Layered Chocolate Cake with Raspberry Cream Filling and White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

Have I mentioned that I love Taste of Home?  I have found so many amazing recipes, and this is one of them.  I don't think that I've ever made a cake that had such perfectly level layers when they come out.  The cakes didn't sink in the middle, and they fluffed up just perfectly.  My husband said that this is the best cake he's ever tasted.  Woot!  I don't know if I'd go that far, but it was amazing.  I made it for my dear ol' mum for her birthday.  There weren't any complaints!

As a side note to voice my impatience with chocolateering, I was trying to make chocolate ribbons to go on top of the cake.  I think I flared my nostrils and huffed and puffed enough to last me a lifetime.  And if my poor little kids could read my mind, I would have to define a whole slew of new words for them.  It was impossible!  I tried to salvage the chocolate, so I made those pathetic little strips of chocolate to put on top so my efforts weren't completely foiled.  Try not to focus on the unprofessionalism of the appearance.  This was one tasty cake!

Layered Chocolate Cake with Raspberry Cream Filling and White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

source: Taste of Home November 2011 magazine

Cake:

1 c butter, softened

2 1/2 c sugar

5 eggs

1 1/2 t vanilla

2 3/4 c flour

1 c cocoa

2 t baking soda

3/4 t baking powder

1 t salt

1 1/2 c water

Frosting:

12 ounces white chocolate

18 oz cream cheese, softened

3 T butter, softened

4 1/2 t lemon juice

Filling:

3/4 c heavy cream

1/3 c seedless raspberry preserves

2 1/4 t sugar

Let it begin!

In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  I whipped mine for a couple of minutes.  Add the eggs, one at a time.  Beat after each addition.  Add in the vanilla.

Combine the dry ingredients in a separate bowl.  Whisk to combine. 

 Add the dry mixture alternately with the water.

 Make sure you mix well between each addition, ensuring it is well incorporated.

Pour into three greased 9 inch round pans.  I always line the bottom of my pans with parchment paper to ensure that they come out when I flip the pan over- not that I've ever had cakes stick to the bottom... Me?  Never.  Bake in a 350 degree oven for 24-28 minutes.  Cool for ten minutes before inverting and cooling on a wire rack.

For the filling, beat the cream until it begins to thicken.  Add the raspberry preserves and sugar.  Continue to beat until stiff peaks form.

 Once the cake layers are cool, spread 1/2 of the filling on the bottom layer of the cake.

 Add the second cake layer and spread the remaining 1/2 of the filling onto the cake.

 Top with the third layer. 

I kept mine in the fridge until I was ready to frost it.  However, I would keep it in the freezer for an hour or so to help keep the crumbs intact.  I always skip this step and end up with a crumb-speckled frosting. 

For the frosting, melt the white chocolate in the microwave until smooth.  Let it cool to room temperature.

 In your mixer, beat the cream cheese until it's fluffy. 

 Beat in the cooled chocolate and lemon juice.  Mix well. 

 Spread all over the top and sides of the cake. 

If you're like me, you'll have a cake that looks like a zebra had a run-in with some cookie-n-cream ice cream.  At least it'll taste good!

My Favorite Baked Beans

 Okay...  I have made several kinds of baked beans, but these are, by far, the most ridiculously delicious that I have ever tasted.  We had some friends over for dinner a while back and made pulled pork.  What better to go with pulled pork than baked beans?  I busted this recipe out, and here are a few comments:

"Dude... Is this bacon cake?  This looks amazing!"

"Umm..  These are definitely better than the canned ones that I was going to bring."

mmmmmm....

I love the first one.  Bacon Cake.  Oh, yes.  If you have a loved one in your life that loves bacon, whip this out and throw a couple candles on top.  Best birthday ever.  These beans are out of sight, and they wer almost completely devoured before I got a picture.  Thankfully, I could snap one while there was still a little bit left. 

The next time you grill anything, make these.  If you're a baked-bean person, they shall render you speechless.

Baked Beans

source: Thepioneerwoman.com 

8 bacon slices, halved

1 onion, chopped

1/2 red pepper, diced (the original called for a green pepper, but I like red way better)

3 28 oz. cans of pork and beans

3/4 c barbecue sauce (I used cattleman's Kansas City)

1/2 c brown sugar

1/4 c cider vinegar

2 t dry mustard or 2 T dijon mustard

Cook the bacon according to package directions until the bacon starts to brown around the edge and there is about 1/4 c bacon fat in the pan.  Remove the bacon and drain on paper towels.  Set aside.

Add the diced onion and red pepper to the bacon drippings and saute over medium-high heat for about five minutes. 

Add the beans.

 Add the remaining ingredients.  Stir.  Heat the ingredients to a simmer.

Pour the bean mixture into a 13x9 pan.  

 Top it with the bacon slices.  Bake it at 325 on the lower-middle rack for two hours.  That is not a typo!  After two hours, the liquid will start to evaporate and create this syrupy goodness that coats the beans.  It's magical. 

