Mango Cheesecake

Have you ever been to the Cheesecake Factory?  They have some of the most eye catching cheesecakes.  You know when you see something that looks good but when you go try it out it not what you imagine.  Well that’s not the case with the Cheesecake Factory.  Not only they look good but they taste off the chain.  I was looking through one of my favorite magazine subscriptions and came across their Mango Key Lime cheesecake.  Oh boy that had my mouth watering. 

When I saw the ad from Cheesecake Factory and I know my mother-in law is visiting us, I knew right there and there what I was going to create. - Mango Cheesecake. 

You must be asking what my mother-in-law has to do with cheesecake.  Well, my mother-in-law lives where I am originally from, St. Thomas, Virgin Islands.  Mangoes are one of the sweetest things about living in the Virgin Islands.    They are juicier, plump, sweet, and words can’t even express how good they are.   When they are yellow, red, or orange you know right there it is ripe and ready to be devoured.  Plus since it is summertime, this is when mangoes are everywhere.  One of the joys is if your family or you know someone who has mango tree in their yard, you never have to go to market or miss out.  I remember the days I got in so much trouble for climbing other people trees and taking their mangoes. 

Well, my fiancé was talking to his mom the day before she arrives and I told him to tell him to tell her bring some mangoes.  I lighted up when she agreed.  Now keep in mind I was the one to ask for mangoes, the day she arrived she brought four and my fiancé ate all four that same night.  My heart was crushed.  But I did not deviate from the plan, so I had no other choice but head to Farmer’s Market.

This month Crazy Cooking Challenge is all about Cheesecake. I did my Mango Cheesecake with a Mango Glaze topped with fresh fruit.  Even though the mangoes from Farmers Market was not as sweet as I envisioned them when I ate one,I brought back the flavor when I puree them with sugar and vanilla bean.

I used Grace’s Sweet LifeRecipe.  I altered the crust by using half of almond flour and honey graham crackers mixed together with sugar and melted butter.  For the filling instead of ricotta cheese I used mascarpone cheese. 

What you think of my Mango Cheesecake.  I wish you was here to try it with me.  Yum! 

Cocoa Colada Cupcakes

Last week I had a case of migraines back to back.  I have a lot on my plate and this was a sign I needed to relax myself.  I wish I could go back to my birthplace St. Thomas, Virgin Islands to relax on the beach.   But since that was not happening anytime soon, I decided to bring the islands back to me. 

For those who know me I love a good drink and I remember my first alcoholic drink was a Pina Colada.  Well, not true I think it was a Coors Light I took up to taste that my father had left on the kitchen table when I was around six.  Boy that was nasty.  Hey don’t judge my daddy for being careless, I was just being fast.  Truth be told if my father was alive he would say I would beg to taste his alcoholic drinks, I guess that’s why I love a good drink.

Well back to the Pina Colada.  I wanted to take that Pina Colada and incorporate it into a scrumptious dessert.  What about a cheesecake?  Hmm, maybe next time.  I decided to do a cupcake instead.  So I know you have seen or maybe tasted a Pina Colada Cupcake.  But what about a Cocoa Colada Cupcake with a subtle flavor combination of chocolate, pineapple and coconut rum. 

If you not a fan of alcohol stay away, because I promise, you would taste the alcohol.  Not only there is alcohol in the batter, but in the cream cheese frosting, and in the chocolate glaze. 

After I devour this cupcake, my headache was all gone and had nothing but a smile on my face all day. 

