Fudgesicles

1/2 cup sugar
2 TBL corn starch or potato starch
2 TBL cocoa powder
2 1/2 cups milk of choice
1 tsp vanilla
1 TBL butter of choice

Combine sugar, starch, cocoa and milk. Cook on medium heat until thick.

Remove from heat and add vanilla, butter and stir until combined. Place in molds and freeze.


Fudge Ice Pops
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup all purpose GF flour
4 cups milk of choice
1 1/3 cup baking cocoa
1 tsp salt
2 tsp. vanilla
20 freezer pop molds

1) Melt butter, stir in flour until smooth, add milk gradually. Stir iin Brown sugar, cocoa, and salt. Stir 2 min. until thick.

Remove from heat and stir in vanilla, cool for 20 min stirring several times. Pour about 1/4 cup into molds put on holders. Freeze until firm.

The Best German Chocolate Cake in All the Land

I am making this for my sons graduation from High School. He requested German Chocolate Cake which he has never had before. This is a different twist and is extremely rich and decadent. He has good taste in goodies. See Yammies link to her site for the original recipe. I love Yammie. She makes great goodies. No, this is not diet friendly... so there.

• For the cake:
• 3/4 cup butter of choice(1 1/2 sticks)
• 1 1/4 cups dark cocoa powder
• 1 cup brewed coffee (Or any liquid. I guess some people are against adding coffee, but it really just brings out the flavor of the chocolate.)
• 2 cups milk (I used coconut milk)
• 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 tablespoon GF vanilla
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (or rice flour for gluten free)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3 teaspoons GF baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
  
  Directions:
• Preheat oven to 350ºF. Place a greased circle of parchment on the bottom of 3 8-inch pans (or grease them and dust them with cocoa powder).
• Combine the butter and cocoa and cook on the stove or in the microwave until melted. Slowly add the coffee and milk, whisking to combine. Add the sugars, eggs, and vanilla and whisk until smooth. 
• Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add to the rest and mix just until combined. Divide evenly between 3 prepared pans. Bake for 45 minutes or until toothpick comes out mostly clean. 
• Cool before removing from pans (you might want to loosen from the edges with a sharp knife). Cool completely before frosting.
  
  For the German Chocolate Frosting:
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup evaporated milk or make your own with coconut milk
• 3 egg yolks
• 1/2 cup butter of choice (1 stick)
• 3 teaspoons GF vanilla
• 3 cups Sweetened Flaked Coconut
• 1 1/2 cups pecans (lightly toasted in the oven or in a pan on the stove)
  Directions:
  
  Combine the sugar, milk, yolks, and butter. Cook on the stove, whisking constantly until bubbling and thickened. Add the vanilla, coconut, and pecans. Cool before frosting cake.  For the milk chocolate frosting:2 cups chopped Milk Chocolate or milk chocolate chips or dark for dairy free
• 2 sticks butter of choice, softened
• 5 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon GF vanilla
• 5 cups powdered sugar
• 3-6 tablespoons milk of choice
  Directions:
  
• Melt the chocolate (I do it in the microwave). If you're using chocolate chips instead of baking chocolate, make sure you turn your microwave power way down and stir often.
• Beat together the melted chocolate and butter. Add the cocoa powder and vanilla. Alternately add the powdered sugar and milk until desired consistency is reached. 
• To assemble cake:
• Fill middle layers and top with German chocolate frosting. Frost the edges with milk chocolate frosting. 

* Sugar feeds cancer and high blood pressure so go easy on a slice. We don't have goodies all that much even though I have a lot on this site.

Read more at http://www.yammiesnoshery.com/2013/12/the-best-german-chocolate-cake-in-all.html#vMkf0YWHJx5mVeM5.99

Source: Yammiesnoshery

Chocolate Avocado Pudding

When you want a decadent, rich, thick, smooth, delicious pudding...try this unusual recipe. I had my doubts, but I doubt no more. I mixed mine with a hand blender. It took longer but my regular blender crashed (and now my microwave too). I can't tell you how surprised I was when I tasted it.