 Remove the beans and let the groans begin. 

Two words:  Bacon.  Cake.

Libby's Strawberry Salad

I must give credit where credit is due on this one.  There is a sweet old lady that I went to church with for years and years named Libby.  She passed this recipe onto my mom, and the first time I tasted it, I could have eaten that whole stinkin' salad myself.  Generally, all the strawberry salads Ive ever made or tried use a vinegar-based dressing that is too overpowering for my husband to tolerate.  Well, this lovely salad has a creamy, mayonnaise-based sweet dressing that is amazing.  I made this salad for some friends that came over a couple days ago, and the wife polished off the salad and said, "Man, I usually don't like salad dressing, but this stuff is magic!"  Indeed it is.  It just might be my new favorite.  I don't have any other pictures, but this recipe is simple enough to just give you an idea of the glory you're about to consume.

Libby's Strawberry Salad
Source: Libby Coombs, a sweet old lady I know from church

1 head of Romaine lettuce, torn into pieces
1/2 red onion, diced (I didn't have red onion on hand when I made it)
1 1/2 c sliced strawberries (use more if you'd like)
1/2 c slivered honey roasted almonds

dressing:
3/4 c mayonnaise
1/3 c sugar
2 T milk
1 T cider vinegar

Combine all the salad ingredients in a bowl. 

Whisk all the dressing ingredients together in a bowl.  I let mine sit in the fridge for about 15 minutes in the hopes that the sugar would dissolve to avoid the graininess, and it wasn't grainy at all.  Score!

Pour about 1/4 c dressing on the salad at a time and toss to combine.  Add more dressing until you've reached a dressingy-ness that you like. 

Serve immediately.

I'm telling you... this is my new favorite.  :)  Poppy seeds would be a nice touch to the dressing as well, if you're into that sort of thing.  mmm..

Chocolate Cream Cheese Brownies

Oh, man.  I think it's been a good three weeks since I've blogged anything.  And the Slacker of the Year award goes to.... me!  I promise I have a good reason, so I think it's time for a little pop quiz!  Oh, how I love to throw in some pop quizzes onto my blog.  

I have been MIA for three weeks because:

A.  I'm a secret under-cover FBI agent desperately in search of trying to find the cure for spousal snoring

B. I have travelling the been world with Willie Nelson to braid his hair before performances.

C. I have been carving a 135 pound pumpkin as Jabba the Hutt to enter it into a biggest carved pumpkin contest.

D. I have been training ostriches for 14 hours a day to dance the cha-cha line to perform for the President of PETA.

E. I have been terribly sick, nauseous, tired, and pukey because I am expecting my third child in 28 weeks (not that I'm counting).

I know it's tough to pick between those amazing choices.  I wish more than anything it was B or D, but the correct answer is E.  Hooray!  I'm super excited, but when my kids go to bed, I crawl onto the couch and fall asleep in five minutes flat- unless I'm watching an awesome super hero movie.  I'm a sucker for those movies! 

As for these brownies, I tried this recipe tonight, and I thought they turned out amazing.  The consistency of the brownies was great, and the marbled cream cheese stuff added a nice little touch.  If you want something other than a traditional all -chocolate brownie, give this a shot!  Tasty stuff, my friends!

 Chocolate Cream Cheese Brownies
Source: Tast of Home "The Baking Book" (a must-have!)

4 oz German Chocolate, broken into squares
3 T butter
2 eggs
3/4 c sugar
1/2 c flour
1/2 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
1 t vanilla
1/4 t almond extract (optional, but a nice touch)
1/2 c chopped nuts (optional, but I left them out for fear of losing a friendship)

Filling:
2 T butter, softened
3 oz cream cheese, softened
1/4 c sugar
1 egg
1 T flour
1/2 t flour

Melt the chocolate and butter in a microwave in 30 second intervals until it gets smooth after stirring.  Cool.  In another bowl, beat the eggs.  Add the sugar, and whisk until the mixture becomes light yellow and thick.  Add the flour, baking powder, and salt.  Stir well.  Add the melted chocolate, vanilla and almond extract, and nuts (if using.)  Pour half of the batter into an 8x8 pan.

 In a mixing bowl, beat the butter and cream cheese until fluffy.  Add the sugar, beating until it's fluffy.  Mix in the egg, flour, and vanilla.  Mix it well.  Pour this over the brownie layer in the pan. Spread it to all sides.

Plop the remaining brownie mixture onto the top of the cream cheese mixture. 

 Use a knife and drag it from one side of the pan to the other- going back and forth like you're mowing a lawn. 

 When you're done, you'll have a lovely marbled effect on the brownies.

 Bake them in a 325 oven for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. 

 Let them cool for about 10-15 minutes then cut into squares.  These bad boys are really rich, so I would cut them into 16 squares. 

Serve them warm with a nice, cold glass of milk.  Honestly, is there any other way to eat a brownie?!