Chocolate Covered Cherry Cake

A very easy and pretty cake, made using a boxed cake mix.   Very tasty too!

1 box dark chocolate cake mix with pudding in mix

1 can cherry pie filling

1 tsp almond extract

2 large eggs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put all ingredients into a mixing bowl and mix on low speed for 1 minutes. Scrape bowl with spatula, then mix on medium speed for 2 minutes. Scrape into a well greased 9x13 inch cake pan, spread out to fill pan and smoothing top. Bake for about 30-35 minutes until it is beginning to pull away from the side of the pan and top springs back when lightly touched. Remove from oven and place on cooling rack.

As soon as the cake comes out of the oven make the glaze. Place in a small saucepan the following:

1 cup white sugar

1/3 cup butter

1/3 cup milk or cream

Stirring continuously, bring to a full boil over medium heat. Cook stirring for 1 full minute. Remove from heat and add 1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips, stirring until they are completely melted and the mixture is very smooth and shiny. Pour over the top of the warmed cake and spread quickly to cover the whole cake top. This sets very quickly. Cool cake completely before cutting.

 

Nutella Cream Sauce

  A very decadent and delicious dessert sauce can be made in minutes.   I guarantee that if you like Nutella and chocolate, you will love this!  Serve it over cake, ice cream, flan, cheesecake, you name it.  

Equal parts of heavy cream and Nutella.  Put the cream in a small pan and warm gently to just below simmering.  Add the Nutella and stir until it is well blended with the cream and the mixture is creamy and smooth.   Cool and either use at room temperature or chill.  If you chill it, it will thicken a bit.   Store any leftover sauce in the refrigerator.  

Cream Cheese Cookies

 1/2 cup softened butter

8 oz softened  cream  cheese

2 cups white sugar

1 tbsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp almond extract

2 eggs

3 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

Cream the butter, the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, then beat in the  eggs and extracts.   When well mixed, add the flour, salt and baking powder.  Mix until well blended.   Place in a covered dish and chill at least three hours, overnight is better.   The dough will be very sticky.  When ready to bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  With wet hands, form the dough into balls and flatten slightly. Place the balls on a cookie sheet about 2-3 inches apart.   Bake for 11-12 minutes, until the bottoms are just slightly starting to brown.   Cool slightly on the cookie sheet, then place on a cooling rack until completely cooled.   Enjoy!   These are addictive!

Snickerdoodle Muffins

Preheat over to 400 degrees and spray the cups of a muffin tin with cooking spray or grease very well.

In a large mixing bowl place:
¾ cup sugar
½ cup melted butter
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg
12/ cup milk

Beat together until smooth.

Then add the following:
1 ½ cups flour
½ tsp cinnamon
1 ½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp cream of tartar
½ tsp baking soda
Mix until all are moistened, but do not over mix. Portion into the muffin tins and bake about 20 minutes. The muffins will be rounded and nicely browned. Cool in the pan about 5 minutes, then gently remove to a cooling rack that is over a cookie sheet.

Melt about ½ cup more butter and put in a bowl. Mix together ¾ cup sugar with 2 tsp cinnamon. Dip each warm muffin completely into the melted butter, then roll in the cinnamon sugar. You may need more melted butter and sugar mix to coat all of them. Finish cooling and then eat!

Lemon Chess Pie

This is a very old, southern dessert about which is there is a lot of speculation where the name and the pie came from.   Like pecan pie, another traditional southern dessert, it is tooth achingly sweet, but at least this one has a very tart and lemony counterpoint to all the sweetness.  Even so, it is an extremely sweet and rich pie that no one should ever eat more than a tiny sliver of.   It is good, but also quite deadly!  If you try to eat more than just a sliver, I warned you!    As always, enjoy!

Lemon Chess Pie

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9 inch pie pan with pie crust. Set aside.

Beat together the following until smooth and well blended:

2 cups sugar

½ cup strained fresh lemon juice

grated rind of two lemons

2 tbsp corn meal

2 tbsp flour

½ cup butter milk or yogurt
4 eggs

¼ cup melted butter

pinch of salt

Pour this mixture into the pie shell and bake about 45-60 minutes. The top of the pie will be lightly browned and the filling will jiggle a little bit when shook. Remove pie from the oven and allow to cool to room temperature. Serve pie room temperature or chilled. Store leftovers in the fridge. Some like to top with whipped cream, but as rich as this is, it doesn't really need it.