Cocoa Colada Cupcakes

Yields 24-27 cupcakes

Cupcake

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 ¾ cups granulated sugar
¾ cup cocoa powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 large egg
2/3 cup vegetable oil
¾ cup buttermilk
¼ cup Irish cream liqueur
1 cup crushed canned pineapple, drained
½ cup coconut rum

Chocolate Glaze

1 ½ cups semisweet chocolate chips

6 tablesppons unsalted butter

2 tablespoons light corn syrup

2 tablesppons coconut rum

1/2 cup toasted coconut for topping

Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting
½ cup (1 stick/8 Tablespoons) butter (cool)
8 oz. cream cheese (directly from fridge)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (always use pure vanilla extract if possible)
1 1/2 teaspoons coconut extract (you may want to start with just 1 teaspoon of coconut extract, you can always add more, but you can’t take it out!)
4 cups powdered confectioner’s sugar
1 Tablespoon Dark Rum

1 Tablespoon Coconut Rum

Cupcake Directions:

1.      Preheat the oven to 350*F.  Line a cupcake pan with 24 cupcake liners.  Set aside.

2.      In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, salt and baking soda.  Set aside.

3.      In a large bowl, use and electric mixer on medium speed to beat together the egg, oil, buttermilk, Irish cream liqueur, pineapple, and rum until well combined.  Turn the mixer to low and add the flour mixture, beating well just until combined.

4.      Divide the batter evenly among the cupcake liners and bake for 16 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcake comes out clean.  Cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes or until cool enough to handle.  Remove the cupcakes from the pan and cool completely.

Frosting Directions:

1.      Place butter in a large mixing bowl and blend until smooth. Add cream cheese and blend until well combined, about 30 seconds.

2.      Add vanilla extract, coconut extract and powdered sugar (1 cup at a time) and blend on low speed until combined. Increase to medium speed and beat until it begins to get fluffy. Slowly add the rum. Beat until fluffy, about 1 minute. 

Chocolate Glaze Directions:

1.      Heat the chocolate chips, butter and corn syrup atop a double boiler set at low heat. 

2.      Stir continuously until the chocolate melts, and the remove from the heat.

3.      Add the rum and stir until smooth.

Frost the cooled cupcakes and then drizzle the glaze atop the frosting.   For added flavor and texture add a touch of shredded coconut.  Feel free to decorate with maraschino cherries and paper umbrellas to get the full island feeling. 

Cupcake recipe updated from Intoxicated Cupcake, Frosting Adapted Glorious Treats

Nutella Swirl Blondies

I made these blondies last week and totally forgot to blog about them. 

I love that this recipe does not ask for much chocolate and is so gooey, and rich.  It is sweet and full of the butterscotch flavor.  And the best part is it is topped with Nutella and cream cheese.  

I cut them up into small squares, and served at my job. These bad boys went fast.  Everyone loved the sweet breakfast treat that quenched their sweet tooth desire.

Nutella-Swirl Blondies

Ingredients

1 ½ cups packed light brown sugar

2 sticks unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

2 large eggs plus 1 large yolk

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour (I used unbleached flour)

½ tsp. baking powder

¼ tsp. salt

1 ½ cups butterscotch chip

4 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature

¾ cup Nutella

Directions

1.       Preheat oven to 375F.  Grease a 9-by-13 inch baking pan and line with foil, letting ends of foil hang 3 inches over the 2 long edges.  Grease foil.

2.      Combine sugar and butter in a large pan over medium heat.  Cook, stirring often, until butter has melted and sugar has dissolved (mixture will not look combined).  Remove from heat and let cool slightly.  Whisk in 2 whole eggs and vanilla.

3.       A bowl, whisk flour with baking powder and salt.  Gradually add flour mixture to sugar mixture: mix until smooth.  Fold in butterscotch chips. Spread evenly in pan.

4.      Using an electric mix on medium speed, beat cream cheese with egg yolk and Nutella until smooth.  Drop spoonfuls’s of Nutella mixture over batter in pan and use the tip of a small knife to swirl it in, making a decorative pattern.  Be careful not to scrape bottom of pan.

5.      Bake until blondies are just set in the center and a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes.  Let cool in pan on a wire rack, then cover and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, at least 2 hours.  Run a sharp knife along edges of pan to loosen, and then remove blondies from pan using foil handles.  Cut into squares and serve at room temperature. 

Recipe adapted from ALL You Magazine

Amy Atlas Book Signing

Yesterday at Williams-Sonoma located at Lenox Mall in Atlanta Georgia I had the pleasure attending Amy Atlas book signing for Sweet Designs. 