The rich, smooth taste of good chocolate makes a difference and the good fat in the avocado thickens beautifully with just a hint of an aftertaste of avocado, but in a very good and delicious surprising way. This is a totally company worthy desert. Dish it out in small amounts because it is so very rich. I love this recipe, and it's just in time for the Holidays. 

Add mint, raspberries, or even orange or pine nuts to change it up a bit. It's a bowl lickers dream. No cooking involved and it's as easy as 1-2-3!

Ingredients:

2 very ripe avocados blended smooth

Sugar to taste (I don't like to over sugar) Start with 1/4 cup and go from there

1 dash of salt

1 teaspoon GF vanilla

3 Tablespoons of really good DRY chocolate or more if desired

Directions:

1. Pit the avocados and cut into 1/2 inch cubes and put into blender. 

2. Blend until smooth, add sugar, vanilla, and salt; blend until incorporated. 

3. Add in the chocolate and blend until very smooth.

Since this is a very rich chocolate, put the pudding into small goblets or custard cups. Pile on some fresh whipped cream, raspberries, strawberries, orange or tangerine slices. You could even Meringue it and torch the tops of them...so elegant. Play with it and enjoy. Cover and pop in the fridge (I like about 3 hrs).

Italian Butter Cream

Last Butter Cream....I mean it...

Ingredients:

• 1/2    cup cold water
• 2 1/4 cups white sugar
• 12     egg whites room temp.
• 1 1/2 lbs of unsalted butter cut into tablespoons room temp
• 1       teaspoon GF Vanilla

Directions:

1.  Bring sugar and water to a boil on medium /low.
   
2.  Using a pastry brush wash down the sides of the pan so crystals do not form.
   
3. Boil 5 minutes and start whipping your room temperature egg whites.
   
4. Slowly pour sugar mixture into the side of the bowl to the egg whites, while beating until cool to the touch. About 10 minutes on high speed.
   
5.  If you have a cover for the top of your bowl this would be a good time to use it.
   
6.  Add the cut butter into the mixture and beat after each addition.
   
7. The mixture may look soupy. When batter is completely mixed, slow down to low and add Vanilla, beat until light and fluffy.
   
8.  If it looks curdled keep beating as it will become smooth.
   
9. Stop and scrape the bowl at least 2 times.
   
10.  This can be refrigerated for a week or frozen. to get it back to it's original state just beat it to it's original texture.

Source: http://www.food.com/recipe/italian-buttercream-icing-227419 and For pictures of how it should look along the way....http://cakejournal.com/tutorials/how-to-make-italian-meringue-butter-cream/

Swiss Meringue Buttercream

This is delectable if I do say so myself. This is more work but soooo good. Just a few ingredients make this a wonderful icing choice for cakes and cup cakes.

Ingredients:

• 5 large egg whites
• 1 cup + 2 Tablespoons sugar
• pinch of salt
• 1 pound  (4 sticks) unsalted butter cut in tablespoons @room temperature

Directions:

1. Combine whites, salt, and sugar in a heat proof bowl over a pan of of simmering water, whisking constantly until sugar is dissolved and  is warm to the touch with no graininess when rubbed against fingers. Or check at 140 degrees.
   
2.  Attach the whisk attachment to the mixer and start on low and work up to medium high until stiff peaks form.
   
3. Continue mixing until fluffy and glossy and cool. Around 10 minutes or so.
   
4.  Change the mixer to  medium low, and add the butter in a few tablespoons at a time and mix well, until all butter is incorporated.
   
5. Whisk in Vanilla and then switch to a paddle. Beat on low to be sure all air bubbles are gone around 2 minutes.
   
6.  Scrape down the sides and continue beating until smooth. Keep at room temperature.

Buttercream Frosting

Yum! Is all I can say for this Birthday cake icing. Easy too.


Ingredients:

2   cups Crisco or WallMart brand
6   Tablespoons water
2   teaspoons clear butter flavor (check for gf)
2   lb. powdered sugar (8cups) Make your own if you are corn free.
Pinch of salt
2  Tablespoons meringue powder

Directions:

In a bowl add Crisco and beat, add water a little at a time and beat add flavoring, beat, add meringue beat. Add salt, beat. Add sugar a little at a time, mix until fluffy. If it looks curdly keep mixing until smooth.

