
1 C. powdered sugar
1 T. butter, melted
4 t. milk

For Streusel:
In food processor, combine flour, brown sugar and butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add coconut and pecans and pulse to combine. Don't overmix.

For Cake:
Preheat oven to 325� F. Coat 12-cup Bundt pan with cooking spray.

Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon sugar; set aside. In small bowl, combine cocoa, baking chocolate and boiling water. Stir until chocolate melts; set aside. In another bowl combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; set aside. With mixer, beat 1 1/2 cups sugar and butter at medium speed until well-blended, about 5 minutes. Add vanilla and egg whites, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture alternating with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Stir in cocoa mixture. Pour half of batter into pan, top with streusel and spoon remaining batter over streusel. Bake for 1 hour, or until a tester comes out clean. Cool in pan on a rack for 10 minutes, remove from pan and cool completely.

For Glaze:
Combine powdered sugar and butter in bowl. Add milk, and stir with whisk. Drizzle over cake.

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Rich Chocolate Muffins

10 oz. Bittersweet Chocolate
8 oz. Unsweetened Chocolate
1-1/4 lb. (2-1/2 C.) Unsalted Butter
1 lb. (3-1/2 C.) All-purpose Flour
4 1/2 C. Sugar
12 Eggs, cracked into a bowl

In a saucepan, melt the two chocolates with the butter. Cool slightly. In a large bowl, mix the flour and sugar. Whisk the eggs into the dry ingredients. Pour the chocolate into the egg mixture and stir until well blended; chill at least 3 hours.

Heat the oven to 350� F. Line a muffin tin with muffin papers.

Scoop about 1/2 cup batter into each tin so that the curve of the batter is even with the rim of the cup (refrigerate extra batter in an airtight container for up to a week).

Bake the muffins until the tops puff and crackle and are slightly soft to the touch, and a toothpick stuck in the center has moist but not wet crumbs clinging to it, about 30 minutes.

Yields about 20 medium muffins.

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Molten Chocolate Cake Recipe

1/2 lb. semisweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 lb. unsalted butter
4 eggs
4 egg yolks
1/2 C. sugar
7 T. all-purpose flour
Creme anglaise sauce (recipe follows)
 
Butter and flour eight 5- to 6-ounce ovenproof custard cups or ramekins. Melt chocolate and butter in the top of a double boiler set over hot water. Cool slightly.

Beat eggs, yolks and sugar with electric mixer on medium-high until pale yellow (about 10 minutes). Reduce speed and add flour gradually. Add melted chocolate and beat until glossy (5 minutes). Pour mixture evenly into prepared cups. Set cups on thin metal baking sheet. Bake at 325� F. for 12 minutes, or until set around edges but centers still move slightly.

While still warm, turn cakes out of custard cups upside down onto plate, or serve in the ramekins. Dust with confectioners' sugar and serve immediately over creme anglaise or vanilla custard sauce, if desired.

To make ahead, fill ramekins and refrigerate up to 6 hours; add about 5 more minutes to baking time.

Yield: Eight servings.

Creme Anglaise

1 (4 3/4-oz.) package vanilla pudding and pie filling (do not use instant)
4 1/2 C. milk
1/2 vanilla bean

In a saucepan, combine milk and pudding mix and add vanilla bean. Cook according to package directions. When done, transfer sauce to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap (to avoid the formation of a skin) and allow to cool. When cool, refrigerate until serving time.

Before serving, remove the vanilla bean and split it open. Using the end of the knife, scrape the tiny seeds of the vanilla bean into the custard and stir to combine.

Chocolate Christmas Log Recipe

3 large (1 1/2 lb. ) Hershey's plain chocolate bars
2 C. chopped nuts
1 large pkg. miniature marshmallows
2 T. butter

Place butter and nuts in a shallow pan and heat in a 325� F oven for 15 minutes. Let nuts drain and cool.

Melt the Hershey bars in a double boiler, but do not let the water boil. Butter a sheet of waxed paper (about 1 foot long). Add marshmallows and nuts into the melted chocolate.

Pour chocolate mixture onto waxed paper and shape into a log. Use butter on your hands. Wrap the log with the waxed paper and aluminum foil. Refrigerate. To serve slice when cool.

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Slow Cooker Hot Fudge Sundae Cake Recipe

1 C. all-purpose flour
1/2 C. granulated sugar
2 T. baking cocoa
2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1/2 C. milk
2 T. vegetable oil
1 t. vanilla
1/2 C. chopped nuts
3/4 C. packed brown sugar
1/4 C. baking cocoa
1 1/2 C. hot water

Spray inside of 2- to 3 1/2-quart slow cooker with cooking spray. Mix flour, granulated sugar, 2 tablespoons cocoa, the baking powder and salt in medium bowl. Stir in milk, oil and vanilla until smooth. Stir in nuts. Spread batter evenly in slow cooker.

Mix brown sugar and 1/4 cup cocoa in small bowl. Stir in hot water until smooth. Pour evenly over batter in slow cooker.

Cover and cook on high heat setting 2 hours to 2 hours 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Turn off slow cooker. Let cake stand uncovered 30 to 40 minutes to cool slightly before serving. Spoon warm cake into dessert dishes. Spoon sauce over top.

Makes 6 servings

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Chocolate Walnut Cream Fudge Recipe

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Chocolate Covered Cherries

Need: cherry candy mold
Maraschino cherries in juice
Dry candy fondant
Compound coating chocolate
Two 16 oz. squeeze bottles
8 inch bent spatula
Merckens Dark Chocolate Coating

Warm chocolate in a double boiler. Fill one squeeze bottle with chocolate. Squeeze out chocolate into each mold cavity. Tilt the mold to be sure each cavity is coated clear to the tops all around. Invert mold over wax paper and prop with flexible plastic cup, so mold isn't touching wax paper. (OR) Invert over foil sheet pan with cake rack on it. Let the excess chocolate drip out. When chocolate starts to set up, use a small bent spatula to scrape off drippings level at tops of each cavity.

Syrup: Mix 10 part fondant and 1 part Maraschino cherry juice in a bowl and pour into the other separate squeeze bottle: This should be the consistency of Karo syrup. Don't worry you can't ruin this! This mixture should be thick enough to hold down the cherry.

Drain maraschino cherries on paper towels and place one in each cavity. Add syrup to 1/4" from the top.

Using the squeeze bottle of chocolate working in a spiral from outside to center, adding chocolate on the top to carefully seal.

Chill in freezer section only until chocolate separates from the mold, about 10 minutes. More time may crack the chocolate shells. Invert mold to dump out finished cherries CAREFULLY! They may crack if they hit the table hard.

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 Gooey Hot Fudge Sauce Recipe

2 C. (12 oz.) semisweet chocolate chips
2 T. butter
1/2 C. half-and-half
1 T. corn syrup
1/8 t. salt
1/2 t. vanilla extract

Melt chocolate and butter with half-and-half, corn syrup and salt in heavy 2-quart saucepan over low heat, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat; let stand 10 minutes. Stir in vanilla.

Serve warm or pour into clean glass jars and seal tightly. Store up to 2 months in refrigerator.

Reheat sauce in double-boiler over hot (not boiling) water before serving, if desired.

Makes about 1 1/2 cups sauce.

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