Amy is known for her wonderful creations in baking and especially dessert table displays. Amy is so sweet and totally cool.   I was so in awe she remembered my name, from winning her giveway of the Jacques Torres chocolate.

I learned so much from her tips. Her book Sweet Designs do not just include tips on how to coordinate but also wonderful recipes I cannot wait to try. She stressed about she wanted to create a “bible" that explains how to craft it, bake it and style it, but most importantly the recipes are the work of the book. 

 Amy recreated “A Picnic in the Park” for us at her book signing.  We were served some wonderful treats from her book like the Red Zinger Iced tea and Strawberry Trifle, that has Grand Marnier in it.  OMG, yum.

Some also other wonderful ladies stopped in to show their support. The one and only cake pop lady Angie Dudley from Bakerella and the Atlanta socialite Tamie Reed from Talking with Tami.

I had such a blast.  The staff and the audience was welcoming and I can't wait to start my first dessert table.  I think I will start with my three year old daughter Rock & Roll party in three weeks.

Blogging

Hi There.  This is not my regular dessert post, but I wanted to share something I found about, if you are new to blogging. 

I am getting my foot in about blogging and would love to learn more. Do you know you can earn money from blogging? I don't mean just the regular side ads.  Well, ALT Design Classes provides online classes from Photoshop, blogging 101 and down to Pinterest. I am interested in these classes and I have read other members really enjoyed the classes.  Most of the classes are $15.00 each, which is not bad at all. 

Go and check out the July classes that are currently running here.  You also can get the opportunity to sample classes for free, which I am doing also here.  Thanks go out to Bing (#thanksbing) for sharing this opportunity.

Fried Chicken & Cupcake

Yesterday was National Fried Chicken Day.  Living in the South a juicy piece of fried chicken that graces a plate at any dining establishment is a big hit, like the famous Gladys Knight and Ron Chicken and Waffles. 

The trick to a juicy succulent fried chicken is preparation.  Marinating the chicken in spices overnight keeps it moist and tender.  In my home we hardly eat anything fried, gosh I can’t remember the last dish I made fried. 

This month challenge at Crazy Cooking Challenge is about fried chicken.  This is my first time entering the cooking challenge. 

The hard part for me is I had to find a recipe for fried chicken.  You must be asking why is that hard for you.    When it comes to cooking I find it hard to follow a recipe because I like to add my special touch and plus I already had a wonderful recipe I made in the past all the time for fried chicken.  So I had to score the internet for the closest recipe to mines.  Even though it is not exact, it came out pretty darn good.

As you already know I love making desserts, so I decided to kick it up and add fried chicken to everyone’s favorite dessert – cupcake. Before you start making up your face these savory cupcakes is the same thing as having fried chicken and waffles.  The only difference it sweeter and all in one dish.  Buttermilk, fried chicken, maple syrup, pepper sauce, and amaretto, makes this a winner in my books.  

So what you think would you try?

Buttermilk Fried Chicken
Recipe adapted from Bon Appetit

Ingredients

• 2 cups buttermilk
• 6 garlic cloves, smashed
• 1 large onion, thinly sliced
• 1 cup assorted chopped fresh herbs (such as flat-leaf parsley, tarragon, and thyme)
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
• 4 1/2-pound fryer chicken, cut into 8 pieces
• 3 cups vegetable shortening
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

• Whisk first 6 ingredients in a large bowl. Add chicken; cover and chill for at least 8 hours or overnight.
• Melt vegetable shortening in a large cast-iron skillet. Arrange a deep-fry thermometer in skillet so bulb is submerged. Heat over medium heat until shortening reaches 325°.
• Meanwhile, mix flour, garlic powder, onion powder, and cayenne in a large brown paper bag. Drain chicken, leaving some herbs still clinging. Season generously with salt and pepper. Working in 2 batches, add chicken to bag, roll top over to seal, and shake well to coat chicken. Let chicken stand in bag 1 minute; shake again.
• Fry chicken in skillet until golden brown and cooked through, 10–15 minutes per side. Sprinkle with additional salt, if desired. Repeat with second batch of chicken.

