Witch's Cauldron Cupcakes

Have you heard of black cocoa powder?   Black cocoa powder is "ultra alkalized" also known as "super Dutched" cocoa powder.  This process turns it jet black, with a mild flavor but appearance similar to an Oreo.  The black appearance makes it ideal for Halloween baking and all things spooky.  I found these mixed Halloween sprinkles in fun colors with little candy eyeballs and it reminded me of the things in a Witch's Cauldron.  You know, "eye of newt and toe of frog" like Macbeth, only orange, black, purple and made of sugar.  I had this vision of a neon green "radioactive" looking frosting with these sprinkles like a bubbling cauldron.  So I grabbed my handy dandy black cocoa powder to create the base for these cupcakes.  The perfect black "cauldron" to hold that scoop of frosting and sprinkles.  Complete with a pretzel stick to stir the cauldron with.  I am so happy with how these turned out.  Halloween is my favorite holiday and my absolute favorite time of year to bake and create yummy Halloween treats.  Even though my tiniest devils like in Colorado and I don't get to bake for them much, thank goodness Mr. Devilish Dish understands my love for all things Halloween and doesn't mind eating a dozen neon green and black cupcakes.  In fact he said, "The base of this is a really good cupcake and everyone loves a homemade buttercream frosting." These cupcakes aren't just for looks.  They are a really tasty little treat that just happens to be spooky sweet.

Happy Halloween!
These might be my favorite spooky
creation ever.

Combine the dry ingredients.

You can see just how dark the 
black cocoa is.  It makes the 
flour look grey.

Melt the butter and semi-sweet
chocolate together.
Set aside and cool.

Cream together the eggs and sugar
until thick and pale.

You can see just how dark 
this batter is.

These cupcakes don't really have much
of a leavening agent so they don't 
rise very tall.  Which is nice, because you 
get a rich, dense cake that is the 
perfect cauldron base.

Make the buttercream frosting.

You want a thick frosting so that you can
scoop it onto the cupcakes rather than

a spreadable frosting.

Garnish with Halloween sprinkles,
eyeballs and a pretzel stick for 
"stirring the cauldron."

Have a Happy Halloween and
enjoy this wonderfully 
witchy dessert.

WITCH'S CAULDRON CUPCAKES

For the cupcakes:

2 sticks + 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
9 ounces semi sweet chocolate
3/4 cup black cocoa powder
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
4 1/2 tablespoons cake flour (*SEE NOTE)
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3 eggs
1 cup + 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
3/4 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease a 12 cup muffin pan with cooking spray and set aside.  Melt butter in a small saucepan over low heat.  Stir in semisweet chocolate until melted.  Let cool slightly, about 5 minutes.  Whisk together black cocoa powder, all purpose flour, cake flour and salt.  Set aside.  

In a stan mixer beat the eggs and granulated sugar until pale and thick, approximately 5 minutes on medium speed.  Add vanilla.  Stir in flour mixture in 3 separate additions, alternating the flour mixture with the chocolate-butter mixture.  Begin and end with flour mixture, and mix until combined in between each addition.  Place 1/3 cup batter into each prepared muffin cup.  Bake until cakes rise and spring back when touched, approximately 20-25 minutes.  Let cupcakes cool in muffin pans 15 minutes before removing to a cooling rack and allowing to cool completely before frosting.  

*NOTE: you can make your own cake flour by combining 1 cup all-purpose flour with 2 tablespoons of corn starch.  Simply measure out the amount needed for recipe and store the remaining mix for another use.  

For the frosting:

2 sticks unsalted butter
3-4 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 teaspoons milk
yellow & green food coloring

In a stand beat the butter until smooth.  Add the powdered sugar a little at a time to create a frosting.  Add vanilla and milk until the frosting is a thick texture.  (You will be scooping this frosting instead of spreading it.)  Add yellow and green food coloring until the desired color is achieved.  If you are using liquid food coloring you may need to add a touch more powdered sugar to keep the mixture stiff and scoopable.

Using a cookie scoop, scoop the frosting on top of each cupcake to create the look of a "cauldron bubbling and boiling over."  