Crusting Buttercreme Frosting

I just got back from my sisters house in Boise, Idaho. I had a great time. My sister Laura decided she was going to make the 3 tiered  cake for my sisters wedding. (She is good at saying...I'm going to do this or that then goes out and does it.) She had never made a wedding cake before. I became the assistant to the cake baker. We made a couple of gluten free cakes, a marble cake, a spice cake, and one regular carrot cake. For the gluten free cakes we used 1 2 3 Gluten Free poundcake mix for the marble (chocolate and regular) and for the spice we used the regular and added pumpkin spice to it. ..delicious! http://www.shop.123glutenfree.com/product.sc;jsessionid=76D07295373C22B9AEF809DFD2459879.m1plqscsfapp05?productId=23&categoryId=

Now it's time to whip out the frosting.. we found a wonderful frosting that was already made (5 gallon size) that worked out fine. We did the crumb coat. Then she frosted it plain. We took it to the site and finished it off there. It turned out wonderful. She used a star shaped tip and did a seashell edging all around the cake, applied the tiers, and finished it off with fresh flowers. It looked simple and elegant and tasted fantastic. No one knew it was gluten free except the gf people. There wasn't much left afterwards either. I did my share of 2 pieces at the wedding and a boat load afterwards. I highly recommend this cake mix as everyone was surprised by the quality in the taste of this product.

We had so much fun doing it that we played with the rest of the icing. We both practiced our skills on plastic cutting-boards and developed our own styles. DO NOT BE AFRAID to try this. It is so much fun. I had it up my arm, on my face and in my hair. I even smelled sweet. I will be posting some ICING recipes so you have the best to go to for your cake. I know the holidays are coming up so try these out before the big day and use your favorite. Today I am going to give you Crusting Butter Cream Frosting. This is what you want if you want to make flowers. It holds up really well.

Crusting Butter Cream Frosting

 Ingredients:

• 1 stick  (1/2 cup) salted butter
• 1 1/2    cup vegetable shortening (Crisco or wall-mart brand) apparently Crisco changed their
              recipe
• 8-9       cups sifted powdered sugar ( if corn free make your own)
• 3          teaspoons GF Vanilla
• 1/2       teaspoons Almond extract
• 4-6      Tablespoons room temperature water

Directions:

1. In a deep bowl add butter,  Crisco,  vanilla and mix well until combined. Add sugar a little at a time (about a quarter of a cup adding water a tiny bit at a time) and mix until fluffy.
2. If it seems dry add a little tiny bit of water and mix well. 
3. It should be smooth and creamy. Frost cake. 
4. Keep this covered while not in use as it will crust up. If you have to, mix it again until blended.

Almond Roca

Who doesn't like this candy? This is the easiest recipe I have found. Butter is better but if you can't have butter like me, use what works for you. Most vanilla baking chips use milk so I opt to just use more semisweet chocolate chips.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup slivered almonds
• 1 cup GF butter or margarine
• 1 cup sugar of choice
• 3 tablespoons boiling water
• 2 tablespoons GF rice syrup
• 1/2 cup semisweet GF chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup GF vanilla baking chips (or use ½ cup more chocolate chips)

Directions:

1. Sprinkle almonds on a greased 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pan. Bake at 300 degrees F for 15 minutes or until toasted and golden brown; remove from the oven and set aside.
2. In a saucepan over low heat, cook butter and sugar for 5 minutes. Add water and rice syrup. Bring to a boil over medium heat; cook, stirring occasionally, until a candy thermometer reads 300 degrees F (hard-crack stage).  This may take a while but keep stirring.
3. Quickly pour over almonds. Sprinkle chocolate chips/white chips on top; let stand for 1-2 minutes or until melted. 
4. (I put mine in a 300 degree oven until softly melted. With an icing spatula, I spread and swirl chocolate over candy. Cool completely (I used a pizza cutter to score the candy to make it easier to break into pieces while still warm. After it cooled slightly , I put it in the fridge until firm. then I broke up the pieces.

* Try to work quickly and have everything ready to go because it moves fast smoothing the chocolate at the end of the recipe.

Source: All Recipes/Adapted by Olinda