Bacon-Hazelnut Buttermilk Cupcakes
Makes about 14 standard cupcakes

Ingredients

1/2 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon (5 ml)vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups (180 grams) cake flour
3/4 cup (150 grams) sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick or 113 grams) unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces and at room temperature

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (180 C). Line a muffin pan with cupcake liners; set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk the buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla until combined; set aside.

In a large bowl, or the bowl of a standing mixer, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. With the mixer on low, add the butter pieces, one at a time, then increase mixer speed to medium low. Once the butter is fully incorporated, increase speed to medium and beat until well combined (about 30 seconds).

Reduce mixer speed to low and add half of the buttermilk mixture. Mix until just combined, then increase speed to medium high for about 30 seconds. Repeat with the remaining buttermilk mixture. Batter should be fully incorporated with some small lumps; do not overmix.

Fill each cupcake liner with three tablespoons of batter. Bake for 18 minutes, or until the edges are light golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a crumb or two clinging to it.

Transfer to a wire cooling rack and allow to cool completely.  Core cupcakes and stuff with fried chicken and top with frosting and your favorite pepper sauce.

Amaretto Maple Buttercream
Makes about 24 ounces

Ingredients

1 cup (2 sticks or 226 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 pound (about 4 cups or 500 grams) confectioners’ sugar
1/3 cup maple syrup
2 tablespoon (15 ml) amaretto
1 tablespoon (15 ml) heavy cream

Beat the butter on high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in half of the sugar until combined. Stir in the vanilla and syrup. Beat in the remaining sugar. Add the heavy cream and amaretto, whisk on high for 6 minutes. 

Recipe adapted from Bakingdom

All American Daiquiri Poptail

Happy July 1^st to everyone.  This is my favorite month of the year.  Why?  Because it’s my birthday month.  My birthday is just a few days away, and I am looking forward to my 31^st.  I am not scared of my age.  I see it as a growing and changing time of my life.  Plus I do not look thirty-one.  If you see me you might think I am just turning twenty.

Since July 4^th is only two days away I wanted to create a poptail for you.  You must be asking what is a poptail.  DO you like popsicles?  What about cocktails? Well there you have it, just combine the two and you got yourself a poptail.  The first time I saw poptails is by Naomi at Baker Royale.  She has some awesome recipes for poptails that I plan on trying.  I love a good drink and if it comes frozen I think it is even better.

If you not a lover of alcohol this is definitely not for you.  But if you are, go ahead and whip up this poptail and let me know what you think.

If you not a lover of alcohol, feel free to omit the alcohol.  But if you are, go ahead and whip up this poptail and let me know what you think.

All American Daiquiri Poptail

Ingredients

Strawberry Layer

3 cups strawberries

4 ounces sugar

2 tablespoon dark rum

Cream Layer

1 ½ cups Greek Yogurt

3 Tbsp. heavy cream

3 Tbsp. Honey

Blueberry Layer

3 cups blueberries

2 tsp. lime juice

4 ounces sugar

2 tablespoon dark rum

Preparation

Wash, dice and pit the white part out of the strawberries and puree with sugar and dark rum in a blender or food processor.  Set aside.  Repeat the same step with the blueberries by picking out any stems or leaves from the blueberries.  You can use frozen berries but I liked using fresh berries.

Combine all the ingredients for the cream layer.  The heavy cream is used to thin out the Greek yogurt so you can have a pouring consistency. And the honey is to sweeten the yogurt so it balances out the taste with the berries.

Assembly

Simply pour alternating the layers starting with the strawberry layer and ending with the blueberry layer into your popsicle mold.  Allow each layer to freeze for at least 30 minutes before pouring the other layer.  When you are 2/3 of the way done you can add the popsicle stick.  I added mines after the cream layer when it was semi-frozen.