For the garnish:

Halloween sprinkles and candy eyeballs
pretzel sticks

Garnish the green frosting with Halloween sprinkles.  I used tiny tweezers to place them on, rather than just shaking.  Insert a pretzel stick as the spoon for the cauldron.

Twinkie Poke Cake

I'm a sucker for nostalgic desserts.  One of my favorite things to prepare is Twinkies on our Blackstone Griddle.  Once they become crisp and caramelized, I serve them with fresh strawberries and whipped cream and call it Griddled Twinkie Strawberry Shortcake.  It's a really fun and impressive dessert, but it's not one I made when we are busy entertaining, or absorbed in watching a baseball game.  I say that, because I made this specific cake when we had guests over to watch OU Baseball playing their way to the national championship.  In the past both my Southern Pecan Praline Poke Cake and Coconut Cake have been huge hits.  And both start with a boxed cake mix.  I figured a Twinkie poke-style cake would be a huge hit, easily made ahead and a great dessert to enjoy while we watched the game.  This cake turned out unbelievably delicious, with a frosting that is so reminiscent of that delicious sponge cake filling. Seriously the frosting could just be in a post by itself, it is that good. 

A delicious, nostalgic dessert.

The ingredients.
Make sure you have oil and eggs 
to prepare the boxed cake mix.

Prepare the cake mix according
to the package directions.
Bake and let cool completely.

Mix together butter and marshmallow
fluff until smooth.  Add the powdered
sugar, milk and vanilla to create 
the tastiest frosting.

Place part of the frosting into a piping
bag and pipe into holes made in the 
cooled cake.

Use the remaining frosting to frost 
the top of the cake, spreading until smooth.

Serve and enjoy.

TWINKIE POKE CAKE

1 box yellow cake mix PLUS: oil, eggs, water needed to make the cake

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 large (16 ounce) container marshmallow fluff
3 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

Prepare the cake mix according to the package directions in a 9x13-inch baking pan.  Allow the cake to cool completely.  With the bottom of a wooden spoon, poke holes allover the cooled cake.

While the cake is cooling prepare the filling/frosting.  In the bowl of a stand mixer combine the butter and marshmallow fluff, mixing until smooth.  Add in the powdered sugar a little at a time until combined.  Add in the milk and vanilla.  Once this is smooth and combined, place about 1/3 of the frosting mixture into a piping bag fitted with a larger tip.  (The open-circle style works best.  I could not find that one, so I used a larger star tip and it worked just fine.)

Carefully pipe the frosting into the holes in the cake, making sure to fill them up.  Use a spatula to smooth out any overfill.  Use the remaining frosting to frost the top of the cake, spreading until smooth.

Irish Cream Cheesecake

Happy St. Patrick's Day!  This is one holiday Mr. Devilish Dish and I love to celebrate.  Sometimes we go the fun route and celebrate with something non-traditional like Shamrock Shake Pie, and sometimes we enjoy bacon and cabbage.  We both have Irish heritage - his roots are "Black Irish" which is clearly evident with his dark hair and olive skin.  My side is the stereotypical auburn haired, lighter skin tone version.  I even have a claddagh tattoo, which is an Irish symbol representing LOVE (heart), LOYALTY (crown) and FRIENDSHIP (hands).  It's safe to say we appreciate our heritage, although Irish Cream may not be something our ancestors enjoyed.  We definitely enjoyed this IRISH CREAM CHEESECAKE.  To be honest, I hardly ever make any cheesecake besides my New York Style Cheesecake, since that is everyone's birthday request.  I don't think I've ever made a cheesecake with a sour cream topping, but not only did it add flavor, it made the top absolutely perfect and smooth.  If you are looking for a WOW dessert for the month of March, or you simply love the flavor of Irish Cream liqueur, this cheesecake is a total winner.

Our new favorite cheesecake!

The ingredients...Though they seem
complicated, cheesecakes are usually
just a few ingredients and simple to
prepare.

Use a small glass or cup to get the 
crust tapped down evenly.

Bake that thing and allow to cool
completely before you prepare the topping.

Combine the topping ingredients.

Spread evenly over the top of the 
baked and cooled cheesecake.

Chill until cold and set.

Enjoy for a Happy St. Patrick's Day
or any day you want a delicious dessert.

IRISH CREAM CHEESECAKE

For the Crust:
1 1/3 cups graham cracker crumbs
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted

For the Filling:
3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
5 eggs
1/2 Irish Cream liqueur

For the Topping:
1 cup sour cream
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 cup Irish Cream liqueur

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  To prepare the crust, combine graham cracker crumbs, sugar and melted butter.  Spread the mixture evenly across the bottom and partly up the sides of a 9 or 10-inch springform pan.  Refrigerate while you prepare the filling.  With a mixer combine the cream cheese and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add the eggs one at a time, blending well after each addition.  Add the Irish Cream and beat on medium speed for 2 minutes.  Pour into the chilled crust and bake for 25 minutes.  Allow to cool completely before topping.  To prepare the topping thoroughly blend together sour cream, sugar and Irish cream.  Spread mixture evenly on top of cheesecake.  Allow to chill and set until firm.

 

 

Coconut Cake

 So Mr. Devilish Dish and I have never been big fans of coconut.  In fact our food tastes are pretty similar.  We love most of the same things and our dislikes are similar as well.  Last year, two friends at tailgate had upcoming birthdays.  One of them said, "How about a lemon cake?" Great!  Easy.  I love lemon cake.  Whipped that birthday cake right up.  The other request was Coconut Cake.  That took a little more effort, since I'm not a coconut fan.  What I realized after eating this cake is I am in fact a Coconut Fan!  Since that tailgate last fall, I've made this cake for several occasions.  It is similar to a tres leches cake.  But it only has two milks.  I guess that makes it a dos leches cake.  It is a very moist cake and honestly gets better with age as it sits in the refrigerator.  I changed up the original recipe to a whipped cream "frosting" versus a store bought dairy topping.  I love the flavor and texture so much better.  That is the only thing that keeps this cake from lasting for days in the fridge is the whipped cream frosting might get weepy.  Honestly though, it won't last that long.  You'll eat this cake all gone before you have that problem.  It's an easy cake too, basically a doctored up cake mix style cake.  The secret to the crazy good flavor is the two milks:  Cream of Coconut and condensed milk.  It is so decadent, it's made coconut lovers out of Mr. DD and I for sure!

This is the best coconut cake.
You don't even have to like coconut!

The ingredients...

The secret is the Cream of Coconut 
and the condensed milk.
Whisk these together and set aside.

Prepare the cake.

Poke holes in the warm cake with 
the end of a wooden spoon.

Pour the milk mixture allover 
the cake.

Allow the cake to soak up the milk
mixture and cool completely.

Prepare the sweetened whipped cream.

Generously frost the cake with the 
sweetened whipped cream.

Top with toasted coconut.
This is optional.  I did this originally so
folks would know this was a coconut cake.
Mr. Devilish Dish doesn't like the texture
of the toasted coconut as garnish on this cake.

Chill completely.
Overnight is better.

Most recently I made this for my Dad's 
birthday fish fry.  Big hit!

Such a good cake.  Enjoy!

COCONUT CAKE

1 boxed white cake mix
3 eggs
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 small box vanilla instant pudding
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 can cream of coconut
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 pint heavy cream
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
toasted coconut- optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease a 9x13-inch cake pan and set aside. In a large bowl or bowl of a stand mixer combine the cake mix, eggs, milk, vegetable oil, pudding mix and vanilla.  Mix until smooth and creamy and pour into prepared pan.  Bake for 32-35 minutes of until a toothpick poked into the center of the cake comes out clean.  

While your cake is baking, whisk together the cream of coconut and the condensed milk.  When you remove your cake from the oven, immediately poke holes into the hot cake with the end of a wooden spoon.  Pour the cream of coconut mixture slowly over the whole cake.  Let the cake cool completely and soak this mixture up.  

When the cake is cool, whip together the heavy whipping cream with the tablespoon of sugar until it is thick and spreadable.  Use this mixture to frost the cake.  Top with toasted coconut if desired.  Cover the cake and refrigerate at least 8 hours or overnight.  Even better the next day.

Southern Pecan Praline Poke Cake

As I've told you before, my brother-in-law is a chef in New Orleans.  Which works out great for me because I love that city and I love that cuisine.  He came home to visit the family for Thanksgiving.  The Saturday after Turkey Day, the Oklahoma Sooners played the Louisiana State Tigers.  Obviously our tailgate was Cajun-themed and we put the chef in charge of gumbo.  Legit Louisiana gumbo with andouille sausage and leftover smoked turkey parts.  My contribution to the day was dessert.  Finding a dessert that would stand up to to the quality of the gumbo was no easy task.  I've been told that King Cake outside of Mardi Gras is bad luck and a big no-no.  I settled on this Southern Pecan Praline Cake because not only was it simple to make, but the sugary praline layer is reminiscent of that delicious Pecan Praline Candy.  Bonus, it tasted great even though I made it the day before.  It was such a hit at the tailgate, I had several requests for the recipe.  As usual, tailgate is so hectic I never even ate a piece of cake, nor did I get any pictures of it.  Then I had the brilliant idea to re-create the same menu for our family Christmas meal.  Afterall we still had a freezer full of andouille sausage and my side of the family will never turn down a good 'ol Southern meal.  We enjoyed Gumbo with Potato Salad (the authentic way) but we also served rice to appease Little Devil.  My brother brought a big batch of Jalapeno Cornbread, and I shared some spicy saltine crackers and homemade bread & butter pickles gifted to me by a coworker.  The highlight of the meal was truly this cake.  As anticipated, it brought down the house.  An easy crowd pleaser for sure, and the tastiest finish to any home cooked meal.  

This is the best finale to
any Southern meal.

The ingredient line up.

Bake the cake according to the box mix
directions.  While it is baking prepare the 
praline mixture by boiling together butter,
brown sugar and pecans.

Using the handle of a wooden spoon, 
poke holes evenly over the warm cake.  
Spread the praline mixture over the cake,
allowing it to seep into the holes.  
Spread the remaining mixture evenly 
over the entire cake.

Whip together the softened cream cheese,
heavy whipping cream and vanilla extract
until very fluffy.  Spread over the praline
layer carefully frosting the entire cake.

Drizzle caramel sauce over the frosting.

Top with remaining toasted pecans.
Cover and refrigerate at least two hours 
to allow the flavors to meld.

This is the yummiest cake.  
The tangy cream cheese frosting is 
the perfect counterbalance to
the sweet praline layer.

Enjoy at the end of any Southern meal,
especially if you have a brother-in-law
that can make gumbo!

SOUTHERN PECAN PRALINE POKE CAKE

1 box yellow cake mix + the ingredients called for to make the cake (eggs, oil, water)
2 cups chopped pecans, toasted and divided
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 stick unsalted butter
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup prepared caramel sauce (I used a good quality ice cream topping sauce)


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Prepare the cake mix according to the box directions.  Pour batter into a greased 9x13-inch baking pan.  Bake the cake for approximately 30-35 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in to the center of the cake comes out clean.

While the cake is baking prepare the praline filling.  In a skillet over medium heat, melt the stick of butter and add the brown sugar and 1.5 cups of the toasted pecans.  Bring to a boil then reduce heat until you have a thick, sticky mixture.

Using the handle of a wooden spoon, poke holes evenly allover the warm, baked cake.  Pour the brown sugar mixture over the cake, carefully allowing it to seep into the poke holes, and then spread evenly across the surface of the cake.  Set aside.

In a mixing bowl of a stand mixer, beat the softened cream cheese, powdered sugar, heavy whipping cream and vanilla extract until smooth and very fluffy.

Spread the cream cheese frosting evenly over the cooled praline layer on the cake.

Drizzle caramel sauce over the top of the frosting and garnish with the remaining 1/2 cup of chopped toasted pecans.  Refrigerate for at least two hours before serving to let the flavors meld.

Enjoy,